Queercents

A year ago the financial industry bemoaned the fact that Americans had a -1% in savings. Today I saw on CNBC two talking heads speak about how we shouldn’t be saving (we are up to 1-2%) and should be spending money. Well phooey, I think saving money is good in any economy. However, saving money can be hard if it isn’t a habit you are used to, so I have gathered some simple ways to save money by “tricking yourself” into saving it. It’s kind of like setting your alarm clock 5 minutes ahead.

Round-Up: I was doing this long before Bank of America had their “Keep the Change” program. When I buy something from the store and it comes to $4.34, I swipe my debit card, but write down in the check book record that I spent $5.00. By rounding up to the next dollar I end the month with easily an extra 10-30 dollars depending on how often I go out and buy for that month. Then that hidden money can be transferred to savings.

Scrape off the Top: If you have direct deposit this is easier, but it can be done if you cash your paychecks as well. Have the bank or yourself, scrape off the first $25 or $50 (or whatever amount) into a savings account immediately before you spend your money on anything else.

Don’t Keep “Found” Money: For every rebate check you get back, for every IRS refund or bonus that you weren’t expecting; don’t spend it. Bank it for your saving account and save for an emergency. You weren’t figuring that money into your income anyway, so don’t keep it around to be spent. Read the rest of this entry »

I was inspired to write about my experience living frugally after reading The Simple Dollar’s post about the limits of frugality.

I understand how the frugality highway can seem to come to an abrupt end when you still need the extra road to maneuver for the income versus the payouts.

My personal experience includes medical expenses that mount about every 2 years just as we have paid down the previous surgeries and physical therapy sessions. It is these medical expenses that push our frugal creativity to the limit at times.

Unfortunately, because of the complication of this financial medical situation, none of the bills can be written off for tax purposes. But we try to find the areas that do allow us to use pre-tax dollars. Read the rest of this entry »

I had a co-worker who always had a hard time saving money, she tried rounding up in the check book, writing checks for over the amount and putting the money away in a bank and even tried just collecting change to no avail. She always ended up spending it.

Finally, she latched onto to some thing that allowed her to save some of it. It wasn’t anything major, but she finally figured out a way she could save some money without spending it; the two dollar bill. Those same annoying bills that many people think are fake or unlucky, she likes to buy.

Saving $2 bills was something that her uncle used to do and she always thought they were unique because of him. After her uncle died, any two bills she came across, she snatched up and stored them away in her jewelry box as a way to remember and honor him. She didn’t think of it as a way to build up an emergency savings fund, but it has.

Of course her work in the cash office brings her in contact with more of these two dollar bills than the average person, but she has only worked in the office for the last 18 months. Before that she would go to the bank and buy some or ask friends to save them for her. Read the rest of this entry »

We all know that Nickel and Diming ourselves is one way to save the big money. I thought I would jot down some ways we voluntarily or unknowingly give up the nickels and dimes.

Here are some ways to save a little money on fees:

1. Point of Sale
Some stores charge for using a debit swipe to pay for your food; know them and hate them.
Alternative: Swipe using the credit card option instead

2. Restocking Fees
You are returning an item and you get walloped with a 10-15% fee to put the item back on the shelf
Alternative: Check with store about this possible fee before you buy an item. You may want to shop elsewhere if you are not absolutely sure you won’t return it.

3. Monthly Banking Minimums
Banks are a wonderful place to keep your money; unfortunately; they also like to dip their hands in your pockets as well if you don’t keep a certain minimum in the account.
Alternative: Free checking accounts are around and credit unions are handy places to keep your money. Read the rest of this entry »

I have found money through missingmoney.com a couple of times. One year I got a $15 check from an old utility company that I hadn’t used in over 5 years and recently I got money back (over $100) from the state on a payment I made 10 years ago. So surprises do pop-up enough that I check every year to see if there is anything ‘lost’ that has my name on it.

$ MissingMoney.com - supported by 40 of 50 states to find lost money through your State. If your state isn’t listed also try NAUPA’s Web site. They deal with money, jewelry, and property. Also try the common misspellings of your name as well.

$$ Tax Refunds – Can you believe there are people who forgot they had a refund? You should be receiving your refund 28 days after the date you sent in your taxes. Go to Where’s My Refund to find out if you have some moolah from an earlier year waiting for you. You will need your social security number, filing status and the amount of refund. If you don’t know the amount call 1-800-829-4477.

$$$ TreasuryHunt - Run by the Treasury Department, TreasuryHunt is the perfect place to see if your old savings bonds have matured yet. They say that over 14 million dollars in matured savings bonds are waiting to be redeemed by their owners. Read the rest of this entry »

“People are very worried about this winter,” said Ann Heidenreich, executive director of the nonprofit Community Energy Services in Canton, New York. “We’re not going to deal with all that needs to be done, there’s no way. We’re going to have to deal with emergencies this winter.” - USA Today, U.S. anxiety about staying warm this winter spreads

My mom always told us kids that “heat rises” this was an answer to any statement that inferred I was cold; and I would need to put on slippers, sweater or a hat to stay warm if I didn’t want to lose that internal body heat.

All three items that when put together make you very toasty in your home in a matter of minutes. And as I write this I realize I am bouncing my legs up and down to keep warm and should really take mom’s advice and go put on my fuzzy slippers and maybe even a robe or sweatshirt.

Putting on layers is the easiest way to warm your core up and save money, also don’t forget the hands and feet as well.

The Free Stuff:

1. Set your thermostat at 68. If you can go lower, do it. Right now we have the it as low at 66 before we start to feel the cold. When you turn on the heat or cool down the house, just use only what is needed. Slowly drop or increase the temperature as needed, large changes in temperature is wasteful. Read the rest of this entry »

This is a list of ways to save about $30 a month or a dollar a day. If you can do a couple of these, then you can save even more, like 60 or 90.00 a month.

Cutting down on what you have:
1. Cancel TV service or downgrade to a plan that saves at least $30 a month
2. Cut out buying one soda or coffee a day – make or bring your own
3. Downgrade/Cancel cell phone or landline service
4. Cut out one or two meals eating out
5. Lower your utility use (use cold water more, lower thermostat in the winter, raise it in the summer, etc)
6. Cut back on a bad habit – reduce smoking by ½ pack, buy fewer drinks when going out, cut the lottery buys down
7. Trade down in car or home and bank the difference you’ve made
8. Figure out what you pay for gas each month, drive one day less a week and at the end of the month bank the difference

Adding to what you already do:
9. Round up in your checkbook to the next dollar amount – bank the extra money at the end of the month
10. Use coupons and consider them money – every coupon used (or doubled) means you put that amount away Read the rest of this entry »

When I have a full gallon of milk I pour myself a full glass without thinking, but when the milk jug has less than half of the gallon left, I pour myself just enough to quench my thirst.

The same goes for the car in my gas tank, I don’t worry about my driving habits until the gas tank drops below the half-way mark, then suddenly I am the epitome of a gas conscious driver. Even though I can make more milk or grab more gas, I still try to lengthen the life of the last bit.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I have a ’scarcity’ switch that kicks on telling me to make it last. But that switch doesn’t seem to kick on when I have just pulled out a just filled up the gas tank or made the milk, nope, not until I am down to a the last little bit.

I realize it is a retraining of brain. When my family would go to grandmother’s house she would rinse the paper towels and the paper plates and let them hang to dry for use later. Even though she would have a pile of plates getting dusty in the cupboard or a 6 pack of paper towels in the basement she could still use, her scarcity switch was on most all the time. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not a big fan of budgets, I think it’s the detailed information that drives me nuts. I like to keeps things as simple as possible and then adjust as needed. I find the following to be a wonderful way to remember how to budget:

B = Buy what you need, not what you want.
U = Use it up, wear it out or give it away
D = Don’t spend what you don’t have yet
G = Garage sales, thrift shops, pass downs
E = Eat at home or make it at home
T = Track your spending
S = Simplify your life

B) I’m pretty good at this, delayed gratification isn’t too hard, I can put something off for months – sometimes things will just eat at me and I buy it or buy a smaller version/smaller amount.

U) I can do better at this when it comes to electronics and housewares, but I’m pretty good for clothes.

D) I’m working within my means, and am proud to say things are getting better. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of year here in the snowy states; you will find people who either hate it or love it, but that doesn’t matter if you aren’t prepared for it when you drive. Here are some basic things to check -

On the outside:

Check Tire Tread – This is one of the few times a penny has great value. Turn the penny head down and stick it between your tire tread. If you can see Lincoln’s head fully, your tires legally need to be replaced. If you have no tire tread to put the penny in, you will be dancing on ice like Oksana Baiul, but not looking as pretty!

Windshield – A decent way to keep the fogging to a minimum on the windows is to clean them with vinegar and water, then dry them off with newspaper. This seems to work for about a month or so for me.

Windshield Wipers – Nothing is as annoying as running the wipers and getting wide streaks while you are trying to drive. Time to replace the blades. However, if you are in a hurry to get to work and don’t have time. Grab some sandpaper, fine grained is best, and run them along the blade on both sides. This should bring the rubber back in shape enough until you can replace them. Read the rest of this entry »