photo credit: Veganbaking.net

One rule that I always follow when it comes to hygiene and making my own body care products is that if I can’t eat it, it doesn’t go into my product. The largest organ of the body is skin. Skin absorbs so many toxins throughout the day from the air around us that the last thing we need to do is add more toxins to our body by slathering on chemicals.  According to this site, skin absorbs 60% of products used topically. When the skin absorbs lotion, the ingredients make their way into your bloodstream.  I like knowing that coconut oil and olive oil are making their way into my bloodstream and not something like Polyethylene glycol (PEG).

A few of the ingredients I use in my products are:
-baking soda
-coconut oil
-olive oil
-castor oil

All natural, all edible.  And the time that it takes me to make my own beauty products is negligible because I enjoy making them and I am pretty well versed now.

Have you tried any of my recipes?  What other recipes would you like to see?

photo credit: bradley j

Day after day, I dream of selling my house, buying some land in the woods, and living in a cabin, yurt, or tiny house. Yet day after day I continue the lather, rinse, repeat that is my life. Wake up, go to work, work, come home, clean, go to bed.  Often times I feel like my life is unfulfilled; rather, my job is unfulfilled, but it pays really well and I know what I am doing (for the most part).

Sometimes I feel like the biggest sell out.

I think that one of the best reasons to be frugal is to be able to live on less and have time to do things we love, yet personally I am not able to walk the walk as much as I talk the talk.  I work this job that is okay, not something I’m in love with, but I do it for the money and the benefits.

I’ve been thinking about going part time for awhile, and then I sit down and figure out how much money I could be making rather than staying at home doing whatever. If I did go part time, chances are I’d take about an $8 an hour pay cut, plus the hours that would be decreased, and then I’d probably feel like I gave up something I shouldn’t have.  I’ve decided to make the best of it currently, and do my best at work and keep paying off debt and saving money for the future.

That doesn’t mean that I still don’t dream of my cabin in the woods, or living in an rv and traveling full time.  It just means that I’m working towards being able to do that one day, hopefully sooner than later.

Do you ever feel like a sell out?  How do you combat living your dreams versus being realistic?

photo credit: SearchNetMedia

This is part of a series here at Ultimate Money Blog. I’m going to be featuring fun money facts about all 50 states in America and why it is frugal to live in that particular state. Here are the states we’ve covered so far:
Alabama
Alaska

photo credit: Ms. Phoenix

Economy

Arizona’s economy is interesting in the fact that it relies on its lovely climate as a main factor.  Crops and livestock contribute, and it’s about a 50/50 split between the two.  Lettuce, cotton, cantaloupes, barley, potatoes, and wheat are all main crops grown in the state.  Cattle and dairy farming make up the other 50%.

Tourism and retirees help bring the bucks to the Grand Canyon State.  With a plethora of sunshine, dry heat, and beautiful scenery, who wouldn’t want to visit Arizona?

photo credit: SearchNetMedia

Taxes

Arizona collects personal income taxes in five different brackets, ranging from 2.87% to 5.04%.  The sales tax is around 6.3%. The state of Arizona doesn’t tax food for consumption, or drugs that have been prescribed by a licensed physician.

photo credit: rezsox

Employment

Arizona’s largest employer is the United States government, followed by Wal-mart.  Interesting!  If you’re looking for a career in hospitality, Arizona may be the state to go to due to the high volume of tourism.

photo credit: Orygynyl Photography

Housing Costs

A frugal place to buy a house may be Tempe, Arizona, where you can buy a house for around $150,000.  Of course, the further you are willing to live away from a city, the better the housing costs will be!

photo credit: ocean yamaha

Miscellaneous

Arizona would be a frugal place to live in the winter, as you most likely won’t have a huge heating bill.   If you’re a fan of raw vegan foods, you can find an abundance of citrus and vegetables here!  All in all, I think Arizona would be a fabulous place to live if you do not like cold at all.  I can say that it wouldn’t be frugal to live there in the summer with the air conditioning bills!

Do you have any other ideas on why it’s frugal to live in Arizona?  Would you consider moving there?

photo credit: hipposrunsuperfast.com

Do you ever feel like you’re struggling against an entire consumer culture when you enact a new frugal habit? If you’re like me, you’ve gotten plenty of glazed-over stares and slightly snide remarks about your simplified and money-saving ways. In these situations, you can pat yourself on the back for standing up for your values–regardless of pressures to the contrary. You can also tell yourself that you are dabbling in French culture without ever hopping the pond. Here are some typically French (and frugal) habits to engage in shamelessly.

1. Don’t buy on credit. Could you live without a credit card? Most people in France do. They pay with a debit card, check or cash. If they want something they can’t afford right away, like a car, a new kitchen appliance or some household repairs, they head to their bank to get a consumer line of credit . . . with fixed interest rates . . . if their bank thinks they can afford it. I’m sure you can appreciate the savings involved with carrying smaller debt and less astronomical interest rates.

2. Live with your parents a little longer. The French do not consider it strange at all for young people to live with their parents into their late twenties or early thirties. Imagine if you’d lived with their parents during your first few working years. Ok, some of you out there are nor hyperventilating at this thought, but keep an open mind! It could mean the difference between starting out in debt and starting out with a sizeable nest egg.

3. Live in a small space with less storage. Have you ever wondered how it would affect your spending if you didn’t have room for any more stuff—no garage, no walk-in closet, no closet at all? And don’t forget the effect on your heating bills if suddenly your living space were cut in half.

4. Walk! Many people in France live close to shops and services they use. Even those who drive into town to work are likely to park the car in one place and then walk around to run their errands after work. Walking can save you money on gas as well as on health care since it can cut back on stress and obesity.

5. Drive a tiny car. Picture yourself in a car the size of a Ford Fiesta–the typical size of cars in France. Smaller cars are often less expensive to purchase and can save you money on insurance, car registration and gas later on. Driving one of these little guys, you may not feel like spending your life in your car, but really, who wants to spend life in a car anyhow?

6. Don’t be afraid to wear your clothes more than once in a row. That’s right, wearing clothes two or three days in a row to work or to social occasions is completely acceptable in France. Not needing to have a separate outfit for each day of the week means you can get by with fewer clothes. Not washing clothes each and every time you wear them means they will last longer as well. (Yes, it’s ok, even encouraged to change your underwear on a daily basis!)

7. When you buy something new, plan on keeping it for a long time. Craigslist exists in France, but is nowhere near as robust as in the Unites States. You simply will not find large numbers of people in France buying expensive new items only to sell them for half price or less a few years later. Imagine if you intended to keep everything you bought for a decade . . . Would you be more selective about what you purchased?

Some of you who have tried out a few of these frugal strategies in the US may have some experience with cultural pressures to the contrary. I personally enjoy reminding myself (and sometimes my critics) that very civilized and sophisticated people in France do these things all the time!

How do you cope with being an outsider in consumer country? Do you have any family or cultural traditions to draw on that remind you that you are not alone?

This advice comes from my friend Trish at Simple Life in France, where she shares her tips on simple living and saving money.

photo credit: xmacex

One of my favorite things about blogging is the interaction with people. Whether it be my lovely readers or other bloggers, I truly enjoy making contacts with others!

I have signed up for the Yakezie Alexa Challenge, where a group of bloggers are trying to create powerful friends and improve their Alexa rankings.  If you’re looking for a great list of personal finance blogs, be sure to check this list out!

You might be wondering “What is Alexa ranking?”- basically it’s a measure of the traffic to your website.  The lower the number, the better your traffic is.

Every Sunday I try to include a round up of my favorite posts that I encounter from the blogsphere during the week.  I’m going to be highlighting blogs from the Yakezie Challenge in an effort to help others promote their great sites.

I’m happy to be a part of such a great community, and thanks so much for your continued support!  If you have any blogs you think I should check out (they don’t have to be personal finance related), please drop the name in the comments!

What’s your favorite blog?

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…

Have you ever been waited on by a teller and you can tell that they’re annoyed, either with you, or something else? Have you wondered what happened to make them so mad?  Here are some some things that bankers find annoying.

1. Standing in line (or in the drive thru), loudly yakking away on the phone. At my bank, we’re required to make small talk with customers.  I’ve seen tellers not call customers up to their windows until they are finished with their conversation.  I think it’s rude to interrupt the customer just as much as it is to stand in line talking on the phone.

2. Not having deposit slips filled out. Deposit slips really should be in the customer’s handwriting.  Not only does this help the teller assist you quickly, but it also reduces the risk for error. If you don’t know your account number, that’s one thing, but if you expect the teller to fill out that you want to deposit $20 and get $50 back, please do that yourself.  Trust me, the teller will appreciate it.

3. Not endorsing checks. There are some checks like insurance drafts that must be endorsed by the recipient.  If they aren’t, chances are that they will be returned by the paying bank and the money will be taken out of the account.

4. Yelling about overdrafts/account balance differences/the weather. It’s not the teller’s fault, so please don’t take it out on them.  They are only there to help you.  No one likes yelling!

5. Complaining. Whether it’s about how the posting process works, the color of the debit card, or the fact that you don’t have enough money, chances are all they can do is sympathize with you.  If you have a problem, ask for the customer service number.  They can normally route your problem to the correct area.

6. Bringing in $1000 in loose or wrapped coin. We don’t take loose coin (because we don’t have a coin counter), but if it’s not a huge bucket, normally I’ll help the client wrap it, or just take it in my drawer.  A few rolls of coin are fine to bring in, but when you bring in $100 in pennies, that’s annoying.

If you don’t do the things listed above, you’ll be a great banking customer.  The tellers will love you and may even give you a sucker. 

Are you a good bank client?  Do you do something else not listed here that annoys bank employees?

I hope you all had a great week! I am looking forward to next week being a lot less busy than my last two weeks have been at work.  I am thinking this next week will be the best!

Here are some posts I enjoyed this week:

How Credit Card Numbers are Generated @ PT Money

Can You Be Content While In Debt @ Deliver Away Debt

The Winning Receipt @ Out of Debt Again

Unemployment and Motivation: A Case Study @ The Amateur Financer

Big Rocks First @ Simple Mom

The Young and the Homeless @ Little House in the Valley

How to Pay Off Your Mortgage in Record Time @ 151 Days Off

How to Make Money Picking Up Poop @ Saving Money Today

I Always Knew I Was Going to be Rich @ Planting Dollars

Avoiding Reactive Personal Finance @ Beating Broke

Are You Saving At Least 10% of Your Income For Investment Purposes? @ Ending the Rat Race

Win a Flip Video Camera @ The Centsible Life

Win an iPad @ Money Crashers

photo credit: nate steiner

A lot of frugal and green people are always decluttering, reducing, and recycling. I don’t think you should go out and buy new “green” items to fit in with the fad of being green.  I think that there are many creative ways to use what you have in different ways to save time, money, and the Earth.  I do think that one item that you should have on hand that can be used for many purposes is mason jars. If you are into garage sales, you can normally find some there. I’d recommend buying pints and quarts. We also keep old glass jars from almond butter, pickles, etc.  Soak the jars in hot water and the labels should come right off!  They come in handy for so many different uses!

Fun fact: Have you ever wondered where the saying “Mind your p’s and q’s” came from?  Back in the day, when people at the bars got rowdy, the bartender would tell them to “Mind your pints and quarts”.  It got shortened, and the popular “mind your p’s and q’s” came to fruition.

What can you use mason jars for? Here are some things we do with ours:

1. Drinking. There is nothing better than a mason jar full of ice water during the summer. I like to add a slice of lemon. It’s funny- when we have company and run out of glasses, I use my glass jars, and everyone gets a big kick out of that, especially the kids!

2. Food Storage. Sometimes I have leftovers and it’s not enough to warrant using our Pyrex glass storage containers. I also like putting homemade yogurt, kombucha, and other beverages in them.  Dehydrated fruits and vegetables also store well in them!

3. Canning.  The past couple years that we’ve grown our garden, I’ve canned tomatoes. They have turned out fabulously, although I am not sure they are saving me money.

4. Decoration- If you put some marbles, glass beads, or other trinkets, the jars would be such a cute display!

5. Fermenting foods.  Ever since I tried make your own sauerkraut, I’ve been hooked on the idea of fermenting my own foods. Glass jars are the best for this!

6. Collect loose coin. Think of what cute change jars they would make!

7. Make your own candles. Candles in mason jars are awesome for around your house, or even for gifts!

What do you store your leftovers in?  Do you have Mason jars at home?

photo credit: kainr

Well, we did it! I bit the bullet and finally made the last payment on our Home Depot Credit Card.  It made no sense to me to keep making payments each month when we had the money to pay it off, so I just did it.  It was a wash anyway!

I could have kept the money in our ING savings account, but it seems that is not really a high yield savings account right now anyway. I figured that if I left that money in the savings account for 6 months I’d earn under $1.50. Was the hassle of making the payments each month worth it to me? No.

How does it feel to be credit card debt free? Fabulous! To be honest, I feel better than I did when we paid off our student loans. Crazy, right?

Next up: the car loan.  And then we’ll be 100% debt free except for our mortgage.  Woo!

What are you working on paying off right now, if anything?

image from US Mint

This is part two of a series here at Ultimate Money Blog. I’m going to be featuring fun money facts about all 50 states in America and why it is frugal to live in that particular state. Here are the states we’ve covered so far:
-Alabama

Ahh, Alaska.  When I picture Alaska, I see running streams, fishing towns, bears, flying salmon, and cute little cabins.  I can smell the fresh, clean air.  Alaska is a state I’d love to spend some time in.  What makes living in Alaska frugal?  Let’s find out.

Economy

photo credit: njwilson23

Alaska’s economy heavily relies on its natural resources. Prudhoe Bay, which is North America’s largest oil field, resides on Alaska’s North Slope.  The state ranks number one in oil production. After oil, Alaska’s second highest export is seafood, unsurprisingly. They export salmon, crab, Pollock, and cod.

Many people who live in Alaska hunt and fish.  They have access to organic, free range moose and bears, and that helps cut down on their grocery budget.  Alaskans also consume a lot of salmon, which is high in omega fatty acids, and very nutritious.

Taxes

photo credit: Wonderlane

Alaska can boast that it has the lowest tax burden of any state in the United States of America. They are one of seven states that does not have an individual income tax, one of only five states with no sales tax, and one of two states that has neither of them. There are local sales taxes, though, and they typically range from 3-5%. I think that’s fantastic!

Employment

photo credit: smichal

Not surprisingly, Alaska’s main sources of employment are in natural resources and government jobs. Lots of fishermen are also needed to help catch the salmon for export.  Hospitality is also a good field to get into, as Alaska relies on tourism to help support its economy as well.  Unemployment is right around 8.8% in Alaska currently.

Housing Costs

photo credit: bradley j

If you choose to live in Denali, you can expect to pay around $149,950 for a single family home. I think Alaska would be the perfect place to live in a yurt!  Of course, the average home price in Juneau is $333,961, so don’t be fooled by Denali’s low house prices!

Do you have any other ideas on why it’s frugal to live in Alaska?  Would you consider moving there?