The Dollar Stretcher - All Comments

re: Being Really Green

clover215862 — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:45:06 GMT

I too an a dollar stretcher. And I have been for most of my married life. When we married money was not a problem but the factory where my husband worked went out just as we had our first child, a new morgage and all the things that come with being married for the first five years. I learned early that there were many things that I could do to save those dollars. Groceries was one of the biggest areas where we made those cuts. Less meat and more beans and dry beans not those in the cans. Luckily I had a best friend at the time who was experiencing the same crisis. We are now teaching our grown children the art of being green.... Which back then was called frugal.

re: Park My Car?

sunshinetreva — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:47:51 GMT

Two cars back I drove a 94 Ford Thunderbird. I have a very trustworthy, reliable mechanic who told me I needed to have the muffler replaced on one side (the T-bird has a dual pipe exhaust that was split one on each side) and the other needed some minor work but would hold up a bit longer. 6 months later I was replacing the other one. Why? Because, generally speaking, Monday through Friday, I only drive my car to work and back home. Saturday or Sunday I group my errands and do a loop. Because my car never ran for very long I never got the moisture all the way out of my mufflers causing them rust at a faster rate and therefore needed more frequent replacing. I did not have the same problem with my Chevy Aveo which I drove for 3 years in the same pattern, but the T-bird had a much larger engine. Either way, it *can* happen, but it should be a rare occurrance.

re: Frugal Friends

YoungMrsHarris — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:56:38 GMT

They wouldnt work for me, either. I am going to the grocery store tomorrow and need help from these cheap people!

re: Teamwork

MamaNavyBrat — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:24:49 GMT

They are alive and well outside of the Amish as well. We had a small two horse barn raised in 4 hours with the help from a few friends.

re: Teamwork

memoriesmama — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:30:21 GMT

Barn raising is still alive and well today. . . in the Amish communities. We watched a barn go up in a day on an Amish farm with the help of their neighbors.

re: Unintended Consequences

haverwench — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 03:50:42 GMT

Oh, and one other thing: what does printing more money have to do with lowering interest rates? Both of them are policies that will have an inflationary effect (increasing the money supply means each dollar has less value, while lowering interest rates encourages spending and thereby drives up prices), but the former doesn't lead directly to the latter. The way you lower interest rates is to lower the federal funds rate, and they've already cut that pretty much to the bone.

re: Unintended Consequences

haverwench — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:45:13 GMT

Begging your pardon, but what is the basis for your claim that "Anything they try to do will only make it worse"? It seems to me that the fact that *one* type of economic intervention failed in the past hardly constitutes proof that *every* type of intervention will inevitably fail. For example, states could adjust their sales tax to exempt a greater variety of essential goods and services. I don't favor this approach with gas taxes (since high prices discourage consumption, and that is in itself a good thing as far as the environment is concerned), but other strategies might help ease the burden there, such as increasing subsidies for mass transit or providing resources to make it easier for people to carpool, commute by bicycle, etc. Of course, all this isn't cheap, and governments are feeling the financial squeeze too. But I do believe governments at all levels can and should look for the most cost-effective strategies to help hard-pressed, hard-working individuals and families, rather than just throwing up their hands and saying, "Oh well, anything we do to help will just make it worse."

re: Frugal Friends

dmc_2008 — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:36:13 GMT

None of these links seem to work! Maybe it's me!

re: Unintended Consequences

cariboubill — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:51:07 GMT

Words of wisdom. Thanks for a great website

...Bill

re: Congress Likes Higher Food Prices

wildgift — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:46:15 GMT

There are "food stamps" all over the world, especially in poor countries. When the poverty is widespread, governments will subsidize the cost of bread so it's affordable to poor people.

Also, @deberry, there *is* a futures market that's supposed to reduce risk.

Interest Rates » Unintended Consequences

Interest Rates » Unintended Consequences — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:22:27 GMT

Pingback from Interest Rates » Unintended Consequences

re: Work-at-Home

colleensfabrics — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:22:52 GMT

Michelle, I am in the same boat. I'm 55 and need to work from home. I used to have a word processing business out of my home when my kids were little. I have a medical condition that makes it difficult for me to work a 40 hour corporate work week, so I've decided to take JEM online.

I've tried a few virtual assistant sites where you can bid on jobs. Guru is one where you can sign up for free. You don't get to bid on the better jobs, but it is a start.

It takes a bit of work to get going. I'll keep you posted if I find anything interesting, and ask that you do the same for me.

Best to you.

re: Congress Likes Higher Food Prices

deberryfarm — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:46:41 GMT

Regarding leftover produce at farmers markets:

Many farmers do donate to pantries, but many more pantries don't want food they have to "prepare" because they don't have the manpower to wash and clean the produce.

And just because it is discarded, doesn't mean the produce is wasted. We compost all our leftovers (after giving what we can to neighbors and family each week). The compost adds nutrients and organic matter to our soils, making a better growing environment.

re: Congress Likes Higher Food Prices

frugallady — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:14:15 GMT

It seems as if a lot of middle class citizens are going to need food stamps. It seems that the U.S. is the only country that has a food stamp program. Most people are growing vegetable gardens in their back yards to help beat the rise of food prices. I plan on doing the same. Avoiding waste is essential. I read somewhere that the farmers will discard the produce that they don't sell at the farmer's markets. Why don't they donate them to food pantries and soup kitchens. It will make more sense than making waste.

re: Gas Crisis???

frugallady — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:59:06 GMT

Remember the energy crisis in the 1970s. We should go back to the

conservation measures and rationing. I remember odd and even day fill ups and gas lines. Everyone started driving smaller cars and many people carpooled to work. We should start recycling plastic products because they are made of petroleum.