Playing the Frugal Game Is Fun!

[haha]

Went to the grocery today and started paying attention to prices. Tried cod instead of salmon (half the cost) and came up with an excellent recipe reminiscent of sea bass. Might be kind of interesting, and learn more about cooking. Found some interesting less expensive alternatives on several items. Don't HAVE to, but thought we'd give frugality a try as we enter into retirement, to see what happens.

I eat mostly wild, unfrozen salmon all summer. But Pacific Cod, called "true cod" around here to distinguish it from another excellent but quite expensive fish called black cod, is my go-to fish all the rest of the time. Cod is the ancient protein staple of the North Atlantic / North Sea /Irish Sea, English Channel and anyone else who fished these same waters. And of course for both Atlantic and Pacific Coasts here in North America, for peoples which had ships/boats and sailing knowledge. Trader Joe sells frozen Pacific cod which is very good for stews and such; and also Haddock and Hake which are both excellent white fish for similar uses. Hake has often been considered a trash fish, but I've tried it in tomato stews or creamed, and like it very much. Likely it is also good for fish n chips, but I have not tried this.

Cod is not exactly cheap by the thrifty standard of this board, but I don't know what fish would be. I pay $10.95 either at Asian market, or downtown in the Public Market, and sometimes for a bit less at my local QFC. Overall, I find Whole Foods fish excellent, but too expensive compared to other equally good or better, but cheaper, sources. Usually the "cheap game" does not thrill me at all, though I do always keep my eyes open for quality at a price; and I know what I am buying. I bought a whole 5 pound Copper River sockeye yesterday for $10/#. I had GF over for lunch and we baked the whole posterior part of the fish. Incredibly good. And we'll have the steaks forward of this piece for a few days until they are gone.

For me, the cheapest good fish is a Mackerel that the Japanese call Saba. Usually less than $5/lb.

Ha

 

[davismills]

I am frugal on the big stuff such as old car paid off, low taxes, liability only insurance, high deductible health, etc. But I slide badly on the low end things. I will keep my regular light bulbs until the bitter end, and sometimes the lights stay on for no reason other than I didn't turn them off. But you rbmrtn are way more of a man than I am... Thermostat set at 85? Although when outside my range of comfort can be anywhere from 40-100 degrees my indoor comfort has gotten extremely narrow. When it gets above 73 inside during the summer I am hot and when it is below 70 in the winter I am cold. If my utility rates doubled I would be furious, but still wouldn't adjust the thermostat.

I can't sleep at night unless it's 74 degrees or cooler in the bedroom. Since I have a 2300 sq ft house and sleep in only 400 sq ft, I was wondering if anyone had used one of those roll around portable ACs to cool one room? My guts tell me I'd save quite a bit of money.

 

[Alex in Virginia]

I can't sleep at night unless it's 74 degrees or cooler in the bedroom. Since I have a 2300 sq ft house and sleep in only 400 sq ft, I was wondering if anyone had used one of those roll around portable ACs to cool one room? My guts tell me I'd save quite a bit of money.

Hello, Davis Mills... and thanks for coming into the discussion arising from my post.

What about a fan? For many years, during summers both my wife and I have had an oscillating pedestal fan on our respective sides of the bed. That breeze blowing across does a super job of keeping us cool. Open windows help, too. Ceiling fans do the trick in other rooms of the house.

(BTW, during winters the pedestal fans are replaced by oil-filled thermostat-controlled space heaters. NO sense heating a whole house up when you are stationary in one spot for several hours.)

Any which way, it's a score in the Frugal Game!

Alex in Virginia

 

[marko]

I can't sleep at night unless it's 74 degrees or cooler in the bedroom. Since I have a 2300 sq ft house and sleep in only 400 sq ft, I was wondering if anyone had used one of those roll around portable ACs to cool one room? My guts tell me I'd save quite a bit of money.

You'll save even more money by not buying one! I got one two summers ago and returned it within 48 hours. Cooled the room ok, but!....every five or six hours it would shut down because you had to manually drain the accumulated water from the thing.

The drain was at floor level, so imagine a beeping alarm going off at 3AM and then having to get on your hands and knees at that hour with a small pan to drain the @#%^^& machine, spilling water all over the place, DW screaming at you (because you woke her up), starting to sweat (because the machine shut itself off), scrambling around looking for the little drain plug that rolled under the dresser (as residual water drips onto the carpet), more beeping as you re-start it, ... if that all sounds like fun, this product is for you!

I even hooked up a small hose on the second night to avoid the above but because the drain is at floor level, you need something like a small dish/cookie sheet to catch the water and not a big bucket.

Of course, YMMV

 

[davismills]

You'll save even more money by not buying one! I got one two summers ago and returned it within 48 hours. Cooled the room ok, but!....every five or six hours it would shut down because you had to manually drain the accumulated water from the thing.

The drain was at floor level, so imagine a beeping alarm going off at 3AM and then having to get on your hands and knees at that hour with a small pan to drain the @#%^^& machine, spilling water all over the place, DW screaming at you (because you woke her up), starting to sweat (because the machine shut itself off), scrambling around looking for the little drain plug that rolled under the dresser (as residual water drips onto the carpet), more beeping as you re-start it, ... if that all sounds like fun, this product is for you!

I even hooked up a small hose on the second night to avoid the above but because the drain is at floor level, you need something like a small dish/cookie sheet to catch the water and not a big bucket.

Of course, YMMV

LOL. Thanks for saving me money and avoiding this purchase. Would not like to experience the 3:00 AM wake-up call that you have endured. Perhaps we'll move toward the fan solution.

 

[davismills]

Hello, Davis Mills... and thanks for coming into the discussion arising from my post.

What about a fan? For many years, during summers both my wife and I have had an oscillating pedestal fan on our respective sides of the bed. That breeze blowing across does a super job of keeping us cool. Open windows help, too. Ceiling fans do the trick in other rooms of the house.

(BTW, during winters the pedestal fans are replaced by oil-filled thermostat-controlled space heaters. NO sense heating a whole house up when you are stationary in one spot for several hours.)

Any which way, it's a score in the Frugal Game!

Alex in Virginia

Since we live in South Georgia, ceiling fans are installed in every room. When the overnight lows hit 82 and the humidity is 90%, some type of AC is required. Perhaps the oscillating fans might do the trick and I appreciate your input and advice.

 

[travelover]

LOL. Thanks for saving me money and avoiding this purchase. Would not like to experience the 3:00 AM wake-up call that you have endured. Perhaps we'll move toward the fan solution.

You could also just use a small window air conditioner in your bedroom. As others have said, the roll around ones are not efficient or convenient.

 

[Delaney]

In the summer, I love fans and open windows and doors to catch the breezes. I think fans use less electricity than some might expect.

In the winter, I keep warm at night with a heated mattress pad. They are so much better than electric blankets. The mattress pad I bought in 2011 cost $45 and its still working great. I'm very warm and cozy at night even though I set my programmable thermostat to go to 54 degrees once I know my bed has been heated. It is a little difficult to get up and out of that warm bed, so this tip might be best for those who have already retired.

 

[MooreBonds]

The drain was at floor level, so imagine a beeping alarm going off at 3AM and then having to get on your hands and knees at that hour with a small pan to drain the @#%^^& machine, spilling water all over the place, DW screaming at you (because you woke her up), starting to sweat (because the machine shut itself off), scrambling around looking for the little drain plug that rolled under the dresser (as residual water drips onto the carpet), more beeping as you re-start it, ... if that all sounds like fun, this product is for you!

I even hooked up a small hose on the second night to avoid the above but because the drain is at floor level, you need something like a small dish/cookie sheet to catch the water and not a big bucket.

Of course, YMMV

Couldn't you prop it up on something so it could drain by gravity to a larger bucket?

 

[travelover]

Couldn't you prop it up on something so it could drain by gravity to a larger bucket?

You can also use an automatic condensate pump. Run a line to a sink or out the window, if in an apartment through the wall into your neighbor's apartment.

Amazon.com: condenser pump

 

[Major Tom]

I like the concept of no-sacrifice frugality that was mentioned earlier in this thread but at the risk of sounding pompous, I think there's a better way to do this than to control your spending, and that is to control your desires. If you don't even feel the desire for something, you don't have to go to the trouble of trying to get it for less money.

It sounds like motivational guru talk, I know, but it seems to have worked for me.

I have set up my life so that the recurring costs are few, and the ones I do have are reasonable. Couponing when grocery shopping does my head in, so I go to Trader Joe's instead, where the general ambiance, friendliness and people-watching opportunities are all better than the big markets, and the prices don't yo-yo up and down on a weekly basis. The game of retailer and consumer constantly trying to outwit each other is, in my opinion, insulting to all parties involved.

 

[mickeyd]

I guess that I have played the frugal game most of my adult life. Now that I am not longer w**king and currently living on a variety guaranteed income streams and taking my time on taping my tax-deferred stash, I am not nearly as frugal as I once was.

Being less frugal now is my payoff for being "tightfisted" all of those past years. I think that's how it's supposed to work.

 

[haha]

Couponing when grocery shopping does my head in, so I go to Trader Joe's instead, where the general ambiance, friendliness and people-watching opportunities are all better than the big markets, and the prices don't yo-yo up and down on a weekly basis. The game of retailer and consumer constantly trying to outwit each other is, in my opinion, insulting to all parties involved.

I have never thought of the insulting aspect before, but couponing to me is certainly deadly boring. I would rather take in a notch on my belt, or find work. Like you, I buy 85% of my food at Trader Joe. Meats including chicken and frozen fish are included. I only buy fresh fish elsewhere, and the occasional prime steaks form Whole Foods for a blowout occasion. Trader Joe is 6 blocks away, the people who work there are always upbeat and friendly, the other shoppers are copacetic and to me the whole experience seems completely human.

Everyone is different, that's for sure.

Ha

 

[Mulligan]

You could also just use a small window air conditioner in your bedroom. As others have said, the roll around ones are not efficient or convenient.

If electricity got too outrageous, that's what I do. You can get a window one for a little over a $100. Fans will not do me any good, because I have to sleep with my comforter blanket. I have tried the sheet or light cover strategy with fan, and my comfort level needed to sleep was never achieved. My house is under 1500 sq. feet so a window unit wouldn't save me as much as someone with a big house. I have a friend who drops his a/c down to 65 degrees every might in the summer as he cannot stand the house to be warm to sleep in.

 

[travelover]

..........Everyone is different, that's for sure.

Ha

Yea, I don't like fish and I resent the little monsters at TraderJoe's with their mini shopping carts blocking up the aisles. Much nicer looking women at TJ's though.

Now you kids, get off my lawn!

 

[Lcountz]

I line dry clothes all year round....in the spring, summer and fall, outside ( I LOVE the smell of sheets and towels dried outdoors!!!!)

In the winter, I hang the stuff in the house overnight...it's amazing how quickly the items dry because the house is so dry from the heat being on-so it's like having a free humidifier!!!!

By watching the weather I generally never have to dry stuff when it's damp weather...

I want to pull the plug on TV but I have not worked up the nerve yet..I will say my projection TV from 2001, which still works like the day I bought it, will continue to be my TV til it dies....in my opinion there is nothing on TV worth purchasing a newer TV...

 

[Alex in Virginia]

...

Our worst habit is eating out. A lot. Nice restaurants. Thinking about taking cooking lessons.

Hello again, Seraphim, and thanks for adding to the discussion arising from my post.

When I used to be "Alex in Miami" I could buy this humongous book of local restaurant discount coupons for $25. The book was good for 6 months and restaurants in all price ranges used to be in the book. There were many, many restaurants in the higher price ranges that I would never have gone to except for those coupons. The least you would save on dinner for two would be 25% (on a buy one, get another at 50% off) with many restaurants giving a full 50% off (buy one, get one free).

Talk about scoring in the Frugal Game! That used to be great.

Living now in a more rural area, I have nothing like that available locally. But I'd love to hear from anyone who still lives in an urban area large enough to have the "critical mass" necessary to enable the availability of such a coupon book.

Anyone?

Alex in Virginia

 

[Live And Learn]

Hello again, Seraphim, and thanks for adding to the discussion arising from my post.

When I used to be "Alex in Miami" I could buy this humongous book of local restaurant discount coupons for $25. The book was good for 6 months and restaurants in all price ranges used to be in the book. There were many, many restaurants in the higher price ranges that I would never have gone to except for those coupons. The least you would save on dinner for two would be 25% (on a buy one, get another at 50% off) with many restaurants giving a full 50% off (buy one, get one free).

Talk about scoring in the Frugal Game! That used to be great.

Living now in a more rural area, I have nothing like that available locally. But I'd love to hear from anyone who still lives in an urban area large enough to have the "critical mass" necessary to enable the availability of such a coupon book.

Anyone?

Alex in Virginia

Best Deals and Discounts on the Best Local Restaurants - Save Money on Food with Restaurant.com

Can't beat the prices !

 

[W2R]

I think there's a better way to do this than to control your spending, and that is to control your desires. If you don't even feel the desire for something, you don't have to go to the trouble of trying to get it for less money.

Bingo!! That is so true, and also very well expressed.

When saving for retirement and actively LBYM'ing, "the Frugal Game" was something entirely different for me than that discussed in the first post of this thread. The game was to try to spend less each month than I had been during the months before.

The emphasis for me was on not spending, instead of on spending (even for things that cost less). It is amazing how much can be saved by ignoring coupons, sales, and bargain purchases, and just making fewer purchases entirely.

 

[haha]

It is amazing how much can be saved by ignoring coupons, sales, and bargain purchases, and just making fewer purchases entirely.

Plus, this is much less annoying and you build up less that has to be taken to the dump.

However sales are good when you have children. Can't get their feet to stop growing. Children, as wonderfully transforming as they are, involve you in many things that if you were alone you might be pleased to avoid.

Ha

 

[Live And Learn]

Bingo!! That is so true, and also very well expressed.

When saving for retirement and actively LBYM'ing, "the Frugal Game" was something entirely different for me than that discussed in the first post of this thread. The game was to try to spend less each month than I had been during the months before.

The emphasis for me was on not spending, instead of on spending (even for things that cost less). It is amazing how much can be saved by ignoring coupons, sales, and bargain purchases, and just making fewer purchases entirely.

I see LBYM and the Frugal Game as two pieces of a puzzle - they compliment each other. LBYM is a reduction in demand. The Frugal Game is getting the biggest bang for the buck once you've decided to make a purchase within the LBYM spending.

 

[Alex in Virginia]

I see LBYM and the Frugal Game as two pieces of a puzzle - they compliment each other. LBYM is a reduction in demand. The Frugal Game is getting the biggest bang for the buck once you've decided to make a purchase within the LBYM spending.

Great point, Live And Learn. Thanks for adding it to the discussion arising from my original post.

How's this for "biggest bang for the buck" in groceries. I got my hands on another of those coupons good for $5 off $25 in purchased groceries. Headed straight for the meat department ON A DEPARTMENT SALE DAY and picked up 2.75 pounds of brisket, 2 pounds of center cut pork chops, 2 pounds of boneless chuck steak (my favorite) and 5 and a half pounds of chicken thighs. And my whole bill was... wait for it... $17.27! Combining the sale price discounts with the $5 coupon saved me 58% off the regular prices.

Woo hoo!

(Oh, since I haven't mentioned it before: another fun thing about the Frugal Game is the bragging rights!)

Alex in Virginia

 

[Live And Learn]

How's this for "biggest bang for the buck" in groceries. I got my hands on another of those coupons good for $5 off $25 in purchased groceries. Headed straight for the meat department ON A DEPARTMENT SALE DAY and picked up 2.75 pounds of brisket, 2 pounds of center cut pork chops, 2 pounds of boneless chuck steak (my favorite) and 5 and a half pounds of chicken thighs. And my whole bill was... wait for it... $17.27! Combining the sale price discounts with the $5 coupon saved me 58% off the regular prices.

Woo hoo!

(Oh, since I haven't mentioned it before: another fun thing about the Frugal Game is the bragging rights!)

Alex in Virginia

Nice work !

 

[Alex in Virginia]

I guess that I have played the frugal game most of my adult life. Now that I am not longer w**king and currently living on a variety guaranteed income streams and taking my time on taping my tax-deferred stash, I am not nearly as frugal as I once was.

Being less frugal now is my payoff for being "tightfisted" all of those past years. I think that's how it's supposed to work.

Hello, MickeyD, and thanks for adding that viewpoint to the discussion arising from my original post.

I am experiencing "frugalism" very differently, which I think is synthesized in the title to my original post. Like you, I too have a variety of guaranteed (or semi-guaranteed) income streams. Added together those income streams cover my basic living expenses 3 times over. And yet, I keep playing the Frugal Game because I really, really find it to be fun.

Every time I optimize my basic cost of living basis, even if just by a little bit, I still get a happy kick out of it. It just adds another smidgen of spice to my day-to-day life.

Cheers,

Alex in Virginia

 

[Meadbh]

20 frugal tips from Melissa Leong (growing your own "herbs" is questionable!)

Video: You too can be a cheapskate | Debt | Personal Finance | Financial Post