Comments on: The Results of an Ultra-Frugal May http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/ Financial talk for the rest of us Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:14:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: J. Scott http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-110080 J. Scott Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:49:18 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-110080 For air-drying clothing I have found a wonderful product. Not only does it allow me to air-dry inside, it also has done away with the need for ironing. The product is called Outdry and I thank the website is outdry.net.

]]> By: Rob http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-31616 Rob Mon, 04 Jun 2007 01:58:19 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-31616 You can watch Lost on ABC website a day after it airs. Quality is great. You can also watch shows from Fox, CBS, NBC etc right on their websites.

]]> By: daver http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-31380 daver Sun, 03 Jun 2007 08:02:52 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-31380 I’m really curious about your meals; I easily spend $400 to 600 on food a month — for just me! Please give us some more details about the food aspect; what did you eat? What did you buy? I’m really interested in more ideas about meal planning and eating well without spending a fortune. And yes, I eat out a lot.

]]> By: Darrell http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-31326 Darrell Sun, 03 Jun 2007 01:54:56 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-31326 We got rid of our TV about a year ago and we wonder how we ever had time to watch it. Now and then when I see a few minutes of TV at a friends house, it seems really disturbing.

]]> By: Lynne http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30994 Lynne Fri, 01 Jun 2007 21:08:27 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30994 Great experiment, but what habits will be changed as a result? Do you know how much you saved?

Re: the milk was may be going bad: if you put a pinch of salt [the original preservative] in the milk when you open it, it will stay good for another week or so. There isn’t enuf to taste.
Re: the laundry: I haven’t used a dryer for years [my DIL got upset when I got rid of one they had had after they moved to another part of the country then came back]. You can hang up clothes on the shower rod – haven’t had to iron for years
Re: stiff towels: the vinegar works and the fabric softener does make the towel less absorbatent

]]> By: SwingCheese http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30987 SwingCheese Fri, 01 Jun 2007 20:15:12 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30987 I live pretty much where Trent does (same large city, different suburb), and I can attest to the fact that the heat went waaaay up here in mid-May. We ended up turning on our air a couple of times, too. 90+ is not incredibly common for May in Iowa, but it is not unheard of.

On the cable idea, we also eliminated cable when we moved (3+ years ago) and, with the exception of Comedy Central, we have missed neither the stations nor the bill.

]]> By: PF http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30978 PF Fri, 01 Jun 2007 19:23:34 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30978 I’ve always heard that fabric softener and towels is a bad idea; it builds up and makes the towels less absorbent.

]]> By: MVP http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30972 MVP Fri, 01 Jun 2007 18:50:19 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30972 We’ve gone without cable for a couple years now, and honestly haven’t missed it – except for the occassional sporting events (Olympics; Final Four, etc). We get 4-5 stations and that’s plenty to hog my time more than I’d prefer! We also subscribe to Netflix for $20 per month, so I routinely watch a variety of commercial-free TV shows on DVD, and my husband and I relax to some really great movies, old and new, on the weekends. But I’d like to cut back on watching the regular trash TV that generally consume my weekday evenings when I get home from work and just want to crash. I think we’ll start with a couple of TV-free (including Netflix) nights per week and go from there. I’d like to get more accomplished, especially reading and housework. About keeping towels from ending up bone-dry after line-drying, try using liquid fabric softener in the rinse cycle OR a cup of white vinegar, which is much cheaper.

]]> By: PF http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30968 PF Fri, 01 Jun 2007 18:43:01 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30968 Jodi, You can throw them in the dryer for just a few minutes and the stiffness will go away. Maybe that’s cheating, but it beats putting them in the dryer for the entire time.

Trent, don’t hook up cable when you move. It’s the perfect opportunity. You can do it. We’ve been TV free since 1992. Trust me, you will live without Lost. Watch it on DVD once it comes out at the end of the season.

]]> By: Jodi http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30956 Jodi Fri, 01 Jun 2007 18:04:46 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30956 This may be the wrong place to ask this question, but I’m starting to get into line drying our laundry. I LOVE the way everything smells comintg of the line. My only problem… crusty feeling towels. How can I solve this? Or can I not achieve dryer soft feelings from line drying?

]]> By: fubek http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30949 fubek Fri, 01 Jun 2007 17:48:57 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30949 Laundry line: Bad weather is a lame excuse. You can have one inside your apartment.

Other than that: congrats! How much did you save?

]]> By: Jonathan http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30935 Jonathan Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:57:03 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30935 Thanks for correcting me, Trent. I appreciate the clarification.

]]> By: Debbie http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30925 Debbie Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:02:06 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30925 Those are some awesome results, especially when you compare what happened to what would have happened if you had not had these goals, and not just to what would have happened if everything had gone perfectly.

Have y’all decided to keep doing any of these things or rather to change your regular behavior in any way as a result of this experiment? I get the sense of what was possible, but no sense of what was difficult and what was easy or what was worse than before and whether anything turned out to be better than before.

]]> By: Mardee http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30871 Mardee Fri, 01 Jun 2007 11:09:13 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30871 Maybe it’s an Iowa thing? I grew up in a small town in Ohio and we never had anything like that. We did have the occasional church fish fry or Kiwanis spaghetti dinner, but those were pay-as-you-go. Still cheap but you pay by the meal.

]]> By: Trent http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30816 Trent Fri, 01 Jun 2007 02:41:40 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30816 The community dinners mentioned above are something common in most towns. They’re dinners given by churches and community organizations in which people can come together, eat, find out about what’s going on in the community, and give a freewill donation to the cause if you support it.

I am a big fan of these because it makes for a reasonably inexpensive meal (I usually drop in a $10 for my family), plus you get an opportunity to connect with people. I know all of the members of the school board and the city council and the mayor because of these meals and have made many connections for my computer consulting business.

]]> By: Lisa http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30813 Lisa Fri, 01 Jun 2007 02:29:48 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30813 My family does not pay for any extra tv stations. We do, however, have an account with Netflix and check out movies from the library. Our public television station comes in very clear and the other stations are nearly bearable. The poor reception actually encourages us not to waste our time watching mindless tv. The only time I REALLY regret the situation is during college basketball season and I occassionally will visit a bar/resturant that has HD. for a game. The new tvs and the extra cost for hd service is completely not worth it for my family now.

]]> By: Jennifer http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30810 Jennifer Fri, 01 Jun 2007 01:50:22 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30810 That sounds like a really good month you had. I would agree with the recommendation of indoor lines. I have been hanging my laundry to dry for years now and have actually never hung it outside. I have racks inside. I find them at garage sales sometimes. They are expensive at the store though. We might have to try an experiment like that, except we don’t eat out as it is and we don’t spend extra on entertainment and such (rarely, it would not be hard to not do this for a month). Great idea!

]]> By: Bill http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30790 Bill Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:20:02 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30790 I pay under $10/month for channels 2-14 (analog channels 2-78 would cost $55/month)

However, I recently tested a combo analog/digital USB tuner on my laptop.

Using only an indoor antenna, I got 3 analog channels, but 12 digital channels.

I am seriously thinking about putting up an small outdoor antenna (UHF, for digital channels) and dropping cable TV.

]]> By: Mitch http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30765 Mitch Thu, 31 May 2007 22:17:05 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30765 Iowa has all the seasons, and being in the middle of everything some years you get random snow in April, and some years you get 90 degree weather in May (with it getting even hotter inside). Looking at Lake Park at Weather Underground, it hit 89F on the 13th and 86F on the 19th, while the high on the 4th was 57. That is in NW Iowa; I do not know where Trent is based.

Afraid I cannot use any contractions right now because my keyboard is in some inscrutable mode.

]]> By: Mark http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30763 Mark Thu, 31 May 2007 21:43:52 +0000 http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/31/the-results-of-an-ultra-frugal-may/#comment-30763 Since when does it get over 90 degrees in May in Iowa?

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