When I was a senior in college I needed a new boombox something bad. My old one had broke, and if I was going to pull off these epic parties coming up I had to get a replacement STAT. So I did what every college student does: I rushed out to Walmart, picked out the biggest most ridiculous looking stereo I could find, and brought it home with $75 less to my name – even though I only budgeted for $50 (priorities!). Two months later I was baskin’ in the glow of these parties, knocking off my last remaining credits so I can nab that sexy degree, and still bumpin’ those sweet tunes from that hideous boombox… Only problem, I was broke. All that partying and mismanaging of my money had me scrambling to pay for food and real necessities, and long story short I ended up hightailing it back to Walmart to try and return the stereo when I learned they had a 90 day return policy. And there were still TWO DAYS left!! You can see if I was successful here — Confessions of Clothes Returners — but needless to say it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my young adult life.

And from that day forward I made a vow to pay attention to this stuff more and never have to come crawling back sheepishly again. I was reminded of all this when I got the following email from a “Joe” who reads the blog: What is your, or your readers, view on returning items? Stores like Bed Bath and Beyond take items back more than a year, and at Costco you can return 95% of merchandise even after they’re 12 years old and used. I understand the ethics involved, however, if it’s the store policy and no laws are being broken is it a poor decision to return items using the store policy after years of use rather than throwing the items away and getting back your money? Or is it mindful of your money and merchandise when you shop at these places which offer returns no questions asked? I wrote back that it does really come down to ethics and what you’re comfortable with, but no – I wouldn’t return anything anymore unless it was broke or didn’t work as expected or I ended up changing my mind (with tags still on/etc).

But there was a time when I did, and fancied myself pretty clever for it ;) I also mentioned that there’s plenty of ways you could discard of an item other than just throwing it away – like re-selling it or donating it and getting a tax write-off, which is kinda a happy medium? – but that I can’t speak to what my lovely readers would say and perhaps one day I’d ask (get ready for it!). I further agreed that it’s certainly not illegal to do anything within store policy, though my guess is you could only get away with it so much until they eventually catch on and blacklist you. Shortly after, he wrote back: I wanted a unbiased opinion as I moved and just couldn’t throw out my bedroom set that was in perfect condition and 10 years old. Because of a generous return policy, the store that I purchased at, Costco, took it back. I felt weird about it, but it was one less thing I had to deal with when moving and received my original purchase price… Ethical, no, but within the rules.

WOW does that guy have balls! Makes my story look amateur up in here! But that last part summed up my thoughts perfectly: Ethical, no, but within the rules. Only you know deep down what you feel is okay and what’s not (and certain situations exacerbate it at times, depending on how badly you might need the money), but by and large we all have that little person inside of us trying to lead us in the right direction. cotton futon mattress queen sizeSometimes we listen to ’em, and other times we don’t, but either way we’re the ones who have to live with it and there’s no point in carrying around any unnecessary burden. cheap mattress north hollywoodWhether emotionally or financially.sleeper sofa mattress types

So, dear readers, thoughts? You ever return something you’re kinda sorta ashamed of but still did it anyways? Would you have returned your bed set to Costco after 10 years of use? No right or wrong answers here, but feel free to comment anonymously if it makes you more comfortable ;) The only request our guy Joe here had was that he prefers not to get any death threats, haha… I told him I couldn’t promise! We get pretty riled up here with our budgeting!king size mattress donation value But seriously, keep it civil please :)how long to leave memory foam mattress topper PS: A quick tip on returning stuff – any time you buy something and KNOW it was a mistake, put it in your trunk right away along with the receipt. wool mattress protector super king

That way you always have it on you whenever you remember to return it! (‘Cuz you know you’ll forget and/or get lazy)Have you turned your heat on yet? After I divulged that Mr. Frugalwoods and I haven’t–and likely won’t until November–I received a number of comments and emails from readers asking that I share our methods for thermostat abstention. We adore the shoulder months of fall and spring when we live totally sans climate control. Heating and air conditioning are money drains and we save a bundle by flat out not turning ours on. Summers are rather mild here in Cambridge, MA and we were able to squeak by with AC only in July and some of August. Our winters, on the other hand, can be epically harsh. Going without heat all winter is an absolute impossibility–in addition to being extraordinarily uncomfortable, our pipes would freeze and burst, which is about the least frugal thing in the world. Despite this fact, we spend a fraction of what most folks do in order to avoid the shivers every winter.

Wait as long as humanly possible to turn your heat on. In the early fall when the temperatures are waxing and waning, don’t get all hyper (as I am wont to do) the first time it dips below 60. It’s probably going to cycle up again before deepest winter sets in. Stay strong, my frugal friends! What direction does your house face? We have a south-facing sliding glass door and we open those curtains during the day to let the sunshine soak in. Sometimes Frugal Hound and I pretend we’re cats and lay on the floor in the sunlight. Natural heat: feels amazing and is free! The first winter we had Frugal Hound, we quickly realized we needed a way to keep her warm. Being a greyhound, she doesn’t have much fat or fur and so she’s naturally a bit of a chilly dog. She has blankets on her beds and we tuck her in at night, but, she thrashes around chasing squirrels in her dreams and uncovers herself. We conducted research into hound-warming mechanisms and lo and behold, found the K&H Pet Bed Warmer (affiliate link).

This thing is fabulous. It’s basically a rectangular, waterproof, chew-proof heating pad that slips inside of her doggie bed. It plugs into the wall and is weight-sensitive, so, it heats up when she’s laying on it and doesn’t when she’s not. The hound warmer uses very little electricity and keeps the hound snug. I’ll caution that I think an animal could chew through the cord and/or pad if they’re an aggressive chewer, so use this at your discretion. Frugal Hound isn’t a biter and she’s never shown any interest in electrical cords, so we’re in the clear. Every year we debate the merits of purchasing an electric blanket, but, we have yet to take the plunge. What we do have is an extremely inexpensive little bag of rice that we heat up in the microwave. It’s perfect as an individual warmth device and we’ll drap it over our necks, laps, or feet for a bit of added heat. Wear all of your sweaters at the same time! Ok maybe not quite, but, Mr. FW and I do dress accordingly for the season.

People, if you are running around the house in a t-shirt in November, newsflash: you’ll be freezing. I typically wear long underwear as my base layer with fleece PJ pants (pirate-print to match my pirate trash mug) and a hoodie sweatshirt. Sometimes I’ll layer a big sweater on top. Frugal Hound has a snuggly fleece coat that she wears indoors during the deepest chills. Changing behavior and clothes with the seasons is imperative. Plus, you get to pretend you’re in Little House on the Prairie (those people did not have heat). In case you needed an excuse to squeeze your loved ones, here you go: body heat! Mr. FW and I love to curl up together on the couch to write or in bed to read. It’s frugal, it’s fun, and it’s good for your relationship. Bonus: drape your Frugal Hound across your lap for added warmth! Or, go curl up on the hound warmer (don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind… that thing is toasty!). In the same vein as dressing for the season, cook seasonally too!

Resident chef Mr. Frugalwoods rarely turns the oven on in the summer, but in the winter, oh man does that oven get a workout! Last night he baked homemade artisan boule bread and split pea soup, both of which warmed the house up. Oven heat is no joke. Mr. FW’s culinary exploits yesterday raised our temp from 61 to 67 degrees! If you live in a small space, it’ll be cheaper to heat. We actually don’t live in a very small house (as it’s destined to be a rental property), so we instead employ zone heating. Since we rarely use our upstairs, we heat it to the bare minimum to prevent freezing pipes. Ditto for our basement. The main floor, our primarily dwelling space, is where we concentrate our heating. Mr. FW and I are extremely fortunate that our current home has new, insulated windows (thank you previous owners!). But, in the past, our apartments have been drafty and ill-insulated. To combat air infiltration around windows, Mr. FW used Mortite weatherstrip and caulking cord along with window shrink film fitted over every window (affiliate links).

This dramatically reduced drafts and is a sound option if you’re renting or not planning on buying new windows for your home. We currently have Mortite on the windows in our basement as they’re less insulated than the others. Insulating your home is the best way to temper your climate control expenses. At the very least, adding attic insulation is often a cheap and easy DIY project that’ll pay dividends after the first few years. The cost/benefit relationship of insulating beyond just your attic is a complex and expensive undertaking that’s worthy of exploration. At the end of the day, if you want to achieve frugal weirdo status with low heating bills, you’ll have to acclimate yourself to an icier ambient temperature. There’s no way around it. Once Mr. Frugalwoods and I finally cave and turn the heat on, we keep it set at 62 degrees during the day and 58 at night. Yes, this is a lot lower than your average American, but, we’ve never claimed to be normal :).