So I'm listing a handful of them on eBay. You can check them out here!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Clothing Sale!
We're moving THIS weekend, so in preparation I am cleaning out my closet! Most of the things I'm getting rid of are hard to part with because there's nothing wrong with them - I just have to down size a little...
So I'm listing a handful of them on eBay. You can check them out here!
So I'm listing a handful of them on eBay. You can check them out here!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Wednesday Wisdom: Savoring as a secret for making your $ last
This week's Wednesday Wisdom: Savoring as the secret to making your money last (from my favorite financial literacy source, LearnVest).
The Secret to Making Your Dollar Last
Research psychologists have all the best tricks up their sleeves. Maybe it’s because they study humans like guinea pigs to figure out what really makes our complicated selves tick.
Feeling stressed? Reason yourself out of it (studies show this actually works). Rushed all the time? Slow down, and you’ll be a nicer person (a famous study we cite shows that this is true, no matter who you are).
Feeling broke? Or wish you could stretch your dollar more? We’d normally tell you to head straight to My Money Center and Budgeting Tool (you can’t have enough free tools at your fingertips) — but today, we’re going to give you a break. We’re going to let you in on an easy way to stretch your dollar and enhance your happiness, and it’s also totally free. It’s called savoring.
What Is Savoring?
Savoring is the ability to prolong and stretch enjoyment or positive emotional experiences. It’s the difference between wolfing down a meal vs. lingering over every bite. It relates to how much time you spend sitting in front of a sunset (if you even stop at all).
Scientists have consistently found that the ability to savor promotes happiness (see here or here). Which makes sense. The more you can prolong positive emotional experiences, the more positive emotions are filling up your day. In fact, the tendency to savor benefits individuals across the lifespan: studies show it predicts the subjective well-being for grade-school children, adolescents, college students, and the elderly.
Read on for more.
Savoring is also one of the best tricks for maximizing your finances, because you are getting more happiness for the buck — for the same experience, product, or expense. Which leads us to the ironic point . . .
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Pinterest Inspiration for a New Kitchen
I just love this idea I found on Pinterest from Apartment Therapy for how to creatively use paint, hooks, wheels, and a paper towel rack (plus a few other things) to make your own kitchen island.
We're moving in a few weekends (and still have so much to do!), just across the city, but we have a much bigger kitchen to look forward to there, and I love the idea of putting an island in that could roll to the center or out of the way. I'll be hunting Salvation Army now to find a dresser to fit the bill!
We're moving in a few weekends (and still have so much to do!), just across the city, but we have a much bigger kitchen to look forward to there, and I love the idea of putting an island in that could roll to the center or out of the way. I'll be hunting Salvation Army now to find a dresser to fit the bill!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Wednesday Wisdom: 10 Things You Do to Save $ that May Actually Cost You More
This week for Wednesday Wisdom: 10 things that you are doing to save money that may actually be backfiring (from SavvySugar). Very interesting (although I'm not sure I agree with all of them, or their assumption that you won't use your bulk food - I do!).
Check it out and let me know what you think!
10 Things You Do to Save Money
That End Up Costing You More
We're thrilled to present this smart Wise Bread story here on Savvy!
Have you heard of the expression “penny wise, pound foolish”? It’s something I heard a lot growing up, from my parents, and it can have multiple meanings:
- You are very careful with small amounts of money, but throw caution to the wind with large amounts. This is akin to someone who eats from the dollar menu every day but then blows a hundred dollars every month on a gym membership that’s never used.
- You do things to save money now, only to have those savings cost you more farther down the road.
RELATED: The Case For Expensive Shoes
1. Avoiding Regular Checkups With the Doctor, Dentist, or Optician
It’s something I did in college when money was tight. “Aah, who needs to pay money to a dentist to have him tell me I should floss more?” Well, after leaving the dentist alone for a few years, I paid the price. Avoiding the regular cleanings and checkups left me facing a hefty bill later on when I needed a bunch of costly fillings. I was lucky that I didn’t need root canals or replacement teeth. Now I have a dental plan that covers free checkups twice a year, but even if you don’t, get to the dentist and doctor for health checks. It’s a lot better to pay a co-pay now than pay for major surgery later on. And worse still, it could even cost you your life, especially as so many conditions can be treated if they’re caught early enough.
Read on for more.
2. Taking Store Credit Card Offers For Discounts, but Paying the Minimum
You are probably asked this all the time — “Would you like to sign up for our credit card today and save 30 percent instantly on your purchase?” It’s a good deal, if you actually pay off the credit card in full when you get the first statement. Sadly, when that first statement arrives, many people find it way to easy to avoid the payoff amount and instead pay the much smaller minimum payment. Before long, you’re paying the minimum every month, adding more to the store card, and you’re suddenly a credit card revolver who is paying hefty interest charges. That initial 30 percent you saved can cost you so much more if you’re not careful. Pay it late, just once, and you can add late fees and interest rate hikes to your burden.
3. Doing Your Own Taxes
Many people use software like TurboTax and TaxCut, and they do save a bunch on an accountant. These software programs are OK for very basic tax preparation. But if you have anything slightly more complex, it’s well worth your time to hire a tax professional to file your return. These people are trained in the minutiae of the lengthy tax codes, and they can find deductions and tax exemptions that you have no idea about. And while the software may be able to take these into consideration, you need to know what you can actually legally deduct before entering it. I have a tax accountant, she charges around $250 to prepare my taxes, and she has saved me thousands over the years. She asks questions that the software doesn’t, and she knows how to get me the biggest possible refund. I would never trust tax software over her for my situation, despite the massive initial saving. And remember, tax preparation fees are also tax-deductible the following year!
4. Building an Emergency Fund, but Not Contributing to a Retirement Plan
It’s essential these days to have an emergency fund. The finance experts say you need six months to one year of expenses (although how anyone does that in this dire economy, with pay raises not meeting inflation and massive unemployment, is something of a miracle). But experts also agree that you need to look after your financial future, as you cannot rely on any kind of state pension. If you’re squirreling away money now in an emergency fund or savings account, but you’re not putting money into a 401(k), IRA, or other long-term savings plan, you’re not prepared for something you know is coming — old age. And with compound interest being what it is, every day you put it off is thousands of dollars wasted. If your employer has a 401(k) match, that’s also additional money you are throwing away. Be smart and think long-term. Once you have that in place, by all means, build your emergency fund.
5. Buying the Cheapest Products to Save Money
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — buy cheap and buy twice. Now, being a Wise Bread blogger does not mean I don’t like quality items. I just don’t like to pay retail for them. Almost everything I buy is well below the RRP or MSRP, but it’s usually a well-made product with a good rating. That goes for clothes, shoes, electronics, tools — you name it. However, if you buy a screwdriver set for $1 at a dollar store, or get your shoes for a few bucks at a flea market stall, the chances are you’ll be buying them again real soon. Cheaply made, poor-quality items may save you a few bucks in the short-term, but you’ll only have to pay more later to replace them. And if you replace them with more cheap junk, you’ll be repeating the cycle. You get what you pay for. The only time I would say that this is not true is buying generic brands in grocery stores. In that case, you’re usually buying the same product that’s in the name-brand tin or packet but for half the price.
6. Putting No Money in the Parking Meter Because “I’ll Be Back Quickly!”
You may be a world-class speedy shopper or errand runner, but you just aren’t that lucky. Sooner or later, and probably sooner, if you try and dodge the parking meters, you will get a ticket. These days, a parking ticket can run you anywhere from $10 to $50, depending on which city you live in. Is it worth gambling that 25 cents for a ticket?
Getting Suckered Into BOGO Deals and Other Sales
BOGO, when it’s genuine, is hard to resist. But even then, whether it’s BOGO free or BOGO half price, you have to stop and ask yourself, “Would I really have bought this much of this item at this price anyway?” For instance, if you go to a store looking for jam, and you see BOGO free on jam, that’s probably a great time to stock up. But if you’re looking for a new pair of sneakers and see BOGO half off, stop and think. You went out looking to spend $60 on sneakers. Now you’re spending about $100 after taxes. Did you even want two pairs? Will you wear them both? Do you even like the second pair you’re buying? Sure, it can be a great deal, but if you really only want, and need, one pair, you should only buy one pair.
Also be careful when exploring the sales. It’s easy to see those 75 percent off stickers and go crazy, thinking you’re saving money. If you are planning to resell the item for a profit, go for it. But don’t think that you’ll get anything near full price for it somewhere else. There’s a reason it’s on sale. And if you are just tempted to buy it because it’s cheap, ask yourself, "Would I have bought this if it were more expensive?" I see so many people buying bargains that just gather dust in the basement. And they would happily sell them for the price they paid just to have that money back.
8. Driving Miles and Miles For Cheaper Gas or Other Bargains
At the time of writing this article, the average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.28. And the average vehicle MPG is around 23. That gives you around seven miles for every dollar you spend on gas. Do the math. For example, if you want to put 10 gallons of gas in your car, and drive four miles out of your way to buy gas that is five cents cheaper per gallon, you have spent 57 cents to save 50 cents. And you’ve wasted your time, put more wear on your tires, and used up oil as well. True, it’s not a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s just not worth it. I’ve also talked to people who traveled 30 to 40 miles, one way, to buy something used from Craigslist. So right there, you’re adding up to $10 to the cost of the item you’re buying.
9. Avoiding Routine Car Maintenance
Most of us use a car to get to work. It's something that we need to make money. It’s also something that needs regular maintenance, just like your own body. But many of us like to save that money and do only the basics. We’ll take it in for an oil change, run it through the car wash, and that’s about it. Of course, then the time comes to get your next oil change, and the mechanic has to inform you that your tires are worn on one side because you didn’t rotate them. Or you discover that little knocking sound you ignored is the sign of a major repair. When it comes to cars, the old adage “a stitch in time saves nine” couldn’t be more true. Take care of your car, and it will take care of you.
10. Buying Food in Bulk and Then Throwing Half of It Away
I’m guilty of this one from time to time because bargains are so hard to pass up. When you see a whole bunch of bananas on sale for less than half the price, you grab them. But then you watch them turn black because you bought too many. I have lost count of the food items I have bought over my lifetime that I never got a chance to use. Ironically, when I was a poor student, it didn’t happen. I would shop from day to day, buying fresh produce and cooking it that night. It would last two or three meals and then I’d start again. The fridge was bare. These days, I have so much stuff in the fridge I don’t know what’s in there, and I think that’s a big problem. We load up on cheap bulk items and then have no way of using it all. So while buying in bulk is good for lots of things, be careful when buying perishables. It’s not a bargain if you throw it away.
Healthy Recipes to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day
Last year was the first year we actually did something Irish (think corned beef hash, Guinness, and soda bread), at the invitation of friends, for St. Patrick's Day. And it was surprisingly fun! This year, I've been searching out healthier recipes for alternative St. Patty's Day recipes - some of the classics, and some a little different. Since I'm not a hard-core St. Patrick's Day observer, I figure it's okay to switch it up a little! I think these would be fun to have for a green St. Patty's Day get-together with friends. You could even split up each part of the meal potluck-style for less work. Enjoy!
Have a happy St. Patrick's Day!
Have a happy St. Patrick's Day!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
5 Ideas for Repurposing Pillowcases
If you're like me, my pillowcases seem to be mismatched and a variety of hand-me-downs, with the exception of our nice pillowcases that match our best sheets, of course a gift from our wedding registry. We love these sheets and usually wash them over and over again so that they're the sheets we (almost) always have on the bed. So I already own several pillowcases that I just don't really use. I love these ideas for how to re-purpose a pillowcase.
1- Keep your underwear under wraps.
2 - Protect your dresses.
3 - Protect your small appliances from dust.
4 - Make lettuce last longer.
5 - Make a child's smock.
1- Keep your underwear under wraps.
- When traveling, no one likes to have their bag opened and have underwear laying out (or especially flying out!) in a crowded suitcase. Tuck your intimates in a pillowcase so they are more discreetly packed for your next trip.
- Cut a hole in the top of a pillowcase and slide it over a hanger for a DIY slipcover to protect your nicer dresses.
- Slip a pillowcase over a sewing machine or other infrequently used small appliances that could collect dust in its crevices.
- For more on this, check out my earlier post on this topic!
5 - Make a child's smock.
- Cut a large neck hole in the top of a pillowcase and two smaller holes in the sides for arms. Gather the fabric between the neck and each armhole and tie with a ribbon to fit smaller shoulders.
A (Not-So-Early) Morning Prayer of Un-Domesticity
A (Not-So-Early) Morning Prayer of Un-Domesticity
{This is a re-post from my previous blog, Rewards of the Simple Life. It's one of the outcomes of my journaling over the summer about learning to find contentment in the everyday moments of life.}
 |
| thestir.cafemom.com |
As I look at the pile of dishes ever-growing on the counters,
the assorted mugs, teacups, and glasses abandoned on once empty surfaces,
and the general feeling of dishevelment,
I am reminded
that I am no domestic goddess;
no Martha Stewart,
Rachel Ray,
or Pioneer Woman.
I am just me.
And although being me means that there will not be perfect order,
perfectly cooked meals
or promptly cleaned up spills,
it does mean that I am being true to who I am made to be,
which somehow at the same time, allows me to grow into
what I'm not quite
...yet.
I have been made by One whose vision for me is wider
than the state
of my countertops
or the clarity of my thoughts (or window panes!);
whose call to me is found
outside
of my own imperfections,
a call to grasp this day as an opportunity
an opportunity to love
to embrace change
to reach out to a neighbor
and to do what I can do,
while asking for help at every turn
along the way.
Thank You
that You do not call me to be perfect, successful, or domestic;
as Mother Teresa said,
You just call me to be
faithful.
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