The Things I Do In the Name of Frugality

So the bees are still there.  I called the county extension office, Googled, and posted on a local blog about the problem and got the same answer--either they will be gone in a few days or we will need to call a bee removal service.  I will give them until tomorrow to relocate (which would save me a ton of money) or I will call a service to get rid of them (definitely won't help our financial situation).  Unfortunately it doesn't seem like there are any beekeepers who will come and get them like they do in other areas.  Fortunately they are over on the side of the house where they aren't bothering anyone.  Hubby wanted to blast them with the hose but I nixed that idea--he's 64 years old and not nearly as fast as he thinks he is (as in, there is no way he can outrun a swarm of angry bees).  So we wait and hope for a frugal outcome.

And then I needed a haircut.  Hubby likes my hair now that it is growing out but it is becoming a bit shaggy.  I really didn't want to go pay $15 for a trim of like 1/4 inch so I finally talked hubby into trying his hand at cutting my hair (he is all for frugality, not much for being a hair dresser).  My hair is hard to work with anyway since it is not straight--in fact it is really curly and most of the time I get a so-so haircut even at a salon.  So hubby went to work on my hair, I cringed a bit because it didn't "feel" like it does when a professional is cutting it, but overall I think it was kind of OK.  Of the past three haircuts, one was by hubby, the one previous to that ended up being a mullet, and for the one before that, the girl used a razor on the back which really made my hair unhappy.  Here's a picture which is kind of hard to see (note this was after the cut and after a wash and after I took a nap on it!) but with a bit of styling it may last for another month or so before I hit up a real salon.

Eekkkk Beeeeezzzzz!

Well our problem to deal with today is this huge clump of bees the BIL just noticed.  Surely we would have seen them before if they had been there for long but as it is, they are hanging on a clump under the eaves of our house and it is a Sunday night and we are trying to figure out what to do with them.  I'm not even sure if they are honey bees or Africanized bees.  So I have been Googling around and some sites say they will move on in a couple of days while other sites say to find a beekeeper who will come and get them while yet other sites (pest exterminators) say to call immediately and they will remove them (with deadly force I am assuming).  Since bees are pretty important and are dying off in droves anyway, I don't want them killed, I just want them moved, preferably far far away.  Hopefully we will have a solution by tomorrow...

A Quick Update and Some Links

First, the quick update:
Today is the last day of my (paid!) training for working at the WSOP.  I will get a week off then it looks like I will be working full time for the duration of the six week tournament.  So far, so good,  There is a lot to learn about casinos and money and all that kind of stuff but it has been really interesting!  On a less happy (kind of) note, I did not get picked for the high paying job that I was in the running for which I am 20% disappointed about (mostly my ego is not happy about not being chosen) and 80% thrilled about (freedom! yeah!  I won't be locked into a 40 hour a week office job forever.  Whew!).  And that is about all that has been happening around here.

And some interesting links:

• The currency of phad thai (I tend to look at spending money this way, albeit in terms of hours needed to work to earn something, not in meals and hotel nights).
• Creating perpetual prosperity (who doesn't want to do this??)
• Homemade energy bars (these look yummy and they don't have a lot of added stuff in them)
• Budgeting when you are broke (good tips)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

A Commencement Speech for Graduation

The year is racing by so imagine my surprise when I found out it was nearly graduation time for kids in high school and college!  Then I read this and thought 'that's the best graduation speech I've ever heard' (minus the F-bombs in every single sentence).  But the message is true.  And then I thought about what kind of speech I would give (no one has ever asked me to give a commencement speech and probably never will but I digress...) and came up with the following items that I would tell kids just starting out (heavy on the frugal stuff, light on the philosophy):

• First, I would address kids each year, beginning in ninth grade (by the time kids get to the commencement address at the end of college they have already missed way too many lessons that should have been learned earlier).
• For high school kids I would tell them: try all kinds of hobbies and experiences, challenge yourself but in a good way (backpack for a month during summer break, don't, for example, see how many tattoos you and your friends can accumulate), join organizations (yes, I know that Boy Scouts, for example, often equates with nerdiness but when you look at the most successful adults, many were in scouting where they learned tons of useful skills that then served them well throughout their lives), don't lock yourself into one social group and be yourself (it really really really won't matter in the grand scheme of your life that the cool kids thought you were so uncool at school or the flip side, it won't matter that you were the coolest kid in high school after you get out of high school).
• If your high school is going to pay for your advanced education for free, by all means TAKE IT!  Some schools offer a joint high school/community college program that high school kids can do for free thus saving two years of college tuition, other high schools offer beauty school so that students can get licenses as a hair stylist/barber upon completion, and other schools offer welding classes/computer game design/etc (basically if you can learn a marketable skill for free in high school that will help you get a job even though it isn't what you want to do for the rest of your life, take it!  A lot of kids graduate from high school with exactly zero marketable skills which is very sad).
• Work during high school and college (you don't have to work full time as even a part time job will teach you job skills, give you something to put on your resume, connect you to the world of work, and garner you some business references).
• Don't get a tattoo during high school or college (a very unpopular sentiment I know but getting all tattooed up when you are young is like picking out a shirt to wear at 18 that you will wear the rest of your life.  Ick). 
• Take it easy on the drugs and alcohol.  Peer pressure is stupid and so is ruining your life with one drunken/drugged up night during your teenage years (I've met a half dozen teenagers who got drunk, decided to drive,  killed someone, and ended up in prison instead of making it to graduation; this affects them for the rest of their lives and is so preventable).
• Be self employed.  When you have a few job skills down, take a stab (or two or three or four) at self-employment.  There is nothing better than being able to generate income without the blessing of a boss/corporation/manager/etc.
• Keep a tight rein on your money.  Don't fall for credit card offers (if you don't have cash to pay for something, you don't need it), save a little of each paycheck for when you are old (yes, you will be old one day and it is best not to be old and penniless), don't loan money to friends, never co-sign for anyone, don't do anything that requires "small monthly payments" (which means pay cash for a car, use the gym at school instead of signing up for a two year gym contract, etc).
• Don't give into the pressure to go to college if you aren't really the college type.  There are plenty of plumbers/car repair people/etc that make a good living without having gone to college.
• Don't take out loans for college.  Either get a boatload of scholarships or slow down and pay as you go at the cheapest state school possible.  It is just stupid for kids to be saddled with $800 per month student loan payments for years and years after graduation just because they thought--for four years--that all of the money coming to them was free.
• Make sure the degree you are working towards will translate into a job at graduation (I've lost track of how many people have graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology only to realize that you can't be a psychologist without many more years of school and a PhD.  Duh).  Don't even get me started on the usefulness of a degree in philosophy...
• When you are lonely, turn to a friend or family.  Don't turn to a serious boyfriend/girlfriend or decide to have a baby because your life feels incomplete   Growing pains are natural, and turning over your life before you are even in your 20s to a baby or a SO doesn't bode well for your future.
• Take care of your health.  At this point you take your teeth/hearing/health for granted.  Years from now you will be happy that you have your teeth/hearing/health when many others are struggling because they overlooked this rule.
• Go forth and be awesome at whatever you do.  You don't need anyone's permission to be passionate about writing or collecting Star Trek figures, for example.  Be unique, do the things you love, be kind to everyone, help others because you never know when you will need help, be honest and ethical so you will have fewer things coming back to haunt you, don't worry about things (if things happened in the past, know you can't change them; for things that are happening now, handle them instead of worrying; for things that might happen in the future, don't worry.  Make the best decision you can and realize that you will end up where you are supposed to end up).

Happy graduation!

11 Money and Time Saving Conference Tips

I had a great time volunteering at the National Genealogical Society conference here in Vegas last week.  There were so many times I wanted to tell people "you know you could save money if..." but I restrained myself.  So I'll share these tips with you!

1. Register early.  Most conferences offer a discount on the registration fee if you register before a certain date.
2. Dress in layers.  Many conference spaces have uneven heating and cooling which means you may be roasting in one room and freezing in another, so bring a light jacket even if it is the middle of summer.  This will save you the expense of running to the hotel gift shop or vendor hall and buying a sweatshirt for no other reason than that you are freezing cold and your jacket is across town in your hotel.
3. Bring your own water/coffee and snacks.  Most conference facilities have vending areas (or a Starbucks or other restaurants) but the prices are usually double or triple what you would pay at a grocery store.
4. Bring lunch.  Again, you can save money by bringing your own food for lunch.  Many conferences have luncheons but you pay extra for this and while organized luncheons are great for networking and maybe catching an additional conference topic, the cost is usually double or triple what it would cost you to bring your own lunch from home or the grocery store.
5. Be careful with add-ons.  In addition to the usual 9-5 conference classes, many conferences add additional classes/mixers/dinners/tours/etc. which you will pay extra for.  Again, while these are great for networking and/or getting a package-like tour of the area, the costs are usually quite high for the convenience.
6. Wear comfortable shoes.  Conference facilities can be huge so you can put many miles per day on your feet which is easier to do in tennis shoes than in spike heels (which could result in the need to run to the hotel gift shop to buy some over-priced flip flops for your aching feet).
7. Don't go crazy in the vendor area.  Most conferences include a vendor area/exhibit hall with lots of cool things for sale.  This is great for picking up hard to find items but the sheer amount of things offered for sale can make you spend like crazy.
8. Consider public transportation.  I was amazed at the number of people who arrived at the conference in cabs while there was a perfectly good bus as well as a monorail that came straight to the conference facility.  Before you go with an obvious mode of transportation (cab, rental car), check out local public transit options as well as ride-sharing opportunities with other conference attendees.
9. You don't necessarily have to stay at the hotel where the conference is being held. While doing so is very convenient, by doing a bit of research to see if it would be more cost efficient to stay at a hotel a little ways away from the conference and getting a multi-day public transit pass, you may save a lot of money (and don't forget checking prices at nearby AirBnBs as well!).
10. Do your homework before you arrive.  A few people asked me "what is there to do in Las Vegas" and I looked at them like  o_0?  A bit of research before they left home would have not only informed them of the great public transportation system in Vegas ($7.50 for a 24-hour public transit pass), but tons of nearby free activities (walking the Strip, enjoying Fremont in the evening, free circus shows just down the street, etc).
11. Look for other ways to save money based on the venue (ie: the hotel charged for wi-fi access but there was a free wi fi area set up in the conference area, one lady bought a bunch of K-cups from home because she asked what kind of coffee maker was in the room--and found that those expensive little coffee cuplets were not provided free at the hotel, the library was just a bus ride away and offered free temporary library cards for visitors and thus all the free books and movies you could want during your stay, etc).

Catching Up

Whew it has been a busy week around here!  Here's what's been happening:

• The five days I spent volunteering at the genealogy conference was wonderful.  I met some great people, I got to sit in on on some wonderful classes, and I picked up some useful resources at the exhibit hall.  Best of all, I think this little volunteer gig prepared me a bit for my new job as it made me get up early (5am!), and stand on my feet for five hours a day.  Overall, a wonderful opportunity!
• The SIL left last night after spending a week with us.  We had a great time and did a bunch of the usual tourist stuff: walk the Strip, go to Fremont, visit the Hoover Dam, go shopping, go out to eat, etc.  
• My first day of work is TODAY!  The casino is getting ready for the WSOP (World Series of Poker, a big, high-money poker tournament) so for three days this week I will be training.  Wish me luck!
• It's getting hot here!  We topped 100 degrees yesterday so now the air conditioning will probably be on until the end of September :(
• Happy belated Mother's Day to all of you mothers who read my blog!  I figured I would at least pop in to post a short message about the holiday but we were out all day plus having guests is literally exhausting for me so sorry this comes a couple of days late.
• One way I relax in the evening is to read books.  Lately I have been downloading a bunch of books for my Kindle app on my computer from our local library--all free! 

Ten Money-Saving Things I Did This Week

Taking a bit of a break from the conference.  Here's ten great ways we saved money this week:

1. I volunteered at the genealogy conference which got me free entry into the conference (others paid up to $265 to attend).  While I don't get to go to every talk, I do get to sit in on some of the classes and they have been very educational and enlightening.
2. I checked out r/frugal on reddit and came across this useful (and money saving!) list.
3. The SIL wanted to see a Vegas show so the hubby used FillASeat and they are right now, as I type this, at a comedy show (for free!).
4. The SIL also wanted to go to LA for a couple of days so I started out with free resources to get her there (some of the cousins were heading over but their car was full), so, moving on, I went to the next cheapest option which was Megabus ($20 each way) and a $5 day pass for the bus.  She had a wonderful trip!
5. We have more people to feed with our guests here this week so we are cooking at home and cooking frugally (bought meat on sale as loss leaders and bought lots of pasta and vegetables from the 99 cent store).
6. We also need to entertain our guests which we are doing for free or frugally as well (hubby has a free pass for Red Rock Canyon, there is a free Elvis contest going on in Fremont this weekend which we will watch, and there are also dozens of free events going on around Vegas this weekend).
7. We are repurposing.  With the BIL staying for three months, we were all set with his room but then found that he will need some sort of shelving for his clothes.  In my old life, I would have ran to Walmart and bought a brand new shelving unit but we looked in the garage and found that we didn't need all of the plastic shelving that was basically holding junk so the hubby cleaned up the shelves and the BIL now has a nice place to put his clothes in his closet.
8. Being thankful is free.  With so much horrible news this week (the women who were held captive for over a decade, the people who went overboard on the cruise ship in Australia, etc) I am just thankful for my very good, very happy life.
9. We are coordinating rides.  The BIL has his own car which he uses to go to work but that leaves the hubby, the SIL, and me to share one car (we don't have public transportation in our area).  We are easily combining our trips and organizing our day so everyone gets to where they want to go, all with one car.
10. I resisted my bad habit.  The minute I hit the conference facility, I have the automatic feeling that I need to Starbucks each morning (a holdover from my previous life when picking up a Starbucks on the way to a meeting or conference was de rigour).  So instead of picking up Starbucks, I sign in and get busy working and try to ignore the nagging voice in my heading telling me I need to go buy an expensive beverage to start my day.  This has saved me $20 so far!