The more I go to thrift stores, (second hand stores) the more I wonder why people would pay a lot of money for many kinds of things. I see things, like new, for a quarter or fifty cents or a dollar that cost quite a bit more new. Some of it is in the original package still. Bunches and bunches and bunches of everything one can think of.
I don't want all that stuff. It is overwhelming. Every once in a while I buy an item if I like it. All that stuff brings to mind thoughts of "what is really valuable in life anyway?" Some of these things come from the estates of people after they die or have to downsize and go into a nursing home. There is a kind of emptiness in owning just to possess things. You can imagine some things for sale there were never used because they were being kept for "good". They should have treated themselves and used what they liked instead of settling for lesser things.
The things of the world pass away but our souls are eternal. Thrift stores are a wonderful place to get whatever is needed inexpensively. But they remind me of the words of Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes. Some of what we humans chase after is not worth it, like chasing after the wind.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Utility Bills Price Increase
The Springfield City Utilities are raising their rates on electricity, water and gas some each year for 3 years starting this October 2010. My figures look different than theirs using the same numbers but expressing it in a different way.
Electric for the average user costs $68.21 now.
In Oct 2013, it will cost $86.22
$86.22 - $68.21 = $18.01 or a 26.4% increase above today's price.
Gas for the average user is $60.78 now.
The 2013 price will be $74.53
$74.53 - $60.78 = $13.75 or a 22.6% increase above today's amount
Water for the average user is $20.83 right now
In 2013 the same customer will pay 28.09 for the same amount
$28.09 - $20.83 = $7.26 or a 34.8% increase over the current price.
The quest for a frugal person is to cut back on usage by that amount without sacrificing quality of life. The utility company doesn't really want customers to do that because they are counting on the extra money. From a financial standpoint, they probably want us to use slightly more, not less.
Here are some random ideas to cut usage. Not all will be practical for anybody, especially if you live in a neighborhood association area.
Water
Use water saver shower heads.
Take short showers.
If you are a really sedentary person, if you have lots of trouble with dry skin or if you don't stink and aren't filthy, don't take a bath or shower every day. It wasn't too many years ago people only bathed once a week. (If somebody tells you you stink, do us all a favor and take a quick shower anyway)
Use dishpans to hand wash dishes then throw the dish water out on the garden or flowers like grandma used to do. The soap in the water kills the bugs on the vegetables without using poisons.
Only wash full loads of clothes. Wear clothes more than once if they are not dirty or stinky. Some items can be worn many times unless you are sloppy or work with snotty nose kids who wipe their faces on you and slobbering animals. Get overalls for dirty jobs and wear them over and over to protect your clothes.
Reuse towels instead of washing after each use.
Use mulch and compost in your gardens and flower beds to retain moisture so they do not need as much water.
If you do not own a low volume flush, there are kits available to make them use less water.
Wait until the dishwasher is full to run it.
Replace drippy faucet washers and fix leaks to stop water loss.
Do not leave water running while you leave the room or do other things. Turn it off when not in use.
Electric and Gas.
-Same as savings for washers and dishwashers. Only run them when they are full.
-Electric dryers (gas too) Pull clothes before completely dry and let them finish air drying on the hanger.
-Use a clothesline for as many things as possible. If you live in a neighborhood that is more aesthetically aware than environmentally friendly, a clothesline in the garage or a clothes rack in a bathroom or laundry room can work. I use an umbrella type line that collapses when not in use. It is in a patio umbrella stand so I can move it around or remove it easily. Ace hardware sells the umbrella type clotheslines here but walmart does not.
-Turn out lights and all electricity using devices when not in room.
-Use low wattage energy saver light bulbs in lights that stay on a lot such as a porch light. Some people like to use these everywhere but for some with vision problems, the quality and type of light is hard to see by. Also, the lights contain mercury and may be a health hazard over the long term. Proponents say they don't break, but they do. They also smoke in some outlets and they do not work at all with a dimmer switch.
-Or use bulbs with a lower wattage.
-For those who are not too proud, in fixtures using 3 or 4 bulbs, use one less for a 25% to 33% savings. Leave a burned out bulb in one.
-LED lights are on constantly on many things like TV's, DVD players, stereos etc. They draw small amounts of electricity continually but it can add up. Put all such devices on surge protector strips and turn off the strip when not in use.Want to see how many such devices you have? At night turn out all the lights and look around the rooms for little red lights. Some experts say those little lights emit something that interferes with our sleep patterns so are not very healthy over time. But that's a frugal health issue and somebody somewhere will say "there is no evidence" and "you can't prove it". Can't disprove it either. So I'll continue to do my own thing.
-If you have to replace your furnace or air conditioner, get an energy saving model. They do not save you any cash for many years so don't go out and buy one you don't need. Sometimes there are rebates for the energy efficient models.
-Use solar lights near the home entrances instead of porch lights if you are in a low crime area.
-Trees that lose their leaves in winter and shade the house in summer save electricity. Plants near the house can do the same thing. Shade house in summer and protect from wind and the elements in the winter.
-In summer, close shades and curtains to keep the hot sun from worming the house even more. In winter, open shades to allow the suns rays to warm the house.
- Buy and use insulated curtains and shades to keep heat out in summer and cold out on winter nights. Insulated windows are good if you have them but they are not cost effective to purchase as it will take many years to recover the extra cost of purchase.
-Caulk around windows and doors to reduce heat and cooling loss.
-Replace your furnace filter regularly.
- Insulation in the walls and attic should be increased if need be. It is expensive and the person living from paycheck to paycheck cannot afford it. Like any other major home improvement, the savings take a long time to show up.
-In winter, use a crock pot to cook meals. It uses very little electricity and warms whatever room it is in over a few hours.
- Turning down the furnace several degrees and using a space heater for the room you are in can cost less than heating the whole house a few extra degrees.
-Close vents in the foundation of the house in the winter to keep cool air under the house to a minimum.
- In older houses, the electric switch plates and outlets on the outer walls are not insulated. Small insulators for them are very inexpensive and easy to install.
- Turn down the hot water heater. Put a special blanket on it to retain heat longer and reduce heat loss. Take shorter showers.
- Wash most clothing in cold water.
- Cook several items at once in the oven and on the stove.
- In summer, cook outside as often as possible or choose foods that require little or no cooking such as salads, sandwiches, etc.
- Use a programmable thermostat. No good for us right now because people are here 24/7 coming and going. With sons in college, working night and early morning shifts, etc, there is no off time. But for normal households, this works well.
- I put skirts on the bottom of my doors going outside to keep the wind from coming under the door like they do in motels. If it were not an old house, it might not be an issue.
- On really hot days, I put up the patio umbrella on the back patio near the house to provide a tiny bit more shade to the house.
- I'm considering an acceptable wind break on the front porch and back patio by the doors.
- Insulating the garage doors from the heat and cold.
- Check the chimney for heat and air loss.
- For the super cheapie person. Turn off everything you can, turn the heat down in winter or the ac up in summer and go spend your time in a public building using your computer or whatever. Use their water, electric, etc instead of yours. If you can shower in another location, such as a gym you belong to, all the better.
The challenge for me is to see if I can use less utilities so my bill does not go up with the price increases. Now a mathematician will tell me I am wrong but I don't care. It's just a rule of thumb. I added all 3 percentages together, divided by 3 and came up with an approximate overall increase of about 28% over the next 3 years. It's going to be a challenge to cut that much. Time to go to the hardware stores and browse the aisles.
Electric for the average user costs $68.21 now.
In Oct 2013, it will cost $86.22
$86.22 - $68.21 = $18.01 or a 26.4% increase above today's price.
Gas for the average user is $60.78 now.
The 2013 price will be $74.53
$74.53 - $60.78 = $13.75 or a 22.6% increase above today's amount
Water for the average user is $20.83 right now
In 2013 the same customer will pay 28.09 for the same amount
$28.09 - $20.83 = $7.26 or a 34.8% increase over the current price.
The quest for a frugal person is to cut back on usage by that amount without sacrificing quality of life. The utility company doesn't really want customers to do that because they are counting on the extra money. From a financial standpoint, they probably want us to use slightly more, not less.
Here are some random ideas to cut usage. Not all will be practical for anybody, especially if you live in a neighborhood association area.
Water
Use water saver shower heads.
Take short showers.
If you are a really sedentary person, if you have lots of trouble with dry skin or if you don't stink and aren't filthy, don't take a bath or shower every day. It wasn't too many years ago people only bathed once a week. (If somebody tells you you stink, do us all a favor and take a quick shower anyway)
Use dishpans to hand wash dishes then throw the dish water out on the garden or flowers like grandma used to do. The soap in the water kills the bugs on the vegetables without using poisons.
Only wash full loads of clothes. Wear clothes more than once if they are not dirty or stinky. Some items can be worn many times unless you are sloppy or work with snotty nose kids who wipe their faces on you and slobbering animals. Get overalls for dirty jobs and wear them over and over to protect your clothes.
Reuse towels instead of washing after each use.
Use mulch and compost in your gardens and flower beds to retain moisture so they do not need as much water.
If you do not own a low volume flush, there are kits available to make them use less water.
Wait until the dishwasher is full to run it.
Replace drippy faucet washers and fix leaks to stop water loss.
Do not leave water running while you leave the room or do other things. Turn it off when not in use.
Electric and Gas.
-Same as savings for washers and dishwashers. Only run them when they are full.
-Electric dryers (gas too) Pull clothes before completely dry and let them finish air drying on the hanger.
-Use a clothesline for as many things as possible. If you live in a neighborhood that is more aesthetically aware than environmentally friendly, a clothesline in the garage or a clothes rack in a bathroom or laundry room can work. I use an umbrella type line that collapses when not in use. It is in a patio umbrella stand so I can move it around or remove it easily. Ace hardware sells the umbrella type clotheslines here but walmart does not.
-Turn out lights and all electricity using devices when not in room.
-Use low wattage energy saver light bulbs in lights that stay on a lot such as a porch light. Some people like to use these everywhere but for some with vision problems, the quality and type of light is hard to see by. Also, the lights contain mercury and may be a health hazard over the long term. Proponents say they don't break, but they do. They also smoke in some outlets and they do not work at all with a dimmer switch.
-Or use bulbs with a lower wattage.
-For those who are not too proud, in fixtures using 3 or 4 bulbs, use one less for a 25% to 33% savings. Leave a burned out bulb in one.
-LED lights are on constantly on many things like TV's, DVD players, stereos etc. They draw small amounts of electricity continually but it can add up. Put all such devices on surge protector strips and turn off the strip when not in use.Want to see how many such devices you have? At night turn out all the lights and look around the rooms for little red lights. Some experts say those little lights emit something that interferes with our sleep patterns so are not very healthy over time. But that's a frugal health issue and somebody somewhere will say "there is no evidence" and "you can't prove it". Can't disprove it either. So I'll continue to do my own thing.
-If you have to replace your furnace or air conditioner, get an energy saving model. They do not save you any cash for many years so don't go out and buy one you don't need. Sometimes there are rebates for the energy efficient models.
-Use solar lights near the home entrances instead of porch lights if you are in a low crime area.
-Trees that lose their leaves in winter and shade the house in summer save electricity. Plants near the house can do the same thing. Shade house in summer and protect from wind and the elements in the winter.
-In summer, close shades and curtains to keep the hot sun from worming the house even more. In winter, open shades to allow the suns rays to warm the house.
- Buy and use insulated curtains and shades to keep heat out in summer and cold out on winter nights. Insulated windows are good if you have them but they are not cost effective to purchase as it will take many years to recover the extra cost of purchase.
-Caulk around windows and doors to reduce heat and cooling loss.
-Replace your furnace filter regularly.
- Insulation in the walls and attic should be increased if need be. It is expensive and the person living from paycheck to paycheck cannot afford it. Like any other major home improvement, the savings take a long time to show up.
-In winter, use a crock pot to cook meals. It uses very little electricity and warms whatever room it is in over a few hours.
- Turning down the furnace several degrees and using a space heater for the room you are in can cost less than heating the whole house a few extra degrees.
-Close vents in the foundation of the house in the winter to keep cool air under the house to a minimum.
- In older houses, the electric switch plates and outlets on the outer walls are not insulated. Small insulators for them are very inexpensive and easy to install.
- Turn down the hot water heater. Put a special blanket on it to retain heat longer and reduce heat loss. Take shorter showers.
- Wash most clothing in cold water.
- Cook several items at once in the oven and on the stove.
- In summer, cook outside as often as possible or choose foods that require little or no cooking such as salads, sandwiches, etc.
- Use a programmable thermostat. No good for us right now because people are here 24/7 coming and going. With sons in college, working night and early morning shifts, etc, there is no off time. But for normal households, this works well.
- I put skirts on the bottom of my doors going outside to keep the wind from coming under the door like they do in motels. If it were not an old house, it might not be an issue.
- On really hot days, I put up the patio umbrella on the back patio near the house to provide a tiny bit more shade to the house.
- I'm considering an acceptable wind break on the front porch and back patio by the doors.
- Insulating the garage doors from the heat and cold.
- Check the chimney for heat and air loss.
- For the super cheapie person. Turn off everything you can, turn the heat down in winter or the ac up in summer and go spend your time in a public building using your computer or whatever. Use their water, electric, etc instead of yours. If you can shower in another location, such as a gym you belong to, all the better.
The challenge for me is to see if I can use less utilities so my bill does not go up with the price increases. Now a mathematician will tell me I am wrong but I don't care. It's just a rule of thumb. I added all 3 percentages together, divided by 3 and came up with an approximate overall increase of about 28% over the next 3 years. It's going to be a challenge to cut that much. Time to go to the hardware stores and browse the aisles.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Old Fashioned Ways
A slower lifestyle can be both money saving and healthier. Think about the way people lived 40, 50 or more years ago. There are some things we would not want to do without, such as air conditioning. But there are other things that might matter less.
Spend more time walking outside and less time walking around stores buying things you do not really need. Get more fresh air.
Spend more time with people and visiting than doing things that cost a lot of money. In the end, the quality of your relationships will be a major determinate in the quality of your life.
Do less. Have less. Yes, you can. Your life is not the sum total of what you possess. It sometimes gets in the way of life because you have to tend the stuff rather than enjoy peace and rest and relationships.
Drink lots more water. It is inexpensive and it is much healthier. You'll live longer with less ailments.
Dry your clothes out on a clothesline. The sun does a better job of killing bacteria and germs than bleach and with no harmful fumes like bleach.
Eat food as close as possible to the way they occur in nature. It costs less to eat a banana than a banana creme pie from the frozen food aisle and it is healthier. Eat your fruits and vegetables. Avoid processed cheeses and cured or processed meats. Many of our current health problems are the result of our dietary habits. It costs a whole lot less to eat 5 to 7 fruits and veggies a day than it does to take lifelong medications, have surgeries and deal with all the medical needs stemming from our bad food choices. There's a lot less pain and suffering too.
Bake, boil and broil your foods rather than fry them. If appropriate, eat foods raw, such as carrots. You save money by saving your health. Heart trouble and diabetes and knee surgeries are expensive.
Eat at home. Simple, healthy meals are much better for you than the salt and fat laden items served in restaurants. Eating sitting at a table and not rushing leads to better digestion. Saves money on the anti acid pills.
Turn off the a/c or heat when the weather is nice and open your windows to let in fresh air. Unless you live in a very polluted city or have severe lung problems already, this is healthy. And healthy is frugal.
Buy clothes that can be washed at home. Do not purchase clothes that must be dry cleaned. Dry cleaning is not frugal. Dry cleaners use chemicals on the clothing to clean them. Over time you are exposed to these chemicals which are considered not very good for your health. Healthy is frugal.
Worshiping the Lord is frugal. How? People who attend church and have faith in the Lord live longer, are happier and are healthier than those who do not. Researchers have concluded this. Why? People in church have friends and social contacts. Those correlate to a better life. They have faith and purpose and life has meaning. Things that make one healthier. People who are faithful in worship tend to have healthier lifestyles than those who do not, drinking, smoking, doing drugs, and other high risk behaviors tend to be avoided more. Prayer is time of quiet and tends to slow down the heart rate so the body is more relaxed, a healthy thing. Singing lifts the spirits and stimulates chemical reactions in the body that encourage better health. It also gives the lungs a work out and increase dopamine in the brain which lead to a sense of well being.
Spend more time walking outside and less time walking around stores buying things you do not really need. Get more fresh air.
Spend more time with people and visiting than doing things that cost a lot of money. In the end, the quality of your relationships will be a major determinate in the quality of your life.
Do less. Have less. Yes, you can. Your life is not the sum total of what you possess. It sometimes gets in the way of life because you have to tend the stuff rather than enjoy peace and rest and relationships.
Drink lots more water. It is inexpensive and it is much healthier. You'll live longer with less ailments.
Dry your clothes out on a clothesline. The sun does a better job of killing bacteria and germs than bleach and with no harmful fumes like bleach.
Eat food as close as possible to the way they occur in nature. It costs less to eat a banana than a banana creme pie from the frozen food aisle and it is healthier. Eat your fruits and vegetables. Avoid processed cheeses and cured or processed meats. Many of our current health problems are the result of our dietary habits. It costs a whole lot less to eat 5 to 7 fruits and veggies a day than it does to take lifelong medications, have surgeries and deal with all the medical needs stemming from our bad food choices. There's a lot less pain and suffering too.
Bake, boil and broil your foods rather than fry them. If appropriate, eat foods raw, such as carrots. You save money by saving your health. Heart trouble and diabetes and knee surgeries are expensive.
Eat at home. Simple, healthy meals are much better for you than the salt and fat laden items served in restaurants. Eating sitting at a table and not rushing leads to better digestion. Saves money on the anti acid pills.
Turn off the a/c or heat when the weather is nice and open your windows to let in fresh air. Unless you live in a very polluted city or have severe lung problems already, this is healthy. And healthy is frugal.
Buy clothes that can be washed at home. Do not purchase clothes that must be dry cleaned. Dry cleaning is not frugal. Dry cleaners use chemicals on the clothing to clean them. Over time you are exposed to these chemicals which are considered not very good for your health. Healthy is frugal.
Worshiping the Lord is frugal. How? People who attend church and have faith in the Lord live longer, are happier and are healthier than those who do not. Researchers have concluded this. Why? People in church have friends and social contacts. Those correlate to a better life. They have faith and purpose and life has meaning. Things that make one healthier. People who are faithful in worship tend to have healthier lifestyles than those who do not, drinking, smoking, doing drugs, and other high risk behaviors tend to be avoided more. Prayer is time of quiet and tends to slow down the heart rate so the body is more relaxed, a healthy thing. Singing lifts the spirits and stimulates chemical reactions in the body that encourage better health. It also gives the lungs a work out and increase dopamine in the brain which lead to a sense of well being.
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