Rewind

I started looking at some posts from the past.  I discovered that I have not made much progress in the last 3 years.  I am still dealing with my addictions.  Currently dealing with some burnout and I never finished the starting over series that I started in 2011.  My 3 year plan has been extended to forever and I still need an intervention especially after this morning.

I am even more addicted to "DOING".  My calendar is even worse than it was a year ago.  I have however limited myself to a race (half marathon, triathlon, biathlon) a month.  This gives me more time to train and I don't have time or money to compete in something every weekend.  I am going back to school in a couple of weeks and started a new business (but I closed the old one first, that is making progress).

Again I am dealing with low energy and wondering why.  Well Duhhh!!  After reading the burnout article from January 2012, I realized that I am "DOING" too much again.  I think I said that in my last article.  But as usual I have to see it in writing multiple times before it actually sinks into my brain.

This brings me to the intervention article.  This is where I admitted to having boxes of books that I need to read.  This morning I was talking to co-workers about books and they gave me some suggestions on a couple new series to buy and read.  Well that isn't going to happen.  After re-reading the article and the two mentioned above, I still have all those books to read plus and still no time to read them.  Now I am looking at my schedule to find some time to read not only books, but the magazines I mentioned in my last article. (I didn't buy the books that were recommended, but I did put them on my amazon.com wish list.)

As for my three year plan, well some things have changed.  I am still going to school, but not for the same degree.  The new business mentioned already is not custom apparel, but health, fitness, and financial coaching.  I have paid off a loan and a couple of credit cards, but I still have a long way to go to pay off all the credit cards.

To finish the "Starting Over" series and giving you strategies to save money:

·         My dryer broke a couple of months ago.  I think it is just needs a new switch, but I have not taken the time to figure it out.  So I have been hanging clothes in the basement to dry.   It takes longer for the clothes to dry, but it is not bad.  It is saving some money by not using the dryer.  I will be glad when it stops raining and it warms up enough to use the clothes line outside again.  (Yes, I am using a dehumidifier, but I would have that going anyway.)

·         I have taken a closer look at the grocery bill and have made some adjustments.  I still use coupons and using sale items.  Target is now sending out coupons for fresh fruit and vegetables as well as a coupon similar to Shop-N-Saves $10.00 off coupon.  With the coupons and Target's 5% of using their credit card, the potential of savings is pretty good. (Make sure you pay off the balance every month.)

·         Remember to use discount cards like AAA and store cards.  I had AAA for almost a year before I started to really use it.  Now I am always on the lookout for any kind of discount.

·         Make your own cleaning products like dishwasher soap.  1 cup of washing soda and 1 cup of borax.  Add a tablespoon or two to the dishwasher per load.  You can use the borax to clean just about anything.  All instructions are on the box and it is very inexpensive.

Now I need to look at my schedule and make time to read.  Maybe I can get a few books read before we have a yard sale and recoup some of the money spent.  This weekend, reading, training, decluttering.  What are you doing this weekend? 

Can you live on a food budget of $1.50 a day?

I first saw this in the news when Ben Affleck announced that he had taken up the challenge along with many other celebrities.  It peaked my curiosity, so I did some research.

LiveBelow the Line has sent out a challenge to educate the world on extreme poverty.  Trent from The Simple Dollar states that the challenge teaches you a lot of things about yourself.  The challenge forces you to think about things differently and may lead you to a better way of doing things in your life outside the challenge.

Realize that in the U.S.A. the average person on food assistance program (food stamps) receives $33.34 per person a week.  That is a lot more than $7.50 per person a week.

So what can you eat for $1.50 a day.  A lot of rice, dried beans, pasta, eggs, maybe if you can get it on sale, some fresh fruits and veggies.  There are rules on Live Below The Line, How Does It Work? page.  You can eat from a garden as long as you count the production cost of buying seeds and anything else you use to grow the food.

You are highly encouraged to eat three meals a day, but you cannot accept any donated food from family or friends. 

This program is used to raise money to help those who do live on $1.50 or less a day for food.  The website has plenty of information and some recipes to help you get through the week.

I have to say that this is a great way to realize how good you do have it.  Maybe even teach younger children the same lesson.  You may even lose a pound or two in the process.

Right now I am not going to participate in the challenge because I am currently training for a couple of half marathons, a couple of triathlons, and a biathlon this summer.  The challenge is for April to May.  I may have to do the challenge this fall or even winter when I am not so physically active.

What about you?  Are you willing to save money, lose some weight, and learn some things about yourself?  The fundraising will be closed on May 31^st, so you still have some time.  Get a group of people together and support each other through the challenge.  Let me know how you did in the comments below.

Helpful Website:

Money MSN

The Simple Dollar

 

Join, Help others, and Travel for Free

Well, my writers block is still in full blown solid brick wall.  It seemed like it took me forever to just come up with something to write today, but I did it.  After reading some articles from other frugal blogs and working to get ready for a business convention I realized that I have a perfect subject.  Do you want to travel for almost free?  Do you want to be involved in an organization and attend conventions for free?

Here I what I have done in the last year.  I belong to the Illinois Federation of Business Women's Club.  I have been a state officer for 4 years.  Yes I do plenty of work, but the organization pays for me to attend conventions and meetings.  This year I am running a half marathon in Chicago.  I am doing it to raise money for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.  If you raise enough money, the charity pays for my entry fee to the race and hotel room.  If I raise even more money, they will pay for transportation to the race.

Yep, you still have to do some work to keep an organization going and raise money for charity.  But don't we all do that anyway.  Isn't there someone helping at church to help feed the poor?  Don't you participate in fundraisers to pay for some school project?  Well, why not volunteer for an organization that is working for something you believe in and travel around the state and make new friends?  Why not raise money to help people with a disease, train with a bunch of fun people, get healthy, and travel all at the same time?  I just don't see a down side to any of this.

Everyone is complaining about not having time to do everything you want to do.  Well combine some things.  Help others while getting in shape and travel.  Lobby for equal rights while networking and building new friendships and travel.

There are plenty of organizations that have programs to raise money and you get to travel and participate in different activities.  Most not-for-profit organizations pay for officers to represent them at events and conventions.  Doing a web search will give you plenty of options to find organizations that are in line with your values that will fulfill your desire to help others and accomplish a personal goal.

How do you combine activities to accomplish your goals?  Leave a comment below.

Here are the links to the organizations that I mentioned in this article.  

Illinois Federation of Business Women's Club

Crohns and Colitis Foundation Team Challenge

Using Less Coupons

In the last few months I have been using less and less coupons.  I know, in Margaret's world that is a major sin.  But I found the items that I like the most are less expensive without the coupons.  I do use them and maximize my savings, but I find that I am buying less and less.

I don't know if the manufacturers are getting wise about those extreme couponer's or what.  But I don't need 3 boxes of hamburger helper or 3 items of something else.  I found that just buying the store brand is cheaper than using the coupon.  I buy less and spend less. 

I do stock up on some things, but for the most part the expiration date comes and goes before I can us up all the food.  Most of the time I end up throwing money down the drain.  Then the argument is, why not donate it.  Well, because one, I don't go through my stockpile every month.  Two, the little I do have to donate is so small that I feel embarrassed dropping off a small bag.  And three, I usually talk myself into keeping the food because I think that I will use it not long after the expiration date.  Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't use it and I end up throwing it away.

In order to keep my budget down, I have decided to only buy what I need.  In the fall I will stock pile some food in case I am snowed in and can't get out to buy food.  But now that better weather has arrived, I am buying less food and using up what I have.  When I do buy food I buy when Shop N Save has their $10.00 off thursday and Schnucks has triple coupon days.  This way I can get more food for less money.

Like most things in life, you have to balance things out.  Don't just use coupons to use coupons.  Use them wisely.  Stock up when you know you will eat the food or work with friends and neighbors to clean out the pantry once a month and take the extra food to a local charity.  You just have to work out the numbers to see how you can get the best deal.

I am excited about putting in a garden this year.  If the weather will cooperate, I will get something done in the next couple of weeks.

Do you use coupons or just buy what you can without the extra work?  Add your comments below.

Thinking about that Vegetable Garden

It is going to be nice this weekend.  Well most of it anyway.  Sunshine and warm weather.  It is making me think about actually putting in a vegetable garden this year.  In the past few years I have used containers.  A couple of weeks ago I was shopping at Sam's and found raised boxes for gardening.  I may just have to use those.

Using the raised boxes will give me some extra room for beans, peas, and squash.  I don't have to worry about tilling up the ground.  Since it is raised, it will be better on my back.  I have a lot of trees in my yard, so I am trying to figure out where I can put my garden.

Just thinking about all that fresh food I can eat later this year. I think I will grab a Farmers Almanac while out and about today so I can start planning what I need to get and when.  Maybe stop at Lowe's or Farm and Home to see what they have on sale.

What are you planning to plan this year?  Do you have a plan for your garden?  Share your thoughts in the comments.  How do you plant your veggies (containers, raised garden, or the old fashion till the ground kind)?

Do Your Research

When I need to figure something out I normally go do Google and start searching for all information regarding the subject.  These days it is trying to find the best deal for my hard earned money.  Earlier this month I posted that I was going to be riding the bus again.  I am glad that I did my research.

I got excited and wanted to know how much money I was going to save by riding the bus. After crunching number, I will only save less than $50.00 per month and adding an extra hour a day to my commute.  I have decided that I can write a blog article, do research, and sell t-shirts in that extra hour a day and make an extra $50.00 or more a week.  So the bus is out.

Now I am searching for a good deal on a dryer.  While I was at Lowe's I looked at prices and brand names.  I found a dryer that I liked, but it was an off brand.  I will be checking Consumer Reports to find out what they have to say.  I know, you are saying what is she doing.  Look in the local shopper and find a used one.  Yes, I will do that as well.  Sometime you can find a better deal buying a new item than used.  For big items like this, definitely do your research.  It takes time, but it will save you a lot of money.

One of the best research tools, other than Google and Consumer Reports, is ask your friends, family, co-workers what they have and if they like it.  The best purchases I have made is because I asked the question.  I ask what do you like about it and what do you not like.  Don't buy a product because everyone else is buying it.  Make sure it will do what you need it to do.  Use Facebook or your favorite social media to find out what others think about a product.  You may be surprised at what you find out.

After your research is done, make sure you crunch those numbers to make sure it is the best deal.  Like I did with the bus ticket.  I thought that I would be saving so much money only to realize I wasn't going to be saving anything.

Do your research before you buy!

Free Ways to Sell Online

A couple of weeks ago I was tasked to find the best way sell items online to raise money for charity.  They were looking for something like Ebay, but for free if possible.  So I opened Google and searched and this is what I found.

The Top Ten Reviews for online auctions.  This site lists 13 sites that are similar and including Ebay.  Of course Ebay is still number one on the list and has the best review.  The company that holds the second spot is Webstore.  Webstore is free but you do have to put up with a lot of advertisements on the site.  That is how Webstore makes money.  But the good news is that you get to keep all the money you make for the item you sell.  It is growing in popularity, it has a hire reliability rating than Ebay and did I say it was free.

Wisebread has an article about selling on Facebook.  I have listed a few things on a local Facebook Shopper type group, but never sold anything.  But it seems that I am the exception to the rule.  Check out the article for more tips.

Here in the Midwest it is way to cold and now snow on the ground to have a yard sale.  Wisebread posted 11 Unusual Ways to Sell Your Stuff.  One way I thought was interesting was through Smartphone Applications.  The new thing is to have a Raid My Closet party.  You have a party, everyone brings things that you no longer want and sell it to other guests.

Until Yard Sale season is back, try going to one of the other sites and see what you can find or sell or both.

Back on the Bus

Since gas prices are again on the rise without any indication on why or when they will level off, I have decided to start riding the bus again.  As before, it will save me a lot of money, but it will also add time to my commute to and from work.  But this time I am better prepared.

The bus ride will give me time to answer emails and do some other tasks (like take a nap).  I will finally have a reason to have some of the techno gadgets.  One thing I though was strange is that the buses have wifi, but the metro does not.  I will have a very tight schedule with work, school, and getting exercise and half marathon training.  But, I feel comfortable with what I have put together.

When the weather is much warmer than today, I can get the bike out and ride between the metro station and my office.  That will give me some extra training for a Triathlon.

Update on the spending freeze this month, not so good.  I think I ate out more this month than I have in a while.  I need to do a better job on looking ahead at my schedule so that I make sure that I have the food I need to get me through the day.  With taking the bus and doing better with food, I hope that next month will be better.

Take care with all the snow and ice falling in the mid west.