Last week our heating system suddenly shut down, so we had a heating repair person come out from a local company to diagnose what caused the problem.  He walked in, saw the safety switch was off, and told us that was the problem.  He flipped on the safety switch back on, and we wrote him a check for $95.  No explanation of why the switch went off.  Then the switch shut back off again after he left.  Dh turned it on.  Then it shut itself off again, as well as shutting down another safety switch.

At this point it was obvious there was something more wrong than a switch that ‘happened’ to shut off.  We called the company back and they said they’d said someone to do a chimney clean-out.  So the next day, someone comes back, opens the (easily accessed by anyone) pipe in the laundry room, shines a flashlight in, and sees black crumbly stuff.  “Crystallized soot!”  he tells us, like that’s supposed to mean something.  Another $55 to tell us that. 

So I ask what’s the significance of that.  He tells us it means the entire heating system needs to be replaced.  I ask how a heating system that was working fine suddenly stopped with no warning and there’s no option but to replace it.  “That’s what happens.”  He shows me a fine circle of dust inside and tells me it’s because I don’t keep the floor around it clean enough that the system is no good any more.  It was good to learn how large an area around the system needs to be kept clear since I didn’t know that, but at the same time, I was skeptical that there was nothing to do but replace the system – for $5800.   When we asked about the possibility of cleaning the soot out, we were told that it would cost $2600 and they wouldn’t guarantee the work because there’s a low success rate, so they didn’t recommend it. 

After telling my husband at least six times on the phone that we’ve got to keep the area around it cleaner, then telling me five times that we’ve got to keep it clean, and then telling me a couple of times that I have to tell my husband when he gets home that we’ve got to keep the area clear (to which I told him that my husband is a bright guy and gets things the first time, and I didn’t think any further repetition was necessary), I wasn’t feeling very enlightened.  So when he warned me that we’ve got to replace the system right away and not to try to turn on the safety switch, I ask what would happen if it were turned on.  Not that I have any plans to try it, I clarified, but I wanted to understand what it could lead to (because I like to understand things).

“You’d blow yourself up!”  Ahh.  “How would that happen?”  “You’d blow the house up!”    I was making a conscious effort at this point not to talk more slowly and enunciate my words to help him understand basic questions – he seemed to think that repeating himself again and again using the same words was giving me more information.  He told me (again!) not to turn on the safety switch because it would be dangerous.  Right, I got that, but what theoretically would happen?  “Carbon monoxide.”   Now, I’m not a heating repair specialist but I’m also not a totally witless person, and it was becoming obvious to me that he kept repeating himself because he didn’t know the answers to my questions- since carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that causes people to die by breathing it, not by blowing them up.  

Since it’s the middle of the winter and it’s quite chilly indoors with no heat, I started to think about what the alternatives to replacing our heating system were since we don’t have the funds for it and we don’t spend money we don’t have.  (Fortunately we have a separate boiler for hot water, so we still could shower and do dishes and laundry.)   I started researching used boilers that would be a good fit for our needs.  Within a half an hour I found two – one for $300, one for $400. 

While I was doing that, dh got on the phone with a plumber he knows, and described the situation in detail to him.  The plumber was very surprised at the recommendation to replace the entire system due to crystallized soot – he suggested getting a shop vac and vaccuuming it out.  Dh asked him how much it would be if he (the plumber) did a professional clean-out of the system.  $600, the plumber told him.   There’s a big difference between $600 and $2600, and a big difference between a used system for a few hundred dollars and a new system for almost $6000, and we were glad to be finding options that were more affordable than those offered by the company representative. 

Before we hired anyone else, dh got out our shop van and started vaccuuming up all the crystallized soot in the pipes or visible dust anywhere on the unit that he could see – it took him about thirty minutes.  And when he turned the heating system back on, it stayed on – it’s been on for almost a week now and working perfectly.  Dh called the company to complain – how could they tell us the only option was a $6000 job when it could easily was taken care of with a quick vaccuuming by someone with no training? 

And astonishingly, they told him that their lawyers don’t allow them to tell anyone to have it cleaned out because they might be held liable.  (I don’t know what that literally means, but practically it means that they’d rather put in a new system with a warranty than work on an older system.  Nice profit to them by avoiding liability.  🙄 )  I was sorry to see that given the chance to correct the situation, they continued to justify their lack of interest in what was best for the customer rather than their pocket.  If you’re in the Baltimore area, I’d strongly caution you to about dealing with this company – Farnen and Dermer.  When dh got off the phone with them he said told me it reminded him of obstetricians who do c-sections even when they aren’t medically necessary because then they can’t be sued, regardless of how it affects the mother and baby.  Good analogy.  😛   

The lesson for everyone, regardless of where you live, is that you really need to get your own information – don’t be afraid to ask questions, or to take some time to get more information.  You don’t have to make a decision on the spot.  Don’t let yourself be pressured to make an immediate decision.  When you’re faced with an expensive repair or recommendation – whether from a mechanic, heating technician, dentist or doctor – do some research, make some calls, check things online.  There are very, very often more frugal and equally effective ways to take care of the situation that the person you’re hiring isn’t aware of or would prefer not to mention to you.  No one cares about you hanging onto your money as much as you do, so look out for your best interests! 

Avivah

I used to regularly post what I bought on my monthly shopping trips, but at some point stopped because I didn’t want readers to be discouraged by the prices I was paying.  As I’ve shared before, I don’t shop with a list – I buy whatever is a great price when I go into a store, and build my menu plan based on what I’ve already bought.  Often it means that we will enjoy something one month and then not have it again for a long time!

Also, I’ve worked hard to find the cheapest sources that I can for whatever I need.  I didn’t just stumble onto these prices!  Since a number of readers found it helpful when I shared what I bought and the prices I paid, I’m sharing below most of what I bought during my monthly shopping trip, but keep in mind that these are sale prices – the regular prices at the local stores aregenerally higher than what I paid!   This is pretty typical for me in terms of how I shop – large quantities of a small amount of things.

• 60 dozen extra large non-pastured eggs – 1.25 dozen
• 50 lb butter – 1.99 lb
• 40 lb yams – 16.50
• 50 lb onions – 18.50
• 5 boxes clementines – 3.99 ea
• 1 case red grapefruit – 9.95
• 3 – 5 lb bags baby carrots – 2.99 ea
• 12 – 15.25 oz cans pineapple in juice – .79 ea
• 3 heads cauliflower – 1.39 ea
• 8 heads fennel – .50 ea
• 36 -4/4 oz containers organic apple/cranberry sauce – .50 per 16 oz
• 8 -12 oz bags frozen blueberries – .99 ea
• 4 -250 ml bottles extra virgin olive oil 1.99 ea ( got these because the small size will be best for dd16 to take to meals in the lunchroom; I get larger bottles for the family at a better price – 1 liter for 3.99)
• 12- 45 oz packages whole wheat tortillas/wraps – .99 ea – (these are massive, way bigger than the standard size I usually get – each one is about the size of a pizza crust!)
• 6 boxes whole grain breakfast cereal – 1.49 ea (for the kids when I’m away with dd16)
• 8 – 24 oz. cottage cheese, 4% milkfat – 1.39 ea
• 12 – 32 oz. plain yogurt – 1.29 ea
• 6 – 8 oz cream cheese – .89 ea
• 14 – pint organic heavy whipping cream – 1.49 ea
• 12 packages corn tortillas – $5 for all
• gallon jar of olives – 16.19
• 1 small bottle raw kombucha – 2.99
• 13 gallons raw milk
• 15 dozen pastured eggs (chickens aren’t producing much so that’s why I had to buy so many regular eggs)
• free – three cases of mini snack packs of baby carrots

Not in this trip but also purchased for this month:

• 12 lb ground beef – 3.99 lb
• 12 lb turkey hot dogs – 1.59 lb
• 2 – 2 lb shredded cheese – 8.49 ea
• 4 – 6 oz sliced cheese – 1.49 ea

I got other stuff for dd16 that is included in my monthly total but I didn’t list here: chocolate (for mishloach manos to give her friends), and lots of herbal teas.

I’ve shared tons of tips on saving money on food in detail in past posts, but here are a few that came into play with this shopping trip:

1) This looks kind of skimpy for month’s eating, doesn’t it?  Last month I bought a good amount of canned vegetables and fruit, frozen vegetables, and some other staples so I still have that on hand.  At the end of last month I bought 60 lb of chicken wings (1.29 lb), so that will last me through this entire month.  Stock up when the price is right!

2) I go shopping for vegetables between 2 – 4 times a month.  In addition to what I bought yesterday, I have a good amount of cabbage, turnips, and potatoes left, as well as tomatoes and lots of homemade pickles in the fridge.  I went kind of crazy two weeks ago making about 30 lb of cukes into lacto fermented pickles when I was able to buy them for .39 lb.  I also made a gallon + of lacto fermented salsa (with sale tomatoes – .49 lb), and two gallons of kimchi (with red and green cabbage).   The last couple of vegetable shopping trips I spent $80 and $60 respectively; the first trip filled my cart to the top and the second had it overflowing.  It depends on how much reduced produce I’m able to buy – reduced produce is a great budget stretcher.  I look for items that are discounted because a new shipment came in and they need to make room – not because they are rotting.

3) I don’t buy only reduced produce, but I try to limit my produce purchases to items that are under $1 a pound; however, that’s not a hard and fast rule.  Root vegetables tend to be the best bet in the winter.  The checkout clerks always comment on how much produce I manage to buy for such a small amount of money!

4) Pay attention to the sizes of the packaging.  Food costs have drastically gone up in the last couple of years, and to keep consumers from being aware of how high the prices actually are, the packaging sizing has been changed for many items (eg sugar is now in 4 lb bags instead of 5 lb, dried beans are in 12 oz bags instead of 16 oz) but the price is staying only slightly below the price for the larger size.  For the cans of pineapple that I bought above, they are only a bit more than 15 oz – the standard size is 20 oz (for which I paid exactly the same price – .79 can – last month).  I realized when I bought them that the cans were smaller and weren’t a super price, but it was still acceptable to me – the key is to be aware of what you’re paying for and what you’re actually getting.

5) Sometimes staying within a budget means making choices and not having everything you want right when you want it. I stocked up on butter because it was on sale at my target price – 1.99 lb.  It’s been a while since I could find that price, and when what I had ran out two weeks ago, I did without.  I used coconut oil instead.  Then I didn’t realize we were almost out of coconut oil until it was too late to order it in time for this shopping trip (I thought I had another 5 gallon bucket), so we’ll have to do without coconut oil for this month.  (I could have driven somewhere else to get it for a comparable price, but it would have added at least 40 – 50 minutes of driving to my schedule and it wasn’t worth it to me.)  I rendered a batch of beef tallow last week, so between that and the butter, and olive oil for salads, we’ll be fine.

6) You’ve probably noticed by now that I buy very little processed food.  The cold cereal I purchased above was for a treat, not as a regular breakfast food.  I can make a much more filling breakfast for less money, so cutting processed food is a good way to eliminate a lot of costs.  When I get treat food, we enjoy it as the treat that it is.

7) My shopping took place over three stores and two farms.  Know what a good price is for the items you want so that you can buy lots when you find it.  Learn what stores have what you want at the prices you want.

8) I travel once a month or so to do a large shopping because I’ve determined that the savings are justified.  Gas costs and time has to be factored in.  If someone is buying much smaller quantities, their savings in traveling to different stores may be outweighed by the secondary costs.

9) If something free is offered to you but you don’t have the room for it, think creatively about how you can use it.  I accepted three cases of carrot snacks in the mini bags after determing that I couuld can or pickle them in the coming week since I don’t have adequate fridge space.  Blanching and freezing or dehydrating would have  been other options.

Food costs can take a substantial chunk out of a family’s food budget, but there are lots of ways to have ample amounts of food and stay within the predetermined amount!

Avivah

With my upcoming trip to Israel in mind and knowing that I’ll be doing a lot of walking, I’ve been thinking about what shoes I have that would be suitable.  This usually wouldn’t be a difficult question to answer.  However, in the last few months I’ve stopped wearing black (which was very major for me since for years the staple of my wardrobe has been black) and instead have been wearing brown as a replacement base color, which means that almost all of my shoes and boots no longer are a good match.  Due to the nature of how I like to shop (very frugally) and the kind of shoes I like to buy (good quality), it can take me months to find shoes that I want at the thrift store that are the right size, style, color, and in excellent condition. 

This was never an issue until I suddenly decided that none of the shoes I’ve accumulated over time were going to be worn by me anymore.  I was fortunately able to find one nice and comfortable pair of brown dress shoes (Naturalizer) but wanted to keep them for Shabbos use, so I really needed something else for daily wear. 

I solved this several weeks ago by buying three more pairs of shoes even though they didn’t meet all of my criteria; I got one pair daily casual, one pair for daily or dress (Clarks), and one pair of sneakers to accomodate the needs of my trip (Land’s End).  They all look good, are decent quality, and were in like-new condition.  But none of them are super comfortable for lots of walking, though they’re fine for my regular needs.  If you’re wondering why I bought them, it was because I was in a situation of something pretty good being better than a perfect pair of nothing.  (Lest you think that I was burning dollar bills up, I paid less than $20 for the three pairs combined.)

Every time I think about what to pack for my trip, I start wondering if I should wear my comfy Clarks black flats or wear one of the newer brown pairs that is less comfortable, and since I don’t like not matching and I don’t like being uncomfortable, neither choice was appealing.  I know that may sound petty or superficial, but I’m just being honest.

So you can imagine how glad I was to end my dilemma today!  Today when I did my monthly shopping, dd14 and I stopped into a couple of thrift stores.  We both were pleased with how we did, but I was most happy about a pair of shoes I bought – just what I needed!  I got a pair of brand-new Earth shoes that will be perfect for lots of walking.  It was on the expensive side for shoes at a thrift store, but since they usually cost about $100, I didn’t think 10.97 was unreasonable.  😛 

The reason I knew what Earth shoes were when I saw these was that my mother used to wear them back in the late seventies/early eighties.  The idea behind them is the heel is a few degrees lower than the front of the foot, which stretches muscles in the leg and improves posture since it forces you to stand at a better angle. 

 They’re supposed to be extremely comfortable as well as being good for your foot, but I wasn’t sure when I tried them on that I liked how they felt.  I walked back and forth for a bit, and after deciding I’d buy them, did something I never have done before – I kept wearing them as I did the rest of my shopping (the cashier was fine with it).  My feet felt strange – not comfortable, but not in pain – I couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or not, but I didn’t feel like taking them off.  I wore them for the rest of the day, and after I got home, I checked their website and found they recommend that you only wear them for an hour the first day, then build up over the next few days by wearing them an hour more each day, to give your muscles a chance to acclimate.  (This is the same advice about Vibrams, which I don’t own but researched extensively, so I’m familiar with this idea.)

Even though they don’t yet feel perfect, I’m confident that within the week they will, and I’m so glad to have them them!  You know, an advantage of thrift store shopping that I’ve never seen mentioned but often experienced is that you can really feel how providentially you are sent just what you need just when you need it!   

Avivah