How to keep using an old rice cooker?

I've been using a rice cooker that is over 2 years old. The non-stick coating of the pot has totally worn off. Once the non-stick coating comes off, the rice tends to stick to the pot resulting in wastage.

There is an easy way to keep using your old rice cooker pot without the rice to stick to the bottom of the pot. Just cook your rice as you'd normally cook. After the rice is cooked, don't try to scoop out rice immediately. Rest it in "warm" mode for 10-20 mins. Then the rice will come off easily.

If that does not work, when your rice is cooked, switch off your rice cooker so that it does not keep warming the pot. Or remove the pot and put it on top of a cold surface (such stainless steel bench). Leave it there for about 8-10 minutes. You'll be able to remove rice without it sticking to the bottom of the pot.

You can now keep using your rice cooker for a few more years perhaps!

The man who lives without money

Thought this might be interesting: http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2010/04/12/2870334.htm

There are few things in the article that we can apply in being frugal. Enjoy!

Allow advertising material in your mailbox

I used to put a sign outside my mailbox that says "Junk mail not allowed" or "Advertising material not allowed". This was quite effective and I did not receive any advertising material in my mailbox. It was a lot easier than regularly having to clean up the mailbox.

But the downside to this is I was totally unaware of great deals some retailers were offering.

So I decided to remove the sign and keep the advertising materials flooding in again.

If you want to save money and learn about the great deals on offer, allow the advertising material in your mailbox.

Lower your phone and internet costs

Phones (including mobiles) and internet are so widely used these days, they have become part of our lives. With plenty of competition among the service providers, the phone (landline as well as mobile) and internet plans are getting cheaper. However, you can always find ways to lower your phone and internet costs. You gotta think carefully before choosing a plan by finding out your weekly or monthly usage.

Mobile phone plans are usually pre-paid or post-paid. The best plan for you depends on your usage. If you already have a pre-paid or post-paid mobile plan and would like to move to a better plan, first find out your usage before looking for a new plan. Go through your usage history as far back as it is relevant and determine your usage pattern. Your service provider usually sends you your monthly usage with your invoice. Don't throw away your usage data as it comes handy when you want to change your provider. If you don't have your usage history, you may still get all your usage history by logging into your service provider's website and going to your account information section.

A few frugal habits to get rid of debt

Guest post by Anya Bennett

The post recession U.S has seen a lot of debt burdened people striving to meet their daily needs. If you are among those unfortunate folks, you can certainly shed off you debts by living a frugal life. If you have acquired a loan on credit card, student loan or other loan, you can easily get out of it by living more frugally. By undertaking a good debt management plan, you can easily make significant changes in your debt levels. To avoid debt, make sure you never spend more than you earn.

Learn to take care of your stuff

Saving money does not always mean hunting for big bargains and discount offers. You should also learn to take care of your stuff so that they last longer. Then you won't have to purchase a similar item again for years.

Usually, the better the quality, the more expensive the products are. But don't be deterred by the expensive price tag. Sometimes it's better to spend a bit more on expensive products that last longer than something that breaks down after being used for a few times. Read my article on buying pricey products to maintain frugality.

I will briefly cover the following important points:

• Carefully handling of your stuff
• Keeping the receipt of purchase
• Being tech-savvy
• Knowing your consumer rights

Buying pricey products to maintain frugality

Being a true frugal means you should think about saving in the long run. People try to buy cheap products to save money instantly and regret later that they have wasted their savings on something that was poorly built. Generally cheap products have poor quality. You may buy something cheap and may have to replace it in the next few months. Then you are wasting your time and money. If you spend on something a bit pricey but solidly built, then obviously it will last longer and you will be able to use it for years without any hassle.

Don't Get Fooled by Coupons

There are plenty of coupons that are supposed to save you some money on your shopping. I personally haven't used many of these coupons but I've still managed to save a significant amount of money on my shopping even without using coupons. I've noticed coupons do not always give you the best deal. The only effective way to get a cheaper deal is to know the market well. Coupons are just like advertisements. The shops and companies distribute coupons through their advertisement brochures, newspapers, websites and magazines solely to promote their businesses. They certainly sell products on a reduced price during the promotion period but theirs aren't necessarily the cheapest available products in the market. Here are some of the things I've noticed that I'd like to share with you:

New gadgets: nothing but a rip-off?

Most people are so fond of gadgets, they queue up to buy the latest released gadgets. They don't seem to have patience to wait even for a day. I found it weird when I saw people queuing up for hours to grab the new iPhone. Well people are different, everyone doesn't have to be like you and me... so if that makes them happy, good for them.

What I am trying to write today is about the gadgets and cute little innovations that have taken the world by storm but in fact, from a frugal perspective, you can easily live without them. In other words, you just don't need them. I will be giving examples of popular devices in this article. I am not trying to promote the products. I wish I could live without some of the gadgets.

Take iPhone for instance (it's fun to grill the popular stuff :). You can either buy it at once and spend 500 bucks or more, or you lock yourself in for a 24-month (that's 2 years right?) contract and pay a ridiculous amount of money every month on phone usage. All they've done is crammed up a collection of redundant applications in one tiny un-ergonomical device and made the world follow them. I'd rather add some more money and buy a decent desktop or a laptop which is more useful than those cute-looking devices with touch-screens and midget buttons.

Knowing your needs and wants

In order to live a frugal life, it is necessary to draw a line between your needs and wants. Lets start with what they really are.

Needs are the basic necessities of life without which we cannot live. Food, shelter and clothes are the most basic needs of human beings. Apart from that, health care, transportation and education  have also become an integral part of our lives. Needs are pretty much standard for every human being. We all have the same needs.

Wants are those extra things that "may" improve the quality of life but without which life does not come to a halt. They are the tools of indulgence. Going on a vacation, wearing expensive clothes, eating out, collecting new gadgets, etc are things that are beyond the needs. They vary from person to person. I may like to buy new gadgets but to you, it may seem totally wasteful. You may like to go on expensive vacations while your friends may think you are crazy.

Beware of the Marketing Schemes

I was watching TV the other day and I saw an ad for automatic liquid soap dispenser. It comes with a built-in infra-red sensor and when you put your hands underneath the nozzle, it dispenses the soap for you. Doesn't that seem luxurious? The ad was making a point that their touch-free product prevents harmful germs from transmitting. If you want to prevent germs from transmitting, you shouldn't even enter the toilet! LOL

I find it funny people inventing these stupid things and find it even more funny people falling for these things. You seriously don't need an auto soap dispenser in your home. I would rather spend $2 for a soap dispenser with a simple spring mechanism than buying this cute little machine. My simple manual soap dispenser has lasted me over 2 years already and it is still doing it's job. Every time I run out of soap, I just buy a large container of liquid refill soap and fill up my dispenser.

This is just one of the examples. There are plenty of these marketing schemes we see everyday that entice us to use their products and services. Some schemes are fairly straightforward while others come with hidden conditions. I especially hate those mobile phone deals. I find it absolutely hard to figure out their deals. Since I don't use my mobile phone much, I don't have to worry about them.

Ditch that Credit Card

I had my first credit card in my early 20s. It started out with a credit limit of A$1000. I was pretty excited to have a credit card. In fact I didn't need a credit card then. I have always been a wise spender. My bank just offered me one and I simply thought, "Wow! They offered me a credit card". I felt like I was specially treated. Yeah I was perhaps a bit naive.

The credit came with rewards points. So I started using it to accumulate the reward points. The credit card had an annual fee and the rewards points feature also charged a small amount of annual fee. I was enticed by the rewards points and kept using the credit card even though I didn't need it. The reward points would expire if not claimed within a certain period and the points I had accumulated over a period would be so little that they would just expire before I could claim anything. In 10 years I only successfully claimed reward points once. I could manage to get a kid's watch for my niece.

Do you really need to drive?

I don't drive but I live near a big city. I usually commute by train or bus- mostly by train. I find most places easily accessible by public transport. They are fairly punctual and I don't have to worry about busy traffic and road accidents. I can just enjoy the ride, read a book or do a bit of thinking while I commute. That's one of the advantages.

I haven't really done a serious cost comparison between owning a car and using public transport. I've always thought using a public transport comes out to be cheaper than owning a car and is a lot safer and you get to do other things while you commute. Paying the insurance and regular maintenance costs add to your overall expenditure.

If you live closer to work, friends and family, maybe you don't really need a car. However if you have to travel longer distance regularly, then this may not be a right option for you. Personally, I can still go on without a car. Any thoughts?

Debt Is Your Mortal Enemy

Having to pay off debt, no matter how small the amount, is something you would want to avoid at all costs but there are instances where we simply can't avoid debt. For buying a house, most of us can't afford to pay the entire amount at once. We take out mortgage and we start paying that off for the next 20 - 30 years. Buying a brand new car could be another example where debt seems inevitable.

However, there are times when we may be able to avoid debt if we plan ahead and start saving for a purpose. It's also advisable not to incur debt unless you really have to and pay off your debts as soon as you can. The longer you hold on to it, the harder it gets to pay off. On the money you've borrowed, you may need to pay heavy interest on top of the principle.

Pick Up FREE Items from the footpath

Our local council conducts clean up collections every year for removing bulky household items. I can't remember how many times a year they conduct these collections. I think it's about 3-4 times a year. Every household leaves their unwanted goods on the footpath for the council to pick up. Check your local council website or ring them to find out the clean up dates.

People also leave goods for pick-up when they move houses. So keep an eye on your neighbourhood.

The items may include:

• furniture e.g. chairs/computer chairs, tables, beds, mattresses, sofas, etc
• carpets
• cloths
• books
• toys
• kitchen utensils
• fitness/sporting equipment such as exercise bikes, trampolines, bicycles, etc
• white goods such as fridges, stoves, washing machines, etc
• electronic goods such as TV’s, DVD players, video recorders, printers, computers etc.
  

Becoming Frugal and Learning to Save Money: A Lifestyle Planning

When talking about becoming frugal and saving money, you have to start by looking at your current lifestyle. You may need to plan things differently to make the most out of what you currently have. Saving money and becoming frugal is not only about how much you earn and how much you have in your bank account. I look at it from a much broader perspective. It's the lifestyle you choose that either makes it easier or harder in becoming frugal.