Resourcefull Tidbits

[jebatty]

A recent post discussed spending $25 now on an electric energy saving project to save $48/year into the future. Some felt that such a small action wasn't worth the bother. The little project mentioned, assuming a 5% interest rate and the savings being reinvested every year, vs investing the $25 not spent at a 5% interest rate, would produce a return of $1403 over 20 years vs $63 from just a $25 investment, and at 30 years a return of almost $2900 vs $100. That might be enough additional income to retire a month early.

Little resourceful actions over time produce big results. What other useful resourceful tidbits are being done that are easy, inexpensive, and produce big returns over time? Most of us want to retire "in the manner to which we have become accustomed" and to do it early.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I was new to wood heat when I started a few years ago and quite frankly didn't really get it. There are two opportunities with wood heat. First, burning wood over propane has saved us about $10K/yr over what the previous owner of the house was spending. This savings is being continually reduced as the rebuild of the house has resulted in significant performance improvement. But, in the short run, it allowed us to put the money into the house instead of the propane vendors pocket. The second opportunity is scrounging. With current firewood prices around $200/cord delivered, I "make" more scrounging/processing than I do working my day job after taxes are considered. And there is no carrying cost of free wood while it is drying other than arguably the opportunity cost of not selling it.

The other area has been tools. Every time I come up against a job that I don't have the right tools for, I have the angst of whether I should just pay someone else to do it, rent the tools, etc. In the end, I usually find a good deal on the tools/equipment and then come to find out later that they pay for themselves a lot faster than I thought they would in ways that I didn't previously see. And I learn some useful skills in a down economy in the process. It is largely the reason I am still employed right now.

While neither of these are trivial expenses/investments, they have have made a significant difference in the way we live.

 

[jebatty]

One that just occurred to me is our unlimited 2% cash back on our charge card, with the 2% automatically deposited each month in our investment account. We charge almost everything, utilities, phone, satellite tv, some charitable contributions, etc., and then pay in full each month. Per $1000/mo charged, that amounts to $240/yr of saved savings.

 

[semipro]

A recent post discussed spending $25 now on an electric energy saving project to save $48/year into the future. Some felt that such a small action wasn't worth the bother. The little project mentioned, assuming a 5% interest rate and the savings being reinvested every year, vs investing the $25 not spent at a 5% interest rate, would produce a return of $1403 over 20 years vs $63 from just a $25 investment, and at 30 years a return of almost $2900 vs $100. That might be enough additional income to retire a month early.

Little resourceful actions over time produce big results. What other useful resourceful tidbits are being done that are easy, inexpensive, and produce big returns over time? Most of us want to retire "in the manner to which we have become accustomed" and to do it early.

Plus these projects are fun. They are what I thrive on and what I lie awake at night thinking about. Its through experimentation and innovation that we improve our own lives, and with some sharing, maybe improve the lives of others too.

 

[ramonbow]

We have several fruit trees. They are about a $25 investment per tree as well. It is an investment of money, yard space, and time and you do not get any return for several years. But now we have much more fruit than we can use. I eat more fruit than I would if i had to buy it and it is more healthy than the stuff i would probably buy. We end up giving a lot away and taking some out for the wildlife to eat. It helps make wild and civilized friends.

 

[drewmo]

I'd recommend insulating everything and anything in sight, as well as what might be out of sight. If you have access to a pipe that's heating empty space, a 3-ft. piece of installation costs nothing in comparison to the cost of energy wasted over 5-, 10-, 15-years.