# Frugality: it's finest examples



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

*Here's a chance for everyone to add their 2c worth..examples of frugality
at it's finest..because some of us are bent that way.*

_IE: Squeeze a lemon until all the juice is extracted..then squeeze it some more
just to get that last drop out, then use the rind to make zest for flavouring.._


1. Stoop to pick up that penny in the parking lot..a penny isn't worth much
these days, but it's still new found money..and if you add up all the pennies..they could make a $1

2. Boil water in a microwave instead of plugging in a kettle (1500w) or
on the stove top (2000 watts)

3, Use the smallest compact CFL to allow just enough light to see..

4. Wash dishes by hand and recycle the dishwater to flush the toilet

5. Dry your clothes on a line inside or outside instead of using the
clothes dryer

6. Use a hand push mower instead of electric or gas mower

7. Shovel the snow by hand

8. Compost grass clippings and leaves

9. Look for the reduced items (fruits,veggies, bread etc) at the store instead
of buying at full price.

10. Use no fee CC, and banking

11. Bake your own bread

12. Fix your own, instead of calling other people to do it and charge you

13. Keep that thermostat as low as possible 18c/66F

14. Walk or bicycle to the store

15. Buy the largest size so it lasts much longer and is cheaper in the long
run

16. Find other uses for things rather than throw it out

MORE..thanks guys....
17. Look in peoples throway pile on garbage day for building materials.

18. Buy useful building materials, electrical and plumbing at a Recycle Shop.

19. Layer those bars of soap to make them last longer and get full use.

20. Make your own pizza sauce (what about the dough..boys?) by buying in bulk and freezing packets of it.

21. Make your own chinese food..I do. Recipies online.

22. Defrost in the fridge overnight or in cold water.

23. Shower with a friend to save on water..(.just kidding here)..use a water saver shower head and limit the shower to 5 mins. 

*SO.. what is in your frugal nature?*


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## steve41 (Apr 18, 2009)

Layering your soap. When the bar of soap in the shower gets thin, it will become hard to keep intact, eventually breaking in two and slipping out of your hand in the shower. You eventually turf those poor orphan soap pieces. Solution.... at a point before they get too thin, open a fresh bar and place the thin layer on top of the new (wet) bar. They should eventually bond together into a single layered bar. No discarded soap pieces. 

This only works with rectangular bars with flat surfaces such as Ivory, not oval bars.


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## sprocket1200 (Aug 21, 2009)

I am just in the process of working on my 300 sq ft workshop. all walls covered, peg board on top, eight feet of storage shelving and walking platform, 24 ft work bench with shelf underneath, 6 flourescent light fixtures and bulbs, two track lights and bulbs, 4 electrical plugs.

total cost to date? zero. all materials recycled from other peoples renovations.

the general population wastes so much it is unbelievable!

laminate floor with underlay coming...


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## Rico (Jan 27, 2011)

Instead of paying $1 per can of pizza sauce at the grocery store, I buy the giant can from Costco for $4.29 and divvy it up into bags (which get frozen). I probably get 16 cans worth that way.

I do the same with the pizza-cut pineapple.

- which leads me to "make your own pizza rather than ordering in"


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

Rico said:


> Instead of paying $1 per can of pizza sauce at the grocery store, I buy the giant can from Costco for $4.29 and divvy it up into bags (which get frozen). I probably get 16 cans worth that way.


And making your own pizza sauce is dead easy; I've never used store-bought pizza sauce in my life. I always make my own dough, it's about six or seven minutes' worth of work, and if you use less yeast you can throw it together in the morning before you leave for work and it'll be ready to roll out when you get home.

I also like making pizzas without sauce -- try topping it with a mix of canned artichoke hearts, a few pine nuts or chopped walnuts, goat cheese, and fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme (which I grow myself). Total cost for enough pizza to feed four people: about $2.


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## Rico (Jan 27, 2011)

brad said:


> And making your own pizza sauce is dead easy; I've never used store-bought pizza sauce in my life. I always make my own dough, it's about six or seven minutes' worth of work, and if you use less yeast you can throw it together in the morning before you leave for work and it'll be ready to roll out when you get home.
> 
> I also like making pizzas without sauce -- try topping it with a mix of canned artichoke hearts, a few pine nuts or chopped walnuts, goat cheese, and fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme (which I grow myself). Total cost for enough pizza to feed four people: about $2.


Frugality upon frugality, awesome!


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

brad said:


> Total cost for enough pizza to feed four people: about $2.


Unless of course you live in Ontario, in which case your homemade pizza for four will cost $61: $2 for ingredients and $59 for the electricity to preheat the oven to 450 Fahrenheit and cook your pizza for 20 minutes.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

When I make the dough, I make triple or quaduple the recipe, and then make them personal size. I pre bake them all for 1/2 the cooking time, cool, and then freeze the ones that I won't be using. I save on the preheating time, as the oven is warm already, and you bake them for less time because they are smaller. 

I haven't done this in a while since returning to work full time.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I"m really Jekyl and Hyde when it comes to being frugal. Some things I'm really frugal, then others, definate not...

Here's some of mine, most of them are around groceries, as we find thats our largest variable spending area

- Turn down the heat in the house a bit, and wait until it's colder outside to use the self clean oven feature. I find it heats up the house quite a bit
- Couponing, flyer shopping for most groceries
- Meal planning based on the flyers, I know my prices pretty well, and know when things are really cheap, so will bulk up on big sales
- Freezer meal cooking, tie in with above, I will buy large quanities of one items, and make 3-4 for family size meals as soon as I come home, freeze them in Ziploc bags (can't cheap out on the bags I learned). This way, I can have quick variety, as I keep building my meal supply. 
- I keep certain types of veggie peelings (washed) by throwing them in a freezer bag, and then making stock later on.
- Buy either whole chickens on sale, or chicken leg w/ thigh, and then cut them up myself, I can get the leg/thigh combo for $1 /lb, I'll buy up to 100lbs, skin, and chop them, and mariade and freeze. Reg drumsticks are $2.59 lb
- Make as many things from scratch as possible, 'shake n' bake', pancake mix, Easy bake oven mix (for my little girls), bread crumbs for ends, croutons.

- For bread, I used to bake my own, but have less time, and found that it's cheaper for me to buy it. In my city, there's a discount bread place (brand name), that has an Enterainment book coupon. I can get 3 loaves of good grain bread (reg $3+ each) for as low as $.48 TOTAL for 3 loaves. The coupons aren't readily available, so I ask my friends for their coupons, and actually put in a request to Freecyle for more coupons. I just got 10 coupons, for the cost of a stamp and self address envelope (to save gas and time). That should last until the next edition comes out. 


- Stopped buying grated cheese. There was some article that grated cheese is equivalent to paying someone $80+ /hour. I buy bulk on sale, then when it's getting close to expiry, I grate it, lay it on a cookie sheet, and freeze it. 

- For cards and wrap, I have my daughters make them, and decorate brown paper
- Switched over the Vonage for our phone, and then we bring our modem and phone with us when we travel


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

My husband buys the dough at grocery store comes home and rolls it out ,puts his homemade tomato sauce with cheeses,ham and pineapple ,and pan fries it.Homemade Panzerotti!
I am not good at frugal , since my husband started doing all the groceries we are saving $250 a month on food bill.I am not allowed to go to the grocery store


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## Dana (Nov 17, 2009)

Plugging Along said:


> I"m really Jekyl and Hyde when it comes to being frugal. Some things I'm really frugal, then others, definite not...


Ditto...I keep the house at 16c in the winter (except for 2 hours in the morning and two hours in the evening when everyone is getting ready for the day or ready for bed), wear my husband's old t-shirts to bed (I don't want to spend money on jammies), and knit my own "Swiffer" pads, but I don't begrudge myself regular pedicures, I like to have my hair done professionally and enjoy spending money on trips with my family. 

Frugality is a matter of choice. Spending money on what adds value to your life and spending as little as possible on the non-value items.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

Never thought about knitting Swiffer pads but makes sense since you can wash them out.No way that will ever work in my house though lol.My stone floors are natural and rough my knitted slippers are always getting holes in them.
My brother in law mixes old paint to make a new color ,he adds white to get the quantity he needs.he found some site online that tells you how to get colors you want.BTW he goes to the 'dump' and gets the paint for free.Here in Ontario the builders take the left over paints to the waste management sites so he has lucked out quite a few times.He painted a house for his friend with free paint and made some cash lol


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

brad said:


> Unless of course you live in Ontario, in which case your homemade pizza for four will cost $61: $2 for ingredients and $59 for the electricity to preheat the oven to 450 Fahrenheit and cook your pizza for 20 minutes.


Not to mention that heating up the oven on a hot summer day or evening
in Ontario will require A/C to cool down the house, so add another
$5 or so to the cost of cooking your pizza...for those days you need a charcoal
fired pizza cooker..another $159 item..but hey!...we don't care how much we
spend in the interest of frugality.....


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> I"m really Jekyl and Hyde when it comes to being frugal. Some things I'm really frugal, then others, definate not...
> 
> Here's some of mine, most of them are around groceries, as we find thats our largest variable spending area
> 
> - Turn down the heat in the house a bit, and wait until it's colder outside to use the self clean oven feature. I find it heats up the house quite a bit


Self cleaning oven?.....that costs electricity! That is like running the
dishwasher with one dish in it!

Ok, EasyOFF costs money, although somewhat convenient. like a self cleaning oven, it doesn't fit into the category of frugal.....I wuz hoping you were
going to offer a homemade recipe for oven cleaner..very cheap to make and that you put into a used generic "windex" bottle.,,which I save for other uses when empty.



> - Couponing, flyer shopping for most groceries


Excellent, but some discount grocery stores may not take coupons because they already offer "lower prices" on groceries.



> - Freezer meal cooking, tie in with above, I will buy large quanities of one items, and make 3-4 for family size meals as soon as I come home, freeze them in Ziploc bags (can't cheap out on the bags I learned). This way, I can have quick variety, as I keep building my meal supply.


Why? ..on the plastic ziploc...... But then you have to pay for electricity to run a separate freezer to store
these items, not to mention the cost of the ziploc bags.
Sorry, but you are going to score..er... low points -> frugality ; on freezer operating costs + ziploc.

Now if you had mentioned reusing used milk bags to store items in..
2 points -> frugal 



> - I keep certain types of veggie peelings (washed) by throwing them in a freezer bag, and then making stock later on.


Excellent! I used celery leaves and carrot peelings to make "farmers" chicken noodle..which I buy in bulk at Costco. 
Adding veggie peelings or frozen peas/beans to the regular variety of chicken noodle gives more substance to chicken noodle....besides where is that chicken in chicken noodle anyway? All they seem to do is add this yellow salty artificial 
flavour wad of goo inside the package. You would think that at least they would grab a chicken by the feet and swish it
a few times in the water to make it authentic!  CHICKEN NOODLE is a misnomer if I ever heard one! 



> I just got 10 coupons, for the cost of a stamp and self address envelope (to save gas and time). That should last until the next edition comes out.


Excellent! Now that is using yer head and saving on gas!



> - Stopped buying grated cheese. There was some article that grated cheese is equivalent to paying someone $80+ /hour. I buy bulk on sale, then when it's getting close to expiry, I grate it, lay it on a cookie sheet, and freeze it.


Yup..that is an expensive way to buy cheese, although convenient to sprinkle on that homemade pizza that some have mentioned. paying $6.99 for pre-grated cheese ( or even more).... $.10c for the cheese that goes into the grated package and
$6.89 to pay for the grating, delivery and a make a handsome profit for everyone on the list..

....including the "middleman"..another misnomer..what if it's a woman running the wholesale distribution? "middlewoman"..sounds a bit like "midwife"..another misnomer....ok don't get me started on popular conventions/sayings. 

[QUOTE}
- For cards and wrap, I have my daughters make them, and decorate brown paper [/QUOTE}

Brown wrapping paper is almost a thing of the past..used to be able to get that on a roll in a general store grocery..like butcher paper..now it's saran wrap and those styrofoam meat and other food containers...
plastic. plastic and more plastic..most of which cannot be recycled and adds to the cost of the food item!



> - Switched over the Vonage for our phone, and then we bring our modem and phone with us when we travel


So you are one of those that likes to VOIP?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Dana said:


> Ditto...I keep the house at 16c in the winter (except for 2 hours in the morning and two hours in the evening when everyone is getting ready for the day or ready for bed), *wear my husband's old t-shirts to bed (I don't want to spend money on jammies), *


now that is frugal married life at it's best....those t-shirts and frugality
override any "spontaniety"..especially when you are shivering..
but then again..on the second thought...



> and knit my own "Swiffer" pads, but I don't begrudge myself regular pedicures, I like to have my hair done professionally and enjoy spending money on trips with my family.


ok the not-so-frugal bells are going off here!  
These 3 items mentioned are not in the frugal "dictionary"

If you had mentioned "brushing hair once a month" and "walking to work at -40c"..then you may have been forgiven for those little "unfrugal indescretions"....but then...you summarize your view on life and frugality in the next statement..



> Frugality is a matter of choice. Spending money on what adds value to your life and spending as little as possible on the non-value items.


10 frugality points -> DANA (for the above oxymoron statement)


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Dana said:


> Frugality is a matter of choice. Spending money on what adds value to your life and spending as little as possible on the non-value items.


+1... 



carverman said:


> Self cleaning oven?.....that costs electricity! That is like running the
> dishwasher with one dish in it!
> 
> Ok, EasyOFF costs money, although somewhat convenient. like a self cleaning oven, it doesn't fit into the category of frugal.....I wuz hoping you were
> ...


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

carverman said:


> now that is frugal married life at it's best.


Yo carverman, you could be a little more frugal with your apostrophes, both in the subject line of this thread and above. The easiest way to keep things straight is to remember that "it's" is a contraction of "it is," so whenever in doubt see if the sentence makes sense if you replace "it's" with "it is" and if not use "its." The possessive is "its," which like "his" and "hers" has no apostrophe.

[/GRAMMAR LESSON]


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

it's true, the frugal police has to mind its ps & qs, otherwise it's a joke even though not its own joke.

my daughter's best friend in lycée used to say about certain boys Eet's a toad, c'est un crapaud. But she got her apostrophes mention très bien.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> +1...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

brad said:


> Yo carverman, you could be a little more frugal with your apostrophes, both in the subject line of this thread and above. The easiest way to keep things straight is to remember that "it's" is a contraction of "it is," so whenever in doubt see if the sentence makes sense if you replace "it's" with "it is" and if not use "its." The possessive is "its," which like "his" and "hers" has no apostrophe.
> 
> [/GRAMMAR LESSON]


Well Brad..as they say, you can't teach an ole dog..new tricks? Why is that?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

humble_pie said:


> it's true, the frugal police has to mind its ps & qs, otherwise it's a joke even though not its own joke.
> 
> my daughter's best friend in lycée used to say about certain boys Eet's a toad, c'est un crapaud. But she got her apostrophes mention très bien.


I'm just glad that I never learned French..all those weird accents..
accent aigue, and accent grave...it's enough to drive you to drink those French wines, and MAYBE visit Paris and "the Louve"..and maybe take in a show at the Moulin Rouge. now..I just got to cut off one of my ears to "earmark' that on my "TO DO LIST before I leave this world ...(like IN the Bucket List movie), and raise some money for the fare..by being EVEN MORE FRUGAL!


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

carverman said:


> Well Brad..as they say, you can't teach an ole dog..new tricks? Why is that?


I see...well, you could have business cards printed up:

Carverman
Financially Frugal Apostrophetic Spendthrift


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

I like to reuse shipping supplies such as envelopes, boxes and packing peanuts/foam/newspaper. I buy and sell on ebay. When something comes to me, if the box is still nice and strong I will keep it in the corner and use it for when I ship something out. Same goes for many types of envelopes. If I need more I grab them out of the recycling/discards at work or at the grocery store. Nice clean, strong, small boxes. Never pay for shipping boxes and I get offended with ebay sellers who make me pay for luxury mailing services and these supplies. It's easy to grab an extra box from the discards in the coffee room or whatever.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

brad said:


> I see...well, you could have business cards printed up:
> 
> Carverman
> Financially Frugal Apostrophetic Spendthrift


FFAS..what kind of acronym is that? I need something catchy on my business cards.. like..umm..
.....Frugal Action Curmudgeon Thinking... or FACT for short....LOL!

_*see definition of curmudgeon....*_

*Main Entry: grouch 
Part of Speech: noun 
Definition: person who complains a lot 
Synonyms: bear*, bellyacher, bug*, crab, crank, crosspatch, curmudgeon , faultfinder, griper, grouser, growler, grumbler, grump, kicker, malcontent, moaner, sorehead, sourpuss, whiner 
* = informal/non-formal usage 

...AND FURTHERMORE TO BEING ONE.......

Main Entry: grump 
Part of Speech: noun 
Definition: cranky person 
Synonyms: bear*, complainer, crab, curmudgeon , grouch, malcontent, sorehead, sourpuss, whiner *

Cavers "R" Us (just drop the "r" and call me "Caveman"...its so simple even a caveman can do it!


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

the-royal-mail said:


> I like to reuse shipping supplies such as envelopes, boxes and packing peanuts/foam/newspaper. I buy and sell on ebay. When something comes to me, if the box is still nice and strong I will keep it in the corner and use it for when I ship something out. Same goes for many types of envelopes. If I need more I grab them out of the recycling/discards at work or at the grocery store. Nice clean, strong, small boxes. Never pay for shipping boxes and I get offended with ebay sellers who make me pay for luxury mailing services and these supplies. It's easy to grab an extra box from the discards in the coffee room or whatever.


You know, I subscribe to that type of frugality as well..I hate to throw away perfectly good shipping boxes and the styrofoam peanuts that sometimes come with them. I keep storing them in my garage (pile up to the ceiling), 
in the hope that someday, I may need to use one to mail one of my carving..if I ever sell any.

I won't pay a nickel for plastic grocery bags, but I will grab a free cardboard box at some grocery stores that still offer them for free..and there isn't too many..because they dont make any profit from free leftover boxes.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

ameliawalker said:


> Trying to be the handy man of the house is already a big step to help save a bit.
> Less times eating out is another way that people do not really see.
> *And of course, avoid impulse buying.* _Buy only what you need_. Make a list.


10 Frugality points -> Amelia + 1 attaGirl!


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

_" ... i am not good at frugal, i am not allowed to go to the grocery store."_

yay. she. is. not. good. at. frugal.

some of the frugality messages here do suggest the proverbial hair shirt on the bed of nails. And that's without the apostrophes.

how about a contrarian thread where folks tell about their most fabulous sinful mouth-watering splurges.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

ameliawalker said:


> Shower with a friend could be one of the best tips here! haha.. but of course, not a choice for me



Hahaha why not? I bet a few of your friends wouldn't mind if you asked them to share a shower with you?!  Especially in the interests of conserving water of course!


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

humble_pie said:


> _" ... i am not good at frugal, i am not allowed to go to the grocery store."_
> 
> yay. she. is. not. good. at. frugal.
> 
> ...


I could run a thread all by myself but i will start with July 2010 $38,000 Vacation to South Africa for World Cup , 2011 Ford Mustang 500 and a $40,000 diamond rings(It was on sale ).All Cash and all worth it . First 39 years of my life we saved and did without to secure our future .I am now in the you only live once and can't take it with you phase.Now go and have a group shower to save some money that I am blowing


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

atta girl. There is hope for this forum. Carry the banner high.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

Very funny. Great posts about showers. I'll admit I've done so but how much do you really save? You end up lingering longer in there and have to take turns aiming the ..shower head oh oh oh. Better stop now.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Showering with a friend can be really costly... especially if one of you slips and falls backwards ripping out the shower curtain, and having your @$$ go through the stupid soggy, poorly constructed wall.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> I could run a thread all by myself but i will start with July 2010 $38,000 Vacation to South Africa for World Cup , 2011 Ford Mustang 500 and a $40,000 diamond rings(It was on sale ).All Cash and all worth it . First 39 years of my life we saved and did without to secure our future .I am now in the you only live once and can't take it with you phase.Now go and have a group shower to save some money that I am blowing


So you are very unfrugal after 39 years?..and now you are a rich yuppie,
if I may use that expression....well booya for you!

About the only thing that I would say is excessive is the $40,000
diamond ring...while you CAN take that with you, it's just a piece of
carbon pressed under extreme pressure..I really don't see what all
the "hoopla" is about with diamond rings.

If I had 40k to blow..why I would buy a Harley Davidson and use the rest
of that 40K to buy the gas and ride it all over NA. To me having that
throbbing "potato-potato" engine under my family jewels is a lot more
satisfying than some bling on my finger.

Sorry but I can give you any "frugal points" for being a spendthrift.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

the-royal-mail said:


> Very funny. Great posts about showers. I'll admit I've done so but how much do you really save? You end up lingering longer in there and have to take turns aiming the ..shower head oh oh oh. Better stop now.


Showers, (even with a friend ) still take water...and all that water goes down the drain, so you can't even use it to water the flowers. Now if one was *really frugal* in every sense of the word..you would take a used windex bottle, fill it with tap water and just gently sprinkle that on yourself and pat dry...no need for showers or baths..and the best thing with this kind of hygeine is that you can do that sitting in your car waiting at a traffic light.....so far it's not illegal..only if you happen to be yaking on a cell phone
and whilel brushing your teeth at the same time....or some other morning routine.

Now here's a more substantial point on being frugal and squeezing that last drop out of the ole lemon..
how many of you scrape the bottom of the jam or peanut butter jar to get that last bit out..and then use
your fingers or maybe even a tongue to clean out what you can reach?


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## DavidJD (Sep 27, 2009)

Plugging Along said:


> Showering with a friend can be really costly... especially if one of you slips and falls backwards ripping out the shower curtain, and having your @$$ go through the stupid soggy, poorly constructed wall.


Or if you slip and fall and get pregnant.

Just sayin' cause kids, y'know are costly...


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

carverman said:


> So you are very unfrugal after 39 years?..and now you are a rich yuppie,
> if I may use that expression....well booya for you!
> 
> About the only thing that I would say is excessive is the $40,000
> ...


I was not even looking at diamonds or gave them a thought until a Business acquaintance of mine told me his father is a Diamond broker and he can get me amazing deals on good diamonds.I consider them an investment and enjoy them very much .The appraisal value is about 2x what I paid for them.They are Platinum as well and when i spend 16 hours a day working my *** off I can take a break a few time a day and admire them.Now my husband wishes we did not have this diamond contact because I am looking at another ring . 
I have never been frugal but have been in a low income bracket ,I always paid my bills and been careful with my money.My husband and i both have bought RSP since we were 18 and always wanted a better life for ourselves and now our kids.
My business gross for first 5 months of this tax year is already up to last tax year level so obviously I work hard and it shows so I do not feel one bit guilty to buy the things I have bought.The Mustang I will keep for many years ,from the day we ordered it we planned to keep this car for 25-30 years.My husband and I have been together since he was 17 and me 18 and we always wanted one , now at 43 and 44 we have it.
When I turned 40 I started playing poker and that has worked out well for me


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> I he can get me amazing deals on good diamonds.I consider them an investment and enjoy them very much .The appraisal value is about 2x what I paid for them.me


Ack! I see these TV ads all the time..Harold the Jewry buyer in TO.
appealing to those first "investments" that many made years ago..

"Folks, send me your unwanted gold/diamonds..I will pay in (inflated) cash!
About the only sound investment is DeBoers diamond mines..and they own
most of them...Regardless of the "deals" and appraisals...diamonds are
sold at 1000% (or more markup)..hey...that rock in the ground costs nothing..
until someone finally puts a price on it...

putt! putt!..Caveman riding off on his Harley (NOT)..actually my 3rd divorce
lawyer put a sticker on his bumper.. "I am the one that's riding Caveman's Harley!


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

Enjoy your bike I will enjoy my diamonds  I did not buy junk jewelry they are 100% Legit Tiffany diamonds


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> Enjoy your bike I will enjoy my diamonds  I did not buy junk jewelry they are 100% Legit Tiffany diamonds


I wasn't trying to insinuate that you bought junk jewlry, Marina.
What I should have said is jewelry/beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
if it makes you happy then it's a good "investment" for you.

As for my dreams of a harley..that passed in 1995..but a bad divorce and bad
lawyers and a biased judge...and now i can't even afford a second hand bicycle..
but if I find one in someones trash someday..I'll take it home and recycle and
restore it...but this I cannot take with me.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

Go to Harley dealership and pretend you are going to buy one and take it for a ride if you have your license or get the sales guy to take you on a 2 hour ride.Make sure to pick the most expensive one lol.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I with Marina on the diamonds. I enjoy my diamonds and the nice ones too. 

The best rational I've heard for diamonds is that they really are forever. Though it's just piece of rock and minerals, when you have a beautiful piece you get the enjoyment out of it forever. Once you're done, you can pass it along to your kids/grandkids.

If it's a really nice diamond, then it will appreciate in value. 

I still look at my grandmothers jewelry very fondly, and all of the grandkids each got a large diamond to remember her by. It has brought me enjoyment and memories, and I intend to keep the tradition going. 

I'm on the hunt for some nice diamond earrings, and one of the things I plan to do is pass one earring each to each daughter of mine. Hence, why I want something at least a carat on each side.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Diamonds make a killing.... literally. They're to die for


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

We are not talking blood diamonds , have you guys seen how much the Canadian diamonds are going for?


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

Plugging Along said:


> ...
> 
> 
> The best rational I've heard for diamonds is that they really are forever. Though it's just piece of rock and minerals, when you have a beautiful piece you get the enjoyment out of it forever. Once you're done, you can pass it along to your kids/grandkids.
> ...


Pet rocks are "forever" too.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Four Pillars said:


> Pet rocks are "forever" too.


*lol*... not quite the same... they would weigh down my ears, finger and neck too much...


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> Go to Harley dealership and pretend you are going to buy one and take it for a ride if you have your license or get the sales guy to take you on a 2 hour ride.Make sure to pick the most expensive one lol.


Yes, thanks. I still have my GM (motorcycle license), but I being frugal
for various reasons these days, would not waste the salesdude time at
the Harley dealership...I almost plunked down a deposit on a big bagger
FLHTC, in 1995 when I was keen on touring cross country.....unfortunately
I got some demands from the ex's lawyer soon after and the dream of
owning a Harley vaporized. I bought a second hand Yamaha Venture touring
bike which unfortunately was "top heavy" for me..now for those that don't know
the meaning of top heavy (not referring to ladies anatomy here ;-) ), a top heavy
bike will shift it's center of gravity on slow parking lot sharp turns and guess
what?.... you fall over with the bike, (rather embarrassingly), because you can't support a 1000lb
bike on one foot as it's falling over.

anyway, Marina...everyone has to live their lives as they can (or cannot)
afford...our choices on how we spend our money is as varied and unique
as we are ourselves...

You are a lady with different tastes of the finer things in life..
(I like your Mustang..I used to own a 1970 Mustang Mach 1) in my
younger years..when I was free and single and the word "divorce" and
it's financial consequences for making bad choices,,never entered my mind.

Diamonds ("Bling" to me) is not something I ever cared about, nor that
$250 bottle of wine...so it's just me..but I do respect peoples choices..
(hey it's your money) even if I tend to "razz"them a bit on this kind of
forum..which is supposed to be about "saving" money..LOL


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Four Pillars said:


> Pet rocks are "forever" too.


So are real rocks..and they are free....
for everything else..there is Master Card!


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

mode3sour said:


> Diamonds make a killing.... literally. They're to die for


Reminds me of "Mr Bond..how do you like your martinis?"
"Shaken, with bit of twist, not stirred"..

"really darlink..why would we care about what happens in the diamond trade?..
we have just won an Ontario TAX FREE lottery......
Paris? London, Rome? my dear? I hear that the $250 Burgandy is very
exquisite....not available in Canada you say?...Pity!"


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

I save money just not ALL of my money  I have not been on a motorcycle since I was 18 just really never did anything for me .Too bad about your ex wives and their lawyers ,Divorce definitely changes things along the way.My brother was married less than 3 years and had a child ,his ex wife got over $100,000 for that short marriage .My brother deposits extra money in with the child support for his daughter who is 15 now , if he does not tell his daughter there is some thing extra for her then she would never know about it.The ex wife takes it and use to spend on herself.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> I with Marina on the diamonds. I enjoy my diamonds and the nice ones too.
> 
> The best rational I've heard for diamonds is that they really are forever. Though it's just piece of rock and minerals, when you have a beautiful piece you get the enjoyment out of it forever. Once you're done, you can pass it along to your kids/grandkids.


..and I'm sure your kids/grandkids would prefer the money from that "investment" over cold. colourless, expensive, insurance appraised,
etc..ok, that's only 2C's out of four...

-200 anti-frugal points -> P.A. 



> If it's a really nice diamond, then it will appreciate in value.


Peoples credit jewelre made a killing..from that slogan...
..but for some.. "This diamond ring doesn't shine anymore'"

*Gary Lewis and the Playboys sang about it..*

Who wants to bu-u-uy this diamond ri-i-i-ing?
She took it off her finger, now it doesn't mean a thi-i-i-ng
This diamond ring doesn't shine for me anymore
And this diamond ring doesn't mean what it meant before
So if you've got someone whose love is tru-u-ue
Let it shine for yo-ou-ou

This stone is genuine like love should be-e-e-e
And if your baby's truer than my baby was to me-e-e-e
This diamond ring can mean something beautiful
And this diamond ring can mean dreams that are coming true
And then your heart won't have to break like mine did
If there's love behind it

--------------------------------------------------



> I still look at my grandmothers jewelry very fondly, and all of the grandkids each got a large diamond to remember her by. It has brought me enjoyment and memories, and I intend to keep the tradition going.


That is entirely different, my dear. Your grandmothers jewelry that she passed
on to you, is very sentimental to you... and brings back memories of you and your grandmother..sniff! 
<carver blows nose into hanky here>

BUT.. buying overpriced diamonds for an investment from Harold-the-jewry-buyer..is not the same..they buy wholesale and you pay retail..same goes for appraisals..that profit factor is built in for them..if you decide to sell.

Now there IS one difference here .....P.A and Marina..

Liz Taylor's 50 carat diamond ring , that Richard Burton bought for her in the first?..no?..or the second? marriage to him..
IS a part of her (and his) history as movie stars, they are both gone now..and that ring will continue to shine and grow 
in price as the years go buy..because of collectors of memorbilia and *who the ring belonged to*.

Marina..you should take that ring into a pawn shop and see how much diamond rings are really worth..
when you need the cash rather badly for something else in your life.

[QUOTE}
I'm on the hunt for some nice diamond earrings, and one of the things I plan to do is pass one earring each to each daughter of mine. Hence, why I want something at least a carat on each side. [/QUOTE]

Ah yes PA..I see that your sense of frugality is overshadowed by your sense of being deprived...have a "BAILEY'S"
instead, and  wake up/get back to reality.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> My brother was married less than 3 years and had a child ,his *ex wife got over $100,000 *for that short marriage .My brother deposits extra money in with the child support for his daughter who is 15 now , if he does not tell his daughter there is some thing extra for her then she would never know about it.The ex wife takes it and use to spend on herself.


Funny thing..that's about what my divorce cost in legal bills alone..fighting
over not diamonds but ALI-MONEY and control of remaining assets of the
marriage.. I could have bought not one *but 5 Harleys*, for the legal bills, and maybe another Mustang or two for that money..
my lawyers pasted on some stickers on their bumpers..."I am the one, that's riding Carver's Harley!" LOL!

"the more things change..the more they stay the same"..in the courts at least.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

My brother paid lawyers as well which came to about $26,000 and $100,000 to her.He didn't really fight just quite a bit of stuff between them mainly regarding his daughter.
I did not pay retail for my diamonds ,If you read you will see my friends dad is a Diamond broker(not sure if that is correct title for him) he makes jewelry high end stuff and I probably paid better than wholesale .If it makes you feel better the appraisal is 230% more than what I paid , I got a great deal Now don't worry I won't need a pawn shop i am going to win WSOP this year or at least try lol .Maybe I will hock it in Vegas in July for some high stakes buy-ins


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> If it makes you feel better the appraisal is 230% more than what I paid , I got a great deal Now don't worry I won't need a pawn shop i am going to win WSOP this year or at least try lol .Maybe I will hock it in Vegas in July for some high stakes buy-ins


Well whatever..jewelry/diamonds is always a bit of a gamble. I had a look at your financial bio. btw...very good!

I see, you've managed to acquire quite a few assets at your young tender age, 

Investing is serious business these days, because as you know, savings and GIC's are safe, (protected by deposit insurance corp to 100K)..BUT your money is "rotting" because of real inflation, not what the gov't says it is,
while the fat cat bankers still manage to make a 5-6% *profit off your money *lending out as mortgage money.

Look I'm the last one to offer any kind of financial advice, but to me being mortgage free, is like having lots of money in the bank. Your best investment in your life is to pay off that mortgage... (I did, and now I manage to survive on a declining company pension..because the assh*le senior executives got too greedy in their expansion plans and took the a good high tech company
right into bankruptcy They even fooled the Ont gov't into NOT topping up my DB pension plan.. because back in 2000, they were the "darlings of the high tech industry",,and "too big to fail"..or so everyone thought back then!

Fast forward 9 years and a recession and kaboom!..dcl bankrupt..and my "golden handshake" (of working 25 yrs as a chief systems troubleshooter) VAPORIZED! They still owe me $36K of the golden handshake (retirement transisition benefit of 50K+..GONE ! 
Lots of ordinary investors (their childrens college money or life saving wiped out when the stock went from tripe split then double split ($100 a share to $0!.. basically you can call the stock...toilet paper..and you can't even use those kind of shares
to paper your bathroom!

I lost my RRSP contributions (in company stock) $25K approx) AND the stock options expired..because the stock was worthless
at time of bankruptcy and before that, stock that I bought on my company sponsered RRSP at $40 or so per share steadily
declined and became a few cents a share, just before bankruptcy was declared. Now the secured vultures are fighting over
the carcass. 

so the moral of this story is...you can *never predict what the economy will do 10 yrs down the road *when you get into middle age (50+).

Don't gamble.... and don't take unecessary risks... and don't invest with these so called "investor gurus"..they will scam you and take you for whatever they can..because most of them are vultures..just like divorce lawyers..benefiting from peoples lifetime
assets and misery during divorce.


So again..congrats on your life achievements..you have done well and lucky in life..
but don't count on today's successes to always be there.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

carverman said:


> ..and I'm sure your kids/grandkids would prefer the money from that "investment" over cold. colourless, expensive, insurance appraised,
> etc..ok, that's only 2C's out of four...
> 
> -200 anti-frugal points -> P.A.
> ...


Well, my thoughts are that if I've rise my kids well, and they've taken some of the values I hope to instill, they will appreciate the praticality of cash, but will still enjoy the diamonds. Our goal is that our kids will get some sort of inheritence in terms of cash/investments, and something that will retain it's value (or increase) that will still have them think of us. 

It's also a little bit of a cultural thing for me. My parents and grandparents left a country that women didn't have a lot of rights, and often jewelry is the only thing of value that can help with their security. I have a lot of ugly, gawdy jewelry, that my mother/grandmother managed to bring to canada. I'm really fortunate to live here where that isn't an issue, but it's something I would like to pass down as a way of remembering. 



carverman said:


> Marina..you should take that ring into a pawn shop and see how much diamond rings are really worth..
> when you need the cash rather badly for something else in your life.


I think the idea is when you are able to afford the expensive jewelry, then you should have enough of an nest egg, that you shouldn't every need to sell it. Like I said in another thread, I could of bought my earrings last year, but will not do so until I have my other goals met. My other goals of financial stability are more important, but that doesn't mean, that I can't strive to for my diamonds.

Also, if you take a harley in 25 years, and a nice diamond 25 years later, the diamond is still worth more. 



carverman said:


> Ah yes PA..I see that your sense of frugality is overshadowed by your sense of being deprived...have a "BAILEY'S"
> instead, and wake up/get back to reality. :QUOTE]
> 
> 
> As an adult, I haven't ever felt deprived (are you mistaking me for Marina). I actually like being frugal in certain areas so I don't have to be in others that mean more. Bailey's isn't that frugal is it  Like I said, I am on the hunt for earrings, but with such a large purchase, I'm sure I will have my mortgage paid off first, amount other things.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

Carver ,
MY net worth state does not include my share of my business which has 2.3 million in Cash and assets and My husband has similar portfolio as mine .We invest in real estate I have only three properties on my portfolio and my husband has three more on his.We try to keep things equal and my business or I guess I should say Our business has net profits of $20,000 -$30,000 a month AFTER we pay ourselves.
I understand what you mean and I have a 5 year plan to get myself where i need to be in terms of Savings and Investing so even if I didn't make another dime I will be ok.

My nephew(by marriage) worked 31 years at Nortel and lost everything so I understand how things can work out.I work for myself and have a large residual income built up in my business.
I was offered a $100,000 sponsorship this year from a Online Poker Room and can generate a comfortable HIGH $xx,xxx tax free income if i need to with my poker skills.For Instance in Feb I won $118,000 in one game then another player and I got the idea if some pros can take free roll and turn it into $10,000 we can take $300 and turn it into $18,000 in one month.
There are articles all over the net how this player did it then went on to win million in WSOP.
My friend and i had a system we had to play(separately not together ,that's cheating) a $20.00 games ,2 x $35.00 games and 1 x$50.00 at same time .They were super turbo nine player and we had to stop as soon as we were net $600 for the day.
I was able to cash out $13,100 from my $300 and he cashed his full $18,000.
I broke the rules got greedy and played some $200 games. The reason for this rambling is that my poker revenue is more than most people can even dream of earning.
I do not play all the time as that would make me a professional (tax implications !) so I generally I play for 2-3 weeks then will take a 5-8 week break.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> Well, my thoughts are that if I've rise my kids well, and they've taken some of the values I hope to instill, they will *appreciate the praticality of cash, but will still enjoy the diamonds*.


Ya right into the pawnshop! Things change and values change...it's a fact
of life PA...while your kids/grandkids will certainly appreciate something
that you pass on..they appreciate MONEY even more..because money
will get them what they really want!

"these earrings that grandma left me are nice..but they really aren't my style..
I want to ride a HARLEY and be a "cruising Queen"! LOL!



> Our goal is that our kids will get some sort of inheritence in terms of cash/investments, and something that will retain it's value (or increase) that will still have them think of us.


well like I have said countless times before P.A..

don't buy jewry as an investment for the future...because unlike gold (that has esculated into something so ridiculous in price that you would be crazy to buy it at $1400), most gold jewelry is only 10 to 14K here in Canada. Thats about 40% gold and 60% copper
and other metals...real gold like you can buy in Turkey and othe middle eastern countries is a hedge against inflation and it is
24K. 

Back in the 80s when gold and silver was going up and up and up..,.
I thought to myself..why not buy some gold and silver bullion from the
bank as an "investment" ....ya right.!

The Hunt bros tried to corner the market and failed and then gold and silver started to go down..and I waited and waited for it to go up..but it kept going down. The gold, I did manage to "unload" back to the bank for about $5-10 profit per oz..but the silver went so low that I just gave the 1 oz bars away as christening gifts..you know, inside a christening cup. The silver bars that
I paid around $20 for became practically worthless at $5 an oz.




> I think the idea is when you are able to afford the expensive jewelry, then you should have enough of an nest egg, that you shouldn't every need to sell it.


good plan...buy those diamonds (earrings)... (and maybe gold at $1400 an oz)...hold on to it for a "few" years and hope that you don't have to send
it in to Harold the Jewry buyer....LOL!



> Like I said in another thread, I could of bought my earrings last year, but will not do so until I have my other goals met. My other goals of financial stability are more important, but that doesn't mean, that I can't strive to for my diamonds.


Well P.A..as they say.."diamonds are a girls best friend"....'nuff said!



> Also, if you take a harley in 25 years, and a nice diamond 25 years later, the diamond is still worth more.


Where do you get those facts? Have you ever watched the auto auctions
in the states ( Barrettr-Jackson, Arizona)..muscle cars from the 70s (if in pristine condition) are going for 5 to 6 times (depending on how rare the model is) over their original price. 

Same with some models of Harleys..Take a "PanHeads"/DuoGlide from the
late 50s..(as in Easy Rider)..those panheads (original condition)
are easily fetching 3 or 4 times their original price..because they are RARE
now and collectors (of cars/motocycles) see them as desirable for their 
collections and these will appreciate in value even more in the future.




> Bailey's isn't that frugal is it


No..but it's nice in that morning cuppa java. Besides, aren't you the one
living in Winnepeg? That would be considered deprived...of warmth? 
Geez..jus think about those -40c winters, makes me want to turn up the heat..
but wait..it's spring outside..and I've turned off the furnace.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> Carver ,
> MY net worth state does not include my share of my business which has 2.3 million in Cash and assets and My husband has similar portfolio as mine .We invest in real estate I have only three properties on my portfolio and my husband has three more on his.We try to keep things equal and my business or I* guess I should say Our business has net profits of $20,000 -$30,000 a month AFTER we pay ourselves*.
> 
> OMG! Pat yerself and hubby on the back. Why are you spending your "precious time" here on this internet "chatline"?? You should be out there dreaming/scheming and making MORE money!
> ...


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

carverman said:


> Ya right into the pawnshop! Things change and values change...it's a fact
> of life PA...while your kids/grandkids will certainly appreciate something
> that you pass on..they appreciate MONEY even more..because money
> will get them what they really want!
> ...


I still like the cash I've been given, but I do like the diamonds, and jewelry I've been given too. I have been really fortunate that I have yet to ever have to sell them. The gold I've been given has all been 24 K and actually were minted gold coins mounted into jewelry. Kind of weird, but neat at the same time. 

I don't buy jewelry with the expectation of it going up, I buy it because I just like it. No different than someone buying a whatever they really want. I think it's a bonus that if the jewelry is rare enough (a really nice diamond), then the odds are it will not go down in value. 



carverman said:


> Where do you get those facts? Have you ever watched the auto auctions
> in the states ( Barrettr-Jackson, Arizona)..muscle cars from the 70s (if in pristine condition) are going for 5 to 6 times (depending on how rare the model is) over their original price.
> 
> Same with some models of Harleys..Take a "PanHeads"/DuoGlide from the
> ...


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

Carverman
My business requires me to use the internet , I get up at 9am and go online to work and I am here usually until 1-2am in the morning.I read financial blogs as I don't know everything and the last 5 months I have met some cool people here and learned quite a bit.I have the boring task to manage a few servers and constantly using the FTP so I take a few breaks a day to come here .


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> Carverman
> My business requires me to use the internet , I get up at 9am and go online to work and I am here usually until 1-2am in the morning.I read financial blogs as I don't know everything and the last 5 months I have met some cool people here and learned quite a bit.I have the boring task to manage a few servers and constantly using the FTP so I take a few breaks a day to come here .The riskiest thing in my portfolio right now is Enbridge Stock ,I am very conservative with my investments .


Marina...it seems that you have hijacked my original thread that was to discuss frugality and not spendthrift or "high roller" practices.
What you do with your time is your choice obviously..I was playing "devils advocate" here.. and I suppose I got what I deserved.

Permit me to be blunt if I may. I don't advocate your lifestyle and I don't believe (but this is strictly my opinion here), that most people (or forum identities, if we may call them that necessarily subscribe to it either,. Athough you appear to be using your
first name , and I assume from that you are a woman)..however in any case we can argue about this and that "until the cows come home" and never reach a consensus. That is fine..you are entitled to your opinion on this forum, just as I am with mine.  



> As for High Roller regarding my poker , I have a budget each month and stick to it .You can play free games and win tickets into higher games .For example you can pay $24 for a chance to win a $216 ticket and that ticket can get you into million dollar poker games online. You need luck and skill to be good at poker , play like you have the cards behind you I do not buy lottery tickets or play slot machines unless they are penny machines for fun these odds are too random


Well, it's a public perception of your lifestyle then, Marina, and perhaps these kinds of spending habits that you are "promoting" here...and IMO, these don't particulary match up with this kind of forum.

I AM frugal by nature and that is the way I am. I don't gamble..(although I did go once to Vegas to see what the "hoopla" was all about and it was on the way anyway to see a old friend of mine in AZ)...anyway..
I went into ONE casino, bought $10 worth of quarters , and set a limit for myself... when these were gone,
they WERE gone!..and walked out. I ignored all the claims of "big winners" and other promotions that the casinos use to suck you in.

I even kept my plastic CC safe in a hotel safe. I guess this is all from the fact that I have never had much money in my life to spend in that kind of frivolous manner. 

I pay my fair share of taxes, honesty is my policy , and I can't afford to lose what little I have left! 



> I am going to work now as my break is over and have a 5-6 hour project to do so you have a great evening!


CENSORED!


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

carverman said:


> Ok, you too "dear"..and don't forget that with earning all that extra money for "investments" ..you should live a balanced lifestyle and get some sleep too..and not have to worry about what your investments are doing.


Carverman, your condescending chauvinistic comments are not appropriate here. You clearly hate women, and it's understandable after what you have gone through. I once felt sorry for you, but after reading your highly sexist remarks I no longer do. I hope you can refrain yourself from further rude innuendos as you directed at marina.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Addy said:


> Carverman, your condescending chauvinistic comments are not appropriate here. *You clearly hate women, and it's understandable after what you have gone through. I once felt sorry for you, but after reading your highly sexist remarks I no longer do*. I hope you can refrain yourself from further rude innuendos as you directed at marina.


Wow....am I under attack? <"Carve" dons flame proof suit here>. Hey...I was just trying to go one to one with Marina.
While it may sound condescending to you, it was not intended as a rude
inneundos as you are suggesting...why is that in some forums it comes to
this? 
and,NO,,I don't hate women..as a matter of fact, my BEST friend is a WOMAN
who at least understands me. Chauvanistic..well perhaps sometimes?, especially when
my male ego is triggered and overpowers my way of thinking..but IF you knew me..and you
don't..you might think different...but ok..

I will refrain from using "dear"..as that obviously has touched a nerve with some forum identities.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

*some song lyrics (ZZ TOP)*

I play guitar..but I wish I could play guitar like Billy Gibbons..and those
cool glasses and that nice long white beard!

On the Planet of Women
----------------------
What can I do, I'm a nervous wreck?
There's girls everywhere, I better go and check. 
I can't tell a diamond from a hole in the ground.
They all got my head spinning round and round.
Planet of women, oh yeah.
The planet of women, oh yeah.
It's driving me insane.


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## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

Carverman, be nice...

There are an awful lot of ways to make a buck in this world. I'm not much of a gambler myself but funnily enough one of the real estate investors I worked for had two sons who were into professional poker playing. They travelled the world and played poker and made excellent money. 

As for Marina, she deserves every single diamond she gets herself and I hope she makes ten times more money next year. Here's the deal, if you look back into some threads on this forum, you'll see that she was in an extremely serious car accident some years ago. She needs a personal care worker to take care of her. She didn't say but I'm assuming that she's in a wheelchair or still quite disabled. 

She's done very well for herself online instead of sitting back and feeling sorry for herself. I admire that as someone who's been dealt a few lame hands in life myself. 

In fact if you were smart instead of feeling sorry for yourself about how your stupid evil wife took you to the cleaners, you'd do something about your situation. 

And don't think I don't know what the hell I'm talking about, I got home from work one day to a house that was stripped of furniture, with an ex who broke in for months to get more junk, I gave him a business that was making $25,000 to $30,000 per month just to keep this house. He moved in with his new woman (good riddance) and drove the business into the ground and eventually even managed to get locked out of our commercial unit and lost all the equipment and tools. 

Even worst than that the very first person I was with beat me and I was a frequent visitor to hospitals and battered woman shelters. I was very lucky to escape with my life and I still have many visible scars from the abuse I survived, I have had both my eyes stitched, I have a scar on my back from a TV being thrown at me, I have scars on my legs from a pot of boiling soup being poured on me, and I once had both the soles of my feet peel off after running out of the house into the salty, slushy street. 

So you know what, life's not fair, but you just have to admire the hell out of people who know how to make lemonade when they have lemons. 

I am a collection of all my life experiences, and I wouldn't change a thing. I understand pain in a way that most people will never have to (That's a good thing) and I've glued myself back together like Humpty Dumpty and kept on trucking in the best way I know how many times. I have a depth of compassion, wisdom and acceptance of few other people my age. I've paid for it. 

Oh and I'm Frugal too. 

Some of the best influences in my life have been people who refused to feel sorry for me and challenged me to be better, to do better and got me mad and fighting and calling them names because they wouldn't let me sit there on my pity pot and kept asking me *what I was going to do about it*. 

My life is good today and I get by on a lot less than most people on this board do. I'm grateful to have what I have. Do you think I enjoy that my husband is sick? or that some VP from REIN is trademarking my business name and I have to fight him in court? Or that my stupid old van transmission is slipping? I can assure you I don't, but I know that these are just inconveniences for the moment that will be replaced by new inconveniences.

Diamonds are created under extreme stress and pressure, I'm pretty sure I am one by now. 

So carverman, you got a raw deal, what are you doing about it? You won't have any money, how are you going to make more? What other skills do you have to make cash money so your succubus or the tax man can't steal it from you? What's your plan B other than suffering and being broke ?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Berubeland said:


> Carverman, be nice...
> 
> 
> > But I am nice.
> ...


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## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

(((carve)))


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## sprocket1200 (Aug 21, 2009)

uh oh, caver, you pissed off the ladies. now they will get all emotional and you will never learn any frugal advice from them...though they may someday become equal, they will never feel equal.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

Carver the only reason I disclosed my Poker revenue is you seem hell bent on talking about pawn shops as if one day I will have to sell them .My love of poker and Diamonds is my business if I could not afford it I would not do either of them.I Do not come here to go head to head with people I come here to learn and to help when I can.I honestly did not find you rude as others did , I figure you and come come from different time and circumstances so we won't agree on the value of diamonds and other stuff.

I have made a few good friends here and I do not want sympathy ,if i were a 'poor me 'person I would not be alive today.I was a passenger in a car that got run over by a bus literally , my family was told I had a 46% chance of survival and if I survived I probably would have permanent brain damage.

Rachelle is correct I have a full time PSW as well as my husband most days .I can do many things for myself but can't put my socks on ,blow dry my hair or put one pant leg on.I have permanent Muscle damage on my right side .

I can stand but my brain some days does not realize i have legs attached to my body so I have to think' move right leg' then' move left leg'.I use the chair for mobility as it will take me all day to get across the house.I have permanent damage to the motor neurons that control mobility but my damage was a head injury not spinal so I can technically walk.If you want to know more details I lost partial use of left hand ,I have a scar that goes from my right hip almost to my knee,I was impaled by a piece of metal there so I have a chunk of flesh missing on my right side as well .My torso is like a road map ,I lost track of surgeries I have had .I go every couple years for a tweak with my orthopedic surgeon and he is slowly removing a few pins to make me more comfortable.
There was a time I did not know what is flop turn or river was but I am the sort of person that needs to experience as much as possible in this life.I got a paycheck from Full Tilt poker for $225 as I had one of their ads on a site i own.I was going to just take the cash but they said i had to open an account and they would allow withdraw from there.
For about a year when i would get these tiny checks but I never made enough to get paid wire which was $1000.
I decided that I will try to play a bit to get my balance up to $1000 and actually had to print the rules and read as I played.It was a disaster ,I lost $8.30 and i quit but i kept reading and trying.It took me 5 months to get that first cash out.About 17 months ago I got the bug and been very successful at it but poker is very small part of my life.
I never bring up my disability online but as it is a yearly expense of $30,000 I did have to discuss my first goals here.I wanted to save $100,000 specifically for my home care down the road and pay my mortgage off in 5 years PLUS have 1 million in cash.
Rachelle was kind enough to run my numbers and she told me what amount I need to save each month and what I had to pay on my mortgage and I am on track to get it all done in my time frame.
I will not mention poker again on this forum or any good luck I have , I am proud of myself for what I have done .My husband retired from his job at age of 42 because of what I have achieved with my business(which is not playing poker).This business was started to give me something to do and my highest hopes were to make $1000 a month .
Just so you know what I do if you want to buy audiobooks I have sites that sell them , want proactive skin care I have this too , software I have some of the largest software sites online.I am an affiliate for many companies .I am in one of the highest brackets for CJ.COM, you want to take a trip or buy flowers I can do that too.I have hundreds of sites and google adsense revenue is $xxxx on a few sites.That's all I have to say and I am not promoting any spending habits and won't share when I buy anything else .


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Berubeland said:


> (((carve)))


Ya "babe"? Be.

Oh oh! I just sense that "ole carve" here is gonna git shot down and be sent
to the internet doghouse fer being <pick one.

a) sexist
b) chauvanist (without the pig included please)
c) misogynist
d) artistic
e) outspoken
f) ________ <insert your preference here>


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

sprocket1200 said:


> uh oh, caver, you pissed off the ladies. now they will get all emotional and you will never learn any frugal advice from them...though they may someday become equal, they will never feel equal.


Well they will come to their senses in due time. I Am the eggman..I am the
Walrus....Imagine .....

Imagine no possessions (and no blood diamonds too...)
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger (or need for money too)
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> Carver the only reason I disclosed my Poker revenue is you seem hell bent on talking about pawn shops as if one day I will have to sell them .My love of poker and Diamonds is my business if I could not afford it I would not do either of them. *I come here to learn and to help when I can*.*I honestly did not find you rude as others did *, I figure you and come come from different time and circumstances so we won't agree on the value of diamonds and other stuff.


A very good statement if I may say so Marina. You are truly a gem in this
world of greedy rocks and gravel. But..I'll pass on the diamonds, and if
you are my partner in this internet game of Euchre...I'll pass my Heart(s)
over to you and hope that there are others that won't CLub me..because
if they do...I'll be back in Spades..unless I get Trumped..of course! 



> I have made a few good friends here and I do not want sympathy ,if i were a 'poor me 'person I would not be alive today.I was a passenger in a car that got run over by a bus literally , my family was told I had a 46% chance of survival and if I survived I probably would have permanent brain damage.


I am truly sorry to hear that. I just learned from "B" about your situation and
you know..in some ways we are similar..I am basically disabled now..due to
a debilitating muscular auto immune disease..but hey..just like you..I won't
let that get me down..I have to continue in this material world..until the
Angel of Mercy comes for me.

and from the Gord Lightfoot song (lest I be accused of being condescending)

If you could read my mind love,
what a tale my thoughts could tell.
Just like an old time movie
about a ghost from a wishing well.
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
with *chains upon my feet.*
You know that ghost is me
and I will never be set free
as long as I'm a ghost that you can see.





> Rachelle is correct I have a full time PSW as well as my husband most days .I can do many things for myself but can't put my socks on ,blow dry my hair or put one pant leg on.I have permanent Muscle damage on my right side .


Words escape me now that I "know" you better and the challenges you face
in life...'bout those diamonds..YOU GO GIRL! We all have only one life
to live (at least we think..but religion tells us otherwise) and we have to 
make the best of what we got and what we have left to use.



> Here was a time I did not know what is flop turn or river was but I am the sort of person that needs to experience as much as possible in this life.I got a paycheck from Full Tilt poker for $225 as I had one of their ads on a site i own.I was going to just take the cash but they said i had to open an account and they would allow withdraw from there.


So that was your "revelation in life"...good for you, Marina! <thumbs up and
10 of of 10 "attagirls" ->Marina for taking the long and winding road in life.



> I never bring up my disability online but as it is a yearly expense of $30,000 I did have to discuss my first goals here.I wanted to save $100,000 specifically for my home care down the road and pay my mortgage off in 5 years PLUS have 1 million in cash.


Now I know where you are coming from...if I were in a similar situation, frugal
would take a back seat as well. 



> *I will not mention poker again on this forum or any good luck I have *, I am proud of myself for what I have done .My husband retired from his job at age of 42 because of what I have achieved with my business(which is not playing poker).This business was started to give me something to do and my highest hopes were to make $1000 a month .


well. I am now of the "converted"..anyone that can make the best of a serious
disability deserves a standup applause.

applause for Marina..please



> That's all I have to say and I am not promoting any spending habits and won't share when I buy anything else .


You know Marina..you remind me of Arlene Dickinson on Dragon's Den..
she made a fortune for herself, not being sorry, but getting to doing what
she is best at..and I see from what you are telling me, you are similar.

I watch this show and get a kick out of some of the stupid entreprenuers
that spend thousands..some hundreds of thousands of their own money
to promote a product or idea that is shot down by the Dragons because
the* entrepreneurs overlooked a fundamental flaw in their plans*.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> I got a paycheck from *Full Tilt poker *for $225 as I had one of their ads on a site i own.I was going to just take the cash but they said i had to open an account and they would allow withdraw from there.
> For about a year when i would get these tiny checks but I never made enough to get paid wire which was $1000.


Oh..I see FTP is Full Tilt Poker..and not File Transfer Protocol...

See.... it's easy for misinterpreting other peoples statements (and intentions) when
we come from differnent physical worlds and backgrounds in life.

My mindset is more into troubleshooting big computerized central office
digital switches..and all the technical jargon that goes with that domain..
so..it's easy for me to be interpreting what people say on this forum
from a completely different perspective.


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## hboy43 (May 10, 2009)

carverman said:


> So are real rocks..and they are free....
> for everything else..there is Master Card!


Oh man, if I could sell rocks. Take a drive down the Opeongo Road some time starting in Renfrew to see the "wealth" in rocks in this area.

As far as my number two frugality tip ... it would be make your own wine. Pays about $75/hour after tax. The number one tip would be to ditch an automobile.


hboy43


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

hboy43 said:


> As far as my number two frugality tip ... it would be make your own wine. Pays about $75/hour after tax. The number one tip would be to ditch an automobile.


Second the ditching the car as a great way to save money - I figure you practically have to be rich now a days to afford to operate a vehicle.

We went carless in Vancouver (easy to do when you live near Granville Island), and it was so nice not to have the car payments, fuel and maintenance costs, parking costs (and the hassle of having to FIND parking!), and no insurance costs. My husband biked almost everywhere, and I bused it.

We moved to Winnipeg, purchased an older van so my husband had something to haul around his conduit and stuff for his business (side business); he still bikes to work nearly year round, and I walk. We save about $500/month by not having a second car, and save even more by not using our one vehicle very often. And at todays gas prices, we are probably saving even more by not driving everywhere.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

hboy43 said:


> Oh man, if I could sell rocks. Take a drive down the Opeongo Road some time starting in Renfrew to see the "wealth" in rocks in this area.


Ya..Hot Rocks! Been on Opeongo on my motorcycle in yesteryear...very nice!



> As far as my number two frugality tip ... it would be make your own wine. Pays about $75/hour after tax. The number one tip would be to ditch an automobile.
> hboy43


Make yer own wine..why yes, and it wouldn't even cost $8 a bottle, once
you've recouped the setup...the grape concentrate, primary fermenter,
specific gravity measurement, secondary fermenter, the bottles, the
corker, (or screw cap bottles), the labels and a good printer...

"Red, Red wine.... (Neil Diamond) 

Red, red wine 
Stay close to me 
Don`t let me be in love
It`s tearin` apart 
My blue, blue heart


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Addy said:


> Second the ditching the car as a great way to save money - I figure you practically have to be rich now a days to afford to operate a vehicle.


Well not exactly, if you can do most of the service routines....I'm getting down to the $20K (net) per year.. and so far I
can still afford my 13 year old gas guzzlin' macho-man truck.

 Now don't get me started on "Macho-Macho Man..I wanna be a
Macho man"....

but even at my tender age discounts, its still a huge chunk out of my yearly pension income...$700 for insurance per year, $70 for the plate sticker, and $40 or so for the emission test every 2 years, not to mention, cost of tires and brakes ($500 per year on average maintenance), oil changes ($50 x 2) and then there is the price of gas...$1.25 per liter...and assuming of course no accident deductible ($500) or repairs to the engine....($????) $2000 per year on average (assuming no car payments),
or very expensive transmission repairs. 



> We moved to Winnipeg, purchased an older van so my husband had something to haul around his conduit and stuff for his business (side business); he still bikes to work nearly year round, and I walk. We save about $500/month by not having a second car, and save even more by not using our one vehicle very often. And at todays gas prices, we are probably saving even more by not driving everywhere.


Well if you live in the country,you are stuck without a vehicle which is a necessity..but having a second vehicle is a luxury these days.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

carverman said:


> Well if you live in the country,you are stuck without a vehicle which is a necessity..but having a second vehicle is a luxury these days.


Well living in the country is not a choice we would make. I find it humorous that some people use the excuse of living in the country to justify their "need" for a vehicle. Their living in the county is a choice they made, which in turn fuels their "need" for a vehicle.

Ironically I lived 26 kms from town for many years and did not own a vehicle... I biked everywhere. So even living in the country on it's own does not necessitate a *need* to own a vehicle. It certainly would be handy, no argument there. But a necessity it is not.

Food, water, shelter. Not food, water, shelter and a vehicle.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Addy said:


> Ironically I lived 26 kms from town for many years and did not own a vehicle... I biked everywhere. So even living in the country on it's own does not necessitate a *need* to own a vehicle. It certainly would be handy, no argument there. *But a necessity it is not.*Food, water, shelter. Not food, water, shelter and a vehicle.


You quoted me...??? You talking to me? A vehicle can be a necessity if
you have small babies and you need to take them to the hospital/doctor.

Can't stick a sick baby in a bicyle basket in the winter time


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## donaldhumiston (Apr 26, 2011)

I am a practical person. I am not rich nor consider myself poor as I have a home for my family and work to keep us going on with our daily life. My say is that, frugality is not bad as how many would think it is. Just because you are able to be satisfied with what you can afford and spend only on things you need would mean you are being too tight. Frugality is not measure on the quantity that you buy, but rather on the quality you spend on things you need that will last more thus you get to save.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

I am in a wheelchair can't see my husband on his bike and me holding on to a rope while he pulls me up the roadeither lol.People who think a vehicle is not a necessity obviously is very healthy lol . 
My brother does not own a car he walks everywhere ,he has been in Afghanistan 4 years on and off so walking on pavement is probably a breeze compared to his combat training .


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

carverman said:


> A vehicle can be a necessity if
> you have small babies and you need to take them to the hospital/doctor.
> 
> Can't stick a sick baby in a bicyle basket in the winter time


I live in Winnipeg, and have cycled in a Dutch bicycle ( just like so many others do in Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Germany, etc... many of whom get snow and cold) in -30 degree weather. Baby was bundled, with a wind cover and baby was fine. Having children is an excuse to have a vehicle I hear occassionally. Like living in the country, having a car when you have kids certainly is a nice convenience but certainly not a need.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

marina628 said:


> I am in a wheelchair can't see my husband on his bike and me holding on to a rope while he pulls me up the roadeither lol.People who think a vehicle is not a necessity obviously is very healthy lol .
> My brother does not own a car he walks everywhere ,he has been in Afghanistan 4 years on and off so walking on pavement is probably a breeze compared to his combat training .



Marina you have a point, I hesitated adding that "able bodied" people use excuses to say a vehicle is a need, but I figured, as far fetched as it sounds, there probably are ingenious ways for disabled people to get around on a bike. I remember a guy in Vancouver who cycled daily, and he had no legs past the knee. He looked damned buff too!

PS I have a disability where cycling is easier for me than walking...


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Though I agree that most do not need two cars, as you said, need is really defined as the basis for survival so food, water, shelter. Everything there is a bonus. Even food can be broken down to bread alone, there's no need for anything that is outside of the most basics.

I think there is also a consideration of what is considered reasonable. Yes, one chooses to live in the country, however, are they expected to walk everywhere, or work only in town (where there may not be a lot of jobs). You could argue that your bicycle is a want. You could walk too. 

I think when determining needs, there are very few things that actually fall into this category.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> You could argue that your bicycle is a want. You could walk too.
> 
> I think when determining needs, there are very few things that actually fall into this category.


Says the material girl living in her material world,sipping on $250 bottles of wine? 


"They can beg and they can plead
But they can’t see the light, that’s right
’cause the boy with the cold hard cash
Is always mister right, ’cause we are

Chorus:

Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl"


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

That's not fair, how do you figure I am a material girl. You still spend more than me in booze, plus I don't drink enough that I remember the whole experience 

I do agree... nothing wrong with cold hard cash, among other things for Mister Right  

I think my song is more Independant Women...


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## hboy43 (May 10, 2009)

Addy said:


> Marina you have a point, I hesitated adding that "able bodied" people use excuses to say a vehicle is a need, but I figured, as far fetched as it sounds, there probably are ingenious ways for disabled people to get around on a bike. I remember a guy in Vancouver who cycled daily, and he had no legs past the knee. He looked damned buff too!
> 
> PS I have a disability where cycling is easier for me than walking...


I know (know is perhaps too strong a word) of two guys with one leg who ride around on recumbent tricycles. I was talking to one of them recently and from the sound of it, at 5-10 years my senior, and down one leg, he is faster and fitter now than I ever was even at 18.

I also have a tricycle, and often hook up my dog, sort of dog sled style. I have no doubt that a trained 20kg dog could pull around someone all day at 10kph. Could be the next service dog category if anyone has any imagination. Capital costs for tricycle about $3-$5K, dog 0 to $200. Tricycle annual maintainence about $50, dog about $500. Would work best in spring and fall. Too much snow in the winter, and the engine overheats in the summer.

hboy43


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

hboy43 said:


> I have no doubt that a trained 20kg dog could pull around someone all day at 10kph. Could be the next service dog category if anyone has any imagination. Capital costs for tricycle about $3-$5K, dog 0 to $200. Tricycle annual maintainence about $50, dog about $500. Would work best in spring and fall. Too much snow in the winter, and the engine overheats in the summer.
> 
> hboy43


Frugality points =-> down the drain.

Next???


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> That's not fair, how do you figure I am a material girl. *You still spend more than me in booze*, plus I don't drink enough that I remember the whole experience
> 
> I do agree... nothing wrong with cold hard cash, among other things for Mister Right
> 
> I think my song is more Independant Women...


Who little girl! It's MY money!, so I can spend it any way I choose. If I want to buy a $50 bottle of Glen Livet, or a case of $8 wines (California's finest)
I will spend it even if I have to eat boiled rice or ramen noodles to 
compensate for a month.

Next? who's next?


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## donaldhumiston (Apr 26, 2011)

Lots of good advices here. I like what I read. I enjoy learning more frugal ways that others share to us. Great. On my end, I try to stay home and do some home cooking with my family. It is not as much, but still helps us cut-off dining out expenses. Plus, I am learning to cook!


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

Good one donald. I am not sure if you'll save much money by cooking at home in every case, but if there are a few of you, yes, I can definitely agree with the money and hassle saving aspect of cooking at home. I just find it easier when you have more people there vs. cooking for one.

Depending on what you eat and what materials you select, cooking your own stuff could be healthier also. For instance, you can really reduce the salt, fat and sugar if you make your own spaghetti sauce and serve it with whole wheat spaghetti vs. eating standard spaghetti with jarred sauce. etc etc.

Keep at it.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

If you really want to cut down on the costs of eating out, is by cooking at home. To take it one step further, if you're really busy or feeling rushed, I have found doing batches of freezer meals, saves a world of time and money. I will buy my meats, split them up in freezer bags and throw my sauce or marinade and freeze them. Take them out the night before, or the morning of, and then it's quicker when you get home.

I have found that I do this in bulk, the time and money savings is substantial.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

Addy
I live in the country and coyotes are in the field across from my house ,I think every time we come home at night what would happen if they ever came .I will stick to my cars lol .I am sure there are ways to survive without a car but I elect not to even think about it lol.When we are in Europe or in Warmer weather we do not use a car much but definitely it does not fit into our home situation to walk in Ontario.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

marina628 said:


> Addy
> *I live in the country and coyotes are in the field across from my house *,I think every time we come home at night what would happen if they ever came .I will stick to my cars lol .I am sure there are ways to survive without a car but I elect not to even think about it lol.


Oh My! Lions and tigers... and coyotes...

Coyotes are pack animals, like wolves..normally they avoid human contact..
unless they are starving..then all bets are off.

how are you Marina, my sweets?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> , if you're really busy or feeling rushed, I have found doing batches of freezer meals, saves a world of time and money. I have found that I do this in bulk, the time and money savings is substantial.


feeling rushed? ..time to take another sip of that superb vintage you have
stashed away and only drink a sip on special occasions..how can you stand
that?

(Carve sez) ..its all the same to me..glug! glug! glug!.......B...U.RRRRRRP!!!!!!!

ah!!!!... now that was a good vintage..2010 ..has a nice buzz to it too!...

Maybe I'll go away from my computer and crack another one open..
no cork to mess around with..nice and easy twist tops....now that's progress!


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Carve: When you have two young kids, and both parents work more than full time, you're always rushed. Time is the big scarcity for us rather than money (though I perfer to save both). I would rather rush and get dinner on the table, than having a 2 year old have a melt down. I seldom have time to drink, little less than recover from tying one one. Hence, why I don't mind having a really great wine when I have a chance, which isn't often. We would love to have the kids stay at the grandparents, but that's not really much of an option.


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