Isla Fisher and M-- Man are Twins!

After their last conversation, the Banker left M— Man in the lurch.  She left before he could figure out the next hidden fee that caused the magical Flying Dollar.  Luckily, M—Man had been reading a book series.

The series is called Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella.  The main character, Becky Bloomwood, is being plagued with debt.  She has overdrawn her accounts and used the ATMs way to many times.  M—Man and his trusty dog, Dollar, read them together.  Then they saw the movie with Isla Fisher.


They decided that it was time to take matters into their own hands (or paws, as the case may be), just like Ms. Fisher.  They did the research and found out that every time they withdrew from an ATM that was not from their bank, they were charged a fee.  That fee is sometimes over $3 per transaction.

They also found out that when they took more money out of their checking account than they had, they were charged a fee.  They felt it didn’t make sense because if they didn’t have enough money for their transaction, how was the bank going to get their extra money?

They didn’t want anything to do any bouncing, except for the owner of Mediterranean Place, since he refused to sell or trade for a “Get Out of Jail Free” card and had just bought a pogo stick.

They watched the news and started to plan ahead.  They balanced they checkbooks once a week and monitored their transactions online.  When they needed to get cash from an ATM, they took out larger amounts, so they wouldn’t have to do it too often.

Eventually, because of Dollar’s connections, they even checked out the Federal Reserve and got some advice.   Within a couple months, they were rolling in savings.  M— Man started to plot against the Banker.  Even though he was now keeping more of his money, he was starting to worry that she had been the cause of all the Flying Dollars.

But a bank is a business after all.  They have to make money.  Some do it by overdraft and ATM fees.  Others give out more loans at higher interest rates.  M— Man held no hard feelings.  He learned.

But now he just wished he could turn back time.  He wished he had magic.  Come back tomorrow to see if his magical Time Turner appears…

I Can Totally Make Those Payments!

Welcome back to The Legend of the Flying Dollar.  When we last left M— Man, he was in a meeting with the Banker, trying to figure out how the golden $500 bill has gotten its wings. 

The good news is that the Banker had met up with the holder of all the property cards.  The bad news is she had rolled a 12 when landing on the electric utility, making her pay 10x that amount.  The middle-of-the road news is that she got inspiration.

They started talking.  M— Man was discussing his mortgages and credit cards.  He had recently discovered a more efficient way to handle his money, so it wouldn’t blow away every time the oscillating fan moved.  He used a credit card.

The problem came in when M— Man only paid the minimum amount due each month!  After a year of making those payments on $50 a month, around half of it went to the actual purchases he had made!  The rest went to interest and other credit card fees.

This was a cause for concern because Illinois and Indiana were on the verge of being mortgaged due to the unfortunate 3 turns he had spent in jail.  Not to mention the fact that Marvin Gardens was losing all its development.  Even though M— Man was close to being hysterical, the Banker took the time to explain credit card interest to him.

“I wouldn’t take the time for this if it wasn’t important, Sir.  You should really look at this calculator I found, which can explain just where your money is going when you make the minimum payment.  Go ahead.  Put your numbers in.  I’ll wait.”

It’s strictly a numbers game as far as credit card companies are concerned.  Some even tack on some extra fees if they feel that can get away with it.  There are so many other aspects of credit cards that should be learned.

Let’s take a huge leap here and pretend I’m the banker.  Here are my top things to do about credit cards:

• 1.Always pay over the minimum.  Even if it’s only a dollar extra, that’s a dollar less that you have to pay interest on the next month.

• 2.Remember that the money you are using when swiping is not yours.  It’s the credit card company’s.  If you want to use a card, consider debit.

• 3.Do not miss a payment.  Credit Card Companies don’t mess around when it comes to collection.  That can also completely ruin your chances of bigger and better things in the future (car, house, etc).  If it comes between missing a credit card and something else, there’s a better chance the other place will work with you more.  But always call them first.

That Was Due When?!

M— Man met with the Banker and they decided to make a list of some ways that dollars could start flying away from home.  One of the major problems seemed to be that there was a lack of organization for bills.  The maid cannot pay the bills or return the DVDs if she could not find them or didn’t know when they were due.

Late fees were eating him alive.  Money was flying away to those other businesses for reasons that could only be chalked up to laziness or forgetfulness.  Here is the list that the Banker and M— Man came up with.

• Utilities (Mostly 10% of payment)

• ****Libraries ($.10 per day per book)

• ****Blockbuster ($.22 per day per DVD)

• Returned Check ($25, plus fee added to purchase)

• Restocking Fees (10 – 20%)

• Mortgage (5%)

• Rent (4% or daily fee up to $25/day)

• Loans (5% or $50.00)

The banker paused at the end of that list and started to explain what the pretty stars meant.  She did not want her client to feel affection for them.  She started to explain that after a certain amount of time, those places would just charge the whole cost of the book/DVD/game.  The costs will most likely not be credited if the object is returned, either.

At this point, seeing the list made M— Man cry.  These were all places that money was disappearing.  And the Banker was no help.  She was too busy trying to find the other die that had rolled under the couch.  She was hoping for doubles.

This is what I would recommend to M— Man if I had been his banker:

• 1. Buy or Make a Personal Secretary.  This amazing invention is so simple, I’m embarrassed I never thought of it before.  It has 31 slots in the top, one for each day of the month.  When you get a bill in the mail, place it in the slot for the day it’s due.  Keep it in a place where you will see it.  That way, when you sit down to pay bills (which is a better idea than just paying them whenever), you know which ones need to be paid when.

• 2. Use an Outbox.  Place a box/basket/some form of storage vessel near the front door, or wherever you normally leave the house/apartment.  When you’re done watching your movie or reading the library book, put it in the basket.  That way, when you leave, you will see it and can grab it on the way out.  It’s an easy way to remember to return them!
  

Will the Banker ever find the second die?  Will M— Man stop crying and fix his problem?  Is the problem of the Legend of the Flying Dollar finally over?  Come back tomorrow and find out!

PS – I also use the Door Outbox to put things like an empty toilet paper roll so that I can remember to buy that, too!

The Legend of the Flying Dollar

Once upon a time, in a land so similar to our own that the resemblance is more than a little bit scary, there lived a small man with a mustache.  This man had once been affluent, wearing a black top hat, black suit, and monocle.  In fact, he had not been known by his own name and had a nickname, M— Man.

Now this man, he had once owned so many monochromatic hotels of the crimson variety, as well as four separate railroads, that he had over a dozen of every colored bill imaginable.  Everything was going fantastic on the streets that connect Boardwalk and Park Place, where his office was.  Until one day…

He was looking out his rather large window, shaped like a battleship, when he say something out of the ordinary.  Past the thimble shaped streetlamps, up in the sky, near the wispy clouds in the shape on an old leather boot, an object was fluttering.

Now, M— Man was very familiar with this particular shape.  It was paper thin and extraordinarily flexible.  In order to try to get a closer, he stepped out of his iron shaped door and grabbed his extra silver top hat, because it always made him see a little better.

He stood outside, next to his dog, Dollar (name stolen from Richie Rich), and his cannon, which he used as a planter for petunias in his front yard.  The object started getting larger and larger, as if falling from the sky.  Racing to his garage, where his nice convertible was sitting, he grabbed his wheelbarrow.

His goal was to catch the falling object.  He did.  That was when all the problems started.  The object that seemed to get larger and larger was really smaller than the size of a notebook page.  It was a dollar.  A goldenrod colored bill.  Needless to say, M— Man completely panicked.

Then he looked up and saw thousands of bills falling from the sky.  He screamed like a little school girl and ran to his Community Chest, which was really not for the community at all, and saw that it was wide open and it was empty.

At this point, he had a nervous breakdown.  All his money that he had worked so hard for was gone.  He had not even seen it fly away.  He had thought his money had been safe.  He hadn’t bought anything that new or expensive.

The community laughed at him, and he lost all his affluence as they smirked, “That’s what he gets for playing with Chance.”

So today, M— Man is no longer so nervous and he is trying to form a plan.  He wants to know where his money sneaked off to. 

Stay tuned this week to find out how M— Man solves this horrendous problem.

DIY Saturday: Denim

Have any of you seen the recent commercials on TV for denim jeans?  It’s a complete photo montage of people like James Dean with a voice-over saying how they would never be caught dead in pleated khakis?  Well, that is the attitude of Americans when it comes to jeans!

Everyone has them!  I mean, I have at least 6 pair.  The thing is, I wear them so often that they get worn out to the point that I cannot even donate them to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.  But, I hate throwing them out.  Here are some great ideas I’ve found to re-purpose them.

• Hobo Bag: I made this out of my favorite pair of jeans when I was in 7th grade.  They had rivets down the sides and handle.  Plus, there were built in pockets for cell phones, pens, and all the other trappings women keep in their bags.  Actually, if you wanted to make a purse just out of the back pocket, that could work, too!

• Accessories: Window Valance, Rug, Plastic bag/toilet paper holder, Placemats, pot holders, etc

• Organizer:  This is a simple idea.  Wrap old soup cans in denim.  You can layer them or keep them attached.  Make it however you need it.  Everyone has different needs.

• Magnets: These are my personal favorites.  Take the old pockets, decorate them, glue a magnet on the back, and voila!  A personalized magnet that can go anywhere for anything.  They fit your style in any way you want.

• Hot Packs: Fill a pocket or a square denim bean bag with rice.  Microwave the rice until it is warm.  It’s like a heating pad, only much, much cheaper.  They’re also reusable as hand warmers in the winter or for the aches and pains at the end of the week.

• Bedding: If you or anyone you know (that is possibly bribe-able) can sew, why not try to make a denim quilt?  Know any teenage girls?  Sounds like a perfect present to me.  If you don’t have enough old denim for a quilt, why not just make a simple pillow?  Denim really is just a fabric after all.

All these crafts can be as simple or as complicated as you want them to be.  Seriously.  Yeah, boys can do it too, without feeling odd about it.  All it takes is scissors for some.  Scissors and glue for others.  Sewing only if you are really ambitious.

The pictures I’ve used are not my personal creations, but they can be found on this Recycling Crafts website, which also will give you step by step instructions!

Weekend Wind-Down: Everyday Purchases

It’s finally Friday! I hope you have had a good week and are ready to have a wonderful weekend! I hope it is relaxing for all of you.

Without any more ado, here is the Weekend Wind-Down, Everyday Purchases edition! Each one of these links takes you to one of articles that I found to be the most interesting or helpful to fit with this week’s theme! If you get the chance, please go visit them and enjoy someone else’s writing!

• 1. Weakonomics – The Weakonomist has put a great, fresh perspective on the concept of saving money by cutting down on drinks, like coffee. Not everyone has an undeniable addiction. Some people may only buy something from them once a month. How much does coffee cost people like that? Read this and find out, from a witty, opinionated writer.

• 2. Pets Best – The start of this entry is extraordinarily disheartening for pet owners. 80% of new pets in shelters and pounds were given up because of job loss or other economic reasons. The article has 8 ways to cut back costs of pet care. They are well thought out, and although one of them deals in coupons, which is not my personal goal, they are all worth reading.

• 3. Adobe – This blog entry by Scene7 highlights the part of brand loyalty in the realm that I never touched – the internet. He explains how much easier it for consumers not to have brand loyalty while shopping online. It’s a different perspective (since it is told from the perspective of someone inside a corporation) and really interesting to read.

• 4. 24/7 Mom - Did you know that mosquito bites will stop itching after you put a small dab of toothpaste on the bite? Trisha @ 24/7 Moms does. She also has creative ways to use salt, newspaper, dryer sheets, and random other things that can be lying around the house. You know the 3 R’s. No, not Reading, Riting, and Rithmetic (although as a future teacher those are important), but Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!

Come back tomorrow to see some great craft ideas made from material that I 100% guarantee is in every single person’s home! Have a wonderful weekend!

I'm a Coke Girl, Myself

In a manner of speaking, that is.  If you remember, I do not drink soda, but…

If I were to post a picture of the dining room area in my apartment, you would see exactly what I mean.  I have bright red and white Coca-Cola placemats.  Bright red Coca-Cola coasters.  Bright red Coca-Cola glasses.  Red Flowers in the middle of the table.  And yes, I am nerdy enough to even have red and white bendy straws.

One of my weaknesses is brand loyalty.  You probably know what that is: consistently choosing one particular brand over another, no matter how difficult it is to find or how expensive it is to purchase.  Besides for the Coca-Cola decorating fetish (Super Chill will not do), my main object of brand loyalty is toothpaste and toaster pastries.  I have to have Colgate and Pop-Tarts, respectively.  The generic brands are just not the same.

I am the perfect example of what not to do.  Companies and associations have entire departments and conferences on how to create brand loyalty.  Here is an entire document written by someone at Cambridge University on how to create brand loyalty.  Is it manipulation?  That’s up to you.

Check out this YouTube Video.  It’s from a documentary called The Corporation.  The goal of the filmmakers was to discuss the corporations using personification.  They created a person from the characteristics of one.



Luckily, in the current economic times, price is actually starting to trump brand loyalty.  The store brands are becoming more and more popular.  Consumers are becoming more involved in the pricing of their purchases.  They want more choice.  This is for you!  You get the choice!

Use it!  When Coke is $4.88 or Aquafina is $6.00, I’m positive that store brands will be $3.00 and $4.00.  It may not seem like a lot, but think about all those Wal-Mart receipts… wouldn’t it be great if the totals on the bottom were a lot lower?

Don’t be me.  Be willing to try Super Chill.

Fido, Cleo, and Nemo: Licking the Wallet

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to the most wonderful pain-in-the-butt of my life.  This is my dog, Cadi Girl.  She is a lab and Rhodesian Ridgeback mix.  She was found on the side of the road 11 years ago by a veterinary technician.  A friend of the family worked at the animal hospital where she and her brothers and sisters were taken.

My parents took me into the pet hospital to take a look at the “free puppies.”  I saw this little bundle of fur hiding in the back of the kennel (who could easily fit into my shoe at the time) and as they say, the rest is history.

Since I was only 11 at the time, my parents let me have the Beatles mentality and believe that “All You Need is Love” to take care of a pet.  Oh, and I had to walk her and feed her.  I didn’t know at the time, but Cadi had Parvo, a disease that kills over half the puppies that it infects.  My parents had to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars on surgery to save her.

Besides for that extraordinarily large expense, Cadi costs quite a bit of money for being so cute.  I looked at a table recently that tabulated the costs of keep a single cat and dog for a year.  $1200 per dog and $900 per cat.

In this recent economy, Humane Societies and pounds have reported many more animals being dropped off because of their owners being unable to afford them.  If you have a pet like I do, I cannot even imagine how devastating that would be.  So, in the hopes that giving up a beloved pet can be prevented, here are some ideas on saving.

Talk to your vet and find out if there is any discount programs and buy generic medication if possible.  Groom your animal yourself and look online for any deals that could be floating around.  Here is a list of another 21 ideas for saving on pet care.

Finally, how about making some pet toys yourself?  No Crafty Skills required.

• - For Cats: 
• 1. Safety pin some yarn to an old glove!  
• 2. Cut up an old paper towel roll into tiny strips and throw them in the air.

• - For Dogs: 
• 1. Poke some holes in an old milk carton and put some treats or kibble inside (your dog will bat it around for hours if he doesn’t demolish the bottle first).  
• 2. Line up old soda or water bottles and encourage your dog to knock them over like a bowling ball.  Give him a treat when he does!  Eventually fill them with pebbles or sand to make it harder.  Puppy Bowling!
  

I know throughout this post, I’ve mentioned several ways to cut back on pet care… but always remember that the unconditional love given to you by a pet is a reward all its own.

I Could See Trees Wilting as I Walked By...

Have you ever been able to go to one of the nicer restaurants?  I'm talking about the ones with the nice, white linen tablecloths and napkins that come decorated with a wooden ring around them.  The table might even have some nice, clear wine goblets at the table, next to water goblets and 8 sets of silverware.

What was it about the restaurant that made it special?  For me, I can definitely say it's not all that silverware - I find it intimidating.  Also, the glasses normally get taken away because I don't use them all.  The cloth napkins give the table a sense of elegance and sophistication.  It's also slightly relaxing.

So why in the world would you ever use paper towels and napkins at home?  Home is a place to relax.  You deserve something a little more elegant at home.  Also, do you even have enough space to store all those paper products that you buy?  how much do you spend on one-time-only disposable products?

Think about the businesses out there where the public is allowed in.  Think about the casinos, restaurants, bowling centers, schools, gas stations, movie theaters, stores, etc.  Can you picture yourself there?  Ok, now go to the bathrooms.  Do they have paper towels for you to wash your hands?  Or are they the push button (or automatic for fancier places) electric hand dryers?  Most likely, there are electric hand dryers.  Most businesses would have you think it was because they are trying to be green.  What they don't tell you is that it costs $.0015 per dry with the electric dryer and $.03 per dry with paper towels.  It's all economical.

That same concept works at home.  Granted, none of us are going to rewire our bathrooms to install an electric hand dryer, but paper products like those just aren't efficient.  Take this example comparison, using Wal-Mart as the retailer for both the paper and cloth versions.  An 8-pack of dish towels is less than $5.  An 8-pack of Great Value brand paper towels is $2.86.  For less than the cost of 2 8-pack paper towels, you can have towels that can be reused as many times as necessary.

When I was doing all this research, there were a surprising number of people that were arguing against regular towels as being less expensive in the long run.  Laundry fees for those who have to use a laundromat was the biggest argument.  They said it could cost over $4.00 a whack just to wash those towels.

I say this: don't you wash bath towels anyway?  Just throw the other towels in with them.  Heck, maybe you don't do a separate towel load and just throw them in with like colors.  It's not like you have to wash them everyday or after one use, like clothes.  The towels aren't very big.  They can fit in your normal loads.  Trust me.

Finally, there was an article that reported that cotton towels do not save the environment and are actually worse than paper towels.  Cotton towels emit more greenhouse gasses during production and use more water than their paper counterparts.  If you're very concerned with that as a Green-minded person, the solution is simple.  Use linen instead of cotton.  The clean-up is just slightly more complicated, but they don't cost much more.

Alright, I know that with pets, picnics, certain messes, and those friends you would never trust with something as nice as cloth, there are just times you have to use paper napkins and paper towels.  Toilet paper is also something that I would not recommend switching to cloth.  So, I'm definitely not saying you should skip buying them altogether - that just isn't practical.  Just buy them sparingly.

You will save money.  If you absolutely need paper napkins and can't seem to fork out the money for them, you can do what I do.  Keep the extras from your fast-food run.  They always either give you too many or too few.  Even though they might not match, they still do their duty.  There are also ways to reuse and reduce the products you already have!  It just might take a little thinking.

Americans are Habitually Thirsty: It's Science

Yes, just like my title says, Americans tend to be slightly dehydrated most of their lives.  Whether it's because of our busy schedules or something else, I have no idea.  One thing is for certain, though, it is definitely not because there is no access to beverages.  From gas stations that seeel ridiculously large drinks for $.49 to fast food chains to smaller coffee shops, there are places to drink everywhere.

However, the most popular drinks are some of the most overpaid for.  Check out numbers 2 and 3.  That's right.  Bottled Water and Coffee.  We may not be able to completely kick the habit, but there are definitely some good reasons to think twice before making that purchase.  Could there be an alternative to this?

Soda

I just looked in the online version of the local grocery store ads.  A 24 pack of soda is on sale for $6.88.  However, if you look at the print, when the petty color pictures are not distracting you, it says you have to make at least another $10 purchase before that price goes into effect.  Is it worth it?

For this particular price, I would be hard pressed to say no.  It's $.28 a can.  But what happens when there isn't a phenomenal sale like this and the 12 packs are $4.88 a piece on a good day?  $.40 a can.  It may not sound like much, but how many sodas do you drink a day?  If it's more than one, how many of them come from the grocery store?  What about vending machines, where cans are $.90 a piece and bottles can be $1.50 or more?

Coffee

I'm one of the lucky ones.  I don't really like the taste of coffee.  However, I know most people do and most people need/want to drink it to get moving in the morning.  My roommates are like that.  One must have coffee or she cannot function and the other cannot get moving without a cup of tea.  It's totally fine... until you start doing the math.

Let's start with the home brewed coffee.  There was a study done by Yahoo! Financial a couple years ago that listed the Top Ten Money Drains.  Guess what was #1... coffee.  And their numbers were for home brewed.  Some cups, depending on which you buy, can run around $1.30 a piece.  There are 5 workdays in a week for most.  What is that a year?  $440.  One woman kept track of her specialty coffee purchases for a year.  Her total: $987.

Now on to Starbuck's.  Some of their drinks are upwards of $5 a piece.  Sure, they may be absolutely delicious.  But do you have $5 a day to spend on a drink?  That's more than some people can pay for lunch.  A woman did the math and she found that even at $3 a cup, once a weekday, you're looking at around $800 - $1000 a year in take-out coffee.  She even compared the price of coffee to cigarettes!  Do you really need a tall?  Even downsizing to a short will be better on your purse-strings...

Bottled Water

Now, finally, we reach the matter of complete convenience.  Not caffeine or taste.  Water in a plastic bottle.  This was my complete downfall until the beginning of this school year.  I would drink a case of water at least once every two weeks.  Sometimes more, depending on what I had going on.  I don't drink soda at all, and like I said before, I don't like coffee.  So, I became addicted to bottled water...

When I started thinking about making a switch to either tap water or buying a filter, it wasn't a matter of money.  I've started to go Green.  I found pictures like the one I posted above and knew I was definitely part of the problem.  The money I've saved since then has been a benefit, not an aim.  However, if it is an aim, here is what you're looking for.

When I was doing my research, this was a surprisingly popular topic.  I had over 4,000,000 Google hits.  What I found was a lot worse than I originally thought.  Depending on the brand of bottled water you prefer, some of them cost 10,000x more than tap water.  Let's go by the gallon:

Tap Water = $.0002
Filtered Water = $.20 - $.80
Bottled Water = $.89 - $8.26

I understand the concerns that can go with the convenience factor.  Some people feel/some studies have shows than tap water in certain areas of the United States is not the safest to drink.  You can look up the stats for your area on the EPA Safe Water website.  If you're worried about that, you can still go with option #2 - filtered water.  I did.  This is what I bought for $15, including filter:

Filters last 2 months for an average family.  Now, I'm going to stick with that, since I drink a lot of water, but if you're not like me, you might even be able to make it last longer.  Replacements are also about $10 - $15.  I had a friend help me pick one (he uses one that mounts onto his faucet), but if you don't have that luxury, here is a site that compares 10 different kinds of filtration devices for you.  It's a table, so it's really easy and quick to read.  You could even print it off and take it to the store with you, if you want.

PS - Plastic Bottles also use quite a bit of oil to make - annually it's at least enough to fuel 100,000 cars.

Wal-Mart May Sell For Less, But Do You Buy For Less?

Take a trip with me.  We're walking into Wal-Mart or wherever you do your normal day to day shopping, like Target or the grocery store.  We've been chanting in the car the entire ride about what we needed to buy.  We say that the toothpaste is low; we're almost out of soda; Roommate X used the last paper towel.  We know exactly what we're going to go in and get.  It's going to be a quick stop.

So we're walking in and skip grabbing a cart because we're not going to be in here that long.  We go straight to the personal care section to grab our toothpaste.  Then we remember we're almost out of razors.  We continue this way for a couple minutes - we get something on our mental list and remember something else.  I'll go back and get the cart so you can stay here, it's no big deal.

A little while later, we are at the check-out.  After we have to wait a while, because there are never enough registers open when it is not the holidays, we reach the counter and cascades of purchases flow out of our arms onto the rolling conveyer.  Finally, the cashier starts ringing.  We get more and more anxious as the total climbs higher and higher... we walk out completely depressed and $83 poorer.

If that's not your style, I will bet you that you fit into this second scenario.  We may only spend $20 each time we go shopping like this, but we go every 3 or 4 days.  I found this website where a man, for some unknown reason, kept all his WalMart receipts for almost 7 entire years!  He went to the store every couple days.  After looking at some of his totals, I panic to add them up for a month.  Frightening.

 

The point is, guys, that most people spend spend way too much on what they consider everyday purchases.  These are the things that you need to keep on living and don't really have the option to skip.  For me, it's shampoo.  If I skip one day, my hair turns into a greasy, oily mess.  I always have to have it on hand.

Plus, this is not just a problem that those Just Starting Out face... everyone does.  My mom even has an ongoing joke about it.  She says that if she spends less than $100 at WalMart, the buzzers at the front of the store will go off when she tries to leave to make her go back and buy more.  "Luckily," she's never had to worry about this fear.  She always reaches her quota.

Because of all this, I am making those everyday purchases this first official weekly theme!  There are tips, tricks, ideas, and hidden insight I've found that helps out.  But I don't know everything... if you have a better idea than mine or want to add something to them, please let me know!  I want to keep finding new ways to save money on these things.

So next time we're out making these purchases, let's chant something new.  Instead of repeating our list over and over, let's say:

Must Save Money.

Must Save Money.

Must Save Money.

Must Save Money.

PS - I belong to the second scenario.  I don't spend much at one time, but it seems like I am always going to Target or WalMart.

DIY Saturday: Hot Pads and Coasters

When I first was starting to get interesting in crafting, there was something scary about walking into those stores.  You are completely surrounded at all times by scissors and ribbon and paper and glue and glitter and... Well, you get the point.

Eventually, I started to get used to the stores and I actually enjoy going to them now (Michael's is a personal favorite of mine - they have great sales).  However, I could never quite get used to the prices of everything.  A single bottle of glue can be $5!  That is definitely not in my budget.  Just give me classic Elmer's during Back-To-School week for a dime.

So recently, I started thinking... How can I still make some crafts, inexpensive gifts (handmade is always a bonus for Moms, etc), decorations, or anything else for my apartment?  I want to spend next to no money.  The idea hit me like that one raindrop slamming into your cheek before the rainstorm really begins.  Recycle.

There are so many things that can be made from stuff lying around the house (which might have been found when you were organizing!) or stuff that I can grab at a sale/my mom's house for next to nothing.  Think about it: cardboard, paper, clothes, CDs, plastic bottles, soda cans, tin cans, light bulbs, books - there are so many left over and/or forgotten things that can be used to make something else entirely new.  On the HGTV show Decorating Cents, there is a section called Trash to Treasure, where they show how to revitalize an item that had been discarded!

So welcome to Do-It-Yourself Saturday!  I am taking these ridiculously inexpensive ideas and showing them to you - either how to make them, websites to go to, or maybe even a tutorial or two when I get further down the line.

For today, let's think about hot plates and coasters.  Coasters may not be a necessity to you, but in order to keep your furniture looking better for longer, they are definitely a good idea.

Those in the picture are made from cardboard!  As a student, I get Amazon.com boxes delivered to me all the time!  For this project, all you need is scissors, glue, maybe some ribbon, a steady hand, and an imagination. 

They work really well. Plus, if you have a birthday or anniversary coming up, they can be given as a good gift for under $1, if you know how to find cheap ribbon (think clearance bin).

The cardboard hot pads come from the Recycled Crafts Blog.  New idea every day, if you're interested.  Also, if you're a little more crafty than I, then you might want to try to crochet some plastic bags into coasters.  Or why not try old CDs that you never listen to?  What about their cases?  Seriously, if you like the art on the cases, you don't have to do any sort of crafting, unless you want to embellish them.  Just slap them on the table and call it a day.

Use your imagnation!

Weekend Wind-Down: Organization

Welcome to the first edition of the Weekend Wind-Down!  Every Friday, in order to welcome the weekend into our lives, I am going to post the top blog posts or articles that I read that week on the theme.  I promised to do all the internet and newspaper surfing for you, so this is where you hold me to it!

Friday is, for most in this country,
a day with mixed emotion.
The morning moves too slowly for comfort.
The weekend just a notion.

The afternoon "becomes" quite soon
and you feel the thrill of home time.
Until that Saturday morning feeling
you're free to waste your own time.
     -- Kendo Monkey

So without any ado, here are the top blogs and articles for the week of 9/14 - 9/18, all of them dealing with organization!

1. Organising Queen: Marcia is a new mother whose passion is about organizing.  She posts about every other day with a new idea on how to organize for the business or home (she also has a free ezine, if you're interested).  This entry is about organizing the refrigerator.  I chose this one because it is my personal downfall - I can never figure out a way to set up the fridge so I know what's in there...
2. Neat and Simple Living: Ariane is really good at what she does.  She has an entire blog dedicated to helping those she calls "hoarders."  I personally have always just said "pack rat" but hers seems little more polite ;-)
3. Get Organized Tips: Carmen has a new idea every couple days on how to get organized.  I purposefully did not choose a single post for this Weekend Wind-Down because she has a 2-part post about organizing the junk drawer, which seems to be my overarching motif and metaphor for organization!
   

Tomorrow, I am going to start another weekly special!  It's Do-It-Yourself Saturday!  Come back to find some easy crafts made from recycled materials or items you can find for next to nothing.  These can be given as gifts for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, or just to yourself for being to thrifty!

If I get more initiative (or just more confidence in my crafting abilities), I'll even put up some photos of my own process in making them!  However, if you want easy crafts right now, with how-tos and advice, check out my friend Kaylen's blog.  She is also a college student, so she has to work within her budget, so don't be afraid of really expensive supplies!

My All Time Top 10 Tips for Organizing!

Good Morning, everyone!  As promised, today I have my top ten ideas for organizing.  Granted, these are not all the ones I use, but they can definitely get you started!

1. Clean Sweep Twice a Year.  Back in the day, there was a TV show on TLC called Clean Sweep.  It was the start of an entire series of shows, like Clean House on the Style channel.  The people on those shows take everything out of their house and sort through it, making piles of "keep, sell, and trash."  Now, I'm not recommending you empty your entire apartment or dorm, but think about the areas where junk gets built up: closet, desk...  Clean it out.  If you're worried about getting rid of something important, put everything in a trash/donate bag and store it.  In a couple weeks, if you haven't opened the bag, it's time to get rid of it.
   
2. Think About Your Personal Needs.  Every household is different.  For example, I don't have a mud room or even really an entry space in my apartment.  So... I don't need some intricate theory as to how to organize one.  I also don't have kids, so I don't need a toy box.  Make sense?  Think about it before you get started.
   
3. Use All Your Space (even the walls).  No furniture that I've seen goes anywhere but the floor.  If there is anything out there, please let me know.  Use hooks, shelves, and anything else your creative mind can think of.  Get the stuff off the floor; you do need to walk.
   
4. Understand Your Personal Trouble Zones.  Where do you spend most of your time?  Where is there the most foot traffic?  For me, it's my living room and desk areas.  Those are the places that will gather the most clutter and are the places where I lose the most stuff.  These are areas that you should spend the most time concentrating on.  If you focus on these, you shouldn't get too overwhelmed with organizing a whole house.
   
5. Use An Outbox.  After you figure out your trouble zones, use an outbox.  It can be a decorative basket, old Amazon shipping box, or anything else that can store things.  The idea of the outbox is to throw everything in there that doesn't belong: textbooks in the kitchen, plates in the living room, etc.  Just grab the Outbox when leaving the room sometimes and put everything away.  Easy as addition to a math major.
   
6. Divide and Conquer.  This idea came from All*You Magazine.  It was something I'd already intuitively done, but the magazine did a great job of explaining it.  Think about all the office supplies or toiletries you have scattered about in a drawer.  Remember the drawer from yesterday's post?  Now add in old Altoid tins or something else to put all those rubber bands and Q-Tips in.  Voila!  You now have a clean drawer where you can find everything at your fingertips!
   
7. Know the 20% Rule.  On average, we only use about 20% of what we have on hand.  For example, I have 10 pens sitting in my desk right now.   I only use my favorite 2.  Just something to think about...
   
8. Write it Down.  Most people tend to make grocery lists... why?  Because it keeps them organized when they go to the store.  The same rule applies to everything else - that's why there are so many different types of planners in Borders and Barnes and Noble this time of year.  Invest in one.  Make a To-Do List.  You'll be surprised how much else you can get done.
   
9. Nothing Should be Homeless.  My roommate is constantly losing her keys.  We have a big sign right above the handle to the front door that says "SHANNON!  KEYS?!"  It was out of hand - in one week she called me 8 times to let her into the apartment because she had forgotten/lost her keys.  We now have a bowl on a table by the front door.  She drops her keys in there when she walks in.  Similarly, I have a specific shelf for textbooks.  Give everything a home and it is hard to lose them.
   
10. Utilize Specific Spaces.  Like Number 9, use specific spaces.  Here are mine: Couch for TV watching or reading for pleasure.  Desk for work.  Kitchen table for eating.  I rarely let myself cross the boundaries, partially because humans like to compartmentalize and partially because it helps me get into a certain mindset.  When I sit down at my desk, I know I have to work.  I get stuff done quicker.  Also, I tend to stay away from bringing contraband to its wrong area.

There are my Top 10!  They might not all work for you, but at least they'll get you starting to think about 'em.  If you want more ideas, check out HGTV's Organizing Website, they have their own Top Ten and so many more ideas, it's kind of ridiculous...

Organize Your Desk!



Organize Your Closet!

Have You Seen This Drawer?!?

 Do you know someone who has drawers like these?  Better yet, do you have drawers like these?  There is no way in the world that this is a way to save money.  How many times have you had to buy something twice because you lost the first one?  I have.  It's was a very expensive purchase, too - I had lost my iPod (which I later found buried in a drawer like this).

Being organized is one of the most under-used tips when it comes to saving money.  It just doesn't seem like something that could be helpful... Oh, but it is.

"The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious." 

         -- Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor CE 121 - 180

Behind the scenes of every thrifty or shopping savvy person, there is a secret weapon.  The weapon that even famous Roman Emperors knew.  It is not experience and it is not a stash of coupons.  It is organization.

Before I started my weekly theme (which will be announced on Sunday!), I wanted to say a couple quick words about organization.  With every victory, whether it be a garden or a business, there is some way to make sure that everything gets done and it gets done right.  It's also one of the keys to saving money in the long run.

Imagine all the last minute purchases that would be eliminated if you had a list.  How much time would be saved if you didn't have to hunt for your textbook every time you had to read?  How many overdraft fees could you have avoided if your checkbook was balanced?  Organization has so many benefits, it are impossible to list all.

Ok, ok, I understand the need for it, but where do I start?

For college students, your biggest problem is living in a small space.  Dorms or teeny and sometimes apartments in your budget are not much larger. You need to figure out your priorities.  What needs to be on hand at all times?  What can be stored away safely?  LifeOrganizers is a really good website to start on for ideas.  Tomorrow, I'm going to post my Top Ten Organizing Ideas.

For teachers, your life is always dynamic.  You won't need the same supplies every day.  Your students are never in the same mood and they may even change from hour to hour.  Plus, with all those papers, paperwork, homework, and lessons to work on, staying organized is a must... especially if you want to have a life outside the classroom.  Here are some general classroom organizing tips and some very specific ideas from veteran teachers.

Think you are already organized?  Take this QUIZ to find out!

I Was Only Trying To Help...

A good friend came up to me a couple months ago, telling me his stories of financial woe.  His car is on the verge of a complete breakdown, school fees were eating him alive, one of his roomates lost his job, and the other roommate simply just never puts up enough money to cover both rent and bills.  He had to put all his savings into bills and rent, just so he could have a place to live.

Why did he come to me?  Although I am not quite in the same boat as he, I have been trying to save money for the past couple years, in order to save for my future.  I'm in college studying to be a high school teacher.  I'm living with roommates in an apartment near school.  I am the typical broke college student, and due to my chosen profession, I will continue to be broke for a long time.  I've learned (and am still learning) quite a few tricks of the trade.

So, he came to me to ask for some ways that he might be able to save some money.  He had three must-haves:

1. Use as few coupons as possible (he gets embarrassed sometimes)
2. Quick solutions that do not require him to spend hours upon hours Googling or hunting down specific sales or bargains
3. Not a "Quick Fix".  He wanted some methods that could turn into habits and not something that's only good at one store on one day at one time.

I had a million and half ideas for him!  I started rattling them off the top of my head.  The problem came in when they didn't stop and kept flowing like salmon during spawning season.  I really was only trying to help...

But... he quickly became overwhelmed.  He said I needed to slow down and make him a list or give him one idea at a time.  I ended up doing both.  I made a huge list.  Pages upon pages on a Microsoft Word document.  Then I started giving him one idea at a time, and I grouped them into categories, like "How to Save Money on Electricity."

He loved it!  He's reopened a savings account and passed some of the ideas onto his roommates (in the hopes to get some money back).  So, that brings us to where we are now.  I am writing the "Just Starting Out Blog."  It's for people like you, me, and my friend, who don't have time to clip umpteen coupons or go spelunking on the internet or in newspapers for the biggest sales.  Our time is valuable!  We can't have a technique that works for one day - we need to make being thrifty a habit, and not just something to do when we're short on cash.

Every week, I will have a theme for my posts, like "Coupon-Less Grocery Shopping" or "Saving Some Green: Environmentally Friendly Savings."  I'm going to do the hunting for you!  Come and join me on this journey.  Bookmark it, Follow it, Google it, or do whatever else is easiest.  Visit once a day, once a week, or once a month.  There'll always be something new; you won't be disappointed!