What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[fuzzi]

Exactly the way I feel. I guess Home Depot was losing money on their tool warranty service. That's too bad.

We recently got a new Harbor Freight in town, and from what I understand, they will take in and exchange tools if still under warranty. Some tools you have to buy an extended warranty, but other tools have lifetime warranties. Depends on the brand.

I just bought a pond pump from Harbor Freight. The cashier informed me that once the box is open the store will not handle returns, it has to go through the manufacturer. Boo.

 

[gtaus]

I just bought a pond pump from Harbor Freight. The cashier informed me that once the box is open the store will not handle returns, it has to go through the manufacturer. Boo.

I buy lots of stuff from Harbor Freight, mostly consumables. I have found that they often times have the lowest prices, but also the worst return policy on some items.

Case in point, I purchased a Bauer Clamping Workstation from HF a few years ago.

I really liked the features of that clamping workstation. It was supposed to be a knock-off of the Worx Jawhorse...

I mean, even the sliding jaw parts were interchangeable on the two units. So, I bought the Bauer unit at HF and saved about $80.00. However, the HF Bauer unit only had a 90-way warranty whereas the Worx Jawhorse has a 5-year warranty.

It broke my heart when my Bauer clamping workstation broke after a couple of weeks. I suspect they just used inferior metal and it could not do the work I needed to do. HF discontinued that unit, and I had to get a full refund. No exchange was available.

Anyways, sometimes you need to figure out the working life of a unit under warranty replacement instead of just the initial purchase price. Especially for tools and equipment that take a lot of abuse just in normal usage.

For example: HF Bauer clamping workstation at $150.00 for 90-day warranty = $450.00 per year for warranty coverage.

The Worx Jawhorse at $250.00 with a 5-year warranty comes out to $50.00 per year for warranty coverage.

I like to save money, and sometimes that means I might have to pay more for a better made unit with a longer standard warranty to back it up. Certainly, that HF Bauer unit was not a great buy even at a lower price. I'm just glad it broke within the store return period or I would have lost all my money on that purchase after 90 days.

 

[gtaus]

Just wanted to make a small correction to my previous post. I meant to say the Rockwell Jawhorse had the 5-year warranty. I don't know what the warranty is on the Worx Jawhorse. As you can see in this picture of the Rockwell Jawhorse, they are all pretty much the same design.

If you work alone, these Jawhorse units are really great for that third hand helper. I really love the ability to quickly clamp down on some wood and work with it. And when you don't need it, those legs fold up and you can store the Jawhorse vertically in about 1 square foot of floor space in the garage.

 

[gtaus]

Potting Soil Math

So, I was in Menards the other day and found an 8-quart bag of potting soil on sale for $4.88. That sounded like a good deal. But then I found I could get the same brand and potting soil mix for regular price of $10.99 for a 2 cubic foot bag.

Why are the smaller bags measured in quarts, but the larger bags are measured in cubic feet? Seems like they don't want you know something about the price comparison.

I'm an old guy, but it sure seemed to me that the larger bag of potting soil at the everyday regular price was probably a better deal than the smaller bag of potting soil on sale. So, I bought the larger bag. Well, I suspected it was a better price per unit, and I needed more than one small bag for my planned seed starts.

Back at home, I used my computer to ask MS Copilot AI to compare the different quantities and prices of those bags of potting soil and give me price per common unit so I could see the real cost. I mean, why not let AI do all the work for you? As I suspected, the larger bag at the regular price was a much better deal than the smaller bag even on sale.

For those who are interested in the math, here is the response I got from the AI query..

*******************
To compare the price per unit for both bags, we need to convert the volume measurements into the same unit. Let's use cubic feet (ft³), as the larger bag is already measured that way.

Conversions:​

• 1 cubic foot = 25.71 quarts (approximate conversion factor).

Calculations:​

1. Small Bag:
   • Volume: 8 quarts ÷ 25.71 quarts per cubic foot ≈ 0.311 ft³.
   • Price per cubic foot: $4.88 ÷ 0.311 ft³ ≈ $15.69 per cubic foot.
2. Large Bag:
   • Volume: 2 cubic feet (no conversion needed).
   • Price per cubic foot: $10.99 ÷ 2 ft³ ≈ $5.50 per cubic foot.

Comparison:​

• Small Bag: $15.69 per cubic foot.
• Large Bag: $5.50 per cubic foot.

The larger bag offers significantly better value for your money. Let me know if you'd like me to help with any other comparisons!

 

[fuzzi]

I use online calculators frequently. I need to get pine straw to mulch my blueberry bushes. It's a 10'x15' bed (approximately) and I need to mulch it at least 3" deep. Calculator says I need 4 bales. I might get a 5th while I am at the nursery, depends on if it will fit in my Highlander.

 

[igorsMistress]

I like to do the math out of curiosity as well.

 

[Molpet]

They do the same with grocery store. One brand they have a cost breakdown per ounce, the next is in lbs. The next per serving but all 3 have different serving sizes.

 

[gtaus]

I use online calculators frequently.

I like to do the math out of curiosity as well.

They do the same with grocery store. One brand they have a cost breakdown per ounce, the next is in lbs. The next per serving but all 3 have different serving sizes.

I like to quantity price on most of my purchases. However, when it comes to food, it's only Dear Wife and me at home. We most often buy the smaller, more expensive packages of food if they have a short shelf life. If we buy the larger "family" sized containers, we have often had to toss out as much as half of the container when it goes bad. You can't save money by tossing out expired food like that. So, it's actually more frugal for us to pay more for the smaller quantity, but using it all, instead of buying an economy sized package and discarding half of the contents later when it goes bad.

The online calculators and AI engines can really help make those conversions to a common unit of measure to price check your purchases.

 

[Molpet]

If we buy the larger "family" sized containers, we have often had to toss out as much as half of the container when it goes bad.

It's just me and my problem is over eating if it family size and I really like it
So yes, somethings it's cheaper if I buy a serving size that costs half as much as an eight serving.

 

[igorsMistress]

I like to quantity price on most of my purchases. However, when it comes to food, it's only Dear Wife and me at home. We most often buy the smaller, more expensive packages of food if they have a short shelf life. If we buy the larger "family" sized containers, we have often had to toss out as much as half of the container when it goes bad. You can't save money by tossing out expired food like that. So, it's actually more frugal for us to pay more for the smaller quantity, but using it all, instead of buying an economy sized package and discarding half of the contents later when it goes bad.

The online calculators and AI engines can really help make those conversions to a common unit of measure to price check your purchases.

My DH and I often eat things the rest of the family doesn’t so I buy them in the smaller quantities for the same reason