Please post frugal living tips

[Kat Kanning]

This article from what lloyd posted looks helpful:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Homesteading-and-Self-Reliance/2007-10-01/Live-on-Less.aspx

[alohamonkey]

Sell your car and get a hybrid.  I just traded in my 2002 Jeep Wrangler that had 60k+ miles for a brand new 2007 Toyota Prius.  Although I now have monthly car payments of around $200, I am saving more than that in gas.  I used to buy $45-50 gas per week for my Jeep.  Now I spend $20-25 every other week  The car is literally paying for itself

I heard about a website on NPR the other day but I can't seem to remember the name.  It was a website where you go and list the items you frequently purchase and how many of each item you want.  Other people go and do the same thing.  As more people join in on your purchase, the website negotiates bulk rates with a distributor.  Therefore you can buy your normal products at a lower cost.  I'll keep looking around for the name but I'm hoping somebody else heard the same show. 

[John Edward Mercier]

Chevy Aveo... cheaper.
Used Geo Metro even better.

[Pat K]

Chevy Aveo... cheaper.
Used Geo Metro even better.

A lady here a few years ago, was exiting a parking lot onto
a busy road. The Geo Metro she was driving, was broadsided
by a motorcycle. It knocked the car over on its side.

Here is a little tip from your uncle Pat= if your car can be knocked
over by a motorcycle, it's to Fucking small!

[Beth221]

get a deisel getta.  hey are better than a prius because you can have passangers, lol.  when you load up a prius the gas milage drops.

but purchasing cars does not *save* you money. 

i think she is looking for things like:

use a mix of bleach and water as a all purpose cleaner, or vinegar and water, works just as well as any spray cleaner, costs you pennies rather than $3.99 per quart.  hang clothes out to dry on a line, weather permitting.  spend 13.99 on the shrink wrap for windows, it works really well, saves on heat!  spend 7.99 for a electronic thermstat, so you can program your heat to be low when sleeping or not home.  mine drops down to 58 at night, makes it romantic for a cold snuggle!  ask ivy about her frozen water for her freezer, she does something funny to save on electricity. turn the tv off when you are not watching it.  if you are cold, put a sweater on.  get a free dog to sleep with, its a good foot warmer.  for copper cleaner, kosher salt, and lemon juice, works great!  pluck your eyebrows, instead of getting them waxed.  paint your own toes, and take those ugly fake nails off, they are a huge waste of dollers!  (not that you wear fake nails kate!  i yelled at ivy once because she bitched that she had no money, but had nice long fake nails, next time i saw her, nails were off!)  make your own coffee rather than paying dunkin to make it. make a lunch daily, and bring to work.  buy in bulk.  save paperclips and rubber bands, (i am polish! dont ask me why i save them, its in my genes..  must save paperclips!) dumpster dive, because one mans trash is another mans treasure! 

[kola]

I make my own coffee. I have an old perk coffeepot, buy fresh coffee beans, roast em myself, grind them and then perk away. Now, I cannot even stomach that drip stuff which is from old bitter coffeebeans.

perky Kola

[alohamonkey]

get a deisel getta.  hey are better than a prius because you can have passangers, lol.  when you load up a prius the gas milage drops.

but purchasing cars does not *save* you money.

I was looking at the Jetta TDI's because I wanted to convert it to run on biodiesel.  Those aren't cheap.  You're right . . . buying the Prius didn't save me money, it made me money.  I traded in a Jeep worth around $14k and now have a Prius worth $20k+ without incurring any additional financial commitment.  I just upped the value of my vehicle by almost 150% 

spend 13.99 on the shrink wrap for windows, it works really well, saves on heat! 

We just did that.  We're noticing a difference already. 

spend 7.99 for a electronic thermstat, so you can program your heat to be low when sleeping or not home. mine drops down to 58 at night, makes it romantic for a cold snuggle! 

I didn't even know this was possible until a few days ago.  Definitely going to buy one soon. 

get a free dog to sleep with, its a good foot warmer. 

My Jack Russell is like a personal space heater in bed. 

make your own coffee rather than paying dunkin to make it. make a lunch daily, and bring to work. 

I estimate that I save around $150-200/month since I've started making my own coffee and packing a lunch.

Other ideas:
1. don't buy pre-cut veggies, buy a bunch of celery and cut it yourself
2. keep an eye on prices at the grocery store - that extra big bag of raisins isn't always cheaper than 2 smaller ones
3. insulate all bulkhead doors and old windows
4. get rid of cable and join Netflix
5. never pay ATM fees - go to your bank or your bank's ATM
6. get books from the library
7. keep the heat down low and use blankets - we just turned our heat up to 64 on Saturday (can't wait to get one of the electronic programmable ones)
8. transfer all savings to high-yield savings accounts
9. switch your landline telephone to VOIP

[Kat Kanning]

Blockbuster is better than netflix.

[alohamonkey]

I've never used Blockbuster's online program.  My friend just switched from Blockbuster to Netflix though.  I guess Blockbuster jacked up his monthly price right around the same time that Netflix reduced my fee. 

I've been a Netflix member for years . . . they're good for me b/c I watch a lot of indy and foreign flicks.  Not sure how much of a selection Blockbuster has in these genres. 

[John Edward Mercier]

Chevy Aveo... cheaper.
Used Geo Metro even better.

A lady here a few years ago, was exiting a parking lot onto
a busy road. The Geo Metro she was driving, was broadsided
by a motorcycle. It knocked the car over on its side.

Here is a little tip from your uncle Pat= if your car can be knocked
over by a motorcycle, it's to Fucking small!

Anything t-boned with a significant amount of momentum will have problems...
I watched news video of a Suburban being t-boned by a Escort... flipped just like a pancake.

[Puke]

Anything t-boned with a significant amount of momentum will have problems...
I watched news video of a Suburban being t-boned by a Escort... flipped just like a pancake.

SUV's are quite dangerous. They are too top-heavy.
Prius's are a silly way to save money in my opinion. They cost a lot, are cheaply made, and the savings ain't that great.

[alohamonkey]

Whether or not you like Priuses . . . getting off oil is a good way to save money. 

[Fluff and Stuff]

Blockbuster is better than netflix.

Netflix has a quicker turn around time and let's you watch somethings online.  Blockbuster lets you return the movies to the store and get new movies right away.  You also get a coupon to rent one additional movie or a game from a BB store every month.  I use Blockbuster because I like to rent games and they are $7 per rental.  Oh, and I've used BB for so long am grandfathered in at 4 movies for the price of 3.

Quiting cable and getting both BB and Netflix sounds good but then the cost of my high speed internet would go up.

[Kat Kanning]

Prius's are a silly way to save money in my opinion. They cost a lot, are cheaply made, and the savings ain't that great.

Don and Cathleen's is pretty cool   They'll drive up in a parking lot and you can't even hear the car running.  It's got fancy displays, too.

[John Edward Mercier]

Whether or not you like Priuses . . . getting off oil is a good way to save money. 

Thats somewhat true. As our transport gets more fuel efficient the State of NH will need to find another source to fund transportation projects. So the whole system will need an overhaul.