Surprising Budget Ideas

[NW-Bound]

Those are some good lines. Can I get these via Amazon Prime?

Not the one I show. That takes extra freight.

 

[NW-Bound]

And just because one wears loincloth does not mean he cannot be stylish.

Well, I got to log off now to prepare to go to my medical appointment. I should be back later today, but if not, well, nice chatting with y'all.

 

[redduck]

Forever the pessimist, I had this image coming to mind when I first read the post.

Since this thread is about Surprising Budget Ideas, I think this photo clearly speaks to this thread. It looks like this good-looking fellow fashioned his very own loin cloth and probably saved a ton of money in doing so. I doubt none of us even thought of saving money this way--except for maybe daylatedollarshort .

If his guy is the entrepreneur he appears to be (I'm basing this on my uncanny intuition), perhaps he could rent out his loin cloth for those who are going on day-trips.

NW-B: good luck and best wishes regarding your medical goings-on.

 

[NW-Bound]

I am still here. My wife reminded me that the appointment is not till early afternoon.

Anyway the photos were linked off the Web. I did not notice the RV in the background till reading REW's post, but it appeared to be an interesting campground for sure. Probably the popular Quartzsite site.

And thanks for the well wish. It's going to be a minor outpatient surgery, and then I will be free.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

But congrats on getting your bill down! Like they say, a penny saved is more than a penny earned (due to taxes, deductions, etc). Just be careful that you aren't spending too much to chase some small savings.

-ERD50

Actually I think we pay a lot of attention to ROI. I don't grow my own my own food or make my own yogurt or do anything that takes a lot of ongoing effort. A lot of our energy savings just came from unplugging stuff or buying energy saving devices.

Plus some have uses beyond energy savings. LED bulbs are less toxic and last forever. We haven't had a single one burn out so far, unlike the toxic CFLs that burn out easily and have to go to Home Depot to be disposed of.

Solar lights mean pretty lights all over the backyard with no cords. It looks great for barbecues. The thermal cooker can be used for camping and emergencies.

We use the solar gear camping and in emergencies, so they serve a dual purpose. We had an extended power outage at night last year and our house had lots of lights inside and out that didn't need electricity to operate.

 

[mpeirce]

> Plus some have uses beyond energy savings. LED bulbs are less toxic and last forever

Some may, most may, but many won't last forever, or even very long.

LED bulbs aren't just LEDs, they also have some circuitry that converts the AC into the style of electrify that the LED themselves need (and does other stuff like handling dimming). This generates heat and in a poorly designed bulb this heat can cause all sorts of problems (ever wonder why some bulb have such elaborate heat sinks built into them?). Even the adhesives that attach the parts can go bad.

I have a couple of LED bulbs (different brands to see what works) and I've had one fail for me already.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

> Plus some have uses beyond energy savings. LED bulbs are less toxic and last forever

Some may, most may, but many won't last forever, or even very long.

LED bulbs aren't just LEDs, they also have some circuitry that converts the AC into the style of electrify that the LED themselves need (and does other stuff like handling dimming). This generates heat and in a poorly designed bulb this heat can cause all sorts of problems (ever wonder why some bulb have such elaborate heat sinks built into them?). Even the adhesives that attach the parts can go bad.

I have a couple of LED bulbs (different brands to see what works) and I've had one fail for me already.

I didn't mean forever in the literal sense. I just meant they last a long time. We have not had any burn out so far compared to the CFLs.

From USA Today -

"In addition to its growing affordability, part of LED's appeal is its extraordinarily long life expectancy. Cree offers a 10-year guarantee on its bulbs, and suggests life spans as long as 22 years are possible under certain conditions."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/11/06/reviewed-led-light-bulbs/3435227/

 

[Live And Learn]

You can do that because you live by yourself.

Did you forget that I'm a girl . Or were you talking to the person wearing a loincloth or nothing at all ?

Seriously - not all women are into decorating, shoes, and designer dresses. I wear black pant, black shorts, and inexpensive sundresses. Own two pairs of shoes and two pairs of sandals. Have no art on the wall. Hate shopping. And have bare walls except for the two craft items I made. I'd rather be biking, reading at the beach, walking through the park, or playing with my dog or my bird. I also hate to cook or clean so please don't think I'm the perfect woman

Thankfully DH doesn't hold the cooking and cleaning part against me too often !

 

[walkinwood]

How many kw do you use daily? The average U.S. I think is around 30, we have ours down to ~15, just by chipping away at the kw each month or so. I have not done much specifically with gas, because that was not a big expense for us.
....
We didn't insulate or get solar panels or do any one thing that reduced the bill dramatically. We just chip away at the kw and therms each month and each month our bill goes down a bit from the same month the year before.

Thank You!! for the very detailed breakdown. That's why I spend so much of my time on this forum. You gave me some ideas. We have solar panels, so if we're careful, we could stay energy (electrical) neutral. Having a gas dryer helps.