Furibundum

You know, I'm the sort of guy that not too terribly long ago never gave a second thought to buying pretty much anything I wanted. Mostly because I had money back then, that helped a lot. But also because I never really processed in my mind whether or not I should reconsider buying something just for the want of it. Being poor makes a guy think about stuff like that. Hindsight and that sort of thing. I keep thinking if I had been even just the bittiest more frugal back then, I probably wouldn't be in such dire straits now and, honestly, could probably plan on getting by just fine for years to come; particularly given my borderline neurosis being so stingy now. Anyway, for some wiser than myself, it doesn't necessarily take for a bad break to envisage the possibility of re-appraising how they might want to change up their lives for the better; dismissing much of what most of us offhandedly are convinced makes for being happy, mostly just things, has its up side. This here bo...

I probably ought to mention that I haven't always been such a wackadoo about living so cheaply, nor was I one to spend an awful lot of time thinking very much about the environment. It has only gradually progressed to how funny I am about it all now over the last few years, and then only due to a most desperate downward shift in my own personal economy back then. Going from riches to rags can have its advantages in terms of evolving a new and better outlook on things, though. I don't intend to nor would I want to change that, however rich I might end up some day. But it's still relatively new for me, so I do admit that I am in no position to offer up any ground-breaking tips on frugality, as I mention over in the sidebar there; nothing new here. This blog is truly only to document what it is that I am doing now, and as I've mentioned before, to keep track of whatever new things that I will hopefully learn as I go along. It's still an ongoing adventure for me, a gra...

To change or not to change, that's the question; or when is the better question, to change clothes, I mean. I suppose at some point there comes a time you really should, but for me that time usually comes later than sooner. Although I do go further than most folks might be predisposed to even think about, I will admit. I've said before in babbling on about reasons why I hand wash my laundry , that I get away with a lot just being single, but it's really not such a bad thing wearing mostly the same clothes more than just once before getting them clean. I suppose there are some people who actually do manage to get some way dirty during the course of a day. I mean those others who do stuff besides just mostly sitting around, like I do. Other than when I step outside for a smoke I don't do too much, hardly anything that would get me dirty, that's for sure. Yeah, it seems to me a total waste of the resources required to always be wearing different clothes; water, utilit...

Again with the baking soda, while I'm at it. Miracle powder is really what it is, I can't figure out why folks don't buy up pallets of this stuff at a time. Of course I don't either; I only get the normal small-sized boxes singly. Ultra-cheap is one thing, but people looking at me funny out in public makes me uncomfortable buying in bulk. I really can't possibly begin to imagine over 500 uses but I reckon I could come up with at least ten or so right off the bat. And as far as for personal healthful living, in addition to calming down the insides , baking soda as tooth cleaner can't be beat. By itself with a bit of water is fine, with a splash of hydrogen peroxide instead is even better. Good Lord, over the past fifteen years or so how many of the national brands of toothpaste have come out bragging about now with baking soda? Or peroxide? Or both, if you want to pay a premium nearly five bucks a tube. Which would be stupid when it costs literally just pennies t...

I am one of those people who whines from time to time about quite awful stomach pain, acid indigestion and that sort of thing. I don't suffer quietly, either, even if I only have the dog to bellyache to. So I'm pretty sure he is quite the happy pup that I have gone ahead with this method lately to shut me up from griping. It is certainly nothing cutting-edge, to be sure. Millions of folks have done this for many coons' ages, but for some reason it never occurred to have a go at it until just recently. I'm kind of slow on the uptake about certain things, even though this is probably one of the cheapest remedies of all the things to make me better. Plain old baking soda and water . Frankly, it works for me anyway just as well as and better than some other fixes I have taken over the years. As cheap as it plainly is on the face of it, I take it even one step further by swapping out the buck or two Arm & Hammer branded box for the 50-cent Dollar General box. Sodium bic...

[ Update Jan 15: Fixed links to support planting a tree for Haiti ] In the wake of the devastation left behind after the earthquake hit Haiti on Monday, there have been the usual calls for donations that follow any catastrophe. Seemingly dozens of disaster relief groups are pleading for contributions to help the survivors and the country get better. Of course, do your study on whichever aid organization you might be inclined to chip in to support; sadly these worst of times inevitably bring out the scammers in hordes. The New York Times has an extensive list here of agencies you might consider. This is clearly no time to be cheap, I know that. Unfortunately many of us are dealing with personal situations right now that preclude being able to give like we once could have, and it is frustrating. However, excepting the most dire of cases, there is something that most of us poor can still do to help Haiti. Maybe not for the short term. But what the blow of this earthquake has managed to...

Seems like a logical follow up to the clothes washing post for saving some cash, especially considering that switching up the drying part of your laundering routine is where can be found the lion's share of savings. And it couldn't be any easier done, simpler even than diddling around with the clothes dryer and the perma fluff high heat low delicate whatnot dials and buttons. Personally I always just left mine on however it was when I got it and let it run until the clothes were dry. Never monkeyed around with figuring out the differences, seemed to work out all right. But yeah, easier still is good old fashioned air drying your washing instead of putting it through the dryer. It uses none of the electricity and sometimes also gas, and requires no special equipment to get the job done. Unless you splurge on a clothes drying rack like the one in the picture (my granny used to have one) or from any other style out there. It's a handful of bucks that will save you fists full ...