Dishes. I used to have several sets, not sure why. Last winter I decided to clear out, boxed up at least 3 sets and took them to the auction. Guess which ones I kept. The 20 year old Corelle, also missing a bowl. I have had many kitchen gadgets over the years, but usually end up using the plain old knife and pan. I usually find I do not like cleaning the handy little things. So I have really tried hard not to buy new gadgets for a while now.

Look forward to reading more of your columns.

But then I thought about my pots and pans. They are the copper bottom Revere. About 3 of them I got for graduation in 1980. The rest I got from my parents, when they got new pans. These are from 1953. I sometimes think, oh wouldn’t it be nice to have new pans. But the truth is, these work just fine and look pretty darn good too. Guess there were made to last.

Thanks for getting me thinking about these things.

Robin T.

Love your column and will use this website as I am a frugal person from the word go!!!

Thanks for listening to me.

KK

Milly K.

James C

1.I bought a set of hair clippers and thinning scissors that I use to cut my own hair. I have successful groomed my hair this way for over two years, and I still get a surge of satisfaction each time I avoid the barber knowing that my savings keep adding up!

2. I use a bucket to collect the cold water that cycles through before warm water arrives from the hot water heater in the shower. I use this clean water to sponge wash my car and to water landscape plantings. I started collecting rainwater from one of four down spouts on my roof in a sixty gallon barrel. I use this water to refill a toilet tank instead of using municipal water that costs money!

3. I have a rewards credit card and a gas credit card that I use for nearly every purchase. I pay the balance off when due so not only do I enjoy the rewards from each card, my money earns a few extra cents of interest while sitting in my bank account for a whole month until the charges are due for billing!

4. I ladder my long term savings in three certificate of deposits and shop around for the highest rate to yield the best interest rate. For short term savings, the money sits in a high yield savings account with Emigrant Direct.

5. I canceled collision insurance on my car since it is over ten years old.

6. The Fall means raking leaves from deciduous oak trees in my yard. These carbon based resources are mixed with nitrogen rich grass clippings in a 70:30 ratio to form the best soil for growing fresh vegetables.

7. A local alcohol distributor has an aluminum can recycling center where they paya market rate for cans. Since there is no deposit charge in North Carolina, this is like an extra coupon for your aluminum beverage favorites.

8. A number of stocks I own pay a high dividend so not only do investors capitalize on the rise in equity with the stock market, reinvested dividends purchase more shares each quarter!

9. I use an Internet program to file my own taxes. This saves hundreds of dollars!

10. Instead of washing clothes after each use, I wear them again if they were not dirtied in my day’s work. When they are washed, a clothesline naturally dries the clothes for the most part when the weather is nice. A fluff up in the dryer softens the clothes back to normal.

11. We junked the disk washer that came with the house opting to wash dishes by hand. New cabinet space fills the void occupied by the old washer and the water saved by hand washing is great.

12. I bought a plastic bucket from Lowes that you attach to your dryer exhaust duct in the winter. This converts your exhaust into indoor heat and adds humidity to the room since water in the bucket is used to collect the lint escaping through the filter.

Towels that are too ratty to be used as every day bath towels get retired to a life in the sun, Beach Towels!! 2 small kids and towels can go missing during a day at the beach!

I only have one pair of shoes and I am quite happy with them!

My undies date back to the first pregnancy, I some times get weddgies.

Bras are either bought at the Bulk warhouse 3 for $10.00 or handed down from my Mother!!

I have had the SAME metal nail file (I don’t think they even make them anymore) for over 20 years! (Hey, it’s still perfectly serviceable.)

My last hairbrush I had for at least 15 years finally broke. (It was a Goody, with stiff plastic bristles.) I’m pretty sure I replaced it with one as closely alike as possible – but I can’t remember for sure, b/c I’ve had this one for at least 10 years! hahahaha

Honestly, I’d be embarrassed for anyone to see some of the underwear I still put on…

My favorite pair of sneakers are beginning to separate between the sole and the uppers. (I laughed when I read the comment about not thinking about replacing shoes until it’s raining out and I step in a puddle!) I have two other pairs of shoes (a pair of oxfords and a pair of hiking boots) that I can no longer wear, but I refuse to throw them away b/c really all they need is to be re-soled and I’d probably get another 10 years out of them!

And that one plastic mixing spoon I have that doesn’t go with any of the others and it sometimes hurts the palm of my hand b/c the handle is melted at just about the exact spot with which I grasp it (and I still remember exactly what I was cooking and who was in the kitchen when I melted the sucker – in 1998!) – I haven’t been able to part w/ b/c the spoon part still works just fine! LOL

Really, I had no idea how frugal I was until I stumbled upon this site; I like to think of myself as “practical.”

Where I don’t skimp, however, are pillows and bath towels. For some reason, I need to be comfortable after my shower and in bed. God bless us, everyone.

Love your name! I have to right there with you. There’s alot here that NEEDS replacing. Pillows tend to get repalced once a year during stomach flu season. But towels(ummm… 13+ years), sheets, second hand and had at least 13 years..lol.

Unfortunately, bigger ticket items eventually need replacing too. I have a stove with an oven that the thermostat is irratic, which relaly sucks when I’m a baker, do our bread cookies, sweet breads, biscuits, it’s never the same twice. The bottom drawer is unusable because if you take it out, it won’t go back in. So I’m saving my pennies, because I have decided that I’m getting a new stove.