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| Money saving ideas; Ways you save and also good ideas to make life better. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 1 2011, 04:32 PM (5,866 Views) | |
| iamgeo | Jan 22 2012, 12:19 PM Post #106 |
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Big League
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I'll have to disagree with this. He stated that he sets the inline to 5 degrees less than what his HWT is set at. The "on demand" under sink hot water dispensers are very efficient and can get the water very hot. |
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| red00metro | Jan 22 2012, 02:20 PM Post #107 |
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Member
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Well I am not incredibly frugal although I try to be.... I like having my luxuries and my kind of expensive hobbies (cars, sport shooting and outdoor adventure type activities) But I do try and make what I can cost as little as possible and I think I am really good at money management. Out of my 35k a year Canadian plus 2k bonus I only have the following: - A corporate plan Android phone I get as a benefit at work costs me $60 a month with all the bells and whistles. Saves me a lot because in Canada cell phone plans are basically rape. I used to spend 100+ a month on my smartphone. - I have a brand new Chevy Cruze but I only pay $73 Bi-Weekly because I put 10k down. With the amount I drive (60k or so a year) I need reliability and fuel economy above all. My Aveo which I still have was costing me hundreds in repairs and I couldn't have the downtime on the vehicle. The metro constitutes a hobby for me right now. - I have the cheapest insurance I could find (a lot of shopping around) but being a 21 year old not yet married male living in the city it still costs me 267 a month for the one car. - My current living situation is that I live in a 1br apt with my Fiance and her father, not easy but it saves me because I can carpool with two other guys, save money for a house and has me closer to school (I do 3 nights a week in a business program) When I graduate and I get my next promotion to an office much closer to where I wan to move (50km further away from the office I am at now). - Further to a house I already have my down payment on a house in Oshawa where the houses are only $175,000 and the costs of living are much lower. Plus I am going to rent out the basement to my Father in Law for $500 a month. - I have a gym membership but I also get a corporate deal on that (19.50 Bi-Weekly for a high end place) - Internet is not with a big provider, but rather a smaller company that offers a better deal. - TV I don't pay for (mostly cause I could do without it) However my Fiance and her dad would die without it so they pay for it. Now as for my tips on saving money, first look what deals you can get through work, you might be surprised. Next look into couponing, I don't do it but my Fiance is big into "extreme couponing" and she saves money that way so I don't have to worry about it (I'm pretty sure I have 3 years worth of body wash for maybe $12) Also, look into making more money! In the summer I go to garage sales every Saturday and buy things to re-sell on eBay. I can make up to $400 extra a week on a good day, on a bad day I loose $10 in gas but I still have fun. All the little savings plus the extra money I make pay for my expensive hobbies and nice dinners and other luxuries such as vacations. Plus I save what else I can away for when I move. I carry no debt other than my car and eventually a house which is when I will really buckle down. As for money management I use the two following files I made: Visa Tracker Budget Sheet If anyone wants to use them feel free. Just make sure to download them to your computer, if you just star inputting your data I might be able to see it. The sheets are pretty strait forward, drop me a PM if you need help. Nothing helps manage money better than knowing where its going. |
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| Shinrin | Jan 22 2012, 02:23 PM Post #108 |
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Depending on your income, some states will do it for free. Don't want the broke guys with nothing better to do having a dozen kids. |
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| econoboxer | Jan 22 2012, 04:56 PM Post #109 |
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I am the one on the left.
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my bread recipe... really easy. 10 cups flour. 3 tbs yeast. 1 cup sugar 22 oz milk. (2 3/4 cup about 3 tbs salt. 1/2 cup veg oil. I use a stand mixer with a dough hook to turn my dough. I micro the milk until it is very warm. if your liquid is too warm, it kills the yeast. If it is warm on the inside of your wrist, but not hot, its just about right. I put the flour in the bowl. then I creat a hollow in the center. I spoon the yeast in the hollow. I put the sugar on top of the yeast. I pour the milk on top and walk away. After about a half hour, the yeast has become foamy. I add the oil, and the salt and turn the machine on low. I let it mix about 2-3 minutes while I watch. I've made bread enough that I know what it is supposed to look like. If its dry I add a splash of water, if too sticky, I add some flour. once it sticks together nicely and the gluten has developed- (that means it looks kind of elastic-y you pull on a piece and it wants to shrink back instead of tear. It kind of looks like rhodes dough from the freezer isle.) I coat the bowl with a small amt of oil. Roll the dough in it and cover with plastic. Once the dough has raised about an hour its time to punch it down form into loaves,- I get two big loaves or three smaller loaves from this recipe. Knead out the big air bubbles, shape and put in pan. Allow to double in size, then Bake at 375 for about 45 mins. If you make rolls, bake at 400 for 20 mins. easy. Since I stay home, I fit it into whatever I am doing around the house, whether cleaning, laundry surfing, and so on. its all good. Edited by econoboxer, Jan 22 2012, 05:39 PM.
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| econoboxer | Jan 22 2012, 05:13 PM Post #110 |
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I am the one on the left.
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That's too bad. I presume that guys that are broke at one time in their lives, but may at another be in a position to be great fathers, and they have to have a reversal procedure that would cost a Ton. Funny- just don't take the suggestion too seriously. |
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| Memphis metro | Jan 22 2012, 05:34 PM Post #111 |
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Thanks for the bread recipe. |
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| econoboxer | Jan 22 2012, 05:41 PM Post #112 |
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I am the one on the left.
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hey- I just checked, and I use less milk than I thought, so I updated the recipe to reflect that. Also, milk is not required, but it makes a nicer texture. You can use just water or a mix of milk and water. If I am running low on milk, I add water to make volume, and it turns out just fine. good luck |
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| nerys | Jan 22 2012, 08:44 PM Post #113 |
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Grr
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the 5' below main heater is NOT the temp it heats the water too. its the temp at which it "TURNS OFF" read his post again. once the hotter water from the main water heater "reaches" the inline heater it "turns off" since its no longer needed. no way a 110v heater INLINE is doing the equivalent job of a primary. I am curious. how do I make a finer textured simple bread? one of the problems I have is that they come out "heavy" ie large texture more like garlic bread kind of texture. not the "fine" soft texture of store bought bread. anyone figured out how to replicate that fine texture and softness? I hope to one day build a solar oven. then at least in the summer I can remove electricity from the equation. it is NOT hard to live on $15k a year. I could do it EASILY if I already had a paid for house. what makes living on a lower income in our society hard is our insane taxation in this country (over 50% of your earnings typically for the lower 50% of the population) and your BILLS ie debt. remove the debt and live in a place with lower property taxes and suddenly you can live on a LOT less money than you might think. full duty cycle full temp inline heaters are 100% of the time 220v VERY high amp and VERY expensive. to the tune of $800-$1200 expensive (low end) as for delicious. delicious does not pay the bills and ovens are not cheap to run. its 40 or 50 cents in ELECTRICITY ALONE to bake bread. so 10 cents per loaf if I do 4 and doing 4 is risky since they might not "last" long enough before going hard. so more likely you going to do 2 at a time so 20 cents a loaf just for the electricity. by next year it will be pushing 80cents to run the oven an hour (big increases in utilities coming now that they deregulated. Duh. Edited by nerys, Jan 22 2012, 08:45 PM.
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| econoboxer | Jan 22 2012, 10:11 PM Post #114 |
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I am the one on the left.
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If you don't knead your bread enough it will not have good texture. If you use water the texture will not be as nice. Its important to proof your yeast. You remember the part where I pour the very warm milk on top of the yeast and sugar, then leave it alone for a half hour... thats proofing your yeast. If your yeast doesn't get frothy and foamy, it won't make good bread. If your liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If its not hot enough, it will slowly grow. My mother in law proofs the yeast in a separate bowl, I prefer easy clean-up. My bread has awesome texture and fluffiness. Since I have a gas stove and its cold in the winter, I don't mind the extra gas. I am a terrible impulse buyer. If I shop when I'm hungry all sorts of bad junk ends up in my cart. If I go in the morning after a nice breakfast, its much easier to just buy what is on the list. I'm not perfect by any stretch, but all those runs to the store for bread were costing me 20-40 bucks a trip. Now I take that money and use it elsewhere. My heating bill runs about 100 bucks a month, my electric about 50. I have 1000 square feet, and two kids who don't know the meaning of turning the lights off. I didn't see much increase in my heating bill when I started making bread. In the summer, I make tortillas, they don't heat the house up so much. Edited by econoboxer, Jan 22 2012, 10:12 PM.
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| Memphis metro | Jan 22 2012, 10:14 PM Post #115 |
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Snap a picture of one of your loafs. Would like to see. You give me a recipe so now I will give you one. Blackeye pea cornbread. Its good. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/one-dish-black-eyed-pea-cornbread-10000000488984/ Also I have a question. 2 percent milk ok to use? |
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| econoboxer | Jan 22 2012, 10:36 PM Post #116 |
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I am the one on the left.
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I last made a hubcap and rolls. These were made yesterday. I wasn't planning on making pretty loaves.![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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| econoboxer | Jan 22 2012, 10:43 PM Post #117 |
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I am the one on the left.
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yep, two percent, skim, or whole. Its the proteins in the milk that you want. It gives way nice texture. I've made it with soy milk, and it wasn't quite as good. Not all proteins are the same. That cornbread recipe looks awesome. I think I have everything on hand. will have to give it a try. Edited by econoboxer, Jan 22 2012, 10:44 PM.
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| nerys | Jan 22 2012, 11:09 PM Post #118 |
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Grr
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yeah that is how mine come out. nothing like the white bread or potato bread I get in the store!! WOW !! $100 for gas $50 for electric!! I would kill for double that. Our water bill is $75 to $105 a month and our electric bill is $300 in the winter $500 in the summer (sometimes $550) if we run the air! |
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| econoboxer | Jan 22 2012, 11:17 PM Post #119 |
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I am the one on the left.
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I only heat my house to 68 in the winter. I do not have an air conditioner. In the summer it does get to be over a hundred degrees in the house. My water bill in the summer is 180.00 in the winter 50.00. My house payment is a grand. Internet is 39.99 for 3 meg of internet. cell phones for 3 run $90.00 a month. Landline costs 200 a year. It all works out in the end. We have enough. |
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| Shinrin | Jan 22 2012, 11:33 PM Post #120 |
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I have a water pump, so no water bill. Also a septic tank so no sewer bill. My electric bill for last month was $107 with three people in the house, three computers, a tv and an xbox running. |
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