Cheap (ahem, frugal) people unite!!

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

In many ways, we are far from frugal including eating out a lot. But one way I'd say we are frugal is in never borrowing. We haven't taken out a loan since 1995, we paid off our mortgage years early, and when we are short we make decisions on what to do without. We've lived with threadbare (I mean to the substrate) carpet and damaged walls for years while we put our kids through college. It's a matter of priority and a desire to never incur debt again. We're hoping to finally make the house repairs later this year.

Good for you!!

My attitude as well, I've got one more kid's college loan to pay off and still have the mortgage, but am working on paying it off as soon as possible.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

My one tip regarding cooking is that I am always careful not to let the ash of my cigar fall into the batter.

I wonder how cigar ash would taste in burgers? I've always noticed burgers taste better on a dirty grill.

[wvcherrybomb]

Originally Posted by RCR

Many moons ago, in the drought time, our goverment had a big campaign to conserve water. I still use the government supplied egg timer in my shower to keep my showers to under four minutes.

Wow! Four minute showers is pretty impressive. I spend closer to 40 minutes in the shower. Now I feel like a water hog.

What was the government recommended shower time when they passed out the timers?

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by wvcherrybomb

Wow! Four minute showers is pretty impressive. I spend closer to 40 minutes in the shower. Now I feel like a water hog.

What was the government recommended shower time when they passed out the timers?

Yeah, ya are!

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I wonder how cigar ash would taste in burgers? I've always noticed burgers taste better on a dirty grill.

Tom you seem to have misplaced your signature. Perhaps a conservation measure?

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I wonder how cigar ash would taste in burgers? I've always noticed burgers taste better on a dirty grill.

Good point, Tom! My initial reaction is that the patties are OK, but keep the cigar away from the cheese.

[WT Sharpe]

The major thing we did was switch to a 15-year mortgage and then we paid that off early. Good thing, too. Now the taxes we pay on our current home are higher than the mortgage payments on our first home.

The only other thing I can think of that we do to save money is to save jelly jars and use them as drinking glasses. They're usually stronger and more durable than most glasses we've ever bought as a set.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by wvcherrybomb

Wow! Four minute showers is pretty impressive. I spend closer to 40 minutes in the shower. Now I feel like a water hog.

What was the government recommended shower time when they passed out the timers?

I've been to many forest service campgrounds where you get (I think) it's 3 minutes for a quarter (maybe a dime). that's bad enough, but what REALLY sucks, is that you can't force feed the machines, you have to re-feed it as it runs out. almost dictates that you must shower with a friend

[RCR]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

gah! my parents lived by; "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down" because my mother was intimidated by her septic system and refused to try to understand any and all explanations

Ahhghhh. That gives me excruciating flashbacks to my poverty stricken childhood in 1950's New Zealand. Back then, only rich folk had septic tanks. We made do with an outhouse and the "Night Soil Man".

The outhouse was a wooden shack a little away from the house. Inside was a hinged wooden throne with a bum sized hole. Under the hole was a big tub. There was no running water, nothing to flush. The Night Soil Man would come at night. Under the cover of darkness he would take the tub to his truck, empty it, and bring it back. The Night Soil Man would sometimes stumble on the rough and unlit path. In the morning my parents would mutter angrily about his drunkenness as they went out to clean the spillage.

Those days, to get hot water: the boiler had to be fired up with precious wood. Once a week, the bath would be filled with hot water. My father, my mother, then my sister, would each have a turn in the bath - using the same water. I was the youngest, therefore number four in turn for the bath. By the time I got to it, the water would be grey and cold. Sometimes I would close the bathroom door and just pretend to get in.

Those days, we really conserved water!

[RCR]

Originally Posted by wvcherrybomb

Wow! Four minute showers is pretty impressive. I spend closer to 40 minutes in the shower. Now I feel like a water hog.

What was the government recommended shower time when they passed out the timers?

The government recommended 4 minutes. They had a campaign called "Target 155" encouraging people to get their individual water usage down to 155 litres per day. I managed 88 litres per day for one billing period and the water company called me up to compliment me!

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by wvcherrybomb

Wow! Four minute showers is pretty impressive. I spend closer to 40 minutes in the shower. Now I feel like a water hog.

What was the government recommended shower time when they passed out the timers?

40 minutes!?!? What do you do while taking a shower?

I spend between 5 and 10 minutes, depending if I wash my hair or not.

we used a total of 53m3 (53.000 liter) last year. So, that's on average 145 liters per day. That's for 2 persons, including toilet flushing and washing machine. (I'd love to use so-called gray water for that, but that would take a fortune to install...)

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

The major thing we did was switch to a 15-year mortgage and then we paid that off early. Good thing, too. Now the taxes we pay on our current home are higher than the mortgage payments on our first home.

How is it good that you now pay more? I prefer to pay less!

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

How is it good that you now pay more? I prefer to pay less!

Well, it's better than paying the mortgage on our second home, which was considerably more than the taxes.

[desertblues]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Well, it's better than paying the mortgage on our second home, which was considerably more than the taxes.

In our country the State pays half, or somewhat less depending on income, of the mortage every month.
The more income, the bigger percentage the State pays, because bigger incomes pay over 50% or more on taxes.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by desertblues

In our country the State pays half, or somewhat less depending on income, of the mortage every month.
The more income, the bigger percentage the State pays, because bigger incomes pay over 50% or more on taxes.

Wow! I'm all for a flat tax with no exceptions, but that does sound like a lot of tax...