Bad money-saving tips

[By the River]

Since inflation appears that it will with us for the long-term, everybody has money saving tips.  Not all will be good...here's one from Shaquille O'neal  (ex-basketball player and now TV analyst)
 https://twitter.com/TheWilderThings/status/1500960088533700610?s=20&t=QnxT17NUnO7X7jcKNLHYPA

[scottish]

That's pretty good.    If you wait to fill up (with gasoline) a whole week it will cost $80 because your tank is empty.   

But if you fill it up on Wednesday, it will only cost $20 because your tank is half full.    So you can save $40 a week by filling it half full twice instead of full once.

I guess Shaq had trouble with math in school.

[SwordGuy]

That's pretty good.    If you wait to fill up (with gasoline) a whole week it will cost $80 because your tank is empty.   

But if you fill it up on Wednesday, it will only cost $20 because your tank is half full.    So you can save $40 a week by filling it half full twice instead of full once.

I guess Shaq had trouble with math in school.

You laugh, but in my cars the half-way mark on the fuel gauge has often been reached before I actually used half the fuel.   Don't know whether that's a safety margin feature or they just can't build gas tank gauge systems that work.   (You know, like the right side mirrors that have stickers on them that say, "Don't trust me, I don't work right.")

So, maybe not that extreme, but filling the tank at the half way mark twice might actually be cheaper than filling it when it's empty.  :)

[RetiredAt63]

I don't like to get below half a tank because what if I get stuck somewhere and run out of gas?  I got stuck on a highway for an hour because of an accident up ahead, we were moving just enough that I could not just turn off the engine and sit there.  That is even more important in winter, where if I am stuck I want to be able to keep warm.  And it doesn't have to be in the middle of nowhere, either, I was stuck years ago on a major boulevard because it was December and snowing, and a truck didn't have snow tires on and got stuck going up an on ramp.  No-one could get by it, we sat for over an hour in the snow.

[scottish]

That's pretty good.    If you wait to fill up (with gasoline) a whole week it will cost $80 because your tank is empty.   

But if you fill it up on Wednesday, it will only cost $20 because your tank is half full.    So you can save $40 a week by filling it half full twice instead of full once.

I guess Shaq had trouble with math in school.

You laugh, but in my cars the half-way mark on the fuel gauge has often been reached before I actually used half the fuel.   Don't know whether that's a safety margin feature or they just can't build gas tank gauge systems that work.   (You know, like the right side mirrors that have stickers on them that say, "Don't trust me, I don't work right.")

So, maybe not that extreme, but filling the tank at the half way mark twice might actually be cheaper than filling it when it's empty.  :)

But you still use the same amount of fuel every week!

[moof]

That's pretty good.    If you wait to fill up (with gasoline) a whole week it will cost $80 because your tank is empty.   

But if you fill it up on Wednesday, it will only cost $20 because your tank is half full.    So you can save $40 a week by filling it half full twice instead of full once.

I guess Shaq had trouble with math in school.

You laugh, but in my cars the half-way mark on the fuel gauge has often been reached before I actually used half the fuel.   Don't know whether that's a safety margin feature or they just can't build gas tank gauge systems that work.   (You know, like the right side mirrors that have stickers on them that say, "Don't trust me, I don't work right.")

So, maybe not that extreme, but filling the tank at the half way mark twice might actually be cheaper than filling it when it's empty.  :)

But you still use the same amount of fuel every week!

Lots of folks will drive several extra miles to save a few cents a gallon, ignoring the $0.50-0.60 a mile of car costs, not to mention their personal time lost in the process.

[SwordGuy]

That's pretty good.    If you wait to fill up (with gasoline) a whole week it will cost $80 because your tank is empty.   

But if you fill it up on Wednesday, it will only cost $20 because your tank is half full.    So you can save $40 a week by filling it half full twice instead of full once.

I guess Shaq had trouble with math in school.

You laugh, but in my cars the half-way mark on the fuel gauge has often been reached before I actually used half the fuel.   Don't know whether that's a safety margin feature or they just can't build gas tank gauge systems that work.   (You know, like the right side mirrors that have stickers on them that say, "Don't trust me, I don't work right.")

So, maybe not that extreme, but filling the tank at the half way mark twice might actually be cheaper than filling it when it's empty.  :)

But you still use the same amount of fuel every week!

Well, yes, of course!    But we're not talking financial sense reality, we're talking objectively observed reality.

Let's say I fill up the tank at the 1/2 way mark, which is really the 60% full mark.    I observe that it costs, let's say, $20 to fill up "half" a tank.    I fill up half a tank everytime I hit that mark, but because I'm not actually tracking my fuel expenses, I have no real idea how much I'm spending in total on fuel.

But if I let the tank go empty, it might cost $50 to fill it up and THAT I'll remember, because it's more than twice $20!
(It's 1am and I'm not going to do the math on my $20, 40% fill-up.  You get the idea.)

So, I'll easily observe and remember these two absolutely correct facts.    And draw the wrong conclusion from them because I'm not tracking what actually matters -- total fuel cost.

It's kind of like the allied air force folks who observed where the bullet holes were in the planes that returned from combat with the enemy.   The air force folks decided they needed more armor where the holes in the plane were.

That is, until a statistician explained to them that the planes they were seeing were the planes that survived.    They needed to put more armor in the areas that didn't have holes in the surviving planes because those planes were the ones being shot down.   100% correct observations about where the holes were and the original assessment of what to armor was completely wrong.

[shureShote]

That's pretty good.    If you wait to fill up (with gasoline) a whole week it will cost $80 because your tank is empty.   

But if you fill it up on Wednesday, it will only cost $20 because your tank is half full.    So you can save $40 a week by filling it half full twice instead of full once.

I guess Shaq had trouble with math in school.

You laugh, but in my cars the half-way mark on the fuel gauge has often been reached before I actually used half the fuel.   Don't know whether that's a safety margin feature or they just can't build gas tank gauge systems that work.   (You know, like the right side mirrors that have stickers on them that say, "Don't trust me, I don't work right.")

So, maybe not that extreme, but filling the tank at the half way mark twice might actually be cheaper than filling it when it's empty.  :)

But you still use the same amount of fuel every week!

Lots of folks will drive several extra miles to save a few cents a gallon, ignoring the $0.50-0.60 a mile of car costs, not to mention their personal time lost in the process.

Yeah, my FIL's wife is a bit like that. She’ll tell us some station across town has the best prices. Uh, so? A fill up for us is about 18 gallons. It would take quite the discount to make me drive more than a mile out of my way.

[OtherJen]

I don't like to get below half a tank because what if I get stuck somewhere and run out of gas?  I got stuck on a highway for an hour because of an accident up ahead, we were moving just enough that I could not just turn off the engine and sit there.  That is even more important in winter, where if I am stuck I want to be able to keep warm.  And it doesn't have to be in the middle of nowhere, either, I was stuck years ago on a major boulevard because it was December and snowing, and a truck didn't have snow tires on and got stuck going up an on ramp.  No-one could get by it, we sat for over an hour in the snow.

This. When I commuted, a snowstorm could increase my drive time from 35 minutes to 2+ hours. A half-tank or more was peace of mind.

[Just Joe]

Lots of folks will drive several extra miles to save a few cents a gallon, ignoring the $0.50-0.60 a mile of car costs, not to mention their personal time lost in the process.

We often have that conversation with our elders. They drive less than anyone I know but worry alot about 2-3 cents per gallon. And no, its not because their budget is limited. Probably gives them something to talk about and a task to manage.

Last visit I bought gas while during an errand. Well, it wasn't the cheapest option I was advised. My impulsiveness cost me an extra 28 cents for a tank of fuel. ;)

DW and I also drive limited miles. We just buy gas from well maintained gas stations that are conveniently located along our route. Our favorite belongs to a friend who owns several and does good things within our community.

[Wolfpack Mustachian]

I saw my new favorite one the other day. It said, with inflation being so incredibly high, you should buy things (just in general, lots of things) and even take out a loan to buy them if necessary because you can sell them (again, whatever they are, it's all going up!) later and pay off your loan. My thoughts were, we're not in Germany in the 1920's, man.....

[Chris Pascale]

Don't live so long. Every year costs a lot, and with inflation.......

[uniwelder]

This reminds me of a chain email I got from a family member around 2008, when gas prices were really high.  To send a message to the oil companies, everyone was urged to stop buying gas on Fridays (or Thursday or some other day).  They'd see a huge drop in their revenue, relent, and lower prices at the pump somehow.  I'm not sure how it didn't occur to them that they're still buying the same amount of gas.

[Morning Glory]

This reminds me of a chain email I got from a family member around 2008, when gas prices were really high.  To send a message to the oil companies, everyone was urged to stop buying gas on Fridays (or Thursday or some other day).  They'd see a huge drop in their revenue, relent, and lower prices at the pump somehow.  I'm not sure how it didn't occur to them that they're still buying the same amount of gas.

Same logic as liquor stores not being open on Sunday?

[uniwelder]

This reminds me of a chain email I got from a family member around 2008, when gas prices were really high.  To send a message to the oil companies, everyone was urged to stop buying gas on Fridays (or Thursday or some other day).  They'd see a huge drop in their revenue, relent, and lower prices at the pump somehow.  I'm not sure how it didn't occur to them that they're still buying the same amount of gas.

Same logic as liquor stores not being open on Sunday?

I thought that got grouped in with other laws banning work on the day of rest and avoiding sin.

[SpaceCow]

"Get the v6 Dodge Charger instead of the v8 to save money with these ridiculous gas prices"

[OtherJen]

This reminds me of a chain email I got from a family member around 2008, when gas prices were really high.  To send a message to the oil companies, everyone was urged to stop buying gas on Fridays (or Thursday or some other day).  They'd see a huge drop in their revenue, relent, and lower prices at the pump somehow.  I'm not sure how it didn't occur to them that they're still buying the same amount of gas.

Same logic as liquor stores not being open on Sunday?

I thought that got grouped in with other laws banning work on the day of rest and avoiding sin.

Yes. Apparently buying liquor only offends Jesus when it's done on Sunday.

[uniwelder]

This reminds me of a chain email I got from a family member around 2008, when gas prices were really high.  To send a message to the oil companies, everyone was urged to stop buying gas on Fridays (or Thursday or some other day).  They'd see a huge drop in their revenue, relent, and lower prices at the pump somehow.  I'm not sure how it didn't occur to them that they're still buying the same amount of gas.

Same logic as liquor stores not being open on Sunday?

I thought that got grouped in with other laws banning work on the day of rest and avoiding sin.

Yes. Apparently buying liquor only offends Jesus when it's done on Sunday.

I get it now. I’m a bit slow sometimes.

[Morning Glory]

This reminds me of a chain email I got from a family member around 2008, when gas prices were really high.  To send a message to the oil companies, everyone was urged to stop buying gas on Fridays (or Thursday or some other day).  They'd see a huge drop in their revenue, relent, and lower prices at the pump somehow.  I'm not sure how it didn't occur to them that they're still buying the same amount of gas.

Same logic as liquor stores not being open on Sunday?

I thought that got grouped in with other laws banning work on the day of rest and avoiding sin.

Yes. Apparently buying liquor only offends Jesus when it's done on Sunday.

I get it now. I’m a bit slow sometimes.

It does nothing to reduce overall consumption.  When Minnesota changed the law to allow sales on Sunday,  the liquor store owners were the most opposed because they would have more overhead and the same amount of revenue if they opened,  but would lose out to competition if they remained closed.

[shureShote]

This reminds me of a chain email I got from a family member around 2008, when gas prices were really high.  To send a message to the oil companies, everyone was urged to stop buying gas on Fridays (or Thursday or some other day).  They'd see a huge drop in their revenue, relent, and lower prices at the pump somehow.  I'm not sure how it didn't occur to them that they're still buying the same amount of gas.

Same logic as liquor stores not being open on Sunday?

I thought that got grouped in with other laws banning work on the day of rest and avoiding sin.

Yes. Apparently buying liquor only offends Jesus when it's done on Sunday.

I get it now. I’m a bit slow sometimes.

It does nothing to reduce overall consumption.  When Minnesota changed the law to allow sales on Sunday,  the liquor store owners were the most opposed because they would have more overhead and the same amount of revenue if they opened,  but would lose out to competition if they remained closed.

I lived in Germany for a few years a decade+ ago, and most grocery stores were closed on Sundays. An observant coworker, in response to my "what the hell" question about it was "well, I buy what I need on Saturday, and I would not buy more than I need just because I can shop on Sunday." I didn't get it at the time, coming from the land of 24/7 Walmart, but he was exactly right. I would have liked to see the crowds spread across a couple days, but similar to the booze comment, it would just increase overhead and lead eventually to higher cost and then prices.

[Sibley]

And then there's Indiana, where you can't buy alcohol on Sundays before noon. Not sure about the liquor stores though.

[svosavvy]

OM Goodness. this is so precious. made my day thanks.

[Chris Pascale]

This reminds me of a chain email I got from a family member around 2008, when gas prices were really high.  To send a message to the oil companies, everyone was urged to stop buying gas on Fridays (or Thursday or some other day).  They'd see a huge drop in their revenue, relent, and lower prices at the pump somehow.  I'm not sure how it didn't occur to them that they're still buying the same amount of gas.

Same logic as liquor stores not being open on Sunday?

I thought that got grouped in with other laws banning work on the day of rest and avoiding sin.

Yes. Apparently buying liquor only offends Jesus when it's done on Sunday.

Jesus drank wine, but not on the day after the day of rest.........except for when church was changed from the 7th day to the 1st.

[ducky19]

And then there's Indiana, where you can't buy alcohol on Sundays before noon. Not sure about the liquor stores though.

Back in my college days (the first, unsuccessful go round), I lived in Northern Indiana. On Sundays, we would load 4-5 of us into the car and drive to Michigan (only about 15 miles away) to make our beer purchases. Now that I'm back in Illinois, the one thing Indiana does have going for it is they sell Yuengling!

I guess this second part could fall into a "bad" money saving tip. A buddy of mine from work used to take orders and drive to Indiana to get it - he would usually come back with a couple of pony kegs and the bed of his truck filled with cases of beer. Mmm... beer. At least he was making it worthwhile by bringing as much back as possible.

[2Birds1Stone]

The opposite is actually true.

Fill up at empty and only fill to the half tank point on a regular basis, over say 200,000 miles of a cars lifespan you will have driven around with 40-50lbs less in the vehicle depending on the size of the tank, that might give you 1% higher MPG. I would imagine the cars brakes would also benefit from this.

-the guy who cuts dryer sheets in half ;)

[shureShote]

I'll toss my booze buying story in here. Back in the early 90s I was down in Columbus, GA where alcohol sales were cut off at midnight at Publix. Went in right at the wire with a friend to buy a six pack to continue the pleasant evening that had started at a local establishment. It was about 11:57, plenty of time. Well, the cashier was nervous and wanted to ring up something else so she could check the official time from the register. I get a tad upset "if you keep screwing around with this it is going to be midnight and I am not going to be happy!" Cooler heads prevailed and we were able to make the purchase.

Some years later I was living in Columbus, IN, with the Sunday restrictions. It was a somewhat well known urban legend that at a little general store outside of town that one could ask for "bananas", pay in cash and find a little present on the concrete slab by the back door.

[RetiredAt63]

The opposite is actually true.

Fill up at empty and only fill to the half tank point on a regular basis, over say 200,000 miles of a cars lifespan you will have driven around with 40-50lbs less in the vehicle depending on the size of the tank, that might give you 1% higher MPG. I would imagine the cars brakes would also benefit from this.

-the guy who cuts dryer sheets in half ;)

I'm the opposite, I try not to get below half.  Had a few too many stuck in traffic or bad winter driving situations that I don't want to risk running out of gas.  Just filled up yesterday, in fact ($1.846/litre, ouch).

[2Birds1Stone]

I'll toss my booze buying story in here. Back in the early 90s I was down in Columbus, GA where alcohol sales were cut off at midnight at Publix. Went in right at the wire with a friend to buy a six pack to continue the pleasant evening that had started at a local establishment. It was about 11:57, plenty of time. Well, the cashier was nervous and wanted to ring up something else so she could check the official time from the register. I get a tad upset "if you keep screwing around with this it is going to be midnight and I am not going to be happy!" Cooler heads prevailed and we were able to make the purchase.

Some years later I was living in Columbus, IN, with the Sunday restrictions. It was a somewhat well known urban legend that at a little general store outside of town that one could ask for "bananas", pay in cash and find a little present on the concrete slab by the back door.

Hilarious. We had a Mr. Softee in Queens NY during the early 2000's that would sell you a $2 ice cream cone or a $20 ice cream cone. The $20 one contained a ~1g of sweet maryjane under the delicious soft serve.

[2Birds1Stone]

I'm the opposite, I try not to get below half.  Had a few too many stuck in traffic or bad winter driving situations that I don't want to risk running out of gas.  Just filled up yesterday, in fact ($1.846/litre, ouch).

Same here! But in theory if you got say, 20.1 MPG instead of 20 MPG because you consistently drove with half a tank or less in the vehicle over it's lifespan it would add up to ~$500-1000 in savings over that time =D

[Morning Glory]

I'm the opposite, I try not to get below half.  Had a few too many stuck in traffic or bad winter driving situations that I don't want to risk running out of gas.  Just filled up yesterday, in fact ($1.846/litre, ouch).

Same here! But in theory if you got say, 20.1 MPG instead of 20 MPG because you consistently drove with half a tank or less in the vehicle over it's lifespan it would add up to ~$500-1000 in savings over that time =D

I wait until down to the wire and fill until completely full, thus saving the cost of extra time spent at the gas station.  I figure I save at least an hour or two every year by this method, and st my last hourly job I made $44/hr, so the math works out about the same.

[2Birds1Stone]

Never thought of that! Great point @Morning Glory. Since we drive so infrequently, running out of gas on a long drive/commute is a non-issue this has been the natural way I do it too.

Looking back at spending for last 12 months, we average 2 fill-ups a month on our shared car (11-12 gallons a pop)

[YttriumNitrate]

Jesus drank wine, but not on the day after the day of rest.........except for when church was changed from the 7th day to the 1st.

He was also aware of the issues of running out of wine and the need to plan ahead. After all, his first miracle was to make more booze so the party could continue...

[GuitarStv]

That's pretty good.    If you wait to fill up (with gasoline) a whole week it will cost $80 because your tank is empty.   

But if you fill it up on Wednesday, it will only cost $20 because your tank is half full.    So you can save $40 a week by filling it half full twice instead of full once.

I guess Shaq had trouble with math in school.

You laugh, but in my cars the half-way mark on the fuel gauge has often been reached before I actually used half the fuel.   Don't know whether that's a safety margin feature or they just can't build gas tank gauge systems that work.   (You know, like the right side mirrors that have stickers on them that say, "Don't trust me, I don't work right.")

So, maybe not that extreme, but filling the tank at the half way mark twice might actually be cheaper than filling it when it's empty.  :)

But you still use the same amount of fuel every week!

It certainly re-enforces my long held belief that you should rarely listen to penny pinching tips from a guy worth hundreds of millions of dollars.  They live in a completely different world and don't actually have to learn how to optimize the nitty gritty tiny details.

[RetiredAt63]

I'm the opposite, I try not to get below half.  Had a few too many stuck in traffic or bad winter driving situations that I don't want to risk running out of gas.  Just filled up yesterday, in fact ($1.846/litre, ouch).

Same here! But in theory if you got say, 20.1 MPG instead of 20 MPG because you consistently drove with half a tank or less in the vehicle over it's lifespan it would add up to ~$500-1000 in savings over that time =D

I drive around all summer with my garden shed in my car (i.e. I have a community garden plot and no place to store tools, and I hate putting them in the storage locker every day, it is massively inconvenient).  I'm sure that extra weight hits my mileage a bit.  I don't go out of my way to buy gas, I use Gas Buddy to check prices and then stop for gas en-route to someplace else.

These days I drive so little it isn't really an issue.  But I can think of 3 4 times I was really really glad I had started with more than half a tank of gas, because by the end of those times I was well under 1/4.  For two of them, running out of gas would have been extremely inconvenient, 2 of them (winter) would have been dangerous. 

So, priorities.

[OtherJen]

And then there's Indiana, where you can't buy alcohol on Sundays before noon. Not sure about the liquor stores though.

Back in my college days (the first, unsuccessful go round), I lived in Northern Indiana. On Sundays, we would load 4-5 of us into the car and drive to Michigan (only about 15 miles away) to make our beer purchases. Now that I'm back in Illinois, the one thing Indiana does have going for it is they sell Yuengling!

I guess this second part could fall into a "bad" money saving tip. A buddy of mine from work used to take orders and drive to Indiana to get it - he would usually come back with a couple of pony kegs and the bed of his truck filled with cases of beer. Mmm... beer. At least he was making it worthwhile by bringing as much back as possible.

You must have arrived in MI after noon. Back when I was a churchgoer, I stopped at Kroger after 8:30 AM Mass to pick up supplies for dinner, including a bottle of wine, only to have the cashier inform me that she couldn't sell me the wine until noon. (That law has since changed, I think; I'm rarely out before noon on a Sunday.)

Your second story reminds me of some of the stories our friends who grew up in Utah have told us about driving to Idaho or Nevada to buy alcohol.

[Sibley]

The opposite is actually true.

Fill up at empty and only fill to the half tank point on a regular basis, over say 200,000 miles of a cars lifespan you will have driven around with 40-50lbs less in the vehicle depending on the size of the tank, that might give you 1% higher MPG. I would imagine the cars brakes would also benefit from this.

-the guy who cuts dryer sheets in half ;)

Why are you buying dryer sheets at all? Just throw a wool ball in to cut static.

[Morning Glory]

The opposite is actually true.

Fill up at empty and only fill to the half tank point on a regular basis, over say 200,000 miles of a cars lifespan you will have driven around with 40-50lbs less in the vehicle depending on the size of the tank, that might give you 1% higher MPG. I would imagine the cars brakes would also benefit from this.

-the guy who cuts dryer sheets in half ;)

Why are you buying dryer sheets at all? Just throw a wool ball in to cut static.

Into one of those noisy fire hazard machines?

[Adventine]

A family member told me once that I should always buy two of everything I needed (appliances, tools, etc) so that when the first item broke, I would always have a replacement handy.


They don't have enough room in their house for the backup stuff, so they rent a storage locker.


They are also deeply in debt.


I don't think they've made the connection.

[shureShote]

A family member told me once that I should always buy two of everything I needed (appliances, tools, etc) so that when the first item broke, I would always have a replacement handy.

They don't have enough room in their house for the backup stuff, so they rent a storage locker.

They are also deeply in debt.

I don't think they've made the connection.

Ouch. The only small, maybe super-small, area where this might make any sort of sense is buying a second widget when you discover that said widget is really darn good, and you expect it to last so long that they will change it by the time it wears out. I have needed replacements for things ten or fifteen or twenty years later only to find that the current models are absolute junk or so far out of my price range (even considering my local inflation). The trick is to recognize the quality (and life) at just the right time...

I have a pair of winter gloves that I treat like gold knowing they can't be touched for any price I'd be willing to give.

Some running shorts and socks have fit this as new designs are not what I am looking for, at any price. Glad I bought a couple extra pairs of my current shorts two years ago.

[PMG]

That's pretty good.    If you wait to fill up (with gasoline) a whole week it will cost $80 because your tank is empty.   

But if you fill it up on Wednesday, it will only cost $20 because your tank is half full.    So you can save $40 a week by filling it half full twice instead of full once.

I guess Shaq had trouble with math in school.

You laugh, but in my cars the half-way mark on the fuel gauge has often been reached before I actually used half the fuel.   Don't know whether that's a safety margin feature or they just can't build gas tank gauge systems that work.   (You know, like the right side mirrors that have stickers on them that say, "Don't trust me, I don't work right.")

So, maybe not that extreme, but filling the tank at the half way mark twice might actually be cheaper than filling it when it's empty.  :)

But you still use the same amount of fuel every week!

It certainly re-enforces my long held belief that you should rarely listen to penny pinching tips from a guy worth hundreds of millions of dollars.  They live in a completely different world and don't actually have to learn how to optimize the nitty gritty tiny details.

I wonder if there is also some self regulation going on with only filling the tank partially?  Might that person then delay a trip to the store because “I only have a quarter of a tank left!”  I can imagine that being a tool for some people. Portion control, if you will.  It’s also a self protective tool I’ve seen in various situations with people in poverty trying to maintain some semblance of control over money. I’m probably mangling the language but if you have it, it gets used. If you have money it gets spent, so why save?  If you buy in bulk, you get mice in the food, the sink overflows and destroys all the extra TP, your neighbor stops by and bums your cigarettes.  So you are better off buying in small quantities. It’s the same with money though, you might save some for an emergency, but those emergencies come often and if your family and friends know you have a little stashed away, they will find ways to make it difficult for you to keep it. If you tank is full of gas, then of course you are the one elected to drive Uncle Joe to the Dr, or the casino and so forth and so on.

I grew up with a parent who was always running out of gas or riding around on empty and partial fill ups and when I started earning my own money it took me a couple years to learn that I did not have to replicate their behavior and I could absolutely live my life without that kind of stress, even on a low income.  In my parents case it was completely caused by their lack of self control of any kind, so I’m kind of arguing both sides of my case here.

eta: so many typos.

[geekette]

Some running shorts and socks have fit this as new designs are not what I am looking for, at any price. Glad I bought a couple extra pairs of my current shorts two years ago.

I learned to sew because I couldn't find any shorts I liked. 

BTW, sewing your own clothes doesn't save money.

[RetiredAt63]

Some running shorts and socks have fit this as new designs are not what I am looking for, at any price. Glad I bought a couple extra pairs of my current shorts two years ago.

I learned to sew because I couldn't find any shorts I liked. 

BTW, sewing your own clothes doesn't save money.

Knitting doesn't either, but for both you have a fun hobby and get exactly what you want.

[Dicey]

Some running shorts and socks have fit this as new designs are not what I am looking for, at any price. Glad I bought a couple extra pairs of my current shorts two years ago.

I learned to sew because I couldn't find any shorts I liked. 

BTW, sewing your own clothes doesn't save money.

Hmmm, knowing how to sew certainly does. As for creating new garments, it depends on how you source the raw materials.

[Sibley]

The opposite is actually true.

Fill up at empty and only fill to the half tank point on a regular basis, over say 200,000 miles of a cars lifespan you will have driven around with 40-50lbs less in the vehicle depending on the size of the tank, that might give you 1% higher MPG. I would imagine the cars brakes would also benefit from this.

-the guy who cuts dryer sheets in half ;)

Why are you buying dryer sheets at all? Just throw a wool ball in to cut static.

Into one of those noisy fire hazard machines?

Well the next question is why are you using the dryer at all? But if you insist then there are alternatives to cut static.

https://speedqueen.com/how-to-stay-clear-of-static/#:~:text=The%20simple%20solution%3F,when%20you%20dry%20your%20clothes.&text=Vinegar%20seems%20like%20a%20strange,the%20rest%20of%20the%20laundry.

[2Birds1Stone]

Hahaha, my post was in jest.

Here's ours, at least 95% of the time.....

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[RetiredAt63]

Some running shorts and socks have fit this as new designs are not what I am looking for, at any price. Glad I bought a couple extra pairs of my current shorts two years ago.

I learned to sew because I couldn't find any shorts I liked. 

BTW, sewing your own clothes doesn't save money.

Hmmm, knowing how to sew certainly does. As for creating new garments, it depends on how you source the raw materials.

Where do you source your fabric?  I don't like the idea of buying online, I want to see the colours and feel the hand of the fabric.

Where I find the savings come is home furnishings.

And if I were into the SCA or something similar.   The only time non-spinner/weaver types were super into something I was doing, they were re-enactors from the War of 1812-14, because they know how much hand-crafted things cost.  No oh you can buy those at Walmart/Costco nonsense.

I am seriously thinking I might make a summer dress from an old sheet (white, 100% cotton) I have that has pretty cut-work edging.   

[Dicey]

Lol, I made a prom dress out of a pretty floral sheet. Couple of years later my sister wore it to a dance. Some guy recognized it as a sheet and said, "Nighty night, Sister Sue", which we both thought was hilarious. 

I volunteer at a thrift store and find great fabric there frequently.

I was also thinking that knowing how to sew means I can buy something and tailor it to fit or upcycle. I can also mend my clothes as needed so they last longer.

And yes, sewing home decor has certainly stretched my budget over the years.

I have only ordered fabric online once. I made a baker's dozen tablecloths in a tropical Sunbrella print for an fund-raising event. Oh, wait! I also ordered Polarfleece from Malden Mills to make bathrobes. I was too impatient to wait for a sample. In retrospect, I should have, because I ended up with a bulkier fleece than I wanted, but it's fine for winter use.

[clarkfan1979]

Since inflation appears that it will with us for the long-term, everybody has money saving tips.  Not all will be good...here's one from Shaquille O'neal  (ex-basketball player and now TV analyst)
 https://twitter.com/TheWilderThings/status/1500960088533700610?s=20&t=QnxT17NUnO7X7jcKNLHYPA

I always find it weird when someone suggests that I buy something and then it's framed as "savings". I don't really have any specific examples at the moment. Maybe I will think of one later.

[PMG]

Since inflation appears that it will with us for the long-term, everybody has money saving tips.  Not all will be good...here's one from Shaquille O'neal  (ex-basketball player and now TV analyst)
 https://twitter.com/TheWilderThings/status/1500960088533700610?s=20&t=QnxT17NUnO7X7jcKNLHYPA

I always find it weird when someone suggests that I buy something and then it's framed as "savings". I don't really have any specific examples at the moment. Maybe I will think of one later.

One I see all the time is that buying this or that fancy lunchbox system or water bottle or “green home” supply will save so much money so you should “invest” in it.  We all know that it’s actually packing your lunch that saves money.

ETA:  Well, packing your lunch doesn’t actually save money either if it means you just spend more elsewhere, it’s the act of moving that unused $ into savings that actually is saving. ;)

[geekette]

Some running shorts and socks have fit this as new designs are not what I am looking for, at any price. Glad I bought a couple extra pairs of my current shorts two years ago.

I learned to sew because I couldn't find any shorts I liked. 

BTW, sewing your own clothes doesn't save money.

Hmmm, knowing how to sew certainly does. As for creating new garments, it depends on how you source the raw materials.

Where do you source your fabric?  I don't like the idea of buying online, I want to see the colours and feel the hand of the fabric.

Where I find the savings come is home furnishings.

And if I were into the SCA or something similar.   The only time non-spinner/weaver types were super into something I was doing, they were re-enactors from the War of 1812-14, because they know how much hand-crafted things cost.  No oh you can buy those at Walmart/Costco nonsense.

I am seriously thinking I might make a summer dress from an old sheet (white, 100% cotton) I have that has pretty cut-work edging.

Home dec, definitely.  The savings from sewing just a set of drapes will pay for a basic machine. 

I found that for what I want (and I realize it's a want) I needed a serger and a coverstitch. It's a choice, but now I'm comfortable in what I sew, which is mostly knits.