Just because you pay your bills on time.....
myfask
17 years ago
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Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
17 years agolast modified: 9 years agoharriethomeowner
17 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
how much do you guys save on your grocery bill from your garden?
Comments (20)It would be difficult (and time-consuming) to add that up, but especially if you buy organic vegetables, you will save money. Last year I purchased two kale plants and at the time I bought them I thought they were sort of expensive, I think they were over a dollar apiece. But they produced enormous amounts of kale for many months, until our weather got really hot in the early summer. I think I could have kept them alive through the summer if I had tried, but I needed the space for other things, and by then the kale leaves were tasting bitter. But for all those months, I noticed that organic kale of the same variety at the farmers market was about $4 a bunch. If I had bought just one bunch each week I guess would have saved between $80 and $100 just on kale. I was eating at least that much of it, and giving more away. Then there was the organic looseleaf lettuce I grew. I paid $2 or $3 for a large packet of mixed seed (still using it this year) and also supplied myself, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Organic lettuce was going for $2 to $3 a head but since I cut my lettuce leaves with scissors and let them regrow from the roots, I used the same plants all fall and winter and spring and saved an awful lot of money for myself and others. Beets were another good example. They are ridiculously easy to grow and a seed packet seems to last a lifetime. Yet organic beets (heck, even non-organic fresh beets) are very expensive at the market. Not every vegetable provides such a drastic cost comparison, of course. Zucchini squash is usually pretty cheap at the store, and of course it produces so much on the vine that you want to pay people to take it off your hands. Some other vegetables can be bought cheaply, although if you buy only organic vegetables most of those will cost twice as much as non-organic and that makes your cost comparison with homegrown a little more meaningful. But as most every gardener points out, the taste of homegrown food is much better, and the knowledge that food you grew yourself is safe for you and your family is priceless. When you factor in pride of accomplishment, convenience at cooking time, and the joy and pleasure of being close to nature, the value of gardening rises exponentially....See MoreDo you check your meter readings against your bill?
Comments (3)True, meter readings can definitely be in error, but keep in mind that these errors are not going to cost you any money in the long run. In the case of your water bill, for example, your bill for water usage the next month would have been zero because the meter reading still probably would not have come up to the figure they erroneously recorded on the previous month's bill. The same would be true of gas and electric meters. (There may still be a monthly service fee you pay, so the bill wouldn't actually be zero, but you'd pay that anyhow. The bill for your actual usage will be zero.) However, some people may object to "lending" the utility company money in the form of paying a big bill this month, even though that money is going to be paid back to them over the next few months in the forms of very low or non-existent bills. These people can simply do as you did and read the meter themselves if they get an overly high bill, and the utility company will make the appropriate adjustment....See MoreElectric Bill, What do you pay each month?
Comments (41)During the summer months, my electrci bill runs between $50 to $90 per month. Its about $30 more when the air conditioner runs (whole house A/C). Before I got A/C, I ran a dehumidifier in the basement. It had a problem of freezing up. I found that was due to too much humidity coupled with the cooler basement air. The solution was to raise is a couple of feet off the floor. Since the basement can not be tightly sealed away from the rest of the house, it gets to be a loosing proposition because the humidity continues to be replenished from upstairs. Whole house A/C was the answer. It reduces the temperature difference between the basement and upper floor and effectively dries the air. Whats more, the A/C does not use much more electricity than a humidifier and fans in the upper floor. To a small degree, it reduces the load of the refrigerator and freezer since their ambient air temp is lowered. I've been lucky this summer. I used the A/C for two weeks in June and none since. However, August is coming and I can expect to start it again. Around here, the first 3 weeks of August can be like July....See MoreYour system for paying bills online?
Comments (29)No one is as organized or sharp as Allison. She's an absolute whiz. I do bills for us and all medical for DD1 who is disabled. I use a big bank with a superb online payment system. Most of my bills are paid electronically same or next day. Those are all hooked up in the bank console and can be scheduled to pay on any day I like. Things like mortgage and car payments and DD's rent are set to be paid the same day each month. Each year I set up our drug plan payments the same way but with an end date since the drug plans can change yearly. The companies that don't have electronic transfer get checks I can generate via the bank. The bank mails them. I can add notations like account numbers. Why I do this is that I was told at the bank that these days, you don't want your routing and account numbers circulating on many checks. I use very few personal checks -- only when necessary for that reason. I would never arrange an ACH payment where money can be removed from an account automatically. Never. When I pay for most anything I like to do that with a credit card so I get points. That's also an easy way to keep track of things as I use certain cards for certain types of purchases, or try to. When I get enough points I use it to pay a bill. One card is linked to Amazon so points can pay for parts of purchases. When I make a payment through the bank I print it out and staple it to the bill. Those go into monthly folders. If I was super organized I would go through things every month and keep for taxes as I go. But not there yet. So I have taxageddon this month. Ugh. Think my system is easy, fairly streamlined and safe. What I don't want is my vital information stored in many different computer systems that may be easier to hack than a major bank....See Moremyfask
17 years agolast modified: 9 years agochisue
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17 years agolast modified: 9 years agojaceysgranny
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9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMrsShayne
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9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoElmer J Fudd
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9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPeter1142
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agodahoov2
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPeter1142
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agodahoov2
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agodahoov2
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPeter1142
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoarmjim
9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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