- Bad. My 3yr old knows how the Nationwide commercial ends…including the agent's name. Too much TV. #
- RT @MoneyCrashers: Money Crashers 2010 New Year Giveaway Bash – $9,100 in Cash and Amazing Prizes http://bt.io/DZMa #
- Watching the horrible offspring of Rube Goldberg and the Grim Reaper: The Final Destination. #
- Here's hoping the franchise is dead: #TheFinalDestination #
- Wow. Win7 has the ability to auto-hibernate in the middle of installing updates. So much for doing that when I leave for the day. #
- This is horribly true: Spending Other People's Money by @thefinancebuff http://is.gd/75Xv2 #
- RT @hughdeburgh: "You can end half your troubles immediately by no longer permitting people to tell you what you want." ~ Vernon Howard #
- RT @BSimple: The most important thing about goals is having one. Geoffry F. Abert #
- RT @fcn: "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." — Winston Churchill #
- RT @FrugalYankee: FRUGAL TIP: Who knew? Cold water & salt will get rid of onion smell on hands. More @ http://bit.ly/WkZsm #
- Please take a moment and vote for me. (4 Ways to Flog the Inner Impulse Shopper) http://su.pr/2flOLY #
- RT @mymoneyshrugged: #SOTU 2011 budget freeze "like announcing a diet after winning a pie-eating contest" (Michael Steel). (via @LesLafave) #
- RT @FrugalBonVivant: $2 – $25 gift certificates from Restaurant.com (promo code BONUS) http://bit.ly/9mMjLR #
- A fully-skilled clone would be helpful this week. #
- @krystalatwork What do you value more, the groom's friendship or the bride's lack of it?Her feelings won't change if you stay home.His might in reply to krystalatwork #
- I ♥ RetailMeNot.com – simply retweet for the chance to win an Apple iPad from @retailmenot – http://bit.ly/retailmenot #
- Did a baseline test for February's 30 Day Project: 20 pushups in a set. Not great, but not terrible. Only need to add 80 to that nxt month #
Halloween Decorations Ain’t Cheap
This year, Americans are expected to drop $5.8 billion on Halloween, with most people spending $66.28 per person. About 1/3 of that is candy.
The rest? Costumes and decorations. $4,000,000,000 on costumes and decorations. That’s a lot of freakin’ money.
Over the years, I have certainly spent more than my fair share on building that number. We are the Halloween house in our neighborhood. A few years ago, we were even featured on the evening news. Filling a yard with decorations is expensive. When money’s tight, or you just want to save some money, how can you decorate on the cheap?
1. Plan ahead. The best time to buy Halloween decorations is in the two weeks after Halloween. After that, all of the seasonal stores are closed. If you want the best selection, get up early on November 1st and hit all of the stores. Prices drop to 50% or lower the morning after the big day, but won’t drop below that, even when the seasonal stores are closing for the year. The goods will either be warehoused or bought back by the suppliers, so there’s no motivation to sell at cost.
2. Buy used. You can find some screaming deals on Craigslist, but always check the prices. I’ve seen cardboard and wooden coffins both going for $50. One is a good deal, one is a ripoff. Do some research and you can save a ton of money on some really neat pieces. Last year, a local haunt decided to close shop after Halloween and posted a “going out of business” sale on Craigslist. There were some excellent gory corpses for sale there.
3. DIY. When department stores close, you can buy mannequins for little-to-nothing. Throw some clothes and mask on that, and you’ve got a quick monster. Grave stones can be made by gluing two sheets of insulation styrofoam together and using a Dremel to shape it and add the epitaph. Make sure you brush paint it. Spraypaint will eat the foam away. Finally, if you can run a drill, you can cobble together some truly intense props with the aid of some monster mud and discarded lumber. Monster mud is made by mixing 1 gallon of latex paint with 5 gallons of sheetrock compound. I get a gallon of paint from the “oops” bin at the hardware store, preferably in a dark color. Dip some clothes in that, then put them on a a human-shaped frame built out of 2×2 lumber, and you have something not too disimilar from actual Hollywood props.
Over the years, I’ve managed to shrink my Halloween budget, while increasing the quality of my props. It just takes some time and research.
‘Mommy, I’m bored!’ Top 5 online activities for your kids
This is a guest post.
When nasty weather, a cold or the flu keeps kids indoors, plan ahead for those days with some great online activities kids will enjoy. Whether it is learning a new language with mom or dad, or practicing multiplication tables with an older sibling, kids can find plenty of cool things to do to kill their time. Here is a top five list of things your children can do while surfing the net.
Fun Languages
Learn Spanish, German, or French online with your kids. Give your children the gift of language with some key phrases and words to encourage brain activity in the language zones. Studies have shown that children exposed to multiple languages in their elementary years are more likely to learn a second language as adolescents and adults. Statistics indicate basic knowledge of a second language promotes better understanding of English grammar. The internet has some great resources for older children and parents wishing to improve their vocabulary knowledge and grammar skills. Word a day programs and test prep programs are often as entertaining for the parents as they are for the kids.
Arts and Crafts
There is a plethora of sites offering downloadable art project sheets, coloring pages, creative flash cards, art activity books and art games on the internet. Let the creative genius of your young artist shine through with how to draw tutorials and interactive art history sites. Don’t forget the musician in the house, as there are plenty of great music tutorials complete with video and audio for the young future soloist to watch. Many sites offer interesting and kid friendly “how to” videos for piano and vocals. Many sites offer inexpensive or free holiday cards the kids can create and print for one of a kind holiday or birthday gift giving. Crayola offers terrific downloadable coloring pages, games and activities.
More Academics with Math
Colorful math puzzles, homework practice sessions all online, downloadable speed tests and great interactive programs abound for the math whiz. Fun and entertaining, these online interactive programs are often free and downloadable in seconds. Your kids will never be bored again when accessing such interesting activities as tangrams, money games and creating their own math flash cards. Periodic tables and math and science in the kitchen bring fun and kid friendly experiments for rainy days and long summer vacations. Keep them interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) with how things work videos.
Early Learners Have Fun Too
There are wonderful sites that teach young children and early learners about counting, colors and shapes. Teach your children about telling time and other valuable skills. Learn about money, traffic safety and stranger danger in fun and engaging videos and interactive games. Young children are remarkably quick to pick up on new skills through technology. Parents can take advantage of wonderful online activities at many educational websites.
Games and More Games
There are free and not so free video and mobile device games for children of all ages. Fun and diverting puzzles, adventure and arcade, card and board games for younger to middle school aged children can be found just a few clicks away. Fun and challenging sports and trivia games for high school aged kids are often found at no charge.
Sell old CDs
Got some unused video games ready for the bin? A DVD that you kids received for Christmas and never watched? An old CD they don’t like to listen to anymore? Here it is another opportunity to spend some time online having fun. Websites such musicmagpie will allow your children to sell their unwanted CDs and make a bit of money out of it. Less clutter around the house, more fun for your kids. That sounds like a win-win.
How to Prioritize Your Spending
Don’t buy that.
At least take a few moments to decide if it’s really worth buying.
Too often, people go on auto-pilot and buy whatever catches their attention for a few moments. The end-caps at the store? Oh, boy, that’s impossible to resist. Everybody needs a 1000 pack of ShamWow’s, right? Who could live without a extra pair of kevlar boxer shorts?
Before you put the new tchotke in your cart, ask yourself some questions to see if it’s worth getting.
1. Is it a need or a want? Is this something you could live without? Some things are necessary. Soap, shampoo, and food are essentials. You have to buy those. Other things, like movies, most of the clothes people buy, or electronic gadgets are almost always optional. If you don’t need it, it may be a good idea to leave it in the store.
2. Does it serve a purpose? I bought a vase once that I thought was pretty and could hold candy or something, but it’s done nothing but collect dust in the meantime. It’s purpose is nothing more than hiding part of a flat surface. Useless.
3. Will you actually use it? A few years ago, my wife an cleaned out her mother’s house. She’s a hoarder. We found at least 50 shopping bags full of clothes with the tags still attached. I know, you’re thinking that you’d never do that, because you’re not a hoarder, but people do it all the time. Have you ever bought a book that you haven’t gotten around to reading, or a movie that went on the shelf, still wrapped in plastic? Do you own a treadmill that’s only being used to hang clothes, or a home liposuction machine that is not being used to make soap?
3. Is it a fad? Beanie babies, iPads, BetaMax, and bike helmets. All garbage that takes the world by storm for a few years then fades, leaving the distributors rich and the customers embarrassed.
4. Is it something you’re considering just to keep up with the Joneses? If you’re only buying it to compete with your neighbors, don’t buy it. You don’t need a Lexus, a Rolex, or that replacement kidney. Just put it back on the shelf and go home with your money. Chances are, your neighbors are only buying stuff so they can compete with you. It’s a vicious cycle. Break it.
5. Do you really, really want it? Sometimes, no matter how worthless something might be, whether it’s a fad, or a dust-collecting knick-knack, or an outfit you’ll never wear, you just want it more than you want your next breath of air. That’s ok. A bit disturbing, but ok. If you are meeting all of your other needs, it’s fine to indulge yourself on occasion.
How do you prioritize spending if you’re thinking about buying something questionable?
My First Storage Auction
I’ve mentioned before that my wife is unemployed. Please note, this is unemployment, not “stay at home mom”. The differences are simple:
- She’s looking for a job
- The kids are still in daycare
While she’s looking for work, we’ve decided that it’s a good time to explore some other options for income. Recently, we decided to look into storage auctions.
For the uninitiated, a storage auction is held when someone with a rented storage locker quits paying their bill. Eventually, auctioneers come in and sell the unit–with minimal inspection–to the highest bidder. If you’ve watched Storage Wars or any of the dozen spin-offs or rip-offs, you’ve seen a storage auction.
Yesterday, a local auctioneer ran a circuit of 7 auctions for the different locations of one company. At 10AM, my wife set off for the first one with $1000 of seed money, a flashlight, and a couple of padlocks.
She didn’t get anything at that auction and she skipped the next two because they weren’t in very good neighborhoods. Poor neighborhoods come with safety issues and low-value stuff.
The 4th auction was just 2 miles from our house, so she picked me up. We got there about noon and were told they weren’t expecting the auctioneer until 1. They couldn’t tell us exactly because the auctions take as long as they take. If a lot of people show up, the inspection can take a long time, since everybody has to stand in line to get a minute or two to peer in at the unit up for sale. The auction actually started about 1:30.
There were 3 units up for sale. The listing said 4, but one of the renters ran in at the last minute to pay her bill.
None of the units were anything special. One had two dozen boxes of Grainger catalogs and $50 worth of tools. Another was full of broken box springs, but may have had a dresser in the back. The last had a tub full of (frozen) paint bottles and a box full of kids’ books.
After that, I went back home to work, while she left for her third and final auction of the day. Again, she didn’t get a locker, but she did convince someone to sell her a fancy mirror out of one of the lockers. She paid $60, and after a bit of touch-up, it should sell for $2-300.
We didn’t buy anything, but it was interesting to see the process. Dealing with an auctioneer rattling off numbers isn’t nearly as intimidating as it seems.
The whole setup is pretty simple.
My wife registered at the first auction, so we didn’t have to worry about that at the later auctions. That consisted of reading the rules, writing down her name, and signing the paper.
At each unit that was up for grabs, the door was opened and all of the potential buyers lined up to take a minute to see what they could. We weren’t allowed in the unit, and we couldn’t open any boxes.
Once everyone had a chance to peak, the auction started.
When each unit was sold, the winning bidder stuck a lock on it, and everybody moved to the next unit to repeat the process. The three units were done in 15-20 minutes.
If you’re going to a storage auction, you need to bring cash, a flashlight, and a padlock. Without those three things, you can’t inspect a unit or pay for it if you win.
Finding auctions isn’t intuitive, in any way. The best sites I’ve found are AuctionZip.com and StorageTreasures.com.
My wife also got contact information for the largest storage facility chain in the area and we got on that list so we’ll get the full schedule of their storage auctions each month. Next week, they have auctions in some of the richest suburbs in the area.
My wife is planning on running that circuit at least one day next week.
It’s not “easy” money, but it should be a good way to bring in a little more money. If we can make enough to keep her from having to get a traditional job, that’s gravy.
Have you ever tried out a storage auction? How did it go?
Memorial Day
JUST A COMMON SOLDIER
(A Soldier Died Today)
by A. Lawrence Vaincourt
He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.
And tho’ sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we’ll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world’s a little poorer, for a soldier died today.
He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won’t note his passing, though a soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?
A politician’s stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.
It’s so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?
He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier’s part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor while he’s here to hear the praise,
Then at least let’s give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.