HOW TO SAVE $$ IN TOUGH TIMES LIKE THIS

[loathar]

As I was standing at the kitchen sink waiting two minutes for the hot water to heat up I thought, Hmmm...One of those instant hot water heaters that mount under the sink would be a good idea. They only use energy on demand and your not wasting water waiting for it to heat up. I remember seeing them 20 years ago and thought they were a joke, but these days they make a little more sense.
Anyone have any experience with these?

Last Chance-Unfortunately, many people living in rural areas are forced to make 60 mile(or more) commutes to work because that's where the jobs are.

[LudwigVonDrake]

Speak for yourselves....the Canadian Economy is very, very strong.

David B

I did'nt know the Loonie was doing so well. Any chance of sending some of that stability back to the Motherland?

[Autobus Prime]

Folks:

General tip: You can keep a relatively well-insulated house comfortable without A/C. Temperatures always drop at night, usually a lot. Put box fans in several windows. Install ceiling fans in the rooms. Now, turn the box fans on in late, late evening after sundown. All night, they will blow in cool air. In the morning, turn them off and leave them off all day. Use the ceiling fans to provide cooling breezes in the house. You will find that the house usually stays quite comfortable.



(Model railroad tips moved to other thread)

[BRAKIE]

Eat Pinto Beans

With cornbread and a thick slice of Baloney..YUMMY!

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Simple..For my needs I  avoid both full price hobby shops and buy at the best on line discount..I also only buy what I need instead of buying simply because I like it.Oddly some months I have hobby dollars left over and then of course the month could end up in the "red"  as well depending on if I need any of the new releases from Athearn or Atlas.

[csxns]

Eat Pinto Beans

[Last Chance]

Quit trying to commute 60 miles to work.

We did just that several years ago and that has saved us 500+ dollars per month already; actually about a thousand dollars a month plus parking fees etc.

Start a budget, know how much to spend each month.

Make one trip to walmart for everything that month. Make a list and stick to it. For example I know we consume 6 rolls of paper towels per month, every 30 days.

Stop going to the hobby shop far away, start using the internet to get items shipped to you.

Finally but not last, create a savings account for 6 months to one years total funds and make it happen. For example, if you spend a thousand dollars each month on everything then start putting aside 3 thousand, then 6 then 9 and so on. Before you know it you have sufficient funds to ride out any problem for a long time.

That recent 1200 stimulus check? Straight into our savings to rot until tax time next year.

It might have to cost you your beer, smokes and fishing boat... all of that is wasteful and drains your funds.

[loathar]

Speak for yourselves....the Canadian Economy is very, very strong.

David B

Glad to hear that NAFTA thing's working on your end...

[lvanhen]

Two words. Ramen Noodles! 

Tim

Look at the sodium content of those things - high blood pressure here you come!!!!

[2-8-8-0]

Two words. Ramen Noodles! 

Tim

[grayfox1119]

With inflation rising rapidly most of us are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. And when this begins to effect our MRR hobby spending $$, we need to become more resourceful. Lets not let this thread go down a rat hole like the previous one that was locked this morning. Rather, lets see how constructive and creative we all can be at listing some ideas on how to gain more $$ for our hobby needs. And please, don't rap someone else's ideas, if you don't agree, just move on and list your own ideas.

Here are some of the things that I have done. I am retired and on fixed income, so what I have done may not be appropriate for others.

1.  Increased air pressure in tires to 34 lbs for better mileage, the LHS is 14 miles away.
2. I keep my speed to 60mph on freeway with autopilot. Big savings over doing 65 or 70mph, anticipate stops, and no jack rabbit starts at the lights saves more gas.
3. Collect all the bottles and cans that are returnable, use $ for MRR.
4. Planted a larger veggie garden, we will freeze and can more this year to save on food bill.
5. Buy more kits, they are cheaper.
6. Sold the Pellet stove because Pellet cost per ton is rising every year, we bought a Jotul wood stove because we have 6 acres of hardwood and we have a log splitter, no hard work swinging a maul. Money saved on fuel cost helps my MRR budget. Cut oil use from 850 gallons a year to 540 last year.
7. Changed every light bulb in the house to CF's. Electric bill has dropped $4.25 on avaerage per month.
8. Dry cloths in utility room hanger lines instead of dryer. Big savings here.
9. Planted more shade trees around the house, AC runs less in Summer, more savings on Electric bill, more $$ for MRR budget.
10. Plan shopping trips with our ONE family car instead of multiple trips days apart to same locations.
11. Buy MRR supples only when on sale.
12. Consider a swap list, for instance, I have a Monon BL2 that does not fit into my B&M/New England scheme unless I re-letter it, but would swap for a New England RR item that I wanted.
13. I replaced several light switches in rooms that get a lot of traffic with auto ON/OFF switches. Saves on electric bill from lights being on with no one in room.
14. The wife clips food coupons from many sources, this can save $20 to $30 a week on food bill, more MRR money.
15. Have 3 solar panels on roof for domestic hot water, BIG savings on utility bill.

Of course there are many more things that can be added by all of you guys, you are a very creative, intelligent group from what I have witnessed over that years on this forum. So lets be positive thinking, and see what else we can add to the list, we all can gain from better ideas.