The Frugal Bostonian

I like to read magazines, but rarely buy them.  I have subscriptions to two magazines that were free from mycokerewards.com.  But, having joined a gym, I now have a great opportunity to read lots of magazines.

The gym has a magazine rack near the exercise bikes.  I like to grab a few magazines to read while I pedal for an hour.  I always enjoy the usual staples - People, Time, Newsweek - but when none of these were around, I started branching into new genres just because they were there, and I wanted something to read.

Luckily for me, the consumer reports that was available was a current issue with camera reviews.  I’ve read quite a few car magazines - I’m not planning to buy any of the cars, but it provided insight into what to look for in a car.  I read a few alumni magazines from colleges I did not attend - it’s always interesting to read an “insider” view of something you don’t belong to.  A few newsletters from animal organizations, environmental concerns, and unions were interesting.  And I had a chance to read conservative and liberal magazines.

Since these magazines are there for the reading, I am using them to broaden my perspective.  I learned that the car magazines review mainstream “boring” cars in addition to sports cars, so I know one place to look if I end up in the market for a car.  I had long ago forgotten about Consumer Reports until I found it on the magazine rack, and it helped my finalize my decision about buying a particular model of camera.  While none of the “position” materials have changed my mind, I learned more about other points of view (and I am going to bring newsletters I have finished and leave them for others to read).

I had a yard sale this weekend.  Actually, it’s more accurate to say that I “coordinated” a yard sale.  I had decided to de-clutter my apartment (I inherited an new-to-me piece of furniture, and needed space for it).  Because everyone just moved on September 1st, this was a good weekend to sell housewares (buyers were motivated, unlike May, when sellers are motivated and buyers are not).  Having decided I wanted to get rid of stuff  (and that it would be more efficient to hold a sale), here’s what I did:

• Put a posting on craigslist advising as to the time and place of the sale.  This is free.
• Sent an email to folks in my neighborhood and others who I thought might be interested in selling their “treasures” or buying stuff.  In my email, I announced the time and date, and invited others to participate by bringing a card table or blanket to sell their items.  I also asked them to forward the message to anyone else who might be interested.
• I posted a paper notice on a bulletin board in my building.

The sale was a success.  Five people joined me selling items (these were all friends or acquaintances).  There was a lot of foot traffic (some generated by the craigslist ad, some just people in the area).  Here’s a few tips for a successful sale:

• Be realistic about prices.  A new George Foreman grill costs $20, no one is going to pay $15 for a used one.   If you are getting rid of things you no longer need, price it low so it sells and you don’t need to drag it to goodwill.  Clothing generally does not sell well at yard sales; try a consignment shop or just donate it to goodwill. [Exception: winter coats and outdoor gear usually does okay).
• Have things that will draw foot traffic.  Furniture is always good.  I also have a few cigar boxes filled with old costume jewelry, non-working watches, and other small odds-and-ends.  I sell each item for 25 cents.  These boxes are always popular and always do well.
• If you aren’t sure whether something electronic works, encourage the buyer to take it home and test it immediately.  I’d rather that someone come back and get their money back rather than deal with bad feelings when the unhappy buyer sees me in the neighborhood or at the next yard sale.
• Pricing. There’s a variety of theories about pricing at yard sales, some people think price tags work best, others swear that the best way is to wait for someone to ask the price, then ask them what they want to pay.  I use a combination of these tactics.
• Haggling:  there’s a polite way to negotiate a lower price, and a rude way.  If someone is rude, I will not negotiate the price.  If someone asks the price of an item and I say “$3,” and the person glares back and holds up two fingers (apparently signaling that they’d like to pay $2), the price will stay at $3 for that person.  Here’s why: most of the things are priced much lower than I’d get if I put the time into identifying a more specific market.  When someone can’t be bothered with basic courtesy, I won’t bother engaging in negotiations with that person.   These people are dreadful, and yes, I really would rather “lose a sale” than accommodate a rude person. (I’ll post later on polite ways to negotiate a price).
• Bring a folding table or blanket to keep put under your items.
• Bring a chair of something to sit on.
• Bring water or some other drink, and a snack (your earnings can be wiped out by a few junk food runs).
• Wear sunscreen, bring sunglasses and a hat.
• Look at what other people are selling, and buy things you need, you might save a considerable amount of money (but if you are de-cluttering, don’t buy more clutter).  I got a pair of new sandals for $3, saving over $20 as I had planned to buy new sandals.

Yard sales are fun,  you get to hang out with friends all afternoon and make a little money.  Be sure to figure out your motivation for having a sale.  If you really need money, then scrounge more stuff to sell (neighbors who don’t have a lot of time or energy often give me things for yard sales).

If you’re de-cluttering, consider giving stuff away so you don’t need to drag it to goodwill.  Decide what to do with the “leftovers.”  I’m sending some of my leftovers to a fundraising tag sale next week.  I’ve also seen “yardsale leftovers” postings on craigslist (after the sale, the seller leaves the stuff for people to take for free, someone from craigslist will probably come poke through the remnants).

Someone who lives in the neighborhood was buying stuff and asked about how to run a yard sale.  The neighbor is having a sale soon, and I am sending an email to my “list” to let them know it is happening.  And if I get motivated, I can sell a few more things there!

I found this on Boston.com, the movie looks interesting.  Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend, but hopefully the theater will be full.

Chipotle is sponsoring free screenings of the movie at the Kendall Square Cinema on July 15 and the Coolidge Corner Theatre July 16, both at 7:30 p.m. It’s first come, first served, so you might want to get there early.

Strange but true, same brand, same item, larger package for the same price.  I was buying cough drops in CVS; $1.29 for a package of 30.  Right below the package of 30 was the bonus package of 40.  Both were the same brand, same flavor.  I bought the larger package.

I was getting coffee in Shaw’s supermarket.   One brand was on sale, $5.00 per bag.  The whole bean bag contained 10 ounces, the ground bag contained 12 ounces.  So there’s more coffee in the ground container (I don’t have a grinder, and almost always grind up the whole beans in the store).  Maybe someone knows something about coffee that I don’t, but it seems that the only difference is that there was more coffee in the ground bag.

It pays to pay attention to the labels!

I drive past several gas stations on the way to work.  Remarkably, I have seen as much as a $.25 per gallon price difference in the same day, just a few miles away.  Most remarkable: the place that is consistently the least expensive is full serve. I pay less to have someone else pump the gas.  You’d think that the full serve place would be more expensive, but it’s not.   Check the prices - assumptions may be wrong!

Someone asked me what I do with all those vegetables I get at Haymarket.  I make quiches, which I bring to work for lunch.  I used to use those premade crusts that you unroll.  But once I  did not have any on hand when I wanted o make quiche, so I searched online for a recipe.  I found one at cooks.com for Julia child’s cuisinart pie crust.

Since I am still not sure of the etiquette of the internet, I am not going to post the recipe here, but you can google it.  It only requires a stick of butter, flour, salt, vegetable oil, and cold water, and takes less than ten minutes to make (everything gets tossed in the cuisinart for a few pulses).

Once the dough is made, I split it in half and separately wrap each ball of dough in plastic wrap.  I let it chill for a few hours, then roll it out (put it between sheets of plastic wrap while rolling for best results - just pick up the plastic to get it in the pie plate.  I cook it in a hot (425 degrees) oven by itself for about 12 minutes.  After it prebakes, toss the quiche stuff in and finish cooking.

I have not purchased a pre-made crust in ages.  This one tastes better, is easy to prepare, and has only those ingredients I put into it (i.e., no preservatives).  Since it only takes a few minutes to prepare, as long as butter and flour are on hand, I am ready to make a quiche or pie. 

The internet is a giant cookbook (subject of a future post), and this is one recipe that I am pleased to have found.

Every week I find my mailbox stuffed with supermarket fliers.  As I was perusing this week’s flier in anticipation of tossing it in the recycling bin, I noticed a separate page with two coupons for free McCafe drinks at McDonald’s.  It’s really a free coupon for a medium iced or hot drink, no need to buy anything else.

I was walking past McDonald’s today and got a free medium iced mocha.  According to the register, the cost for this drink is $2.79 (plus tax!).  I handed the cashier the coupon (hand in the coupon when you order, so it gets rung in as a promo) and got the drink.

I did not really care for this particular drink, and would probably not order it again.  But, it was nice to try it for free.  I am going to try the hot version with the other coupon.  There are apparently four different McCafe drinks, and each comes in hot and iced, for a total of eight drinks.  If McDonald’s sends me more coupons, I am going to try them all. 

The bottom line - check fliers for freebies.  A free coupon is a great way to have a treat.

I was rummaging through the clearance section at Target and found Eddie Bauer sports bottles on sale for $5.00.  The bottle has a spout to drink from, a handle, measurements on its side, and guaranteed that it would not retain odors.   It also has an “ice core” which attaches to the lid.  Store the ice core in the freezer until you are ready to go.  I bought one.

Having read several health guides, I realize that I do not drink enough water.  Hopefully I can make myself drink at least one 24 ounce bottle a day.  But this is also going to save money.  I like to have a beverage with me at all times.  Coffee in the morning, tea, soda, or water in the afternoon.  I like the convenience of smallish water bottles that can be bought by the case.  But the water from the store is no better than the water from my tap, I buy them only for the convenience.  There are all sorts of dire warnings about reusing plastic bottles (none of which I believe), but I usually ended up tossing the disposal bottles away. 

By having my own water bottle, I can fill it up (for free!) with tap water.  The ice core will keep things cold.  I will not be spending anything for my beverage or generating waste in the form of plastic bottles.  I won’t have to listen to folks questioning my sanity because I am reusing a plastic bottle notwithstanding the dire warnings.  And since the sports bottle claims that it does not retain odors or taste, I can also use it to drink soda, apple cider, and assorted other beverages.

If the average bottle of water costs $.20 (assuming a purchase by the case), the sports bottle will pay for itself in four weeks (assuming one bottle of water a day M-F).  The water I take with me after that will be entirely free!

I got a flyer announcing “cantastic” at Shaws/Star Supermarkets.  This is a big promotion for canned goods.  I went into the supermarket to investigate, and found it well worth the trip. 

Staples such as canned tuna (solid white albacore in water, not the grey stuff), tomato sauce, progresso soups, canned tomatoes, chef boyaredee products and campbell’s soups were selling for $1 each (the tuna is usually $1.89, the tomatoes (large 28 oz can) were usually $1.99, and some of the progresso soups were usually $2.19. 

Some of the canned beans were 2 for $1.00 (chick peas, black beans).  Other canned goods were also included in the promotion, these are just the ones I got.

Between the dire warnings of a global recession and the threat of bad weather, it makes sense to keep extra food on hand.  Most of these canned goods can be eaten right out of the can in a pinch.   This stuff won’t go bad, is significantly cheaper than the regular price, and can be used for cooking (I am planning a tuna noodle casserole with the tuna and the campbell’s cream of mushroom soup). 

You need to have one of those “shaws” cards to get the special price.

The sale continues until Thursday, January 8th.  Stock up!!!

Some people like to give gift cards as gifts.  I like to use them as “added value currency.”  Here’s how it works:

Many restaurants have holiday promotions with an incentive for buying a gift card.  For example, for every $25 gift card you buy at Pizzeria Uno, you get an additional gift card for $5.  Although you can’t use the extra $5 card until after December 25th, you can use the $25 card immediately. 

I regularly “dine” at Unos with friends (we usually get drinks and appetizers and quarrel about the bill).  Last week, we had plans to go on Saturday afternoon.  Someone ran over ahead of time and bought $50 of gift cards, thereby receiving $10 of extra giftcard “incentives.”  The $50 gift cards were used toward the bill (the purchaser was reimbursed).  The extra $10 will defray the cost of the next trip to Unos.  We got $10 for absolutely nothing, as we were already planning to eat there. 

If you are already planning to eat at the restaurant, buy yourself a giftcard, use it on the bill, and use the “incentive” for a future trip.   Many restaurants do this (skipjacks and maggianos are two I happen to know about).