Discount Diva
Discount Diva: Wise words from readers to Diva’s ears
I may be the Discount Diva, but I’ve got nothing on MoneySmart readers. You guys send in tips that make me feel like a total amateur.
Here are some newer favorites that piggyback on recent column themes:
• Angela Beier of Lackawanna appreciated a recent column about how to get your security deposit back (“Photos help to recoup security fee,” May 18).
She had her own nightmarish struggle for a security deposit after her apartment changed ownership three times during her residency. The second owner allegedly never forwarded her deposit to the third owner, claiming he never received it from the previous owner.
But Beier was able to dig up bank records showing the middle landlord had indeed received and deposited the check into his account. She did it using something called an “information subpoena and questionaire,” and she wants you to know they can be obtained at the Court Resource Center at 92 Franklin St.
Share your money-saving tips on the MoneySmart blog at www.BuffaloNews.com/MoneySmart.
You can also e-mail money@buffnews.com or call the MoneySmart consumer hotline at 849-4618.
• Anne Dailey enjoyed a recent column about growing one’s own food (“Have seed, will feed kith and kin” from April 6). But since gardening from her apartment is difficult, she relies on pick-your-own farms and orchards.
“I highly recommend going and picking your own fresh fruits. I especially love picking raspberries and blueberries, which are so much cheaper than in the stores. The blueberries are so big and sweet,” Dailey said. “Both of these are easily frozen.”
I’m with you, Anne.
My grandma’s fruit-picking motto was “First you fill your belly, then you fill your basket.” Not that I’m advocating eating on the job.
Dailey also visits farm stands weekly for fresh produce at great prices.
• Carolyn Gierke of Lancaster sent in a wealth of information after reading the same gardening article.
“Pay a garden store to create your landscape or garden plan – they are the experts – then save money by doing the planting yourself,” Gierke wrote.
Many places charge a small fee for the plans, but will refund the charge if you buy your plants there. “This allows you to follow a plan over several years, as your budget allows. You might make minor changes, but it is great to have a big picture to follow,” she wrote.
• Emily Oprea of Sardinia sent in a wonderful list of tips after reading MoneySmart’s April 6 lead story, “Lean, Clean and Green: Before you reach for expensive commercial products, consider these cheaper alternatives.”
Among them were a bunch of uses for hydrogen peroxide solution. Did you know you can use a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to brighten whites when doing laundry? You can also use it to clean your countertops and mirrors.
But the tip that scored Emily a place in my heart forever was the following one she dared me to print: “If you pee in the shower, urine will cure your toe fungus!” she wrote. “It works!”
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