Even though science has always been one of my favorite subjects, I am frequently surprised at how even the most basic principles taught in high school have proven useful to everyday life, household management and health issues. Of late, because heat is the primary financial drain in summer, the laws of thermodynamics are very much on my mind. These laws are very simple concepts dealing with heat and its natural tendencies which is helpful in figuring out how to stay cool while using our resources efficiently.

Limiting Sources of Heat in the Home

The first thing to understand is that heat is a form of energy, it is often produced as a byproduct of other processes. The heat of summer, for example, is the byproduct of nuclear reactions in the sun. And while we unfortunately cannot control that particular source of heat (except by insulating our homes and drawing the curtains shut), we can improve our situation by limiting other means of heat production. Following are just a few of the possible sources of heat in your home which you may choose to regulate.

• Electronics
  Computers, televisions, lights and other electronics emit high quantities of heat. Turn them off when they are not absolutely necessary. Unplug appliances and stereos that still draw electricity when not in use (the ones with glowing lights or numbers). Limit cooking and cleaning activities (especially ironing or using the dryer) to the cooler hours of the day.
• Human Metabolic Activity
  “Calorie” is simply another word for “heat.” You constantly produce heat in the process of respiration. Therefore, strenuous activity and indoor exercise can really warm up your home. You can avoid this by exercising outdoors or elsewhere. For the weight conscious, drinking lots of cold water can raise your metabolism while literally flushing a good deal of body heat out of the house. Also note: metabolic activity produces water vapor in addition to heat which increases the humidity of your house (see below) so that is another reason to work out elsewhere or at night.
• Pet Metabolic Activity
  Pets such as cats and dogs have higher metabolic rates than people. A medium sized dog can noticeably heat up a small room. For your own good as well as the good of your pets (to avoid heat stroke) discourage them from being too active during the hottest hours.
• Trash & Food
  Decomposing matter generate heat from bacterial and  fungal respiration. This means that it would be to your advantage to take out the kitchen trash more often than usual and throw away unwanted or spoiling food sooner rather than later. Germs, mold and other microbes burn calories just like you and your pets. So logically, the fewer “little housemates” you have, the cooler you’ll be.
• Humidity
  Water vapor is the gratest contributer to the greenhouse effect. A humid house with sunlight streaming through the windows will easily reach tropical temperatures. I strongly suggest ventilating well after showers, fixing leaks, not having too many fish tanks or house plants, avoiding indoor exercise, and getting a dehumidifier if necessary.

While some of the means mentioned above may seem so insignificant that most people may feel inclined to dismiss them, I believe that many small factors can make a notable change. And the proof is that we are enjoying a fine day at home in the Mojave Desert with full sun, no breeze, and being no poorer for it.

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Here is simple home decoration project to spruce up your walls or sides of cabinets that have an electrical outlet or light switch plate. This electrical outlet pictured to the right is in a conspicuous place in our house and I found the yellowish white plastic color rather offensive, so I came up with the following easy solution for turning an ugly necessity into a decorative piece.

How to decorate an electrical outlet or light switch plate

1. Find an old unused picture frame or buy a small picture frame from a dollar store or thrift shop
2. Make sure the inside of the frame fits around the outlet or light switch plate
3. Take out the glass and save it for other crafts
4. Clean and paint the frame if necessary or desired (The one pictured above was painted with gold enamel spray paint)
5. Paint the electrical outlet if desired. You can use small bottle of acrylic paint from the craft or hardware store, usually about $1.79)
6. Paint any wall area that will show inside the frame, if desired
7. Glue the frame onto the wall

This treatment is suitable for electrical, cable, and phone outlets as well as light switch plates.

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Originally posted 2008-04-19 05:59:00.

One of the regimes we tried when we were still living in Hawaii was getting up very early in the morning and riding our bikes (which we bought for this very purpose) to feed our horse who was stabled 3 miles away. We pedaled as fast as we could there and back before going to work in the morning. This worked great for about a week until one morning when we got caught in a rainstorm of biblical proportions, with winds that reduced our speed to a crawl, and I was sick for a week. We never did this again.

We also spent a few months, from December 2002 through April 2003, running 5 miles a night after work. We lost a lot of weight, but oftentimes it was extremely unpleasant as we did this at night and the Hawaiian winter weather was highly unpredictable (well Hawaiian weather all year round is) with high winds and sudden rain. After moving to California, we decided the best way to get our exercise would be to be able to do it at home any time of day or night, regardless of the weather, and also because the first neighborhood we lived in wasn’t somewhere we wanted to be walking or running outside.

Our Mini Home Gym

We went to Walmart and picked up an foldable motorized treadmill for $200. For a motorized treadmill, this machine is very small and easy to store. When we’re done working out, we just fold it up and push it into a corner. It also has adustable incline and speed, and progress display of distance and calories. Unfortunately, this kind of treadmill is no longer available for $200 as that was 5 1/2 years ago, but more advanced models of the same brand are now available for around $400 (Weslo Cadence C44 Treadmill), still a decent price for a treadmill. Manual folding treadmills (without motors) like the one pictured to the left are also available for a little over $100 these days.

The winter after buying our treadmill, we also bought one of these pedal exercisers for under $30 (nowadays around $36). As can be expected from the price, it was simply constructed but it had adjustable resistance and worked extremely well; I could feel a difference in my legs within hours. We took this pedal exerciser on a trip to visit relatives and our grandmother liked it so much that she asked us to leave it for her.

A couple of years later, we added a recumbent stationary bike with magnetic resistance which we bought for $100 (again from Walmart) to our home gym. We love this bike and have pedaled thousands of miles on it while watching movies at home. This bike has lasted amazingly long, considering it has worked days as long as 10-12 hours during our Horatio Hornblower movie marathon last Christmas. The belt finally broke a few weeks ago after years of hard service, but we can still pedal without resistance, which means very fast pedaling (something I have find more fun than pedaling slower with resistance). Nowadays, it looks like these can be had for around $160: Phoenix 99608 Magnetic Recumbent Exercise Bike

We added this more advanced fitness mini cycle to our home gym this winter so that we can have resistance pedaling again, and we can both pedal when we don’t feel like getting on the treadmill. What we like most about this bike is that it doesn’t take up much room and we can easily move it where we want to so we can pedal while reading, watching TV or playing games at the table. This mini bike can also be set on a chair or table for working the arms. It comes with an LED monitor for counting calories, reps, time and distance, which is helpful.

For our anaerobic exercise, we have a few hand weights which we use while watching movies to work our biceps, triceps, deltoids, transverse abdominals and forearms.

Saving Money, Time and Gas

So, for an initial investment of a few hundred dollars, you can end up saving thousands from gym membership fees and get your exercise whenever you want without having to leave your house. If you drive to go to a gym, you can save gas as well. Watching movies is one of our hobbies, so we can feel justified in buying some new DVDs once in a while because they help to keep us entertained during our exercise sessions.

Getting More Exercise

Some may argue that exercising artificially on a machine and in front of the television isn’t as healthy or beneficial as doing so in the open air. This may be true if the open air isn’t near traffic and smog emissions. But it definitely is better than no exercise at all. I know that I get a lot more exercise with our home gym because having the equipment right here makes it so much easier to just jump on and work out. If it weren’t here, I’d probably be lying in bed reading or sitting at the computer all the time instead of just some of the time.

When you don’t feel like leaving the warmth of your house to go running, or to drive to the gym, consider investing in some modestly priced exercise equipment. Having exercise equipment conveniently at home will help you stay in shape because:

• it eliminates a step or two of preparation that you would have to take in order to workout outside of your home
• you can space out your workouts for maximum calorie burn without having to squeeze everything into one time slot, and
• you don’t have to worry about how you look while working out and can do so in your underwear if you so desire.

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Not surprisingly, we, with the help of our rambunctious dogs (especially during their puppy teething stages), inflict a noticeable amount of wear and tear on our home and furniture and it is lucky for us that the distressed look is so popular nowadays. Nevertheless, we have a cabinet stocked with paints to keep our lifestyle on the romantic side of shabby and away from woefully distressed. We are constantly painting, decorating, patching, repairing, refinishing, and making things for our house. Over the years, we have developed some economical and efficient habits which we would like to share.

Thrift store chairs purchased for $5-15 each that we painted in our favorite colors

• For both home or crafts Buy gallon size un-tinted latex/acrylic paint which costs less per ounce than small bottles of craft paint.
• Mix your own colors by adding colored craft paint to white paint.
• You can also purchase pigment to mix as much as you need for a project instead of buying a whole gallon of a certain color.
• Save food containers with lids (such as yogurt and cream cheese tubs) for mixing and storing paint.

Madoline’s closet bookshelf with rosy-pink wall.

• Slightly water down paint for more even application (except with oil-based paint). You may end up doing an extra coat, but will use less paint overall. I find thin coats of paint more attractive.
• Add water to keep leftover paint from drying up and store covered for several weeks. This paint can be used to paint matching decorations or mixed into new colors.
• Instead of throwing away or donating leftover paint as instructed on the can (they want you to buy more) hammer the lid back down and store in a cool place. If very little paint is left, transfer to smaller container to minimize evaporation.
• If you don’t want to use masking tape, carefully paint trims, edges, and corners of your walls with a small artist brush.
• Keep pets and children away from wet paint and be sure to have sufficient ventilation.

Homemade cabinets

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I know I should have thought to post this earlier, but only just remembered to pay my own mortgage now instead of tomorrow. If you own a home and have not yet made your mortgage payment due on January 1, 2009, do it now before 2008 is over. This could cut the income taxes you will have to pay in April 2009 for you may be able to take a deduction for mortgage interest paid in 2008.

I am not a tax expert and there are some limitations, (i.e. if you deduct your Jan. 2009 mortgage interest from your 2008 taxes, you can’t do it again for 2009, if your 2008 income exceeds a certain amount), but here is a link to an article on MSN Real Estate which might tell you if you would benefit from doing this:

Early year-end mortgage payment could cut taxes

If you pay your mortgage online, do it now as our bank’s website is super slow today, perhaps due to the rush to customers trying to get their payment in before the year ends.

Happy New Year!

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Originally posted 2008-12-31 09:18:02.

Every Little Bit Adds Up

First I will remind you, as I mentioned in my first official post “,” that every little bit adds up and makes difference in the long run. While one small action seems insignificant in the long scheme of things, if frequently repeated, it will have a long-term impact whether good or bad.

I will use smoking as an example: smoking a single cigarette may not harm you, but smoking cigarettes on a regular basis over the course of many years will significantly impact your health (even if not visible to the eye, there is a consequence.) Likewise, all things we do, no matter how small, will have a consequence of some sort. So now to my point.

As I said above, staying home is one of the best and easiest ways to save money. And again, as mentioned above, this is not about going out for special activities, but rather everyday activities and the importance of consolidating errands and activities because every single time you leave your house, whether or not you physically “spend” money, you are in fact spending money. I will start with the most obvious.

Driving is More than Gas

When you drive, you’re spending more than the cost of gas by putting wear and tear on your car. The IRS (for our foreign readers, this is the Internal Revenue Service, the United States government’s department of taxation) has determined a mileage allowance rate of 48.5¢ per mile for business purposes for the 2007 tax year. While tax-wise, this allowance only applies to business owners who use their vehicles in the course of business, it takes into account the cost of gas, wear and tear and maintenance on the vehicle. So a simple 1-mile one way trip (2-mile round trip) to the store has a cost value of $0.97.

Cost Begins with Use

There are many other ways you spend money by going out. These are in the number of things we need and use in order to go out. Everything costs money; just because you’ve already paid for something doesn’t mean that it is now “free” or “without cost.” A good example of this concept is, once again, the IRS. When a business purchases inventory or supplies, it cannot deduct the cost of those items until after those items have been sold or used.

For example, a business owner purchases a case of paper clips in May 2006. He only uses half the case of paper clips by the end of his tax year in December 2006. When he files his 2006 taxes, he can only deduct the cost of the half case of paper clips that he used in 2006. Only after he has used up the 2nd half of his case of paper clips in 2007 can he deduct the cost of those clips. This is an example of the theory that actual expenditure does not end with the purchase of an item, but with the use of it.

Being Presentable

Every time you go out, you must put on clothing that are presentable in public. These clothes are often nicer and more valuable than your regular home clothes. Though it is not always immediately visible, each time you wear your nice clothes, they get some … well … wear. That’s why they call it “wearing” clothes, is it not? Each wearing decreases the value and shortens the life of the garment, taking you that much closer to having to buy (or make) a replacement. This especially includes shoes, which suffer the most wear and tear.

After you wear your clothes, they will need to be washed. Not only does washing cause additional wear on the clothes, but it is accompanied by further expenditures in water use, detergent, and for many, electricity or gas for drying, anti-static dryer sheets, fabric softeners, etc.

Being presentable also often entails use of cosmetics (for women) and hair products – hair spray, mousse, gel, etc (men and women). For women who use make-up before going out, there is the cost of the make-up and all the other products used along with the make-up (toners, lotions, etc.). Every time you use these things, you are in theory, spending or “using” money.

Time is Money

It may be trite, but it is true, especially if you are self-employed or simply make a little extra money blogging. Think of the time spent in traffic or standing in line at the store for the purpose of buying a few items. You could have done some work or written an article that could potentially make money.

Unexpected Expenditures

Oftentimes when we go out for one purpose, we are often sidetracked and end up at originally unplanned places (perhaps attracted by a “ONE DAY SALE” sign at a favorite store) and making unplanned purchases (“Buy One Get One Free” even though you hadn’t even planned on buying One at all). It is true that had you never gone out that day, you might have missed out on a great bargain, but had you not ventured out of doors at all, you would be none-the-wiser and the richer for it. If you go out 3 times a week as opposed to once a week, the possibility (and probability) of unplanned expenditures is multiplied by 3.

I am not saying that you should never go out and starve to death when you run out of groceries. The point I hope I have made is that every outing costs money and that one of the easiest ways to save money is by consolidating all your errands into one outing. This requires some planning and organizing, but is by no means difficult. Following are a few tips to get you started.

Tips for Saving Time and Money by Consolidating

• Groceries
  It is not necessary to shop for groceries every few days or even every week. Try to cut back to every 2-3 weeks, or even better, once a month. This requires some planning and adjustment to get the quantities right, but can save you a lot of time and money. (Check back soon for tips on shopping for groceries once a month.)
• Banking
  Yes, the sooner you deposit that paycheck in the bank, the sooner you begin earning interest. But, if the cost of making a special run to the bank (driving & time) exceeds the amount of interest you will earn, might it not be better to wait a few days until you have more reasons for going out?
• Post Office
  Save trips to the post office by keeping some stamps on hand. I like the Forever stamps that can still be used when postage rates go up. Consider using online shipping for mailing parcels. (Check back soon for information on how you can save time and money by using online shipping options.) Also, refer to my article “” and learn how you can possibly save $60 a year by not mailing your bills.
• Returning Library Books
  If you have a library book due on a day when you don’t have any other errands scheduled, you can renew the book by calling the library or logging onto the library website, and delay the trip to the library until you have another reason to go out.
• Shop Online
  Consider buying more online (from reputable and established businesses, of course). Online prices are often lower than in-store prices even including shipping, so you save time, money, and gas.

Again, it can take time and planning to get used to this idea, but you will soon begin to see how much money and time you save by waiting a few days to take care of all your business at once. This does not mean you should become a hermit and never leave the house. It is important to still go out for practical and social reasons (and work), but hopefully you will now be more aware of the cost behind every activity and therefore be even more successful in your frugal lifestyle.

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When our A/C went out two Sundays ago, my first reaction was panic. We live in the desert where we have been experiencing triple digit temperatures and we have esteemed air conditioning as one of the dire necessities of life. So when our central air went out last weekend, my first thought was that we had to call the repair people first thing Monday morning and get it fixed ASAP to avoid extreme suffering.

By Sunday night, however, I began singing a different tune. Yes, it was hotter than h*** as we had a high of 104 that day and sweated a lot more than we would have liked. But the point was that we had survived it, and without any real harm to ourselves except for discomfort. I started fantasizing of the money that could be saved by going the rest of the summer without it.

I’ve also been thinking of how often we forget what we really could live without. We grew up in Hawaii where the average middle-class home doesn’t have air conditioning and many don’t even have insulation. I have memories of hot, humid summers when the entire house was unbearably hot and sweating was a normal part of life. In the winters (and trust me, it does get cold there) I would go to bed wearing at least 2 layers (one of which was sweatshirt and sweatpants), socks and occasionally a cap, under 3 layers of blankets.

But since moving to California in 2003, A/C has become a regular and expected part of life, and we got so used to the luxury that we would turn it on as soon as we felt hot. Of course, being the tropical beasts that we are, 82°-83° keep us sufficiently cool and happy.

So, while it has still been hot (we’ve still had highs in the 100°s), it has been begun getting a little cooler, so we have decided to postpone the A/C repair in the interest of saving and as a matter of discipline. We consider ourselves lucky that our A/C graciously waited until the latter part of summer to go on vacation.

Over this past week, we have learned a few things about how to keep cool without the A/C, but most importantly, that we have been overusing it by not taking advantage of cooler nighttime temperatures. In the past couple of months, we have sometimes kept the A/C on auto 24/7. Even though we set the thermostat around 82°-83°, the A/C still came on at night when outside temperatures were lower because the house was hot from being closed up. So here are a few tips for lowering and saving money on air conditioning use.

Tips for Going Without and/or Saving on Air Conditioning

• Turn on fans to keep the air circulating.
• Set ceiling fans to turn clockwise (counter-clockwise looking toward it).
• Keep curtains or blinds closed during the day.
• Use light colored curtains to deflect heat.
• Keep windows and doors closed tightly to keep the house cool.
• If there is a breeze or if outside air feels cooler than inside, open the window bringing in the cooler.
• Keep sunny windows closed if there is no breeze.
• In late afternoon, as soon as outside temperatures feel lower than inside temperatures, open all windows and doors.
• In the evening, when it’s cool outdoors but still hot indoors, place fans in front of open windows to draw in the cool air.
• Keep as many windows as possible open during night to take advantage of the cool night air to lower inside temperatures.
• In the morning, close windows as soon as the outside air begins feeling warmer than inside air.
• Limit strenuous physical activity until evening.
• Drink lots of cold water.
• When hot, use a water spritzer to spray yourself. The evaporating water will make you feel cool. (For fun, you can also spritz the water upwards and feel it fall down on you. The coldness can be quite shocking.)
• Tie a wet bandanna around your neck (this is something I do for my dog to prevent overheating and heatstroke during the summer).
• if you work for yourself and set your own schedule, you could take advantage of cooler temperatures to get work done at night as you might enjoy more clarity of mind and get more done without the heat.

What I’ve Learned From My Air Conditioning Breaking

• I’ve been spoiled by having A/C these past few years.
• A/C is a luxury.
• A little deprivation is good for you because it makes you appreciate the most basic things in life such as a cold drink and the slightest breeze.
• A warm breeze is better than none.
• Sweating may be unpleasant but it doesn’t hurt you (it may even be good for you).

Does this mean we’re just going to go indefinitely without our air conditioning? No, of course not, because we will be needing it when next summer rolls around and we start getting 105°-112° temperatures again. We are human after all, and as we work at home, we do need to be able to have a certain degree of comfort in order to fully concentrate and function at full capacity in our work.

On a similar note, our heater also went out last winter and we spent most of the winter without it. Outside temperatures were often in the 20s and 30s, and inside was in the 50s and low 60s. It was also uncomfortable, but we came through none the worse (well, maybe a little fatter because we might have eaten more to stay warm).

We will be getting both the A/C and heater repaired some time this fall, but now we that we’ve been reminded of our ability to do without, we will hopefully start to see lower electric and gas bills in the months and years to come.

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Originally posted 2008-09-16 10:00:44.

In the past year, we only went out an average of 1-2 times per month to run errands and our garage door therefore got very little exercise. One day last month, when I was leaving for my monthly grocery shopping trip, the door wouldn’t close. I left it to Madoline to figure out, and when I got home I found the door stuck halfway down and slightly slanted, having come un-aligned and with 2 of the upper wheels fallen out of the track on one side. Being confirmed DIY-ers, we tried to see if we could fix it ourselves, which involved me standing on the back of a sofa we had purchased at Goodwill (with the plan of re-upholstering it) and wrestling with the door, but soon decided it was best left to a professional and we made to by putting the wheels back in the tracks to keep the door from sagging and damaging the entire contraption.

Our biological father came to visit last week, and although I told him we needed to call a professional repairman, he thought he could fix it to save us some money. One and a half hours later, the door was more crooked, we had lost 3 more wheels, the tracks had been knocked out of place and the door was literally hanging. Furthermore, I found out after the fact that my father had severely endangered his own life, and even worse, MY LIFE, by unwinding the tension cable. And worst of all, he had damaged the door further so that what might have been some minor repairs became major repair, including replacement of the tension rod.

Lesson 2: The Price of Not Sticking up for Yourself

The only garage door specialist in our area is located about 40-50 miles away and they seemed uninterested in the job as they didn’t want to talk to us over the phone but instead told us to submit a request online, which we did twice (4 weeks apart) but to no avail. Fearing a total collapse resulting in further damage and expense as well as the insecurity of a half-closed garage door, we resorted to local handymen.

I went through the list of handymen in our area, and the first one I reached that wasn’t a voicemail told me he could fix ours for $150. He came over to take a look and said that he couldn’t fix the tension cables, which required specialists, but that he could re-align the door so that we could at least open and close it manually, and he might need to replace a few of the wheels and 2 brackets. He then gave me a quote of $225 for replacing 5 wheels and 2 brackets. So we agreed on 10:00 AM the next morning.

I got up at 9:30 AM the next morning (which wasn’t easy for me because I was up until after 4:00AM working on the computer) in anticipation of the handyman showing up at 10:00, but he didn’t show up until 10:30, using the following excuse: the weather and its effect on one’s desire to sleep in. So he fixed the garage door – replacing 1 wheel and 1 bracket – but told me after that we actually wouldn’t be able to open the door due to the damaged tension rod, which also requires a specialist.

We then had him fix a sprinkler leak in our front yard as well, a job he had agreed to do for $75, after which he gave me a total of $325 for the two jobs. Being somewhat muddle-headed and tired from lack of sleep, and even worse, a pushover (one of my worst traits when dealing with strangers), I wrote him a check for $325 without much argument except for asking, “So the garage door was $250?” to which he, of course, replied “Yes.”

After he left, I couldn’t stop thinking about the whole affair and kicking myself (mentally) for having been such a pushover. The quote of $225 had been for if he would have to replace 5 wheels and 2 brackets. Instead, he only replaced 1 wheel and 1 bracket, and he charged me $25 more than the price he had quoted me. To add insult to injury, we still can’t open or close our garage door as he had promised beforehand. (Not to mention his showing up a 1/2 hour late for having slept in.) If I had argued with him about it, I probably could have paid at least $50 less.

That night, I couldn’t sleep for thinking about all this and decided I would call him up the next day (yesterday) to ask about this and tell him I didn’t think what he did was right. But the next day, the check had already cleared our bank account (he must have driven straight from our house to the bank) and I decided it probably wouldn’t have done much good anyway and the conversation probably would only have aggravated me more. So I decided to just chalk it up to a valuable lesson learned about the price of being spineless. And also to never hire this handyman again.

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Originally posted 2008-05-15 22:10:22.

While going through my piles of unopened mail (mostly bills) the other day, I decided I’d had enough and finally took the plunge into the world of Paperless Billing and Statements. Even though I’ve been fully online – shopping, selling, socializing, banking and bill paying – for years now, for some reason, I’d always felt hesitant about not receiving hard copies of my bills. But after years of accessing my accounts and paying bills online, and running out of places to stash all my account statements, I’ve decided that it’s probably a better system that will end up saving me money, time (which is also money), space and paper cuts.

The Benefits of Paperless Statements

• Saves Time
  Time is money, so the time you would spend organizing and filing your account statements would be cut down. Filing would just consist of logging into your account and downloading the statements to your computer. Most accounts will allow you access to several years’ worth of statements, so you don’t need to do this every month, but can wait and do all your filing at once a couple of times a year.
• Saves on filing equipment
  No need for file cabinets (which are very costly), folders, labels and organizers, and no need to upgrade to larger or additional file cabinets as your files increase in volume.
• Saves space
  Digital storage is becoming more affordable and space efficient so they take up considerably less space than file cabinets, making it easier to keep your home and office organized and clutter-free.

  For example, this Iomega Desktop Hard Drive, USB 2.0, 750GB – 33750 for just $110, costs considerably less than a file cabinet, takes up a fraction of the space of a file cabinet and has capacity for at least a decade’s worth of bills and statements. It also looks a lot nicer than a file cabinet, which often doesn’t look that great in a home environment.

• Saves money
  Some companies have already begun to charge for paper statements. When I enrolled in Paperless Billing for my T-Mobile account, I was informed that I will be charged $1.99 per month if I revert back to paper statements. Perhaps if companies can save on billing costs, they can pass the savings on to us consumers by offering lower fees for their services.

  Also, by paying bills online, not only do you save paper, but postage. Check out an earlier post of mine, Pay Bills Online and Save, on how we save about $70 a year by paying our bills online.

• Saves the Planet
  Obviously. Some companies, again T-Mobile for example, are promoting Paperless Billing by planting a tree for each customer that changes to paper statements, so you’re no only saving current trees but adding to them.
• Earn money
  This depends on the company. Certain companies such as my Chase Amazon Visa account, offered 500 reward points, the equivalent of $5.00, for switching to Paperless Statements. Not a bad deal for doing something that’s going to save me time and money.

So not only is this the smart choice for those with regular computer and internet access, but the green, environmentally-friendly choice. Most of our bills and bank statements received via snail mail remain unopened anyway because I usually just go online to check the amount and make the payments when the bills are due.

Of our 12 monthly bills and bank statements, we are able to receive Paperless Statements for 9 of them, which will reduce our annual mail volume by 108. This will be quite a relief as our file cabinet really can’t take anymore. I only wonder what took me so long.

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Related posts:

• Interesting Reads from Fellow Personal Finance Bloggers #8
• Why I Will Not Change My Mindset, Plus the Difference Between Justifying and Being Optimistic About Spending
• 20 Minutes Can Save $180 & Tips for Receiving Better Customer Service
• Pay Bills Online and Save
• Pay Bills Online and Save (Re-Post)

Originally posted 2008-09-11 10:00:05.

My suggestions are divided into the following subsections:

• Summer Hobbies – activities with lasting benefits and meaning
  
• Summer Studies – develop skills that will be useful in life
  
• Summer To-Do’s – a few ways to get your life or home in order
  
• Summer Fitness – ways to keep cool and stay fit
  
• Summer Pet Bonding – make your pet happy and you healthy

Summer Hobbies

Here are some ideas for catching up on tasks that may have been neglected during the year.

• Write in your journal
  Write about your past year, what’s on your mind, who and what you like and dislike, your daydreams, anything. In future years you will be glad you did it and also amused by your younger self. You think you will always remember what happened when, but as time goes by, memories do fade and become forgotten. (Trust me, I’m speaking from experience and I’m not yet 30 and have a memory better than most.)
• Make a family video
  Go around the house and take a video of your family going about its regular business. You will be glad for the memories one day.
• Scrapbook
  Organize family photos, report cards, birthday cards, artwork, concert programs and other keepsakes from the past year into a scrapbook.
• Reading
  Reading (even fun fiction) can help improve your mind, vocabulary, grammar and writing skills. If you go to the library, you can read in an air-conditioned environment without having to pay for the air-conditioning or the books.

Summer Studies

Yes, summer should be fun, but there’s no reason it can’t be both fun and productive.

• Learn a new language
  The benefits of learning languages are endless. Learning a new language can help you to:
  • Get ahead in your career
  • Make new friends from different parts of the world. When you show an interest in someone’s language or culture, they are often appreciative and take an interest in you in return.
  • Improve your English (or first language)
• Learn to play a musical instrument
  Music enhances the mind in many ways. Studies have shown that children who study music at an early age do better in school than those who don’t. Aside from that, it is also just plain fun.
• Learn to sew
  Sewing is a very useful skill to have regardless of your gender. You can learn to mend clothes, make your own clothes and other things for your house, which can save you a lot of money. Older and more skilled children can even make their own clothes for the coming school year. Check out one of our earlier articles for more info: Save Money by Sewing Your Own Clothes.
• Take a computer class
  Learn to type properly, use a spreadsheet or database, design websites, make presentations, etc. Most jobs these days involve computer use, so knowing as much as you can about computers might help you get a higher salary.

Summer To-Do’s

A few suggestions for improving life at home and getting ahead on the coming year.

• Get a head start on your Christmas shopping
  This could save you time and money because you can shop at your leisure and take advantage of summer sales. Leaving your shopping to the last minute usually costs more because you are up against a deadline and usually have fewer options.
• Sort through your stuff
  Go through your clothes and things and prune out those you no longer want or need. You could donate the things you no longer need or hold a garage or yard sale and make some money to put into your college or retirement savings.
• Re-arrange your room or home
  Re-arranging your room or home can have a positive impact on your life. A change can be uplifting and produce an overall feeling of well-being and accomplishment, renew your energy and increase productivity.
• Clean out your computer
  Ideally you would do this several times a year, but if you use the internet and download a lot of things, it’s a good idea to clean out your computer on a regular basis. If there are programs you don’t use, uninstall them. If there are files that you no longer need, delete them. Clean your registry if you’ve had the computer for a while. Keeping your hard drive from getting too full will extend its life.

Summer Fitness

A few suggestions for staying cool and healthy this summer.

• Mall Walking
  Walking in an indoor, air-conditioned mall is a great way to get exercise away from the heat and smog, and you can also save on sunscreen. You can even window-shop during your walks, but if you think you might get too tempted, leave your money and credit card at home.
• Swimming in an indoor pool
  Swimming is another low-impact exercise (safer than running) which increases endurance, muscle and cardiovascular strength. Try to swim in an indoor pool whenever possible or wait until early evening to avoid sunburn.
• Ice Skating
  Not only does it let you get away from the heat, but it’s a good low-impact and aerobic exercise which will help strengthen your bones and cardiovascular system. Taking some lessons and learning to skate properly can be worth the money.

Summer Pet Bonding

If you have a pet, spend some quality time together. Not only will you make your pet very happy, he/she will help make you healthier. (How Pets Help People)

• Take your dog to obedience school
  Obedience school is good for socializing and teaching discipline. There is nothing wrong with repeating obedience school for fun and refreshing both your memories.
• Teach your dog new tricks
  There are lots of fun tricks you can teach your dog: beg, spin (in both directions), roll, speak, catch a ball or frisbee, etc. You can also teach your dog to be helpful around the house: closing the door or brining you something you dropped. Dogs enjoy feeling helpful and learning new things can keep mature dogs’ minds sharp.
• Take your dog for long evening strolls or hikes
  If going hiking, be sure to take another person along, bring lots of water and plastic bags, and make sure your dog’s feet are protected from rough terrain. For your dog’s and other hikers’ safety, never let him off-leash on a hiking trail.
• Enter your dog in a 4th of July costume contest
  Make a fun costume for your dog and enter a costume contest or parade. (Sorry, for the self-promotion, but if you don’t want to make your own costume, check out some of our patriotic dog clothing and costumes at Franga Designs.)

Well, I hope some of these suggestions prove helpful in making your summer both fun and productive. Vas-y t’amuser!

Related posts:

• June 2008 Finance and Frugality Blog Carnivals
• Under the Weather – Recommended Reading
• No-Air Conditioning Summer Part 1 – How It Started: No-Heat Winters
• Language Lesson ~ Frugality is a Virtue
• Frugal Thermodymics Part I: Limiting Sources of Heat in the Home

Originally posted 2008-06-09 05:28:43.

You may not know it, but you may be waging long term biological warfare on yourself and your family. There is increasing awareness about the harmful effects of exposure to chemicals such as pesticides and household cleaners, but did you know that air fresheners are also poisons?

History has taught the human race that bad smells mean disease and infection, so naturally we all want our homes filled with good smells. Unfortunately, chemicals used to carry these good smells into your home may give you lung problems and cancer. You should be especially vigilant about uses of air fresheners if you have cats because cats can be fatally poisoned by airborne substances absorbed through the skin.

Here are some alternatives you might consider to aerosol or plug-in air fresheners. You can make or purchase these items made with natural plant oils.

Scented candles

Scented candles are ideal for bathrooms as they are resistant to humidity. Light these whenever needed. They are great for eliminating odor from strong smelling foods after cooking or eating. I like to read and write by candlelight and always have votive candles in wine glasses on my desk.

If you are afraid of fire, place short, fat candles in heavy glass jars. Small flames usually extinguish themselves when a candle is dropped, but if you want to be extra safe, place candles in sturdy glass jars taller than the candle, so that the flame is contained should the jar tip. Light sunken or hard to reach candles with a burning spaghetti noodle.

Potpourri

Keep in bowls, pouches, out of reach of pets and small children who might eat sweet smelling things. You can even pull out the poly-fill of a stuffed animal, mix potpourri into the fluff and re-stuff. A scented stuffed animal can be placed on shelves, in drawers, or near your bed if it contains sleep enhancing herbs. Do not give an herbal toy to children or pets unless you are sure that the ingredients are safe.

Cloth Sachets Filled With Dried Herbs

Good for keeping your clothes fresh and bug free. You can make or purchase very pretty ones. Add scented oils if desired for a stronger scent. We use cedar filled pouches for closets and inside the piano.

Pomanders

These are scented balls made with oranges and cloves (instructions below) that last for years. They are natural, very fragrant and deter insects. Pomanders can be decorated and hung in your closets, around your home, and in your car. They can also be placed in drawers and storage boxes. You could make a bunch for Christmas ornaments and then redistribute them for use around the house after the holidays.

Fresh flowers

These don’t last as long, but are not expensive if you have a garden.

Pet Perfumes and Colognes

If your home has pet odors, you might consider using colognes and perfumes formulated for pets. If your pet is prone to allergies, ill, very old, or very young, you should get your vet’s recommendation for a product. Remember that not all products marketed for pets are entirely safe and that products formulated for dogs may be harmful to cats. The best air freshener may be a bath for your cat or dog. If odors are cause by skin conditions, herbs with antibacterial and anti-fungal properties may be helpful. But always research ingredients so that you do not accidentally poison your pet.

How to make a pomander

You might want to make a dozen or more at a time because a pomander will last forever (unless they get wet).

1. Take an orange, lime, or lemon.
2. Prick holes in the skin with a large needle and insert whole cloves until you have a prickly ball. For a neat appearance, space the cloves like longitudinal lines on a globe.
3. Cure the pomade by rolling it in powdered herbs and letting it dry for several weeks.
4. During the drying process, coat regularly with powdered herbs to prevent mould. Pomander will shrink as it cures.
5. Decorate with ribbons and flowers if desired.
6. To renew scent after long use, treat with essential oils and roll in powdered herbs.

Powdered Herbs for curing pomanders (use one or more)

• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Clove
• Myrrh
• Nutmeg (toxic to cats and dogs)

Some Common Fragrance Herbs

• Lavender
• Lemon
• Rose Geranium
• Rose
• Orange
• Cinnamon
• Allspice
• Bayberry
• Pine
• Citrus
• Sandalwood
• Mint

Recommended Reading
Air Fresheners: Are they bad for my health?

Related posts:

• Interesting Reads from Fellow Personal Finance Bloggers #10
• Free Printable Gift Accessories by Madoline Hatter
• Tricky Treats for Trick-or-Treaters: Healthy and Useful Alternatives to Halloween Candy
• 7 Cost-Cutting and Safer Alternative Household Tips
• Life Is Too Short to Sleep On Low Thread-Count Sheets

Originally posted 2008-10-02 06:00:38.

Conversion of a Common Coniferous Conundrum

When we moved into our own home, my sister and I decided to make our first Christmas a memorable one, which included the purchase of a 7 foot tall Christmas tree. Another occasion which came with taking possession of the house was our going to the sanitation office and signing up for trash pickup, at which time we were warned that sanitation engineers would refuse to empty any trash container which was overfilled. To make sure we understood what it meant to overfill a trash container, the sanitation department employee showed us several photographs of a trash container into which a Christmas tree had been rammed with the lid in various half-hearted attempts at closure. Happily, this specific offense we will never be tempted to commit. For why on earth would two practical people like ourselves throw away (or reduce to mulch) a perfectly good used Christmas tree?

Almost as soon as we wrestled and tilted our Christmas tree into a position which passed for perpendicular, I began scheming at the potential uses of this sizable item which would become available as soon as December 26. However, to make the best of the purchase, we left the tree decorated well into January. After divesting the tree of it’s ornaments, we sawed off the branches while the tree was still standing, leaving a few attractive stumps. The branches were easily disposed of without upsetting the sanitation department. We then sawed off the part of the trunk that had been standing in water and were left with a 6+ foot tree trunk.

My original plan was to convert the tree trunk into a coat rack for our entryway. This was to be achieved by inserting wooden pegs near the top, attaching to the base curved furniture legs to suggest tree roots, and possibly adding a wire bird nest in which to deposit objects like keys and fake eggs. The whole was to be painted a uniform color and varnished. I then shopped around for several months without finding the feet I had wanted and therefore the plan was changed.

My sister had begun playing the violin and was considering the purchase of a music stand. So, we decided to make a music stand instead of a coat rack. I measured the tree trunk and found that after cutting off the top for a music stand, the remaining section was just the height for a table. We had also been in the market for a small table. Each project took approximately two days and cost us next to nothing because we used small remnants of wood, leftover paint, and the only new materials were glue, nails, and screws. Although we painted the music stand blue and the octagonal table green, they make a very nice pair and we declare ourselves very satisfied with the results. But we are not skilled carpenters so you can form your own opinion from the pictures.

 

There really is no limit to what can be done with the nice piece of organically shaped wood that is a Christmas tree. One might turn it into a curtain rod, a chair, a stool, a ladder (decorative), balustrade, fence post, easel, or a rail to which to tie a goat when milking it to make cheese.

Related posts:

• Frugal Christmas: Skipping the Tree and Presents This Year
• Holiday Blog Carnivals
• Favorite Christmas Memory
• Free Printable Templates: Christmas Candy Stripe and Plaid Carrier Gift Bags
• Interesting Reads From Fellow Personal Finance Bloggers #12

Originally posted 2008-12-27 08:30:47.

A Simple Cooling System

Heat naturally diffuses from areas of higher concentration to areas of lower concentration. And cold being the absence of energy, a block of ice literally draws heat out of the air.

As was mentioned in P. Pince’s recent article, our air conditioning system is on holiday at this inopportune time. While looking at cooling units online, I saw several that were merely refrigeration systems which fanned air over ice or cold water. These systems are meant for use in places with dry climates, and as we live in the desert which is just such a place, we thought we’d give it a try.

Instead of purchasing a new unit or repairing our old one, we decided to simply use containers of ice placed in front of fans in rooms where we’re working or hanging out. When the ice has melted and the water is near room temperature, we remove it and bring in a new one if still needed. We make the ice at night when it requires less electricity for the refrigerator to keep cold.

We also consider thawing frozen vegetables in our rooms prior to cooking, though I wouldn’t do this with meat or anything that might lead to food poisoning.

If your automatic ice maker is already cranking out heaps of ice faster than you can consume, take some out and let them melt. You could do the same with the ice from defrosting your freezer.

And with entropy in mind (a concept of energy flow), I believe it would be advantageous to bring home ice, ice cream, and cold items (cooled on someone else’s dollar) during the day rather than at night. The saving may be very small indeed, but we’d make poor misers if we dismissed an economization on account of smallness, wouldn’t we?

Related posts:

• No-Air Conditioning Summer Part 2 – How We Stayed Cool Without A/C
• Is “Simple Living” Just Another Term for “Giving Up?”
• Frugal Thermodymics Part I: Limiting Sources of Heat in the Home
• Pecuniarities (Our Fourpence Worth) 1 Year Anniversary
• Finance Blog Carnivals of Late

Amazon.com is one of our favorites sources for saving not only on books and movies, but groceries and household things as well. We have been shopping on Amazon since 2001 and have never had a bad experience. Whenever we need to buy anything for our home or business, Amazon is the first place I check because they usually have one of the best prices around and an established track record with us.

Amazon has a program called Subscribe & Save which we began using last year for regular purchases of Splenda (No Calorie Sweetener) which costs about $10 a bag at our local grocery store, but comes at $6 a bag with this program. At first I was a little hesitant to get into any sort of purchasing commitment, but any reservations were soon put to rest.

Subscribe & Save is available for hundreds of products, mostly dry groceries and regular household things like cleaners, paper towels, toilet paper and the like. Most or all of Subscribe and Save products come in bulk, discounted packs and can be identified by subscription options box located under the Add to Shopping Cart button to the right of a product listing.

Amazon Subscribe & Save Program Features and Benefits

• No contracts

  You can unsubscribe at any time

• Extra 15% off

  That’s an extra 15% off the already discounted regular Amazon pricing. Note: You need to click on a product listing to see the discounted price.
  

• Save Time and Gas

  By having your regular household necessities delivered to your front door, you won’t have to spend time and gas to go the store to restock them.

• Free Shipping

  On all subscription orders even under $25.

• Fast Shipping

  Unlike regular orders with their Super Saver Shipping that often take an additional 4-5 business days to ship out, Subscribe and Save orders usually ship within a day of the order date and arrive in 2-3 days.

• Flexible Subscription Terms

  When you sign up, you can select to have the product shipped to you every 1 month, 2 months, 3 months or 6 months. You can adjust the intervals as you use your products and find out how long it takes you to use up a shipment.

• Email Reminders and Notifications

  They will send you an email reminder to let you know when a subscription order is coming up. If you’re ready for your next shipment, do nothing and it will be processed and shipped to you.

• Skip or Postpone Shipments

  If you still have plenty of an item in stock when they send you an email about an upcoming shipment, all you have to do is log-in to your account and select “Skip this shipment” and you won’t be charged. You can also choose when you want your next shipment sent.

• Pay Per Order

  They only charge your account (you select your preferred payment method when you subscribe) when they process and ship your order.

• Cancel Anytime

  If you no longer need the service, just log-in to your account and cancel your subscription.

Depending on where you live and your local prices, some of the products may cost a little more than you would pay in stores like Walmart or on sale at grocery stores, but if you live far away from discount/warehouse stores or if your local prices are quite high, this program can save you time, money and gas. Also, a lot of these items are brand name items, so the quality is good for the price you pay.

If you haven’t tried this program already, I would highly recommend it.

Related posts:

• Festival of Frugality #152: Affected by Recession Edition
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• Pay Bills Online and Save (Re-Post)
• Save Money, Make Money 30-Day Challenge @ iVillage
• Gifts Cards Could Be a Blessing This Christmas

Life is too short to sleep on low thread-count sheets.

- Leah Stussy

I came across this thought-provoking quote the other night while looking up quotes for my Tumblr page (where I am collecting sayings I come across or that describe my mood on a particular day) and thought it would make a great topic for a blog post.

This quote addresses the frugal-liver’s age-old dilemma of price versus quality. Oftentimes, we are so used to saving money that we automatically go for what costs the least. But with experience, we learn that there is a price to pay for low-priced things. And that price is quality.

So most of us learn to balance price and quality and learn when it is prudent to pinch pennies, and when it’s not. The question of thread-count, however, had never really crossed my mind. In the past several years, whenever shopping for bed linens, we’ve always stuck to the Mainstay and Martha Stewart section of the department and picked out the most affordable (but attractive) sets.

When we moved to California from Hawaii (where we reluctantly disposed of our 12 year old childhood mattresses), in the name of frugality, instead of buying mattresses we opted for a foam mattress top pad wrapped inside a comforter. This “mattress” was set on top of a pallet we constructed of slats of pine boards spaced 4 inches apart and fitted into our bed frames. We were quite pleased with ourselves for having solved our mattress dilemma for a mere $30 per person.

As you can no doubt guess, this isn’t the most comfortable set up for an optimal night’s sleep. After a while, our “mattresses” began to sink between the slats, which can sometimes make for uncomfortable sleeping. (This arrangement is, however, very convenient if you move a lot as it is light and easily disassembled for DIY moving.) As we have accumulated comforters over the years, I have added an extra layer around my foam pad, and when the slats begin to feel very prominent, I lift up my “mattress” and give it a little fluffing to revive it.

While we never meant for this arrangement to be permanent, we have slept in this fashion for over 5 years now. I have complained more than once about this slightly uncomfortable arrangement over the years and talked of buying a real mattress. But I always come to the same conclusion: that we have done with it for x years and are doing just fine, so why spend all the money and go through the hassle of shopping for, purchasing and arranging delivery of actual mattresses?

I wrote a post several months ago titled Early to bed and early to makes a man [or woman] healthy, wealthy and wise wherein I talked about the effects of a good night’s sleep on one’s productivity and health. So this quote got me thinking that perhaps spending more on higher quality bedding that promotes better rest could enhance and improve one’s quality of life, work and health.

For example, think about the last time you slept in a nice hotel bed with a firm mattress, fluffy pillows and crisp, heavy linens and how relaxing and restful it was to lie and sleep on it. If every night’s sleep at home could be like that, imagine how much better you could feel, and as a result be more productive and feel better throughout the day.

I’m not saying that I’m going right out and buy myself some fancy Cloud 9 (or whatever they’re called) mattress, 900 thread-count sheets and feather pillows. But the next time I shop for bedding, I will consider the possibility that spending a little more for quality might pay for itself by giving me a better night’s sleep so that I can be optimally rested and alert for a good day’s work each day.

How about you? What are your thoughts on the quality of sleep and its effects on your productivity? Would you justify spending more on bedding in the hopes of being able to work better and earn more? Or forget it and just stick with the double shot of espresso for breakfast?

Related posts:

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• Free Printable Templates: Mini Wall Street Journal Carrier Gift Bags
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• Is “Simple Living” Just Another Term for “Giving Up?”

Tiny leaks and evaporation put a constant drain on your resources. As discussed in our previous post, From Pennies One Million Dollars Grow, a few cents saved here and there can add up to be a significant amount. Here we offer 101 suggestions for plugging expenditures in various aspects of your life – around the house, in your personal care, transportation, recreation and more. Most of these ideas we currently use or have applied in the past.

101 Drops in the Bucket

Saving on Utilities

• Minimize electricity use during peak hours (weekdays during work hours). Do laundry, use hot water, etc. in the evenings.
• Cook enough for several meals at once.
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
• Turn off shower when shampooing and soaping.
• Work or read in the same room with family members or roommates to consolidate light usage.
• Take advantage of natural daylight to get your work done. Sleep when it’s dark, get up as soon as it is light (before sunrise).
• Hold off on personal phone calls that can wait until evenings and weekends when rates are lower or free.
• Wash things on the lawn to water the grass at the same time.
• Water the lawn or garden in the early morning or after sundown. Skip watering on windy days.
• Use curtains to keep your house cool in summer and warm in winter.
• Keep thermostat lower in the winter and wear extra layers.
• Don’t separate colors in your laundry; instead, hand wash items that bleed. This way, you can reduce the number of loads. Saves water, electricity and soap.
• Keep thermostat as high as can be tolerated in summer without harming your pets, antiques and musical instruments.
• Drink lots of cold water to keep cool and reduce need for air conditioning.
• Turn off air conditioning in late afternoon, open doors and windows and turn on fans.
• Using ceiling fans in summer and winter (reverse directions to push warm air down).
• For laundry, set a shorter dryer time. It’s better to have to do a touch up instead of using unnecessary gas or electricity. You’d be surprised how little time some clothing need to dry. If taken out still warm, damp things can still air dry quite quickly.
• Cancel cable, purchase a few DVDs a month (which cost less than cable and leave you with an asset) and watch current shows online at Hulu or network channel websites.

Saving on Food and Health

• Eat smaller portions to avoid waste and overindulgence.
• Eat foods of substance that hold you over longer (i.e. proteins).
• Take baking soda instead of over-the-counter antacids (unless you have other health conditions that are affected by sodium intake).
• Put away leftover food immediately to prevent spoilage.
• Do not overfill refrigerator as food goes bad faster due to poor air circulation.
• Do house and yard work for exercise.
• Get an exercise bike for $150-$200 or pedal exerciser for under $20 and some hand weights instead of a gym membership.
• Water down juice to reduce caloric and sugar intake as well as make the juice last longer.
• Make a pot of tea with a teabag instead of just one cup.
• Opt for stainless steel silverware and cookware without plastic parts as they last indefinitely.
• Use a hand whisk instead of electric egg beater to burn calories and save money.
• When baking – cakes, casseroles, etc. – use a cookie sheet instead of aluminum foil to cover the pan or casserole dish.
• Combine a box of Jell-O with a pack of unflavored Knox Gelatin for lower sugar content and cost.
• Buy quart-size yogurt instead of individual serving cups. They often cost $2.00 per container and save a lot.
• (Cont. from #78) When finished with the yogurt, save the container for storing food, cut fruits and leftovers, or use for various projects around the house such as mixing paint.
• Bring treats home. For example:
• (Example 1 for #80) Instead of going out for ice cream, buy a gallon and a pack of cones and enjoy several ice cream cones at the same cost.
• (Example 2 for #80) Instead of ordering delivery pizza, bring home a frozen pizza. The most deluxe frozen pizza such as Freschetta still costs a lot less than delivery plus tip.
• If you cannot decide between a low-carb and low-fat diet, low-fat is usually cheaper.

Saving on Household

• Use old clothing to make rags, pillows, blankets and pet beds.
• Use a home dry cleaning kit instead of a professional dry cleaner.
• Use less laundry detergent unless your clothes are very dirty to extend the life of your clothing.
• Turn clothing inside-out when washing to preserve the appearance.
• Use rubbing alcohol to sanitize doorknobs, exercise equipment, refrigerator handles, etc.
• Hold the insecticide. When you see an ant or other little bug, wipe it away with a soapy sponge and discourage further visits by cleaning thoroughly and caulking any cracks and entry points.
• Use rubbing alcohol to kill insects such as ants, spiders, gnats, silverfish.
• Use vinegar to kill tougher and larger insects. Vinegar in a spray bottle is also the best and cleanest fly swatter.
• Use vinegar in place of more expensive cleaners.
• When the oven is on, set dishes or other items to dry on top of or near the oven (keep safety in mind).
• Repaint or varnish furniture you already own for a new look or to give it second life.
• If throwing or cutting up old clothes, salvage buttons, zippers, drawstrings, bows and re-usable trims for mending other clothing.
• Rinse dishes before soaping to save dish detergent.
• When doing dishes, put the dirtiest at the bottom so that soap and water can run over them while you’re washing other easier dishes first.
• If you dry your hands or face on a paper towel, set it aside for cleaning floors and other things.
• Use cold water to clean on hot days to prevent getting overheated and save electricity or gas.
• Follow the The Life Stages of a Dish Sponge not only for sponges, but towels, clothing and anything else that applies.
• Use plastic shopping bags instead of buying trash bags. The small size will also encourage you to take the garbage out more often.
• Use small holiday buckets that can be purchased half-price (around 25¢-50¢) after a holiday for trash cans/waste baskets or cleaning buckets. These small buckets can be set on the counter near the kitchen sink to keep dogs out of the trash.
• Water down dish and hand soap. You often pump out more than you need.
• Learn to perform minor repairs around your home such as lighting a pilot light, replacing a thermocouple, etc. (We once saved $70 by changing the thermocouple on our water heater ourselves instead of calling a repairman.)
• Redye color-worn clothing to give a second life. Fabric dyes can be purchased in the laundry section.
• To save your septic system, instead of pouring cooking oils down the drain, pour them into empty glass or plastic bottles, close tightly and throw away.
• To extend the life of your septic system and reduce frequency of pumping, throw toilet paper in a trash can lined with shopping bags (and take it out everyday).
• Instead of replacing your pillow, launder in hot water and dry on thoroughly on high heat (to kill dust mites). You can even cut one seam open, fluff the material by hand, and sew it shut. No one will notice if your stitching is untidy. Consider a pillow cover if you suffer from allergies.
• Use pillow and mattress covers to prolong the life of your bedding and facilitate easier cleaning especially if you have pets or children.
• Use a push reel lawn mower. It is cheaper to buy, efficient to store, requires no fuel, has fewer parts to maintain and repair, and provides for refreshing and fun exercise.
• Use a wind-up clock instead of a battery or electric clock.

Saving on Personal Care

• Opt for a low maintenance and shorter hair style to save on shampoo and hair products.
• Make bar soap last longer by unwrapping and letting it dry for about a week before using it. (You could set it in your closet during this time to make things smell fresh.)
• In personal grooming, wherever practical, pluck instead of wax as a one-time purchase of a good pair of tweezers lasts for years.
• While using a facial scrub, exfoliate your hands (and maybe even your elbows) before rinsing off.
• Accept free samples of products that you use and would purchase – soap, deodorant, shampoo, lotions, etc. – so long as it doesn’t require you to pay money or register for some sort of membership. A sample is usually enough for several uses and can put off need to purchase them.
• Dry your hair naturally to save electricity, heat damage to hair, and sweating. In cooler weather, wear a small towel, scarf, or flannel cap until hair is almost completely dry.
• Curl your hair without electricity. Cut rectangular strips from an old t-shirt, roll up sections of damp hair and tie in a knot. This method has been used for many centuries and gives a very charming style of curl. Mousse can be applied before curling if desired.
• Keep good quality ribbons from gift wrap and packaging (such as for candy, food, and cosmetics) and use these as hair ties for securing the ends of braids, tying a bow over a plain rubber band, or stitching hair styles on your head (with a blunt needle).

Saving on Hobbies, Recreation and Entertainment

• If there are 2 or more of you, wait for the DVD release of a film instead of going to the theater, especially if you like to watch a film more than once. The purchase of 1 DVD is less than the cost of 2 movie tickets.
• Buy DVDs instead of renting. You may see fewer films in a year, but will have assets to reuse or resell.
• If you have a piano, consider learning to tune it yourself, which can save about $160 a year. The one-time purchase of a good tuning kit and manual is about $110. Tools could be had for less, but good tools will better prevent damage. Refer to: Tuning Your Own Piano: A Skill With Many Unexpected Benefits
• Use the library to borrow books, audiobooks and music and rent movies for $1-$2 a week. See The Library Card: Your Other “Rewards Credit Card” for more ways your library can save you money.
• Buy a small potted Christmas tree instead of a large “dead” one. When Christmas is over, plant it in your yard to increase your property value or keep it for next year.
• If you need paper for crafts and projects, request paper at the grocery store checkout. We used to use paper bags for testing clothing sewing patterns. Horse feed bags are great for patterns, too.
• Use reading as a frugal leisure activity that will improve your writing, grammar, and vocabulary which is advantages in all walks of life. The Frugal Literate’s Guide to Affordable Reading.
• Stop paying for classes, lessons, and activities if you or your children do not attend, practice, or enjoy them enough. A break might revive motivation or provide a chance to discover new interests and talents.

Saving on Shopping

• Shop online whenever possible and take advantage of free and low shipping costs to save gas and time.
• When shopping, always check unit prices. Don’t be deceived by packaging size.
• Don’t buy junk food if you’ll regret it eating it.
• Use cash back rewards credit cards wherever and whenever you can.
• Try to limit purchases to things of lasting value such as books, classic literature, reference books, classical music, conservative fashions and acoustic instruments instead of electric.
• Purchase furniture made of real wood and not laminate or particle board. If items contain particle board, at least make sure the framing is constructed of solid wood. Particle boards will bow, causing shelves to collapse, and swell and become permanently damaged when wet.
• Choose latex and rubber toys for your dogs. They outlast plush toys by several years and are more sanitary.

Saving on Miscellaneous

• Use online postage printing and carrier pickup for mailing packages.
• Turn of wrist watches when not wearing them to save the battery.
• Pick up all loose change.
• Use open source software.
• Resist pressure from peers and solicitors to donate to causes you do not feel strongly for or cannot afford.
• Close your bank account and open a credit union account with higher dividends, no minimum balance, unlimited free teller visits and checks, and fee-free accounts. Why Credit Unions Instead of Banks
• Choose credit cards with no annual fees. You could be spending or earning interest on that money.

Saving on Transportation

• Walk wherever and whenever you can.
• Consolidate errands.
• Plan your route to avoid left turns when driving.
• When driving, take your foot off the gas when anticipating a stop ahead.
• Park in the first vacant space you find.
• Plan downhill routes to and from your destinations.

Hurrah! We made it!

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When we brought Sophie home, we gave her a baby-wipe bath (she couldn’t have a real bath as she had recently been spayed) because she was so dirty from being at the animal shelter. As soon as we finished cleaning her up, she began sneezing. A couple of days later, after being licked about the mouth and face by Sophie, Wolfgang started showing symptoms of illness – low energy and clingy (our dogs tend to stick close to us and lean their heads on our shoulders or legs when they’re not feeling well), and a day after that he got a fever and stuffy nose.

In all the years we’ve had dogs and cats, we have never had one catch a cold before (we had a horse that did). We did some searching on the internet about dogs getting colds. Many people are of the opinion that dogs don’t get colds like humans do, but it turns out they do, and small dogs especially are prone to cold and easily fall ill and sometimes die from it.

Madoline made a sweatshirt for Sophie to help keep her warm and we kept her in her crate to keep from getting Ludwig sick, too. Her cold didn’t seem too bad; she slept a lot, sometimes sneezed, but didn’t seem to have congestion problems. Wolfgang, however, couldn’t sleep the night his nasal congestion began because he couldn’t breath through his nose. When awake, he panted through his mouth. Every time he put his head down to try to sleep, he couldn’t breathe again. Madoline stayed up with him all night, and first thing the next morning we took them to the vet.

While Sophie didn’t seem to be doing badly, we thought it would be best to have her checked out just in case she had brought something more serious from the animal shelter. Because Ludwig was still fine, we just had Sophie and Wolfgang examined. The diagnosis was an upper respiratory infection and were prescribed antibiotics. The trip to the vet, a 80-mile roundtrip, ended up costing $140 for 2 examinations and antibiotics, and about $40 in mileage.

We continued to try to keep Ludwig away from Wolfgang and Sophia, but the day after going to the vet, he started sneezing. And the day after that, he developed a fever and nasal congestion as well. But being more physically adaptable, he was able to breathe through his mouth while sleeping, and we decided not to take him to the vet. We try to avoid using antibiotics (for ourselves as well as our pets) as much as possible because while it is effective, it can have negative effects. We decided that as long as Ludwig could sleep, and as long as the cold didn’t get too serious, we would try to just let him get over it naturally.

All three dogs are fine now. Sophie, the instigator of all this trouble, seemed to have it the easiest, perhaps because of her small size. Poor Ludwig and Wolfgang are still walking around with drippy noses and snoring when they sleep.

Have you ever had a dog with nasal congestion? Well, it is messy. They sneeze just as humans do, but they can’t blow their noses. We can only try to wipe their noses for them, and wipe the … snot … off the floor, and our arms, and whatever else happens to be in front of them when they sneeze.

So, a little advice – Prevention is the Best Medicine (and Cheapest Cure):

• If you ever get a small dog, get him/her a few sweatshirts, even in the summer, because the air conditioning can make them cold. (Sophie sneezes whenever the A/C comes on, and we live in the desert where it’s 104 degrees outside and 82-83 in the house.) Even some long-haired toy dogs get cold.
• If you have more than one dog and one catches a cold, separate it from the others immediately. Try to limit activity and let him/her sleep as much as possible. And have the mop and Kleenex on standby.

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A few months ago, we put a link on our blog for Dogs in Danger, a website featuring shelter dogs who are due to be euthanized if they do not find a home very soon. We had hoped placing the link would result in some adoptions of needy dogs. Well . . . . good news! It worked! Although we didn’t end up with one of the dogs on this website (the suitable ones being too far away), looking at all the pictures and descriptions of poor homeless dogs made us finally decide to adopt. After all, an adoption would benefit all parties. It would provide a home and family for the dog while making our business more efficient and hopefully more lucrative.

Another reason for adopting at this time is that foreclosures are causing many owners to give up their pets. By taking a dog out of a shelter, we could make room for another, reducing the euthanasia statistics by one. When the digit 1 represents a life, it’s not such a small number after all.

We began searching online for dogs at local shelters who might be a clothes model, pet, and little sibling for Luwie and Wolfie. There were so many cute ones that we were actually tempted to take two . . . or even three. But finances being a consideration, we had to be practical and choose only one.

There was a dog at the Lancaster Animal Shelter who instantly caught our eye. She was listed as a chihuahua, though we think she is half Italian greyhound or whippet. The poor little dog had actually been recently adopted and returned with the complaint that she was too big for a chihuahua and was very nervous and unhappy to be back at the shelter. Not only was she physically perfect for the job, having a neutral color and clean outline, but she was (and is) incredibly sweet and submissive, and went limp like a ragdoll when picked up.

With a payment of just $38.00, this little girl became our Sophia (pronounced “so-FYE-uh” in the 18th century way), Sophie for short. And we are glad to announce that everything worked out happily. We are fond of Sophia, who is our first toy dog, and she seems quite satisfied with us. Wolfgang is delighted to have a new friend and Ludwig is beginning to get curious about her after raising his eyebrows (he really does) and saying “What’s this?” for 24 hours.

Sophia has started a new life as a little princess with a big wardrobe and has reached the happy ending of the doggy fairy tale which is a “forever home.” Of course, we couldn’t wait to dress her up and already made her two new outfits. Isn’t she lovely?

* * * * * * * * *

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With the charms of summer also come not-so-charming and unwelcome visitors. With consistent 100+ degree weather in the desert we call home, 6- and 8-legged visitors (or really more like trespassers) are almost a regular part of life. But we have discovered a few safe and relative effective ways to keep the trespasser traffic under control without endangering our health or that of our children/pets Ludwig and Wolfgang.

Ways to Safely Repel and Kill Ants

Ants are the largest problem for us. In this desert, there are more types of ants than we have seen anywhere else we’ve lived – there are tiny red ants, medium ants, and jumbo ants (luckily the jumbo ones don’t see fit to come inside).

Prevention is the Best Medicine

The most basic, safest and easiest way to keep the ant traffic down is simply keeping the kitchen as clean as possible.

• Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink.
• Wash pots and pans immediately if you cook anything with meat or a lot of oil.
• Wipe the counters several times a day with soap. A minuscule crumb or little drop of something sweet can quickly bring a hoard of ants.
• Take out the kitchen trash everyday. Take out trash immediately if it contains meat, bones, greasy paper towels and napkins, meat packaging and sweet things.
• Avoid eating in bedrooms, and be careful of dropping crumbs in other rooms of the house.
• I’ve also found that having the air conditioner on helps.

Creepy Fact: When you dispatch an ant on duty, you are in fact killing a “she” and not an “it” (or “he”). Worker ants are all female. The males are only used for breeding.

Ways to Safely Kill Ants

Sometimes keeping clean doesn’t keep them away completely (scouts sometimes explore squeaky clean counters), or if you miss a crumb or two. If you have children or pets as we do, the fewer poisons you use around the house the better. Even if you don’t have children or pets, it is best to avoid using toxins as they will affect your health.

• Vinegar
  Vinegar is our preferred ant killer. It kills small ants almost immediately and is completely safe. Simply spray the ants and wipe them away.
• Yeast and Sugar
  Mix some dry yeast and sugar and leave it out in a place ants frequent. The sugar will attract the ants to the yeast, which once brought back to the nest and consumed, will expand in their bellies and kill them. This method might cease to work after a few times as the ants might wise up and avoid the yeast. Caution: Make sure the yeast is in a location that can’t be reached by your pet(s). It’s not poisonous, but ingestion can be dangerous.
• EcoSmart
  I recently discovered a natural and effective insecticide called EcoSmart, which is made of organic vanilla, cinnamon and rosemary oils. It kills ants and other insects on contact and smells nice while at it. It is also affordable at $3.87 per can at Walmart. This is the only commercial insect repellent and killer we use in our house.

Keep reading for tips on repelling and killing other insects (spiders, roaches, silverfish, etc.)

To Repel and Kill Other Insects (Spiders, Roaches, Silverfish, etc.)

Our main non-ant pest here is the black widow spider, which flourishes during the warm months. When we moved into our house in 2005, we were ecstatic to find that there were no roaches here. However, since then, many new houses have sprung up in the area and people moving in seem to have brought more than their kids and furniture with them. Starting late spring of this year, we have begun to see the first signs of cockroaches in the yard. Argh!

Really Creepy Fact: After a single mating the female cockroach may continue to produce multiple egg capsules for many months. The male cockroach may give the female an edible gift as part of courtship.

To prevent insects from frequenting or nesting in your home:

• Keep clutter down. Insects like hiding in boxes and among paper.
• Keep your yard free of dead leaves under which they can hide.
• Keep all food sealed tightly.
• Keeping humidity level down by having your air-conditioner on can help reduce cockroach population as they like humidity.

Ways to help repel insects:

• To keep them out of the house
  Spray EcoSmart (or your preferred repellent) around doorways, windows, and any other points of entry.
• To Keep them out of cabinets, drawers and closets
  • Remove the contents of your cabinet, drawers, etc. and spray EcoSmart into the storage space. Let it air-dry for a few hours and put contents back in the drawer when dry. There may be a little oiliness so be careful with delicate things.
  • Pouches filled with dried lavender flowers or cedar shaving (you can pick up a large pack in the pet section at Walmart fo $3.00) in your drawers can help keep insect population down. We like to use cotton, polyester, linen, and burlap fabrics, and you can get creative with your cedar pouches to make them look nice in your closets. For extra protection, you could spray the pouches with EcoSmart or some other safe repellent before putting in in your drawer. We also put a few pouches inside the bottom of our piano to discourage insects from nesting.

Creepy Fact: The average spider has eight eyes.

A few ways to safely kill insects:

• Vinegar
  Keep a spray bottle of vinegar handy. Not only is it a good safe cleaning agent but, it is also very effective for killing small to medium-sized insects.
• Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol
  Rubbing alcohol (also kept in a spray bottle) is surprisingly effective on small to medium-sized bugs and spiders. We have not tried this on roaches though.
• Cleaning Agents
  For larger insects, spraying them with cleaning agents such as 409 and Lysol can kill them. While cleaning agents aren’t always the most eco-friendly things, I still prefer them over outright poisons such as Raid. My favorite is the 409 Multi-purpose Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner, which we use for everything including floors, because I figure if it is designed for kitchen use, it should be a little safer than those not designed for kitchens. Be sure to completely wipe the area clean after to prevent children and pets from getting any on them.
• EcoSmart
  When the above don’t work quickly enough and that giant spider looks like it’s getting away, I pull out the EcoSmart, which does the job straight away. As with the cleaning agent, clean it up when you are done. It is child and pet safe, but because it is made of vanilla, rosemary and cinnamon oils, it is oily and you don’t want your child or pet getting it in their eyes.

You might ask “Why not just bust out the EcoSmart on every creepy-crawler I see?” The vinegar and rubbing alcohol come much cheaper than cleaning agents and EcoSmart, with distilled white vinegar at just $2.50 a gallon at our local supermarket. Rubbing alcohol is a little more expensive at $2.29 per quart at our supermarket, so that is my second choice. Also, they are the safest and most natural alternatives.

Creepy Fact: Houseflies can only ingest liquids. To eat solid foods, they first spit out saliva to predigest the food before sucking it in.

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Merriam-Webster defines the word “vacation” as “a respite or a time of respite from something”. Well, if that “something” from which one is taking a respite is “peace and quiet” then I would have to agree with the definer. Otherwise, gathering from my 2 recent “vacations” (one to Disneyland, one [working] vacation to Las Vegas from which I have just returned), vacation seems more like a respite from peace and quite to me.

Anyhow, I thought I would put together a pre-vacation checklist to help all you other poor vacationers prepare for your vacations, because if there is one thing I have learned, vacations are costly – and I am not just talking about transportation, lodging and amusements, but all the little everyday necessities – and the only way to travel frugally is to travel prepared. Also, the better prepared you are, the better the time you will have on your vacation; knowing that everything back home is taken care of and that you are prepared for most common travel mishaps will allow you to enjoy yourself to the utmost.

And yes, I am the extremest of Type A personalities, but admit it, sometimes it is handy to have someone who has the bases covered. You’ll certainly be glad to have one of us along when the unexpected happens because we’ve planned and prepared for it (or at least have given some thought to it beforehand so as not to be caught by surprise). This isn’t a list of what to pack (toothbrush, underwear, etc.) but rather more of a pre-departure to-do list to help prepare for your trip. I’m not saying you need to do everything suggested, but hopefully a few items will prove helpful or relevant to your circumstances.

Prevention is the best medicine

Just because you are on vacation, it doesn’t mean everyone else is. This goes for utility companies, burglars and your own plumbing and wiring. When you come home from vacation, you want to make sure you still have an intact home to come home to, and aren’t met with a mountain of additional expenses. Therefore before you leave, you might want to try some of the following:

(These checkboxes are check-able, so feel free to come back and use it.)

Home and Business

Travel Arrangements

Better to be Safe than Sorry

You never know what can happen on the road, and when it comes to health and safety, it is infinitely better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. Therefore,

Well, this may not have covered all the bases, as everyone has different situations, but hopefully this list proved helpful in some ways. Bon Voyage!

If you’re traveling with your pet, check out my next post, Guide to Safe and Smart Traveling with Pets,

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