Kudos to the marketing people of Kimberly-Clark, the company that makes Kleenex. They somehow managed to convince all of us (by which I mean you guys, not me) that blowing your nose in a disposable piece of paper rather than a handkerchief is the proper way to dispose of snot.

Of course this provides a steady source of income for the company and a steady sink of expenses for everybody who haven’t learned the art of the snot rocket or consider snot rockets a breach of etiquette in a corporate environment, well, I guess that goes for all of us. Therefore I use a handkerchief. A handkerchief is, in case you don’t know it, a piece of cloth that is approximately 10 by 10 inches. For further details ask any old person over the age of 60.

Handkerchiefs are convenient and fit nicely in a pocket unlike boxes of kleenex which are somewhat uncomfortable and unsightly when stuffed into a front pocket. In addition I can easily blow through a kleenex whereas I have yet to perform the same demonstration of nostril directed lung power on a handkerchief. Another consideration is that the use of kleenex necessitates access to a trash can. Otherwise the snot soaked kleenex has to go into the pocket and fishing them out again in their semi soaked state is not nearly as pleasant as fishing out a used but dry handkerchief.

Getting around to costs. Handkerchiefs lasts a long time. The reason is that they can be reused – what a concept – and washed whereas the same is not the case for kleenex. This fact apparently escapes DW as she still leaves kleenex in her jeans pockets presumably for me to wash from time to time, hmm

The goods news is that unlike cleats, which make your shoe soles last longer, it is still possible to buy handkerchiefs in stores. I prefer my handkerchiefs to be white/light, solid and non-embroidered. Embroidery irritates the nose and does not absorb well and colors don’t do well when washed on warm or hot.

Apparently I am not the only one who has been blogging about Kleenex lately. Check out AllFinancialMatters. I think there’s a Kleenex meme going around.

Originally posted 2007-12-19 02:22:00.

I usually buy tools on eBay. This way I get a discount by buying used, I free up space in other people’s garages, and we get more value from existing things without having some factory produce a new one: less pollution, resource suck, etc.

If you ever used eBay, you’re probably aware of the downsides. You might get outbid in the last second (more on that below) and if you’re bidding on several auctions for the same thing, you have to coordinate the bidding in real time. In addition, you may have a finite amount of money which is insufficient to bid on everything, yet putting in bids essentially means that you have to have the money somewhere.

Sniping solves all these problems. I’ve used gixen.com for while. The idea behind sniping is that you enter your bid using the sniping platform instead. That way you have control until the last possible moment. This means you avoid getting suckered into bidding wars possibly resulting in a lower final price. Also you don’t commit money several days in advance, which also means that you have until the last possible moment to delete your snipe. Furthermore you can group your snipes so that if you win one auction in a group, all other snipes in the group gets canceled. That way I can put in bids for, say, 5 different hacksaws and have a reasonable likelihood of winning one of them.

If you already use eBay but haven’t “advanced” to sniping yet, I encourage you to try it out.

Some arguments can be made that sniping is morally evil and not in the spirit of ebay’s auction setup. On the other hand, it’s legal and others use it so until ebay changes its policy, e.g. by extending the deadline for an hour past the last bid, you’re at a disadvantage by not using it.

Originally posted 2011-03-01 15:59:46.

In North America and many developed countries, people have taken to following the strange custom of centrally heating up their entire house when it gets cold outside rather than just putting on an extra layer. Why apparently, it only took a generating or two of moving from one heated or airconditioned bubble to the next e.g. house to car to shopping center to completely forget how to dress properly.

If you’re sitting inside or moving around outside and you’re cold, you’re probably doing something wrong. Here’s how to dress right.

Dressing right involves three layers.

1. An sweat transporting layer.
2. A heating layer.
3. A shell layer.

The most cost efficient sweat transporting layer is poly-… anything chemical really. The downside of chemical fibers is that they will eventually stink if not washed (say you’re on a trip). Wool is also useful, but it is harder to wash. If you don’t plan on sweating excessively, cotton is just fine. That’s what I use except if I’m walking or biking all day.

The next layer is the heating layer. Wool is absolutely and utterly superior. If you are used to wearing cotton or polyester, you have no idea. Since the legs contain major muscle groups, they supply their own heat. The arms are so-so, but the torso needs covering. Fleece is the second choice. Fleece also tend to retain smells. Cotton is the third choice.

The third layer is intended either to shield you from the elements (like rain) or look good (like a suit jacket). This layer should preferably not be insulated. In fact stay away from any “combo”-jackets where the shell and the insulation is combined.

Three layers!

What is the key message here? At least three (3!) layers. When dealing with the cold, two layers is acceptable but one layer is downright inadequate — you’re just asking for it.

The composition of the layers above is just a suggestion (but it’s a pretty good suggestion) and it can be modified. For instance, in an office environment, the first layer can be an undershirt or a t-shirt, the second can be a cotton shirt, and the third the woolen suit jacket; or expand to four layers by putting a thin sweater/crewneck under the suit. A neckerchief, a scarf, or its derivative, the tie, which prevents loss from the neck up can make a big difference. The same thing goes for a hat or a cap.

Remember: Three layers!

Most other cultures follow this prescription rather throwing money away to heat their walls. Invest in comfortable and warm clothes: a good sweater will pay itself back in one season or less.

Three layers!

Originally posted 2009-02-24 17:29:04.

So you have joined the ranks of enlightened people, who want to retire early, move to another country, or redesign their lifestyle, and now you want your spouse or partner to go along with it?

Not so fast! While winning friends is easy, influencing people is a lot harder, but it can be done. I am a little dense when it comes to interpersonal understanding, but I have still learned a thing or two.

The first and most important thing is that a person sounds a whole lot smarter and more intelligent when you agree with what the person is saying(*). Most people listen to other people mainly to confirm what they already know and and be reaffirmed in their beliefs. This is not a very rational thing to do, but most people are like that probably due to humans being social animals. This means that if you suggest something, which is radically different from what they already know, they will think that you are ignorant and an outsider. If you keep pushing they will think you are stupid, a stupid person being an ignorant person who refuses to change his ways.

Therefore only make it known that you posses this information by talking about it once. Let them come to you when they are ready.

(*) If you don’t believe me, try to tune into a election debate. Candidates are very likely equally intelligent, but do they sound that way to you?

Most people (and especially children) will follow your example rather than your suggestions (if they follow at all). Children will follow practically any example (and believe anything you tell them, so be careful there), but adults are calcified already and usually want to follow their own example rather than your example unless it becomes manifestatively clear that your way is better. In other words you must be able to demonstrate a clear difference between your way and their way.

This means you have to build up a visible difference to show that there is an alternative (and build credibility). Once your spouse is ready, he/she will generally come around very quickly. For instance, you may build up a savings account or what people with bills, job-dependence and other liabilities call an emergency fund. If your spouse is already familiar with the concept, start talking about how your “emergency fund” will support you for 5 years, say, and that you are thinking about switching careers or taking a long hiatus. A 5 year fund is simply in another category altogether. It is qualitatively different because it gives you many more opportunities. A normal 6-month fund is only designed to pay your bills while you go and look for another job because you just got fired or carry you over while on an extended sick-leave Those, who focus solely on those problems will have a hard time wrapping their head around the larger time frame and the additional possibilities. However, if your spouse’s E-fund is only the standard 6 months, but she is beginning to think that her current life path sucks, she will most likely start saving more so that she will have the same options as you.

If your accounts are joint, you say you would prefer to save the money whenever she proposes an expenses. Just suggest that you split some money into his and hers and if she wants to buy something, fine, but you reserve the same amount of money for savings. After a while, you can start talking about the interest you are earning. One thing that tend to get people going is when I talk about how the money my savings generate on average correspond to a fulltime job in Walmart and how that essentially means that the person is working for me. I can put this in really snarky terms too using terms like mortgage and credit and it seems to get people thinking.

If you want your spouse to adopt some change, another thing to try is to find something they are familiar with. For instance, DW could not see herself living in a Tumbleweed House (my original plan), so I started talking about boats. Then someone suggested RVs. Now unlike me, DW had actually been in an RV and lived in a mobile home park at some point so she was familiar with those and was much less resistant to this idea. Had she not been, I guess one way would have been to start camping and make the trips longer and longer after which I would combine this with the suggestion that if we started camping full time we could cut our budget in half.

In summary, the sneaky way to go about things if you want to persuade someone is to change your environment to make your ideas seem more sensical e.g. try acquiring a majority of your stuff through swapping or freecycling. This might make your spouse reconsider the idea of paying for things especially when he/she sees the envelopes arriving by mail or you pick up a leather jacket while you proudly announce that you did not pay for this (BTW guys, I have not bought anything for me personally for several months now, but I have bartered(*) more than 10 things away, probably closer to 20). Get furniture used and make this the normal way for you. Mention that this month your expenses were completely covered by income from your investment accounts. Cook meals that only cost $1 but taste the same as $10 meals. Later you can start talking about how you don’t need to work anymore because you have enough savings to retire.

(*) I’m not sure bartering is the right term. Sometimes I swap 1-1. Other times, I give to person A and receive from person B making sure that I give as much as I receive to maintain a “fair” trade-balance. I ‘m working on this karma theory

None of this guarantees success, but maybe, just maybe, someday your spouse will have a problem that is best solved with one of your solutions and then you will be right there.

Originally posted 2008-09-04 06:35:16.

Every solution is the sum of time, money, and skills (economists read: labor, capital and entrepreneurial skills). For instance one can compensate a lack of skills with time. For instance, a skilled person does the job faster than an unskilled person. I learned this the hard way when I spend 30+ hours doing a joint 1040 tax return with several schedules for investment income/gains last year. Hiring an accountant would probably have been faster. In that way I would have compensated for my lack skill with money. I still would have had to earn the money to pay the accountant but with my wage income at the time, it would not have taken 30 hours. Still, I learned a great deal about the tax code and this year I am better prepared to play the tax code. Remember, it is your duty as a PRODUCTIVE individual to do what you can to MINIMIZE your taxes! For instance, I recently took a tax saving investment loss to offset some other capital gains. Had I handed my taxes over to the accountant I would not have been aware of this and thus I probably saved more in the long run by learning how to do my own taxes. Besides, I doubt I need to spend nearly as long time this year as last year on my taxes.

But I digress …

The extent to which we as consumers have been accustomed to substituting money for even basic skills is incredible. Consider lighting a fire in a wood stove. Our rental unit has a nice wood stove. Lighting a fire has been basic knowledge for about 50000 years, but at some point this knowledge was apparently lost. Instead of crumbling up 10 sheets of newspaper and spreading some wood kindle on top of that followed by larger pieces of wood with lots of space around them, it is possible, and I’m not making this up, to buy a — that’s a, 1, one — log wrapped in a bag at walmart. This idea is to throw the entire bag in and light the bag. Fairly convenient.

Also it costs $2 per log. That’s almost as crazy as bottled water! Assuming we’ll be using two logs a day for 3 months, that’s $180 a year or $180/0.04=$4500 in savings to support it. Natural gas is clearly cheaper. However, building your own fire is even cheaper, especially, when people are given away fire wood for free on craigslist.

If spending a few tries learning how to get a fire going saves $4500, it is probably worth it, no? If nothing else knowing that you have that skill should you ever depend on it probably lends some satisfaction. In addition, not spending that money did not really decrease your standard of living, right? In fact, there are many instances where a little thinking can substitute for a little spending with no detrimental effects to your standard of living. Stay tuned!

Originally posted 2007-12-07 08:36:00.

You will note that the right sidebar now contains a new entry, namely supercook. I found it on a suggestion from J_ and decided to check it out. I was so impressed that I decided to contact them and ask for a banner so I could put it on my list of useful tools (yes, for free, as per the conditions).

What it does is that it searches through a database of recipes based on the ingredients you have and it does so very easily mentioning how many recipes you can currently make (with a clickable link) and possible ingredients you are missing. If you have those as well, you don’t need to type them in. Just click on them and in turn it will reveal new recipes.

This is a great replacement for my standard method of keeping a few staples in storage and improvise all meals from those. Not only is it possible to figure out which ingredients I miss, I can also change the focus slightly from staples to long lasting ingredients, say, on unrefrigerated ingredients, diary-free ingredients, and see what kind of recipes obtain from that.

In conclusion what this does is to turn the standard way of cooking on its head. Instead of looking for ingredients for recipes, you’ll be looking for recipes for ingredients and this is a much better strategy overall.

Originally posted 2009-05-26 03:42:58.

I’m just putting this up here because I have not seen this trick elsewhere. The problem here is mainly in getting the cable tension correct so the shifter can pull the derailer over all the cogs in the rear cassette. Too loose and you won’t be able to reach the low gears. Too high, vice versa.

1. First loosen the nut holding the gear cable. The derailer should swing towards your highest gear (small cog).
2. Adjust the (H)screw so that the derailer is limited from throwing the chain into the hub.. If it doesn’t have a name, just look at the mechanics to see which one it is.
3. Turn the cable tension adjuster (the one sitting right at the ferrule where the cable ends) so it is in the middle.
4. Now put your index shifter in the second highest gear and put the chain on the second smallest cog. (That’s the trick) Use a 4th hand to pull the cable and the derailer so it tracks. Tighten the gear cable nut.
5. Shift into your lowest gear and adjust the (L)ow screw to prevent the derailer from throwing your chain into the spokes.

Done.

Originally posted 2009-08-15 00:34:52.

As it turns out, our $25 blender can grind spices to a flour like powder on the ice crushing setting. I did not know that! Knowing that could have saved a lot of hours with the mortar and pestle, and it could also have saved the 15 bucks spent to get it a few years ago.

Now I’m wondering, what else don’t I know. Which other cooking utensils can do double duty?

• Almost all cutting jobs can be done with a serrated utility knife. This can cut directly into a plate eliminating the cutting board.
• A lid held just right replaces a colander.
• Glass jars with lids can double as drinking glasses as well as storage jars. They work in the microwave too. I used to buy mustard in whisky glasses. Along the same lines, olive glasses work well as spice jars. Just tape a label to the jar.
• Instead of normal spoon and a cooking spoon, go for the intermediate serving spoon which can be used for both as long as you got a big mouth.

Originally posted 2008-12-26 20:02:18.

Step one: Figure out what you need

When I was single, I eventually figured out exactly what I needed (see my minimalist kitchen post for details) to cook my food). Since getting married it is clear that those needs have changed. Without an inventory analysis (*) it is impossible to know what needed and what is merely nice to have.

Here’s how to figure it out.

First do all the dishes and put everything back in its place. For the next week, every time something is used and cleaned put it in a corner of the kitchen table rather than putting it back. If you need something and it is in the designated corner, take it from the corner. If you need something but it is dirty, clean it and then use it. For instance, if you need a cutting board and have a cutting board sitting in the sink don’t take a clean cutting board from the cupboard but clean the one you have. I managed to convince DW that we should try this to see what we really need in our kitchen. This will be a good exercise should we be required to downsize at some point (for instance next time we move).

Improvise as much as you want. For instance, I enjoy improvising solutions hence my minimalist kitchen was quite small. Less improvisation would lead to more needs. The important thing in this little exercise is to figure out what is actually needed and what is just kept around because it might theoretically be handy.

After a week we expect to have a good idea of our needs.

Continuing the exercise for another 3 weeks will give us a list of probables – things we don’t really need but which would be nice to have on occasion. I am guessing that the breadmaker and maybe the coffee machine falls in this category. Mostly I use caffeine as a vocational drug thus I don’t drink much coffee at home.

The things that have not been transferred to the kitchen corner yet are the unneeded.

(*) A similar analysis can be done for tools, books, liquor or spices, computer games, clothes, etc.

Step Two: Adapt to your needs.

Now that you know what you really need, what you probably need and what you don’t need, I suggest the following strategy.

Sell the unneeded on eBay, freecycle them or give them away or put them in storage. They have only been taking up space for the past month and will probably continue to do so.

Keep the probables but put them at the back of the cupboard or the top shelves. Reorganize. Since these are rarely used they will probably last forever. Do not replace them. Also try to remove them from your wish list and people’s gift lists. Getting more of these is really a waste of planetary resources.

For my needs, I like to use really high quality stuff. Once you tried it, going back to Walmart quality or even Bed Bath & Beyond just doesn’t feel the same. We’re talking import here. Call me decadent, but I would like to eat my soup with a silver spoon and slice my onions with handforged steel. I like French copper pans, Japanese knives, and Swiss pressure cookers. This is less expensive than it sounds. Most likely you only need two good knives which cost about the same as a set of 12 average knives. Similar for pots and pans. For plates, spatulas, cooking spoons, etc. I prefer wood. These wear down but they are carbon neutral so they recycle instantly in the wood stove. Also they don’t scratch the pots and pans. As for bowls stainless steel last forever. I try to avoid plastics – especially black plastic. Plastic in cooking is just wrong and as far as I know black plastic releases some kind of chemical is it is heated too much. Maybe they fixed that by now, but at least with wood there never was a problem in the first place.

One problem is that I have some things from a time when I did not know any better. Rather than throwing this out, morality states that these must be worn out first. This is the price we pay for failure to plan. Of course we could throw them out or donate them to thrift stores, but I still feel/think that this is not the most ecologically sensible thing to do, since it just inflates demand of the use and discard consumption cycle.

Originally posted 2008-01-31 06:46:24.

Following the previous post on grocery shopping, I get the impression that a lot of people have some very frugal recipes. I would like to collect more recipes here, so if you post a recipe below in your favorite recipe style, whether detailed or “intuitive”, I will move it up into the main post, giving you proper credit of course, if I think it can be replicated and stays with the $50-75 month budget.

My brother got me hooked on black bean burritos (he eats them pretty much every night for dinner). I think even with a little cheese and sour cream they are still under 2 dollars per person.
I cook the beans with some onion and top it with whatever green was on sale (lettuce, spinach, kale)

This cooking recipe I use everyday. Buy some frozen fish any kind at walmart will cost around $2.70/Ib., one bag has about 2 pound contain 7-8 pieces of fish. So it cost per piece less than a dollar. And marinade with follow ingredients of 10 minutes;

2 teaspoon dry sage, 2 tablespoon dry parsley, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoon of oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon. All of these ingredient combined should not cost more than a dollar.

Then grill or pan fry your fish until it done.

Quick, easy and cheap –

Potatoes — dice (peeled or not) Fry them up and then crack eggs (however many you want) over the top, mix and cook till done.

You can eat this plain, with salsa, ketchup, ranch dressing, sour cream, and/or rolled up in a tortilla.

One of my favourite :
Brown lentils cooked with a tin of chopped tomatoes (use enough lentils to soak up all the liquid) garlic and onion (these are optional extras) and some pickled jalopeno peppers, I also like to add some liquid from the peppers. Simmer until the lentils are fully cooked. I usually can’t wait that long. And if there are left overs (unlikely) I enjoy it on bread with avocado.

I don’t have exact measurements as I just throw it in a pan as a quick meal.

Originally posted 2008-12-13 14:58:42.

Frugal for Life recently posted a big list of tips to save money and The Family CEO posted list of 25 things I do to save money, so I figured I would make my own list as well. These suggestions range from rookie to expert.

1. Get netflix or blockbuster instead of going to the movies. Watch them on your computer instead of buying a TV. Drop cable. If you do want cable ask for the reduced basic. It’s cheaper and more “basic” than basic.
2. Turn off the lights whenever you leave a room. Get CFLs.
3. Turn the thermostat down. Every degree you turn it down saves 5% on the heating bill.
4. Buy used or antique furniture, never new. If you take care of it, it can be resold for the same price.
5. Just get the cheap wine. Few people can tell the difference. Especially if you put it into expensive looking bottles.
6. Never buy a new car. Buy a classic car, maintain it well, and sell it for what you paid for it. The same goes for classic motorcycles.
7. Live closer to where you work (or shop) so you don’t need a car.
8. If you do need a car try hypermiling.
9. Use the free envelopes that companies keep sending you. Put your own stamp on and cover their address with a label.
10. Drink water instead of soda, juice or milk. And stay away from the coffee shop and the vending machine.
11. Eat more vegetables and less meat.
12. Check out consigment or thrift stores on a weekly basis to get the best deals (i.e. clothes that actually fit). If on a larger budget, buy a smaller conservative wardrobe with pieces that fit together. I like Men’s Wearhouse.
13. Buy all identical socks.
14. Next time rent or buy a house with one less bedroom and get a storage unit to store the things you rarely use. Even better. Sell them or give them away.
15. Get free shampoo, deodorants, toilet paper, etc. from Walgreens, CVS, etc. See here how.
16. Learn how to cook without recipes and design your meal plans around the loss leaders when shopping for groceries.
17. Never carry a credit card balance beyond the grace period, duh!
18. Use linux instead of windows.
19. Use dryer lint as kindle for fires. Even better – skip the dryer and set up a clothesline.
20. Reuse gift wrapping paper.
21. Learn how to do simple things .. you know, like washing your car with a garden hose instead of driving it to the car wash.
22. Read news online. There is really no need to get a paper news paper. It saves on trees too.
23. Don’t buy things because you need them now. Buy them if you have needed them daily for the past month. This is a good way to distinguish needs from wants.
24. Only buy used CDs, DVDs, and books, but check the library first.
25. Instead of getting the newest edition of a textbook, buy a used book that is a couple of editions old.

Originally posted 2008-02-05 07:37:35.

Yesterday’s post described how it is possible to get superior returns by active value investing. Now, before anyone decides to become an active investor, there are some things to consider first.

Value or any kind of active investing takes time. There are, therefore, opportunity costs to consider.

Suppose you have $10,000 to invest and that your efforts are worth 2% extra return (alpha). First of all, you might not directly see those returns immediately. It might take a decade (a market cycle to be more exact) to verify that you are actually generating alpha on a consistent basis. More importantly, though, 2% on $10k is $200. If you spent 20 hours analyzing companies to make those $200, that is $10/hour. Many part time jobs pay better than that and therefore you would probably have been better off with a passive form of investing while taking on a second job.

If on the other hand, you had $100,000, the same effort results in an hourly compensation of $100. In other words, unlike a salary where you work unrelated to an asset, your compensation as an active investor is directly proportional to the size of your asset base.

I do not think that a low hourly wage should deter anyone from doing anything (unless your desire is to end up with as much money as possible in which case I’m kinda surprised that you still read this blog). There is significant satisfaction in doing things yourself and taking full control. What difference? It’s the difference between living in a house and living in a house you built yourself. If this difference does not mean anything to you, then unless you have six-figure assets, you are probably better off financially taking a second job as a sign-spinner(*) and investing everything in index funds.

(*) In case you don’t know what a sign spinner does (I didn’t before I moved to CA), it is a job that requires no other qualifications (they point this out in the job ads) than the ability to stand for 3-4 hours at intersections and hold/twirl a sign pointing drivers to furniture sales, real estate, etc. Around here, the compensation is $10/hour + free sun tan and you can talk on your handsfree headset while you do it.

Originally posted 2008-09-16 00:36:35.

Reading this forum thread on how to cook beans has made me revise my [lack of] understanding of how to cook beans.

I used to soak them for 8 hours and toss them into the pressure cooker until they were “done”. Then I’d take them out and combine them with whatever called for a “can of beans”. The pressure cooker output would be my “can of beans”. Getting them “right” this way is more of an art than a science.

What I’ve found out is that “deliciousness” is very dependent on texture and that texture can be controlled by not cooking the beans all the way in the pressure cooker. Instead take the slightly undercooked beans out prematurely and add them to the sauce or whatever you’re making and cook them the rest of the way there until they’re just right.

Here’s another great black bean recipe to try. We don’t make the rice separately but simply toss it in during “the final hour” of the cooking process when the beans are just about there.

Originally posted 2010-11-22 18:23:32.

Americans have a strange fascination with lawns. Even in the rolling hills of California, where grass is normally brown, people maintain luscious green lawns. The squarish plots of green in the middle of all the brown are some of the first suggestions of signs of intelligence (or lack thereof) when seen from space. An American lawn is often bought in a carpet like state. Rather than fencing in the area and seeding and watering it, the lawn is rolled out and cut to shape.

Despite lawns being fairly useless unless you have a ruminant or two (note to self:get a goattear up the lawn) much energy has been invested in the art of maintaining them.

It used to be that lawn mowing was a relatively simple task. There would be a handle to push and a set of wheels that turned a blade and cut the grass much like a scissor. However, this has evolved into a self-propelled engine driven mayhem of spinning rotors of doom and size XL cup holders. In fact some people now use small tractors to cut their small lawns which are no bigger than the size of their bath rooms. This takes about 45 seconds. Like Dave Barry, I am not making this up. Of course this does not take into account the 20 minutes needed to go and get gas for the lawn mower, the weeks or months one has to work to save up to buy one, and the hassle of fixing it when it breaks.

What I suggest is to get a push lawn mower. You may have tried one in the past and have been turned off by the fact that it is hard to push because the blade doesn’t turn. This is mostly because the blade is not adjusted. It is easy to get a cheap used push mower, because many people, who at some point desired the “simpler life” they read about in a glossy magazine, got a push mover and now don’t know why it stopped working. Of course, if you’re nice, you can adjust it for them (you need a big screw driver), or you can just take buy it for $25 like we did (usually they sell for $100+ new). If you are patient, you might even get a free one just for taking it off of someone’s hands because they need more space in their garage.

To adjust it, note that there are two big screws on each side (so four screw total) of the inside of the wheels which adjusts the blade angle and separation. You can’t miss them. Instructions and a picture can be found here. I would like to add that you generally don’t need to turn the screws much! Start out with 1/4 turns or less. Remember to be symmetric, so if you turn the left front screw 1/4 of a turn, turn the right front screw 1/4 as well. If you turn the front screws clockwise and turn the rear screws counterclockwise or vice-a-versa, you change the angle. If you turn all four screws in the same direction, you change the separation. Play around and get a feel for it. You want the blade to spin freely and be one iota from contacting so that when you push it fast and stop the blade should keep spinning for a second or two while still being able to cut. I had mine adjusted in less than 5 minutes.

An additional advantage is that a push mower actually cuts the lawn, so as far as I understand there is not need to remove the fine cuttings. I have been cutting it for a couple of months now and the cut grass simple sinks down and “disappears”. Rather than cutting, a motorized lawn mower with a spinning rotor slays the grass and leaves chunks of it lying around. This should be raked off or collected. So using a push mower saves time as well.

One problem is that the push mower does not do edges very well but neither do motorized mowers. I say, just get used to your edges being a bit ragged. If you are OCD about your lawn, get out on your knees with a pair of scissors and a ruler already, you know you have to, right . However, if you lawn doesn’t connect directly to the porch or stones, you can also used a shovel to cut the edge.

Of course, the frugal alternative is to get rid of your lawn altogether and either match your backyard to the local climate / types of vegetation or plant some edible vegetables. Lawns are mostly useless, but at least if you have to, mowing them can be inexpensive and fun.

Originally posted 2007-12-31 11:11:10.

Upon realizing that we need to include more vegetables and fruits in our diet to keep future medical expenses down, I went onto Safeway’s website, entered our zip-code, pulled the “produce” menu and cross-referenced it with the state list of produce currently in season (see here) (*). Here I found some peaches for $0.99/lbs and wrote an email to DW to pick some up on her way home.

(*) If you don’t believe that fuel costs are going to be a future problem or a current problem, these is no need to take the latter step into account.

Next, I had to find a recipe. I googled and found this one and this one. Now, these contain a lot of ingredients that I don’t have, and a few ingredients that could be substituted. It was evident from the recipes though that the working ingredients were the peaches (duh!), vinegar, brown sugar, and some kind of onion.

I hacked up the $2.25 worth of peaches and put them into the deep cast iron skillet, which is rapidly becoming my favorite pot (after the pressure cooker). I then reached into the cupboard for some raisins. Unfortunately I was out, having just ate the last ones two hours ago. No harm, raisins are not crucial.

Unfortunately we did not have any apple cider vinegar. I was hoping that we had some red wine vinegar to substitute, but no. However, there was some rice vinegar. Having no idea of its strength or the purpose of having this rice vinegar in the first place, I just dumped enough in to allow the peaches to simmer. I figured I could crush some garlics in, but I was too lazy to cut up an onion. I didn’t have any ginger except in powder form. That worked well. Then I remember the brown sugar and dug into the cupboard. Fortunately, we did have brown sugar (there’s an affinity for baking in this house). I found two bags, one almost empty, so I dumped the remainder into the peaches creating some more cupboard space in the process. Finally I added some chili flakes from the freezer; we got a (too) big box at Sam’s Club three years ago.

Served with (pressure cooked) rice and some leftover dhal from a couple of days ago. There’s enough leftovers for tomorrow.

Much thanks to PS for the donation!

Originally posted 2008-07-04 07:24:28.

I’ve been annoyed at having to throw out the last 5% of my (stick) deodorants that doesn’t come up no matter how much the dial on the bottom is turned. Now, I have a solution to that. Take an old stick and put it in the microwave until the deodorant melts (don’t boil it!). Then spoon it over into another not-so-old stick that has been dialed back a bit. Reheat it to make the surface smooth.

Originally posted 2008-06-07 11:19:54.

I read once in Luxury Fever that it’s quite possible to get used to eating the same meal three times a day, day in and day out. As long as a diet is well-balanced, there’s no harm in repetition. I bet the reason that people are told to eat a varied diet is similar to the reasons behind index fund investing: If you’re clueless, eating a random selection which eventually averages out to whatever everybody else is reading is the most generic recommendation that’s likely not to harm you more than the average.

Can you say corn syrup?

The cheapest “base food” I can think of is rice pilaf. Here are the ingredients:

• Lots of onions, sliced and sauteed.
  
• Lentils.
  
• Rice.
  
• 1.5 times a much water by volume as the lentils + rice volume.
  

You can make this in a pressure cooker by first sauteing the onions, then adding the lentils, rice, and water, and putting the pressure on.

You can also make this in a slow cooker. Here you need an extra pan to saute the onions.

Fun fact: I don’t recall using the word “saute” in a sentence ever before.

To complete the nutritional balance, add fruit and vegetables as side dishes. If you go with this cooking will be very fast and your grocery budget will be almost solely composed of the cost of fruit and vegetables. Rice, onions(*), and lentils are ridiculously cheap.

(*) Onions store very well in a cool place like a cellar.

You may think this sounds like a boring diet but truth to be told, are you currently excited about what you’re going to eat for your next meal, even if you’re going out? I bet not—I’m sure there will be couple of dissenters in the comments though. The psychological benefits of this diet is that eating something different when you go out or visit others will be fun (again) whereas the pilaf will be a comfortable baseline which is otherwise given little regard—it won’t be boring.

Originally posted 2010-09-16 10:37:11.

Yesterday, I broke my thermometer and thus I can no longer boil water to the exact temperature of 194F(90F) required for optimal taste—by now, it is well-known that the right temperature is nine tenths of the secret to great coffee.

Here’s where my education comes into play. I know that water boils at 100C and that by heating water, I can not make it hotter than 100C. I also know that the water coming out of the faucet is about 20C—okay, I’m just guessing about that one.

What I have is

1. The ability to make 100C water.
   
2. The ability to make 20C water.
   
3. The ability to combine them at a certain ratio to make 90C water.
   

I also know that the heat capacity of water is more or less constant, hence if X denotes the fraction of 100C (373K) water and Y denotes the fraction of 20C (293K) water and we want to end up with 90C (363K) water then

X+Y=1 and 373X+293Y=363(X+Y)=363, so *waves hands* Y=0.125.

Hence, I boil 1.75 cups of water, and I add 0.25 cups from the faucet and this automatically gives me the right temperature.

Physics saved the day. More importantly, it saved me from buying a new thermometer; also this is much more convenient than trying to hit 90C/194F by watching the thermometer while heating the water.

On a side note, this is one of the rare instances, where high school math and physics is actually useful outside the class room. I recall an anecdote where the Danish ministry of education or whatever sponsored a contest for math teachers to come up with one realistic real world example where one would have to solve a quadratic equation to get the answer. They received one entry that qualified. It’s not difficult to come up with examples, but it is quite difficult to come up with examples of problems that are frequently encountered.

Well, at least you have now seen a real world example of using linear algebra to brew coffee.

Of course, I could just have bought a new thermometer.

Originally posted 2010-09-07 11:14:45.

This is probably my best so far.

• One stick of celery
• Two oranges
• One banana
• Two handfuls of lettuce
• Two “leaves” of white cabbage
• Frozen peaches
• A cup of water

The final color is a stomach churning light brownish green tone. Don’t mind the color! It tastes a lot better than it looks. DW was commenting about the alternating notes of oranges, celery, …

We started making smoothies with random ingredients (basically the extent of my raw food cooking skills) about a week ago. Sofar I can unscientifically conclude that I think my skin looks “different”; maybe a bit darker/goldenish. I’m not sure. It also looks better. I basically add the smoothie before the main meal. No serious detox effects in case you’re curious, but then again, this is not a serious detox diet, just an improvement.

PS: My secret plan is to kill our present Osterizer through overuse so I can get one of those legendary vitamix blenders.

Originally posted 2009-01-09 08:15:53.

One cooked cauliflower for the elven kings under the sky,

an equal volume of boiled potatoes for the dwarf lords,

nine dashes of pepper for mortal men, doomed to die.

One pan for the dark lord, also a lid,

and enough eggs to rule them all and in darkness bind them together

in the pan of Mordor – Served with fresh tomatoes and slices of cucumber

Originally posted 2008-04-16 07:10:09.