What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[Sally PB]

after work I pick up groceries

That makes sense. But it's also how I spent $6300 one year at the store, where I buy groceries, wiper blades, socks, paper towel, etc.

When I looked at that number, I challenged myself to spend $5200 for a year, ie, average $100/week. That year I spent about $4700, well under my target.

That made me realize that I was spending a lot of extra money when I "stopped at the store on the way home from work."

 

[gtaus]

That made me realize that I was spending a lot of extra money when I "stopped at the store on the way home from work."

I guess it's easy to compulsive buy things you might not necessarily need if you stop in the store every day. Stores spend a lot of time trying to entice you buy those items. I know that since I no longer work in town, I just make a list of things we need and once a week I run the errands. Pretty much limit myself to those things on my list. Saves money for me by putting things down on list.

Also, don't go grocery shopping when you are hungry. Everything looks good to eat at that point.

 

[Sally PB]

I just make a list of things we need and once a week I run the errands. Pretty much limit myself to those things on my list. Saves money for me by putting things down on list

A list sure helps!

I have some items that I try to stock up on when they're on sale. So sometimes an item will have IOS written after it, which means, "If On Sale." That means we're not out, but it's worth looking at the price and maybe stocking up. There are a couple things I can think of that are occasionally, "buy 1, get 2nd for 40% off."

And, yeah, I was always hungry on my way home from work. Bad time to shop.

 

[gtaus]

Use the Amazon Wish List to save money on items you want to buy.

I'm an Amazon Prime member, so I often compare prices online to what it costs in town. I try to buy locally first if the price is reasonable, but lots of time the local stores do not carry the item I might want.

I put a number of items on my Wish List in my Amazon account that I want to purchase, someday, but not necessarily needed right now. What I have discovered is that Amazon will often send me a notice if something in my wish list goes on sale. That is when I buy. Or, sometimes, Amazon is smart enough to suggest a similar product that goes on sale and might be of interest to me. I saved a good $20.00 on a set of work bench casters that way. Amazon notified me of a different brand of casters that I did not know about, but they were perfect for me.

I don't think you have to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of the Wish List feature. It could save you some money and it costs you nothing.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Some questions that I've had recently that I could use some help on.

I don't have a dishwasher (farmhouse). I've heard that dishwashers nowadays use less water than hand washing, but I would have to remodel my kitchen. The waste from a remodel seems to outweigh the water use. I live in a swamp - water scarcity is absolutely not a thing here. We spend our lives placing drain tile.

I also have a clothes drier from the 70s and a washer from the 90s. They both work decently, but we have to tinker with them.

Is it more economical / better for the environment to get new, eco friendly appliances even when it means more waste with trashing/recycling the old ones?

What are your thoughts?

No, keep your old appliances as long as you can. I read an article saying that all the major manufacturers stopped making a good engine because it took more time. Appliances have much shorter useful lives.

 

[Sally PB]

No, keep your old appliances as long as you can. I read an article saying that all the major manufacturers stopped making a good engine because it took more time. Appliances have much shorter useful lives.

We have a 35-40 yo fridge, a 40 yo stove and dishwasher, and a 30-35 yo clothes dryer. None of them owe us anything, and I'll be sorry when we have to replace any of them. None of them have "chips" or "boards" or any computer part. I wish I could buy them all brand new, again. Sigh.

 

[LizzzyJo]

We have a 35-40 yo fridge, a 40 yo stove and dishwasher, and a 30-35 yo clothes dryer. None of them owe us anything, and I'll be sorry when we have to replace any of them. None of them have "chips" or "boards" or any computer part. I wish I could buy them all brand new, again. Sigh.

My dryer is on this chopping block (late 70s model), but I am holding on with white knuckles. I should replace it for the energy - but then the waste?!

 

[saysfaa]

I wonder if anyone has done the economics of having additional vehicles per family...

My Dear Husband has. He counts everything on an excel sheet for multiple options before we decide any changes of vehicles.

Edit to add: by "everything", I mean really everything. He counts what the difference between the more/less expensive upfront options would have made if we had invested it somewhere else - at three or four rates of return. And the differences in costs of driving more/fewer miles than expected.

And notes how long it takes for more/less costly-up-front options but more/less costly-to-operate options intersect at the break even point.

 

[gtaus]

I have some items that I try to stock up on when they're on sale. So sometimes an item will have IOS written after it, which means, "If On Sale." That means we're not out, but it's worth looking at the price and maybe stocking up. There are a couple things I can think of that are occasionally, "buy 1, get 2nd for 40% off."

I saw you mention that "IOS" idea somewhere else and now I use it myself on my lists.

If your local food stores are anything like ours, then you probably are looking at lots of empty spaces where there should be product. It's getting a little better, but lots of items on my list are just not in stock when I shop. So, I propose another reminder, like IIS2 "If in store, buy 2". Easily changed to IIS3, IIS4, etc...

Dear Wife has never had to manage our food and household supplies before the COVID-19 lockdown period when lots of things went out of stock, and stayed out of stock, for long periods. I have been patiently training her on how to build up a storage pantry, buy extra if on sale, or buy 2X or 3X of "never out" items for us that always seem to be out of stock and hard to find.

I grew up in an older house with a very nice built in pantry room. My parents were great on stocking and rotating our goods. Dear Wife has always lived in the "only buy it when you need it world." But the world has changed and now we often cannot find supplies in the stores that used to always be on the shelves. A well-managed pantry and buying items when on sale can save lots of money and cover you in those shortage periods.

I am a big fan of using lists. "A short note is better than a long memory." Since I only go into town and run errands once a week, I add items to my list as I think of them. When I run my errands in town, I cross off the items I purchased but leave the other items on the list that were out of stock. Then I use that same paper list to continue my next week's items. That way I don't have to rewrite those items that were not in stock over and over again. Eventually, you have to start a new list, but at least you still have a record of what you need to buy if they are in stock on the next run. If I don't keep track of those out-of-stock items, I almost always forget about them on my next errand run and kick myself when I get home because I forgot to look for them.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Hire the chickens as house maids.