goddess of thrift

Thrift 101 -- The Door or the Curtain? (Lesson 4)

     The game show host appears ageless . . . a feat he accomplished, you suspect, more from selective surgeries than flawless lifestyle choices.  "JOE!" He booms, in a voice which reaches the far corners of the audience, "Which will it be . . . the DOOR, or the CURTAIN???"  The background din of voices yelling "door" or "curtain" sounds, in your head, like the pounding of the surf.  You have to give the right answer . . . you want to win the best prize . . . which will you choose?  You know that if you make a lame decision, it will haunt you for the rest of your life . . .

     The force against the middle of your chest knocks the air from your lungs, as your overweight feline alerts you of feeding time.  You have never been so thankful to be jolted awake by Bonzo (even though you suspect it would be in his best interest to skip a few meals.) It was just a dream!  You don't have to worry about making the wrong decision!  You can stagger out of bed, and into your day, with the comforting thought that you didn't screw up your future, after all.

     Every one of us wants the best life possible for ourselves and those we love.  We are careful (usually) to select occupations which match our skills, friends who share our interests, and mates with whom we will share (we hope) a lifetime of compatibility.  While we may have stumbled upon a career direction or relationship accidentally, we usually give a fair amount of thought to the large life decisions we make.

     When it comes to spending money, however, we are often negligent in weighing our choices.  A new six-panel door will enhance the curb appeal of the house . . .the beige damask curtains will really dress up the living room.  We often make our purchasing decisions guided by our hearts, not our heads, without really considering what other options might have been available.

     The great thing is, as Americans, we have a huge range of choices available to us.  The frightening thing is, as Americans, we have a tendency to buy the door without ever looking behind the curtain.  How does this apply to thrift, a spending plan, and meeting our financial goals?  At some point we have to acknowledge, for our own good, that every spending choice we make affects every other spending choice we make.  Only a minute percentage of us have unlimited spending options . . . although many of us live as if we do.  By allowing our goals, rather than our impulses, to direct our choices, we have the potential to actually meet our goals.

     So, now that you have tracked your actual spending for the past month, review your expenditures in light of the list of goals you set.  Remember, these are your goals, the big picture of what you really want for your life.  To the list of expenditures you tracked last month, add any category which wasn't on the list, but which you want to add as one of your financial goals (such as saving for your child's college fund.)  Look at each category of spending, and give it a grade:  A, if the spending amount is in line with your goals; B, if you want to keep the category but alter the amount to come nearer to your goals, or C, if you want or need to eliminate the category completely in order to put that money toward meeting your goals.  The C category may include items you can lose right away, like a magazine subscription you never read, or the cigarettes you have been wanting to eliminate from your lifestyle.  It may also include consumer debt, which you will need to phase out as you pay off your balance.

     Now, create your plan.  After you have deducted the individual amounts of the A-list items from your monthly take-home pay, divide the remaining money across B items you want to keep but reduce, and C items you want to eliminate, but need to phase out.  If the numbers don't work at first, don't quit.  Take a deep breath, and rework the numbers until you spend on paper what you have made, but not a cent more.  Remember, this is about your goals, and a goal-driven plan, to be successful, must make those goals a financial priority.

     Once you have the spending plan in place, you can start applying other thrift strategies which will make your numbers work.  For now, tough it out through the planning stage, knowing that making a plan is the first step in following a plan.  After you have your master plan (budget) completed, we will look at allowing for monthly variables, and at individual categories where changing the way you spend can free up more dollars to make your goals, over time, a reality.

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

10 Easy Ways to Find More Money to Give

     (I initially wrote this post a few hours before attending Dave Ramsey's "Town Hall for Hope", and was encouraged to hear him urging those listening to find more ways to give to others.  I would attribute my apparent clairvoyance to my status as a small-g goddess, but actually, giving is part of the mission of each and every Christian.)

     We would all like to be more generous with others, but often feel like there is no extra cash to donate to worthy causes.  If we look closely at our ongoing expenditures, however, most of us can find numerous places to identify money to share with those in need.  Consider the following: 

 l)  Skip one meal (fast), or have the entire family skip a meal.  Use the normal meal time to give thanks for all you have, and to pray for those in need.  Set aside the money you would have spent and donate it.  (Just don't binge on double the food at the following meal!) 

 2)  Ride-share, carpool, or cluster errands into fewer trips.  Calculate how much you would have spent on travel expenses and set it aside to donate.

 3)  Share a DVD rental service (like Netflix) with a friend, neighbor or co-worker, and split the cost.  You will both need to be considerate about sharing and prompt return of materials, but you will also both save money.  OR. . .

 4)  Rent DVD's from the library at no charge, and donate what you would have spent on rentals.  You may have to wait a little longer to view recent releases, but most libraries purchase new releases shortly after they hit the market.  Of course, if you're not good about returning things on time, this one might not be for you.

 5)  If you regularly eat out after church or other meetings with friends, plan a pot-luck instead, and have everyone in the group donate the money they would have spent on the restaurant meal to a designated charity.  This could become a monthly tradition, and friends could take turns hosting.  If four couples normally spend $30 each on restaurant meals, this could provide over $100 to a local food pantry, drop-in program, or para-church ministry.

 6)  Depending on your normal spending, shave $5 - $10 (or more) from your monthly clothing budget, entertainment budget and/or grocery budget, and set it aside to donate.  You'll probably find that you won't miss that small amount for just one month, and you can feel good about helping others with it.

 7)  Be more diligent about turning off lights, unplugging unused electronics (using "phantom loads",) running the dryer for the shortest cycle possible (and getting clothing out right away so you don't need to repeatedly "fluff" them), and doing only full loads of dishes in the dishwasher.  Figure the savings over what you would normally spend, and donate it.  You'll also be more environmentally conscious by reducing your energy usage at the same time!

 8)  If you buy lottery tickets (I won't go into what I think about lottery tickets!) cut your normal purchases in half and donate the difference.  Or, designate a time period to forgo purchasing tickets completely, and donate that amount.  When you give to others, you win every time!

 9)  Find ways to borrow things instead of needing to own them.  Share tools with friends, download only music you absolutely love (and borrow/lend CD's and downloads,) and check books and magazines out of the library.  The fewer magazines you purchase, the more money you will save, and you won't need to recycle them or, worse, send them to the landfill.

10)  Identify the ongoing luxury purchases in your life, and reduce your consumption of those items in order to donate the difference.  If you crave Godiva, will a Hershey bar do?  Or can you purchase the Godiva only half as frequently?  You don't have to eliminate all luxuries, but limiting them in order to share with others will give you (almost) the same sense of gratification as consuming them yourself, and the sacrifice of a luxury can help to provide a necessity for someone in need.

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

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Apple Sausage Dinner

     This is a good meal for autumn, but the weather has made it feel more like November than April here lately, so I guess it really works any time of year!  The apples give the sausage a wonderful flavor.

Prepare and place in 3-quart slow cooker/Crock Pot:

4  medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cut in eighths

4  carrots, peeled and cut in about 6 chunks

2 - 3   red onions, cut in eighths (or you can substitute white or yellow onions if you prefer)

Stir vegetables together and season with:

1/2  t  salt

Cut into about 5 pieces, and layer on top of vegetables:

1 16-20 oz.  pkg.  Polish sausage or smoked sausage

Place on top of sausage:

5  apples, cored and cut into chunks  (I like Granny Smith or another firm variety)

Pour over all:

1 c  apple juice

Cover and cook on low 8 - 10 hours, or on high 3 - 4 hours.  Serves 5.

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

On Service and Money. . .

     "To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity."

--Douglas Adams

From a Christian Perspective: Thrift and Legacy

     In their recent book, "Spend 'til The End", economics professor Laurence J. Kotlikoff and finance columnist Scott Burns ask the question, "Why work hard your whole life and die without spending what you have earned?"  Despite the title of the book, I was stunned by this question.  Spending, it seems, at least in the minds of these authors, is the ultimate goal of a lifetime of hard work.  Kotlikoff and Burns continue with the assumption that "We want to live at the highest and safest [financial] level given our resources and tolerance for risk. " ("Spend 'til The End", p.19.)

     Given our culture's penchant for personal gratification, this point of view shouldn't come as a surprise.  As Americans, we have an almost endless supply of goods and services available to meet every need, want, whim and level of spending.  We can buy high-end, sexy techno-gadgets which will guide us to the best sushi bars, help us remember birthdays and locate our cars when we forget where we parked.  (You want duck sauce for your spring roll?  There's an ap for that.)  I'm not saying that it's evil to purchase or own one of these gadgets; I wouldn't mind owning one myself.  But if our goals include spending every dime we ever make to own every item we ever want, to live at the highest standard of living possible, we will have no difficulty finding companies and individuals who will assist us in meeting that goal.  And, at the "end", we'll have a really, really big, really cool pile of 'stuff'.

     Now, obviously, money exists for a purpose, and I am not suggesting that it is to be hoarded.  Neither do I believe that leaving a huge chunk of money to our children is always in their best interest.  The inheritance described in Old Testament times was often one of land and livestock, and insured against widows and their children becoming destitute, with no means of provision.  Yes, wealth was considered a blessing from God, and it still is.  But the legacy we are to leave our children is as much one of Godly character as anything else.  There is a blessing inherent in that legacy which extends far beyond mere purchasing power.

     Each of us will, at some point, reach his last day of life.  As much as we might sometimes wish, there is no quantity of "Anti-aging cream" which can forestall that fact.  We're all gonna die.  Up until that point, we have resources of time, health, money, energy and talent which we can hoard, invest or squander.  Up until that point, we can indulge our cravings and seek an ever-increasing standard of living, or we can invest our resources in things that are eternal.  We can deliberately limit our standards of living through thrift in order to have more to share, or spend all that we have on our personal, momentary pleasure, amassing an ever-enlarging pile of stuff.  But Jesus warned us:  "Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot."  (Luke 12:15b, MSG)

    So, how will we define our lives?  Rather than spending until the end, let's choose to invest until the end. I pray that we will choose to use all of our resources wisely, not simply for our own pleasure and comfort, but also to help others . . . to make the world a better place . . . to pour ourselves into the advancement of the Kingdom of God, on earth as it is in heaven.  Let's leave a legacy of sharing and service and pass it on to our children, to the glory of our Lord and Savior.

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

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Thrift 101 -- Locate Your 'Whereabouts' (Lesson 3)

     It's 1:30 in the afternoon on a beautiful June day.  You are walking -- well, staggering, really -- having just gotten off of the "Lunch Launcher".  You're supposed to meet the rest of the group at 2:00 to ride the "Hurl-A-Meal", which you have a vague idea is roughly located at the opposite side of the park.  Finally, you see what you've been searching for:  a giant map showing all of Banners Over America, with a big yellow star marked "You Are Here."

     If your goal is to find a group of people in a large, unfamiliar place, it is extremely helpful to refer to a map. Along the same vein, if you are trying to make a major change in  how you approach your finances, you are not likely to experience success until you first determine where you currently are.  This "you are here" of personal finance is the record of your current spending habits.

     I know, I know . . . everyone doesn't enjoy numbers, or working with details, or keeping records . . . that basically describes me.  But I also know that you can't get where you want to go financially unless you first figure out where you have gone, or, more precisely, where your money has gone.  This means you have to keep track of your spending, keeping receipts and recording any spending for which you don't receive a receipt.  You can't figure out if you are overspending on egg rolls if you don't record the fact that you purchase them, on average, four times a week. (I don't blame you . . . I love egg rolls . . .but this isn't really about me.)  So your starting place, to determine your financial 'whereabouts', is to track your spending . . . each and every dime.  Do this for a minimum of one full calendar month. 

     The next step, once you have tracked your consumption spending, is to list your living expenses which occur on a repeating basis.  Calculate those which occur regularly -- every month -- and those which occur irregularly, like semi-annual insurance premiums or quarterly water bills.  Look at your checkbook register, or several past bank statements, to make sure you haven't left anything out, like seasonal sports fees or gift expenditures for June graduations.

     Finally, on a master sheet, assign categories for all of your spending -- from utility bills to egg rolls -- and total the amounts you have spent for that month in each category.  This is your current financial "you are here".  Now that you have a picture of where you are, your next step will be to evaluate your current spending in light of your goals.  We'll discuss that in Lesson 4.  But first, a note of caution. . .

     If you really want to meet your long term goals, you have to tell yourself the truth.  It doesn't move you any closer to your ideal spending plan (or your ideal dietary plan) if you lie to yourself about how many egg rolls you eat.  This is about you making changes that will benefit you by helping you spend your money in sync with your goals.  No one is saying you can't eat egg rolls.  It is up to you, and you alone, to figure out how many you can purchase in light of your other priorities.  So be honest about the egg rolls, and all of the other expenditures you have made.  In the next step, you can determine how much money to put in each category of your spending plan.  For now, let your financial map sit for a day or two.  We'll return to it soon.

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

On Spending and Your Life . . .

     "Lives, like money, are spent.  What are you buying with yours?"

--Roy H. Williams

Thrifty Taco Seasoning Mix

     Many pre-packaged taco seasonings contain MSG, which I try not to use.  This mix is versatile for a variety of Mexican-style dishes -- I use it in my homemade burritos, which I make up in bulk and freeze.  2 Tablespoons of this mix is the equivalent of one of those pre-mixed packets.  I purchase my spices in bulk at an Amish Market or Health Food Store for a fraction of grocery store prices.  The oregano is a perennial herb, and easy to grow in the garden.

Combine in a bowl:

1/4 c  cumin

1/4 c  paprika

1/4 c  chili powder

2 T  powdered oregano

2 T  garlic powder

2 T  onion powder

Combine spices well and place in an air-tight container.  This makes the equivalent of 7 packets of mild to medium taco seasoning, depending on the spiciness of your chili powder.  To increase the heat, you may add:

1/2 t - 1 t cayenne pepper or

1 T  crushed chili flakes

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

  

Thrift and the Garden -- The Plant Swap

     If you garden for food, as a hobby, or both, you know that spending money on new plants each season can put a serious crimp in your budget.  But chances are that you know other gardeners in your neighborhood, at work or at church, and gardening is a pastime where using your network can really save cash.

     First, establish a few contacts you know who regularly garden, and ask each of them to identify a fellow gardener who isn't already on your list.  Set a date in mid-Spring, and host a plant swap.  Give everyone you contact enough advance notice to have time to identify and pot up extra plants they have to exchange . . . self-sown annuals, perennials which are ready to divide (or take over,) runners from strawberry plants, and so on.  You may have had extraordinary success with germinating a specific type of seed, and have an abundance of marigold or coleus plants.  Label each plant or cell-pack of seedlings for easy identification, and if you have a rare or unusual plant, consider typing up a short description of care and habit.

     The actual swap is a time to encourage generosity, and unless someone seems extremely abusive, don't worry about how many plants each person takes . . . the only requirement is that they bring something to share.  This initial swap is also a good time to exchange e-mail addresses (in case anyone has specific plant questions) and plan your seed purchases for the next season.

     Plan now for next Spring???  No, you don't have to nail down all of your growing intentions for next year's garden, but if two of you always grow bell peppers and Roma tomatoes from seed, now is a time to think about each of you growing more of one plant, and then swapping them next season for the others you need.  You both save time and the money spent on seeds.  You may also find that, by planning ahead, you have the opportunity to propagate cuttings from some of your more established plants, like flowering shrubs. 

     If a number of the people in your swap have an abundance of the same plants every season, you can also consider joining together to have a community plant sale after next year's swap.  This can provide a great way for you and your fellow gardeners to make money to buy a few new plants without affecting your regular budgets, and at the same time, multiply your plant collections for future swaps!  Happy gardening!

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Thrift and Setting Limits

     There are those weeks -- all of us have them occasionally -- when the "to-do list" seems insurmountable.  (I typically experience this at tax time!)  The daily routine becomes a tightly choreographed series of maneuvers with little room for error.  One unexpected delay can suddenly push everything else past deadline.  There may be some people who flourish with that type of schedule . . . who thrive on cramming each day as full as possible . . . but I suspect that most of us feel somewhat overwhelmed in the midst of that kind of week, and relieved when the checklist of tasks is complete.

     What causes these frantic times of juggling commitments?  Sometimes the needs of others take precedence over other duties, and we re-work our schedules to meet them.  We drive grandma to her doctor's appointment, or return DVDs to the video store for a neighbor whose kids are sick.  Other times we run into a busy season . . . a temporary phase when the demands of work, school, illness and holiday shopping all need to be met simultaneously.  But often, we find that we're chronically busy because we're afraid, or unwilling, to say "no". . . to ourselves or to others.

     This inability to set and accept limits applies not only to our time, but also to spending, acquisition, and 'expansion'.  We spend to have more time-saving devices, yet later realize that they often require time to be used, maintained, stored, and eventually 'off-loaded'.  If we don't regularly edit our "stuff", we spend more money to rent storage space to capture and hold our excess.  If no amount of improvement ever satisfies us, our homes, wardrobes, gardens, automobiles and hobbies continue to expand to fill -- and spill beyond -- all available time and space.

     While it may seem restrictive to set limits for ourselves, it can actually be freeing.  With five acres of property, my husband and I could be tempted to create another garden bed (or ten), mow a larger area of "lawn" (I use this term loosely, because in our world, "lawn" is anything relatively green and uniformly short enough to walk on) or expand one of the existing structures.  Yet every expansion requires additional expenditures of time, money and energy to create it and maintain it.  At some point, we have to ask ourselves, when are we done?

     Setting reasonable limits for the expenditures of our energy, money and time isn't always easy.  It's hard not to be tempted by the "new" and the "different".  But every time we consider adding anything to our lives, whether it is a time commitment, an acquisition or an upgrade, we need to first remember that everything has a cost.  Setting reasonable limits on the costs we are willing to pay to acquire, expand, maintain and people-please can release us from the frenzy we experience when we're over-committed and over-spent.  We can have time, money and energy left for things that really matter.  And the greatest thing we save may be our sanity.  I could certainly use more of that.

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

More On Money and Happiness . . .

     "Money doesn't make you happy.  I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million."

--Arnold Schwarzenegger

Curried Chicken Vegetable Soup

     Yesterday was one of those chilly, blustery spring days when you question if warm weather is ever coming . . . a good day for a good pot of soup. This soup has just a hint of curry flavor -- if you love curry, or like more heat, you can double the curry powder.  Of course, some curry powders are hotter than others.  My goddess of thrift test panel (okay, my friends in my bi-weekly Friday small group) gave it rave reviews.

Melt in a large stockpot:

1/4 c  butter  (or substitute oil if you prefer)

Saute in butter until just soft:

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large red onion, diced

Add and saute one minute:

1 T  curry powder

1 t  cumin

Add to pot and bring to a boil:

8 c  water

3 medium red potatoes, scrubbed & cubed

3 carrots, sliced

2 ribs celery, diced

2 T  chicken broth powder (non-MSG bouillon)

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 t salt

Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Return soup to a boil and add:

2 c  diced zucchini

2 c  chopped broccoli

2 - 3 c  diced, cooked chicken

Cook an additional 10 - 15 minutes, until broccoli is tender but still bright green.  Makes 5 quarts.  I usually make this when I get broccoli and zucchini on sale -- the other vegetables I purchase on sale or at Aldi to keep the cost down.  Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission. 

On Money and Wealth . . .

     "You aren't wealthy until you have something money can't buy."

--Garth Brooks

Thrift 101 -- Circle the Date (Lesson 2)

     You now have listed your dreams and goals, and have chosen a fairly easy, short-term goal.  But before you launch a strategy to measure and meet that goal, let's talk attitude.

     Millions of people end the year each December wanting to see changes in their lives.  They over-eat during the holidays, or over-spend.  They know their health could be better, along with their relationships, their organizational skills, or their marketability as employees.  They realize that they need to make some changes, so they pick the category which is bugging them most at the moment, and turn it into a New Year's resolution.

     If you check back with most of these people in February, they have long since abandoned their resolutions and reverted to their previous behavior.  But if you examine the situation more closely, something else has happened.  By loosing their resolve, they have also reinforced the belief that they really can't change that specific area of their lives, making future success even less likely. 

     I believe that much of this failure is due to the fact that the motivation to change, in the first place, was a vague feeling that they should, with no real awareness of a personal goal which would be met by making that change.  Thus, we return to the dream.  If you look ahead to the end of your life, how important will your personal dream have been?  In order to commit to a dream which requires a change of behavior, the dream has to matter . . . it has to be essential to who you are.  Once you realize that this commitment is about who you are becoming as a person, you can focus on taking the individual steps needed to make the change without loosing your resolve to turn your dream into reality.

     Once you have committed to your dream, circle the date on your calendar.  Decide that, from that day forward, you will do what it takes to meet your dream.  Find someone of like mind, and share your dream with them . . . and ask them to gently but firmly hold you accountable to making that dream a reality.

     Now you need to break the dream into pieces.  Build some easy successes for yourself by making some small changes.  If you spend too much eating out, and want to save some of that money for a college fund for your newborn, cut out one restaurant dinner this week and open a savings account right away with the money you set aside, even if it's only $10.00--$20.00.  You can move the money to a better investment later . . . the idea is to begin.  Gradually trim additional restaurant meals until you find a level where your short-term spending lines up with your long-term plan.  If you're tempted to lose your resolve, remember your commitment . . . and picture your child graduating 22 years from now with no college debt. Not only are you providing resources for future expenses, but you are becoming a person who made the commitment to give your child the best opportunities possible.

--Susan Rodebush  © 2009

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.