Gas Saving Tires

Posted on by SteeleyJon

Yep, they are now here, gas saving tires for our autos.

Tread designs made to help you get better mileage on your car. Trying them out on my 2001 Avalon instead of the typical all season resulted in a modest improvement.

Not having the time for a long term study, the results seem to be between 1 to 2 mpg increase. So, on the average, my car was getting between 22 and 23 mpg. With the new tires, it is now up to 25 mpg on the average.

Total savings for the life of the tires could be as little as $50 (at 3.70 a gallon). If the cost of gas goes up, it could be substantially more.

Which tires? This you will have to find a knowledgeable salesperson. Generally if you find one that has gone to seminars and training, they will be able to demonstrate their knowledge. Then you will know for sure you are getting what you paid for. They did not cost any more than what I would have traditionally paid for tires.

Savings…About $50 over the life of the tires or about $12.50 savings per tire.

Cut Your Food Cost, Improve Your Health

Posted on by SteeleyJon

There is a simple way to cut your food costs and improve your health.

It is called the Raw Food Diet. Unlike being a vegetarian, raw foodies eat only raw and living foods.

Raw foods, as the name suggests, are foods not cooked or even roasted as in the case of nuts. Also, to get the best nutrition from food, it is essential to eat at the peak of ripeness. Eat it early and it would encourage your body to go acid. Your best health will come from your body being on the side of alkaline.

Living food is taking seeds, beans and the like and sprouting them. Then eating the sprouts. Most people have never heard of Ezekiel bread. It is made from sprouts.

Initially, depending on what percentage of your meal is raw food 50 percent is the optimal starting point, the cost will be higher. Then, once you are comfortable and learn how, both your food bill will drop, your hunger will disappear and you will have more energy.

You will also notice a drop in your energy bill. Quite a bit of reduction.

Health benefits are, well, almost unbelievable.

All I can say, as a Registered Nurse, practicing as a holistic nurse, the feed back from my patients is indicating that the raw food diet has the potential to resolve a number of health problems. Many have noted dramatic increases in energy and profound weight loss.

Do a web search to learn more.

Cool Your Summer Drink for Less

Posted on by SteeleyJon

As summer nears, the time for cooling drinks at the beach or when picnicking could cost less if you know the principles of thermal dynamics.

Typically folks go out to buy an Igloo full of ice to cool their brews or sodas. You can buy less ice and fill the cooler with water and get your drinks cold faster.

The reason is the more surface that has contact with the cold, the faster they will get cold.

Remember, every extra pound you carry in your car uses extra gas. If you buy less ice and get the water at your destination, you can save a few more pennies.

Of course, with a little planning, a few milk cartons or even your water bottles could be part filled and frozen in your freezer, making them ready for double duty. This will eliminate the need to stop for and pay for ice.

Plan ahead and be prepared…and save money.

Make a Change In Your Auto Airfilter

Posted on by SteeleyJon

I have seen the the K & N High Performance Air Filters on a lot of cars. I have heard the hype. So, it became time to try it out to see if it was for real.

It was one of three upgrades I did and all I can say was that the results were outstanding. First, when it came time to get new tires, opting for ones that were more energy efficient netted me about a mile per gallon, bringing me from 24 to 25 MPG in my 6 cylinder 2001 Avalon.

The next was a switch to Amsoil, a synthetic oil. At the same time, I installed a K & N airfliter. It was cheaper than most as it fit my existing system and did not require a modification. The cost, about $47 with taxes. Because of doing a lot of driving, there was not time to shop for price.

The result…driving the same trip, Scranton to Allentown via the Pennsylvania Turn Pike and back through Bartonsville and Stroudsburg (to save on the tolls) the mileage went above 31 MPG. Remember, this is driving in the mountains of Pennsylvania and some small town city driving. It also involved hypermiling as always.

The difference was dramatic enough that with out hesitation, I can say that the K & N is well worth the investment. Based on my current needs, the cost will be recouped in less than 10 fill-ups. Put another way, For every 1000 worth of gas bought, there will now be $200 savings.

K & N only advertise 10% increase in fuel economy. We got a 20% increase in fuel economy with this auto air filter. Remember, there was also the switch to full synthetic oil. We do not know how much this affected the overall results. Likewise, this was done before the switch from winter blend gas to summer blend gas.

Live well, drive safe and be uberfrugal.

Don’t Waste the Unused Bottom of Your Lipstick, ReMix It and Save

Posted on by SteeleyJon

There is a product out that will help you save on the average, about $18.50 per year, every year. Perhaps even more in the first year. It has to do with the up to 1/3 of lipstick that is wasted when it will no longer twist up out of the tube.

Rather than throwing it away, you can now not only put it to use, you can create your own custom colors.

The product is called LipStix ReMix It allows you to recover the lipstick left at the bottom of the tube. Instead of throwing it away along with the container it came in, you can turn it into a new stick with this simple system.

You simply take the unused portion of lipstick, place in the special container, microwave it for a few seconds and then put in your refrigerator for a few minutes. Then is is ready to reload into your lipstick tube.

The average woman who uses lipstick uses about 8 tubes a year. With tax, this comes to about $75 a year. This does not even count the environmental cost of the unused lipstick going in the trash.

Using the ReMix system, 3-4 unused tubes can become one new tube. Like mixing any colors, you can experiment and end up with new and truly unique colors. Do this three times and you have paid for the ReMix System. It will only set you back about $19.95.

LipStix ReMix can be purchased online.

This is a simple, green way to have pretty in pink or red lips for less.

Note: I have not tested this product as, well, I do not wear lipstick. However, I am a fan of lipstick. Just check out two of my works of art. If you do try it, please post your thoughts as to how well it works and how you like it.

Found Art Lipstick Kiss made from a car hood. In private collection in New Jersey.

Onethousand Two Lips Yes, when you see it, there are really a total of 1,000 lipstick kisses painted on the canvas.

We are not paid nor do we profit from this suggestion. It just sounds like a really cool way to save money so it had to be included.

Why Trade In When You Can Have Someone Sell Your Car for Retail

Posted on by SteeleyJon

Uberfrugality is about not spending dollars to chase after pennies.

One of the places we loose the Frugality War is our car. This is especially true when it comes to selling your car vs trading it in. The hassle and pressure of selling a car causes many to simply cave and trade in.

There is another way.

Consignment Auto Sales

We found one near Allentown PA.

Lehigh Valley Auto Sales

It is really quite simple. If the price you want for your car is reasonable, Lehigh Valley Auto Sales adds their commission on the top and then sells your car for you.

If you live in the Allentown area, check out this service and meet Sam, the owner.

You can visit his website at www.LehighValleyAuto.com

Tell him you heard about his service from UberFrugality.com Oh yea, like all we do and recommend, we do not get paid for recommending Sam or his service. Anything that is great is worth shouting from the roof tops. Consider this a shout.

Hypermiling: More Highway MPG From a Device in Your Car

Posted on by SteeleyJon

According to CNN Money, you can increase your fuel economy by 35 percent by simply using a device most drivers already have.

The device, your right foot.

I tested the theory out on a recent trip to Virginia and my six cylinder 2001 Toyota Avalon, we attained as much as 32 mpg. This involved topping the gas off on each fill up and then doing the math based on miles driven and gas used.

I have a hydrogen fuel cell on the car but this wan not in use for this test. Normal highway miles per gallon is around 24. This puts it just under the 35% increase.

How to Highway Hypermile

Hypermileing on the highway is not easy. However, once it becomes habitual, it is rather easy.

Although the cruise control can help some cars increase mileage, they are little help on other cars. In my test, my right foot outperformed the cruse control.

The key to highway hypermiling is in maintaining the minimal gas use during the time of need (going up hills) and totally laying off when there is no need.

When going up hills, for some reason I cannot find, when ever so slightly pulsating the peddle, improved economy can be squeezed out of the gas tank. This pulsating is unnoticeable to the passenger.

When going up a hill, dropping down to as low as 55 mpg is acceptable. Never drive more than 65.

Actually, for newer cars, it would be best to test each of the speeds and see which works best for your car. My car runs best and gets the best mileage at around 60.

Do a search on hypermiling and learn more on how to do this. Doing so can increase your MPG and help you maintain your collection of wallet size etchings of dead presidents.

Buy Your Next Car at Auction

Posted on by SteeleyJon

Buy your next car at auction and save. There are a number of auctions across the country that are open to the public.

The key to successfully buying a good car at auction starts with checking out the car. You will not be able to drive the car but for some auctions you can run the engine.

Before you even go there, check with a mechanic that knows the car you hope to buy at auction. Find out the typical problems associated with that car. These are the problems you will be looking for when checking out the car.

Then start and run the car for as long as you can.

Get Down and Get Dirty

Take a mat or something that you can lay on and look under the car. The most important thing to look for is any leaks. The car will need to run for at least 3 minutes to see any leak. In some cases, it may take much longer.

Grab hold of the tierods and any moving parts under the car when it is not running. Are they solid or lose and shake, rattle and roll.

Look at the underside of the body. Is there rust or worse, holes in the body. Here again, research will help eliminate from you list the cars that have a tendency to rust through.

Check all the lights, power accessories and look for any problems.

Then with a list of things that may need to be repaired, start to work to your maximum bid.

Although you can find car values on-line, these are often way off. If you do, start with the wholesale value.

Then look at what the retail value is locally. From the retail value, start deducting for things like tires (-$400 to $500), front end alignment if uneven wear on tires, body work, or anything that does not work that may need repairs.

Then you will have a maximum price to go to knowing you will have to put money into it.

Realize that most dealers make between $500 and $2000 per car that they sell. Also recognize that most dealers will do the maintenance that will get the car road worthy too. Thus, the price you pay should be way below the retail and close to the wholesale price.

How much you pay is up to you. However, recognize that you can always bid another car. You will be stuck with a lemon you paid too much for. So bid wisely.

What are the best auctions? Contact me and I will tell you of the ones I have worked up so far and which kind of cars provide the best deals. Although I have a list of all 50 States, this is a work in progress and since it is free, it will take some time to further develop to make it open to everyone.

If you are buying a car at auction and you have a good story or bad, please share your thoughts here.

Just Ask … if there is a discount.

Posted on by SteeleyJon

Sometimes in order to get a discount, you have to simply ask.

Don’t expect the salesperson to know all however. We were recently in Best Buys, looking at I phones. All of the plans are relatively the same for what we needed. They were all way too much for our uberfrugality.

So on asking the salesperson, “Is there any way to get this cheaper? he went to his manager. Turns out there was a sale that day only. It made the G4S for free. Same plan, only the phone was free.

The catch was the phone was only available that day and that day only.

However, since it was exactly what we wanted, it cut the cost of what we wanted by dollars when cost averaged over the first year.

As mentioned previously, always ask if they have a AAA discount if you use AAA.

Lesson for you, always ask if there is a discount. Then ask again just in case the sales person is not well informed.

Which Washer Washes Best for Less

Posted on by SteeleyJon

Front load or top load, which is the best washer. My personal experience is better than most of the consumer magazines but hands down, the front loaders win.

Why, since they cost at least $300 more?

There are a few reasons.

1. Cheaper annual operating cost (not to mention less wasteful). They take less water, less soap and leave the clothes dryer than the uprights. How much cheaper? One consumer magazine found that the savings could be as much as $100 a year.

2. Because they are heavy duty, the parts do not wear out as fast. On our Sears front loader, the knob and the switch went, costing just over $125. It was simple enough to do myself so there was no labor. The water pump also went but this because we were not careful and some coins went into the rinse. Newer models do not allow this. The knob went within a few years and now, for the cost of a tiny pair of vice girps, I save $125.

Here is the best part. Our washer, for just the two of us, has lasted for about 18 years now. Based on the life expectancy of the washers of my tenants, it would seem that the $300 extra has more than paid for itself over the past 18 years (yep, ours was about $300 more back when we bought it). Just in the water and soap savings, we have more than paid for the machine.

3. The front loaders get your wash cleaner than the uprights. This is according to the consumer magazines and we have to agree.

4. Your clothes come out of the washer dryer, which means that the dryer will need less energy to do its job.

We are not going to look at particular brands for now. In general, the front loaders are the best.

Live frugal and prosper.