Can't No-Poo? Try Alterna-Poo: Aloe Vera

So I've been having a bad hair week, not a bad hair day, a bad hair week. I have ridiculously baby fine hair. I kid you not, I use little kid plastic clips to keep my bangs back, like the little poodle ones you see on a toddler. I've never been called "adorable" so many times since I started wearing them, though.

This morning, in and out of a bad headache I saw those infomercials for the Wen Hair Care System. I buy Whole Foods brand shampoo and conditioner right now, but even I wouldn't spend $30 a month on shampoo and conditioner. I'm lucky if I spend $30 a year!!!

One of the things that's been on my mind is the no-poo method. No-poo essentially is using a baking soda and water mixture/paste instead of shampoo, and then some people use an apple cider vinegar/water rinse in place of conditioner. Unfortunately with my baby find hair, the baking soda mixture is an absolute no way. I use a baking soda mixture for a body scrub and the last time I accidentally got some on my hair, it was a dry, brittle sad state of affairs.

So what to do? I started searching "alternative shampoo" on google and came across this gem from lifehackery.com. Not all sounded appealing, but I thought the aloe vera gel sounded like a real possibility. We keep aloe gel in abundant supply because I get sunburned often, so I thought I would try it.

I stepped into the shower put a dollop of aloe gel in my hand and combed it through my hair. I was surprised how easily it combed through my hair and how nice it felt. I didn't need any conditioner at all. After the shower, I blow dried and so far so good. My hair feels light, isn't greasy, and I think this might be a winner. Best of all, aloe gel is pretty inexpensive compared to shampoo and conditioner, and it's good for me, no harsh chemicals. I can't no-poo, but I can certainly alterna-poo!

Goodwill and good riddance!

I must say I've been inspired by Frugal Babe's decluttering. So much so that when we did all the laundry today, we decided to go through our closets. We managed to fill two large kitchen garbage bags with clothes and shoes for Goodwill. I might have been able to sell a few items on ebay, but I really love my Goodwill shopping, so this is my way of paying it forward. If an item was deemed too grungy to wear, then it was too grungy for the Goodwill.

At this point I literally have half the clothes I moved to Oregon with. HALF!!!!! I think it would have been much easier if I'd cleared it all out before I moved, but such is life. Next step is to go through the last boxes my folks sent us from Nevada. I'm hoping for a garage sale that will eliminate most of our remaining "treasure."

Thank you Frugal Babe!

On Moolanomy: When The Bough Breaks: Planning for Unemployment

I'm not the only one facing unemployment these days, but you can survive it with a solid plan. Or one as close to it as I'm going to get, while still panicking. Check it out on Moolanomy.

The Words I Hate To Say The Most

"We can't afford it."

I hate to say those words, but when your paying off dear old Sallie Mae (thank you, student loans) you say it quite often. When I don't say it, my intentions overrun my ability.

Some friends invited us to go to Puerto Vallarta with them to celebrate their 5th anniversary. We so very much wanted to go, especially cause this year is our 5th as well. We had just enough set aside for the trip, and were planning on going. Then, the projector exploded. We replaced it at a very good deal, and I honestly thought we might be able to save up enough for the trip by the time we're supposed to leave.

Our friends know we're not flush, but they were as hopeful as we were that we could go. Last Tuesday, I found out that my contract job will most likely be up at the end of September. As of now, we cannot afford to go. My friends were going on a trip this past weekend, so I withheld this information until they got back....no need to spoil two trips.

It's really not nice news. Since I'm an independent contractor there is no unemployment with extended benefits waiting in the wings for me. If I'm lucky there may continue to be project work for me with my current company, but I'm not holding my breath. The worst part is now I know that this is going to be the first in a long line of "we can't afford it." It sucks.

Back in February, J. Money went on a pretty long grrrr-fest about how much he hates that phrase. Trust me, I hate saying it as much as he hates hearing it. For the "working poor" it's a fact of life. In some respects I probably could afford more, if I decided to leverage my great-grandchildren's future with credit cards.

I'm currently doing everything in my power to make sure that I will use this phrase as little as possible. I'm working extra hard in my duties for my current company, in the hopes that it might work out for me to stay on after all. I'm starting two side hustles to keep my weekends occupied (cause I don't have enough to do in my "spare" time.) I'm trying to start the slash and burn now so that we can set aside cash.

Does anyone else hate to say those words as much as I do?

I Give Mr. Ramsey...Mostly

So, I'm finally trying the Total Money Makeover. Yes, I know that it makes more sense to pay higher interest rate balances first, but since my interest rates all vary, I think the stable balance is a better thing to track.

I refuse to give on the baby emergency fund. $1000 is not enough for us. We have variable income, and Murphy's law would kick my arse at that amount. We'll be keeping $2000 in the emergency fund.

Other than that, we'll see how it goes. I know I'm coming late to the party, but I've been listening to the Dave Ramsey show online, and I've found it motivating. What I particularly appreciate is the communication it requires between couples. I'm not always good at making sure my husband and I are on the same page, now I have forms and tracking sheets that he can see at any time. They're not just my spreadsheets anymore! We've been on it a week, and we already paid down an extra $60. Cheers!

Dave Ramsey's Guide For Startups: By Modern Tightwad For Moolanomy

"Starting a business on a budget is no easy task. There’s always a product, gadget, gimmick, or location that someone’s willing to convince you that you need — the worst part is when you’re convincing yourself. After signing papers on my own space last Tuesday, I’m right in the thick of it, but got some great advice from an unexpected source, Mr. Dave Ramsey. A listener wrote in to ask Dave his advice on starting a business. He gave four solid points:...."

You want the rest? Read it at Moolanomy! Shoestring Entrepreneurship: Dave Ramsey's Guide For Startups

Ding, Dong, The Taxes are Done!

Just a reminder to everyone. June 15th is D-Day for second quarter estimated tax payments. I truly recommend Quicken Home & Business. Even though it took me two tries to do my taxes (the first didn't work because I was completely brain-dead) it would have taken me much, much longer if I had to do everything by hand.

I've noticed that a lot of people don't like doing quarterly taxes. I've found I love it. Although it doesn't make much sense to me to have it due in June instead of July, I like knowing where I'm at. And I know it will be much easier come January!

I'm Not Frugal Enough

So in my inbox recently was an invite to join an upcoming reality show on absolute cheapskates which I decided was probably not for me. Honestly, I didn't feel I could scream to the American public, "Yes I'm as cheap as they get!" when we just bought a new TV. I know, I know, but there is a darn good reason for it!!

Our projector exploded. Literally a loud pop combined with an earth shattering sound when we tried to restart it. Before you go off on us for having a projector, it was a free gift from my stepbrother when he upgraded to a new HD projector and we've had it for almost three years. Since we didn't have TV or radio, we ran everything through our video console through the TV and it was our only source of entertainment. I searched everywhere, even on ebay, but our projector was so old, that to replace the bulb and housing (since it literally exploded) was going to run us around $400.

Since it was so old, we decided it wasn't worth it and we were just going to use our computers for a while for watching netflix and hulu. That idea only lasts so long when you need glasses and your personal computer is a netbook with a 9 inch screen. After about a week, we couldn't stand it anymore and went searching for a new/new to us TV. A projector was just going to cost too much.

We talked about what we wanted to get. The goal was to get the least expensive TV that will last the longest; I don't want to get something that's going to be phased out with the next wave of technology. So we went to Costco, only to find that they had phased out all of their LCD TVs except for a 32" 720p and the LED TVs were running $500-$800 more than their LCD counterparts. LED=not a need for us. Since we live in a one-room studio, the 32" was a no-go because it was too difficult to see from a distance.

Next we went to Sears, since it was right across the street. We had been looking around, and we went to the clearance side where I saw a nice Sony and Panasonic, but they didn't have any information listed. We finally settled on a Toshiba, which was one step up from their worst quality TV, but had everything we needed for $550. Sure blacks looked a little grey, but, we weren't willing to shell out any more. My husband made it very clear that he didn't want a floor model due to the hours of use on those TVs. After he walked away, the sales woman turned to me and said, "It's a shame he doesn't want an open box TV; we have a couple in clearance that would be perfect for you." I immediately thought of the Sony and Panasonic and clarified, "Open box isn't a problem. He just doesn't want a floor model due to the hours of use they have. Show me what you're thinking of."

Our helpful sales lady walked us right to the Sony. It was 40" (perfect size), 1080p, 120 HZ (perfect for Mr. MT's gaming) with a ridiculously high contrast ratio (black looked black instead of blue or grey!). The price was $499. Apparently someone had bought the TV with a fraudulent credit card, and Loss Prevention (Security) worked with the Police to have it returned. Since they just switched over to the new models, the newly obtained TV was now considered last year's model, and it was the only one. They marked it down from $1300 to $499. I stood guard until the purchase was final so no one would try anything funny and take our prize.

I feel like I made a good decision because we purchased the TV for over 60% off. Since my husband worked at Sears before, and we were basically buying a used TV, he requested the warranty, so if anything happens in the next year three years we can have it replaced with a new TV, and can have it serviced each year. We can also return the warranty in the first year for a full refund if we choose. At the same time, I know a TV, especially one of this quality falls under Abby at I Pick up Pennies' category of a Luxureed. It's not a necessity, but as our only form of in-home entertainment, it's rather important to us in the rainy months. We looked at older TVs on craigslist, but due to our I space constraints, they were just too big.

When moments like this happen I just feel frustrated about spending money. I don't know if I've gotten to a point where I hate to spend. Everytime I have to spend money on anything, even food, I think, "That's $80 I can't spend to reduce debt" or the worst is "I remember when these things didn't cost so much."

Does anyone else feel this way when they spend money. I know I'm not a spendthrift, but I don't think I'm frugal enough, either.