Comments on: The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: Endless Winter Edition

By: KoryO

KoryO — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:14:36 +0000

Five more storms hitting Iowa? I hope that isn’t true.

I just hope we don’t have a repeat of the floods from a couple years ago with all this snow buildup. I think we have even more snow already this year than we did then.

By: SLCCOM

SLCCOM — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:50:24 +0000

Laziness is not the reason most people get snow blowers. There can be very good reasons for not shoveling snow. If your heart is even slightly iffy, you can give yourself a heart attack because of the combination of exertion and cold air. Get your exercise safely, and save a whole bunch of money that way.

Also, many people have exercise-induced asthma, which can be triggered especially in the cold, dry, air. People with arthritis generally should not go out and shovel in the cold.

OTOH, shoveling snow is absolutely WONDERFUL if hot flashes are a problem… Of course, the neighbors wonder about you shoveling in shorts and T-shirt!

By: Evita

Evita — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:53:25 +0000

I live in southwest Quebec where we experience in the winter snowfall after snowfall (except, strangely, for this winter!). Shoveling a 60-foot driveway is out of the question for us quasi-seniors. I never wanted to own, operate, maintain, fill-up and store a snowblower. The alternative is to hire in November a snow-removal service which does the job when needed in three minutes before I leave for work (and clean-up during the day). I can deal with the pathway to the house and the deck.
It may not be considered frugal but the cost is reasonable, I save a LOT of time, I help a local business and don’t spend money for the chiropractor!!

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:03:44 +0000

We have no snowblower, but we have 4 good shovels, and 4 healthy people in the family! My 16 and 11 yr olds seem to like shoveling, and I have always viewed it as my winter exercise program. Last Saturday, when the biggest storm hit, we all went out and shoveled as a family, and then came in to (homemade from cocoa powder and sugar and milk..cheap and easy!)hot chocolate.
A great family activity!

By: deRuiter

deRuiter — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:35:31 +0000

“This winter has finally pushed my wife and I to purchase” It’s “my wife and me to”. Time to fix the grammar, you’re a professional Trent. As to Craigslist, it’s a great way to sell, but not the torturous, troublesome, self defeating way you go about it. Craigslist has an anonymous email feature, use it. Include in listing: 1. Pictures (most important step), 2. put in the price and detailed description, be brutally blunt about conditon, 3. measurements are crucial. 4. Click the box alerting people you don’t want junk replies. When you finish the Craigslist ad, put the same ad in Upillar.com which is also free. You can sell like crazy on craigslist/Upillar. You’re dealing with the very young, and the tech savvy middle aged. They want to do things fast, accomplish them fast, and go on to the next project, not go through some elaborated scheme you’ve conconcted. I’ve sold tractors, tractor parts, fake plants for $2. each instead of pitching them in the landfill, furniture, antiques, baker’s rack, I’ve picked up stuff off the curb, put it cheap on Craigslist and had it sell in hours or a day. REMEMBER: PHOTO, PRICE, DESCRIPTION, CONDITON, SIZE. Why make this harder than it has to be and sabotage sales? If I got some auto reply I’d never answer again, and I’m an active buyer, the auto repsonse things makes the seller look like a con. SELL IN CASH, DON’T TAKE CHECKS OR MONEY ORDERS, FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE NIGERIAN BANK SCAM, AND YOU’LL SELL OUT.

By: Mel

Mel — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:02:04 +0000

I live in Prague, Czech Republic. This year the snow came in December and hasn’t left yet. This is my 3rd winter here, and it’s the first year I’ve seen snow stick around in the city for more than a day. Where I’m from originally, it possibly snowed – in 1930s. So I’m still just excited about it – and even about shovelling snow!

By: Michele

Michele — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:15:23 +0000

This is the first year that the snowblower has not been necessary…and we have a law in Klamath Falls that you must clear your sidewalks after snow for school days! We are having the warmest winter in 15 years here! We’re setting records with warm weather- and are only at 70% of the snowpack, so our summer irrigation will SUCK! ACK! We moved here because we WANT snow- and we’re getting a Southern California-type winter this year! Looks like an early spring- we’ve already planted our seed pods in the window!

By: mbhunter

mbhunter — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:12:53 +0000

Thanks for the link Trent! I’ll be interested to see if the vacation responder thing helped you. The other commenters bring up good points as well.

By: steven@hundredgoals.com

steven@hundredgoals.com — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:26:38 +0000

“Worst” winter? Depends on how you look at it I suppose…

By: Maureen

Maureen — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:55:15 +0000

I just came in from shoveling the driveway and sidewalk. We’ve lived here (Canada)for over 20 years and I’ve done the majority of the shoveling (I actually enjoy it, up to point). I’ve never used a snow blower. The worst is when the snow plow leaves a heavy pile of snow and ice at the bottom of the driveway. Argg…It’s much easier if you shovel it periodically as it comes down. Don’t wait till the end.

My 79 yr old mil will clear her driveway herself after a light snow, but will accept help for heavier accumulations.

By: Tammy

Tammy — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:25:57 +0000

We live in northern Iowa and hubby shovels after every substantial snowfall. A neighbor helped once with his blower, and it didn’t go low enough, left about half an inch of snow that turned to ice. Uck!

Fwiw, my big concern is the spring thaw. Most winters it snows, it thaws, it snows, it thaws… so it doesn’t just pile up. This winter we’ve had virtually no thaws, only more and more snow. I think we’re going to have a LOT of flooding issues come spring.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:07:24 +0000

Baltimore is currently having the snowiest winter we’ve had since they started keeping track in the late 1890s!

By: Kara White

Kara White — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:58:49 +0000

@29–Amen George! Here in Western WA its still a little like summer…we haven’t even had the heavy rains b/c California is getting it….

By: George

George — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:16:37 +0000

Pacific Northwet has had the warmest to third warmest January (Seattle is warmest, Portland is third warmest). We’re so glad we didn’t repeat last winter’s snopocolypse!

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:11:47 +0000

What happened to spring and autumn? It seems like we drag through 6 months of summer and then 6 months of winter.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:42:39 +0000

I have never owned a snowblower in my life, living in Michigan. Just shoveled the snow 3 times yesterday. I even do the 1/2 acre pond behind our house sometimes for ice skating. So far so good :)

By: thisisbeth

thisisbeth — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:40:36 +0000

I live in Minnesota and survived with my snow shovel so far, but I’m really considering a snow blower right now. I was out of town this weekend, and just made it up my driveway into the garage when I got home Sunday night. I have a cold right now, so I can only shovel in short bits before the dry air is too much for my cough. I’m going to see if I can make it through the snow tonight so I can get to church!

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:24:11 +0000

The weather has been lousy here too (about 60 every day) but that’s probably paradise compared to the East. I actually had a shipment from Amazon DELAYED due to extreme weather…that’s a first.

By: lostAnnfound

lostAnnfound — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:06:24 +0000

Here in Western MA we have only gotten about 20 inches of snow this year. The average is 50 inches per winter season.

We have had two snow-throwers over the years, both hand-me-downs. The first was big & heavy, too big for me, so DH got to use it exclusively. The second we received two years ago when our elderly neighbor passed away and his wife gave use his two year-old MTD. What a nice machine! We have used it to help out the neighbors without a snow-thrower because that’s what our neighbor did. He would do his own driveway and then come help us out or let us borrow the machine when he was done.

Well, the snow is starting to come down now, supposedly we will be getting upwards of 12″. Time to break out the snow-thrower, first time this season!

By: partgypsy

partgypsy — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:03:58 +0000

Snowblowers are for wimps : )

Only part kidding. But I do have to say my mom is 65 in the midwest and still hasn’t broke down to get a snow blower. You just can’t wait until it’s all piled up to start to shovel it. Or maybe I’m just saying that because when we were kids were always on snow-shoveling duty and I just want to share the joy.

I do have to say the recent weather has been crazy. I’m also in NC and had to buy proper boots and winter coat for my school aged daughter, which I hadn’t needed to do before.