Unclogging Drains With Help From the Pros
After two husband-installed toilets and a desperate call to Roto-Rooter, I've abandoned emergency plans for a frugal outhouse.
I kid! Although I do live in the hills of Tennessee...and those self-composting models are pretty cool...
My son has a long history of using more than his share of toilet paper. We're no strangers to the cable auger. And yet this latest clog confounded all our efforts.
- We poured boiling water down all the drains.
- We plunged.
- We snaked.
- We tried a janitor-recommended product called Glug.
Draining the bathtub made the toilet gurgle, and suddenly, something horrible started filling up the shower on the other end of the house.
Deep breath. Wait, bad move--open a window!
I debated calling the pros. Is it better to go with an independent plumber, who charges by the hour, but might take an extra-long time? What if we go with the flat-fee franchise, but feel swindled by a 2-minute solution?
We opted for Roto-Rooter: they could come quick, I had a coupon, and their estimate is free. Plan B: phone the independent plumber if the original figure was simply too high.
Money-wise, it was a good call. Two hours of digging later, we learned that our mystery drain line dead-ends into an old septic system, makes a 90-degree turn, and runs beneath our neighbor's garden!
Now that the immediate crisis has passed, we're inserting an access point at that bend for future clean-out--the kind we can handle ourselves.
What's your favorite way to unclog a drain? Who do you call when you can't handle it alone?
New on the Frugal Blogroll for 3/13
New members of the Frugal Blogroll for the week ending 3/13/2010:
- Flyerscoupons.ca: Canada's Shopping & Deals Community
- Frugal Fabulous Finds
- If I Were a Wealthy Girl
- Ending the Rat Race
- The Friendly Frugalista
- The EHE Blog
- Crazy About Deals
- Living Frugal Tips
- Like a Bubbling Brook
- Hummingbird Homemaking
- Frugal Friends
- My Money Story
- Daily Frugal Hints
Blogs that should have been added long ago:
- Horn Happenings (an occasional contributor to FH)
- A Fine Collection of Lint and Fuzz (a new weekly contributor to FH)
- The Common Room (a longtime weekly contributor here at FH)
- Life in a Shoe: the methods and madness of one family of 12 (FH administrator - that's me)
Frugality Isn’t Deprivation. It’s Doing The Kids (and you) a Favor
Recently in an interview with Essence Magazine:
Of his own daughters, Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8, Obama told Essence magazine: “The girls don’t watch TV during the week. Period.”
Blogger Theresa Walsh Giarrusso says:
I have to say that seems a little bit harsh. My kids, and I’m sure President Obama’s kids, work very hard at school. They are gone for eight hours and deserve a little down time when they come home.
She believes when the Obama girls go off to college they are going to respond to their previous years of deprivation by spending all their time in the common room catching up on all the television they missed.
A few months ago my husband and I took a Dave Ramsey class. During class the other students were sharing their frugal successes, and one evening several of them centered around how to bring down the cable bill- not get rid of it, because that's extreme, but bring it down.
My husband and I married in 1982. During our 28 years of marriage, we have never had cable television, except for a six month period when we lived in a trailer where the trailer park management provided cable television. In fact, I grew up without cable television, without color television, and for the first several years of my life, no television. My mother says somebody felt sorry for the family and gave us one, and she always felt like they weren't really doing us any favors. Did we feel deprived? No, we didn't. Why should we?
Not only that, but my husband and I mostly didn't have television at all, cable or otherwise. We have lived in places where no cable meant no reception, and so, for all but about five years of our 28 year marriage, we haven't had any outside television programming coming in to our home. We used the television screen for watching movies, which we mostly checked out for free from the library.
We did not feel deprived nor did we feel like we were depriving our children. In fact, we felt like we were doing them a favor.
Our thoughts and decisions here were influenced by some of the reading we did. Your child's growing mind
This sense that we were doing our Progeny a favor by 'depriving' them of television was reinforced in the last two months when, in order to earn some extra Swagbucks (we use them for Amazon gift cards which we were saving for a camera, and now mostly use for homeschooling materials for our two unofficial foster sons), we got a free two week subscription to Netflix, and then our 19 year old daughter did the same thing and liked it so well she bought a paid subscription. The result was, in order to 'get our money's worth' the entire family glutted on movies. Whereas formerly we had a standing rule that there was no more than one movie per week, we've been watching one a night- and sometimes more. Disgusting.
After just a couple of months of this I can see the difference, particularly in our youngest two (11 and just recently 14). They are doing fewer creative things. They are more fractious. They are reading less. Their conversation is less interesting. They, and I, are less willing to spend time on processes with delayed gratification- such as baking bread from scratch, making yogurt, art projects with several steps and long drying out times between steps, reading longer books, laundry... The results of this experiment are, for our family, completely unsatisfactory and we are returning to our one movie a week, if not fewer, rule. Within days of implementing it, my children have been getting along better, more active, more interesting, and showing some of their old initiative.
Our television watching has been commercial free, so we haven't had that to deal with. However, years ago when we lived in Okinawa we observed the effects of commercials on children in an interesting fashion- this accounts for four of the five years we had television. Since we were on a military base, there was only one English speaking channel, and it was commercial free. Instead of commercials, we had public service announcements, and short 'ads' about some event in history. Our next door neighbor's father back stateside recorded Saturday morning cartoons for his 5 or 6 year old grand-daughter and sent them several video tapes. We were amazed, though in retrospect I wonder why, at the instant response to those ads. She immediately began to clamour for toys and cereals she'd never heard of but now believed she needed instantly. Her mother called her to breakfast during one of those commercial breaks, and the child sat glued to the floor, insisting that she couldn't leave the room because the man on the television had told her "Don't go away, we'll be right back!"
Getting rid of cable isn't a deprivation. It's an opening into a new life. Television isn't just about all the things you're seeing that really are not that profitable, but about all the things that are not being done while you're watching television, all the creative thoughts you'll never have, the walks you aren't taking, the projects you aren't undertaking, the genuine interaction that isn't going on during those hours.
Living without television isn't a hardship. It's a blessing.
How to negotiate a discount on medical bills
When I submitted my upcoming medical need to Samaritan Ministries*** I received a list of tips on how to negotiate a discount on hospital or other medical bills.
These tips can be used by anyone, regardless of whether they are members of Samaritan Ministries, so I'm sharing them here.
Suggested Procedure for Negotiating a Reduction in Medical Bills
- Pray that God will help you to be a witness with each call you make, and that the bills will be reduced for His glory and the good of His Kingdom.
- Ask for the supervisor in the Patients Accounts office for each provider. You must speak to the peron who has the authority to make the decision to reduce the bill. Don't be dismayed when the first person you talk to says, "We don't give discounts." If you can negotiate the price of a new or used car, you can negotiate the price of a medical bill.
- Be sure that the provider understands you do not have insurance; you are a "self-pay" patient.
- Many hospitals have a sliding fee scale based on your income level. Be sure to ask about this.
- If you are a Christian worker, ask if the doctor or hospital has an automatic discount for clergy and Christian workers. Many do.
- Say to them, "By what percentage would you consider reducing this bill?" Then wait for them to respond. There are no high-pressure tactics needed. Just simply ask.
- If they still have not given a discount, they might if they're offered cash. Hospital and doctors often give discounts of up to 30% if the bills are paid promptly in cash.
- Say to them, "If we can arrange to get 70% of this bill to you in cash within 30 days, will you accept that as payment in full?" Again, just wait for them to respond.
- If you are still refused a discount, politely ask for that person's supervisor and repeat steps 1-8 with that supervisor. If you move up the chain of authority far enough and are politely persistent, the chances are very good that you will get a discount.
There are also services that will help you negotiate a discount on larger bills. Samaritan recommends The Karis Group, which seems to be a free service. The Karis Group has also partnered with Christian Financial Ministries to provide a service which is not free, but is guaranteed to save you significant money on larger bills, making it very worthwhile. We have no experience with either service, but Dave Ramsey thinks highly of them and his recommendation means a lot to money-smart people.
***Would you like to know more about Samaritan Ministries? We have been happy members for years. You can read about our experiences with Samaritan on my personal blog. If you decide to join Samaritan Ministries, please tell them KimC sent you.
Leafy Greens Are A Rip-Off
I wrote a while back on my old blog about how flour-based products are a rip-off. They are fairly easy to make ourselves and the ingredients are cheaper than the store-bought version, so if someone has the time, there is no reason to pay others to make them for us. I'm getting the same impression about leafy greens.
We live in Maine in an apartment. There is no yard to plant a garden, yet we have been having fresh salads this winter without paying outrageous prices for out-of-season leafy greens. Leafy greens are always in season in my kitchen.
Here's how I grow them.
- Take a coffee can and make drainage holes in the bottom using nails. I use 34.5 ounce cans, but have used cans as small as baby formula cans with success.
- Put an inch or tow of "stones" in the bottom for easy drainage. I use packing peanuts or broken up pieces of styrofoam, since styrofoam cannot by put in the recycling bin.
- Fill with soil.
- Plant seed and place near window. Water.
It's that simple! In 6-8 weeks, depending on variety, you'll have your salad. If you plant enough, depending on your salad needs, you'll never have to buy leafy greens again, even in the winter.
We recently got all fancy and switched over to self-watering planters, so I have no pics at the moment, but we usually don't eat the whole plant at once. We pull a bit off here and there for tacos and sandwiches, then pull a small handfull off of each plant when we want a big salad. More leaves grow in as long as you keep it happy. We've noticed the yield goes down eventually, and then we eat the rest of the greens and replant.
Leaving the Frugal Life Behind
Recently, my husband and I were given a gift certificate to dine at a lovely, expensive restaurant. Our dinner was delicious (of course, we ordered “the special“) and a delightful evening was put into our memory bank. However, I couldn’t seem to leave the frugal life behind.
Taking a brisk winter walk before arriving at our destination - remember this is South Texas “brisk” - I was a bit chilly and declined giving my coat to the Maitre d’. Little did I know how wise this would be! Pleased to be attired in some “new” clothes, I panicked for a moment as I have been known to forget to remove those plastic thrift shop tags! Thankfully though, this was not the case and we quickly took our seats in preparation for a scrumptious meal.
The place was crowded with conventioneers who seemed to have nary a thought to the expensive menu. With some chagrin, I must admit, after seeing a patron’s convention identification tag, I did hope his expense account wasn’t being paid by my tax dollars!
Thoughts seemed to continue down a frugal lane. I will confess, I doubted if anyone in this restaurant was doing their “debt snowball.” And I hoped that all those dining were now “living like no one else” because they had “lived like no one else before.” As we were leaving, I happened to see the Maitre d’ assist another patron with her coat. Honest, I wasn’t staring, I just happened to see her give him a $10.00 tip! He smiled and I gulped - only three more coats and this Maitre ’d would match a well-known blogger’s weekly grocery budget!
Now, it really isn‘t my place to decide how other people spend their money. And that is not my point. As we left the restaurant, the realization came to me that living frugally has taught me to evaluate and appreciate the choices I make. Special evenings can be a lavish treat, yet, while grateful for this fine dining experience, I have no desire to leave the frugal life behind. How about you?
Shopping To Feed A Crowd
Last week we discussed feeding a crowd for less. But before you can cook, you must shop. Is Sam's Club always the cheapest alternative?
Most of my quantity cookbooks list ingredients in bulk sizes: a #10 can, a quart of sugar, etc. The only way to compare apples to apples is to check the unit price.
TOTAL COST / NUMBER OF OUNCES = PRICE PER OUNCE
You know this, but it bears repeating. In some cases, the bulk size is no bargain. It's simply a timesaver.
When I'm cooking for a crowd, I try to shop like a business. Restaurants don't buy disposable pans at Kroger, so I stocked up on a variety of sizes at GFS Marketplace. (A smart reader pointed out that Sam's Club also sells half-sheet pans, 30 for $9.)
Frugal Hacks editor Kim C. realized her family was eating 30 pounds of bananas a week--a lightbulb moment. She began buying wholesale quantities from a produce terminal for a fraction of the price. I always wonder why the Duggar family, of TLC's 19 and Counting, doesn't adopt the same approach. (They make mega trips to discount grocer Aldi instead.)
I usually end up splitting my shopping for a crowd in two: half goes to seasonal produce and sale items at the regular grocery, and half to those bulk purchases which truly save time and money. When I saw how little frozen hashbrowns cost at GFS, for example, there was no way I'd sacrifice an afternoon to peeling potatoes!
Pick and choose your focus. Few caterers make everything from scratch. If cakes are your thing, start piping! If not, consider warehouse clubs, where big desserts have small prices. I was amazed that Costco's half-sheet cake feeds 48 for only $16.99. Muffins for a crowd, on the other hand, are cheaper to bake at home, especially if you use a make-ahead batter like this one.
Net your biggest savings by doing the entree yourself--even if you're only warming a spiral-cut ham with your special gourmet glaze. Pound per pound, meats and casseroles prepared at home cost less than their frozen or deli counterparts. If you do outsource, the cheapest meats are usually fried chicken (from Walmart) and pulled pork barbecue (from a local favorite.)
There's no simple answer to shopping for a crowd. You have to weigh time, money, and storage capacity to determine a formula that works for you. If you have any tried-and-true quantity strategies, we would love to hear them in the comments below!
New on the Frugal Blogroll for 3/6
New members of the Frugal Blogroll for the week of March 6:
Saving Money Isn’t Always Frugal
Living frugal is about more than just a few tips on saving money here and there. It's about changing the way you think about things, adjusting your thinking about wants versus needs, and revising both a sense of entitlement (which doesn't do us any good), and our ideas about deprivation.
Several years ago I started subscribing to a paper so I could get the sales fliers so I would know what all the 'deals' were. After a couple of months we dropped it, as I realized that having those sales fliers actually brought more stuff to my attention, and then into my house, stuff I never knew existed without those ads, stuff I suddenly saw a need for-and-it-was-on-sale so I would save money. I saved more money not buying those things at all than buying stuff I'd never even heard of before just because it was on sale- even when it was a very good sale. I do still use the grocery sales papers- those are important, but I borrow them from my mother.
Staying home is where the real savings come from.
Renter’s insurance: got it? get it.
I'm grateful for sponsors on Frugal Hacks for more than one reason. Yes, the occasional income is nice, but there's more to it than just money. I don't accept every sponsor. I choose them carefully, and for the most part I think they choose Frugal Hacks carefully.
Because of that our sponsors are a good fit for the topic of frugal living, and so they often remind me of worthwhile topics. We have a new sponsor this week in our Recommended Links area, and the website reminded me of our own experience (or lack thereof) with renter's insurance.
OUR STORY
My husband and I rented a home for the first 5 years of our marriage. We knew nothing about renter's insurance. To the best of my knowledge, nobody ever suggested it to us, and of course we didn't go looking for what we didn't know existed.
After 5 years and 3 children, we bought our first house and carried regular homeowner's insurance as required by the bank. We even used it once or twice, and were pleasantly surprised to learn that unlike auto insurance, you are not automatically hit with a rate hike when you place a claim. If those incidents had occurred while we were renting, we would have been out of luck.
After another 5 years and 3 more children, we decided to try our hand at life as landlords. We did some research, looking at plenty of sample leases. We quickly learned that many landlords strongly recommend or even require their tenants to carry something called renter's insurance.
I'm not sure I would recommend getting into the rental property business - we lost a huge amount of money when our town imploded - but I do heartily recommend renter's insurance to anyone who rents their home.
Renter's insurance typically covers personal belongings damaged due to theft, vandalism, lightening, hail, wind, power surges, water-related damage from home utilities, and much more. We had sewer pipes back up into our home not once, but twice, in the space of less than 3 years. Two different houses. Once resulted in toilet water and shower water from the couple upstairs flowing out of my shower drain, flooding my bathroom and creeping out onto my bedroom floor. That was bad enough, but the other was far more dramatic. These things happen.
BOTTOM LINE:
We all know that there's nothing frugal about being over-insured. Don't pay for more coverage than you need. But please consider fitting renter's insurance into your budget. Coverage starts at about $10/month, and in our experience it's worth the risk.
And if you're going to look into it, consider giving our sponsor a click to search 6 of the best-known insurance companies at once.
YOUR TURN:
If you rent, do you carry renter's insurance? Do you know about renter's insurance? Have you ever made a claim with homeowner's or renter's insurance, or been in a situation where you could have used the coverage?
Cheap and Easy Kid’s Room Art
Food Spoilage Table: how old is too old?
You probably realize just how un-frugal it is to let food rot in your fridge. No matter how good the price was, you waste money when you waste food.
When it comes to leftovers, we usually draw the line at 1 week or when it doesn't taste or smell quite right - whichever comes first.
With primary ingredients, it can be a little more complicated. Sometimes it's hard to know just when to call it a loss and toss it in the trash or compost. I found this helpful table at The HomeMaker's Mentor, where you are sure to find many other useful articles.
FOOD SPOILAGE TABLE
EGGS
When something starts pecking its way out of the shell, the egg is probably past its prime.DAIRY PRODUCTS
Milk is spoiled when it starts to look like yogurt. Yogurt is spoiled when it starts to look like cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is spoiled when it starts to look like regular cheese. Regular cheese is nothing but spoiled milk anyway and can't get any more spoiled than it is already.MAYONNAISE
If it makes you violently ill after you eat it, the mayonnaise is spoiled.MEAT
If opening the refrigerator door causes stray animals from a three-block radius to congregate outside your house, the meat is spoiled.LETTUCE
Bibb lettuce is spoiled when you can't get it off the bottom of the vegetable crisper without Comet.CARROTS
A carrot that you can tie a clove hitch knot with it is not fresh.CHIP DIP:
If you can take it out of its container and bounce it on the floor, it has gone bad.GENERAL RULE OF THUMB - if you can't find it on this list:
Most food cannot be kept longer than the average life span of a hamster. Keep a hamster in your refrigerator to gauge this.
Winners: H&R Block giveaway
Wow - we only had 23 entries on last week's giveaway for 3 copies of H&R Block's tax software or $50 discounts for taxes online. Maybe all you frugal people out there already did your taxes, unlike me.
Those are some pretty good odds for the people who did enter.
Here are the 3 happy winners, chosen by Random.org:
Alice Says: linked to my facebook page!
February 21st, 2010 at 9:31 pm
Vicki Says: I’ve used both TurboTax and TaxAct, whichever saves me the most. I’ll see how HR Block stacks up this year.
February 21st, 2010 at 5:34 am
Pamela T Says: I became a fan on Facebook, wahoo!
February 21st, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Congrats to the winners! May your refund be swift and generous. :)
New on the Frugal Blogroll this week
Want to join the blogroll? Click the Join tab at the top of the page to see if your blog fits the requirements.
Frugal Legs
A while back I came across this product on sale in the local Wal-mart:
I tried it on my legs, and I like it. I don't like it on my face, however. But for my legs, it worked great. But it's really just fine sandpaper, so I buy very fine sandpaper (600-b) at the hardware store, tear it in wide strips, wrap a strip around a bar of soap (I've also used a child's wooden block, it doesn't really matter, it just works better wrapped around a hard, flat surface). I use it about twice a week in the summer (in the winter I wear boots all the time and figure a little extra leg hair is added warmth. Sorry, folks), follow up with lotion and I love the way it makes my legs feel.
One package of sandpaper lasts me about three times as long as one package of Smooth Legs. Now, not everybody likes this stuff. Some people find it leaves their skin feeling similar to if they'd been out in the desert in a windstorm- sandblasted and windburned. That is kind of how I felt when I used it on my upper lip. But, as I said, I love it for my legs.
