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Re: The art of frugality
Old 04-23-2007, 03:55 PM   #41
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Re: The art of frugality

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Nords, that computer hutch/desk unit looks perfect, may I ask where you got it?
Craigslist, so it came already assembled, $100!

I think it's a Sauder MDF/laminate product. The hutch is an integral part of the desk (pegged to it) instead of an add-on. This looks very similar in shape & size: http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=313651

If you have the time and don't mind the driving around to look, though, Craigslist's "Furniture" category (only posts with pictures) is a much better bargain.
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Re: The art of frugality
Old 04-23-2007, 04:12 PM   #42
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Re: The art of frugality

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Originally Posted by rw86347

I would eat a freshly hit dear.
Actually, my sister and BIL that live in Oregon do!!!

He worked for the county or state or something... but was on the road crew that got the calls when deer were hit... some had to be 'finished' as the car did not..

It was (and still might be) against the law to take what you hit... so the road crews would take them if they wanted or give to charity...
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Re: The art of frugality
Old 04-23-2007, 04:20 PM   #43
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Re: The art of frugality

My wife and I were thinking of going to Italy for 2 weeks. We decided to go for a walk around the block instead. Saved $15,000!
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Re: The art of frugality
Old 04-23-2007, 04:30 PM   #44
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Re: The art of frugality

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Originally Posted by Cut-Throat
My wife and I were thinking of going to Italy for 2 weeks. We decided to go for a walk around the block instead. Saved $15,000!
Hmmm ... Two week of walking around the block. ... you mean the walls didn't come crashing down after 7 days.
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Old 04-26-2008, 10:24 PM   #45
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Pretty much all my furniture throughout my house came from garage sale/thrift store/thrown away. It is absolutely incredible some of the things people throw out. I truly enjoy doing this. The last Tuesday of every month is bulk trash day so on the night before I take out my car and go digging for gold......my husb knows that on those nights he can't do or go anywhere as it is my night out with my neighbor's trash cans....and he stays home watching the kids.
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Old 04-26-2008, 10:25 PM   #46
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My wife and I were thinking of going to Italy for 2 weeks. We decided to go for a walk around the block instead. Saved $15,000!
Good decision...after the 2nd or 3rd church, they all look the same anyway. I went to Italy last year and I don't care if I ever see another old church again in my life.
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Old 04-26-2008, 10:34 PM   #47
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I got a brand new Scandia Down comforter from the thrift store for $7.
My mom recently scored a set of EUC Hartmann luggage for $9. She also once found a restaurant quality professional all steel Vitamixer for $15.

but probably my best freebie was my non-need based college scholarship.
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Old 04-27-2008, 11:54 AM   #48
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but probably my best freebie was my non-need based college scholarship.
PS, so true! Ditto for me. I've had a couple of other deals come my way:

1. My parents bought me a 10-year-old Volvo sedan in 1992, as a gift. I drove that baby for 14 more years (they figured it would get me through school and into a first job, tops -- no way did they figure I'd get another 150,000 miles and 14 years out of it). Two years ago the state paid me $1000 to retire it. While it wasn't "free" to run, the initial cost was free.

2. Our local library sells donated books to earn money for more books. Last year I found a 1st edition John Steinbeck, in good condition, for 50 cents. Gave it to DH as a birthday gift. It's probably worth about $250.

3. Solid oak dining set from my grandma, and a 100% wool, 8x12 oriental rug. Use them daily and have for 10 years. Thanks, Grandma!
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Old 04-27-2008, 12:45 PM   #49
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[quote=Urchina;649726]PS, so true! Ditto for me. I've had a couple of other deals come my way:

1. My parents bought me a 10-year-old Volvo sedan in 1992, as a gift. I drove that baby for 14 more years (they figured it would get me through school and into a first job, tops -- no way did they figure I'd get another 150,000 miles and 14 years out of it). Two years ago the state paid me $1000 to retire it. While it wasn't "free" to run, the initial cost was free.

Why would the state pay you to retire your car?
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Old 04-27-2008, 01:07 PM   #50
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[quote=mn54;649743]
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Originally Posted by Urchina View Post
PS, so true! Ditto for me. I've had a couple of other deals come my way:

1. My parents bought me a 10-year-old Volvo sedan in 1992, as a gift. I drove that baby for 14 more years (they figured it would get me through school and into a first job, tops -- no way did they figure I'd get another 150,000 miles and 14 years out of it). Two years ago the state paid me $1000 to retire it. While it wasn't "free" to run, the initial cost was free.

Why would the state pay you to retire your car?
Probably pollution standards.
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Old 04-27-2008, 05:50 PM   #51
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Khan has it right. The car failed smog and was labeled a "gross polluter" (even though it was not a black-smoke belcher and it had never failed smog before). When exploring options to repair it, my mechanic told me that I'd be better off having the state (CA) pay me to retire it. He gave me the number to call. Two weeks and a drive to the wrecker's later, and I was down an old car and up a grand.

Come to think of it, that mechanic's advice is one of my best freebies, too.
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Old 04-27-2008, 07:13 PM   #52
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Khan has it right. The car failed smog and was labeled a "gross polluter" (even though it was not a black-smoke belcher and it had never failed smog before). When exploring options to repair it, my mechanic told me that I'd be better off having the state (CA) pay me to retire it. He gave me the number to call. Two weeks and a drive to the wrecker's later, and I was down an old car and up a grand.

Come to think of it, that mechanic's advice is one of my best freebies, too.
I understand the principle, but a grand seems pretty generous! Doesn't CA (or one of the utility companies) also have a bounty for "2nd refridgerators"? I think I recall a bounty on gas lawn mowers also? They even had a free exchange gas for electric here in the DC area, but it was basically a gimmick as they only had a couple hundred electric mowers to exchange.
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Old 04-28-2008, 05:46 AM   #53
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Old 04-28-2008, 08:11 AM   #54
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I did this with an old lawn mower. It became a game. How much could I get in the trash can without being caught. I actually really enjoyed it. I took that thing apart all the way to the engine block.


Bought a new washer and dryer last year. Trash company wanted a surcharge to haul the old ones away. The washer was still working so I took it to Habitat Restore. The dryer was a safety hazard so over the course of several weeks I cut it up with tin snips and with the help of a hammer and a large rock worked it right in to my trash can with the regular pick up.[/quote]
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Old 04-28-2008, 11:26 AM   #55
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I understand the principle, but a grand seems pretty generous! Doesn't CA (or one of the utility companies) also have a bounty for "2nd refridgerators"?
Jazz,

I agree, the $1K seemed like a killing to me, too, especially since the air quality in our area is pretty good (ocean breezes help a lot). Then I remembered a meeting I had in Pasadena four years ago. I was staying in a hotel three blocks from my meeting, and I walked there, and I had to stop three times to rest because I couldn't catch my breath. It turns out, I have asthma, but didn't know it until then (I was in good shape in my late 20s). At the end of the meeting I mentioned it to someone else and she said "yeah, the air is really bad today, you can't even see the mountains." I said, "What mountains?" She meant the San Gabriel Mountains. Pasadena is right up against them. I couldn't see them, and they were less than 5 miles away? That NUTS.

Given that, $1K seems like a bargain. The guy at the wrecker's said that he'd have given me $25.00, tops, for the car if I'd just driven it in.

As far as the refrigerators go, I know that our electric company will pay you $50 to upgrade your fridge to a new one if your old one is at least 10 years old. They'll do the same for a freezer. The new ones are so much more energy efficient, it's worth it to them.
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Old 04-28-2008, 07:06 PM   #56
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When the offices at work were to be painted we had to box everything up for moving all the files around. When the project was done I took most of the boxes home because I knew we were moving within a year. DW rolled her eyes but at about $3/box I figure I saved a grand or more in just boxes.

Also prior to the move I rented two storage bins near the destination and everything that I could physically carry and would fit in the pickup I moved myself to the bins, and retrieved them afterward. It took the movers about an hour to load what was left.

In prior moves I was known for dumpster diving behind department stores for boxes.

However, my favorite "cheapskate award" goes to the guy who retrieved a dozen roses from behind a Kmart and gave them to his wife. At least he was thinking of her.
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