What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[SmiYa0126]

I see bamboo growing wild in places where I live, would it need to be completely dry before using it? Or will it take root if it's still green. We have so many invasive species I would hate to add to it.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

I see bamboo growing wild in places where I live, would it need to be completely dry before using it? Or will it take root if it's still green. We have so many invasive species I would hate to add to it.

Only one species of bamboo (phyllostachys aureocaulis) is considered invasive, and only in two states. For the most part bamboo fits perfectly fine in most ecosystems. It doesn't compete with native plants

I suspect bamboo may actually be filling an empty ecological niche that has been empty since humans destroyed 97% of North American old growth forests before 1900

 

[gtaus]

Home Depot Clearance Bargains

For me, being frugal is also knowing what to buy and when. Mostly, I don't buy something until I need it. That usually works best for me. However, I always have a small fund saved up for impulse buys that are too good to pass up.

One of my frequent stops when I go into town is to stop at The Home Depot and look to see what they have out for cull lumber at 70% off, and to browse items that they have on the clearance racks. Yesterday, I came across a 60ft light duty outdoor extension cord, normally over $25.00, on the clearance rack for $5.50.

I did not need the extension cord at the moment, but at that price, I bought it now because I know I will use it in the future. Most likely, for our Christmas lights this coming winter.

I was happy to pay $5.50 for the item, but at the checkout it rang up for $4.23, so I saved even more. Of course, I also used my military discount and actually paid only $3.81 plus tax for the extension cord. That is almost 85% off the original price!

I wanted to post this not so much because I got a great deal on this specific item, but because I have noticed more than once that items on clearance racks at The Home Depot sometimes ring up for even less than their displayed price. I think this is maybe the third or fourth time that has happened to me at the checkout this year. All I can imagine is that they just don't want to update the display tag on every clearance item every time if it goes lower in price.

One thing I have also noticed at The Home Depot is that the "regular" price listed on their clearance items is sometimes the highest price that item was ever sold at. Meaning, they might exaggerate the current retail selling price on those clearance tags to make it look like you are getting even more of a deal. So, don't get fooled, either.

At any rate, for comparison, I checked Amazon for an equivalent 60-foot 16/3 outdoor extension cord, and they had this...

So, I got a good deal on an item that I really did not need right now. But that's how I "frugal shop." I'd be interested in what others would do in this case. Would you buy something on clearance expecting you would use it in the future, or would you wait until you actually needed it?

 

[Sally PB]

So, I got a good deal on an item that I really did not need right now. But that's how I "frugal shop." I'd be interested in what others would do in this case. Would you buy something on clearance expecting you would use it in the future, or would you wait until you actually needed it?

My answer is, "It depends." Some possible scenarios.

--I was looking for that item recently at home and couldn't find it, even though I know it's somewhere. The higher the exasperation in looking, the more likely I am to buy it.

--I know I need another one of those, or it would come in handy. Very likely buy it.

--I'm on a mission to buy what I need in the store right then, get in and get out. Probably wouldn't buy it. Might not notice it, anyway.

--If it's not something I use, but I think hubby might, I'll ask him (or text him if he's not with me) to see if he can use it. His decision on whether it goes in the cart.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

One thing that a lot of people do not see as frugal is avoiding getting caught up in narrow short term thinking. While short term is always good to keep in mind you still always need to keep your sights on the end game. Something might be cheaper and if you just buy it now you can have it now, but there are times where playing for the long run is the most frugal option even though it might not always seem like it. We have this “need it now” and instant gratification mentality that tends to think that waiting to invest in quality isn’t being frugal because it’s not cheap and if we wait we can’t get our hands on right now. There might be considerably cheaper flashier options and more expensive options, but for me I choose whatever is the best quality. If the more expensive item is just the name causing the price jack then I will choose the cheaper item. However, if the more expensive item is indeed better quality and will last me longer I go with that option. Even if it means not being able to buy it right away because I have to set aside some more cash every month to afford it.
Here is my example. I have a family member who bought their first house, but spent way more than what they could afford because they “really wanted it”. They also wanted all new furniture and new cabinets. They bought all of the modern trending cheap furniture brand new. It lasted a couple of years (some not even the year) before it all started to break. When they went to sell the house they lost money and had all broken furniture that there was no point in moving. On the other end of the spectrum when my husband and I were first looking for a house we bought this tiny little house that needed a lot of work, but the neighborhood was up and coming. It was nowhere near our dream home, but it had good bones and was well under budget. It was livable enough for us to stay there while we renovated it ourselves which was all we required at the time. I had so many family members and friends turn up their nose at us wondering why we were living in a shoe box that needed work. We also would have loved all solid wood Amish made furniture at the time, but did not have the cash for it. So we shopped Craigslist and marketplace for people moving who needed to get rid of their stuff quick. We furnished our house with free or less than $100 per piece furniture. We renovated as we had the cash to do so. When we ended up moving we not only almost doubled our equity in the house, but we had no qualms with disposing of the very well used furniture at that point. Our cross country move was easy as pie because we didn’t have much to move after getting rid of the old furniture. We again bought a house well below our budget that needed work, but had prime farmland. We have been doing the same thing here renovating when we have the cash to do so. My favorite part? Because we had the patience to wait and save when we moved to this house we were able to pay in cash for all solid wood Amish made furniture that will last my family generations. Also no I am not someone who my parents paid for college, gave me money and had it easy in life. I joined the military shortly after moving out and instead of having fun and blowing my money on short term things I saved, invested and worked my butt off. Also I am not even 30 yet so don’t give me the “you’re too old to understand what being young in this economy is like”.

 

[gtaus]

My answer is, "It depends."

Doesn't it always "depends" on something or another?

Just a few more things to think about. There was only one of those items left on the clearance rack. So, it was either buy it now or forever never get another one at that clearance price. Also, you still have 90 days to return an item at The Home Depot if you don't want to keep it after you get it home. If you change your mind on a purchase, you can bring it back. But if you failed to purchase it in the first place, you don't have any other options to consider.

As I said previously, I maybe only go into town once a week. But I like to make my rounds at the various stores checking out all that cull wood and clearance items to see if anything has value to me. The previous 3 or 4 visits to The Home Depot had nothing that I was interested in getting. I have no problem walking out of a store empty handed. But it is nice to every once in a while, find a great deal on a clearance item that has value to me.

 

[Sally PB]

@HollowOfWisps
And it deserves more than one heart, so here ya go.

Also I am not even 30 yet so don’t give me the “you’re too old to understand what being young in this economy is like”.

You will go far in life. You have one of "the big things in life" figured out, ie, how money works and what it's for.

Some people don't learn this lesson until much older. Some never learn it at all.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

@HollowOfWisps
And it deserves more than one heart, so here ya go.



You will go far in life. You have one of "the big things in life" figured out, ie, how money works and what it's for.

Some people don't learn this lesson until much older. Some never learn it at all.

I actually have a Wall Street broker to thank for that. I did not have the best childhood and grew up fast. I knew that only way to prove them wrong was to get out of town, do better and be better. When I was 15 I asked this big time Wall Street broker “I don’t want to know how to get rich or what your next big tip is. I just want to ask one thing. I am 15 and I want to know if you could go back to your 15 year old self what would you tell them?”. That man’s advice was worth more than if he had just handed me a million dollars.

 

[gtaus]

...but for me I choose whatever is the best quality. If the more expensive item is just the name causing the price jack then I will choose the cheaper item. However, if the more expensive item is indeed better quality and will last me longer I go with that option. Even if it means not being able to buy it right away because I have to set aside some more cash every month to afford it.

For better or worse, I usually buy the cheaper alternative on an item that I have never used. Most of the time, I don't need the higher quality and more expensive option. However, there are some things that I find I use a lot and a cheaper tool, for example, will just wear out or break. The second time I buy that type of item, I go for the higher quality tool knowing that I will use it a lot. A higher price item with better quality is worth it, knowing what to look for the second time around.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

For better or worse, I usually buy the cheaper alternative on an item that I have never used. Most of the time, I don't need the higher quality and more expensive option. However, there are some things that I find I use a lot and a cheaper tool, for example, will just wear out or break. The second time I buy that type of item, I go for the higher quality tool knowing that I will use it a lot. A higher price item with better quality is worth it, knowing what to look for the second time around.

That is exactly my point. You are weighing both your short term and long term options and choosing accordingly to what you need. By choosing cheaper items for things that you don’t need expensive items you are saving money. By choosing more expensive items for things like tools so they last and you are not replacing them you are also saving money. It’s smart thinking on your part!