Comments on: Best Bargains You Own

By: Fix your home appliance instead of tossing it

Fix your home appliance instead of tossing it — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:45:35 +0000

[...] noted previously, I LOVE my blender. If it died, well, worse things could happen, but I’d be pretty darn upset. Also, to make [...]

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:46:56 +0000

Peggy – don’t get me started on my coffee maker. I love mine, but have gone through three in the last ten years, so maybe mine suck. Or maybe I should lay off the brew. Yes, never buy an old Volvo.

Melinda – I like to hand knead dough, it sooths me. I don’t know that I’d want a bread machine. I can whip out bread pretty quick.

Miss Snips – Oh, sewing machine is a good one. My grandma’s machine absolutely paid for itself, many times over. I sew by hand because I don’t sew much, but everyone I know who sews often saves money with their machine.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:43:36 +0000

Helen – I have a girlfriend, a single mama, and she travels a lot, all over the country with her 7 year old and she adores her portable DVD player.

Amphritrite – I’ve never used a rice cooker, I’ve always wondered if it’s useful. It sounds pretty cool, I just don’t want more appliances

FatSusie – that pay-as-you-go idea is interesting. We pay a lot more for our service, and don’t even come close to using all the minutes. I guess I never thought of pay as you go options.

By: Miss Snips

Miss Snips — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:07:43 +0000

My favourite money savers are…
#1 a garage sale waffle maker — I assume from sometime back in the 1970’s — it is stainless steel outside and has interchangeable “plates”, one set for making the classic square waffles and another plain for making pancakes. It makes 4 large waffles at a time or 8 goodsized pancakes when opened flat. I make batches of 16 and freeze the waffles. My sons ‘toast’ them and make their own breakfast — so not only does it save me money by making my own, but it saves me time in that I don’t need to be the breakfast maker for a family everyday…
number 2 is my sewing machine(s) I sew every bed covering that has ever been in my home since I was married — 35 years now – I sew pot holders and tote bags, I sew pj’s, and boxer shorts for hubby, I sew doll clothes and toys for the little kids I know. I occassionally sew myself a skirt or a top. I sew christmas gifts and quilts for charity. Yes, my sewing machine saves much more than it ever has cost me…

By: Melinda Gustafson Gervasi

Melinda Gustafson Gervasi — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:43:03 +0000

A bread machine (West Bend), that was purchased for $5.99 at a Hospice Thrift Store. New it would have been well over $100. Now we can have fresh made bread for a fraction of the cost at the grocery store. Easily it is on my “Top 5 Thrift Finds”.

By: Peggy

Peggy — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:31:58 +0000

My Mr. Coffee coffee maker, which was a wedding gift. It’s 10 years old.

My Honda Civic. It’s 5 years old, and I love everything about it. No repairs. Doesn’t use much gas, and I’m sure it will last until the gas-free cars finally become refined. The car I had before this wasn’t so great — Nissan Sentra. I spent way too much money repairing the stupid electric windows.

PS- I almost bought a used Volvo once! Glad I didn’t.

By: FatSusie

FatSusie — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:50:09 +0000

Oo, oo…I’m with you on rice cooker, Amphritrite. It is, hands down, the best kitchen purchase I’ve ever made. I especially love cooking oatmeal in it. I’m not sure it’s been my biggest money-saver, though.

My biggest money savers would be A. my pay-as-you-go cell phone–I spend less than $100/year on cell phone service now, and the only change I made in my phone habits is opting to send a text message in place of a quick call since they cost .3 units instead of 1 unit/minute. I don’t think I will ever get a phone contract again. and B. my second-hand CuisineArt, purchased for $5 at a yard sale. It does everything but wash itself!

By: Amphritrite

Amphritrite — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:49:56 +0000

Let’s see, item #1 is completely indispensible: My rice cooker. I’ve cooked everything from stew to rice in it, oatmeal to eggs. I use it to reheat everything (I don’t own a microwave). I use it to steam veggies and make applesauce and jam. I use it for melting butter for various things. I used it to melt wax for candle-making (double boiler style!). I’ve used it to heat water for tea and heat milk without scalding. All in all? $20 purchase, and I’m in love with it still.

The other item’s a bit hard for me. I think perhaps Item #2 is my knitting bag. It’s one of those bags with a very big, deep center pocket that zips up, and then six or eight skein-sized pockets around the edge for yarn skeins. I’ve used it for everything from a travel bag (the smaller pockets are great for undies, socks, bathroom items, etc!) to a market bag (the smaller pockets protect my bananas!) to a computer bag that holds a TON of books to a meal-carrier for parties and picnics because it’s uber-stable. It has a nice, padded strap, too, that’s long enough to cross your torso. So even when it’s really heavy, it doesn’t feel THAT heavy. I think I bought it for $15 and I’ve had it for eons.

By: Helen

Helen — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:32:56 +0000

I would agree that the digital camera is one of the best things we have purchased in the last ten years. We were married and moved 3 provinces away in less then a week. We took a bunch of our wedding money and bought a digital camera. A Canon Elph which back in 2000 was about $700 dollars!!
The other best purchase would have to be a portable DVD player. My husband and I were actually just talking about this the other day. We have a four year old and we travel A LOT!!! We live in GA but we’re from the east coast of Canada. That means a minimum of 2 flights…one way!!! We also travel in the car A LOT!!! to places at least 4 hours away but most of the time 7.
The DVD player only comes out on long trips. It is not a regular day thing.
We bought the second cheapest one offered and bought the extra ‘insurance’. It’s still going strong!!! -knock on wood!