Diapers, the #1 in #2

The straight poop in saving money with diapers

When the wife and I were talking about having a baby we discussed all sorts of things including diapers. Do we go disposable or do we go cloth? One of the places I looked to see just how many diapers an average baby might use in a year was Southernsavers . They seem to have it down to an executable plan. So for the first year the assumption was around 3,000 diapers. I looked online today and the cheapest I found was for 264 diapers and around 50 bucks

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Now if you figure that is 11 boxes give or take of diapers just for the first year. That is 550 bucks for a year.If you are environmentally conscious or even concerned about chemicals on your baby's bum, the diapers could cost you double to triple that. 

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Then take into consideration that most families have 2 or more kiddos and that number goes up to thousands of dollars down the proverbial drain.

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Seriously, I know it is easy to just toss a diaper. But one thing I have learned as a new Dad is you have to be very comfortable with others bodily functions very quickly or you won't make it.

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So the wife and I decided that the prudent, eco-friendly, thrifty, and general all around "crunchy" thing to do would be to go cloth. After all I grew up before disposables were widely used. In fact if you are over 30 your parents could have easily been using cloth. They used to be a square or rectangle of cotton and you safety pinned it to keep it on then put a cover over it to help with leaking. In fact many people we talk to still think that is the way they are. Well people let me introduce the next evolution of the cloth diaper, and what we use. Drum Roll please...

They are called Bum Genius Elementals and you can get them on Amazon here  Bumgenius Elemental . They are all in one now and you have what amounts to a outside cover with liner sewed into them. We also put a piece of polar fleece in so it helps wick away the wet portions from our baby's bottom. You put them on like any other diaper but you just snap instead of velcro. 

So we discussed the costs of disposables as well as the environmental effect of these poo collectors, now let's talk about the cost of the Bum Genius. New they run around $20-$25 bucks. I know that sounds crazy for something you just get bodily functions in but consider that they will grow with your baby. The whole way. From infant through toddler. So you probably will need a minimum of 20-30 diapers in order to have a rotation. If you have 30 that is about a load of dirty diapers every other day. So if you bought new you would spend $600-$750 in diapers, one time, for any and all children you have. The resale on this kind of diaper is awesome too. We have done a few exchanges or purchases from people that are done with their diapers and they run about $17-$22. So when you are done with them you can sell them to others and recoup some of  your money.  So if you really did sell the diapers after you are done and you don't have to buy them for other children you could literally save thousands in cost over disposables. 

Now the only thing that is more work than disposables is the cleaning. Look, babies are gross. They really are. I'm not going to lie, I love my daughter very much and she can do no wrong in my eyes but she is just disgusting sometimes. I do have to get the "solids" off the diaper before washing. It is a little hands on but if you stay on it it really comes off quite easily in the toilet. When we pre-clean them I just use a shower wand that has an on off button and a Spray Pal spray guard to get it off, then into the bag for cleaning. If you zip the bag closed there is no smell. Here is a link to the Wet/Dry bags to put the diapers in.  

You wash them just like any other piece of clothing (and we all know you are washing clothes every day anyway). Get them nice and clean then we hang dry. This makes the diapers last longer and also the sun has a great whitening effect on the inside liner. *I am sure my wife will chime in about other reasons we line dry*. 

Another money saving benefit is that we don't have to use the dryer. We installed a $25 drying line in the back yard that is removable when we need the space and no energy used for drying. It really is also nice we can hang comforters and other items that you should dry outside. I am sure there are going to be nay-sayers  out there that talk about all the negative aspects of line drying items but think for a moment that your grandparents didn't use dryers and everyone survived. If you are conscious of the weather and make sure you look at everything before you bring it in, line drying is definitely the way to go for many items. 

Cloth diapers really are the best way to go. If you take into consideration the savings over a family's lifespan, the ease of cleaning, and the environmental impact I don't see any better way. Try a few and see if you like them. If you have any questions let me know and I will put you with someone that knows far more than I do. 

Gary McCoy is Broker/Owner of Tartan Real Estate Services. License number 0519775. All opinions in this article are just that Opinions. Should you have any questions or comments please call us at 877-498-7323.  

Cigarettes in absentia

Deus ex machina

So we all have friends that smoke. I know it is crazy to think of in this day of non smoking sections, laws against smoking, and just general bad press, but it is true. 

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So I decided to talk to a few people I know that are now into the E-cig craze. I wanted to see if they really did save any money over conventional smoking and "Vaping". The term "vaping" Oddly reminds me of sparkling vampires.

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So here is how it works. Instead of lighting a tobacco filled, paper vessel you simply have a tube that carries liquid nicotine (the addictive stuff in cigarettes) and turns it into a vapor. When you inhale it you get the nicotine, but not the tar and other things like you would with a conventional cigarette. The majority of the E-cigs out there use propylene glycol, which is the same stuff they use in fog machines, for the smoke.

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Love it or hate it, this is a real thing and more and more people are doing it. So I researched the costs of these inventions and, if you are smoker, could save you not only your lungs but literally thousands of dollars in taxes and actual costs of buying conventional cigarettes.

So what is the breakdown on the costs and how much can you save? For this example I will assume that an average smoker smokes about a half a pack a day. You can go here if your friend or loved one smokes more to find out the numbers.

Conventional cigarettes:

Average cost per pack $7.00

Days you would have to buy a pack 183 (rounded up)

Total cost to smoke conventional cigarettes per year $1,281.00


E-Cigarette:

Initial cost of a "kit" (average) $50.00

Cost of the liquid kit (1 tank per month) $20.00

Cost of refills (guessing high at 1 30ml per month) $6.00

Total cost to smoke E-cigs in a year $362.00
You save almost $1000 per year doing this. Not to mention no tar or smokey smell in your clothes.

Now in all honestly minus the D factor (if you don't know what D stands for feel free to ask) there are numerous people that say E-cigs are bad for you. Honestly so is smoking. Which is the lesser of two evils? I will let you decide. The cost savings alone seems to be a big deal for me.

We could get into a long drawn out discussion on the pros and cons or if they should be regulated or kids should be able to use the non-nicotine ones, but I really want to give you all the dollars and cents of this. After all I am all about saving money.

So love it or hate it seems that technology has made its mark and we are going to see more and more of these E-Cigs. What do you think about the cost savings of this?

Gary McCoy is broker and owner of Tartan Real Estate Services, broker license number #0588837. Any and all opinions in this blog are just that, opinions. If you have any specific questions please call us at 877-498-7323.

A Rant for You All

Chasing the dollar

This week I am a bit disheartened. I have been reading stories, listening to pundits, and considering the future of our country. This is going to be a bit more direct than other posts and I don't have any funny quips or graphics to go along with it. If you will indulge me for a moment and let me rant I will promise a lighter subject next time. 

RANT ON: 

The media, Occupy, Democrats, Republicans, Banks, Friends, Family... Well everyone has told us that we should be "chasing the dollar" to live the American Dream. Ludicrous!   

I heard that term "chasing the dollar" the other day and it really spoke the truth to me. We have been raised by a system that says you have to continually keep up with the Jones' (which don't exist by the way). You have to consume, consume, consume. Then while you are spending that money you will be guilt tripped to help those that are less fortunate. Even if they really aren't. You have to give till it hurts. So on one hand you have to spend to get more while giving all those things, and more away. God forbid you have anything left. Someone else will come in and tax that. Does anyone else see a problem here? 

I heard from a friend, with weeks of back to back birthday parties to go to for her son's friends, that she is stressed out. She said it was because it is so expensive to be a guest to a birthday party. WHAT!!! She said that you can't just make something as a gift, you have to spend money. And on top of that if you get something cheap (like from Target or Walmart) you easily could be chastised.  Then in the same breath, we have a parent friend that is giving a birthday party for their toddler. They have to have it catered, have the bounce house, have the clown, give thank you gifts to the parents and the kids that come. It is completely insane that we have come to this. 

Yet another person I follow regularly said that they sat down one day and really looked at their bills and their income. He figured out that from January 1 - July 1 paycheck, 100% of that would go to House payments, car payments, and utilities (if you looked at the whole year). Then from the July 15th paycheck through October 1 he would use 100% of that  to pay for credit cards, food and charity. From October 15th through December 15 paychecks he would spend that money on  gifts, medical costs, insurance, and taxes. That leaves him 1 paycheck for savings and entertainment.  He literally doesn't make any money for himself until 51 paychecks later. Then 15 days later the cycle starts again. 

We are slaves. Slaves to a system that is not being used responsibly. Trust me I don't want to go off on one of those rants that our system is broken.  Kill the rich, government help us, Government is the problem,  blah blah blah. It is your and my fault. NOT anyone else. We did this to ourselves by believing the lies. If you say it is someone else that caused this problem or that someone else needs to do something, you are saying you are too incompetent to figure things out for yourself. Are there predators in the world that want to lie to you and take things from you? Sure. Are there cheats and grifters in the world that will do everything to separate you from your goals? Of course. Are there things outside of your control that happen that will stop you from your dreams? Yes. However, it is up to YOU and you alone to protect yourself from those things. If you blindly follow the scammers, cheats, and liars, it is YOUR fault. 

We have all heard about the emails that someone in another country (usually a prince or princess) needs to send you money via wire and have you wire the money back minus a fee. You ask yourself, "who falls for that"? Well we all do when we believe the liars and don't look out for ourselves and allow greed and pride-fullness run rampant in our lives. 

I know that sounds harsh, and maybe I am talking to myself more than anyone else here, but I personally can't blame anyone but myself when times have been tough. I wasn't diligent with my beliefs. I don't feel like anyone owes me anything. I don't think the government or society or the community needs or has an obligation to come to my rescue. I was told by my Grandfather, "you made your bed, now lie in it." God forbid we actually LEARN from our mistakes and failures. 

It is time we all really evaluate our own lives. We are all at a tipping point. We can be crushed by our own selfishness or rise up and become the people we were meant to be. 

Have you ever considered ultimately why things are so expensive like cars and houses compared to when our grandparents and parents were buying those things? I am no economics major but it seems to me that it doesn't matter what the price of these things are today. We pay for things with credit. That way we just have to be comfortable with the payments each month. You don't have to worry about what it truly costs or what it is worth. Just as long as the payments are manageable you will be fine. I know this is over simplifying things but really if everyone wasn't able or willing to pay for a $500,000 house, there wouldn't be $500,000 dollar houses. Take that same scenario and say that if you pay it over 50 years (yes California has had 50 year mortgages) the payment is only 2100 per month, they buy houses like there is no tomorrow. Forget the fact that over the 50 years it will cost them an additional $800,000 in interest alone.

If you pay the minimum payment on your house note over 30 years at even 4.75%, you will have paid almost 2 times what you "bought" the house for. Seriously 2 times or more. So if you bought a 155,000 house just the principal and interest would be ~800 per month and in 30 years you would pay 291,000 total. If you saved the 800 per month for 15 years you would have just almost the total cost of that same house. Plus you would own the property outright. I can hear it now..."well we get tax breaks for having a loan", or "houses will be more expensive in the future". And you are right. But why do we need the tax breaks? Could it be because we can't really afford the house any other way? If you are prepared raising house prices should not affect you. 

Want to be really depressed. Look at your statement for your credit card when it comes in.  They have to tell you what happens if you make minimum payments only. It will take 30 years and exponentially cost more than the item did to begin with. Buy a TV today for 1500 on your credit card, it could cost you OVER 14,000 by the time you pay it off if you just make minimum payments. 

Our grandparents and great grandparents saved and in most cases paid cash for things. Granted the houses were less expensive then but I surmise that if you paid cash for everything and enough people did this the price of things would drop. Maybe more in line with the way things used to be. 

I know things are tough. I know that it could be hard just to make the minimums but if you save now and pay cash later it really does get better. 

Rant off!

Gary McCoy is Broker and Owner of Tartan Real Estate Services in DFW. Broker License number 0588837. Any opinions in this article are just that, opinions. If you have any specific questions or concerns please contact us at 877-498-7323.

My dogs eat better than I do

Chicken just like Momma used to make

While I was thinking of other things to post on how we save money and make our lives simpler, I thought that maybe I could tell you our adventures in feeding our "furbabies". 

Our dogs are Walker, Johnny, and Annie. They are Rhodesian Ridgebacks and are also known as African Lion Hounds. 

They are great dogs but they are big. 90,80, and 70 pounds respectively. That means they eat A LOT. 

When we first got Walker, the oldest, we were feeding kibble just like everyone else. Granted we wanted to make sure that he was getting the best possible food (not Ole' Roy) because we knew he was going to be a AKC show dog. A 40 pound bag of food ranged from around 40 bucks to well over 75 dollars. With one large dog it was manageable. Then we got 2 more and a bag of kibble lasted about 10 days. You do the math and at the upper end we were spending about $225 per month in kibble.

We weren't happy with the kibble either. We were always getting updates about this factory and that factory having recalls on dog food, You had to watch the fillers they put in, the dogs were little gas factories on the kibble, and it was expensive. 

Solution: make our own dog food. Crazy right? Well turns out it isn't that insane after all. I already hunt so we regularly have meat that is needing to be ground up and I had been eyeing a meat grinder anyway, so we did our research and came up with a plan. 

Step 1 come up with a recipe for the food. We chose Chicken carcass because we already had a source from our farmer that supplies our meats. 

Step 2 buy a grinder for the carcass'. We chose to go with the LEM 1 HP grinder like this one: 

LEM Products 1 HP Stainless Steel Electric Meat Grinder which would come in handy with meat from my hunts too. 

Step 3 MAKE THE FOOD. 

So that is what we did. We talked to our breeders at Ivorymoon Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Ben Ridge Rhodesian Ridgebacks. They have been both great resources and a sounding board to us. We got our plan together and bought our first batch of chicken carcass'. 125lbs of the stuff. 

It fills up 2 of our big coleman coolers Coleman 100-Quart Xtreme Cooler (Blue)

and away we went to a grinding. It has taken us about a year to come up with a good system but from start to finish it takes about an hour and a half to set up, do the grinding, and clean up after. 

The food winds up looking like meatloaf and is so healthy for our dogs. PLUS it actually saves us quite a bit. All in for 6 weeks of food it cost us around $125. That is a savings of $212.50 every six weeks. The grinder costs around 550 so we paid that off in savings after 12 weeks. That means the first full year we saved almost $1200 in dog food. 

And they love it of course. 

So give it a try. If you need any help or advice feel free to contact me. What things can you make for your Fur Family that would save money? 

Why I am writing this blog

Musing on why I write this blog

Someone the other day asked me why I was writing this blog. Honestly it didn't even occur to me that I hadn't told you. That is a bad blogger, bad. 

So the truth is that I am tired of the city life. It was all fine and good when I was younger but I have become disillusioned to say the least. We also have a strong desire to live debt free. Like many of you I spent the better part of my 20's thinking the Jones' were really cool,  and getting anything and everything I wanted. That being said I am ready to live simpler. No bills, No traffic, No neighbors. Just me, the wife, and the baby and our dogs. Working on our crops and livestock and me selling farm and ranch among other ideas I have. 

When we were thinking about what the next phase of our lives looked like, we thought that all the hustle and bustle of city life was not where we wanted to raise our family. I want the kids to play in the yard, dig in the dirt, maybe even learn a thing or two about the way our grandparents and great grandparents lived. So that got me on my search for how to make money, how to make things grow, and how to just be a bit less reliant on some of our modern conveniences that now run our lives. 

My first stop was with a GREAT Vlogger, Wranglerstar on YouTube. He seems like a very knowledgeable person about homesteading and appreciating what you have. (In all honesty I would love to get his thoughts about making the leap). Then we just started doing research on what it will actually take to live out of the city. 

From there I looked at trends and things to do that would help us cut down on our monthly expenses NOW. I fired the lawn guy, told the maid I can pick up after myself, and cut the cable (see my previous post here). Then we looked at things that aren't "skilled" labor that I could learn or do myself to help with repairs. 

There are many things that if you have half a brain and a little bit of elbow grease you can do yourself. My current project is replacing our old fence. We are going from this:

To this: 

I figured out this process through youtube, other bloggers, and talking with others that have done a fence before. This is literally saving us over $3,000 in labor by doing this ourselves. Plus we are not paying any interest on "borrowing" the money, as we are doing sections as we can. Yes, I know it is slower but the savings are amazing. 

Now on to paying off some of our stuff. Cars are #1 in my book. The Jag I paid cash for. 

The truck is getting close. I must confess that have really had the new car fever in the last year or so but I keep telling myself that it is almost paid off, stay the course. It is cheaper in the long run. I have been very good at staving off the craving and I plan to keep it till either the doors fall off, or it becomes not enough truck. The wife's car is a lease and we pay extra to it so when that is paid off (yes you can pay off a lease and not have any payments), we can get something else and pay cash. I want you to think for a moment about your car situation. How much per month do you pay just for the payments on your cars? I would guess for many of you it is a small house payment and for a few it is a BIG house payment. I know people that their car payment IS bigger than their house payment. 

Then on to thinking about making money once we are out there. Of course I still have Tartan Real Estate Services which I own and will continue to be the Broker for. 

I have been working on finding a partner that would manage the day to day while we were out in the country.  We already have agents that are in the DFW area and I am looking to add more in the coming years. I can still sell Farm and Ranch in the country which I have done before. We also have a few rent houses and a few houses we manage for our investors. 

I then ran across a report (and I would be lying if I told you I remembered where) that was talking about tiny houses. You know the little bitty houses. Some on trailers, some on the ground, others in trees. The ones that people go, "WOW that would be cool but what do I do with all my stuff?". Yeah those tiny houses.

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The report said something to the effect that there is a sub economy popping up that is all about renting them like a bed and breakfast, working them for the empty nesters that want to be out of the city, and having them as hunting lodges. EUREKA. That is what I want, to start helping people find land to put these little investments on and help others get out of their rat race too. I have been pretty successful helping others invest in real estate and that is yet one more niche that I can be passionate about.

I am not talking about tomorrow, next month, or even next year. It is a goal that I would consider medium to long term. All I know is that the more self sufficient I am today the easier the move will be tomorrow. 

In conclusion, I really am writing this blog as a way to help keep myself accountable for my actions (I.E. not getting a new truck), as well as hopefully inspiring someone else to take this ride with me. It doesn't matter what your goal is. It could be living in the country or moving to a downtown loft. Either way, the way to get to your goals is to not be a slave to the system and becoming as self reliant as you can now. Live like your grandparents did. Pay for a car in cash. Pay off your house. Invest in some real estate. You will thank yourself later. 

Leftover is not a bad word

Eating at home makes cents

Mandela Research interviewed 4,000 Americans about their eating out habits in a normal week. They came up with 4.8 times per week was the average. So 5 times per week the normal, everyday, Joe on the street pays for a meal out of the house. 

According to a study done by Visa ,just at lunch meals, the average American spends $10.00 per meal. So if we suppose that everyone only eats lunch out 5 times per week and only pays $10.00 per meal that is $2,600.00 per year in going out to eat! 

That would be on the LOW end of what is actually spent if you figure that many more of those times are going out in the evening. That is absolutely insane. Look, I know we all are busy and many of us don't know the first thing about cooking at home, but if your goal is to save money I know that eating at home would be way cheaper than eating out. 

I know you can go to one of many dollar menu places to eat. 

And I know most of you will agree that those places are not really good for you. 

That being said let me throw out a CRAZY idea. You can cook large meals, save some of it, and eat on it for days. 

 Derp face

Now I am very lucky that my wife is a great cook. In fact she even has a food blog Hillbilly Nutrition. But I too enjoy the cathartic act of grilling and cooking at home. For years however, I wasn't keen on the leftover thing, mainly because I didn't think you could do anything else with the meal besides eat it like it was originally cooked. BOOOORING! Then to save money we decided to get creative. 

For example, on Sunday afternoon I threw some chicken wings on the grill, the wife made some potatoes with blue cheese crumbles and some coleslaw. 

Last night I was in the mood for some tacos and remembered that Tin Star had a buffalo chicken taco that was really good. So I took what was left from our dinner on Sunday and made Tin Star Tacos. 

They were awesome and really did give me that going out to eat experience without having to spend any more money!

Likewise, we did a pork butt a while back on the grill and used it from breakfast burritos to pulled pork sandwiches and everything in between. 

We also will take a couple pounds of ground meat and cook it with taco seasoning and that makes tacos (DUH) as well as this great dish with stuffed bell peppers. 

There is really no reason to be scared about coming up with new dishes using leftovers. If you liked the original meal you will love what other things you can imagine. A little google, some leftovers, and some imagination and you can have a meals for days.  

My favorite site to just look for good ideas is Alton Brown's YouTube page. 

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He does a great job of making meals easy and entertaining. 

A couple other unintended consequences to eating more at home is you have more time with your family as well as meals really take quite a bit less time to cook. You can involve your kids like Cooking with My Kid does, or with your significant other in a romantic way. Either way you will be happier, healthier and most of all have more money in your pocket. 

What food and money saving ideas does your family implement? Leave us a comment below. 

Gary McCoy is Broker and Owner of Tartan Real Estate Services in DFW Texas. Broker license number 0588837. Any opinions in this article are just that, opinions. If you have any specific questions or concerns please contact us at 877-498-7323. 

Releasing the beast

Here kitty kitty kitty

Ok, seeing as blogs are fairly narcissistic and self congratulatory by their nature, I thought I would do a money saving post about my car. 

You probably remember my post Life of a Nomad where I showed a picture of my Dodge Ram 2500 that pulls my trailer. Well that was my only car for quite some time. To say that it was not very gas friendly would be a GIGANTIC understatement. While it got better gas mileage than my last truck it still cost around $150 to fill it up.  With being in Real Estate full time I was filling up the tank every week or so. Gag. 

So my wife and I had talked about getting something more economical as a daily driver for me. We really don't want a car payment so paying cash was the only way to go. Needless to say I had to wait for just the right deal to make this work. 

Now a quick flashback... My friend (let's call him The Woodworker) had this car under a cover in his garage for years and years. We had been friends for a few years and every time I would go to his house I would say, "man you really need to do something with this car, it is just sitting her doing nothing." He would laugh and say, "maybe someday." 

About a year or so ago he moved into a new house and there wasn't a nice 3 car garage to store this neglected car. It was relegated to sitting under a tree in the back yard, allowing the dogs to use it to get closer to the squirrels that would taunt them. 

Now granted the car had some issues... 

And it needed some TLC, but to him it just wasn't worth fixing anymore. He also didn't want to see it just waste away so he called me. 

I remember it like it was yesterday. The wife and I were folding laundry and doing a bit of spring cleaning. The phone rang and I saw it was The Woodworker so I answered. The conversation went like this. 

Me: "Hey man what's up?"

TW: "Hey you know that car I have?"

Me: "Yeah."

TW: "Well I think it is time to get rid of the old girl."

Me: "Wow man, sorry to hear you are letting her go."

TW: "You want to buy it from me?"

Me: "Ha ha, right. You want me to buy your Jaguar."

TW: "No seriously, I'll sell it to you."

Me: "How much?" (completely thinking some crazy number)

TW: "$500."

It was just then my mouth dropped to the floor. I just said yes. Didn't think about what my wife would say while she was standing there. Didn't think about what was wrong with it. Didn't really even consider how we would get it home. Just said yes. I said I would be up that next weekend to pick it up. 

I did have to ask if I needed a trailer or something to get it back and he said that short of some gremlins...

It did drive and would probably make the 3 hour trip home. 

After getting it home we did a good once over, fixed the issues and did all the maintenance, and the only thing that I have had to do is replace the AC compressor (Did that myself thank you very much). 

Needless to say it is the nicest and cheapest car I have ever owned. 

 

I suppose besides just generally being self congratulatory about the whole thing, we did make our lives simpler and saved a lot of money in the process. 

What amazing deals have you lucked your way across that saved you money? I would love to hear about your finds. Heck this may spark you to go out and search Craigslist, ask friends and family, or just keep your eyes open for that next sweet ride. 

The smell of saving money

How to make your own aftershave and cost saving shaving ideas

I don't know if you ladies have the same problem as us guys, but those little razors with 20 blades, vibrating moisture enhancer, are aerodynamic, and disposable are EXPENSIVE. I used to buy my razors online here: 

Razors on Amazon However I decide to look into a different way to shave. I looked at electric but I never liked it when I used my Grandpaw's electric.

Then I looked at safety razors.

I actually even asked for one of the safety razors for Christmas a while back. I did like the shave and the blades are cheap, but after a year or 2 using this razor, the honeymoon was over.  It was always an issue to bring it on a trip. The blade is not covered and since it is double sided there was no effective way to shield the blade. The twist bottom was getting very stiff making it hard to adjust the blades. The threads to tighten down the top was getting fouled and not aligning properly anymore. Don't get me wrong I loved using it but it was rapidly getting to be more hassle than it was worth. 

So after I broke the razor one day, I thought to myself "SELF, what would your grandfather or great-grandfather have used?" The answer is a straight razor. They are something that literally can be passed down for generations AND, if taken care of and used properly, actually can give a better shave than the expensive 5 blade rip-offs. 

I searched high and low, across the whole internet for a good deal to try out. I couldn't bring myself to try this new way of shaving with a 300.00 razor. Afterall what if I really didn't like the shave, or it was too time consuming. Then I found Larry Andreassen from Whipped Dog Razors. www.Whippeddog.com

He sells reconditioned and re honed razors and best part is he is local to me. Just down in Arlington Texas. I love supporting our local businesses and Texas companies. I emailed him and asked him all about shaving with a straight razor, and what services he could provide. He was Johnny on the Spot and really did help me with my decision to make the jump. I bought one of his sight unseen razors and was very pleased when it arrived. Not only did I save money but it was a bit of nostalgia that would get a second life. 

I wanted to talk to Larry for this blog and asked him how he got started, why he does what he does, and how he sees is company saving everyone money. We all would love to save money, right? 

He was kind enough to give me this quick interview. 

"Five or six years ago, I read a short blurb in Wired magazine saying a 20 year old shaving with a straight razor would save $20,000 during their lifetime at the current price for Gillette Fusion blades. (I made up the $20,000 figure since I don't remember the exact amount. Forgive!) That got me interested, and after tons of experimentation and research, you have Whipped Dog Straight Razors!

I view Whipped Dog Straight Razors more as a service than a business. How can I best help others try straight razors and wet shaving most cheaply, but still have a great experience? And, that is what I try to do.

Site Motto: Straight razors are cleaned before sale, but not much more. This is done to keep sale prices as low as possible. "All corners are cut to reduce price, but not the corners that will degrade your shave experience." That is my promise. The razor... cleaned. The edge... elegantly shave ready!

That cutting corners part, selling razors with blades that weren't shiny and svelte for example, that flew in the face of the philosophy held by some on the shaving forums. But, if I buff and polish, does it improve the shave? No. It only runs up the cost.

Summarizing, I run Whipped Dog like the mom and pops stores from my childhood, run by folk who knew everyone else in town and gave everyone a good deal. I think of Whipped Dog, to use another analogy, like a pot-bellied stove business. Ceiling fans, Nehi grape soda, checkered pattern tablecoths, cistern water in a bucket with dipper, and dogs yapping happily in the moonlight!

Whipped Dog is a business. But, it is more a labor of nostalgia and pleasure for me."

If you would like to learn more about his company or how he got the company name, look here: Whipped Dog About Page . Give him a shot and I know you will be impressed. And thanks again Larry. 

So here I was with a new razor set, plenty of YouTube time figuring out how not to slit my own throat. I figured out pretty quickly the after shaving portion of this endeavor would be just as important, if not more important, than the pre shave or actual shaving portion. My skin needed some conditioning and aftershave.  I went to the store to check out the latest high fashion after shave at Ulta and found that it was $40.00 for just the aftershave. If I bought this I would definitely NOT be living frugally. So back to the ole Google. I found that it was VERY simple to make your own after shave. A bit of Witch Hazel, bit of your favorite rum or bourbon, and some essential oil for scent, and VOILA, a cheap and honestly great smelling aftershave. 

So here is the recepie for my homemade aftershave. Jim Beam Bourbon, Thayers - Rose Petal Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera Alcohol-Free Toner - 12 oz., A decorative bottle, and some Essential Oils. Mix the Adult Beverage and the witch hazel 1 to 1. Add a few drops of your favorite oil or oils and that is it. It will mellow in smell over the next 25 days but you can use immediately. Your face will smell great and fell even better. Total cost for the bottle you see in the above picture? Three buck, THREE, not 10 not 20, Three. Now that is what I call saving some money. Less than 10 percent of what the comparable in store brand would cost. 

So that is it. I didn't slit my own throat, I have a great shave from a local company, I smell good, and well I just feel better about saving money while shaving. Give it a try. One less thing to empty our pocketbooks. Let me know what you do to save money on shaving in the comment sections below. 

Gary McCoy is Broker and Owner of Tartan Real Estate Services in DFW Texas. Broker license number 0588837. Any opinions in this article are just that, opinions. If you have any specific questions or concerns please contact us at 877-498-7323

The life of a nomad

We call it Glamping

My wife and I haven't been on any trips away from the house in quite some time so we decided to load up the trailer and dogs and baby and run up to Texoma lake for the weekend. It really occurred to me that if  we lived simpler lives we would have more time to take trips like this. Or better yet live out of a trailer full time!

So sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a faithful trip... Sorry now that song will be stuck in your head all day. 

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I know a trailer is a toy, like a boat or four-wheeler. However in our case, a trailer really was trying to simplify our lives. See we have 3 gigantic dogs; Walker, Johnny, and Annie.

Two of which are show dogs and the other loves to lure course (bags not real). On our vacations we were spending way too much money on hotels, meals, and even boarding our dogs sometimes. We decided to follow the "turtle principle": we carry our house with us. That way we aren't stuck in our hotels and all our furry and non furry McCoy's get to spend time in the great outdoors.

If you like camping you would LOVE Glamping (Glamour Camping). It is so relaxing. You are not stuck in one place if you don't want to be and the people that you meet are priceless. We have been from Texas to Tennessee and Kansas to Arkansas. Your movable home can be in the mountains or on the beach, at a lake or in the woods.

One of the things that we learned about traveling this way is you have to be strategic on what you bring. While we have the creature comforts of home things like starting a fire, or packing clothes, or even wifi can be a problem.

We recently found that if you take your dryer lint, and a used paper towel roll or toilet tissue roll and soak them in a bag with old grease from bacon or Vaseline, you can start a fire instead of lugging round starter logs. Plus they are basically free.

And let's face it this:

Is way better than this:

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It is so relaxing and nice to be out of the city, away from constant phones, having to do something every minute to just relaxing like our baby CB is doing.

 Honestly, just get out doors. Quit reading this blog and go have fun with your family or friends. Be a part of nature and live simpler. 

Gary McCoy i broker and owner of Tartan Real Estate Services in DFW Texas. Broker license number #0588837. Any opinions in this article are just that, opinions. If you have specific questions or concerns please contact us at 877-498-7323