Unorthodox Ways To Save Money

by metatron 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  metatron

  The following suggestions are things I've witnessed or done - although I may refrain from telling you

  which for various reasons!

  1) If you think that precious metals are going up, then buy the bullion and resell it later privately.

  Ever see some guy at the bank struggling with a heavy safety deposit box and wonder what he's

  planning? Governments hate this because you are expected to Dutifully Report Such Transactions

  to the IRS or Inland Revenue. I guess some people forget. Did I mention cash?

  2) Drive a light, fuel efficient pickup truck instead of a car - offer to haul stuff for a reasonable

  price ( sorry, no loan of vehicle, insurance, you know). Did I mention cash?

  3) Need a good car cheap? If you fix up an old car, you've got an old ( working ) car. If you have

  the skills and patience, you might consider rebuilding a late model wreck from your local junkyard.

  Lots of "shade tree mechanics" do this. Ever straighten a frame using two trees?

  Even if your body work ends up a bit lumpy or less than spec, it may remind you of how little

  you invested to get a newish car at half of Blue Book price.

  More as I think of them...

  metatron
• 

  RichieRich

  Did you know that bright solid copper wire is worth 2.95 a pound?

  Many businesses throw it away... few hours work of stripping it down can make you a couple hundred bucks...

  CASH!
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  metatron

  Point number 4: Always keep some emergency money invested in Australia. How come?

  a) the Australian dollar strongly correlates to the price of gold

  b) they have an economy based on commodities and tourism

  c) their economy will be pumping out big exports to Asia for decades ( a safer way to 'play' China)

  and

  d) they get drunk on Fosters and make babies OK, they have a better birthrate than Japan or

  or Europe - and someone's gotta be alive to keep economies going.

  For the timid, try FAX ( a 6.6% dividend) a bond fund.

  Aussie, Aussie, oy, oy

  metatron
• 

  metatron

  Scrap copper? Absolutely! Metals have gone up because of Asian demand. Imagine constantly

  building million plus population cities -- that ALL need to be wired! That's China.

  metatron
• 

  metatron

  Point 5 - get a chest freezer and keep it outdoors. Fill it with all the frozen bargains you find and

  regularily pull stuff from the bottom and eat it, to avoid long term freezer burn. Advantage?

  For many people with wintry climates, it may not use much electricity. Oddly, some freezer

  manuals counsel against external cold making the compressor motor hard to start but I've

  seen some freezers work outdoors for decades! If you live near a wooded area, beware of

  bears! ( "wow! beef, pork and chicken! all for me!")

  Point 6 -- if you live near wooded areas, get a wood stove. What isn't as obvious is that a wood

  stove can solve all problems with shredding documents, junk mail and disposable

  diapers. And if you happen to have a huge source of paper/ cardboard nearby ( yes,

  it happens), you may not need much wood at all.

  Point 7 - Prescription meds? Don't forget Mexico as a cheap source and you can even get

  prescription meds without a prescription if Mexican law allows it. Get stuff with official

  factory assured packaging.

  Point 8 - You may be able to cut pills in half, safely. Life extension ran an article on this. It happens

  because not all available dosages are sized for particular people. Ask a doctor.

  metatron
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  metatron

  Point 9 - depending on your tax bracket, you may want to keep money invested in a tax free

  municipal bond fund that corresponds to your state ( U.S.). I strongly suggest a look

  at closed end muni bond funds because they can often offer a better yield. Do you want

  3- 5% on your money in a bank or would you prefer 3-5%, tax-free?

  metatron
• 

  restrangled

  Find your loose change. Save it every day. Purses, pants, car, etc.....its shocking what adds up. Take the time and pick up that penny. (Check your dryer vent.....I found a $50.00 bill once.....that had gone missing 2 years previous)

  I always kept a large jar, and my kids could count on getting it about once a month. It never failed it was $50.00 plus dollars.

  Always clip coupons, check your charge card bills etc. If you are disciplined enough accept that new charge card that transfers balances and offers interest free credit on balances .......But don't charge on it and cancel your old one.

  Return bad food to the store, argue with your insurance company. The latest for me was our home owners. They upped our bill by 800.00....I called and started squawking. Sure enough they had over charged by 600.00.

  Turn off lights in the house, and turn off the fan in your bathroom......did you know that a bath fan can exhaust an entire air conditioned house in 1 hour?

  Grill instead of heating up your oven during the summer.

  Make sure your blinds are turned up instead of down. Blinds turned down reflect heat in. Blinds turned up reflect out.

  r.
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  ninja

  talking about copper...did you know copper wire was invented by the scots?....well 2 scots to be exact....they were fighting over a penny
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  ballistic

  Get two small pieces of the best carpet money can buy and use duct tape to attach a piece to the underside of each foot. Now get that warm comfy deep pile carpet feeling throughout your home without the need for expensive wall-to-wall carpeting!
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  greendawn

  Gather food from the wild, from public land, for example mushrooms, or wild fruit to make jams. Also if living near a clean lake, river or the sea go fishing with a rod. Those with some land can grow a lot of their own food. Use compact fluorescent lights at home, walk over short distances rather than use a car though this is mainly to get some exercise, people today don't move much due to the car and sedentary work and it's bad for the heart.