Bentos to save money.

I have been away for so long.  It's been so busy this past year. Back now to save some money.

Over the summer, I didn't feel like packing lunches.  However, I saw my CC bill and regretted it.  It was getting a bit ridiculous how much money I spend on lunches and it was not helping my waist line.  So I am starting pack my lunches again along with the BB.

I spent some money getting some bento supplies like cookie cutters, boxes, nori punches.  I know I know, shame on me for spending more.  I know they can add up if you are not careful.  So I learned to check on ebay first before getting stuff from other sites.  And collect them over time.  I started this a while ago with just plain old take out boxes and some cookie cutters, and silicone muffin cups (they have so many uses i.e. baking, freeze small portions of things, and use as dividers for lunch, etc.) And I make sure most of my supplies are reusable and have multiple uses to save on long term cost.

I call them bentos or cute lunches.  But really, it is a nice way of putting a variety of stuff together.  When my lunches are not boring, I don't event think about going out to eat.


BB has strawberry jam sammies, veggie sticks, grapes and cheese.  The face was made with seaweed.


Mine is left overs from dinner and grapes.  I also pack my breakfast so I can eat it at work.

P.S. I will take better pics in the future.

my strategies at the grocers

There are some many ways to spend or save at the grocers.  Not all of them work for everyone.  Here is a few ways that do and do not work for me.

Don'ts:
1) plan out what I want to eat for a week, because things change during the week, and if I have to buy stuff for just one meal it gets more expensive that way
2)only look at on sale items.  sometimes they are not cheaper than store brand that is not on sale.  If the store brand is the same or better.
3)clip coupon for things you don't normally eat.  just because there is a coupon doesn't mean you have to buy it.
4) stock up on prepackaged foods, we have a few on hand, but too many will run up the cost and take up room in the freezer

Do's
1) look at what is on sale before I think about a few possible meals for the week
2) stock up on things that can be frozen, or have a longer shelf life, like pasta sauce.  They are handy for when you are in a hurry.  We like to get a pack of salmon and freeze individual portions for later.  Also bags of cut corn when they are on sale, a good quick side veggie.
3) eat with the seasons, the fresh produce are cheaper when they are in season
4) run to different stores for sales, but only if they are near each other.
5) ask for rain checks of they are out of the sale items.
6) eat simple meals, they are easier to cook and better for you

alternative living - part 3

Previously I posted about retirement planning and lowering cost of living options.  Here is a further look into another one of the alternative living arrangements to lower the cost of living:  long term travel - living in hostels
Here are the pros and cons to living in hostels:
Pros:
-no owning anything, unless you want to own a car
-there is no property tax because you don't own land.
-you can live where ever you want
-you can travel as much or little as you want
-utilities are included in the fee
-keeps you from owning too much junk
-no yard work
-some places even come with breakfast
-most places come with free wifi, a shared kitchen, and some even free computer to use.
-you get to meet a lot of people from all over the place

Cons:
-these isn't a lot of space
-to get cheaper price per night,  most places have a dorm styled shared bathroom.  Rooms with private in-room bathrooms cost more
- depending on the places you live your stay could add up to the price of rent, but it's still cheaper than most rental apartments
-you may have to do some work for the cheaper fees, like man the desk a few hours a day

Traveling long term and living in hostels are a great way to see the world.  In fact, there are a lot of hostels in Europe than US, but hostels are becoming more popular.  For single people, the dorm style rooms can be as cheap as $10 a night, and private rooms are $25 per person.  The down side is, you don't have a lot creature comfort things with you unless you have a car, but parking can get expensive if you are in a city.  If you are traveling by bus or rail, you really can't pack too many things.

I have stayed at hostels during vacation trips.  They are usually located near all the places I want to be without paying the high hotel prices.  I have had really good experience with them and would recommend them to any budget travelers.

alternative living - part 2

Previously I posted about retirement planning and lowering cost of living options.  Here is a further look into another one of the alternative living arrangements to lower the cost of living:  living aboard - on a boat

Here are the pros and cons to living aboard:
Pros:
- boats are a cheaper than homes for the most part.  We are not talking about getting million dollar yachts.
-There is no property tax because you don't own land.
-you can live where ever you want, as long as it's on water
-you can travel as much or little as you want
-there are ways to provide for your utility needs without being on the grid
-keeps you from owning too much junk
-no yard work
-you can go fishing for you food, but you have to like fish and know how to clean it

Cons:
-these isn't a lot of space
-you have to know a little about maintaining the boat
-you have know how to swim and sail
-you have to have you sea legs
-water usage has to be monitored well
-if you stay at a place that you can hook up to the utilities there, you still have to pay for slip fee
-you have to rent a car if you want to travel on land, or if you have room, have a motor cycle on board.

The cost of living aboard can be a lot lower than in a house.  The down side is the you have to live kind simple. With the Internet and cellphone coverage getting better, communications isn't a problem.  Same with TV and other entertainment formats.  TV and electronics are getting smaller and more energy efficient, that having them around doesn't take up a lot of space.  Though you may not fit a 50" TV in you boat and you could if you really wanted to), you wouldn't need it.  With the prevalence of solar panels, and other solar base ideas, your utilities will also be lighter even if you are docked at a slip.  For those who are extreme minimal in owing things, space isn't an issue. 

This would be a great way to traveling the world.

There are a couple of site that will detail cost, how and why of living aboard:
/http://cheaprvliving.com/Boat_Living.html
http://www.frugal-retirement-living.com/living-aboard-a-sailboat.html

Of course,  in the meantime, we can still take a page from the aboard life style book on lowering the cost of living.  Habits like not owning a lot of stuff and monitoring your energy are good ideas anyway.

alternative living - part 1

Previously I posted about retirement planning and lowering cost of living options.  Here is a further look into one of the alternative living arrangements to lower the cost of living:  RV or mobile homes.

Here are the pros and cons to living in an RV:
Pros:
- RVs are a lot cheaper than homes for the most part.  We are not talking about getting million dollar RVs.
-There is no property tax because you don't own land.
-you can live where ever you want
-you can travel as much or little as you want
-there are ways to provide for your utility needs without being on the grid
-keeps you from owning too much junk
-no yard work

Cons:
-these isn't a lot of space
-you can't always park it where you want
-you have to know a little about maintaining the vehicle
-your guests any really stay over
-water usage has to be monitored well
-if you stay at a place that you can hook up to the utilities there, you still have to pay rent for the site, but it costs a lot less than a house rental
- you might develop a reputation as "the man that lives in a van down by the river"

The cost of living in a RV is a lot lower than in a house.  The down side is the you have to live kind simple. With the Internet and cellphone coverage being so great and getting better, communications isn't a problem.  Same with TV and other entertainment formats.  TV and electronics are getting smaller and more energy efficient, that having them around doesn't take up a lot of space.  Though you may not fit a 50" TV in your RV(and you could if you really wanted to), you wouldn't need it.  With the prevalence of solar panels, and other solar base ideas, your utilities will also be lighter.  For those who are extreme minimal in owing things, space isn't an issue. 

This would be a great way to travel both North and South Americas.  Depending on the cost of shipping and conversion, not a bad way to travel Europe and Asia as well.

There are a couple of site that will detail cost, how and why of living in a RV:
http://cheaprvliving.com/
http://www.your-rv-lifestyle.com/

Of course,  in the meantime, we can still take a page from the RV life style book on lowering the cost of living.  Habits like not owning a lot of stuff and monitoring your energy are good ideas anyway.  For me personally, I would love to install solar panels on my house.

all you have to do is ask

While I was poking around the giant online store that is Amazon.com yesterday, I looked at what I bought for my mom last week.  Holy crap-o-la!  The item I bought just went down in price.  I was a bit annoyed.  It had only been 5 days and the price dropped $8+ dollars. I know, this is penny pinching at its best.  I got annoyed over $8.  But it's only been 5 days. 

So I called Amazon.com.  I asked the person if they will honor the new lower price and give me the difference.  They said yes so I got the money back.  yay!!!

Then, I figure I give another company a call like that as well.  We got some LEGOs a few weeks back.  While we thought we got the free shipping promo, there was a $17 shipping charge on the invoice.  I called LEGO and asked.  They clarified there because there was another promo on the order the free shipping for bumped, but they will credit me this time because of the confusion.  2 for 2.

Recently, we got some work done for the house.  When we called Costco for the quote, it took them 2 weeks return the call.  By then, their promo was over.  We got a quote with a different promo, which was not as big a discount.  However, I asked if we could get the 1st promo since we did call while it was going on, and not our fault that the call was returned too late.  I was expecting just one promotion being honored, but they decided to give us both promotions.  3 for 3.

Some times, it doesn't hurt to just ask.  The worst is the answer being NO, which is not really a big deal if you don't EXPECT to get it. 

Now, I will go ask the powers-that-be to give me that $74million Mega Millions jackpot ticket.

cellphone plans are ridiculous

Recently,  I took a look at my cellphone bill.  What a shocker.  I was on a very old plan that I shared with my mom.  The cost of the plan is a little ridiculous consider in that neither of us has a smart phone and I only recently started to use texting - yes, I lived under a rock for several years.  This plan wasn't the most expensive, but with all the surcharge BS, it's expensive for the amount of talk you can do without overage charges.  These giant telecom companies are just legalized robbers, IMO. 

I poked around a bit and discovered that some of the pay-in-advance or pay-as-you-go plans are much much cheaper than signing the 2 yr contracts, even if you have to buy your own phone.  I guess these no contract plans don't have the latest and the greatest phones, but does anyone need the latest and the greatest?  I am guessing that most PF focused people with think not.

But what about the coverage?  Most of the no-contract cellphone companies are own by one of the big telecom networks.  So the coverage of the no-contracts use the network of the biggies.

The only down side I can see is that most no-contracts' unlimited plans are just as expensive as the contract plans, and the minutes plans don't have free nights and weekends or free mobile to mobile - every minute counts.  My answer to that: Google Voice!   I love this little free call forwarding service.  I am contemplating on porting my current number to Google Voice, which is $20.  After that I can just make sure to set up my forwarding, with the time and phone # presets.  Also, this way I can use any cellphone company and not have to worry about a new number.


PS.  I think Google maybe become SkyNet when it becomes self aware. =)

the cost of commute

Just how much does getting to and from work cost?  Around where I live, it's about $15 a day, and that is the cheapest.  I work downtown and live in the suburbs.  I don't live in the city because the schools were I am now is better than in the city.  Mr. LLF's job gives some perks for living where we are, and he has a sweet commute, which is good for taking care of kiddie stuff.  Living closer to the city means more expensive house, which we can not afford at the moment.

Why does it cost so much?  I drive to the train station (20mins).  It take 2x times as long to bike there.  The train cost close to $5 a trip, plus parking which is 3.50 to 4.75, depending on which station I go to.  So the gas, plus train, plus parking is about $15/day x 5days.  So my cost of commute which is $65-75 a week.  My employer subsidize $100 a month, so that covers about a week and a half(no complaints there).  That is only if I take the train.  If I drove, it would be more gas, plus $12-15/day parking, downtown.

To reduce cost of the commute, I worked four 10 hr days each week.  Which great because I had 3 day weekends every weekend, and 4 on holiday weekends.  However, that means leaving at 6am and not getting home until 7pm.  This is not a problem for singles and married with no kids.  Since I would like to seem the little LLFers(..haha.hmmmmm) I work only five 8hr days.

Adding to the equation is that I started a new job 8 months ago, and was told that someone up the chain didn't like the telecommuting idea because there was a bad precedence once a few years ago.  I did not want to push the subject, being a new person.  Now, that someone has retired, and it will be 1 year for me in 4 months, I will ask again for the telecommuting 1 day a week, to start off.  Maybe withs some luck, I can eventually get to 2 days a week.  Here to hoping for the best!

wardrobe pieces to save money on

My last post was about items to splurge on.  Here is a list of item that I would spend less on, but still make my wardrobe updated and fun.  These items will and should not cost a more than $50 a piece(usually 20).

blouses - this includes dress shirt, short or long sleeves, any top that is not a tee shirt.  Keep it colorful or basic.  These will change your trouser or skirt and make it for the office or night out on the town.  These you can update once or twice a year to keep your colors and designs current.

cardigan sets - just one or two is great form office to PTA meeting to afternoon tea.  Also the cardigan can be used separately for your dresses

dresses - a nice cotton sheath dress will also go office to PTA meeting to afternoon tea pair with a cardigan, a drapier dress can be office appropriate with a blazer, or night out with a shaw/wrap.  Target's Merona brand has surprisingly good quality dresses for around $30 (just have to make sure they fit is correct) Just be sure the length is appropriate for age and setting.

slacks/jeans-  These are great for every day wear.  Just one or 2 will get you a long way.  Plain front and slight boot cut is the most flattering on every body type.

Tee and tanks - these can the most fun, go for a couple of glam ones to dress up your jeans or layer under blazer for a edgier office look. 

skirts - these are fun to have, and one or 2 will get you a long way in maxing up your looks for both work and weekend wear.  Again, be sure the length is appropriate for age and setting.

accessories - jewelry don't have to expensive to look nice.  Scarves and hats will change up you outfit quite a bit.

5 basic wardrobe pieces worth splurging on

In my effort to sort out my closet, I took a look at what I wear the most, which is work clothes.  I work in a business causal and sometimes business attire environment so I have some flexibility.  I find these pieces to be stables and can fit both formal and causal work environments, so I think they are worth spending a little extra.  

Trousers - a couple of pairs of trousers in black and gray are essential.  I would leave brown or tan to slacks.  These will have to work with the blazer, which I will talk about.  It would be nice to get machine washable wool, so you don't spend a ton on dry cleaning.  A good fitting pair of trousers will can also be a part of of night out outfit.

Pencil Skirt - I would also get one or two pencil skirts in gray or black.  One of them should be the same material as your trouser and blazer.

Blazer - One good blazer will take your trousers or pencil skirt from business casual to business attire.  Make sure that it's the same material as one of your skirts and trousers - this way you have 2 suits without buying 2 suits.  A single breasted, one or two button blazer, with minimal hardware details will stand the test of time.  Make sure to have the sleeves hemmed.

Coat - Depending on you local climate, you will want a coat with the right weight.  A good coat will  last you a long time so be sure to  get one in a classic cut and color.

Bag - Same as the coat.  Better to spend a little more and get more year out of the bag then spend less and having to get a new one every year.

They don't have to be a designer label or be very expensive.  Usually, places like the Limited, BR, J. Crew, Ann Taylor have sales that can get you at least first 3 of these for less than $500 total.  Of course, this list to taking into account that you don't our grow the size of these clothes.  More reason to stay in shape. =)

Salon service for 1/2 the price

I usually only get my hair cut 2-3 times a year.  Most of the time I get a style that I can grow out for a little while without it looking ragged.  Going to a Hair Cuttery is okay.  The price isn't very expensive, but the quality of the cut is hit or miss.  Going to a nice salon will cost me $40+.   The quality is much nicer even if it's sort of a miss.

My solution to this is to go to a beauty school where they offer discount cuts by students.  I can usually get a nice hair cut for less than $20.  The student is monitored by a professional who will look over their work once they are done.  Often times, the professional will fix anything they think is not quite there.  So that means you will get a cut that is same as the professional service you get from a salon, for a student price.

The only down side is that it take some time for the student to cut your hair.  They tend to be very timid about cutting too much or too fast.  So they take their time to make sure the cuts are right.  The shorter the hair style, the longer they take to cut your hair. So if you have a little time to spare, give the student a try.  You'll be surprised at the money you can save for a great hair cut.

green and frugal: 10 tips for home and garden

being green and being frugal can go hand in hand.  Here are 10 tips for the home:

1. Use a 2:1 baking soda and water paste to rub out crayon marks on walls
2. Revive potpourri that's lost its scent by spraying with vodka, be sure to stir to saturate every piece
3. Rub candle wax on window sill to prevent dust and mold from seeping into cracks.  be sure to match the wax to window sill color
4. Rub a dime-size dab of petro jelly over a light bulb thread before putting into outdoor fixture to prevent rust
5. Remove sticky labels on hard surfaces using 1/2 vinegar 1/2 warm water soak.
6. Dissolve driveway oil stains by pouring baking soda on and rub with a wet hard-bristle brush
7. Use plastic lids as coaster for your cans so they don't leave scratch or rust marks on surfaces.
8. Clean you disposal by grinding vinegar ice cubes
9. Clean your microwave by boiling juice of 1 lemon combined with 1 cup of water in the microwave, let sit for 5 mins, then wipe.
10. Apply car wax to your patio furniture for easy cleaning and keep from fading fast.

Most of these things can be found around the house and are safe for use around kids and pets.

are sales really sales?

I often wonder about sales at stores.  Are they really sales?  More specifically, are items on sale really marked down compared to what they should cost?  Sometimes I feel like the store mark up the normal prices just so they can mark it down again to call it a sale.

For example, pasts sauce.  When it's not on sale it's $2+ a jar for a non-premium brand.  On sale, can get as low as $1/jar for the same thing, without using coupons.  These sales are usually every other month.  If they go on "sale" so often, why would any one buy it when it's not?  There is no limit to how many you can buy and the exp is 6months+.

Another example, appliances.  They have holiday sales for these things every holiday you can think of.  And these "sales" sometimes lasts a month long.  Unless something broke and you can't wait like 3 weeks for the next sale, why would anyone buy it at "regular" price?

The only truly sale items I have ever seem is things that are about to expire or new models coming out and they want to move the old ones.  I often wonder why people will buy "full price" items.  What's the reasoning?

small sacrifices add up

I have been lazy lately and don't really want pack my lunch in the morning.  I have also wanted to get ice coffee or blended drinks every day.  Does warm weather make people lazy?  It seems to make me that way.  So I have been telling myself to stop every I wanted to buy something. 

I told myself that I will not buy anymore clothes unless I need it.  And when I meant need, it's not want.  It's I don't have anything at all to cover my body so I can be decent in a public place.  So I have been good for the last month about buying anything clothing related.  But now it's food.

I have to constantly remind myself that it's the $2-$7 purchases that add up to $200 - $300 of necessary spending.  If I spend $2 on coffee everyday when I am at work that's $45 for the month(2x22days).  Also, $7 on lunch is $154.  Which is $2340 per year. Which is That's on the cheaper end.  If I am not vigilant about the small purchases, the money will just drip away like a leaky faucet. 

Sometimes you have to treat yourself, and budgeting that in will keep you from forsaking it altogether.  Like a cheap day on a diet. So I tell myself everyday, OK we can budget for buying lunch once a week.  Coffee, nothing more than $2 a week.  $10/week is about $520/year.  That's much better than $2300+/year.  What will I do with extra $1800+? It's a nice problem to have. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. 

money drains & alternatives

Recently I have considered canning my cable, but Mr. LLF wants to keep it.  Since we don't spend a whole lot on entertainment, I am keeping it, for now.  I am looking into alternatives to cable TV with netflix, hulu, and amazon prime.  Then I wanted to look into other money draining expenses and their alternatives.

1. New kids toys - I am not saying all new toys are bad, but I have found decent and gently used kids toys at garage sales and craigslist.  The only toy I haven't found used is LEGOs.
2. Fancy hotels - it seems that the pricier their get, the more the charge for the extras, like internet.  Plus, I am only really just sleeping and keeping my stuff there. 
   ALT: hostels and budget inns, they often have free internet and breakfast.
3. In car DVD players/GPS - one more thing to break and cost a lot to fix.
   ALT: portable DVD players, you can take it with you anywhere other than the car
4. Unitasker gadgets - they just take up space in your drawers, unless you use it more than once a week for that purpose or no other what of getting around it
   ALT:  multitasking gadgets
5. Bank and credit card fees - unless they give me a reward greater than the fee, then maybe (like earn in 5% cash back on everything, and fee was $50 annually)
6. Trash bags - do we really need to pay so much for re enforced bags, plus these are awful for the environment.
   ALT: we get more than enough bags from grocery shopping, or composting and recycling will reduce 90% of trash.
7. wrapping paper -
   ALT - gift wrap bags
8. Books & magazine - I am all for reading, but I don't want to keep all this stuff that I will never again
   ALT: use a book swap, the library.  If you really want to support the writers, send them a check.
9. Big weddings - it's nice to celebrate people getting married, but there's a lot of fluff in weddings that no one but the bride cares about: flowers, brides maid dresses, the cake, fancy invitations, table dressings, favors
   ALT: a small and simple wedding and a kick ass bash afterward - that's what most guests would remember anyways: the food and drinks, the band/DJ, and the fun they had or not.

Dinning out on a dime.

OK not really a dime.  But dinning out can be inexpensive if you look for happy hour specials.  Recently,  I went to dinner with a friend.  She is in the process of buying a home, and I thought maybe she'll appreciate the fact of not spending too much if we go out.

I found this site for great happy hour list near me.  So we picked a place that had $0.25 mojitos and decided to meet there.  One mojito and we can look for a different place to eat right?  No one said you had to buy more.

Unfortunately, the place was no longer there.  It was another restaurant,(I really wish people would update that site).  So we decide to try the place anyways after looking at their happy hour menu.  It turned out to be a gem.  We got plenty of really good food (sliders made from beef aged in a Himalayan salt lined cellar, mini lump crab cakes, etc)and drinks.  The bill was $26 total, without the tip.  $13/person is not bad with alcohol included.

I was so happy about happy hour that I went back to the site and added to the list.  I hope they update the thing.  If only there were other sites that lists food specials.

I heart the library

A year ago, I was very excited about the new Sookie Stackhouse novel that was release.  I put my name on the library's waiting list and when I got the email notice 4 months later, I picked up and read it in 3 days.  Since I had 3 weeks of time on the book, I lend it to a co-worker chose share the same enthusiasm for the series. After she took it home over the weekend to read it, she told me the next Monday that her friends were a bit shock that she had a library book.  "Who goes to the library anymore?" they asked her.  Well, hello!  Me, pick me!  I <3 the library!
That got me questioning "Why not the library?"  Is it a faux pas?  It's free, it's convenient, and it keeps clutter down in my house.  Have people really forgotten about the library or are the old images of  the card catalogue still stuck in there mind?  It is not fashionable to carry around a book with the little date sticker in the back with the due date stamped on it?   Most libraries have online catalogues that you can search.  Then you can place holds and tell them which branch you want to pick up at.  You get email notifications when it gets there.  There's self check out. So you are in and out of there in 5mins.  Some even have ebooks you can check out.  And if they don't have it in the system, you can request it from another system or they'll buy it.

I don't see why people are spending a butt load on stuff they don't reread often.  Even if it's ebooks, buy books after books adds up especially if you only read them once.  I know, I know.  What about the writers/authors.  How will they make money?  I personally am all for supporting them if you love their work.  In that case, yes buy their ebooks(paper just takes too much space).  Why not just send them a check directly? 

I wonder what other "free" resources people are not using, like parks, community centers, county events.  I put free in quotes because we pay taxes for these things.  If we don't use them then we are just throwing away money.  The simple dollar has a good list of things to start with.

Small sucesses for large goals

J. Money posted about how he use one thing as a measuring unit for other things - it cost x # of cheeseburgers to buy that whatever.  I am sure a lot of us have done that one point or another.  I sure did in college.  I still use it as a joke once in a while.

Then I got to thinking, why haven't I use this as a way to get to my larger goals?  Let's say I want to go on a family vacation and it will cost $1000.  It seems like I would have to look at my whole budget to see if I can afford to go on this vacation.  So we save some money here and there, but when do we reach that $1000?  I think that the author of the book Four Hour Work Week hit it on the head when he sets a dreamline and it brakes it down to daily achievements you can count.

If the vacation is in 6 months and it's $1000, then I have to save $5.56 a day to get there (1000/180 =  5.555).  That's a venti latte a day. This seems achievable.  Putting $5 a day away doesn't seem very daunting and it makes sure that in 180 days I have a vacation fund.  Even if I have some unexpected expenses, putting $5 away doesn't seem as big a hurdle, not when you don't think of it as $167 a month.

Those infomercials that say "for $.25 a day, you could..." they are on to something.

10 tips on being green and saving money

It surprising how being environmentally friendly can actually save you money and have other benefits as well.  Here is a list of things, and they don't even take that much effort.

1. save the cold water before showering - when you are running the water to get it warm, use a bucket to save that water.  Use the water for flushing the toilet or doing laundry later 
2. use a solar charger for your small electronics - very useful especially when there is a power outage
3. get smart surge protectors - your peripherals will turn off as well as your main item
4. compost and recycle to keep trash minimal
5. if there is trash, use grocery bags as trash bags - you take out trash more often, so less smelly things in the house too
6. use vinegar or baking soda for cleaning, these 2 will clean about 90% of things in the household, cost pennies, and safe for kids and pets
7. use the speed wash cycle and half the recommended amount of soap on most clothes - most clothes are usually not very dirty, especially for being the office
8. leave the lawn clippings on the ground instead of bagging them, this actually helps the grass keep moisture, just mow to make sure the grass doesn't get too high so the clippings are short, and use a push mower
9. save the AC run off and rain water in the summer for watering the lawn/garden on dry days
10. use cloth gift bag for gifts to family member/close friends that you give to annually, you can re-use it or  for them to keep, you can put their names on it or leave it plain.  This may sound weird at first, but they don't keep the normal wrapping paper anyways.  very useful for giving gifts to kids every year.  These are also easy DIY.