Browsing Category: "Frugality"
It’s only a dollar
A couple of days ago my wife took leftovers to her work for lunch. She put them in the refrigerator only to forget about bringing it when lunch time came around. Instead of warming up the leftovers she opened up one of those convenient microwavable bowls of roman noodles, sounds yummy I know. On a side note I do actually like them and the only cost a dollar, or do they?
The reason I decided to write this article is because after warming up the noodles she decided she would much rather have the leftover baked spaghetti than the noodles. So, after asking coworkers if the wanted the noodles with no success she threw them in the trash, but it was only a dollar.
I would probably be considered a pretty frugal person. I don’t buy clothes unless I absolutely need them. I bring my lunch to work at least 4 times per week, and I am always looking for ways to save money. No need to say I was a little disappointed to hear the story of the trashed noodles.
Later that evening I got started thinking about the real price of that cup of noodles. Was it really only one dollar? The obvious answer was no, but how much did that wasted cup of noodles cost? I was a little surprised when I did the math.
I plan to retire in about 30 years so that’s the number I will work with in the example. One dollar put in a savings account for 30 years would be worth $2.12. One dollar put in the stock market that averaged a 10% return for 30 years would be worth $19.84. If you take inflation into consideration the $2.12 will only be worth about $0.87 and the $19.84 will only be worth $8.17.
So does this mean it’s OK to throw a dollar away, because it won’t be worth that much anyway? No, you know the answer to that question. Spend and save your money wisely, you’ll be happy you did.
Extreme method of saving money - Line Dry Clothes
How much does it cost to dry a load of clothes? It costs an average of about $0.30 - $0.40 per load to dry a load of clothes with an electric dryer. If you have a gas dryer then you will spend about $0.15 to $0.20 per load. It may sounds a little old fashioned but for those extreme money savers this is a great option.
Just because I say line dry doesn’t mean you have to put up an old fashioned clothes line in the back yard. They make in home clothes drying systems that allow you to hang your clothes up to dry in the laundry room instead of using the dryer for every load.
Use this method to dry items such as t-shirts, and other thin material clothing. These items usually don’t require excessive drying anyway so hanging them up to dry won’t take forever. If you do a load of laundry every day try to line dry 2 of those per week. You’ll save about $1100 over the course of your 30 year mortgage. Line dry all your clothes and you’ll save a small fortune.
With the current condition of our economy many people are looking for any way they can to save money. Please keep reading our blog to learn more great extreme ways to save money!
You Really Pay for Convenience
This morning while I was waiting for the coffee to finish brewing at work I happened to glance in the vending machine. I noticed a package of peanuts, the same package I had packed for my lunch. I immediately looked at the price and started thinking about how bad of a deal it is to buy them.
My wife had just purchased a package of them from the grocery store. She told me they were $1.99 for an 8 pack. The single packs 1 and 1/8 ounces in size. So doing the math you’ll pay about $0.2211 per ounce. I just found a 6 pack of Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts
Now, back to the vending machine packages I noticed while waiting for the morning coffee. They were the same 1 and 1/8 ounce packages for a whopping $0.65! Do some quick math and you will discover you are paying $0.5777 per ounce for those peanuts! That’s over 3 times the price of the bulk canisters. Wouldn’t it be worth the money to buy the big canisters and control your portions to save the extra money?t
Negotiating really works, it happened to me
You may have heard someone say that you should always try to negotiate everything you buy, especially large ticket items. Well, from personal experience I can say it’s true. Just this week I was negotiated out of $10 from the sale of a computer desk.
My wife and I recently moved our computer into the kitchen onto a built in computer desk, freeing up our office computer desk. Since it was in our dining room we thought it would be best to sell the desk to free up some space. We listed the computer desk on craigslist and had multiple emails the first day it was posted. We really wanted to get $75 out of the desk and we made the mistake of listing it for $75. It’s amazing how much people will try to negoate to save a buck.
The first person we had look at the desk drove to our house to take a look. When they arrived they asked if it had a hutch that went with it. I was thinking to myself, the description on the ad never said anything about a hutch and there was no hutch in the 3 pictures that was posted, but I simply said, no… no hutch. He offered me $50 for the desk and after my return offer of $75 didn’t appease him he left and said he would keep looking.
I had two other people offer me $50 via email and said if noone else purchaed it they would gladly give me $50 for the desk. I however refused to let the desk go for $50 considering we paid about $200 for it 2 years ago.
Our next potential customer made an appointment during my work hour lunch to view the desk. When she arrived she asked how much I would sell the desk for and I gave here the $75 answer. I told her I had two other offers for $50 and wouldn’t let it go for that cheap. She replied, “I’ll meet you half way and give you $60. Well, $60 isn’t’ halfway so I replied I’ll give it to you for $65. She looked into her pocket and pulled out $60 cash, “That’s all I have, but I can write you a check for $5.” I’m sure she thought I would let her have it for $60 but I told her it was a deal for $65. She ended up finding $5 cash before she left but I realize she had the whole thing planned the minuted she showed up at my door. I was tired of answering email and negotiating so I gave in and lost the battle.
The lesson I have learned is that people are willing to sell something for even less than they really want. It’s pretty easy to fin great deals on used furniture., because most of the time they person selling the furniture no longer has a use for it and it’s in their way. Always try to negotiate!
Free stuff, samples and trial offers from WalMart
Did you know that Walmart gives away free samples and trial offers of products they sell? Come on I know you wouldn’t turn down something for free. After all nothing in this life is free, right? Actually, WalMart the largest retail chain in America is always giving away something. Not only do they do a lot of work for Charity, Education, etc. but they give away stuff to their customers. It’s easy to find just visit their website from the link below. Find the link on the left menu that says “In Stores Now” and click the sub menu link to “Free Samples”.
There are tons of free samples of trial products. They are even currently running an in store event where parents can try out free samples of the items they are promoting for kids school lunches. Items from companies such as Del Monte, Smuckers, Sunny D, and more. Enjoy the freeness!
Great deal on cheap headphones
I just found a great deal on some cheap headphones. I was looking through TigerDirect’s Liquidation Sale! and found a pair of Coby CV-H42 Ultra Lightweight Stereo Headphones for $2.97. Sounds like a great deal to me, but I can’t confirm the quality of the headphones. I did read on the site that they do come with a warrenty from the factory for 12 months that covers parts and labor. So if you are looking for a great deal on some headphones you may want to check it out!
Buy used items and save money.
When you think of buying used you usually think of cars, trucks, boats, or other big ticket items. You can however, save a lot of money buying other used items as well. Books, furniture, clothing, movies, games, CD’s, DVD’s, electronics and other items can be bought used for a fraction of their original cost.
First, the obvious place to start buying used items is automobiles. Used cars, trucks, boats and other automobiles can be bought for a fraction of the cost even if they are only a couple of years old. It’s not worth the extra thousands of dollars you will pay for a new car when a good used car will serve the same purpose. You can also usually find cars with the remaining factory warranty that will have little or no extra maintenance costs.
Second, electronics are a great item to buy used. Desktop Computers, Laptop Computers, CD players, DVD players, etc. all lose most of their value as soon as they are taken out of the box. Buying a computer that is a year or so old could save you hundreds of dollars and won’t be too out of date.
A third place to save buying used is media products. Computer software, video games, music CD’s, DVD, books, etc. These items lose a lot of value after they are purchased new. Many of these items can be found at yard sales for pennies on the dollar. Used video games have even became popular enough to have entire retail stores designed around them. You can buy, sell and trade video games. Used book stores have been around for years and you can find great deals on used books.
There are hundreds of ways to save money. Even though you might not be saving hundreds of dollars every penny adds up!
Free Online Coloring Books for Your Children
With all the gimmick advertisements on the Internet these days for free stuff, how do you know which ones are legitimate and which ones are trying to trick you into thinking you are getting something free? If you’ve been deceived before, don’t give up home. There are many things you can get online free and one great one is a free coloring book for your children.
There are literally hundreds of websites that offer free images you can print to your home computer for your children to color. I found everything from letters, numbers, cartoon characters, animals, puzzles, holiday events, educational worksheets, etc. They are completely free and you won’t be breaking any kind of copyrights by printing them out for your children.
Now, obviously it’s not completely 100% free it will cost you the price of a sheet of paper and ink for your computer. But it will cost a lot less than a fancy coloring book from a retail store. More than likely if they are under the age of three it will be a bunch of scribbles anyway so don’t waste the money.
You may be asking yourself what’s the big deal with downloading these free coloring sheets. Sure I might save a little money, but couldn’t I just give my children a blank sheet of paper and let their imagine do some work? Sure, but there are some great, creative uses for your newly found free coloring pages that might interest you.
First, a great use for your free coloring pages and books is a themed birthday party. If you are having a princess party for your little girl then print out multiple pictures of princesses, castles, dresses, etc. Have a boy? You’ll find hundreds of pictures of cars, trains, animals, etc. Hand out the sheets to the children at the party and have a coloring contest for prizes.
Second, many of the free pictures and activities will also have educational value. If you have a toddler just learning their alphabet or numbers, don’t waste your money on educational workbooks. You’ll find hundreds of educational prints including letters, numbers, puzzles and games to train their brain. Sit down each night with them and work through some of the pages.
I won’t advertise for any specific website, but a quick search with your favorite online search engine using keywords such as “free coloring book photos”, “free coloring images” or “free children’s coloring pages” will produce hundreds of thousands of results. Have fun and save money!
Find Free Entertainment
Entertainment is one of those things that most people feel like they have to spend money on in order to enjoy. There are hundreds of ways to stay entertained without spending whole lot of money. Here are just a few ideas to think about before wasting money.
Movie rentals are a great way to stay entertained for a couple of hours and you will spend less than $5. Rent a movie from the local video store for about $4, pop a bag of store bought popcorn, and wash it down with your favorite beverage. You might run over $5, but you will be well under the $25 for two people you would spend at the movie theater.
A cheaper version of the above is to find a good movie on cable television, or find a series that you would like to start watching every week. You are already paying for cable television anyway so why not get some use out of it.
Treat yourself to a new book purchase from the local bookstore or order one online from a discount bookstore or auction website. An even better way to save would be to visit the local public library and check out a book, movie, CD, or book on tape/CD. It won’t cost you a dime, except the gas in your car to get there and back.
Take a hike or a walk through the neighborhood. It’s always fun for my wife and me to walk through the neighborhood and look at other houses. Check out the landscaping or their outside decorations. If you are close to a park walk around the park and take a picnic lunch or dinner.
Check online for free concerts, plays and shows. Many times, especially in the summer cities will sponsor free events to promote tourism. Keep an eye out for these events, they can be fun and free.
There are many ways to find entertainment for cheap or free. Don’t feel like you have to spend money to have a good time. Just do a little research and be creative and you’ll save a ton of money!
Cost to burn a light bulb for one hour
Electricity is a great invention, but we have to pay to use it every month. Right now everybody is trying to find ways to save a dollar and your electricity bill is a great way to start. Obviously your largest expense for your electricity is your electric heat and cool pump if you have one, but what about the small electricity items? How much does it really cost to use a 100 watt light bulb?
It might sound like a dumb question but many people burn outside lights all night and some keep lights on inside the house all night too. Is it going to break your budget to burn these lights or is it not worth worrying about? Guess it depends on how frugal you want to be, let’s do the math.
I just checked the rates of our electricity company and during off peak hours or night time hours they charge 3.759 cents per KWH. If you have one 100 watt light bulb burning it uses 0.1 kWh per hour (100/1000). Therefore about 0.00759 cents per hour ($0.03759*0.1) so less then a penny per hour. If you leave the light on all night for 10 hours it will cost you about $0.07 per night or $2.10 per month for every light you leave burning. Doesn’t sound like much but it can add up especially if you leave them on during the day or during peak hours. Peak hours cost 0.0769 cents per kWh so about double the night time hours. Lesson here is turn those lights off before you leave the house, otherwise you’ll be buring valuable money.
