What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[igorsMistress]

I like the Dawn foaming dishsoap but it gets pricey and I don’t want to throw away the dispenser because of the plastic. So we make our own with 1 part dish soap to 4 parts water. So much cheaper this way and it stretches the soap a LOT. Plus less trash.

 

[gtaus]

Repaired my Riding Mower Saving Big Bucks

Went outside this morning to start my riding mower and move some wood I have loaded up in a trailer. My mower was locked up and would not turn over and start. Evidently, gas can leak from the tank, into the carburetor, then into the piston cylinders creating a condition called Hydro Lock.

I watched a few YouTube videos on how to treat this condition. I'm not a mechanic, but it took me only about 10 minutes to pull out the spark plug, drain the cylinders, and put everything back together again. On my engine, the fuel did not get into the oil reservoir, so I did not have drain and change out the oil and filter. Anyways, after I got the spark plug back in, the mower started up and ran fine - after it blew out a little smoke for a few seconds. Very nice!

All it cost me was about half an hour or so watching various YouTube videos on how to fix my problem. I ate breakfast while watching the videos, so no real time lost there, either. It was a simple repair job, even for me with very little mechanical repair background.

I should also mention that our local Fleet store, where I bought the lawn mower, is down to one mechanic and it would take a number of weeks before he would be able to service my mower. So, not only did I save lots of money by using YouTube to learn how to repair my mower, but I probably saved a good 3 or 4 weeks of shop time as it would have sat there until their one, and only, mechanic could look at it.

Of course, I took the opportunity to gently complain to the Fleet store about their lack of mechanics. Normally, they would have 3 or 4 full time mechanics in the shop, as in the 30+ years in the past. It's our main lawn mower sales and repair shop in my town. So, not having mechanics in the shop is a real problem.

As old as I am, I am really thankful for all those YouTube videos on home repairs, gardening, raising chickens, etc... Probably saved me a $150 repair bill on the mower and 3 weeks or more time sitting in the shop. And it felt good to do the repair myself.

 

[TooCheep]

Yup. YouTube University can help you with a lot of jobs. With the right knowledge, a surprising number can be done by yourself. I've fixed my heat pump and did a couple of car repairs that way.

 

[gtaus]

Buying More Than You Currently Need?

Just ran into another situation where I needed only 2 items, in this case they were lock nuts. Should I buy 2 at $0.65 each at our Fleet store, or buy a pack of 150 assorted lock nuts in a plastic organizer case for $6.99 at Menards?

Obviously, for the lock nuts I needed, 2 X $0.65=$1.30 is less expensive than that kit for $6.99. However, I decided to check the value of those lock nuts in the case for potential future projects. The difference was amazing.

For the following comparison, I took the price of individual lock nuts sold at our local Fleet store and extended that to the quantity of lock nuts in the case.

Here is the value of that 150-piece assorted lock nut kit IF you ever paid individually for all those lock nuts...

For me, I decided to pay extra for the 150-piece assorted lock nut kit with case thinking I will probably need more lock nuts sometime in the future. I just could not get myself to pay $0.65 per lock nut sold individually. I figure that if I ever use another 8 lock nuts from that kit in my lifetime, it will have paid for itself.

Or, if I had some kind of repair job that cannot wait, using lock nuts from that kit would save me a $5.00 gas bill going into town and back if that was all I needed. In that situation, having an assortment kit available would have paid for itself it I ever use another 2 lock nuts!

Well, I cannot predict my future need for lock nuts, but I bought the kit for $6.99 anyways. Wondering how you other people justify paying more for some items when you probably could pay less for just what you need today? I bought more than I needed for the repair job today, but I think I made the better decision, for me, to buy the 150-piece kit. Would love to hear other thoughts on issues like this as part of the frugal lifestyle. Thanks.

 

[TooCheep]

I had a similar decision with minor items for fixing my watering hoses, sprinklers, etc. Sometimes, you just have to look at it as an investment against future needs.

You can buy small packs of replacement washers/etc. However, I found a kit that had 2 different size washers, hose end caps and filter washers. Since the rubber washers are guaranteed to eventually harden and fail, I bought the kit. It has definitely paid off over the last few years. I've used multiple washers and just replaced a filter washer in my sprinkler this morning.

It is convenient to just go to my cabinet at get the fix piece rather than having to go to the hardware store and buy a one-off piece at a higher per-item price.

 

[Sally PB]

Not only that, @gtaus, if a friend or a neighbor needs a lock nut, you can help them out.

 

[gtaus]

It is convenient to just go to my cabinet at get the fix piece rather than having to go to the hardware store and buy a one-off piece at a higher per-item price.

Exactly. You not only waste the gas money to go to town and back, but you also have to factor in the waste of time and effort compared to having the part you need at hand.

Not only that, @gtaus, if a friend or a neighbor needs a lock nut, you can help them out.

I would be more than willing to help if I can. That's a good point.

 

[saysfaa]

Buying More Than You Currently ..

Would love to hear other thoughts on issues like this as part of the frugal lifestyle. Thanks.

I did such things for many years. It has not been a good choice for us.

This summer, I threw away packages of washers that went unused for so long that they hardened into unusableness.

I don't know what is so different with us but this sort of thing usually happens. One way or another, the widget becomes unusable and wasted.

In the meantime, I'll have spent far more than the initial purchase price (time especially but surprisingly often money too.

And then it takes time and/or money to not have it anymore.

 

[gtaus]

I did such things for many years. It has not been a good choice for us.

This summer, I threw away packages of washers that went unused for so long that they hardened into unusableness.

I don't know what is so different with us but this sort of thing usually happens. One way or another, the widget becomes unusable and wasted.

Thanks for the response. I always enjoy considering differing opinions. Too bad your widgets become unusable and wasted. I don't know if/when I will ever use the other lock nuts in the kit I just bought, but I do have nice tool cabinets in the garage and storage cases so that my supplies should never become unusable.

I do understand things becoming unusable and wasted. When I was a youngster, my Great Depression era grandfather had saved all kinds of nails and screws outside in metal containers that proved not to be watertight. I still remember having to go through some of those old rusty cans looking for anything worth saving. We ended up throwing away a lot of stuff. But, back in the day, my grandfather did not have money for the kinds of tool cabinets and storage cases like I have. Well, he never had a garage either. So, he did the best he could with what he had.

Speaking of storage cases, Harbor Freight has their medium sized parts cases on sale this week...

I have a number of them, and the size larger. It helps me organize all my small nuts, bolts, screws, nails, etc... I put a label on the case handles and built a storage rack for the cases. Now I have a much better idea of where that part is that I need for my repair or project. They might not be the best storage cases out there, but they are great for inside the shop on my racks.

I figure it's no use to buy stuff and not being able to find later when you need it. That is a waste of money, for sure. So, I invested a little money into these storage cases and got my stuff better organized. Knowing what I have and where to find it has saved me a lot of money.

Well, my younger brother seems to show up whenever he needs something repaired. He pretty much knows I'll have the tools and maybe even the parts for the job. But I'm OK with that.

 

[saysfaa]

I'm really happy this concept (buying/storing stuff that may be useful someday) works for you.

For me, buying storage system components has ended up with even more time, money, and energy invested in (sunk into) stuff we have not used in 10, 20, even 35 years. Once in a while, it was because we couldn't find it when we needed it or because it was too much hassle to get to it.

Most of the time, it was other reasons - moved and the new house(s) took different styles of light bulbs in the kitchen or bath fixtures, for example. Or the cordless drill came with a set of bits. Or, for an inside the house example, clamshell cases for vhs became obsolete.

I totally get the picking through cans of rusty nails. My siblings and I are several years into such things of our parent's estate. Still a long way to go. Dad had many barns and no hesitancy in making rows of things outside too. That has contributed to my willingness to stop adding to my own problems with too much stuff. I'm beginning to move into clearing things out more realistically.