Almost Frugal: Learning about Frugality!

Book Review: Enjoy Your Money

Nicole — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:51:56 +0000

Reviewing a book can sometimes be a tricky task. But sometimes, as in this case, it turns out to be kind of fun!

A few months ago, the Almost Frugal writers were contacted about a personal finance book written for young people. I felt everyone sort of collectively (and yes electronically) look over to me. As a 29 year old and the youngest writer here at AF, I was the logical candidate to read the book. Also about half the time I agree to review a book (not just on Almost Frugal but at my own blog), I never receive it. So I said sure, thinking it might not actually show up.

A week later, the book arrived. “Enjoy Your Money! How To Make It, Save It, Invest It, and Give It” by J. Steve Miller didn’t look super long, but then I opened it. Holy text, Batman!

But rather than judge a book based on formatting (or a cover), I started reading. The basis of a book is a group of four students and a mentor type named Mrs. Kramer. They get together every week for breakfast and to talk about money as part of the “Counterculture Club”. Occasionally there are guests who show up to breakfast and the whole thing is like a flashback, as the ‘kids’ are now adults having a reunion.

Overall the book is in dialog format, like a play, with occasional assignments and recommended reading. For awhile, it drove me a little nuts but last night I realized I had gotten half way through the book without even realizing it. I guess a change of format is sometimes nice to have!

One thing you learn as you get older, or even just as you take more classes, is that you can get explained the same thing in multiple ways and, at one point, an explanation hits you and you just ‘get it’. This book explains things like compound interest, living below your means, etc. with multiple examples so many different times that I think there are a lot of different opportunities for people to ‘get it’. And the book focuses on normal people who are rich but don’t ‘act’ rich, a lot more of an attainable goal than winning the lottery or becoming famous only to make more money than you can possibly spend.

This book was unexpectedly good, so much so, I am going to lend it to a few people I know. J. Steve Miller does a great job and knows his stuff. As everyone who reads says, I should have read this years ago! Good news: it’s never too late to start.

Click here to read what some other people thought on Amazon.

Book Review: Enjoy Your Money by Nicole | Permalink | One comment

This is What Frugal Looks Like: Jennifer

Kelly — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:31:33 +0000

This is What Frugal Looks Like is a series that highlights different ways that people can be frugal in their lives- after all, frugality doesn’t have to be drastic or just about clipping coupons. Frugality can be fun and easy. Each respondent answers the same four questions. Today’s interview is with Jennifer from Hilltop Communications.

What does frugality mean to you?

To me, frugality means using resources of all types – money, time, and “stuff” – wisely, so that you can enjoy living. Frugality is a way of showing respect for whoever worked for or provided the resources, whether that be the Almighty, a family member, or oneself.

What is something that you do that is ‘typically’ frugally?

I clip a few coupons (although I am not a major coupon-er), I stock up at grocery specials, I open or close the blinds to control passive solar heat depending on season, and I turn the heat way down in the winter.

What is something frugal that you do that is unusual?

I started canning food when I was 8 years old, and I like to think I was “putting up” (preserving food) before it became cool again. I have the biggest garden that my suburban lot will allow, and I grow some food plants in the front yard, which is not typical for this part of the country. I make my own laundry soap, my own fleece pillowcases, and my own make-up remover wipes. I try to eliminate or greatly reduce the need to buy disposable items.

I compost, which is not unusual, but I do so as much for the garden fertilizer as to control waste. I get a significant thrill out of watching garden produce nourish my family, then sending its waste to the compost so it can nourish the next garden and continue the cycle.

What are some of your longterm goals that being frugal will help you to accomplish?

Of course, my husband and I would like to retire comfortably one day, although I think there will always be some sort of work in our lives; hopefully, our retirement savings will allow us to be choosier about the work we do. Additionally, my husband and I dance competitively and like to spend time in Key West, Florida, neither of which are inexpensive hobbies! But I sure would rather spend my discretionary income on a mojito on the beach than on a few extra degrees of heat and some commercially-produced laundry soap!

About Jennifer Patterson Lorenzetti

Jennifer Patterson Lorenzetti is a writer, editor, speaker, and owner of Hilltop Communications. Lorenzetti had her first garden – and her first compost pile – at the age of eight, and she has embraced the sustainable homemaking arts ever since. In 1997, she founded Hilltop Communications, a professional communications firm focusing on the challenges of making complex subjects understandable to professionals and laypeople alike. In 2009, she married the two passions to start Fast, Cheap, and Good, a blog dedicated to helping readers pursue a more sustainable lifestyle, one choice and one project at a time.

This is What Frugal Looks Like: Jennifer by Kelly | Permalink | No comments

This is What Frugal Looks Like: Garrett from Secure Medicare Solutions

This Is Frugal — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:00:06 +0000

What does frugality mean to you?

Frugality is certainly a way of life. To truly be successful with it, you must let it seep into all, or at least most, aspects of your way of life. To me, it means having a financial plan and goal in mind, not just casting about aimlessly on a whim. The world tells us we should get what we want when we want it, but to be frugal, you must fight those urges and stick to a concrete goal or plan.

What is something that you do that is ‘typically’ frugally?

The thing that I consider typically frugal that we do is budget. We have a set plan every month and watch it vigorously. I know every dollar that goes out and every dollar that comes in to the point that our budget is itemized very precisely.

What is something frugal that you do that is unusual?

This has probably surpassed frugality and moved into downright cheapness, but my family reuses holiday greeting cards. We can get a few uses out of one card. Sometimes, what starts as a large foldout card ends up being the size of an index card with “Happy Holidays” and our name on it. First, the recycling is simple. We just cut one card into two cards and send out both. One has a lovely picture on the front; the other has a message and no picture. I wouldn’t use this “frugal” trick on just anyone but it works great when sending holiday cards or birthday cards to family and close friends. They probably think we are crazy – maybe we are! And one more bonus thing that is both frugal and unusual – I am a relentless shaker of the printer cartridges. If you don’t know this, you can get many, many more prints out of a cartridge even after the computer/printer says it is out of ink. So, you just take it out, shake it vigorously, and put it back in. Then, print away. Computer says it is out of ink again, repeat the process, until you finally just cannot get one more print out of it.

What are some of your longterm goals that being frugal will help you to accomplish?

It is my hope that being frugal will allow my wife and I to leave a legacy for our children, not necessarily monetarily but more like a legacy of saving and conscientious spending. On a more personal note, I believe and hope that my family’s frugality will allow us the freedom to stop working at age 55 and do a lot of traveling.

About the Author

Garrett Ball is the owner of Secure Medicare Solutions and Medicare-Supplement-Comparison.com, two websites devoted to educating seniors about the complex and convoluted world of Medicare and assisting them in saving money on their Medicare Supplement insurance. His site offers practical advice, information and Medicare Supplement quotes.

This is What Frugal Looks Like: Garrett from Secure Medicare Solutions by This Is Frugal | Permalink | 4 comments

Tell Us Tuesday: Your Success Story

Kelly — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:00:01 +0000

Success in any big goal is made up of conquering many little problems along the way. I’ve read before that in order to change any habit, you need to work at it for a certain period of time (I’ve heard anywhere from two weeks to three months!).

Success is also how you define it. I judge as one of my successes on this journey to frugality my (semi) daily habit of checking my bank accounts. Doing so helps me feel on top of and in control of my finances- instead of leaving me with that sick feeling in my stomach…

What’s your success story?

Tell Us Tuesday: Your Success Story by Kelly | Permalink | 14 comments

Weekly Round-Up: Making Ramen Go Further

Kelly — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 07:28:01 +0000

I made a particularly tasty noodle stir fry for dinner last night and I thought I’d share the recipe:

About two cups cooked green beans
2 chicken breasts
2 packages ramen noodles (or about three cups cooked long noodles)
2 cups cabbage, finely cut into long strips
olive oil
sesame oil
sesame seeds

I had cooked the green beans the night before, and let them cool tossed with some sesame seeds and sesame oil. Then I chopped the chicken breasts and stir-fried them in olive oil. While the chicken was cooking, I sliced the cabbage and tossed it in the pan. Once the chicken and cabbage were mostly done, I added the green beans and cooked noodles and let the whole thing heat up. The dish only took about 10 minutes start to finish (a boon for hot summer nights) and was delicious.

With no further ado, here are my favorite links for the week:

Despair as Job Search Drags On and Money Dries Up – NYTimes.com
LauPre » Zip-up Earbuds

This is a cool yet geeky / geeky yet cool solution to a problem. And easy too! You just have to not mind having zippers attached to your ears…
Acquiring Emergency Supplies :: The Dollar Stretcher
10 Creative Ways To Educate Your Children About Money and Investing Without Making Them Hate You
Design*Sponge :: diy project: recycled cardboard kitty pad

Those cat scratchers are expensive (especially now that Ikea has stopped selling them), but I always have an extra box or two lying around.
Chilled Cucumber Soup With Salami, Feta, and Olives Recipe | Real Simple Recipes

I think this recipe sounds so good!
99 Great Ways to Save Money: Save on Anything, Cut Costs Tips – AARP Bulletin

Make sure to check out the last link, tips from real people which has this gem:

Look at each $1 bill you get and note the letter of the alphabet in the circle on the left half. (These seals denote Federal Reserve regions and run from A to L.) Save bills with a letter of significance to you for specific purposes, such as C for a gift for Carol, or B for a new bicycle. You can easily save $500 or more a year without missing a dollar here and a dollar there. —Leita Spears, Waldron, Ark.
Frugal Babe » The Luxury Of Frugal Thinking
50 Sneaky Grocery Store Tricks That Trim Your Wallet and Pad Your Waistline
Jewelled Shrink Curls :: Origami Mommy
On the one hand, this seems like a fin project. On the other hand, it seems like you’d just end up with more tiny pieces of plastic in your house. And I’m sure it goes without saying to do this in a well-ventilated area.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Weekly Round-Up: Making Ramen Go Further by Kelly | Permalink | 2 comments

Saving on School Supplies

A Guest Writer — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:00:05 +0000

A few packets of pencils, more erasers, add a dozen pens and a few notebooks and watch the total money spent on school supplies soar. Many parents don’t bother to budget for these ancillary materials during back-to-school shopping but according to the National Retail Federation an estimated 3.1 billion dollars were spent last year on these products. That’s not chump change. So what can you do to avoid unnecessary spending on these types of school supplies? Just follow these tips and you’ll see the difference once you reach the cash register.

Reuse Old Supplies: Have your kids do an inventory of the supplies they have left over from last year. Chances are they will have erasers, pens, rulers, a calculator, crayons and even a carry case to keep them in. Why bother buying new stuff when the old things work just as well.

Buy in Bulk: When you discover a big sale at your local retailer don’t just buy what you need for the beginning of the school year. These items will probably be back to full price during the school year so purchase enough to last you through the term. This will enable you to replenish your kids’ school supplies as needed and will also save you another trip to the store.

Hunt for Values: One store may have a stellar sale on crayons while another may be offering notebooks or notebook paper for half price, if that’s the case then purchase what you need at one retailer and leave for the next store. If you don’t want to waste the extra gas find out which store price matches and then do all of your shopping there instead of driving around.

Tax-Free Holiday Shop: Find out if your state is offering tax-free holiday shopping and then do your purchasing on the designated days. You could save big money even if you have to fight the crowds. So remember to bring some extra patience with you.

Avoid the Extras: Once you start shopping you and your kids will start to notice all the cool items for sale such as the wild variety of crayons, markers, pens and other accessories. Just ignore that stuff. Go for the basics because in a few weeks all those fancy things will be collecting dust as your kids utilize their pens and pencils. Remember, all those glam-looking items are just there to entice you to spend money. It’s like the shelves of candy at the checkout line, sure it looks good but do you really need to spend the extra money – and that money adds up quickly.

Customize: If your kids don’t like their “plain” looking school supplies then have them embellish them with their own drawings, or buy favorite stickers and you’ll witness their notebooks, backpacks and other accessories become unique to their own tastes.

There you have it, a few quick and easy tips to help you save money this back-to-school shopping season. But there’s one other thing you should keep in mind, stay focused and disciplined and you’ll reap the benefits of being a savvy shopper.

About the Author

The following is a guest post from Kathryn Katz, a Certified Personal Finance Counselor who works for Consolidated Credit Counseling Services in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Their non-profit agency helps families through financial crisis using credit counseling, debt consolidation and financial education.

Saving on School Supplies by A Guest Writer | Permalink | 5 comments

The Feeling of New Without The Spending

Nicole — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:08:45 +0000

Move things around and, tada, new space!

Sometimes, I think we could all use a change. And to get that ‘overhaul’ effect, the first thing most of us do is think of what we need to buy to achieve that. Or we subconsciously avoid it, thinking even if we could get out of it cheap, we might have to put in a lot of work for the change to be noticeable. (Anyone who has ever painted what they thought was a small room might know what I’m talking about here!)

For example, I have been completely sick of my living room for about two months. It felt cluttered and boring… I told my boyfriend I wanted to rearrange the furniture to make things flow better. It made me realize this might be more of a female phenomena when he said “Oh ok, my mom does this stuff all the time.” About 20 minutes of moving later, it looked like a different, much more open and airy room that I actually wanted to spend time in. Even the dog is mildly impressed.

Case two is I found a sundress buried in the back of my closet. I was about to put it in the bag of clothes for donation when I realized that I wasn’t wearing because it had big foofy sleeves that I no longer liked. So I cut them off. In addition to now having one more thing I can wear when it’s ridiculously hot, I got several compliments last weekend on my ‘cute dress’.

It is amazing what a little rearranging, shuffling, swapping, or otherwise reconfiguring can do to change your outlook. I like that twice this week, I’ve gotten the idea of change in my life without the wrecking my budget (or cluttering my already small space by going out and buying something new).

How have you gotten the feeling of new without spending a dime (or even much elbow grease)?

The Feeling of New Without The Spending by Nicole | Permalink | 3 comments

This is What Frugal Looks Like: Jenna from Jenna’s Cottage

This Is Frugal — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:00:28 +0000

What does frugality mean to you?

For me, frugality means being sensible with my money. It means not participating in the consumer culture. It’s not about being cheap. Its about being smart with my money. It means buying quality vs. quantity.

What is something that you do that is ‘typically’ frugally?

I do what I consider the usual stuff. Shop for my produce at produce stands and farmer’s markets, grow what I can myself, get clothes, furniture and other items through Freecycle first, thrift stores second and brand new only as a last option for things we really NEED. I shop around for prices for things I need to buy brand new. (I’m in the market for a new camera so I’m comparing models, features and prices.) I buy in bulk and don’t have many brand name loyalties. (Spice Island spices being one of the exceptions. They are more expensive but the quality is outstanding so I’m will to pay more.) I buy heirloom and open-pollinated seeds for my garden so I can save them from year to year. I also cook everything from scratch. It’s SO much cheaper and healthier!

What is something frugal that you do that is unusual?

I use baking soda and vinegar for all my hair care needs. I works amazingly well. The baking soda is made into a thin paste and you apply it to wet hair concentrating on the scalp. It attaches to the oils which carry the dirt. When you rinse your hair, it carries away excess oils and the dirt & odors with it leaving your hair clean without stripping. However, our hair is acidic by nature so the pH balance has to be restored. Add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (don’t use any other kind!) to 1 cup of water. After you’ve rinsed the baking soda from your hair very well, you dip the ends of your hair in the vinegar water. After a few moments of that, you can pour the vinegar and water over your head. Don’t rinse your hair!!! Let the excess vinegar water drain off then gently wrap your head in a towel to soak up more excess. After a couple of minutes, gently pat your hair then brush it. Be careful how you brush. You don’t want to pull and stretch your hair because that weakens and breaks it. I admit my hair has never been healthier in my life.

What are some of your long term goals that being frugal will help you to accomplish?

I have two huge dreams in life. To be successful with my photography and to own my own home. When I say own my home, I mean own it. I don’t want a mortgage. I want to have a nice LITTLE home and raise fruits, veggies and herbs in my yard. I want to have a few chickens, maybe some rabbits and potentially some dairy goats. Being frugal will help fund the set up and make it easier to live on my little farm without requiring huge amounts of money. The more money I’d worry about earning, the more it would take me away from the home life I love so much.

Bastille Day

Kelly — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:13:58 +0000

It’s Bastille Day here in France, so we’re taking the day off! Enjoy your Wednesday!

Bastille Day by Kelly | Permalink | No comments

Tell Us Tuesday: Garage Sales

Kelly — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:00:30 +0000

It’s garage sale season in the United States- and oh! how I miss it! Garage sales, or to use the literal translation for vide grenier, attic empty-ers, are not authorized in France except as part of a group sale sanctioned by the town and published in advance. You often even have to pay a fee to participate and are only allowed to participate in two events a year. I haven’t participated in one for a long time, but I was inspired by this post in The Dollar Stretcher newsletter, to ask you:

What are your garage sale strategies? Do you hold them, or just go to them? Love them or hate them?

Tell Us Tuesday: Garage Sales by Kelly | Permalink | 6 comments