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redneck
1000+ Penny Miser Member
1273 Posts |
 Posted - 02/04/2009 : 20:46:30
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I thought this would make a Great topic to discuss (Do it yourself and save $$$).
I don't know about ya'll but I like to hear the jingle jingle in MY pocket and not somebody elses pocket.
This thread can be about anything.
I will start it out with this since it's cold out.
This works great.I have it on several windows and a 9' sliding glass door.(two years now)
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You cannot believe the difference this makes.If I could only do one thing to save money this winter,this would be it.
CHEAP...! Approx. $10 at wally world a roll, takes less than 2 rolls for the average home.Use the same stuff over and over again every year just roll it up and store it away.
Everyone should try this. It turns a single pane into a double pane,or a double pane into a triple pane.You will not believe how much of a difference in comfort this makes.(I know I said it twice,it's that good)
You can even double it to double the efficiency...!
Storm windows suck but are better than nothing.
High quality double and triple pane windows are expensive.
This is cheap...
but works great...
If you think you have good windows that insulate just fine, try this anyway,then tell me how much better it is...
Lets see what Ideas you have to contribute.
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Delawhere Jack
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1680 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2009 : 21:20:34
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Cool, or should I say warm. I'll be giving this a try. Increases the R-value of the glass, plus, you can keep the blinds up during the day and still have some privacy.
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"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." Thomas Jefferson
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CoinHunter53562
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1805 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2009 : 22:26:14
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| Wow that is a great tip and I would have never thought of trying that. We still have a few weeks left of winter so I may have to give a shot this week. |
My hobby: collecting real money 1 copper cent or nickel at a time.
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
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redneck
1000+ Penny Miser Member
1273 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2009 : 04:57:05
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quote:
Originally posted by CoinHunter53562
Wow that is a great tip and I would have never thought of trying that. We still have a few weeks left of winter so I may have to give a shot this week.
Not just for Winter.
Works in the summer also by defusing the sunlight and the radiant heat pouring through the window and lowers the AC cost, but my wife doesn't like to see through it in the summer she says it's like looking through a glass block wall..(something about birds and flowers)
If yours does too, try putting it up it the tops of the windows that you don't want to block clear vision, half is still better than none.
Or leaving it up in rooms you don't use much.
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Edited by - redneck on 02/05/2009 05:02:25 |
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horgad
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1641 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2009 : 07:52:13
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Anybody work on cars? I do and I stumbled on a money saver the other day. I have a 91 Honda Accord with about 230K miles and the alternator gave out. The price of a new one was about $135 + shipping or I could risk it and buy a used one for like $35 + shipping, but then I found something even cheaper...a guy on E-Bay selling brushes for all types of alternators (the most common thing to fail on an alternator...especially one with 230K miles on it).
So I went out on a limb and bought a brush for $15 and installing it was a piece of cake (aside from taking out the alternator which I would have had to do anyways). Anyhow it works like a champ and I went from spending maybe $300 on having somebody put in a new alternator for me down to $15 by doing it myself... |
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n/a
deleted
5 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2009 : 23:56:52
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| i "roll" my own cigarettes i got the maker from the tabacco shop up the street and they cose me about 0.65 cents a pack and not $3.50 or more |
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HoardCopperByTheTon
Administrator
USA
6807 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 00:05:57
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Excellent tip redneck! Now I know what I can do with all those boxes of bubblewrap I had been saving to ship pennies out with. 
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If your percentages are low.. just sort more. If your percentages are high.. just sort more.
Now selling Copper pennies. 1.6x plus shipping. Limited amounts available. |
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CoinHunter53562
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1805 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 00:38:34
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quote:
Originally posted by redneck
quote:
Originally posted by CoinHunter53562
Wow that is a great tip and I would have never thought of trying that. We still have a few weeks left of winter so I may have to give a shot this week.
Not just for Winter.
Works in the summer also by defusing the sunlight and the radiant heat pouring through the window and lowers the AC cost, but my wife doesn't like to see through it in the summer she says it's like looking through a glass block wall..(something about birds and flowers)
If yours does too, try putting it up it the tops of the windows that you don't want to block clear vision, half is still better than none.
Or leaving it up in rooms you don't use much.
>
Good point. My only hesitation is that we have 3 dogs and 2 cats, and I am pretty sure the bubblewrap wouldnt last long on the windows with the cats spazzing around here. I like your idea of the top half of the window though....something is better than nothing. |
My hobby: collecting real money 1 copper cent or nickel at a time.
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Nickelless
Administrator
USA
5580 Posts |
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Delawhere Jack
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1680 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 19:33:39
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quote:
Originally posted by horgad
Anybody work on cars? I do and I stumbled on a money saver the other day. I have a 91 Honda Accord with about 230K miles and the alternator gave out. The price of a new one was about $135 + shipping or I could risk it and buy a used one for like $35 + shipping, but then I found something even cheaper...a guy on E-Bay selling brushes for all types of alternators (the most common thing to fail on an alternator...especially one with 230K miles on it).
So I went out on a limb and bought a brush for $15 and installing it was a piece of cake (aside from taking out the alternator which I would have had to do anyways). Anyhow it works like a champ and I went from spending maybe $300 on having somebody put in a new alternator for me down to $15 by doing it myself...
I do as much work on my vehicles myself as possible. One example, I change my own oil, and with the money I save doing it myself, I buy a premium synthetic oil rather than the standard stuff. $35 for 5 quarts is a little hard to swallow until you realize it only takes 20 minutes to do, and the synthetic can go longer between changes.
Replaced the radiator in a lady-friends Honda van about a year and a half ago. She bought the new radiator for $300. I installed it in about an hour, and she trimmed all of my shrubs and cooked me dinner in exchange. Good deal. 
Along those lines, and OBDC reader would be a good investment in these times. It's the device that talks to your cars diagnostic system to tell you why the check engine light is on. A good one can be had for under 200FRN, or some really basic models for under 100FRN. Use it a couple times and it's paid for itself. And it could save you from being sheared by a less than honest repair shop.
If your inclined to work on your own vehicle, find some good online forums for your make and model vehicle. I found one for Camaros that taught me why the low coolant light kept coming on when the system was full. The sensor on the radiator tank was notorious for going bad and giving a false warning. It was 58FRN's for a new sensor which took about 15 minutes to install, but I'm sure a shop would have hit me for several hundred.
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"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." Thomas Jefferson
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TenBears
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1021 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 20:41:04
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quote:
Originally posted by horgad
Anybody work on cars? I do and I stumbled on a money saver the other day. I have a 91 Honda Accord with about 230K miles and the alternator gave out. The price of a new one was about $135 + shipping or I could risk it and buy a used one for like $35 + shipping, but then I found something even cheaper...a guy on E-Bay selling brushes for all types of alternators (the most common thing to fail on an alternator...especially one with 230K miles on it).
So I went out on a limb and bought a brush for $15 and installing it was a piece of cake (aside from taking out the alternator which I would have had to do anyways). Anyhow it works like a champ and I went from spending maybe $300 on having somebody put in a new alternator for me down to $15 by doing it myself...
I am jealous of your skill. I feel like I get taken advantage of every time something on my truck goes wrong. |
"Rich," the Old Man said dreamily, "is not baying after what you can't have. Rich is having the time to do what you want to do. Rich is a little whiskey to drink and some food to eat and a roof over your head and a fish pole and a boat and a gun and a dollar for a box of shells. Rich is not owing any money to anybody, and not spending what you haven't got." Robert Ruark
there are too wild Indians...
there are too wild Indians...
there are too wild Indians...-----still taunted
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natsb88
Administrator
USA
1850 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 21:08:36
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Ironic that this thread turned to alternators. Mine started giving me trouble last fall and finally bit the dust on Friday (no shame for it, factory original that was 14-15 years old). Bought a new one at Autozone today, traded in the core and went one notch up from the cheapo to get the lifetime warranty. Took maybe an hour to pull the old one out and pop the new one in. $95 total and it should be the last one I have to buy for this vehicle. Best of all I have my vehicle back for tomorrow morning; no waiting for an appointment at the garage.
Since I bought the truck I've also swapped out everything from the headers back in the exhaust system (muffler rusted out and replaced that with a Flowmaster, then a few months later the catalytic converter went and I replaced that with a Magnaflow). For less than what it would cost to have a mechanic install generic replacements, I installed some upgraded components, and gained some knowledge and experience. |
Nate
The Copper Cave
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redneck
1000+ Penny Miser Member
1273 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2009 : 04:52:14
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quote:
Along those lines, and OBDC reader would be a good investment in these times. It's the device that talks to your cars diagnostic system to tell you why the check engine light is on. A good one can be had for under 200FRN, or some really basic models for under 100FRN. Use it a couple times and it's paid for itself. And it could save you from being sheared by a less than honest repair shop.
Local AutoZone and Advance Auto around here have OBDC readers and do it for FREE...
Just so you know, some codes can only be decoded by the dealer because the generic readers do not contain the constantly updated and specialized software required to evaluate deeper subsystems.
I hate the fact that one of these readers is necessary to figure out whats wrong in the first place. Our cars now are overcomplicated and require a Ph.D degree in electronics.With shop rates at or above a $100 per.hr. one can drop a bundle without even batting a eye lash.
I miss the days when all it took to figure out what was wrong was some basic mechanical knowledge and some simple tools. 
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horgad
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1641 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2009 : 12:52:57
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"Since I bought the truck I've also swapped out everything from the headers back in the exhaust system (muffler rusted out and replaced that with a Flowmaster, then a few months later the catalytic converter went and I replaced that with a Magnaflow). For less than what it would cost to have a mechanic install generic replacements, I installed some upgraded components, and gained some knowledge and experience."
The exaust system is something that I have never worked on. I don't have welding equipment or welding skills or a way to get the car up high enough to do it. Is there another way that doesn't require the above? |
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horgad
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1641 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2009 : 12:56:45
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"Along those lines, and OBDC reader would be a good investment in these times. It's the device that talks to your cars diagnostic system to tell you why the check engine light is on. A good one can be had for under 200FRN, or some really basic models for under 100FRN. Use it a couple times and it's paid for itself. And it could save you from being sheared by a less than honest repair shop."
I almost hate to say this and I don't encourage it, but a couple of times I have taken my car in for a free estimate at a dealship. They hook it up, give me the estimate, my head starts spinning when I look at the cost, and then I drive it home and fix it myself based on what they listed in the estimate.... |
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natsb88
Administrator
USA
1850 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2009 : 15:35:16
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quote:
Originally posted by horgad
"Since I bought the truck I've also swapped out everything from the headers back in the exhaust system (muffler rusted out and replaced that with a Flowmaster, then a few months later the catalytic converter went and I replaced that with a Magnaflow). For less than what it would cost to have a mechanic install generic replacements, I installed some upgraded components, and gained some knowledge and experience."
The exaust system is something that I have never worked on. I don't have welding equipment or welding skills or a way to get the car up high enough to do it. Is there another way that doesn't require the above?
My truck sits high enough that a floor jack and a couple of jack stands (or tire ramps) will get it up off the ground enough to crawl under.
Luckily my exhaust was all bolt-on. The replacements were full-length drop-ins, so no welding needed. I've never welded but we have all the equipment at my family's machine shop and at least two of the guys there would be able to do it.
I have also replaced plug wires and the thermostat, both pretty simple. Well, except for the bolt that broke off when replacing the thermostat... |
Nate
The Copper Cave
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Do it yourself and save $$$
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