What minor frugal change did you make this year?
OhioGuy
this year to make a small but frugal difference in our budgets and such.
For me, this year I got annoyed at having to buy sandwich bags over
and over, and realized I could cut down on this some if I started
reusing the bread, bagel and English Muffin wrappers (and even plastic
cereal bags from inside the boxes). So now we reuse our bread wrappers,
and I've cut down on the purchase of sandwich bags by about 20%. It
feels good to reuse something we were formerly throwing away without
thinking about it, too.
Another small change I made was installing a power strip to have our
laptop and accessories plugged in to. I read that not having the laptop
plugged in all the time will make the batteries last longer. We also
have a visioneer scanner with no power switch that sucks a bit of energy
all the time, and a Yahoo Messenger phone that I use once in a great
while. I put all of these on the power strip, and now I switch it all
off at night. No more power draw on the electric bill for a whole
weekend if we are away.
So that's a couple of small changes we have made. How about you?
Rod Speed
Started using voip. So I now pay no monthly charge and get phone
calls for 8c each, regardless of how long they last, anywhere in my
country, and to the US, britain, china and singapore too.
Did that with no upfront charge because my Nokia N95 cellphone
has voip built in and I make the calls over wifi to my DSL.
Evelyn Leeper
>
> Did that with no upfront charge because my Nokia N95 cellphone
> has voip built in and I make the calls over wifi to my DSL.
Just try telling that to someone over sixty years old and see the look
on their faces.
(Okay, not everyone in that age range. But when I picture my father
trying to make sense of that sentence, my mind boggles.)
--
Evelyn C. Leeper
Be braver. You cannot cross a chasm in two small jumps.
phil scott
I spent money... 800 dollars on a chamber of commerce ad for my
services... that will bring in about 8,000 dollars gross profit.
Phil scott
The Real Bev
> Rod Speed wrote:
>>
>> Did that with no upfront charge because my Nokia N95 cellphone
>> has voip built in and I make the calls over wifi to my DSL.
>
> Just try telling that to someone over sixty years old and see the look
> on their faces.
Read my lips: Try not to be an asshole.
> (Okay, not everyone in that age range.
Gee thanks.
> But when I picture my father
> trying to make sense of that sentence, my mind boggles.)
Did you set up a computer for him? Sometimes the "elderly" need to be
forced. Our parents couldn't figure out why they needed a computer so
we gave them one. Not having to deal out those damn cards for solitaire
turns out to be a good enough reason, and it teaches mouse skills.
--
Cheers, Bev
============================================================
Brian (Talking to crowd): You need to be independent minded.
Crowd: We are! We are!
Person in crowd: I'm not! -- Monty Python
Seerialmom
Bev I think you were under the impression that Rod S. made the comment
about telling that to someone over 60 years old and watch their face.
All he did was said how he used his cellphone and VOIP; it was Evelyn
who made the comment about the 60 year old.
personally I thought it was a pretty funny statement because I've seen
many a blank face as I try to explain what's wrong with someone's
computer.
Rod Speed
> Rod Speed wrote
>> Did that with no upfront charge because my Nokia N95 cellphone
>> has voip built in and I make the calls over wifi to my DSL.
> Just try telling that to someone over sixty years old and see the look on their faces.
I'm over that age myself.
> (Okay, not everyone in that age range.
I didnt have any problem explaining the advantages to someone I have known for decades who is now 87.
> But when I picture my father trying to make sense of that sentence, my mind boggles.)
The 87 year old didnt have any problem with it when I said that to him.
Neither have any of those I know who are often over 60 too.
Rod Speed
> Evelyn Leeper wrote
>> Rod Speed wrote:
>>> Did that with no upfront charge because my Nokia N95 cellphone
>>> has voip built in and I make the calls over wifi to my DSL.
>> Just try telling that to someone over sixty years old and see the look on their faces.
>
> Read my lips: Try not to be an asshole.
>
>> (Okay, not everyone in that age range.
>
> Gee thanks.
>
>> But when I picture my father
>> trying to make sense of that sentence, my mind boggles.)
> Did you set up a computer for him?
I didnt need to for my parents.
> Sometimes the "elderly" need to be forced. Our parents couldn't figure out why they needed a computer
Mine decided for themselves that they needed one.
> so we gave them one. Not having to deal out those damn cards for solitaire turns out to be a good enough reason, and
> it teaches mouse skills.
When my dad ended up in hospital after a fall, I found a massive great stack
of sheets of paper where he had printed out his order for dinner to the licensed
restaurant thats in the retirement village which has weekly specials delivered in golf
buggys. He faxed them to the restaurant. I hadnt needed to even suggest that to him.
He must have been about 90 at the time.
The only thing we ever had any real problem with him with was getting him to not
answer the phone when we were faxing the details of when we planned to show up
from the other side of the country. The phone and fax shared the phone line and for
some reason while he was fine with incoming faxes in general, when we had just
talked to him on the phone, and said we would send a fax after hanging up, quite
a bit of the time he'd answer the fax call with the phone.
I never did set him up for voip, he died before it was viable, at 95 or something.
E Z Peaces
> I thought it would be fun to share stories about things we have done
> this year to make a small but frugal difference in our budgets and such.
>
Dave Garland
> Just try telling that to someone over sixty years old and see the look
> on their faces.
Hey, watch your step, you young whippersnapper.
Some of us old folks are too frugal to have cellphones. Or if we do,
they're the cheapie prepaid ones. (Frugal hint: Most of the
companies selling prepaid service expire the time eventually (usually
in 60 or 90 days), but if you add more before it expires the old
minutes roll over. If you don't use the phone much, the optimum is
the service with the smallest=cheapest refills. In the US, T-Mobil
sells $10 refills that have 90 day expiration, all the other companies
seem to have a $20 minimum.)
Dave
hara...@lycos.com
> So that's a couple of small changes we have made. How about you?
I got a bunch of CFL light bulbs to replace incandescents, and hooked
up a coil in my woodstove to heat hot water. Haven't used electricity
to make hot water since.
Nicik Name
"The Real Bev" <bashley1...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:OVS2l.55295$v37....@newsfe01.iad...
> Evelyn Leeper wrote:
>
>> Rod Speed wrote:
>>>
>>> Did that with no upfront charge because my Nokia N95 cellphone
>>> has voip built in and I make the calls over wifi to my DSL.
>>
>> Just try telling that to someone over sixty years old and see the look on
>> their faces.
>
> Read my lips: Try not to be an asshole.
>
>> (Okay, not everyone in that age range.
>
> Gee thanks.
>
>> But when I picture my father trying to make sense of that sentence, my
>> mind boggles.)
>
> Did you set up a computer for him? Sometimes the "elderly" need to be
> forced. Our parents couldn't figure out why they needed a computer so we
> gave them one. Not having to deal out those damn cards for solitaire
> turns out to be a good enough reason, and it teaches mouse skills.
your parents know about computers
The Real Bev
> On Dec 19, 11:50 am, The Real Bev <bashley101+use...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Evelyn Leeper wrote:
>> > Rod Speed wrote:
>>
>> >> Did that with no upfront charge because my Nokia N95 cellphone
>> >> has voip built in and I make the calls over wifi to my DSL.
>>
>> > Just try telling that to someone over sixty years old and see the look
>> > on their faces.
>>
>> Read my lips: Try not to be an asshole.
>>
>> > (Okay, not everyone in that age range.
>>
>> Gee thanks.
>>
>> > But when I picture my father
>> > trying to make sense of that sentence, my mind boggles.)
>>
>> Did you set up a computer for him? Sometimes the "elderly" need to be
>> forced. Our parents couldn't figure out why they needed a computer so
>> we gave them one. Not having to deal out those damn cards for solitaire
>> turns out to be a good enough reason, and it teaches mouse skills.
>
> Bev I think you were under the impression that Rod S. made the comment
> about telling that to someone over 60 years old and watch their face.
> All he did was said how he used his cellphone and VOIP; it was Evelyn
> who made the comment about the 60 year old.
Yes, I knew that. She's normally a sensible person, but not this time.
I was perhaps more pissed off than I should have been, but I'm not
fully certain of that.
> personally I thought it was a pretty funny statement because I've seen
> many a blank face as I try to explain what's wrong with someone's
> computer.
Yeah, and age is largely irrelevant. My grandchildren, including a
15-YO, are not all that clueful.
--
Cheers, Bev
**********************************************
"I've had a Lucas pacemaker for years and have
never experienced any prob
The Real Bev
Once you've bought $100 worth of time, it doesn't expire for a year.
Minimum cost from then on is $10/year. Not all that bad.
Personally, I did my Xmas shopping the easy way at Costco.com this year.
Everybody gets one of these:
http://tinyurl.com/4uru4x
(yes, it's safe for work)
Jeff
Gee, where do you live that you run a woodstove all year? Saving
money on hot water is a great idea as it can be 1/3 of your energy budget.
I'm going to try to get my solar hot water going this winter, just
painted the collectors with selective paint. My main idea is for winter
heat, but I'll have plenty for hot water the rest of the year which will
probably save as much or more money. I'd like to get my total energy
bill under $50/month. Not that it's a lot of money saved, I just hate
paying them!
Jeff
Bill
things off when the power strip is on!
Instead of one power strip, I now have 4 power strips in some cases. The
kind without any lights on the switches.
So for my entertainment center, there is a DVD, Satellite TV, Stereo, and
Playstation. Before these were all on one power strip. Now with 4 power
strips, I can turn on just the things I am going to use.
For example the Playstation. This was always being turned on with the main
power strip. But this is used maybe twice a month. So now it is always off
unless we are going to use it. And when we are using that, we are not using
the satellite TV or DVD, so those are turned off.
Cinnamin
I like that idea! I will have to try it.
This year I weaned myself away from soda. Amazing how much better I
feel and how little I miss it.
Cin.
JonquilJan
buy a cell phone
buy a DVD player
rent videos
I did
use coupons for grocery shopping
plant a small garden for fresh salad greens
use reuseable containers if I had to take food anywhere
keep only the basic cable channels
cancel all book club memberships
But all those are nothing new. With my income, I cut corners whereever and
whenever possible.
JonquilJan
Learn something new every day
As long as you are learning, you are living
When you stop learning, you start dying
Strider
news:gigoj7$1uo2$1...@news.ett.com.ua...
1. We dumped all our DirecTV sports packages (NFL, NHL & MLS).
2. The wife started making her own lunches to take to work (I've been doing
that for years).
3. I started using 1 sandwich bag for a week's worth of sandwiches instead of
one a day. (But I might try your suggestion as well.)
--
ROT13 the "reply to" for e-mail address.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
Dave Garland
here tomorrow night, and the windows in my house were installed in 1906).
The kits they sell at the store that attach with double-sided tape
(and sometimes shrink-fit) don't last more than a season or two. And
the adhesive either gunks the woodwork, or rips the finish off.
Frost-king sells plastic channel to attach the plastic to. But in my
experience it doesn't last more than a few years before it cracks and
breaks. At least you can re-use the plastic sheet for a few years
(the crystal-clear is thin and fragile, the slightly milky roll poly
is fairly durable, and ok for windows you don't look out of anyhow).
I got heavy crystal-clear plastic, not sure the composition (it's not
poly) but it reminds me of the clear plastic slipcovers people used to
use in the 1960s. Came in a roll interleaved with protective tissue.
Cut furring strips (1x2, though smaller would work) cut to exactly
butt join on the top, sides, and sill. Finished it the same color as
the woodwork. Took old T-shirt material and spray glue, and stuck a
layer of fabric as a cushion onto one side, where it would go against
the plastic. Predrilled 4 holes in each piece, put the plastic up
(held temporarily with masking tape), and fastened it down with the
new sticks, screwed with sheetrock screws into the window frame.
(Yes, that'll make a few small holes in the frame, but if you mark the
sticks so you know which goes where, you can use the same holes year
after year. And it's way better than the damage the tape does.). If
you've got blinds, cut a little hole (reinforced with filament tape)
for the rod that controls the louvers. The whole process wasn't much
more work than the tape-it-up stuff, looks better, and should last a
lot longer (I suppose eventually the plastic will need to be replaced,
but the one I did last year doesn't show any sign of deterioration.)
Oh, before you seal things up, if the windows are old use rope caulk
to seal the joints. In my experience Mortite brand actually works
better than the other brands. But no, even though they say you can
reuse it, that doesn't work, once it gets dusty it doesn't stick well
any more.
Stay warm,
Dave
Vic Smith
Sounds like a plan.
Did you ever think of panels for the windows?
By that I mean insulation filled (could be fiberglass batts) and
fabric covered permanent panels that would fit snugly inside the
window casings or be attached with battens outside.
Of course they wouldn't let in light, and you couldn't see through the
window when they're up.
But they might be worthwhile for some windows in winter, and even some
little used windows when cooling.
You would have to manage a place for them when not in/on the window.
I've thought of making some up a few times, but could never work up
the courage to even mention it to my wife.
She hates caves.
--Vic
Dave Garland
> Did you ever think of panels for the windows?
> By that I mean insulation filled (could be fiberglass batts) and
> fabric covered permanent panels that would fit snugly inside the
> window casings or be attached with battens outside.
> Of course they wouldn't let in light, and you couldn't see through the
> window when they're up.
> But they might be worthwhile for some windows in winter, and even some
> little used windows when cooling.
I've got a few windows that I don't look out of where I've cut pieces
of 1" insulating foam to snugly fit, that's easy. I calculated that
1" foam would have a payback of about 2 years. I've variously covered
it on the outside with aluminum foil (stuck on with spray adhesive),
which adds another fractional R unit and protects the foam from
sunlight, painted the outside surface white, and done nothing. It
actually holds up pretty well in sunlight, one east-facing panel
without surface treatment has been in place (behind an unused storm
door) about 12 years and hasn't deteriorated too much.
You wouldn't want to use foam anywhere that there was a possibility of
fire... it gives off nasty fumes if it burns. But you could stick a
piece of masonite paneling on the inside for protection (and
aesthetics and physical protection).
I've got fiberglass batts over the inside of a couple of basement
windows, but it looks pretty crude.
> I've thought of making some up a few times, but could never work up
> the courage to even mention it to my wife.
> She hates caves.
You've got to be selective about where you use them. :)
Dave
clams_casino
Actually, I made a relatively big change that should hopefully pay off
well in the future (first read about it in a newspaper article - more
than justifying the cost of a newspaper for many years). I converted /
rolled over a significant amount of money from an IRA into a Roth
account. Granted, the taxes will be due on this year's tax filing, but
with any rebound in the market, all gains will not only be tax free, but
eventually (unless congress changes the law), there will be a
significant savings by reducing / minimizing taxes on social security.
In a few words, social security benefits may be taxable, depending on
one's total income, but withdrawals from a Roth are not considered as
income when determining taxable SS income (IRA and 401k withdrawals can
effect the taxing of social security).
Example - if someone receives 25K in SS, there should be minimal, if
any income taxes. If that same person was to supplement their SS with
IRA or 401k withdrawals, not only would they be paying taxes on the IRA
and 401K withdrawals, but they will likely be suddenly paying taxes on a
portion of the SS. However, If the withdrawals are via Roth, there
would still be minimal, if any taxes on the SS - a double advantage for
a ROTH vs. traditional IRA or 401k..
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98846,00.html
The trick is to convert IRA money each year only up to the point just
before hitting your next tax bracket. There is still time this year
and it can be done again in January.
.
clams_casino
> The trick is to convert IRA money each year only up to the point just
> before hitting your next tax bracket. There is still time this year
> and it can be done again in January.
> .
Opps - wrong reference provided -
http://www.fairmark.com/rothira/socsec.htm
hara...@lycos.com
money on hot water is a great idea as it can be 1/3 of your energy
Hi - Vermont, small woodstove is in the cellar. It is an old cast iron
box stove, bored 2 holes in the back with a grinding attachment on the
drill, used 1/4" refrig. copper coil and hooked it up to the water
heater . 1 hour of a not very hot fire will heat up 5 gallons, enough
for the 2 of us. Only one glitch. One end of the copper goes in the
top and one in the bottom of the tank. If the thermal syphon starts
the right was, with hot water going in the bottom, the tank gets full
of uniformly hot water. If it starts flowing the hot water into the
top of the tank, there will be a bunch of REALLY hot water at the top
of the tank and it doesn't last as long. Can't figure it out, it must
be mixing in the tank in either case...
JonL
> Evelyn Leeper wrote:
>
>> Rod Speed wrote:
>>>
>>> Did that with no upfront charge because my Nokia N95 cellphone
>>> has voip built in and I make the calls over wifi to my DSL.
>>
>> Just try telling that to someone over sixty years old and see the look
>> on their faces.
>
> Read my lips: Try not to be an asshole.
>
>> (Okay, not everyone in that age range.
>
> Gee thanks.
>
>> But when I picture my father trying to make sense of that sentence, my
>> mind boggles.)
>
> Did you set up a computer for him? Sometimes the "elderly" need to be
> forced. Our parents couldn't figure out why they needed a computer so
> we gave them one. Not having to deal out those damn cards for solitaire
> turns out to be a good enough reason, and it teaches mouse skills.
>
LOL!!! Good Wun!!
Daniel T.
> I thought it would be fun to share stories about things we have done
> this year to make a small but frugal difference in our budgets and
> such.
>
> For me, this year I got annoyed at having to buy sandwich bags over
> and over, and realized I could cut down on this some if I started
> reusing the bread, bagel and English Muffin wrappers (and even
> plastic cereal bags from inside the boxes). So now we reuse our
> bread wrappers, and I've cut down on the purchase of sandwich bags
> by about 20%. It feels good to reuse something we were formerly
> throwing away without thinking about it, too.
>
> Another small change I made was installing a power strip to have our
> laptop and accessories plugged in to. I read that not having the
> laptop plugged in all the time will make the batteries last longer.
> We also have a visioneer scanner with no power switch that sucks a
> bit of energy all the time, and a Yahoo Messenger phone that I use
> once in a great while. I put all of these on the power strip, and
> now I switch it all off at night. No more power draw on the electric
> bill for a whole weekend if we are away.
>
> So that's a couple of small changes we have made. How about you?
We put up a cloths line and stopped using the dryer.
We started car pooling to work and now turn off our cars at stop lights.
My wife carries her bike on the back of the car now, so she can park
where it's free and bike the rest of the way to work. (The car pooling
works by her driving me to work, which is between home and her work.)
Those of the family going to college started checking out their books
from the library instead of buying them.
Lastly, we planed a "recycle christmas" all presents purchased had to be
used (thrift store stuff for example.)
--
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add,
but when there is nothing left to take away.
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
val189
More for convenience and to lessen run outs, I'm buying the powdered
dry milk for cooking, making yogurt etc. I buy the fluid milk only
for drinking it straight. I've cut way back on trips to the market.
I make it up a quart at a time in a glass Mason jar.
I put a few more bill payments on automatic. Saves postage.
I let the power company turn off my water heater and a/c at their
will.
Nicik Name
"Evelyn Leeper" <ele...@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:494bf29a$0$4907$607e...@cv.net...
> Rod Speed wrote:
>>
>> Did that with no upfront charge because my Nokia N95 cellphone
>> has voip built in and I make the calls over wifi to my DSL.
>
> Just try telling that to someone over sixty years old and see the look on
> their faces.
>
>
> Evelyn C. Leeper
> Be braver. You cannot cross a chasm in two small jumps.
Nicik Name
"Daniel T." <dani...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:daniel_t-2BFE46...@earthlink.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net...
> OhioGuy <no...@none.net> wrote:
>
>> I thought it would be fun to share stories about things we have done
>> this year to make a small but frugal difference in our budgets and
>> such.
>>
>> For me, this year I got annoyed at having to buy sandwich bags over
>> and over, and realized I could cut down on this some if I started
>> reusing the bread, bagel and English Muffin wrappers (and even
>> plastic cereal bags from inside the boxes). So now we reuse our
>> bread wrappers, and I've cut down on the purchase of sandwich bags
>> by about 20%. It feels good to reuse something we were formerly
>> throwing away without thinking about it, too.
>>
>> Another small change I made was installing a power strip to have our
>> laptop and accessories plugged in to. I read that not having the
>> laptop plugged in all the time will make the batteries last longer.
>> We also have a visioneer scanner with no power switch that sucks a
>> bit of energy all the time, and a Yahoo Messenger phone that I use
>> once in a great while. I put all of these on the power strip, and
>> now I switch it all off at night. No more power draw on the electric
>> bill for a whole weekend if we are away.
>>
>> So that's a couple of small changes we have made. How about you?
>
> We put up a cloths line and stopped using the dryer.
>
> We started car pooling to work and now turn off our cars at stop lights.
The Real Bev
> "Daniel T." <dani...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> We put up a cloths line and stopped using the dryer.
>>
>> We started car pooling to work and now turn off our cars at stop lights.
Isn't there some rule of thumb about how long you should idle and when
you should turn the engine off?
> Starter motors ect arent cheap.......budget
They're not that expensive either, especially if you put it in yourself.
I've done it, and better than the dealer who left out 1 of the 3 bolts
and left the other two loose.
And then there are people who downshift to slow down at stoplights --
hasn't it ever occurred to them that brake pads are WAY cheaper and
easier to replace than a clutch?
--
Cheers, Bev
============================================================
If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting
them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for
no good reason. - Jack Handy
Daniel T.
> > "Daniel T." <danie...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> > > We started car pooling to work and now turn off our cars at stop lights.
>
> Isn't there some rule of thumb about how long you should idle and when
> you should turn the engine off?
From what I understand, it's 10 Seconds. In our state, the left turn
signal always goes green before the main light. So if I hit the turn
lane and the left turn signal is red, I shut off the engine until
after the cross traffic starts going. If I can see the cross traffic
light, I will wait until they have a yellow light.
This is exactly how Priuses save gas, shut the engine off at lights.
The Real Bev
They're electric at low speeds, right? So you probably aren't using any
gas in high-traffic areas, right?
--
Cheers, Bev
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
As the shopper placed her groceries on the checkout stand, the
bagger asked "Paper or plastic?" "Doesn't matter," she replied,
"I'm bisackual."
Nicik Name
> Nicik Name wrote:
>
>> "Daniel T." <dani...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>>
>>> We put up a cloths line and stopped using the dryer.
>>>
>>> We started car pooling to work and now turn off our cars at stop lights.
>
> Isn't there some rule of thumb about how long you should idle and when you
> should turn the engine off?
Hope this helps.........
Lic driver circa 1968......eh what do i know
Dave Garland
> Isn't there some rule of thumb about how long you should idle and when
> you should turn the engine off?
In Minneapolis, it's 3 minutes. Beyond that (5 for heavy diesels)
it's a violation and you can be ticketed.
Though I'm not sure that anyone has been, in the year the ordinance
has been in effect. On slow news days, news crews shoot pictures of
cops, garbage trucks, etc. violating the ordinance.
Dave
Daniel T.
> Daniel T. wrote:
> > The Real Bev <bashley101+use...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Nicik Name wrote:
> > > > "Daniel T." <danie...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> > > Isn't there some rule of thumb about how long you should idle
> > > and when you should turn the engine off?
> >
> > From what I understand, it's 10 Seconds. In our state, the left turn
> > signal always goes green before the main light. So if I hit the turn
> > lane and the left turn signal is red, I shut off the engine until
> > after the cross traffic starts going. If I can see the cross traffic
> > light, I will wait until they have a yellow light.
> >
> > This is exactly how Priuses save gas, shut the engine off at lights.
>
> They're electric at low speeds, right? �So you probably aren't using
> any gas in high-traffic areas, right?
Not really. They don't work like the Volt is planed too (for example.)
The battery on a Prius is quite small, so it's not like you can expect
to leave the engine off during a trip to the grocery store, even if
you do keep under the 30-40 MPH cut-off point.
The Volt, on the other hand is planed to be a true electric vehicle.
It will opperate on electricity alone, with a gas generator on-board
for those times when you can't charge it before the batteries die out.
Daniel T.
>
> For security reasons NEVER shut down the motor while on a roadway.
> Hope this helps.........
In my state, and I think in most states, it's illegal to shut off the
engine while the car is moving, (though I have been known to do that
on occasion when I'm comming up to a light that I know will be red for
a long time.)
Nicik is right though, there is a safety concern. With the engine off,
you don't have your power breaks or power stearing, and of course you
loose all ability to accelerate.
For example, I will leave my engine running if nobody is behind me.
Just in case someone shows up and forgets to break soon enough, I want
the ability to pull ahead and out of their way so I won't be rear-
ended.
> Lic driver circa 1968......eh what do i know
I'm over 20 years accident free. I tell my kids there are three kinds
of drivers, those who get into accidents and it's usually their fault,
those who get into accidents and it's rarely their fault, and then
there are those who simply don't get into accidents.
Daniel T.
I think Dave is talking about a slightly different subject... Ever
notice how UPS drivers turn off the engine as soon as they stop, even
if they are just jumping out and jumping right back in again?
Marsha
> I'm over 20 years accident free. I tell my kids there are three kinds
> of drivers, those who get into accidents and it's usually their fault,
> those who get into accidents and it's rarely their fault, and then
> there are those who simply don't get into accidents.
Same here, but there have been some close ones, which would not have
been my fault. Sometimes it's only pure luck if you haven't had an
accident for a while. You just haven't been in the right place at the
right time.
Marsha/Ohio
Dennis
I'm not sure how it is in your state, but here in Oregon we have what
is termed "proportional neglect". What this means (as my agent
explained it to me) is that, unless you are (legally and properly)
completely stopped somewhere and someone else hits your vehicle, each
driver is assigned some percentage of fault in an accident. The
respective insurance companies pay out based on the percentages
assigned to their client.
Dennis (evil)
--
The honest man is the one who realizes that he cannot
consume more, in his lifetime, than he produces.
Dave Garland
> I think Dave is talking about a slightly different subject... Ever
> notice how UPS drivers turn off the engine as soon as they stop, even
> if they are just jumping out and jumping right back in again?
It does turn out that it doesn't apply if you're "in traffic". I
didn't know that. (I do sometimes turn my engine off if I'm waiting
for a train to pass.) However, it does apply if your aggregate idling
time is more than 3 minutes in an hour, I didn't realize that it
wasn't "per instance". There are various exemptions.
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/airquality/AntiIdling_home.asp
Marsha
> I'm not sure how it is in your state, but here in Oregon we have what
> is termed "proportional neglect". What this means (as my agent
> explained it to me) is that, unless you are (legally and properly)
> completely stopped somewhere and someone else hits your vehicle, each
> driver is assigned some percentage of fault in an accident. The
> respective insurance companies pay out based on the percentages
> assigned to their client.
>
>
> Dennis (evil)
> --
> The honest man is the one who realizes that he cannot
> consume more, in his lifetime, than he produces.
Does that apply to rear-end accidents if both vehicles are moving? That
doesn't seem fair, in most cases.
Marsha/Ohio
Dennis
It did in my case -- my car was rear ended when I slowed to make a
left turn into a residential driveway. The guy who hit me was
speeding, drunk, had outstanding warrants and tried to flee when the
police arrived. Nonetheless, I was assigned some percentage of fault
(I forget how much -- it was over 25 years ago -- less than 10% I
think, but still...).
>That doesn't seem fair, in most cases.
Insurers, politicians and lawyers made the rules. What made you think
"fair" had anything to do with it? ;-)
spendwize.com
xxxxo
-------------------------------------
val189 wrote:
> Good thread!!
Letting the power company turn off your water heater and a/c at their will
could be risky. It is possible that if you request that they turn either
back on you could be hit with a reconnect or restart charge.
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Evelyn Leeper
> xxxxo
> -------------------------------------
> val189 wrote:
>
>
>> Good thread!!
>
>> More for convenience and to lessen run outs, I'm buying the powdered
>> dry milk for cooking, making yogurt etc. I buy the fluid milk only
>> for drinking it straight. I've cut way back on trips to the market.
>> I make it up a quart at a time in a glass Mason jar.
>
>> I put a few more bill payments on automatic. Saves postage.
>
>> I let the power company turn off my water heater and a/c at their
>> will.
>
>
> Letting the power company turn off your water heater and a/c at their will
> could be risky. It is possible that if you request that they turn either
> back on you could be hit with a reconnect or restart charge.
Actually, I suspect he meant they could regulate the temperature setting
remotely--at least that's what's offered here.
Marsha
> On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:59:38 -0500, Marsha <m...@xeb.net> wrote:
>
>> Dennis wrote:
>>> I'm not sure how it is in your state, but here in Oregon we have what
>>> is termed "proportional neglect". What this means (as my agent
>>> explained it to me) is that, unless you are (legally and properly)
>>> completely stopped somewhere and someone else hits your vehicle, each
>>> driver is assigned some percentage of fault in an accident. The
>>> respective insurance companies pay out based on the percentages
>>> assigned to their client.
>>>
>>>
>>> Dennis (evil)
>> Does that apply to rear-end accidents if both vehicles are moving?
>
> It did in my case -- my car was rear ended when I slowed to make a
> left turn into a residential driveway. The guy who hit me was
> speeding, drunk, had outstanding warrants and tried to flee when the
> police arrived. Nonetheless, I was assigned some percentage of fault
> (I forget how much -- it was over 25 years ago -- less than 10% I
> think, but still...).
That sucks. I don't see how any of it was your fault, unless you were
also drunk or driving without a license, but you wouldn't do that, would
you?
>
>> That doesn't seem fair, in most cases.
>
> Insurers, politicians and lawyers made the rules. What made you think
> "fair" had anything to do with it? ;-)
>
>
> Dennis (evil)
Silly me :-)
Marsha/Ohio
val189
> Actually, I suspect he meant they could regulate the temperature setting
> remotely--at least that's what's offered here.
Yes - the temporary disconnect of the a/c and water heater is handled
remotely.
Nicik Name
> "Nicik Name" <orb...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>>
>> For security reasons NEVER shut down the motor while on a roadway.
>> Hope this helps.........
>
> In my state, and I think in most states, it's illegal to shut off the
> engine while the car is moving, (though I have been known to do that
> on occasion when I'm comming up to a light that I know will be red for
> a long time.)
>
> Nicik is right though, there is a safety concern. With the engine off,
> you don't have your power breaks or power stearing, and of course you
> loose all ability to accelerate.
been there......
Daniel T.
Oh, I've had some close calls, but I've managed to do something at the
last second to avoid the idiot. Part of it is making sure you have
options. For example people who are rear ended while stopped at a
light... I always make sure I have room in front of me and keep an eye
on the rear view mirror, it isn't uncommon for me to have to pull
forward at the last second or jump into a different lane to avoid
someone behind who isn't paying attention.
val189
.. I always make sure I have room in front of me
Do you use the "tires on the pavement" rule of thumb?
My cousin once blasted his horn to wake up some guy barreling down on
him, drinking from a can and looking at his headliner. The blast
scared the others stopped at the red light, but woke the guy up in
time.
val189
wrote:
> Letting the power company turn off your water heater and a/c at their will
> could be risky. It is possible that if you request that they turn either
> back on you could be hit with a reconnect or restart charge.
No - I don't do any requesting. They remotely disrupt the water
heater and a/c for no more than 15 minutes at a time, no more than x
number of times a day ( I forget how often), and there's an annual
limit too. It's all done remotely by the power company. I never
notice these interruptions. There was absolutely no fee to set this
up either. Win - win.
phil scott
I think you get a 10% rate cut as a reward also?
On an oposite front... PG and E (pacific gas and electric) in calif..
has 3 tier rates for homes, but not businesses. business gets the
low rates.
Homes the the low rate for their 'base use', (set at enough to run yer
cell phone charger and the bathroom lights if you down dwandle in the
john). 11 cents a KWH,
if you go over that you hit the mid rate range, amost doulbe in most
cases, so that ends up to be the effective rate if you are furgal as
hell...if you use such things as a TV, hair drier and portch light,
you hit the 35 cents a Kwh range... this has doubled or tripled most
peoples bill since it was instituted.
Frugally speaking you must declare your home to be a business,
accounting, on line services, HQ for your contracting, baby sitting or
drug running operation... then you get the low rates.
Phil scott
George
> On Dec 26, 11:06 am, val189 <gwehr...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>> On Dec 24, 6:39 pm, info_at_1-script_dot_...@foo.com (spendwize.com)
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Letting the power company turn off your water heater and a/c at their will
>>> could be risky. It is possible that if you request that they turn either
>>> back on you could be hit with a reconnect or restart charge.
>> No - I don't do any requesting. They remotely disrupt the water
>> heater and a/c for no more than 15 minutes at a time, no more than x
>> number of times a day ( I forget how often), and there's an annual
>> limit too. It's all done remotely by the power company. I never
>> notice these interruptions. There was absolutely no fee to set this
>> up either. Win - win.
>
> I think you get a 10% rate cut as a reward also?
>
>
> On an oposite front... PG and E (pacific gas and electric) in calif..
> has 3 tier rates for homes, but not businesses. business gets the
> low rates.
I was just looking at the pge residential tariff:
http://www.pge.com/tariffs/tm2/pdf/ELEC_SCHEDS_E-1.pdf
It lists 10 different baseline region territories but doesn't describe
where they are. What makes these regions unique?
The electric rates in our part of PA are on the low side. We typically
use ~470 kwh/month. I picked a median baseline and the multiplier for
exceeding the baseline and it is comparable to what we pay.
SMS
> So that's a couple of small changes we have made. How about you?
Switched from NFC to FC for OJ.
phil scott
>
> - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
yes and its a rip off... up 300% in terms of the monthly bill over the
last 3 years.
and its done with this low base rate, but normal usage is a lot more
than that.
Just because you are being ripped off as bad as those in california,
equity between the states, does not mean that these utility companies
have not run yet another scam us.
Previous to this the rate was the same no matter how much you
used...now it doubles or triples as use goes into normal ranges...
Phil scott
suds macheath
> I thought it would be fun to share stories about things we have done
> this year to make a small but frugal difference in our budgets and such.
>
> For me, this year I got annoyed at having to buy sandwich bags over
> and over, and realized I could cut down on this some if I started
> reusing the bread, bagel and English Muffin wrappers (and even plastic
> cereal bags from inside the boxes). So now we reuse our bread wrappers,
> and I've cut down on the purchase of sandwich bags by about 20%. It
> feels good to reuse something we were formerly throwing away without
> thinking about it, too.
>
> Another small change I made was installing a power strip to have our
> laptop and accessories plugged in to. I read that not having the laptop
> plugged in all the time will make the batteries last longer. We also
> have a visioneer scanner with no power switch that sucks a bit of energy
> all the time, and a Yahoo Messenger phone that I use once in a great
> while. I put all of these on the power strip, and now I switch it all
> off at night. No more power draw on the electric bill for a whole
> weekend if we are away.
>
> So that's a couple of small changes we have made. How about you?
Using the cold water from the bathroom sink and shower in the toilet tank.
Evelyn Leeper
ink). And of course reusing the back of the paper.
Daniel T.
> On Dec 25, 12:09 pm, "Daniel T." <danie...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> .. I always make sure I have room in front of me
>
> Do you use the "tires on the pavement" rule of thumb?
I'm not entirely sure what that means. Are you talking about the rule of
thumb about being able to see the tires of the car in front of you? If
so, then that isn't far back enough for me. I keep at least a car length
back, more if I am hemmed in and can't turn left or right. Of course
once there is someone fully stopped behind me, I can creep up some.
--
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add,
but when there is nothing left to take away.
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
clams_casino
>I'm goign to start baking a lot more bread with the price of bread being so high
>now..
>
>
>
>
The problem we had with making bread was we couldn't stop eating it -
immediately. By buying it, we eat significantly less of it.
clams_casino
> Use the fast-print/draft print options for most print jobs (uses less
> ink). And of course reusing the back of the paper.
>
Biggest mistake we made this year was to purchase a Kodak printer with
the intent of saving on ink costs. It was such a piece of crap, we
junked it after three months. While it did use less ink (the full
print uses about as much ink as a draft on an HP), the draft was full of
skips & very faint. Biggest problem was constant paper jams & software
problems about one in ten prints would require resetting the command -
a constant source of aggravation. It was also painfully slow.
Really slow.
Don't EVER even consider a Kodak printer.
George
Actually our electric rates rank with the least expensive except for
areas with subsidized hydro. But that is only for the present. Last year
the power company that serves this region announced there will be
significant rate increases in 2010. That is because they know they are
much less expensive than everyone else (they currently are) and because
they will be fully deregulated then they can and will charge a lot more.
Is it possible you had some sort of subsidized rate prior to the current
price structure?