Ways to save money

[ashedfc]

I have done this myself, and I considered posting it too.

My current laser printer cost me $60 after rebates at Staples. It's an HP Laserjet 1020. I get toner cartridges for $20 from eBay. The cartridge lasts me a couple of years.

The only downside is that you don't get colour. But you get a superior print, with no lines, bleed or wet paper. Much faster than an ink jet too.

You get Color Laser too. I have an HP Color Laser (for business use only) & 2 Laser BW - HP 1020 for personal use , & Cannon 4150 for business use. They are the best, with Laser - you don't have any complains. Regarding cartridge: I buy a couple, when it comes on sale. It all depends upon your printing volume.

[Cheap]

When you buy the ink cartridges from Ebay, do you buy them from any country (e.g. Hong Kong)? Or should I stick to companies that are within Canada? Can a person be ripped off on Ebay? What financial information can and should not be given to Ebay. I have never used Ebay before.

[Insane]

Many restaurants can't reuse stuff you bring back up, even the little ketchup packets as they are no longer considered 'safe' - sad we live in a world like that but when people are sticking pins in packages of meat I understand why they would do it

That's what I've been told. Then it becomes a huge waste which isn't cool. I always try to take exactly what I'm gonna use in that visit.

Increase your deductibles. You will pay more if you have an accident, but your premiums will also decrease. Chances are over a lifetime of driving, you will only make a couple of claims. This can save a lot of money.

You have to be careful with this though....hit and runs and morons who don't pay their insurance will cost you more. So if you are making a claim due to a hit and run or because some idiot gave you his insurance info but really didn't have valid insurance (cause he didn't pay his insurance and they cancelled it) you are stuck paying your higher deductible. Can you tell I speak from experience?

I live in Bracebridge, however I still believe most would save that are in Canada. I keep my big deep freezer in the garage. My garage isn't attached to my home but doesn't bother me. The freezer sits on a concrete floor and very cool even in the summer time. I have noticed that through the winter months, it doesn't even run for probably most of the time......

That's pretty smart! In the winter I could probably unplug the darn thing if it was in the garage. And as a perk, it would stop me from buying (and subsequently eating) ice cream and other frozen junk if I had to go all the way to the garage to get it (instead of the kitchen!)

After paying off the car loan I saved the budgeted car payment in a high interest savings account (now tfsa) and now have enough for my next car when/if this one dies (it's 11 years old and still running great), so I now put 75% of the budgeted car payments towards the mortgage and 25% in my car savings fund, so I can reward myself with something a bit nicer when I do need one. In addition, I also save a bunch on insurance by driving an older car.

That's our plan! I can't wait for the day when I can buy a car CASH!

I always buy clothes at the end of season for the kids they are always like 50 to 75% off and just right for them, so if you want spring clothes buy them then end of winter.

I do that too! I also buy the cheap looking clothes (on sale too) at walmart and the kids wear them as pjs! I paid like $1 a pair for 4 pairs of pjs for my daughter a couple of months ago. I also buy boxers for my 9 year old son to wear as pjs. Can get them in a pack for a couple of bucks, and presto- 3 or 4 pairs of summer pjs!

renewable prescriptions on medicine save big money for me" as i dont have a medical plan.

instead of getting one month at a time , i buy the full amount at one time.
saves on dispensing fees

Before we got a drug plan, we used to do that too. I think it drove the pharmacist slightly nuts having to orderin 3-4 months worth of my husband's meds but it saved us quite a bit of $. When things got really tight, we couldn't do it anymore though cause you've got to have the $ upfront for several months worth.

[Giving-Small]

So many great ideas in this thread -- I'll have to read many more pages to read them all.

Here's a couple of ideas that I hope that they aren't repeats.

In the book Getting Things Done, it suggests organizing things on your list by the "place" you do them, home, work, car, yard etc. I found that this made it easy to see what I could combine with an unexpected trip or last minute trip. I have teenagers who need ferrying to sports events and the locations are around the city. It's easy to mix and match errands. Saves time and gas.

This time of year so many people are looking for folks to pick their apples or crab apples. It's super simple to make applesauce or cut up and freeze apples to use for cooking later on. So with a small-medium size freezer, you can often store up a lot of fruit (organic to boot) for the winter.

[Cheap]

Can we get into the Guiness Book of World Records for having the longest thread?

[Valiant]

Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by muskokalivin
I live in Bracebridge, however I still believe most would save that are in Canada. I keep my big deep freezer in the garage. My garage isn't attached to my home but doesn't bother me. The freezer sits on a concrete floor and very cool even in the summer time. I have noticed that through the winter months, it doesn't even run for probably most of the time......


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Another quote:
"That's pretty smart! In the winter I could probably unplug the darn thing if it was in the garage. And as a perk, it would stop me from buying (and subsequently eating) ice cream and other frozen junk if I had to go all the way to the garage to get it (instead of the kitchen!)"
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Although it seems like a good idea to store the freezer in the garage in order to save on electricity to run the freezer, the experts say that this is really bad for your freezer. Most garages get very hot in summer, and the freezer's working parts have to work much harder in very hot summer temps.

And in freezing temps for the freezer, it's kinda like starting up your car in the winter when it's outside, so with both ways this shortens the life of the freezer. But if you can store some foods during frigid temps in the garage in a picnic cooler, that would work just fine. Or even outside, under a pile of snow with a little marker.

[Cheap]

Can dial-up work with a digital phone service? Does anyone know of a good cheap dial-up internet service that can work with a Cogeco digital phone line?

[ashedfc]

Can dial-up work with a digital phone service? Does anyone know of a good cheap dial-up internet service that can work with a Cogeco digital phone line?

Yes $2.95 per month - check this one.
http://www.295.ca/

[Cheap]

Ashedfc,

Are you talking about their DSL internet? Because they have a disclaimer with regards to their dial-up internet:

"People using Roger's phonelines may have issues using our service. It is not recommended that you use 295.ca with Roger's phone service.
Should you choose to do so, please note that our no-refund policy still stands in this case. Sorry for any inconvenience. - The 295.ca team"

I phoned and spoke to a sales representative at 295.ca and he told me that the dial-up might not work with a digital phone line.


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[Cheap]

Well I did the calculations and it may be worth it to break the Cogeco contract and switch to a cheaper company for both internet and phone.

[mhk]

I collect bits of soap, and when there are like 6 small pieces, mould them back into a bar of soap. Great for washing hands at the sink etc.

[brunt]

I live in Bracebridge, however I still believe most would save that are in Canada. I keep my big deep freezer in the garage. My garage isn't attached to my home but doesn't bother me. The freezer sits on a concrete floor and very cool even in the summer time. I have noticed that through the winter months, it doesn't even run for probably most of the time......

If you really want an inexpensive to run outdoor freezer, check this out:

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/a...assive-freezer

And yes, as noted above, if your garage gets warm, your freezer will be running full time to keep it cool. Also counter-intuitively, it will also be heating your garage further. If your power goes out for just a day or two, you could find a lot of spoiled food.

We keep our freezer in the cool basement.

[Cheap]

With regards to the passive freezer, won't the room have to stay undisturbed during the summer months? Because if someone opens the door of the "freezer" during the summer, to get a popsicle, then outside summer heat will be released into the room and the "freezer's" cold air will be released out. A pump will be required to pump out the warm air and get the temperature back to normal. What is the point of a "freezer" if you can't open it to get a popsicle?

[brunt]

With regards to the passive freezer, won't the room have to stay undisturbed during the summer months? Because if someone opens the door of the "freezer" during the summer, to get a popsicle, then outside summer heat will be released into the room and the "freezer's" cold air will be released out. A pump will be required to pump out the warm air and get the temperature back to normal. What is the point of a "freezer" if you can't open it to get a popsicle?

The passive freezer is not intended to be opened frequently. It would not require a pump for the hot air (that would defeat the purpose of the no power design) as litre for litre, air carries far less heat than does salt water.

If you wanted items more frequently, I would design a small door that would allow just your arm to access to an area inside. When you walk inside on your once per day entrance, you could move more items toward the small door.

[Valiant]

Why not just add more insulation to the outside of our plugged-in freezers? Styrofoam panels could be stuck on the top, sides and front, and part of the back of the freezer, with double-faced tape. Even a couple of thick comforters piled over the top of the freezer would cut down on the number of times the compressor has to cut in to keep the contents frozen.