Bruce L. Bergman wrote:
On Sat, 25 Oct 2008 08:57:15 -0700 (PDT), Too_Many_Tools
wrote:

In tough times consumers tend to cut back...so where are you
cutting
back, reprioritizing resources, whatever to make that dollar go
farther?

I am also posting this in the metal and wood working groups to hear
how those who pursue the hobby are allotting their resources.

We're not running an extravagant house, we're already the schlunky
looking place on the block. Much to the chagrin of the guy trying
to
sell across the street, but if he thinks he can get top dollar in
/this/ market he's got a rude awakening coming - Forget making a
killing, he'll be lucky to get out alive... I'm cleaning up and
moving everything to the back yard.

Buying smarter, and raising the "Do we really need it?" bar yet
another notch - If it still works, it stays, if it can be fixed
simply
it gets fixed. Amazing how many things die just because the fuse
popped, ignore the "No User Serviceable Parts Inside" bull****.

Combining trips, and using Mom's Saturn SL2 (30+ MPG) a LOT more
than the Work Truck (10 MPG) for little trips.

Saving old light poles, Strut pieces, and other recyclable
materials
for reuse. Have to build a horizontal rolling conduit and pipe
rack,
and it'll be all reclaimed steel. Not 'Old Bed Frame' either -
although I have some OBF Steel I'm going to build a small paint rack
out of.

Sand down and put a coat of Oil-base Spar Polyurethane on shovel
and
pick handles, rather than toss them and buy new. When they break,
/then/ they go.

Have to send in for DTV Converter coupons and put up another
outdoor
antenna, since we've only got one Digital Ready set. With the old
small dish sometimes DirecTV goes away in the rain, and I'm not
giving
Time/Warner Cable a dime.

Have to start following Mom's old tricks more of buying "almost
outdates" in the meat case - amazing that they used to charge extra
for "Aged Beef!" Cook triple and quadruple batches, and freeze
meals
for later - or portion and freeze the ingredients.

And selectively picking dent cans, as long as it isn't on the
seams.
I'm not going for Mystery Cans just yet... But if the market folks
are on the ball, they mark what they are. Or you can sometimes
figure
it out from the production codes.

I might have to get/build one new computer to run Vista and new
apps, but the old ones keep running till they die.

My machine is about 5 years old and it runs Vista just fine. And it
wasn't cutting edge when it was new. It did get a new video board
about a year ago, but that was because the old one died--it was
running Vista fine to the end.



--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)