Gross inconsistencies concerning money (our thoughts and behaviors)

[jazz4cash]

Plastic store bags. They're supposed to be discontinued in NJ next year. What am I supposed to do, buy virgin plastic bags instead of reusing store bags for the several things I use them for? Particularly cat litter. But also: lining small bathroom wastebaskets, disposing of bloody/greasy poultry bones (I can toss most beef and pork bones into a field). Refrigerating harvested vegetables from my garden (fabric molds and paper disintegrates in the fridge). Disposing of produce that has occasionally gone bad/moldy in the fridge and stinks. Broken glass. And more.



Yes, I guess I'll have to start paying for single use plastic bags now.



Paper bags are nearly unobtainable except at Whole Foods. I am a thrifty housewife

Paper bags have made a big comeback around here. Several counties have imposed .05 fee per plastic bag but no charge for paper. They are trying to encourage shoppers to bring their own bags. Some stores only carry the full size grocery bags and they only use them if customer specifically asks for paper.

 

[O2Bfree]

It seems we generally agree on the extra napkins, but I feel wasteful tossing those plastic takeout containers. They are made so well and some are are even stamped dishwasher and microwave safe. They are nearly as good as the Rubbermaid and Tupperware containers we buy. I usually use them a few times before recycling cause otherwise they would really pile up. We’ve done takeout for several family dinners this year due to COVID and the abundance of take containers is notable. Then I have to rinse them or run them in the dishwasher before recycling so they don’t stink which uses water.

This is one of the things I miss about my job, all those great plastic containers from the takeout food for meetings and celebrations. They're good not only for food but also for garden purposes. I use the big sheetcake containers as mini-greenhouses for veggie seedlings, and the big salad containers from Panera make great bird baths during dry spells.

 

[jazz4cash]

When we ran out of ketchup, I took all the packets from fast food places and squeezed them into the empty bottle and filled it 2/3rds full. My husband and kids laughed at me. I hate waste and try not to add to landfills. I use everything into the ground or donate, but I'm not cheap. When my laptop died, I replaced it with a very nice, very expensive one, but I tend to keep my things until they no longer work.

Those ketchup packets were gong for big bucks on eBay a while back when there was a “shortage”.

 

[audreyh1]

You know, that’s another problem with fast food - all those little packets of condiments!

Sorry, I’ll get off my soapbox now.

 

[Gumby]

My grandmother had a little wire basket with a hinged latching top and a wooden handle. She put all the slivers of bath soap in it and then swished it around in the kitchen sink to wash the dishes.

 

[WWDog]

I'll keep this brief as I am on the cycle generator producing the electricity to make this post.


I really enjoyed this thread. One of the best money savers my parents taught me was the use of a freezer. Not the new frost free ones but the old fashioned ones where the food doesn't spoil with every power failure. We would save TV dinner trays and reuse them. Cook your dinner only make it larger, then dish up the trays with more dinners, cover with aluminum foil, then into the freezer. Mark the foil with what is inside. The old trays could be used numerous times. My parents bought us one of those freezers as a wedding gift that is still in use today.

 

[Markola]

Asking for friend, does anyone recycle dryer sheets ?

We use a tennis ball-sized wad of aluminum foil. No static electricity, no chemicals and one wad is good for many uses! Give it a shot. Works great.

 

[neihn]

My wife saves used napkins in a bag, every times I change my car's oil she brings them out for me to wipe oil spill.

 

[Koolau]

Heh, heh, I never put the sliver of soap on the new bar. DW always beats me to that little task. I give her much credit for our ability to FIRE. YMMV

 

[ncbill]

i'll keep this brief as i am on the cycle generator producing the electricity to make this post. ;d

i really enjoyed this thread. One of the best money savers my parents taught me was the use of a freezer. Not the new frost free ones but the old fashioned ones where the food doesn't spoil with every power failure. We would save tv dinner trays and reuse them. Cook your dinner only make it larger, then dish up the trays with more dinners, cover with aluminum foil, then into the freezer. mark the foil with what is inside. the old trays could be used numerous times. My parents bought us one of those freezers as a wedding gift that is still in use today.

 

[latexman]

Gross! Inconsistencies concerning money (our thoughts and behaviors)

Notice the title tweak.

We pick up after our little (9 lbs) dog using cheap, generic sandwich size Ziploc's. Occasionally, the plastic bag our newspaper comes in is undamaged. If it passes a pressure/leak test, I blow it up, hold the end closed, and give it a squeeze, I use it instead of the ZipLoc.

 

[Koolau]

View attachment 39793

Freezer goodies to make the following dishes:



Chunk of Skunk

Slab of Lab

Tortoise Rigor Mortice

Narrow Sparrow

Smidgeon of Pigeon

Flat Cat

Rack of Raccoon

German Shepherd Pie

Thumper on a Bumper

All from the Roadkill Cafe. Our motto: You kill it, we grill it.

YMMV

 

[novaman]

The things you are discussing- paper napkins, condiments et al are small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. What is more troubling is when continued unnecessary frugality effects ones health, well being, and quality of life.

My SIL and her husband are wealthy. Very wealthy. I estimate their NW to be in the neighborhood of 15-20 million dollars. And yet they continue to live very frugally, even though they do not need to.

I had a chance to talk at length with SIL’s husband. He retired several years ago but is miserable. He doesn’t sleep well and looks haggard. A big issue is his adult son who has Down’s Syndrome. They are continuing to care for their son and as a result SIL’s husband does little else. They can’t travel and enjoy themselves because of the son.

When I asked why they don’t just find a group home situation for their son they told me that the State run facilities have very few slots that come open from time to time and with thousands of special needs adults vying for these few slots it is near impossible.

I then asked them why they don’t just hire a full time special needs care taker and set their son up in one of their three houses? This question was met with silence.

But I know the answer because I know my SIL and her husband. They are so frugal that they can’t bring themselves to spend the money to do this when there is a chance that they could get their son into a state facility and have it all paid for by the State.

So they continue to live in misery. This is sad because they are trapped in a situation that they have made for themselves…. Because they are so frugal.

 

[Badger]

As difficult as it is for many to switch from accumulation to spending there are some circumstances that compound the problem. Although I don't have your insight regarding you SIL and her husband the fact they have a son with Down's Syndrome may be making their decisions more difficult. In light of the pandemic I would be hesitant too. People with Down's Syndrome are usually immunocompromised to some degree and a group home or a State run facility may be too risky. It sounds like they are more concerned with protecting their son than spending money on a solution that may jeopardize their son's health.
Just something to consider.



Cheers!

 

[oiseux]

As difficult as it is for many to switch from accumulation to spending there are some circumstances that compound the problem. Although I don't have your insight regarding you SIL and her husband the fact they have a son with Down's Syndrome may be making their decisions more difficult. In light of the pandemic I would be hesitant too. People with Down's Syndrome are usually immunocompromised to some degree and a group home or a State run facility may be too risky. It sounds like they are more concerned with protecting their son than spending money on a solution that may jeopardize their son's health.
Just something to consider.
snip

I think the risk is much lower with a private caretaker, but you are right about COVID. I think the other issue is that many do feel a deep seated obligation to care personally for a disabled child. Although I think in this case a full or part time caretaker can bridge the divide and provide relief.

(Still this is a tough step for the frugal. It was very hard for my parents in their declining years to accept help, even though they had enough resources.)

 

[Badger]

I think the risk is much lower with a private caretaker, but you are right about COVID. I think the other issue is that many do feel a deep seated obligation to care personally for a disabled child. Although I think in this case a full or part time caretaker can bridge the divide and provide relief.

(Still this is a tough step for the frugal. It was very hard for my parents in their declining years to accept help, even though they had enough resources.)

+1
That may be their best alternative. I hope they are all going to be safe. They are special parents.


Cheers!

 

[Amethyst]

Solar and wind drying is much cheaper than running the clothes dryer. I have hung out wash to dry ever since I owned my first house (at the first couple of houses, the HOA wouldn't allow clothes lines, so I hung the clothes on the deck rails, and took them in quickly lest someone complain).

In Florida, I hang the wash out to dry all year round. The pool deck is inconspicuous to neighbors, so nobody knows.

 

[Amethyst]

Many people hesitate to place severely autistic children or demented elders in a facility, even though they may be able to afford it, and certainly caring for one is a terrible job.

The fact is, a facility is not a panacea. They don't care for your relative as you would - who is going to clean their teeth every night, for example? At best, you will pay for a dentist exam every quarter, and hope it is enough to keep the teeth from falling out, and now you're on the hook for denture fittings for a person who can't even comprehend dentures to begin with.

Truly, you are never off the hook - always getting calls about this or that issue, which the facility expects you to resolve; and constantly being dinged for supplies and expenses that would not even signify, if you were in charge.

Hiring a full-time caretaker sounds better, if, as you say, they can afford it. Could you look into it for them, and find out how much it would cost for the services provided? They must know their son will eventually have to go into someone else's care.

T

I had a chance to talk at length with SIL’s husband. He retired several years ago but is miserable. He doesn’t sleep well and looks haggard. A big issue is his adult son who has Down’s Syndrome. They are continuing to care for their son and as a result SIL’s husband does little else. They can’t travel and enjoy themselves because of the son.

When I asked why they don’t just find a group home situation for their son they told me that the State run facilities have very few slots that come open from time to time and with thousands of special needs adults vying for these few slots it is near impossible.

I then asked them why they don’t just hire a full time special needs care taker and set their son up in one of their three houses? This question was met with silence.

But I know the answer because I know my SIL and her husband. They are so frugal that they can’t bring themselves to spend the money to do this when there is a chance that they could get their son into a state facility and have it all paid for by the State.

So they continue to live in misery. This is sad because they are trapped in a situation that they have made for themselves…. Because they are so frugal.

 

[ivinsfan]

Many people hesitate to place severely autistic children or demented elders in a facility, even though they may be able to afford it, and certainly caring for one is a terrible job.

The fact is, a facility is not a panacea. They don't care for your relative as you would - who is going to clean their teeth every night, for example? At best, you will pay for a dentist exam every quarter, and hope it is enough to keep the teeth from falling out, and now you're on the hook for denture fittings for a person who can't even comprehend dentures to begin with.

Truly, you are never off the hook - always getting calls about this or that issue, which the facility expects you to resolve; and constantly being dinged for supplies and expenses that would not even signify, if you were in charge.

Hiring a full-time caretaker sounds better, if, as you say, they can afford it. Could you look into it for them, and find out how much it would cost for the services provided? They must know their son will eventually have to go into someone else's care.

Realistically Down's Syndrome causes a reduced lifespan in most. But one must always think what happens if we die or become disabled and son can't stay in the home he has know his whole life. Would it be easier for son to transition sooner when Mom and Dad can come visit and help him adjust to his new life. It's always a fine line and I have great compassion for anyone that is walking that line.


As for a full time caretaker in another home it turns one full time at least and several part time. Maybe a caretaker that comes to his home during the day to spell Mom and Dad and also sleep in when they might want to be gone.

 

[aja8888]

Time for a confession

I have been throwing out the little soap bar "chips' for decades now. And I'll bet DW has done the same (she won't answer my questions due to fear of repercussions). We (at least I am) are embarrassed to no end over this.

Being an engineer, I ran a detailed spreadsheet calculation on the various brands of soaps we have used over 42 years and then applied a factor (chosen from from internet research) that resulted in giving us a very good approximation of the a number of bars of soap we have intentionally discarded.

Then we researched the retail prices of these various soap brands over the last 42 years and applied those prices into the spreadsheet to get cost totals. We then applied inflation factors and estimated phantom income for the costs we could have avoided if we were to have saved and reused the soap chips over the 42 year period. We also included a factor for accidentally thrown away soap chip when it slipped our minds to be mindful of the waste.

all in all, we pi$$ed away $162.18 over the 42 years.

(I have to speak with DW about this waste and get her "onboard")

 

[Koolau]

I have been throwing out the little soap bar "chips' for decades now. And I'll bet DW has done the same (she won't answer my questions due to fear of repercussions). We (at least I am) are embarrassed to no end over this.

Being an engineer, I ran a detailed spreadsheet calculation on the various brands of soaps we have used over 42 years and then applied a factor (chosen from from internet research) that resulted in giving us a very good approximation of the a number of bars of soap we have intentionally discarded.

Then we researched the retail prices of these various soap brands over the last 42 years and applied those prices into the spreadsheet to get cost totals. We then applied inflation factors and estimated phantom income for the costs we could have avoided if we were to have saved and reused the soap chips over the 42 year period. We also included a factor for accidentally thrown away soap chip when it slipped our minds to be mindful of the waste.

all in all, we pi$$ed away $162.18 over the 42 years.

(I have to speak with DW about this waste and get her "onboard")

Or do what I do. Shower with DW so you have complete control of the soap and all the chips! No wait, that's her job to police up the soap chips. Mine is scraping the last minute trace of peanut butter out of the jar. That job is better accomplished in the kitchen than in the shower but YMMV.

 

[disneysteve]

I've never actually tried this but I have read a "hack" to take the soap slivers and wrap them in fine mesh material and tie it off. You get a soap "ball" that works just fine and eliminates the waste.

 

[Time2]

Carefully pry the cardboard roll out of the center and pull tissues from the middle. It's a little trickier to tear them one handed, but you develop the knack after a few tries.

Oh! Did I get that wrong?

 

[Andre1969]

Here's one that might seem at odds, on the surface...today it's a sweltering day here in Maryland, and the electric company is doing one of those "Energy Savings Days" where if I cut back a bit, they'll pay me $1.25 for every KWH I save compared to my regular average usage, and credit my bill.

So, I set both the downstairs and upstairs a/c's back a bit, to 77 degrees, compared to their normal 75. It's enough that I can feel it a bit...I wouldn't want to keep it at 77 degrees all the time. But, I figure I can tough it out for a few hours. The timeframe they're looking at is only 1pm-7pm, anyway.

I'm not worried about the money, though. I guess that'll come out to what? $10-20, at most. I just logged into my online brokerage and it's up about $2,000 so far today...and it's just a small portion of my overall investments. But, in the overall scheme of things, I guess it does a bit of good for the environment, and if enough people cut back a bit, it helps reduce the chance of brownouts and blackouts and such.

So I guess I'm doing it to be more of a tree-hugger, than a skin-flint!

 

[tmm99]

Save, wash and reuse aluminum foil and baggies. .

I live in Canada now, water is quite expensive, so I only save truly reusable baggies that don't need to be washed.