Penny pinchers thread

[bunkerjoe4]

Times are tough, folks. We are in the midst of a recession, and inflation has not been tamed by the fed. Some of the biggest issues facing consumers are energy prices, rising healthcare costs, and escalating property taxes.

Many people have had enough, and are leaving the Northeast states for states where the cost of living is more reasonable. For those of us who are left behind, I thought I would dedicate a thread to ways people are managing to cope, and any money saving ideas you have started to use.

Any opinions and comments are welcome here, and please let's not pile on someone just because they may mention something unconventional, or it may seem weird to us. (Unless they suggest using less toilet paper, then I think they deserve whatever ribbing they get.http://www.stripersandanglers.com/images/icons/icon12.gif)

If this thread generates enough interest, I am thinking of creating a new forum to combine it with the "solar energy solutions" one.

Maybe together we can come up with some decent ideas, or get people to consider different ways of doing things.:idea:

[pescador29]

ok, I stopped going to starbucks and make my coffee now. I run it through twice cos I'm cheap, and like xtra strong cups http://www.stripersandanglers.com/images/icons/icon11.gif

[dogfish]

bought some of those cf lightbulbs, they will cut your elec costs. :thumbsup:

[katiefishes]

Don't fall asleep with the TV on.
Use Coupons.

[pinhead44]

"Use Coupons."

I don't eat out much, but if I do, I try to use a coupon for the restaurant.

[surferman]

Pay all credit cards off in full or at least on time.

[cracklepopper]

When buying meat, I always buy in family packs, 3lbs or more. You can sometimes save .50/lb this way. Makes a big difference if you are feeding a few people.

BTW - I was just shopping yesterday, when did porterhouse get to be over $9/lb? I know it was always an expensive cut, but I must have been sleeping for the latest price jumps. :kooky:

[bunkerjoe4]

10 Ways to save energy and money
by Lisa Smith
Thursday, May 22, 2008


1. Use Your Thermostat
Turning up the temperature during the summer and turning it down during the winter are great strategies for putting your thermostat to work for your wallet. The DOE recommends setting the air conditioner at 74 degrees and the furnace at 68 to keep your house comfortable while reducing your energy costs and decreasing the demand on the energy grid.

A programmable thermostat lets you make the house hotter or cooler during periods when you aren't home. This reduces the temperature difference between the exterior and interior of your house, which in turn reduces energy loss. If you don't have a programmable thermostat, you can manually adjust your existing unit.

2. Ceiling Fans
If you have ceiling fans in your house, turn them on and use them properly. According to Energy Star, a voluntary labeling program sponsored by the DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ceiling fans should be set to spin counter-clockwise in the summer, which pulls hot air up to the ceiling and away from the living space. In the winter, reverse the setting so the fans blow the hot air down.

3. Energy Star Appliances
Energy Star also identifies energy-efficient appliances, including washers, dryers, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, dehumidifiers, room air conditioners, computers and more.

When you are shopping for new appliances, look for the Energy Star label and you can rest assured that the items you are purchasing will go a long way toward saving you some cash. The point here is to not increase the use of these items just because they are energy savers. This is much the same as concept low-fat food: consuming more defeats the purpose.

4. Home Electronics
Stereos, DVD players, televisions, kitchen appliances, and any other plugged-in appliances draw a small amount of power even when turned off. Large LCD and plasma televisions consume up to 400 watts of energy when in use and about four watts when not in use, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Use the surge suppressor to turn them completely off when not in use, or unplug these items until you really need them.

5. Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs
A quick and easy way to reduce your energy use is to replace existing incandescent lights with energy-efficient compact fluorescent lights.

According to General Electric (NYSE:GE), compact fluorescent bulbs "use two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent light bulbs, and last up to 10-times longer."

GE reports that using a 13-watt compact fluorescent in place of a 60-watt incandescent will result in a $30 savings in energy costs over the life of the bulb.

Regardless of the bulbs that you use, turn them off when you leave the room. For laundry rooms, garages, basements and other little-used areas, consider the installation of timers that automatically turn off the lights after a preset amount of time - just in case you forget to shut them off.


6. Conserve Water
Low-flow fixtures that conserve water are available for your shower, faucets and toilets. In addition to installing these items, be sure to replace faucets that drip, fix toilets that leak and turn off the spigot when brushing your teeth or scrubbing dishes.

Every drop of water that you save contributes to conservation of this valuable resource - and we're talking water here, not only money.

7. Seal and Insulate
A well-insulated house reduces the amount of money you will spend on heating and cooling. Start by checking out your attic. If your attic is unfinished, you shouldn't be able to see the floor joists. If you can see them, add more insulation.

Also, be sure to fill in and seal any holes in your exterior walls, such as where pipes come into the house and around windows and doors. Wrap your hot water heater and exposed pipes with insulation to help them maintain the proper temperature.

8. Change/Empty Your Filters
Change the filter on your furnace on a frequent basis. Many furnace manufacturers recommend doing it quarterly or even monthly to keep the unit operating at peak efficiency.

Similarly, empty the lint filter on your dryer after every use. Even a small amount of lint reduces energy efficiency.

9. Close the Doors and More
Don't waste energy. Close the doors on your refrigerator and house as quickly as possible. Keep fireplace dampers shut when not in use. Close the curtains to cover your windows at night. All of these little efforts help to conserve energy by preventing heat loss.

10. Use Your Surroundings
Strategically placed trees can help to reduce your heating and cooling costs. During the summer, trees provide shade. During the winter, trees provide a windbreak. Positioning large deciduous trees in the right places can reduce cooling costs up to 25%, according to the DOE.

These deciduous trees should be planted on the south and west sides of your home and strategically positioned to shade hard surfaces, including driveways and patios, to maximize their impact. Because they lose their leaves in winter, they allow the sun to warm your house. Evergreen trees planted on the north side of your home will help to shield the house from cold winds in every season.

Small Steps Lead to Big Savings
Saving energy conserves valuable resources and saves money. Do your part to make energy conservation a habit; it's a move with positive implications for both the environment and your wallet.

[pinhead44]

10 Ways to save energy and money
by Lisa Smith
Thursday, May 22, 2008



2. Ceiling Fans
If you have ceiling fans in your house, turn them on and use them properly. According to Energy Star, a voluntary labeling program sponsored by the DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ceiling fans should be set to spin counter-clockwise in the summer, which pulls hot air up to the ceiling and away from the living space. In the winter, reverse the setting so the fans blow the hot air down.


Small Steps Lead to Big Savings
Saving energy conserves valuable resources and saves money. Do your part to make energy conservation a habit; it's a move with positive implications for both the environment and your wallet.


Bet many people didn't know this.

[voyager35]

Toilet leaks: had a bad seal in toilet of a rental house. Tenants told me about it, but it involved rebuilding the toilet, so I put it off. They didn't complain any more, since we pay for the water.

Recently fixed it, and am saving about $30/month on the water bill. Most likely because of that toilet. Running toilets = throwing money in the garbage.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif

[cracklepopper]

Go to Tokyo, find a Japanese man who is not too bright, live in his closet, and only come out when he is at work. 2 CAN live as cheaply as one.:laugh:

[clamchucker]

I make my own ice, and put it in gallon ziplock freezer bags, filling them completely with water after dumping the cubes in there.

[dogfish]

I make my own ice, and put it in gallon ziplock freezer bags, filling them completely with water after dumping the cubes in there.

Do ya save your campfire from one day to the next and bring it inside with ya too, clamchucker? http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon10.gif ;) Just bustin ya, I make my own ice too, especially during fishin season. Sometimes, even freeze it in the freezer in 5 gallon buckets.

[strikezone31]

Ask your doctor for free samples. Pharmaceutical companies flood doctors with samples of all kinds of expensive prescriptions. If your doctor doesn't offer, ask.

[nitestrikes]

We skip the movie theater and wait for films to hit our local rental store.

[clamchucker]

Ask your doctor for free samples. Pharmaceutical companies flood doctors with samples of all kinds of expensive prescriptions. If your doctor doesn't offer, ask.

:clapping: as you get older, you will realize how important this is. My biggest expenses, after fishing and gas, are pharmacy expenses. Even with a good plan, you always are spending more than you thought.

[buckethead]

We recycle my ziploc baggies whenever possible (I don't if they've had meat in them, though, or something really smelly). We just wash them with the dishes and dry them. Plastic bags are expensive and this saves some bucks.

[albiealert]

We don't eat out anymore. We used to eat out two to three times a week.

[clamchucker]

We also have a large garden. Saves lots of $

[surferman]

Don't run the dishwasher until it is full.

[wish4fish]

I eat bad food all the time, fast food lol. When they have specials, I go there. Krauszers on rt36 has coffee and butter roll for $1.49, that's breakfast. Can't beat it. :D

[plugginpete]

Buy multiples when things are on sale.

[strikezone31]

Wash your car in the driveway with a bucket of soapy water and rinse with the garden hose.

[pinhead44]

shower with a friend :D (don't know if someone already said this?)

[cracklepopper]

Don't know if everyone has noticed, but I've seen food in supermarkets go up by 15-25% in the last year alone. :kooky: Found these tips on yahoo:

While the need to eat isn't something you can avoid, there are some steps you can take to keep the costs in check.

1. Eat at Home
Dining out is an expensive proposition. Just about any nutritious meal that you buy in a formal restaurant can be made at home for a fraction of the price. Even good coffee is cheaper to make if you do it yourself. Fast food is excluded from the category, as high-calorie, low-quality food can be had a bargain price, but the impact on your long-term health overrides the benefit of short-term savings.
2. Shop With a Plan
If you stumble around the grocery store and fill your cart with everything that catches your eye, chances are you will spend a lot more money that you needed to spend. To minimize your cash outlay, prepare a shopping list before you leave home. Plan your meals for the week ahead, and make careful note of what you need to buy in order to prepare those meals. Once the list is made, purchase only the items on the list, and avoid impulse buys.
3. Put on Blinders
Grocery stores are designed to make you go through a maze to get to the most basic items you need in the hope that you will make a few impulse buys along the way. If you keep to your planned list of needed foods, you won't be tempted when you get forced down the junk food aisle to get at the milk. Because most necessities and basic cooking items are found along the outside perimeter of the store, start there and work your way around the edge of the store, only stepping into the maze to grab any leftover items on your list.
4. Eat Before You Shop
When you are hungry and you walk into a building full of food, there's a high likelihood that you are going to fill you cart with unnecessary and expensive purchases that appeal to your taste buds. To keep your costs down, eat first and shop on a full stomach.
5. Avoid Prepared Foods
Our fast-paced society encourages convenience, and the grocery store has capitalized on this trend. Ready-made meals are easy to buy, but come with a premium price tag. Instead of putting that rotisserie chicken and macaroni salad in you cart, buy the ingredients and prepare the meal yourself. The same concept applies to frozen entrées, baked goods and any other food that has been prepared in some way for added convenience.
6. Skip the Bottled Water
If you don't like the water that comes out of the tap, buy a water filter. The per-gallon cost is significantly less than the cost of bottled water - and without all the plastic bottles to discard, it's a lot easier on the environment.
7. Shop Without the Kids
Hungry, tired, cranky kids increase the amount of time it takes to get your shopping done. Every extra minute that you spend in the grocery store increases the likelihood of extra items finding their way into your cart, including toys and snacks designed to keep the kids quiet while you try to focus on finding a few bargains.
8. Buy in Bulk
Bulk buying can save you a significant amount of money. Pay attention to the prices and pick up the family size package if the per-unit cost is lower and you have a place to store it. Shopping at big-box bulk retailers like Sam's Club and Costco can also save on your bill if you shop there frequently enough to cover the cost of membership, but pay careful attention to your spending habits. The big boxes are often no bargain at all when compared to sales prices and coupon savings at other stores. In addition, they may encourage you to buy more than you need, driving up your grocery bill.
9. Use Store Reward Cards
If the store that you visit most frequently has a reward card, be sure to sign up. In some cases, stores raise their prices when they offer reward cards, and without the card your bill will certainly be higher. If the reward card offers other benefits, such as a ham for the holidays or a discount on gasoline, be sure to maximize your benefits by paying attention to the cutoff dates and cashing in your points before they expire.
10. Use Coupons
Coupons provide an easy way to save money. Clip them and cash them in, paying particular attention to stores that double the value of manufacturers' coupons. A number of websites also offer coupons exclusively, and they are a great place to search for discounts on the items you have on your list. If you frequent a website of your favorite brands, they will often offer discounts to their faithful public. A few minutes of surfing online can make a difference at the till.
11. Buy Locally
Locally grown or produced food is often available at a cheaper price because you don't pay for long transportation costs. Farmer's markets, fairs, and the local aisle at your grocery store are all game for deals on tasty and fresh food.
12. Look Down
Stores often place the most expensive items at eye-level. To find less expensive items, look down. Also, looking around your brand-name food can find you a cheaper generic alternative. Generic label products are often nearly identical to name-brand goods (in fact, they're often produced in the same factory), so don't pay for packaging when what you really want is the food inside.
13. Avoid the End Caps and Checkout Temptations
Those displays placed at the end of each aisle often feature premium brands. Rather than grabbing those high-priced batteries or that extra box of cereal, walk down the aisle. Chances are good that walking a few extra feet will reward you with a less expensive option.
Many grocery stores now offer checkout lines that don't feature candy. Using these lanes not only helps you avoid the temptation to spend your money on sweets, but it also encourages a healthier lifestyle.
14. Compare Prices and Stores
Some consumers have trouble calculating the cost per unit in their heads, but it's something that gets a lot easier with practice. You can even carry a calculator. Looking at the brands and comparing prices is an easy way to shave a few cents off most purchases.
The store that features the lowest average prices in your area is often the best place for routine shopping, but the higher-priced competitor may run sales on specific items that undercut the cost at your most frequented venue. Watch for these sales and take advantage of them when possible.

15. Shop for Sales
As mentioned above, sales can be a great incentive to switch stores – but only if you need the items on sale. Pay attention to sales on necessity items and stock up on non-perishables and freezer goods. Keep an eye on the prices so that you know when a sale price is merely a small savings or when it is a significant discount to the normal price.
16. Watch "Best Before" or "Sell By" Dates
As the "sell by" or "best before" date approaches, you are virtually guaranteed a discount. For example, grocery stores lower prices as meat ages. Ask the butcher when the meats get marked down. Most stores have a fairly regular schedule that you can learn and follow. When you get a good deal, stock your freezer so you can avoid buying when the price is high. And if you plan on freezing the food, "best before" dates shouldn't worry you; the product will stay fresh until you thaw and cook it.
17. Substitute Recipe Items
If you have a higher-priced item that reoccurs in your favorite recipes, it may be time to shake up your taste buds. Often a lower-priced alternative can be found. For instance, if you consistently bake with olive oil and you see that the price has skyrocketed, a simple switch to applesauce (something that you might even be able to make if you have an apple tree) is a great cheap and low-fat substitution for many recipes. To help decide on a cheaper substitution, see The Cooking Thesaurus (http://homecooking.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=homecooking&cdn=food&tm=24&gps=335_528_1020_588&f=10&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.switcheroo.com/).
18. Keep Your Kitchen Stocked
A well-stocked kitchen means that you won't run out of staple items and need to buy them on the spur or the moment. Knowing what you have in the cabinet means that you can wait to make your purchases until items are on sale.

19. Shop Infrequently
Reducing the number of trips that you make to the store each week or month reduces the odds of unnecessary purchases, and minimizes the amount of gasoline spent getting there.
20. Pay Attention To Time
Weekly sales often run from mid-week to mid-week. Hold off on your shopping until after you've had a chance to clip coupons from the Sunday paper and you'll not only enjoy the sales prices but you might also get a coupon. Shopping during the evening or early morning also helps you avoid the crowds and spend less time in the store.
21. Pay In Cash
When you put groceries on your credit card and don't pay off the card in full each month, you pay interest on the purchase. To avoid this extra cost, pay in cash when you shop and keep necessities off your credit cards.
22. Check Your Bill
Electronic scanners make the shopping experience faster and more convenient, but scanners aren't perfect. Be sure to take a look at the receipt to make sure your coupons and discounts were taken into account. Shop Smart
Food is one of those purchases that you just can't avoid, but careful shoppers can minimize the amount spent on this necessary purchase. All it takes is a little time, patience and effort.

[clamchucker]

6. Skip the Bottled Water
If you don't like the water that comes out of the tap, buy a water filter. The per-gallon cost is significantly less than the cost of bottled water - and without all the plastic bottles to discard, it's a lot easier on the environment.


I'm from the generation when we pulled a glass of water from the tap, still do. We put water in quart containers if going out for the day, or froze it and drank it as it defrosted on the jobsite. I cannot see spending money on bottles water, except when we bring the grandkids somewhere. Then we will bring bottles water in a cooler, and that's what they drink instead of filling up on expensive soda.

[crosseyedbass]

I write down all the money I spent during the week. At the end of the week review to see where I could save more money.

[captnemo]

Got kids? go to this site to learn some places where kids eat for free.:thumbsup:

www.eatfree.com (http://www.eatfree.com)

[stripercrazy]

Some good info


Energy-efficient appliances gain favor
By DAVE CARPENTER



CHICAGO (AP) - Fast-rising utility bills have helped homeowners embrace something many previously acted only lukewarm about: energy efficiency.

When it comes to home appliances, consumers have learned they can do the right thing environmentally and save money at the same time.

Perhaps no household appliance offers more potential for savings than a washing machine. Homeowners thinking about ways to make their homes more energy-efficient may want to look into replacing their washer - especially if it dates to before federal standards were established in 1994.

Rob Moore of Albany, N.Y., and his wife are motivated to both save money and the environment as they prepare to buy a front-loading washer that uses much less energy than a traditional or top-loading one.

``The environmental concerns are definitely big in our household,'' said the 39-year-old Moore; he works for Environmental Advocates of New York and his wife Stephanie also works for an environmental group. ``But long-term it's also a pocketbook decision.''

``I think homeowners increasingly recognize that it's in their best interest to have energy-efficient products,'' he said.

While consumers have warmed to energy efficiency only gradually, the trend is increasingly evident with household appliances. Overall U.S. sales by appliance manufacturers fell to $23.4 billion last year and continue to slump as fewer homes are built in a tight economy, but energy-efficient models account for a growing share.

In a reflection of increased consumer demand as well as manufacturers' innovations, 55 percent of the major appliances shipped to stores and distributors in the first half of 2008 carried the government's Energy Star rating for high energy efficiency - up from just under 50 percent a year earlier, according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

Manufacturers don't break out sales of Energy Star appliances separately, but they total in the billions. Sales of washing machines alone accounted for $3.6 billion in 2007, and much of that was in front-loading washers.

Demand for front-loaders at Abt Electronics, a major retailer in Glenview, Ill., is up about 60 percent this year, according to general manager Marc Cook.

``People come in and their first question is, 'Should I switch to a front-loader?''' said Cook. ``They like the technology, and when you sweeten it by saying they'll be using less water and energy then it closes the deal in their mind.''

Front-loaders and advanced top-loaders typically use only one-third the water of a conventional top-loader, using sophisticated wash systems to flip or spin clothes through a reduced amount of water while also dramatically decreasing the amount of hot water used.

In addition, enhanced motors spin clothes two to three times faster during the spin cycle to extract more water, reducing moisture in clothes and resulting in less time and energy in the dryer.

What energy-conscious buyers need to know most is to look for the yellow Energy Star label, which means a product is among approximately the top 25 percent of all product models in energy efficiency.

Energy Star is a 16-year-old joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. It provides labels for qualifying products in more than 50 categories - from televisions to light bulbs to furnaces to clothes washers.

The label guarantees three things, according to program spokeswoman Maria Vargas: That the product is more energy-efficient than a conventional product - delivering the same or better performance using less energy; that it's a cost-effective purchase that will pay for itself in five years or less; and that there's no sacrifice in performance.

Shoppers should also check products' EnergyGuide labels required by the Federal Trade Commission. The labels provide an estimate of the product's energy consumption and show comparisons with similar models.

An Energy Star-qualified clothes washer uses 15 to 25 gallons of water per load compared with 30 to 35 gallons by a standard machine, saving more than 7,000 gallons of water a year. Combined with lower electricity costs, the government says the machine can save the user $550 in operating costs over its lifetime compared to a regular clothes washer.

That can be welcome relief from increasingly burdensome household energy costs.

The average U.S. household will spend about $2,350 this year on energy costs, up from $2,100 in 2007, according to the Alliance to Save Energy, an energy information clearinghouse in Washington, D.C. Roughly a quarter of that is from appliances.

Of course, the added efficiency comes at a cost. Front-loaders can run $400 to $500 more than regular washers, with good-quality machines running $1,000 or more.

That's because of not only the increased energy and water efficiency but other innovations such as remote monitoring, use of steam for wrinkle reduction, reduced noise and vibration and bigger washing capacity.

``People want larger capacity but they also want energy efficiency,'' said Paul Dougherty, manager of a Grand Appliance chain store in Zion, Ill. ``Two years ago they weren't asking about that too often.''

On the Net:
www.energystar.gov

[hookset]

I could become a frenchman and save money on tipping.


"Americans wind up as the biggest-spending and best-tipping tourists, while Germans and the French are among the worst penny-pinchers."

[dogfish]

Some tips in a business week article:

by Ben Steverman
Friday, August 8, 2008provided byhttp://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/fi/gr/bw_170x30-01.gif (http://www.businessweek.com/)


The more we spend unnecessarily, the less money we save for our true priorities and future needs. That's especially important in challenging economic times. BusinessWeek asked financial advisors for tips on how to reduce expenses and boost savings. Changing spending habits can be difficult, but here are 25 suggestions to get started.

1. Track Every Expense
Financial advisors say the best way to control your spending is to know precisely where all your cash is going each month. There are several options: Make a budget; keep a spreadsheet of all spending; or buy a computer program designed to help manage your finances.
2. Vacation in the Off-season

Reston (Va.)-based financial planner Frank Boucher says he is taking his beach vacation in early September, when he found a luxury condo for half its cost during July and August. Vacationers can also save by staying with friends or visiting low-cost locations like developing countries.

3. Cut Out Investment Charges and Fees
Jeff Seymour of Triangle Wealth Management in Cary, N.C., points out that many investors end up paying 2% to 3% off the top each year for investing costs. Lower-cost mutual funds and index funds can slash that bill, savings that compound over several decades of investing.

Also, save more by taking full advantage of your employer's matching contribution to your 401(k) account.

4. Cut Back on Eating Out
Food is a daily expense that can add up quickly over time, so office workers can save a lot just by bringing their lunches to work rather than buying every day. Meals eaten at home almost always cost less than evenings out, even at more casual restaurants.

5. Downsize Your Car
Drivers stuck with a gas-guzzling SUV might consider selling it and finding more fuel-efficient wheels. (Of course, that could mean a financial hit given falling prices for the behemoths.) You can save on fuel and also on auto loan payments. High car payments are a frequent budget-buster, financial advisors say.


6. Cut Utility Bills, Especially Electricity
Experts are full of advice on lowering electricity and heating bills: Buy efficient light bulbs; lower the thermostat; turn off the air conditioning whenever possible; turn off lights and unplug appliances when not needed.

7. Make Sure You Don't Have Too Much Insurance
Life insurance can be a bad deal if you don't have dependents. For auto and home insurance, deductibles are often too low, advisors say. "You can save quite a bit by going from a $250 to $1,000 deductible," says Kirk Kinder of Picket Fence Financial in Bel Air, Md. "Also, shopping these for prices every couple years is important."

8. Find Cheaper Beverages to Drink
If you can break your addiction to fancy coffee, the free office coffee can be a money-saver over time. Unwilling to give up out-of-office coffee breaks, some thrifty consumers switch to a cheaper drink at their local Starbucks or other coffee shop. For alcoholic drinks, quality wines, beers, and liquor can be found at lower prices with a little research.

9. Examine Your Phone Service
Do you need both a landline and a mobile phone? If you have a cell phone, do you need long-distance service on your home phone? Canceling one line could mean one less bill every month. Many people have phone packages that are too expensive for their needs, so read your bill carefully.

10. Stop Paying for Premium Cable
Some penny-pinchers cancel cable service entirely to save $100 or more each month. Others lower their bills by cutting out premium movie channels.

11. Drive Less; Consolidate Trips
Think before jumping in the car. By planning and running many errands on the same car trip, you cut your fuel usage. Rather than driving, consider using public transportation, or walk, bike, or rollerblade somewhere nearby.


12. Use Warehouse Stores Wisely
Warehouse stores like Costco or Wal-Mart (http://www.walmart.com/)'s Sam's Club can be great places to get deals, but they can also encourage over-spending. "Just make sure you go with a list and only buy those things that you are actually going to consume," financial planner Frank Boucher says. "It makes no sense to get a 'bargain' on a bulk item if you are going to throw half of it away."

13. Lay Down the Law with Your Free-Spending Friends
It can be hard to keep up with wealthier or less thrifty friends. Some financial planners advise cash-strapped clients to seek out social companions with similar budgets. However, if you're honest about your spending limits, true friends should be willing to adjust their plans by, for example, choosing a less pricey restaurant.

14. Find Free Entertainment
Movie rentals, cable TV packages, book purchases, concert tickets—it can all add up. Use your local public library to read books and rent films for free. Depending on where you live, it might also be possible to find free concerts, performances, and readings.

15. Consider Alternatives to a Gym Membership
The health benefits of a fitness club membership are only worthwhile if you go often. But there are other options: Exercise at home, outside, or at a local parks facility. Or, sign up for individual exercise or yoga classes rather than a full membership.

16. Cut Your Own Lawn
Michelle Goldstein of Goldstein Financial Future in Dallas estimates her family saves $40 each time they mow their own lawn instead of calling a lawn service.

17. Be Smart with Credit Cards
Financial advisors admonish clients to pay off their bills each month to avoid interest and finance charges. For those stuck with debt, move cash to cards with low interest rates. Some find they spend less on impulse purchases if they cut up their credit cards and use only cash instead.

18. Annualize Your Expenses
When reviewing your spending habits, roughly calculate how much they're costing over the course of a year. "Realizing how much things cost over the course of a year can really help put things in perspective," says Bob Nusbaum of Middle America Planning in Pittsburgh. For example, if you spend $10 for snacks and lunch each weekday, that adds up to $2,500 in a year.


19. Force Yourself to Save
One way to save more is to trick yourself. Transfer money automatically from paychecks into savings or investment accounts. With less available in your checking account, you'll be more careful about your spending. Gradually increase your automatic savings rate over time.

20. Institute a Waiting Period for Major Purchases
Wait at least 48 hours before deciding to buy anything over a certain price limit—$50 for example. After the waiting period is over, "You may decide that the object desired really isn't worth the price," says Jennifer Hartman of Greenleaf Financial Group in Los Angeles.

21. Pay Bills Online—Save on Stamps, Avoid Late Fees
Set up your finances so bills are paid automatically or online at the click of a mouse. "There's no reason to pay for stamps and envelopes and run the risk of a late-payment fee when bill-pay programs are usually free," says Walt Mozdzer of Syverson Strege & Co.

22. Make Sure You're Deducting All Business Expenses
Chris Long of Long & Associates in Chicago says clients often make the mistake of mixing personal and business expenses on one credit card. That makes them less likely to get reimbursed for expenses by employers or to deduct expenses from taxes.

(http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting)
23. Buy Generic Drugs and Groceries
Store-brand products in grocery stores are often made by the same manufacturers as the brand-name items. If you take prescription drugs, ask your pharmacist if a cheaper, generic version is available.

24. Buy Used
Cars, books, furniture, and even clothing can be bought used for a fraction of their original cost. New cars in particular often aren't worth the extra cost; a lightly used vehicle can save you thousands of dollars with little or no extra maintenance expenses.

25. Shop Smart
Coupons are a classic way for shoppers to get great deals. Supermarkets vying for shoppers will frequently run "double coupon" promotions. Comparison-shopping on the Internet is easy thanks to a variety of sites designed to help shoppers find the best deals. When retail Web sites ask for "coupon codes," try to find one by using a search engine. But whether online or in person, avoid the temptation of bargain-hunting for items you don't really need. "Most of the time if an item is 20% off, we waste $8 to save that $2," says Neerja Bhutani of Bhutani-Palmin Financial Planning in Walnut Creek, Calif.

[dogfish]

Got kids? go to this site to learn some places where kids eat for free.:thumbsup:

www.eatfree.com (http://www.eatfree.com)

on Tue and Sat at Dennys kids eat for free with a paying parent:

Free Kids Meals

Kids eat free at Denny's and Lone Star Steakhouse every Tuesday night (and some Saturdays) with a paying adult. IHOP, Golden Corral, Hooters, Red Robin and Roadhouse Grill restaurants offer kids-eat-free deals at select locations. You can search for eateries in your area at KidsMealDeals.com.

[dogfish]

bump to save pennies, we could all use some extra ;)

[seamonkey]

If we go out to dinner we skip dessert. Saves extra dollars and the homemade cake is always better.

[williehookem]

Go to Walmart and get the $4 prescriptions.

[albiealert]

If we go out to dinner we skip dessert. Saves extra dollars and the homemade cake is always better.

Skip dessert, and order water instead of soda. Good one.

[buckethead]

I go to WAWA for coffee not starbucks. It's cheaper and tastes better.

[blitzhunter]

I automatically have $40 a week transferred from one account, checking to another, savings. It may not be much but at least I know if there is nothing left at the end of the month I have made some contribution.

[jonthepain]

I built a solar water heater. All 4 kids were still living at home then so the electric bill was killing me. Besides showers, the washing machine literally never stopped. (Two have grown up and are off on their own now.)

A friend of mine had just upgraded his 20 gal water heater to a 40, so he gave me his old 20. I stripped off the shell and the insulation and painted it black. I built a box around it out of 2x4s, R19, some foil covered foam insulation, Hardiboard, and some old window sashes and panes from old storm windows for the top and south facing side. It's sits out back next to my deck. I plumbed it so it's just upstream of my 40 gal electric water heater. It gets hot as hell in there I tell you what. The electric water heater almost never turns itself on now, unless it's been rainy or cloudy all day.

The whole deal cost me around $100. Found the plans online; apparently they were very popular during the great depression. go figure.

I also replaced the windows (my house is an over 100 yr old farmhouse) with low e ones from Home Cheapo and put em in myself. Replaced almost all the incandescents with those mini fluorescents.

All told, my electric bill went from $315 a month to $174.

(btw I'm Scottish rofl)

[albiealert]

I built a solar water heater. All 4 kids were still living at home then so the electric bill was killing me. Besides showers, the washing machine literally never stopped. (Two have grown up and are off on their own now.)

A friend of mine had just upgraded his 20 gal water heater to a 40, so he gave me his old 20. I stripped off the shell and the insulation and painted it black. I built a box around it out of 2x4s, R19, some foil covered foam insulation, Hardiboard, and some old window sashes and panes from old storm windows for the top and south facing side. It's sits out back next to my deck. I plumbed it so it's just upstream of my 40 gal electric water heater. It gets hot as hell in there I tell you what. The electric water heater almost never turns itself on now, unless it's been rainy or cloudy all day.

The whole deal cost me around $100. Found the plans online; apparently they were very popular during the great depression. go figure.

I also replaced the windows (my house is an over 100 yr old farmhouse) with low e ones from Home Cheapo and put em in myself. Replaced almost all the incandescents with those mini fluorescents.

All told, my electric bill went from $315 a month to $174.

(btw I'm Scottish rofl)


You cut 40% from your bill? :clapping: I put in all cf's and am saving about $25 a month, but 40% is incredible. Got a link for the solar water heater? thanks.

[jonthepain]

i googled "batch water heater" but didn't find the plan that I used. I'll take a look for it tomorrow on my computer and post it if I can find it.

A couple of things tho. With 4 kids, we used to use A LOT of hot water. Also, I don't know how much of those savings are attributable to the new windows and how much is the solar hot water heater.

But the numbers are accurate, that much I do know.

[dogfish]

I built a solar water heater. All told, my electric bill went from $315 a month to $174.

(btw I'm Scottish rofl)

There's nothing wrong with saving money, even you Scotsmen can do it. :HappyWave: :clapping: Very creative response to the money drain of having 4 kids in the house. I never went that far, but I have changed all the bulbs to cf's. For areas where we read the paper or need to have a stronger light, I splurge and get the more expensive 100w cfs instead of the 60's.

Another tip - for quick cheap meals, Ramen noodles are hard to beat, lunchtime-wise. 1pack is around 17-20c. You can throw some shredded chicken or tuna in there and eat for less than $1.

[surferman]

Five simple ways to save money

Kelsey Hubbard - Money Watch

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- We are a country of spenders who must learn the hard way to practice what our grandparents have always known: A penny saved is a penny earned.
Consider that about 43% of Americans spend more than they earn, according to estimates from the federal government, and the average household carries some $8,000 to $10,000 in credit-card debt.
To make matters worse, the average American no longer saves money. That's tumbled from a 10.8% average savings rate in 1984 into negative territory today. It's no wonder that many of us have been living way above our means for some time.
But that is getting harder and harder to do. Available credit for people to finance their lifestyles has shrunk if not dried up altogether and many Americans are standing by in shock watching their mortgage payments surge while the value of their 401(k)s drop.
It's clear Americans need to start spending less and saving more. That may sound easier said than it's done. The key is to be aware of your where your money is going and take steps to stop the leaks. Here are five simple tips that could save you hundreds of dollars a month:

1. Cash back at the pump

In the past five months gasoline prices have dropped 56%, from an average price of $4.11 to $1.80 a gallon. Somehow, households found the money to pay the higher price and survive so now people should take that excess money they are saving and bank it.
Jean Chatzky, author and personal finance expert suggests using the money you were spending on gasoline to build up that rainy day fund or to pay some your holiday expenses instead of racking up more debt.

2. Supper savings

Another great way Americans can cut costs each month is to eat at home, says Jonathan and David Murray, twin brothers who are financial advisers.
According to a recent Zagat survey, Americans will spend an average of $34 this year every time they go out to eat dinner, that's for one dinner, drink and gratuity; $76.00 if they live in one of the 20 most expensive cities. If a couple does that four times in a month the expense is close to $300 in low-cost areas and $600 in higher-cost regions, and if you have more than one drink or are treating family or friends, costs can add up quickly.
Plan a dinner or party at home and ask guests to bring a dish. If you're big on getting together with friends, family and work associates, this could save you hundreds of dollars a month.

3. Renegotiate bills

You may not be able to negotiate with the gas company or the electric company, but you can with credit cards, cable and phone services, among others. Do the homework and find out what competing cable companies, for example, are offering and ask your provider to renegotiate your bill. You may have to get through to a manager but Chatzky said she recently did this and got her monthly bill reduced by $50.

4. Smart shopping

Retailers are poised to have one of the worst holiday shopping seasons in decades and are offering deep discounts to move merchandise. But smart shoppers can save even more money by hunting down coupons. Before ordering online or going to a store, go to sites like Couponcabin.com and Ultimatecoupons.com or Google the name of a store and often you'll get a coupon code to enter at checkout. You can save 10% to 20% or more on the total order or maybe get free shipping.
There are also coupons to print out and take to the store for deeper discounts. And don't be afraid to pit one retailer against another by asking for a price match on sale items.

5. Keep the receipt

It is important to hang on to all your store receipts and keep track of sales. Savvy shoppers can possibly save even more on purchases by checking back to see if the retailers lower prices even further. If that happens within two weeks of your purchase, most stores will credit you the difference.

[captnemo]

Taking Control of Your Electricity Bill: How to cut your electricity use in half or more


I had a revelation a few years back, when I asked a solar engineer to price a solar electric system for my home.
Why, he said, did I want to install solar power when my electricity consumption was so high?

What, I thought? My family's consumption was about half that of the typical family in my area. I'd already switched many incandescent lights to compact lights, bought ENERGY STAR replacements for my fridge, washer, dryer, and torn out the energy-wasting baseboard heaters in my poorly insulated kitchen extension after adding decent insulation.

He told me I ought to be able to cut my electricity use in half again. Down to a quarter of what my neighbors use, I asked? Why not, he said? And he told me how to do it.
First, he talked me into buying a little device - the Kill A Watt meter - which is a home energy monitor. You plug the Kill A Watt meter into a wall outlet, then you plug a device (fridge, coffee maker,whatever) into the meter. The meter tells you how many watts of electricity the device consumes, and, over time, how many kilowatt hours an appliance like a refrigerator uses.

Then he told me to measure everything in my house. Since I'm a numbers guy, the idea of measuring appealed to me; I measured everything I could. Fridge, freezer, toaster, stereo, computer, cable modem, clock radio, plug-in carbon monoxide detector, you name it. I measured devices that couldn't be plugged into the meter (such as dishwasher, where the plug is buried, and stove, which runs on 220 volts) by watching the electricity meter outside my home. Then I estimated what was left, which mainly consisted of lights (the wattage is printed on the bulb; multiply by hours of use per day and divide by 1,000 to get kwh per day). I used an Excel spreadsheet to calculate how much electricity our house used each month, and, to my surprise, when I checked my utility bill, my estimate was bang on.


The revelation was how much electricity my stuff used that I really didn't benefit from. For example:

My coffee maker was plugged in all day with its little LED clock. 2 watts of continuous power doesn't sound like much, but that adds up to 17 kilowatt hours per year. That was more than one day's worth of my family's energy consumption just to avoid having to unplug and plug in the coffee maker.
I always hibernate my computer when I'm not using it, but I was leaving the cable modem and wireless router on. Between them, they were using 30 watts continuously - 262 kilowatt hours a year.
That carbon monoxide detector was drawing 5 watts. What incentive does the manufacturer have to make it as energy efficient as possible, when I'm the one paying the bill? Why not use a battery-powered CO detector instead?
The television and DVD player combined were using another 30 watts even when turned off. Why? Because both were sitting there waiting for me to power them on via remote control (There are actually home energy saving devices known as standby savers, that you can use that save most of this power.)
The fridge was using more than it was supposed to. So I checked that with a thermometer, and discovered one of my kids had accidentally bumped the temperature dial on the freezer compartment (ours is a bottom freezer) and set it way colder than it needed to be. Fixing that saved nearly 1 kwh a day right there!
Most of these things sound insignificant on their own - especially when you just look at the watts consumed or the amount of power per day. But when you consider that they're all running continuously, it really does add up - in our case, cutting this kind of waste did almost exactly what the solar engineer said it would - it cut our energy bills nearly in half again!
That's right - we were only using about 16 kilowatt hours per day of electricity before I started toying with solar energy, and the local average in my area for a house of 4 people is about 33 kwh per day. By the time I was done with my Kill A Watt meter, we had our consumption down to 8 kwh per day.
Once you get your consumption down to that level, a solar electric system starts to make sense (especially with all the financial incentives for installing solar power). But in the end, what did I do?
Just kept track of electricity usage and made sure we kept it down. The net impact is that we now save more energy through these conservation measures, than we would have generated if we'd installed a solar power system and not made any changes in our behavior.
I'd recommend a Kill A Watt meter - or any similar home electricity monitoring tool - to anyone seriously interested in cutting their electricity use. I paid $60 for mine, and it paid for itself in only three months. Nowadays you can buy them for about $20, so the payback period could be down to a month. And if you didn't have the head-start I had - if your home is in the 30+ kwh per day range to start with - you'll save even more.
As far as electricity consumption goes, what you don't know can't help you!

[BassBuddah]

I built a solar water heater.

A friend of mine had just upgraded his 20 gal water heater to a 40, so he gave me his old 20. I stripped off the shell and the insulation and painted it black. I built a box around it out of 2x4s, R19, some foil covered foam insulation, Hardiboard, and some old window sashes and panes from old storm windows for the top and south facing side. It's sits out back next to my deck. I plumbed it so it's just upstream of my 40 gal electric water heater. It gets hot as hell in there I tell you what. The electric water heater almost never turns itself on now, unless it's been rainy or cloudy all day.

The whole deal cost me around $100. Found the plans online; apparently they were very popular during the great depression. go figure.



Solar Water Heater - What an incredible idea. Thanks for posting about it. I'll have to do a search for the plans. Anything to save a buck.

[jonthepain]

You're welcome. I worked on mine a little last weekend. The caulking had shrunk. It's supposed to get cold here this week (in the teens is pretty cold for down here) so I wanted to make sure that it is airtight. I've had it for years and it hasn't frozen up on me yet.

There are lots of plans on the web but they are mostly a lot fancier than mine. Mine's just a 4x4x4 box with a 20 gal tank inside. Sometimes I wish I had used an old 40 gal tank, but hey, I used what I had on hand, and it works great.

[surferman]

It's tax time so I make sure I always contribute to my ROTH IRA. A good way to put away money for the future.

[stormchaser]

Tax Credits Worth Pursuing This Year

by AnnaMaria Andriotis
Thursday, January 29, 2009

The very factors that have many consumers worried about affording this year's tax bill could actually work in their favor this tax season.
Taxpayers whose wages were slashed in 2008 -- or worse, who were laid off -- may be eligible for tax credits that weren't within their reach in previous years. In addition, first-time home buyers and parents of children under age 17 may also be able to save a little money on their tax bill thanks to some new credits and thresholds.

“These overlooked credits are relevant in the current economy and could mean the difference in hundreds or even thousands of dollars in your tax refund,” says John Evans, Northeast tax director at BDO Seidman.
Here are four credits that can help boost your refund.

Recovery Rebate Credit
Feel like you got shortchanged last year when the government doled out its Economic Stimulus Act rebate checks? Well, if you didn't qualify for the rebate before or didn't receive the full amount ($600 per taxpayer and $1,200 if married and filing jointly) because your income was too high (or too low), you may now be able to collect.

The rebate checks that were sent out last year were based on information on your 1040 for 2007. This second chance to collect will be based on your 2008 1040. So if your income took a hit last year, it may be worth a shot. You can also qualify for this credit if you had a child in 2008, among other reasons.

First-Time Homeowner Credit
For those who bought a home last year or want to in the months ahead, Uncle Sam has a little present for you. This tax credit, essentially a temporary, no-interest loan, is being offered to those who bought -- or will buy -- a home between April 9, 2008, and June 30, 2009, and who didn't own a home during the three years preceding the purchase.

The maximum amount of the credit equals either 10% of the home’s price or $7,500 ($3,750 if you are married, but filing separately), whichever is less. One hitch: Homeowners will have to repay the credit over 15 years by either owing more in taxes or receiving a smaller refund. So, if you claim the credit on your 2008 tax return, you’ll have to start repaying it when you file your taxes for 2009. (The 2009 tax return will include an extra line for this credit.)

Child Tax Credit
Many parents will be eligible to receive a tax credit of up to $1,000 per child this year as long as that child was under the age of 17 at the end of 2008. (This credit is in addition to the regular $3,500 exemption that you can claim for each dependent.)


The child tax credit begins phasing out for filers whose modified adjusted gross income is above $110,000 if they are married and filing jointly, above $75,000 for single filers, or more than $55,000 for married filing separately. In addition, the child (who can also be the filer’s sibling, stepchild, grandchild, niece or nephew) must have not provided more than half of his or her own support and, in most cases, must have lived with the filer for more than half of 2008.
The one catch: The amount you receive from the child tax credit is partly based on your income so you may not receive the full amount -- or possibly anything. If you don't qualify for any or all of the $1,000 child tax credit you're still in luck. Try applying for the additional child tax credit, which also offers up to $1,000 per qualifying child. (Taxpayers who qualify for parts of both credits can only receive a maximum of $1,000 per eligible child.) Typically, this credit is reserved for low-income taxpayers, but a recent change in the way the IRS computes eligibility for this credit, will allow more middle-income taxpayers to qualify this year, says Eric Smith, a spokesman for the IRS.

Earned Income Tax Credit
This credit is typically geared toward low-income taxpayers, but given the rise in the unemployment rate and wage cuts, more people are likely to qualify for it this year, says Evans. (According to the IRS, one in six taxpayers currently can claim this credit.)
To qualify, families with two or more children must have made less than $41,646 in 2008, and those with one child must have earned less than $36,995. Also, individuals without children who make less than $15,880 are eligible.

The maximum credit for each of these groups is $4,824, $2,917 and $438, respectively.

Taxpayers who qualify to claim this credit on their federal income tax return may also be eligible for a similar credit on their state or local income tax return. Twenty-two states, including New York, Maryland and Iowa, offer residents an earned income tax credit.

http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/106497/Tax-Credits-Worth-Pursuing-This-Year

[storminsteve]

i googled "batch water heater" but didn't find the plan that I used. I'll take a look for it tomorrow on my computer and post it if I can find it.

A couple of things tho. With 4 kids, we used to use A LOT of hot water. Also, I don't know how much of those savings are attributable to the new windows and how much is the solar hot water heater.

But the numbers are accurate, that much I do know.

Did it look something like this?

4670

4671

[cracklepopper]

Get our movies from the library, they are free for viewing.

[ledhead36]

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/233724

Get out the scissors and clip those coupons.

Pay cash instead of putting it on your credit card.

Consider paper towels and store-bought cookies a luxury.

In interviews at a local gasoline service station, a Wal-Mart and Central Market, county folks say they are employing a variety of common-sense strategies that include careful spending for food, gas and even utilities...

• Cut down on impulse and unnecessary spending.

"If you don't need it, don't buy it."

• Watch your food budget carefully.

Clip coupons and search for bargains online when you can. Shop at wholesale and discount grocery stores.

"I don't buy paper towels," the city resident says. "I don't buy extra snacks. I bake cookies."

• Look for ways to cut your energy bill.

Turn down the thermostat. .

• Plan your driving trips.

• Set a budget and stick to it.

"Know what you can afford and how much you can spend," said Pat Evans, 50, a bank teller from Lancaster, adding, "Keep track of money and save as much as you can save."

• Look for the long-term benefits from a more frugal life.

"Maybe, if our kids see us living this way, we can continue this and not forget what this was like five years from now," says Warihay. "We can teach our kids how to live."

"We all got too big for our britches," she notes. "Big houses, nice cars — is that what's important?"

:clapping::clapping:

[jonthepain]

Did it look something like this?



this is pretty darn close to what mine looks like:
http://www.solarcooking.org/bkerr/SWHeaterRev-1d.pdf

here are some others that show the general idea:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/solarheater1.gif

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/solarheater2.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/solarheater3.jpg

[basshunter]

Make sure you eat the leftovers. Too many people throw them out. You can always be creative on how to make new meals out of the leftovers of yesterday.

[katiefishes]

7 Things You're Wasting Money On

by Kelli B. Grant
Friday, March 20, 2009 provided by money saver.
[/URL]
These days, keeping your budget in line isn’t measured by the amount you spend, but by how much you save.
Before you blame your daily jaunt to Starbucks or weekly trip to the movies for breaking your budget, take a good hard look at how much you’re paying for less obvious but much more expensive money wasters like overdraft fees and auto insurance.

Cut back on these seven items and you could save roughly $1,000 a year.

1) Bottled Water
Getting your recommended eight glasses of water a day by bottle instead of tap is a huge waste of cash, says Phil Lempert, founder of Supermarket Guru (http://www.smartmoney.com/index.cfm?adv=yahoo2&creative=170x40logo). That buck-a-bottle water you down on a regular basis can really add up. (Even more so now that cities like Chicago collect an additional tax of five cents per bottle.)
Potential Savings: Spend $37 to buy a 40-ounce Brita pitcher and filter ($13 at Bed, Bath and Beyond), plus a four-pack of replacement filters ($24), and you'll be able to filter 200 gallons of water. Buy that much water in 24-packs of 16.9-ounce Aquafina bottles at Shop Rite instead, and you’d spend $283.50. Your total savings: $246.50.

2) Extended Warranties

Think twice before you shell out $10 a month for a two-year protection plan on your pricey new BlackBerry. New products tend to malfunction within the manufacturer’s initial warranty period, or well after any extended warranty has expired, says Michael Gartenberg, vice president of strategy and analysis for Interpret LLC, a market researcher. (Most extended warranties exclude accidental damage, too, so you’d still be out of luck if you drop that Blackberry and crack the screen.) To protect yourself, pay with the right credit card. Many credit cards -- including most American Express and MasterCard cards -- double the manufacturer’s warranty on purchases, adding up to another year of free protection.

Potential Savings: Someone buying a 40-inch Samsung flat panel high-def television at Best Buy for $800 has the option to add a four-year protection plan for another $150. Skip it, and pocket the cash instead. (The set already has a one-year manufacturer’s warranty.)

3) Gym Memberships
The cost of a gym membership can really rack up over the course of a year (an average of $775, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association). So make sure you're tapping into all of the discounts available to you. Check with your employer, health insurer and other membership groups like your union or alma mater to see if they offer discounts on gym and fitness club memberships, says Bob Nelson, president of Nelson Motivation, a benefits consulting firm.
Potential Savings: On your own, you’d pay $54.99 per month, plus a $49 enrollment fee, for a national access plan at Bally’s Total Fitness. Through discounter GlobalFit.com (http://www.globalfit.com/), which offers special rates for members of partner companies, you’d pay $37.80 per month plus a $29 enrollment fee for the same Bally’s membership. Over a yearlong membership, that’s $226.28 saved.

4) Overdraft Fees
Overdraft fees can run as high as $35 apiece and banks have a host of sneaky tricks that can cause even the most diligent consumer to overdraw on an account. For example, they may approve debit purchases that would put you in the red, or re-order transactions so that the biggest purchases go through first -- and deposits get processed last. To protect yourself, sign up for overdraft protection, which can cost as little as $5 to $10 a year (and is often free with high-level checking accounts), and can save you hundreds of dollars.
Potential Savings: Pay $5 annually for a connected line of credit at Citibank. It kicks in only when you overspend, helping you to avoid the $30 fee per overdraft. Mess up just four times within a year and you've saved $115.

5) Organic Produce
Sure, buying organic makes you feel like you’re doing the right thing, but it isn't always the best choice for your wallet. Fruits and vegetables like kiwis, sweet corn and broccoli require very little pesticide to grow. Others -- like avocados, onions and pineapples -- have thick or peelable skins that reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals. “Any pesticide that remains is not getting through,” says Lempert. For a handy reminder as you shop, download the Environmental Working Group’s wallet-sized organic produce guide (http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php?key=35626100).
Potential Savings: Organic broccoli costs $2.99 per pound at online grocer FreshDirect, which also offers conventional broccoli for $1.49. A pound of navel oranges is $4 for the organic and $2 for conventional. Someone buying a pound of each item weekly could save $182 over the course of a year.

6) Auto Insurance
“[Auto insurers] often give discounts for consumers who don’t drive long distances,” says Sam Belden, a spokesman for Insurance.com (http://www.insurance.com/). If your driving habits have changed in recent months -- say, you’ve switched jobs or cut out pricey trips to the mall – call your insurer to ask if you now qualify for a better rate.
Potential Savings: A driver who cuts back to fewer than 7,500 miles a year could shave 5% to 15% off his premiums, depending on his insurer. Considering that the average driver shells out $817 a year on auto insurance, according to the Insurance Information Institute, that saves $40.85 to $122.55.

7) Music Downloads
For the longest time, Apple iPod and iPhone owners were stuck downloading their music from iTunes, while consumers with other MP3 players couldn’t put the service’s content on their devices. But now, most online music purveyors (including Apple as of March) offer content in a DRM-free format -- meaning you can listen to it on any MP3 player. That frees iTunes users to pursue cheaper music from sites like Wal-Mart and Amazon.com. Music fans with other MP3 players may benefit from Apple going DRM-free, too. The company plans to revamp its fees in April, charging 69 cents to $1.29 per song instead of the current flat fee of 99 cents. Bottom line: Check prices on several sites before you download.

Potential Savings: “Hot N Cold” by Katy Perry costs 99 cents at iTunes, but just 74 cents at Wal-Mart and 79 cents at Amazon.com. Someone buying a song a week could save $10.40 to $13 annually by shopping around.





[URL]http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/106780/7-Things-You're-Wasting-Money-On

[ledhead36]

I try to use the gear and tackle I have, though sometimes temptations gets the best of me. :D

[DarkSkies]

this is pretty darn close to what mine looks like:
http://www.solarcooking.org/bkerr/SWHeaterRev-1d.pdf

here are some others that show the general idea:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/solarheater1.gif

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/solarheater2.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/solarheater3.jpg



Thanks for sharing the concept, guys. Jon I remember you saying you did one at your house. You must be one of the only families in the neighborhood to have something like that. :clapping:

[Pebbles]

Some more ways to save.

Top 6 Mindless Money Wasters

by Sham Gad
Thursday, January 14, 2010
provided by
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/fi/24/80/78.jpg (http://www.investopedia.com/)
Most people will say they are interested in saving money. Money saved from one area can be spent in another area. Or even better, the money can actually grow as an investment for the future. But despite the benefits of putting some money away, most people take a passing interest in actually doing it. As young adults, they don't think much about retirement; then, as adults, credit card debt becomes a way of life.

But the tough economic times that hit the U.S. in 2007 through 2009 were a wake-up call for many people, causing the public's view of saving to shift. If you'd like to make regular saving a part of your life, read on to find out how to conquer the first step: finding that extra money.

You can begin by paying attention to these top money wasting activities.

1. Convenience Stores
Many people don't think about the mark-up they pay for convenience store items. Here's a hint: it's huge. This is because these stores don't purchase food in the large quantities that a grocery store does and also because they make you pay more for the convenience they provide. So, unless it's an emergency situation, avoid shopping at convenience stores. The premium you pay for convenience is not worth the assumed convenience you get. For example, a Coke at a convenience store might cost you a dollar, while you can go to the grocery store and buy a 12 pack for $4. If you tend to pull over for a drink, buy a 12-pack and keep it in your car. If you visit convenience stores often, the annual savings of cutting out these visits can be tremendous.

2. Cell Phone Plans
Take the time to check your monthly cell phone bill - you may be paying more than you need to. If you are using fewer minutes than your monthly plan allows, switch to a lower-rate plan. If you are using more minutes than your monthly allotment, then upgrade to a higher minute plan. Before making any changes to your plan, sit down with a list of your cell phone company's offerings and compare and determine which plan provides the most value based on your needs. Most cell phone companies charge 40 to 50 cents per additional minute, so going over your allowed minutes by 100 minutes one month will cost you $40 to $50 in that month alone. With many minute plan upgrades costing $10 to $20 a month, they'll easily pay for themselves.
You should also scan through your cell phone plan for added features like text messaging and mobile internet. If you aren't really using these features, get rid of them - they're costing you money each month!

3. Soft Drinks
This one is a sneaky money waster. Not only does ordering beverages along with a restaurant meal boost your total expenses, but soft drinks also have one of the highest markups of any restaurant item, and thus provide lower value for your money. Consider a typical family of four that eats out twice a week at fast casual restaurants (typical for a middle class family even today). Assuming an average price of $1.50 for a fountain soft drink, that totals $12 a week, $48 a month, $624 a year. Just cutting out this one item from your meal could mean significant savings that could go into something much more productive, such as a retirement savings plan. If you invest $624 at the market average of 9% a year every year, you would have almost $32,000 at the end of 20 years. So dine out, but opt for water!

4. Unnecessary Bank Fees
Many people unknowingly pay a lot to their banks in the form of fees. If you don't know what fees your accounts are subject to, spend a few minutes finding out. Some banks charge ATM fees for using another bank's ATM, for example. These can be as high as $5! This amounts to a 25% one-time fee for a $20 withdrawal. The key with this type of fee is simply knowing about it. You would be better off using a credit card to make the purchase.
Go back and examine the rules governing your checking and savings accounts. Many people have accounts with a fixed number of withdrawals and deposits per month. You would be better off with an account maintenance fee of $10 a month than getting hit with two or three different fees a month.
Also consider consolidating bank accounts, as often one account with a larger minimum can eliminate numerous fees that might otherwise exist.

5. Magazines
If you're the type of person who likes to occasionally pick up your favorite magazine from the local grocery store or newsstand, consider getting an annual subscription. Even if you don't want the magazine every month, a couple of issues at the newsstand are enough to cover the entire annual subscription. For example, a 26-issue subscription to Forbes Magazine will cost you less than $25, while one issue at the newsstand costs $5.

6. Annual Credit Card Fees
Unless you have a poor credit history, there is no reason to pay annual credit card fees. A host of Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards have no annual fee, yet many people pay up to $100 a year for the privilege of holding a credit card. Unless you're an ultra-wealthy, exclusive holders of an elite-level credit card with exclusive perks, most people should not be paying annual credit card fees.
And speaking of credit cards, make sure you make a payment on time every month, even if it's the minimum. Many credit cards charge $39 monthly late fee charges, charges which accrue interest along with your existing balance.

Be Proactive
Spend a couple hours and go over the above categories along with any other regular habits you may have accumulated over the years. The time will be well spent as it could mean hundreds of dollars of recurring annual savings.

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/108573/top-6-mindless-money-wasters?mod=bb-budgeting

[Frankiesurf]

I could become a frenchman and save money on tipping.


"Americans wind up as the biggest-spending and best-tipping tourists, while Germans and the French are among the worst penny-pinchers."

This is because their tips are included in the price of the check. I found this out the expensive way in Paris.

[bababooey]

How to Be a Savvy Cheapskate

[/URL]

Katy Marquardt, On Wednesday April 14, 2010, 11:40 am EDT
Don't judge this penny pincher by his cover. Jeff Yeager may be the author of The Ultimate Cheapskate's Roadmap to True Riches--which one might assume to be filled with coupon-clipping strategies and saving tricks--but his philosophy isn't as much about how to get more for less as it is learning to live with less, period. Sure, he [URL="http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/save-money/"]blogs (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/How-to-Be-a-Savvy-usnews-3454225752.html/print?x=0) about "12 Surprising Ways to Reuse Aluminum Foil," making cider bisque out of your jack-o-lantern, and using just enough toilet paper, but the bigger goal here is to live green, not just cheap. Ultimately, Yeager says, consumers should direct their frugal efforts toward downsizing their lifestyle--in major areas like housing and transportation--rather than saving a buck here and there. U.S. News recently spoke to Yeager about the most effective ways to economize. Excerpts:

Explain your 'cheapskate' philosophy.
I don't really write about penny-pinching tips. I focus more on quality-of-life and happiness issues ... especially the idea of deciding what "enough" is for you. Most people don't ask themselves that. What would be enough money and enough stuff for you? My wife and I answered that question early in marriage, in our 30s. We were living a comfortable lifestyle--why would we want to spend every last dollar we earned as our salaries increased over the years? We established what I call a "permanent standard of living," a level we still live comfortably at today, even though we could afford to spend more ... we managed, for example, to pay off our house in 15 years and essentially retire in our 40s. It's all about the decisions you make.
[See 21 Things We're Learning to Live Without (http://www.usnews.com/money/business-economy/slideshows/21-things-were-learning-to-live-without).]

What sorts of decisions?
Well, for me, it's all about the bigger financial decisions in life. I rail against the latte factor ... for 20 years, pundits have been saying that if you give up your daily Starbucks cup and bank the money, you can attain financial security. That may work on paper, but I don't think it works that way in reality, for most people. One [of the bigger decisions] is housing. I'm a big believer in finishing in your starter home: Buy a modest home when you're first starting out and ignore people who tell you not to pay it off right away. Pay off your mortgage as quickly as you can, settle in and get to know your neighbors, and make your house your home. The conventional wisdom before the housing bubble burst was that if you could afford to pay down your mortgage early, instead take that extra money and invest it because mortgage money is relatively inexpensive to borrow. The financial pundits at the time said that any idiot could make a return on their investment above 5 percent or 4 percent of their mortgage interest. ... Well, it didn't work out that way.

These days with the tight economy, you hear so much in the media about economizing. But that's almost always about "how to get more for less" ... how to clip a coupon or find a bargain. But I think we're missing what could be the golden epiphany of these hard times: We shouldn't be asking ourselves "How can we afford it?" We should instead be asking, "Do we really need it?" There's lots of social science that shows that once you're above poverty level, more money and more stuff doesn't contribute to happiness. I believe that most Americans would be happier, and the quality of their lives would increase, if they would only spend and consume less. If you believe as I do, I think there will be a lot of upsides to the current recession in the long run.
[See 12 Hidden Costs of Homeownership (http://www.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/real-estate/articles/2010/04/08/12-hidden-costs-of-homeownership.html).]

What are those upsides?
For example, when gas was $4, we all complained about it, but two-thirds of people reported that they changed their driving habits as a result. And unless I'm missing all the horror stories, nothing awful happened because of it. Certainly driving less is better for the environment and better for our pocketbooks, so where's the downside? Another example: Since the start of the recession, the size of new homes being built in the U.S. has dropped by about 11 percent ... 300 fewer square feet. Again, that's a change, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Think about the tremendous financial impact that the decision to live in a smaller home will have on your life. Not only it cost more to buy [a larger home] in the first place, but once you have those extra 300 square feet, you have to insure it, decorate it, heat and cool it, maintain it, repair it, and pay taxes on it. That's the kind of fundamental decision that has enslaved so many Americans to the yoke of too much debt. So apparently now were going to be living in slightly smaller houses, but why is that a bad thing?
[How to Gauge Your Middle-Class Status (http://www.usnews.com/money/business-economy/slideshows/how-to-gauge-your-middle-class-status).]
If you read the book The Not So Big House, it says that as humans, we're uncomfortable in big spaces. If we have a chance to move into the mansion on the hill, we're not really comfortable with it. We're learning some lessons in the recession. Personal savings rates are up. Even though things are tighter now, we're somehow magically able to put money in the bank. Go figure.

Aside from driving less and being happy with a smaller house, what other significant things we should cut back on?
Eating lower on the food chain, for one. I try to spend only a dollar a pound on food. It's a myth that it costs more to eat healthy. You can spend a lot, but when you think about the kinds of things we should eat the most of--whole grains, legumes, and produce--they tend to cost less per pound than things that are bad for us like red meat and many processed foods that are high in trans saturated fats. I encourage people to eat more meals at home. Forty-five percent of the average U.S. family food budget is spent on food prepared outside of home. And they cost an average of 80 percent more than preparing the same food at home. There's a lot of waste, too. According to the USDA, about 25 percent of food is thrown away, so arguably you could reduce your spending here by 25 percent simply by being smarter about food storage and portion control.

You write a lot about the relationship between being frugal and environmentally conscious on thedailygreen.com. Any takeaways?
For most Americans, the greenest thing you can do is consume less, which probably means spending less. I think there's some hypocrisy in the current green movement, even though I've been an ardent environmentalist my whole adult life. I fear that the so-called green movement is catching on now because there's a bunch of cool, expensive green stuff we can by. It's become what I call a "cause de stuff." Much of the current environmental movement in the U.S. seems to be built around the very thing it should be seeking to combat ... rampant consumerism. Take green cleaning products. They tend to be more expensive than the toxic products. But you can clean almost everything with baking soda and vinegar, which are safer for the environment than green products and cost less than any other cleaning products, green or toxic. Hybrid vehicles are another example. It's cool now to own a $35,000 Prius, although driving a gas guzzler to work instead is better for the environment IF you carpool with four friends. Sure, the greenest choice would be to carpool in a hybrid, but I don't see Americans being that committed to environmentalism. We're really mostly committed to buying cool, expensive, green stuff. That's the hypocrisy I'm talking about.

You must make big purchases every now and then. What's your strategy?
I'm a big believer in the Consumer Reports approach to shopping. Buyer's remorse is at epidemic proportions. How is spending money on something we'll regret later a good thing? It makes us poorer, and clearly hasn't made us happy. My advice is to have a mandatory waiting period. Wait at least a week after you see something in the store that you want. I guarantee that half the time, you won't go buy it.

Once or twice a year, I look at the things I've spent more money on, and ask myself one simple question: "If I had it to do over again, would I have spent that money?" I call it a 'what heck was I thinking? audit." Maybe you'll see that you spend a lot on restaurant meals that you regret. I noticed that when I had a regular 9-to-5 job, when I was stressed at work, I'd often buy things I regretted later. It's a way of helping you learn from your mistakes and change your spending behavior.


www.usnewsandworldreport.com (http://www.usnewsandworldreport.com)

[bababooey]

by Phil Taylor
Thursday, August 19, 2010


provided by
http://l.yimg.com/a/p/fi/30/21/97.jpg (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=110e60f3t/**http%3A//www.usnews.com/money)
So much money and energy is wasted on things we could get for free. If you're into new, shiny things and collecting stuff, this is not for you. But if you want less clutter in your life and want to keep more of your money, then check out these 15 things you shouldn't be paying for.
Basic Computer Software -- Thinking of purchasing a new computer? Think twice before you fork over the funds for a bunch of extra software. There are some great alternatives to the name brand software programs. The most notable is OpenOffice, the open-source alternative to those other guys. It's completely free and files can be exported in compatible formats.


Your Credit Report -- You don't have to pay for your credit report. You could sign up for one of the free credit monitoring services online to get a quick look at your credit report. You just have to remember to cancel the service before the end of the free trial. Or you could do one better and visit www.annualcreditreport.com (https://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=11l6o4f3n/**https%3A//www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp), the only truly free place to see all three of your credit reports for free once a year.
Cell Phone -- The service plan may be expensive, but the phone itself doesn't have to cost a thing. Most major carriers will give you a free phone, even a free smart phone, with a two-year contract.
Books -- There's a cool place in your town that's renting out books for free: the library. Remember that place? Stop by and put your favorite book on reserve. And if you don't feel like getting out, visit www.paperbackswap.com (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=11bbemok3/**http%3A//www.paperbackswap.com/index.php) and find your books there (small shipping fees apply).
Water -- Besides the monthly utility bill, there's no reason to shell out $1 for every bottle of water you drink. Bottled water is so last decade anyway. We're over it, and into tap, filters, and reusable water bottles. It's cheaper for you and better for the environment.
Credit Card -- With as many credit cards as there are available on the market today, it's easy to avoid a credit card with an annual fee. Unless you're dead set on a particular perk that a fee card brings, skip the annual fee card and pocket that money yourself.
[Why Spending Less Can Make You Happier (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=10qnc7uk6/**http%3A//yhoo.it/9NZuqh)]
Debt Reduction Help -- Speaking of credit cards, if you're in over your head with credit card help, there are many free sources you can turn to for help with your debt. No one is going to be able to magically wipe away your debts, but there is help out there that will set you up on a debt reduction plan you can handle. Start with a visit to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.
Basic Tax Preparation -- If your tax situation isn't that complicated, then you should probably be preparing your own tax return using one of the many free online services. It's now common for e-filing to be free as well with many services. You won't even need a stamp.
The News -- Leave it to a blogger to try and kill off traditional print. I'm not anti-newspaper. I just don't find them practical anymore. Skip the daily .50 cents and get your news online. And for you dedicated coupon clippers, you can get most of your Sunday coupons online now too.
Budgeting Tools -- There are many budgeting tools (both online and desktop) that offer up the service for free. Don't ask me how they do this, but who cares. If you're looking to reign in some of your spending, the good news is you can do it for free.
Pets -- This is a controversial one, I know. But there are likely many pets down at your local animal shelter that could use just as much love as the pure-bred types. There may be a small fee due to the shelter for shots and basic care, but you'll have your pet home without paying a mini-fortune.
Shipping -- If you like to buy online, you probably use coupons to get a percentage off of your purchase. Take your skills to the next level and look for coupons or promotion codes that offer free shipping. If in doubt, visit a site like www.freeshipping.org (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=1116hjgcq/**http%3A//www.freeshipping.org/).
[Get Out of Debt the Right Way (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=10qdsk6qm/**http%3A//yhoo.it/a1OIlb)]
Checking Account -- Isn't it nice when a bank takes your money, lends it out to earn money, and then has the audacity to charge you for the service? What a joke. Checking should be free. If yours isn't free then move to one of the many banks that offers a checking account for free. And the same can be said for ATM fees, teller fees, and checks.
DVD Rentals -- Did you know that you can rent DVDs from RedBox locations for $1 a night? And better yet, if you use one of the coupon codes from www.insideredbox.com (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=111m801nf/**http%3A//www.insideredbox.com/) you can avoid the $1 charge. Free DVD rentals! Most libraries now have free DVD rental as well.
Exercise -- Skip the expensive gym memberships. Visit your local park for a walk or run. Do basic push-up and sit-up programs in your living room. Rent a workout DVD from the library. There are many free workout programs you can download online as well.

[hookset]

Hybrid furnace
Save money with a hybrid furnace.
http://homes.yahoo.com/news/save-money-with-a-hybrid-furnace-002035588.html

http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/XqP2bhUbpeTjTWJ11oFWDQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9Zml0O2g9NDQ-/http://l.yimg.com/os/801/2013/01/16/bv172x44-gif_043356.gif (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=Al7q3uzvNCKgdvZ2r5_rEP2WoPN_;_ylu=X3oDMTFmYzd jZmFqBG1pdANBcnRpY2xlSGVhZGVyTmV3BHBvcwMxBHNlYwNNZ WRpYUFydGljbGVIZWFk;_ylg=X3oDMTNiazJqOGx0BGludGwDd XMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDNTcwNTQyYzUtOTg2MC0zZTB jLWI4MTItODIwZGEwNDU1ZDU0BHBzdGNhdANhcnRpY2xlc3xob 21lY29udHJhY3RvcnMEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=0/SIG=11buhr0iq/EXP=1360861761/**http%3A//www.bobvila.com/)By Jennifer Noonan | Bob Vila – Mon, Jan 28, 2013 7:20 PM EST









Related Content


http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/N6JC_Sqjg5VO3yD7p9_OPQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Y2g9Mzk1O2NyPTE7Y3c9MzAwO2R4PTA7ZH k9MDtmaT11bGNyb3A7aD0yNTE7cT04NTt3PTE5MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/801/2013/01/29/bob-vila-Amana-HybridFurnace-HeatPump-Photojencelene1-jpg_001358.jpgView Photo (http://homes.yahoo.com/photos/save-money-with-a-hybrid-furnace-photo--2086193208.html)Amana hybrid furnace. (Photo credit: Jennifer Noonan)





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We had to make so many decisions when we built our home. I didn't realize it at the time (having never built a home before), but perhaps our most important decision-making centered on the HVAC (http://www.bobvila.com/categories/major-systems/subcategories/hvac) system. The trend in new construction these days is toward energy efficiency, and we were completely on board with that. And living where we do on the East Coast's Delmarva Peninsula, where there is currently no access to natural gas, efficiency is exceptionally important. Most heating systems here are driven by electric or propane. (There are some geothermal systems (http://www.bobvila.com/articles/529-geothermal-heating-systems/pages/1) in the area, but not many.)
Propane is very expensive—at least a third more than natural gas—so most people in the area opt for electric heat pumps. The only problem is that electric heat pumps do not work efficiently once the temperature drops below 40 degrees. We don't live in a frigid climate, but we do get cold weather. And our experience living in rentals with electric heat pumps wasn't entirely favorable.
So we opted for a hybrid heat pump system—a dual fuel, dual fan-speed unit from Amana. We now get the best of what electric and propane can offer.
[Click to find the right HVAC contractor now. (http://homes.yahoo.net/contractors/quote/?kid=1MNS3&ywa=1)]
When it's above 40 degrees (the temperature threshold is programmable), our furnace uses the electric heat pump to warm our home. And when it drops down below 40, the alternative propane portion of the unit kicks in to do the heating.
During our home planning phase, we estimated this hybrid heat pump system would save us $1,200 to $1,500 a year in fuel costs over a conventional propane-gas-only furnace. That's a big deal!
In addition to the dual fuel option, we also went with a dual fan system. When it's relatively mild, and the house only needs to warm up by 10 or 15 degrees, the furnace conserves energy by using the lower fan speed. When it's really frigid, the higher speed setting kicks in to get the warm air moving faster to where it needs to go.
[Need to update your heating system? Click to find the right home contractor now. (http://homes.yahoo.net/contractors/quote/?kid=1MNS3&ywa=1)]
Every home and situation is different, so when planning for a furnace, consider these things:
What are the fuel options available in your area, and what are the markets like for those fuels? Are they relatively stable or can there be great fluctuations in cost? What's the best way to hedge against that when choosing a furnace?
What is the climate like where you live? Are the winters mild or harsh? How hard will this furnace likely need to work?
How much are your fuel costs likely to be? Can you save money with a hybrid system? If so, how long will it take to pay for itself, and do you plan to stay in your home that long?
Hybrid heat pump systems are more expensive than traditional systems but can pay for themselves in three to five years—or less, as in our case. And I was pleased to find out during a recent appraisal of our house that a hybrid heat pump system actually adds value to a home.
When choosing an HVAC system (http://www.bobvila.com/articles/39-choosing-an-hvac-system/pages/1), it is definitely worth the effort to get out your calculator and do some research. The time you spend planning up front can really pay off in the long run.

[hookset]

this is pretty darn close to what mine looks like:
http://www.solarcooking.org/bkerr/SWHeaterRev-1d.pdf

here are some others that show the general idea:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/solarheater1.gif

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/solarheater2.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e248/jonthepain/solarheater3.jpg


Great application of the sun, jonthepain. Thank you.