April 2009 - Deal Gossip

Saving Money on Summer Activities by Forming a Group

Summer vacation is fast approaching and this year—what with the recession, record job losses, swine flu freak outs, and pervasive attitude of fear, doom and gloom—summer does not promise to be fun.

As an adult, I don’t care. Summer is the same for me as the whole rest of the year. I get up, I work, I pay bills, I sleep. But for those precious little kids you’ve got, summer is a magical time of year full of fun and possibilities.

If you’ve got friends with kids, and you can get creative, there are many ways you can ensure your children a fun summer that you can afford by planning activities as a large group. As a group, you are entitled to major discounts at theme parks, museums, zoos, and even some movie theaters. Here are a couple of examples:

Six Flags: The regular admission price to Six Flags is $39.99 for adults over 48” tall and $29.99 for kids under 48” tall (2 and under are free). If you book a group trip with 15 or more people, you can get tickets for as little as $23.58 each (I used a Georgia location for my rates, it may vary depending on your location) and you get a free ticket for every 15 paid tickets you buy.

So let’s say you have a group of 16 people—we’ll say 4 families each with 2 adults and 2 kids. That’s 8 adults (tickets would normally total $319.92) and 8 kids (tickets would total $239.92) that’s a total cost of $559.84. Buy purchasing your tickets as a group, you pay for 15 tickets all for $23.58 each and you get the 16th ticket free. Your total is now only $353.70--that's a 36% discount and each family has saved over $50! Add carpooling to that and you’ll save on gas as well.

Now let’s take this same group and bring them to the L.A. Zoo. Normally, tickets for adults 13 and up are $12 and age 2-12 are $7. Normally, our families would spend $96 on adult tickets and $56 on children. That totals $152—which is not bad for a day of fun and learning. Given the group discount, the group would only spend $120. That’s over a 20% savings-- it’s like getting one child in for free for each family.

So wield the power of your network and try to arrange some group activities this summer with your extended family, friends and neighbors, church, school or social groups and cash in on the discounts. And remember, if you can’t find information about group discounts online—call the ticket office.

Yo

I don't know what ride wallyg has taken a picture of there, but I know you would never find me on it.

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Save Money by Driving Better

Yesterday as I was driving on the interstate I was tailgated. It’s no big surprise, I get tailgated every morning, and every afternoon, and every midday. This morning was different though—this morning I was tailgated by a lady in a Smart Car. Have you seen a Smart Car? I like them; they’re cute, economical, environmentally friendly…and really, really small.

If you tailgate in a small car—like a Smart Car—you could easily end up driving a Smart Car in the sky which, if you think about it, is pretty stupid. Rear ending someone (which typically happens when you are tailgating) is easy, dangerous, and expensive. Not to mention the cost of wasted gas from speeding up to go nowhere and overused brakes from slowing down to avoid collision--all unnecessary problems, and needless expenses.

Whether you drive a Smart Car or a Chevy Suburban, there are simple things we can do in our cars each day to make sure that we don’t add extra, unnecessary, unexpected expenses to our lives.

1.    Don’t tailgate. Seriously, you are not going to make the car in front of you go any faster and if you end up rear ending someone, it will increase your insurance rates and you’ll have to pay up to the deductible amount. Also, you could cause injury to someone. I know, I get annoyed at slow drivers too…but I don’t want to actually hurt them.

2.    Drive the speed limit. You will use way less gas that way and, since speeding is bad and not legal, you won’t have to worry about speeding tickets.

3.    Keep your brake lights working. Your brake lights indicate that you are slowing down or stopping. By letting me know that with pretty red lights instead of sudden loss of momentum, it helps ensure I don’t slam my front end into your back end.

4.    Get new tires. Yeah, so, you know how your car slides all over the road when it rains? That’s not necessarily because the road is totally slippery. It could be because your tires are so old the threads are showing and you have no traction. If Lincoln’s head doesn’t disappear in your tread (the Lincoln on a penny—please don’t grab someone named Lincoln and try shoving his head into your tires) then you need new tires. You’ll save yourself gas money and the increased risk of an accident if you do.

5. Rotate your tires and get a tune up. I've mentioned before how I could have saved money getting my car tuned up on time because I would have avoided other costly repairs. Tire balancing keeps the weight on your tires evenly distributed and saves you from early wear that might necessitate the purchase of new tires before you'd normally need them. Additionally, it helps decrease your gas usage, saving you money at the pump.

Yo

Look at how small that car jamesdale10 took a picture of is. Imagine rearending someone in it!

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Made in England - A Note from Across the Pond

I’m writing to you from London, England where Lulu has come for a sneaky and swift visit to see family and friends and generally savor all that is inherently English. I’m having an absolute blast and have just managed to tear myself away from the rounds of drinks with friends in cool London bars and tea and crumpets with the Family Von Thrift UK to tell you a little bit about my trip and share some cross cultural observances.

First up I want to tell you that contrary the popular assumption that it's "always raining in England" we've had nothing but blue skies and sunshine. Honestly, I even got a tan yesterday. In London.

Mr. Thrift heroically offered/ was strong-armed into staying behind and looking after Little Miss Thrift (LMT) so I’ve rather cheekily left them behind in America. This frees me up to throw myself wholeheartedly into museum visits and soaking up British theatre. Otherwise known as hitting the High St shops and eating too much cake.

But don’t think I’ve left my thrifty ways behind, oh no. The first thing I did on arrival? Headed to the local supermarket to pick up some English vittles. First on my list, proper English tea bags. Check. Next, a nice pair of iced English buns. And because it was late in the day, I got them half off. Two buns for 45p which at today’s thankfully dollar-healthier exchange rate means around 65 cents. Not bad.

Next day I headed to Top Shop. If you’ve been living under a rock, this is the latest hip Brit import to hit US shoppers and the opening in America just this month was met with a bi-coastal fanfare and a Kate Moss show & tell. I was determined to get Lulu some indigenous Top Shop threads here in London and left the shop ten minutes later with a groovy pair of jeans 50% off at 25 pounds ($37). Not bad again.

Being almost American now and certainly so in my shopping habits I saved time by buying my size straight off the rack and trying them on at home. I had to check the return policy first because back in my day you could nary exchange a single thing. I’m happy to report that the Brits have adopted one or two American style policies when it comes to making things easier for the shopper since I left some years ago. There’s a lot more wiggle room and flexibility than I remember. That’s a good thing.

The following day the whole family headed to Hampton Court Palace to absorb some “real” history (remember this is a country where “antique” actually means several hundred years old, not merely 1950’s clutter). For those not versed in the cribs of ancient British monarchs, Hampton Court Palace was the seat of King Henry VIII in the 1500’s and still retains the full architectural glory of the Tudor period. Here’s a nice photo I took myself.

The Palace sits alongside the picturesque River Thames and has gorgeous grounds with flowers and blossoms now in full bloom. Now, even when immersing ourselves in a spot of serious culture my family remains true to our thrifty nature. Word on the street was the Palace was doing a deal: everyone named “Harry” (King Henry VIII’s common moniker) was rumored to get free admission. It just so happens that Mr. Thrift Snr. (“Dad”) is not only named Harry, but his middle name is “Tudor” so we reckoned on that guaranteeing us at least a couple of free tickets. Sadly no dice on the deal and even now we’re wondering if the whole thing was just an urban myth. Still, we tried.

But we did find a top tea room next to the river with giant spotty teapots and home-made cakes to enjoy and you know how much Lulu likes her baked goods so that cheered us all up no end.

London Transport has had its critics over the years but living away from my hometown has helped me see the rosier side of the tube (London’s metro service). Those Victorians knew what they were doing. 

The London Underground opened in 1863 which makes it the oldest in the world. And much of it remains unchanged since. Which is a nice bit of history but also means us Londoners get to enjoy the same smelly bits of tunnel and rat infested lines our great great great grandparents first used.

Of course I made sure to start my trek into town during “off-peak” hours so I could have hopped any tube covering 253 miles of track or any one of 6800 buses for only 7.50 pounds (about $10) that night. Once again, not bad. However I resisted the temptation to zip all around Greater London like a blue-arsed fly and instead headed to my old school chums flat in the center of town where we avoided the temptations of pricey restaurants and sat about with sparkling wine and oven pizzas catching up on old times.

I even managed to make the last train home, thus avoiding a massive taxi bill at the end of the night (London’s black cabs are notoriously reliable and while well worth every penny can set you back the price of a Saville Row suit late at night).

Which almost brings me up to date. Except to say I have already done my gift shopping for Mr. and Little Miss Thrift and so if they’re reading this post before I arrive home please avert your eyes now. Everyone else: I passed a real live Emma Bridgewater shop a couple of hours ago – they’ve opened one in the leafy London neighborhood my sister lives in. So I HAD to pop in and pick up some of that gorgeous pottery I wrote about last time. Mr. Thrift is a bit of what we call in Blighty “a twitcher” which means (and not entirely complimentarily) Bird Watcher. So he has a brand new half pint tea mug covered in hand painted British Birds.

Next door LMT’s Grandma bought her first pair of ballet shoes from a proper English theatrical store. I can’t wait to get back to America and share the gifts, the stories and more with them - and you. See you on the other side,

Your Thriftily,

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How’s this for Cheap? A Self-Affirmed Cheapskate Comes by it Naturally

Today we’d like to introduce a guest post by green writer and blogger Jennifer Escalona. Jennifer is best known for her green articles and columns published in Kennesaw State University’s The Sentinel. She is also a contributor of green articles and content on GreenDivaMom.com, Examiner.com and her own green blog, Atlanta Goes Green. In 2008, she lent her expertise in green and sustainability issues and helped develop Careereco.com, an online job portal for employees seeking careers with eco-friendly companies that support innovative methods for combining environmentally sound business practices with business profitability.

I am a cheapskate from a family of cheapskates. Family lore holds that my grandmother and grandfather, the paragons of frugal living, invented copper wire by fighting over a penny. Because of this somewhat dubious pedigree, I grew up observing practices that can only be called the cheapest of the cheap.

Think you can beat my family for cheapne—er, frugality? Top this:

• Before putting a new toilet paper roll on the holder, step on it so that the cardboard inside bends. This makes the paper almost impossible to tug off the roll. T.p. wasting whippersnappers won’t use so much when they have to fight for every single sheet.

• Treat aluminum foil for that it really is – a precious commodity. Fail to rinse and reuse it less than five times and you might as well be dangling your wallet out of the car window.

• Speaking of car windows, drive no faster than 45 miles per hour – the optimal speed for peak gas mileage. Never mind that you are on the interstate. Can’t you read the sign? The minimum speed is 40, meaning that you will be safely on the side of the law.

• Don’t even think about ripping open that package at Christmas. Exacto knives will be issued before every gift-giving event to encourage wrapping paper preservation.

• When tackling an arduous, multi-day paint job, don’t get wild and change the paint roller every day. Instead, wrap it in a plastic bag and stick it in the freezer overnight. The next day it will defrost and be as good as new.

• To save on stamps, get together with your neighbors and put all your utility bills together in one envelope. Cram enough checks in there and one book of forever stamps will last for years.

• After the neighborhood bill paying frenzy, keep the unused business reply mail envelopes. Find the Exacto knife from Christmas and carefully unseal the glued parts. Fold the envelope inside out and viola – you have a plain white envelope.

I eventually entered the wide world and found out that washing and reusing plastic wrap isn’t exactly standard practice. Don’t tell my Granna, but I don’t even own an Exacto knife anymore. In truth, it was easy for me to forget my upbringing and embark upon a wasteful, free-spending life. But wouldn’t you know it, when I began investigating what all this green living stuff was all about, I found young, hip people giving advice on re purposing aluminum foil and reusing grocery bags ad infintum. That was when it dawned on me. My grandparents weren’t cheap! They were just the original “green” generation.

Instead of being embarrassed about my upbringing, suddenly I was ahead of the game. Instead of getting me labeled as crazy bag lady, my “don’t throw that in the trash can!” mantra is now cool and saves me money since I don’t throw everything away after just one use. I may still be a cheapskate from a family of cheapskates, with a freezer full of paint rollers and closet dedicated to aluminum foil, but who’s laughing all the way to the bank after a visit to the recycling center now?

Jennifer Escalona

Photo by Henkster

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Farmer's Markets—Save Money, Eat Healthy and Reduce Carbon

The other day, Tuesday to be exact, I decided to enjoy the new-found freedom of my self-employment schedule and head over to the local Tuesday Morning Farmer’s Market.

The market in my town is about 2 miles from my house. An easy bike ride…but because I had other errands to run (no I didn’t) and those errands were really far from my home (what? You did not have any other errands.) and because my bike had been stolen a couple of weeks ago (ummm, no, it’s locked up in the shed) I had to drive my car two whole miles to the market.

I got there as they were setting up and decided to walk to the beach while waiting for them to unload the bounty of vegetables. I sat on the beach for a bit and watched an older gent walk over from the beachfront retirement condos with a metal detector.

He methodically swung the metal detector back and forth and, when he got a beep, took out his trowel and dug a shallow hole. After little digging, he found a gold ring and I briefly flirted with the idea of walking up to him and saying, “Oh, so that’s where my great, great, great, grandmother’s wedding ring went.” I resisted the evil temptation and instead walked back to the farmer’s market.

I had a total of $6 on me and I really wanted to see what I could get for that amount of dough. Turns out, you can get a lot. I got 2 large sweet potatoes, 3 red potatoes, a medium sized eggplant and 1 container of fresh mozzarella—and I actually only spent $5.20.

Now, I’m no Lulu Thrift, so I don’t have a cool recipe (I have started an inordinate amount of fires while trying to cook) but I roasted the veggies in olive oil with some spices and put some little balls of cheese on top of it. It was enough food to please Hubby and me.

It was fantastic, cheap, fresh and, according to the creator of the Lazy Man and Money blog, it was part of a low carbon diet since the food had been grown locally. Now, that’s a meal to be proud of!

Yo

Photographer John-Morgan apparently shares my love of purple veg.

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Choosing the Right Discount Brokerage Firm--Part Two

Would you be surprised if I told you I couldn’t find everything I wanted in an online discount brokerage firm? Well, then you’d be right to not be surprised. Although, I came pretty darned close. I compared Scottrade, TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab, E*Trade and Fidelity.

This handy chart from Scottrade made the comparison simple as...well, things that are simple.

All in all, it looks like Scottrade has the most affordable platform.

-They have no annual or quarterly fees. Schwab, TD Ameritrade and Fidelity also do not have fees but they have higher minimum deposits, more expensive commissions and fees to close or transfer accounts.

-Scottrade has $7 commissions for the positions I’ll be trading. Everyone else charges at least $9.99 for trades. They all charge extra for broker-assisted trades, but at $27, Scottrade charges about half of what the others do.

-Scottrade charges no closing or transfer fees. Fidelity charges $50 for IRA transfer and closing, but nothing for a non-retirement brokerage account. The others charge from $50-$75 for either type.

-With Scottrade, you have access to 1,150 no load mutual funds to buy with no fee other than a sale charge imposed by the mutual fund company if you sell over a short period of time. All the companies (except E*Trade) have more no loads available than Scottrade, but with other charges they impose, it's not worth it to open an account with them just for no load mutual fund selection.

-Scottrade offers free live quotes and online statements. TD AMeritrade and E*Trade both charge over $29 per month for live quotes (which is dumb considering you can get them free at Yahoo finance). Fidelity doesn't even have them available and Schwab only offers them to "active traders" which to me screams, "People who spend a lot of money on commissions."

Here are the things I will have to compromise on if I open an account with Scottrade:

-There is a $500 minimum balance to open. I wanted to find a company that required no minimums simply because I don’t like minimums. Since Scottrade seems to be the only company that charges no fees, has free live quotes and has the cheapest commissions, I’m not going to sweat a $500 minimum.

-No ACH (bank draft). They have check writing privileges for accounts with a $5,000 minimum, so it’s not like you can’t access your money. But I couldn’t find anywhere on their site any bank draft information or availability. It may be that it is available, but not publicized.

Another thing I found interesting about the Scottrade account was that their fee for options trading is pretty cheap. They only charge an additional $1.25 per option contract (a contract consists of 100 shares). They take limit orders and have screens very similar to Reuters.

While I’m not asserting that Scottrade is the perfect discount brokerage for everyone, it certainly seems like the perfect one for me. And if it turns out that it ain’t, at least I can transfer for free! When you decide to open an account with an online discount brokerage firm, make sure you write out the things that are important to you and try to find the firm that offers the most of them.

Yo

There is a lot of red on OmirOni's statement.

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Earth Day Deals and Eco-Friendly 2009 Tax Credits

2009 promises to be a great year for eco-concerned folks who want to bring their home up to an environmentally friendlier and energy cost-savingier (yeah, I made that word up—but it works) standard.

Two years ago, when Hubby and I started our home renovations, we upgraded to energy star appliances, central air rather than wall units, new windows, a new roof and all tiled floors in an effort to keep our home as naturally cool as possible. Because of these changes, we generally use less kilowatts of energy per month even though we run the air conditioner with the thermostat set lower than we used to.

Electric rates have gone up, but we don’t even notice it because our lowered usage offsets the higher prices. We did get some tax credits for the improvements that we made but it was under the old tax code. Had we waited until this year, we would have gotten even more tax credits than we did.

One improvement we haven’t made that we are considering this year is a new, tankless water heater (my Dad is a plumber and he would blow a gasket if he heard me say, “hot water heater” I mean, why would you heat already hot water?). Not only will it save room in our laundry nook, it’s also environmentally friendly.

But what about today? This most environmentally-loving of holidays. What can you get today that makes you feel all warm and conservative inside? If you are looking for some Earth Day deals and freebies to make you feel like you are saving the world today, we’ve scoured the internet to bring you the best. Check out these Earth Day specials:

Free Aluminum Foil—Recycled Aluminum Foil: Reynolds has created a new aluminum foil that is safe, effective, and made from recycled materials. Even the box it’s packaged in is made out of recycled material! Try it free and maybe you’ll make the switch for good.

Up to 59% off CFL bulbs: If you haven’t already, try the new CFL bulbs at a cheap price from Amazon.com. We replaced all the bulbs in our home and, while I can’t quantify the difference they specifically made in our electric bill, I can definitely tell you how much cooler our home is. These bulbs throw off very little heat. This is especially nice during the Florida summer. I like a house full of light and with regular bulbs, our home would be unbearably hot and the air conditioner thermostat would have to be sent way down.

Disney Store free gift: Drop off three plastic bottles at your local participating Disney Store and get a free Disney gift. The gift itself is a mystery, but the gift of recycling is a healthier, cleaner planet.

Yo

Boy, that is one big kid in woodleywonderworks' picture.

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Choosing the Right Discount Brokerage Firm--Part 1

Now that I’ve left my corporate employer for the sweet freedom and overbearing responsibility of being my own boss, I have to find a home for my retirement account, my husband’s IRA and our brokerage account.

While working at Raymond James Financial, I got some great deals on annual account maintenance fees and commissions and didn’t have to worry about comparing firms--actually, to guard against insider trading, I wasn't even allowed to have my accounts anywhere else.

Now, I’m in a whole new territory and quite frankly, if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve worked in the insurance and financial industry for ten years, I’d have no idea where to begin.

Here are a few of the things I’ll be looking for in my new discount brokerage firm—whether it end up as E*Trade, Scottrade, Charles Schwab or Discount Charlie’s (okay, I just made that one up).

1.    Don’t fee me: I will not open an account with a firm that charges me an annual fee. With the market the way it is right now, too many people are paying more out in annual fees than they are making in growth, interest or dividends. Many discount firms waive your annual IRA fee if you have at least a $1,000 balance or commit to a $100 per month automatic bank draft contribution. Others have no minimums and charge no annual fees at all. I want the latter.

2.    I want cheap commission charges: I don’t want to pay more than $15 per trade. Remember, you pay commissions both on the buy and the sell of your stocks and that increases the overall cost (or cost basis) of your stock. Spread those two charges out over the amount of shares you own and you can see how much more the stock has to grow before you make a profit. Discount firms like those mentioned above generally charge $12.99 or less per trade up to 1,000 shares. That price will work for me, but I’d love to find one with even less expensive commissions.

3.    No-load mutual funds: I understand that brokers need to make money on mutual fund sales. They do so through the loads and sales charges built in to your mutual fund pricing structure. But when there is a load it means that your full investment isn’t being invested. If I’m doing my own trades with a discount broker, I want them to offer me free trades on no-load mutual funds so that I incur no charges whatsoever. Keep in mind, there may be contingent deferred sales charges imposed if you sell the mutual fund too early after buying it.

4.    I want live quotes: The stock market is so volatile these days that the standard 20 minute delayed price sometimes gives absolutely no indication of where a stock is actually trading at the moment you want to buy or sell. Luckily, Yahoo offers free, real-time quotes now, so no matter what discount broker I choose, I’m covered. But it would be nice to have live quotes within the same platform as I do my trade.

5.    No closing or transfer fees: I don’t know where I will want my money or portfolio to be in five years. If I’m not happy with the service or platform offered by the discount firm I choose and I don’t want to be charged $100 or more to close the account and transfer the assets.

6.    Online statements: I don’t like to waste paper or have my account numbers and balances sitting in my mailbox outside all day. I want a company that offers me online statements, proxy notices and buy/sell confirmations.

7.    Bank draft (ACH) set up: I like to have my bank accounts connected to my IRAs and brokerage accounts so that I can transfer money in and out easily and quickly (those Starbucks runs really add up).

So what do you think? Do you think I can find the discount brokerage firm that addresses all of my needs, wants and desires? Come back on Thursday to find out in part 2!

Yo

Finding the right discount brokerage firm that meets all of my criteria means more money for books and Converse for me!

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Made in China - How's Your Conscience?

There's a kind of pottery made in England, which I absolutely adore. Emma Bridgewater is known for her quirky fun patterns and happy colors, comforting styles and homely shapes. Mugs, teapots, cups and plates are all hand made in England and are quintessentially British.

I've been collecting Emma Bridgewater pottery since the mid 1980's when it first launched into a few small shops in London. Now you can buy it all over the world and visit the Victorian factory in the heart of England where the pottery is still made the traditional way. The city of Stoke-on-Trent is known as "The Potteries" of England, having been turning out cups and saucers from big names like Wedgewood, Royal Doulton and Spode since the 1600's.

You can see how Emma and her husband Matthew make their wares in this clip. I've got two teapots, seven mugs and a cake plate. A butter dish, 2 eggcups and six plates. Not to mention a biscuit barrel and a tin for my proper English tea bags. I even have an Emma Bridgewater "tea towel" (this is what we Brits call the thing you dry the dishes with after you wash them. I've never known the American so please illuminate if inspired) with the bold words "I had a rather nice dream last night about Daniel Craig" emblazoned on it. So you see, the woman has a sense of humor. Well, she is British.

So imagine my surprise when I wandered into my local CVS yesterday in order to pick up some particularly boring odds and sods and saw what at first glance appeared to be Emma's signature polka dot design splashed across a range of summer bowls and mugs!

A short while ago intrepid CT blogger Yo Prinzel wrote about her fab-tastic self-tanning adventures in her local CVS in Florida. Well we're all a thrifty bunch here at CheapToday, so it naturally follows that Lulu too has her own CVS ExtraCare Rewards card and makes sure to use every single coupon she can. On this particular day I happened to have at least 4 valid money-off vouchers, so I was happy to browse some non-essential items in the discount aisles to cash in on those babies.

(By the way, perhaps us Nor'easterners are preternaturally frugal in our expectations, but while Yolander reports her Floridian CVS as having only one small shelf for cut-price sale goods, my local store seems to house an entire department large enough to house a small aircraft. Maybe it's to make up for the lack of sunshine?)

Anyway, back to my find. Delighted yet shocked by the prospect of stumbling posh English dinnerware at my local drugstore I cautiously approached said spotty bowl. Time stopped, movement froze. I looked at the price tag. I looked again. It cannot be. How much do you think this fancy fake was priced at? ONE DOLLAR.

An Emma Bridgewater cereal bowl will set you back $29.50 here in the States. So how come I could get something passably similar for a single buck? The reason of course is in the small print. I turned the bowl over. There it was - the ubiquitous phrase I've come to dread "Made in China". Of course. Isn't almost everything we buy these days?

Made in China raises serious concerns with me. I've watched the documentaries that expose the horrendous conditions under which most Chinese workers survive, sleeping twenty to a room above the factory floor and working 18-hour shifts without a break. 

I've learned about the pitiful wages they earn, the injuries they sustain on the job, too exhausted to stay safe on a relentless production line. I know how badly Chinese industry pollutes our planet, the scandalous environmental practices employed and the ruinous waste these factories churn out, along with our cheap disposable goods. 

Every time I snag a bargain in Target or Wal-Mart my initial surge of pleasure is wrestled by my conscience that maybe someone else suffered to save me cash. And if an individual Chinese worker made a few paltry dollars that day, at what cost to the planet my daughter inherits?

Meanwhile my "Made in England" Emma Bridgewater pottery was hand-made by skilled craftsmen and women using timeless techniques honed over centuries. I enjoy that fact every time I take a sip of tea out of one of my mugs or place a home baked Lulu Thrift cake on its Bridgewater plate.

How shall I feel eating ice cream out of my one-dollar CVS bowl? Chances are it won't give me the same sense of connection to tradition, history and my roots. On the other hand, I will have the satisfaction that I spent less than the cost of the ice cream on something I will doubtless use time and again. Not only that, this cheap pottery is better for my family than the plastic reusable bowls I've been serving up to Little Miss Thrift every night before now. And after all who can afford to spend $30 on every piece of kitchenware? Not me. My expensive pottery has been collected one piece at a time, over years, often as gifts.

So here lies the rub. For every action there is a consequence. We can't single handedly save the planet but every little helps and the more you arm yourself with knowledge the better your choices will be for future generations. In my opinion balance is key, so if you must buy your cheap Chinese goods, be conscientious about how much of it you actually need and try to balance it out with recycling what you already own, reusing your carrier bags, being responsible about your trash.

What I'm saying is there's probably no one right way. It's unrealistic for most of us to pay $35 every time we buy a new piece of kitchenware simply to ensure we're funding the right cause. But we don't have to fall victim to the insane consumer greed for cheaply made goods that has propelled us to the point of economic collapse, personal financial ruin and environmental catastrophe we all now face.

Being conscientious is not only good for the planet; it's good for your bank balance. Buy one good well-made item that you can trace back to its roots and use it well. Compare that with the ten cheap items (probably Made in China) that you didn't really need, which broke or wore out in a month and came with a price tag of human and planetary suffering. Balance, my friends. And let me know your thoughts. It's an ongoing dialogue to have.

Yours Thriftily,

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Online Financial Calculators

Online calculators and other financial tools can actually help you get a good idea of your financial picture. They can also help you budget properly, get your retirement savings on track and help you pay down debt.

This morning, I took CNN’s “How Healthy Are Your Finances” quiz. I scored a C+ which I was pretty proud of. The great thing about this quiz is that it can help you identify where you are going right and where you are going wrong. Me? I’m not saving enough for retirement and my portfolio is too conservative (go figure).

Here are my 3 favorite online finance calculator sites to help you get your financial health in order:

FinancialCalculators.com: This is the mother of all financial calculator sites. They can help you calculate everything including your life insurance needs, taxes on self-employment earnings, life expectancy—seriously, they have a calculator for everything. Many of their calculators are labor intensive with a lot of information to fill out.

CNNMoney.com: If you want a good budget tool that helps you understand the difference between what you should be spending on various expenses versus what you are spending, this tool on CNNMoney.com lists out what you should be spending on housing, savings, entertainment, food and more.

DollarTimes.com: I have a love/hate relationship with the ‘Coffee Savings Calculator' on DollarTimes.com. This calculator tells you what you spend on coffee and what you could be making if you invested the money instead. I like to use this tool ironically while I’m at Starbucks. They also have a calculator to determine commuting costs and one for smoking costs.

So there you have it, a week's worth of calculating to help you improve your financial picture. Did I miss any calculators that you like? Leave us a comment and clue us in!

Yo

Someone let photographer ugaldew know that long-hand budgeting is a thing of the past.

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Do We Love Our Family Less During a Recession?

I was reading an article on CNN.com this morning about how funeral homes are suffering during the recession. The initial thought that went through my head was, “Are fewer people dying?”

What I actually gleaned from the article is that the average cost of a pre-recession funeral and burial was in the neighborhood of $5,000-$7,000. While the article didn’t exactly say what the new average is, it does state that most families are opting for the $345 cremation and headstone makers (is there a term for them?) are also noticing a drop off in business, since most families are now requesting inexpensive, tiny monuments and headstones for their loved ones.

Reading this article immediately made me ask myself if we love our family less when we don’t have any money. Naturally, this is an idiotic question—that’s like saying that anyone who has not been able to afford a gold filled coffin for their deceased family member didn’t really love them.

So if love and money aren’t inextricably tied, why do we spend so much more money on funerals and burials when retail sales and employment rates are up than we do when they are down? For that matter, why do we buy more expensive gifts during those times than we do during a recession?

It’s not because our love for our families ebbs and flows as the cash in our wallets, it’s because during a recession we don’t feel safe. We are waiting for the next shoe to drop and we are trying to get prepared by keeping our money close to the vest. In reality, this is a short-sighted pattern.

We should always be saving at least 10% out of every paycheck for emergencies. We should always be shopping for sale priced clothing, beauty supplies, shoes, travel deals  and any other purchase. We should always be looking for (and remembering to use) coupons, comparing prices on services like cable and keeping control over our cell phone charges. There are always deals to be had and costs to cut, even when the economy is booming. If we remember to do this, we'll have even more money to put away into our savings accounts and retirement accounts, more money to pay off our mortgages early and save on interest, and more money to be out of debt faster.

Yo

I should like a memorial statue built for me once I am gone. The one in this picture by VroomBroom is a good starting point.

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How The CVS ExtraCare Program Keeps Me Tan

The best, most exciting, most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me happened yesterday. No, I didn’t get married. Um, no, I did not have a baby. What happened yesterday is about a million times better than anything ever that has ever happened to me ever. Ever.

I found a spray tanner that looks good.

What? Are you not getting the meaning of this momentous occasion? Don't you understand how a spray tanner can impact a girl’s life? Oh, well, let me lay it down for you.

I’m pale. I’m very pale. I’m so pale that when I was a kid, the other kids occasionally thought they saw a ghost in my house, but it was just me looking out the window. I’m so pale, I make Victorian women look like George Hamilton.

To make matters worse, I live in Florida and love to go to the beach. Have you ever seen on the show 'Survivor Man' how the survivalist talks about going snowblind in Alaska? Friends who go to the beach with me complain about going Yoblind because of the way my skin reflects the sun outward and magnifies its glow.

Now can you see where a good spray tanner can make me feel like an olive skinned Greek Goddess?

I have CVS to thank for this miracle of miracles. I went to CVS to buy cat litter this weekend. I had $5.50 in ExtraCare Rewards, which means I was entitled to $5.50 in free merchandise. I went to the cat litter aisle and picked up a bag for $4.19. Then, I went to the cosmetics aisle to see if I could find some cheap nail polish. I found the perfect cotton candy shade for $2.50—and then it happened. My eyes roved to the end of the aisle and found the smallest clearance rack I have ever seen. It was about 1 foot wide and hidden just passed the regularly priced merchandise.

Now, I like CVS because of the ExtraCare Rewards I get back each quarter (they give you 2% of everything you spent each quarter) and for special purchases store wide, but I never knew they even had a clearance section. I wish I had thought to ask them if they had one months ago. This time on the rack  I found a $7 hair clipper on clearance for $2.50 and picked that up for Hubby.

Suddenly, a long plastic box with legs on it called out to me. “Yolander…don’t leave me” it said in a soft but persuasive voice. I turned my head toward it and focused my eyes…and then I squealed. It was a $15 box of Air Silk, a spray on silk hosiery, for only $2.50!! Now, I have wanted to try this product since I first heard about it—but didn’t want to risk $15 on something that might not work. I’m sure you’ve had the Oompa-Loompa orange self-tanning experience at least once in your life. Who wants to repeat it?

So I took all my purchases to the counter. All told, I bought $28.69 worth of merchandise and paid only  $6.19. As if that wasn’t amazing enough, I went home and tried the Air Silk and it works. It works really, really well. It’s water proof (although, I wouldn’t go swimming with it on), spreads easily, washes off with loofa and soap action, and gives me an awesome, brownish color.

Lessons learned? Always ask if there is a clearance rack in a store when you can't find one yourself and buy expensive stuff when it goes on clearance to see if you'd be willing to pay full price for it.

Yolander Prinzel

Yes, I am as pale as the mask in Spiral's photo, but I do not sport that make up.

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Free Stuff on Tax Day

Well, it’s that time of year again. The tax man cometh. Worry lines appear on the foreheads of men and women everywhere. CPA’s, bookkeepers and accountants are burning holes in their stomachs from increased coffee intake and checkbooks nationwide are getting ready to take a beating.

Even if you were one of the lucky ones who got a refund from the IRS for the 2008 tax year, you are probably affected by the stress around you and need a break just as much as everyone else. So how about a list of free tax day food and support give-aways? Sooth your stress with food and sweets and send a word of support to those around you.

Here is the CheapToday official four step guide to creating a happier, cheaper tax day:

Step one: Start your day at Taco Del Mar where you can get a free taco. You’ll need to fill out their nifty ‘Free Taco 1099 Request Form’ on their website first. Once you do, they’ll email you a 1099 for a free taco. Don’t worry, you can opt out of email special notifications and avoid spam.

Step two: Share the love. Send a free tax day ecard to your angry coworker, stressed out accountant or Boston tea party ready papa. It’s easy and fast, and the cards offer much needed comic relief.

Step three: Go get ice cream. Participating Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream and Treatery location are giving away a free single scoop to tax-harried residents. Rocky Road and Rum Raisin sound perfect for tax day.

Step four: Go to the mall. Don’t worry, we know you can’t afford a shopping spree after the whopping check you just wrote to the IRS. But you can afford some free Cinnabon Bites from participating Cinnabon mall locations.

Yolander Prinzel

Photographer dslrninja  will be happy to know they can keep more of their money on tax day with the above free deals.

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Hot Cross Buns (or How to Avoid Spring Fever)

No matter what your persuasion, religion, affliction or affiliation, my friends - spring is a time to rejoice!

Ah, spring. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Longer days mean more time to play (or shop), be outdoors (thinking about shopping), tidying the house (checking email) and yard (planning my shopping). Bursts of floral color all over my neighborhood cheer me up. Birdsong abounds and one can't help but feel the spirits soar.

But wait, what's this you say? Your allergies have kicked in like a Christmas mule, Spring break has the kids holed up under your feet indoors and if one more person talks about "spring-cleaning" you're going to throw something? Steady on my friend. You may have a case of "spring fever".

Yep, it's a real thing. Apparently we're all more sensitive to seasonal changes than we realize with symptoms ranging from weariness and apathy to restlessness and irritability. Or as we say in Blighty: being "cross". Any of this sound familiar?

Fear not my thrifty pals. Help is at hand. In my book there are only two remedies. Shopping and baking. And right here, right now, we're going to get stuck into both. Whichever way the season has hit you we're going to find a way to ease the imbalance.

Got the blahs? Nothing like the endorphin rush of new attire in the wardrobe to perk you up. Springtime is an excellent opportunity to chuck out the old and start afresh. Make way for a new outfit by giving old clothes to charity. Then hit the web for some fabulous savings on new threads to cheer you up. But don't waste time scouring the web for the best deals, that's what the bargain monkeys at CheapToday.com live for.

Sitting around at your computer while the weather heats up and your nether regions grow numb is no fun. These are NOT the Hot Cross Buns you want this springtime people. Sign up for the weekly WOW newsletter and keep your buns cool and calm. That's the shopping sorted. Now for the baking.

Feeling cranky and cross? Whip up a seasonal treat to soothe those jangly nerves and I swear you'll come out soothed and smiling. As you know by now, Lulu is a fan of baked goods and have I got the right one for you. Just today Little Miss Thrift (LMT) and I were once again ensconced in a floury mess of fun in my kitchen making the following fabulous treat from England known as "Hot Cross Buns".

While the cross on top the bun is commonly associated with the crucifixion, crossed buns pre-date Christianity. It's thought pagan Britons ate them at Eostre (Easter) to represent the four quarters of the moon. Interestingly there's a bunch of mythology surrounding these springtime treats. In ancient Britain these buns were intended to have medicinal qualities and eating them cured misery and illness.

Still not convinced? Spend a while making these buns and you will be. Best of all, check out these thrifty ingredients. If you can't get candied citrus peel and don't happen to be popping to Sainsbury's in England where I got mine, no matter, they'll taste great anyway. I estimate these work out around 50 cents per bun. Plus they're just fun to make and especially to eat. Enjoy!

Hot Cross Buns

For the buns:

1 lb white flour
2 sachets yeast
½ tsp salt
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp allspice
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup currants
¼ cup candied citrus peel
5 fl oz hot milk
2 fl oz warm water
1 beaten egg
½ stick butter melted

For the crosses:
¼ cup flour
1 ½ tbsp water

For the glaze:
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water

1. Put all dry ingredients into a big ol' mixing bowl and stir. Make a wee well in the middle and add milk & water, egg and butter. Stir with a wooden spoon to bring it all together. Now the fun part.

2. On a clean floury surface shove your (washed) hands in there giving it all a good kneading. Kids LOVE this. Breathe deeply and let go all the stresses and niggles. This is therapy on the cheap people!

3. After about 5 mins stick the lump of now elastic dough back in the bowl and cover in a warm place for about an hour and a half, until it doubles in size.

4. Press air out and divide into 12 buns, place on a greased baking sheet and score crosses into the top of each one with a sharp knife. Cover again with a greased plastic carrier bag and leave for 30 mins to rise again.

5. Put the oven on to 425 F and make the cross dough. Mix up flour and water and roll out thinly. Cut strips and when the buns have done rising place them into crosses on top of each one.

6. Bake for about 30 mins til golden brown and brush straight away with the syrup you made from melting together sugar and water (I do this in the microwave for about 15 seconds).

Eat warm, sliced through and buttered, or on their own.

YUM!

Hope this helps clear away the last vestiges of winter gloom in your home and let me know how your spring is shaping up!

Yours Thriftily,

PS: Yes, I really did make the buns in these photos (with thanks to LMT for her invaluable assistance, especially in the eating of them).

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To Save or To Toss?

Right now, when sales and discounts abound and retailers are going out of business at a rapid rate, it’s easy to want to buy new stuff when you don’t have to. Currently, I have an undying desire to buy a new laptop. My Compaq is about 3 years old and, quite frankly, doesn’t thrill me like it did when it was new.

Because I so badly want an excuse to buy a new laptop, I get overly frustrated at my machine when it’s slow or when it doesn't work exactly like it did when it was brand new. Of course, Hubby points out that the computer runs slow because I never clean or defrag it (what does that even mean? Are there Fraggles taking over my computer? Should we call it deFraggleRocking?) and because I have about every nine-million meg open source software program imaginable on it.

So, clever girl that I am, I move on to the keys that have mysteriously lost their ability to move when pressed.

“Oh, okay, sure, blame the slowness on me. But what about the keys that won’t press down? What about the letters that I can no longer capitalize because ‘Shift’ won’t move? You can’t blame that on me!”

As it turns out, yes, yes he can blame that on me. But I won’t take full responsibility. There are a couple of cats responsible too. How do I know I can blame them? What Columbo-like detective work helped me find evidence of their guilt? Cat hair under the key.

I lifted up the ‘Shift’ key this weekend and it was filled with cat hair. Why? Because I can’t say no to them when they walk across my computer because I don’t want to permanently damage their feeling of self-worth by throwing them off my laptop when they stroll across the keyboard.

Instead of buying a new laptop, I’ve cleaned out all the keys, deFraggleRocked it and deleted software that I’m not using. It’s running much, much better now. It's still not pink or slimmer than it was, but really--how much do I need that? As for the cats…I’m considering one of these flexible, silent keyboards that cats can’t deposit their hair into.

So save your money for the things you really do need to replace, like your old CRT monitor for a new, sleek energy-saving flat screen, your broken down washer for a new, dual-purpose energy conserving one. But for anything that can be cleaned or inexpensively repaired for which a replacement doesn’t offer a significant additional value (like energy conservation or the ability to take up less room), save your money and clean it.

Yolander Prinzel

Picture of my little ruiners. Look at their faces--they know what they've done.

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