Coupons4LV.com  -  Tree Hugging Frugalitarian

So you have dug the mower out of the garage…. here are a few tips to make lawn care more enjoyable.

Get a new oil filter, spark plug, (air and fuel filter if required)

Remove the old blade and replace it with a gator mulching blade
Or sharpen your old blade. I use a bench grinder on the fine wheel side.

Using a hand file is a fools task and takes too long, balance the blade on a nail that is hammered sideways into a wall. As long as it's fairly close you are good.

If you have a yard that is larger than 1/4 acre, consider picking up a used 48" walk behind mower from craigs or the paper. I obtained a used zero turn belt driven Ferris mower about 9 years ago at a very reasonable price and it decimates my 1/3 acre yard in about 14 minutes! Driving tractors are slow and inefficient for most lawns. Mine also came with a steel mesh bag that is wonderful for chopping up and collecting the leaves in the fall.

Look at your yard - there are likely dandilions. Get a weed hound, some work gloves, a small trash can, and a large open ended wrench. The weed hound is much more efficient at removing the weeds than chemicals - and better for the environment. Chemical weed killers get into the sewer/storm drain system which is not eco-friendly. The weed hound has a series of nails in the bottom that grab the weed by it's roots - a quick turn and done. Use the open ended wrench to smack the top of the weed hound handle to kick the weed out of the jaws.
 (not using the wrench leads to a sore hand)
 I have found that by removing them physically before they can blossom and cast their seed - their proliferation has dwindled each year. Place the removed weeds into the trash quickly so that the buds don't scatter about. *Important: remove the dandelions before you mow, so you can spot the yellow flowers easily. Also, you won't cast about the seeds everywhere on your lawn.

When it comes to trimming - use an electric if you can or a small gas powered unit. I highly recommend replacing the stock line feeder spinning head with a Weed Warrior Pivottrim unit, it fits just about all trimmers. I also buy 100' spool of line, not the stock replacement pieces. Cut the line into 12" long segments with a sharp pair of scissors and thread them into the gator head. The rotating line holders all but eliminate line breaks due to the ingenious design. I have found this method to be the most efficient use of trimmer line and best performance. One set of strings lasts about 30 minutes or so, more if you avoid hitting the line against sharp edges.

One final note, I have used several types of gas cans in my life, the best one (for filling mowers only) is the style shown below by Blitz. Spilling gas is a big pet peeve of mine and these anti spill nozzles solve the dilemma. I even remove the nozzle and place it on a smaller blitz can with an oil/gas mix to fill up the trimmer tank - (they both have the same neck thread)

Happy Spring!

It's nighttime and dark in the bathroom - if your frugal like me, you rely on a motion activated daylight sensitive LED nightlight. Nightlights that stay on all night are silliness, unless: 

• you have guests staying over
  
• have a small child who is afraid of the dark
  
• make it a habit to leave hazards on the floor in random places. 
  

Studies also prove that exposure to bright lights in the middle of the night mess with your body's internal sleep cycles. Properly functioning "smart" nightlights will remedy this situation. The kicker is that using the nightlight will save you money over time vs. turning on the full bathroom light.

Incandescent lights are not efficient, they generate a lot of heat and the bulbs burn out. Get rid of your old school night lights and upgrade to a more functional model. Unplugging and plugging, or switching on and off "dumb" nightlights is ridiculous in 2011.

Below is a model I recommend, just make sure the seat is down when you're done :-)

Consider taking the time to change all of your account and rewards card statements to the paperless option. It will take some patience, and make sure that you keep your passwords to all the various websites in a secure location (like a password protected file on your smart-phone or computer). Also, I recommend creating a folder in your web browser favorites named finances or the like. Then bookmark all the sites where you receive statements.

Of course it is not advisable to make a sheet of paper that says passwords and leave it on your home office wall, though I have literally seen this in the past.

Advantages:

Throw out fewer envelopes / trash each week

Some institutions even reward you for going paperless

Emails will never get lost or stolen in the mail like envelopes

Reduce your financial institutions burden, thus helping you in the long run with reduced fees.

Eliminate the need to buy another ugly filing cabinet

Finally, save time, let’s do the math –

Estimate 2 minutes per envelope of opening, examining, trashing and filing

12 statements/yr x 10 different accounts x 2 min/statement = 240 min/ yr

Take back those 4 hours and do something more fun than sorting mail for the rest of 2010 and beyond