Frugalistas: How our family saves money without anyone knowing (unless you read the blog)

New application for an old thermos: keep diaper change water hot

2010-01-01T15:47:00.002-04:00

Happy new year everyone! We hope that the new year will treat you and your family well financially, health-wise, and opportunity-wise.

We have been so busy over the past few months and have not been able to blog at all. We will, however, share with you some of our new-found ideas for the new year.

We just had our third child less than a month ago and discovered something really neat. We use a cloth to clean the newborn's bum after pooping and we often had to run the water to make it hot. Of course, we would either divert the cold water at the beginning to the water filter or to a bucket to flush a toilet, but lately we've found an even better way.

After taking a shower or using the hot water, we divert extra hot water into a thermos for the evening. That way, we don't have to run the water to get it hot for the diaper change. It simply comes from a hot water line that was already hot, and it's really no extra work. It saves time in the middle of the night, especially if you have to wait for water to get hot.

Happy new year again and all the best -

The Frugalistas

Anyone thought of giving gold or silver for Christmas?

2009-12-12T11:25:00.002-04:00

With the fiat currencies of this world going downwards and interest rates at near zero everywhere, it would be interesting to see who is giving precious metals for Christmas this year.

Anyone buying a few ounces of gold, silver, or platinum as Christmas gifts? The physical precious metals market should be much hotter next year when a few sovereign defaults and currency crises come down the pipelines.

Whirlwind past few months.

2009-12-12T11:04:00.003-04:00

Wow, it's been a whirlwind past few months and it was either to live life or keep blogging. We chose the former, thankfully!

We just had a baby the other day - we are very thankful and are blessed to introduce another member into our family!

Anyhow, we hope to commence blogging again!

Gail V's case study: example of a fast treadmill

2009-10-21T22:23:00.002-03:00

Today's case study at Gail V's website was interesting. It is what I call the 'treadmill' going a little too fast.

For those of you starting out a new stage in life (i.e. student to working class; trainee to practicing whatever) or have had a salary increase/promotion that yields more disposable income, it is very tempting to live it up.

You can justify it by using phrases like

"I deserve it"
"I worked hard, now it's party time"
"Just this one time..."
"I can afford a nicer...."

You have to remember that when you lock yourself into a higher lifestyle, it is very difficult to come down. Moreover, once you've locked yourself into new payments, it's hard to come back.

The case study that Gail has on her website is very interesting, and highlights a family that needs to trim back on things to regain financial control.

What we are highlighting is that their treadmill is going a bit too fast. We don't care how they got there, but it is definitely going too fast.

We're in a society where banks, furniture stores, and other companies have turned everything into a payment. While it looks like a small price to pay, it adds to the speed of your treadmill.

When a treadmill is going slowly, it is easy to keep it going, but once it speeds up, it's hard to stop.

That's why we advocate living based on your previous stage of life. If you get a job, budget as a student; if you progress from being a trainee to a full-fledged doctor or something, budget as a trainee; if you get a raise, budget as if you didn't.

That way, whatever is extra helps to slow the treadmill down and eventually allows you to get off the treadmill (i.e. when you are financially secure or retired!).

Long time no post! We've tilled under our garden!

2009-10-21T22:14:00.003-03:00

It's been awhile since we last posted. Life has gotten quite hectic, especially in preparation for our third child in nearly as many years.

Anyhow, we harvested all of our tomatoes prior to the last frost warnings, so we're sitting on a pile of >100 tomatoes!

Over the last weekend, we took out the trellis and also cut the remaining plant stalks into little bits with garden shears (we found a pricing error one time at a store by accident, so they gave us one set of shears for free). We then took a small edger and tilled everything into the squarefoot garden, square by square.

From now until winter sets in, we'll fill our squarefoot garden box (every square) with organic plant waste from our household and we'll till it in so that the stuff composts by next spring.

Stay tuned for more garden details next year!

Pita Chips

2009-10-04T13:38:00.000-03:00

Pita Chips are all the rage these days in our health conscious world...not to mention they are incredibly tasty with the perfect hummus! We picked up some day-old pita bread at the grocery store today at 50% off. Brush with some olive oil and sprinkle with some seasoning salt, bake at 300F until it's golden and turn the oven off and let cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar.

Break up the pieces and you've got yourself some gourmet, fresh pita chips! Voila!

End of Season Sales

2009-10-03T13:32:00.003-03:00

A great way to save money? Wait for end of season sales. Everything from seasonal clothing and footwear for your kids (for next year) to gardening supplies and tools to seasonal stuff for around the house. After identifying a "need" for the item, waiting for the existing season to pass and for the end of season sale allows us to really justify whether we really "need" the item or not. Many times we realize we don't...but often enough, we realize we do need it and the hunt begins for the deals. It saves us money and gives us to time to evaluate whether there is a true need or if we can come up with a substitute. Today's find? A weed digger for $1 and a kids inflatable wading pool for $3...all of which were nearly 70% off!

Scored some free carmats

2009-09-30T22:39:00.001-03:00

Just happened to look on Kijiji.ca and scored ourselves some Toyota Sienna floor mats. They're actually cleaner than the ones that came with the car!

It's amazing what people will give away.

...if only the car mats would offset the shipping costs of my other floor mat purchase. This WAS a point of personal weakness, I have to admit.

More on that later.

Invisible leakage from your employee badge....

2009-09-30T21:56:00.003-03:00

I bring my lunch everyday because it tastes better and the marginal cost of it (i.e. as a leftover from the previous night's dinner) is quite low. From time to time, I find myself wandering past the cafeteria and notice that other employees are scanning their badges to pay for their lunch.

Wait.

Credit cards.... debit cards.... and now employee identification badges???

That's another way for money to leak out of your wallet. It's not like you cash your whole paycheque and then spend it, or use it for something useful (like paying off debt), but it's simply gone - you can't even touch it because it's taken off your paycheque.

Do yourself a favor and find those 'invisible' money leakage spots. Those employees, while enjoying a lunch (probably less tasty than mine), pay for it big-time in the end.

Tricky Tricky

2009-09-28T21:46:00.002-03:00

Did you know that the Dollarama stores have stooped to become a "dollar PLUS" store? It's inflation baby! The funny thing is that they now have 2 or 3 versions of an item for you to choose. You just have to be careful in which version you choose because one could cost you a dollar and the other could cost you two dollars! Might I mention that there really is no quality difference between the two versions, keeping in mind that one is twice the price of the other one.

Seeing that most items found in Dollarama are made in China, this is a sign that China's now exporting their inflation. We will soon see the trickle-up effect in other made-in-China products. Save up Frugalistas!

Baking Marathon

2009-09-22T10:17:00.001-03:00

We conserve the energy used to heat our oven by the following ways:

1. Making larger portions so that you can maximize the food that you are cooking in your oven at the same temperature. (ie make several casseroles or bake a whole sheet of chicken and another whole sheet of potatoes) If you're going to be keeping that oven on for 1 hour anyway, you might as well multiply its cooking power and make dinner for another night and freeze it! Besides, prep time for extra ingredients will only take you a fraction longer.

2. Baking different things consecutively while the oven is hot! (ie after making the casserole, make a batch of muffins or cake for dessert!) It saves energy because you don't have to reheat the oven to the desired temperature again if you are planning on baking something else soon. If you are quick enough, you can whip up the muffin batter while your casserole is baking...you're waiting anyway! Muffins, cookies and cakes freeze great and come in handy when you are in need of a quick dessert.

3. Turn off your oven and leave the door closed a couple of minutes before the desired doneness. This, of course, requires some experience and knowledge of how well your own oven retains heat. (ie when your muffins are 95% done, turn your oven off and keep it in without opening the oven door until it's desired golden color) Word of caution, keeping your goods in the oven for too long will dry it out. I did read somewhere that you are supposed to do this anyway when you make cakes and it allows your cakes to cook perfectly every time!

4. Turn the oven light off when you are not needing it. While this one seems like a no-brainer because us Frugalistas do it throughout our house, we sometimes forget to turn the light off in the oven!

Remember every little bit saved counts! Happy baking!
I think I'm going to thaw a muffin that I baked last week now....mmmm....and smother it with butter....

Loading dishwashers to the MAX!

2009-09-21T22:16:00.001-03:00

We use our dishwasher at home to the limits of what it was engineered for! (of course, we did this all by trial and error) What do I mean by this? Well, when we load dishes into the dishwasher we packed the dishwasher so full that we have to doublecheck that the sprayer arms still move.

How did we get here? When we first bought the dishwasher, we loaded it according to the manufacturer's suggested loading schemes in the instruction manual. Little by little we discovered that the dishes were still coming clean despite loading more and more into the dishwasher. We were then able to take pots, pans, dishes, and cutlery from at least two meals and wash them successfully by moving things around.

But then, it dawned upon us.

Why not also use all three dimensions inside the dishwasher to the maximum? All you need to do is ensure that enough water from the spray gets into various places and that it can run back out. The water, if hot enough, should be able to dissolve grease and the detergent should also help in that regard.

We routinely now load everything from 4+ meals into the dishwasher. Everything (99% of the time) comes out perfectly squeaky clean. No streaks, no greywater, no waterspots, just clean.

What are some tricks that we use?
1. Ensure that the water is the correct temperature for the dishwasher. I always run the hot water tap that is closest to the dishwasher into a drinking water filter before I turn on the dishwasher. If I'm boiling clean and non-starchy vegetables, I throw the boiling water in there if I'm going to turn on the dishwasher soon. That way, the hottest water hits the dishes and I ensure that things are clean.
2. If there is any food that is baked on or cooked on to anything, use a scrub brush and some powdered detergent to scour it off. Put it directly into the dishwasher for rinsing and sanitizing. The residual detergent that is on the icon will just become part of the "pre-wash" detergent.
3. Discovered little nuances of your dinnerware - certain items can nest inside each other and still allow for water to come in and out very easily. A good example would be our small dishes. Normally, the manufacturer would suggest that you put single dishes and allow for space between them. What we've discovered is that little dishes that our children use can actually be used to space out these dishes and still provide for enough water flow. So, instead of putting one dish there, we can actually put one small dish and one children's dish in the same slot - 50% space savings. All of our pots and pans nest within each other so we often put all three of them together and they take up roughly 1/3 less space than three spread apart.
4. Don't be afraid to load vertically. Just ensure that your water can reach the upper objects fairly easily. Going back to the example of the small dishes above, we often cap a row of 4-5 small plates (with intervening 4-5 children's plates) with an ice cream bucket. Sometimes we'll even put a large caserole dish on top of that, as we know the water will flow around.
5. Use smaller cutlery and dishes.
6. Don't be afraid to stack things on top of your cutlery as well (small cups)
7. Cutting boards can be placed on the sides and potentially even suspended in midair depending on the setup of the racks
8. Always use fresh detergent.

It's a trial and error process that needs to be worked out for your specific dishwasher. Once you have done so, you can wash superhuman amounts of dishes in one load cleaner than anyone really could wash them by hand.

There are some things that you need to wash by hand, but we find that most things you can throw in... including that scrub brush with caked detergent I mentioned above (we got it at the dollar store).

Tell us your frugalista tips on dishes.

Baby wipes

2009-09-20T09:00:00.000-03:00

Baby wipes are a hazard to the environment. We use them very sparingly in our household...usually only when we are out! We use them for quick diaper changes when we're out and have no access to a sink and for wiping our toddlers' hands after they've touched dirty things and before they have snack (see previous post).

As for what we use at home- small face cloths. They are so cheap and biodegradable. We reuse the face cloths (different ones of course for each body part!) for wiping dirty bums and faces and hands. You also can wet them with warm water too so it's not shocking on your babies gentle skin. We've averted diaper rash for both kids by changing their diapers right after diasters and by giving them a gentle clean wash on their bum...we always found that wipes never cleaned well enough!

I'm still on my stash of baby wipes that I picked up from a store that was closing and selling them for 50% off. Another good alternative is using a good quality paper towel soaked in water and a couple of drops of baby wash.

Remember, while dirt is good for kids, handwashing is always best to prevent everyone from getting sick!

Ice Cream

2009-09-19T22:00:00.000-03:00

Our family LOVES ice cream. During our vacation this summer, we were dying for ice cream. Rather than stopping at an ice cream shop for 4 ice cream cones running at $3+ per cone, we decided to go to the grocery store and splurge instead on a fancy 1.5 L bucket of our favorite ice cream flavor (which was also on sale) and a box of cones. It came to a total of around $6. We filled our sink with ice to prevent the ice cream from melting quickly and proceeded to stuff our faces full of ice cream that night. We easily finished the bucket of ice cream with cones to spare!

Snack distraction

2009-09-18T21:53:00.000-03:00

If you have kids that are remotely like ours, they like to snack...a lot. In fact, snacks make for good distraction when you need to keep them occupied and quelled when they're starting to get cranky when you're out.

To save on buying treats, I always keep a stash of cookies/crackers/goodies in the car, along with a little cup (that I put the treats into) each child. That way, I can entice them to get into the car and sit nicely while I frantically load the car with groceries or get them buckled in. This way, kids don't expect treats from stores every time we go out...and we can truly treat them once in while when we all deserve a treat from the store!

Ice cream bucket becomes a small compost bucket

2009-09-17T18:48:00.001-03:00

We have a green bin program in Halifax. We've tried using the small green bin (left from our previous homeowner) to store stuff in the house until there is enough to empty out. It was too stinky and hard to clean. We've tried putting stuff into paper, cereal boxes, etc.

We've tried everything, but ended up zeroing in on the lowly 4L ice cream bucket with lid. We line it with degradable paper/newsprint, and we then put kitchen scraps into it. If we don't empty it the same day, that's fine - whatever is in there stays sealed. If we do empty it, we put it immediately into the dishwasher and leave it sealed until we have a big enough load to wash.

It is quite convenient and doesn't cost a thing. It allows us to also reuse ice cream pails until they fall apart and are ready to be recycled. It isn't stinky because the lids seal well, and we've noticed that pretty much everything in the kitchen is sized appropriately to fit.

Any suggestions from any of our readers?

Long awaited update on the garden

2009-09-16T17:16:00.000-03:00

We are nearing the end of our growing season and I just realized that I haven't blogged for a while about our garden.

There were definitely some things that I won't even attempt to grow next year- namely eggplant, cucumbers and peppers. Surprising that I didn't have much luck with carrots either.

Anyway, we've had many good dinners with fresh snow peas, sugar snap peas (my two year old loves them fresh!), tomatoes and some baby swiss chard. We've had one harvest of zucchini so far, but we are still growing three more in the garden...just waiting for them to get bigger.

Our corn is growing but it's little- oh well. It was neat to see it grow.

We still have TONNES of green tomatoes and we are waiting for them to ripen. Delicious and very satisfying to eat produce grown from your very own garden! We are definitely going to be doing this again next year....minus all the carfuffle with the transplants....

yummy bread crumbs

2009-09-15T17:01:00.001-03:00

I'm almost too embarrassed to blog on this- even being the frugalista that I am.

I save up bread crumbs or little pieces of bread that my kids have broken off accidentally at the bottom of my bread bags to use when I make casseroles and want a tasty, crunchy topping.

I simply collect them in a yogurt container and allow it to dry out before putting the lid on. I collect savory crumbs of all kinds that I would otherwise throw out (ie, crumbs from frozen chicken fingers, cracker crumbs, whole grain crumbs.) It makes for an interesting mix of bread crumb.

Easy recipe is to top your casserole with some cheese, and the bread crumbs tossed with melted butter, garlic powder, parsley and some salt. Our family LOVES the crunchy topping!

Wait for five years.

2009-09-14T22:10:00.000-03:00

I see college graduates get their first job, and the first thing that they do is go and buy something (like a vehicle, a house, etc) and inevitably ratchet up their spending habits.

My philosophy on this is that you need to build up a buffer. Take about 5-7 years of delayed gratification, and save and invest your money.

A good rule of thumb is: budget as if you were living 5-7 years ago, or live as if you were living in your earlier life stage. This will prevent you from going nuts when you see a jump in salary.

Thus... a university student coming fresh out of university and having their first job should live like a student. Someone who just received a promotion should live as if they didn't get that promotion (i.e. their prior state) and save the difference. A good example is in the medical field. A medical student should live like a graduate or undergraduate student. A resident should budget as if they were a medical student. A staff physician should budget as if they were living on a resident's salary.

Any extra is therefore saved. After 5-7 years, you would have developed a nice little habit of living below your means.

This was one of the best tidbits of advice that we were ever given - thanks Amenla!

59% of Canadians live payday to payday

2009-09-14T14:18:00.002-03:00

Read the quoted CBC article below. Our consumption-driven lifestyles have completely overtaken us and the treadmill of debt and payments is getting faster and faster.

Frugalistas unite!

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/09/14/payday-to-payday-problems.html

"Nearly 60 per cent of Canadians would have trouble paying the bills if their paycheque were delayed by one week, a nationwide survey suggests.

The Canadian Payroll Association survey released Monday found that not only were 59 per cent of respondents living paycheque to paycheque, but they had little ability to put money away for their retirement.

"We were shocked by that number," CPA chairman Janice MacLellan said. "So many Canadians are now living so close to the line that if they miss a single paycheque, the majority will find themselves in financial difficulty."

Financial experts recommend that people should have emergency funds to cover about three months of expenses, such as rent, mortgage, utilities, other bill payments and groceries.

Of those surveyed, the younger workforce said they felt the greatest pinch. Forty-five per cent of people aged 18 to 34 said it would be difficult or very difficult to make ends meet if a paycheque were delayed, with a further 21 per cent saying it would be somewhat difficult.

Single parents were in the most precarious situation, with 72 per cent saying they would have some trouble making ends meet.

The survey also found that 50 per cent of workers coudn't save more than five per cent of their net pay for retirement — half the amount financial experts generally recommend.

About one-third of respondents said they've been trying to save more money than a year ago because of the economic uncertainty, but have been unable to do so. Another 42 per cent said they weren't trying to save more.

When it comes to remuneration, 65 per cent of employees said higher wages were most important to them, while 25 per cent cited better health benefits and 10 per cent preferred education funding.

Asked what they would do with a $1 million lottery win, 70 per cent of people said their top priority would be to pay off debt, while 35 per cent would put as much as possible toward retirement.

Surprisingly, not many people would have a celebration. Just three per cent of Canadians said they would use some of their winnings to throw a party, with Quebecers — at seven per cent — a bit more likely to do so.

And if you're a relative of a lottery winner, don't count too heavily on getting a share. Just 26 per cent of Canadians said they would give some of their winnings to family members.

The CPA survey involved more than 2,800 employees across Canada. The results are considered to have a margin of error of 2.3 per cent, 19 times out of 20."

The nerve of credit card companies.

2009-09-14T14:08:00.002-03:00

Just got our credit card statement in the mail today. Attached with the bill was a sheet of cheques for 'cash advances'.

What did it say?

"So why wait?

take that much needed vacation
make that large purchase you've been dreaming about
take control of your finances and consolidate those high balances

These cheques provide you with the flexibility and convenience you need to make things happen!"

Wow! The nerve of those credit card companies to put us into more debt! We're smarter than that!

Anyone in the Halifax looking for a Sienna?

2009-09-14T10:24:00.004-03:00

This is a great deal. I was a little too curious and ended up looking it up on Kijiji.ca. Anyhow, the retail value for this vehicle is $19500, given the mileage, and the wholesale (auction price) of the vehicle is $16725.

This is exactly the type of vehicle we would have bought in a heartbeat - for just under $14K.

Unreal. It also has an extended warranty, so it is a STEAL.

Just ask the right questions...

1. Are you the first owner?
2. How has the vehicle been maintained, and do you have the records?
3. Why are you selling it?
4. Has it been in any collisions?
5. Any pets or smokers been in it?
6. Any leins against the vehicle?
7. Would you be willing to get it re-inspected prior to sale at a Toyota dealership?
8. How is the vehicle mechanically and electrically? Are there any problems with the body (rust, leakage)?
9. Have there been any modifications to the vehicle?

Make sure to have it inspected, and away you go!

If you can't use all the lemon... freeze it!

2009-09-13T21:52:00.000-03:00

I was drinking some water with lemon in it tonight and I asked my wife where she got the lemon from. She said.... a little while ago. What? Yeah, she froze the lemon that she couldn't use and we're using it to flavor our water.

Rather than having a lemon go moldy in the fridge, she cut it up and froze it. Now we have 'fresh' lemon to put into things, like water.

Yum!

Send us your best frugal sites!

2009-09-12T22:21:00.003-03:00

Please do send us your best frugal sites, and feel free to submit frugal tips as well! We are ALWAYS looking for neat suggestions!

Waste not!

2009-09-12T21:50:00.002-03:00

I always make sure that I finish everything on the dinner table, including any leftover rice. Nothing is to be wasted, as everything is food and everything eventually costs someone something.

Just a little tidbit.