Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

[mel]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

I'm also one of the people who never owned and don't intend to own a cell phone. That is a big cost savings right there.

[Pongs]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

For the $$$ ou spend on dat stuff, you could probably hire someone to clean it.

eh... I don't mind cleaning and filling it really, its just the carrying it around along w/ all the other stuff I have in my bag, laptop, books, whatever. so heavy!!

AbsolutChaos, i haven't tried those bandaids but i find that bandaids always tend to come off or leave sticky stuff on my shoes

[pzarquon]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

I like the bottle tax, because we collect them and it is amazing to see how that adds up!

We don't mind recycling, either, but we largely only recycle our own empties... meaning we're just getting our money back, not actually making a few extra bucks.

I thought this thread was basically asking, What luxuries do you allow yourself? Rather than what you give up or do without?

I admit, I've got a lot of stuff in that category, from high-speed Internet access (though geeks would call it a neccessity) to computers (Macs, even, definitely not beige boxes) and gadgets... to being particular about a few brands (though I otherwise default to generic). I suppose a cell phone is a luxury, but I'd be more likely to put our mostly neglected land line in that category these days.

There's a lot of stuff I could cut out, and I do try, but on top of the things you need to survive, there's always going to be stuff you want to have to enjoy life more. Cost of living and quality of life, you know?

[helen]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

I gave up comics in 1994 and gave away my collection to others but that was to free up space in my place instead of saving money.

[timkona]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

Recycling is a loop. Until we build an Aluminum Smelter somewhere in Hawaii, it's all just fakey-to-ralph.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

Recycling is a loop. Until we build an Aluminum Smelter somewhere in Hawaii, it's all just fakey-to-ralph.

Outsourcing our recycling, as we currently do, is barely economical even now, and only because transportation fuel costs are low. But those costs are rising, and depending on how high they go and whether they stay there permanently, it may indeed be a better idea to have an entirely local recycling plant. But if you think siting a new landfill makes the neighbors mad, just wait till you try to get a permit for a smelter.

[timkona]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

The same environmentalists who would promote recycling would protest aluminum smelting. Therein lies another clue to the cognitive dissonance that defines modern liberalism.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

Alas, the far left has a kneejerk ideology that's just as boneheaded as the far right. Sometimes it pains me.

But back to saving money! Me, I can't give up my coffee.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

I'm also one of the people who never owned and don't intend to own a cell phone. That is a big cost savings right there.

Not necessarily (is that how you spell it?). Having a cell phone has saved me a lot of time and money when you're on the road and suddenly your 2pm appointment was cancelled so now you need to reschedule your 3:30 meeting to 2pm all the while on the road enroute to your original 2pm meeting.

I've been on the highway coming home when my wife calls me to let me know one of my kids need to be picked up from school. I just happened to be in town so I make a small detour, pick him up and saved myself the trouble of having to drive 22 miles home only to drive 22 miles back and being an hour late picking up my sick kid.

Having a cell phone keeps the surprized from happening like when you're trying to find someone's home in the dark and their directions were full of crap so you call them and they guide you in.

When my older kids go to the mall and the rest of us go see a movie, I can call them when everything's done and tell them where to meet us on what side of the mall because a change in plans made the original pickup point unfavorable. Instead of searching the mall or having to go to the original point of pick up I can call them and say "change of plans, meet me in front of Longs in 20-minutes instead of now in front of Sears on the other side of the mall.

When my wife is in a meeting across town and the doctor needs a form for my kid she can stop by the house to pick up the form and drop it off enroute back to her office. Otherwise she'd have to go back to her office, check messages then go home and drive all the way back and waste precious time and gas.

The list goes on and on but to me having a cell phone is worth every penny as it saves me time and energy having to back track everywhere I go if necessary. Let's say you're late on your electric bill and HECO calls you on your cell phone with a friendly reminder. You tell them, "let's take care of it right now over the phone with a check by phone" instead of coming home to find your electricity cut off and a note to call back because they couldn't contact you. Meanwhile your Rocky Road ice cream is a puddle in your warm freezer.

When I worked for the Gas Company and I was driving to Campbell Industrial Park I get a call to return to the Kamakee branch because the job was cancelled. I get off the freeway and come back. Otherwise I'd have driven all the way to Kapolei just to turn around at that point.

One day when I was working for KGU Oahu Civil Defense calls me on my cell phone while driving home because the guy I know there can't get in touch with the dispatcher at the Gas Company nor their emergency contact number. He knew I worked at both places and immediately deputized me as a Civil Defense coordinator and instructed me to go down to Kapahulu Avenue where the fire captain there had cordoned off a 1/4-mile radius for a friggin' 1" service leak. I went down there to coordinate efforts between Civil Defense and the HFD until the Gas Company came down to shut off the gas.

A cell phone allowed Civil Defense to go to a back up while figuring out why their main emergency phone list couldn't generate an authorized contact. Without that cell call to me that HFD captain probably would have shut down a bigger radius causing even more businesses and residences problems. I told him I wouldn't have put a 1/4-mile evac radius but simply keep it within proximity to downwind populations within 300-feet. The dissapation of natural gas at that distance would have made the air/fuel ratio too lean for combustion.

[tutusue]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

Not necessarily (is that how you spell it?). Having a cell phone has saved me a lot of time and money[...]

Yep! What Craig said!
A cell phone allows me to work from anywhere outside the office while my clients only need to know one phone number...
It allows me, like yesterday, to call AAA and my mechanic from the site of an 'accident' in my new car ...
It allows me to call 911 immediately when I see an emergency on the road...
It allows me to not have to hire extra, unaffordable, office help to cover for me when I'm temporarily inaccessible...
A cell phone more than pays for itself because it allows me to keep my mileage down thereby saving on gas...
...ad nauseum!

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

We don't mind recycling, either, but we largely only recycle our own empties... meaning we're just getting our money back, not actually making a few extra bucks.

I thought this thread was basically asking, What luxuries do you allow yourself? Rather than what you give up or do without?

I admit, I've got a lot of stuff in that category, from high-speed Internet access (though geeks would call it a neccessity) to computers (Macs, even, definitely not beige boxes) and gadgets... to being particular about a few brands (though I otherwise default to generic). I suppose a cell phone is a luxury, but I'd be more likely to put our mostly neglected land line in that category these days.

There's a lot of stuff I could cut out, and I do try, but on top of the things you need to survive, there's always going to be stuff you want to have to enjoy life more. Cost of living and quality of life, you know?

As for our collecting, it isn't just our household (then I get the zero sum point you make). So many people WON'T collect, and I am of that habit to ask somebody "are you going to save that can?" when at the beach, a kid's sports event, wherever. It might not make my millions, but there are fun things that we do as a family "with our tin money". But most importantly, I like knowing that turning something in to be recycled is better than committing that sucker to do its part to muck up our very finite island.

As for the point of luxuries, isn't a lot of it relative? Having three computers is one household's garish imprudence, but another's bread and butter. Some people live off-road, haul their own rubbish, and need 4wd for when their roads get washed out. The same suv gets tagged an "urban assault vehicle" when owned by someone who lives in a tract home and drives the freeway to work. But its all the same to the ozone, eh?

</rambling>

[lurkah]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

It allows me, like yesterday, to call AAA and my mechanic from the site of an 'accident' in my new car

So, what's up with that, tutu? Are you okay?

[lurkah]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

(disregard)

[1stwahine]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

(heheheh how come ya posted double Lurkah?)

Hmmmm...I could but I no like cut out my Papales! I love Hat's! All kinds of Hat's! Colors, shapes and sizes to match my attire. I find it becoming and it enhances a womens whole being.

Auntie Lynn

[lurkah]

Re: Saving money... what could you cut out... but you refuse to?

(heheheh how come ya posted double Lurkah?)

The server was being temperamental. I hit the Submit button and it just sat there doing nothing for days, and so I tried it again before finally giving up. And then now it shows up being double posted.