Things that cost $1 a day... for some of us

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Jan 25, 2009
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I own a dealership and spend an awful lot of time trying to find cars that are worth buying. It really does get tougher every year.

But there are certain things in my life I where I'm not the expert, but still figure out a way to obliterate the average cost of ownership.

Here's one example I never expected to work out.

I got my water heater for $85 back in 2003. 20 years later I'm still sticking to keeping it on 'WARM', raising it to the heat line about a half an hour before it needs to be used, and then putting it back to the cooler temperature.

That and monthly five gallon drains from the bottom have kept it in great shape.

I also seem to get an edge on furniture (mostly free), clothes (high quality and used), plants (wife has a green thumb) and even footwear.

Where do you have an edge?
 
Water heater replacement? have yet to do that, but both my houses had hot water off the furnace, so, their costs was buried into the upkeep of the furnace (mostly cleanings but a few odd parts).

I’ve bought too many new cars to claim anything there, but, “my” last car I did buy for $1,500, put about $1,500 into, and have driven 6yr/115k since for just typical upkeep (set of quickstruts, tires, few odds and ends). Frugal at the BITOG level? nope. Frugal by anyone outside of BITOG / Mr Money Mustache / FIRE people? surely.

I did buy a new push mower 17 years ago for $100, new. Its replacement was $20 (not running), followed by a couple of free pushmowers. I’m on my 3rd riding mower, all free. One I did sell and I guess its ”profit” paid for the head gaskets I had to do on the latest one.

I wear dress shirts to work and I think all of them were Christmas gifts or picked up from thrift shops for a buck a piece or whatever. While I’ve noticed coworkers shoes, and surely they have noticed mine, no one has pointed out that I’m wearing $30 cheapies from Walmart while they are wearing what are clearly much nicer. [I get 3 to 12 months out of a set of shoes. How frugal that is I’m not sure, but I don’t feel like spending the money on custom shoes.]

I’m not that good at it, but am getting better as I get older: if I wait long enough, that which I want will eventually get cheap and I can either justify it—or sometimes have it given to me. Or I just lose interest in it and forget about it.
 
Whew
I own a dealership and spend an awful lot of time trying to find cars that are worth buying. It really does get tougher every year.

But there are certain things in my life I where I'm not the expert, but still figure out a way to obliterate the average cost of ownership.

Here's one example I never expected to work out.

I got my water heater for $85 back in 2003. 20 years later I'm still sticking to keeping it on 'WARM', raising it to the heat line about a half an hour before it needs to be used, and then putting it back to the cooler temperature.

That and monthly five gallon drains from the bottom have kept it in great shape.

I also seem to get an edge on furniture (mostly free), clothes (high quality and used), plants (wife has a green thumb) and even footwear.

Where do you have an edge?
Look, I’m as cheap as the next one but I’m not getting up an hour early to turn up my water heater. I have a tankless Navien and I enjoy long, hot ,showers. I was on a destroyer back in the early 70s. I took many a “Navy shower.” Sorry, but I’m not going back. Served my time in more ways than one.
 
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Believe it or not (I’ve been talking about this lately so I don’t want to test god). But my water heater is 35 years old. Kaitlin just bought her first home and the water heater is year old and the home inspector recommend to replace it because it’s the average time of replacement. So I told about my water heater he don’t believe me
 
I got my water heater for $85 back in 2003. 20 years later I'm still sticking to keeping it on 'WARM', raising it to the heat line about a half an hour before it needs to be used, and then putting it back to the cooler temperature.
Why? My gas water heater was installed in 2003 and I have never drained it. Seems like a large waste of energy to heat all that water up instead of keeping it at a constant temperature. If it's well insulated, it will use less energy to keep it at a constant temperature. And the constant temperature fluctuations cause expansion and contraction with the parts and can lead to cracks and leaks.
 
Heating with wood is kind of nice and relatively cheap. Used or free sports equipment for the kids is kind of nice. I do tend to have a stab at fixing more stuff which sometimes works out well, other times its a waste of time but usually not money, and usually I learn something...
Some friends just fire the money cannon at every problem and that seems to work for them too, as they make more money.
 
Buying and fixing salvage cars. Usually works out that we can drive a car for many years and then sell it for what we have in it.

Not paying a dime of interest to anybody!
 
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