The Quest to Become Debt Free

I must admit defeat!

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:16:00 +0000

Life has become far too busy for me to blog (obviously), and perhaps this is a good thing. I'll leave the blog up for a short period of time...since I know there are folks still referring to it for various things, but there won't be any posts. As a parting, let me tell you that I'm still very much on track toward getting out of debt, that I have a job interview at the end of August (wish me luck), and that there are several people interested in purchasing my house when I am ready to move (let's see if they still are when the time comes, eh?!). I hope all my fellow PF bloggers are managing to keep their heads above water with the current economy (bleh) and perhaps I'll resurrect this crazy thing when I've moved/gotten settled.

Feel free to send me an email at singlemomindebt@gmail.com should you want to say hello!

Don't throw away food!

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:13:00 +0000

Let's avoid waste, save money, and be creative! Let's pick three food items that we can work on not throwing out!

Stale Bread:

Make French Toast
Throw it in the freezer for breadcrumbs for meatloaf or other items
Feed the birds
Make croutons! These are way better than store bought croutons anyway!

Apples:

If they're starting to get soft and losing their crunch, it's time to cook them! A quick easy way to do this if you're not in a baking mood is to just have poached apples. Halve the apple, remove seeds and peel. Put in a microwavable dish, cover with about 4 tablespoons of water and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until soft. Let cool! This is especially nice with ice cream.
Feed to the animals
Dice and freeze for later baking!
Compost!

Broccoli:

If it's just getting wilty...first try cutting off the bottom and putting it in a glass of cold water to see if you can perk it up!
Wilty broccoli is still fine to boil up, just not so great raw.
Broccoli is a great freezer food: if you don't plan to eat it right away when you buy it/harvest it, chop it up, boil it for 2 minutes, then throw in a good freezer bag and squeeze as much air out as you can. Now you've got frozen broccoli that's as good as anything you'd buy in the store.
Have I mentioned compost?
Wilty broccoli is also just great for soup! I like broccoli and cheese soup, though it's not the healthiest. If you cook it up, you could also throw it on a baked potato along with some cheddar...yum!

Frugal to the Extreme

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:59:00 +0000

While I've come across the concept of "dumpster diving" several times (there's a pretty good section on the activity in The Complete Tightwad Gazette...which I reference regularly if I'm feeling that I'm not meeting spending goals and need inspiration!).

Today, there was a decent article on MSNBC, "For Frugalists, Bargain Hunting Is A Lifestyle". While I don't think I could go all out and provide most of my food through the practice (especially since I don't live in the city and my options are significantly decreased), I admit that it had me considering some of the more "innocent" and less "icky" sounding options. For example, I enjoy going to the bread factory's discount store and picking up day old bread and baked items that are somehow not good enough to sell (I don't particularly mind if the icing on a cake is off center, haha). Is it really so much of a stretch to think that I couldn't go around back and grab a loaf of bread that they just tossed out there in a bin that's *exclusively* used for bread?

Even that sounds a little iffy to me, though I know it's just my inner hypochondriac speaking. Canned stuff sounds easier to "stomach" haha, but I would imagine thrown out less. Hmm, while they present an interesting argument, I think I'll stick to the thrift stores, bread stores, and farm stores for now.

Have a smallish lawn? How to save money and live greener!

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:48:00 +0000

I recently purchased a Scotts 16-Inch Elite Push Reel Lawn Mower (they also have a larger 20 inch mower, but this was big enough for me and obviously less expensive.

Why might you want a non electric push mower?

1. The mower itself is less expensive. I actually got mine for $75 dollars at a Home Depot that was moving locations and liquidating, but the one I linked on Amazon is a good price and has free shipping (though it appears as though they don't releast it until June 8th).

2. Almost no maintenance cost. Obviously, it doesn't use any gas or electricity. According to the manual, the blades only need sharpening every few years (though I think I'll probably pick up a Sharpening Kit this fall and sharpen the blades before I put it away for the winter). The only supply the manual recommends is something to lubricate the pieces every now and then (think WD 40), which I admit to not having gotten around to yet.

3. Quiet - I hate loud lawn mowers. I hate feeling like I'm annoying my neighbors, I hate the damage to my eardrums, I hate not being able to hear the kiddo, etc.

4. Not smelly - I hate the smell of gasoline/oil.

5. Better for the environment, again, obviously.

6. Safer. I hear the kiddo coming up behind me since it's quieter, and it takes no time to stop. As soon as you stop moving, the blades stop moving...unlike the slow down that a motorized mower takes.

I've now mowed my lawn about five times with this machine. I'm glad I didn't get the larger model because I'm somewhat petite and by the time I'm done mowing my 1/4 acre or so of lawn, I'm warn out. I know that it would take slightly less time with the wider mower, but I like that this is easy for me to take up and down my basement stairs and such.

You do have to be right on top of the mowing...I do it once or twice a week this time of year, because the mower doesn't work as well in taller grass. However, I'm really pleased with this purchase, especially since I found it nearly impossible to start my other lawn mower (and once seriously hurt my shoulder hauling on the starting cord). It's also a good work out!

Make Room to Grow - Financially

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:31:00 +0000

Today, in the spirit of spring cleaning, we have a guest post from Sarah Scrafford of businesscreditcards.com - Thanks Sarah!

Make Room to Grow �?? Financially

I�??m a neat-freak, and this makes it very difficult for me to stay over at friends�?? houses or ride in their cars. My orderly mind just cannot accept clutter and stuff thrown about randomly. I was brought up to follow the motto �??A place for everything and everything in its place�??, and am now trying to win around a few pals to my way of thinking. We started small, with their cars, and when those were done, moved on to the homes. Suffice it to say that my friends were extremely grateful, and not just for the free cleaning-out their cars and houses got courtesy me, but because they actually made quite a few bucks from the process. If you�??re wondering how you too can jump on this bandwagon, read on:

Sell the things that are in good condition on sites like Ebay or Craigslist. Or you could just have a big garage sale.
Those that you cannot sell, donate to the thrift shop �?? you�??d be doing someone a favor and also earning yourself a tax deduction.
While cleaning out closets, if you come across clothes and other items that still have the price tags on, return them and get your money back.
Clearing out cluttered drawers and desks will unearth coupons that are still valid for discounts.
You can cross off a ton of things from your shopping list when you find things that you thought were lost forever.
Clearing rooms of unwanted things and furniture lets your air conditioner work more efficiently and save you some money on your utility bills.
You know where everything is, which means you�??ll spend less time on the searching process, which implies you�??ll have more time to spend on making money.
And the clincher, you will find loose change and even whole bills under car seats, under carpets, inside crevices on your couch, amid sheaves of paper and just about every other place you wouldn�??t think you�??d find money in.

There�??s another advantage to being organized around the house �?? the fact that this value overflows into all other aspects of your life; you�??ll find that you�??re better at setting schedules and sticking to them, better at preparing budgets and following them religiously, better at setting targets to reduce debt and meeting them without breaking a sweat. So take control of the clutter, both physical and mental, and bring back order to your life.

This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of best business practices. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.

Tis the season for yard saling!

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:18:00 +0000

Late spring/early summer is the best time of year to hit the yard sale circuit for two big reasons:

1. Spring cleaning. Everyone is sick to death of looking at their crap all winter. Now is the time to help them get rid of it.
2. You can make a killing if you live near a college or University. College kids arrive on campus with their cars stuffed to the max, buy stuff over the course of the year, then realize they have exactly as much room in their vehicles as they did when they arrived. They realize this late because they've been focused on not flunking out of school. If you can, keep an eye on forums where college kids sells stuff. If you can't, it's a good idea to call the college or University and ask them if they have a yard sale during the summer to sell off the stuff that kids abandoned in their rooms when they moved out.

There are also often various civic groups, like the Kiwanis Club, that have charity yard sales/auctions in the summer. They have lots of nice items since they're often donated by local businesses or patrons...definitely worth checking out!

Master's Degree = Fin and the Hiatus is Over!

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:58:00 +0000

Good morning readers, and good morning post-grad school life! I am now finished with school (for several years, at least), and am ready to pick up the umm, keyboard again? haha

Let's start with the Goals and Resolutions UPDATES, to get back in the business of business.

1. Credit card debt is now down to roughly $3200.00. This isn't a big move since I last reported, but slowly and surely. Progress is progress, not matter how small.

2. Quitting smoking. I don't want to talk about it, but I'm working on it, dammit.

3. Emergency account is lower than I'd like...only about $700. I'm hoping to bump that up a little bit soon...ran into some actual emergencies, haha.

4. Not that it was a "resolultion" but it's definitely worth noting that my car is now MINE! I made the last car payment at the beginning of May and they've already sent me the title. YAY! Never have I owned a vehicle with less than 100k miles outright. I plan on having it for quite a while too!

NetworthIQ grid has been updated to the right, and while I'm still obviously in the negative, my networth has increased by $1663.00 in the past two months. Not too shabby!

Now I just need to find a new job, sell my house, buy another house, and move! Man, busy summer!

18 Days until graduation: Crunch Time

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:50:00 +0000

I know I've been MIA for a while now, but I plan on picking the old blog back up in a few weeks. I'll definitely do a goal update post at the end of the month, then I'll be dedicating a post to "things to think about when you graduate" at the beginning of May.

For now, I wanted to link a new personal finance blog I came across that looks like it's got some potential: http://christopheraaronjohnson.net This gentleman is a mathematician and an actuary and I believe can offer a somewhat different perspective on PF than I am used to reading, and certainly different than what I generally write about. Hopefully you'll find it helpful or at least interesting!

On keeping one's head above water

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:51:00 +0000

Times are tight for everyone and it feels as though I can't check a news site without reading about the economic crisis every fifth article or so. However, I firmly believe that with some careful planning and a willingness to "cut the fat" when times dictate that it's necessary, you can weather most any storm. How am I putting my "money where my mouth is" you might ask? Well...

I've cut all luxury spending. No going out to the movies, no going out to dinner, no renting movies, no tickets to anything.
I no longer have cable/DirecTV (cut that a while back)
I no longer purchase soft drinks
I have, once again, become more conscientious of the "shopping list" and produce/veggies that are on sale.
I am opting to consolidate shopping trips/other errands in order to save on gas. If I need to go grocery shopping and hit Walmart (*shudder*), I am making sure to do so on the same trip rather than going to one on Saturday and the other on Sunday.
I am reserving 'fun' purchases for special occasions like birthdays/mother's day/etc. If I don't ask for the 'fun' item straight up as a gift suggestion, I'm using any gift money/cards to make the purchase rather than buying it right when I want it. I'll live.
I'm keeping the heat off unless I'm really very cold.
I'm taking shorter showers and trying to utilize the toaster oven rather than the big oven for smaller portions.
I'm taking stock of my pantry and using up items that are in there before buying more. I discovered that I have no less than five bags of various types of flour. Time to bake, baby.

I'm also trying to look into more money making options, such as making money by crafting (which I enjoy) and also going through my closets to sell items I no longer need...I have far too many text books, for example. I received notification of a great little article about avoiding business debt that I read with great enthusiasm in the spirit of entrepreneurial aspiration. Check it out.

On asking for what you need

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:30:00 +0000

My daughter's third birthday is coming right up. She is the only grandchild to two sets of grandparents, and one set of surrogate grandparents. She is also the only neice to two aunts, and the only surrogate neice of one uncle. She is the only child of two parents, plus one significant other of a parent. She is the only great grandaughter of one great grandmother.

This means there will be no shortage of gifts.

However, my house is full to the brim with stuffed animals, toys of all sorts of noises, and a variety of craft activities. While more books and puzzles will always be welcome, I'm overwhelmed by her "stuff". Additionally, she is growing like a weed and I have a severe clothing shortage.

I am going to make a real effort this year to try to drill in to all gift givers that she REALLY NEEDS CLOTHING, and NOT STUFFED ANIMALS. I feel like an unappreciative jerk sometimes, but it's not terribly helpful for me to have to find the places for a hundred new stuffed animals and toys and then go out and spend $100 on new clothes for her. Here's hoping the family come through with the clothes this year, haha.

My childhood of gifts of boring clothing all makes sense now. My mom needed help too!

I'm selling my body for science!

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:14:00 +0000

"Well children, I'm afraid I have no choice but to sell you all for medical experiments."

Ok, well it's not really that dramatic. However, one of the benefits of working at a university is that occasionally, some research project pops up that needs volunteers and they offer some little incentive to participate. Shortly, I will be volunteering for a blueberry study! What does this involve? Well, eating breakfast at a facility once every two weeks for 8 weeks, and letting them take my blood four hours later. So, I get four free breakfasts, and at the end of 8 weeks, $200. Not too shabby, even if I do hate needles, haha.

I wouldn't call it a long term money making scheme, but every little bit helps right? Check out your local university and see what they have going!

The Shampoo Challenge!

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:41:00 +0000

After a cleaning and inventory of my bathroom (cupboards, shelves, etc), it was time to face the facts. I have a shampoo and conditioner "problem" so to speak. I have 11 bottles of various shampoos and conditioners in my bathroom in varying levels of fullness. Most are between a quarter and half full, but some less. We won't even get into bottles of lotion, which everyone figures is a pretty safe bet as a gift to women. Let's just say, my skin needn't ever be dry.

I spoke with some coworkers and discovered that I am not the only one in such a situation. Women seem to acquire bottles of shampoo and conditioner for one of three reasons:

We don't like how our hair looks and want to try something new. We go out and purchase this new thing, stick the old bottles on the shelf, figuring we'll use them later.
We notice our shampoo or conditioner is getting low, so we grab some more the next time we're at the store. However, we can't resist trying the new shiny bottles the next day, so we stick the old bottles on the shelf, figuring we'll use them later.
Rarely, we're given a gift of shampoo or conditioner, sometimes handmedowns from someone else. We stick them on the shelf, figuring we'll use them later.

Now, in an unscientific and non representative poll, I couldn't find a single woman who actually throws away a bottle of shampoo or conditioner unless it's empty or VERY nearly so. Even if they hate it.

So here's my challenge: I'm unwilling to throw away this expensive (to me) product, so I have determined that the only option is to use it. I am NOT going to purchase ANY MORE shampoo or conditioner until I have rid myself of every single drop I already own. This will cut down on clutter, and save some money. Besides, we don't need a bunch of shampoo and conditioner in the landfill...even if it might make it smell better.

The first day I started this was last Monday (the 10th)...let's see how long it takes me to use this stuff up. I'm hoping it's gone before I move, because I don't want to pack a bunch of nearly empty bottles of product. I challenge you to join me, let me know if you do!

Wishing you'd bought a Blu-ray? Best Buy might help.

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:36:00 +0000

I admit, I'm not cutting edge enough to have a HD DVD player yet...nor will I ever probably (I'll just wait until they do away with discs all together). However, if *you* are one of those people that just has to have new technology and you went out and grabbed an HD DVD player before Blu-ray took the crown, there may still be hope for you...at least if you bought it from Best Buy.

Best Buy is offering a $50 gift card to customers who purchased a HD DVD player prior to February 23rd, 2008. In fact, according to the Best Buy site, most qualifying customers will receive them automatically through the mail. I think that's pretty damn good of them, honestly, considering the hoops you need to jump through to get a lousy $10 mail in rebate most of the time. If you think you qualify and you *don't* get a card by May 1st, give them a call. Details are on the website.

If you still need to be cutting edge, you can use the $50 toward a Blu-Ray, or some of the dwindling stock of HD DVDs. Maybe they'll become collectable.

U.S. Economy No Longer Number 1

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:26:00 +0000

According to Reuters, the Euro-zone surpassed the U.S. economy this week after the value of the dollar dropped to $1.5688. You can read the full story on the NY Times website, here.

I think I'll put off any travel plans to Europe for a while...ugh.

How the Fed rate cuts may just end up screwing me

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:28:00 +0000

I wrote a post a while back about how the housing crisis may work out in my favor due to the fairly stable housing prices in my area. I'll be selling my home this summer, and purchasing one in another state, where housing prices are fairly steadily declining. This would appear to be pretty good for me and I agree.

However, the federal reserve rate cuts are, at least so far, not helping me out. My current mortgage is a first time home buyers loan, far below what the current interest rates are anyway. My next mortgage will not be though, since I won't be a first time home buyer. The federal rate cuts have served to drastically lower the interest in my high interest savings account...which is where I'm saving for the down payment on my future house. However, it's not having much of an effect on the long term fixed mortgage interest rates, and those have even gone up. CNN did a nice little article today on the phenomenon here. The long and the short of it:

But the housing market is in such turmoil that rates are even higher right now, with lenders concerned that borrowers will not be able to pay back loans."The 30-year fixed rate mortgage should be at 5.5%, but instead it's above 6%," said McBride. ...for long-term fixed mortgage rates to go down, the Fed must successfully make banks more willing to lend again.

Here's hoping.

Economic Stimulus Rebate...again!

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:42:00 +0000

I know I've posted a rebate calculator before, but now that the IRS has one on it's website, I thought folks might be interested in trying it out. You can find it here.

Additionally, the IRS has posted a schedule for when you can expect your check. It depends on

Whether you file your taxes by April 15th,
Whether or not you have direct deposit, and
The last two digits of your social security number.

Read the details here. Looks like I'll be getting mine around May 16th.

Speaking of credit card fraud...shopped at Hannaford recently?

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:53:00 +0000

Perhaps it's related to my recent experience with credit card fraud, perhaps not, but I think it's important to note that Hannaford recently experienced a large scale theft of consumer credit card and debit card numbers that were being transmitted through their authorization process (no personal information was stolen). You can read their press release here.

While it's always a good idea to keep a close eye on bank and credit card statements, if you are a Hannaford customer, keep an especially close watch on your financial transactions in the coming weeks. While credit cards generally have pretty good fraud protection, having your bank account emptied through debit card fraud is very painful and difficult to fix (though not something I have personally had to go through, fingers crossed). Be vigilant!

My experience with Bank of America and credit card fraud

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:07:00 +0000

Last week I had my very first credit card fraud experience, and I just have to say that I'm more than happy with Bank of America's response. They discovered it, they corrected it, they minimized my inconvenience. I don't know how it happened, but I know that as far as taking care of business, they got it done. Here's how it went down:

At about 8pm one night last week, I got a phone call. It was an automated message from "Bank of America's fraud department" requesting that I enter some bank details due to some bizarre activity on my account. I was skeptical and hung up. If I've been taught anything, it's that you don't give out personal information that's solicited over the phone or via email.

I then proceeded to check my email. Sure enough, there's an email from BoA's fraud department indicated that there was some strange activity on my account. They were smart enough to include a statment like, "Hey, if you're not sure this is legit, feel free to log into your account seperately and check your alerts!" That's just what I did, and it was the real thing. So I called them up.

Within a few seconds I was on the phone with a nice guy who inquired as to whether or not I was travelling. HA! I would love to be, but no. "So you're not in Florida, eh?" Don't I wish it baby! Evidently, someone had taken three $100.00 cash advances out of an ATM in a Florida Walmart using my card info (I never lost the actual physical card...I don't know how they do these things). So we went through the latest transactions and I confirmed those that I'd actually initiated myself...the fraudulant charges were removed, my account "closed", and life went on. I say, "closed" because it really wasn't. It was just temporarily unavailable while a new number was assigned, everything transferred over to it, and a new card sent out. I was without a card for a couple of days, but it was no major tragedy. All in all, I give BoA's response an A!

The problem with the grocery list: saving money by being open to variety

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:19:00 +0000

During a potluck lunch at the office today, I was surprised by a conversation with a large group of my coworkers. I mentioned offhand that it was great that strawberries have been so cheap the last couple of weeks, and that my daughter and I had been eating them with breakfast every morning. No one else seemed to know that they were less expensive at present.

After asking around a bit more, I came to find that there *is* a downside to keeping a list and sticking to it. If you follow a weekly/biweekly/whatever list to a T without ever checking into what's seasonal/on sale/etc...you're not going to save as much money as you can and you're also limiting yourself to an (I would think anyway) eventually very boring eating lifestyle. I, personally, love trying new veggies and fruits as they go on sale. I don't buy mangos unless they're at or under $1.50 (guilty pleasure), but am excited when I find they are. I like kiwi at 3/dollar. I'm sure some of you in warmer climates may be gasping, but this is Maine. We don't pay hardly a thing for potatoes or lobsters. I like to think it evens out, haha.

At any rate, read the sales fliers and see what's in season and you'll not only get some variety at a savings, but you'll also be getting fresher produce than you might be used to if you've been sticking to a "ship it from wherever, I'm buying it cause it's on the list" mentality.

Saving money by not wasting food

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:45:00 +0000

Holiday dinners around my house as a kid meant 1. A huge meal. 2. A ton of leftovers, carefully placed in tupperwear in the fridge. 3. A trashcan FULL of food at the end of the week.

I was reminded of this today after making a big meal last night. Many of you may make big St. Patrick's Day feasts and then, a big Easter dinner next weekend. Things to keep in mind:

First of all, try to plan according to the number of guest in the first place. I'm guilty of, out of paranoia at running out of food, making about three times as much food as will actually be consumed in the first place.
When you're out shopping for that big meal, also pick up some freezer bags.
Package up leftovers as soon after dinner as you can, to cut down on the chance of bacteria growing on room temperature food.
Freeze what can be frozen in single portion or family meal sized packages for future use.
Find your inner Englishman: Ever heard of "bubble and squeak"? Well, I'll tell ya, it's delicious and uses up a bunch of leftovers in a go. Take a big bowl and mix together all of the "mushy" leftovers like mashed potato, sweet potato, squash, turnip, even mashed up cooked carrots. Heat a large skillet with a little butter, and fry it all up like a pancake. Dinner (or breakfast, if you're one of those people who can stomach more than a small bowl of cereal or single piece of toast for your breakfast).
Plan "leftover" meals at the same time you're planning the big meal. If you know you're going to be using that ham for sandwiches the next two days, don't buy other sandwich meat when you're grocery shopping.
Protip: Bread freezes really well. This would include rolls. I'm less certain about the freezability (is that a word?) of biscuits. Any tips there, readers?
If you're sending leftovers home with guests, ask them to bring some tupperware with them, or pick up some cheap disposables. Good tupperware is expensive and I always feel cheap asking for it back!

Happy holiday eating!

It has come to my attention that I have not won the HGTV Dream Home

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:29:00 +0000

I admit, this was not a real part of my long term financial planning, but I'm disappointed nonetheless.

HGTV will also be giving away a "Green Home" in a sweepstakes starting next week (I think, you can check their website if you want dreams as crushed as my own). It is actually on the topic of greener living that I would like to focus today, using the HGTV Green Home as an example. While most of us cannot incorporate all of the "greener" efforts into our own home, we can do *some* of them, and some of them will even save us money in the long run. So, without further introduction...10 things I like about the HGTV Green Home:

1. Energy Star appliances: When I purchase my next house and am shopping for appliances, I plan on buying only those appliances that are low on energy usage (and hopefully quieter than my current washer...yeesh). I admit that the fact that they are going to cost me less over time is more important to me than the "greener" aspect of them, but that I do appreciate that I'm lessening my negative impact on the environment at the same time.

2. Love plants? Go with those that are drought tolerant: There is something to be said for not needing to water your plants every day, beyond the lower water usage. If you're forgetful or a traveler like me, you'll save on replacing dead plants on top of saving water. Also: Time is money.

3. Grow a Garden: Many PF blogs have gone run cost/savings analysis on the veggie garden before, so I'll skip that here and just say I *enjoy* gardening, AND I *hate* shopping. It's also a good learning opportunity for the kiddo.

4. Limiting Turf: The HGTV Green Home has limited "lawn". I'm all for limited lawn because:

I don't like mowing
I like shrubs, flowers, etc, better and find them more interesting
I don't like mowing
I like the privacy of the various layers in landscaping
Lawn mowers are noisy, smelly, expensive, and bad for the environment
I don't like fertilizing grass, replacing dry spots, etc...also: I hate mowing

5. Shade trees: I like shady spots in a garden anyway, but the Green Home points out the cost savings of having shade near your paved driveway...it'll last longer.

6. Water limiting fixtures: I would like to have a low water toilet, but limiting the water in my shower can't limit the water pressure. If there's less water, it better not feel like it! I'll be looking into many reviews before buying a shower head.

7. Rainwater harvesting: I would *love* to have the money/time/etc to do this. The Green Home reuses rainwater for the toilets in the house.

8. Want wood floors? Consider bamboo: Bamboo grows fast. That means floors are cheap and ecologically sustainable.

9. Efficient Hot Water Distribution: The Green Home was built in a way to minimize the length of hot water pipes (and the pipes are also well insulated). Saving money on hot water is good.

10. Individual Controls: Possibly my favorite thing in this home is the zoning system of heating in the house. The thermostats automatically adjust for day, evening, and weekend presets to save money, but the house zoning system also allows for different temperatures in rooms that are unoccupied or where the people using them just prefer different temperatures. For example, I like my bedroom cooler so I can have a million blankets, but the living room warmer so that I don't need a sweater.

I think these are all things I could come to incorporate into my home over time with a little bit of planning.

Soul Searching: Do you really need cable?

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:49:00 +0000

Every now and then (and moreso lately), I'm paying more attention to services I pay for an whether I really need them...or need them at the threshhold that they're currently at.

A few months ago, I got rid of DirecTV. I figured out that I was paying around $50 a month so that the baby could watch PBS Sprout. Now I no cable, just the networks, which is fine since the only thing I watch on television is Jeopardy. The one TV show I'm really addicted to, Lost, broadcasts each episode online after it's shown on the air. I can watch it the next day if I like. Other than that, we watch DVDs. I prefer to watch series all at once if I can, and commercial free is good for me. In a world where time is a hot commodity, I save some by not waiting through commercial breaks, haha.

If you have a free day, I urge you to go through your various services and see where you can "cut the fat":

1. Your phone bill: Give it a good go over. Are you paying for services you're not using? Are you paying for calls that could be covered under a package that would cost you less?

2. Your cell phone: See above. Also: is your cell phone provide also your land line provider and if so, is there a package that will cover both?

3. Cable/Satellite: Take a look at how much TV you're watching. If you already have a goal to watch less, well here's a chance to enforce that on yourself while saving money in the process. Could you at least do with a lower priced package?

4. Club services: Are you using your:

Gym membership to the fullest? Is it time to get rid of it and just start walking more?
Netflix/Blockbuster subscription to the fullest? Do you find you're really going through enough movies per month to warrant the subscription?
Coffee delivery service? Consider getting deliveries once every two months instead of once a month and using a less expensive coffee most of the time...saving that expensive stuff for special occasions (or even just weekends!).
Video game subscription: Are you playing enough to warrant the fee?

Lastly: Are you able to combine some of these services into a package deal? For example, can you get digital phone service through the cable company? What about DSL for your broadband through the phone company? See what you can save by rolling some of these expenses into a package.

My dumbest purchase ever

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:58:00 +0000

Debtkid is running a contest over on his blog to win a Nintendo DS Lite. Now, I'll freely admit that I don't actually know what a Nintendo DS Lite is, but I thought it was a fun contest to take part in anyway. If I win, that's probably a pretty good gift for one of my many gamer friends and thereby saves me purchasing a birthday present.

My stupid purchase? It's embarrassing, but when I was about 20, I gained a bunch of weight due to illness. When I stepped on the scale one day and saw how much, I immediately hopped in the car, drove to Sears, and bought a $980 treadmill. I paid for an extended warranty. I paid for delivery. I used it about a dozen times and it was the most expensive coat rack that I'll ever own. It was huge, it was ugly, I had nowhere to put it so it was in my KITCHEN. Yes, stupid purchase doesn't even begin to describe this gigantic, expensive, ugly, centerpiece of my apartment.

When my boyfriend at the time and I broke up, I let him keep the treadmill with the understanding that he was going to sell it and split the money with me. Then, his apartment caught on fire and the treadmill melted into a puddle of plastic, feeling the burn it never got to experience through use. It seemed in poor taste to ask for any money, so I try to remember that treadmill as a sort of icon of when I fell as low off the wagon as I care to.

Thanks for helping me reminisce Debtkid...I feel fat now.

Frugal healthy recipe - Lentil Soup

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:28:00 +0000

This also works well for being a winter comfort food, and great for when you're sick. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and it's even vegan!

Lentil Soup

2 14-oz. cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed & drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

In a large saucepan/stockpot, combine chicken broth, water, lentils, celery, carrots, onion, dried thyme (if using), red pepper & garlic.
Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables & lentils are tender.
Stir in fresh thyme. Heat through.

I've also added diced leftover chicken a the same time as adding the fresh thyme (probably about a cup) and it was yummy. Enjoy!

Saving money when you're sick

noreply@blogger.com (singlemomindebt) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:54:00 +0000

My recent bout with the flu got me thinking about how one often will spend a bunch of money in a panic when it comes to combatting and preventing illness (see previous post on Airborne as an example). Here are some ways during this miserable cold and flu season that we can spend less money:

1. Once you're sick, no amount of juice, vitamin water, other expensive food or beverage OR vitamin C suppliment is going to help. While some studies have shown that vitamin C can have some good preventative properties, there's nothing suggesting that it helps once you've caught a virus. Save your money, drink lots of WATER.

2. Generic/store brand cold/flu symptom remedies have the same active ingrediants as their expensive name-brand counterparts. If you must use something like this, go generic. Keep in mind though, antihistamines just dry you out more and you'd be better off sleeping (free) and drinking WATER (also practically free).

3. Do you have a pretax health care spending account? If you don't, look into whether or not your employer offers one. Most of these programs now allow you to spend money from this account on over-the-counter products like cold and flu remedies, allergy remedies, cough drops, etc.

4. Unless you're sick enough that you've been blowing your nose for four days and it feels like it's going to fall off...you don't really need to spend the money on the incredibly expensive lotion-tissues.

5. Studies have shown that chicken noodle soup, whether by placebo or content, makes sick people feel better. That said, make a big batch of it and stick in in freezer bags in the freezer. Homemade chicken noodle tastes better, has less sodium, more vitamins, and is MUCH cheaper. You'll have the added advantage of just being able to thaw some out, rather than make a trip to the store when you're already sick and miserable.