Archive for Finance
Less Known Ways to Save Money
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- Change Cell Phone Plans. Use a comparison site to get the best deals in your zip code. We saved $20 a month by switching plans.
- Change to a digital calendar like Google Calendar. And digital planner like Remember the Milk. If you need a calendar or planner, wait until after the new year to get them when they are 50-75% off.
- Use a credit union instead of bank. The fees are usually lower.
- Don’t spend any coins. Put them all into savings or debt reduction.
- See if your neighbors have plants that need thinning instead of getting them at the yard center.
- Only drink water when you eat out. Drinks have one of the highest mark ups.
- Have a folder with menus and coupons for when you need to do take out. But, cook at home more often. And go out for lunch instead of dinner. Lunches are less expensive. Split meals with a friend. Most restaurant portions are too much for me.
- Consumer Reports’ auto-test department says that the air conditioner reduces your car’s fuel efficiency by up to 10 percent. It suggests not using the air conditioner at speeds below 40 mph instead use the windows. At speeds above 40mph though the air conditioning is more efficient.
- Disconnect the landline or switch to something like Vongage.
- Swap for books, trade used books at a used book store or go to the library.
- Freeze fruit in season to use in pies and smoothies throughout the year. Go berry picking for even cheaper fruit.
- Wait at least a week before buying impulse items.
- Get rid of some subscriptions – magazines, gym, online memberships.
- Buy a 2 or 3 year old car instead of new. Cars lose so much value just getting driven off the lot.
- Shop at a grocery store that either has double coupon days, inexpensive products of gas coupons. I get 10-15 cents off per gallon from my grocery store.
- Look for alternatives to get what you want. Barter, trade, rent. Look in your own house for what you can use instead.
- Make a budget and then use a program that will tell you when you are about to go over budget.
- Go on a spending fast for a weekend, week or a month where you only spend on the necessities.
- Learn to fix things and teach your kids. My husband can fix just about anything saving us tons of money throughout the years. You can find how to articles all over the web.
- Give up cold cereal. Hot cereal, eggs and pancakes are less expensive than cold cereals.
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Photo by: Andrew Magill
Getting Your Financial House in Order
Posted by: | CommentsFinances are one of those things that is easier to let someone else handle – your husband or wife, an accountant, a broker. Maybe you think it’s too scary or over your head. Or you don’t like to deal with numbers.
But, you need to be involved in your finances. You need to know your net worth and how much debt you have. You need to know your credit score.
Otherwise, how will you make good decisions with your money?
If your budget is to pay the bills and if you have money left, do whatever you want with it, you may not be going where your goals are.
If I want to be able to travel or go to plays, then I need to save for them.
If you want to get out of debt, you need a plan.
If you aren’t spending and saving your money based on your values, you will not be as fulfilled no matter how much money you have.
So get together with your spouse or your checkbook and find out for yourself how much is coming in and how much is going out. And does the way you spend and save your money reflect your values?
How are you going to get your financial house in order?
Financial Weekend
Posted by: | CommentsUsually I do my financial weekend closer to the New Year, but it’s still January so I’m ok. In order to improve your financial well being and to simplify your life, you need to be honest about where you are right now. That’s what my financial weekend does for me.
This weekend:
- I updated Quicken to calculate my Net Worth. You can also use this calculator:
http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/networth/networth.html - Checked our credit reports
- Got our Fico Credit Score
- Updated our Spending Plan
- We recently moved to a credit union to I added that money goes automatically to savings once a month
- Updated my debt reduction planner
- Set up this year’s tax folders and finance folders
Is all your financial info up to date? If not take some time the next couple weekends to update it.
Shopping Temptations
Posted by: | CommentsI was at the mall this past weekend. I rarely go there because I don’t much like shopping and temptation can be too great.
But, I was meeting a friend and that was the only place I could think of that was between our cities.
I ate before I left and brought trail mix, so I would have to eat overpriced food. My friend was hungry so I did order a mini dessert while we talked.
Victoria Secret was having a major bra sale. Such pretty ones, too. I picked out four and when my friend asked if I was going to try them out I put them back. I was picturing my bra drawer which was full at the moment.
We visited a couple clothing stores. I was drawn to some exquisite shawls. And some unusual belts. And the lovely bracelet. Oh and look at the detailed jacket. But, we had to admit to each other that neither one of us had any place to wear them.
That’s the great thing about beauty – you don’t have to buy it. If you are in an art museum, you look at the painting and sculptures. You don’t automatically think to take a Rembrandt home with you. Store shopping can be the same thing. If you are shopping and you see something beautiful, go ahead and admire it.
Then put it back.
Save Money By Using Your Food
Posted by: | CommentsWith food being so expensive nowadays, I took on a challenge I saw in Body and Soul Magazine. The article suggested recording how much and what kind of food you waste during a week.
I was appalled with my results. That certainly doesn’t help the food budget.
So the next week I was much more conscious. Here are some changes and ideas:
- Only shopped for enough produce for 3 days
- Added leftover rice to the black bean soup
- Added leftover vegetables and fruit to salads
- Made soup from some leftovers
- Chopped up the rest of the green pepper and onion to freeze before they went squishy
- The chicken fajita stuff from dinner made it into a breakfast omelet
- When I had tomato soup, I added it to my menu plan for lunch two days later
I found just being aware is what has made the difference. Every day I peek and see what needs to be used soonest. So those fruits and vegetables get used first. Leftovers might become breakfast or lunch. And really it only take a few seconds to evaluate the fridge as long as it’s not overstuffed.
The second idea that helped me the most, is to see what leftovers I had right after meals, before they are even put into the fridge and incorporate them into my menu plan for 1-2 days afterwards.
I feel very new to this sort of thing. I think my Mom and Grandma were much better at it. So if you have any tips to give me on making the most of the food in my fridge, please leave me a comment.
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Salad by SuaveHouse
A Simple Life Doesn’t Have to Mean a Cheap Life
Posted by: | CommentsWhen you say the simple life, often an image arises of living on a farm, shopping only at garage sales and Goodwill, and buying food in bulk at a discount place. But, this is not the necessary path to take.
Personally I look to live a quality life.
Quality Food
My mother is a fantastic cook and showed me the differences in food quality. Fresh, organic produce from the farmer’s market in season tastes much better than canned fruits and vegetables from the discount food store. European and quality cheeses tantalize the tongue more than processed cheese slices. A square of Ghiradelli or Droste chocolate delights me more than a candy bar from the checkout line. We rarely get bread from the bread section, but choose bakery bread or bake our own. Organic milk and brown eggs taste more rich than their regular counterparts.
But, how do we afford the good food? By eliminating as much processed, convenience food as possible. We rarely buy cookies from the store. Homemade taste better anyway. And we don’t often buy chips (although sometimes those lime organic tortilla chips and salsa call my name). I’m trying to get away from boxed pastas and rices full of sodium.
It turns out it doesn’t take much time to make your own flavorful sauces. We grate our own cheese, create our own hamburgers and meatballs, shred our own potatoes for hash browns, and make our own yogurt all saving us money.
We also don’t buy much meat. None of us have much of a taste for it so we only have meat 3-4 times a week. We don’t buy processed meats like hot dogs or lunch meat. Mainly because we don’t like it.
I didn’t used to cook much at all. We survived on ramen noodles, tuna sandwiches and mac & cheese. To my surprise cooking without convenience foods didn’t take that much time. Especially when you are cooking simple meals. Often our dinner is a piece of grilled meat or fish (on the George Foreman), sauteed vegetables, some kind of fruit, and a piece of bread, a bit of rice or pasta. Most of my meals take less than 30 minutes (usually less then that). I try to spend little time cooking. I didn’t get my mom’s cooking gene. But even I can make these simple, quality foods taste wonderful.
Quality Furniture & Appliances
After two bowing entertainment centers, a bookshelf that barely holds my books and an old laminate kitchen table, I understood why people save for quality furniture. It took a year of saving to get our bed, but it is so comfortable! I haven’t had any back problems since. It took us a year to save for our couch after our old one got threadbare. This couch should last much longer. Our new bookshelf and entertainment center have already outlasted our old ones.
Most of our appliances, when we got this house in ‘99, were as old as we were. And they kept running until a few years ago. When everything broke. At once.
We researched to find the best appliances we could afford. These are things we use every day and get lots of wear and tear. We want to be able to use them for years.
After our 4th electric can opener died since we’ve been married, we’ve gone back to a hand cranked opener that hasn’t broken once.
Maintenance is so important to making them last. My husband oils, washes, fixes, and replaces parts so our possessions can last longer.
Quality Shopping
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I don’t shop for the fun of it, frankly, because I don’t find shopping fun. (Unless it’s a book store.) I only go shopping if I have something specific in mind. I rarely go to garage sales to browse because I don’t need more stuff. And it takes too much time to go to a bunch of garage sales to find what I specifically want.
I know people that love to shop at garage sales and talk with the people there. They find all sort of bargains. Especially on kid’s clothes. They enjoy it so I say go for it if you like it. I never find clothes that fit at them.
Being 4 ft 11 (almost) it’s very difficult to find clothing that fit even at most stores. There are only two stores in my area that have petite sizes so I only go there for clothes shopping and two places online that have styles I like. Shopping only at 4 clothing stores total saves a lot of shopping time.
I don’t have many clothes. We have a small 5 foot long closet I share with my husband. I’ve finally gotten to the point where I love everything in my closet. I used the 1 in 1 out rule to keep the amount of clothes reasonable for my space. And I learned what colors, lines and styles look best on me. (I love What Not to Wear 
I try to get clothes that last so I don’t have to shop, unless it’s a ‘just this season’ item. I may buy one of those a season as inexpensively as possible.
I pay more for green cleaners and makeup, for things grown or made locally, and handmade items which reflect my values of caring for the earth and supporting my local stores and artists. It feels good to spend money that line up with your values.
Quality Experiences
I think a quality life has many different experiences. So we do things like get a season pass to the cultural events at the college nearby. Or go to the film festival. We get a state park pass and see how many we can visit in a summer. We buy or find craft supplies so my daughter and I can make art together. And enjoy plays, books and music. If something comes along we haven’t done before, I jump at the chance if it will fit in the budget.
You can have free quality experience as well – getting out into nature, watching the street performers, going to art fairs or local galleries, getting together with friends, volunteering as a family, and saying yes when invited somewhere.
It turns out if you don’t buy a lot of stuff (we certainly don’t have the biggest house, the best decorations or the latest technology), you can buy experiences and memories. Living life instead of maintaining life.
Of course a quality life means different things to different people. That’s why a simpler life is so personal.
What does a quality life mean to you? What are you willing to let go of to get your quality life?
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Photo credits: Wandering Angel, M Baylor, Alicia Nijdam, Marg Nac
A Simpler Garage Sale
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This weekend was lovely with a cool breeze and lots of sunshine. I was at a friend’s house as we hosted a garage sale and caught up with our lives. The only reason I do garage sales is to spend time with friends. Otherwise I think they are more work than the money you make. I am always looking for ways to make garage sales simpler. Here are a few tips from our last garage sale:
- Don’t label everything. Use boxes or tables where everything is $1, $2, 25 cents. Trust the people will give you the right area they found the item. Saving $1 is not worth the time it takes to label every single thing. Besides the point is to get rid of your clutter.
- Lay books and DVDs so you can read all the titles. We used stackable wooden crates.
- Keep bottled water with you.
- Have each family track their own items and money. We used a piece of paper and a clip board with the names of each person in our family. Then wrote down the money received.
- Make it a family affair. Have the kids help set up and take the money. You may be surprised by how wonderful they are at selling or displaying or greeting. My kids keep the money for what they declutter. This year they got rid of a few bags of things from their younger years.
- Playing music helps everyone relax.
- Keep the money and change on you in a little pack or purse. Otherwise you may be stuck sitting at the table. I like to walk around, talk with the customers or neighbors, and re-arrange things.
- Have plastic grocery bags available for people to carry items in. (Another great thing to declutter, too.)
- Have a free box to bring people in and get rid of more clutter.
- Print out signs and tags from Family Fun
- Advertise on Facebook, Craigslist and other free spots. Use simple signs with Big Bold Lettering. Make sure you can see the sign going both ways.
- Make sure you have an outlet and extension cord to test electronics. We charged up the batteries on the remote control cars because they didn’t sell the first day. And we got rid of most of them the second day.
Do you have any tips to make garage sales simpler?
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Photo Credit: Mac Inate
Enough, This is My Life
Posted by: | CommentsBad self-image is epidemic. So much is expected – perfect body, great job, well behaved kids, gorgeous house, making a difference. Too often we expect to be perfect in every area and get down on ourselves when we aren’t.
When people feel badly about themselves, they listen to other people to tell them what to wear, what to drive, what to buy.
The next door neighbor’s lawn is a beautiful green. Instead of enjoying it, feelings of failure encroach. Next thing you know, you are on the phone to Chem-Lawn.
Or you are feeling badly about a stupid mistake at work, so you get the urge to go to the mall.
Since everyone else has cable TV and a cell phone, that must be the right thing to do. Or a puppy in a purse?
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It can be hard to simplify – to go against what other people do and buy and wear. No one wants to look or feel "less than." But, think how great it feels when you take responsibility for your money choices. You can choose to say enough, this is my life.
My family sacrifices $100 shoes and trips to Europe so I can work from home and we can go to the beach more often. We would rather buy a season ticket to the local theatre than buy premium channel cable.
The other day my son said, "I can’t believe the price of some of those purses the girls have at school." None of us spend much money on clothes. But, we each have our own computer my husband built. We are buying less expensive food while my husband is laid off, so we can continue to sponsor a child.
The things we have bought for image or to make us feel better are the things we wish we hadn’t bought. The new car, instead of used. The premium membership I couldn’t say no to on the phone. Cute shoes that I can’t walk in. And numerous electronic gadgets.
You don’t need anyone else telling you what you should buy. Make sure you are spending your money in ways that are meaningful to you and your family.
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Photo credit: Tom Saint
Homemade Upside Down Tomato Planter
Posted by: | CommentsWe are forgoing our garden this year to try to heal our soil. But, I knew I would be craving fresh tomatoes.
Then I saw the upside down planters on TV. I figured my husband can make or fix just about anything, why not ask him if he could do this. That same weekend he was helping a friend’s grandma repair her roof and she had ordered the upside down planters so Jeff got a good look at them.
This week, he told me what we needed and it turns out we had everything but the foam. So we picked that up at hobby lobby for under $2.
Supplies:
- 4 plastic hanging plant pots
- a stand or hanger for the plants
- craft foam for inside the pot to hold in the plants (like the kind you put in chair backings)
- vine plants
- dirt
We drove to our favorite farmer friendly supply shop and got our plants.
Jeff cut a hole in the bottom of the pots. We gently took the tomato plant out and Jeff held the pot while I pushed the plant through the bottom. Lost a couple leaves. Jeff had cut the foam so it was sort of like a square pacman. He placed the foam around the plant and root. This will keep the plant steady and the dirt inside the planter.
I filled the pots with dirt and by the end we had 2 tomato planters and 2 bean planters. On top we placed strawberry plants. Maybe we will get strawberries before the rabbits eat them this year.
I’ll keep you updated with how our experiment works.
Making Saving Fun
Posted by: | CommentsTemptation to spend can be countered by making saving as much fun as spending research shows, writes Tim Hartford in Parade Magazine.
To do that, if you imagine a future purchase, that’s almost as good as buying it. So instead of saving for "just in case", it’s more helpful to think of saving for something specific like a car, a vacation, etc.
We usually have money go directly from checking to savings on my husband’s paycheck days. But since he doesn’t have a paycheck and my income is sporadic we may have to try another idea they mentioned. Periodically sending a text message or email message reminding yourself to save some of the paycheck.
You can also make a game of seeing how much less you can spend on groceries this month compared to last. And how much longer you can go without having to fill up on gas. Or play with new homemade recipes.
Savings doesn’t have to be drudgery.
