What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[NanaK]

Wonder if that's why my dishwasher stopped filling...? But I've never even heard of these. Were they on models from the late 70s/early 80s? I have no idea where to look for it.

Newer dishwashers have a filter inside under the bottom sprayer arm. A small trap door is opened and the filter inside is easily removed. You have to clean it regularly because these models recycle water to save on water usage while washing. They also do not have blades to chew up food debris. This and better insulation makes them much quieter than in the past.

If I do not keep the filter clean my dishwasher will shut down and give me an error code telling me to clean the filter. The filter is very fine. It doesn't take much debris or grease to stop it up. I rinse it in hot water each week and scrap dishes well before loading.

The older dishwasher models I have owned in the past did not have filters. They had blades to break down food bits (not visible with out taking the dishwasher apart).

Unless someone in the past installed an in line water filter to the water line connected to your dishwasher (which would probably be visible under your kitchen sink) I think your problem may be the pump itself. Electric motors fail for many reasons.
On my older previous dishwasher, the seal on the motor failed. This caused the motor to pump the water on the floor, under the cabinets. My newer Bosch has a pan in the bottom with a sensor. The sensor will shut down the dishwasher if it detects water in the pan so it contains that water. Just hope the sensor doesn't fail! Still I love my dishwasher.

From someone who has dabbled in many areas of home repair over the years, electrical, plumbing and building/remodeling. I still hire a professional for some jobs.

 

[NanaK]

Frugal tip - do the basic maintenance on home systems. You save time and money overall.

Yes! Always read owners manuals. Some are available online even for older products.

The plumber comes back tomorrow, too. The toilet we ordered is here.

Doing a full toilet replacement is not difficult but you must also replace the seal that attaches the fixture to the floor. If you don't get a good seal it will leak. Watch the plumber if you can. You can learn a lot by watching.

Clean the filters in the stove vents?

I think you mean exhaust vents? This is very important. Keeping this clean increases ventilation when the fan is on and reduces the chance of fire.
Over time grease can accumulate. If you had a fire on the stove top it could ignite trapped grease in the filter.

@Sally PB
The filter on mine is in the hood over the stove near the light fixture. I just have a basic electric stove with the hood mounted over it. It has a washable silver filter visible by just looking up into the hood.

 

[gtaus]

$33.34 into savings on that transaction. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't have $2000 to pay it off when the bill came.

That's the trick. You can take advantage of the cash back rewards only if you can pay off the credit card balance every month. That 1.67% cash back rewards pales to the ~25% APR on any balance that you carry over to the next month.

The salesman had a note tacked up on his wall that you could put up to $2000 down on a car on a credit card. More than that, and they tacked on a 3% fee.

Good to know the terms. I have one active rental property. I recently got a notice to update my rental permit from the city. That want you pay via credit card. However, they will tack on a 9% fee for using your credit card! I just sent them a check and saved about $5.00.

My credit score took a hit when these were closed. It really took a hit when I paid off the house. Went from 845 to 710...

I hear you. My credit rating went down when I paid off my mortgage and my mortgage line of credit. I was not using my mortgage line of credit, but it really helped to keep up my credit score. Unfortunately, my bank got rid of the mortgage line of credit program, so I had no choice.

You would think your credit score should go up when you pay off your mortgage or loans. Unfortunately, that's not how the system works. My credit score took a modest hit, nowhere near your 135 points, but it did drop.

Seems unfair that at my age, when I have all my major loans and mortgages paid off, that my credit is lower than when I was carrying the heavy loads.

We had several store credit cards when my dh and I first were married, and we got into financial trouble. Got rid of them. I have a major credit card that I use for travel, and fuel, and online purchases, but now I pay it off every month. I got tired of seeing those interest rates eat up my money.

For a short period of time when I was in the Navy, I was the designated financial advisor for our command. There was a lot of older service members that were upset with the Navy Exchange for giving out credit cards to our young families. Many of them maxed out the credit card right away and got into financial trouble with high interest rates and not meeting payments.

Not only does that put a lot of pressure on the servicemember and their spouse, but some members can lose their security clearance if they have financial problems. That means the end of their career all because they were given a credit card that they probably should not have qualified for in the first place.

I'm glad to hear you survived that trap. It can literally destroy people's lives if they cannot get it under control.

 

[gtaus]

Running a dishwasher weekly just to keep it in good working condition seems like a waste of resources.

Just mho.

Machines don't like to sit. My mechanic told me the worst thing some of his customers do is not drive their cars which is needed to circulate that oil and other fluids, keeping those gaskets from drying out.

 

[gtaus]

Enough places around here are charging the credit card transaction fee that it is well worth asking if they do. I prefer they don't; then I usually choose not to pay it. The places that don't charge the fee separately, roll it into the prices so I have to pay it even if I pay with cash.

IIRC, there used to be a time that stores could not charge you more for using a credit card. That was part of the agreement the store had to make before they were allowed to accept credit cards. I prefer to use my credit card if the purchase price is the same as the cash price. At least with my credit card, I now get 2% cash back. But I try to always ask about any cash discounts, if available.

Almost anything I have to pay to the government, federal, state, or local, tacks on a fee for using a credit card. I still keep a checkbook for paying my government bills for that reason. I only use about 6 checks per year. Mostly taxes and DMV bills.

 

[AntiqueB]

My property taxes can be paid online using a checking account.

 

[gtaus]

My property taxes can be paid online using a checking account.

I don't have that option. Good for your state.

EDIT: Property taxes are local, but DMV is state. We pay the bills in the same place at our Court House. All our government paying options are like 30 years behind everyone else.

 

[saysfaa]

How they can take the property taxes might be the local government rather than the state.

Here, we also can pay online directly from the bank account. But where the farm is, it has to be cash or check - they "aren't set up for credit cards. The treasure is basically a neighbor doing the township business out of their house in the evenings. Or we can stop by where she works to drop it off.

 

[saysfaa]

Doing a full toilet replacement is not difficult but you must also replace the seal that attaches the fixture to the floor. If you don't get a good seal it will leak. Watch the plumber if you can. You can learn a lot by watching.

Yes, I have seen a couple seated, my sister has built several houses and she told me all I needed to know. I was going to try it but dh hurt his back last Friday. He shouldn't be helping me lift it. I can't do it myself. It's a one piece toilet so heavier than they typically are.

 

[NanaK]

Yes, I have seen a couple seated, my sister has built several houses and she told me all I needed to know. I was going to try it but dh hurt his back last Friday. He shouldn't be helping me lift it. I can't do it myself. It's a one piece toilet so heavier than they typically are.

Don't blame you under the circumstances.
I also have chronic back problems so I don't mind hiring the job done when necessary. Back pain is a tough thing to deal with. Hope your hubby recovers quickly!