economy

10 Ways to……..

I am a sucker for those stories that start out 10 ways to do something amazing, but never find anything that works for me. I am frugal by nature, very much aware of how hard I worked for every dollar.

  1. Start making coffee at home to save on Starbucks. I live miles from nearest coffee shop. Even if there was one at the end of my driveway, there’s no way I’m going to blow $2.75 to 3.50 on a cup of regular coffee when I can make a whole pot for less. I’ve probably already saved over a million dollars.
  2. Pay off your high interest credit cards. Boy, I would have never thought to do that. I thought it would be best to get the highest rate cards I could and max them all out. Maybe I could share them out among my friends and neighbors.
  3. Cut back on eating out and carry out food, another bit of useless advice. Why would anyone cook better, more nutritious at home when you could bankrupt yourself eating out, especially on credit cards?
  4. Avoid designer clothes, accessories, and handbags. I figured this one on my own. I’ve never been tempted to blow a month’s rent on a purse or bracelet. I don’t even know what statement jewelry is.
  5. I can’t get my list up to ten. I need to stop and take all this money I’ve saved to the bank, anyway.

Quick and Easy Way to Retire Comfortably

Don’t borrow money to live on while you go to school. If you must borrow, borrow only enough for tuition and books. You don’t need cable TV, Fancy cell phone plans, money for eating out or partying. If possible get a dependable roommate. If you work steadily, you won’t need entertainment. Peanut butter, whole wheat bread, and beans are nutritious, high protein foods, and you can keep them in a metal lockbox in your room if your roommate is a moocher.

Buy your clothes at resale shops and Goodwill if you don’t have cash. You don’t need as many as you think, especially if you don’t eat out and party. Take a job, any job, until you get one that pays better. Never quit one job till you have another.  If your boss is an idiot, keep your mouth shut.  If he really is stupid, he will undo himself without your help.

Live without credit cards.  You will probably have to finance your first vehicle.  Get a sturdy used car and drive it as long as you can.  Luxury vehicles are for people with cash and those who plan to go bankrupt.

Start out with a small house.  Pay more than the principle every month.  Don’t upgrade till you have sufficient equity and cash. If you are a couple, make sure one of you can make the note if the other is out of a job or out of the picture.  It happens.

Do without whatever you can’t pay cash for.  You need less than you think. Take care of your vehicles and drive them as long as you can.  Cook at home except for special occasions.  Get a freezer and buy on sale.  Enroll in a retirement plan as soon as you get a steady job at the highest rate you can afford.  Increase your investment every time you get a raise.  Chances are, the tax withholdings will make you bring home a lot more than you thought.

Take the vacation you can afford.  Short days trips to the zoo and local attractions and camping, run far less than cruises and Disneyworld.  Kids love this stuff.

When the kids are little, if you have the opportunity, work alternate shifts so one parent is with the kids as much as possible.  You will save a fortune on daycare and have a better idea of what is going on.  Teach kids the difference in what they want and what they need.  It’s a good reminder for them and you.

Decrease your expectations.  You don’t need all that stuff.  Nobody cares, and if they do, find new friends.

Did I say it was quick and easy?  I guess I was thinking in geological terms.

Simple Apron from Old Jeans

img_1798I made my husband this great shop apron from items on hand in about two hours or less from a discarded pair of jeans.  No purchases was required.  I might make some of these for gifts.  The bib tail, and ties were made from the legs, the pockets from the back.