Queercents

I can remember growing up and opening up cupboards to a wonderful display of color, as long as it was black and white only (there was the occasional blue or green as I recall also, but mostly black).

There would be the occasion issue come up where quality was lacking, so she would just move up to the next lowest cost brand for that item, say French-style green beans.

When my partner and I started grocery shopping together it was power struggle of epic proportions at times at I was used to generic and store brand and she was very brand loyal. When you have a budget to keep for groceries, buying brand name isn’t all that important anymore as long as the quality is still there. Over time, I have changed her mind, either that or just worn her down with my constant comment, “But it’s cheaper and if it tastes bad we will buy what you want.”

Here are some things I have learned from buying generic/store brands:

1. Pantry staples - Single-ingredient items such as flour, salt and sugar are held to government regulations for production, packaging and storage. In other words, sugar is sugar, regardless of its label. Cheaper is better in this case. Read the rest of this entry »

I was curious to see what was behind the door at a storage unit auction and curious about the prices that the storage units were bid up to. I also found out I’m not the only one who has experienced the ‘thrill‘ of an auction.

I was determined to find one nearby so I didn’t waste gas if it was a bomb. I found a couple near my zip code when I went to the Auction Zip Locator; they have auctions for real estate, businesses, homes and storage units.

So what is a storage auction exactly?

“It’s a Treasure Hunt!! Self-store facilities are all over the country. People store their possessions when they’re moving or when they simply need more space. Businesses use self-store facilities as an alternative to renting warehouse space. Despite management’s efforts to collect rent, some folks simply don’t pay their bill and management must sell the contents of the unit to the highest bidder.”

On this day I got to see 3 of the large storage units put up for sale. The ad said it started at 11am and I got there about 10 minutes early, already about 25 people were there waiting - Families, friends and single men and women - a nice variety of young and old. Once the auction was to start, we had a good 3 dozen people ready to take a peek at what was left behind in the storage units. Read the rest of this entry »

I am going to go over some ways we may be wasting our money. Of course, you are welcome to add your own thoughts.

1. Lottery — Your chances of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 195,249,054 or you could put together a Hummer made from losing lottery tickets.

2. Buying a new car every few years — Buying even a used car can be a waste if you do it every few years. The exception to the rule might be someone like my uncle who can take the car apart to the last screw, clean all parts and make it look better than when it was bought, take it back to the dealer and make money on the trade in.

3. Anything you already have that’s “new and improved” — cell phone, computer, most technology or house ware appliance fit into this catagory

4. Credit Life Insurance — This is a waste as it only prolongs payments you have to make anyway and the annual percentage just keeps ticking away on what you owe. Read the rest of this entry »

Would you consider yourself a freegan? If you pick up items that are being thrown out with the trash, then you are a freegan. If you eat the free samples at Costco and consider that a meal, then you are a freegan.

The urban dictionary defines a freegan as:

Somebody who abstains from contributing to the economy and salvages society’s wasted food and resources rather than purchase more themselves.

I had a bad opinion of freegans when I first heard about them, I saw them as being thiscloseto homeless and living a life that my brother used to live. Living in abandoned homes, stairwells and crashing at friend’s places. Eating gross looking food that was left-over in the fridge or garbage and spending as little money as possible - which came across to me as being a leech or at the very least, cheap.

Over time that idea has changed and I realize that I do some things that are freegan-like. Like when I pulled the dresser from the dumpster so I wouldn’t have to buy a new one. But it doesn’t stop at just products, freegans also pick up good looking food that they view as good food that shouldn’t go to waste. Read the rest of this entry »

My trouble, my partner says, is that “you will sell anything that isn’t nailed down.” Initially when that was mentioned to me I bristled and got defensive; but after thinking about it I realized it was probably pretty close to the truth and this is why I have this attitude:

1. If I can borrow or rent the item, then there is very little out there that I NEED to own.
2. If I can buy it at a used price, then if I get rid of my item and I find I need it a year or two later I can pick it up at that time.
3. I dislike clutter that just sits there and gathers dust. I would rather dust empty shelves than books that I will never read again.
4. If I can find someone else who can use the item then it makes me feel good.

I figure that the less I have, the less I worry about where to put it or keeping it up in case I need it again or even keeping it safe so no one steals it. I like having only the essentials/necessities for my day to day life and the occasional diversion. When I drove out to Colorado from Iowa, I was able to pack everything in the car and still be able to see out the back window; it was a joy to be able to only have a small amount of possessions. Beyond all of that the rest was icing on the cake. Read the rest of this entry »

At my part-time job I work in the accounting office and get quite a few Coinstar receipts that show the depositor gave up 9% of their coins to get them changed into bills. I would say that on average in a day that machine makes between $30-$50 and then there are the days when people dump in 100-300 dollars for a single receipt.

It just breaks my heart to see people give up even a penny when there are other options they could be using and still keeping their money - some of which is enough for a cheap lunch of even making a minimum payment on a credit card bill.

I remember one morning a guy asked me if I wanted to buy some rolls of coins and I declined (he had about $300 worth, it looked), but I did mentioned that the bank would be opening in less than an hour if he wanted to wait, but he declined. The end result was that the machine got almost $30 in fees.

When I was growing up it was no big deal to bring in your coins to the bank, they would either dump it in a coin counter (bigger banks) or pull out a wooden coin counting tray. There were no fees and it was no big deal, except for the occasional sigh I would hear if I had a larger amount of coins. Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone’s heard of the three R’s in relation to the environment - reduce, reuse, and recycle. I actually think they are missing two other R’s that are very important to not only the environment by also your pocketbook.

It should be Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair, and Restore. Have you heard someone say, or said to yourself, ”They don’t make them like they used to.” Well, here is your answer to holding on to those well-made items and saving some money in the process.

Reduce – First start out by going through your stuff getting rid of the clutter that you don’t or won’t use. However, don’t throw it out, give it away to friends or family, take to a church yard sale, post it for free online or a few dollars on Craigslist. Then, make sure you make a conscious effort to limit what you bring new into the house.

In our home, my partner loves to collect hats, but we have agreed on a rule that when one is brought into the house, one must go. This allows us to keep the ones we truly like and use, we have quality over quantity.

Recycle – This picks up where reducing leaves off, trying to get more stuff to other people who need it than to the landfill. This would include finding places to give away or sell your items. Read the rest of this entry »

February is over and I’m ready to go over what little lessons I have learned this last month. It has been quite a month, most recently is that I have been fighting with my cold.

1. I love “taste guarantees” on packaging - I’ve gotten a free can of Progresso soup (the split pea wasn’t that great) and a protein bar from this. It wasn’t any great amount of refund in each.
Learned: Take the companies up on their refunds if you don’t like something, also let them know what you didn’t like about it.

2. Wohoo, I saved 22% on my cell phone bill each month by using my employee discount. It equals to just over $7 a month, but that is over 85.00 a year that I don’t have to pay.
Learned: Check with your employer to find out if you can get discounts on thing that you already pay for.

3. Do you go by the serving size on the side of the cereal box? I tried it, I’m always 2-3x the amount without measuring. No wonder I’m not dropping weight like I was hoping.
Learned: Diets that reduce calories lead to weight loss, regardless of carbohydrate, protein or fat content

4. What percent of people do you think will stick with the frugal things they learned from this economy?
Learned: It is nice to see interviews with people on tv, radio say that they are turning over a new leaf. The prognosis for the future may be better than I anticipated. Read the rest of this entry »

What is it about being frugal? Why do it?

Actually, some people don’t do it at all, they have decided that what they want and desire is what they are going to get and they feel they deserve that lifestyle. I have no trouble with that; more power to ya, live long and prosper and may you die with the most toys.

However, for me, I find little value in the things around me. When I was a teenager, things were my identity, I had a little saying that I stole from a Queen song, “I want it all, and I want it now.” However, as I have gotten older and through one situation or another I have learned to separate myself from the items in my home.

Quite a few years ago I was given a leather jacket, I always wanted one because I thought they were cool and thus, I would be cool. I got it and I loved it, I loved it so much I rarely wore it for fear of losing it or ruining it beyond repair. I wanted it to stay ‘new’ and always carry that memory I had of when I first received it and the person who gave it to me.

As the years passed and I was in some hard times, I needed money for necessities and didn’t know what to do, until I saw the jacket in the closet in all it’s shiny newness and cleanliness. “I could get some money for that”, I thought. I proceeded to take it to the pawnshop (this was before eBay/Craigslist) and got A LOT less than what in my mind it was worth to me. Read the rest of this entry »

I was recently at Sam’s Club to grab some milk, because it is usually cheaper there than anywhere. However, even Sam’s Club bulk buying power has the price 15¢ higher than the occasional grocery store sale price. I was surprised, but not unprepared.

When the food prices are up and the economy isn’t, it is time to start looking for ways to save money and freezing milk is one very handy way to handle that and save when you find a good sale.

First, you can buy the milk in bulk at a good price and then freeze it. Iowa State University Extension & University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension:

It is safe to freeze milk but freezing may change the texture of the milk and cause some separation. Stirring well may reduce the texture change and separation enough to use the milk in products like puddings and baked goods. If you are freezing milk for your family to drink, try a small amount first and see how they like it. Remember to allow plenty of headspace (1-1 ½ inches) for the milk to expand in your freezing container (Emphasis mine). Read the rest of this entry »