Queercents

We’re smack dab in the middle of the holiday season.  How are you doing on your spending goals?

I’ve never been one to go on a huge spending spree during the holidays.  Don’t get me wrong – I love to give and receive gifts.  However, I just don’t see the point of wracking up credit card debt to do it.  If I don’t have the cash to pay for something, it doesn’t go in my shopping cart.

Nevertheless, last year my partner and I went a little overboard buying presents for each other because it was our first Christmas together.  This year my partner and I agreed to a very low spending limit for buying holiday presents.  We agreed to limit the number of people that we bought gifts for, and we only spent $10 per person.  For gifts for each other, we agreed to stay under $75 total, including stocking stuffers.

It’s been both a challenge, and a little bit exciting to stick to our spending goals.  Lots of homemade presents are making their way to family and friends this year in order to meet our goals.  We’ve baked a lot of cookies, and this weekend was a fudge-packing extravaganza (pun intended).

Here’s how we were able to stick to our budget:  Read the rest of this entry »

More and more grocery stores are offering a discount or financial incentive for shoppers who bring in their own bags. Reusable bags save stores money and are a more ecologically friendly alternative. Many stores now have affordable bags available near the cash registers, making it easy to accumulate a collection of practical and inexpensive shopping bags.

While the environmental benefits of reusable shopping bags is clear, you may be surprised to consider some of the other benefits. Large reusable shopping bags can be more comfortable to carry, making it easier to bring that load of groceries in the house. Square or rectangular bottomed shopping bags line up neatly in the trunk or cargo area of your vehicle, allowing you to make the most of the available space and avoid having your purchases spill.

Depending upon the store, discounts range from 3 cents per bag to as much as 10 cents per bag. While the cost difference on a small one bag purchase is minimal, if you routinely purchase 15 to 20 bags worth of groceries, the discount can be much more substantial. Even the minimal amount saved per bag adds up over time. Saving $2.00 a week with bag credits will add up to $104.00 per year (and as anyone shopping for a family knows, 20 bags a week would not be uncommon).

Many health food stores, locally owned groceries and some major discount chains offer bag credits. At CVS drugstores, every 4 purchases without a plastic bag results in a $1.00 store credit. Whole Foods stores offer between a 5 cent and 10 cent credit per bag. In November, Target stores around the country will begin offering a 5 cent discount for every reusable bag. Stores like Sam’s Wholesale Club and Costco have never offered bags, but are phasing out boxes in lieu of affordable large reusable shopping bags. Other stores, including IKEA, have taken another tactic. Disposable plastic bags come at a 5 cent charge, while a reusable bag is available for $.59.

Encourage your local stores to offer bag credit programs and consider spending your money at stores that do. Some retailers, including Wal-mart are behind on this smart trend. While Wal-mart does offer inexpensive reusable bags at the register, there is no incentive to skip the plastic.

Queercents.com is back and we thought it would be good to start out with an article about money making in these tough times.

In today’s tight economy, many people are finding themselves in need of extra money due to a job loss, higher bills or other worries. While fewer people are spending, you may still find that you can bring in a little extra money online. Keep in mind that some services may charge fees and have additional costs that can reduce your overall profits. Working smart can help you make extra money off items you have around the house or simple old fashioned hard work.

E-Bay remains a popular choice for both buyers and sellers. While seller fees have risen in recent years, e-Bay remains a good option if you need to sell collectibles, electronics, or higher quality items. Small items and handmade goods sell rather poorly on e-Bay and fees may eat up your profits if the margin is slim. Avoid selling items with a poor profit margin and take advantage of flat rate shipping options offered by the US Postal Service for the most convenient shipping. You can even have packages picked up at your home if you print postage online.

Craigslist is an excellent choice whether you need to sell something or offer a service. Be sure to carefully read the terms of use and make sure that your ad is acceptable. Furniture, cars, boats, clothing and household goods can all be sold via Craigslist. You can also offer up cleaning services, yardwork, home maintenance or any skill you may have that someone else can use. Consider offering skills for both cash and trade. You may be able to swap house cleaning for hair cuts, yard work for a new television or computer repair services for car repair.

Small scale service businesses remain a good source of side income. Consider your marketable skills. While today’s economy is tight, home organization, cleaning, and party planning can still be profitable if your prices are reasonable. Baby sitting, pet sitting or elder care are also necessary businesses even in a tight economy. Computer repair, car repair and handyman services are also in need. You may want to make simple flyers and post them on bulletin boards in your community, as well as in local online resources. Collect references or examples of your skills if at all possible and market yourself well for success. While it’s unlikely you can make a significant income, these options can help provide a critical financial cushion.

After drawing 1.5 million page views with nearly 2,500 posts from over 50 contributors; Queercents is taking a time out.

More precisely, its leader needed a break. Since 2006, Queercents has consumed my early mornings and a good deal of my weekends, but it’s time to pass the torch to someone better equipped to write its next chapter. By the end of the year, an improved Queercents will live on, albeit without me, at a gay destination attracting 10x the traffic than we ever could.

In the meantime, we’re on pause, but our searchable archives remain with more than a few timeless ideas about money. So feel free to stick around.

Over the years, it’s been a pleasure leading a team of committed volunteers producing relevant financial content for the LGBT community. I consider Queercents a collective success because of these writers. I also extend my appreciation to Serena Freewomyn, Paula Gregorowicz and Elizabeth Byrne; each put in extra effort behind the scenes. I’m proud of our accomplishments, excellent content, brand awareness, and loyal followers… after all; a blog is only here for its readers.

And a reader I will become. And then maybe I’ll become something else. When I’m done resting. But rest assured, whatever it is, it will probably touch on the topic of money… because I like money. I like to think there’s some good in money. I hope this site helped you see the good in it too! Be well and prosper!

Queercents will be back in new form soon…

Growing up, we never discussed the stock market. It just wasn’t part of my household, my neighborhood, or (to my recollection) the national zeitgeist.

My parents probably had some money tucked away in a mutual fund or two that were recommended by my Uncle. The Sunday newspaper had a thick section filled with the weekly summary of stock and mutual fund trading values printed in impossibly small print. The subject was a foreign language, full of arcane symbols.

The only investments ever discussed were savings accounts and certificates of deposits. I would take my birthday money to the bank along with my savings passbook. The clerk would fill out the deposit slip and enter the deposit amount in the passbook, initialing the entry.

Growing up with inflation

The bank paid 5% on deposits. We never shopped around for a better rate, because it would have been too inconvenient to travel elsewhere to transact business. During my high school years, inflation grew to 5%, then 7%, then 10%, finally reaching a peak of 13.5% in 1980. As I recall, the bank continued to pay about 5% on my savings. Even with my measly high school math I knew I was losing ground. Inflation was the story of the day. It dominated the nightly news. President Ford encouraged the nation to “Whip Inflation Now,” with his big red WIN buttons.

I don’t mean to bore you with tales from this old geezer’s childhood. I’m telling you this in case you are too young to have lived through inflationary times. Read the rest of this entry »

“Spending is quick, earning is slow.” – Russian Proverb

For the past eight years, my wife and I have been self-employed.  We correspond at least quarterly with our CPA to ensure that we pay the correct amounts on our estimated taxes.  Since our business income and expenses can vary so wildly, we’ve pretty much given up on trying to forecast the number at the beginning of the year.

Our most recent communication with our CPA delivered some very good news.  Our daughter’s adoption, which was finalized in April, means we will qualify for the Adoption Tax Credit.   Since the adoption was considered a special needs adoption, and qualified for the Adoptions Assistance Program, we’ll be able to claim the full 2009 credit of $12,150.

That’s quite a windfall.

Although we knew that we’d be eligible for the Adoption Tax Credit when our daughter’s adoption was finalized, we didn’t count on it happening this year.  Even though she’s lived with us for nearly three years and was never going to be reunited with her birth family, a queer-unfriendly social worker turned what should have been a straightforward older child adoption into a year-long legal battle.  Even after we won the right to adopt, our agency stalled for another six months before finalization.

Read the rest of this entry »

Or more likely the cost of your subscriptions getting you down… just got the annual renewal for The Economist… $109… Ouch!

I think most everyone has subscribed to a magazine or twelve in their life and while it is much cheaper than buying individual copies on the news stand is it really worth it?

Sigh… another question with a yes and no answer… don’t you just love Grey? There are so many different shades of it.

Being old enough to predate the Internet I remember when magazines were the source of specialized information about just about anything.

The internet hasn’t done away with them though… it’s probably made them more widely available as people read about them on Google and order a sample copy… they might even then subscribe. Read the rest of this entry »

I was astounded last week to read statistics that show that people ages 16-24 have been the hardest hit by unemployment during the recession. Although a slew of economists are claiming that the recession is over and we’re headed into recovery, the New York Post is reporting that:

The unemployment rate for young Americans has exploded to 52.2 percent — a post-World War II high, according to the Labor Dept. — meaning millions of Americans are staring at the likelihood that their lifetime earning potential will be diminished and, combined with the predicted slow economic recovery, their transition into productive members of society could be put on hold for an extended period of time.

And worse, without a clear economic recovery plan aimed at creating entry-level jobs, the odds of many of these young adults — aged 16 to 24, excluding students — getting a job and moving out of their parents’ houses are long. Young workers have been among the hardest hit during the current recession — in which a total of 9.5 million jobs have been lost.

Read the rest of this entry »

Happy Saturday everyone! It’s a beautiful day and I’ll be spending it the best way I can think of…doing homework. Ok, that’s totally not the best way I can think of (a bike ride would be way better) but apparently being a grad student takes a lot of work. Who knew? Of course, there’s always time for the roundup.

• Mawlynnong has been touted as the cleanest and most environmentally conscious city in India. Check out how they pulled that off here. (Read it at BBC)
• An AIDS vaccine is showing some success in Thailand. (Read it at NYTimes)
• Today is Museum Day! That means free admission to hundreds of museums. (Read it at Lifehacker) Read the rest of this entry »

My grandfather grew up during the Great Depression and though I have very few memories of him–he died right before my thirteenth birthday–I remember the stories. Someone told a story at his funeral about how his mother would scrap the insides of egg shells with her finger just to make sure she got all the egg out. My uncle, who is a master builder, recounted how, when building a porch for him, my grandfather would have him straighten out bent nails with a hammer so they could be used again. One year, he gave my aunt a can of dented, generic peas from the grocery store, partly as a joke and partly to teach her that it wasn’t necessarily the package but the product that mattered and to save where she could.

The most prominent stories for me though are the countless examples of what we called “The Bob Gene”, because the family referred to my grandfather simply as “Bob”. Clearly influenced by growing up during the Depression he was unwilling to let anything go to waste. If he noticed someone throwing away something good or useful, he would salvage it and put it to good use. Over the years my mother has teased me for inheriting this gene, but if you want to save money (and resources, and the environment…) it’s a good habit to cultivate. Even as a high-schooler, I was making my grandfather proud, rescuing an arm chair and a futon from a dumpster. My father often encouraged this habit by pulling over to check out what people were throwing away. Though furniture is one of the more common things to find, kitchen appliances are my new favorite grab: often old but functional appliances don’t fetch enough to sell but still work. My roommates now even alert me if they see something while they’re walking that they think I might like. Read the rest of this entry »