Once a Week Cooking
We’ve all seen the web sites that promote once-a-week or once-a-month cooking, leaving you with oodles of free time and a plethora of well-planned, healthy dinners that everyone in your family loves and looks forward to. And then there’s the real world—the world with changing schedules, picky eaters and not nearly enough time to prepare all of these carefully labeled concoctions and neatly stack them in your regularly re-organized, inventoried freezer.
For those who can accomplish that feat, the more power to you. The rest of us bow humbly at your feet and pray for a plan that leaves us relatively well-fed without running through the drive through every day.
An alternative is to spend a few hours each week doing what I like to call “pre-cooking.” Pre-cooking is basically just that—getting things more or less ready to go, but not quite finishing the cooking process, making things easy to have ready to go for the week, without tying you down to a hard and fast strict schedule. Instead of planning out every single meal, I stick with just the evening meal and try to get through only the work week. I plan meals for Monday through Wednesday, and Thursday becomes “refrigerator buffet” day. What is “refrigerator buffet,” you ask? That’s the day when everyone gets to choose from the leftovers from the first three days of the week, and those leftovers become Thursday’s dinner.
The easiest way to begin this is to write a list of the meals your family will actually eat—no pie-in-the-sky ideals here, just favorites that please most of your family most of the time. To make these easy to prepare during the week, I try to stick with casseroles, slow cooker meals, soups and easy to assemble dishes like tacos. If at all possible, involve your family in this process. Have each family members choose the meals from your list they enjoy (or will at least eat) to give you an idea of which meals to include most often.
Once your list is compiled, you can choose a few meals that you’d like to make for the week. Whenever possible, I try to find a few common ingredients in a few of the meals. For example, if I’m going to chop an onion, it’s just as easy to chop a couple of them. If I’m going to brown a pound of hamburger, I may as well brown a few. This makes the work go much more efficiently.
I usually set aside a few hours on Sunday to prep the week’s food. It can be a challenge to fit it in, but the time it frees up on busy weeknights makes it well worth it. The reason casseroles work especially well is because they are easy to assemble and have ready to pop in the oven by whoever happens to get home first on a given weeknight. These are especially nice to have when a majority of the family will be home for an evening meal-otherwise plating meals and having them ready to pop in the microwave works well too. Slow cooker meals are wonderful for nights when everyone is on a different schedule. By investing in a slow cooker with a timer—the kind that changes your temp from low or high to “warm” after the cooking time—you can have dinner hot, fresh and ready for each person to serve themselves as they walk in the door.
They involve a little more individual prep time, but easy-to-assemble meals like tacos or spaghetti are nice because they can work well on nights on either kind of night. By having the ingredients ready to go, with only a minor ingredient left to cook (heating up the pre-cooked taco meant or boiling spaghetti noodles to go with homemade sauce, for example), family members can quickly put together a meal without having to start from scratch.
Soups and chilis are great go-tos because it can be prepared entirely in advance and stored in the refrigerator until someone is ready to heat up a bowl—or the entire pot, if everyone is actually able to eat together.
One key to making this plan work is to make sure each meal is labeled—a piece of scratch paper taped to a lid is just fine. Include basic information (for example, “bake uncovered for 30 minutes” on a casserole or “turkey noodle soup—heat in microwave”), so everyone knows what has to be done during the week.
To try to keep things on track, post a list on the fridge or a bulletin board listing what meals are for which day, and that Thursday is “refrigerator buffet.” Not only does this keep everyone on the same page, it ends the question “What’s for dinner?” The great thing is, you can change the list if your week changes, but it gives you somewhere to start.
You may find that once you start getting organized, you have the springboard to go on to more serious once-a-week or once-a-month cooking. Of course, feel free to invite the rest of us over that point so we can revel in your culinary glory!
The REAL cost of Travel
The joy of watching loved ones light up while opening their holiday presents was once a priceless moment. Unfortunately, standardized baggage fees imposed by airlines have made traveling with too many packages and luggage a damper on holiday spirits and a blow to travel savings.
The Bureau of Transportation found that major U.S. airlines pulled in an incredible $792 million in baggage fees in the fourth quarter of 2011 alone. Almost all domestic air carriers, with the exception of Southwest and JetBlue, charge passengers a per-bag fee for any checked item.
“Airlines are charging more because they can,” says Mark Drusch, chief supplier relations officer for CheapOair. “Travelers have proven with their purchasing behavior that they are willing to pay for checked bags at the current rates, however, this elasticity may be reaching its maximum based on a flattening of revenues generated by the airlines for checked baggage in the last few quarters.”
Some Americans may have caught on to how to save money on baggage rates, but with the month of September being a critical time to capitalize on the best airfare rates in time for the holiday season, travelers need to arm themselves with ways to avoid unnecessary travel fees that add up. With a few easy planning strategies, travelers can not only arrive to the family holiday reunion with goodies in tow, but can also save hundreds of dollars along the way when traveling on a budget.
1. Apply for Co-Branded Airline Credit Cards
If you’re considering applying for a new credit card and anticipate a need to fly regularly in the near future, a co-branded airline credit card can bring free checked bag benefits in addition to added purchasing power.
Drusch recommends looking into the United Chase Card or the Delta Amex credit card for ways to save money on extra fees. Perks for travelers with co-branded credit cards include free checked luggage and a free meal from the respective airline’s lounge.
2. Join Free Loyalty Programs
The dread of getting too carried away with a brand new line of credit is understandable. Fortunately, airlines are still competing for your business and offer no-charge loyalty programs.
Programs like Virgin America Elevate and Delta SkyMiles offer savings as passengers accumulate points or air mileage toward their next trip. In addition to earning points by booking a flight, customers can also earn points by shopping the airline’s partner store online. Upon reaching a higher program level, members receive free upgrades, and yes—even free checked baggage.
Renowned comedian Dan Nainan frequently flies when touring and claims that staying loyal to one airline has saved him from paying baggage fees: “I am smart enough to stick with one airline instead of flying 10 different airlines to find the cheapest fare. I am now Diamond Medallion on Delta, and never, ever, have to pay a bag fee!”
3. Invest in a Vest
Enlisting the use of a utility vest can work wonders when you’re looking for ways to save money during holiday travel. Sure, you already stashed your cell phone, boarding pass, and ID card in your jacket, but what if you could add a full-size laptop to that list or even a jacket within a jacket?
That is exactly what Michael McColl, travel writer and author of The Worldwide Guide to Cheap Airfares, has accomplished with his vest prototype. The cargo vest lets him carry up to 25 lbs. cost-free.
“A full laptop and a jacket fit in the back pocket. The vest, plus a carry-on and a book bag, is the totality of what I take on most trips,” shares McColl. Since the vest is worn on the body, it isn’t considered luggage, but in reality it acts as just that.
4. Don’t Bring Liquids
OK, for those who are unnaturally attached to a particular face wash or conditioner (I’m just as guilty), traveling sans liquid items may be impossible. But even cutting down on the amount of liquid goods you bring on your trip can be one of the best ways to save money on baggage fees.
Against my better judgment, I checked a bag for this very reason. My boyfriend and I each wanted to pack a standard backpack for our short weekend getaway to San Francisco. However, we stubbornly wanted to bring our own toiletries from home, so we buckled and ended up paying $50 on round-trip baggage fees—just for these liquid products.
It wasn’t until we arrived at our hotel that we realized we could have easily purchased $1 travel toiletries at the Walgreen’s down the street.
5. Ship Gifts Ahead of Time
Instead of trying to cram gifts into a checked luggage bag and risk either damage in transit or loss, ship gifts directly to your destination, if possible. During the holiday season, many retailers offer free shipping within the United States. Why waste that deal by shipping it to your own home, only to haul it with you on an airplane for another location?
Not only will the travel experience be considerably less cumbersome, but you’ll save at least $50, if not more, just by avoiding checking in gift packages.
All it takes to skirt excessive fees is a little ingenuity, whether that means sidestepping overweight baggage fees by wearing your heaviest items on your person or using credit cards as a ways to earn airline incentives. In any case, finding ways to save money is a must for the holiday season.
Recharge your girl power
Women tend to have close friendships with their girlfriends, and spending quality time together is one way the batteries stay charged in those relationships. Unfortunately, going out to dinner or clubs tends to be the easy, go-to get-together, but that can get pricey. Keeping in touch doesn’t have to mean a dwindling bank balance, however. If you’re looking for some new, fresh ideas that won’t break the bank, try being a kid again. Do you remember how some of the best times you spent with friends when you were a child didn’t have to cost a lot of money? Go retro, and do some of those things again. It might take a little convincing to get some of the ladies to go along for the ride, but once you re-connect with your inner child, you’ll be amazed at how much fun you can have!
Do you remember the time-honored tradition of the slumber party? Those were some of the best times a girl could have! Granted, there are some things you probably DON’T want to do again—we’ve outgrown prank phone calls and freezing each other’s bras (hopefully), but a lot of the other fun passes the test of time. The best part? No one has to spend a lot of time fussing with getting ready—comfy jimmies and sweat pants are the required attire for this event! It doesn’t matter if the women actually stay the night—the best part of slumber parties were the things that happened well before anyone slept! Your best bets for slumber party entertainment? Rent some movies and pop some popcorn (or cheaper yet—have everyone bring their favorite DVDs), break out the Ouji board, take turns doing each other’s nails, play Truth or Dare. You’ll be amazed at how good it feels to let loose and be silly!
Did you and your friends spend many weekend hours at the local skating rink? This is another fantastic idea that lets everyone let their hair down. It doesn’t matter if you’re a skating pro or a novice—the idea is to get together and have a good time. Whether you’re rollerblading or ice skating, this is a great to be a kid again. The added bonus? It’s also a great workout AND an amazing stress reliever! You may feel a little awkward being on skates again, but so does everyone else. You’re all in it together, and that’s a great bonding experience.
In most neighborhoods, many summer afternoons were spent playing such time honored games as kick-the-can, Red Rover, and hide-and-seek. Large corporations spend big money to come up with activities that break down barriers and promote team-building. Many of these activities are no sillier than any of these. Get the ladies together and play away! Once everyone gets over their initial reserve, this can be a great time.
How about a good, old-fashioned tea party? Once upon a time, nearly every little girl sat around her play table with her play tea set and dress-up clothes and had a tea party. Doing the grown-up version is a great excuse to get over-the-top dressed up and chat the afternoon away! If anyone has a great, funky hat, this is the time to wear it. Flashy costume jewelry, feather boas, satin gloves—all are great accessories for your grown-up version of a child’s tea party. It’s also the perfect opportunity to break out the “good” dishes—so many of us pack them away and only use them at holiday time. If you feel the need to decorate, bringing in wildflowers from outside and putting them in whatever mismatched vases you have on hand is a nice touch. Brew some tea, make some cute little cucumber sandwiches, and you’re ready to go.
Another fun gathering is a board game party. Don’t limit this to just traditional Monopoly. If anyone has classic favorites like Hi-Ho Cherry-O or Candyland, these can be a hoot to play with other adults. This party is even better if everyone’s children are older—when the kids are young, you may spend too much time playing these games as it is. Once the kids have moved on or moved out, these games often get packed away in a basement or attic and collect dust. Pull them out, blow off the dust, and act like a bunch of kids!
In this often overly fast-paced, high pressure world, getting back to the child you are at heart can be the perfect “re-boot.” Share the experience with friends and remember what fabulous girls you are at heart!
Old Fashion Ebay
One way to rake in some extra cash is to sell your items you no longer want or need. You COULD list each item individually on an e-site or in the classifieds. A better option may be to have prospective buyers come to you, leave you with cash and tote off your excess items.
Call it what you want—tag sale, garage sale, rummage sale, yard sale—but whatever you call it, a successful sale can leave you with a pocket full of cash. Don’t be misled, however—you can’t have a successful sale just be throwing everything out in the yard or garage. Preparation is key in holding a lucrative sale. It can make the difference between cleaning up monetarily and having to clean up, and no one wants to have to lug all of that stuff back in the house!
Your first step is to check with your local municipality regarding any requirements they have for holding a sale. Some cities require a permit, others limit numbers of days you can hold a sale, many limit where you can post signage—you want to know these things first because you don’t want to violate any ordinances or laws.
Your next move is to cull the merchandise you want to sell from your home. This sounds easy enough, but it can be very time consuming, so be sure to do this well before you are ready to hold your sale. Also, make sure anything mechanical is in good working condition or is labeled otherwise—you don’t want to mislead buyers. Clean up your items—launder clothes, hose off lawn equipment, wash old dishes or whatever it is you need to do to make sure your items are going to be attractive to buyers. Clean, fresh-looking items are going to make your sale look more inviting and will bring in more cash than those that look worn and dirty.
Once you have decided what to sell, you need to choose a location. If your home is in a high traffic area with ample parking available, then you have a perfect spot. Otherwise, you may want to consider teaming up with a friend who has a more accessible spot.
Choose a date that doesn’t conflict with other community events. If your area holds city-wide or town-wide sales, you may want to try to piggyback onto that. Not only will you be available on a date when folks will be out and about in your area, ready and willing to spend, you’ll also be available to take advantage of any marketing the municipality is doing for the event.
Speaking of marketing, advertising for your sale is incredibly important. If no one knows about your sale, it doesn’t matter how wonderful your merchandise is or how beautifully it is displayed. If no one sees it, no one can buy it.
Take advantage of all opportunities to get the word out. Post notices on local grocery bulletin boards or the laundromat, put up an ad at your place of employment, post on any free local sites you have available and place an ad in the garage sale section of your local newspaper. When creating your ad, try to begin with an eye-catching headline: “Great Stuff, Even Better Prices,” “20 Years of Accumulation,” “Treasure Sale”—whatever you can think of that accurately describes what you have but will also grab attention is a great headline for your ad. Make sure you include where your sale will be (including days and times), where it will be held (including any pertinent directions or parking information) and a listing of the types of merchandise you have for sale, especially any big ticket or unusual items.
You’ll also want to make sure there are a few things you have on hand before the sale. Dealing in cash is best, so you’ll want to be able to make change. Have plenty of coins and dollar bills at the ready so you aren’t stuck selling something for less or losing a deal because you couldn’t make change. Note how much cash you started out with before the sale so you can determine your profit at the end of the day.
A few hard core garage salers will bring their own sacks or reusable bags, but it’s helpful to have plenty available before the start of your sale. Instead of recycling grocery sacks, hang onto them before your sale so you can bag your customers’ purchases.
Make sure all of your merchandise is labeled clearly. Masking tape and Sharpies are a great combination for making tags. If you have more than one person involved in your sale, using different colored Sharpies on the tags will help keep track of who benefits from each purchase.
Have a ledger available to track the purchases your customers make. Record as each sale is made. This will make divvying up the profits at the end of the day go much more smoothly.
It’s also helpful to run an extension cord to your sale area so any electronic items can be plugged in. If you have items run by batteries, it’s also nice to have batteries available to try in the items to be able to show folks that these items are in working condition.
Display your merchandise as neatly as possible. If you have access to clothing racks, use them to display nicer clothing. Fold and arrange clothing by size so it’s easier for customers to look through. Try to arrange like items together. During down times, straighten up your merchandise.
Be sure any signage you have is easily read from the street. Make letters large and neat so everyone can read them. If your municipality allows, place signs near high-traffic intersections so drivers will notice them while stopped at stop signs and stop lights. Balloons tied to your signs will also help them stand out. Don’t forget to have a large sign in front of your sale so no one misses it! Remember not to post any signs on utility polls—this can pose a danger to you or any utility worker who comes into contact with the poll and is generally not legal. Also, take down signs at the end of the day. Too many times, signage is abandoned after a sale, creating an eyesore and causing confusion.
It’s also a good idea to have at least one other person with you to run the sale. Not only is this a good safety measure, it also helps to have one person who can take care of the exchange of money while another is available to answer questions. It also makes it much easier if you need to take a restroom break!
Last but not least, be prepared to deal! People like a bargain, and they feel like they’ve gotten a real deal if they are able to talk you down from your original price. If you really want to sell your wares, don’t be so attached to them that you aren’t willing to haggle on the price.
Save Money When You Fly The Friendly Skies
It is Possible to Save Money on Airline Tickets
There are some time-proven axioms that you can follow to put the odds on your side in helping you save money on airline tickets. These include:
#1 Change the Time You Travel
If you want to save money on airfare, don’t be rigid on the time of day you want to travel. Going between New York and Los Angeles, for example, may have one airline offering as many as seven or eight flights on a particular day. If you want to leave in the morning, investigate the three or four departures offered during that time period. Moving your departure time by just one hour, on your departure or return, may save you significant money on the airline ticket price.
#2 Change the Day You Travel
Even if you require traveling on a particular airline or time of day, look at moving your desired departure or return day by one or two days. It is often the case that a particular flight may be cheaper on a Tuesday than a Wednesday, or a Saturday instead of a Sunday. The side benefit of this might be a free one-day “vacation” as the savings in airfare can more than offset the additional cost of a hotel room and meals.
#3 Change the Route You Travel
Yes, we all like to travel directly from where we are to our destination as quickly as possible and without changing planes. But how much is this worth to you? Airlines often make connecting flights from your origin to destination less expensive than their non-stop flights. It may add a couple of hours to travel time but it may be worth the hundreds of dollars you could save on airfare. Airline websites, unfortunately, are designed to show you the most direct and shortest time between the cities you request. If they have an option to “search by fare” use that option with maximum number of results possible and drill down deep in the results to make sure you see all the fares available. Changing the route you travel could be the best way for you to save money on airfare.
#4 Change the Airline You Use to Travel
Competition is a wonderful thing when it comes to saving money on airfare! Many routes are highly competitive and it can force an airline with traditional dominance in a market to drop its airfares, sometimes dramatically, in response to a new competitor or fare sale from other competing airlines. Often times these “sales” will happen on a moment’s notice and may only last for a few days. If you have a favorite airline you wish to use, subscribe to their email alerts for your favorite cities so you can be kept up to date on any fare changes. But, don’t limit yourself to just one airline. Do it for all the airlines in your market.
#5 First Class Cheaper Than Coach?
No discussion of ways to save money on airfare would be complete without talking about the new currency for airfares: the frequent flyer mile. More and more of us are accumulating these frequent flyer miles that pay for airline tickets. Our first inclination when trying to redeem these miles is to seek out a coach seat using the lowest amount of miles, typically around 25,000 miles. However, it is usually the case that the airline does not have any seats at the lowest mileage redemption level when you would like to travel but may have them if you use twice the miles. Before giving in to this requirement, ask about business or first class awards. You may be surprised how many times discounted business or first class awards may be available to and from your destination for the same or less or slightly more miles than for double mileage coach awards. The extra comfort and perks are the icing on the cake!
What’s mine is yours, what’s yours is mine…
What’s mine is yours, what’s yours is mine…host a clothing and accessories swap!
For many of us, watching our budget can seem doable until that cute pair of shoes or sparkling pair of earrings catches our eye. A moment or two of rationalization later, and we’ve dropped another $20, $30 or $50 on something we probably didn’t really need in the first place.
When we were children, we outgrew clothes year round. Our parents provided us with new clothes, and before we could tire of them, we had outgrown them and it was onto a new wardrobe. As adults, we no longer have that excuse to buy a new wardrobe each season. It can be so tempting to go hog wild when we see new things in the stores, however, or even when we see a particularly great outfit on a friend.
The funny thing is, our friends feel the same way. The solution? Get together and have a swap meet! No, this isn’t a bunch of guys trading used car parts, this is you and your favorite fashionistas gathering to trade things that are old to you, but new to each other. Let’s face it—having these items sitting around collecting dust in the closet isn’t doing anyone any good. On the other hand, someone else could make good use of those items. Chances are, the scarf that you have tired of will be very appealing to one of your friends. The almost new jacket that never quite fit right may be perfect for someone else.
To start, have everyone go through their closets and purge them of everything that they no longer wear. Don’t feel limited to just clothing—go through scarves, costume jewelry, shoes, belts, headbands, barrettes, handbags. If you haven’t used it in a year, it’s likely you won’t use it again. Just make sure you’re not getting rid of things you can’t part with.
When instructing everyone to comb through their fashions, you may want to have a deadline. This will help keep everyone on track! Otherwise the date of your swap could be indefinitely postponed while waiting for the procrastinators to finally get this crucial step completed.
Once everyone has had a chance to clean out their closets, choose a date and place to get together for the swap. Ideally, you want to have a good sized location to display all the wares. You’ll also want to set up tables and/ or racks, depending on what everyone has to bring to the swap. In addition, have mirrors handy, as well as a spot for clothing try-ons.
Make sure you give yourselves some time for the swap. Once everyone is together, you’ll want to plan on spending a few hours together. One of the bonuses of the swap is that it is a great chance to socialize, as well as breathe new life into your wardrobe.
Let everyone browse through the various offerings, trying things on and asking for opinions as they go. To keep things fair, you may want to draw numbers, one through however many guests attend. If there is an item that two people want, whoever has the lowest number gets that item. Once they have used that “turn,” their turn is forfeited until everyone has had a “first” choice, if necessary. Usually these things are able to be resolved on their own, but it’s nice to have a backup plan—just in case.
To top off the swap, have everyone choose their favorite “new” outfit and model it for everyone else. And it doesn’t have to be an entire outfit—maybe it’s a great hat that frames someone’s face just so, or a great pair of shoes that one of the ladies loves to strut her stuff in. This is supposed to be informal and fun, so have a great time with it!
Make sure you have a camera on hand to take pictures of the “models” as they show off their new treasures. If possible, have someone take a picture of the whole group together donning their new duds, or set a timer on the camera—you want to make sure you have everyone in the photo.
Hang onto that group photo and use it to make a great invitation—you may want to make this swap a yearly event!
Get Serious…and Get out of Debt!
It’s time folks…time to talk about that dirty little secret you’ve been hiding. Yes, it’s tough to talk about, and it’s embarrassing to admit for sure, but it’s time to bring up that secret you’ve been hiding behind closed doors. No, it’s not that secret stash of chocolate you keep for “emergencies” while you insist to your friends at the gym that you’re eating clean, or even the dirty dishes you hide under the sink when company comes over. This is more serious than that–it’s that mountain of debt you keep “meaning” to pay off.
Even if you have all of the trappings of wealth—the fancy car, the designer clothes, an enormous home—if you still owe on these things, your wealth is a façade. If you’re in debt, chances are you’d like not to be. If you’re ready to get serious about it, you CAN dig your way out of that mountain. It won’t be easy, it probably won’t be fun (although seeing your total debt amount go down actually IS pretty fun!), but it is doable.
Here is the key: the money you bring in from these ideas MUST go toward your debt! Making an extra $100 does not give you license to buy new shoes when you are facing a pile of bills. It gives you the opportunity to bring those bills down to a manageable level—and to eventually get rid of them altogether. Need a little motivation? Think about how fantastic it will feel not to have to pay those monthly bills. Wouldn’t it be freeing not to be chained to that pile of debt? If you weren’t paying off a car, a mortgage and credit card debt, you would certainly have a lot more disposable income, PLUS you would have money to put into savings and put towards retirement. Can you imagine how wonderfully free you would feel? That’s the feeling you need to remember when you feel like paying off debt is too much work. And none of these things are things you have to do forever.
Ready? Here are a few ways to bring in extra cash to pay off debt:
SELL SOME STUFF: Take a good, hard look around you. What do you own that you don’t need? Stop letting these things clutter up your life and get rid of them! Use the cash to throw at your debt. Whether it’s an extra car, too many clothes, toys the kids no longer play with or collectibles that collecting nothing but dust, if you once used them, someone else will to. You will be amazed at the amount of unused items you have in your home. Not only will you bring in extra money, you will also love how it feels to get rid of the clutter. There are all kinds of ways to get the word out: put an ad on Craigslist, in the local newspaper or on the bulletin board of your local grocery store.
SELL YOUR SERVICES: What are you good at? Which of your skills are marketable? Think about things that you can do that other people either can’t do, don’t want to do or don’t have time to do. The list is endless…babysitting, elderly care, lawn mowing, personal shopping, errand running, chauffeuring, home organizing, tutoring, marketing, dog walking, pet sitting, housesitting, car detailing. You would be amazed at the number of services people are willing to pay for!
GET A SECOND JOB: Yes, working 40 hours each week can be daunting enough, but pulling in a second income can help you topple that mountain of debt. A word of advice? Try to find a second job that entails something you may enjoy. That will make it much more likely that you will be able to stick with it long enough to make a difference. Plus, you don’t want to make your life miserable. If you enjoy people, maybe retail or customer service is for you. If you like working independently, try data entry.
DONATING PLASMA: This can actually be a pretty quick way to earn extra money, and you are doing a worthwhile service for the health care community at the same time. Typically you are able to donate twice each seven days, and many plasma donation centers offer bonuses for new donors. Plus, you get a little free time to yourself. If you like to read, bring a book or an e-reader and pass the time, or play a game on your phone.
“EXTRA” MONEY: Since you should currently have a budget in place with your bills all accounted for, any additional extra money should go towards your debt. A few examples would be money from a raise or bonus, rebates and tax refunds.
Paying off your debt is hard work, but with the right attitude and a good amount of fortitude, you can get it done. And when you do, enjoy the freedom it brings—you deserve it!
A Room Is Just A Room….Or is it?
To save money on hotels, you can start with the internet. Be careful relying solely on travel web sites, however. The ones that find the cheapest plane tickets work pretty well, but you’ll never find the cheapest hotel rooms online. Of course, you probably don’t want the cheapest room, but you do want to know what your options are, right?
It seems that the web sites which locate cheap hotels for you only work with those that have a decent marketing budget. Or perhaps they assume for you what kind of room you want, and so exclude the ones that they don’t think are appropriate. This is speculation on my part, but what is not speculative is the fact that I have often found cheaper rooms than the ones listed on these web sites. How? By doing the following.
1. Start with sites like cheaptickets.com, but don’t stop there. This just gives you an idea of what is available – and sometimes you will find a great deal.
2. Find a online phone book for the town you are traveling to. Look up hotels and motels in that, and call them directly.
3. When traveling by car, take the hotel coupon-books available at gas stations, rest areas and visitor’s centers. These will often save you $10 or $20 at hotels you might have stayed at anyhow.
4. Ask for AAA and other discounts that you may qualify for. I saved $15 recently just by showing my business card to get the corporate rate. There are sometimes senior discounts as well.
5. Negotiate. This won’t always work in the United States, but we occasionally have an owner drop the price when we start to walk away. Also, we have paid cash for several days in advance to get a discount. This negotiating tactic has worked for my wife and I from Ecuador to Montana and California.
6. Plan ahead and call ahead. When making a multi-day trip by car, you have some flexibility in where you stop for the night. Check hotels in various towns online before you leave. Sometimes the rooms in the next town will be $30 less just because there are more hotels. Why not drive the extra forty minutes today (or tomorrow) to get the cheap hotel rooms?
Brown Bag Blues
One of the biggest money savers for those who don’t have the opportunity to eat lunch at home is to pack a lunch. This applies those who work away from home, students, or even those who have a long day of errands but don’t want to blow their cash on fast food.
Eating out every day can be a HUGE drain on the budget. Most folks spend an average of $5 to $15 a day for lunch out. Based on a 5-day work or school week, that’s anywhere from $25 to $100 each week just to eat lunch. In some cases, school lunches for kids can actually be LESS expensive, but if your kids have an a la carte option, that can add up fast too.
There are a number of things you can do to keep the cost down and the interest level up.
First, think about the containers you use to pack lunch. If you are buying disposable bags and bottled water, stop wasting your money! Make a one-time investment in re-usable containers and wash and re-fill them. A number of things that many people already buy come in containers that lend themselves quite nicely to this as well. Plastic lunch meat tubs, empty frozen whipped topping containers, glass jars, etc., can make fantastic containers to use and re-use. Also, if you aren’t able to keep your lunch refrigerated until it’s time to eat it, purchase re-freezable ice packs to keep your lunch cool.
To avoid brown bag burnout, vary your lunches. Think outside the “lunch box.”
If you have access to a microwave, last night’s leftovers can make a tasty lunch. Some entrees—chili or lasagna for example—can often taste even better the next day when the flavors have had more of a chance to meld. As you are cleaning up dinner, add in one extra step and package up leftovers in a single serve container so it’s ready to grab in the morning.
Buying salads at the local café is pricey! Purchase your favorite ingredients and you’ll have enough to make a few gourmet salads of your own. Add in extras such as hardboiled eggs, black beans, chunks of chicken or beef (another great way to use up leftovers!), chickpeas, chopped veggies, nuts or fruit to give you some interesting options. Put salad dressing in a small individual container (baby food jars are perfect for this!), and you have a salad that’s just as good—if not better—than one you could get in a restaurant.
Try variations on a sandwich. Sample a variety of breads—pumpernickel, rye, honey wheat—to give your sandwich a new kick. Visit your local bakery or try your hand at making your own. This would be a great opportunity to break out the breadmaker that’s been collecting dust in the cabinet.
Mix it up with different fillings. Lunch meat and good old peanut butter and jelly are good old standbys, but try egg salad, tuna salad, ham salad, fried eggs and hummus. And you don’t always have to use bread as a wrap—try pita bread, tortillas or spinach wraps. Another way to add a new flavor is to add different spices (think Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano), spicy mustards or even a tablespoon of salad dressing in place of mayo.
When you’re adding extra snacks to your lunch, remember to buy family size portions of chips or veggies and then divide them up into individual portions so they are ready to pack. If you have a sweet tooth, how about making your own cakes, brownies, cookies or granola snacks to divvy up into serving sizes? Not only will you spend less, but you’ll be eating fewer preservatives too!
Don’t forget to bring something to drink. If coffee is your beverage of choice, brew your own and pour into a thermos or a to-go coffee mug. Buy a couple of beverage containers that are suitable for traveling with. Fill with water, ice tea or lemonade. If you prefer soda, buy a case when it’s on sale and bring one with you.
If you do find yourself suffering from brown bag burnout, allow yourself the treat of eating out now and then. If you are only eating out one day every week or two, that’s much less likely to send your budget into the red. Once you’ve figured out how to keep your lunches varied, you may just find that you prefer your packed lunches to restaurant fare anyway!
Is it time for a financial fast?
Is it time for a financial fast?
How many of us have started a new diet by fasting to quick start our weight loss? It’s amazing how motivating it can be to lose those first few pounds. Losing those first few can get us in the mind set to lose even more. That’s one of the reasons many people utilize fasting as a jump start tool. One of the problems with fasting, however, is that it’s really easy to gain that weight back, since often what you lose is water weight.
What if fasting could have long term effects? Well good news—it can! But instead of fasting from food, how about fasting from spending? Here’s the good news—a financial fast won’t lead to weight gain down the road, but it can have that same motivational effect.
Pick a time frame—a day, a week, a month—whatever you realistically think you can handle. During that time, do not spend ANY money. Not a dime. That means no grabbing your favorite coffee from the local barista or even so much as picking up a pack of gum. This is an exercise in control, and it truly can be a great way to kick start a financial savings plan (or give you the money to use to begin a debt repayment plan).
As consumers, we tend to buy without thinking. A financial fast puts this into perspective incredibly quickly. Think about it—if you aren’t allowed to spend any money, you will still have the urge to do so. You will be forced to think about each and every one of those potential purchases very carefully. More importantly, you will definitely begin to see the difference between your wants and your needs. If you can get through a day (or a week, or even a month) with zero expenditures, you will begin to notice how many things you typically buy that you don’t actually need. Think about how much money you could save if you only bought things you truly needed!
Try to go into this exercise with the mindset that this is a bit of a game. Have fun with it. See what inspired sorts of things you can do to make up for the things that you want to buy, but now aren’t “allowed” to.
To get prepared, think about your daily routine. Do you usually grab a latte or breakfast on the run in the morning? Not any more—make your coffee at home and eat a bowl of cereal. While you’re at it, take a few minutes to pack a lunch—you’re not going to be able to stop at the local café if you’re not spending money, so you better have a plan or you’re going to end up very hungry at the end of the day. Do you usually head to the vending machine for an afternoon snack? Yep, better pack that too.
It may be very tempting to grab a pizza on the way home, but during your financial fast, this isn’t an option. Raid your refrigerator and pantry and make dinner at home. If you are doing this for a long period of time (a week or a month), some of those meals will begin to get very creative. And remember—just because a recipe calls for something doesn’t mean you always have to use it. There are lots of substitutions you can make. If you are wanting spaghetti but you are out of spaghetti noodles, but you have penne on hand, use that pasta instead. One night when I discovered I was out of spaghetti sauce, I made my own using ingredients that I had in the pantry—diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and some spices. Whoever said “necessity is the mother of invention” was absolutely right! This exercise is also a great way to use up things in your kitchen and clean out your cupboards. If you are craving dessert but don’t have any sweets on hand, that can of pineapple in the back of the cupboard might start to look pretty tasty.
Instead of buying things, see if you can borrow them instead. There are lots of projects that may call for a tool you will use that one and only time. See if anyone you know has one you can borrow.
If it’s a service you need, try bartering. Maybe you need an appliance repaired, and you have a friend who repairs appliances. Possibly you have a skill that you can “trade” for that repair.
If you have a special occasion that comes during your financial fast and you’re dying for a new outfit, don’t give in. Go into your closet and put what you already own together in a new way. Accessories can go a long way to breathing fresh life into an outfit you feel is tired. Possibly you have a friend or relative who would let you borrow something as well.
You might be surprised at the end of your fast by the things you realize you didn’t actually “need.” You should also be surprised by the amount of money you have saved. Keep track of what you didn’t spend, and either use that money to pay down debt or to put into savings. If your budget needs a little kick start now and then, try this exercise again. You might surprise yourself and find yourself really enjoying it!