Work Extra or Scrimp and Save?

by Katy on August 11, 2009 · 35 comments

Japan

I have been scrimping and saving since reading Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness a few months back. Officially I’ve been amassing an emergency fund, but in reality I’m putting together the $2500 that I will need for my son to go on a class trip to Japan next Spring.

The money that I put into my savings account is solely from extra cash that I’ve been able to scrounge from this and that. I deposit every Monday and sometimes it’s $100.66 but sometimes it’s just $3.47. Either way, it still goes into the bank. Money earned from my job as a labor and delivery nurse is dedicated to household expenses and debt reduction. This may not be what financial experts would recommend, but it feels right to me.

I’m up to almost $800, which I feel pretty good about since I only started this experiment at the beginning of the summer.

I mentioned my savings method in the lunchroom at work yesterday, and one of my co-worked asked:

“Katy, why don’t you just work some extra shifts?!”

This was a good question, as overtime is almost always available and the pay is generous. Without realizing it, this question rattled around in my head all day.

Why don’t I just pick up extra shifts until get that $2500 tucked away?

Well . . . there’s always something to put money aside for. Vacations, home improvements, school clothes, auto repairs, etc., etc., etc.  If I were to work overtime whenever I thought of things to save towards I would never get nice stretches at home. Ever.  I’ve seen this in my co-workers and it doesn’t appeal to me.

I have found that the key component for not burning out in my job is to limit how much I work. Two days per week seems just right for me. When I work more, I groan about my job and my back aches terribly, (I broke my tailbone last year.)

I know I can put aside the money necessary for my son to participate in this incredible Japanese experience without burning out on my job.

Living frugally is about a thousand tiny choices, and for me saving large amounts of money is also about those thousand tiny choices.

Choices I’m happy to make.

Would you rather work huge numbers of hours or scrimp and save? (Keep in mind, there is no way that I feel deprived by my frugal lifestyle!) Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Ikea — Love it or Hate it?

by Katy on August 10, 2009 · 31 comments

ikea-logo

Okay fellow Non-Consumers, it’s time respond to yesterday’s reader replies.

I was firmly, yet politely informed that my harsh treatment of all things Ikea, which I called, ” fall-apart/ destined for the landfill particle board furniture” was off base.

Okay, perhaps I was casting a bit of a wide net. The only Ikea things I own are a set of plastic nesting bowls which were a gift. I do have a friend who bought all her kitchen cabinets from Ikea, and they they were a big disappointment. The drawers were too shallow and they started to fall apart very quickly. She also has a lot of Ikea furnishings which have not held up well.

But you, the readers were quick to defend Ikea, so I may be off base here. (I’m a big girl and can admit when I’m wrong.)

I do believe that an Ikea scouting research trip is in order. (Although I highly doubt I’ll buy anything, as my buy nothing new stance is a mighty strong defense against retail.) I will re-address the Ikea crap vs. quality issue in a later column.

Until then, thank you to everyone who comments on the blog to keep me on the straight and narrow. I love ya!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Let's Play "Guess That Quote!"

by Katy on August 9, 2009 · 11 comments

whats-my-line

I like to keep an eye out for inspiration, which is sometimes found in the most unlikely of sources. The following quote jumped out at me yesterday:

“It’s about doing more this less, challenging convention, being careful with money and not letting a single thing go to waste (good for prices and the planet). . . . People who hate to throw money down the drain . . . . People who know the value of money and are prepared to work a little harder for what they believe in.”

Was this from:

  1. A pamphlet on voluntary simplicity
  2. A speech by Barack Obama
  3. 2010 Ikea catalog
  4. The Compact website
  5. A draft from The Non-Consumer Advocate book

If you guessed 3) 2010 Ikea catalog, then give yourself a pat on the back. It just goes to show you that great ideas and thoughts can be co-opted to sell the most irrelevant of goods. (Tell me again how fall-apart/ destined for the landfill particle board furniture is good “value for money?!”)

Having said all that . . . I still like the sentiment. At least Ikea employs some high quality copy writers.

And high quality writing is something I can believe in.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Thoughts on Cash for Clunkers

by Katy on August 8, 2009 · 13 comments

Cash For Clunkers

I have watched from afar the Cash for Clunkers program that rewards new car buyers either $3500 or $4500 towards purchasing more gas efficient vehicles. This government incentive is meant to stimulate the economy while moving the American public to dump their gas guzzlers.

It has been more successful than anyone could have imagined. (Obama and congress just added an extra 2 billion dollars to the program!) But could Cash for Clunkers have been designed to make more of a difference?

  • Car buyers have to trade in a vehicle that gets less than 18 miles per gallon, and have to buy a car that gets at least 22 miles per gallon.
  • SUV/truck/mini-van buyers have only to buy a new vehicle that get 1-2 miles per gallon more.

That’s setting the bar awfully low.

This could have been an opportunity to make a huge difference in moving Americans towards driving extremely fuel efficient vehicles. Instead it seems to be a program aimed more at new vehicle sales than anything environmentally inclined.

Of course, many people are going above and beyond the government requirements in exceeding the rules.

Today’s Oregonian newspaper had a really interesting article addressing the costs both financially and environmentally of the Cash for Clunkers programs.

Click here to read the ‘Clunkers’ Environmental Payoff Could Take Years article.

Have you taken advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Decorating on a Dime, or Less

by Katy on August 8, 2009 · 18 comments

Arts and Crafts Bungalow

While recently on staycation, one of the first things I did was to walk over to the public library and pull down an armload of decorating books. I love thumbing through these tomes, poring over the photos, ignoring the text and coming up with great ideas for my own home.

But here’s the thing, I’m not looking for inspiration for things to buy, I’m looking for ideas for what to do with what I already own. New ways to arrange the furniture, hang artwork, arrange tchotchkes and make the most of what already clutters up my home.

I used to get this fix from magazines, but I’m down to a single subscription, (The fabulous Oregon Home, whose art director is friend of mine.) But that’s actually worked out well, since books blessedly lack the advertising that gets in the way of what I’m really after — photos!

I am constantly moving things around in my house, which appears to be a family trait. I have multiple childhood memories of coming home from school to find that my mother had rearranged all the furniture. I naively assumed everyone’s mother spent her days lugging furniture from room to room, but it took a number of years into adulthood to realize that nope, it was just her.

I even took the liberty of arranging my sister’s living room furniture while house sitting for her last summer. My husband was worried she would be offended, but I assured him this was indeed a family thing.

I don’t have cable TV, but I have seen snippets of the HGTV decorating network while at work. And it is certainly fun to watch the makeovers, but the shows always involve buying new stuff, and mostly poor quality crap at that.

My method is to find functional furniture and household necessities, (preferably for free) that I can make do with until I find exactly what I want, (preferably for free or close to it.) By employing a patient mindset, I’ve been able to fill my 1914 arts and crafts bungalow with period appropriate furnishings and goods. I’m not going for a museum look, (as that would be highly dull and would hardly mesh well with the indoor soccer antics of my husband and sons) but an eclectic mix that’s surprisingly not that dissimilar from my mother’s style.

And that’s where a nice thick pile of library decorating books comes in handy. Gorgeous rooms, arranged by stylists, hopefully providing some inspiration for a poor old slob like myself.

I truly believe that beautiful homes are not just for the wealthy. Wonderful antiques and vintage furnishings are not that hard to locate in thrifts stores and garage sales. Not only are you saving money, but you’re buying a much higher quality product than you would be able to afford otherwise. If something has lasted for fifty plus years, it’s likely to last through your usage as well. Will Target and Ikea furniture last fifty years? Yeah. . .  I didn’t think so either.

Have you ever been caught arranging other people’s furniture while they vacation? Do you find yourself arranging other people’s homes in your head? Do you find inspiration in reading decorating books and magazines? Please share your stories in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Staycation, "Mad Men" Style

by Katy on August 6, 2009 · 12 comments

Katy Wolk-Stanley

I am currently on another Portland staycation, staying in one of my mother’s rental cottages in the Sellwood neighborhood. This may seem pointless to some, but is actually entirely relaxing. Cleaning this house means making the beds and loading the dishwasher. That’s it. (At home cleaning the entire house would be an all day endeavor.) Getting away from my hopelessly needy house is incredibly freeing.

So for me, a Sellwood staycation is a blessed break from the drudgery of home owndership.

Ideally, we should be out and about, experiencing our home city as a tourist would. In reality, we’re laying about and then sleeping in.

My younger son got invited to go to the beach with a friend’s family and my husband works nights, which means it was just my teenage son and myself. We went out for lunch, scoured two different libraries for Manga and even hit up one Goodwill, where he found a brand new looking Homer Simpson hoodie.

And then when we come home, my son lays in bed reading his books and I lay on the couch plodding my way through the second season of Mad Men. (Thank you On Demand cable TV!)

Food is simple yet tasty. Dinner last night was a loaf of ciabatta bread, a round of camembert cheese and a basket of strawberries. Tonight was a pan of Trader Joe’s enchiladas, heated in the microwave. Nothing is to be chopped, baked or peeled.

Alas, we head back home tomorrow, as my mother has a paying tenant en route. But I will head home relaxed, well rested and ready for the responsibilities of being a grown up. And I will not be exhausted from the travel home from an exotic location.

Have you ever vacationed at home? Please share your favorite actually relaxing vacations in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

P.S. Make your own Mad Men image at madmenyourself.com. I actually think it kind of captured me. Well . . .  except for the cigarette, which I just had to add!

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"How to Live on Nothing," a Review

by Katy on August 5, 2009 · 15 comments

We recently enjoyed the privilege of hosting Christopher, an old college chum and his family for a couple of nights. They were wonderful house guests bringing both engaging conversation and an armload of delicious looking home canned goods from their garden.

On the last evening, Christopher suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to give me one last hostess gift, which was an old dog eared paperback of Joan Ranson Shorney’s 1968 classic How to Live on Nothing.

How to Live on NothingI expected this book, which features a super hippy-dippy looking family on the cover to provide some laugh aloud material, but the information between the outdated covers proved to have  classic, never go out of style advice.

Quotes include:

“This is not to advocate thrift for thrift’s sake, nor is it the sentimentalization  of undernourishment as a source of inspiration. It is the advocacy of a method of lowering the high cost of living so that you can clear the path for what you really want — namely the good life.“

“When you use something ordinarily thrown away you can be extra proud –proud that that you’ve avoided spending money you cannot spare and proud that you’ve done the national economy a service by cutting down on our national vice — waste.”

” ‘Save on luxuries,’ said a wise man to me once, ‘and you’ll find that luxuries become necessities. To save money, you must save on what you consider necessities.’ “

Most of the book is specific advice on how to fix household belongings, make things last longer, and avoid living expensively. And yes, there is certainly a fair amount of laughably outdated tips such as what to do with empty typewriter ribbon boxes, (decal them and use for paperclips, snaps, thumbtacks, etc.) But most of this book is pretty much timeless.

Did this book teach me anything new? Not really, but it was still an entertaining read. And free entertainment is certainly a big part of a life aimed toward living on nothing.

Do you like to read old books and have one to recommend? Please share your sources in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Are You an American Idler?

by Katy on August 4, 2009 · 6 comments

The following is a reprint of a previously published post, (as the reference to $4 per gallon gasoline will tell you.) Enjoy!

anti-idling-pic

With the advent of $4+ per gallon gasoline in the U.S., many of us are re-thinking our driving habits. Can this errand wait? Should I walk or bike? How about public transportation? These are all great options to explore. But there will be times when most of us will continue to rev up.

The problem is, motorists in the U.S. idle their engines an average of 10 minutes per day.

According to the City of Portland, Office of Transportation, a single hour of car idling burns about one gallon of fuel and gets zero miles to the gallon. In fact, just 10 seconds of idling costs more and pollutes your immediate surroundings more than turning your car off and restarting it again.

Ten seconds? Wow — that’s less than your average red light!

Need more convincing? Consider these specifics, per the City of Portland, Office of Transportation.

“Vehicle emissions are the largest contributing factor to air pollution. The combustion of fossil fuels releases several types of air pollutants that are detrimental to our health. These include sulphur dioxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO) and other toxins contributing to the formation of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels.”

Here’s a partial solution. Next time you’re at that extended red light or picking up the kids from school, turn your car off.

You’ll be doing your wallet and the environment a favor.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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To Do — Write Blog

by Katy on August 3, 2009 · 16 comments

to-do list

When I was in college I was a big to-do list writer. I had a very specific format complete with small boxes to check off — it was highly satisfying. The sense of accomplishment filled me with a sense of grown-uppiness that comes with a job well done.

Fast forward twenty years and I have pretty much slacked off with the to-do lists. I know what needs to be done, and my status as a grown-up is no longer up in the air.

But when I start to get overwhelmed with the tasks of life, I whip out the ol’ list writing skills.

Laundry, clear off the air hockey table, water plants, check, check, check.

I have read online about all sorts of computerized ways to organize to do lists, but I don’t get it. What’s wrong with a good old fashioned piece of paper? It’s a perfect use for an old envelope, and slips easily into a back pocket.

A simple system with no downsides.

But then again, it’s kind of nice to not always be obsessing about all the things I need to do. I don’t enjoy that mindset, I kind of like feeling that not every minute needs to prove its usefulness.

Which is why I write fewer and fewer lists, yet am perfectly okay with my sense of accomplishment. And I’m pretty darned sure that I have reached the pinnace of grown-uppiness.

Are you a compulsive to-do list writer? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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When Free is Too Expensive

by Katy on August 1, 2009 · 21 comments

free-signIf there’s one things that unites all income levels, it’s getting something for nothing. Whether it’s garbage picking a perfectly good mop, (guilty as charged) or getting a swag bag while attend the Oscar ceremonies, it’s hard to turn down a freebie.

But in a society where one in every ten Americans has overflowed their belongings into a self storage unit, should we be looking for more, more, more belongings?

I live in a pretty big home, it’s four large bedrooms plus a full basement and a large unfinished room at the back of the house. There should be enough room for all of our stuff and still allow for a bit of an echo.

Such is not the case.

My husband used to have his own commercial photography studio which he closed down eight years ago, this meant a whole lotta stuff entered our house. He was pretty good about selling off the majority of the furniture, but there’s still a large amount of photography equipment gathering dust in that back bedroom. He’s also the equipment manager for our local soccer club, which has over 1000 players, which means that goals, nets, T-shirts, first aid kits and other flotsam spill forth from our basement.

Our great big house is filled to the brim.

So what does this have to do with free stuff being too expensive?

Our backyard neighbors moved out of their rental house due to the landlord not paying her mortgage, and left a lot of stuff, (okay — crap) behind. The landlord unceremoniously dumped all of it onto the parking strip in front of the house, and propped a “free” sign against it all.

I knew it was there but really felt like:

  • These lovely tenants got a raw deal, and I shouldn’t  look to benefit from their misfortune.
  • I have enough stuff in my house, and shouldn’t be looking to accumulate even one. More. Thing.

My steely resolve lasted until around 3:00 P.M. when I strolled over to check it out. I daintily picked through the stuff and found:

  • A snap-on lid for a Pyrex bowl.
  • A sprinkler.
  • A vintage wire basket, meant for flowers that is currently holding vegetables.
  • A vintage pressed glass creamer.
  • A dish towel.
  • A couple of Country Home magazines, which I secretly really like.
  • A plastic deck chair, which I will use in the backyard while we have house guests this week and then give away when they’re gone.

This may seem like I exercised little restraint, but I actually did. There was a decent couch, which would have been a nice addition to my 13-year-old’s band practice space in the basement, as well as countless other tempting tidbits.

As I browsed the piles, at least four people stopped their cars to have a look. I felt that most of the usable items would go home with those lucky enough to have chosen this route.

I could easily have found much, much more to bring home, because hey — it’s free! But what would be the actual cost of adding that much more crap into my life? A house that requires too much work to keep clean and tidy, that’s what!

I have worked very hard to declutter my home, and I am not going to let all that effort go to waste just because there’s an enormous free pile a few steps from my house.

That, my fellow Non-Consumers is a price I am unwilling to pay.

Make sure to watch Annie Leonard’s Story of Stuff as a reminder as to why the buy more, more, more mentality has got to change. It’s twenty minutes long, but worth every minute.

Do you have a hard time turning down stuff when it’s free? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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