How to retire early... or simply survive

[sptrawler]

My wife, always worked weekends, I could look after the kids, and she earned as much as everyone else who worked Monday to Friday.
It was a no brainer. she worked 12hrs Saturday and Sunday.
Didn't have to worry about child care, after school care, it worked for us.

 

[Smurf1976]

how "frugal" is that really once you add up the capital expenditure ?

Using a variant of your solar panels example and applying it to heating water, at this risk of stating the obvious, hot water is hot water is hot water. The end product is exactly the same regardless of how you put the heat into the water. So long as the method does not involve ongoing effort (eg as a wood or coal fire would) there's no difference in that regard.

A rational person would thus choose the cheapest system, over its lifespan, which is practical to install at their property and to which they have no ideological objections.

I don't see that as penny pinching, just commonsense. End result is exactly the same so pick the cheapest way of getting it.

 

[SirRumpole]

End result is exactly the same so pick the cheapest way of getting it.

Which may be to stay on the grid, shop around for providers, buy energy efficient appliances and use smart meters to reduce consumption.

I wonder if that occurs to some of the mavericks who install the Powerwalls and spend the next 20 years paying off the capital expense.

 

[IFocus]

The purpose of the cuts to penalty rates was to create more employment. Has it worked ? No one has released any data to back that up as far as I can see.

More jobs was always the trojan horse, the idea of leaving the lowest pay who have the least power to bargain wages to market forces is very much a US institution we can well do without.

 

[fiftyeight]

Help me quit the rat race early

I need a side hustle non trade related and online. Not after a get rich scheme (that's what trading is for ). Something to generate a steadyish income of about $50k would be ideal.

Current transferable skills for the online world are minimal, but happy to up skill if I find something suitable.

Any suggestions???

 

[Smurf1976]

I wonder if that occurs to some of the mavericks who install the Powerwalls and spend the next 20 years paying off the capital expense.

If someone "just wants" something for whatever reason then that's fine. Not everyone wants the cheapest car or cheapest furniture etc.

I do think however that there's a major lack of knowledge on the part of consumers when it comes to this sort of stuff. It only needs high school maths and physics to work it out from scratch, you certainly don't need to be an engineer or electrician to do the calculations, but reality is that apart from those who are in that line of work pretty much nobody will even try.

On most houses solar panels for electricity generation will provide a return on investment somewhere between outstandingly good to at least being worth considering. There are exceptions but for the majority that is the situation.

As for batteries, well I'm yet to find any normal household situation where a battery will beat interest on cash in the bank if grid power is connected. If you don't have grid power then obviously it's all very different and a solar + battery system will usually beat running a generator all the time. Other than that, a battery also stacks up if you are willing to pay to have a backup power supply either because you just want it and accept the cost or because you're running a business where losing power supply would cost serious $ in which case the battery is a form of insurance. For normal households though it's not a way to save money under present circumstances.

 

[basilio]

For those who are interested on living well but frugally this website offers some great practical advice.

Join the $300 a month food challenge.....
Wendy started this challenge and boy has it taken off! Cheapskates Club members all over the country are slashing those grocery bills right back.

Each week Wendy offers Platinum Cheapskates Club members a new money saving grocery challenge, and shows them just how she manages to feed her family of four on just $300 a month (and keep her home and family clean too - that $300 includes toiletries and cleaning supplies).

Click here to go to the $300 a Month Food Challenge discussion.
Get Started

https://www.cheapskatesclub.net/300-a-month-food-challenge.html

 

[sptrawler]

Help me quit the rat race early

I need a side hustle non trade related and online. Not after a get rich scheme (that's what trading is for ). Something to generate a steadyish income of about $50k would be ideal.

Current transferable skills for the online world are minimal, but happy to up skill if I find something suitable.

Any suggestions???

Start a solar panel cleaning business.