What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[fuzzi]

I knew a lady who worked for a collection agency. She bragged about calling people at their workplace and harassing them. That is against the law, but the collection agents don't care. They get off on breaking the law trying to collect any money from anyone they can. And they don't care if it destroys people in the process. Extended family members were fair game for her. IMHO, it takes a special kind of abnormal mind to succeed in that collection business. I could not do it.

When our children were small my dh was injured, required surgery. Thankfully the needed treatment was done despite us not having insurance, but he wasn't working and we got behind on our bills. We didn't have a phone so the collectors couldn't call us. About a year later dh is working, and we got a phone (landline). I paid a little more to have the phone number unpublished, not available by any method. I got a call from a bill collector, and he chuckled when I asked how he got my number. It turned out that he called my mother-in-law, and gave her a sob story about being an old friend, and wheedled our private number out of her. He was proud of his dishonesty.

We eventually paid off all our debts, but I still remember how nasty that debt collector was. I couldn't do that job.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

When our children were small my dh was injured, required surgery. Thankfully the needed treatment was done despite us not having insurance, but he wasn't working and we got behind on our bills. We didn't have a phone so the collectors couldn't call us. About a year later dh is working, and we got a phone (landline). I paid a little more to have the phone number unpublished, not available by any method. I got a call from a bill collector, and he chuckled when I asked how he got my number. It turned out that he called my mother-in-law, and gave her a sob story about being an old friend, and wheedled our private number out of her. He was proud of his dishonesty.

We eventually paid off all our debts, but I still remember how nasty that debt collector was. I couldn't do that job.

wow! i remember leaving the insurance business because i had zero ability to upsell or try to sell people
my company when I knew there were cheaper available. i refused to learn Allstates belief that people will pay more for a better product. Maybe true, but i couldnt get into it. especially with the elderly that would come in. I knew price was paramount to that demographic. I’ll stick to caring for the elderly And chickens!!

 

[gtaus]

...a month later received a Discover card credit card with a 5k limit. I had it maxed out before the new year.....

I went through a Financial Counseling course at one of my duty stations back in my former military life. Lots of people get a credit card and max it out without thinking about all those future payments and penalties if you are late or cannot pay. In the military, it can ruin your career because service members with financial problems can get their security clearance revoked. In some cases, if your assignment requires a security clearance, you just ended your career.

I am sure the credit card company loved you. They want people to max out those cards, pay the minimum monthly amount, and collect that interest rate you are charged.

I am considered a credit card deadbeat. I pay off my balance every month and collect a 1.5% cash back on the purchases I made. They don't make nearly as much money on me as someone paying only monthly minimum payments.

 

[gtaus]

It turned out that he called my mother-in-law, and gave her a sob story about being an old friend, and wheedled our private number out of her. He was proud of his dishonesty.

... I still remember how nasty that debt collector was. I couldn't do that job.

Sounds like the collection lady I met. They will bend or break any laws in their chase for that money and take pride in making others miserable. But, like I said, I also know there are some people who game the system, get a credit card to max it out, then skip on the payments.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I went through a Financial Counseling course at one of my duty stations back in my former military life. Lots of people get a credit card and max it out without thinking about all those future payments and penalties if you are late or cannot pay. In the military, it can ruin your career because service members with financial problems can get their security clearance revoked. In some cases, if your assignment requires a security clearance, you just ended your career.

I am sure the credit card company loved you. They want people to max out those cards, pay the minimum monthly amount, and collect that interest rate you are charged.

I am considered a credit card deadbeat. I pay off my balance every month and collect a 1.5% cash back on the purchases I made. They don't make nearly as much money on me as someone paying only monthly minimum payments.

because I was 17 years old, and i didnt give my social security number……they dropped the charges when I had my friends big banker father give them a call. you gotta be 18 to get a credit card. They preyed on those young college kids tho……

 

[gtaus]

i remember leaving the insurance business because i had zero ability to upsell or try to sell people my company when I knew there were cheaper available. i refused to learn Allstates belief that people will pay more for a better product. Maybe true, but i couldn't get into it.

I have lived in western Europe where people had medical coverage from the state. Most of the people liked their system, although I am sure there might also be problems in any state system. However, here in the states, I know families that go into bankruptcy because of our cost for health care. Even if you have insurance, you can easily max out your coverage if you have a serious condition and end up in bankruptcy court. I think/hope we can do better.

 

[RossAcres]

I like to collect feed bags for constructing coops/shelters. Some of my shelters are made of pallets, so I line the outside with feed bags and then layer boards on top of the bags. The bags cut the drafts and act as a moisture barrier. Another thing you can do is fill the bags with straw and staple them shut. Then stuff them in the wall to act as insulation in the shelter/coop.

 

[Sally PB]

I am considered a credit card deadbeat. I pay off my balance every month and collect a 1.5% cash back on the purchases I made. They don't make nearly as much money on me as someone paying only monthly minimum payments.

Hello from a sister credit card deadbeat!

 

[gtaus]

Some of my shelters are made of pallets...

Would love to see some pictures of your pallet shelters! Please consider posting some pictures on the thread Show Me Your Pallet Projects! where we share our stuff related to pallet wood projects and/or salvaged wood. You might find some other ideas for making stuff out of pallet wood as well if you look through the thread. There are a lot of posts there and lots of ideas to save money, but you don't have to read all the posts to add on your pictures of your pallet shelters.

FYI, I got into pallet projects at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic because I wanted to build raised beds out of wood, but the lumber at the big box stores would have cost me about $150.00 per bed at that time. I found some pallets and started making my own pallet wood raised beds for less than $2.00 each! The price of lumber has come down back to Earth since those bad days, but still it would cost me about $50.00 or more if I had to buy my lumber new.

Here is a picture of my latest design build which I call my pallet wood raised bed v2.0 with improvements over my earlier attempts...

I built a number of those pallet wood raised beds for my gardens and they cost me less than $2.00 each.

Well, I saved a lot of money and am really happy with my results. Pallet wood projects can save you a lot of money if you are willing to take the effort to find pallets and work with them to get a project done. It's a hobby for me that I enjoy.

 

[fuzzi]

No electricity in my small shed, so I made a light. I took a solar motion sensor light I had on hand, and mounted it to the inside of the door frame.

As I step in to the shed the light goes on, illuminating most of the area. Since I mounted it with nails I can slip it off to put it outside and recharge it as needed.