Getting Air Conditioners and Making a Cardboard Playhouse

Yesterday, for the first time in our married lives, we got air conditioners for our home. Growing up, we actually never had air conditioners, but just used fans, and were totally fine. A year or two before we moved away from Northeast Ohio, my parents installed central air conditioning in our house to increase its market value.
Then we moved abroad, and again, no air conditioning.

This September, we'll have been married 11 years, and we've never had "real" air conditioning in our house. We started off using fans when necessary, and trying to avoid using fans when those weren't necessary, to keep down our electric bills. One summer we were just so miserably hot that we bought a portable second hand air conditioner for our bedroom (we were co-sleeping at the time, so it was for the entire family). It stood up on the floor, connected to one of the windows with a pipe, and worked... sort of. During times when the fan blowing on you simply felt like a car exhaust blowing on you, this portable air conditioning unit was a welcome relief even if it didn't actually make you comfortable, but it did a terrible job of actually cooling down the room. It just made it marginally better. And we didn't have any air conditioning in the living room/dining room/kitchen. The portable unit we had was barely strong enough for our small bedroom, let alone the bigger living room/dining room/kitchen. And the children's room was built in such a way that we couldn't put any air conditioning there.
So essentially, no AC in our place.
In the winter, we used blow heaters and radiators and halogen heaters...

Yesterday we finally bought real air conditioning units that double as heaters (I think they are called split system heat pumps). The same unit warms the place in the winter as cools it in the summer. It is supposed to be the most cost efficient way to heat your home here. When we designed the layout of our new home, we had them build it with preparations already there for the air conditioning units, so we wouldn't have a large expense to install them (places for pipes and electricity).
But we spent most of the winter here without those units, since I didn't get around to ordering and installing them.

Finally on a price comparison website I found some decent pricing for these AC units. One large one for the living room/dining room/kitchen, and one small one for my bedroom. The kids' room is right near the living room/dining room and should be able to be cooled or heated from the adjacent room, but if not, we may also put the portable AC unit in there. We also put an air conditioning unit in our rental unit's living room. (They brought and installed AC units from their old home into two of the bedrooms.)

Taking Advantage of Black Friday Sales

As an expat American married to a non American, I haven't been doing much celebrating Thanksgiving, since it isn't often done here, but some years I do go to Thanksgiving dinners with friends and family. This year I was invited to one, but wasn't able to go because we're busy packing up our house since we found out this past Tuesday that we are officially getting the keys to the place Monday morning!
We set a moving date for Wednesday and the house is crazy!

Anyhow, people have talked about the sorry state of affairs in my country, that Thanksgiving isn't celebrated here as a country, but this country has imported the so called "worst part" of Thanksgiving- Black Friday. People have issues with Black Friday since they feel it encourages consumerism, but I don't think so...
Or at least it doesn't have to.

Stores in general like to entice people to shop there by making sales, and Black Friday is no exception in this. Impulse shoppers can really hurt their finances if they see things on sale and all of a sudden realize that they "need it" when they would never have purchased it had it not been on sale.
When grocery shopping, if there are things you anyhow would be purchasing and then find them on sale and stock up, you saved money in the long run. But if you buy things that you never would have purchased had they not been on sale, it doesn't matter how good the sale is, that still is extra money that you wouldn't have spent otherwise, so it isn't saving money.

Replacing a Plug on an Expensive Appliance to Save Money

On Thursday afternoon I bunkered down for a major cooking session, as I had two families of guests coming over on the weekend, and I planned on doing a lot of cooking from scratch. I took out my food processor, something I needed for at least 5 or 6 different dishes, and it simply wouldn't turn on. I tried so many things, one after another, and nothing worked. Eventually, I unplugged it, and as I pulled out the plug for the transformer that I needed to use to be able to use my American food processor, one of the prongs came off of the plug.

That was the issue.
And it was a huge one.

I use my transformer regularly. I paid $185 dollars for my transformer on sale, and need it to run my heavy duty grain grinder, and my sewing machine. I didn't want to have to buy a new transformer, but without a usable plug, did I really have a choice?

I put the converter away, borrowed my friend's food processor that didn't need a transformer, and made my food... and then forgot about it.

My brother is getting married in two weeks, and the dress I bought needs some alterations done to it, and instead of paying a seamstress to do it, I decided to do what alterations I could, and only pay the seamstress for what I don't know how to do. So last night, I cut and pinned the dress, took out the sewing machine, took out the transformer, since my sewing machine is also an American appliance, went to plug in the transformer, and then remembered- the plug is broken; it is unusable.

Argh!

Then Mike said "You can just change the plug, its not a big deal".

How We're Saving Money on Heating This Winter

Image Credit- Artur84- FreeDigitalPhotos.com

I have been challenged by the Money Advice Service to write a post on my January's "survival guide". For me, the biggest challenge in January has got to be keeping warm, as that month usually is the coldest month of the year. Right now I hear there has been a blizzard (or pseudo-blizzard) going on in the east coast of the US- we had a snow "storm" and freezing temperatures in the beginning on January- keeping warm is probably on everyone's mind.
But warmth usually means high utility costs, because most of those things that heat up your home typically use a lot of energy. Especially after December, usually a month in which most families have many extra expenses, cutting costs is something most people are think about- so why not talk about how to keep warm without blowing the budget?

Where we live it is relatively warm year round- only occasionally does it dip below freezing temperatures (though it did do that already a few years in a row in December and January). But that doesn't mean it actually isn't cold here. It often is 40-50 degrees outside... and the houses here generally have no central heating. Which means that the only heating options are on the expensive end- they're electricity or gas run- both expensive round these parts.

Because of how expensive our heat is to run, I try to run the heaters as infrequently as possible, and use these various tips to keep warm without the heaters. If you live in a place where it is colder than my area, you'll need to keep the heat on all the time to prevent frozen pipes- but consider setting the heat very low- like 45-50 degrees or so (or however high you have to do it to prevent freezing/damage) and use these tips to warm yourself the rest of the way.

What I Learned From My Fridge and Freezer Troubles

When my husband and I went away about a month ago, we came home to a non working freezer. Since then the stuff in the freezer started frosting over and then defrosting, and I needed to fix the freezer on my own. And even after that, it stopped working well, and yet again, the past few days I had things defrosting on the top shelves of my freezer.
You have no idea how high my stress levels were. Through the roof, I tell you.
Because I was pretty sure that my fridge was slowly, slowly dying. Because why else would it stop working three times in the space of a month and a half?
I researched the costs of new fridges, and even went out to a store that sold them to check it out, and started freaking out at the disgustingly high prices I saw for a fridge similar in size to what I have now.
But before I would spend that much money on a new appliance, I figured we should invite the local appliance repair man to inspect our fridge and just give one final check before we sign the fridge's "death certificate".

I can breathe a huge sigh of relief, because the fridge needed only a few minor repairs, and I learned some stuff about fridge and freezer maintenance that hopefully will help prevent this problem in the future; I wanted to share it with you, so that you don't either have these issues and need to pay a repairman. (The repairman's fee was only 7% of what I would have paid for a new fridge like we had.)

Step Into My (Low-Cost) Office

This is a guest post.

Step Into My (Low-Cost) Office

Running a home office has many advantages: it’s easier to get to work and to focus, and work is completed more quickly and creatively. The downside to running a home office is that all expenses relating to your office are yours and yours alone. For this reason, it’s a good idea to cut costs wherever possible.

Electric Heating to Lower Costs

Brought to you by My Electric Radiators.

Most of us are all feeling the strain on our wallets when in comes to heating and lighting our homes. Anyone that keeps up to date with the UK energy news will be only too aware of the implications it is causing. It was announced only last week that E.on, one of the so-called 'big six' energy firms had mis-sold energy tariffs to customers, often switching a customer to a worse plan than they were previously on with another competitor. With the large energy firms at the helm of it all, it's crystal clear that there is an outcry for a new solution.

How New Generation Heating Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and Loosen the Strain on your Wallet...

This is a guest post. Hopefully you'll enjoy learning about these green, energy efficient and frugal ways to heat your home.

Lately, we've all been feeling the squeeze when it comes to heating our homes and keeping the lights on. Anyone who’s been keeping an eye on the news or obsesses over their energy bills will be fully aware of the so-called ‘energy crisis’ that’s gripped the UK in the past few months, and while policy makers and legislators are busy striking deals to save us money here and cut back costs there, the bottom line is that we’re going to need a new solution, and soon.

Most homes these days have a gas central heating system, and while gas is still marginally cheaper than electricity it’s price is also fluctuating rapidly in what is an incredibly volatile and vulnerable international market. Those with an eye for home improvement and some savings in the bank have already taken matters into their own hands and invested in solar panels to power their homes. They can even use ‘feed-in’ tariff schemes to effectively sell their surplus energy back to the energy companies and back into the national grid - good news all around both for saving money and reducing your carbon footprint. This is all good and well, but what if you can’t afford solar panels, what then? There are options available to you other than kneeling at the mercy of power companies and getting that gas boiler repaired for the third time this year…

Blackout on a Snow Day

Our snowman. A family effort.

Our area generally gets a little bit of snow every year or two. The snow often is at most a few inches, and melts within a day, maximum two. It's a "big deal" because its a once every year or two event, but in actuality, it's never really a big deal.
But this year, it was.
But since we rarely get anything significant, I take all snow warnings with a huge grain of salt, not believing anything until I see it.
I had an even harder time believing that it would snow because up until 2 weeks ago, my kids were wearing nearly summery clothing- long sleeve t-shirts and that's it....
So Thursday morning, hearing that it was supposed to snow, my husband woke up early and called his boss, where he was told that the school that he works at has school, and he needs to come to work. He took the bus into the city and got to the school, as did some of the students... and less than an hour later, it was snowing enough that the school was closed, and the bus lines to our community were shut down. A kindhearted individual gave him a ride home.... and he was home before 8:30 am, when I woke up.
A "snow day".
It was raining, and occasionally the rain looked more like snow... It snowed for maybe an hour or less, not sticking to the ground. Our house was cold, but other than that... This "snow day" was super lame... Not an inch of snow on the ground, and my boys were getting disappointed.
Just to be on the safe side, I trudged through the "snow" in a bunch of layers, to go get some provisions from the grocery store, and I wasn't even cold.
I was seeing people from neighboring cities posting pictures of their snow, but nada here. It actually was sunny much of the time, not even raining.
And then as night was coming, I started seeing actual snow falling from the sky, and eventually, it started sticking.
And then piling up.
Around midnight, Mike and I went to the front door to see how much snow actually fell... and the second I opened the front door, our electricity and all the electricity in the region went out. My husband joked that if I hadn't HAD to see the snow up close, we wouldn't have lost the electricity... :-D

Saving Energy in the Home [Infographic]

Brought to you by Ovo Energy, the cheaper, greener and simpler energy supplier.

Keeping Cool Frugally... Take Two

The problem with frugality is that it can easily turn from a smart move, living within your means, to becoming a game of "lets see how little I can do without" even when you can afford to have that, even when doing without that is hurting you and your family. But its hard sometimes to spend money on yourself, especially in ways that you've previously talked about doing without, because as much as you know it's a good idea, you still feel like a failure, like you're letting people down. Because if even you, the "frugal queen" decide not to skimp in this way, why should anyone else?

That's one of the things tough about this blog.

I feel like some of you put me on such a pedestal  as the "ultimate frugalista", that even when it makes sense to do something less frugal, even when I can afford it, and being extra frugal ends up making me and my family suffer and not have as good of a life as we could have, I feel pressure to still not do it, because I have to be an inspiration to my readers, that I can't "cave in", that I have to be a good role model and not let y'all down.

But summer is one of those times when I just suffer. And my husband does even more than I do.

Is Grinding Flour Cheaper Once You Count Electricity? Calculations

I love having a grain grinder and being able to grind my own flours cheaply and not needing to pay exhorbitant prices for gluten free flours. The thing is though- grinding flour is really messy work! Grains somehow end up on the table and the floor, flour gets in the air and settles onto the stuff around the grain grinder, and flour, of course, ends up spilling all over when I transfer the flour from the grinder and into the storage containers.

Because of the mess that happens when grinding flour, I need to first clean up the dining room table entirely so that I have a large work surface that can clean easily. And since getting my dining room table clean is an astounding feat, once I actually have it ready to go, I try to grind as many pounds of flour as I can store easily, so I don't have to pull out my grinder for another little while.

Sunday was on of those grinding days. A grinding marathon, that is.

I ground 6.5 pounds of brown rice flour, 4.5 pounds of white rice flour, 4.5 pounds of sticky rice flour, 4 pounds of raw buckwheat flour, 3 pounds of chickpea flour, and 4.5 pounds of millet flour.
My grinder was running for nearly 2 hours, just with a few breaks in between different types of flours as I transferred the ground flour to their storage containers.

At the end of those two hours, I posted about my marathon grinding session on Facebook, saying, jokingly, "I do not want to know how much electricity I just used..."
A friend replied saying "Yea, its a lot of electricity, but you save even more by making your own flours than you spend on electricity."
Me- "Yea, I know, that's the reason I grind my own flour. Because even with the electricity it works out to be cheaper."
Another friend asked me if I was sure it really was cheaper, because the price of electricity has gone up and is set to go up even more.
I said "Of course it's cheaper."
And then I had to think about it.
Was it really?

Free Phone Calls- Forever- With Magic Jack App- A Review

Would you believe me if I told you that you could have unlimited free phone calls to US and Canada, forever?
I must be lying, right?

But nope, I'm not.

I got something else dirt cheap to share with you wonderful readers.

Magic Jack.

Now, I know, I know... if you're familiar with Magic Jack, you'll say "That's not free! Its cheap, but free it aint."

I'm telling you that it certainly can be free.

But first, before getting into the free aspect- what exactly is Magic Jack?

Beat The Winter Blues With Heater Hire

This is a guest post about an alternative heating option. It's something that makes me want to look into if this option is available here, as the reasons seem pretty convincing. I can think of another reason why heater hire might be useful- it allows you to try out different heating types and seeing how you like something and how it affects your utilities bills before you invest a lot of money into your own heater.

As the soft golden sun cushions the morning mist and gently illuminates the myriad of colours that now decorate the trees, you’ll find yourself lost in the romance of an autumn dawn. But as beautiful as autumn is, and as fun as it is to kick those crunchy leaves and collect fallen conkers, it sure is cold.

The bad weather
If you live in the UK, you’ll know that this year hasn’t seen the best of the British summer (in fact, it was one of the worst in living memory!) but as the thermometer reports falling numbers every day, you’ll be yearning for the days that you could leave the house without a thick coat and for the days where you could sit indoors, at home or at work, without having to use a heater.

Why hire heaters
But it’s time to face the facts – it’s cold, and it’s only going to get colder. If you’re reading this right now and shivering away, that might not be the best news. There is some good news though, you can best the winter blues and blow away the cold with affordable heater hire.

So why not buy a heater? 
Well, you could buy a heater, but then when the spring and summer months finally come around, you’ll have to find somewhere to store the heater. As well as storage, there is maintenance. If you haul that old heater out of the cupboard once a year, who’s to say that it will still be in full working order.

Safety comes first
In recent weeks, a fire raged through a home in Canada with flames that reached more than ten metres high (about 30 feet). According to the report by CBC, “the fire destroyed several sheds, a gazebo and a boat.” The home was also damaged, but fortunately nobody was home at the time so nobody was injured. Fire officials said the cause of the fire was a faulty heater.

Maintenance is king
When you are dealing with heaters, safety is of paramount importance. The devices have to get super-hot to heat a room and if they are not properly maintained, they can be a fire hazard. If you are hiring your heaters rather than purchasing them, you will have a guarantee that they will be fully maintained and checked before they are delivered to you.

Perhaps the best thing about heater hire is the range of heaters available and the expertise within your grasp. Rather than going to your local department store and selecting from the small range on offer, a hire company should have a large selection of the latest models for you to choose from to fit all sizes and requirements.

So whether you’re at home or at work when you admire that autumn scene, sit back and warm your hands and look forward to even more beauty in the winter time.

See my disclaimer.

DIY Homemade Portable Cell Phone Charger Tutorial

Sometimes I feel like I don't give enough credit on this blog to my husband, Mike, making it seem like all the  frugality in our household is done by me, and he's just a bystander, but that really is not the case. He is willing to go along with nearly all of my frugal ideas, is on the same page with me in regards to the importance of living frugally, and even helps me out in some of my more annoying frugal ventures; he's the one who rinses the poopy cloth diapers off before sticking them in the machine.
But yes, for the most part, its my husband spending the time and effort earning the money in this house, and myself spending the time and effort to make that money stretch further, and Mike going along with it. Occasionally, though, there are blog posts that are entirely his- all the inspiration comes from my discovering a cool money saving trick he's been up to lately and wanting to share it with you.
This post is one of those.

Mike has a smartphone. Yes, I know, total luxury, but its one that Mike finds worth it. His call.

But the thing about smartphones is that since they're so useful for so many things aside from just making phone calls, from browsing the internet to using apps to listening to the radio, their battery gets used up pretty quickly, and if you're out all day and have no place to charge your phone, you might be stuck without any phone.

To deal with this issue, many cell phone stores sell portable cell phone chargers, which you charge to capacity while at home, and then when out and about, you plug your phone into these chargers and juice up your phone once again. Only these chargers are pretty expensive.

Mike decided to make his own portable charger, and it works just as well as a store bought one.

Now I just want to say that neither he nor I are electricians, nor mavens in cellular phone technology, so I can't be sure that what I'm about to show you is safe for your phones and won't void your warranty, I'm just sharing what he did, and then you can decide if you feel comfortable implementing this idea.

Why I Bought a Grain Grinder- Does it Save Money?

My family is gluten free and has been, pretty much, for the past year and a half. Gluten free in general isn't so expensive per se, after all, how much cheaper is wheat (and the rest of the glutinous grains) than other grains?

The most staggering price differences between gluten free and regular cooking is that of prepared/processed foods- locally a loaf of wheat bread costs 1 dollar, and gluten free bread costs 7- followed by the crazy difference in price between gluten free flour and wheat flour. 

Locally, white flour costs 45 cents a pound, but gluten free flours cost anywhere between $1.70 and $2.25 per pound- a difference of $1.25-$1.80 per pound! Seriously crazy.

Now rice, on the other hand, I can get for 45 cents a pound or less and millet for 79 cents a pound. Why exactly do gluten free flours cost so much more than regular wheat flour, when those grains aren't so expensive?

Supply and demand. The less of a demand there is for something, the more it becomes a "specialty item", which get sold at a much higher price. And what the market will bear. Because there is less demand for it, there are fewer companies producing it, which makes there be less competition, and everyone knows that competition is what brings down prices.

There is, however, more demand for gluten free grains than there is for gluten free flours, which is why the cheapest way to live gluten free is to just avoid using gluten free flour. While it is a nice idea and cheaper to just avoid things needing flour, and just use grains instead, life gets awfully boring just having rice and potatoes and rice and potatoes and rice and potatoes, with no noodle type thing, no pizza type thing, no bread type thing, no pie type thing, no cookies, no cakes, etc... And you can bet that if you have kids, they won't be content without those things either. 

So, the question is- do you buy those things ready made gluten free, do you buy gluten free flour with which to make them, or do you make your own?

Figuring Out The True Price Of Vegetables

Zucchini with the not so edible parts cut off

It all started because of the green beans. And the corn.
I know that in the US very often frozen and canned produce is cheaper than fresh, but locally, canned and frozen produce isn't so cheap. In fact, frozen veggies and canned are so expensive that I try to buy them only rarely, to use them at those times when I really have no other choice, and even then, I feel guilty about my wastefulness.


So, over a year ago, when I saw corn on the cob being sold at the grocery for a pretty good price per pound, I thought to myself "Why don't I stock up, and freeze my own corn instead of buying it already frozen?"

Then I thought to myself, "But is it really cheaper? Corn on the cob, after all, is corn plus cob plus the leaves protecting the cob, and frozen corn is just straight corn, no waste? How can I really know which is cheaper? Its comparing apples and oranges!"
So in the end, I didn't freeze up a bunch of my own homemade frozen corn.

A little while after that, I saw fresh string beans on sale, for what looked like a reasonable price, and again, thought to myself that I should just freeze my own instead of buying the prepackaged frozen ones, but then the skepticism kept on creeping in, saying "How do you know what's really cheaper?"
And then I thought "You can't know, so do something about it- figure it out! You figured it out for chicken and beans and starches, this isn't any different. Do the calculations yourself and stop futzing around!"

Saving Money Through Electric Heating

This post is a guest post by Thomas Milson, a blogger and green enthusiast. I found this post to be very interesting, because growing up, my house was heated by a gas run central heating system, and since we moved abroad, have had to get used to the electrical heating options here. We have radiators which are money guzzlers, making our electric bills really high in the winter, but I had heard that even so, the right electric heaters are actually the cheapest options for heating.

Recently, I haven’t had a lot of money. In fact, I have so little money that in the last place I lived (it was a house share) we never used the heating or hot water. Instead, we wore a lot of jumpers (so many jumpers) --- that's sweaters to you non Britons--- and boiled the kettle to wash the pots (I still showered because my shower was electric).

We made the decision to not use the gas (I say decision – it was not a decision) because we couldn’t afford gas and electric. The gas went because it was very expensive, so expensive in fact that it cost us more to have a couple of hours of heating and hot water with gas, than it did to use everything else that needed electricity. We could have sat with every appliance turned on for hours (we didn’t) and still spend less than what our gas bill was.

After the coldest winter I had ever experienced my tenancy agreement came to a close. So I had to find somewhere new. A week later I had found a place. It was another house share, but it had been kitted out with an electric heating system. I didn’t need to be told why this had been done: it was to save money. To say I’m a frugal person would be an understatement. Therefore I moved in.

Manage Money Better by Using Online Calculators

This is a guest post by Nancy Evans. She is freelance writer that specializes in business and health.


The plain truth is that just about everybody could use some help when it comes to managing money better. Between having to constantly stay on the look-out for debit card fees and juggling unplanned albeit necessary purchases with the monthly bills, even the most financially responsible of us are sometimes unable to keep up on our own. Unfortunately not everybody has the money to afford a consultation with an adviser or an accountant, yet for those of us who are “on our own” who also happen to have an Internet connection, countless tools and resources are available in the pursuit of improved personal finances.

Online calculators are particularly useful when it comes to improving personal finances. Before you try and find out what is a cash back credit card is in your attempt to make ends meet, see if you can't free up some of your money and make what you spend go farther by taking advantage of the following seven calculators:

Credit Card Repayment Plan Calculator: Even if you got yourself a fancy no annual fee credit card, it doesn't do you any good to be making payments that will result in you paying hundreds if not thousands in interest. To either find out how much you'll have to dish out monthly or how long you have to go till it's paid off, use a credit card repayment calculator.

Withholding Calculator: Two bad things can come from failing to set aside the right amount for Uncle Sam every month. Either you'll be sent a fat bill courtesy of the IRS, or you'll be letting money be taken away from you every month that doesn't have to be deducted. To minimize both, run your income and filing status through this IRS-provided withholding calculator.

Retirement Calculator: Just like with credit cards, there's no point in putting money into a retirement plan every month if it isn't going to be enough for you to lead a comfortable life in your elder years. Utilize a retirement calculator to not only see if what you're saving will get you where you want to be, but to see if there isn't a better plan out there for you to try.

Fuel Economy Finder: Folks serious about saving money can't afford to be driving around gas guzzlers. If you're in the market for a new ride, use a fuel economy calculator to determine the most cost-effective choice among affordable options.

Cost-of-Commute Calculator: Over time inefficient routes to work and elsewhere can add hundreds of dollars to your annual spending. Use a cost-of-commute calculator to see how much your daily driving costs you, then on conjunction with a free online map service, find a better route if one exists.

Cost-of-Smoking: The annual cost of smoking cigarettes is a slap in the face to anyone so-far unable to quit the habit. If someone in your household smokes, see if they can't be talked out of it by bringing up how much money it robs the family of every year.

Home Energy Saver: It's been estimated that 58% of the energy Americans consume every year is completely wasted. This is due to inefficiencies at both the power plant and the homestead level. Use the Home Energy Saver available through the Department of Energy to find the best ways for someone in your particular situation to cut down on energy waste.

Finding ways to manage money better is not a task that must be undertaken alone. This is especially the case considering all the tools and resources available online that can help you, specifically online calculators. Part of managing money better is learning when to take advantage of a bargain, and nothing beats free service.

Do you use any online calculators to assist with your finances? Which ones?

See my disclaimer.

My Frugal Hair Removal Method

If I were really gung ho frugal and that was all I cared about, I probably would go au naturale, and wouldn't remove any body hair. However, my life isn't just about saving money wherever possible, no matter the "cost", I do what is important to me, even if it may cost slightly more, I just try to do those things in the most frugal way possible. I care about aesthetics and want to feel good about how I look, which is why I am willing to spend money on hair removal.
And hey- underarm hair removal saves money in a way, because you end up stinking less and needing to use less deodorant and to shower less often, as underarm hair traps sweat and makes you stink more.

When talking about hair removal, I have to mention that I have never been to a salon to have a professional waxing, nor do I ever plan on it. That seems like a colossal waste of money; I try to do everything myself if at all possible.
You might think that if I didn't want to spend money on getting a waxing, I'd get the cheapest hair removal stuff- cheapo Bic disposable razors, or something of the sort.
While this may not be a terribly costly option in the US, these cheapo razors usually are bad quality and either don't do a good job, or can leave you with very bloody cuts. On top of that, I have an issue with disposable things in general, as they are a recurring expense, and I'd rather pay more for something upfront and not contribute to landfills, and not need to keep on buying things over and over again.
Which is why I don't buy cheapie razors for hair removal.