SherriBlue

I was really a great AP article. I also enjoy reading all of the stories here. I like many people was a wasteful person. I am in Real Estate in Florida. Up until 2007 I was the broker for a small real estate company owned by a family member. Lets just say when things started getting slow, I was no longer his broker. He closed the business and moved out of state. I did have some savings but went through that quickly. All the while looking for some type of job, I have many talents and have had many types of jobs. This time there where none, I started my own Real Estate Brokerage. Still not enough, so I became a handyman! Over the years I saved stuff, like my spouse likes to say I am a pack rat. I always said someday I am going to need that. Well now that I am a handyman a lot of the stuff I save has been put to use. I do a lot of work on rental units and the owners do not always have a lot of cash. So if I have something that still works well and still looks good they are happy to get a discount on the items. Like ceiling fans, lights, faucets and things like that. I also recycle most of my waste material; I save the hardware like screws, nails and wood. I save every scrap and most of the time I use most of it somewhere. Like last week my mom needed some worn out draws in here kitchen repaired. I used all scrapes and made all new draws with the exception of the fronts. It cost me some time but no money and my mother was absolutely thrilled to have new drawers that really work correctly. On my jobs I always carry a bucket of all kinds of odds and ends, having a engineering background I sometimes have to be creative, the other day I had a loose ceiling fan to deal with, there was no way to get up into the attic to brace up the fan electrical box. While it was securely fastened to the truss it was wobbling from side to side. I reached into my bucket and found a bracket that I could rework into a brace. There was just enough room next to the box and the next nearest truss, so I drill a hole in the electrical box for one side of the brace (used recycled screws) and screwed the other side up into the other truss. Problem solved no longer wobble and solid! The point I am getting at like others here if you have the space to save stuff some times it is worth it.

When I lost my job my income went down about 2/3rds. So another thing I do is bring a bag lunch, and I just started reusing the baggies if they are still clean. We also recycle about 2/3rds of our household waste. It feels goods to know I am doing my part. I just wish others would also pull there fare share. Another thing we are trying to do is not use the A/C if we can help it. Ceiling fans at medium speed use about half the electricity as the A/C unit. I will not due without hot water though I draw the line there, after a hard day at work I need that shower. And my family appreciates it to! I also check out thrift shops for work cloths and save a ton of money to. Sometimes I find other items I can use on the job. While I hope the Real Estate market stabilizes, I do agree a LOT of people got greedy and it hurt a lot of others now. But my hope is that it just goes back to the normal 3 to 5% growth every five years or so. This crazy appreciation in value in just months was crazy. Just before the BIG fall I refinanced my mortgage from an ARM to a fixed rate. My mortgage broker said you can pull about 60K or 70K out and invest it. I said thanks but no thanks I want a fixed rate for the amount I owed at that time. I AM SO GLAD I DID THAT NOW! While I did loose equity on paper my home value adjusted to just where it would be under normal times. I am saving again, but I do spend money just not a frivolously as I used to. I think about things before I purchase like do I really need that tool now or could I make out OK with my old one that still works fine. We are also keeping our vehicles longer then we used to (new car every other year) mine is now in its 4th year and my spouses is in her 6th year. While I am handy sometimes $17.95 (Texaco Jiffylube) for an oil change is still worth it, you do not have to worry about how to dispose of the old oil and filter and it helps the local business.

Thanks for everything! I will be back to find other ways to save. Here is to frugality!

Randy’s ideas for cleaning products (using borax/vinegar/bakingsoda/peroxide)are right on target.These products are so in-expensive to buy, and in their pure forms are superior to supermarket products…

I have to break with Jake’s frugality on the toilet-paper expenditure. Yes, he accommplishes cleanliness with the water bottle. And this is not a new idea. When in Italy, be prepared for the bidet, no toilet paper. But here in the USA…and you can get a bundle of 12 double-rolls on sale for six bucks and there is always a coupon for this as well…I tell you I would be a little freaked-out as a date or as a guest finding Jerry’s bathroom absent of t-tissue.

SherriBlue

Like many people commenting here, I found your blog from the recent article and am always happy to see more people who think like me. I have a blog about living in style on a budget, from the POV of an actor/singer who has always had to hob-knob with Who’s Who in NYC and/or Hollywood but who doesn’t always make the big bucks. It’s called whatwouldleenyado.blogspot.net.

For what it’s worth, my thoughts about the recent economic downturn are this: We shouldn’t feel guilty for being frugal. America hasn’t always had an economy that was based on oil and product consumption. There was even a time it was based on slavery and tobacco and rum trading and thank God, we eventually, slowly changed. Change is possible, especially if we are all willing to dive into what we’re afraid of.

And let’s face it: Less consumption, and responsible consumption, is probably a Hell of a lot better for the environment as well.

My two cents (and that’s still a bargain!)

Leenya Rideout’s last blog post..Extreme Cheapskates

The closet has boxes for both boys to grow into from cousins hand-me-down, garage sales and thrift stores. When we need new clothes or shoes…we shop the closet! DH drives a car that gets 43 MPG, it is 9 years old and has 300,000+ miles on it. We have never had a new car or close to it and he and the boys do all routine maintenance on them. I cook from scratch, DH and both boys take packed lunches in reusable containers. We have a zero emission wood burning stove for heat and have always cut our own firewood. Every article I read that tells you what you should have in your pantry and in bulk…got it! I am so glad to find that being frugal is the new “IN” and I may take the next step and try my making my own laundry soap…Thanks for the idea. Keep up the good work!

At the same time, today’s Amish aren’t opposed to all modern technology. Many of them have modern windmills to generate electricity, and others use solar cells.

Jerry Baker’s last blog post..A link to "being frugal."

Every generation has wanted more for their children. Better housing, better cars, better everything. Instead of teaching our children to take care of themselves, we (as a society) have taught them to make more money and work harder to buy more stuff.

Being Frugal, eating healthier, and reducing chemical usage should will be the norm not the exception.

I buy very little toilet paper – stopped using it. I have a plastic squeeze bottle with a bent nozzle to wash it all away. Squeaky clean I dry with a wash rag and toss it in the dirty clothes. It costs nothing to wash extra wash cloths.

I turned off the electric water heater, they say it uses $20-$40 per month. I can turn it on once a week for a shower. In the interim I can keep clean by heating my plastic nozzle bottle in the microwave and using it on my body, heating water on the stove for small amounts of dishes and using the water heater in the dishwasher for large loads when necessary and, of course, washing clothes on the cold water cycle. When the Texas heat sets in and one must shower more, the water heater will not be required to power-on so often.

The bottom line is that in order for we as a nation to return to an overall long-term healthy economy and society, people, companies, and yes- the government are going to have to get their spending under control, things like houses, cars, and other consumer goods are going to have to suffer a decline in values to accurately match real incomes, and therefor return a level of stability to the us consumer.