Get it For Free

I can understand not wanting to dumpster dive but that doesn't mean you can't still get lots of stuff for free.  Between Craigslist and freecycle, I think I will have no problem furnishing my place in Florida.  (For you folks living in NYC check out the freegan network.  There are plenty of people who not only save but also make money off other people's garbage.) For Florida I won't be buying new from China,  instead I will be picking up odds and ends which I will paint in funky colors and bring back to life with new hardware.  Some stuff I will make on my own.  It's amazing what people throw out.  I think it's much better to rehab stuff in a cool way than let it all go to the land fill.  There is so much you can do with paint.  I remember doing this with my first place.  I painted just about everything and it looked pretty good.  I have always had simple tastes and I am a happy person.  Stuff doesn't make you happy.  I don't think anyone is entitled to waste so much of everything.  I am just happy to be alive and after open heart surgery and a stroke, being alive is no small thing. Perception is reality. I always preferred free time to money.  I'd rather work on something and make it pretty than just lay down the cash for it. This also gives self worth, but that's me and my way of life may not be for everyone.

Get a smaller car

Get a really good car that is great on gas.  If the car has to be smaller that's okay.  There are very few times when you have to transport three or four kids, dogs and luggage.  For those occasions rent a bigger car when you need it.  There's no point to driving a big car all the time when you're all alone.  We have a sedan that seats four comfortably.  I hate to say it but we often use our one car for hauling supplies from Home Depot.  It's shocking how much fits in that car.  We also used it for moving stuff up to our new place.  One car is all we will ever need.  I don't drive and our town has everything we need within walking distance. Next move look for a place that is pedestrian friendly or closer to your job.  Try your best to cut down on commuter time.  This will reduce stress and give you more time with family.    I like using public transportation.  I grew up in NYC so I am used to it.  Some people look down on taking buses and trains as if having a car is a status symbol or something.  I see a car as a somewhat unnecessary evil.  If you can live your life without a car, it will save you tons of money.

Save money on Energy: Buy Compact Florescents

Lower your energy consumption to save money.   In my first apartment the maintenance included the electric bill.  I had no idea how much money I was wasting until I got a place where I had to pay for electric separately.  The first thing I did after I got my first bill was to run out and buy compact flourescent bulbs for the whole house.  At first I found it difficult to read in bed till I got a more powerful bulb and solved the issue.  I saved a lot of money that month and for many months after.  Don't beleive the nonsense about energy effiicency.  I also wised up and bought a new refridgerator.  If your fridge is more than five years old, buy a new one.  It will pay for itself in no time.  In general don't believe the anti-green propaganda.  That's just the oil, gas and dirty coal interests trying to keep a hold on your money.  Green is Good and it will save you money.  I did many of the things they say won't save money and I am richer for it.  In my next house I am getting solar panels even though some say they are not really efficient.  I don't believe it.  I think going green is patriotic.  I would like to see the whole USA become energy independant.  While China and India fight it out for oil and gas, we can sit back and count our money.

Get Vaccinated

It's flu season again and time to get vacinnated.  The problem with vaccinations is that it is impossible to measure the cost of something that doesn't happen.  I get my flu shot every year, but I know a lot of people who say they don't believe in it.  Personally, I had a good education and I believe in science.  I also don't want to end up in the hospital over something that is easily preventible. Next year, I am due for a tetanus shot.   Vaccines which prevent cancer are critical to good health in the long term.   For example the Hep 2 and HPV vaccines are important.  When I turned 50 I opted for the pneumonia vaccine because I have a heart condition and it is recommended for heart patients.  Most major cities give these shots for free at the local health clinic.  When I lived in NYC I went down there every year and got my shot.  Some people turn up their noses at such places because it gets all walks of life coming in.  I don't care, I'm not there to socialize. Also they spend just a little more time with you at a health clinic.  I find the level of care superior.  Most doctors these days have an assembly line going in their office.  They're way overbooked.  You wait forever and then you see the doctor for two minutes.  Their is a staggering lack of care in many doctor's offices.  It's all about the money.  Perhaps we should take health care out of the marketplace.  Capitalism distorts medicine.

Stay Away from fine Jewelry

Expensive jewelry is always a bad investment.  You pay too much for the workmanship and that is money you never get back.  Even now with the price of gold astronomically high you'd be lucky to get back your initial investment.  Diamonds are even worse in my opinion.  First of all, it takes an expert to buy diamonds and second no one ever gets the true value when selling.  When you sell fine jewelry buyers assume you're desperate and low ball their offer.  I'll stick to costume jewelry and put my money in the bank where I can get to it, if I need it.
Also the last time gold was high, I was a kid and women were having necklaces ripped off their necks in New York City.   I don't want to be robbed either.  That's not for me.  My only gold these days is my wedding ring.  Thank you very much, that's enough for me.  I will carry my adornments on my soul in the freedom to live without worrying about money. Fine jewelry is a foolish expense and should not be confused with a true invetment, which grows in value.

Charity Begins at Home: Save Yourself First

You can't give what you don't have.  This may sound selfish, but your first duty is to look out for number one.  If you are sick and broke, how can you help anyone else?  I say take care of yourself first and then you might be able to take care of others.  One of my goals for the Florida house is to have enough room for visitors and long term guests.  Although I don't particularly want to encourage the latter, I know that there are people in my life who might need a roof and a plate of food.  I won't be giving cash, but if someone needs a place to live while working and saving money, I will be there for her.  The thing is, I can only do this if I have enough for myself first which is why I want to buy a place now while it is cheap.  I need to manage my money and provide for my needs first, then I know I can help with the needs of others.  I need something I can afford on my own.  There is no point in having something big that just drains my budget and makes it impossible for me to do anything.  I know plenty of people who can't afford their homes.  They depend on family or friends to help with the bills.  That is not for me.  I must always live within my means and preferably well below them.

Always do the math

More than once I have looked at something packaged as a bargain only to find that after doing the math it wasn't such a bargain anyway.  The last time this happened, I was shopping for paper towels in a so called discount retailer.  I could buy one roll for 89 cents or six rolls for $5.99.  Most people wouldn't even realize they were being cheated.  I did the math and saved myself the 59 cents.  Actually I saved even more because I just walked out of the store.  A retailer doesn't get a second chance at cheating me.  I always do the math and make sure I get the most bang for my buck.  Be prepared to walk away.  There are very few things one has to buy.  There are plenty of alternatives.  If a retailer tries to cheat you don't go back.  I vote with my wallet and my feet.  I don't need them as much as they need me.  I can leave.  I am not a captive market for their exploitation.  We need to punish bad actors in the market place.  I see nothing wrong with not shopping.  If American capitalists want to export my job and raise prices, I can stop buying and watch how that works out for them.  Always do the math on bulk purchases.  Bulk purchases should always be cheaper.  It's your money.  You can choose how and where to spend it.

Limit the Use of Paper Towels

I'm old fashioed.  I never liked paper towels.  I use dish towels and sponges instead.  I  prefer things that are re-usable.  I don't like paper plates much either, except sometimes for sandwiches.  I use disposables when I'm sick and can't keep up with the washing.  But that is rare.  Besides a lot of those household plastics are bad for you anyway.   I use paper towels sparingly.  I like them for drying a chicken before it goes into the oven, but that's about it.  I am not particularly obsessive about clean countertops either.  I maintain my cutting boards scrupulously clean instead.  My food never comes in contact with the countertop.  I always use a board.  Boards are easier to clean and sanitize.  My dishtowels basically are used to dry dishes and they are soaked and bleached once a week. Sponges get nuked in the microwave or put in the dishwasher. I find this more eonomical than using paper towels.  The jury is still out on which is better for the environment.  But for now I will stick to my habits.  I know people who spend a small fortune every week on paper products.  That is not for me.  Even with coupons, I think that's a waste of money.

Pay youself first

First put money into savings .  If all your money goes into checking at the start of the month, there is never anything left over at the end of the month.  I had this problem recently when I started renting my house.  I kept putting my cut into checking and always ended up broke.  When I set aside the rent money into savings at the beginning of the month.  Things changed.  I really started to save.  Sometimes I dip in and take twenty or thirty dollars, but for the most part I don't touch the savings at all.  Paying myself first has lifted my savings considerably.  In the past my bank would also take a certan amount each week out of my checking and put it into my savings account automatically.  It was amazing how quickly and painlessly my savings grew.  Many banks offer this service.  Take advantage of it to kick start savings.   Small amounts grow big in no time.  Not having the money available makes it hard to spend and this leads to saving.  We could all use a little help with discipline.  This makes it automatic and easy to do.  In fact any automatic savings plan is good.  Take advantage of this at work.  Any plan that takes a portion of your salary and invests it is good.  If the plan also matches your contribution in any way, that is even better because it's free money.  This is how people get rich.  Live with less and save more.

Stay Married

Divorce is messy and expensive.  Most married people fight about money.  Be sure that your view of money matches that of your perspective partner.  I knew my husband was right for me when we went out on our first date and he told me he got the very nice sweater he was wearing for a dollar at a yard sale.  I told him that's where I got mine too.  We were perfect for each other.  We both had fun buying things for really, really cheap.  We both liked to fix things too.  He fixed just about anything while I liked to repair jewelry.  I liked to buy vintage pins that were missing a stone.  I would fix them and be happy with my pretty new thing.  We knew we would never argue about money because we both were cheap.  Once you find someone who has the same philosophy about money and life, you have a keeper.  My husband is also very easy going which I like.  I have enough drama with my health issues and don't need more.  If you marry the right person, you don't end up getting a divorce.  My sister in law is getting a divorce right now.  She will lose any equity she has in her house because of the divorce.  In a way she is peddling backwards, now she has to start building all over again for retirement.  That's terrible, but her husband was so unreliable that in a way she will be better off without him.  Someday she will have money, but up till now she has been pushing a dead weight up a hill.  It takes a lifetime of work to be rich.  It's easier with two people building wealth, if they are they are the right two people.

Real Wealth is Slow

Stay away from get rich quick schemes.  Real wealth takes time to build.  There is no overnight success that hasn't been years in the making.  Easy come. Easy go.  This is why lottery winners and gambler winners are broke a year later.  The first house my mother sold, she spent away half the profits.  If she had invested in another or even a better property we would all be much richer right now.  But it was a case of easy come, easy go.  I don't begrudge her reckless spending.  She learned her lesson and she is a lot more frugal now.  Some people learn their lessons.  It happened to me too with my first inheritance.  Although I wasn't a complete idiot because I put myself through school and bought myself a cheap little apartment to live in.  But then later, I was sitting on too much cash and started spending.  When you have money, it's easy to spend.  I had limits and never got into debt.  I was also able to give my mother enough money so she could buy an apartment in my building too.  She made back most of what she threw away from the first house, which is good.  But it took time for us to make money.  Good things take time.  I also know some people who invested unwisely and lost everything.  They lost everything because they thought they were going to get rich overnight.  That's not how it works.  The housing market is very low right now.  It will not come back for at least ten years.  If you can wait that long you'll make money. If you can't wait, you'll get out with a bad taste in your mouth.  You have to stay in real estate for the long haul.

Shop Around for Insurance

When we first bought our house, we went with the insurance company we knew.  We had several policies with them and we knew the broker.  The price was reasonable and so we didn't shop around.  When we came to renting out our house though, the quote was astronomical.  We decided to shop around and got the price cut in half.  It was a lesson learned and we will now always shop around for insurance.  Our local credit union offered a service that found the best quote for our needs.  The paperwork was done in no time.  It was really pretty painless. Insurance is very important as we found out after a few months.  We had a pipe freeze in one of our houses.  Unfortunately we were away and couldn't handle it ourselves.  It happens, but Travelers our insurer was there with a check in record time.  It pays to go with a top notch established company for these things.  We tried a smaller company once.  They cashed out a check for the full amount but then never put through our policy.  There was some snafu at the agent's level.  They never really explained it.  I didn't care.  I got my money back and moved on.  But I learned my lesson and now only deal with established companies with a long track record.  Pay your insurance up front.  It makes no sense to pay a service charge and make monthly installment payments.  They add up so I like to get it over with at one time.  That's why I can save money every month.  This way I don't have to worry.  There are no surprises.

Proper Flea Market Etiquette

Prepare yourself for yard sales.  Don't overdress.  Wear comfortable leisurely clothing.  Bring along a big bag.  Not every yard sale is well equipped with bags for your use.  Ask for what you want.  Don't be afraid to ask for a price.  At Flea Markets many things aren't marked.  If you see something you need at a good price, buy it.  In my experience, you don't regret what you buy.  You regret what you don't buy.  Also bring lots of small change.  I go to the bank on Fridays and get singles for shopping.  This tactic also helps with bargaining.  It's impossible to ask for a discount with a $20 bill in your hand, keep the money away unless it's a big ticket item and then wave the money at the person. Always be prepared to walk away.  Wear a hat and bring snacks and water.  Once two o'clock rolls around, prices are more negotiable.  Try to get a package deal.  My husband is very good at this.  He picks up six things that are a two dollars each and then asks to buy five and get one free. He is sure to point out any flaws. Nine out of ten times, it works.  Yard sales and Flea Markets are hard work.  No one wants to pack up all the stuff and take it back.  They want to get rid of it.  They want to sell.

Watch Your Money: Keep it Close

Buy an investment property nearby.  Don't make the mistake of buying investment property too far away.  Buy something you can keep an eye on and get to at the drop of a hat.  Hurricane Irene just blew through our area.  In addition to the whipping wind and torrential rain, there was a water main break at the corner of two of our properties.  We are three blocks away, therefore we were able to keep up with the basement flooding.  Had we not been around we might have lost boilers and water heaters in both houses.  We were lucky the power didn't go out.  But we could have handled that too. You need to be near your money and understand your investments.  It's good to seek expert advice for certain things, but never relinquish  decision making control to anyone else.  If your property is far away, you will need a manager who expects to be paid. But when it comes to repairs, use your own people and pay them directly.
I've heard too many stories of real estate managers ripping off investors with repairs to ever be comfortable allowing a manager to spend money on my property. Know the area where you are going to invest.  I know someone living in New York City who bought investment properties in Las Vegas.  She bought three properties, which is also too many.  Don't put all your eggs in one basket.  Anyway, it's worked out pretty well for her except that she has always had problems with one property.  She is just too far away to take care of things in a timely manner.  It's a problem I never want to have.

How to Shop Quckly in A Thrift Shop

My friends and family are generally amazed that I find so many great deals in thrift shops and tag sales.  Among my many physical limitations, I am practically blind and have been blind for some time.  To compensate I developed a strong tactile sense to search for clothes.  I walk down the aisle and let my hands lightly touch the fabric along the way.  With my hand I am able to distinguish quite quickly the quality fabrics from the synthetics.  I don't have to go piece by piece in general.  When I find a good fabric I pull out the article of clothing and check for wear and damage.  At a consignment shop always remember to look up.  Sometimes they have things hanging on the walls.  Explore nooks and crannies where things sometimes get lost and ignored.
At a tag sale I always ask for what I want.  Hi Good Morning. Do you have any jewelry for sale?  This gives me just enough lead time to to beat my mother, my toughest competition, to the jewelry table.  Since I have trouble with bright sunlight, I try to move into the shade to examine things carefully.  This doesn't always work.  Sometimes I don't find shade and I ask my husband to check something out.  For glass and porcelain I use my hands again to check the edges for chips.  Also glass and porcelain in good shape will ring like a bell when flicked with your fingers.  If it makes a dull thudding noise, it has a crack somewhere.  Don't buy anything  that has damage.

Clean Out your Wallet

At the end of every day I would come home and clean out my purse.  At first I did it to lighten the load.  I have a bad back and resented carrying a lot of loose change.  But after a while I noticed that the money was adding up.  Saving my change became a lifestyle choice.  When I was sick and broke waiting for my disability checks to start coming, my penny jar came in very handy.  One week I literally had no money so I walked my penny jar down to the local bank.  They have a free coin machine that counts the change and puts it into the checking account.  It's a free service.  After years of using my penny jar as a doorstop, I emptied it out and had spending money for the week.  I was so happy I restarted the coin jar savings.  A year later when we went on another cruise, I used the coin jar savings for tips on the boat.  It was painless and fun.  One year I remember we paid for our vacation out of the piggy bank.  My husband got a hold of a huge carnival piggy bank.  Every day we would drop coins and dollar bills in the bank.  It adds up and is generally a painless way to save money.  It can be a very pleasant surprise to find how much money can be saved that might have gone to silly spending.  Clean out your wallet every day.  Take out the coins and the dollar bills and watch your nest egg grow.
Also use cash and keep very few cards in your wallet.  All you need is a debit card and one credit card that gets paid off at the end of the month.  More than that is just stupid spending waiting to happen.  Eliminate temptation.  My favorite card is my Discover Card.  It offers cash back but it is also easy to keep an eye on my spending.  One little phone call and I know I have to stop using it.

Stay Away from Stupid Spending

Don't buy a pool.  Pools are on sale now, but don't buy one.  They are just time and money wasters.  When I moved up to the Hudson Valley, I noticed that the neighbor across the street had an above ground pool.  In the two years I lived in the house I never saw him swim in the pool.  But I did see him every weekend clean the pool and treat it with chemicals.  Even when I get to Florida I don't want to have my own pool.  I will find a public pool to use or if I buy a condo, I will get one with a community pool.  Also I may be living close enough to the beach to use that for swimming.  Pools are a big waste of money and they are also an insurance liability.  All you need is some neighborhood kid jumping a fence and drowning in your pool to lose the house in a lawsuit.  Why take the risk?  If you have teenagers, a pool is an added liability with their little friends and parties when you're not around.  Join a gym with a pool if you need to swim.  I'm too cheap and lazy to get involved with this kind of stuff.  Keep your money.  Money in the bank is better than a pool in the backyard.  I've seen too many people get into crushing debt for the so called convenience of a pool.  Stay away from this kind of spending.

Live near richer people

It's the strangest thing but sometimes in the more expensive neighborhoods people just throw out stuff.  I'm always looking at Craigslist and I have figured out that I should never have to buy furniture again.  I am much more likely to pick it up for free.  This year we got a great slider rocker for the front porch and tons of other stuff for the garden on the side of the road.  Just this weekend my husband picked up a beautiful 6 speed Bratz bicycle with a basket for my niece.  We were coming back from the store in a driving rain and he saw two bikes on the street in the garbage.  He threw it in the trunk, got it home, tuned it up and my niece rode it all weekend.  She even got to take it home. People throw out stuff for all the wrong reasons.  The chain and kick stand on the bicycle was a bit loose. My husband tightened it up added air and it was fine & beautiful.  I don't understand why people throw away good things.  Even if you have the money or think you do, it's a shame to waste resources.  My thing is that life is very random.  I have been sick all my life and I know that at any moment things can change.  Everything is going along well  you have plans, until suddenly life throws you a curveball.  No one is immune.  In the meantime, conserve as much as you can and have that rainy day fund in place before the flood comes.

End of Season Stock up Sales

The summer is almost over but it will come back again.  One of my favorite things is to go out now and buy for next year.  I get stuff that is classic and that I know I will need next year.  For example every summer closet needs a pair of white slacks, a white blazer or light white cotton sweater.  Also dresses picked up cheaply can be saved for next year as can shoes and bags.  I  have a special suitcase for these purchases.  I put everything new in there and then when the next summer season rolls around I open that special bag and celebrate my cheapness.  Yard sales and church sales are also bursting with end of season stuff.  I like shopping now for my next cruise.  I pack up the bag with all my cruise wear and have it ready for my trip.  Then as the date approaches I check to see if anything is missing.  I don't like to haul out my whole summer waredrobe in the middle of winter.  Packing the bag in advance works better for me.  I more or less know what I want to take.  Easy to wear, non wrinkling clothing is best.  I can buy it now at 50%+ off  and save it for next season or the next cruise.  I like to leave the tags with the markdowns. I check them before I wear the clothes and have a good laugh.  I'm happiest when I get stufff 75% off or more the msrp.

Cheaper Education

When I went to college and dinosaurs roamed the earth, a college education was affordable.  State and city colleges were still free. Thingss are very different now.  I  now see kids graduating from college saddled with $100,000 to $200,000 in debt.  Some people argue that college debt is good debt. Also college loan debt cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.  I hate debt in any form.  And $200,000 is enough debt to buy a decent house in most parts of the country.  Personnally I think it would be better for a young person to buy a house and pay it off rather than be saddled with that much debt during their productive 20's and 30's. But how to get an education for less?  There are other options.  Home Schoolers have found a way around the problem. Check out College Plus on the web.  This site provides information on how to get a degree for ten to fifteen thousand dollars using Clep Exams and some online coursework.  This seems like a very good option to me.  Better to spend a little extra money on graduate school which is becoming more and more important.   Nobody really cares where you went to school or what your GPA was in the real world.  But if you care, figure out which school you want your degree from.  Then research the core curriculum.  What are the courses every junior must have taken in order to move on to work in the major?  Take those classes at a community college and in the middle of sophomore year transfer into the college of your choice.  All you have to do is maintain a B average to get in. By the way it is easier to transfer into a pretigious college than be accepted as a freshman. Your classes will transfer without grades.  With hard work, it is even possible to graduate with honors.  Getting a cheaper education will jump start your wealth plan because you won't have to pay off a ton of debt before starting to build up your business and assets.

Splurge on Peak Experiences

    The Culinary Institute of America  "CIA" is a fabulous place to eat.  I went there for my 5th year anniversary meal and had lovely late lunch early dinner for $88, including tax and tip.  It may sound like a lot of money but the food was out of this world as was the ambiance and service.  We had a wonderful time.  It was a lot like being on the cruise ship but the food was even fresher because they grow it in the backyard.  I don't mind paying for peak experiences.  No one can take away the memory of my dinner.  I can lose a camera or a piece of jewelry but my experiences I can keep forever.  I got babied that day.  They brought the food, took away the plates and I had nothing to do but enjoy myself.  I am plenty frugal throughout the year.  I can afford to take a break from it once in a while.  Spend money on peak experiences.  Stuff is way over rated.  I get less pleasure from my stuff than I would have ever imagined.  Most of the time my stuff is all about work and worry .
    I bought a beautiful pair of earrings at a tag sale this summer.  I converted them to clip-on. I wore them once and promptly lost one earring.  It turned up this weekend under the couch, but still who needs the jazz.  In a way I might be happier with a lot less stuff.  The problem is that although I give away and sell lots of things, I still have so much more.  More just keeps coming, the Law of Attraction at work.

My Cheap Wedding

I got married at age 47.  I had been living with my husband for 9 years by then.  We were already committed but the year before we got married I had a scare.  I had open heart surgery.  I wanted to be sure I could take care of him in the event of my death.  I wanted him to finally get a divorce and for us to marry.  It took about a year to pull things together.  His ex-wife was so very difficult which was why we didn't do the divorce earlier.  I had wanted a spring wedding but then my beloved got sick.  His back went out.  I had gone through this before but this time I was really worried.  He finally pulled out of it with drugs and lots of physical therapy.  So we planned the wedding for late summer.  I got the dress on eBay.  It was lovely and lacy and cost less than $100 even after the alterations. My husband had a tuxedo so I bought him a new bow tie and matching vest  We decided on a justice of the peace to be followed by lunch at  fancy restaurant which had a marina where we could take pictures.  Then we went to a local park which had a beach for taking more pictures.  The weather was perfect.  It was sunny but slightly overcast.  The light was bright but very diffuse.  Afterwards my new mother-in -law graciously let us use her living  and dining room for the cake cutting.  The lunch had only four invitees, while the cake cutting was for anyone who cared to come.  No gifts were accepted.  We had enough stuff to set up two houses by then. We got some wonderful cakes and three bottles of champagne.  We brought the music and had a great time.  Also I married someone who is  cheaper than me.
For my Honeymoon  I got a free stay at a Marriott Resort in exchange for going to a seminar on timeshares.  Of course we didn't buy the timeshare.  Buying a timeshare is like buying an ongoing bill.  Every year there is maintenance.  We just used them for the free stay and the next year we went on our first cruise.  One year of maintenance pays for half the cruise expense.  Timeshares just don't make sense to me.
I also got a great deal on little things for the wedding.  Since I was planning in the spring one day at the dollar store I came across blank wedding invitations, candles, gift bags and little bubble makers. I bought some supermarket flowers to decorate the table and brought my own champagne glasses. That was all the decoration I needed.  It was lovely.  I got some heavy stock paper and using my computer I made inserts for the blank wedding invitations.  I used the script font and with pinking shears I trimmed the paper.  It came out great and cost next to nothing.  Wedding invitations are ephemera which end up discarded anyway.  Why spend money on that?  It's more important to know your future spouse and whether your attitudes on money jive.  So far so good in that department.  We're both really cheap, though sometimes he's cheaper than me.