Frugal Living: misc.consumers.frugal-living - 25 new messages in 8 topics

Friday, December 26, 2008

misc.consumers.frugal-living - 25 new messages in 8 topics - digest

misc.consumers.frugal-living
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living?hl=en

misc.consumers.frugal-living@googlegroups.com

Today's topics:

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Usenet being phased out
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/t/88e9e410905fb851?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 12:03 pm
From: "rick++"

groups.google.com

It has some shortcomings, but is usable and free.

== 2 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 1:58 pm
From: "Evelyn"

"Macuser" <spamisaluncheon@meat.com> wrote in message
news:Noz4l.998$Es4.663@nwrddc01.gnilink.net...
>A friend would like to read here and contribute, but Comcast, his ISP, has
>discontinued newsgroups. I also noticed that several newsgroups I used to
>read, or want to read, have been discontinued byVerizon, my ISP. This seems
>to me like a conscious effort to rid the world of Usenet, in favor of the
>Internet.
>
> Man, I'm peeved. What can be done?
>
> --
> http://cashcuddler.com
>
> "Thrift is sexy." ;)

Sign up with Motzarella.com. Free usenet groups.
Or of course, you could use Google groups.
My ISP dropped usenet as well.

--
--
Best Regards,
Evelyn

Rest in a sky-like mind.
Sit like a mountain floating on the earth.
Breathe like the wind circling the world

== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 2:17 pm
From: John Doe

Odd Bob <odd_bob@odd.bob> wrote:

> Personally I went with Astraweb. Not as much retention as
> Giganews but wow is it faster! And at 110gb for $25 (Now they're
> offering 120 for that price) I won't have to worry about paying
> another monthly bill

Is Astraweb the only metered (pay by download) binary USENET
service? Apparently they are making money, they have been doing it for
years.

--
Land Skis (rough terrain skates). The first rollerblades with a big
front wheel and small trailing wheels, to help roll over obstacles
while maintaining a low stance.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27532210@N04/3056505603

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Collision insurance
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/t/2850cf9d787416a8?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 12:05 pm
From: "rick++"

Also many be impossible if you have "multiple insurance" discounts,
e.g. hopme and car from same company. Mine firced collision, but not
much
on old car.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: poverty line
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/t/4eaa805a9a816468?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 12:06 pm
From: "rick++"

Its relative. Much of my adult life I lived below that number
and didnt realize it.

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 3:33 pm
From: Auntielle

On Dec 22, 11:15 pm, Goomba <Goomb...@comcast.net> wrote:
> James wrote:
> > If you are at the line, what are you supposed to be able to do? Are
> > you supposed to be able to afford a certain size apartment with heat,
> > eat healthy, and dress warmly? Or is it just a number that qualifies
> > you for welfare?
>
> It probably depends on your own initiative and abilities as to what
> you'll be able to do? A clever person can find resources to help them
> fulfill their needs. A not very clever person will wait for someone else
> to meet their needs.
> Take food stamps for example-Some people are given assistance and
> squander it on expensive processed foods whereas others (those clever
> ones) take it to buy ingredients and cook more from scratch. Which one
> do you think will have food longer into the month.....?

I've belonged to this group for years, but have only posted once
before, so I apologize if I've put this message in the wrong place.

I wholeheartedly agree that one's own initiative and abilities can
have a big impact on how well one is able to live "at the poverty
line". For several years, I worked as a grocery clerk for Ralph's - a
grocery chain owned by Krogers. This was during the years where the
Double Coupon policies here in SoCal were very generous, as were the
number of excellent sale prices on various grocery items each week.

The store I worked at was in an economically depressed area; we had a
good percentage of our customers who were welfare check and food stamp
recipients. In spite of the savings available to them thru taking
advantage of sale prices and double coupons, it was extremely rare to
see a food stamp customer using coupons.

I never could understand why these customers who were supposedly
"needy" were unwilling to make the effort to buy a couple of Sunday
newspapers - which contained inserts full of coupons - and match them
up with sale items and other things on their grocery lists. I was a
first apprentice clerk - at the bottom of the union pay scale - and I
used coupons heavily which, when doubled by the store, gave me many
things free or for pennies: all sorts of food items as well as non-
food products such as shampoo and conditioner, toothbrushes and
toothpaste, deodorant, dishwashing liquid, bar soap, body wash, window
cleaner - you name it.

If the welfare/food stamp recipients had been willing to invest a
couple of dollars a week in Sunday newspapers (to get the coupons) and
a bit of time looking at the weekly ads and making a list, they could
have made both their welfare check (to buy non-food items) and food
stamps go so much farther. But maybe 5 out of every 100 food stamp
recipients used coupons. To me, it seemed like since it was the
government's money (in the form of food stamps and welfare checks)
they were spending, it was not worth it to them to take the effort to
learn to "play the coupon game" and get 5 to 10 times the value for
the money. It really made me kind of angry to see this kind of
complacency. I couldn't help but think that if they had had to work to
pay for those groceries, they would have been giving me a big stack of
coupons.

I worked in the grocery industry for almost 10 years, and I admit that
there were a small percentage of welfare check/food stamp customers
who truly tried to use the resources given to them to wisely buy
healthful, inexpensive items and used coupons to make the funds they
did have to go farther. But the majority used their food stamps for
convenience foods, sodas, chips, candy, AND expensive cuts of meat -
including prime rib, filet mignon, King Crab legs, large shrimp and
scallops, etc. No, I'm not kidding; it was common for me to look down
in the shopping cart as I started to ring up the order and see a bunch
of packages of expensive meat items in the front of the cart, while
the rest of the cart was filled with convenience foods and "junk".

Our store also cashed payroll, government(Social Security, disability,
etc.) and welfare checks, but we required a $25 minimum purchase in
order to cash one of these checks. So people would come in on the
first of the month, spend their food stamps as described above, and
then buy a carton of cigarettes and a couple of bottles of liquor to
cover their required purchase to cash the welfare check. It was
obvious to me that these people had another source of income, in
addition to what they were spending at my store, because they could
not afford to live on what was left of their welfare check and food
stamps after they finished shopping.

It is very sad, because I know that there truly are needy people who
need the help of welfare checks and food stamps and do not abuse them.
But the vast majority of the customers I had who used these programs
abused them by buying junk foods, non-essentials, and prime meats. And
they were not willing to help themselves by using coupons either. It
was just a handout to them, and it was clearly abused much of the
time, in my experience.

For anyone who is truly needy, please do what you can by using coupons
on items you need, and learn to live frugally. There are many, many
websites to help you to live and cook inexpensively; just do a Google
search. Take notes on anything you feel would help you to cut costs. I
apologize for the length of this post, but I felt my years as a
grocery clerk gave me a lot of experience as far as seeing how many,
many aid recipients spend their grocery (food stamp) dollar.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: how to get replacement cables for Weider home Gym?
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/t/070e8637d47fd3b2?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 12:30 pm
From: "NotMe"

"OhioGuy" <none@none.net> wrote in message
news:giiql8$2k77$1@news.ett.com.ua...
: I have a Weider System 3 (15922) Cross Trainer home Gym that is
: having a problem. The system uses cheap plastic pulleys, so they coated
: the metal cables with plastic so that they wouldn't wear the pulleys.
:
: The trouble is, the plastic coating is coming off all the cables,
: which makes it very difficult to do the exercises. The plastic coming
: off and bulging out makes the resistance variable, and sometimes
: downright impossible.
:
: I tried searches online for replacement parts, and found that I could
: easily spend $60 just replacing one cable with an official part. That
: is about what I paid for the whole thing.
:
: My Dad suggested getting "aircraft cable", whatever that is. I'm
: guessing it is a high quality metal cable you can get in a bulk roll.
: If I could get something like that and cut it to length, I believe I
: could easily replace what is on here.
:
: The trouble is, where do you get the stuff? Anyone have an idea
: where to get a good deal online for rolls of metal cable? They didn't
: have any at my local hardware store. Thanks!

Look for a company that sells 'wire rope'. comes in 'clad' (with plastic)
or unclad (no plastic). If you take the old cable with you they can make up
what you need.

Might also check HomeDepot and Lows.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Wanna be depressed?
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/t/d7707daeed27d957?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 12:48 pm
From: The Real Bev

Who among us has not thrown out better stuff than this?

http://stores.ebay.com/KPsurplusDotCom

--
Cheers, Bev
=====================================================================
If violence isn't solving the problem, you're not using enough of it.

== 2 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 12:57 pm
From: The Real Bev

The Real Bev wrote:

> Who among us has not thrown out better stuff than this?
>
> http://stores.ebay.com/KPsurplusDotCom

They have lots of exotic stuff that we wouldn't be likely to have used,
but what caught my attention was the Racal-Vadic acoustic modem for $519.00.

--
Cheers, Bev
=====================================================================
If violence isn't solving the problem, you're not using enough of it.

== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 1:42 pm
From: MSfortune@mcpmail.com

On Dec 26, 3:57 pm, The Real Bev <bashley...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The Real Bev wrote:
> > Who among us has not thrown out better stuff than this?
>
> >http://stores.ebay.com/KPsurplusDotCom
>
> They have lots of exotic stuff that we wouldn't be likely to have used,
> but what caught my attention was the Racal-Vadic acoustic modem for $519.00.
>
> --
> Cheers, Bev
> =====================================================================
> If violence isn't solving the problem, you're not using enough of it.

Most people would not have a clue how to use some of those items that
could be worth 10X the price. I did notice the two button mouse for
$19.95 though that is not worth $10.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: .99 store complaint
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/t/344e32ee920ae3a2?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 12 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 12:54 pm
From: The Real Bev

axiom wrote:

> On Fri, 26 Dec 2008 10:45:51 -0800, The Real Bev wrote:
>
>> Little LED flashlights whose button batteries alone are worth the
>> price of admission. Some stuff is good, some stuff is iffy. It's like
>> yard sale stuff -- you gut stung every once in a while, but on balance
>> you're way ahead of the game.
>
> Sounds like you'd better stay away from http://www.usbgeek.com then...
>
> And whatever you do, don't click on "USB gadgets". ;-)

The heating gloves and warming mousepad are tempting. I got a thing
like the 'revolving hub' for free through one of the on-line survey
companies. I wonder if the CD Destroyer is DOD approved -- since I
laugh in the face of danger I'd just break them up. The roll-up
keyboard, especially the illuminated one, looks useful if it feels good
-- I hate laptop keyboards. The little wireless mouse is cute, but I
already have one.

The internal card reader is slick -- the one on my windows machine
doesn't see high-capacity cards. OTOH, this one doesn't say it does
either. I ordered a standalone multi-reader for $5.38 from an ebay company.

--
Cheers, Bev
==============================================================
"I am working for the time when unqualified blacks, browns and
women join the unqualified men in running our government"
-- Cissy Farenthold

== 2 of 12 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 1:19 pm
From: val189

With inflation, I wouldn't expect to find much for 99 cents. Since
their goods are mostly junk, I don't even bother shopping there.

== 3 of 12 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 1:44 pm
From: The Real Bev

val189 wrote:

> With inflation, I wouldn't expect to find much for 99 cents. Since
> their goods are mostly junk, I don't even bother shopping there.

That's pure snobbery and indicates that you never even tried. Give it a
shot, it's not likely to kill you.

99-Cents-Only Stores are really good. Dollar Tree not so much.
Big!Lots sucks. There are three or four 99-Cents-Only Stores within
bicycle distance of my house. WOO-HOO!

Shampoo is shampoo and hand lotion is hand lotion; pick the scent you
like. Standard brands of toothpaste -- Colgate, Crest, etc. Morell hot
dogs and sausage. Milk (yeah, I saw the Simpsons with the rat dairy).
American sunblock, just with a short use-by date. Nexcare duct-tape
band-aids (yeah, they really DO stick well). Tons of fun stuff.

--
Cheers, Bev
=====================================================================
If violence isn't solving the problem, you're not using enough of it.

== 4 of 12 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 1:55 pm
From: terry

On Dec 21, 8:08 pm, Dave Garland <dave.garl...@wizinfo.com> wrote:
> Macuser wrote:
> > Does anybody have a .99 or $1.00 store that actually still sells ALL
> > items for this amount?
>
> No. Around here, the "Dollar Tree" chain sometimes sells items at
> 2/$1 or even 4/$1. I haven't seen anything there for more than a buck.
>
> "Family Dollar", a lot of items at multiples of a dollar. The
> independent stores mostly have both dollar items and items that cost more.
>
> I suppose it's the same problem "dime stores" had back in my
> childhood. Inflation creeps up on you.
>
> Dave

Yes. Found one in a mall here that I visit about once every 18 months.
It's called 'Dollarama'.
Not seeing any price signs on most goods, except for the occasional
"Two for a dollar etc." I asked one of the ladies stocking shelves.
"Oh" she said, "Everything is one dollar unless otherwise marked two
for one dollar etc".
Yes some of it IS junk but six pens for buck (and they all worked)
four small plastic spring clamps, etc. etc. and some small unfinished
boxes that had paid a $1.25 elsewhere, were one dollar! Eight cheap
'brass looking' hooks for hanging keys or cups by their handles were
one dollar also.
But there is another store called "Buck or two". Same stuff as above,
just costs more. Less gas for me, although i would never make a rip
just to but at a dollar-type store.
Yeah; also remember that 'five and dime' description.
Cheers.

== 5 of 12 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 2:00 pm
From: terry

On Dec 26, 6:44 pm, The Real Bev <bashley...@gmail.com> wrote:
> val189 wrote:
> > With inflation, I wouldn't expect to find much for 99 cents. Since
> > their goods are mostly junk, I don't even bother shopping there.
>
> That's pure snobbery and indicates that you never even tried. Give it a
> shot, it's not likely to kill you.
>
> 99-Cents-Only Stores are really good. Dollar Tree not so much.
> Big!Lots sucks. There are three or four 99-Cents-Only Stores within
> bicycle distance of my house. WOO-HOO!
>
> Shampoo is shampoo and hand lotion is hand lotion; pick the scent you
> like. Standard brands of toothpaste -- Colgate, Crest, etc. Morell hot
> dogs and sausage. Milk (yeah, I saw the Simpsons with the rat dairy).
> American sunblock, just with a short use-by date. Nexcare duct-tape
> band-aids (yeah, they really DO stick well). Tons of fun stuff.
>
> --
> Cheers, Bev
> =====================================================================
> If violence isn't solving the problem, you're not using enough of it.

Dish detergent washes hair extremely well. It's hard these days though
to find any that DOES NOT have that artficial 'lemony' smell. YUK!
Same with clothes washing detergent; hard to find cheap detergent
without that lemon scented odour!
PS. Don't use higly coloured dish detergent; it amy laeve acoloured
scum that's ahrder to clean off, although that may depend on your
water hardness or otherwise.

== 6 of 12 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 2:13 pm
From: Dave Garland

Seerialmom wrote:

> I think the OP meant the stores says "Dollar Store" but sells many
> items "above" that price.

Oh, I know. I was just tweaking them a little while answering. AFAIK
nothing sold by Dollar Tree is more than a buck. A lot of the
merchandise is housebrand. And some good deals... cheap hot sauce is
usually terrible, but their habanero sauce is big bottles and pretty
good; velcro cable ties in packages of 7, they're still a good deal
even if the velcro comes unglued on one or two; multibit screwdrivers
for car & toolbox, if you lose it you're not out much; cheapest place
I know of for pretzel nuggets (14oz bags); aluminum foil pans at half
the price of the big supermarket; sunglasses and readers.

Dave

== 7 of 12 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 2:19 pm
From: Goomba

terry wrote:

> Dish detergent washes hair extremely well. It's hard these days though
> to find any that DOES NOT have that artficial 'lemony' smell. YUK!

I've never seen anyone who claimed such a thing have nice looking hair,
actually.

== 8 of 12 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 2:31 pm
From: Evelyn Leeper

terry wrote:
> On Dec 21, 8:08 pm, Dave Garland <dave.garl...@wizinfo.com> wrote:
>> Macuser wrote:
>>> Does anybody have a .99 or $1.00 store that actually still sells ALL
>>> items for this amount?
>> No. Around here, the "Dollar Tree" chain sometimes sells items at
>> 2/$1 or even 4/$1. I haven't seen anything there for more than a buck.
>>
>> "Family Dollar", a lot of items at multiples of a dollar. The
>> independent stores mostly have both dollar items and items that cost more.
>>
>> I suppose it's the same problem "dime stores" had back in my
>> childhood. Inflation creeps up on you.
>>
>> Dave
>
> Yes. Found one in a mall here that I visit about once every 18 months.
> It's called 'Dollarama'.
> Not seeing any price signs on most goods, except for the occasional
> "Two for a dollar etc." I asked one of the ladies stocking shelves.
> "Oh" she said, "Everything is one dollar unless otherwise marked two
> for one dollar etc".
> Yes some of it IS junk but six pens for buck (and they all worked)
> four small plastic spring clamps, etc. etc. and some small unfinished
> boxes that had paid a $1.25 elsewhere, were one dollar!

Teachers and parents love these stores for cheap craft items (huge
number of popsicle sticks for $1, three pairs of kids scissors for $1,
etc.). They don't have to be extremely high-quality, but they have to
be cheap enough to buy for a whole classroom or party.

Oh, yes, and party favors.

--
Evelyn C. Leeper
Be braver. You cannot cross a chasm in two small jumps.

== 9 of 12 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 3:03 pm
From: Seerialmom

On Dec 26, 10:45 am, The Real Bev <bashley...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Seerialmom wrote:
> > On Dec 21, 8:20 pm, ultim...@live.com wrote:
> >> On Dec 21, 2:23 pm, "Macuser" <spamisalunch...@meat.com> wrote:
>
> >> > Does anybody have a .99 or $1.00 store that actually still sells ALL items
> >> > for this amount? There are several near me, and all of them are trying to
> >> > pry more out of the customers by raising prices about that threshold.
> >> > Certain items, like cheap little power strips have doubled in price. I buy
> >> > less now than ever. How about you?
>
> >> 99 cent power strips?! ick! I for one would not want to use those fire
> >> hazards let alone leave them plugged in unattended. Same with the
> >> lights they sell.
>
> > I have a funny story about that; I bought a "USB notebook light" at 99
> > cent only when they first opened. Looked like a cool toy so I took it
> > with me to work. Plugged it into my work laptop and it shut down the
> > PC (hard shut down). I thought...wth? As long as it was plugged in
> > the PC wouldn't turn back on. So I tried it on a couple of other PC's
> > nearby....didn't matter whether it was a laptop or desktop; same
> > behavior. Shutdown. So I took the item back to the store and
> > demanded to talk to the manager, advised them they should pull these
> > devices. Did they? probably not. But I could see someone thinking
> > their PC was broken because of it and incurring big expenses. Anyway,
> > I don't have a problem with the "branded" electronic items they have
> > and so far have heard nothing about fires as a result of those.
>
> I bought one of those. My linux machine seems perfectly happy to light
> it up, but I haven't tried in on my winmachine. If I had a USB plug in
> a better place it might actually be useful; now it's just a "Hey,
> that's cool" thing which is only useful for testing a USB socket.
>
> I've got a 99-cent car charger for my cellphone that works. I bought a
> lot of cute Belkin USB cables with lights that I also saw at Fry's for
> $29 -- insane, right? Laser pointer things for teasing cats. Little
> LED flashlights whose button batteries alone are worth the price of
> admission. Some stuff is good, some stuff is iffy. It's like yard sale
> stuff -- you gut stung every once in a while, but on balance you're way
> ahead of the game.
>
> --
> Cheers, Bev
> ===========================================================
> Giving out free MS security updates is like giving out free
> band-aids with flesh-eating microbes in the pads.

It's possible they just got a bad batch of those USB lights; but to
get a BSOD on every PC was pretty scary. The cell phone chargers are
likely surplus being discontinued? And more often than not you can
see what store they got it from, like AT&T or Sprint. I just try to
stay away from the generic electronics they have in the dollar stores
but I'm not too worried if it's something that was originally made for
one device but I know will work for another (like a charger meant for
one model but has the same connection/voltage as something else I own,
even if it's not mentioned on the packaging).

== 10 of 12 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 3:11 pm
From: Seerialmom

On Dec 26, 1:44 pm, The Real Bev <bashley...@gmail.com> wrote:
> val189 wrote:
> > With inflation, I wouldn't expect to find much for 99 cents. Since
> > their goods are mostly junk, I don't even bother shopping there.
>
> That's pure snobbery and indicates that you never even tried. Give it a
> shot, it's not likely to kill you.
>
> 99-Cents-Only Stores are really good. Dollar Tree not so much.
> Big!Lots sucks. There are three or four 99-Cents-Only Stores within
> bicycle distance of my house. WOO-HOO!
>
> Shampoo is shampoo and hand lotion is hand lotion; pick the scent you
> like. Standard brands of toothpaste -- Colgate, Crest, etc. Morell hot
> dogs and sausage. Milk (yeah, I saw the Simpsons with the rat dairy).
> American sunblock, just with a short use-by date. Nexcare duct-tape
> band-aids (yeah, they really DO stick well). Tons of fun stuff.
>
> --
> Cheers, Bev
> =====================================================================
> If violence isn't solving the problem, you're not using enough of it.

Big Lots! doesn't "always" suck; but if I can get the same item @ 99
cent Only instead of Big Lots! I will....since I know it'll be
cheaper. But if we want to talk about cheap stores that generally
suck, "Stupid Prices" is my vote getter. Most of the stuff there is
overstock from Costco or freight damage. I rarely get anything while
there and I get rather annoyed when I see something like Lysol wipes
and a sticker saying "regular price $9, your price $4.50" when the
actual "regular price" is more like $5 (so I'm expecting half of that).

== 11 of 12 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 3:18 pm
From: krw

In article <Xec5l.10875$fs1.7376@newsfe05.iad>, bashley101@gmail.com
says...
> val189 wrote:
>
> > With inflation, I wouldn't expect to find much for 99 cents. Since
> > their goods are mostly junk, I don't even bother shopping there.
>
> That's pure snobbery and indicates that you never even tried. Give it a
> shot, it's not likely to kill you.

True, I've found some nice clothes hangers in dollar stores.

> 99-Cents-Only Stores are really good. Dollar Tree not so much.
> Big!Lots sucks. There are three or four 99-Cents-Only Stores within
> bicycle distance of my house. WOO-HOO!

I don't go in them often though and haven't visited any here (we
moved a few months ago).

> Shampoo is shampoo and hand lotion is hand lotion; pick the scent you
> like. Standard brands of toothpaste --

Not true. Even brands are different. I don't know if they're
counterfeits or cut with water but the difference is noticeable.

> Colgate, Crest, etc. Morell hot
> dogs and sausage. Milk (yeah, I saw the Simpsons with the rat dairy).
> American sunblock, just with a short use-by date. Nexcare duct-tape
> band-aids (yeah, they really DO stick well). Tons of fun stuff.

--
Keith

== 12 of 12 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 3:34 pm
From: John Doe

Try the dollar store, I've heard it's better.
haha

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Save up to 80% on Electricity Bill Every Month.
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/t/513e1beff3fcf3cb?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 1:44 pm
From: terry

On Dec 26, 2:16 am, "eforce.ws" <HelloKi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> ECONOMY MELTDOWN! Who Else Needs to Save Thousands a Year On Electric
> Bill Alone?
> How You Can Generate Wind & Solar Energy to Fully Power Your Home
> Inexpensively
>
> How to Cut Your Electricity Bill by Up to 80% And
> Generate Free Energy for Life
>
> http://eforcews.ecoworld.hop.clickbank.net

Obviously an advert!
Very little in way of factual info.
Wonder what a typical minimum investment would be?
Maybe $15,000 to $25,000?
With 12v truck batteries costing around $200 each, inverters, control
circuits, wiring etc.!
Solar panel costs per watt seems to be $15-20 per watt installed?
Here suitable banks of solar cells might provided some power but lack
of or very, short periods of sunlight and snow cover of the collectors
could be problems. High wing velocities would require very strong
structure and or bracing our roofs?
If a typical 6 foot by 3 foot panel could provide an an average of say
40 watts per hour for even half a day to a house requiring a winter
average of say 5 kilowatts that would require about 100 panels at
around $100 each, not installed. And that would supply maybe one
quarter of the daily energy required.
Hmm! One can buy a lot of our hydro generated electrcity for say
$20,000. In fact about 100 months, or slightly longer (say nine years
worth)!
Obviously one way to go in the longer run especially in sunny climes!
Oh btw the shortest day of the year was December 21st so we are a few
days now climbing away from that low point and the colder weather is
now starting!
Cheers.

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TOPIC: Really cheap tube TV's.
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/t/2ba22ba2916253d8?hl=en
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== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 1:49 pm
From: MSfortune@mcpmail.com

James wrote:
> I see many good TV's on curbs because of the new flat TV's as well as
> HDTV standard. Why not pick up a good free TV and just buy a
> convertion box?
>
> My next door neighbor tossed a very good TV but I wasn't thinking at
> the time. Of course it was taken by the time I decided to take it.

Sure it will work, but does that make it cheap? I have not done a
comparison on power with the new TV's versus a CRT, but I did before
purchasing this monitor. The new monitor uses 35W and the old one used
275W. By the time the warranty is up on the new monitor, it will have
saved the price compared to what the old tube used. I pitched it like
an old TV.

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Dec 26 2008 3:16 pm
From: Seerialmom

On Dec 26, 10:11 am, James <j0069b...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I see many good TV's on curbs because of the new flat TV's as well as
> HDTV standard. Why not pick up a good free TV and just buy a
> convertion box?
>
> My next door neighbor tossed a very good TV but I wasn't thinking at
> the time. Of course it was taken by the time I decided to take it.

I don't know if I'd trust a TV something put on the curb (due to
possible damage on the way to aforementioned curb), but Craigslist and
most thrift stores have ton's o' CRT TV's right now, very cheap. If
you don't mind lugging in a 150lb TV you could definitely get a
decent 37in TV that'll work just fine with a converter, cable or
satellite dish (some might not even need that, depending on when they
were made).

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