Just curious who else is living super frugal

[Julie Birb]

Hey I actually sewed a button on today...that's a first for me...pretty frugal too....

Nice job.

 

[lazy gardener]

My kid makes an ungodly amount of money and then I always feel like I got to compete with his in-laws that are fairly well off too. We just don't have it. So holidays are a somewhat uncomfortable time for me.

Don't let the discrepancy in incomes get to you. Your family knows the difference between throwing money around and throwing love around. Which would you rather receive??? I have friends who have 4 grown boys, with wives and an assortment of kids. They are retired, so money is not available for a lot of gift giving. They get together for their "Christmas" after New Years. They draw names from a hat, so that there is one gift of a purchased (or maybe even home made) nature per person. The wife also does a lot of canning, and sewing, so I'm sure her creations make a showing at Christmas as well.

Yes, sewing on a button is a great skill to have. So is any type of mending. It's not rocket science, and practice will yield a better looking job. So many folks in the younger generation will throw out a shirt if it looses a button. Yesterday, I was catching a ride from a AAA tow truck (sad day when the truck breaks down. I have a lot of leaves to collect!) when the driver opened the door and pitched out a perfectly good pair of gloves that belonged to his boss, "Because I am tired of looking at them." If I'd known what he was going to do, I'd have had him give them to me. Think I'll go back today, and find them!

 

[LittleLakePhil]

LG...what's wrong with your truck.

this is how I spent my day...installing new ball joints in my friends van....it's in the low 20s here so was a cold day. Yeah the income thing is probably more my issue than anyone else's...but the whole feeling uncomfortable is real to me and there's probably a lot more I could say but best I just live with it.

 

[donrae]

I tell my kids they have to get a good education to earn a crapton of money, cause they're going to have to support me when I'm old. This illness really threw a wrench in the savings and retirement plan, I'm telling you.

Jan, I remember that episode!!

"Phoebe got the whole world!"

So, note to self that I know Jan will understand (not sure if anyone else is a Buffy fan here)...when you're home alone and putting the TV on just for the noise, and decide to watch Buffy....don't pick the episode Hush

 

[lazy gardener]

Phil, I don't know what's wrong with the truck. Thought it was alternator. Battery died last week, but took a charge. Yesterday, I got about 2 miles down the road, and it just died, lost power steering, battery light came on. My mechanic messed around with it a bit, put it on his computer, and everything looked good, then, it died on him, but shortly after that, it started up and ran fine. Wet driving rain type of day, so he's guessing it's a wet electrical problem. He'll not be able to get back to play with it until the Tues after Thanksgiving. Puts a big cramp in my leaf collection plans! We're also cleaning basement, and have a huge pile of crap to go to the dump.

 

[perchie.girl]

Phil, I don't know what's wrong with the truck. Thought it was alternator. Battery died last week, but took a charge. Yesterday, I got about 2 miles down the road, and it just died, lost power steering, battery light came on. My mechanic messed around with it a bit, put it on his computer, and everything looked good, then, it died on him, but shortly after that, it started up and ran fine. Wet driving rain type of day, so he's guessing it's a wet electrical problem. He'll not be able to get back to play with it until the Tues after Thanksgiving. Puts a big cramp in my leaf collection plans! We're also cleaning basement, and have a huge pile of crap to go to the dump.

a good way to tell is to run hair dryer on the spark plug wires. Used to be the distributer... So you may have wiring harness issues. namely the ones that go to the spark plugs. Those cables have a life span and if that life span involves Major weather changes this shotens the lifespan.

Believe me I have been through it all. From using a hair drier to be able to start the car to having RATS eat my wiring. Thats why I dont park my truck up at my house to store it. The Rats get into the wiring.

deb

 

[LittleLakePhil]

LG...wish I could be more helpful guarantee if I was there I could figure it out. But it hard to just guess from here.
Generally if it's wet issue it could be plug wires, but generally once the truck started you should be okay.
And that wouldn't explain the dead battery.
If it were me I'd start by making sure all the battery connections are good and tight and clean.
This is what I really did a lot of, electrical, computer and driveablity problems.I'm sorry it's hard to be helpful over the innerwebs with out having the truck in front of me.
(if I was rich I'd fly out there and fix it for you)

 

[lazy gardener]

If I was rich, I'd fly you out to fix it for me. But, then again... if I was rich, I'd have a truck that would still be under warranty! (maybe!!!) Thanks all for your suggestions.

 

[perchie.girl]

If I was rich, I'd fly you out to fix it for me. But, then again... if I was rich, I'd have a truck that would still be under warranty! (maybe!!!) Thanks all for your suggestions.

Yep.... My truck has 300,000 miles on it. But in truth I wouldnt trade it in for anything newer. Its a One ton and I bought it with 185000 Miles on it. Its past life it was a work truck. It hemoraged oil till I found a decent Diesel mechanic. For about four years we went through it worn out parts one at a time. It was STILL cheaper than making a truck payment.

Ist not pretty but it still gets around twenty miles to the gallon.

deb

 

[LittleLakePhil]

heck if I was rich I'd build a huge heated barn with a heated cement pond for my ducks......JED....hehe...no it's just me, Phil