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Indulging in life, financially responsible

Month: January 2014

Installing New WaterSense Toilets – Part 1

January 30, 2014 by Andrew 1 Comment

7 1/2 months ago when we moved into our house, none of the existing toilets worked.  Due to the huge list of other ‘fixer upper’ projects and a lack of DIY experience, we chose to repair, instead of replace, the existing toilets and continue to use them for the time being.  They weren’t great toilets and only kind of worked but it was a quick bandaid fix.  This week after reviewing the numbers we decided it was time to replace the two main toilets (first floor and second floor).

IMG_3099

Why Replace a Toilet?

We weighed several factors into our decision to replace the two toilets.

  1. Water Usage
  2. Ability to stay unclogged
  3. Unusual Smells
  4. Comfort

Water

Water usage was a big deciding factor.  City water costs ¢0.536/gal, sewer costs ¢0.384/gal for a combined cost of ¢0.92/gal.  While less than a penny per gallon of water sounds cheap, it does add up quickly.  According to the EPA, the average person flushes a toilet 4-6 times a day.  Multiply that by the number of occupants in your household and you start to get an idea of how often that toilet is flushed.  Going back to our example, it would be 8-12 times a day.  Both toilets were older models that used 3.5 gpf (gallons per flush).  That means around 28-42 gallons or ¢26-¢39 a day was spent just for flushing the toilet.  Well that doesn’t sound to bad does it?  Hmm, we have made some assumptions about these toilets that don’t hold up in real life.  Firstly, we’ve assumed that they don’t leak.  Morning Sickness has a peculiar way of getting you up close for those leak inspections.  According to an in-the-know source, both toilets leak water.  Secondly, we’ve assumed that they never clog and require a second, third, fourth, etc. flush.  Yep, those toilets clog, so our 8-12 flushes a day isn’t exactly accurate.

Unusual Smells

Our downstairs half bath often smelled of sewer gas.  I was fairly certain it was because of the toilet and the bandaid “fix” was to leave the door open so the room could air out.  The most often cause of sewer gas is a dried out water trap, but that wasn’t the case with this toilet.  The second most likely cause is a bad wax seal on the closet flange.  To replace the wax seal, you have to remove the toilet, and while you have the toilet removed, you might as well install a new one.

Comfort

Finally, there is the issue of comfort.  All of the toilets in our house are round seats and fairly low to the ground.  Our potty training niece loved the “Ruby Throne” because it was just her height and at 14 1/2 inches tall, it is one of the shortest toilets out there.  I am average height for a man and let me tell you, that thing is uncomfortable.  Nowadays there is a stronger preference towards chair height toilets and elongated bowls (where they can fit).  Chair height or ADA compliant are a great option for older individuals because it is easier to get on and off the seat.  We chose to replace the first floor half bath with another short round toilet, but the upstairs we went for an elongated and taller commode.

Shopping for a Toilet

IMG_3096

 

So you’ve come to the conclusion that you want a new toilet.  You also know if you want a round or elongated bowl, height of the seat, and if you’d like a 1.28 gpf or a 1.6 gpf (max allowed by law), but wait!  Before you go to the home improvement store, measure the rough in dimension.  What is the rough in dimension you ask?  It is the distance from the back wall to the middle of the floor bolts that hold the toilet in place.  Most toilets are a 12″ rough in.

For the downstairs toilet we found the Kohler Wellworth toilet.  It is a 1.28 gpf, round bowl, 14 1/2″ height, 12″ rough, score 10 on flushing, and has a canister flush mechanism.  I thought the last part was particularly nice.  Most toilets use a flapper that you pull open in the tank (by pressing the handle) and water drains from the tank to the bowl.  Kohler has switched over to canisters that lift up and let water flow in from all directions.  Not only does this seem to deliver a better flush, it also makes the handle easier to actuate.

Quiz Time

  1. Do you know how many Gpf your toilets use?
  2. Do you know the water and sewer rates for your area?
  3. Do the plungers in your house get used?

Stay tuned for Part 2 where I cover the removal and installation.

Posted in: DIY, House Tagged: plumbing

Building a Changing Table

January 25, 2014 by Andrew 4 Comments

With the imminent arrival of our little one, I needed to get cracking and finish up some projects around the house.  High up on that ‘Honey Do’ list was to build a changing table.  Now strictly speaking, the cheapest option out there is to either use an existing surface in your home to change baby or to buy a used dresser/table and repurpose it.  DIY wood working is not very frugal.  Tools are a large initial investment, lumber prices seem to climb each year while quality declines, and there is a huge learning curve before finished projects start to look as good as the mass-produced pieces.  With that said, it is an enjoyable hobby that gives me a break from the computer (work).

A great beginner resource for wood working is Ana White.  Check out her about page for a remarkable short story of how she developed her building skills.  Anyway, back to the point, Ana has some free plans for a changing table and that is what I based my design off.

Ana White Changing Table

 

As with most new projects, I had to do a little tool shopping before hand to expand my arsenal.  The Kreg Pocket Hole Jig made a nice addition and the thing works like a dream.

IMG_3040

 

I did make some changes to the dimensions of the table.  Mine is 16 1/2″ deep and 48″ wide.  I wanted to have plenty of storage for all of the accumulated baby stuff.

IMG_3078

 

After some sanding, wood filler, and paint it is ready for action.  How is the organizing going Shae?

IMG_3087

 

Good!  Here is the finished results.

IMG_3091

The Tsavo Lion should keep baby calm during diaper changes.  ;-D

IMG_3092

Posted in: DIY Tagged: baby, woodworking

5 Minutes To Save 5 Years

January 21, 2014 by Andrew Leave a Comment

Unless you are a masochist, you probably don’t enjoy all of those “congrats you have been pre-approved for xyz credit card” offers that plague your mailbox.  A long time ago, I read the fine print and there is a way out!!

You can stop the prescreened offers by going to https://www.optoutprescreen.com/.

Scroll down and click on the blue button.

Screen Shot 2014-01-21 at 4.26.02 PM

 

You will then have the choice to opt-in, opt-out electronically (5 year), or opt-out by mail (permanent).

Select the electronic option (I’ll explain a bit later why the mail option is a waste of time and money).

Screen Shot 2014-01-21 at 4.26.20 PM

 

You should now see a big form.  The good news is that most of these fields are NOT REQUIRED.  I’ve highlighted in green the required fields.

  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Date of Birth
  • Address
  • Captcha

Screen Shot 2014-01-21 at 4.26.34 PM

 

Click on Confirm and you will get a confirmation page.  In a couple of months that junk mail should be gone!

The Catch

I did this back in College (a long long time ago) and there is definitely a catch.  If at any time you have a hard inquiry, say for example you apply for a credit card or loan, then you are put back on the list.  That is why I wouldn’t recommend spending the extra time and money (postage) to do the permanent mail opt-out, because it really isn’t permanent.   It DOES work.  I enjoyed several years of no offers.  Then I started shopping around for a house and applying for mortgages and BAM, back to the junk mail circus.

So there you have it, spend 5 minutes now to save some time and trees.

Posted in: Technology Tagged: Spam

Freebie Website #3 – CreditKarma.com

January 18, 2014 by Andrew 1 Comment

I’m not sure where I first heard about CreditKarma, it was likely on a finance related forum somewhere on the inter webs.  Anyhoo, I decided to check it out for myself and try out the service.  That was over a year ago.

Credit-Karma_logo_white-BG

What is CreditKarma.com you ask?  Taken from their own website,

Credit Karma offers a new way to track your credit score and a unique way to benefit from it. For the first time you can get a truly free credit score with no hidden costs or obligations. Based on your score, you gain access to exclusive offers from companies that value your creditworthiness.

The last line should make you feel more comfortable because now you know the catch for the free service.  They are going to offer and promote credit cards and other financial products to you.  That is how they make their money, not by selling off your identity to some bloke in a country you cannot pronounce.

Now that we have determined that this is a legitimate business, we can go ahead and create an account.  Accounts are free, and I can confirm that over the past year they have never asked me for my credit card #.  You will need to fill out some information online, including your SSN.  Don’t worry, this won’t affect your credit score in any way.  The site advertises that it will take less than 2 minutes to create your account and get your credit score.

At this point, you may be asking yourself, “I can already get 3 free credit reports a year from Experian, Transunion, & Equifax.  Why do I need to signup for this website?”  Yes, you can get credit reports, but credit reports aren’t credit scores.  The most popularly used credit score system is the FICO and it ranges from 300 to 850.  A score of 300 means that you are extremely risky to lend to and are unlikely to pay it back.  A score of 850 is extremely rare and signifies an almost zero risk loan.  Your FICO credit score is computed using a proprietary formula that analyzes your credit report.  Late payments, bankruptcies, hard inquiries, high credit utilization, number of lines of credit, and average age of lines of credit are all included on your credit report and therefore figure into your credit score.

Credit Karma calculates your number using the Transunion New Account Score.  The TNAS also ranges from 300-850 and is claimed to closely correlate to your FICO score.  Below you can see my TNAS score.

Score

 

Credit Karma would be kind of pointless if all it did was show you a score.  Fortunately, it offers a wealth of additional information that can be used to improve your score, compare your credit to other demographics, analyze credit card offerings, and much more.  Let’s take a look at some of those features.

Credit Report Card

First up is the credit report card.  You can see the summary of mine below.

Report Card

 

The credit report card helps you improve your credit score by showing you where you are losing points.  It also tells you the weighting of each category.  For instance, Credit Card Utilization has a HIGH weighting and I currently have a B grade.  That tells me, that I need to cut back on using my credit card in order to improve my score.  On the other hand, Total Accounts has a low impact on your score.  I currently have an F in that category because I do not have many lines of credit.  It probably isn’t something that I need to rush out to fix though because it has such a low impact on the overall score.

If you click on any of the metrics you will get additional information about it like so.

Derogatory Marks

 

They even offer a credit score simulator so you can see how opening a new credit card or paying off an existing balance would affect your score.

Demographic Comparisons

Do you want to see how you stack up to other people using Credit Karma?  Not a problem!  As part of the report card you can compare your numbers against the general user base.  Below you can see how I compare to other Illinois residents aged 26-30 in making payments on time.

Screen Shot 2014-01-18 at 4.23.23 PM

 

As you can see, 3 out of 10 peers have missed at least one payment.  Ouch!  Credit Karma offers some suggestions about how to avoid missing payments.

Reviews

The last noteworthy feature of Credit Karma doesn’t require an account.  You can see score and demographic stats on different credit cards.  For example, here is a link to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review page.  As you can see, the minimum credit score needed to obtain this card looks to be around 650.

Screen Shot 2014-01-18 at 4.31.07 PM

 

A higher credit score will net you a higher limit (with exception to the very bottom, can someone explain to me what is going on there).

Screen Shot 2014-01-18 at 4.33.23 PM

And the folks with high credit scores and high credit limits also tend to have the lowest balance.

Screen Shot 2014-01-18 at 4.35.58 PM

 

There are a bunch of different card stats available online so you can look up your own card and see what kind of limits and scores are out there.  (I don’t have a Chase Sapphire card, I just used it as an example).

Conclusion

Credit Karma offers a virtual (literally) treasure trove of information.  You can use it to get an idea of what your current credit score is and then how to improve it.  It is pathetically easy to compare your own situation to the anonymous masses and see how you stack up.  Finally, if you are shopping for a new credit card it can help shed a little insight into the type of person a card is aimed at.  I would recommend signing up for an account if for no other reason than to have a free “manual” credit monitoring service.  Just log in once a month or once every other month and make sure no funny business has popped up on your credit report.

Oh, and make sure your password isn’t something stupid like 1234.

When was the last time you checked your credit report?  Your credit score?

Posted in: Technology Tagged: Credit Karma, Website

Shopping at a Discount Supermarket

January 17, 2014 by Andrew 2 Comments

For the past couple of years we have been doing the bulk of our grocery shopping at Kroger.  Kroger is one of the largest chains in the US, has decent prices, a modest selection, fuel center discount, and most importantly, three locations in town with one within walking distance.  We didn’t always shop at Kroger though.  Back when we were living frugally by necessity we did the majority of our grocery shopping at a different supermarket.

I wanted to do a post about that supermarket and coincidentally, I needed to get some shopping done.  So what is the name of this mystery store?  Before I tell you, let’s have a pop quiz.  Look at the picture below, and pick out the more expensive bottle of garlic powder.

Garlic Quiz

 

Have your answer?

Good.

 

 

If you said the one on the left cost more, you’re wrong.

If you said the one on the right cost more, you’re wrong.

If you said, “I know you Andrew and this is a trick question.  They cost the same.”  Then BINGO you are the winner.  Yep, these two containers of garlic powder both cost $1.00.  The one on the left is 5.5 oz and the one on the right is less than half of that at 2.0 oz.  The smaller one came from Kroger’s value brand (aka the cheap generic store brand), the bigger one came from Aldi.

Aldis

You may be asking yourself, what is Aldi? Don’t only poor people shop there?  What’s the deal with the shopping carts?  Let me put all of your questions to rest.

Aldi is a German supermarket chain that is found world wide.  Like most things German, there is a high emphasis on efficiency.  You’ll see that before you even enter the store because you will need to cross barrier #1.

#1 The Shopping Carts

The first step to making a more efficient supermarket is to cut jobs.  What jobs can be cut with a little ingenuity and customer training/education?  The cart boys & girls.  As you step out of your car, one of the first things that you will notice is that ALL of the other shoppers are thoughtfully returning their carts to the singular cart coral on the side of the building.

IMG_3083

Wow!  What thoughtful and kind people.  Haa, they just want their quarter back.  You may have noticed the red chains on the cart handles.  Those are a part of the cart return system.  In order to get a cart, you have to deposit a quarter into the cart.  It then unhooks from the other carts and you can go about your shopping.  When you’re all done, you return the cart to the coral and hook it back up.  You get your quarter back and go on your merry way.

IMG_3082Once you have your cart and are inside the store you will notice a couple of obvious things.

#2 The Store Interior

Probably the first item to catch your attention is that there are no shelves per se.  Instead most of the merchandise is in boxes and those boxes are on palettes.  By eliminating the extra work needed to stock shelves in the traditional manner, Aldi is able to cut down on employee hours and that, like the cart situation, saves you money.  The second item that you will likely notice is that there is typically just the generic brand of each product.  I don’t know how many hours of my life I have spent standing in an aisle trying to figure out the best bang for my buck among 10 different brands each with 3 different sizes.  With Aldi, you generally get 1 brand and 1 size of each item.  Grab it and move on, no dilly daddling here.  That brings me to the 3rd point about the store interior.  It discourages back tracking.  If you forgot something at the start of the store, have fun fighting against the stream of budget conscious shoppers in the one way flow.  The stores are designed fit all of the merchandise in the smallest footprint possible.  A smaller store saves money in construction costs, land acquisition, and utilities.  All of those savings are passed on to you.

#3 The Checkout Process

You won’t find any self checkout lanes at an Aldi.  Nor will you see any baggers.  Chances are good that there will only be 1-2 lanes open, but man do those lanes fly!  Each item sold at the store is riddled with barcodes.  The smart folks at Aldi decided that having a barcode on each side of a product (6 for boxes) means that the cashier doesn’t have to try and find it.  They simply slide everything through the scanner and place it in an empty cart.  Bagging is something that you are going to have to do yourself, but not at the checkout lane because that would slow down the process for the next person in line.  Instead there is a large counter where you can bag up your groceries.  Don’t forget to bring your own bags, Aldi doesn’t have plastic bags and charges money for their canvas totes.  One last important note about the checkout process.  Bring your debit card or a wad of cash.  Aldi doesn’t accept personal checks (do people still use those at stores?) or credit cards.  Credit cards cost merchants a % of the transaction (usually 1-5%), so by saying no to credit cards, Aldi can pass that saving on to you.

Conclusion

There you have it.  Aldi is a great discount supermarket that saves you money by eliminating cart boys, baggers, stockers, cashiers, large store footprints, loyalty programs (yes those cost you money) and credit card fees.  Do poor people shop there?  Yes.  Do rich people shop there?  Yes.  At the end of the day, it largely comes down to convenience.  Is there a store close to you?  Do you mind making a second stop at another store to pick up anything that isn’t carried at Aldi?  Can you remember to leave a quarter in your car and some bags?

I still have memories of my childhood where my Mom would stock up at Aldi once a month to feed 4 very hungry boys.  I am sure that the money saved by doing so contributed to vacation funds that let us see the world.  Thanks Mom!

Posted in: Savings Tagged: Aldi, Grocery, Store
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