As Down Economy Sets In, Some are Embracing the Simple Life

[Helena]

Is frugal the new black?

As down economy sets in, some are embracing the simple life


Is frugal the new black? - Retail - MSNBC.com



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[Notmuchlonger]

I have faith in my fellow Americans. That when the economy picks back they will go back to their wonderful spending ways. Someone has to keep working to support social programs

[CitricAcid]

It's talked about like it's an infectious disease or something like that... but perhaps the people on this board are a dying breed if this is truly newsworthy.

[UncleHoney]

I saw this article yesterday. It's in my neck of the woods.

My grandmother used to line dry everything before the days of fabric softener, the sheets were especially abrasive.

The Columbus Dispatch : Clotheslines make comeback

[OAG]

I live in the area (Dublin, OH) and although my Condo Association prohibits them I personally would welcome Ohio passing a law making it optional for "individuals" to have them like they did on the American flag. Currently, we actually have a clothes line in the garage that we do put to good use but still use the dryer for most clothing.

There are so many things that would save energy if people would just think about it; some can just be done others would require action by our "sleeping" so called "leaders" to get something done. As they say "they talk the talk but they do not walk the walk".

[Jessica08]

I don't know if I would go to the length of drying all of my clothing on lines, but I have been shopping online a lot more recently to find good deals. Sites like amazon and ebay are great ways to find things I want cheaper.

[Nords]

I wonder how "sticky" the changes will be.

Oahu is seeing a huge surge in bus riders, to the point where people can't get seats and the company is having to lay on extra buses on the commuter routes. Others are actually chartering tour buses (plenty of them around here) to drive their own routes/times.

Goodwill is certainly getting crowded. All the good stuff is gone before we get there.

But I think that as soon as people get used to $5/gallon gas they'll go back to their vehicles... and shopping closer to a Starbucks.

[Khan]

Thirty years ago, I bought a house in this blue collar neighborhood because there were clothes lines, gardens, and dandelions.

I've never owned a dryer.

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khan Thirty years ago, I bought a house in this blue collar neighborhood because there were clothes lines, gardens, and dandelions. I've never owned a dryer.

These are the best things about steering clear of McMansions and subdivisions.

[ProspectiveBum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khan Thirty years ago, I bought a house in this blue collar neighborhood because there were clothes lines, gardens, and dandelions. I've never owned a dryer.

My grandmother and MIL both have dryers, but use the clothesline unless it's raining. They both live in temperate California, though. Do you go to a coin-op laundry when it's cold/raining/snowing?

I'm going to go home tonight and give my gas dryer a big kiss. "Don't worry, little dryer, Daddy is far too lazy to ever abandon you in favor of air drying".

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProspectiveBum My grandmother and MIL both have dryers, but use the clothesline unless it's raining. They both live in temperate California, though. Do you go to a coin-op laundry when it's cold/raining/snowing? I'm going to go home tonight and give my gas dryer a big kiss. "Don't worry, little dryer, Daddy is far too lazy to ever abandon you in favor of air drying".

If weather is bad, I hang laundry inside (one person three bedrooms).

On the few occasions when I do use the laundromat, I never use the dryers, as they are contaminated with the smelly greasy softener sheets.

[al_bundy]

i have a metal railing in my place that i use to dry a lot of clothes. mostly jeans and some shirts. the cheapo house t-shirts go in the dryer. my $150 jeans along with Armani shirts get hung dried.

don't really care about the savings, but it makes the life of the clothing a lot longer. i have 5 year old jeans that are only now becoming worn. doesn't really do anything for Banana Republic which are the worst quality pieces of junk i've ever seen. i have wal mart clothes that are much better in quality.

[FIREdreamer]

Well people used to think we were cheapskates, are we now avant-garde? Instead of mocking it, will people finally embrace our way of life? I have my doubts...

We use the dryer only for cheap clothes. The rest gets air dried. White sheets are also air dried. They seem to stay whiter and last longer that way.

[Bestwifeever]

Nothing beats sleeping on sheets that were dried outside on a clothesline hours before--and think of the money we're all saving on dryer sheets!

This winter I might hang clotheslines in the basement (a little chilly in Chicago to hang clothes outside!). DH and I generate only two loads of laundry a week so it wouldn't be a huge savings but hey, every little bit helps.

[Marquette]

Darn it, I hate being trendy...

[harley]

Our HOA doesn't allow clothes lines, so we put a little rack that my DW found out on the deck and use that. Nobody can easily see it because of the rails on the deck. We're such rebels

We just use it for certain things, clothes, towels, like that. I wish we could do sheets out there.

At the same time that articles about frugality are appearing, Wal-mart is closing their fabric departments. DW loves to sew, but it's getting really hard to find places that sell material, at least where we live. I guess selling someone the materials to make their own clothes conflicts with selling already made clothes. Oh well.

Harley

[thaidyed]

While I'm all for the environmental bonus--how much does line drying actually save a typical family? I'm guessing a gas dryer is much better than electric but even with an "expensive" dryer, how much money are we really talking?
My family always tubled dried a bit but tried to not overdue it--in order to keep clothes nicer for longer and avoid lots of ironing!

[tangomonster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thaidyed While I'm all for the environmental bonus--how much does line drying actually save a typical family? I'm guessing a gas dryer is much better than electric but even with an "expensive" dryer, how much money are we really talking? My family always tubled dried a bit but tried to not overdue it--in order to keep clothes nicer for longer and avoid lots of ironing!

Thai, here is an article that discusses how much it costs to run a dryer (electric vs. gas):

Saving on clothes dryer costs, and gas vs. electric dryers

So it looks like the cost per load is 39 cents for electric and 30 for gas. At an average of 8 loads a week, it seems like it would cost a little over $100 for gas and $150 for electric.

The article discusses other ways to save money on clothes drying as well, including run around the house naked to have less clothes to wash!

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thaidyed While I'm all for the environmental bonus--how much does line drying actually save a typical family? I'm guessing a gas dryer is much better than electric but even with an "expensive" dryer, how much money are we really talking? My family always tubled dried a bit but tried to not overdue it--in order to keep clothes nicer for longer and avoid lots of ironing!

I've never had a clothes dryer and don't like them.

The dryers at the laundromat are contaminated with smelly greasy dryer sheets.

You iron? Or is that woman's work?

[W2R]

I use a gas dryer, although I line-dried for years when I was younger. Line-dried clothes smell great, but some items like blue jeans feel a little harsh and stiff after line drying (in my opinion, only!).
The gas for the dryer doesn't seem to cost much, though it isn't free. I guess it's a matter of personal preference.

When I retire, if I decide to tighten the belt some years I could always go back to line drying. I suspect that I will not have the need to be that frugal, but you never know.