It's been an incredible first year. Thank you so much for your kindness, your comments, and your support.
The top nine stories of 2009 voted on by your views are:
1. Top Ten Garage Sale Rules
2. Updated: Top Fifteen Garage Sale Rules
3. Frugality Still Not "Acceptable"
4. Why the Snowball is Good Math, Not Just Good Mental
5. Simple Steps to Frugality: Step 1: Meeting of the Mind(s)
6. Frugal Bang for Your Buck: Easy Ways to Cut Expenses
7. Simple Steps to Frugality: Step 3: Go For Big Gains Early
8. Deprioritizing Our Debt Payoff
9. Do We Teach Children Debt?
Thank you again. I've got some neat things on the burner, and if you liked 2009, you're going to love 2010.
Snow Is The Best Free Fun Ever
by a.b.
We just spent the last half hour playing in a very unusual snow fall. Portland gets rain, it doesn't usually get unpredicted snow. Nevertheless, the snow at the thousand foot level made a pleasant visit to fifty feet above sea level. And see we did.
We took our dog over to our complex's dog park and watched him run around and chase snowflakes. My husband took our camera out for snow pictures. This is one of those days I will never forget. So much fun, so lucky that I happened to be home from work and he had the day off.
Let's just hope our luck holds. The cars are already having a problem getting up the roads to our apartment, and we both have work tomorrow. I guess we won't be going anywhere if we get snowed in, except walking back to the dog park.
I'll post photos as soon as my husband uploads them.
For The Gifts You Weren't Quite Sure About....
.....check out my post at Moolanomy titled: How To Regift Unwanted Presents. You know you always get at least one gift at each occasion that makes you wonder, "Did they buy this as a bet?" or "Wow, their eyesight's really getting bad!" Regifting is a kind solution to give presents a home that are perfect...for someone else. Happy reading!
Have a Travel Emergency Plan
by a.b.
We just spent an hour arranging for two hotel rooms for four families stranded in New York.
In hindsight, I should have paid better attention to my in-laws' travel plans. If I had realized they were flying from Africa to New York City Christmas week, I would have made some advance plans. Their flights were canceled and they are on standby until Friday at the latest. We are extremely lucky that my husband works in the hotel industry. He was able to call his manager, explain the situation, and they worked with a sister hotel to house our family. They were even kind enough to give us his rate.
It's difficult to figure out a travel back-up plan in a situation like this. Even if they could've foreseen their flights being canceled, it's not like you can put a "potential reservation" on a hotel. There are some things you can do when planning and if caught in a travel "cluster":
1. Do not ever, ever, ever, have your house/petsitter leave the key behind in the house on the last day. If you are waylaid, they now have no way to get back in and continue taking care of things.
2. Contact anyone who is waiting on you to inform of the situation.
3. Call your employer, if needed.
4. Analyze the needs of your entire party when assessing your situation. While you might be able to stay in the airport until you get off standby, you may have others in your party or family who need rest. You don't want to get on a plane only to have someone escorted off by the flight marshal for being cranky.
5. If you can, find a hotel that has shuttle service and/or free breakfast. Not only does it save money, but when it's cold and ugly in the morning, you don't want to be wandering around looking for warm food. Shuttle service makes it easier to go back and forth while you're checking on your standby status.
6. Keep hydrated and eat snacks. Anything that makes your disposition better is dramatically important.
7. Remember that getting angry doesn't help. You are far more likely to catch the pity of a transportation agent with kindness than with the same anger the other 200 passengers are displaying.
So our family is fine for the meantime, but we're blessed. Many aren't so lucky to have a hotel employee in the family. Those poor souls are blowing their vacation budget on $150-250/night on a place to sleep. I am so sorry.
We just spent an hour arranging for two hotel rooms for four families stranded in New York.
In hindsight, I should have paid better attention to my in-laws' travel plans. If I had realized they were flying from Africa to New York City Christmas week, I would have made some advance plans. Their flights were canceled and they are on standby until Friday at the latest. We are extremely lucky that my husband works in the hotel industry. He was able to call his manager, explain the situation, and they worked with a sister hotel to house our family. They were even kind enough to give us his rate.
It's difficult to figure out a travel back-up plan in a situation like this. Even if they could've foreseen their flights being canceled, it's not like you can put a "potential reservation" on a hotel. There are some things you can do when planning and if caught in a travel "cluster":
1. Do not ever, ever, ever, have your house/petsitter leave the key behind in the house on the last day. If you are waylaid, they now have no way to get back in and continue taking care of things.
2. Contact anyone who is waiting on you to inform of the situation.
3. Call your employer, if needed.
4. Analyze the needs of your entire party when assessing your situation. While you might be able to stay in the airport until you get off standby, you may have others in your party or family who need rest. You don't want to get on a plane only to have someone escorted off by the flight marshal for being cranky.
5. If you can, find a hotel that has shuttle service and/or free breakfast. Not only does it save money, but when it's cold and ugly in the morning, you don't want to be wandering around looking for warm food. Shuttle service makes it easier to go back and forth while you're checking on your standby status.
6. Keep hydrated and eat snacks. Anything that makes your disposition better is dramatically important.
7. Remember that getting angry doesn't help. You are far more likely to catch the pity of a transportation agent with kindness than with the same anger the other 200 passengers are displaying.
So our family is fine for the meantime, but we're blessed. Many aren't so lucky to have a hotel employee in the family. Those poor souls are blowing their vacation budget on $150-250/night on a place to sleep. I am so sorry.
Frugal Emergency Kit: First Aid
by a.b.
In a crisis, bad will go worse. For this, we have first aid Kits. A fully furnished first aid kit bought at a store can be pricey. There are many ways to stock an excellent kit, without spending your bank account.
First, know what you'll need. Clark County, NV recommends your kit contain the following:
Don't be overwhelmed by the list. It's 35 items, plus or minus anything you can think of. Some of the items may already be in bulk in your medicine cabinet, easily parceled into an emergency kit. If you remove medication from it's packaging, put it in something you can label with the name, unit of measurement (i.e., 25mg capsules), the batch (in case of recall), and the expiration date.
Now that you've checked off what you have, arrange your list by priority, and divide it into up to four sections. Each week, you are responsible for obtaining the items in each section, creating a full kit inside of a month.
I think you should also consider putting a small first aid kit (antiseptic, bandaids, and gauze) in every individual's emergency kit, over and above the household one.
Your first stop is your local dollar/99 cent store. The random brand "neosporin" that costs one dollar works just as well as the four dollar name brand. They usually have a wealth of random first aid supplies, but they rotate and you may not be able to find it the next time. My second favorite locale is our Big Lots. For those of you who don't have one, it's a closeout store, where retailers send their season's ends. They have really good deals, many under a dollar. Their selection is also never the same twice.
When all else fails, you can still go to a grocery or drug store. Look for sales, and utilize rewards to maximize your dollar.
If you're careful with you dollars you should be able to purchase a complex first aid kit for under $50, far better than the limited kits, and far less expensive than the"complete" kits.
One last tip, I look for coupons on first aid supplies, and purchased two mini-first aid kits, like the ones I recommend for your individual kits, for $1.50 each.
Your safety is worth your dollars, but don't spend what you don't have to.
In a crisis, bad will go worse. For this, we have first aid Kits. A fully furnished first aid kit bought at a store can be pricey. There are many ways to stock an excellent kit, without spending your bank account.
First, know what you'll need. Clark County, NV recommends your kit contain the following:
- Emergency medications and prescriptions
- Extra hearing aid batteries, if needed
- Extra eyeglasses
- Aspirin or non-aspirin pain reliever
- Laxative
- Sterile adhesive bandages in varying sizes
- Safety pins
- Adhesive tape
- Latex Gloves
- Sunscreen Gauze Pads
- Sterile roller bandages
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- Thermometer
- Liquid anti-bacterial soap
- Disposable hand wipes
- Needles
- Petroleum jelly or lubricant
- 2 tongue blades
- Antacid
- Saline solution, if needed
- Medicine dropper
- Anti-diarrhea medication
- Rubbing alcohol
- Antiseptic wash
- Ipecac syrup
- Activated charcoal
- Dust/ventilation masks
Don't be overwhelmed by the list. It's 35 items, plus or minus anything you can think of. Some of the items may already be in bulk in your medicine cabinet, easily parceled into an emergency kit. If you remove medication from it's packaging, put it in something you can label with the name, unit of measurement (i.e., 25mg capsules), the batch (in case of recall), and the expiration date.
Now that you've checked off what you have, arrange your list by priority, and divide it into up to four sections. Each week, you are responsible for obtaining the items in each section, creating a full kit inside of a month.
I think you should also consider putting a small first aid kit (antiseptic, bandaids, and gauze) in every individual's emergency kit, over and above the household one.
Your first stop is your local dollar/99 cent store. The random brand "neosporin" that costs one dollar works just as well as the four dollar name brand. They usually have a wealth of random first aid supplies, but they rotate and you may not be able to find it the next time. My second favorite locale is our Big Lots. For those of you who don't have one, it's a closeout store, where retailers send their season's ends. They have really good deals, many under a dollar. Their selection is also never the same twice.
When all else fails, you can still go to a grocery or drug store. Look for sales, and utilize rewards to maximize your dollar.
If you're careful with you dollars you should be able to purchase a complex first aid kit for under $50, far better than the limited kits, and far less expensive than the"complete" kits.
One last tip, I look for coupons on first aid supplies, and purchased two mini-first aid kits, like the ones I recommend for your individual kits, for $1.50 each.
Your safety is worth your dollars, but don't spend what you don't have to.
I got a "free" gift card!
by a.b.
So I've used MyPoints for about a year now. I don't ever do a lot of online shopping, so most of my experience with these rewards programs is just clicking through on the e-mails, getting 5 "points" for each. Low and behold, I accumulated enough for a $50 Target Gift Card. I buy quite a bit of our food at Target, so this is very good for us.
Navigating MyPoints was surprisingly easy. I clicked to redeem my gift card, received a confirmation, and it said it would arrive in 2-6 weeks. I kept waiting for a horror story to post, something to go horribly wrong, something truly writable. With Christmas approaching I figured they'd be backlogged and I'd receive an apology e-mail with a note that I'd see it sometime after Valentine's Day.
Instead, I got my Target card yesterday, right at two weeks, and I'm pretty darn happy. It's slow accumulation for me, but I'm okay with that. I earned $50 for buying two Entertainment Coupon Books that I already needed, and clicking 1200 e-mails. Not too shabby.
So I've used MyPoints for about a year now. I don't ever do a lot of online shopping, so most of my experience with these rewards programs is just clicking through on the e-mails, getting 5 "points" for each. Low and behold, I accumulated enough for a $50 Target Gift Card. I buy quite a bit of our food at Target, so this is very good for us.
Navigating MyPoints was surprisingly easy. I clicked to redeem my gift card, received a confirmation, and it said it would arrive in 2-6 weeks. I kept waiting for a horror story to post, something to go horribly wrong, something truly writable. With Christmas approaching I figured they'd be backlogged and I'd receive an apology e-mail with a note that I'd see it sometime after Valentine's Day.
Instead, I got my Target card yesterday, right at two weeks, and I'm pretty darn happy. It's slow accumulation for me, but I'm okay with that. I earned $50 for buying two Entertainment Coupon Books that I already needed, and clicking 1200 e-mails. Not too shabby.
Building A Frugal Emergency Kit: Water
by a.b.
With the potential for freezing rain and snow upon us, I decided it would be a great time to get on our emergency kit, without spending our life savings.
Emergency Kit vs. Bug-out-Bag
The first thing you should know is if you are creating an emergency kit or a "bug-out-bag." Your household emergency kit will have enough supplies for your family to be stuck at home for a logical amount of time (usually 2 weeks), while a b-o-b will carry 3 days worth of food and supplies to evacuate your family.
Even though we were preparing for home, we decided to create a b-o-b; the likelihood of us being stranded for more than three days due to freezing rain was slim.
Water
The Red Cross recommends one gallon per person per day. You should also take into consideration any water needed for medication, and for cooking. Don't forget water for your pets. Since a pet's needs vary greatly based on size, etc., set aside what your animal normally consumes on a regular basis.
Storing water is the least expensive thing you will need to do. Fill up 1- or 5-gallon jugs, and put them in a closet. (Please make sure any plastics you are using are designed for multiple fillings, or it's not good for your health.) If you are embracing your inner survivalist, you can also get chlorine tablets and a water filter. While it is a bit more expensive, it guarantees you drinking water if you can find a source (like the creek by our apartment).
With the potential for freezing rain and snow upon us, I decided it would be a great time to get on our emergency kit, without spending our life savings.
Emergency Kit vs. Bug-out-Bag
The first thing you should know is if you are creating an emergency kit or a "bug-out-bag." Your household emergency kit will have enough supplies for your family to be stuck at home for a logical amount of time (usually 2 weeks), while a b-o-b will carry 3 days worth of food and supplies to evacuate your family.
Even though we were preparing for home, we decided to create a b-o-b; the likelihood of us being stranded for more than three days due to freezing rain was slim.
Water
The Red Cross recommends one gallon per person per day. You should also take into consideration any water needed for medication, and for cooking. Don't forget water for your pets. Since a pet's needs vary greatly based on size, etc., set aside what your animal normally consumes on a regular basis.
Storing water is the least expensive thing you will need to do. Fill up 1- or 5-gallon jugs, and put them in a closet. (Please make sure any plastics you are using are designed for multiple fillings, or it's not good for your health.) If you are embracing your inner survivalist, you can also get chlorine tablets and a water filter. While it is a bit more expensive, it guarantees you drinking water if you can find a source (like the creek by our apartment).
Frugal Eats: The Tightwad Guide
by a.b.
While I don't get a lot of direct questions, I get a lot of interesting keyword searches that I will be responding to. If you have any questions, please e-mail moderntightwad@gmail.com.
The truth is I love food. However, I have filet mignon taste on a ground chuck budget, so I've had to be creative in the ways I cook shop, and prepare my kitchen. Food is usually the easiest way to make budget cuts. You can eat out less, cook more, change proteins, etc.
For recipes that have been posted on ModernTightwad, click here. Other great resources (and not in any order) are:
Miserly Moms Recipes
Five Dollar Dinners
Pennywise Family
The Hillbilly Housewife
Frugalrecipes.com
Important things to keep in mind when switching to a frugal eating plan include:
Create a meal plan that allows you to utilize leftovers. This week, we'll be having pasta alfredo with grilled chicken strips. The next day, we'll have chicken veggie wraps or fajitas with the leftover chicken.
Allow for flexibility. I try to have a few backup meals that I can make in 20-30 minutes, and the supplies are always in stock. Try sandwich night, breakfast for dinner, quesadillas, etc.
Leave room for ordering pizza. It's really easy when you're trying to be frugal, to feel guilty and unhappy when you slip up or need to splurge. I collect pizza coupons so that every once in a while we don't have to clean the kitchen.
Protein doesn't equal meat. It doesn't equal tofu, either. Eggs and cheese can provide the needed protein component of a meal, and honestly, it doesn't get much better than grilled cheese and tomato soup on a cold, wintry day. At other times, you can always add protein supplement like protein powder to a soup or smoothie.
Budget food isn't "mac & cheese" anymore. If you're willing to plan ahead, and experiment a little bit, you'll do fine.
While I don't get a lot of direct questions, I get a lot of interesting keyword searches that I will be responding to. If you have any questions, please e-mail moderntightwad@gmail.com.
The truth is I love food. However, I have filet mignon taste on a ground chuck budget, so I've had to be creative in the ways I cook shop, and prepare my kitchen. Food is usually the easiest way to make budget cuts. You can eat out less, cook more, change proteins, etc.
For recipes that have been posted on ModernTightwad, click here. Other great resources (and not in any order) are:
Miserly Moms Recipes
Five Dollar Dinners
Pennywise Family
The Hillbilly Housewife
Frugalrecipes.com
Important things to keep in mind when switching to a frugal eating plan include:
Create a meal plan that allows you to utilize leftovers. This week, we'll be having pasta alfredo with grilled chicken strips. The next day, we'll have chicken veggie wraps or fajitas with the leftover chicken.
Allow for flexibility. I try to have a few backup meals that I can make in 20-30 minutes, and the supplies are always in stock. Try sandwich night, breakfast for dinner, quesadillas, etc.
Leave room for ordering pizza. It's really easy when you're trying to be frugal, to feel guilty and unhappy when you slip up or need to splurge. I collect pizza coupons so that every once in a while we don't have to clean the kitchen.
Protein doesn't equal meat. It doesn't equal tofu, either. Eggs and cheese can provide the needed protein component of a meal, and honestly, it doesn't get much better than grilled cheese and tomato soup on a cold, wintry day. At other times, you can always add protein supplement like protein powder to a soup or smoothie.
Budget food isn't "mac & cheese" anymore. If you're willing to plan ahead, and experiment a little bit, you'll do fine.
I Miss Him Greatly
by a.b.
This past weekend marked the tenth anniversary of my father's passing. It's hard to think he's been gone for ten years; he died one week after I turned 18 from terminal lung cancer. After the doctor's told him they'd need to "go exploring" to find out why he was getting so much worse, he decided he just wanted to go home and spend his last weekend with his family. I spent every moment of that weekend with him, pulled a sleeping bag up next to his hospital bed when he was about to go to sleep, so that he wouldn't have to let go of my hand; I didn't want him to be alone. When he finally settled into some peaceful breathing, he took one, last deep breath, and I realized I didn't want me to be alone.
My father was a centripetal force in my life. He brought life to the people around him, something I wish I'd inherited. He was an entrepreneur, but wasn't very good with money. I remember he turned a $25,000 line of credit into a multi-million dollar development business that collapsed in the construction death of the early 90s. When he knew he had cancer, he sat me down in the kitchen and explained real estate to me. It must have been his way of whispering "Plastics."
The double whammy is I'm approaching thirty and thinking about children. My children, won't know their grandfather, no more than my husband knew his father-in-law. The only comfort is knowing that my stepdad will make a wonderful, jovial grandpa. I just still miss my dad.
So my weekend culminated with an excellent, heaving cry in the shower (for some reason I found it comforting), and now my dog won't let me go in the bathroom by myself. It's a little disconcerting. My friends have taken such wonderful care of me, and I'm finally coming out of it. When my Dad passed, he said, "No funeral for me. Take my friends to a bar, put my credit card out and buy all my friends a round on me." Tomorrow, I might write about the financial repercussions that come from losing a parent when your young. Tonight, I'm going to go have a round of rememberance.
This past weekend marked the tenth anniversary of my father's passing. It's hard to think he's been gone for ten years; he died one week after I turned 18 from terminal lung cancer. After the doctor's told him they'd need to "go exploring" to find out why he was getting so much worse, he decided he just wanted to go home and spend his last weekend with his family. I spent every moment of that weekend with him, pulled a sleeping bag up next to his hospital bed when he was about to go to sleep, so that he wouldn't have to let go of my hand; I didn't want him to be alone. When he finally settled into some peaceful breathing, he took one, last deep breath, and I realized I didn't want me to be alone.
My father was a centripetal force in my life. He brought life to the people around him, something I wish I'd inherited. He was an entrepreneur, but wasn't very good with money. I remember he turned a $25,000 line of credit into a multi-million dollar development business that collapsed in the construction death of the early 90s. When he knew he had cancer, he sat me down in the kitchen and explained real estate to me. It must have been his way of whispering "Plastics."
The double whammy is I'm approaching thirty and thinking about children. My children, won't know their grandfather, no more than my husband knew his father-in-law. The only comfort is knowing that my stepdad will make a wonderful, jovial grandpa. I just still miss my dad.
So my weekend culminated with an excellent, heaving cry in the shower (for some reason I found it comforting), and now my dog won't let me go in the bathroom by myself. It's a little disconcerting. My friends have taken such wonderful care of me, and I'm finally coming out of it. When my Dad passed, he said, "No funeral for me. Take my friends to a bar, put my credit card out and buy all my friends a round on me." Tomorrow, I might write about the financial repercussions that come from losing a parent when your young. Tonight, I'm going to go have a round of rememberance.
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