"The fine line between frugal and inappropriate"

[mickeyd]

"sandwich dancing"

Is that sorta like a threesome?

 

[Nords]

Is that sorta like a threesome?

I think it depends upon how many feet stay on the floor...

Well, we're over 50 posts into a frugal thread and we haven't even talked about the broken glass in the peanut butter yet, so [rimshot] here it is:
Early Retirement & Financial Independence Community - View Single Post - Confused and scared

And, what the heck, another one from the golden-oldies bin:
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/frugality-hall-of-fame-31133.html#post574903

 

[CuppaJoe]

Ran out of tin foil the other day and washed a large piece of it with soap, for cooking not for my hat; it seemed unsanitary. I found another roll on the bottom shelf and it's on the shopping list; don't want to re-use it again, not even for a hat.

 

[easysurfer]

Seems like that sandwich bag issue has surfaced here before. I've done that more than once. I do not feel that it was inappropriate. Not even sure that I washed it.

Very well could be true. But I know if I resused a sandwich that had sandwich meat in it, my mind would start to worry ... did I clean it enough? Does it taste right? etc. etc. etc.

 

[Kroeran]

Ran out of tin foil the other day and washed a large piece of it with soap, for cooking not for my hat; it seemed unsanitary. I found another roll on the bottom shelf and it's on the shopping list; don't want to re-use it again, not even for a hat.

I don't trust dollar stores for everything, but tin foil for us is definitely a dollar store item...which probably puts a foot of tin foil down around a couple of cents per use

I suppose there would be no harm in recycling foil for covering an item in the oven, as it gets "disinfected" each use

might be greener to cut a piece of light aluminum and tent it a bit for this dedicated purpose - is there a product idea there?

obviously, the tin foil for use in covering the brain during CIA transmission peaks should be replaced at least once a month

 

[FUEGO]

Well, we're over 50 posts into a frugal thread and we haven't even talked about the broken glass in the peanut butter yet, so [rimshot] here it is:
Early Retirement & Financial Independence Community - View Single Post - Confused and scared

But Nords, "There was probably a whole dollar's worth of peanut butter in that container". Need I say more?

 

[DangerMouse]

Add me to those who would not reuse a sandwich bag, then again I don't normally use sandwich bags for sandwiches. More likely after I open my cheese I wrap it in glad wrap then put it inside the sandwich bag. I always worry about bacteria breeding in those little baggies.

 

[Kroeran]

 

[CuppaJoe]

....

obviously, the tin foil for use in covering the brain during CIA transmission peaks should be replaced at least once a month

This forum is a wealth of information; I didn't find that in a quick Google search. I'm not making hats yet but in case anyone asks I'll cite you as an authority.

 

[Kroeran]

very funny

no, you shave your head then line your toupee with the tin foil

 

[Khan]

Add me to those who would not reuse a sandwich bag, then again I don't normally use sandwich bags for sandwiches. More likely after I open my cheese I wrap it in glad wrap then put it inside the sandwich bag. I always worry about bacteria breeding in those little baggies.

I throw sandwich bags in with the laundry.

 

[aaronc879]

I re-use sandwich bags all the time. Doesn't everybody?

I do. I usually use the same bag for a weeks worth of sandwiches at w*rk. I don't wash them out either.

 

[Kroeran]

strengthens the immune system.

hell, my dog eats his own turds, and is in better shape than I am.

 

[free4now]

I enjoyed the following article, although the author seems a bit towards the cheap end of the spectrum, implying that he never paid for his wife's meals while dating, and that she teases him about it:

How to Afford Anything

One provocative statement that he makes is:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It is fraudulent to buy something with the intent to return it when you are finished using it[/FONT]

I am guessing he meant unethical rather than fraudulent, but I'd be curious to hear if there are actual laws that I don't know about.

I've recently had a little ethical dilemna involving returns. I had a choice between buying an expensive scanner from Amazon or Costco. Costco cost about 10% more out the door, but they have an amazing return policy where you can return at any time for any reason, and the paper-feeders on scanners like this tend to break over time. So I was considering buying from Costco and using their return policy as an extended warranty, just returning it if it breaks before say a 10 year reasonable lifetime.

In the end I decided that this use of the Costco return policy was ethical, but I decided to buy at amazon because I didn't think the extended warranty was worth 10%.

However, another use of the Costco return policy is as a guard against obsolescence; if in 10 years this scanner is no longer compatible with my operating system, I could return it for a full refund and buy the current model. At the time I decided this wasn't an ethical use, but I'm still not sure. From what I've learned Costco puts the burden for return costs on their manufacturers, so I needn't be concerned about my actions affecting Costco or their customers directly. In the end my return would lower the profitability of a corporation which had made the judgement that it was in their financial interests to accept such returns.

I am realizing more and more that I don't owe corporations any kindness of decency in the way that I do owe other human beings. Corporations are ruthless in squeezing consumers in whatever legal (or even illegal) ways they can, so I don't feel any obligation to do them favors. Actually the more I think about this the more I think I should have bought from Costco, and just return the thing in 10 years when it's no longer supported on current operating systems. The only thing that keeps me from doing that is that it's so close to my ethical boundaries that the ethical struggle ends up being a high frictional cost to such transactions.

 

[free4now]

Normally I ride the bus and buy a transfer pass that's technically good for 1.5 hours. But in practice the convention is that it's okay to use the transfer much longer than that, and I often bend the rules using it for 3 or 4 hour round trips. The bus drivers never bat an eye; it's just the way things are done here.

But I recently started using the electronic toll cards, and they charge you twice for the 3 hour trips that I could previously just buy one transfer for, because there's no human involved.

I think this a case where I might just suck it up and pay the extra fares just for the convenience of not having to worry about the ethics. But maybe I'll pay cash for a transfer now and then, when I'm feeling cheap or naughty

 

[calmloki]

The FatWalleteer crowd argued the cunning anti-Costco plan of constantly upgrading computers and flat screen tvs from Costco - just return once/year and upgrade. My opinion is that that is a rude plan. One retailer I really enjoy doing business with and the plan is to take advantage and make their return program too expensive to maintain? yuck. I note that maybe 6-12 months after I read the FatWallet discussion Costco put a 6 month return policy on computers and some other big ticket electronics. Not saying they were causal, but an interesting correlation.

Not all things not prohibited should be done.

Disclosure: we own a little Costco stock - but even before we did i was returning carts to the store from the lot and picking up the odd bit of trash at times. Costco is a great example of what retail could be.

 

[haha]

Normally I ride the bus and buy a transfer pass that's technically good for 1.5 hours. But in practice the convention is that it's okay to use the transfer much longer than that, and I often bend the rules using it for 3 or 4 hour round trips. The bus drivers never bat an eye; it's just the way things are done here.

But I recently started using the electronic toll cards, and they charge you twice for the 3 hour trips that I could previously just buy one transfer for, because there's no human involved.

The way I see it, if I pay my fare once a day that is much more often than many riders. I look harmless, so I have even had drivers make me produce my senior card when I am well past senior status.

Less phyisically or politically harmless looking people often can walk on and off without even a glance at the driver. Pay fare? Me? Hahaha! And the other riders are glad of the driver's discretion, as they do not want to become collateral damage.

So while I have a loaded card, I usually only use it for ID and take the 2 for one special for paper transfers.

I have never bought something at retail and returned it used, unless it was defective.

Ha

 

[Westernskies]

I do. I usually use the same bag for a weeks worth of sandwiches at w*rk. I don't wash them out either.

Ah, growing your own penicillin- the ultimate LBYM tip.

 

[beowulf]

I'm not sure that you can return something purchased at Costco after 1 year, let alone 10. They are very reasonable on returns - best policy in town - but I don't think it goes that far. We bought a Keurig coffee maker and it croaked after a month - luckily we still had the box and brought it back for a full refund - they said they were getting a lot of them back. After a certain amount of time though (not sure what it is), they probably refer you to use the manufacturer's warranty. And what about after that expires? I can't believe they would take back an analog TV you bought in 2000 just because it's obsolete. Anyone try that??

 

[FUEGO]

Along the lines of returning stuff a long time after you bought it, I have returned a bunch of old crap I bought for home remodels/projects to Home Depot or Lowes. You know, you buy 3 tubes of caulk and only need 2. You buy 4 boxes of nails and only need 3. 10 squares of shingles and only used 9. 3 rolls of painters tape and only used 2. etc. I imagine some of the things I return have been sitting in my shed for 1-2 years. They give me store credit. All completely unused stuff of course. Occasionally they say they can't find something in their system. I say "oh must have got it at the Other big box hardware store next door".

I have only done this a couple times, lest you think I have crossed the line from frugal to inappropriate.

 

[calmloki]

Assuming the caulk hasn't hardened in the tube I see nothing wrong with that and have done the same. Unused. My niece buys garments, wears them, and returns them - the store is her giant annex closet full of clean clothes. Not cool. If I have to repair a shower or something and there are an assortment of possible repair kits at the store I sometimes buy the most likely needed group and return the unused kits when I'm there next. More efficient and faster than running back and forth to the store or leaving the water shut off while I take the bad parts with me to the store to get just the right kit.

Ah! I see a pattern. If i do the return it's ok, if others do it's not!

 

[Westernskies]

I enjoyed the following article, although the author seems a bit towards the cheap end of the spectrum, implying that he never paid for his wife's meals while dating, and that she teases him about it:

How to Afford Anything

One provocative statement that he makes is:

I am guessing he meant unethical rather than fraudulent, but I'd be curious to hear if there are actual laws that I don't know about.

I've recently had a little ethical dilemna involving returns. I had a choice between buying an expensive scanner from Amazon or Costco. Costco cost about 10% more out the door, but they have an amazing return policy where you can return at any time for any reason, and the paper-feeders on scanners like this tend to break over time. So I was considering buying from Costco and using their return policy as an extended warranty, just returning it if it breaks before say a 10 year reasonable lifetime.

In the end I decided that this use of the Costco return policy was ethical, but I decided to buy at amazon because I didn't think the extended warranty was worth 10%.

However, another use of the Costco return policy is as a guard against obsolescence; if in 10 years this scanner is no longer compatible with my operating system, I could return it for a full refund and buy the current model. At the time I decided this wasn't an ethical use, but I'm still not sure. From what I've learned Costco puts the burden for return costs on their manufacturers, so I needn't be concerned about my actions affecting Costco or their customers directly. In the end my return would lower the profitability of a corporation which had made the judgement that it was in their financial interests to accept such returns.

I am realizing more and more that I don't owe corporations any kindness of decency in the way that I do owe other human beings. Corporations are ruthless in squeezing consumers in whatever legal (or even illegal) ways they can, so I don't feel any obligation to do them favors. Actually the more I think about this the more I think I should have bought from Costco, and just return the thing in 10 years when it's no longer supported on current operating systems. The only thing that keeps me from doing that is that it's so close to my ethical boundaries that the ethical struggle ends up being a high frictional cost to such transactions.

Any decision that requires this much agonizing over ethical behavior isn't...

Sounds like you are advocating "victimless crime" - it's "only" a corporation taking the loss... If you don't support a company's policies or businesss model, don't patronize them, but actively scheming to defraud them down the road is highly immoral, even if not illegal. Imposing your own unethical business practices on what you consider their unethical business practices is somewhat ironic, don't you think?. I have never quite figured out the "evil corporation" mindset, btw. You don't have to do business with a company you don't respect, but you do have to look at yourself in the mirror- maybe why you are having "frictional" issues with this?

But, maybe that's just me.

 

[FUEGO]

Assuming the caulk hasn't hardened in the tube I see nothing wrong with that and have done the same. Unused. My niece buys garments, wears them, and returns them - the store is her giant annex closet full of clean clothes. Not cool. If I have to repair a shower or something and there are an assortment of possible repair kits at the store I sometimes buy the most likely needed group and return the unused kits when I'm there next. More efficient and faster than running back and forth to the store or leaving the water shut off while I take the bad parts with me to the store to get just the right kit.

Ah! I see a pattern. If i do the return it's ok, if others do it's not!

I'll just find a bunch of unused stuff sitting around the shed, and throw it in a lowe's bag and take it back to the store on my next trip. I don't imagine the caulk would be hardened since it was unopened. I guess if it was something with a short shelf life or "perishable" I would likely toss it.

 

[CuppaJoe]

....

But I recently started using the electronic toll cards, and they charge you twice for the 3 hour trips that I could previously just buy one transfer for, because there's no human involved.

....

This is shocking!! Especially since I believe you are within a few miles of a major tech center! You mean they haven't programmed those cards to allow a 90-minute ride including transfers? This is particularly outrageous in a city whose mayor thinks that transit should be free.

Edit: nm, I think I misunderstood you.

 

[W2R]

Normally I ride the bus and buy a transfer pass that's technically good for 1.5 hours. But in practice the convention is that it's okay to use the transfer much longer than that, and I often bend the rules using it for 3 or 4 hour round trips. The bus drivers never bat an eye; it's just the way things are done here.

Whoa, I'm sure glad I don't live where you live if cheating the bus company out of a fare that you KNOW is legitimate, is "just the way things are done here".

Consider paying anyway, if you value your opinion of yourself more than the cost of a bus ride. It's a good thing to do from a spiritual point of view. If you don't value yourself more than that, nobody else will either.