# Incredibly cheap things you do to save questionable money **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 31, 2025, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404 "2025-03-31T14:50:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tokushizu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@Tokushizu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tokushizu)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2025, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/61 "2025-04-01T17:55:12Z")
You’re most welcome! I should have noted that this seems to only work with the kind of pickles that are sold refrigerated, not the shelf stable type (I can’t tell you why, though…but there’s a good chance that another doper can.) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/62 "2025-04-01T18:20:59Z")
There are also “instant pickles”, delicious served with fish in Caribbean and Spanish _escovitch_ (or _escabeche_) recipes. > **[Jamaican Escovitch Fish Recipe](https://jamaicanfoodsandrecipes.com/jamaican-escovitch-fish-recipe/)** > > Authentic Jamaican Escovitch fish recipe with pickled sauce: INGREDIENTS: 850 g (1.87 lb) Fresh fish, 60 g (2.12 oz) Slice onion, 3 Garlic cl ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2025, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/63 "2025-04-01T20:04:49Z")
> [@Tokushizu](#): > > It depends on the thickness of the slices. If you slice the cucumbers thin enough, they’ll be pickled overnight. There’s a type of Japanese pickles called “ichiyazuke” (一夜漬け) which literally means “one night pickles”. I love those (the usual Japanese kind, maybe not the ones using western pickle juice). My husband makes them from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2025, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/64 "2025-04-01T20:36:57Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Back when I still used bar soap, my brand of choice was Dial because it had a little depression in the bar that was a perfect fit for the old soap sliver. It’s like you’re inside my brain! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/65 "2025-04-01T21:22:02Z")
That’s so southern! Get real cheap and make your own brine. ---
**Author:** ![Tokushizu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@Tokushizu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tokushizu)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/66 "2025-04-02T00:39:22Z")
I like many types of traditional Japanese pickles (tsukemono・漬物), but not the type which are made with sweetened vinegar, which are called “sunomono” (酢の物). But that makes sense to me because I also dislike bread and butter pickles as well as gherkins. ---
**Author:** ![Tokushizu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@Tokushizu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tokushizu)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/67 "2025-04-02T00:41:31Z")
I only started doing it recently because it seemed a waste to throw away the brine. I can’t see myself stopping now because I enjoy the results and I can save money, too! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/68 "2025-04-02T01:18:18Z")
This is so trivial and obvious that I almost hesitate to post it, but I only run my dishwasher when it has a fair amount of stuff accumulated in it. Which means instead of every night, more like sometimes just every week, or even less. The saving here isn’t about the hot water or detergent, it’s mainly about wear and tear on the dishwasher, which would be a PITA to replace. The current one is about as old as the house in which it was first installed – about 15 years – and still working fine, mainly because of relatively few wash cycles. Maybe someone might want to correlate this with my rants about computer upgrades and obsolete browsers! Yes, I’m an Old Fart who likes yelling at clouds! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/69 "2025-04-02T01:23:53Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > This is so trivial and obvious that I almost hesitate to post it, but I only run my dishwasher when it has a fair amount of stuff accumulated in it. Which means instead of every night, more like sometimes just every week, or even less. Isn’t that the norm? I run it if I run out of forks or if it starts to smell bad. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/70 "2025-04-02T01:28:46Z")
I have lots of forks and knives! As for smelling bad, I tend to rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher if they’re likely to be there for awhile. But if not, sure, I’ll put them in with stuff all over them, because the promise of Finish​:trade\_mark: Quantum UIltimate pods has never failed me yet! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/71 "2025-04-02T01:32:00Z")
Oh fucking great, another “improvement” in Discourse. The trademark icon no longer works. Onward and upward with technology advances! 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/72 "2025-04-02T01:34:12Z")
It’s been a while since I had a dishwasher, but it was always… When there’s not one ioata of room left after 5 minutes of rearanging. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/73 "2025-04-02T02:13:28Z")
Discourse™ works well? Try putting TM in round brackets. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/74 "2025-04-02T06:02:07Z")
Might’ve been the lack of a space before the : but I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/75 "2025-04-02T08:14:22Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Discourse™ works well? > > Try putting TM in round brackets. No,something has changed in Discourse​:trade\_mark:. It sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t, or sometimes has a different appearance ™. I’ve been using the TM symbol facetiously for years and now it’s working differently. It looks fine in the preview pane and then gets garbled in the actual post. It might be my browser, though I’ve been posting with Edge for at least a year or more. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/76 "2025-04-02T08:20:54Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I have lots of forks and knives! No spoons? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/77 "2025-04-02T08:23:23Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > No spoons? I have spoons, but they’ve never been used in musical performances! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/78 "2025-04-02T08:28:17Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > > > Discourse™ works well? > > > > Try putting TM in round brackets. > > No,something has changed in Discourse​:trade\_mark:. It sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t, or sometimes has a different appearance ™. I’ve been using the TM symbol facetiously for years and now it’s working differently. It looks fine in the preview pane and then gets garbled in the actual post. It might be my browser, though I’ve been posting with Edge for at least a year or more. This is what the above post looks like in the Preview pane: [![](https://i.imgur.com/w5yXT8a.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/w5yXT8a.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/79 "2025-04-02T08:40:37Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I have spoons, but they’ve never been used in musical performances! 😁 Y’know, I can change that … (Seriously, thanks!) ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404/80 "2025-04-02T17:15:16Z")
Speaking of musical spoons… [Montreal’s ‘Spoonman’ busker retiring due to recent bylaws](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcVPqF9OSg8) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/incredibly-cheap-things-you-do-to-save-questionable-money/1016404.md?page=5)