Can I Trade You for That?

It's been almost three months since my income was reduced by about 90%. Fortunately we are debt free and fortunately we are traveling now and don't have the giant overhead that we used to have when we owned a house and had all of the related expenses. However, when you don't have a lot of cash on hand, you really become aware of just how much everything costs. A couple of years ago I would think nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on random, and completely unnecessary, items. A new computer? Check. A new Coach purse? Check. A giant shopping spree at a Macy's clearance sale? Yep, that happened too. These days, however, pulling money out of my bank account is like pulling teeth...with no novacaine! So I have resorted to that age-old method for getting the things I want, bartering. Here's what I've done in the last couple of months:

• The hubby and I are getting free room and board and car from the SIL by trading our services as a babysitter and cook (BTW, hubby is the cook, otherwise we would all starve). Hubby cooks all of the meals for everyone (dinner at night and lots of leftovers for lunches) and we both take care of her two grandchildren on the days that she works (which is actually pretty easy because all we need to do is get them ready and drive them to daycare, pick them up from daycare and take them to karate, then bring them home in the evening). So we still have lots of free time but are providing a valuable service for the SIL who would otherwise have a lot more work to do (now that I have been reminded how much work--and patience--are required to take care of two little girls, I feel like I want to give an award to each harried mother I pass each day!). I've also helped her out by writing a couple of policies for her for her job (something I used to do quite often so it was really simple) and teaching her boyfriend how to sell things on CraigsList.


• When I took the kids to the karate school, I noticed that the school didn't have a website. I offered to design a site for the school's owner in exchange for two months of karate lessons (we will be here until early June and I could definitely use some more exercise!). He agreed.


• When I went to a local salon to get my hair cut, the lady that was cutting my hair was talking about how she is looking for a job in another industry (she cuts hair on the side and was recently laid off from her finance job). She said that her resume needed to be updated so I told her I would make a trade with her--my next haircut free in exchange for looking at her resume and making some changes to make it look more up to date.


• I have also traded some work (mostly website design and grant writing) for software, Starbucks cards, and some cash over the past couple of months.

Of course I always like earning actual money but bartering is fun! You never know what you will end up with and it is a good way to help people out who may not have cash but certainly have something of value to trade.

Should You Buy a House?

I came across this article about a guy who said he will never, ever, buy a house again. It seems like a pretty extreme stance to take, kind of like having your heart broken and swearing off ever falling in love again!
The situation in the housing market has hit people pretty hard. For those of us with long enough memories, this sort of thing seems to happen every once in a while like the plunge in the housing market in the 1970's, the blip in the mid 1980's, and this most recent downturn in the market which, perhaps, impacted more people than in previous episodes because more people were lured into buying houses they couldn't afford with loan products that were downright (financially-speaking) stupid.
Even in light of this and even considering that we recently sold our house and willingly become homeless for at least a year or so while we travel, I would not rule out purchasing a house again. In fact, with house prices so low, now is an excellent time to buy a house if you are ready for one. How do you know if you are ready? Here's how:

• You can pay cash for a house (ideal).
• You can buy a house with a 15 year mortgage, a low interest rate, a good-sized down payment, and payments that will be no more than 25% of your net monthly income.
• You intend to stay in your house for at least ten years or longer.
• The house is located in a good area (good location, good schools, fairly stable housing base meaning not every other home on the block is a foreclosure).
• You have a houseful of kids you are providing for (living in an apartment with a houseful of kids is less than optimal. It's nice not to have to worry about them stomping on the floor, yelling like maniacs, or doing all of the other things that kids do that tend to annoy apartment neighbors).
• You have the means to take care of the upkeep on the home (this means the money to hire projects done or the skill/time/energy to do it yourself).
• You are buying a reasonably-sized home that will suit your current and future needs. I am hoping that the McMansions of the 1990s will become a thing of distant memory. No family consisting of mom, dad, and 2.3 kids needs a 5,000 square foot house! If you buy a house that will fit the kids now but still not be too big for you after the kids move out, you will be set. Also, smaller houses are cheaper to heat, air condition, clean, decorate, and take care of.
• You are buying a house because you really, really want one, not because you are tempted by low payments/low interest rates or someone else tells you it is a good idea.
• You have faith that the market will rebound. No one can tell you what the market will do but historically, the housing market always rebounds although it can take years for that to happen. I tend to have faith that the housing market--and housing prices--will eventually make a turnaround.
• You realize that renting can save you money but you also realize that renting leaves you nothing in the end. Historically the investment potential of buying a house has been a big impetus for people to buy houses and keep them in good condition so that when you retire or want to sell, you will be able to pull a little nest egg from the sale price which will fund your future. Note that that hasn't happened in the last few years since house prices took a nose dive so, again, the buy and hold strategy seems to work best here.
• You aren't buying a house to "flip", you aren't timing the market (no one's crystal ball is that clear!), and you aren't investing and expecting a quick payday. A house can be a good investment but like any investment, there are no guarantees!

Hubby and I have tossed around the idea of buying a new home when we decide where we want to settle down again. I have been a home owner since I was 19 and while it is more work and more expense than renting, I feel that it is, for the most part, well worth the effort and extra money. I also like the feeling of being rooted and the idea that I don't have to answer to anyone about what color I paint the walls or how loud I play my music. We will, of course, take all of the tings above into consideration when we do decide to buy.

Link Round-up: The 'If They Can Do It, You Can Do It' Edition

I love reading articles that show how others have pulled themselves through financial difficulties and came out the other side victorious. Here's some great links to inspire you:

• A Year of Bad Credit
• Family Gets Most of It's Food from It's Backyard
• How to Erase $70,000 in Personal Debt
• 10 Key Actions that Finally Got Me Out of Debt
• How to Jailbreak Your Life so You Can Live the Way You Want
• And then, for added inspiration, I like to peruse Dave Ramsey's "We Did It" section of his website.

A HUGE Congrats: The Family on Bikes Just Completed Their Epic Journey!

I'm sooo excited! My favorite bicycling family just completed their epic journey from northern Alaska to the southern most tip of South America!! I don't know about you, but when I was ten, our annual family vacation consisted of a week of camping in the mountains. This family, however, decided to bicycle with their ten year old twins from practically the north pole to the south pole on a journey that took over three years to complete! The boys will receive Guinness Book records for being the youngest people to complete such a feat and the entire family has kept me and many other readers entertained with their stories of life on the road via their blog and FaceBook page.
As usual, I can't help but throw a few money tips in, so here is what I have learned from this amazing family:

• There is no goal too big if you just set your mind to it and keep putting one foot in front of the other...you will eventually reach your goal!
• This is yet another example of what you can do if you are debt free.
• The parents pulled some funds from their retirement plans to help pay for the trip. Definitely a wise use of their money if you ask me.
• Their living expenses have been actually very low since they mainly buy food and some replacement gear/clothing. What they don't buy are the typical consumer items that keep the average American family on the debt treadmill (ie: cars, a massive amount of clothes, a massive amount of toys for the kids, and all of the other typical junk that ends up cluttering our homes).
• This is the way to raise kids. I'm not saying you need to pedal behind your kid for 17,300 miles, but all of the things they have done with their kids (setting a big goal, reaching a big goal, the physical challenge, relying on their kids to be an integral part of their team, etc) is the priceless stuff that builds kid's self esteem, keeps them out of trouble, teaches them how to be leaders in their family and with their peers, and sets them on the path for a lifetime of success. If I could send every kid I have ever worked with in the juvenile justice system on this sort of adventure, we would have LOTS LESS troubled kids to take care of as a society.
• When the going gets tough, the tough get going. They have had plenty of difficult times, plenty of challenges, and a couple times I thought they might quit but they just kept going and now they are celebrating in Ushuaia. This is the same type of stuff that happens when you are trying to get out of debt. I can't count the times that something broke or a big unexpected bill came up that wiped out our emergency fund and made me feel like all of the hard work just wasn't worth it. Like this family, however, we persevered through the hard times and eventually all of our (and their) hard work paid off.
• Moral support, in all of its forms, is a good thing. This family probably hasn't met most of the people who have been cheering them on throughout their journey. Most probably stumbled across their blog or FaceBook page and joined in on the fun by offering comments and moral support as they traveled on their journey. It's the same thing with many of the bloggers and others you "meet" online via the comments section or friends who have heard about whatever particular goal you have set for yourself, financial or otherwise. Some will think you are insane when you declare such a big or life-changing goal, but the people who are the most important are the ones who will cheer you on to reach the goals that are important for you no matter how impossible seems.

How I Shop Now

I've noticed that since we began the process of selling our house and nearly everything we owned then hitting the road, my shopping habits have changed drastically. I used to make a list of stuff I needed then go to whatever store I happened to pass by and pick up everything on the list. I would look for sale items and maybe pull a manufacturer's coupon off the shelf but that was about as far as I went to save money on the things I bought. I also tended to buy lots more things in addition to the stuff I had on my list.
Now, not only do we buy a lot less stuff (living on the road and not having room to store stuff will do that for you) but the way I shop for the things we need has changed as well. Now I make a list of things I need (soap, shampoo, makeup, etc) and then I start my shopping at the dollar store. The dollar store is usually (not always) the cheapest place to buy stuff so everything that I can buy on my list at this store will save money over buying it at other stores. For the things that I absolutely can't find at the dollar store, I then move on to Walmart (fortunately all of the stores I shop at are in the same general area). If I can't find the things I need here, I will then usually head to Ross or TJ Maxx. I will also shop at thrift stores depending on what items I am looking for. A department store is the last place I will go to shop now.
The reason I shop like this now is so that I can stretch my money as far as it will possibly go. For example, I needed a mouse for my computer the other day. I had checked the price of the mouse at Staples a couple of weeks ago but the price was around $25! So, as is now my habit, I started at the dollar store. They didn't have any mouses (mice?) at all so then I headed to Walmart. Their prices were comparable to Staples which I thought was too high. Next I went to Ross but they only had a cheap mouse that wasn't wireless so I walked next door to TJ Maxx and found the perfect wireless mouse for $7.99 in their small electronic section. Score!
We do basically the same thing for groceries. We only buy loss leaders at regular grocery stores, we will occasionally buy food (usually snack type stuff) at the dollar store, and then we do the bulk of our shopping at a huge Asian store that we found which has excellent prices on most of the fruit, vegetables, and meat that we buy.
Along with only buying what we can use in a short period of time instead of stockpiling stuff and only buying the items on the list and no extra stuff, this method of shopping has saved us a great deal of money over just buying everything at one store.

Hubby's Back Pain Cured...For Free!

Hubby has had a bad back for ages. Years ago he was in an industrial accident followed a year later by a pretty bad car wreck so in the words of his doctor, he now has the spine of a 90 year old. Poor hubby.
A couple of months ago as we were getting ready to sell the house, his on again, off again pain was suddenly on all the time. I assumed it was because of the cold weather in Seattle along with all of the moving and lifting he was doing to get things ready to sell or store. We figured that once we got to Atlanta, the warm weather and lack of lifting/moving things would help his back considerably. Unfortunately this didn't happen and over the last month or so that we have been here, his back became even worse to the point he was in continual pain and taking Aleve daily. We figured the next step would be to buy him a back brace to support his back, find him a local doctor to go to, get a referral to a physical therapist, and I even considered hunting him down an acupuncturist to work on him as well, his pain seemed that bad.
Fast forward to a few nights ago when we were getting ready to go to bed and hubby commented that the mattress on our bed was much softer than our mattress at home (our mattress at home is a couple of steps down from a slab of wood!). We wondered if the bed had anything to do with his increasing back pain so on a whim, we threw the bedding on the floor and decided to try sleeping on the carpeted floor for a night or two to see what would happen.
Amazingly, the next morning after our first night of sleeping on the floor, hubby's back was MUCH better and by today he is walking around in near perfect condition. He said he always has some sort of pain but since we have been sleeping on the floor he said his back feels much much better. Yeah hubby.
So I thought that since this worked so well for hubby I would throw it out there for others to try who are in the same situation (of course, best of all, it's a free fix!).

Update: From the 'What Was I Thinking' File

We are a little more than one month into our travel adventure. So far it has been great! Relaxing. Little to no email. Haven't had to check my daily calendar in nearly a month. Things look to get a bit interesting however. Here's what's happening:

• We decided to extend our stay in Atlanta for a couple of more months to help out the hubby's sister who will be watching her two grandkids while her daughter is away at a two-month training. Even though the kids (age 2 and 4) will be going to daycare the few days a week that the SIL is at work, we will still be more or less watching them, taking them to daycare and activities, cooking for everyone, etc. On the plus side, we will be getting free room and board so this will save us three extra months worth of nearly all of our expenses besides what we would have been paying for an apartment. On the not so plus side, we haven't had to take care of little kids in decades! I think I forgot how! What was I thinking??


• I have also posted my goal to bike from Canada to Mexico this summer online and have a couple of people who are interested in going with me so I guess I really am going! Never mind that I haven't rode a bike more than a couple of miles in, again, decades. But I was so inspired by the Family on Bikes, that I though doing such a ride would be an epic adventure. What was I thinking?? p.s. This evening I will be attending a free bike repair class at the local REI so that is one small step in the direction of this goal.


• I also learned that when our schedule is so fluid and likely to change on nearly a daily basis like it is these day, buying NONREFUNDABLE airline tickets way ahead of time is a bad idea. Although the SIL will buy us new airline tickets to get us to our next destination after our time here is finished, the airline tickets we had previously bought (which we were supposed to use today) ended up going in the garbage because the $150 change fee plus the difference in the cost between the old ticket price and the new ticket price was way more than what new tickets would cost. It still seems like a huge waste of money to me, though. What was I thinking??


• We have also agreed to attend a family reunion in the Philippines in December. It should be a lot of fun. Our goal, however, is to save enough money to get all five kids, their spouses, and ten grandkids to the Philippines. All of hubby's brothers and sisters are doing the same. Talk about expensive! We usually do family reunions every four or five years in order to get ALL of hubby's family together (his mom started this years ago with her six kids. Since then the reunions have gown to include spouses, their kids and now grandkids). We used to meet at someone's house but since the family has grown so much we switched to going on cruises for the reunions because it really cuts down of the cooking and cleaning duty and this way everyone can hang out, or not, bond, etc. The last reunion in the Philippines was over 25 years ago and for good reason--it is super expensive to get there--however the cost of staying there (food and condo rental) are much cheaper than you pay in the US. So the plan is in place, I just need to win the lottery or something! What was I thinking??

So that's all that has been happening so far. One of the best things about our travel adventure is that I am learning to be more flexible and open to whatever experiences come up (usually I am very Type A and need to have everything organized on my Outlook calendar). So far, so good!

10 Free/Cheap Ways to Prepare for the Next Disaster

The pictures coming in from the huge disaster in Japan are just horrendous. I have a few friends in Tokyo whom I immediately texted right after I heard the initial reports of the earthquake yesterday and they were all able to text back to let me know they were OK. Talk about scary! The other scary thing is that a disaster like that can happen right here on our own soil as there are a number of earthquake faults running under the US (not to mention hurricanes, terrorist events, tornadoes, etc). Here's 10 free and cheap ways to prepare right now for a future disaster:

1. FREE: hold regular earthquake drills, fire drills, evacuation drills, and communication drills with your family. This way, when a disaster actually happens, everyone will know exactly how to react because they have practiced so many times before.
2. CHEAP: Each time you go to the store, buy an extra case of bottled/jugged water, especially if they are on sale. The first thing many people need after a disaster is drinkable water (and naturally, it is usually in short supply or not available at all in the affected disaster areas).
3. CHEAP: Also when you are in the grocery store, pick up some sale food and put it aside for use during an emergency. Canned and packaged items that require little or no cooking are great to have on hand during a disaster. Note that emergencies can be of the natural disaster type (earthquake, tornado) or of the personal disaster type (job loss, extended illness).
4. FREE: Make a family disaster plan so everyone will know what to do during an emergency. Here's an example.
5. CHEAP: Acquire the stuff you need to put together "evacuation" bags for each family member. Each family member should have a bag that includes a change of clothes, a toiletry kit, a bit of cash, a bottle of water, some packaged food, a flashlight, a radio, and other items that would be useful if they needed to evacuate at a moments notice (see the list in #7).
6. FREE: Take advantage of free classes offered in your community that would teach you skills that would be useful during a disaster. For example, our fire department offers free CPR classes, our Department of Emergency Management office offers free family disaster preparedness classes, and our local Red Cross offers free basic first aid classes.
7. FREE: Learn about what kinds of disasters could occur in your area and how to prepare for them. Here's a good place to start.
8. CHEAP: Evaluate your home so that it can better withstand a disaster. Something as simple as tying flat panel TVs and tall bookcases to the wall can go a long way towards mitigating damage during an earthquake. Of course you can go even further and bolt your home to its foundation and do other more money and labor intensive projects. Here's some more ideas.
9. CHEAP: Having a solid emergency fund isn't exactly cheap but during a disaster, you can always use cold, hard cash. Everything from buying extra food, putting gas in the car, or evacuating to a hotel will be much easier if you have the cash on hand to do so. Even putting $10 a week into your emergency savings can add up to quite a bit of money in a year.
10. FREE: Watch these disaster preparedness videos. They all offer excellent advice on how to survive a number of different disasters.

Of course I am praying for everyone in Japan right now and this incident has only reinforced the idea that EVERYONE, no matter where they are or what their financial circumstances, can and must make the effort to prepare themselves in case the next disaster occurs in their neighborhood.

50 Tips: What to Do When You are Hungry and Have No Food

The number of people who are hungry these days seems to have grown exponentially. When it comes down to putting gas in the car or buying food, people often decide that gas to get to work is more important. However, you can't perform very well at work if your stomach is grumbling. Here's 50 tips for securing food when you are hungry:

1. Skip restaurants. The $20 you pay for one meal at a restaurant could pay for a week's worth of food to eat at home. Yes, I know the $1 menu is popular but if you eat this kind of food every day for months on end you will die (not right away but it isn't good for your overall health).


2. Dumpster dive. The bigger the city, apparently the better the pickings. There is a weekly free meal program in San Francisco made up entirely of dumpster-dived food. Cool.


3. Sign up for food stamps if you qualify.


4. Hit up your local food pantry for food you can take home and cook.


5. Visit your local Salvation Army; they often provide free meals as well as food stuff to take home with you.


6. Get a list of the free meal sites in your area and go. These are usually sponsored by churches and other social service organizations; all you have to do is show up and eat.


7. Visit local churches, sometimes they can give you food or food vouchers.


8. Forage for your own food. Depending on the season you can find nuts and berries, tree fruit, and mushrooms growing wild. You can also hunt for your own fish and small game.


9. Check out the loss leaders for your local grocery stores. Many people base their entire meals on these highly discounted food items which are meant to lure into the store so you will buy other stuff. Just buy the cheap loss leaders and skip everything else.


10. Shop in ethnic stores. Many ethnic grocery stores have super cheap prices on stapes, fruit, vegetables, and fish.


11. Shop the day-old bakery rack in your grocery store and/or check out bakery outlet stores in your area for bargain basement bakery items.


12. Check out how these people were able to feed themselves on a dollar a day: Example #1 Example #2 Example #3


13. Make soup. Soup with whatever you have on hand can make a bigger, heartier meal than just cooking up the few items that you are putting into it. Ditto with stir-frys and casseroles.


14. Call 211. This is a national number you can call and ask for help with any social service need that you have. They can direct you to places to get free food and free meals as well as many other services you may need.


15. If you have an old Costco or Sams Club card, simply go into the stores and wander around the food aisles picking up food samples. Some days you can get a complete meal this way.


16. Go to the mall or other community gathering place. Sometimes but not always you can score free food samples in the food court, free samples at events, and free items/coupons for new products that are being promoted.


17. Crash events where there will be food: church socials, funerals, community meetings, community events, weddings, parties, etc.


18. Trade work for food. If you walk by a restaurant that has dirty windows, for example, offer to clean the windows in trade for a meal.


19. Go to the Assistance section of Reddit and ask for help--many, many people have been helped by generous redditors.


20. If you live in a farming area, ask the farmer if you can glean his fields after the harvest.


21. Choose a full time or part time job that offers free food as a benefit (many restaurants, coffee shops, and bars give their employees a free meal each day they work).


22. Go an a date! My sister finds all of her dates through online dating sites. They often take her out for dinner and pick up the tab (not sure how well this would work for guys though).


23. Check out Freecycle and the free section of CraigsList, pick up some items for free, then resell them at your own garage sale (people have been known to do this, fix the item up a bit, then relist it for sale on CraigsList too). Use the money earned for food.


24. Shop in the bulk bin section of the grocery store. Here you can pick up a pound of rice and a pound of beans for a dollar and have food for a week!


25. Cook from scratch. Skip the expensive processed foods and make your own breads, soups, casseroles, etc. It is generally much cheaper to make things from scratch than to buy pre-made items.


26. Have people you can fall back on for food. When I was a starving college student, I knew that every time I went to grandma's house she would have a hot meal waiting for me (of course I would have visited her meal or no but this was definitely a bonus!).


27. Panhandle on a street corner. Most people would say "no way" to this but if you and your kids are actually starving, this may be the most expedient way to get some cash together to buy food.


28. If you have ever served in the military, check out your local military service center, DAV, or VFW hall and see what resources are available to you.


29. If you are a senior citizen, see what services you qualify for (there are many senior-only meal sites in our area as well as a free meal delivery program specifically for seniors).


30. If you are a tribal member, check with your tribe's social service office to see what services (food as well as others) that you qualify for.


31. Shop at the Dollar Store. You need to know your prices, of course, as some items can be had for less than a dollar at other stores, however Dollar Stores can have some great prices on food.


32. Sign your kids up for the free meal program at school if you qualify. This will reduce the amount of food you will need at home to feed them. Note that schools often have free meal programs during the summer when school isn't in session to ensure that kids get a good meal or two each day (breakfast and lunch).


33. Google for ideas. People are always coming up with new and interesting ways to save money of food costs. By Googling the topic, you will find many ways to cut food costs (try terms such as 'save money on food', 'cut food costs', 'eating for cheap or free', etc).


34. Pay attention to unit prices. When you are spending your hard-earned money on food, you want to make sure you are getting the best deal possible. Compare prices by unit (cost of ounce by ounce or pound by pound which is usually located on the shelf tag) to get the best deal possible.


35. Use coupons. You can find coupons in newspaper ad sections, online, and even at the grocery store itself. It takes a while to create a coupon "system" but you could end up like this lady. Be sure to use store loyalty cards as well to get sale prices on the food you buy.


36. Buy in bulk. With some items, you can pay much less by buying in bulk. My favorite item to buy in bulk is a giant box of oatmeal for around $7 at Costco. This could last me for months!


37. Make a price book. It takes a bit of work to put together a food price book but some people swear by this method of keeping track of prices on the food their family most commonly uses. This way you will be able to know for sure what a "good price" is on the food items you buy.


38. Grow your own food. Obviously this isn't a quick fix to your hunger problems but if you have a patch of land and a bit of know how, the cost of buying a packet of seeds (around $1 on sale) can pay off handsomely at the end of the growing season (just make sure you have a way to store the excess!).


39. Write to food manufacturers. When I find a product I like, I have, in the past, written to the food company to rave about their product. Often they send me coupons, product samples, and the like just because I took the time to shot them off a quick letter or email.


40. On the other hand, be sure to rant about a food product if you have just cause (this works when corresponding with food companies as well as at restaurants). Usually the company wants to make it right and will reward your efforts with free products, coupons, etc.


41. Know where you can get the most "bang for your buck" in the food aisle. Eggs, rice, beans, peanut butter, bananas...you want to spend your limited supply of cash on items that are reasonably healthy, reasonably cheap, and reasonably filling.


42. Go generic or store brand. Many people who have been used to just tossing (highly advertised) food in their cart may feel like generics and store brands are some how beneath them. Not true. Most items are exactly like the highly advertised products, only much cheaper.


43. Shop local. Try Farmer's Markets, especially at the end of the day, to get great prices on nutritious food.


44. Take advantage of freebies. This site lists every restaurant that will give you a free meal/menu item on your birthday. Other places give out freebies on certain days (ie: Ben and Jerry's has a "free cone" day).


45. "Potluck" with others. If each person brings one dish, you will all eat like kings.


46. Scour the internet or library for ethnic food recipes (Asian, Indian, Mexican, etc). In most countries they don't eat like we do in America (ie: the notion that you need a slab of meat on your plate at every meal and a big hunk of carbs). Ethnic cooking tends to focus on meals you can feed a large family for cheap (ie: rice, beans, soups, etc).


47. Take a multi-vitamin. A bottle of vitamins will cost around $10 for a month. This will help make up for any nutritional deficiencies you may have when eating so cheaply.


48. Think attitude and presentation. My Depression-era grandmother could feed the family a simple plate of beans and rice and we would think we were feasting. Mostly it was her positive attitude ("look at the wonderful meal I cooked just for you") and the presentation (beautiful plates, multiple "courses" like we were eating in a fancy restaurant when we were actually eating bean soup, beans and tortillas, beans and hocks, etc).


49. Look for cheaper alternatives. If you were used to eating T Bones steaks, find a much cheaper cut of beef and roast it for hours until it is tender. If you were used to getting skinless, boneless chicken breasts for dinner, buy a whole chicken on sale and use every part of it.


50. Learn to barter. You can trade just about anything (ie: friend shoots a deer, you offer to butcher it for him and keep part of the animal) and with enough practice as well as contacts with other barterers, you could very well end up with much more than you started with.

That's about all I can think of off the top of my head. Any more ideas I missed?

The New Computer (Of Course, Money Saving Tips Included)

Since we have decided to extend our stay with the SIL for a few more months, I was feeling pretty sorry for hubby who had left his bigger laptop behind in the storage unit in favor of bringing his easy-to-carry netbook with him. Granted the netbook is great for traveling because it is so small, but on the other hand, hubby streams his TV shows from Asia every day and he could barely see the people's faces on his tiny netbook.

So off we went to Staples and bought him a basic yet fully functional Toshiba computer for a grand total of $399. The SIL went shopping with us and was properly mortified that we would buy a super cheap computer. She even carted us over to the Apple store to try to convince us that a MacBook Pro was the way to go. Now, a few years ago we would have clamoured for the coveted Apple computer and quickly swiped the credit card to the tune of $1500 plus then worried about how to pay the bill for the next dozen months or so but these days we are working on a cash-only basis and we have learned that if we spend all of our cash, we won't have any more to spend on other things that may come up. Here's what we did:

• We checked the ads for Staples, Best Buy, Office Max, Office Depot, and Newegg to get an idea of the prices and types of computers that were available on sale. I also clicked on the customer reviews for the sale computers to see what other people had to say about them. Staples seemed to have the best prices so we went to the store to get a look at what they were offering.


• We looked at a variety of computers with prices from $379 to $899. After determining what he actually needed the computer for (turns out not much, as he only uses his computer for watching television shows online, playing free online poker, and checking email once in a blue moon), we decided that the basic 4 gb/320 gb hard drive, 15" laptop would be perfect). Of course saving money was also at the top of our requirements along with getting a good basic computer, not an old or poorly rated computer). He chose the Toshiba which met all of his specs. It was a well reviewed computer that was on sale for $399 which kind of sealed the deal. Would he have liked the nice Apple computer? Of course, however we didn't think that it would be five times better than the Toshiba so it wasn't worth it to us to pay five times more money for it.


• We got the laptop home and I proceeded to set it up. This included firing it up, registering it, then going into the add/remove program control panel and deleting all of the "crapware" off of it.


• Next I clicked on 'windows update' and loaded the 50+ updates onto the computer (a long process with a low strength wireless connection!).


• I then loaded Open Office onto the computer. The hubby may type a document once a year so doesn't need much in the way of an office suite. I have found the free Open Office program to be perfect for his needs.


• I then went to Download.com and loaded the following FREE programs: AVG (anti virus), Ad Aware (internet security program), and VLC (a good media player).


• Next I added other free programs that he uses: Chikka (for texting friends in Asia), Absolute Poker (free online poker), and Full Tilt Poker (hubby likes poker).


• That's it! Now hubby has been happily watching his shows today while not having to squint at them. The computer works great, and at such a low price, we won't feel bad if we end up giving it to a grandkid sometime during our travels.

The moral of the story is that while it is nice to go top of the line, it isn't necessary. If he was a hard-core gamer/programmer/coder then we may have chosen differently but when you look at what you are buying, what you actually need the item for, and the price for what you are getting, you can be perfectly happy with a basic item that gets the job done.

And some side notes:

• If you have a non profit, Tech Soup rocks! It provides very good software at super low prices (like MS Office Pro for $30!!!).
• Other programs that I add to my computers: Skype, Yahoo Messenger, Firefox, Omni Format/PDF 995, drivers for my digital camera/printer/mini camcorder, and iTunes.
• And a great solution to viruses: Occasionally I get a virus on my computer no matter how careful I am so here is how I fix it: turn off the computer, turn it back on and hit the F8 button repeatedly until you see a DOS screen. Arrow down to 'start computer in safe mode with networking'. The computer will start but the screen will look a little funny. Click on start, all programs, system tools, system restore. Click on restore computer to a date before you started having problems with your computer. Follow the steps and your computer will be restored. It will turn off then come back on to its original condition and you will have gotten rid of the virus. Also, any documents you have downloaded or changed will stay the same and won't be deleted. Works like a charm!
• For everything computer-related that I want to know, I first Google my query (this is how I learned about the virus fix above). If that doesn't get me the answers I need, I go to reddit and type in my question there (someone in their many hundred thousand hive mind will know the answer).

Money Saving Habits

I think it is not until you live with other people that you realize the habits that you subconsciously perform day in and day out without even thinking about them can be a bit...odd. Apparently I have a lot of odd habits because they have been commented on. Often. Here's my list of odd (but money saving!) habits:

• When I do laundry, I use about a quarter of the recommended soap. My clothes aren't really dirty plus the water here is soft which means it takes more effort to rinse the soap out of the clothes so less soap is a good thing.


• I always cut dryer sheets in half. I like the anti-cling part of the sheets but I'm not a fan of overly perfumed things so cutting the sheets in half seems to be ideal.


• I use leftovers religiously. Many people will save leftover food then end up tossing it out eventually. I tend to base the next day's meals on whatever was leftover from the night before.


• I use one tea bag for two cups of tea each morning for the hubby and I instead of a tea bag for each cup. It seems to work just fine.


• When shopping I love the day-old bread rack, the discounted items bin, the loss leaders, and other sale items. Also, I tend to buy generic/store brands for many items (there are some store branded items I don't care for but most store brands are impossible to tell from highly advertised national brands).


• I often like to make my own food items from scratch (ie: we were at the grocery store with my sister in law and she was going to spend $5 on a small tub of hummus, I told her I could make a great hummus for less than a dollar from scratch). I do this for many products which seem horribly expensive compared to the "from scratch" price.


• Whenever shampoo, conditioner, or laundry soap gets nearly empty, I always add some water and shake. I like being able to use every last drop of a product.


• Whenever soap gets to be too thin to use, I get the next bar of soap lathery then smoosh the older sliver of soap on top, then let it dry; that way I can use every last scrap of the soap.


• When we go out to eat, hubby and I always split a meal. We don't do this so much because of the money, although this does save a lot of money, but because when we realized that we were never able to eat the trough-sized portions of food that was served to us, we decided it just made sense to split the meal. Also, we only drink water at restaurants, in fact we only drink water at all meals...it's a long-time habit.


• We don't drink alcohol of any sort (no wine, no beer, no hard alcohol) just because neither one of us likes the taste of alcohol. Between the two of us, this is just normal behaviour but it seems like ALL of our friends have the habit of wine with dinner or a beer after work.


• I love to use coupons, always send in rebates, and always ask for discounts (ie: senior discount for hubby, military discount when I know it is offered, etc). It's like free money and I seriously hate to pay full retail prices!


• When the door squeaked, I sprayed a dab of Pam cooking spray on it. It works!


• When I bake, I tend to bake a lot of different things at the same time. I figure it saves money on heating and reheating the oven.

Well, that all of the odd habits I have been made aware of recently. I think I picked up many of these things from my depression-era grandmother who used to do these things and more to save money.

Link Round-up: 5 Useful Things to Know

Here's some things you may want to know:

1. How to tell when you have enough stuff.
2. The Best and Worst Dollar Store Buys.
3. 100 Things to Make Your Home Safer.
4. How to make authentic southern cornbread (from my other blog)
5. One of my favorite subreddits r/frugal.

A bonus: I just saw this kid on TV and she is amazing! A ten year old who can sing better than lady Gaga!

5 Critical Financial Moves That Put Us on the Road to Solvency

Just a few short years ago we were mired in debt and it looked like I would be working until I was 90. Obviously we were doing everything wrong financially that you could think of but we were so comfortable in our rut that we didn't know, or didn't want to know, what to do to get out of it.
Then I found Dave Ramsey, listened to his show religiously, made some (many) changes, and now today we have our debts paid off and I was recently able to quit working and travel for a while until we decide what to do next.
These are the five critical changes we made that, without which, we would still be up to our eyeballs in debt:

1. Pay cash for a car and drive it until it dies. For many years we leased cars, had insanely high car payments, and just thought that was the way that everyone did it. Today we have one car, it is paid off, and we will drive it until it dies and not a moment sooner. I think car debt is the number one change that people could make in their financial lives that would immediately put them on the road to solvency.
2. Don't use credit cards. Aside from car debt, we also had the habit of running up our credit cards (there were many) as high as the banks would allow (and when that didn't work we would call the banks and grovel for a credit limit increase which they would often grant). The amount of unsecured debt we had on credit cards was ridiculously stupid but we had no one to blame but ourselves. Today we pay cash for everything and have paid off our credit cards. Hubby has one credit card that we don't use (he feels more secure with it for some reason) and I have no credit cards (and no desire to ever have one again). There is absolutely no reason you, or anyone else, should be guaranteeing your future income to buy something you want today, at 20%+ interest no less.
3. Don't eat out. Again, we had the high-flying lifestyle with the cool cars, the crazy credit card debt, and the major shopping sprees. With all of this debt, we were also working like maniacs just to tread water with these debts which meant we weren't often home which meant we both--along with the kids--ate out literally every day. Often we would eat all three meals out. Needless to say this was an expensive habit that only served to rack up credit card debt even faster (and it certainly wasn't healthy either). Now I see that eating at home can save SO MUCH money. For example, feeding a family of four dinner out at a restaurant can easily run $50 to $80, for one meal. For that much money, you can feed the same family of four at home for an entire week!
4. Have an emergency fund. When you have a huge amount of debt, everything is a financial crisis. Until I heard about Dave Ramsey, I had never heard of the concept of having an emergency fund. When Dave said that you need an emergency fund so that if an emergency arises you don't have to use your credit card to cover it, it was like a light bulb went on in my head. Duh. Since I put together my emergency fund, as Dave had predicted, we have never had to put a financial crisis on our credit cards because we had the cash to cover it. This allowed us to pay off our credit cards once and for all. If you don't have a "starter emergency fund" of $1,000, you need to do this today.
5. No. More. Shopping. I used to shop recreationally. My friends and I would run to the mall during lunch, I would see someone with a new purse, think I needed one, and cruise by the mall after work to pick one up. The hubby and I would spend our weekends walking around Costco, the mall, and other big box stores being subtly convinced that we needed more and more stuff to be happy. Needless to say, that kind of hobby can bury you in debt faster than just about anything else. Today we shop only when we absolutely need something and there is no more aimlessly wondering around a store just because we are bored. I also don't feel compelled to shop just because I see someone else with a new purse or new shoes and I don't equate my self esteem and "status" with what I own.

With those simple steps, we were able to dig ourselves out of the mound of debt we had buried ourselves under for years. It really is that simple. Yes, your ego may take a hit when you drive up in a car that is older than your kids, when your purse is so many seasons old it can't be identified, or when you have to opt out of the expensive restaurant meal with friends because "that's the place you have always gone to" but it no longer fits in your budget, however the feeling of freedom that comes with being debt free more than makes up for any temporary ego problems you may have.