New Year's Resolution

Let us be rich, truly rich. Let's all just close our wallets and make do with what we have. There's a lot you can do without money. The best things in life are free. I change buttons on my clothes for an update. Some people decorate clothes with buttons. You can cover an old jeans jacket, sprinkle a little bleach or do some dying. I had a silk turtleneck that started to lose it's color. I got a packet of dye at a yard sale and renewed it. Silk wears like iron. I still have it and it looks good. There are tons of things you can do without spending big money to update clothes and furnishings. Sell some stuff and get what you want with the money. The idea is to check out of this treadmill economy and keep it together until the jobs come back. Let's feel truly rich and have big bank accounts. Let's be able to fire our bosses and put them out of work for a change. I have said all I can about being cheap. I'm saying goodbye to this blog and starting something new next year. I worked for the union at my old job. I am not happy with what is being done to workers in this country. My husband wants me to write about the issues this coming election year. The Cheapest Woman Alive will now become Lefty Lucy Says. Enjoy my politico blog and please tell your friends.

FINANCIAL PEACE

Nothing beats the knowledge of financial security. I know that I can sleep at night because I have savings, money in the bank in case of anything. Your financial safety net makes you strong. Without a mortgage and car payments my husband and I are free to live our lives. My husband doesn't have to take a crappy job for no money. That's all that's out there right now. Employers have everyone running scared for a job. They are lowering wages while at the same time making one person do the job of three. I tell my husband "for no money you can stay home." My solution is going to be to buy something in Florida that needs work. He can add value to his own properties instead of adding value to a boss' property. I believe in working hard, but I also believe in paying the people who actually do the work. In the last thirty years the productivity of the American worker has skyrocketed. Fewer worker can now do much much more. That means there are fewer jobs. This is a structural problem for which there are no easy solutions. However instead of the gains going to the people who actually do the work, the gains have gone to upper management. The top is making a lot more money while the people who actually do the work are making less. I want out of this system. Having no debt gets me and my husband out of the rat race. Also we want less than most people. Yesterday I was in TJ Maxx. I saw a gorgeous, delicious handbag for about $100. In a way I wanted it, but knew I didn't need it and certainly didn't want to see a bill for it next month. I prefer to have financial peace and not worry about a bill. Lately I've been shopping off eBay. I sell stuff and with the money made buy stuff I want. I don't need a budget for purchases this way. I can only spend the money I make, which is a good way to live in general. I have financial peace.

Lower Your Expectations

I never could afford to live in Manhattan and just didn't want to pay the premium. I lowered my expectations and bought in a place I could easily afford. Sure I wasn't in Manhattan, but I didn't really care. I had everything I needed. I wanted to live in an artsy place and I have that now, but I didn't overspend to live in that kind of place. In fact I underspent. I could have gotten myself in trouble with a big and shiny new house. Instead I kept myself grounded and bought a smaller, older, kinda ugly house that had good bones, but needed work. If I had gotten the new expensive house on the hill, I would now be a foreclosure statistic. There is something to be said for wanting less. My husband is the same way. Even if we suddenly had a windfall I doubt he would ever buy a brand new car. He'd by a late model used car and do all his own detailing, leaving it just the way he likes. He did that this fall with a motorcycle. He didn't buy a new bike and he didn't spend a fortune. He bought an older 2007 Kymco Venox cruiser with 2.4 k miles for $2,300 and totally customized. He bought new things by selling off the old stuff. He sold the original saddle bags and replaced them slightly used leather ones he loved, from Ebay. He also sold some yard sale finds, took the profit and bought everything for the bike for practically nothing. He got what he really wanted by investing in the work of bargain hunting and not being too proud.

The Frugal Paradox

Being cheap has negative connotations, but I believe that being cheap makes you rich. All my life I have been a bargain hunter. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I would still scour the market for day old bread which toasts up fresh in minutes. Frugality to me is a way of life and I don't mind it at all. Yesterday we drove to a free porch sale in our area. My husband found a gorgeous triple ply pure cashmere sweater. I love Craigslist for free stuff. We also picked up a bunch of firewood for the winter. Everything I get for free means more money I get to keep. I even found some kids junk jewelry which my mom is taking to South America where there are people who really have very little. Sometimes in our struggle to buy the new TV, we forget just how rich we really are here in America. We have so much that between Craigslist and Freecycle we could easily furnish most of our needs and the needs of others. I gave away six winter coats this year and I still think I have too many. But I had to let some stuff go in order that other stuff can come in. We're going to have a big clean out this year in order to let more stuff in. Being frugal has made me rich.

Great Christmas

I had a really great Christmas on the cheap. I made a vegetable lasagna and got together with friends. They were all struggling artist types and after the meal we started jamming and sung folk songs. It was a lot of fun. I was all sung out though because the choir had two services on Christmas Eve followed by a service on Christmas morning. There were just too many hymns and way too many verses. I sang six verses of Joy to the World. I didn't know there were that many verses. I almost closed the book after verse number four but luckily I checked the next page first and kept it open for the last two verses. It was a beautiful service and I was so glad that I was in Church surrounded by wonderful people. And although it's a cliche, the best things in life are free. Well almost, through my penny pinching I was able to give money to my church this year. It was money I didn't think I would have, but I found it waiting for me when I needed it.

TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF

I've been posting 5 days a week for many months and now it's time for me to stop. I have talked about just about everything I know on being Cheap. The best way to refill when the well goes dry is to take a break. Back when both I and my husband were working, we would often take mini vacations just to relax and get away. Mini vacations are pretty cheap. We would go somewhere close overnight and have a very nice time. I packed food of course. Most times the food bag was heavier than my weekend bag. The small expense was well worth it. My favorite getaway was Black Friday. Everyone was shopping and the pool was empty. Even though I'm cheap, I do believe in treating myself to making good memories. I don't get my hair or nails done, but I do like to go away for a bit even if it's only overnight. Next year we will be taking a trip to Florida to look for a house. After that we will be traveling down there regularly to get away and put the place together with second hand furniture and mismatched plates. We will also use the place as a getaway from the cold. I also reached out to my old job and I may be going back part time, if my health can handle it.

Planning New Year's Celebrations

Due to the challenge of the economy, it's been a while since we did anything really good for New Year's. In the past we enjoyed Hotel sponsored parties. Although neither of us drinks too much, on New Year's there are some crazy people on the road and I always preferred stumbling to my hotel room if possible. But the hotel we used to go to is no longer sponsoring those parties and besides we have moved. This year I think we will be going to a party sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. The cost is reasonable and it's in town so the driving will be minimal, just a few blocks. My husband and I could walk home but my mother can't walk that far. We'll take the car which is just as well. I don't deal well with the cold. There will be a buffet dinner, open bar (no shots), champagne toast, pastries and a DJ. It won't be fancy but it should be fun. I plan to take my own fun with me. I don't believe things have to be sumptuous or perfect to have a good time. You make your own good time. I plan to dance with my husband and have a nice meal which I won't be cooking. I doubt I could have a better time in Vegas. I don't expect that much and I don't need that much entertainment.

Have a Tea Party

Sometimes on the Holidays we can get carried away with doing only big things. Giving big parties are fine but it is also possible to have a small party. There is nothing wrong with doing something small and intimate. I like tea parties because I can bake cookies and make small sandwiches. I can get together with the girls without having to provide liquor. I don't drink anyway so a cocktail party for me would be a major expense. A tea party is just about my speed. I have been collecting pretty little tea cups at yard sales. If I am short I usually have paper cups as a backup but it's not the same. I prefer to set a mismatched table of teacups with mismatched plates. I think it adds a certain charm.

Write a Letter to A Service Member

My Church and many Churches do this periodically and I feel it is a good thing. Many of us have family members in the service but most of us do not. It is important at this time of year to consider the sacrifice service members are making during the holidays. Toward this end I encourage people to write letters to service members thanking them for their service. This costs almost nothing. It's a small thing to do. You can also send through your church, items of food and toiletries for those posted in far out locations. This can mean just sending some tabasco sauce or some hot chocolate packets. It's a small thing and I can always find room in my budget for the little things. That's why I like to be cheap. I like to have a little extra money for small gifts at the end of the year. Service members make such a great sacrifice to keep us safe. We have no excuse for not making a small sacrifice on their behalf.

Photo Shop

I love the new digital cameras. I see them as money saving devices because you don't have to print the bad pictures. One of the best presents I ever got was from a photo bug friend of mine. She had already given me a whole album of gorgeous pictures of my wedding. When she handed me a small five by three photo of a tree and a sunset, it was so beautiful that I put it in a silver frame. It's still one of my favorite things. Whenever I think I'm tired of it, I just change the frame and it's brand new again. I can only hope to take a picture that is half as lovely. But despite my visual challenges I plan to start snapping pictures in the spring. I only have to print the ones that come out well. I can delete the rest. It's also a great way to Decorate on the cheap. I've seen this done on home shows. They take close up of flowers or picture's of local landmarks, blow them up and use them as art to stage houses. Frames are so easy to come by at thrift shops and yard sales. Sometimes people can't give them away. I've found frames by the side of the road more than once. My cousin gave me two small prints, gallery invitations really. I found some frames by the side of the road, and the prints fit perfectly. I gave one back so she could keep it in her apartment. I kept one for myself. We were both happy for no money. As I've written before cheap frames are also good for preserving kid's artwork. My mother still has the finger painting I did when I was five.

Buy Your Own Christmas Present

I guess I can add selfish to my long list of personal faults which include cheap and lazy. I find what I really want, put it in a box and hand it to my husband for Christmas or my birthday. It's a little game we play. I act surprised and I always love what I get. Sure beats wasting money on something I don't really want. Besides, it's always Christmas at my house. We are always getting or giving little presents. Also I don't really need anything at this point in my life. I used to have nothing, but now I feel I have way too much. When I first graduated from college I had no clothes and no accessories. I didn't even have a decent pair of shoes to wear to work. I had nothing but bills. But little by little I started to buy stuff. I always bought good stuff. I got expensive stuff on the cheap because I bought second hand. Anyway after a while something funny happened, I suddenly had everything and more than enough. Lately what I have been doing is getting upgrades. If I get a new thing, I try to get something better. I gave away six or seven coats this year because I bought three "new to me" coats that were better. I keep the very best stuff and take good care of it. Yesterday I gave away a jacket I got as a teenager. I took care of it, but I no longer wanted to wear it. What I do with jewelry is to sell a bunch and then buy back something I really like in sterling silver.

Learn to Knit

I tried to knit, but I'm too spastic and blind. It seems so very relaxing and looks like fun on the train when traveling to work. Also I like accessories. I often thrown on a scarf and a pin and make an old outfit brand new. So I would like to knit to jazz up my wardrobe. Sadly, not in this life. It also seems to be a fun way to create Christmas gifts. I would make me my first recipient. I also like the idea of having and wearing something no one else has or wears. This was the motive behind buying second hand. Also buying second hand is a good way of spotting the really good stuff. If it was all the rage a while ago but still looks good then it was a good design. It will last because it can stand the test of time. Back to knitting. I also love to have warm throws and covers around in the winter. I always buy them at yard sales. I leave them on the couch, chairs and the bed to curl up and stay warm. I like that they are not store bought and uniform. I love the quirkiness of hand made things. I wish I could make a bedspread of granny squares, or make a multi-colored rainbow scarf. There is something delicious in the hand made thing. We've lost our individuality chasing after fads and getting what everyone else has. I always wanted the thing nobody else had. That's just me, it's not for everyone. I never paid top dollar for anything. This concept has served me well over the years. When everyone was chasing designer this and that, I was putting together a great wardrobe and buying vintage pins that are now out of reach. Then when everyone wanted the big, big house, I bought a small one and had it paid off. Now instead of worrying about a big mortgage, I collect a rent check every month. Bucking the trend is not for everyone, but it sure has worked for me.

Create a landing pad in the entrance of your home

The entrance of your home should function as a place to leave the world behind and as a place from which to venture forth. Set up something nice for yourself. Ideally there should be a hall closet for coats but a small bureau is good to have also. You need a place to dump your purse when you first come home. Have a trash can handy to drop unwanted papers. Also this is a good time to sort the mail. Have a system set up for incoming and outgoing. You want to be sure you know when bills are due. I generally have only one credit card and the closing date is pretty stable. I have a DISCOVER CARD which is very handy because it's so easy to check my balance. I generally clean out my wallet when I get home so I have a couple of receptacles handy: a piggy bank for change and a jar for the pennies. I also always carry food so I check on that. My bureau holds hats, scarves, gloves, umbrellas, etc. I also keep a receipt receptacle (an old tissue box) to clean out my wallet. I always have a place for my keys. I lived on Staten Island and one day on my way to work, I literally missed the boat because I couldn't find my keys. That never happened again. At the bottom of my closet I keep bottled water to grab one on the way out in the morning. I also keep some packed up snacks. I don't usually do that in the morning. I do all that when I get in. I get in, clean out my bag and pack it up for the next day so I'm ready to go the next morning. After dinner I pack up tomorrow's lunch and put it in the fridge. This may sound anal but it makes for a very relaxed morning ritual. Even if I'm running late, I don't have to worry because I can just grab and go. I already have everything I need ready. I don't have to think. Back when I was spending 14 hours a day out of the house, believe me, not having to think at 5 am was and is a very good thing.

Create a Receipt Receptacle

I have rented out my house, it's now a business. I have to keep track of receipts for tax purposes. But it's a good idea to keep receipts for most purchases for quite some time. Most of the time, I stuff receipts in my wallet, But then they have to be put somewhere else. I have a folder for the house stuff. But for ordinary purchases, I have started using an old tissue box. It's very quick and easy and keeps the receipts from looking messy on my landing pad. More about landing pads later. Anyway, having the receipt comes in handy when returning items. Most stores will accept their stock without a receipt, but they will only give you the last discounted price. Having the receipt means you'll get the full price which is always much better. Home Depot and Lowe's will accept their merchandise but will give store credit which is fine for me because we're always fixing something. They keep credit card records for about 90 days which means if you return something in that time, the money will just go back on your card. After that you get store credit. But they take down the info from your license which is a drag. I've heard some people return Home Depot items bought at tag sales. But it's not like you can get cash, it's only store credit. Anyway it's a good idea to keep receipts. An empty tissue box works well for this. It looks neat and pretty and keeps things from getting lost.

Silver Vs. Gold

The last time gold was really high, I was a kid and living in New York City. It was in the paper and on the news everyday that women were having gold chains ripped off their necks in the city by thieves. That was not or me. I choose early on to devote my meager jewelry budget to silver, which I liked better because it was more reflective. It popped. At least that's the way it looked to me when I was younger and had a little more eyesight. Also you got a lot more bang for you buck with silver. You could buy a whole lot more. I still prefer silver to gold. This year with the price of gold hitting all time highs, I sold off most everything I had. Funny but I had gotten a few gifts of gold jewelry. All I have left is a charm bracelet my father gave me as a child. I also sold off much of my silver when prices went sky high. Then when prices stabilized and stared to go back down, I bought it all back, but I got stuff I really liked. I've used the new stuff more than I ever used the stuff I sold off. I also buy a lot of costume jewelry. That stuff is very cheap and unique. I sometimes buy pins for a quarter. I use them for a while and then I re-sell them on eBay and buy some silver charms to add to my silver charm bracelets. I love my silver charm bracelets because they are fun.

Personalize Gift Bags

Start with a plain brown paper bag and use glue, glitter and crayons and ribbon to create a gift bag. This a great project for kids and for the artist within us all. I tend to re-use gift bags when I get them. I have a special storage space for such things and most of the time, I can just pull out a gift bag. But when I can't, making my own has proven to be a good and inexpensive alternative. Personally I like quirky different stuff. For bigger gifts I like papering the box over with small 9 x 11 piece of artwork. You can also put people's names on a personalized gift bag and avoid those silly little tags. By incorporating the person's name in your design, it can be read from across the room. I used to wrap gifts in the funny papers, but they stopped printing them in my area. I have also re-used wrapping paper, that can work too as can any combination of all of the above. I'm lazy as well as frugal. I also like to just stick a bow, a card with a name on a gift and drop it in a bag.

Use Cloth Napkins

Now this sounds a little old fashioned but it works. It doesn't mean you have to spend your day ironing. There are plenty of polyester blend napkins at yard sales. I like to mix and match. Everyone had a different napkin. After a few days they get thrown in the wash with sundries and are quickly folded to prevent wrinkles. For years I swore by cheap paper napkins from the dollar store. Then one day I just ran out and couldn't make it to the store. I raided my linen closet and found the solution. I have always used dish towels so moving over to cloth napkins was not such a big step. My napkins are all mismatched but I like them. I pick them up for pennies at yard sales. I can also differentiate between everyone's napkin if they are all different. Every few days I can just throw them in the wash with the dish towels and lay them out to dry. They all have some polyester fiber content, so they come out okay. I save the paper for company or I use the nice linen all matched napkins that I wash and brush over with the iron once a year.

Use solar lights outside

I don't see the point to running electric to light up the outside of my house. I opt for solar powered lights. They light up enough and they are more practical. First of all since they don't use electric their cost is just the upfront cost for purchase. There is no added electric bill. They always go on sale and I have gotten most of mine at yard sales and church sales at deep discounts. A bargain usually needs work and the last set my hubby bought needed a little TLC, nothing a decent guy couldn't handle. Solar lights are also portable. You can pull them up and move them at will. Electric lights are less flexible. When we rented our house we brought many of the lights to our new place. Also light sensors are good for front porch lights. That way, they are not on all day when you don't need them. They just come on in the evening when you're coming home. I also don't do holiday lights, although I do enjoy seeing other people's displays. I just don't want to spend the money on the electric bill. I drive or walk through decorated towns to see Christmas lights. My tree is tiny and of the fiber optic variety. I admit to being a scrooge with the electric bill.

Line Dry Clothes

The lint you clean out of the dryer on a regular basis is bits of your clothing. To get clothes to last longer it's better to line dry. I line dry all my black slacks, skirts and tops because it helps keep the color from fading. Black is very sensitive to heat and fades quickly. Since I live in the Northeast I admit it is easiest to line dry in the summer. There are some unexpected benefits to line drying as well. I find that for cotton sheets it's the best. In the dryer the sheets sometimes get spun around into a tight ball and come out wrinkled to tears. But on the line you can lay them out so that even the top hem stays straight. I also have some lace topped t-shirts which I can lay out to finish drying on my bed. This avoids the need to iron and keeps the clothes looking fresher longer. The truth is that I am not very domestic so that any work I can avoid is a good thing. I also have some embroidered pillowcases for the guest room which are better if they are laid out. I do use my dryer but most of the time I take things out a bit damp so I can lay them out to finish drying. They come out looking like they've been ironed. I also take out my towels a bit damp and let them dry on the hook in the bathroom.

Enjoy the Free Spirit of Christmas

Many towns have displays for Christmas that are free. This weekend I enjoyed a fabulous Christmas celebration for virtually no money. This weekend I went up to Rhinebeck for Sinterklaas. We all had a wonderful time. We did not pack sandwiches but luckily some of the churches were serving lunch for donation. We had some delicious soup and coffee and cookies and then we were off to a string of small holiday concerts. We hopped from Church to Church until about five pm. We also enjoyed some free street theater. We could have gone to another church for a spaghetti dinner but after asking the locals we decided to go to a pub like restaurant. Rhinebeck is a bit tony and high class for us so pub food seemed like a good idea. Foster's Stagecoach Tavern is a great inexpensive place to eat. I have never had a bad meal in a pub and this place was no exception. I had a burger with steak fries for 7 bucks. They were some of the best fries I have ever tasted. Once in a while I have a not so healthy food. To be honest I can't really remember the last time I had fries. We stayed after dinner to enjoy the parade. There were a lot of people and seemed like even more cars. But my husband chatted up a local and got the shortcut out of town. We were home in record time. The parade was Magical and the whole day is a perfect memory. All this fun was very inexpensive. Most of the time you don't have to spend a lot of money to have a good time. The best things in life are free.

Cook and Freeze

Frugality is also about conserving effort and energy. I started freezing soup a long time ago. When I make soup, I usually make enough for an army. Then I take those Chinese soup containers, fill 'em up and freeze a few batches for later. I don't like to cook, but I don't want to eat out all the time, so having stuff frozen means that I always have a meal handy. Freezing also works for meatballs,tomato sauce and chunk cheese (buy on sale for 2 dollars). If you have food ready you'll be less tempted to eat out. Quick meals are a must for a family on a budget. It takes a lot less time than you think to make a good meal. Soup can provide a little lead time for the hungry. Serve them soup while the main meal is simmering. There are tons of websites with loads of easy recipes. What worked for me was cooking on the weekend and eating pre-cooked meals during the week. When I was single I would broil a tray of chicken legs and heat them up all week. Breakfast for dinner is also good. Having eggs for dinner once in a while works for me.

Save on Drinks: Money and Calories Too

In the summer I make my own Iced Tea. I don't like the Mixes because they are too sweet. I find making my own to be much better. Also when I buy a bottle of cranberry juice I stretch it by cutting it in half with water. Sometimes I make cranberry iced tea. I make the tea and stretch it with the cranberry juice. It's really good that way. I drink a bottle of Coke for Christmas, but the truth is I don't like sweet drinks. This also helps keep my weight down. I'm not skinny anyway but I could just imagine how much fatter I'd be if i drank sugary drinks all day. I actually did it once at work. I started buying the iced tea from the vending machine. Almost immediately I saw my weight creep up. So I brought in a big bottle and filled up halfway with water and then poured the store bought iced tea in. It was less sugary sweet and lasted me a week. I saved money and my weight stabilized. Later I started bringing in the bottle with some sugar and lemon juice in it and got water at work and saved even more money. I never use diet drinks because I don't see skinny people drinking that stuff. I also don't like the after taste they leave in my mouth. Water is the best and cheapest way to stay hydrated, but you don't have to buy the bottled water. In my opinion that is just a waste of money. I live in a place with a great water table and unless the Hydro-Fracking people (natural gas is not natural) get their way, I won't need to buy bottled water. For now I can filter it though a Brita or Zero water pitcher.