Just curious who else is living super frugal

[EliteTempleton]

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Us either & worse, when I looked up why; the local citizens voted FOR the ordinace to make that happen

so now it's just "included" in the water/sewer bill

So, I feel your pain & I will be so happy to move out of the city as soon as we can!

 

[EliteTempleton]

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If you're considering a scooter, please also consider a motorcycle safety course (The one I took through Harley was excellent and I'm no Harley loyalist by any means). It's not requried in my state, not sure about nationwide, but it might save your life as the course covers the most common road hazards a 2 wheeled motorized vehicle will encounter on the 'open road'. I ride a "starter" style motorcycle 495cc that I got used for $1,995 on eBay (I was the only bidder because it was October

) and in just my first year of riding I'm sure it helped me in way's I didn't even realize, but in one instance, without a doubt, that class kept me from crashing. I wanted to go

the instructors that day.

Plus, it might qualify you for a discount on insurance, it does for me!

I also happily ride my motorcycle on decent weather days because it gets 77MPG (& takes regular unleaded

) which is pretty much 4x what my truck gets. Also, this is the first vehicle I paid cash for, and that felt GREAT!

I hear about far to many scooter and motorcycle related deaths that could have been prevented, please be safe out there!

 

[EweSheep]

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I know the homemade soap does not create suds, that is a real problem for people that uses regular non friendly HE detergents because it will stop up the pipes and freeze up everything.

I personally didnt see anything wrong with homemade soap but with washing soda. I like the dry scoop better than the liquid. Is there a way I can just dilute the TSP of powdered detergent. I know the dispenser drawer to add your detergent, bleach and softener, would I need to place directly the powdered on the clothes in the load (maybe put it in the fabric softener balls without the plug and let the washing machine do its work?). I would hate to clog up the dispenser drawer with homemade detergent.

I do not want to do the work of making liquid detergent but figured if we put powdered in wash load directly, why not put it in the ball, fill it with a bit of warm water to combine and let the washer do the rest.

What do you think?

 

[EliteTempleton]

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Want to build a house without a mortgage? Consider cordwood .

 

[jdopler]

ewesheep- I found that often the powdered stuff just didn't dissolve enough and would leave little powder marks on dark material. I just prefer the pre-dissolved for that reason. And making it only took about 5 minutes and filled a 5 gallon bucket! Thats laundry soap for months and months! btw.. for those of you not making your own total cost was $8 for ingredients and I used less than half of the bar soap, wash soda and borax.

I have to chime in on the motorcycle training too! Idk if its the same in all states, but the cost of the class was about $250, savings on insurance is impressive, as well as only $2 with the diploma in hand at DMV = motorcycle endorsement.. No further testing! Several of my friends who had been riding for years took the class simply for the discount and learned tips that helped them also.

Also wanted to let you all know that mustard can easily be made at home with very few ingredients and much cheaper than at the store. Fancy mustards can cost up to $8 but I make them at home (great for gifts, or craft shows for extra cash) very inexpensively. It really only takes about 5 minutes to make 6 jars of mustard, it needs no refrigeration but aging it makes the flavor fantastic.. Leftover or flat beer makes great mustards!
Syrups are also easy to make at home.. Our favorite is made with 1 c each brown sugar and white, 2 c water just boil it till its all dissolved then when it cools put it in a canning jar with 1/2 t vanilla and a cinnamon stick. In a few months it will infuse and taste lovely. I make a few and when I open the last i know its time to make more.
This recipe is similar to one we found locally that sells for $8 for a 9 oz bottle, mine costs pennys!

 

[greenshade]

Great thread! I've made my own laundry detergent and vinegar/baking soda based cleaning supplies for years and they do a great job. We freeze extra sale foods and etc. One thing I've been looking at lately is urban/suburban sources of free materials. We have a cabinet maker in town who needed help getting rid of sawdust. They agreed to let me get it for free. I did spread the word and now when I go there, someone else has beaten me to it, darn it! But it keeps it out of the landfill. I use it for the pathways in my garden. I noticed last year lots of my neighbors piling bags of leaves on the curb for pickup. What a waste! They're going in my garden this year. Our chickens supply eggs for my DH and me, plus our grown-but-still-struggling kids. I have some to sell at work. DH works with a champion couponer - I'm going to see if she'll trade some of her bounty for some of my eggs/garden produce. She haunts the student apartment complex trashcans next to the mailboxes - companies send out coupon books which the kids throw away and she gets TONS of coupons that way.

My DH and I are both veteran dumpster divers and I love Craigs list. I discovered that the Farm and Garden section is heavily used around these parts. Got my little salmon faverolle hens there (plus a Welsumer thrown in for free) and sold the two Faverolle roos to someone who wanted to breed them that way.

We don't have cable, just an adapter box and rabbit ears. That has proven quite expensive, since our Great Pyranees/Komondor mix eats the remotes. We keep trying to find someplace to keep them where she can't get at them, but I swear she could crack a combination lock!

 

[EliteTempleton]

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I don't understand. Birds don't have the receptors for the Hot/spice 'flavor'. So what's wrong with letting them have it?
I have heard that Onions are no good for birds, & dogs.
Around here many use chilli/curry powder or what not to discourage the squirrles from eating all the wild bird feed or the mice from eating all the chicken feed because the birds have no idea it's "hot".

 

[EliteTempleton]

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We switched our dogs food from store brand to a higher quality dog food that costs twice as much and we are spending less. Dogs don't process the cheap grain based food well, our dogs eat about a third of what they used to which in turn means less poo to clean up also. Costco if you have one has a highly rated dog food for around 25.00 a 40 lb. bag if you have a membership. Another idea is raw meat, I see ads in our local craigslist looking for freezer burned meat for free, especially when they are refilling their freezers from this years hunting.

I switched my dogs too and now spend less because they eat less.

Me too!

Also, be sure to price compare the food to Amazon's Subscribe & Save program (I also buy all the kiddo's diapers this way...) BUT! Do compare, it's not always cheaper & sometimes when I re-check in ~6 months I find the store price has gone down/etc. & If it's "close" I know using a coupon for the item will be worth it.

You could also consider a BARF diet (seriously, google it) for them if you raised rabbits or whatnot, but that's a little more involved

 

[EliteTempleton]

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Just keep it in the attic and think of it as spare insulation!

 

[helenmar]

ooh I had no Idea they could not taste it.Thanks for letting me know you have just increased their diet!
Cheers Hx

Quote:
I don't understand. Birds don't have the receptors for the Hot/spice 'flavor'. So what's wrong with letting them have it?
I have heard that Onions are no good for birds, & dogs.
Around here many use chilli/curry powder or what not to discourage the squirrles from eating all the wild bird feed or the mice from eating all the chicken feed because the birds have no idea it's "hot".