Posts Tagged "saving money"

How to Choose a Toilet

Posted by jefferson on May 15, 2012 in Saving Money | 37 comments

People have given me a strange look the last couple of days when I tell them that I gave my wife a toilet for Mother’s Day.  I don’t get it,  I really can’t imagine a more romantic gift.  But all kidding aside, this is exactly what she wanted.  Our master bathroom continues to be the area of our house that is most in need of renovation, and having a nice toilet makes the room just a little bit more tolerable.  Since the old toilet was recently broken, replacing it quickly became a priority.

Sure, blogging about toilets is a bit of a poopy thing to do, but here at See Debt Run we share life as we experience it.  If you haven’t purchased a toilet in the past few years, you might be in for a bit of a surprise when you get to the hardware store.  Toilets probably cost more than you think, and there are a staggering number of options that you need to sort through.

Where to Buy a Toilet

You really have three good options when it comes to purchasing a toilet:  a local plumbing supply specialty store (especially if you are looking high-end), a big hardware box store (Home Depot, Lowe’s), or you can hire a plumber and have them get the toilet for you.  Since we are on “Mission Frugality” right now, we chose the box store option.

What Features Should I Look For?

There have been some interesting recent trends in toilet technology (I truly love that sentence).

• Height:  If the toilet is going to be used primarily by adults, you probably want to go ahead and purchase a “Right Height” or “Comfort Height”.  Different brands call it different names, but basically you should look for a model with a floor to rim measurement of at least 16 inches.  This popular option will help you sit upright, and is generally much more comfortable for adults.
• Elongated vs. Round: I will try to keep this “G” rated, but if you are a gentlemen, sitting on an elongated seat will provide you with much more room up front.  The classic “round” seats can be tight quarters at times, and the elongated versions are much more comfortable.  Before purchasing an elongated toilet however, you should make sure that there is enough room in your bathroom.  The overall bowl will be a bit larger, and you will need to make sure that you have clearance from any swinging doors, and acceptable legroom in front of the toilet.
• Flushing Options: You will see a bunch of different options here, with gimmicks like “dual-flush” and “zero-stopper design.”  Most of these don’t add much value, but some high-end toilets also offer a “pressure flush option,” which is very powerful but also extremely loud.  With all toilets,  you will see a “flush power rating” next to the display, and it would be wise to pick a toilet towards the high end of the scale, to make sure that it can clear anything that you drop in there.  I would recommend that you choose a toilet with the traditional flange tank, to make sure that it uses the traditional “swirling” motion during flushing, which helps clear the bowl.
• Glaze:  This one was pretty huge for us, as some newer toilets offer a special anti-microbial glaze that will prevent any mildew or or bacteria from bonding to the sides, and thus prevent staining and keep stinky smells from gathering.  This means less scrubbage and cleaning.  Rock on!

Brand Name vs Generic Store Brand

At the box stores, you will generally be limited to toilets by Kohler, American Standard, and a store brand like “Glacier Bay”.  The store brands can be a bit of a gamble, as the box stores sometimes change their providers, and quality can vary wildly.  I spent a good amount of time reading through some plumbing forums before making our purchase, and they claim that the failure rates on the generic brands can be frighteningly high.  It can also be difficult to find replacement parts for these brands.  The Kohlers and the American Standards perform much better, have fewer problems, and have readily available replacement parts.

The forums also mentioned that high-end toilets, like those made by “Toto”, have by far the best performance and require the least maintenance.  The cost is much higher for these toilets of course, but you do get what you pay for.

How Much Do Toilets Cost?

For the generic store brands, most toilets cost around $100 at the box stores.  You can get them a little bit cheaper if you watch for sale prices, but this amount is pretty standard.  To bump up to Kohler or American Standard, you are looking at $180-$250, depending on what options you go for.  To bump up further to the Toto or similar, you are looking at $350 and up.  All and all, I can honestly say that these prices were much higher than I was expecting.

Can I Install a Toilet Myself?

In the famous words of Steve Jobs, “You Can Do It.. Don’t Be Afraid.”  Installing a toilet is one of the easiest DIY tasks around, you shouldn’t be afraid to tackle it.  I know, I know. Poop is gross.  But installing a toilet really isn’t that bad.  The only gross part of the whole process, is removing your existing toilet, which only takes a few minutes.  The installation process itself is mostly just tightening a few bolts, and doesn’t require any plumbing skills.  The most important part involves putting a wax ring on the bottom of the toilet and slowly lowering it over the opening in your bathroom floor. You have to be careful here, to make sure that you don’t move the toilet after pushing down on the wax ring, as this will form a watertight seal, and keep water from escaping from underneath your bowl.

If you aren’t comfortable installing at toilet, call a professional. However, I am not a big DIY guy, and have installed multiple toilets in my day without issue.  I should note that a two-piece toilet can weigh around 100 pounds (total), so you might need a friend to help you carry it into the bathroom.

The Verdict.

After some careful deliberations, we decided to go with the:

American Standard CADET® 3 FloWise® RIGHT HEIGHT ELONGATED COMPLETE TOILET

The price was lower than some options, so it didn’t completely bust our budget, and this toilet has everything that we were looking for.  It has the right height, the elongated seat, the anti-microbial glaze, and is generally very well-reviewed.  It is comfortable to sit on, very quiet, and seems to have a powerful flush.

The only downside to this toilet is the seat itself, which feels like it is cheap flimsy plastic.  I am told that this is pretty standard for the price point, but it is still annoying when you are spending around $200.  The model that we purchased actually has a “no slam” lid which slowly lowers itself (making it impossible for the kids to slam it down) but even with that– we will probably replace it with a ceramic seat at some point in the future.

Using Credit Cards and Paying Them Off Immediately…Too Dangerous?

Posted by jefferson on May 11, 2012 in Making Money, Saving Money | 39 comments

For anyone trying to escape the clutches of credit card debt,  the first thing that the experts will tell you is to immediately cut up your credit cards, and stop carrying them around with you.  That way you remove the temptation of getting a quick and dirty “loan” every time you have the urge to buy something.  You cannot spend money that you don’t have, if you don’t have the cards to enable that behavior.

When we started our current journey out of debt,  I didn’t cut up my credit cards– but I did put them in a drawer in my kitchen.  However, as I was recently looking for a way to save some money on life’s necessities, I decided to pull them out again.  The idea that I came up with was to go ahead and use credit cards, in order to take advantage of their rewards programs.  However, instead of waiting for the bill to show up to pay off the balance, I would pay off the expense AS SOON as I get home from the store.

Credit card companies are undoubtedly betting on the fact that I won’t actually do this.  I don’t blame them;  if I looked at my personal spending history– I would make that same bet.  They make their profits off of the sky-high interest charges that they charge folks who carry a balance month to month.  The percentage of money that they pay back to their cardholders in the form of rewards programs, is a pittance compared to what they are making in interest charges.

But my plan is to take advantage of these programs without paying anything in interest.  I am not getting any kickbacks or anything from this post, but wanted to share how I am using these cards to my advantage.  It kinda feels like I am working the system a bit, but one slip (where I can’t pay my bill in full), and I will give money right back.

Target Red Card:  Target offers 5% off of your purchase at any time, if you use the Target Red card.   This credit card carries a disgusting interest rate of well North of 20%,  which will wipe out that 5% savings very quickly if you carry a balance.  However, Target’s prices are already low, and stacking another 5% on top is definitely appealing.

We mainly use Target for our home supplies and baby supplies.  We stock up on paper towels, toiletries, bath products, etc.  Target sells these items for less than our local grocery store.  Also, they often have promotions on their baby supplies where you can get a $5 or $10 gift card if you purchase multiple items.  When you stack low prices, promotions,  coupons, and an additional 5% from using the Red Card– you can really save some dough.

Chase Freedom Card:  The interest rate on this fine fellow is also not exactly dressed to impress.  However, if you can stay on top of your bill, this card has one of the best rewards programs around.  They give you 1% back on purchases no matter what you buy.  These reward points can be used in their online store, or even better– can be traded in 1:1 for cash.

The best part about using this card is that each quarter, they offer a few spending categories where you can get 5% cash back instead of 1%.  Right now, their promotion is 5% back on all grocery purchases.  One of our big goals right now is to save money on groceries, so this one is huge for us.  As a result, throughout all of April, I put nearly all of our groceries on this card, and banked a nice little $30 bonus at the end of the month ($600 x .05).  I couldn’t use the card at Aldi of course, as they don’t accept credit cards.

In previous promotions, they have offered 5% back on restaurants (not all that useful to us) and gasoline (very useful to us!), but the current deal is our favorite.  As long as I continue paying off the charge as soon as I get home– this works out to a very sweet deal.

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The truth is that this plan to save 5% at Target and 5% on groceries is a little dangerous to someone who has had issues with credit card debt.  You have to be careful, as forgetting to pay off your balance a time or two can quickly lead to your balance growing to an amount higher than you can afford to pay.  As such, a big caveat to the plan is insisting that you only purchase items on your rewards cards *if* you have enough money in your checking account to cover them.  As for me, I have decided to take the risk in the name of saving some extra money each month.

How about you guys? Do you ever use rewards cards?
Do you pay off the balances as soon as you get home?

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If you are looking for a good rewards card, there are tons of great deals currently available.

Should We Buy A Dog? (The Conclusion)

Posted by michelle on May 9, 2012 in Parenting | 28 comments

This is part two of a story about our family considering adding a new pet.
For part one, click HERE.

After leaving the shelter on Wednesday, the kids and I talked the whole way to the grocery store where we had to make a stop.  My oldest, who happens to be my animal lover, asked if we could put a hold on Sage until Mr. Level Headed could meet her.  I told him that I didn’t think that was fair to Sage.  Since we were still discussing whether or not we were even going to get a dog, we shouldn’t take Sage off the market for another family that could meet her and take her home in that time.  In my heart, I didn’t think it was likely that would happen before Friday since Sage is a 6-year-old 70 lb black lab mix.  She had been at the shelter since March.  Earlier that week, while researching dog breeds, I had come across a bit of information that also pulled at my heart; black dogs get put down more than lighter-colored dogs.  I wondered why this was.  Is black hair more noticeable on clothes, carpets, and furniture?  Are people dog-racist?  Or is it just as simple as there are a lot more black dogs than other colors?  Regardless, this information made my chest ache for the sweet girl I’d just met.  I didn’t dare share that statistic with my boys and instead texted my husband when I’d stopped at a red light.  ”Went to shelter…met a sweet girl….promptly fell in love.”

Jeff responded “Uh oh.”

For the next hour, I was at the grocery store with 3 children or at home making dinner and wasn’t available to respond to my very worried husband’s text messages.  The messages said things like “Did you get her?”  and “Is she being good with the baby?”  and a lot of “Michelle, please answer me” type messages as well.  I felt bad when I finally checked my phone.

I put his mind at ease and told him that I would never buy a dog before he had a chance to meet him/her.  Jeff didn’t seem too hell-bent on never having a pet, but did remind me how crazy my life is already.  Weren’t we already spread thin across many arenas?  Didn’t we already have friends we barely get to see?  Family we barely have time to even call?  Kids’ sports and school activities filling our every evening as is?  What was I thinking?

Still, I tried to sell him on the idea of having a pet like Sage.  At 6 years old, she’s middle-aged and past all of the puppy problems like chewing and peeing on everything.  Also, she doesn’t seem excitable in the least,  even when I set the baby down beside her cage.

Side Tangent:  I didn’t take my baby into the cage with me, being that it was just me.  You should NEVER be the only capable adult when introducing a baby to a prospective pet.  Please read this article from Sunny Dog Place for more information on the rules of safe pet ownership when you have or are expecting a child.

Also, Sage had already lived with a child.  Unfortunately, that child had developed an allergy to the dog, but that means that Sage has experienced at least some exposure to children and had no reported issues of aggression towards babies or children.  Being a spayed female also made the chances of her being an aggressive dog less likely.  Jeff agreed to go with me to the shelter on Friday to meet her, but that we would not take her home that night no matter what.  He wanted to sit down as a family and discuss the pros and cons, and the boys would be at school until 4:30.

On Friday morning after breakfast, we drove to the shelter and I finally got to play with Sage.  She didn’t seem interested in our daughter at all, which made us feel better, and walked on the leash very well.  She only barked once the whole time we were there, which was also a plus.  My husband still wanted to think about this a little longer, though, so we went home and made some phone calls.  First was my mom who told us she thought 70 lbs was pretty big and also questioned why we wanted a dog now, and why not wait until our little one could at least walk.  Then, I called my sister.  My sister just kept asking me if I was sure I really wanted a dog.  Then, we hung up.  It wasn’t until we were on our way out the door with the boys and the crate in the backseat that she called me back, practically in tears.  ”Michelle, are you absolutely sure you want a dog now that you have a baby?”

“Yea, I think I can handle it.”

“Okay, I don’t want to scare you, but there was just a story in the news about a baby that was attacked and killed by a Golden Retriever.”

“What?  That’s not true.  That can’t be.  Golden Retrievers are great with kids!”

“I just think you should think about it a little longer and make sure this is what you want.”

We hung up and I got in the car.  My husband asked what was wrong since I must have looked like I’d seen a ghost, and I told him about our conversation.  He was just as incredulous.  While Jeff drove, I googled.  Apparently, this did happen!  Approximately 10 times a year, a child is attacked and killed by a dog.  I couldn’t believe this.  I looked at my husband.  ”Honey?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t know if I’m ready.”

Jeff just drove.

“It’s not just that awful story.  I just think we should think about it a little more and maybe wait until the baby is older.”

From the backseat, my 11-year-old groaned and started pleading with us to not listen to “those stupid stories that are probably made up anyway!”  When we told him the stories were true, he started to cry.  I felt like crying, too, but I didn’t allow myself to let go.  I had wanted a dog, too.  I really wanted THIS dog.  However, I knew that I had to do what’s right for my family.

As such, we decided to wait until the little miss was older before revisiting the possibility of getting a dog.  The main decision maker was not worry about the dog wanting to attack my daughter, but instead a real concern over how my daughter will treat a dog.  She absolutely loves animals, but she has no idea how strong she is.  She would definitely pull the dog’s hair, poke her in the eyes, try to eat her food, play in her water, and slap at her hysterically when she gets excited.  If my baby grabbed the dog while she was sleeping (again…she will), would Sage snap at her?  Would Sage grow resentful toward our little bumble bee?  Would the dog grow depressed from the constant abuse?  Before you ask, of course I would try to keep them separated, but how could I at all times?  I would have to take my daughter with me if I had to use the restroom.  I would have to crate the dog if the doorbell rang.  It would be a tireless and endless job, at least at first while Sage got to know us.  I just don’t know if it would be fair of us to take Sage at this time when there are still so many questions about how it could work.

Anyway, I do hope we didn’t disappoint too many of you.  Don’t worry–one day, I will be a really great dog mommy.  Until that day, I will just continue to be an awesome kid mommy!

A Lighter Note

Has anyone checked out our About Me section lately?  Apparently, Jeff threw it up there one night and forgot about it.  Feel free to snort when you see it.  Shaking my head…you gotta love the Jefferson.