Cheapskates Corner

[Mad Mike]

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Bit esoteric but given the insane growth of Ozempic and other glutide drugs this might affect some and savings can be substantial..
Here in Queensland Australia my cost is $7.70 for a 4 week supply...peanuts ....I save more than that in reduced food cost.

Without insurance coverage it is usually $150-200 or so a month here.
In Ontario $4-500 a month and the US as high as $950 a month
So the yearly cost could range $1800 to $4800 to over $10k+ if you are uninsured in the US....a big cost for many.
WHO just put out guidance approving the drug category for weight loss and poor people suffer worse as they often can not afford to eat better quality food.

Now all these type drugs come in various doses the doc prescribes and I lost my 60 lb on the lowest dose of .25 mg but supplies of that are unobtainium at the moment.
Doc moved me to 1.0 mg ....four times the dose as it is readily available however I'm not thrilled with the somewhat increased side effects...no appetite at all in particular.
The pen it comes in injects a set amount depending on the script but it is dialed in by clicking through until you reach your dose - the clicks are unmarked but users have worked out that 18 clicks = .25 mg.....that makes a single pen go much further - up to four times.
You only get four needles tho. Easily fixed - 100 needles cost $30.
The savings for many can get substantial especially where it s not prescribed for weight loss ...that's the case here and in Ontario.

I was pre-diabetic when I started a couple years back so I got on the train early...I'm not anymore but have maintained the script eligibility.

It's easy to see how much can be saved by making the four week supply go much further.....hundreds and even thousands of dollars savings annually. In theory you could sterilize the supplied needles for reuse but 30¢ for a fresh one appeals.

Is Ozempic Covered by OHIP in Ontario? (Updated 2025 Guide) - Viva Health Pharmacy

Everything you need to know about accessing Ozempic in Ontario, including costs, coverage, and eligibility

www.vivahealthpharmacy.com

This topic could morph to a new thread

Proof ....I'm a lot less round...
While I don’t have before and after pics but this is me at 77 years old 60 lbs lighter and slowly dropping further. Click on pic for full length
View attachment 76918
My hacking attempt on dose did not work.
I tried to game the Ozempic dose to 0.25mg but ended right back with intense food cravings. I increased the dose just now to about 0.5 - half of prescribed to see if that will knock down the cravings. Lucky it's too hot to ride to get a kg of wings.
Summer peas and mac n cheese in a packet filling the void.
Last week on the new full 1.0mg dose I could simply not finish food at all. Somewhere in between is the correct spot.

Glad to see it’s working for you.

My 2025 resolution was 25 in ‘25, meaning I wanted to slim down 25 lbs last year. I managed to loose 30 (although I found 5 of those in the fridge over the holidays.) Another 15 in ‘26 is the goal.

No meds used, just more walking and better eating habits.

Benefits? A1C from 5.8 to 5.5 kept me away from needing Ozempic or other.

 

[MacDoc]

Good stuff...I detest exercise as any sort of goal. Have flat feet so any walking distance is out. Controlling the food noise is the primary advantage for me.
Considering an eBike again for a bit of cardio or an indoor exercise bike....I can watch and exercise....will see what comes up on FB

 

[MacDoc]

Treat for me at long last. 1 year warranty and lots of drive space

MacBook Pro (2020) 13.3-inch - Apple M1 Chip: 8-Core CPU/8-Core GPU - 16GB RAM - SSD 2TB
A$1099

​

Been happy with the 2022 version of the same model but paltry drive 256 ssd.
2TB will likely outlive me. ...need a bigger backup drive tho.
In an odd twist my 2022 is worth more on the used market that the 2020. I'll use my existing 2018 laptop for riding and keep the much improved 2020 for home use.
New one won't keep me warm on chilly nights.

 

[Shaman]

Now all these type drugs come in various doses the doc prescribes and I lost my 60 lb on the lowest dose of .25 mg but supplies of that are unobtainium at the moment.

Wait until retatrutide becomes the norm, along with peptides that simulate body hormones that grow skeletal muscle and raise metabolism (they're coming fast, probably two years) using the same chemical signals that working out does.

Reta is a GLP3 agonist - GLP1, GIP, Glucagon. And it makes some alcohol (particularly beer) taste like floor cleaner. That combined with the exercise analog peptides is going to make obesity a thing of the past.

 

[MacDoc]

KFC’s 10 for $10 Hot & Crispy Boneless Deal Is Back on 20 January 2026 | Frugal Feeds

On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, KFC Australia is bringing back one of its most popular promotions — 10 pieces of Hot & Crispy Boneless Chicken for just $10.

www.frugalfeeds.com.au

Riding to get that deal rain or shine ...will get 3 feeds from this.
Make that 4 feeds as it turned out 24 gm of protein per.

Buddy likes his McDs chicken ....waaaaaay too little value for money
ALL above $10 - between 17 and 25 gm per burger.....

• McCrispy: ~$10.10
• McCrispy Deluxe: Features 100% Aussie chicken breast, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ranch sauce.
• McChicken: ~$17.75 (often listed in menu sets, price can vary by location).

 

[backmarkerducati]

The cost of paint rollers if high enough now I started washing them out... In the past the most I would do is put them in the fridge to reuse as the project goes on and toss them when I was done with that paint, now I spend the time to wash them out to reuse over and over until they are wrecked...

It is still a big PITA but it saves enough money to be worth it now.

 

[Mad Mike]

The cost of paint rollers if high enough now I started washing them out... In the past the most I would do is put them in the fridge to reuse as the project goes on and toss them when I was done with that paint, now I spend the time to wash them out to reuse over and over until they are wrecked...

It is still a big PITA but it saves enough money to be worth it now.

I use paint rollers and brushes for a single color then toss them. If the painting goes over a few days, I just plastic bag the wet brush and roller, they stay workable for up to a week.

I find latex paints dry do fast they become hard to clean. Toss em!

 

[nobbie48]

KFC’s 10 for $10 Hot & Crispy Boneless Deal Is Back on 20 January 2026 | Frugal Feeds

On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, KFC Australia is bringing back one of its most popular promotions — 10 pieces of Hot & Crispy Boneless Chicken for just $10.

www.frugalfeeds.com.au

Riding to get that deal rain or shine ...will get 3 feeds from this.
Make that 4 feeds as it turned out 24 gm of protein per.

Buddy likes his McDs chicken ....waaaaaay too little value for money
ALL above $10 - between 17 and 25 gm per burger.....

• McCrispy: ~$10.10
• McCrispy Deluxe: Features 100% Aussie chicken breast, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ranch sauce.
• McChicken: ~$17.75 (often listed in menu sets, price can vary by location).

I once designed a heater for a massive tank that was going to be used to bleach dark meat white.

I can't recall the name of the comedian that commented he wasn't going to eat chicken nuggets until they told him what part of the chicken was the nugget.

 

[backmarkerducati]

I use paint rollers and brushes for a single color then toss them. If the painting goes over a few days, I just plastic bag the wet brush and roller, they stay workable for up to a week.

I find latex paints dry do fast they become hard to clean. Toss em!

I used to toss brushes until I tried actual quality ones (and learned how to clean them), I am not going to toss a $20 to $30+ brush per room (I am not that baller) out of my laziness and no way I will go back to the cheap crap for quality painting.

I have brushes that are now a decade+ old, no issues with cleaning them. Some get demoted to lower duties as time goes on (mostly due to wear). Pretty much the same for rollers for me now when buying better ones, there is good info online to teach one how to clean them and the roller/brush cleaning tool helps a lot if interested. I don't expect a quality roller to last as long as my brushes (and they don't cost as much) but a half dozen uses, before they are demoted to rolling drywall mud and/or the trash works for me, YMMV. You can still get the $3 ones (totally disposable) but better results are had with better rollers.

Tip, you can get a month+ for rollers if you put them in a bag and also in the fridge. Brushes are really so easy to clean I don't bother, just clean them after each use.

For oil base, the very rare instances I need to do it for interior work I use a disposable brush.

 

[Mad Mike]

I used to toss brushes until I tried actual quality ones (and learned how to clean them), I am not going to toss a $20 to $30+ brush per room (I am not that baller) out of my laziness and no way I will go back to the cheap crap for quality painting.

I have brushes that are now a decade+ old, no issues with cleaning them. Some get demoted to lower duties as time goes on (mostly due to wear). Pretty much the same for rollers for me now when buying better ones, there is good info online to teach one how to clean them and the roller/brush cleaning tool helps a lot if interested. I don't expect a quality roller to last as long as my brushes (and they don't cost as much) but a half dozen uses, before they are demoted to rolling drywall mud and/or the trash works for me, YMMV. You can still get the $3 ones (totally disposable) but better results are had with better rollers.

Tip, you can get a month+ for rollers if you put them in a bag and also in the fridge. Brushes are really so easy to clean I don't bother, just clean them after each use.

For oil base, the very rare instances I need to do it for interior work I use a disposable brush.

I’m at the cheapskate corner on brushes, not worth my time to clean and store a $5 brush.

I’m the other way around on oil brushes. Those I do spend on because they clean up easy. And because I use oil based paints for everything but drywall.

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