Category Archives: Frugality

Frugal Activities

DIY Fixing a Garage Door That Sticks

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The past two months, we been fighting our garage door that sticks.

By “garage door sticks“, I mean that it would start down when we push the garage door button, but then get stuck about 1 foot down and come back up.  To get around this, we would have to push the garage door button at the point where it first gets stuck, then push it again so that it would continue down from that point.

This technique, while obviously not preferred, worked for the past few months.  After we came back from vacation though, it would sometimes require 2 or 3 stops and continues to get the door to close.  Well, that was ridiculous, so I decided to have it fixed.

First I asked the guys in the office that I work with, and they said to bite the bullet and hire someone to fix it.  They said it would run between $200 to $300.  As a frugal guy, I decided to try to fix it myself (staying away from the spring that opens the door, since touching it isn’t the safest thing to do).

So what I did was to climbed up a ladder and watch the garage door as my son opened and closed it a few times.  During this observation stage, I noticed a few thing that could be the cause of my problem, like the fact that the chain was very loose and that practically everything could be cleaned and oiled.

I googled the problem with the keyword phrase “garage door sticks” and basically read articles that suggested oiling the track and rollers.  Next a few articles suggested replacing the gears.

Next I googled my particular model, which was a craftman 1/2 hp model:

Garage Door motor

Garage Door motor

 

The few articles that I recommended stated stuff that I already knew and already read (oil the track and hinges).

Another article recommended to oil the bottom roller that rides in the track very well.  I check and it did look a bit rusty and not as easily moving as it should have been.

Garage Door Roller

Garage Door Roller

 

The last thing I didn’t find online via google, but the fact that the chain was so loose bothered me.  I was sure that it shouldn’t be that loose!  So I started looking from some type of tension screw or mechanism to make the chain a bit tighter.

Garage Door Screw Tension

Garage Door Screw Tension

 

So after climbing the ladder a few times, thinking about it for a while, and reading google a few times, here is what I did:

  1. Wiped clean the track that the garage door uses to slide on, then oiled it.
  2. Oiled the rollers, especially the bottom ones with WD40.
  3. Search for a tension adjustment screw, and figure out how it works.
  4. Tightened the chain via the tension screw.  I left a little bit of slack though, but it’s was much tighter than before.
  5. Pat myself on the back for a job well done.

And there you have it!  After doing all of the above, I tried the garage door and it worked like a champ!  If you follow what I describe in the steps above, it should take you about 10 minutes to perform versus the hour that it took for me.

Now I wish I had fixed it about a month ago…  Oh well, better late than never.

MR

Money Saving Tips For The Summer

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In the current economic climate, most people don’t have as much spare cash as they would like.  Indeed, debt management is a pressing issue for many families.  If you want to make the most of the summer without overstretching yourself financially, there are plenty of things you can do.  Reducing waste and taking advantage of the warm weather can save you money in a variety of ways.

Electricity and gas bills should always be lower in the summer.  There is no need
to have your heating on at this time of year – if you do get cold in the evenings, simply put an extra layer on.  If you’re too warm, on the other hand, try opening some windows before you resort to using fans or air conditioning systems.  Also, make the most of the longer days by turning lights off and letting the sun illuminate your home.  Making sure you’re on the best tariff for the amount of energy you use will also help keep your bills to a minimum.

One of the greatest pleasures of summer is, without doubt, the food.  You can’t beat a lazy picnic in the park or a barbeque with friends and family when the sun’s out, but this isn’t always cheap, and there is always potential for waste.  If you’re having a barbeque and you’re inviting lots of people, ask everyone to RSVP so you know exactly how many people you’re cooking for.  You might also want to ask people to bring their own dishes such as a salad or dessert.  However well you plan, there will probably be some leftovers, so use them imaginatively.  In the long term, it’s cheaper to invest in a proper barbeque, rather than buying disposable ones.

During the summer months, you can also save money on transport.  If you can get somewhere on foot or on a bike rather than using your car, you can cut costs and get a tan at the same time.  If you’re heading to the seaside or somewhere else for a day out with the family, consider taking the train instead of driving.  It may well prove less stressful, and you’ll get to take in some interesting scenery along the way.  If you do need to use your car, ensure your tire pressure is correct, and improve fuel efficiency by keeping an eye on your speed.

If you haven’t arranged you’re summer vacation yet, why not consider a ‘staycation’? Instead of spending money traveling abroad, you could rent a cabin for a week or go camping.  Make the most of the natural beauty on your doorstep – there are probably some amazing spots you’ve never even thought of visiting before.  If you do decide to get out of the country, use price comparison websites to find the best deals on flights and accommodation.  Don’t let your summer be ruined by debt problems – start putting these money saving principles into practice today.

This guest post was brought to you by Joel

Cheers,

MR

 

Am I Really As Frugal As I Think I Am?

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Over the past few days, I’ve come to realize that I’m not as frugal as I use to be before I became mortgage free in 2010.

Now you might think that my post about buying my son an iPod touch is an excellent example of the ways that I’m losing my frugal ways, but actually I believe that was money well spent!  It was a wise move because the benefits outweighed the costs.

No, what set off the alarms in my head was that we have been going out to eat almost 5 days in a row now, and at $50 to $80 a crack.

Back in the mortgage paying days, I would feel sick to my stomach when the bill would arrive.  Unfortunately, that physical alert no longer works for me.  With no such barriers to prevent lifestyle creep from happening, if I don’t quickly put some other mechanism in place, I’m in danger of spending too much.  This lack of having a barrier effectively zapping my asset gathering process, slowing my journey towards financial independence.

Luckily I’m awake and alert again, so what am I going to do?

Well, since I’m not a fan of budgeting, I never even consider that as an option.  Instead I’ll run my life at a slightly elevated stress level by constantly asking myself and family “Do we really need to do this?”.  As long as I stick to that question, I can analyze if a cost is really a need instead of a want or luxury.

Like a pendulum that was swung to far to the left, I’ll swing back to the right until I’ll take the frugality phase too far.  Hopefully less than in the past, but I’ll definitely swing to the far right, eventually.

As a first step, I think I will start packing my lunch more often, that act alone should save a lot of money.

Next, I’ll bring up my concern with my wife, she’s still more frugal than I am, and likely to jump back into the frugality pool that she enjoys so much.

Finally, I’m going to create a morning mantra and write it down and tape it to a door.  Then I will read that saying whenever I get up in the morning.  I’m also thinking about creating a wallet sized card with the saving on it that I can take out and read aloud (but not too loud) during my lunch break.

Hopefully, this will get me back on track!

MR

Losing Weight The Frugal Way Update 1

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It’s been 1 week and 2 days since I started my frugal weight loss diet, but since half the battle of such programs is the start, it’s time for a quick update!  I’ve been able to keep my meal expenses under $10 easily enough, so this part of my weight loss plan is working quite well.  I’ve also started cooking dinner for my family once a week, but I’m only partially successful with this new plan.

Diet Start

I’ve decided to go with a low-carb diet and since protein is more expensive that other food sources, having a $10 daily limit for the total cost for food has worked out well.  I still spend less than previously because I take advantage of my employer’s company resources such as their free coffee and filtered water.  While the diet isn’t a paradise for your taste buds, it’s a highly effective diet for the first 2 weeks to 1 month.  After 1 month, I plan on shifting to more of a south beach kind of diet.  I will be on the more healthy south beach diet for 6 months or longer.  After the south beach diet I plan on starting to adopt a new life style kind of diet mixed in with exercise and healthy eating.  For now though I’m just going to focus on the weight and putting one proverbial foot in front of the other.

So how much weight have I lost?

Eight pounds so far!  Low carb diets are highly effective, and that’s why I decided to use this diet for the initial start.  I do plan on shifting the diet from well know diets to more of a personal lifestyle diet that fits me better, but for now this is good.

 

Cooking Start

In a previous article, I mentions that I plan on cooking dinner for my family once a week.  Instead of jumping in and start by cooking something too complex, I decided to start just by grilling some hamburger patties.  I’ve cooked similar patties and this would be a good refresher for cooking on the grill since this will be my first time this year.  My downfall in this process was that I didn’t prepare any side dishes such as beans or another vegetable, so I grabbed some potato chips, and some “chips and salsa” for my family.  While the side dishes weren’t horrible, I should have microwaved some broccoli, corn or beans.

I’m going to cook steak (rib eye) for my next cooking experiment.  I’ve never cooked steak before so it will be interesting.  For the side dishes, I’m going to use the tried and true broccoli veggie!

 

Assessment of My Start

While I had a few issues with the cooking start, overall I’ve very please with the results.  The eight pounds that I lost so far on the diet is great, I feel smaller and lighter all ready.

Cheers,

MR