That stubborn vacuum cleaner

Okay, this is totally sexist, but it had me howling. (Sent by reader Ken.)
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A retired guy sits around the house all day, so one day his wife says, "Joe, you could do something useful, like vacuum the house once a week."

The guy gives it a moment's thought and says, "Sure, why not. Show me to the vacuum."

Half an hour later, Joe comes into the kitchen to get some coffee. His wife says, "I didn't hear the vacuum working. I thought you were using it?"

Exasperated, Joe answers, "The stupid thing is broken, it won't start. We need to buy a new one."

"Really?" she says. "Show me. It worked fine the last time."

So he did.

(Click here)

Frugal tip

We bought a used vacuum cleaner a few years ago that can only be described as temperamental at best. But hey, it was cheap.

But whatever the cost of the vacuum, the one thing I won't scrimp on is vacuum cleaner bags. It drives me nuts when a cheap bag suddenly bursts, spewing dust and debris everywhere. So I've been in the habit of buying name-brand bags over the years.

A few months ago, while in a sew/vacuum fix-it store in Coeur d'Alene, I bought some even pricier bags that were "micro-lined." The reason I bought them is they were on sale (otherwise I would have balked at the price regardless of the quality). The dealer assured me they were tough, high-quality bags that wouldn't burst. As he was right, they've been terrific. I bought every bag he had available at the sale price.

Well, I'm down to my last two bags, there's no more sale, AND I have to go all the way into Cd'A to get more. What to do?

Yesterday while vacuuming, the bag became full and the vacuum wouldn't work properly. (Remember, it's a temperamental machine.) So I discarded the full bag and pulled out one of my two last remaining vacuum bags.

That's when I decided to implement a little tip I learned in The Tightwad Gazette (wonderful book, highly recommended).

Before installing the new bag, I teased open one of the sealed ends. It took awhile because I didn't want to tear (and therefore weaken) the paper. But the micro-lining helped, and after about fifteen minutes I had one end of the bag open.


Then I stapled it shut, using ten staples. In theory, this would allow me to remove the staples when the bag is full, empty it, re-staple it, and re-use the bag.


Well, so far it's working beautifully. The stapled end is apparently just as tight as the other glued end, and I finished vacuuming the house without an issue. I should be able to get at least five more uses out of this single bag before it gets so weak I won't be able to stable it any more.


And that's your frugal tip of the day.