Weekend Wind-Down: Hidden Fees

It’s finally Friday!  Congratulations on making it through another week!  I hope you are able to relax a lot more this weekend.

Today is the Hidden Fees version of the Weekend Wind-Down… and I am not happy.  I’ve probably spent way too much time hunting down articles and blog posts on this subject than any of the other themes.  I have found 4 for you to look at, but I really need your help.

Do you know of any good blogs or sites that deal with these issues?  Please tell me.  I need to know.

Well since you cannot tell me before I post the ones I have actually found, here they are:

• 1. Finance Ideas: I had really high hopes for this blog.  An entire blog about our theme!  But… when the author says advice, to me at least, it just seemed like common sense.  There was nothing new.  I hoped maybe you would find it more helpful than I did…

• 2. Letter Lover: This blogger normally is lighthearted, but she is very serious in this post about ATM fees.  It reads a little like a rant, which is not my favorite thing in the world, but she gives some really good ideas for people that have the option to switch to another bank because of those types of fees.  Check it out.  You might learn something.

• 3. Consumer Reports:  This was by far the best article I found this week.  It does not directly relate to hidden fees and scams, but it is very valid to the conversation.  Have you ever been in a place where “Free WiFi” is available?  This article lists some of the problems and viruses that can come with that claim.  Be very careful because viruses can be a hidden cost later on, long after you’ve left the hot spot.

• 4. Bob Bly: Bob Bly writes copy.  Pretty much that means he writes for marketing purposes.  “But that’s not all, if you buy in the next 20 minutes” type stuff.  Well, this blog post talks about the use of the word “Free” in the subject line of an email.  There are very interesting results…
  

I hope you all enjoyed the adventures of M— Man because I can tell you that he’s feeling a lot better now that many of his problems have been solved.  The Flying Dollar has officially been grounded and its pilot’s license revoked.  Thank you for your help in solving this mysterious dilemma.

PS – I’m also sorry that this week was so serious.  I promise next week will be more entertaining (and still very helpful)!

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…

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.

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!

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!