I am weeding out books on a daily basis. I buy a book (Costco, Half-Price, etc.) then pass it on to at least one other reader. When I get the book back I take it to our
Friends of the Library book store. I have done the same for DVDs. Re-sale shops take all kinds of books if they aren't new enough for the library book store.
The new Consumer Report has a section on dieting. I am adding portion control to my resolutions and if I eat a meal at a restaurant I will put one-half in a take-home bag for another meal. And I shun "all you can eat" places - no bargain for non meat eaters anyway. Another tip, if you eat out do NOT buy a drink - just water. There is a huge mark-up on beverages.
The non-economy on coupons is the gas used to drive to several different stores in order to use them. Aunt [K.] used to pore over the paper every Thurs and clip the coupons for things she thought she needed, then drive all over town to the stores who offered them.
Then there is my friend [M.] who has a second phone line for her computer using dial-up. She says it is also for her fax but the machine has been broken for at least 2 years. She pays for long distance on the phone even though she has a cell phone for emergencies (pre-paid minutes). Fortunately she has an analog tv so she may sign up for a cable package next month.
Another non-economy is dental insurance that costs like $25 per month. If you just put aside that amount in a savings account each month you will have the money to pay the dentist. This goes for life insurance too. Your Dad and I decided not to take out life insurance when we were married (and we were flooded with offers) and to start saving his flight pay every month. When we wanted to start [W.R.] we had savings of $100 in order to do so.
You all come by your skinflinting naturally. When [Bloomers] and I were engaged he met a friend of mine at the juke box in a local bar. When she was putting in her dime for a song he suggested they pool their money and put in a quarter to get 3 songs. She said, "You must be [MomCat]'s fiancee!"
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Momcat, I suppose you mean $100K, not $100.
ReplyDeleteIt is great to hear these stories! Keep 'em coming!!
But a warning. You might want to NOT use real names...the internet is PUBLIC, you know.
I love that jukebox story; I remember it being told to me before. :)
ReplyDeleteRe: life insurance and dental insurance, ditto eye-doctor insurance and "pet insurance". I think I'm being ripped off on my condo insurance, though, which puzzles me, bc USAA is supposed to be the best. I need to shop it around.
And yeah, Momcat, can you take out identifiers? "WR" would work, and Bloomers for Dad (that's his bird's name). It's a little paranoid, but I hate the idea of having students, exes, etc. able to look something like this up.