westguy76 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 If you can decide on a dish, share it with your significant other. Most portion sizes are WAY too big anyhow, so 1/2 of a typical meal is probably still more than a 'serving'. You'll be surprised how full you'll be even on a 1/2 meal. If it's not enough, you can always order a dinner salad to split as well or eat alone.You're $30 - $40 bill will pretty much be cut in half.I second this.Went to eat this weekend without this in mind and ordered fajitas for 2 and ate only half of it. With the included chips and salsa we easily could of had our fill on a half portion, next time we will split the fajitas for one.All of you posting to this thread are nothing but CHEAPSKATES. CHEAP. CHEAP. CHEAP. I got a raise this year, investing every bit of it; "spending" it all. Absolutely making no adjustments.Cutting costs on bread?!? Is Mrs. Baird's really that expensive?!! Come on people!Good for you.We had 25% layoffs in October at my workplace.When I came back from the holidays I was greeted with a 10% paycut. across the board (principals took a 20% cut)With the threat of 4 day work weeks looming. I think the writing may be on the wall unless we can get some proposals signed.So adjusting my spending and saving what I can has become a neccessity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 All of you posting to this thread are nothing but CHEAPSKATES. CHEAP. CHEAP. CHEAP. I got a raise this year, investing every bit of it; "spending" it all. Absolutely making no adjustments.Cutting costs on bread?!? Is Mrs. Baird's really that expensive?!! Come on people!Nice 'I got mine' approach to the topic. Most of my money saving tricks were already in place. I run the AC at 78 in the summer, heat at 67 in the winter, and turn it up or down when I am not at home. No movie channels, since I don't watch them anyway. The biggest savings were somewhat unintentional, but they work. I work nights, so I cannot go drinking during the week. I also bring a lunch, since nothing is open at midnight. My food bill is down to $300 a month, and my whiskey bill is down to about $100. When I go back to days, I plan to keep doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Nice 'I got mine' approach to the topic. Most of my money saving tricks were already in place. I run the AC at 78 in the summer, heat at 67 in the winter, and turn it up or down when I am not at home. No movie channels, since I don't watch them anyway. The biggest savings were somewhat unintentional, but they work. I work nights, so I cannot go drinking during the week. I also bring a lunch, since nothing is open at midnight. My food bill is down to $300 a month, and my whiskey bill is down to about $100. When I go back to days, I plan to keep doing this.Oh, I forgot about that. I stopped using AC or heat, but like yourself that was a while back and doesn't really count as a saving policy for '09. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Having bought a house not all that long ago, I'm still building back up the cash reserves that got eaten away on appliances, expensive deferred maintenance, etc. Since unemployment is quite possibly in my future for 09, cutting back, and putting a few hundred more in the money market every month is very significant for me. It's all about the cash reserves.Hey speaking of work, who's working? I'm sitting at home in my nighties still, drinking coffee and wasting time. I love it! My previous employer didn't give MLK off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Other things:-I have been keeping groceries to less than $100/month and restaurants/bars to about $50-75 (MAJOR cutback). -I am sticking to cheap/no $ involved hobbies.-I am ignoring my 403b and mutual fund for now, because it just adds stress.I had also been using Mint to take a look at my spending habits, and that put everything in a different light.edit - I'm off today, too, but this has been the great purge weekend of '09 (throwing/giving away stuff left and right - uncluttering). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cla Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 I actually vowed to eat our more this year. We almost never eat out (the fat and calories out there are scary), but I plan on trying a new restaurant once a month or so.And I just paid someone to remove about 500 sf of sod in my back yard and put down some garden soil and I plan on planting a lot of flowering shrubs and perennials (I practically live on my patio and want something beautiful to look at - plants, butterflies, and hummingbirds).About the only thing I am planning on cutting back is my teenage daughter's clothing allowance - which means that I am actually setting a spending limit this year.And I will continue to buy new furniture this year. Maybe I'll cut back next year :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Bread is a big expense I'm saving a lot on these days. A good loaf of crusty bread is $3-$4! I can make it myself for about 30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Another way i am saving money. I turned off my TV so that I wouldn;t have to look at anymore nauseating Inauguration Coverage.Oh, and I don't think they have HEB in Chi-town LTAWACS, so Ed can't take advantage of it. Ed, you should just cut out bread all together, lose inches and save money at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I usually buy HEB's 99 cent bread. It's not bad.It's economical, but nutritionally speaking, bread like that is some of the worst stuff you can put in your body. It's basically sugar and refined flour puffed with air and packed with chemicals. It sucks that healthy bread costs 4 or 5 times more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Also, putting all electronics on power strips/surge protectors and turning off the strip when not in use helps a tiny bit.As far as bread goes, I wish smaller loaves were more widely available... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 It sucks that healthy bread costs 4 or 5 times more. I do beleive that "Healthy Bread" is an oxymoron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I recently moved to a new apartment after being in a living arrangement, with minimal overhead costs, for the last 17 years. I dropped the land line and I'm currently on rabbit ears and have no internet service. FYI - digital signal sucks pretty bad on rabbit ears. I thought I'd hang off a neighbor's unsecured network, but no such luck. There are networks all over the place, but all are secured. I'll break down and subscribe to AT&T or Comcast eventually.I broke out the crock pot this weekend and made beef stew which will make several meals. I'm cutting back on eating breakfast and lunch out during the week. I need to cut back on booze and cigs - we'll see how that goes.Ed, I've got a bread maker, but all of the recipes I've tried, result in bread that is too dense for me. Got any suggestions?Bryan, it's going to be tough making rent on the first. Glad to hear you're doing so well. Are you accepting short term loan applications currently? EDIT: Oh, and I refinanced my car, cutting the payment by nearly $300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I recently moved to a new apartment after being in a living arrangement, with minimal overhead costs, for the last 17 years. I dropped the land line and I'm currently on rabbit ears and have no internet service. FYI - digital signal sucks pretty bad on rabbit ears.i just moved my older digital tv to my bedroom and took off the rabbit ears i had on the old tv and it works great! you can go buy an antenna booster box at home depot for about $30. ( i think leviton? brand is one they sell) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 i just moved my older digital tv to my bedroom and took off the rabbit ears i had on the old tv and it works great! you can go buy an antenna booster box at home depot for about $30. ( i think leviton? brand is one they sell)Are you saying that you get a great signal with no device attached or do you have the booster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Are you saying that you get a great signal with no device attached or do you have the booster?no device....but if you don't try the booster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 20, 2009 Author Share Posted January 20, 2009 Ed, I've got a bread maker, but all of the recipes I've tried, result in bread that is too dense for me. Got any suggestions?My father had a bread maker and it did the same thing -- the stuff was just too dense.I make my bread by hand. Flour, salt, yeast, water. That's it. Mix it in the morning, let it rise all day and when it's time to bake at night it's fluffier than a poodle on a bad hair day.I've delayed my experiment at making sandwich bread. I'm a little snowed under with a project.Digital TV reception is kind of a crap shoot, depending on where you live. When I had my TV on one side of the room I used a piece of wire and got great digital reception. When I moved it to the other side of the room I had to buy a proper antenna, but still lost some of the fringe stations. It should all get better after February when the adjacent analog signals get shut down and the broadcasters can properly tinker with their transmissions. Right now there's not that much they can do for fear of knocking into the existing analog signals in neighboring markets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 My father had a bread maker and it did the same thing -- the stuff was just too dense.I make my bread by hand. Flour, salt, yeast, water. That's it. Mix it in the morning, let it rise all day and when it's time to bake at night it's fluffier than a poodle on a bad hair day.I've delayed my experiment at making sandwich bread. I'm a little snowed under with a project.Digital TV reception is kind of a crap shoot, depending on where you live. When I had my TV on one side of the room I used a piece of wire and got great digital reception. When I moved it to the other side of the room I had to buy a proper antenna, but still lost some of the fringe stations. It should all get better after February when the adjacent analog signals get shut down and the broadcasters can properly tinker with their transmissions. Right now there's not that much they can do for fear of knocking into the existing analog signals in neighboring markets.Those are the same ingredients that I use. I'll try a longer rising time.I have two tv's in different rooms, one digital and one on a converter box. The rabbit ears are brand new, Radio Shacks with a triangle in the middle and two antennas in either direction and an adjuster knob. It seems like the signal being sent is weaker on both tv's at the same time. Oh well, we'll see how it goes after go live.Channel 26 has been announcing that when their analog signal goes away, they'll be transmitting at a weaker digital signal until their new antenna comes online in August. You'd have thought that they would have had that planned well in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Those are the same ingredients that I use. I'll try a longer rising time.That's how I do mine. I use the Cooks Illustrated recipe for 'almost no-knead bread.' You can find it on their website. It has an overnight rise and cooks inside a preheated dutch oven, covered, at a really high temp. It comes out perfect, just like one of those fancy artisan loaves from Central Market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Channel 26 has been announcing that when their analog signal goes away, they'll be transmitting at a weaker digital signal until their new antenna comes online in August. You'd have thought that they would have had that planned well in advance.Well that sucks. They're the only station my rabbit ears have a problem pulling in with consistent quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Well that sucks. They're the only station my rabbit ears have a problem pulling in with consistent quality.try an fm filter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 try an fm filter.Really? All the info I can find seems to indicate it wouldn't make a difference....Fox broadcasts their digital signal on UHF 27 which is supposed to be centered at 522 MHz. An FM filter would only filter out frequencies between 88 and 108 MHz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Really? All the info I can find seems to indicate it wouldn't make a difference....Fox broadcasts their digital signal on UHF 27 which is supposed to be centered at 522 MHz. An FM filter would only filter out frequencies between 88 and 108 MHz.it helped my parents and ch 26 specifically which only came in intermittently for them. here's a description of a similar device. some of the power boosters i mentioned earlier have a built-in FM filter.Two stage variable FM trap designed to attenuate stations in the FM band (88 to 108 MHz) When both stages are tuned to a single frequency, it will be attenuated 26 dB or about 1/20 of its previous level. When each stage is tuned to a different frequency, it will be reduced from 7 to 10 dB or 1/2 to 1/3 of the original level. The FT-7600 is used to reduce strong signals from local FM stations and prevent overload of amplifier and TV sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 Channel 26 has been announcing that when their analog signal goes away, they'll be transmitting at a weaker digital signal until their new antenna comes online in August. You'd have thought that they would have had that planned well in advance.You'd think. My observation is, though, that Fox believes very little in digital TV and has been fighting it kicking and screaming even more than the other broadcasters. Note how all Fox programs are 720p -- the lowest quality form of HD, and no Fox station has any subchannels.Fox probably procrastinated on getting the new antenna. In the best of times it can take months to years to install a new antenna because of paperwork and testing and regulations. And making an antenna is very labor-intensive. You can't just pull one off the shelf. That, combined with all of the other TV stations in the nation trying to do the same thing at the same time and Fox kind of screwed itself.it helped my parents and ch 26 specifically which only came in intermittently for them. here's a description of a similar device. some of the power boosters i mentioned earlier have a built-in FM filter.Two stage variable FM trap designed to attenuate stations in the FM band (88 to 108 MHz) When both stages are tuned to a single frequency, it will be attenuated 26 dB or about 1/20 of its previous level. When each stage is tuned to a different frequency, it will be reduced from 7 to 10 dB or 1/2 to 1/3 of the original level. The FT-7600 is used to reduce strong signals from local FM stations and prevent overload of amplifier and TV sets.Some antennae have built-in amplifiers, which might be a simpler way to go. The one I got from Best Buy was about $14, and includes a wall plug. Plug it in and the little green light turns on and I get stations from Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan. Unplug it and the antenna works fine bringing in all of the local channels. There's a knob on it, too, to adjust if there's a problem with overload as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 For those who like to read, but can't stand the library I have a solution -- the library. There are people who love books and love going to Borders and Barnes & Noble and wherever to buy new books while at the same time they wouldn't be caught dead in the library. I understand this feeling. I think it has to do with bad childhood memories, or the sense of ownership you get from having a book that you don't have to return, or the latent fear of late fees if you forget the book or there's a computer error or something. Really, I understand.But what I've started doing over the last few months is going through my library's DISCARDED book pile. There's a little room just outside the security perimeter at my library where every morning the library's discarded books appear. The suggested donation is 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 Just ran across this: Uses for old newspapers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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