Op-shopping

Since I’m on holiday with the offspring at the moment, Hannah and I spent a couple of hours pootling around op-shops today.

We both scored well — she got a very nice old cashmere jacket, and I got a warm wool blazer and some very classy trousers. Total cost $30.

Seems to me that if you can find clothes you like at all, the economics very strongly favour op-shops. New, stylish clothes of the cheaper sort rarely last more than a year or two before they wear out or look obviously old. Paying a much smaller price for things that will wear just as long seems smart.

Spending money on what gives you jollies

An important part of the philosophy we have been trying to promote here is that spending money is not bad in itself; rather, spending money on things that don’t give you jollies is bad, if you could be using that money on things that do give you jollies. True, this could be rather broadly defined — not having a penniless and starving old age sort of gives me jollies, but not in the same way as some really classy coffee beans, or seeing a good show — but in principle anyway we are trying to encourage applying your resources where it counts for you, whatever that means.

So I was intrigued by a New York Times article on people’s spending preferences and satisfaction.

I cannot help but feel that we are getting a view into the psyche of the New York Times reader rather than a universal guide to human happiness here, but it’s still interesting.

…we were struck by how much overlap there was between the most-expensive list and the most-happy list. People repeatedly included on both lists their homes, their college education, their vacation trips, their high-priced electronics (large-screen televisions, Blu-Ray player, audio equipment, computers) and certain models of cars (BMW 325, Audi A4, Jaguar, Subaru WRX, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic).

Personally, looking back, I would say:

Expensive but jollies-producing: musical instruments, foreign travel, books, my espresso machine and grinder.

Expensive and a big waste: rollerblades and other speculative forays into hobbies that didn’t take; the cake mixer and certain other marginal kitchen appliances; ill-advised “investments”.

Cheap and jollies-producing: musical engagements, large and small. Cooking nice food from crap ingredients. Class fees for capoeira.

Of all the material goods I own, I’d have to say that right now, my Ortlieb pannier bags are giving me the most jollies from sheer joy of possession, never mind their utility. I feel a bit stink about being so attached to such mundane objects, but I cannot help it.

Bulk buy frugality, coffee edition

As some of you know I roast my own coffee at home. I was turned on to this idea by my friend and former colleague Steve, who has been doing it for quite a while now. I don’t actually do it for frugality reasons — it’s more of a hobby — but since I am unwilling to give up the coffee habit, it’s very clearly the cheapest way to indulge it.

Yesterday Steve and I and a bunch of other people carefully divvied up about 100kg of green beans. Steve had cut a deal with a wholesaler and organised it all. Together we bought one 60kg sack and several 10kg bags. The average cost per kilogram was $11. Even allowing for 20% weight loss after roasting, that’s a very substantial saving for roasting it yourself, and actually somewhat of a saving over normal retail for green beans. Another win for buying in bulk.

Mortgage, property bleg

Apparently a “bleg” is a dreadful portmanteau word describing begging on your blog.

I think we really are going to buy a house, for possibly quite silly reasons. I’m tired of being cold in winter, and the landlord has no incentive to insulate the place or install proper heating. Also, I HATE moving, so if we’re really going to move, it had better be to a place we own. And it seems that we may in fact be able to afford a non-freezing non-hovel withing a reasonable distance from town. It seems to me that now may not be a great time, but it’s probably not terrible either. And we talked to a bank today and they will lend us some money.

Anyway, if you bought a house recently (or perhaps deliberately refrained from buying a house) what do you wish you had known?

A winter resolution, update 3

Earlier: 1, 2, 3

It’s been a month since my panniers arrived. Since then, I have biked to work and back almost every day, in every weather, with the exception of two Friday nights when I knew in the morning that I had a high probability of being trollied in the evening. So I am well pleased with myself.

The total layout thus far has been $207 for the panniers, $35 for a carrier to fit them, and $32 for what has proved to be a quite adequate raincoat. I also needed a new chain earlier this week, and paid $60 to buy one and have it fitted*. I’m not sure whether that should count, but let’s say it does.

That’s a total outlay of $334.

On the other hand, in four weeks I would normally have used $76 worth of bus travel and $120 in taxis, so I am already more than half-way to payback time. I’m about to take a couple of weeks off with my daughter, so there won’t be any commuting going on, but even so, I should be in notional profit before the end of July.

On a non-financial note, my time on the way home, mostly uphill, has improved from 40 minutes to 30, so I must be getting fitter. I’m also enjoying sailing down Mt Victoria on the way in, which definitely puts me in a better frame of mind at the start of the day than a grumpy bus ride.

Verdict: WIN.

*Jack is going to comment and point out that a further investment in tools and cycle maintenance skills would quickly repay itself, and I won’t disagree.

How to Pimp Ur Ride

Kids. One things kids are not is cheap. The mountain of crap you need to keep them in all the stuff you need to keep them in is immense.

And one thing the suppliers like to ensure is that you spend a heap more than you need to.

Queue: the introduction of the Mountain Buggy, Urban Elite.

This is a pretty good pram. There’s one on TradeMe as I write this selling for $310 (with two bids). It has a lightweight frame, a mobile from wheel, sunshade, rain cover, nice wide berth and high riding position for the baby who is both urbane, and elite.

Brand new they retail for around $800. Which I would not pay. And not only because the website makes me a little sick in my mouth… But because it is daylight robbery.

Second Chef, bless her frugal heart, found this buggy in a second-hand place for a whopping… $50. The only trouble is, it needed a little love.

But a whole lotta love we got. Number one issue was that the canvas on the seat area had started to give way, and the metal frame of the sun cover had worn through. So, we got in touch with the very nice man at Hurry Up Shoe Repair in the bottom of the State Insurance Building. He was able to whip up some patches and have the whole deal fixed for $18, as depicted.

The next problem was that the tyres had pretty much worn down, and were likely to pop unexpectedly causing both crying and shouts of exasperation from respective family members.

So, a quick trip to Capital Cycles, and for $30 they sold us two new tyres and put them on for free.

Finally, new sun/rain covers to keep the wee guy happy, which were a whopping $90 all up…

And there we go. One pram restored to former glory for under $200.

Verdict? Excellent. The pram is larger so the not-so-small man is happier. It’s lighter so it’s easier on Second Chef. And it has an adjustable handle so those of us taller folk don’t have to stoop to push it, and it therefore preserves the back.

A win.

Wait three months

So I was making coffee at work this morning and colleague Mark started telling me about his experience at a Telecom Mobile store. He’d scoped out a high-end Nokia for their new network and found reviews with prices online. But Telecom want to charge 50% more than the same phone sells for in the US.

I think this is another kind of segmentation in action: specifically, identifying the overly-keen as people who will pay more for something new NOW.

In my experience, gadgets are almost always markedly cheaper three months out. Perhaps this is because of competition from something even newer, but I think it’s how sellers capture a premium from the keen before going on to get a smaller, more normal profit from the rest of us.

I got suckered like this a couple of years ago when the Asus eee laptops came out. I bought one as a present for $800, and three months later, they were around $600.

Hence my mantra for gadgets: wait three months. (If you decide you don’t need it at all in three months, bonus).

Keeping out the cold — with newspaper

We rent, and unfortunately the house is pretty cold and draughty. Draughts are a frugality nightmare, because all the lovely air you just heated disappears as fast as it gets warm. We dealt with the draughts under the doors last winter by splashing out on some adhesive draught strips.

Today I noticed there is a strong draught around the door frame of the front door. No more. I taped up a couple of cylinders of newspaper, and stuck them inside the frame. They’re not visible when the door shut so their amateur appearance doesn’t bother me a bit. Draught gone. Total expenditure: infinitesimal.

Cheap exercise

A little while ago I blogged about barefoot running, than which no exercise could be cheaper.

Today Google Reader suggested I might be interested in gubernatrix’ blog on strength training, and lo, there is a recent post on fitness on a budget. Not a bad read, I thought. Reminded me of Mistress Krista’s suggestions at Stumptuous.

Personally I train regularly with Capoeira Mandinga, which is extremely cheap as martial arts clubs go. I get sufficient jollies from this that it would be last on my list of things to give up. And I’m riding my bike as often as I can. That’s got to be the most fiscally virtuous exercise I do, because it actually saves money.

Confession: I do belong to a gym. I got a deal on the joining fee years ago, and I pay $33 a fortnight, a rate which is unobtainable now, but which I have locked in permanently. I belong because I like to lift weights, the gym is close enough to work that I can work out in my lunch break, and I don’t have the space at home to set up a weight room.

I have figured out that since I joined four years ago, I could have bought a power rack, a bench, an Olympic bar and 200kg of plates with the money, and this bugs me. As and when we move somewhere with more permanent intentions, a home gym will be on the list. Even now, I ask myself whether I wouldn’t like to save $858 per year, and several hours per week, and find some other way to do strength training.

In any event, my tips for cheap gym membership are:

• buy an existing membership to a chain gym from someone else. Saves a joining fee, and as rates go up and up continually, you’ll pay their old rate, not whatever the gym is currently offering
• don’t sign up on your first visit. Some gyms are really bad like this — they’re cagey about their prices when you ring and want you to visit, and then if you fall for that they want you to sign on the spot. Tell them tough. If they want your business, they’ll give you the same deal tomorrow.
• most of the chains have promotions annually or six monthly where they waive or reduce the joining fee. Wait.
• if all you need is somewhere to lift, check out somewhere bare bones like the Powerhouse.

Or don’t join a gym at all. Gyms make their money from the customers who sign a contract and then don’t turn up, which turns out to be most of them. Take gubernatrix‘ advice, do your push-ups, run to work, and find something heavy to lug around.

How do you keep fit cheaply?

Further yoghurt report

Since I first blogged about making yoghurt at home, I have made a couple of discoveries.

1. You can use skim milk powder instead of fresh milk. This is a win on two fronts. It saves even more money, and it saves time, because you don’t have to waste time simmering the milk — you can just make it up with hot water.
2. Cheesecloth costs about $4 per metre, and with half a metre you  have enough to strain your own Greek yoghurt, which is my favourite kind. You can use the whey that’s left in pancakes or scones or what have you.

In my unscientific way, I’ve noticed that the yoghurt mix sachet section in the supermarket has grown substantially recently. I theorise that yoghurty thriftiness is in the air, so to speak. Anyway, I don’t know what you get in a sachet that maes them better than using milk powder and old yoghurt starter. Enlighten me.