Things that will pay for themselves within a year

**sfalexi** · 12-11-2009, 11:35 PM

Learn how to change your own oil.

Buy some basic tools for that (oil filter wrench, oil drain pan, a jack and two jackstands). If it's a low car, jack up the front wheels one by one and place jackstands underneath them to get underneath. If it's a high enough car, you won't even need them. But the jackstands are great for rotating your tires (I rotate every oil change). Just jack one side of the car up, and rotate from front to back. Some people may say it's not the "best" way to rotate, but it works and will extend the life of your tires. With the price you pay for oil yourself, you make sure it's done right, with good quality oil, at a lesser price - ESPECIALLY if you use synthetic.

Get a decent cookbook

Um....that's about it

I buy pots and pans as I find I need them. If a recipe calls for something I don't have, I buy the ingredients and the necessary tools and just plan ahead. Then I have those tools forever and if you follow the recipe, you'll have good-tasting food at a much lesser price than going out to eat.

Get a coffee-pot

Or expresso, or whatever it is. The price doesn't even COMPARE to getting coffee at a local place. ESPECIALLY starbucks.

Alexi

**cschin4** · 12-12-2009, 02:02 AM

Good thread!

1. Hair cuts - You could invest in a decent pair of hair scissors and/or a Wahl clipper with attachments and do your own hair. I used to cut my son's hair when they were younger but now they dont' want me too!
Hair color - I color my own hair. For less than $10 for hair color versus going to the salon for $50+.

2. Landscaping - Many people pay big bucks for landscaping. But, there is no reason you cannot do this yourself. Just go around the neighborhood and observe other homes for awhile and take note on what you like, etc. Then you can easily plant plants, mulch, and do the rest.

3. Walking shoes - Lots of people delude themselves into thinking they are going to exercise and buy some home gym, gym membership, and so forth. If you really will use these things, great. In reality, most people don't. But, the best exercise is walking and most people can do that so if you commit to that with a decent pair of shoes.

4. Hobbies - Buy a used musical instrument and teach yourself how to play through free internet lessons or you can buy inexpensive books/DVD's. You will get years of enjoyment of this for an initial start up cost. I taught myself to play the guitar and now I am even playing in our church praise band and having a blast. I love to play though I am not very good. But, great fun. ANd, there are lots of fun intstruments to play like the dulcimer .

**sfalexi** · 12-12-2009, 03:03 AM

Originally posted by cschin4 View Post

Good thread!
4. Hobbies - Buy a used musical instrument and teach yourself how to play through free internet lessons or you can buy inexpensive books/DVD's. You will get years of enjoyment of this for an initial start up cost. I taught myself to play the guitar and now I am even playing in our church praise band and having a blast. I love to play though I am not very good. But, great fun. ANd, there are lots of fun intstruments to play like the dulcimer .

My job is a musician, and I'm gonna nitpick this one JUST a little bit (just a little - I swear!). It's much better to budget for lessons and a decent quality instrument (by asking a professional what a good quality 'student' instrument is). It saves you a lot of frustration in the beginning. But musically speaking (or other hobbies), a little bit of professional, or just knowledgable assistance in the beginning goes a long way to progressing. And in the event you don't like it and don't continue, a decent used quality instrument (or ANYTHING related to a hobby) will usually sell for almost as much as you bought it if it's kept in good condition.

What's also GREAT about hobbies, is they take time to develop and do. Which is less time being spent with the temptation of buying or spending money doing other stuff (going to the movies, things like that)

**cschin4** · 12-12-2009, 04:27 AM

I agree. It is important to get a good quality instrument but when starting out many people simply do not know what to get. However, I would go and get a used instrument from a reputable music store and not buy a "First Act" instrument at Walmart. Those are junk and you can buy a good used for that price.
As for professional lessons, i highly recommend that as well. Music is a very enjoyable lifelong hobby.
As for being a musician, that I ain't! I am more of a guitar hacker or duffer. I can plunk out a few chords during our band and that is it. The real musicians are gracious enough to let me play with them and I hope I can keep learning as well but I know that I never will be very good. But, that really isn't the goal as I know Carnegie Hall is out.

**disneysteve** · 12-12-2009, 06:06 AM

Very interesting question. I'll give this one some thought but initial things that come to mind:

I agree with cschin4 about haircuts. I bought a ConAir clipper 4 years ago for $15 and haven't paid for a haircut since. I used to spend $15 every 5 weeks at Hair Cuttery, so in 4 years, I've saved about $600 on my $15 investment.

Coffeemaker. Spend $30 or so on a one-cup coffeemaker and money for coffee beans instead of buying coffee out every day.

Netflix. If you currently go to the movies regularly, stop doing that and get Netflix instead. I think their plans start at $4.99/month. That's less than the cost of seeing one movie in a theater and allows you to see at least 4-5/month depending on speed of mail.

Ebay. Not exactly what you were asking, but if you spent your $500 on merchandise to resell, you could easily get back your $500 and a nice profit on top of that.

**eric eckman** · 12-12-2009, 07:43 AM

It's way under $500, but a programmable thermostat will almost definitely save you far more than its purchase price in a year. I installed two in my house that I bought for $19.99 each at Home Depot. Took about 15 min each to install on my own.

Energystar.gov has a calculator on their site which takes into account your metro area, type of heat source and thermostat settings and determines how much you'll save in a year. It figured that I'd save about $300 this year.

A few more things in the same vein are:

* A blanket or some other form of insulation for your hot water heater.
* A more efficient dryer vent- many dryer vents are very drafty and basically amount to a large hole in the side of your house for heat to escape and for cold air to come in, a more efficient unit is quick and easy to install and has a spring loaded door with a seal that only allows air to pass through when it's under pressure.
* Weather stripping for doors and windows that are drafty.

To check for drafts around doors and windows, use the candle test. Light a candle and move it slowly around the edges of your doors and windows. If the candle fickers, there is a draft that you may be able to seal with some weather stripping.

This is the time of year to address heating efficiency issues- there is a long winter ahead and a more efficient home is a money-saving home.

**benosayi** · 12-12-2009, 07:46 AM

A crockpot. When I have a meeting or appointment, i will pick up food on the way home. I now use my crockpot. I just brought a brand new crockpot that I can program for time and temp.
A good mixer. I have a crusinart pro that I use for making bread, waffles, pancakes, cookies. Cooking from scratch always pays for its self.
Replacing old windows. We have been replacing old windows for the last 4 years, we finally finished this year.

**cschin4** · 12-12-2009, 11:15 AM

An electric blanket and/or electric mattress pad! Love it. I bake evenly on both sides. Toasty!

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 12-12-2009, 11:32 AM

Insulation, heat pumps, windows.

Good cookware, knives, plates and dishes. Makes it more likely that you will eat at home.

**disneysteve** · 12-12-2009, 12:39 PM

How about an Entertainment book? They go for about $30 and can save you way more than that. We don't generally get one because we always forget to use it, but it is not hard at all to get many times what you spent in value. Just the supermarket coupons alone are worth more than the price of the book.

**jasonnoguchi** · 12-12-2009, 06:59 PM

An XBOX? (make sure you don't go for assessories)

That will make you stay at home more and spend lesser time on vices like smoke and drink. The savings from not visiting pubs, smoking or drinking can be much much more than $500 in a year.

**minnie1928** · 12-13-2009, 02:21 PM

How about things to help save energy around the house? The dryer vent idea is good. How about these:

CFLs
dryer rack to dry clothes on
faucet aerators
automatic thermostat
outlet insulators
toaster oven
"smart strip" power strip

Another idea, a sunday newspaper subscription so you can get the grocery coupons.

**disneysteve** · 12-13-2009, 04:01 PM

minnie beat me to it. I just read an article today that said CFLs typically pay for themselves in 6 months. Even if it takes a year, that would still fit your criteria.

**MonkeyMama** · 12-14-2009, 06:04 AM

I am a musician too. I would never recommend a new student spend a lot on a new instrument (buy an instrument when you know you will stick with it). But I do not recommend DIY lessons, at all. I'd consider that a waste of money. Though I suppose these days with Youtube and such, there is more free/useful lessons available. But I would start with a teacher and then move on my own once I got the basics. That would make a lot more sense - I agree. (& let's face it - regular lessons challenge you to practice - which is another reason a teacher is worth paying for).

The one thing I can add to this list is investing in financial organization or software. I've seen a lot of people around here very quick to write off Quicken because it "cost money." I am always amazed how much money I save using Quicken. Though Quicken is not for everyone, investing in some financial tracking and organization can save a lot of time and money in the long run.

Things that will pay for themselves within a year