Yankee 2.0 : shopping

Gearing up for winter

Anne Cross — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:20:00 GMT

Brrr!!! It's really cold here in the Northeast. There were flurries in CT during the day, and snow expected over night in MA. They've probably got inches in Maine. And it's October 15th!!! This augers for a long cold winter.

I've been getting my wardrobe ready for winter -- spending a little to save a lot. Here's what I've done so far:

Darned holes in a scarf. I have a lovely cashmere scarf that had a couple of moth or nail holes. I got 5cents worth of cashmere yarn at a wool store and sewed those babies right up. Looks good as new.
Waterproofing boots. I don't skimp on boots. I have a great pair and just finished applying a coat of waterproofing to them to get them ready for the Nor'Easter that's coming this weekend. The stuff cost $12.50 and it has enough for several applications.
Re-soling boots. Okay, so I have two pairs of boots. One pair is 10+ years old and needs new soles. I brought them into a cobbler today and will soon know how much it will cost to re-sole them.
Darning gloves? My favorite pair of gloves is three years old and there are holes in the fingers. The outer covering is black and the inner thinsulate stuff is beige. They look pretty sad, but I love 'em. However, they're not keeping my fingers as warm as possible, due to the holes. I am going to try to darn them, but may have to replace them with a new pair.
Dry cleaning. Brought a couple of things to the dry cleaners and they look nice and new. Dry cleaning extends the life of the clothes, too, by killing any biological stains that might be eating a hole in the clothes.
Closet clean out and switch over. Moved summer stuff into the cedar closet and took winter stuff out of the cedar closet.
General hole sewing. I sometimes get underarm holes along the seams of sweaters. I made a little stack of the sweaters with these holes and have been darning/sewing them up.
Sock and thermies check up. Make sure I have enough warm socks and long johns to get me through the season. If not, get 'em now.

Those are my winter clothing tips. Does anyone else have some ideas to share?

Car turnover

Anne Cross — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:52:00 GMT

I love my car. It's a 2002 Hyundai Accent Hatchback that I bought in 2004 with 4,000 miles on it. I did have to take out a loan to pay for it, but I paid the loan off in 2 years, and it's been all mine since 2006. My little car was very inexpensive (around $7500). It gets great gas mileage -- about 30 in town and close to 40 on the highway. And I can fit just about anything in the hatchback -- I've moved a desk, a couple of couches, and boxes galore. The excise tax is $25.00 per year, and my car insurance is also very low. I can park anywhere -- I've taken my little car to Montreal and NYC a couple of times and drive to Boston regularly, and I can fit in tiny little city parking spaces.

My check engine light came on recently -- right before I needed to get my annual inspection. So I brought it to the dealer. They fixed the problem (some sort of exhaust pipe) for $500, and gave me a long list of other stuff they suggested I fix. The repairs totalled around $1500 (on top of the $500). I have just passed 80,000 miles on the car, and I was hoping to get 150,000 out of it -- or about five more years of driving (so I could save up for a new one in that time).

I decided to take it to an independent shop for a second opinion. The guy at the independent shop told me which things on the list were important (timing belt) and which I could ignore (struts and steering bushing), but he said around 100,000 miles, it would get too expensive to keep fixing and I should think about a new car. So I brought it back to the dealer for the timing belt ($300), and I asked someone at the dealership how many miles I could expect out of the car. She said she's got a customer with an older version of my car with 400,000 miles, and I should get at least 200,000 out of it.

I figured that both shops had a vested interest in my keeping the car (the more repairs I need, the more potential new business they get), but that the dealer also had an interest in getting me into a new car. If the dealer says I can shoot for 200,000 without a lot of problems, that's news I can use! I may have an emotional attachment to my ca, but I also don't see any reason to get a new car when I can fix mine up here and there and keep it running. I guess I have to decide how much per year I'm willing to pay in repairs, and whether putting that money towards a new vehicle makes more sense.

I had three big fixes this year -- brakes (needed on any car), the timing belt (suggested every 60,000 miles -- I hadn't done it before), and that exhaust pipe (an old age repair). These totalled around $1,000, and I'm hoping I won't need anything big anytime soon. I think if I start paying more than $1500 per year in repairs, it's time to get a new one, but then I think "well, I won't need a new one of those (whatever I got fixed) anytime soon, so I should keep it."

Does anyone have a system that they use to evaluate when keeping an old car is no longer an economical choice?

Lease to own office equipment. A success (for me)

Anne Cross — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 09:54:00 GMT

Two years ago, I took out a lease to own contract with Dell computers for a laptop, software, and digital video camera for my training company. I needed the equipment, didn't have the money to buy it outright, and didn't want to use a credit card to pay for it. I didn't splurge by getting the top of the line models, but I didn't get the cheapest ones either (which I might have done had I been paying cash). The equipment has been quite reliable, and when I've had (two) problems with it, they sent someone to my office to fix it. I also have an additional year's worth of that "we'll fix anything" service plan (I'm notorious for dropping or spilling things on laptops, so this is one time extended warranty was totally worth the peace of mind).

Last week, I made my final lease payment. So now I own this equipment! I'm sure for some people, a two-year old laptop would seem outdated, but for my business, it works just great (although I'm hoping the new Windows OS is better than Vista, which it now has -- I'm really a Mac user, but thought (correctly) the PC laptop would be good for integrating into workplace systems where I was using it.

Anyway, this is a long rambling post -- just wanted to share my success about leasing office equipment. It's really nice not to have that bill anymore, and it's nice to have good equipment for my business. For me, lease to own was a good decision.

No more junk

Anne Cross — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:32:00 GMT

This year, I have gotten rid of a lot of junk. I look around my house now, and I see fewer things, but the things I see, I enjoy and value. I'm trying these days not to let anymore junk into my life.

What's some of the junk that has left my life in 2009? Damp, empty boxes that had sat in my basement for years "for when I sell things on ebay." Old paperwork that I no longer needed to keep. Clothes that didn't fit or had just worn out. Stuff I had duplicates of in the kitchen. Presents given to me that I never liked but was holding onto out of a sense of obligation to the giver. Lots and lots of junk left my life this year. And lots of stuff that wasn't junk at the level of an empty, damp cardboard box, but that I no longer had need of. I sold a bunch of stuff on CL, ebay, and at a tag sale -- made about $1,000 from selling things (!). I donated lots of things to thrift stores (the point of entry into my life of much of it to begin with). I gave things away on Freecycle.

I've bought some new things over the past few months, but they've been things I needed, and they haven't been junk. My preferred shopping places are still flea markets, tag sales, and thrift shops. But when in the past I would greedily load up my car with lots and lots of stuff, now I carefully consider any potential purchase. I've put lots of things down that I would have brought home before. Buying nothing, or buying one thing for $5.00 that is really precious, useful, and beautiful is much better than spending $20.00 on stuff just to have lots of stuff around. There is a much greater sense of peace in my house now. I've always hated clutter, and having all that junk (even if it was tastefully arranged, or hidden out of view in the basement) was definitely a form of clutter.

I know that this new relationship to the things in my life is related to the new relationship that I've developed with money over the past few years. I never used to think I would get to this place. I feel mature! I feel like I'm in control of my material life -- money, clothing, things -- all the "stuff" is under my control, instead of me being unable to control spending, collecting things, having debt, and bill paying. I like it a lot better this way.

I still feel a sense of excitement when I see a tag sale sign or pull up to the flea market. But I can take a step back and examine what I really need or want, and it's much more easy to walk away.

One thing that's better store-bought than home-made

Anne Cross — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:52:00 GMT

For several months now, I've been using as many home-made cleaning products (for my person and my house) as I could. I've been making my own bath soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, face soap, laundry soap, and house cleaning stuff. Just as I'm about to finish a container of some existing product, I research how I can make a frugal and eco-friendly replacement.

I'm thrilled with almost everything I've made, and have shared my recipes here and with friends in the physical world. But on one front, I've had to concede to manufactured products. It's dishwashing in the machine.

I have about a three year's supply of hand dishwashing liquid (because I water it down in one of those foaming pumps, so it lasts for ever!). But a while ago, I finished off my powdered dish detergent and chemically store bought rinse/drying agent. I switched over to a recipe of borax + washing soda for the powder and straight white vinegar for the rinse/drying agent. Dishes weren't getting very clean and the glasses were covered in spots. I tried tweaking the recipe; I thought my machine was on the fritz; I thought it was the summer humidity -- nope, nope, and nope.

As an amateur scientist, I tried several experiments -- home-made powder plus store-bought Jet Dry stuff. Better, but not great. Store-bought powder with vinegar. Ditto. Finally, I had to admit that the combination of the store-bought powder (about $3.00 for nearly 6 months supply of Target brand eco-friendly stuff) plus the Jet Dry stuff (about $6.00 for about a three month supply of what I suspect is not very eco friendly at all) was what worked to get the dishes clean and spot-free.

I'm happily (and cleanly) staying with everything else, but this is one area where commercial science has prevailed over the domestic version.

Huge savings on Indian food

Anne Cross — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:38:00 GMT

Indian food is my very favorite cuisine. I have been visiting the Indian restaurants in my city since I was about 14 years old. I've been a vegetarian for quite a while, so Indian food is also a great protein source for me, as so much of it is vegetarian. This winter, after being on a waiting wist for a year, I took an Indian cooking workshop. It was GREAT! I learned how to make many of my favorite dishes as well as some new ones. I left with a cute round box of Indian spices as well as a big recipe pamphlet. I've been cooking up a storm since then.

I recently decided to have a big Indian dinner party for some friends and needed to stock up on supplies, so I searched online for "indian grocery store" and found one about 30 minutes away. My eyes were opened! The prices were so low -- bulk rice, lentils, dried beans, nuts (pistachios, cashews, almonds) -- all much less than at grocery stores. And then there were the frozen naans (Indian bread) for $3.00 for four (these cost $3.99 for one at the restaurants), and frozen paneer (Indian cottage cheese at $4.99 for a pound; I know how to make it myself, but it doesn't come out as well).

But the best find were the boxes of "masala" (which, as I learned at the cooking class, just means "sauce"); there are specific masala mixes for specific dishes. These cost $1.49 each, and each box makes about five large batches (each batch has four - six servings). So to make paneer masala, for example (my favorite dish), I would need a fifth of a $1.49 box of masala, a half of a .29 cent can of tomato sauce, an onion (50 cents?) and about half a pound of paneer ($2.50). For a total of $3.50 (plus rice, let's say 50 cents worth -- and call it a grand total of $4.00), I can make around four servings of one of my favorite foods on earth, rather than paying $9.99 (plus tip) at the restaurant for one serving.

The store also had lots of specialty pickles, and chutneys, and mango syrup (for mango lassis -- yummm), not to mention spices used in other cuisines -- cumin, cinnamon, cloves (just to mention the "C" family). And it was so inexpensive!

So frugal friends, I bet the same holds true for other ethnic cuisines. If you're a fan of Mexican, Afghani, Chinese or Vietnamese food, check and see if you can find a grocer that specializes in that food in your area. The savings can be dramatic, and you'll get to meet some people from the country whose food you love!

Inexpensive cat toys

Anne Cross — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:13:00 GMT

My ~~cat~~ animal companion, Jerome, loves to play with things on sticks or string. But not anything on a stick or a string. I've tried making tin foil balls and wrapping a piece of string around it -- no dice. His ferocious hunter instinct is only roused by toys with feathery bits or little strips of fabric on a stick.Ugh.

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit this on the Dollar Stretcher blog, but I have given in and paid $3.49 (plus tax) for a stick with feathers on it at the pet store. Jerome loved it -- he demonstrated his love by tearing it to shreds in a week. Double ugh. Not wanting to have to buy him one of these every week, I've been scouring dollar stores for toys (with success, but sometimes he just turns up his nose as if to say, "why on earth would I play with that?"). But yesterday I picked up a feathery artificial stem (fake flower) at a craft store for a flower arrangement for my home. It was on clearance for 30 cents.

Jerome spotted it immediately; his razor sharp predator instincts protecting the household from this feathered menace. Ah ha! For 10 -- 30 cents, I can get prey that will stimulate his little pea brain and won't make me feel like a chump for forking over almost four bucks for the same thing. Priceless.

Homemade toothpaste

Anne Cross — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:55:00 GMT

I looked into a lot of recipes and did some experimenting until I found one that I LOVE. It took a bit of getting used to, because it is salty, but now I really really love it. I don't like mint or cinamon flavored things, and never liked the taste of toothpaste. I make mine with cardamom, clove, and bergamot oils and I LOVE the way it tastes. Did I mention I love it?

Yet another store-bought item out of my life!

Here is the recipe:

6 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (for abrasion)

4 teaspoons glycerine

1/2 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide

15 drops of essential oils (for flavor, not an "essential" ingredient)

Mix everything together and dip your brush in!

One caveat -- be sure that the essential oils you use are safe forconsumption!

Digital TV conversion

Anne Cross — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:25:00 GMT

I bet I'm not alone in the Dollar Stretcher community as a person who doesn't have cable and owns an old televsion set. Over the summer, I sent away for my digital converter coupon, and recently purchased my converter box. Even with my $40.00 off coupon, I still had to pay $20.00 for it. I did some consumer research, and found the most recommended box was the RCA one, but none of the local stores carried it, so I got the second-best Zenith one instead. My local PBS station was switching over early, and I didn't want to lose it.

I lost some channels and gained some channels in the conversion. I only have very basic rabbit ears for my antenna, and I have heard it suggested that if I got an amplified antenna I would gain the channels I've lost. I don't really watch much tv, so I think I'll just keep what I have, unless I come across an amplified antenna at a yard sale or thrift store for a few dollars.

The reception is super-clear, but sometimes it gets pixelly and breaks up. What I really like is that my local PBS channel has a bunch of extra channels -- one that's mostly cooking shows, one that has lots of craft and sewing shows, and one that has PBS World -- with really great documentary programming.

So I'm enjoying the new digital world with my 10+ year old tv. It's kind of like having cable for free. There are lots of wires and things involved, and I have to unplug the box and plug in the vcr if I want to watch a video or dvd, but that's okay with me.

Soup is good for what ails you

Anne Cross — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:52:00 GMT

I've been making soup like crazy this fall/early winter. It's such an inexpensive way to make a big batch of food that will last for a long time. It's also very comforting in this New England clime, and it's nice to share with people who have caught the nasty cold that's making its way around these parts.

I've made a pledge not to throw food out, so as soon as some of my veggies start to look a little glum, I cook 'em up into a soup and add some of the split peas or dried beans (have to soak those overnight and then boil them up a bit first) for a hearty, protein rich batch of soup.

I'm a vegetarian, and I don't use bullion cubes, so to start all of my soups, I sautee onions and garlic in olive oil and butter in the bottom of my heavy cast-iron/enamel soup pot. When they're cooked up, I add dried herbs (my favorite combo is lots of thyme and oregano), and whatever other veggies I'm throwing in. When they've all been tossed in the oil and water, I cover the whole thing with water and bring it to a simmer, then throw in the dried split peas or reconstituted beans. I often roast a squash in the oven and then put it in the soup (has a really nice deep flavor when roasted).

Here in southern New England, we have lots of discount fruit and veg stands -- I stop into one near the dairy where I buy my farm fresh milk, and get a good week or two's worth of fruit and veggies for about $12.00 -- $15.00. Much of the produce is local, and some of it is a little banged up, but it's very good and about half the price of the supermarkets.

I made a batch of soup yesterday with onions, garlic, oregano and thyme, carrots (don't peel them, put them in whole), potatoes, roasted butternut squash, split green peas, and chickpeas -- it probably cost about $3.00 (plus the gas to cook it for about an hour), and I'll get four or five servings this week, plus another four or five at some later date, because I always freeze or give away half of each batch.

A delicious, and deliciously frugal meal.