Wow has it been a long time since I’ve updated Dad on a Dime!

We just got back from the gym tonight, and I don’t remember if I wrote about it here or in our old project Dadcenter. I am all about saving money and trying to eke out as much as we can, but one thing that may seem like a splurge ranks in the “need” column for us. That is our gym membership.

The expense of it adds to the importance of getting our butts in there a few times a week. We’re paying for it, we better use it! My wife and I started a running program a couple months ago that has added incentive to getting in there. As an added bonus, the one we joined has steam rooms in the locker rooms as well as a sauna and hot tubs out in the pool area. There is something very relaxing about finishing your workout and sitting for a steam before a shower.

Keeping physically active helps me sleep better and puts me in a better mood. I’m sure it has kept my doctor visits less frequent as well. It is a win win in my opinion and something that should be looked at in every budget. Sure, you can buy a work out machine (and we had a couple) but will it get used? That Nordic Track from a garage sale turned into a clothes tree!

We’re really happy with our membership, it bears looking into, for sure.

Peace,
Tony

My wife started calling us bottom feeders. We are proud of it though. There are some incredible deals out there if you are willing to put a little sweat equity into it. So many people feel they need the biggest best and newest of everything. Then the go on Craigslist to get rid of what they don’t want any more.

What the heck, why not buy something for a song? Folks just want to get rid of it. Rummage sales are also a great place to find some awesome deals, but I am very careful there. Some folks think rummage sales are a way to make extra bank and put prices on stuff that are pretty prohibitive.

Any one else a bottom feeder?

Peace,
Tony

Recently we bought some custom colors to paint the lower level of our house. After putting the first coat in the entryway and daubing some of the “accent color” on the wall it was intended for we realized it would look bad. Not just bad but hideous.

There we were sitting with three gallons of custom color paint that we couldn’t return. What to do?!?

My wife came up with the brilliant idea of mixing them to get a decent hue and color that we could agree upon. Mixing one table spoon at a time produced some decent color at a manageable volume. Once we were sure of the mix we did it on the large scale using as much of the colors as we could.

Instead of just being out the cost of the colors, we were able to salvage most of the paint. It even looks good!

Next time the color just isn’t right, try mixing a little with some other paint you have around, it might turn out to be a decent color. We’re very happy with our family room color.

Peace,
Tony

In my surfing today I came across an incredible new product from Jerky.com For those of you who know me know I am an absolute jerky fiend. I can go through a bag of turkey jerky in one sitting! This new jerky from Jerky.com looks incredible.

I’m really lucky to have some play money stashed in my PayPal to cover this, because the price is a bit steep, but it is really unique. I am hoping they won’t run out before the end of the day.

Jerky.com is proud to introduce its signature brand Sasquatch jerky, made only from fresh, hormone-free Sasquatch meat. Prepared the old fashioned way, our hand-sliced strips of 100% premium choice Sasquatch meat are seasoned and marinated to perfection to provide you with the best product available…guaranteed

Jerky.com's newest product!

Enjoy folks!

Peace,
Tony

My wife likes burning candles but neither one of us can see paying $10 or more for those pillar candles that look nice in the fireplace. Our solution? Clearance candles at the big stores and craft stores are often 90% off or more after season. Our last batch we got from JoAnn Fabrics, candy striped candles originally $12 were going for $0.99 you just can’t go wrong.

One other place we’ve picked up some cheap candles is rummage sales. People ditch half burned or even new candles for pennies on the dollar.

Here comes the fun part!
Read the rest of this entry »

I am disgusted with the political climate right now. We work hard and pinch our pennies to make sure we stay as far out of debt as we can. We forgo the big toys until we can pay for them outright, we don’t carry a credit card balance, we put into retirement funds only to watch it disappear and for what?

Legislation being passed to help out everyone who has been irresponsible. Look at the auto industry bailouts. $13 billion to come up with a restructuring plan. The plan? Ask for $30billion more.

Here and I thought bankruptcy made the company restructure to survive. What happened to letting a company go under if they cannot produce a product that people want to buy? One goes under, another may take its place. Keeping the market fresh and assuring new, innovative products to be introduced.

A day after signing the “stimulus package” our president is contemplating help for people with their mortgages. Years ago there was much ado about how everyone deserves a house of their own. Even if they can’t afford it, they deserve it. What happened to earning it?

Then I listen to the radio and at least a couple times an hour there is a commercial for a credit counseling company “If you have more than $10,000 in credit debt, we can greatly reduce what you owe.” WHAT?!? Why are we even bothering with paying off our credit cards? Why are we bothering with saving pennies, paying our mortgage? Frustrating.

I guess it has been already proven there are more people with hands out voting for people promising to fill those hands regardless of personal responsibility.

Anyway, it just seems silly to me to write about saving money when it might be easier to just put my hand out.

We’ll see.

A great way to save some cash is to find items you need on Craigslist.com. If you have never looked there, it is worth visiting. Choose your city and surf the “for sale” section for what you’re looking for. It is also a great way to unload junk that has been sitting around collecting dust.

This fall I sold my 150 gallon aquarium for more than I initially paid for it. While that may sound awesome, the truth is I bought it at an estate auction for a song. I will be picking up a TV this evening that we found on Craigslist as well.

The one major caution in all this is to be very aware not only about what you are buying or who you are selling to, but also the situation you are entering into. There has to be a level of caution involved when making a transaction with a complete stranger.

Bring a buddy and avoid inviting someone into your house. Basic precautions will make all of us feel a little safer. That heavy fish tank I sold? The person who bought it didn’t have a way to pick it up, so he offered me $100 to deliver it to him. Yup, okay, that fit me to a T! I wasn’t all that keen on having someone come pick it up anyway.

I have found when selling stuff that I have to be persistent with it. My Baby Bjorn and some other stuff hasn’t sold yet. In surfing the categories, it looks like folks list the same thing every day until it sells instead of once. Using a lot of key words in the post helps search results, too.

Good luck!
Tony

After a wonderful bout with the flu, holiday traveling, house guests and clearance goodness to take away my attention from Dad on a Dime, I should be able to update more frequently and get back into the swing of frugality!

A couple of years ago Dadcenter ran a story from another do-it-yourselfer who spelled out eloquently when to do it yourself and when to pony up and have a professional do it. I have a great example of this choice.

The cold snap we had last month timed perfectly with one of the garage door springs snapping. I couldn’t get the garage door up to get the cars out without help. It took three of us to roll it up far enough to wedge a 2×4 in and get the cars out. After we lowered it back down, I was able to go price parts to fix this thing. The two springs came to around $80. Thankfully I didn’t have the exact weight for the door, and didn’t buy the springs then.

I called around after I returned home and received two quotes. The one I picked was straight forward, $180 for a two spring replacement. I said “sign me up for the next opening.”

The guy came out the next day and it took him less than an hour to get both springs replaced, tension added, the door lubed and bill paid. I watched him do the work and I was duly impressed. I know beyond a shadow of doubt that I would have spent hours cursing and bleeding trying to get the torque right on the springs. The temp right then was sixteen below zero, and it was chilly in the garage.

I made the right choice in hiring it out. Yes, I could have done it myself, but it would have taken a lot longer and been much more frustrating. For $100 or less someone who does it daily was able to get in and get my door working. That was money well spent.

Peace,
Tony

We went to Goodwill last week just looking and came home with a stack of kids games for super cheap. All the pieces are in the games including the instructions! Most of the games retail for $10-15 each, and we got them ofr $2 or $3. Not a bad savings.

The best part was finding a National Geographic star projector thing behind a stack of other games. We looked it up when we got home and found out the thing we payed $2.99 for retails for $30! Nice score! There is a little bulb in the middle of the globe and it projects the constellations on the ceiling. The kids absolutely love it!

Its fun to go during this time because the store is flush with the year end donations. There are some really good deals to be had if I keep myself realistic. It is easy to go crazy or pay too much for something.

Looking for a deal, check out the local secondhand shop.

Peace,
Tony

I absolutely love shopping at the beginning of new retail seasons. Yeah I said it, I love shopping during retail switches. Why?

Clearances!

Our local Target has racks of clothes marked down 75% off original price. I was able to get a hoodie and a long sleeve shirt for less than $6. My $30 heavy bath robe was $7.50! It is very warm and “snuggly”. It helps that I don’t really care what the things look like, but there are still some decent stuff out there.

Last week they had Christmas wrapping paper, cards, labels, decorations and the like at 90% off. Thinking ahead, we scored enough to cover ourselves for next year. It is the way to go. Find your local retailer and look for those clearance racks.

Peace,
Tony