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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2021 16:54:44 GMT
I've had an American Express card and a Visa for years. I switched almost 2 years ago to a new card Amex was offering. I get 6% off food totals!!! I got to deduct a total from my balances for the year of $623.00. I take the discount whenever I reach $25.00. Unless it's $25.00 or more I can't deduct it from my CC payment. Then I changed the points on the Visa to 3% off things at the pharmacy. So I get a pretty good discount when paying for the meds I take and all the other pharmacy items I purchase. These days I think having a credit card is important. If one has no credit history, it's impossible to get a loan or buy another car etc. The way things are going, my POV is that my credit rating -- though none too shabby -- is the least of my concerns. My goal was, and continues to be, the one recommended by Dave Ramsey: No credit rating at all.
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Post by mzgarden on Jan 18, 2021 17:59:17 GMT
DH and I have had a particular no fee CC for nearly 40 years. They have earned nothing from me for 40 years - no fee, no interest, nada. We buy everything we can with it, within reason. We've been known to charge used cars on it to get the points. We have paid it off every month for 40 years. I'd conservatively guess we've averaged a minimum of $50 cash back every month ($50*12)*40 = $24,000. I figure there are very few about us financially anyway so I'll take the money. Of course, if someone offers a cash discount, we're not dumb, we'll take that instead.
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Jan 18, 2021 18:31:16 GMT
DH and I have had a particular no fee CC for nearly 40 years. They have earned nothing from me for 40 years - no fee, no interest, nada. We buy everything we can with it, within reason. We've been known to charge used cars on it to get the points. We have paid it off every month for 40 years. I'd conservatively guess we've averaged a minimum of $50 cash back every month ($50*12)*40 = $24,000. I figure there are very few about us financially anyway so I'll take the money. Of course, if someone offers a cash discount, we're not dumb, we'll take that instead. Pretty impressive!
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Jan 18, 2021 18:50:14 GMT
@pony , wildhorseluvr , If you can afford it, grab at least one lamp that requires a mantle. You won't be sorry. They put out as much light as an electric light. We have two that require a mantle and countless of the others. We use them at least weekly here - this keeps the oil in rotation and keeps us in practice on using the mantle. As Ozarks Tom has said, the containers the oil comes in can degrade after storage. I will say, though, that they are good for minimum 2 years....so far. LOL (I keep them sitting in a tote just in case.) Best oil is the KleanHeat. No odor. Less expensive. Hmm, I have oil that’s been sitting around a LOT longer than 2 yrs. 😳 However I used some in an oil lamp when we had the big windstorm last spring...worked perfectly. Don’t recall what brand but was the odorless type. Will have to check on the lamps with mantles.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2021 19:05:43 GMT
wildhorseluvr, I'm sure the oil is good. It's just that the actual packaging could deteriorate.
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Jan 18, 2021 19:18:44 GMT
wildhorseluvr , I'm sure the oil is good. It's just that the actual packaging could deteriorate. I’ve been checking on that periodically, so far so good. I actually bought it secondhand so no idea how old it is. I’ve had much of it probably 10+ yrs., purchased at .25-$1 per bottle. I’ve been concerned the plastic bottles could leak so have stored them in plastic tubs but no leaks thus far. They were stored in my cellar room so temps were pretty stable year round.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2021 1:27:58 GMT
Today I ordered fuel oil. Don’t need it really but figured I better get it before Biden jacks up the prices. $2.09/gal. Last spring it was 1.79.
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Post by joinwa on Jan 22, 2021 1:59:59 GMT
I got my propane yesterday......$168.9. I got a small discount for paying cash. We only heat with propane and just order twice a year, always cheaper in summer.
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Post by Ozarks Tom on Jan 22, 2021 2:52:26 GMT
A money saving tip on propane. If you're leasing your tank you're at the mercy of the lessor as to price of the propane plus many companies charge a monthly/yearly lease fee if you don't buy enough. Many offer mid-summer "winter buys" at summer prices, but even those summer prices are jacked up due to you being a captive audience. Most, if not all, independent small propane companies have used tanks on hand that they'll refurbish with new valves and gauges, bring them out, set and hook up. You're no longer a captive customer. You can call around asking "what's your price today on propane" and you'll get their most competitive price.
When we first moved here 20 years ago the tank was owned by a big propane company and they put us through their little game for a couple years. We bought 3 refurbished used tanks, had them set and plumbed, and have bought from several independents over the years since then. That's paid for itself several times over.
One other thing about propane tanks. If you're buying a used one, specify you want one with a "wet leg", and get the hose w/fittings along with it. A "wet leg" is a valve on a pipe that's all the way to the bottom of the tank where it's all liquid and not gas like you'd get from a regular valve on top. The wet leg allows you to fill your own smaller tanks right from the big one without carrying them to a propane place for three times the price of bulk.
If you're filling your own BBQ grill bottles, use a scale. The bottle will have it's tare/empty weight, the weight of the bottle itself empty. Since your bottle probably isn't completely empty, and you want 20 pounds of propane when you're done, put the bottle on a scale, and fill it until you're scale reads 20 pounds over the tare weight. If your bottle weighs 7.4 pounds empty/tare, quit filling at 27 pounds. When filling bottles from a wet leg, open the main valve very slowly, most bottle have a safety of sorts that a sudden blast of liquid will shut the valve.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2021 9:04:47 GMT
Eliminate disposables from your life. Paper towels, antibacterial wipes, napkins, etc. May as well wean yourself now. I've slowly gotten Hubs weaned. His affinity for rolls and rolls of paper towels has finally been replaced with the cloth version. It only took me 20 years.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2021 13:16:55 GMT
Eliminate disposables from your life. Paper towels, antibacterial wipes, napkins, etc. May as well wean yourself now. I've slowly gotten Hubs weaned. His affinity for rolls and rolls of paper towels has finally been replaced with the cloth version. It only took me 20 years. Funny you mention this. Yesterday, one of the dogs vomited her entire breakfast on the living room rug. I went to get the paper towels, thought twice, and grabbed a rag and plastic grocery sack. Little steps...
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Jan 22, 2021 14:17:21 GMT
Eliminate disposables from your life. Paper towels, antibacterial wipes, napkins, etc. May as well wean yourself now. I've slowly gotten Hubs weaned. His affinity for rolls and rolls of paper towels has finally been replaced with the cloth version. It only took me 20 years. Funny you mention this. Yesterday, one of the dogs vomited her entire breakfast on the living room rug. I went to get the paper towels, thought twice, and grabbed a rag and plastic grocery sack. Little steps... Over the last 8 yrs I became somewhat dependent on paper towels, mainly because using rags just meant more work (laundry). Lately I’ve been working on using rags again, but there are some jobs that just need PTs...like the one you described above. Thankfully that’s something that is an extremely rare occurrence around here, but there are other jobs, usually involving grease, that I won’t use rags for. Don’t want that mess in my wash machine.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2021 14:26:52 GMT
wildhorseluvr, I know it creates a bit more laundry, but consider throwing one or two with every load you do of jeans, etc.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2021 14:29:30 GMT
Over the last 8 yrs I became somewhat dependent on paper towels, mainly because using rags just meant more work (laundry). Lately I’ve been working on using rags again, but there are some jobs that just need PTs...like the one you described above. Thankfully that’s something that is an extremely rare occurrence around here, but there are other jobs, usually involving grease, that I won’t use rags for. Don’t want that mess in my wash machine. Grease rags are the ones that have become too nasty for anything else. Once they're grease soaked, they're kept in a safe place to use for fire-starting.
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Jan 22, 2021 14:40:59 GMT
wildhorseluvr , I know it creates a bit more laundry, but consider throwing one or two with every load you do of jeans, etc. I do that with relatively “clean” rags, that were just used for minor cleaning or mopping up a non-greasy, non-staining spill. I’ll throw them in with jeans or towels. But the extra effort some messes create (rag needs cleaning before putting it in the washer)...just not worth it to me, unless it’s a rag I’m willing to toss in the trash afterward.
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