My wife is all about brand-names. She wants Tide - nothing else. Tide is $12 a bottle and Purex is like $7. When we are almost out of 'Tide', I go buy Purex and pour it in the Tide bottle. We have had the same bottle of 'Tide' for about 7 months. They change packaging now and then so occasionally I still need to buy the real stuff.
THE ZEN OF CONSUMPTION
Don't buy more than you can use; use everything you buy.
HOST A SWAP PARTY WITH FRIENDS
Trade with friends. Hold a swap and give away stuff while you dig through someone else's stuff, too. FREE rocks!
KILL YOUR CABLE
Cut loose that sacred cow of budgets: your cable TV. Use sites like www.hulu.com and watch shows on network websites for FREE. Sign up for www.redbox.com and get one free movie on Monday. Every week. For FREE.
STICK PENS IN MICROWAVE TO GET LAST INK
When your pen ceases to write, it probably still has a great deal of ink in it that is just stuck temporarily. instead of throwing it out, stick your pen in the microwave for 10 seconds to get that ink running again.
BECOME A HAGGLE-MONSTER
Negotiate everything! You've got the money, and they have the service. So always ask if that's the best they can do. I've had a lot of success with the cable company, and when buying things at big box electronics store. At J Crew the other day, I found out they offered student discounts. So my advice is to always try to negotiate. My next target: Verizon Wireless.
PRICEBOOKING
Rough pricebooking. I know, I know, really frugal types keep actual price books and note the tiniest fluctuations from store to store on every product. I don't have that kind of time. Instead, I look to general indicator products I buy frequently and many stores carry in order to gauge which stores are generally the best deal. For example, Kraft Mac and Cheese fluctuates in my area between 50c and 75c a box, but there are two stores of the same chain near me, and one has it between 50 and 60 cents and the other between 65 and 75 cents. Stores in more affluent areas often jack up prices, so it's worth keeping an eye on that sort of thing.
CREDIT CARDS ONLY IN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
Credit cards are only for cash not on hand, not on-the-spot loans. Use them online, use them in stores instead of carrying cash, but don't rack up charges you can't immediately cover. Don't assume that the money will come, because you never know when catastrophe will hit and a job will be lost, a car will need sudden repair, or a medical bill might hit.
DON'T BUY KIDS' CLOTHES NEW
Do not buy children's clothes, especially infant clothes, first-hand unless they are a gift or some kind of special souvenir.
DIY OR DIE 4EVA
When possible, make instead of buying. But don't be suckered into spending a fortune on craft tools you don't really need. For basic home crafts like knitting, sewing, etc., you can easily get away with just a few bucks on inexpensive supplies and tools and then delight your friends and family with home-made gifts.
DIY EYE GLASSES LENS CLEANER:
Just mix 50/50: Rubbing Alcohol and Sterile or Deionized Water. Pour into travel hand pump containers.
Eye glasses lens cleaner is 2.99 for 4-oz. Sure, soap and water works, but not if you're our-doors or when it's not available. This recipe is so cheap, and it works great.
CHEAP TEA
When I make a pot of tea (after letting it steep) I pour a cup of tea and then top off the pot again with more hot water (leaving the tea bags in place to continue steeping).
CHEAP WARMTH
It was a long, brutal winter. Instead of cranking up the thermostat on cold nights my husband and I invested in a very nice electric blanket.
GET THIS BOOK
Borrow a copy of "The Tightwad Gazette" by Amy Dacyczyn from your local public library. Read, mark, learn and inwardly digest. You may even be able to pick up a free copy from Freecycle.org (another useful site forsaving money and doing good).
BRUSH WITHOUT TOOTHPASTE
Clean your teeth with a combination of salt and baking soda. Doesn't taste as good as toothpaste, but is much cheaper and better for your gums (my late husband was a dentist and I owe this one to him - he died at age 89 with all his teeth in his head!)
TURN DOWN THE HEAT
Turn down the thermostat on your water heater. 120 deg F is hot enough and you save a lot by not heating to 140 deg. F.
BUY A $5 ROTISSERIE CHICKEN
My wife and I buy a $5 rotisserie chicken from the store ($3 if it is one day old), and eat the white meat for a dinner. Next, we pick off all the meat we can, and cook the skin, bones, etc in a stockpot or pressure cooker. This garners about 2 quarts of wonderful broth, which freezes well. $5 can make the basis for 6 meals in our household.
Even cheaper is frozen chicken, but who has the time!
DIY BROTH
Making your own broth or stock needs a comeback. We currently have 4 quarts of broth in our freezer, plus a gallon of chicken soup made from some other broth, in addition to 2 quarts of chili, all in Foodsaver bags.
SAVE BY DELAYING
Consider the future: most new release movies are between $18-20, wait a couple months and most will drop to $10-12. Walmart's $5 bin!
The obvious one: If you don't NEED it, or you can live without it, then don't buy it, at least right now. Wait on it and see how badly you want it, and when you have a little extra, go for it. That way you're not just spending on impulse, you know you really want it and it will be worth the money.
DON'T BUY PRE-CUT FRUIT
Don't buy pre-cut fruit, buy the whole fruit. You save a couple dollars every time.
EDITED BLUE-CHEESE DRESSING
If you like blue cheese dressing, but find the price in grocery stores a bit too much ( a bit too blue cheesy), do what a lot of restaurants do- cut it with mayonnaise. A regular sized blue cheese dressing cut with equal amount of regular mayonnaise will literally double the amount you get, and the flavor is much better. I reuse old mayo containers to mix a batch up each time I buy a new blue cheese dressing.
REFILL YOUR OWN HOT SAUCE
Also, if you're a fan of the hot sauce with the whole peppers in vinegar, you can simply replace the vinegar 5 or 6 times with regular white vinegar, and stash in it the fridge for a few days. The result in exactly the same thing, less $3 for a new bottle.
DIY PAPER TOWELS
I saved a few of the cardboard tubes from paper towel rolls. I bought two yards of white cotton flannel (about $8) and cut it into paper-towel-sized squares. I did a fast zigzag stitch around the edges of each one (cutting and sewing took about two hours total) and rolled them up onto the tubes. I use them for anything you'd use a papertowel for. When they're dirty, I wash them in hot water with bleach, dry them in the dryer without a dryer sheet (so they'll be more absorbent) and roll them onto another tube. I'll never buy paper towels again. Cheap, and better for the environment, I think.
TREAT STAINS RIGHT AWAY
Use stain treatment sprays to prolong the life of your clothes. Treat stains right away. Laziness will lose your fave shirt....
PLAN YOUR MEALS
Plan your menu for at least one week at a time. This will prevent you from over-buying. Planning accounts for every penny.
DIY BREAD
Make your own bread. Not only will you feel super accomplished, but your bread will taste better than anything you can buy. Seriously....store bought bread sucks....Some to my house and have some of my bread. It'll make you slap your momma and leave home.
CLOTHESLINE
Use a clothesline. If for nothing else, then jeans and towels which take FOREVER in the dryer. Saves me about $50 a month.
SERGE YOUR SOCKS
My husband buys long tube socks for work. When his safety shoes' metal toe causes holes in the toe of the sock, he asks me to serge (sew and cut) the toe section off. When they finally become short as anklets, he then uses them for rags in the garage. I've been doing this for him for the last 20 years.
DIY WHITENING TOOTHPASTE
Instead of a whitening mouthwash, use a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide ($1.99/32 oz bottle) and water.
USE FARMER'S MARKETS
I like to go to farmers' markets and hunt for deals on certain foods that when purchased in moderate bulk can be very cheap. Also, if you get to know the vendors they will often give you a deal if you come back week after week. Trader Joe's is good too. I basically don't buy any prepared foods whether it's fresh or frozen. That can really drive up the cost.
CUT YOUR MEAT
I also cut down on my meat and fish consumption and try to eat meals with lots of veggies. Stews and soups are the most economical because it makes the most of a little meat and you can make a ton of it and freeze half.
EAT EGGS
Eggs. They're so cheap yet you can make so many delicious high-protein meals with them!
JACK ALL THE FREE SOAP IN A HOTEL ROOM
I travel for business A LOT. Every month or so at minimum, and sometimes I can be gone for most of an entire month. Therefore, I'm always at hotels. Most hotels give out free soap, shampoo, and conditioner, with maybe some lotion or mouthwash if you're lucky. I say that because I take them ALL and hoard them.
REACTIVATE YOUR SHAMPOO
When shampoo or bodywash is empty, place opening near showerhead and fill it with a little water. Swoosh it around a little and walah, you have more left and it seemingly works just as well.
"DISPOSABLE" RAZORS CAN LAST A LONG TIME
I get my disposable razors to last for 6+ months just by making sure they are wiped clean and dry when I finish shaving and it still doesn't nick me.
PUT A MASON JAR IN YOUR TOILET
Put one or two 1 quart mason jars in the tank of your toilet. If you keep the lid off the jars there will always be fresh water flowing into them and they won't get nasty, but they will save a quart of water for each jar you use everytime you flush the toilet.
REPLACE SCRUBS WITH HAND MITS
I used to buy an apricot scrub for my face. Instead of buying the scrub, I now use reusable hand mitts, whose texture exfoliates my skin. I bought them at a local pedicure place for $3. They work better and the cost of one bottle of the scrub is about the same for a pair of mitts.
YOU CAN ONLY FIT ONE EYEDROP IN YOUR EYE
If you use eyedrops for any reason, there's NO need to use more than 1 in each eye. My doctor told me recently that more than one drop cannot physically fit within the confines of your eyelid, and only one drop is enough to cover the entire surface of the eye. He said that drug companies always encourage you to use 2 or more in an effort to reel in more money at twice the rate necessary. So, whether it's an antibiotic drop for a pink eye infection or seasonal allergy drops, one in each eye is enough.
Mouth rinses (like Listerine) tell you to use a full capful. Half a capful is perfectly sufficient for me, and it might be just enough for you, too.
You'll cut down on sugar intake AND save money by watering down your juices halfway. This might sound disgusting at first, but after doing this for a few years, full-strength juices are way too sweet for me. A half cup of cranberry apple juice + a half cup of water = perfect. (Oh, and don't let Mott's assist you in the process and make you pay for it — do it yourself by only purchasing 100% juice.)
Do you love the scent of super-expensive laundry detergent but hate the price? Buy some of the cheaper unscented store-brand detergent, put about 1/3 of it into another container temporarily, and then replace the lost amount with the good-smelling expensive kind. Blend, and use. Your laundry will still smell the way you like it & it'll cost less over time.
SAVE 50-70% ON HOME IMPROVEMENT
If you're planning a home improvement project, check with Habitat For Humanity's "ReStore" Facilities in your area. Prices are 50-70% lower than they are elsewhere. http://www.habitat.org/cd/env/restore.aspx
Also, check with local builders for any properties that are going to get demolished. Old fixtures, tubs, etc. can sometimes be scavenged and sold at a profit or used in your own renovations.
INFLATE YOUR TIRES
Make sure your car tires are inflated to the proper pressure and tune up your car as per the manufacturer's specifications. Today's computer controlled cars do not operate at peak efficiency unless all of the sub-systems are in good working order.
KILL ANTS WITH BORIC ACID
Use boric acid instead of high-cost pesticides or traps to deter ants from coming into your house.
SAVE EVERY $5-BILL
I save every $5 bill I'm given. I collect them, deposit them into the bank, and then I put them into a high interest savings account. The result? I've saved almost $3,000.
People have said "why don't you just move a lump sum from checking to savings every month?" The problem is that human beings are bad at doing this. But we're good at saving small amounts - I hardly notice that my purchase "cost" an extra $5. And since the money goes through my checking account a second time so quickly I never am tempted to spend it.
RECORD EVERYTHING YOU SPEND
Feel the pain every time you spend $$$, no matter how small, by opening an account at xpenser.com (free) and getting into the habit of recording EVERY time you use cash or credit by sending them a text. you can also use email, twitter, etc. however texting would work best for most people since it takes a few seconds and they carry their cell phone with them everywhere. this system allows you to be completely honest about your expenses and lets you tag and track categories of spending. just logging into xpenser reminds you how wasteful (or frugal!) you are and can be a great tool.
GHETTO ICED LATTE
In the summer when you want an iced latte, but don't want to spend $5 order an 'iced doppio' which costs $2 and add your own milk. In the iced drinks they don't steam the milk, so you're paying $3 for them to put it into your glass for you.
MAKE THIS YOUR NEW CREDO
"If it's not on sale, it doesn't exist."
APPLE TV FTW
One way I saved money was to get rid of my satellite TV service and replace it with an Apple TV. The satellite was costing me $50 per month and now I budget $12 per month to rent movies over the internet.
BECOME THE CAULK OF THE WALK
Another way to save money for me was to buy a bunch of tubes of clear caulk (88 tubes) and caulk the heck out of my all electric ranch house. I caulked around the electrical outlet boxes, wall switch boxes, air registers, recessed ceiling lights and underneath the baseboards (behind the carpet). It took me a few days to do it all but Duke Energy's online analysis of my bill showed that it saved me $100 in January.
MAKE A GARDEN
I garden, starting my seeds indoors (not buying plants from a store/market). I also learned how to harvest seeds from my mature plants last year, so I didn't even need to buy seeds.
CAN IT
I learned how to can/preserve. So any surplus produce gets turned into sauces, or simply gets canned on its own.
RIDE YOUR BIKE
Ride your bicycle to work. No need to pay for gasoline or added depreciation, wear, and tear on your car. Your auto insurance company may also reduce your rate if you reduce your annual mileage.
DILUTE WINDEX
When Windex bottle is half empty, fill to brim with water — diluted Windex works just fine.
DAY OLDS
Buy day-old (price reduced) bread, rolls, pies and freeze.
FREEZE YOUR BERRIES
Buy on-sale berries in summer and freeze for year-round use.
CUT YOUR OWN HAIR
Do your own haircuts and coloring — not as hard as you might think!
GROOM YOUR OWN DOG
Learn to groom your dog yourself — we learned from an episode of "Dirty Jobs."
REUSE AMAZON BOXES
Re-use shipping boxes from Amazon.com to ship back items sold on Ebay.
GET A BIIIIIIIG BOTTLE OF KETCHUP
Buy industrial size ketchup containers in cans for $5 and then refill your individual bottles. These cans can be found at restaurant suppliers typically but can save a lot of money on ketchup, especially name brand like Heinz!
BUY NEARLY SPOILED MEET, THEN FREEZE TIME!
I've heard of people buying almost expiring meat products from the deli with the sticker reduced to 50 cents. A friend of mine grabs all of these, sticks them in the freezer and carefully eats them each week. He says once its frozen the ice prevents spoilage of the deli meat products.
MAKE SALADS LAST 10 DAYS
People I've shared this with don't seem to know that if they make a whole green-salad and put it into a ziploc-style bag as opposed to a tupperware-type container, the salad will last about 10 days! The trick to it is: 1)never, ever use a metal knife on lettuce- it oxidizes it and it turns brown. Use a plastic lettuce-knife, or do what I do- pretend it's a rich Wall Street exec and rip it to shreds. 2) You have to squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag as possible- simply lay it on the table, use your arm to push out the air and the other hand to zip it quick. Works like magic, and who needs stupid green bags, vacuum-seal bags, etc!
STOP DRINKING
I quit drinking for a month, and by a rough estimate, I saved probably $300-$350. Maybe I'm kind of an alky, but even people who drink moderately can save money by cutting down on drinking, or just drinking at home. Also, buy the cheap stuff. Booze tastes exactly the same with any mixer in it. Like, you probably won't notice the difference between Pinnacle vodka (12 bucks a bottle in WA, where I live) and Ketel One ($27 a bottle) if you're putting cranberry juice in it. Just a thought.
GET SCISSCORHAND ON YOUR CARDS
My buddy cut up his debit card. he has the info memorized so if he needs to order something online he can but he has to go to the bank to get $ to spend. this way unless he really needs it he doesn't feel like taking the time to go to the bank and also it completely curbs his late night spending
YOU REALLY CAN FIND IT ALL ON EBAY
If you know what you are doing, you can buy almost anything on Ebay cheaper than a store (be careful of shipping costs, but remember there is no sales tax). Ink cartridges, razor blades, clothes, shoes (all new and unused), sporting goods, electronics, car parts, etc. Many items are one-fourth to one-half of what you would otherwise pay.
LOSE THE LANDLINE
If possible, get rid of your landline telephone. Replace with VoIP, or cellphone depending on your needs. Getting VoIP has saved me several hundred dollars annually.
CUT YOUR PAPER TOWELS IN HALF, USE TWICE AS LONG
Cut your paper towel rolls in half. I know, short-sheet versions are sold now, but they cost more.
JUMBO BAG OF POTATOES
3 lb. bag of potatoes FTW! Seriously. Potato is the most flexible food in the world. A little garlic, milk, butter, salt and pepper... voila.
VISIT MUSEUMS ON FREE DAYS
Go to museums on "free" days, which are generally in the beginning or middle of the week, when people are less likely to take a day off. They also won't be as crowded either, especially if it's cold right now. Tourists only come when it's warm.
ALWAYS CHECK THE UNIT PRICES!
Look at unit prices every time you shop. The bigger package isn't always cheaper... and sometimes it was cheaper last week but not this week.
MAKE MULTIPLE MEALS AT THE SAME TIME
Cooking more than one meal. People who live alone complain "they don't want to cook for just want person." So I say don't. Cook, but cook several meals and portion them up into tupperwares.
If you're making chicken, rice, salads, etc - bake or grill a whole tray of it (or include other meats for variety) and save it. If I make something good, like barbecue chicken or green chili I certainly don't mind eating the same thing the day after for lunch.
On Sunday afternoons I usually grill some meats, hard boil some eggs, boil potatoes and rice and put it all in various size tupperwares. Then I have full meals I can grab, and stuff to snack on that isn't junk. (like cooked chicken with mustard.)
Great for at home, taking to work, and on the go. And I rarely eat fast food or junk food.
REUSE YOUR ZIPLOCS
I wash out my ziploc bags. You can turn them inside out and throw them in the wash when you do laundry. Hang 'em to dry and you'd never know they were in the washing machine.
DON'T BUY STUFF YOU CAN'T AFFORD
Seriously, 50% of the things people buy are not necessities. The way I've done it is to only spend cash. Yes, I carry a debit and credit card for emergencies, but I only spend cash. That way, if I want to buy something I either have to make a special trip, or I have to consider buying it, get cash from home (when I reconsider buying it), and then reconsider buying it again at the store. Most of the time, by the time I get home I've talked myself out of buying whatever it is I wanted because I don't really need it. If more people started using cash for their day-to-day expenses rather than just throwing that latte, lunch, and dinner on the debit or credit card they would save a ton of money.
WE LOVE COSTCO
Join a warehouse club like Costco or BJ's — or both. (I refuse to endorse anything related to Wal-Mart). The membership fees can easily pay for themselves... they do for us!
DID YOU FORGET HOW TO BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH?
I'll put in a plug for the Lunch in a Box blog [lunchinabox.net] , especially its FAQs and lists, for helpful lunch-bringing tips. The bento-esque approach is also useful for maximizing leftovers, because a tablespoonful is enough to stick in a lunch along with other stuff.
TEAR SNUGGLE'S SHEETS IN HALF
Make the Snuggle bear cry: tear those dryer sheets in half. A half works just as well as a whole on static and you won't go to work smelling like a field of chemical flowers.
PIMP YOUR OWN RIDE
Do your own auto maintenance. This requires a bit of up-front investment for some tools, but spending $75 on a quality socket set, an oil-filter wrench, and an oil pan will save you a lot down the road. For a filter and 4 1/2 quarts of oil I paid $18 as opposed to the $30 and up most places charge. I was quoted $500 for a brake caliper change that I did for less than $100 with some brake fluid and an aftermarket part from Checker.
SPLIT INTERNET WITH NEIGHBORS
Split your internet. This is a big one for apartments: If you can, hang up a flyer, set a secure WPA or WPA2 key, and charge them $5 or so a month. If someone abuses it, change the key and give it back out to those who are still using it.
LASER PRINTERS ARE CHEAPER
Buy a desktop laser printer, not an inkjet. Yes, the printer and toner are more expensive up-front but a typical toner cartridge pumps out 5,000+ sheets (as opposed to the roughly 500-100 that an ink cartridge can do). If a black cartridge costs $20 and the toner is $80, you've saved $120 or more. Plus toner cartridges don't dry out and look a hell of a lot more professional.
SAVE 50% ON HEATING WITH PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTATS
Purchase a programmable thermostat and learn how to use it properly! This, combined with plastic on my windows, knocked my heating bill in my house down about 50%.
BUY FOOD ON FRIDAYS
I do my grocery shopping on Friday when the sales and specials come out. This means I have a fridge and cupboards full of food — no excuse to eat out, and on the weekends I have time to try new recipes or bake bread, make casseroles for busy nights.
LEARN TO SEW
Learn basic sewing - Doesn't have to be anything fancy just some needle and thread to sew on buttons or repair small tears along seams.
GET A BIG OL FREEZER AND FILL IT
Buy a large freezer and buy in bulk - over the long term this can save a lot of money. Have some freezer bags and foil at home, go out to a bulk store buy a 10 lb container of hamburger and break it up into 1 lb bags. Savings will add up quickly and you don't have to go out to shop as often. The more you go out to shop the more impulse buys you will make.
RICE IS NICE
Cook with Rice - rice is a great side dish or filler for almost any meal and it is VERY cheap it's also very healthy. If you do this on a regular basis a rice cooker may be a good investment as most double as vegetable steamers as well (vegetables are also great to buy in bulk frozen).
CHANGE YOUR OWN OIL
Learn to change your own oil for your car - when you do this buy a reusable oil pan (one that seals) so you can take the oil to a drop of for recycling.
FLASK IT
I know this sounds ghetto, but...before I go out on the night on the town I fill my flask with the strongest stuff I have in my liquor cabinet. This why I don't have to by drinks. Or if I'm going out to eat with friends, I try to eat something before leaving home so I just order a cheap appetizer when I'm out.
FIND THE CHEAP FAS
Use websites like www.gaspricewatch.com or www.gasbuddy.com to keep track of where the cheapest gas is in relation to where I am.
SAVE ON GAMES AND MOVIES WITH GAMEFLY AND NETFLIX
Gamefly and Netflix. I've saved hundreds in going to the movies and buying games cause of these services.
CEILING FANS
We installed ceiling fans in the bedroom and living room. They really help keep cooling costs down. Of course in the summer when it's hot, we'll use the AC at night but for just regulating temperature, the fans are perfect.
SAVE WITH PREPAID CELL SERVICE
Prepaid cellular is a great way to save money depending on you calling habits. The spouse and I average about $25 per month on calls, much cheaper than any standard post paid plan that I can find.
CLOTH DIAPERS
We just spent about $450 on diapers and wipes. How does that save any money? They're reusable, adjustable (one size fits all), cloth diapers and flannel wipes.
We expect our son to be in diapers for at least another 24 months, and given that we easily spend $70 a month on disposables, we should save at least $1200 in the long run. Plus the resale value of the bumgenius diapers is high, we can probably get $200-300 back when we're done, pushing our savings to $1400-1600.
DIY DRY CLEANING
Do you dry cleaning at home w/ a kit and an iron. You'd be shocked at how much you pay someone to do something this easy.
START A COSTCO POSSE
Create a "bulk club" - take 2-3 friends and split up bulk items (usually TP, paper towels, cleaners, etc) from Sams Club or Costco into usable amounts that won't take up all your space.
RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BUY
Avoid big purchases without researching prices on the internet first. If you know what it goes for in a retail location, you can ALWAYS find a better deal online.
CLOTHING SWAP SITES
Rehashclothes.com- this is a site where you can trade clothes, shoes, accessories, etc with others. All you do is agree on a trade with someone, and ship the items to them. So you get a new wardrobe for the cost of shipping.
DIVA CUP
For the ladies: Diva Cup. (Or Moon Cup)
BUY OUT OF STATE
Simply shopping online can be a huge money-saver. Since you can often avoid sales tax and shipping (which avoids gas cost of going to the store) you can save a lot.
Another option - especially for big ticket items and when you can't avoid paying sales tax online — research sales tax rates of your neighboring states. I live in Maryland and often go to Delaware (0% sales tax) to buy things. If you plan to buy a lot of things, the gas is definitely worth it!!!
USE IT ALL
I see a lot of blog entries and articles on how to save money on groceries but not a lot of ink is spilled on how not to waste what you spent so much energy getting on the cheap. Paying $1.00 a gallon for milk doesn't save you money if you end up throwing three gallons away because they spoiled before you could drink it all. And even the tiniest bit of something leftover - like 1/2 a cup of cooked squash or leftover oatmeal - can be saved and incorporated into another dish like muffins.
USE CFLS
Replace all the bulbs in your house to CFLs! A 20 watt bulb replaces a 75 watt incandescent and gives you 100 more lumens. Don't use the 75-100 watt equiv. where a 40 watt one will work (porch, fridge, hallway etc...) Over a 5 year period EACH incandescent will cost about $70 in fees while each CFL is about $20! (Not to mention replacement costs for regular bulbs.)
BUY FROM A BUTCHER
When buying meat, find a grocery store with a butcher. Buying more meat than you need wastes money. If your grocery store sells only prepackaged meat and you can't find the exact amount that you want, flag someone down that works there and have them check the back. The savings add up quickly.
DIY SWIFFER
Make your own swiffer cloths from an old flannel shirt (go to the thrift store if you don't have one), old flannel works just as good as the throw away cloths, and they can just be washed in the washer with towels (and the swiffer is a necessity at my house with a dog and a cat and 2 boys on hard wood floors)
WORSHIP THE COINJAR
Collecting change is a good way. We saved up enough change to buy our Wii. The next thing we spent change on was a ski trip (paid for hotel stay.) Right now we have over $100 in our change bag from the last 9 months or so.
COUPONS!
Clipping coupons. No joke, I save anywhere from 10 to upwards of 40% of my total bill when I use coupons. The trick is to only cut them for the products you will actually (and usually) purchase. Don't be tempted to buy something just because you have a coupon and it looks interesting. Chances are you will never use/eat it. The Sunday paper is my favorite source, but of course they have a slew of on-line coupon websites, only downfall is having to print them out. If and when you do print them out: go to the box marked "Preferences" and remember to select "Print in Grayscale" in the options and under print quality, select "Draft" so you don't use any color ink and you minimize the amount of black ink when you do print them. Hope this helps!
SWITCH YOUR DRUGDEALER
Watch for those switch your prescription to a certain pharmacy deals. Pharmacies here during certain promos will give you $25 gifts cards for up to 2 or 4 prescriptions transferred to them.
TELL YOUR KIDS NO
Here's a big one: STOP SPOILING YOUR KIDS! I'm always amazed at how otherwise sane and thrifty people will spend any amount of money on all kinds of unnecessary crap to keep their kids happy.
HOW YOU PAY YOUR BILLS
Use your bank's free bill pay service to manage your bills. Never use credit cards to auto-pay for anything. Never allow a vendor to debit your bank.
CALL YOUR SERVICE PROVIDERS AND ASK FOR DEALS
Re-evaluate all your services every 6 months. Credit cards, cell phones, cable/satellite, utilities, etc. Often new deals can be had, but they will not give them to you unless you ask.
GET INK ON EBAY
Buy ink for your printer on eBay for about $1.25 per ink tank. They work for me and I save a ton of money.
SHARE RAZORS
My husband and I share razors - the blades we like are expensive but they nick his face long before they nick my legs. So, he uses them on his face and after a couple of uses he passes them on to me. We spend only half as much on the super-good blades.
MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE
This is so dumb, but I recently started actually measuring out how much laundry detergent I put in the washing machine, rather than just eye balling how much I pour in. It lasts so much longer now.
KILL THE ENERGY VAMPIRES WITH TIMERS
Get a few heavy duty, 3 prong timers ( [www.amazon.com] ) and put them on the power hungry things in the house. I plugged my TV, stereo, DVD player, Xbox and Wii into an power strip and then that into the timer. They all get turned off completely every night. Over the course of a month, it works out to the same time as if they were off for an entire week. I put another under my computer and the second monitor, printer, speakers, and chargers all get turned off at night. Saves at least about 15 bucks each month.
DIY DOG FOOD
I make my own dog food. It's healthier for the dog than all the gluten filled food and we can usually just add all our leftover beans, rice and veggies to it. I buy the cheapest cuts of meat and marked down stuff then add whatever is on sale. Her allergies are improving and I don't have to make an extra trip to Petsmart
HAVE ONLY 4 PERIODS
I use a form of birth control that limits me to 4 periods a year and reduces the length and severity of those which I do have. Since I naturally have very rough periods, it's been great for my energy level and productivity. It saves me a good deal of money on sanitary supplies and over-the-counter medication for pain relief and upset stomach. I can maintain a smaller wardrobe because I don't have to use my "bloaty clothes" very often. And let's be frank - it stabilizes my mood and prevents a lot of emotional eating, impulse buying, and other costly, unhealthy habits.
CHANGE YOUR LIGHT SWITCHES
Change your light switches. Seriously. I have automatic dimmers in my house for most of my lights. I set the intensity to about 70-80% and with one push I am always at the lower usage setting. If I need brighter lights, just tap the switch two times. Here's the really best part. By using a dimmer the light bulbs last WAY longer. This is because they don't experience the sudden jolt of being turned on. Bulbs on dimmers in my house have not been changed AT ALL in over 4 years, while other bulbs have been changed 3, maybe 4 times at least.
MEAL-SHARE WITH FRIENDS
1. Have a meal-share deal with a friends. I'm single. I have a lot of single friends. We take turns hosting dinners at our places. It keeps us from going out and spending money, plus I get 2 homecooked meals for every meal I make. I also like it because I have issues with cooking too much food, so I don't waste as much.
COMPOST HEAP
Start a compost heap. Not only do you get free fertilizer and it's good for the environment, but you'll probably save money when you see how much crap you throw out and adjust your buying patterns.
ORGANIZE YOUR CUPBOARDS
Organize your cupboards in a first-in-first-out order. Put the new stuff in the back so you use old stuff first and it doesn't go to waste.
ONE-PERSON, ONE LIGHT
We have a one person, one light rule; if you move from room to room, you have to turn off the lights as you go. There's no reason you have to light up a room you're not in and once you get into the habit, it's easy to maintain.
DIY LADIES SANITARY ITEMS
Sew your own reusable ladies sanitary items. Seriously. You can download the patterns free online and it is a hell of a lot cheaper than buying that disposable crap every month!
(Photo: darkmatter)
]]>But, I noticed that a lot of advice is lacking regarding gaming and computers.
-Always buy games used. I usually use amazon.com, but you can buy wherever you're comfortable.
-Get your friends' old computers. I had one desktop that was given to me after a hardware failure. I stuck a spare hard drive in it, and it works perfectly. Even on 512 MB of RAM, it can do anything I need it to do. If you use Windows XP or your favorite Linux distro and keep the bloatware to a minimum, even a very old "underpowered" computer will work fine.
]]>Unless you have electronic power regulating dimmers this just won't work. Why? Because the way dimmers work is to adjust the amount of resistance of the dimmer itself. What that means is the dimmer consumes power that would otherwise be used by the bulb, it's why the bulb burns dimmer.
The moral of this story: Get the high dollar power regulating dimmers or you are just fooling yourself with this one.
]]>Warm-up times are in seconds, now, so I don't get that, either.
Power factor, OTOH, I have wondered about, given how they're often working in the 20-50kHz range, and are small and cheap (many of your appliances have power factor correction circuitry in their power supplies). I wonder how much more a CFl with PFC would cost? It seems like passive PFC it could be done for a quarter, or maybe less...but I could be way off the mark.
Even so, the whole double real wattage thing is highly overstated, much like the mercury scare. PFC should be in them, if they really have such low PFs, but it's not like it's coming anywhere close to negating their benefits in power saving.
]]>I think the energy cost savings of CFL's are probably negated by the fact that I am having to replace them on a yearly basis.
Also, new studies suggest that the supposed energy efficiency of these bulbs might actually be a myth:
[hardware.slashdot.org]
If you don't like companies to make profits there are NO places in this world that are better suited for you. If any company doesn't make a profit for long enough they either go bust or file for bankruptcy and reorganization.
There I fixed your comment for you. But really, I would argue that successful companies should put customers first, within reason, then take care of their employees (which are the community), then pay reasonable dividends to the shareholders. This seems like a sustainable business model where people are provided goods and services (at a reasonable cost and profit), by employees that are paid a living wage and provided with health benefits, and the business makes money to pay the shareholders. An unsustainable business model would be the current one with bloated management structures, fiscal irresponsibility, corruption, unchecked greed, next to no product safety or oversight, shortsighted programs that treat customers like criminals and extracting exorbitant fees and piling charges upon charges upon your patrons and lying to them like the banks and many companies have in THIS country.
Welcome to America, land of "grab all you can, and fuck the other guy."
]]>My best knife wasn't even $30 shipped (Forschner santoku), and has not caused lettuce any blemishes, even sitting in the fridge for days after being sliced up.
If you put your knives in the sink or dishwasher, ignore this comment :).
]]>@LegoMan322: From what you wrote, I understood that people shouldn't sacrifice their health to save money, particularly if it means starting a drug regimen that might not be suitable for them. I agree, and I think it's sad that a lot of people have to sacrifice their health to save money (talking smaller than prescribed doses to stretch medication, for example).
That said, it seems that the antagonism was over a misperception that fewer periods was dangerous. But I think your fundamental point makes sense (if that was your point). I also think it was good of Consumerist to highlight this aspect of frugality, since a lot of people might overlook potential options in medication and menstruation. It's can be an eye opener, especially if you're not aware of how much in medicine is actually marketing.
]]>@harlock_JDS: Or consumerist should have explained it - why the brief entry on this one? All the others got spelled out pretty well.
]]>@Ninjanice: Hairdryer also works. But then you're spending money on the electricity to power the hairdryer.... maybe I'll collect all my dying pens and keep them in the bathroom, and add 'blow dry pens while blow drying hair' to my morning grooming routine.
]]>@catastrophegirl: I'd never heard about the Mason jar / pickle jar, only the brick method. You can put the brick in a baggie to prevent stains. Just make sure it doesn't interfere with any of the flushing mechanisms.
]]>Truthfully, it's not considered certain whether or not BC pills affect a woman long-term after she's stopped taking them - but it hasn't been disproven, either. Word to the wise.
Respect. That's all I can say. I would suggest things to my awesomely wonderful husband, but I would NEVER push him to take ANYTHING into his body he's not comfortable doing and respect that his body does things and experiences things I don't understand because I've never been male. He does the same for me, and that's why he's mine. :) (I love you, honey)
Also: I use the Diva cup - I initially started using it for hiking trips, when you just don't have room for all the extra stuff and can't dispose of the pads. It works really well, though some days I find a pad to be much more comfortable. They run about $30 and the label recommends them for about a year's use.
]]>Snuggles: just get rid of them entirely.
Printers: PAY ATTENTION TO THE YIELD. Not all laser printers are bargains, when it comes to toner cost.
Dimmers: typical dimmers do gives the bulbs the jolt of being turned on, quite a few times each second (a variac dimmer would be so awesome...). In addition, you usually need special bulbs to properly use a dimmer with CFLs.
]]>Also, cloth menstrual pads -- bit pricier up front, but they last forever and HEY, IT TURNS OUT PLASTIC IN YOUR UNDERWEAR ISN'T VERY COMFORTABLE --sorry. Just sayin'.
I *really* want to know if a clothesline can actually save $50 a MONTH, though. That seems like a lot just for not running the dryer!
]]>Eventually I realized that Target sells bar towels for cheap (a wad for like $4 or something) and a few wads will do me. Now I use those for most things like cleaning up spills and the counter tops. Then they get washed and bleached and they are good as new.
I buy paper towels only rarely, and use them for things like when the dog is just a little too excited to see us when we get home and the floor needs a little attention. You know, things that even after a little bleach you'd be...uncomfortable with cleaning the counters with the same rag.
]]>Of course, I wasn't sure that I was so in love with it when I got it - it being the most excruciating thing evah. Of course, I had a resident who apparently couldn't find my never having pushed out a kid hole (sorry - too graphic?) and fidgeted so long down there that I almost passed out. I really don't want to consider childbirth. It makes me scared.
]]>@Rajagopalan Nataraja: Because dogs make great pets?
]]>@Coop:
"DIY LADIES SANITARY ITEMS
Guys don't like seeing bloody shit in the sink each month.
Plus this can only be done for 'pads' otherwise TSS (toxic shock syndrome) comes into play and medical bills = EXPENSIVE."
OH MY GOD! BLOOD! Man, you are pathetic if you can't handle some blood. NEWSFLASH: Women have to deal with it EVERY MONTH. If you can't deal with it, don't get married or live with a woman. Must be nice to be a clueless, idiotic man!
RE: DOG FOOD: I have friends who make their own dog food because their dog is allergic to everything. Not all dogs are the same. He is SUPER HEALTHY. If you do it right, your dog WILL be healthier.
]]>@LegoMan322: I wouldn't call anyone crazy who cut their hair, or changed their own oil, or made their own dog food, or made their own sanitary napkins. Since I, you know, have friends who do all of that.
]]>@Tankueray: It must suck to hate being a woman so much that you find a Diva Cup disgusting.
]]>We asked you to submit your money-saving secrets and you dumped like 35 elephants on our heads in comments and emails.
They only posted what was sent to them. What do you expect Consumerist to do, tell their readers that their ideas are shit?
Are you that desperate for money? I know it's tough out there but $25 a year?...This post does not help anyone.
This post didn't help you. I'm glad you're doing so well that $25 is just a pittance but not everyone's that lucky. Not every post about how to save money is going to be about saving thousands of dollars.
]]>Only one thing more from me:
"I demand more quality in stuff that I like to read about and website [sic] I visit."
So you won't be reading Consumerist anymore?
@LegoMan322: Actually it can be much healthier for a woman to have fewer periods per year. It depends on the woman.
]]>PS: I hate Starbucks prices myself, so I invested in a dual espresso/coffee machine. Spent $99 in 2006 on the machine and have probably recouped the price in the last few years by completely stopping myself from going into Starbucks.
]]>well anyone with sat tv (remember the advice was to replace sat tv with apple tv) probably already has high speed internet via another means.
It's not that hard to get DSL without a phone line, you just get constant upselling nagging.
]]>@floraposte: Some areas have new laws that allow you to carry already opened liquor. In Michigan, you can have a restaurant re-cork your bottle of wine and take it home with you. I guess they decided it was better to let people re-cork their wine than to have people chugging the last bit so the wine doesn't go to waste.
]]>@catastrophegirl: I switched from Yasmin to Seasonique. It costs about the same with my insurance as if I skipped periods on Yasmin plus, yeah, the use of supplies like has gone way down. If you are already taking birth control, it could help you.
]]>@LastVigilante: I've always just used a lighter to get the last bit of ink out of my ballpoint pens. You just hold the tip of the pen in the flame for a few seconds, being careful not to melt it. Sometimes you have to do this a couple of times to get the ink to flow.
]]>Eventually my investment did pay off when I met my husband in a bar. Well worth it, though my liver will probably be recovering for a few more years.
]]>Watch out for accidentally suctioning the cup to your cervix though...it feels like weird cramps. Repositioning equals relief.
]]>Plus, floss is your friend.
]]>@Leksi Wit: I'm sure they'd appreciate the cash donations.
]]>Plus the $$ savings. Can't beat that.
]]>I have a twin down blanket that I bought by mistake one summer that I use as a throw on the couch. It is extremely warm.
]]>I buy the largest bag of my dog's kibble I can find and store it in airtight containers. The difference in the price per pound in a 35-40 pound bag is much lower than in a five or 10 pound bag. We buy dog food roughly twice a year.
Another way to save on dog food? Check your dog's weight. Most dogs in this country are overweight. Talk to your vet--if you can't easily feel your dog's ribs when you pet him (you shouldn't be able to SEE them, but should be able to FEEL them), if he doesn't have a 'waist' when viewed from the side or doesn't have a tuck-up behind his rib cage from the side (for most breeds), he is fat. If you blindly follow the recommendations on the feed bag, you may well be over-feeding your individual dog. If you think that your dog is overweight, just cut his regular food back 20% and see what happens.
Also avoid store bought treats--they really soak you on those and it's easy to put unnecessary weight on your dog with them!
Use catalog services like kvpet.com, fostersandsmith.com and petedge.com to get toys, medications and grooming equipment at wholesale.
]]>Equally important is to be careful never to swallow the hydrogen peroxide/water mouthwash!
]]>If I need to game I still have my consoles dating back to the NES and my linux MythTV box is way more powerful then it needs to be, liquid cooling, donating extra cpu and gpu time to folding@home to help further cancer research.
]]>If you're dropping $350 a month on Milwaukee's Best and 40's of malt liquor then you're an alcoholic. If you spend every other day at a department store looking for clothes then you're a shopoholic.
Whats more worthwhile to drop the money on, some clothes you're going to maybe wear once, or dropping it on bottles of good wine and spirits and cases of microbrews to share with your buds in the back yard while cooking out on the pit?
It are delicious microbrew [www.newglarusbrewing.com] you must try some. Don't knock the cherry and raspberry stuff till you've tried it, pretty good stuff.
]]>I drink almost everything straight up, not even on the rocks, and I love to grab whatever the local microbrews are coming up with for beer.
If you can't taste the difference between a cheap drink and a top shelf you really need to get out there and start trying more foods and drinks. You don't need the pallet of a 5 star chef, but being able to tell what you have in you mouth helps allot.
Seriously, have any of you watched stuff like Gordon Ramsay's F Word or Kitchen Nightmares? It's sad to see someone not be able to tell blindfolded the difference between a piece of chicken and a piece of fish or a tomato from a strawberry.
But I guess that all goes to the deeper issue of people these days not knowing how to cook, I'm a dude and I'm always cooking, theres no excuse for you not to be able to throw some cheap meals together from a few raw ingredients.
Lastly, toss that Apple TV if you want picture quality, it's pretty cheap these days to hit a shop like newegg and put together a silent and powerful hdtv dvr box, if you're worried about noise just splurge on a high capacity heatsink, you can with little to no skill overclock the cpu, especially the black edition amd cpus which have unlocked multipliers. A cheap 4050e can also be underclocked and fitted with a decent cooler and run fanless if the case has good airflow like many models of coolermaster case that have the whole face and sometimes a whole side pannel a mesh screen. As for video, any current series gpu that isn't equipped with turbocache or hypermemory that is using at least 128-bit connected gddr3 memory to remove the memory connection bottlenecks most cheap cards have, the cheapest ones are just the junk integrated motherboard gpus on their own card and leech most of their memory from much slower system ram.
Lastly use linux in such a box, unlike windows it is free of charge legally and has an excellent media center called MythTV as well as most linux video applications supporting nvidia's VDPAU, an instruction set that lets the computer offload all of the video decode for almost every format at hd resolutions to the graphics card, freeing up the cpu for handling the tv card and general operation of the computer. You must have an Nvidia card from the geforce 8,9 or gt/gtx1/2 series for this though. AMD/ATI is working on bringing theirs to linux as well under the name XvBA, which unlike nvidia looks to be released as open source code and documentation, which AMD has been providing for ATI's entire back catalog of parts since they bought them in 2005. As of now they have most GPUs working with an open source driver, including experimental stage 3d working on the HD2/3/4 series GPUs.
Progress of the AMD/ATI open source drivers can be tracked in ley terms here [wiki.x.org] and tested working 3d applications here [wiki.x.org]
]]>I then got some Oil of Olay bar soap and use that for my body and face. No need for exfoliating face creams or body washes!
So, essentially, they are like using a poof on your face. I think they were about $2 at Target. I replace them about every 6 months. I wash them whenever I wash my towels, but let them hang out to dry.
]]>There's a great LiveJournal forum devoted to menstrual cups, if you're ever looking for people to share the glee with. :)
]]>Most women who use menstrual cups are pretty euphoric about them, and with good reason. Besides being cheaper and better for the environment, they're a lot more comfortable than the disposable stuff--plus, a lot of women find they stop having cramps after making the switch (or their cramps at least become less painful).
I made the switch about two years ago and I _still_ smirk every time I walk past a store aisle of disposable products I will _never have to buy again_!
]]>As for disposable razors, an old toothbrush is great for cleaning them!
]]>you are not saving electricity by using a dimmer switch. To get a bit technical: a dimmer switch works by sending part of the electricity through a resistor instead of the bulb. The same amount of power is used, but more is lost to heat when you have the lights dimmed.
That's why you hear a buzzing sound on some dimmer switches when the lights are low!
Don't think you're saving electricity by using a dimmer switch...
]]>People who get mad over companies trying to make money are dumb or socialists.
If you don't like companies to make profits there are places in this world that are better suited for you.
Companies #1 responsibility is to it's shareholders. #2 employees #3 customers #4 community. Companies that deviate from this idea tend to be mismanaged and often times run into the ground- see circuit city.
]]>Since the value of the electric power they consume is much more than the value of the lamp, general service lamps emphasize [luminous] efficiency over long operating life.
@Myron: But doesn't microwaving kill all nutrition in the pen?
]]>Recommending that people carry around alcohol and secretly drink it while at a bar, restaurant, sporting event or whatever is bad advice plain and simple.
]]>What I was trying to say from the being is that this post sucked. If anyone is to read this and follow this I hope all your bloody towels, lop sided hair cut, food poising from your skank ass meat, and your 4 periods a year are making you happy. If that is the case then good for you. I am kind of jealous that you are so easily consumed by what I would consider lack of thought, lack of enery, and just all around not knowing a damn thing about finances. If you knew anything about money, you would understand that toothpaste is no more than $25 a year. Are you that desperate for money? I know it's tough out there but $25 a year?
With that said;
Here is what I have to say about this post and some of things (which I did not read your whole post, this subject of you misunderstanding what I was trying to say is getting really fucking boring) that we have discussed today.
This post does not help anyone. This post was a desperate attempt to keep the readers reading and engaged. I think they have successfully did their job with that, but none the less....their material for doing that is complete shit. If I was a school teacher I would fail them immediately.
Maybe you like it and that is fine. But remember just like assholes, everyone has opions and they all stink. With that understanding I demand more quality in stuff that I like to read about and website I visit.
I do not have to come out right out and say anything. I thought this was a civil place to share ideas and talk about certain subjects in which would help other people and gain knowledge for the "Consumer".
Consumerist never asked me for a family history nor would I give them one. Also I do not need to validate shit to you or anyone.
Some thing you might want to consider also. I do not want to hear your preaching. I came here to join a discussion...not someone who tells me the way it should be. I have not done that and I will not. I have said what I think and have not pushed any ideas on anyone.
If someone is so dumb to just take advise from what I say (without research and understanding, I am talking about blind faith) then that is their fucking problem, not mine.
So to wrap this up....I do not give a shit about your period and I am sure that your boyfriend/husband does not either.
I wish I could say the same about enjoying this exchange but I cannot. It seems that you and most other readers here are only reading and talking about a snippet of what someone said...not the whole picture. Again..I demand more from myself and hopefully from other I engage with.
]]>@Rectilinear Propagation: There are a few, resuable, tampon products out there. The "Keeper" or "moon cup" are a few of them I can think of, and they work as well as a tampon for very little money over the long run.
]]>And I agree about bleu cheese dressing: it can be too intense, but cutting it with mayo sounds awful.
]]>It also made it easier to quit that job - looking at a handful of yen and realizing that it wasn't worth what I was dealing with.
]]>Here's a recent message from my local Freecycle:
Hi all, my frig went out and dont have a replacement. Also i am looking for area rugs in a neutral colors and/or crazy design. I also have leather couches but would really like cloth plush with pillows. Still always looking for corsets of any kind, water ski, row boat or canoe/ kyack, and motorcycles... need some play things, life could be so much more fun and i sure wish i was on the water..
A year ago there were about four posts offering items to every one request for an item. I've gotten some great stuff (someone actually gave me a NordicTrack!) and I've given away furniture, old computers, monitors, a trailer hitch, an infant car seat, and more huge stuff than I can remember.
But now it's almost entirely begging. There are constant requests for furnishings for an entire house. People post things like "I'm going to have a baby in two weeks and we don't have ANYTHING!" (Um... did you just figure this out now?) One person posted daily demands for a large appliance and finished one demand with "and I'm going to keep posting this until someone gives me one!"
All this free entertainment is available at [www.freecycle.org] .
]]>I miss mashed potatoes...
]]>113: Don't buy stuff you don't need.
]]>Really? I have everything I can set up with a CC. No balance + rewards = free cash.
]]>Now: In one very specific, limited sense, you are correct that it's a gimmick: The sense that it's *ONLY* this or that OCP that can give the reduced/absent periods.
Extended-regimen birth control, for control of menstruation, has been going on for DECADES, unofficially. When the practice first received FDA approval and the sanction of several health organizations, some of the pharmaceutical companies manufactured a "special" OCP to provide this effect. What's special about it? The fact that it doesn't come with the seven days of sugar pills. Oh, and it typically costs a lot more.
When I typed in "Seasonale price" at Google, I got the following examples:
Seasonale tablets ext-cycle disp pack - 91 ... $573.24
Seasonale 0.15 mg (6 months) - 182 Tabs Drugs $568.77
Seasonale (Levonorgestrel/EE) - 91 Generic ... $150.00
When I typed in "Ortho Tri-Cyclen price" I got the following - from the exact same companies, incidentally:
Ortho tri-cyclen lo tablets - 28 per pack 6x28 $339.44
Ortho tri-cyclen tablets - 28 per pack 6x28 $293.98
Ortho Tri-Cyclen (Norgestimate/Ethinyl ... $27.99
Let's look at the middle numbers. Seasonale, $570 for six months. Ortho Tri-Cyclen, $295 for six months.
Now, you'll have to buy two extra packs of OTC, because you'll only get four and a half months of coverage with the OTC, because they only have 21 actual pills, plus 7 dummy pills, per pack. The individual month's supply is $28 (at a different website, but you get my point). So for ~$350 you can get 6+ months of OTC (with NO periods), compared to $570 for 6 months of Seasonale.
THAT is what the "gimmick" is. They're marketing it as, "Oh, this particular brand of OCPs will let you go period-free! This is DIFFERENT. Make sure you ask for it by name!" when actually it's ANY of a large number of (much cheaper) OCPs.
Seasonale/Seasonique, the other "specifically-tailored" OCPs? Yes, to a certain extent, those are gimmicks, because they want you to think they have something you can't get anywhere else, and that you have to pay more for the product. But the practice itself is valid, well-researched, and longstanding.
My OB/GYN prefers not to prescribe those brands because she feels their marketing campaign was misleading - she said that a lot of women came in and wanted to change to that particular brand and wouldn't listen to her when she told them they could get the same effect with what they were already on. Or they thought it'd be "too confusing" if they didn't have the "special packaging." So in that sense, yes, it's a gimmick, and it worked beautifully for them.
Keep in mind, too, that unless the "people you spoke with" and "in your family" are currently practicing OB/GYNs, they're not likely to be 100% current on things specific to that discipline. They might be up to the minute on the latest development in corticosteroids or radiation therapy or flu vaccines, but unless they're actively practicing in the OB/GYN field it's quite understandable that they'd consider it unorthodox.
Last but not least, here's an article about extended regimen birth control. And here are a few quotes:
When birth control pills were first introduced, they were marketed [in 21/7 format] ... to minimize the perception that these pills change the menstrual cycle. ... [several reasons pertaining to people's perceptions and religious views] ... the 21/7 regimen is more a reflection of the time in which the pill was developed rather than based on a scientifically established medical need. ...
Many don't realize that the period one has on OCs is not a REAL period; it's actually withdrawal bleeding. Withdrawal bleeding is NOT necessary to maintain gynecologic health.
... Although some claim that it's unnatural or harmful to manipulate a woman's monthly cycle by completely stopping her period, in reality, women are already controlling their menstrual cycles just by using birth control pills. ...
The "period" that occurs during 21 or 28-day combination birth control packs has no medical function other than reassuring a woman that she is not pregnant. ... For decades, doctors have been advising women on how to properly use 21/28-day regimen birth control pills to manipulate monthly cycles and to skip periods.
Something else you might want to consider... you went from saying it's a "dumb" and "desperate" idea and "end-of-worldish" (by the way that was directly from YOUR post, not someone else's, unless you were quoting someone and didn't mention it), to saying that periods are something that are off limits to men, to saying that it's a health concern, to saying it's a gimmick and you know this because you talked about it to people (who you hinted but didn't come right out and say are) in your family. One wonders why you were talking about other people's periods if they're so "off limits to men" and you're the only one in your family who even tries to understand. Hm?
So yes, until you've decided which angle you're going to come at it from, definitely a waste of time. But I've enjoyed the exchange, so thanks...
]]>He claims that he uses BOTH CFL and Dimmers throughout his house. That is silly since CFL bulbs usually do not like dimmer switches, most of the time they will not work together.
Re-use ziplock: Why not just buy the non-ziplock bags in bulk. They work just as well for 99% of items and are a hell of a lot cheaper.
]]>(And if you're taking the drugs anyway for BC, then you're definitely coming out ahead.)
]]>@hedonia: I spoke to my doctor about it a while back, and she said that it's best if one only skips the non-hormone pills twice or at most, three times a year. She said it shouldn't be done more than that. I don't have any other information than that, but it's what she told me.
]]>@Tankueray: The idea of the Diva Cup seemed a little weird to me, too, but my wife loves hers. So, to each their own.
]]>@everyone else: I've decided to try a year of hormone-free methods (no job means no drug plan). I feel lucky to be able to do it since I don't have crazy crampy issues that require intervention like the pill. But if I have to go back, I'll try that pill trick.
]]>I only do this when they are close in price. Sometimes a large container of cut up strawberries is the same as a container of whole ones. In that case, if I'm feeling lazy, I'll get the cut up ones.
KILL YOUR CABLE
I would do this, but there's something wrong with my internet and it goes out periodically. I think I may need a new router.
POTATOES
Very good and cheap food. Rice - okay, but brown is healthier. And he/she forgot the number one cheap/healthy food - LENTILS!!!!!
What do you do when you can't find the hole they are coming into? Help!
]]>It works on specialty items. I make my own skating dresses, because the adult sizes are very expensive and I'm tall, so they don't fit properly anyway.
With the Kwik-Sew patterns, I can interchange pieces between patterns and if I get the material (usually stretch velvet for the dress and maybe some georgette for the skirts) on sale, I save even more. I can make my own dress for around $35-40 as compared to buying one for $70. Plus I can lengthen the sleeves and bodice so it will actually fit me.
Now if I could just lose a bunch of weight, I could go down a size and save even MORE.
]]>I submitted that one. The 88 tubes of caulk is what it took to do all the caulking in my 1,320 square foot ranch house. It might seem ridiculous but one of those tubes doesn't hold as much as you would think, particularly when you need to block off air infiltration behind baseboards which is the point where the concrete slab meets the wood framing. I can't complain with the results though. $100 saved the first month, $75 saved the second month.
]]>There's no evidence that getting less periods is harmful.
]]>I do not know much about periods. I have experience listening about them and asking questions about them. I have never experience one myself. So I was simply stating that it's more my wifes choice than it is mine. Also....seriously how many guys really discuss their periods with their wives? Out of all my family and friends and my wives friends...I am the only one to even attempt to understand.
]]>2 or 3 times the size @ ~1$/lb ( sometimes down to $.70/lb ) at hannaford. For $5-$8/chicken that's 3-5 meals for a family of 4 if you can be bothered to stick it in the oven 2 hours before dinner.
]]>Am I a doctor no, not at all. I am very involved with my wife and have had sisters and a mother while growing up to hear enough about "women things" in my lifetime. Doctors I have spoken with...grew up with...are related to have advised against a healthy woman cutting her period from 13x per year (wink wink) to 4. I do have to be a doctor to understand that they know more than I do and I trust their judgement with not only my wife but her brother and father.
And you are bothered by the fact that I would never ask someone to stop doing something (that I feel is better for them) to save money? WOW....just WOW.
I understand the tip is for women...why can I not say I think that tip is a very bad one? So you want to play the sexist thing with me now right? Well I should of comment on the dry cleaning one and said " shit I should tell my wife to dry clean my clothes instead of doing them myself". I knew I was missing something else to say.
You want equal rights? Its an open field.
PS if you even read my posts you would understand that what she wants to do is her decision and I am behind her, but that is the one decision that I need some convincing on. You also are making things much worse than they are by spilling shit and not backing anything up. 13x over 12? Nit picker.
]]>Japan has a largely cash-based culture despite having the technology in place to change over to debit cards and I think this is one of the reasons most people have very little debt. Personally, I don't pay my bills by automatic deductions from my bank account for this reason. It makes me far more aware of how much I spend on gas, electricity, etc. and makes the savings from changes in habits much easier to see.
]]>Personally, I've never touched alcohol and have no interest in it, but I grew up with an alcoholic father. He drank to numb himself to his difficulties in life and he couldn't stop, but he rarely spent more than $50 a month. This was a long time ago, but the point is that you can't look at budget items and conclude "alcoholism." It's about psychology, not cash.
]]>@Coop: I don't think most people have that kind of flexibility when it comes to their work schedule.
Guys don't like seeing bloody shit in the sink each month.
And women do? I'm guessing most people don't like seeing blood but there it is.
Plus this can only be done for 'pads'...
I'm also guessing there aren't patterns for tampons. How would you even get it in?
Vodka works for cleaning your glasses. And you can add a splash to your watered-down orange juice.
Screwdrivers FTW!
]]>I still do not feel that a healthy woman should only get it much less than she has before. I feel that would hurt her more than it would help her or my wallet.
]]>No, it's a BALL cock.
]]>My progestin-only BC makes me not have them for some reason. I'll have one every once in a while but mostly not. It's freaking awesome. I haven't bought anything but the cheapo pantiliners in over a year.
]]>also: we don't have dimmable cfl's here.
]]>@floraposte: Oh you just don't know the joy of the mitts...
]]>I DO agree on using toothpaste, though. Who knows where I'd be if I didn't use it.
]]>The whole wine-in-the-bathroom thing doesn't gross me out at all, though I can see why it might to others.
]]>MARK the book? So you're the jackasses that write on library books. Thanks, assholes.
]]>BUY OUT OF STATE
Your state uses the sales tax to YOUR benefit. You're just screwing yourself for the benefit of the neighboring state's economy.
SPLIT INTERNET WITH NEIGHBORS
Cost of the court-fees when the cable company sees the fliers will FAR outweigh any savings. And your neighbors will hate you when the cable-company forces you to disclose your cohorts. Not to mention the fact that you'll be responsible for any illegal downloads done on your account. *cough*RIAA*cough*
MAKE SALADS LAST 10 DAYS
Metal doesn't oxidize the salad, the OXYGEN in the air oxidizes it.
The water from the plant may speed up oxidation of the metal knife, but not the other way around.
Also, placing the item in a plastic bag, for some veggies & fruits will actually ACCELERATE their spoilage. Apples for example while ripening emit a gas that accelerates spoilage. (hence the old saying "one bad apple spoils the bunch") Putting such fruits & veggies in a confined air-tight container will not help at all. :-[
HOW YOU PAY YOUR BILLS
Using your bank's auto-pay service isn't saving you any time or money. It's merely pushing the auto-pay to your bank instead.
Best would be to pay for each bill yourself (but setup & use a reminder service like GoogleCalendar with SMS reminders).
Paying each bill yourself will enforce the 'pain' of the bill and keep the service's cost on your mind.
DIY LADIES SANITARY ITEMS
Guys don't like seeing bloody shit in the sink each month.
Plus this can only be done for 'pads' otherwise TSS (toxic shock syndrome) comes into play and medical bills = EXPENSIVE.
ONE-PERSON, ONE LIGHT
Take it a step further. Go to bed when the sun sets, get up when it rises. Leave the lights off unless you HAVE to have one to discern color (people can't discern colors in low light, but can see things and function perfectly fine).
This will also help develop your night-vision (seriously).
DIY DOG FOOD
(biggest beefs here, pun not intended)
Cheap dog food is ALWAYS going to be cheaper than the cheapest human meat.
A better way to save money would be to stop deluding yourself that your pet cares what they eat.
BEGGING is not indicative of a picky palate. Dogs (AND cats) happily lick their own brown-eyes, so they DEFINITELY aren't worried about not getting 'good' organic gluten-free kibble or maintaining a pure VEGAN lifestyle.
SO PROPERLY TRAIN YOUR DOG.
Basically pets are they're like mentally-challenged toddlers (at best). They really just want what the 'other kid' has.
If you teach them to beg by giving them scraps/people-food, then that 'other kid' becomes YOU, and I guarantee they'll want whatever YOU have.
Don't feed them at the table or while you're eating or they'll learn that the table (or wherever you're eating) is a place to get treats. (And this may add to your delusions that they want 'good' food.)
And NO TABLE SCRAPS OR PEOPLE FOOD, that'll just get them to associate the smell as being THEIR food. If you do do give them people food you can't complain to ANYONE ELSE when your lab viciously guards the chicken leg your friend's kid dropped, by nipping the kids hand off.
Also only occasionally 'treat' them with non human-food treats (same smell reason).
And DON'T just leave food sitting out for them to eat whenever, or they'll eventually turn their noses up at it (it becomes food white-noise).
Set a schedule, and only put down their food when it's time for them to eat. Do this and your pet won't take their plain dog/cat food/kibble for granted ever again.
And if you're still worried that THEIR food is too expensive, buy BULK cheap kibble and mix it with bulk PLAIN rice/puffed-rice-cereal.
I'm still laughing at myself about it. I really thought it was some new Victora Secret branding (heck the name doesn't sound that out there compared to secret pink and angels) and the advice was to look sexy to get a better price.
And to think i thought i had a good discusion about ethics going on when i got home and saw so many comments :)
]]>Then, there's the fact that no one will wear the damn thing since most of them are pretty ugly regardless.
I've seen nice sweaters on Ravelry.
]]>It's not "open" as in "not capped," it's "open" as in "never opened." But it does vary from state to state--I know they're really tough around here. Flasks may be harder to find--presumably that's searching one's person rather than the car, for instance, so I suspect it requires different consent.
]]>Seriously, I had cavities when I was little. I would never want to have to live through that again.
]]>every autopart place near me has signs saying 'no repairs allowed' in their parking lot.
Besides does it really seem like a good idea to lie down in a parking lot to change your oil. People talking and txting while driving have enough problems hitting upright objects and you want to lie down in front of them :)
]]>Sooooooo 50 bucks a month is replaced with a device that costs 229.00 and requires that one pay for tv shows and movies (1.99 per tv show more for movie right).
This is only logical for someone that hardly watches tv and in that case it seems like a really expensive way to hardly watch any tv. I don't see how this saves any real money.
if someone just watched 12 bucks worth of tv a month via apple TV it would take 6 months to make up the cost of buying a unit and i doubt that someone who is watching enough tv to consider getting this will strictly stick to 12 bucks a month.
]]>I exfoliate with a washcloth. Works fine.
]]>I too, think the Diva Cup is quite disgusting.
]]>You said "And if you think cutting your period could be more healthy rather than a normal 12 month one you watch way too much tv."
First of all, the average women would get her period around 13x a year, not 12.
Second, are you a doctor? No? Then why are you saying that you know that getting it every month is better than getting it less/not at all on birth control pills? You ARE aware that the periods on birth control pills are not "real" periods, right (no ovulation)? That the pharmaceutical companies decided to add that effect after market research showed that women (in the era before accurate home pregnancy tests) would be hesitant to stop their periods?
But you know what bothers me most of all? That your objection is that you would "never ask" someone to skip periods to save money. Um.. you do realize that the tip was not for men, right? No one was saying that they should turn to the little wife and tell her to stop her periods to save some money. The tip was FOR WOMEN. I just can't believe that after the back-and-forth on this thread already, you didn't realize that.
]]>[i love rouxbe!]
]]>HA! DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE, HUH?
But in all seriousness, I think he was joking.
]]>As far as the pill is concerned. Originally it was created to not give you a period, however the inventor wanted to make it seem "natural" for the Catholic Church and women who feel comfort by having a period (OMG I'm NOT preggers!), so he added the placebos.
@hedonia:
Unless that Dr. went to a Catholic undergrad school, they teach that in most BioChem classes. They did in mine anyway. I've never met a Dr. that didn't know it.
Straight from the Virginia TaxAct help file:
Use Tax
Virginia's consumer's use tax is a tax on goods (other than magazines or newspapers) you purchase from a business that does not add the Virginia sales tax to your bill, or on goods you purchase tax-free while outside of Virginia.
Purchases subject to use-tax are those made:
By telephone, Internet or television where no sales tax was paid.
Outside of Virginia where no sales tax was paid.
By mail where no sales tax was paid if the total exceeds $100.
Nonprescription drugs and proprietary medicines purchased for the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in human beings are exempt from the tax.
The tax is 5% of what you paid for the item ("cost price") except for food purchased for home consumption, which is 2.5%. Cost price does not include separately stated shipping or delivery charges but it does include a shipping and handling charge if listed as a combined item on the sales invoice.
]]>Credit cards are only for cash not on hand, not on-the-spot loans. Use them online, use them in stores instead of carrying cash, but don't rack up charges you can't immediately cover. Don't assume that the money will come, because you never know when catastrophe will hit and a job will be lost, a car will need sudden repair, or a medical bill might hit.
This one needed to be repeated for those that "love" carrying credit card debt month to month.
]]>When you can food you buy a case of mason jars, and almost never can a case worth of foods. I grow my own tomatoes and can sauces and whole tomatoes every year. I've never used *all* of my mason jars at one time. I use them for coin jars, flower vases and candy dishes.` :-)
]]>How many of these items do you do? We already know you do not do the napkins one, or the dog food, or chaning your oil. Have you cut your own hair...ohh yeah...you said no to that also.
If you are going to pick on something I say, then please make sense when you do it.
]]>(I switched doctors to someone who was awake during med school). =)
But seriously, even if you want to get it 2x a year, or 4x a year, you don't need a special pill. The stuff you're using right now will work just fine. Ask your doctor, or do a google search for some information. It is safe for women who are able to tolerate birth control pills in the first place.
]]>from the above link:
"Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid essential for cats but not for other mammals. In the prolonged absence of taurine, a cat's retina slowly degenerates and the cat suffers eye problems and can become irreversibly blind. This condition is called central retinal degeneration (CRD). Cow's milk is a poor source of taurine and there is none in plant foods. The only rich source is meat. "
months? It only lasts a month and a half in this house (less if we have more people over).
]]>It's illegal to spend money in a state other than your own? Seriously?
]]>2. I did not mean to generalize for all males. To be respectful I feel men should stay out of it until needed.
3. Saving $80 a year is quite a waste of time. Especially if it stops me from doing something I love.
4. That analogy was for the fact that buzzing your head is a better choice than getting a period 4 times per year.
5. If I knew someone speaking there option was bad for you I would of done it directly to you. These are my options. I am not name calling anyone who does these. I am very disappointed that the Consumerist would post something as illegal, "end of worldish" (to quote another consumerist reader), and extremely unuseful and unhealthy tips.
6 You are very welcome.
7. If you buy the "skip a period" that is all on you. You know your body more than I do. But I would never ask someone to do that so I can save $80 a year.
]]>The subject is off limits to me because it is something that she has to decide on. I can only support her and I would never support her getting her period for only 4 times a year. Also I would never ask my wife to " only get her period for 4 times so we can save money". As a female would you like your boyfriend for husband to tell you that? Isnt that a bit personal and off limits to someone who does NOT UNDERSTAND?
And if you think cutting your period could be more healthy rather than a normal 12 month one you watch way too much tv. The said that so you would buy it. I guess you did.
]]>2. I was not aware that only males read Consumerist, or that only suggestions applicable or acceptable to males were within the "limits."
3. If you were saving $80 a year on your cable bill or your car insurance, would it still be "measly"?
4. As a female who takes pride in her longish hair, I would consider the suggestion "buzz your head" to be really dumb and desperate and end-of-the-world-ish. But I can understand that it might be reasonable to you; I'm okay with that. Why aren't you?
5. In fact, a solid 2/3ds of the suggestions on the list didn't apply to me for one reason or another. I still don't feel the need to criticize them, or the entire article, repeatedly.
6. Thank you for your kind words.
7. I agree that health is more important than money, but in this situation it is not an either/or proposal. And I speak not just for me in my particular situation, but for women in general. What nakedscience says is correct: Women are "designed," if you will, to have far fewer periods than most of us in the first world do. Seasonale and other "skip-a-period" OCPs have been approved by the FDA as well as other health organizations; they're not some wacky self-medicating DIY project.
]]>After looking up the side effects of Lybrel, I could probably also do without crushing chest pain, lung/leg/eye clots, and ruptured liver tumors, thx.
]]>no i was off on what a diva cup was (i thought it was a low cut bra).
Sorry to offend i just never heard of one. trust me if i was that wired out by periods i's have to get a hotel room every time my wife has hers.
]]>Like a woman's going to want sex with all (or some) of that even if she wasn't bleeding.
]]>Ok this is embarrassing. i thought a diva cup was a bra type that showed a lot of cleavage. clearly i should have googeled it first (never known a woman that used one sorry).
so lets talk about the actual unethical ones and ignore this silly goof buy a stupid guy
]]>@ahdn: I have to remember to tell my mom this. Awesome tip, thanks! (I'm feeling deja vu though, has this come up before?)
Boric acid will kill bugs very quickly. My dad uses it for those huge mega-roaches that will sometimes come in if they can't find water. I can't use it where I live because the apartment complex has pets.
]]>@Rectilinear Propagation: I KNOW!! Freaks me out, and I don't freak out easily. "GET AWAY FROM MY EEEEYE!"
]]>@unobservant: Seriously. It always pisses me off when men are like, "OH NOES my gf/wife has her period...life sucks for me noooow."
O REALLY? You aren't cramping and bleeding, shut the fuck up!
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: My dad did this at our house when I was growing up, only he used old milk jugs. Basically, he filled them up, sealed them, and put them in the tank, away from any of the functioning items inside. Then, when the tank filled up, it displaced the water and helped save on the water bill each month (well, until his three teenaged daughters decided to shower LoL!). But even once I grew up and got my own place, I did the same thing. I noticed a savings of about $5-$10 each month.
]]>Seriously, though... vegetarianism FTW. A bag of TVP that makes 10 pounds' worth of fake ground beef costs four bucks at the bulk store. Add a can of mushroom gravy, some frozen diced veg, (a bit of worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, and an egg if you're not vegan,) and some mashed potatoes, and you've got some shepherd's pie right there!
I can also make a wicked awsome meatless loaf when I'm feeling especially ghetto.
]]>@LegoMan322: Sewing your own sanitary napkins isn't "bad" -- it's a lot cheaper AND better for the enviornment. I'm not gonna do it, but I know people who do. That doesn't fit into "REALLY bad".
]]>@LegoMan322: "that subject is pretty off limits for us (males). "
Uh, really? Because whenever I date a man, I hope he's at least comfortable with the fact that I have periods. Seriously, periods aren't scary. If you can't discuss a freakin' period with your wife, then I feel sorry for you.
And it's clear you haven't done any actual research. Cutting your period to 4 a year can actually be HEALTHY. Women have MANY more periods than they did in the past, because women aren't having as many babies.
You can't just walk into a store and get a pack of birth control, anyway.
]]>Those drops mess with my head so I'm still expecting the thing to come closer even when it's touching my eye.
]]>Another ant trick I have, for when they are entering the house through a small hole in the wall or something similar, is to take a paper towel, spray a small amount of Windex on a corner and then plug up the ant hole with it.
I hate ants.
]]>@He:
That's my diaper comment (woohoo!) and 24 months is a general idea based on friends' feedback who have been through it with boys. Keep in mind that girls are generally ready to PT earlier.
In the end, the diapers pay for themselves in 7 months. Everything after that is pure savings. Though we are up to $500 now because we sprung for the $50 diaper sprayer to make cleanup a little easier (and extend the life of the diapers).
]]>@RecordStoreToughGuy: Then you're not dumb! :D
]]>@RomanaNuggler: THANKS for the tip!!! I am pro-making your own pet food, but ONLY if you can put in the time and get the right ingrediants.
]]>I could see if one of the suggestions was "buzz your head" to save money on shampoo, condition, time in the shower, soap, and gel/hair spray. But to change your normal cycle to save money is not a good suggestion in my book.
I am very sorry about your dysmenorrhea, and since you have pain during your normal cycle, I could understand why you would want to lessen the amount of time. In your case I say you do it for the pain aspect, not to save the money.
Money is not as important as being healthy and I think trying to lesson your period (for someone without dysmenorrhea) is a very bad idea.
]]>/former cashier
]]>my complex had the same section in the contract and they didnt mind if I did my oil or brakes in the parking lot...
]]>You know what sucks more? BLEEDING.
]]>If you have the fan on the dimmer and turn it on low...you will hear this whinning. That is the motor not getting what it needs and will be burnt out. If you want a fan in the room, use a single switch for the light, and purchase a fan with a remote or use the chain that comes on the fan. Dimmers and fans will blow out if left with little power for too long.
]]>@youbastid: Sometimes I type "meet" instead of "meat" because my brain and fingers don't always agree on which key to use. I know which word is the proper one, but sometimes typos happen.
I do that a lot with similar words. And then later I'm like, "LOL I R DUMB."
]]>I hope restaurants do better than that now.
]]>Why is it dumb? Just because it doesn't apply to you, as a male?
I have fairly severe dysmenorrhea, so this is NOT typical of all women - far from it. Nevertheless, and without going into too much detail as to the whys and wherefores (you're welcome), here's a rough breakdown:
*Monthly sanitary supplies - about $12-15.
*Extra pain meds etc (I'm already on chronic pain control but use up to 2x during my period) - probably $20 a year.
*Time lost wrt work and productivity: I do medical transcription and get paid based on how much I type, and my paycheck the week after my period is predictably $30-50 lower than usual. An average person (with dysmenorrhea) is still going to get paid as long as she shows up at work, but is the employer going to get a full 8 hours' work out of her? (The vast majority of women, of course, will not be any less productive than usual. Before anyone makes remarks about working women, keep in mind that I'm referring to a specific dysfunction of a natural function.)
*Extra showers (two a day for the three heaviest days, and no, that's not optional) and extra laundry if I don't get up twice in the middle of each of those three nights - I'm sure the water, gas, soap, etc doesn't add up to much, but it is an expense.
So, for just what I can put numbers on, if I could implement that suggestion, I could go from an annual (expense, loss, cost, whatever) of ~$650 to ~$220. How is that dumb or desperate?
Even for a healthy woman without these particular and unusual concerns, spending $10/month = $120/year; if you could cut that down to $40, you've saved $80. (That is assuming, of course, that you're already on OCPs and are merely switching brands, and not incurring a new charge for the meds.)
Unfortunately, I react badly to OCPs so I can't implement that particular suggestion, but I really wish I could - I assure you it is not foolish or frivolous at ALL. It's not only sensible from a financial standpoint, but from a "quality of life" one as well.
]]>@wesa: I have sensitive gums....baking soda hurts :(
]]>@Penny Plastic: Even Maynard from Tool makes wine! I've had it (drove to Sedona and visited the winery there) and while it is super expensive, it was soooooo good. I am not a wine drinker (I like the buzz, not the taste), but holy crap that was some awesome wine.
]]>@Jetts: bahahaha.
]]>STONER TIP: Buy regs instead of chron, amiright?
]]>Very shitty post
]]>@Fujikopez:
My dishes with gold trim on the edge spark all over the place.
@Eyebrows McGee (on Twitter: LPetelle): Yeah, my hair is mostly-straight-to-kinda-wavy. It needs to be cut straight or I look hilarious.
Three years ago, they did the air-blow thing, it took like half an hour. And I kept laughing. It just was NOT working.
Last time I went, however, they did the lazer thing. THANK GOD.
I don't use eye drops much if at all, so I think I'm okay. I'm a stoner but I don't use eye drops because I hate them. haha.
]]>Obviously this isn't a replacement for buying yarn if you have some specific requirements, but hunting down a 100% cashmere sweater for $3 is rewarding in a whole new way.
]]>Actually, another good wine tip is to ignore the shit from CA, France and Italy and focus more on wines coming in from SA and Africa. They are much cheaper and usually good. In fact, I just had a really great wine from Turkey. Everyone makes wine these days!
]]>@RecordStoreToughGuy: I think it depends. I haven't done a whole lot of research on it. I just know it's a lot harder to feed cats homemade food than it is dogs. It just takes more effort.
]]>I am seriously lazy, and yet I have a fresh, delicious loaf of bread on my counter right now. I don't ever want to buy bread again.
And it has a recipe for naan! Nom nom nom.
]]>@RecordStoreToughGuy: Yes! We have Bookman's here, which is a HUGE used bookstore that I love.
ALSO GOODWILL -- I have bought TONS of *hardcover* books for like $3 at Goodwill. Our local Goodwills have 50% off sales every other Saturday. $.50 and $1 hardcover books FTW. It's all hit or miss, of course, but I've picked up some gems, and found some awesome random books. LOTS of cheesy memoirs, my favorites!
]]>@wheresmymind: I think I'm just not a huge drinker, but yeah, you're right. Still, if you don't have much money, save money by drinking at home.
OR DIVE BARS.
This is why I only do dive bars. My dive bar sells $3.50 mix drinks -- Jack 'n Coke all night, baby! And it's STRONG, because, well, dive bars are awesome.
I can get TRASHED (if I wanted to) on $20. That includes tips.
]]>2 bucks without, 5 bucks with? That IS expensive milk! 3 dollars for MAYBE 1/2 a cup? 24 bucks a gallon *whistles* sounds like you should just buy retail - it's a huge whopping 4 bucks a gallon up here in Canuckistan (Canada).
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: Awww bunnnniiiieeee!
I think I turned on my heat maybe once this winter. But I've had my a/c on during the day for a long time now (two months?), and at night off and on since last month. But I hate sleeping hot :( I'll set my a/c during the day to like 85, but as soon as night hits it's gotta be no more than 74. Or I'll sleep like CRAP (and I have two fans).
]]>I know you're copyinga and pasting what other people are writing in, but still...walah??? Do people actually think that's how it's spelled?
]]>Just last week, my GF and I booked 2 RT tix to Hawaii from NY. One was paid for with airline miles, the other was mostly paid for with our coin jar. We had about $650 in there, $250 in silver and the rest in bills. We only had to lay out $200 in ***REAL*** money to make up the difference. We saved it in about 2 months time.
We tend to put most of our 1' and 5's in the jar and sometimes 10's and 20's. It does not hurt that we are both in the rest/bar business and get paid cash, so whatever we do put in at the end of our shifts does not really hurt us at all.
]]>You would put the jar in the toilet, pushing it down so it fills with water. As the toilet flushes, the jar displaces water - the water in the jar takes up room but doesn't go down the toilet.
As the tank fills, the water level goes over the height of the jar, letting it exchange the old water for new.
(Much like a cup of milk lowered slowly into a bathtub still lets the milk and water mix and spread.)
@pecan 3.14159265: Yeah, I won't make my own sanitary items, but I have some handy, hippy-dippy friends who DO, and I think it's kind of weird to say, "YOU NEED HELP!" Clearly they enjoy doing it, and I say kudos to them since they likely save a bundle and it's great for the enviornment.
]]>@nakedscience: I bring my own waiver to the eye doctor to make them NOT blow the stupid air puff in my eye. Last time I had it done both me AND the doctor ended up in hysterics. (Actually, now I go to a place that can measure with lasers! So nothing has to move at my eye!)
Anyway, CLOSE your eye, do the drop right up against your tear duct near your nose, and then blink your eye open a couple of times to get the liquid in there. It's the only way I can manage to do eyedrops. But you should tell your eye doctor (or regular doctor) you intend to administer your eye drops this way because sometimes they'll change the dosage -- like tell you to use 2 drops instead of 1 since you're losing medicine to your nose skin. :)
]]>The yarn itself can run 30-40 dollars if you're using anything better than 100% polyester fugly yarn. Plus, there's the 5-20 hours you need to make even a sweater. Then, there's the fact that no one will wear the damn thing since most of them are pretty ugly regardless.
]]>Some of these tips are good and save a decent amount of money though.
]]>@Leksi Wit: You'd tell your friends to get help if they were handy and made their own sanitary napkins? I won't do it because I can't sew, but I have friends who do it, and they are perfectly normal. They just like to sew.
You can buy pre-made cloth pads and such online, actually. It's a LOT cheaper over all, and SO much better for the enviornment.
And making your own bread isn't weird or abnormal. Lots of people do it (not me, I'm lazy).
]]>@harlock_JDS: Boxee, ftw
]]>@Jessy Irwin: I am lucky that my periods are pretty easy and I only really need like, 3 or 4 tampons per period, tops. *knocks on wood*
]]>@Penny Plastic: I tired this this weekend: [www.blackboxwines.com]
$20 or so for a box of wine that fits 4 bottles. I know, I know, BOXED! But it's actually pretty good! (And I'm not a wine fan in general, so if I find it drinkable, you know it's good!) Apparently the US is all about bottles, but Europeans drink a fair amount of good boxed wine. AND, if you're like me and have a hard time drinking a full bottle of wine, it stays fresher a LOOOOT longer after opening.
]]>I made bread a while back...it was way too much hassle. I'm going to stick to buying sourdough.
]]>But no, I like rotisserie chickens...they're easy, and they taste good. And when I get them on sale, they can be cheaper than actually buying the chicken, marinating it, and then using the electricity to cook it. Plus I get to snack on rotisserie chicken while I'm making stock.
]]>@ribblefizz: Oh noes. Periods. Women have *gasp* periods!
It always confuses me that people (mainly men) get so weirded out when someone even mentions periods.
]]>@Bill2me: Oh, I wouldn't actually ~recommend~ it because, you know, whatever, but I've done it. So whatever.
]]>And use the chicken to make chicken stock....and collect vegetable scraps and cheese rinds to freeze and save for said stock.
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: I have a LOT of thick hair that grows like fuckin' CRAZY. So I get a good 4-6 inches chopped off about every 6-8 months, and have them add some layers. Then 6-8 months later it has grown back, so I do it again.
Once I got a hair cut and she "thinned it out", and like, 2 months later I went in with my sister and decided to get a trim since I was there, and she was like, "Wait...it doesn't look like I even TOUCHED IT...your hair grows really fast...."
Haha.
]]>Yeah, we usually buy Svendka on sale for 10 bucks, put it in the freezer and use that for cocktails. If we're drinking vodka (or scotch, or anything else) up or on ice, we use the good stuff.
Too bad I haven't crossed the line with wine. For awhile I was really good about getting $3-4 wines, but I've crossed back over into the $10-12 range again...
]]>The supply line to one of our toilets started leaking recently and since we had to have the plumber out to fix it ANYWAY, we just had him put in a new low-flow toilet (since we were paying labor and transit whether he repaired the existing or put in a new one). The $120 toilet will pay for itself pretty quickly, as the toilet it replaced was significantly older and used a lot of water.
We've started being on the lookout for these situations -- oh, we have to have the electrician in to repair this circuit that my husband pulled out of the wall during renovations ... let's have him upgrade this energy-hog fixture while he's here anyway.
]]>@Jetts: Seriously, man! Now I want a good Irish whiskey omg.
]]>on another note, (most) dry cleaners use steam to press clothes, not irons, so make sure you don't burn your stuff when you try to DIY.
]]>@jackbishop: Some people get cold easily.
I put my a/c on at 68 and have for weeks now, but I live in Arizona and like to sleep cool. It'll have to go up to 72-74 once summer really hits, though, because my poor a/c can't keep up when it's 110+ out :(
]]>@He: "24 Months in diapers is ridiculous. Start potty training at 6 months. My kid..."
Yeah, your kid. You do realize not all kids are the same right?
Also: Re: Antenna: I actually use an antenna, but even though I live in the middle of Phoenix, it kind of sucks. I don't watch much tv at all, so I don't mind, but for those who like having access to tv whenever they want, it could be a pain. When it's really windy out, forget it.
]]>Also, I think it goes without saying that if you're trying to be very thrifty, you're going to wind up doing without a good number of the things you probably had before. If it's ok to rip off Starbucks, where's the tip saying you should disconnect your cable, but splice into your neighbor's? Or forget about sharing that WEP key. Why not just see who in your neighborhood doesn't have security on their wireless network? Isn't that basically the same thing? This is the kind of "advice" that perpetuates negative images of cost-conscious people.
]]>Buy your own and broil it. Or get a crock pt, grill... whatever. Do several at a time.
Never buy precut chickens either.
Use coupons to buy stuff that's already on special... and stock up.
Buy a Sunday paper. The coupons pay for the paper many times over!
And try to have only one period a year.
;>)
]]>In all honesty sneaking alcohol into anything (yes, even a sporting event) is really a poor thing to be recommending.
]]>"DIY LADIES SANITARY ITEMS
Sew your own reusable ladies sanitary items. Seriously. You can download the patterns free online and it is a hell of a lot cheaper than buying that disposable crap every month!"
Um no, I would rather not, thank you. I like modern conveniences such as not having to use clothes lines or make my own bread. This list has some good tips along with stuff that say, if my friends where doing, I would consider getting them help.
]]>@floraposte: Although I guess since it's women-centric maybe that's why he said "LOL BOOBIES" -- maybe he means that, since it's women-centric, it doesn't matter and shouldn't be posted. I hope not :(
]]>@floraposte: Yeah, I'm like, boobies? Diva cup = period = vagina = not boobies.
]]>@floraposte: Actually, I just took an alcohol class thing because I'll be selling alcohol in a manager position for a festival soon. I know in Arizona, as long as it's CLOSED, it's not open-container. If I remember correctly, anyway.
Flasks are pretty common...
]]>1. It's time for everyone to live up to the fact that if it's something that you really, really absolutely must have printed in colour, then the average consumer colour printer isn't going to do an adequate job.
2. If you're honest with yourself, the number of times you really absolutely must print something in colour will probably cost you less than $10/year if you just email the file to your nearest print shop and then pick it up the next day.
3. The colour printer you can afford for average home use is probably an inkjet or deskjet printer. These go through ink way faster than a laser printer.
4. You need to print something on an inkjet or deskjet pretty much once every week or two or it will start to dry up; if that happens, you have to throw away unused cartridges! A laser printer can sit around for months unused.
In summary, a black and white (or more accurately, just Black) laser printer will handily meet all of your home printing needs, and still be overkill. It costs maybe 20 or 30 more than a inkjet/deskjet, but you'll save way more than that on ink replacement.
And I know what you're going to say: Why do I need a printer at all? And you're right, I agree with you. The black laser printer's real value is that it's an acceptable compromise between me and my usual rabid anti-printer stance, and my wife who is pretty sure that we should probably have a printer in the house for some reason.
]]>I had a dimmer switch on the light in my son's bedroom, which also had a ceiling fan. About two months later, his (brand new) ceiling fan stopped working. The lights still worked fine, but nothing from the fan. We replaced it, and within a few months, that one stopped working too.
When we moved, the new house needed the ceiling fan in the den replaced, and I asked about putting a dimmer switch in there. The handyman-type person who was doing the work said not to EVER put a dimmer switch on a switch that controls a ceiling fan, because [something technical, complicated, and electrical] and the motor will burn up if the fan runs at lower speeds.
That didn't make sense to me (shouldn't it burn up at HIGHER speeds?) but since then, I've heard the same thing from other people. So perhaps use the dimmer switch suggestion with caution.
Someone mentioned that they've stopped "eyeballing" the amount of laundry detergent they use, and now measure it out - I would add to this, unless the load of clothes you're washing is exceptionally soiled, you can use 1/3 to 1/2 the amount that the box tells you to. Your clothes will be just as clean and smell just as good. The only time I ever use a full "serving" of laundry detergent is for socks or heavily dirt-stained clothes (like, "Mom, we dug a ditch in the front yard, is that okay?" level of dirt).
Saving and reusing Ziploc bags was mentioned, but aluminum foil wasn't. My grandmother reused every piece of aluminum foil she ever set her fingers on, until it fell apart - and even then, if it fell into big enough pieces, she'd reuse those too! She'd rinse it off and air-dry it, but still stored it in the refrigerator, I guess to minimize odor.
And I don't bother with cutting open the toothpaste to get the last of it out, but then the toothpaste I use only costs about 97 cents a tube anyway. (I used to work for a dentist, and one of the things we repeated countless times to our patients is "Don't use toothpaste with baking soda in it." It gets your teeth nice and clean, but it can damage the enamel and cause sensitivity and dental problems. Whitening toothpastes can cause the same issues.) I do try to get every last bit of toothpaste out, but don't waste your money on those "tube-squeezer" things - just lay the tube on the counter and use the handle of your toothbrush, or a hairbrush or comb, to do the same thing much more efficiently.
]]>Regarding the eyeglass cleaner. Buy one bottle of it from Walmart. You get free refills for life.
Properly inflate your tires. Don't over-inflate. Any fuel savings you might see will be quickly eaten by badly worn tires. Additionally, over inflated tires can reduce traction and contribute to the cause of an accident especially in wet weather.
The mason jar in the toilet trick only really works for older toilets but can also lead to poor flushing performance. High efficiency toilets can be had for under $100.
Buy a super low flow showerhead. WaterPik just came out with ultra low flow showerheads rated at 1.5 gallons per minute. That's a full gallon per minute less than the "old tech" low flow showerhead you bought last year. It's $15 for the basic model.
Turn down the heat on your dryer. Medium is usually fine. You'll use less energy and your clothes will last longer. Remember, you're drying your clothes, not cooking them.
]]>Also pen in microwave, dimmer on lights (you use the same power this does not save you money), and "Have 4 periods a year" (just the dumbest suggestion I have heard and might get the "I am desperate to post something else on Consumerist award for the day" are the worst of the worst in making something out of nothing.
These suggestions are very dark and "end of worldish".
And I would think that "splitting internet with Neighbors would be illegal? But hey.
I feel that these suggestion do not even touch the bottom line except for cable, gas, and dry cleaning.
]]>@He: I still suck at it! "OH IT IS NEAR MY EYE? THEN MY EYELID WILL BLINK MUAHAHAHAHAHA."
Whenever I get my pressure checked at the eye doc, it takes FOREVER, because I get all weird and nervous.
]]>Then again, maybe we are alcoholics.
]]>@Penny Plastic: I find cheap booze causes much worse hangovers though
]]>Landlord is going to install dimmer switches all over the house even if I have to beat him over the head with them repeatedly til he does it...
]]>It's painful when I facepalm.
I'd have rubbing alcohol around anyway but I don't know why it says to use deionized water on your glasses.
]]>@Fuzzy_duffel_bag: The first time I read it, I saw "contact lens cleaner". Ouch.
]]>We did the turn down the heat thing since our January heating bill was $400. We put it down to 68 and haven't touched it since, the next month wasn't anywhere near as bad. If i get too cold around the house i just put on my robe and fuggs, i might as well put them too use since I have them and all lol.
]]>@nakedscience: Clearly the menstrual cycle should never be discussed in mixed company. Because girls are gross and menstruation attracts bears.
]]>Actually, it's a great tip for saving money just to cut down on how often you eat meat. Most Americans eat a ton of it, and it's among the most expensive food items. You can easily cut your meat consumption to a few times a week without going full-on vegetarian and you can save a lot.
]]>Re: Razors. Get a straight razor. It's a superior shave.
And the TV tip should have mentioned that you can still use an antenna.
]]>@Bill2me: "in a lot of trouble" -- not really. You might get kicked out, but there's not much else they can do, unless I'm missing something.
I sneak my own alcohol into baseball games all the time. Haven't gotten kicked out yet.
Normally I'll just buy a soda, go into the restroom with said soda, and poor the booze in the cup. Voila!
]]>I'm just a sucker for the smell of Tide.
]]>And sharing out your internet connection is undoubtedly a violation of your terms of service...
]]>@johnva: Yeah, mine doesn't, but I live in the ghetto! But it's not an uncommon thing for a lease to have. And even though my complex doesn't care, I'd rather not. If my parents didn't live 2.5+ hours away, I'd just do it at their house, but ya, don't have that option.
]]>@BenderRodriguez: lol! i totally left that comment in the wrong place, but yep! i gotcha. my friend makes their own dog food and sometimes uses expired meat.
]]>My comment simply points out that bringing your own alcohol to a bar or restaurant (and drinking it anywhere on restaurant property) is a great way to get in a lot of trouble.
]]>@trrwilson: hehe, that floaty thing is actually called a "bullcock". hehehe bullcock...
@pecan 3.14159265: I use the mitts too, you should try it, it's not like a brillo pad, they're made for skin so it doesn't rip your skin or anything... you scrub lightly or with more pressure if you want to... Totally effective, just use regular cleanser with them. I'll NEVER go back to cream exfoliants. NEVER.
]]>@harlock_JDS: A Diva Cup *crossed the line*?! Are you joking?! Newsflash: Women have periods! Most have them monthly. That means we women have to buy tampons or pads or what-have-you. Which gets expensive. It must be great to be a man and not have to worry about that on a monthly basis!
Diva cups are great. They can save a lot of money. How is suggesting them "crossing the line"?
OH NO WOMEN HAVE PERIODS!!!
]]>I just checked my mint.com, and fail to see how this is "borderline alcoholism". A decent bottle of scotch is $30+, a decent 12 pack of beer or bottle of wine around $12. A drink at a restaurant or bar is $3 - $10. If you were to go out 1 or 2 times a week for drinks, and enjoy 1 or 2 drinks a night (far from alcoholism), you're easily around $350. Bring a wife or girlfriend into the equation and your well past the aforementioned mark.
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: As long as said flask is closed, and you're not drunk, you're okay.
]]>More info:
For other blades check westcoastshaving.com (as well as other stuff). For soaps, creams, and aftershaves checkout shavingessentials.net. Plus, I've gotten free samples from both with orders.
]]>@Bill2me: You just gotta be sneaky. And the most they can do is take your flask/ask you to leave.
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: And you cut your hair about as often as I do! Yay! haha
]]>@nakedscience: I know this, my dog can (and will) eat practically anything she can without consequence. I was just being a smart-ass @ Odiase re his "hospital" response.
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: Yeah, I doubt management REALLY cares (there are always people fixing their cars in the parking lot, anyway), but I'd rather not work on my car in such a public place. Too many nosy neighbors. "OH, can I help you? Why isn't your boyfriend/husband doing this?" etc etc. Especially since I essentially live in the ghetto!
Sometimes I might be able to have a friend do it/do it at their house, but that's hit or miss, so I just make an appointment with my nice mechanic.
]]>@j-o-h-n: I WISH! I did not get a car 'til last August, when my (now not so) new job made it almost impossible to take public transportation (2 buses, almost 2 hours each way, always late, etc.). So I had to get a car. :(
]]>@BenderRodriguez: Actually, (most) dogs can handle slightly-spoiled meat just fine.
]]>Anyhow...
Of course the tip won't work for everyone and I did clarify it in the last post. I've seen this work before very well amongst a group of tight-knit neighbors.
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: I am guessing the mason jars take up space therefore it turns a bigger water tank into a smaller one and you spend less money on your water bill. Its basically a way to turn a regular toilet into one of those low flow ones.
]]>@TinkishDelight: I have a friend that makes his own dog food ("dog loaf"). As long as do some research for a good recipe, it's pretty easy and dogs LOVE IT. (I've actually eaten this "dog loaf" -- it's bland but human safe lol!)
And that's a big, fat negative on the cat thing. It is a LOT harder to make cat food. Please don't do it unless you do some research! You can harm your cat! Cats need Taurine, an amino acid. Dogs (and humans) make their own Tarine, but cats do not, so it is added to their cat food.
Thus, if you are going to make your own cat food, make sure you do it properly so as not to kill your poor kitty. :)
]]>I think frugality is a good thing, but it can be taken too far. For me, "too far" comes in when I'm making large sacrifices of time, labor, ethics, or health in order to save what amounts to a few pennies. I definitely wouldn't try the toothpaste one (seriously, who spends a lot of money on toothpaste???) or the microwaving pens thing (come on...who cares about getting every last drop out of cheap disposable pens, especially at the risk of starting a fire or spewing ink all over your microwave?).
And you're definitely an alky, or just going to bars too often, or into fancy wine if you're spending $350 a month on alcohol just for yourself. I'd recommend getting the good stuff and drinking less, at home, to save money on that.
]]>I don't think there are rules against me changing my own oil on my driveway, but there's something about being under a 3,000 pound vehicle that makes me uncomfortable. Plus, I get free oil changes, car washes, emissions, etc. from my dealer.
]]>@Odiase: Uh. "nearly spoiled" means nearly at the expiration date, not actually spoiled. If you freeze it right away, it's the same damn meat you would have bought two days prior.
]]>@Odiase: I'm not eating nearly-spoiled meat, I'm making my own dog food from it. So I will be paying vet bills, not hospital bills.
]]>@Odiase: This is what I do when I go to a baseball game! Chase Stadium (Diamondbacks stadium in Phoenix) lets you bring in closed liquids, so I bring my own water, and hidea flask for boooze. I still buy something to eat, though, because mmmm ballpark food so bad yet so good.
]]>@Aaron Moon: *eye roll*
]]>@calquist: Someone in college has $50 a WEEK to spend at a bar?! Wow.
]]>Walk into a bar / restaurant and try pouring out of a flask into your soda and you'll quickly meet their staff of Bouncers. Same goes for trying to take a swig in the Bathroom or Parking Lot.
]]>@Alys Brangwin feels g-l-a-m-o-u-r-o-u-s: I wish! Even if you order something and ask them to omit the meat they still charge you the same. And like the case of the subway salad that cost more for cheaper ingredients, all around we get screwed.
]]>@calquist: OMG! PERIODS! HOW NASTY! ... not.
]]>"If you use eyedrops for any reason, there's NO need to use more than 1 in each eye."
Unless you're like me, and it takes 4 or 5 tries before one finally makes it!
"CUT YOUR OWN HAIR"
Oh hell no. I like my hair cut to be straight, and sometimes I want layers. I am not very hand-eye coordinated. I'd look HILARIOUS if I tried to cut my own hair.
And since I like my whiskey straight, it's only good whiskey for me!
And I'd love to change my own oil, but I live in an apartment and there is NO WAY I'm going to change my oil in the parking lot. Not gonna happen. Either the management will frown on it or, as a woman, I'll get bugged by all the stupid men in my complex. Ugh.
]]>You can get the same effect with anything large and heavy that displaces water in the tank. A closed jar weighted with rocks works, too.
]]>By using a dimmer the light bulbs last WAY longer. This is beceuas they don't experience the sudden jolt of being turned on.
Whaa? I really want to know if this one is true.
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: You put the jars in the tank of your toilet. This displaces water and will cause the fill switch to turn off early.
Most modern toilets let you adjust the fill level though. Or, barring that, you can just bend the rod that the floating thing sits on.
]]>Maybe I'm just not well versed in toilet dynamics.
]]>I'd be fairly careful about the DIY dog food tip. A lot of people don't realize dogs are omnivores. You CAN give them too much protein.
Cat's on the other hand are carnivores so you can make basically the same meal for them just cut the majority of veggies.
]]>Also, blue cheese dressing + 1 part mayo? Yuck. I beg to differ on the flavor is much better part. If I wanted mayo, I'd have mayo.
The rice tip is really good though - I ate a lot of rice and broth the summer I was nearly broke.
]]>Woo hoo!! My homemade bleu cheese, hot sauce and nearly spoiled meat dog food will practically pay for itself.
]]>I used to buy an apricot scrub for my face. Instead of buying the scrub, I now use reusable hand mitts, whose texture exfoliates my skin. I bought them at a local pedicure place for $3. They work better and the cost of one bottle of the scrub is about the same for a pair of mitts.
So instead of the scrub exfoliating (and cleansing) he/she uses the mitts. It just leads me to conclude he/she stopped buying the scrub, and just uses the mitts. Which sounds awfully ineffective and/or painful.
]]>And I agree with the mitts. Target/Walmart have some nice exfoliating creams that work well and are cheapo.
]]>@harlock_JDS: Additionally with this, you risk your neighbor doing illegal activities online - yet it still points back to YOUR name and ISP.
This one is absurd.
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: I was also intrigued by the mason jar thing.
I imagine it works by preventing 1 quart of water from draining into the bowl, but with no lid, the water is free to circulate when the tank water level returns. Pretty smart!
I don't have any mason jars, but I'll try it with an old pickle jar or something.
I thought you had to pay for itunes tv ep's (it's been a while since i watched anything via itunes so it might be different now)
Not to mention netflix has tv ep's you can watch online (and i think netflix boxes are cheaper if you want to hook it to your tv).
]]>For example, rather than buy deionized water and rubbing alcohol, I clean my glasses under hot water in the sink.
Another $3 saved.
]]>There is some bottleneck somewhere in the PS3 where it can't do the 480p rez on Hulu.com (and every PS3 I've ever come across downloads like a dog on PSN), but I've gone a long time without having TV.
]]>@Yoko Broke Up The Beatles: Seriously! I might drink a couple bottles of wine a month. I can buy a $20 bottle of jack and have that last for 2-3 months. $350 on booze for ONE PRSON?! Yeeeeesh!
]]>As a former worker of both an independent coffeeshop and Starbucks, I can tell you that the baristas will notice this, and you won't be so welcome anymore. (aka they'll mentally be giving you a swift kick in the ass). Milk is very expensive.
]]>Almost every DVD I own is $9 and under, most near the $5-$7 mark. Used DVDs for the WIN!
I think the only movies I've bought new are The Dark Knight and Tropic Thunder, because I knew I'd watch the shit out of them and was too impatient to wait.
]]>Personally, I think the most frugal option of all is to connect the computer to the TV and watch everything online and then have a budget for renting/buying movies.
]]>I like the "don't spend $5 bills" tip. I wish I had that level of self discipline with the $100, $50, $20, $10, $2 and $1 bill.
]]>heh and anoteher thing. The 'SPLIT INTERNET WITH NEIGHBORS' one likely violates your IP's TOS (charging other people to use your non commercial internet connection) and will likely get you disconnected if a cable guy notices it.
]]>And I'm not getting how buying mitts replaces scrubs, because part of the reason why the scrub works (in some scrubs, anyway) is because of the cream/liquid that holds the grains which exfoliate. I'm not too into rubbing a wet brillo pad across my face so I use a scrub that exfoliates, but also cleanses my skin.
]]>Yeah improve the taste by cutting it with mayo? if you don't like the taste of blue cheese why buy blue cheese dressing?
If anything i'd want to add more blue cheese flavor to the dressing not less.
]]>"HAVE ONLY 4 PERIODS"
1 Way To Save My Life...
:( wish my gf would read this article.
]]>Damn, one person saving $350 or so by stopping drinking for a month? That is borderline alcoholism!
On the other hand, I want to party with this person when he/she is back on the sauce!
]]>The blue-cheese dressing tip just made me gag.
]]>