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I finally got my shipment of free wood chips that I signed up for through ChipDrop.com. It’s hard to tell in this photo, but this pile is as tall as my garage door, so I’ll be offering it up on Buy Nothing once I’m done spreading it out over my front and back yards.
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Our oven pooped out on Father’s Day, which our son noticed after he mixed up a batch of brownies. I texted my next door neighbors asking if I could use their oven. (They’re out of town so I’m already bringing in their mail.) Their “FREE peanut butter” coupon caught my eye, so I snapped a photo of it and jokingly texted that I was “stealing your peanut butter coupon.” Of course I didn’t, but it gave the two of us a laugh. My husband ordered a new $30 part from Schmeff Schezos and then got the oven back to functionality in under ten minutes.
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I’ve been inspired to reread my copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette after seeing The Frugal Girl do the same. A lot of the tightwad tips are outdated, but the overall message that you can reach your goals by living below your means ages like fine wine. Or whatever the tightwad version of wine would be. Ages like fine tap water?
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I pinched a bit of dill from a neighbor’s plant to propagate for my own garden. It was the perfect opportunity to use the adorable sake glass that I garbage picked a few weeks ago.
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I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.
Five Tiny Frugal Things
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{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
I love that book!
My frugal hack I just came up with is after I make coffee in my French press to take to work, I lift up the plunger and top it off again with more boiled water. When I get home, I can use it for tasty iced coffee, all from the same grounds! Win-win, except then I have iced coffee in the early evening and I have a hard time falling asleep.
This tip works for me as you’re then up late to chat with, even with the three hour time difference.
☕️
1. After paying yet another copay, I was motivated to do a scavenger hunt around my house. I discovered 2 different routers and an old phone. I listed the routers and sold them within 24 hrs and gazelle bought the cell phone. Off they went in the mail yesterday
2. Returned a couple of items to Walmart and used the $$ for perishables
3. Hubby suggested I make chicken veggie soup using the leftover chicken from burrito bowls and the plethora of veggies in refrigerator
4. Finally got The Women to download from Libby
5. Organizing birthday gifts for 2 sons and daughter in law’s upcoming birthdays over the next 3 months
Ooh . . . I really liked “The Women.” It lives up to the hype!
1. I got Carvel BOGO for Hubby and me. I dropped it off at work as a surprise. He works less then 2 miles from the house. They started carrying dairy free soft serve that he loves. I used the end of a gift card so it cost me $1.37 for 2 sundaes. I always say no spoons. His work has them and I have them at home.
2. I saw a free pile of wood so I grabbed a bunch for our fire pit next year.
3. Hubby brought home a bunch of food from a quarterly meeting at work yesterday. They do a big BBQ this quarter every year. He helps cook it all. He brought home an extra bag of marinated uncooked steak that I put in the freezer. I had leftovers for lunch and we will have leftovers for dinner.
4. I had PT. They charge a fee if you pay by card so I paid by check.
5. Cleaning out the freezer I found a large bag of bananas. I turned them into frozen treats with some peanut butter for the dogs.
There’s a great recipe online for doggie ice cream using bananas, yogurt and peanut butter
Katy, your husband’s ability to resurrect kitchen appliances is just outstanding!
Today I stayed home and dealt with a pile of family photos rescued from my late brother’s hoarded house. It took some time to get them deodorized — they had several weeks in a big zip lock bag with sachets of litter box deodorizer powder. It worked very well. I scissored off the discolored edges and put everything together in a photo album that covers about 110 years of family history.
Otherwise, came in under budget on food this week, have eaten all meals at home, had several days of not leaving the house (helped by the heat wave) and not spending any money, and took advantage of the broiling weather to dry laundry on the back porch.
What a great hot weather project. I have boxes of photos inherited from my parents that need my attention. However, Calico Kitty makes this difficult. Why do cats want to lie on whatever you are working on?
I did this on the back porch at the table out there because I knew the dogs would not leave me alone at the dining table. Turned on the ceiling fan and the pups were content to just chill out nearby and watch the birds coming to the water bowl.
A question on your #4… How do you know which plants will root from a cutting in water???
I don’t really, but there’s no harm in trying.
There are many books available at the library on plant propagation. Your agricultural extension service may also have information on native plants.
However, if I am interested in growing a plant, I do a quick internet search and in most cases, I find information on the best way to propagate it. Sometimes the difference between success and failure can be something very simple. Some plants are very easy to propagate and some, such as orchids, are very difficult. The most important thing is patience. Some take a long time to root and grow.
As I think I noted in a comment on Monday’s FFT, rooting dill from a cutting may be a long shot, for a couple of reasons. (Even if it does form a root, it’ll be a long taproot, which won’t transplant well or do well in a pot.) But as you say, you have nothing to lose by trying.
And consider this alternative: When the neighbor’s dill goes to seed, ask the neighbor for some of the seed, and then scatter it around your garden. I promise you that you’ll have more dill next year than you’ll know what to do with.
1. Cleaning out a closet, I found 2 lightweight nightgowns, a summer house dress and several blouses I haven’t worn in a while. I’d stored them in a big plastic storage bin. They smelled a bit stuffy so I laundered them on cold/delicate cycle and air-dried them. (Well, the ones that were wrinkled got a 15-min. session in the clothes dryer to “iron” them out.)All are in good shape except one blouse is missing a button, so I’m hunting down a suitable replacement to sew on. Don’t need to go buy new(-to-me) summer clothing now; I can mix and match these items with what I have to create “new” fashions. Woo-hoo!
2. Set up the $8 garage sale lamp to use as a desk light. Removed the old incandescent bulb and replaced it with an energy-efficient one. Will store the former in case I need some extra heat this winter — high-wattage incandescent light bulbs throw off some heat and this helps warm a room.
3. Ate lunch out on my patio today. Some kind of storm is brewing south of us , but it caused us to have cloud cover, a nice breeze with delightful 80-degree (F.) temperatures — a good 10 or 15 degrees cooler than usual — and low- to no-humidity. Very happy to enjoy the patio instead of hibernating inside with the air conditioner going full blast, as is my usual custom, borne out of necessity.
4. Thanks to the above-mentioned weather phenomenon, I was able to work in the yard all morning and pull a lot of weeds that were choking out the English ivy. Didn’t have to pay a worker. Doing it myself was fun and free!
5. Forgot to put in a bid for that Lear jet. Oh, darn.
I am also reading along with The Frugal Girl, but I do not have my own copy of The Tightwad Gazette. I borrowed it from the library all those years ago. Unfortunately, it is not on the library shelves any longer. I’m using on of the free sources suggested by another reader, https://archive.org/details/tightwadgazettep00dacy/mode/1up . It is working out well. However, I hope to find my own copy one day.
I am continuing my declutter. I think that I’m now on week three, but I’m nearing the end. All that will remain after tomorrow is my garage which is a huge job. This week I’m passing the time by listening to The Gown on Libby. This is a historical novel set in Post-War England and is based on the creation of Queen (Princess) Elizabeth’s wedding dress. I’m enjoying it greatly. It’s an Anglophile’s dream story.
Our garden hose burst yesterday. Fortunately, it burst only a few inches from the end, so it is repairable. I cannot believe how expensive new hoses are. I purchased the parts instead.
I purchased a large jar of almond butter from Costco. It has a wonderful flavor, but it is too runny for me. I cannot put it on a piece of toast without it running off the sides. I didn’t want it to go waste so I looked up an almond butter granola recipe. I made some substitutions with things I had on hand like mixed nuts instead of almonds. It’s very tasty!
I made chicken stock with a Costco chicken. I brewed my own coffee, eaten at home, and I’m drinking primarily water.
Wishing everyone peace, good health, and prosperity.
Hi Bee, I always enjoy reading your posts. They are always beautifully written and heartfelt. I suggest you thicken your almond butter with a bit of coconut flour if you have it on hand. A little bit goes a LONG way.
That is a very kind thing to say. Thank you for not noticing my many typos. Since I follow a gluten-free diet, I may have some coconut flower on hand. If so, I’ll give this a try.
Bee – Runny almond butter is perfect for Breakfast Bites! There are lots of recipes out there and it is like a healthier no bake cookie. The recipe I use calls for unsweetened coconut, almond butter, rolled oats, chocolate chips, vanilla and flaxseed. Oh and honey, though I use maple syrup instead. They generally live in the freezer in our house for quick breakfasts, but tend to go quickly as well!
My book club read The Gown. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned much from it, the most startling fact was learning how much the people of England suffered economically after WWII. I really loved every aspect of that book, especially the actual creation of the wedding dress. As I remember, symbols of England were incorporated into it. Such an interesting read.
Bee, I’ll have to get hold somehow of The Gown, since it sounds like a fictional visit to a time a dear 90-year-old British friend of mine recalls vividly. I may have told her story here before, but I’ll tell it again: As a teenage schoolgirl in Kent, she and two schoolmates went in together in 1947 on a wedding present for Elizabeth and Philip–“a small green glass dog with bulgy eyes,” as she remembers it. The three of them ended up being invited to a preview of the wedding presents at St. James’s Palace, where they got to meet the entire Royal Family–King George VI, Queen Elizabeth (the dear Queen Mum), old Queen Mary, Elizabeth, Philip, and Margaret. To this day, my friend recalls, “Philip was SO handsome!”
I loved reading The Gown.
You may be able to purchase a copy of The Tightwad Gazette on Thriftbooks.com. Lots of good books on that site.
The last month has been super busy with more focus on spending money than saving it. My frugal items were widely spaced.
I had a dental surgery. The doctor’s office kept telling me that per the insurance company, I had already used my dental allowance for the year. I knew that wasn’t true and asked them to keep checking. Most of the procedure ended up being covered.
Then we traveled to visit family and money was spent.
Then I had an eye surgery, again mostly covered by insurance.
Then we traveled to see friends and money was spent again. I am fairly worn out.
Now at last we are able to stay near home for a while and get back to simplicity. I did ask my husband to order a new water hose because as I told him, “I am tired of broken things.”
1. I purchased $54 worth of OTC of health related items with my insurance debit card.
2. I had 3 Etsy sales in one day.
3. We saved $20 per month by switching to paperless billing for cell phones.
4. I got 5 Swagbucks for googling The Nonconsumer Advocate.
5. When we returned from our last trip, we had little to make a meal, due to how diligent we were to eat up everything before we left. I was able to make an enormous skillet of fried rice with shrimp and pork from the freezer and random vegetables that wouldn’t have held up much longer. It was delicious and provided several meals.
Ava I feel for you on the medical copays. It’s been a constant outgoing of funds along with vet bills for the last 2 months
Dragging myself out of spending therapy after a very tough month and a half.
1. Library books! This will always be on my frugal list. I am much nicer to be around when I have a pile of TBR books–I call them my Emotional Support Books. I also do e-books through Libby but sometimes that’s not the same.
2. Picked a few more mulberries from our trees–the season may be waning, and it’s SO hot right now, but I should get out there tomorrow as well.
3. Baked two mulberry pies for Father’s Day. DH adores mulberry pie, because the fruit is his favorite price: Free Ninety-nine, as Katy would say!
4. Biked to Mass (10 miles round trip) which saved gas and gave us some much needed exercise. We packed water from home for the trip and left our wallets at home.
5. Also inspired by a re-read of Tightwad Gazette (I got my copy with my employee discount back when I worked at a library, 24 years ago!), I started washing my Ziploc bags again.
Love your #1 and I am in agreement with you about the Emotional Support Books. I can’t bear the idea of finishing a book and not having another one to start, close at hand.
1. The husband loves hamburgers and tells me that if I predecease him he will have hamburgers three times a day. His birthday is next month and I found a pair of Duluth boxers with hamburgers all over them. I might have bought them anyway, but to my surprise they were on a great overstock sale. Hmmmm…perhaps hamburger boxers were not as popular as they thought they would be.
2. Food bank needed some extra help so I did an extra shift. Came home with a giant veggie tray that fed us for a meal and then I turned the leftovers into cheese vegetable soup that will feed us tonight and tomorrow at least.
3. Harvested scallions and bok choi from the garden. Too much to eat right away (and the greens rapidly bolt so need picking) so froze them.
4. Watching the neighbor’s chickens in exchange for keeping the eggs (although I would do it for free as I love chickens). So far, two dozen free eggs.
5. Library, library, library.
Washed very sooty car (neighbor’s barn fire), made pulled pork sandwiches for fire crews from freezer (thank you past self), cookies from frozen dough, filtered water, lemon/raspberry juice from freezer made into lemonade and iced coffees. Chips from the chip cupboard (cousin works at a potato chip plant, gets samples).
Picked the sour cherry tree, will pit them tomorrow and freeze.
Purchased 2 clearance overalls from Duluth, found a promo code for additional percentage off and feel like I stole them.
Sold more bouquets and curly willow to local florist.
Built a roadside stand for fresh produce, put rhubarb, cabbage and carrots in it and sold out in 3 hours. The neighbor is going to rig up a mini fridge that runs off of a solar powered generator so that he can sell his extra eggs. I need a back field mowed for fire abatement, so I “offered” field to the local tractor dealer to do demos on. I get field mowed for free!
I am so sorry to hear that your neighbour had a barn fire – very scary thing, fire is.
Your roadside sales are exciting! Makes all the work growing stuff worthwhile, eh? I love the solar powered fridge – although fridges are power hungry beasts, so I trust he has a good array?
Your mowing idea is brilliant! KUDOs to you for imagining a solution to your problem. We need more minds like yours to address some more of the challenges our world is facing…
FFT June 18
1. I sold a languishing Marketplace item to someone who wasn’t in town – so the communication was lackadaisical at best and down right laid back at worst. He knew he would be around, eventually, and I got him my phone number – he texted that he was in town and came over with cash – $28 buckeroos in my ‘sold things’ jar. Whoot.
Excited about my success, I boosted another item by re-writing the description (I HAD received an offer for half what I was asking, but I am willing to wait). Now I want to ‘house-scavenge’ to see what else is not wanted and salable.
2. I got more beans soaking for the garden last night– it has been a cool slow spring, but this week looks to be warmer. My first batch of beans is up, so I am hopeful the weather has finally turned. Sprinklers that we set up months ago are proving the assumption that ‘getting the watering set up FIRST is key to a successful garden’. I am planning to spread more straw to keep the weeds down and retain more moisture.
3. I picked up straw during a town trip, which began with delivering my son back home, after he dropped off his car, I picked something up from the Purolator depot (the driver is ‘frightened by my dog’ who is 12 years old – and all other courier drivers love her, sheesh). I dropped off more extra eggs to the homeless shelter, and I got straw when I got feed (and some lovely lobelia to add to my geranium pots. )
The straw bales I wanted (17 pound compressed and steamed) was out of stock, but the gal at the register convinced me to buy 50 pound bales at a lower price. They are harder to deal with (heavier, and the straw isn’t chopped) but the price will justify my extra effort.
I will remind myself that I am “Strong like bull, smart like streetcar” as I heave the bales around…
4. Got asked to help out a local political candidate tonight, and although I REALLY wanted to plant the rest of my beans, I came in and showered and went out with her to an event. Actually, I REALLY didn’t want to plant another bean today, what I did manage to do was satisfying and also hard on this old bod.
So, I rinsed off the beans I had left soaking in the house (funny how I knew to not bring them ALL out), and they will be planted (fingers crossed) on Thursday. I probably will feel a little less creaky when I start again.
Being out with my candidate was quite fun, and we were at a home that had the most SPECTACULAR views, I felt blessed by the beauty. The huge moon on our drive home was bonus.
5. Not frugal but fun. My older sister has convinced me that we need to travel again next Spring, so we have committed to a guided trip in Turkey (Türkiye) next April. This trip isn’t cheap (and we haven’t even begun to plan airfare) so I am going to think about ways to fill a bit of a travel fund with ‘surprise’ money. This group has given me some ideas!
6. Still walking with my friend for mental health and laughter, using the library, cooking at home, enjoying my Buy Nothing group. Life is pretty awesome these days.
I love Tiny Frugal Things because that’s really what it’s all about for me.
1. Old household scissors had become very dull. Rather than buy a new pair of scissors, I sharpened them using a method I read about online, simply cutting through a piece of sandpaper several times. It worked!
2. Fixed a toilet that would not flush. I have not made a lot of plumbing repairs, but it appeared that all it needed was a new flapper, so it was worth a try. New flapper cost $3.99, it was easy to install and it did the job.
3. Birthday gifts from my sisters: tin of Walker’s shortbread cookies and box of cashew snack packages. I don’t need a lot of things at this point in my life, but food treats are always welcome.
4. Years ago, a neighbor gave me some cuttings from a plant known as a Hardy Geranium. It has a pretty pink flower all throughout June and it’s very easy to grow. Last week, I thinned it out a bit and planted the cuttings in a new area. The newly planted ones seem to be thriving. Free plants for the garden are very much appreciated.
5. Continuing to do the usual tiny frugal things, walking for exercise, reading books from the library, watching shows on Hoopla and Kanopy for entertainment.
Last weekend we traveled to the Midwest to meet up with family. Mostly it wasn’t a frugal trip and we knew it wouldn’t be.
1. Some restaurants were charging fees to pay with a credit card. We paid cash, saving 3.99% at one establishment and 3% at the other. My sister that live in MN said this is a common practice where she lives.
2. We rented a car from Alamo, using Costco Travel. I looked at the bill they sent and it included a random charge of almost $17 on the day we returned the vehicle. I called and since there was no documentation on the charge I was told it will be removed/refunded.
3. I have been walking early, before it gets hot. I did meet a friend for a late morning walk on a wooded trail on Monday and the weather was okay. I also toughed it out and walked to/from yoga last night despite the heat.
4. DH had Juneteenth off. He wanted to go to a thrift store and I remembered that Goodwill offers 30% off to seniors on Wednesdays. I bought a large mirror to replace a smaller one in our living room.
5. I have a vintage Coach purse that I paid $2-$3 for at a church sale many years ago. My sister admired it (she is a purse buyer, as in new and expensive). She lamented some of the Coach purses she did not keep over the years and I told her I had one of them that she’d given to our mother, that she passed along to me. It’s beautiful and has a matching wallet but it was heavy and I never used it. I sent it to her via USPS and the rate seemed reasonable courtesy of buying postage online. Based on what people have told me they have paid for sending packages recently I was pleasantly surprised by the price.
1. I listed an item on Ebay and sold it within 24 hrs.
I’m trying to list one thing a day on Ebay. I’m out of practice.
2. I used Meijer digital coupons to buy some ice cream and cottage cheese. We took ice cream and cheese and crackers to visit my MIL. Perfect light lunch on a really hot day.
3. I used my toaster oven to roast some potatoes that needed using up. They were delicious with my homemade veggie burgers that I made and froze. It was a quick and easy dinner.
4. I’m letting my grass grow or should I say weeds. It’s too hot and it would just get scorched so gas saved.
5. I went thrifting with my Mom & Sister on my birthday. I found a cute top and a pair of shorts both of which are needed.
My Tightwad Gazette sits out on my coffee table! I leaned on it heavily this last winter for the “create-a-casserole” recipe and general encouragement.
1) An appointment took me by the chain grocery store that often has marked down dairy. It did not disappoint! DS even got his own half gallon of chocolate milk – for the price of one serving at a convenience store (which I talked him out of on the way to the grocery).
2) One half price half gallon went into the freezer for later yogurt and the other became yogurt yesterday. I make an instant pot style similar to the pricey Australian kind and figured I made 10 cups of yogurt for the price of two containers on sale. Added expenses are the lemon curd I use on the bottom and the cost of generic unflavored gelatin.
3) I don’t normally go out of my way to name products but I’m telling you, Darn Tough Socks are the best out there. They have a real deal lifetime warranty. Send in the holey socks and they will send you a code for new ones. This week, I learned with delight that their warranty extends to puppy damage! Dear, but naughty, puppy ate the ankle off one of mine earlier this week, rendering it unwearable. I have washed the puppy pair and am preparing to mail them in. My plan is to have 8 pairs and, truly, no other socks in the drawer.
4) Part of the “8 pairs only” thinking is coming from cleaning out my aunt and uncle’s house for incoming renters. They have both died in the past two years and though frugal and eminently practical people, they still had a WHOLE bunch of stuff. I am delighting in some practical things from their house (good clothespins, measuring spoons, office supplies etc) and am taking custody of the old family photos. My guiding question is “If the house burned to the ground, what would I be sad about?”
5) Dealing with the heat wave with fans, precooked meals, fresh greens from a friend’s garden and errands in air conditioned car. No A/C in the house. A/C is still unusual where we live, though climate change is changing that too. In the meantime, ceiling fans help a whole lot. Stay cool everyone!
Wow, that’s a large pile of wood chips! Love the Sake glass.
1. I registered the kettle we had to buy because the old one broke. (Literally, it was glass and my teen dropped it by accident. We did have it for over 6 years though which is quite good for a kettle I think!) It seems a lot of manufacturers now give an extended warranty if the appliance is registered on their website. It is worth it, in this case it was 2 years warranty instead of 1 year. I made sure to untick the box for marketing emails.
2. I have no favourite recent library reads to share because lately all library books that I read were really only mediocre. I rate books out of 10 and only books I rate 8/10 or higher make it into my recommendations here!
3. A friend of mine needed greenery for a garland and asked if she could cut some leaves from our bay tree. I was very happy for her to go ahead, that bay tree is getting quite big and can very much do with a pruning!
4. Line drying laundry all the time.
5. We were able to harvest a small amount of raspberries and strawberries in the garden over the last week. After years of trial and error I have finally found a solution to keep the birds off them while also not harming the birds (a beautiful finch got caught in a net when we were using nets, I was quite upset about that and could never use nets again!). I bought a big bag of organza bags (the larger size) and I put those over individual clusters of berries that are starting to ripen. This works extremely well, the berries ripen fully and no birds are harmed!
FFTTs:
1. I washed out my plastic food storage bags.
2. DH used a recycled plastic bag for the kitchen trash and I used one for the bathroom trash. At least they’re getting two uses instead of one.
3. Keeping the shades down and the sun out while using the A/C sparingly during the heat dome.
4. We went swimming at a friend’s lake house yesterday. She lives one town over so it’s not a long way to go for a delicious swim.
5. Before the hot temps hit, I prepped a chicken cranberry salad and a potato salad to get us through dinners with the heat wave without turning the oven on.
1) Sold some reffing ear on FB market place & made $35. Junk out, cash in.
2) DS18 broke his finger at work (he’s a camp counselor at a sports camp). He’s going to miss a bunch of fun next week on his graduation trip, but he was able to work the rest of the week, which is great. He would have been sad to miss the rest of his paycheck.
3) DS17 found a youth golf course membership. The annual fee is $50 or so, and then for every participating course you play on, it’s $5. He’s been golfing 5 days/week in the summer, and yesterday was able to play at the Half Moon Bay Ritz Carlton for $5. (They only offer the youth option at very limited times, but he found a tee time.) What an exceptional deal, and I love that they offer up the course to youths. Of course, he & his friends play with clubs I secured for free on Buy Nothing.
4) I’m helping DS18 plan his senior trip (just a weekend drive to LA). We’ve been discussing budget & how to get the most value out of a hotel, options between renting one larger room vs two smaller ones, etc.
5) I’ve packed a lunch for DS18 each day (my little gift to him, as he’s not an early person, and getting up early for camp is no fun for him) & used up a bunch of stuff from around the house. (Bread from Too Good to Go, chips from Buy Nothing, etc).
What a wonderful deal on greens fees! The Half Moon Bay Course is supposed to be beautiful and challenging. My DH would be jealous.
Read the following books from the library: Little Faith by Nickolas Butler, Maame by Jessica George, Little Bee by Chris Cleave, and Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (learned about here!). Recommend them all.
Not a single frugal thing as I’m looking after my grandson while his mama is in hospital with preterm labor (29 weeks). Looks like a long wait is the best scenario here.
Prayers and hugs, Kara. Preterm labor is scary all around. I’m glad you can look after your grandson and give his mama some peace of mind.
Thank you. It’s a hard thing to wrap our heads around.
1. I took a tub bath to ease my itchy skin. I then used the bathtub water to mop floors.
2. I was out of cortisone creme. I slathered my skin w/ Calamine lotion I found in the bathroom cabinet to ease the itch.
3. Made a veggie soup w/ homemade veg broth & leftover veggies. I also used a bottle of tomato juice that my husband would not drink.
4. Although much of the country is suffering a “heat dome” it has not been unusually hot here in central Texas. I turn the a/c off at 11 PM or so. It is bearable w/ fans until around 3 PM the following day. Then I turn it on again. We will see how this effects the electric bill.
5. I found a large quantity of boxed dry cereal in the Dol Gen dumpster. It is slightly out of date. If the homeless shelter won’t take it, then I’ll keep in my car to pass out to the homeless on the street corners. I also keep canned goods in my car for this purpose.
I have a different take on A/C. Granted we replaced all windows, duct work, and insulated before we moved into this house. Replaced the A/C and furnace I’d say 7 years ago and both get a pre-season check each year (helps to have a HVAC friend). Between frig/freezer, freezer, and computers, I opt to get the humidity out of the house and keep the A/C on. Run a couple of ceiling fans during the day, one at night. Also a dehumidifier in the basement year round. My thinking is less wear and tear on expensive appliances/electronics more than pays for the cost of the A/C. Our electric bill is always low in the summer – it doesn’t take much to cool our house. If someone is sleeping upstairs during a hot spell, we shut off/tape off registers in order to push more cool air upstairs.
And the better half tends to get crabby if he gets too hot. Like happy babies (aka Amy and drying diapers in the dryer), a non-crabby better half is worth a few bucks.