Breaking Even

My First Visit To Trader Joe's

When I lived on Vinalhaven, I discovered Trader Joe's. No, there was no store on the island but my house was stocked: condiments, pasta, spices... all with this brand name on them. I later found out my landlord's wife worked for the company. He told me to eat/use whatever I wanted in the house (I was going to be living there full time for a few years) so I did. First the marinated peppers and then the whole grain pasta... by the time I left, there was a little salt and pepper left but that was about it.  

Trader Joe's was good but felt very unattainable to me. Primarily, it's a city thing (and not online because they want to be your neighborhood store). Since it is a larger city thing, there are none in Maine. I didn't think I'd ever get to one. 

Well that all changed today folks. I'm in Boston for the weekend and since I brought my car this time, I helped my buddy Ally go grocery shopping at Trader Joe's. 

First of all, the tropical theme kind of struck me. "Are they all like this?" I asked. It seemed to put the pizazz back in grocery shopping. Then I started looking through the aisles.

I went to pay and the price was very reasonable. For example, the Emergence-C I usually buy at my local natural food store is normally around $15. At Trader Joe's, it was $8. Luna Bars that are normally $1.25 at the natural food store were $.99. Trader Joe's doesn't use coupons of have sales; according to the website, they just try to buy direct, keep corporate costs low, and sell perishables when they are in season. The result is that I looked at the prices and in addition to seeing a low unit price, nutritional information was prominently featured. Cheap and good, just how I like my food. 

In addition to having some staples that I always need (like a Vitamin C beverage), Trader Joe's seems like a good place to go if you need some fun appetizer to bring to a party. Thai lemon spiced cashews definitely went in my cart and perhaps if you throw a party and invite me, I'll bring them!

So I was happy to help out a friend and have my first Trader Joe's experience. I would have liked to get more frozen stuff to bring home but next time, I guess I'll have to bring a cooler. 

Are you similarly in awe and admiration of Trader Joe's?

Having Way Too Much Fun With Food

The following guest post was written by Randy Devost, my high school penpal and good dear friend. He lives in Quebec, where he lives a cool French and artistic existence. You can email him at randy.devost at gmail.com.

My General Philosophy on Food: I believe most Americans live on a “snacking” diet. Instead of trying to change that by starving ourselves with bland vegetables, “diet” products, and the absence of food, we ought to indulge in healthier snacks! Certain drinks and foods, along with a rigorous weekly exercise of one’s choice, can improve our health enormously.

·        Make your own Italian Sodas! Buying a case of Schweppes brand soda water and adding Torani syrups is an economic and healthy way to enjoy a gourmet soda.

·        For the brave and experimental: mixing teas with floral water, large tapioca pearls, juices, sugars, yogurts, gelatins, milk, spices, etc. (I inspire from Pearl Milk Tea and Lassi drinks.) The goal is to make the most exotic and intoxicating non-alcoholic drink possible.

·        I learned this one from my Mexican friends—a bag of apples with Tajin fruit seasoning is a great way to spice up the ordinary!

·        Forage for your food! Referring to traditional Native American gastronomy is often helpful. (Here’s a list I came up with for us Mainers. We should grow the list as big as possible!)

o       Clams

o       Perrywinkles

o       Mussels

o       Sea Urchin

o       Blueberries

o       Strawberries

o       Dandylion greens

o       Hazlenuts

o       Beach nuts

o       Choke cherries

o       Wild apples

o       Mushrooms

o       Fiddleheads

o       Raspberries

o       Blackberries

o       Wild spices

·        Snacking on toast is cheap! Cheap! Cheap! Depending on the “bread and spread” you use, it can be relatively healthier, and less costly, than a slice of cake or a bowl of ice cream. Here are some spreads I’ve enjoyed over the years:

 

SWEET: butter & Nutella, Peanut butter & fluff, Peanut butter & mollases, Tahini & honey, Butter & cinnamon sugar,

SAVORY: Vegemite, Creton, Hummus,Veggie patés, Cheese-Whiz, Brie or Camembert cheese

·        Popcorn doesn’t have to be boring or bland! I prefer popping popcorn using the classic air popper or even in a pan on a stove. Here are some of my favorite toppings:

 

o       Grated parmesan cheese

o       Lawry’s brand season salt

o       Chili powder

o       Jalapeno oil

o       Sesame oil

o       Black pepper

o       Cayenne

o       Sugar

 

Got any snacks to share? Do tell!

Nicole's State Of The Economy Address

I'll be the first to admit that I have little to no-pull in terms of making people think one thing or the other about the economy. I do, however, come to a point where I have collected some cool links that just need to be shared.

I'll cover the economy in seperate sectors of the agreed-upon needs of all people: Food, Water, Clothing, Shelter, and Love (and I'll throw in Government just for fun!).

Food

Food price inflation may not be as bad as we thought (check out inflation explained at Debt-Free Revolution). I also read a completely hilarious blog about media mass hysteria about food prices meanwhile the average barbeque meal only cost $1.65 more than last year... if you know who wrote this post let me know, because I lost the link! Even the Wall Street Journal has reported rice futures going down.

Water

My friend Sarah sent me this fabulous SIGG water bottle for my birthday. It is amazing. It keeps my water cold and crisp and does not leave a plastic aftertaste in my mouth...and, of course, it's refillable. I don't normally endorse products but here's the store if you want to buy one.

Clothing

Apparently, the New York Times is having a hard time believing that Sarah Jessica Parker's newish Bitten line of clothes is so wonderful. They seem to think that attraction towards inexpensive clothes is a phenomenon in these economic times. Those of us who love women's magazines though have seen a "Bitten" example in every issue for at least the past year. Ok slight exaggeration but SJP (and women wanting cute cheap clothes) is here to stay.

Feeling left out menfolk? Please don't: LL Cool J has got your back! (from USAToday.com)

Shelter

If you want to understand how this whole housing debaucle happened, listen to this hour-long program from This American Life. Great storytelling, which you can expect from TAL but makes this whole thing way more understandable.

And if you're a renter, feel free to get angry. Read this fabulous post by Baglady to see why this housing crisis will effect us all whether we rent or not.

Love

Ah, poor Anne Heche. She may love her kids but can't afford to pay child support. OK, if she can't afford it, I think that pretty much lets everyone else off the hook, too. (I have no sympathy for celebrities who make more money in one day then I have in five years then waste their money. Where I'm from we call that gaspilleuse!)(from People.com)

But in the good news bin about love, people apparently love and appreciate small businesses enough to actually pay in a pay-as-you-wish situation. (from Freakonomics blog)

And according to a recent Gallup poll,almost 50% of us are happy and thriving. How happy? People are working on an index for that! (from Freakonomics blog)

Government

Haven't spent your new government stimulus check on a new Wii or a crazy night in Vegas? Good for you! Here are some more productive things to do with it. (from Mighty Bargain Hunter)

And guess what? The government is doing something about credit card companies (from Debt-Free Revolution).

Need even more government fun? Now you can actually prove if you could do a better job then your Congress people. Balance the federal budget...it's a new game called Budget Hero. (Freakonomics blog)

To summarize: things may or may not be as awful as we thought, but we certianly can't control everything. Might as well smile and wave...

Image from www.shorpy.com.

 

I Want My (Internet) TV

Online Television Not The Real Thing Yet But Will Do In A Pinch

We are lucky enough that television (or at least websites with television-like qualities) is making it's way online. Great for people like me who don't want to pay for high speed internet and cable (guess which one won out for me?) Let's check out our options, shall we?

YouTube, Metacafe, Videojug, etc.

Idea: User submited (and theoretically user generated) videos; ability to rate the videos and sometimes embed them into your own website; you can make one video or a hundred.

The Pros: Short enough to "sneak a quick one", easy to keep clicking from one to the next

The Cons: Often short, sometimes crappy, highly addictive to some people

My Take: I don't like these kind of videos. Nerve Scanner, a blog I love, is great about getting the coolest, funniest ones off the web. I'm not patient enough to watch a bunch of ok videos to find one good one. (Meanwhile Sean will watch YouTube karate videos for hours, though he also likes people being clumsy). To each his own I suppose.

iTunes, or any online location for video podcasts

Idea: User generated and submitted content; like a audio podcast, you can subscribe and get all the episodes; most often a series (it's kind of a commitment). Also, iTunes often has a free television episode every week if you are looking for something random.

The Pros: Usually when people commit to making a series of videos, they are more commited to it then the average person. You can expect content that was thought about at the very least, and if you like what you see, you can see more on the same subject by the same people. Easily loadable on the newer iPods.

The Cons: Sometimes videos seem a little more on the informative side and a little less on the fun side. Sometimes podcasts also just "disappear" (as in they stop being updated with no explanation).

My take: I don't count on anything from iTunes. I use it to learn something (like I love the WhoWhatWear Daily video podcast) and when I go on a trip, I'll download some free television for entertainment. Other then that, not much iTunes for me. 

SurftheChannel.com (from Comment faire de l'argent...en economisant)

Idea: A central place you can go online to watch all your favorite shows... and shows you didn't even know existed (hello, "Make Me A Supemodel"!)

The Pros: Hundreds of shows (everything from Little House On The Prarie to Will and Grace) and by hundreds of shows I don't mean just different shows. There are over 300 LHOTP episodes! You can take the experience to full screen too.

The Cons: It takes awhile to load full screen (so just get up and make popcorn while you wait). The quality is also a little bad. Oh and sometimes the videos have distracting subtitles:

My Take: If I'm bored some Friday night and want to watch a little bit of "Make Me A Supermodel" to test drive it, I will. If I really like the show, I may rent a DVD of a season of it. This is the closest thing to a cable experience I can have at this point.

ABC, NBC, (Television Network websites in general), Hulu

Idea: Networks, not wanting to lose their audience or potential for online revenue, have moved some of their shows online. The good news is sometimes independent companies (like hulu) are thinking of better ways of bringing the episodes to the average computer.

Pros: Video quality is usually good, automatically blowing up to full screen well. Full length shows!

Cons: If you have a five year old (and on it's last leg) laptop, your video card may not be up to snuff. I could only watch about 5-10 seconds of any NBC show before my computer spaced out. 

My take: If I had a good enought video card, this would actually be the closest thing to a cable experience for me.

Image from blogsmonroe.com, Check out a post about Hulu here.

 

So the good news is, if you want a television experience, it can happen online. It certainly does have a little bit of a ways to go to make it similar to a real television experience though. If none of what I've listed above works for you, here is someone who has done enough research to rank each site and list what's available in table format.

Review of MaineCreates.com

I met Matt Zito at that SMBIZ4ME Conference I went to last week. I had done a little work before with Maine's Creative Economy (one of my old bosses is on the Maine Arts Commission). I enjoyed talking with him and the idea of having a place online to connect with other people in Maine who have similar "creative" work. (Myspace is great for music and film but kind of leaves out other professions as far as major networking opportunities.)

Here is my take on www.mainecreates.com.

The Bad

The site is a little cumbersome (I have been trying to add to my ideas unsuccessfully for about ten minutes, though I am admittedly not the most web-saavy person). It is hard to browse for something unless you know specifics. For example, I can look at all the cabinetmakers on the site or all people in Ellsworth but there seems to be no "here's everyone" place on the site (you have to select one user at a time). The very specificness of the categories also makes it on one hand, easy to glimpse what people specialize in but on the other, harder to just "run into" people.

The other thing about the site is you can only have 10 connections total. (That seems to mean ten people/profiles, though I'm able to send messages to people I'm not connected to, it just involves an extra step). Limiting the number of connections seems odd; the more connections you make on a social networking site, the longer you stay on it, right? I'm also unsure about how the site determines my "possible connections". Is it by location, or perhaps similar work?

And the site will start charging for access after a year. Hopefully, the revenue can be generated by advertising or some other way besides charging users in the future.

The Good (Because despite my long paragraphs above, the site is mostly good)

Mainecreates.com is clearly a site with a lot of thought put into it (both in design and information organizing). This is clear because people are joining it in addition to myself. (It's less than a month old.) The creative economy is a dynamic part of Maine that needs to be celebrated and needs to connect people.

On a more selfish end, I enjoyed how easy it was for me to create a profile as well as how easy I found people I knew (or people I want to know). If you live in Maine and have a creative job, sign up for an account. It's free and you might meet some people to collaborate with.

I also see that Matt is taking every opportunity to present this site to people (he wasn't impatient talking to me at all, even though I'm just one blogger). The guts to go out on a limb for people who don't have a ton of money but need representation (I'm guessing most creative folks in Maine do their craft as a supplement to their income).

So spread the word about this website if you know someone who could benefit.

Liked this post? See related post: Getting Up In My Business (SMBIZ4ME Conference)...

Are You Twitter-petered?

Behold The Addictiveness of Twitter And You Too Can Have One More Website To Check

For those of us who are online a lot (or just like being online), it's fun to have a few websites you can visit and have a good time with while feeling as if you're getting something accomplished. People seem to like having things they can check. Sean's obsession with checking his email (at least five times a day) is one such example. A couple of my friends obsessively monitor Myspace pages or surf bored.com. And now, we have Twitter.

Twitter is a social networking site for lazy people. (I lump myself in this group; writing and maintaining this blog take up enough of my time that social networking goes to the wayside a bit.) You have a tiny profile (here's mine) and can send little 140 character messages to people who are following you. That's about it.

I don't know even half the people who are following me. I know only a few of the people I am following. But I broadcast my little messages to the world anyway. Twitter has brought a little traffic to my site, not enough at this point to make it worth the thought I put into my little messages. But it is still oddly addictive.

I think bloggers like Twitter because it let's us get out of our niche and be a little more personal (though shameless self promotion, myself included, does happen). Also people are using it sort of like an online "word of mouth" (See Harnessing the Power of Twitter (SheGeeks) or The Power of Twitter (Miss 604) for more info about this.)

It has some interesting implications and takes little of my time for it so I guess I'll remain a little twitter-petered. (For those of you who get why I used a random Bambi picture, go you.) I'm breakingeven on Twitter if you want to tweet with me. And if you have unlocked the hidden powers of Twitter, do share!

Just think; one more thing online you can check besides your usual haunts... 

Image from www.distractedglobe.com

8 Random Things About Me

I've been indirectly tagged by Being Frugal so I've decided to go with it. Here are eight things you probably don't know about me:

1. I am a great cook but a horrible baker. I try to make substitutions when I bake (like when I cook) but that doesn't really work. I get really nervous about baking in general, even cookies. My best cooking work: crepes and "meal with whatever is in the house"

2. My guiltiest pleasures are really bad television, gossipy magazines, and silly movies. I'm intellectual in most other ways but I only feel entertained when things are a little silly.

3. I hate working out. If I was naturally skinny, I'd never do it. (On the same front, if I could, I would eat Chubby Hubby everyday.)

4. I am just like my father. I inherited his looks, his raunchy sense of humor, his constant introspection, and his love of life.

5. My college thesis was examining long chained fatty acids in a sediment core from a Russian lake to determine plant life over the course of 30,000 years. And now I work for a newspaper and have a personal finance blog. Horray for a liberal arts degree.

6. My favorite possession is my grandmother's engagement ring. I have worn it daily since I was 12 years old.

7. I love having a dog way more then I ever let on. I love having her follow me around like my personal "entourage" and I love how she snuggles next to me when I nap. Had I known how wonderful having Sadie would be, I would have gotten a dog much sooner.

8. Sean and I met online. He said he wanted to go out with me because in my personals photo, I "looked happy". (I also found Sadie and my last and current jobs online. Horray for the internet!)

If you're reading this and have a blog, consider yourself tagged!

Getting Up In My Business

SMBIZ4ME Governor's Regional Business Conference Was Interesting, Worth A Day Off

I took the day off work Wednesday to attend the SMBIZ4ME Conference for a few reasons: 1) It was only a half hour's drive away. 2) I heard it was going to be good from a few people. and 3) It only cost $25 and one day off to attend. As someone who has already heavily invested in my brain but knows little about business, I figured the price and the opportunity to network with people in the area would be invaluable. It was.

The vendors set up over breakfast and gave me something to do when I first walked in and was getting my bearings. (I can be social; I just sometimes need to ease into it). I made a few good connections with some Maine publications that were at least theoretically interested in my writing as well as met the guy behind Mainecreates.com. Mainecreates is a social networking site for Mainers involved in the creative economy. (I got on the site to set up a profile when I got home but I see I will be charged for it after a year, which I'm not really down with. But it is a good idea so I set up my own account there.)

In my first seminar, I met Melanie Brooks, who just got hired at MaineBusiness.com. It's a division of MaineToday (another newspaper) but it's focused on business content. She's a blogger, I'm a blogger. She suggested I crosspost on their site. So I'm trying that out to see if that'll be a good use of energy. (Really I want to end up as one of their featured bloggers, I'm competitive like that.) Melanie was fun, energetic, and into blogging; she seems like the kind of person I'd hang out with if I lived closer to Portland, though though the blogosphere can at least be a virtual friend.

All this happened in the first two hours. Did I mention there was all the free coffee I could drink and croissants I could eat? (Out of restraint, I had one croissant, ladies and gentlemen, with an apple chaser).

Meeting a lot of people who are all either thinking about or running their own businesses and having to give my "elevator speech" about my blogging consulting/web content creation business allowed me to not only realize that I actually did have a good, original idea but that I do really believe that I can do it.

As with any event of this nature, there is some golf clapping, boring speech listening, corporate sponsors to thank profusely, and a couple snotty people but that was all minor. (One PR woman in my last seminar seemed ridiculously jealous of me and conducted herself in such a way that I wondered, is she actually a PR person?)

Overall though, I met some wonderful people and got some great ideas. I left feeling energized, even though being nice and civil to people you barely know all day can be fairly exhausting.

Have you had a rockin' professional development day recently?

Movie Contest Winding Down!

It's officially the last week to submit your favorite form of cheap entertainment and why (250 words or less, kind of like a what-I-did-on-my-summer-vacation essay in grade school). Email it to me and you'll be entered to win free movies and a loving link to your blog or website!

Because who doesn't love free stuff, especially free cool stuff? Looking forward to reading your entry!

Click here for additional contest info.

Some Updates On Projects

Project: The Zen And Art On Coupon Clipping
Time Elapsed: Two Weeks

So far, I'm a little discouraged on this project. I find that I haven't been able to use a lot of the coupons I've clipped. Often, it seems the store brand still beats my name brand coupon. My last shopping trip I saved...$2.38 with coupons. My Grocery Game savings the same trip were around $10, and I don't really have to do anything for that except print off the list and pay $5 a month. (and hey, saving me $10 in an average week means that it pays for itself and then some for sure). I'll keep clipping coupons though and give this a solid month to trial to see if it's worth my time

The one exception to coupon discouragement is the $8 Hills Science Diet Dogfood I got from Spending Less 101. That website points you to coupons you can get online. I waited until the food was on sale ($5 off this week) and I saved $14 on my finicky dog's healthy food: $17 of food will now last at least two months for her.

Project: How To Get Rid Of Carpet Odors
Time Elapsed: Two months

Thanks to everyone who participated in this, including Debt Free Revolution and Bouncing Betty who suggested Odoban from Home Depot. As the daughter of a small hardware store owner, I hate HD but I went to get this product. $8 and only about 1/8 of the bottle later, smell is gone. Completely.

Project: Blogroll Update
Time Elapsed: Too Long!

I finally updated my blogroll with new (well, not so much new as new to me) blogs that I read all the time.

Personal finance-y blogs: Being Frugal, Cheap Healthy Good, Debt Free Revolution, Girls Just Wanna Have Funds, My Small Cents, Northern Cheapskate, Spending Less 101, and The Baglady.

Other great blogs: Intelligent Travel, Shorpy, Hoarded Ordinaries, and Satellite Sisters.

If I haven't added your blog or website yet and I clearly read it and comment on it all the time, let me know!

There I got all those updates done like I've been meaning to! Whew! Now anxiously awaiting five o'clock for the weekend to start... Happy Friday!

Travel Special: Podcasting And Driving

Podcasting's Just Another Word For Trying Audio Out

This audio (5 minutes) is me on the road. Want to hear my voice? Hankering for some Nicole-isms? This is for you! (It's acutally about saving money while on road trips.)

Travel Special: International Woman Of Mystery

A Week-long Series On Travel

Few things say sophisticated like traveling internationally. You can sip Nescafe all you want and read Le Monde online for fun but if you haven't left the country in three years, sophistique you are not. No offense. Unless you count going to Canada for Chinese food, I'm in the non-sophisticated club.

International travel is getting to be more expensive and more of a general hassle. One airline is even going to begin charging $15 per checked bag starting in June. So much for friendly skies. Here are some tips I've been saving up about being a jetsetter without needing your own jet:

• While it's the same price to get a passport (your local post office can do it), different photo places will charge you different amounts for the photos you need. I hear from this site that Walgreens is the cheapest but you might as well do a few quick phone calls in your area.
• If you are in a country that doesn't speak English, whipping out that dictionary might as well put a neon light flashing "Tourist/Sucker" over your head. Wouldn't it be more subtle to look at your iPod really quick? For $10, get 500 essential travel phrases that you can play in your iPod, you know, so you come a little closer to pronouncing things right then you normally would. (via Intelligent Travel)
• Want to really cut down on lodging?Apparently camping outside of major European cities is becoming increasingly popular. (via Intelligent Travel)
• Try relying on the kindness of strangers. Increase your odds that good things will happen to you by using services like home swapping with Home Exchange or ride-sharing with Allo Stop in Quebec. Traveling often affirms my core belief that people are kind. (If you really want to take this reliance to the extreme, check out this guy.)
• How to not be a sucker for paying too much money for a plane ticket: Monitor your ticket price using Yapta. It'll track the fare for you for free, emailing you if the price of your ticket drops after you've bought it.

So hopefully, this can make cheaper international travel a little less mysterious. Of course, there's always Canada and Mexico if a plane trip just can't be done. Bon voyage and remember, you were on your yacht in Marseilles when it all happened (wink)...

Like this post? Here are some other posts you may like..
What's In Your Wallet?
Traveling On The Cheap

Photo from: http://mallencunningham.blogspot.com/

My Six Word Memoir

What Would Your Six Words Be?

Clever Dude posted a six word memoir challenge on his blog. I'm tagging Give Me Back My Five Bucks, Northern Cheapskate, The Baglady, My Small Cents, and Debt Free Revolution.

My Six Words: Do Your Best And Be Happy!

Bland, yes, but also true.

If I didn't tag you, please participate anyway by leaving a comment and a link to your blog/web site!

Rockin' vintage photo from www.shorpy.com.

Travel Special: All Business

A Week-long Series About Travel

In my moment of zen in the breakroom (this is where I sit for ten minutes with a coffee or chocolate yogurt and a women's magazine on my break), I read a tip yesterday: when you travel and, for example, book a hotel, ask if they have a business rate. Just ask like you do it all the time.

Now other than paying for my car mileage to film local events, my company doesn't really make a globetrotter out of me. But apparently, just asking about a business travel discount will usually get it for you, even if you are shopping with your sister.

Speaking of the business of sisters, mine is a first grade teacher (and, by proxy, a saint) and saves a teacher discount of 10-20% on hotel rooms at the Comfort Inn and related hotels when she travels. She even gets a free stay occasionally. (I couldn't find the exact discount on the website... and I'd call my sister but she's at school!) Check with your professional organization or employer if there are discounts they offer. There may be no "newspaper employee discounts" for me but I do get a Ellsworth Chamber card (2-10% of local businesses) and a discount off my monthly YMCA membership. Just ask around the office.

Outside of "the business", you do have other discount travel options, often for which you pay a nominal fee. For students, there is the Student Advantage card which saves you money at many locations (not just travel). I had in college and just saving 15% off for Greyhound and Amtrak a few times more than paid for the price of the card (and now it looks like they have way more sponsors then they used to have back in the day). The adult version of a discount card would be AAA, which I now have. Sean gets a membership for Christmas every year and I added my name to his account (and got my own card) for $40 for the year. And trust me, I drive the backwoods enough to feel safe knowing I can call a tow truck 24-7 (or you know, get 20% off my tour at the Woodlawn Museum if I never do run into a moose again).

So mentioning being all business when you travel may save you some cash. Just ask for a discount and if that doesn't work, whip out your card. Happy trails! 

Travel Special: Sticking Close To Home

A Week-long Series About Travel

I read a lot of blogs and web sites trying to keep up with what's going on in the world. (I follow over 60 by RSS feeds but this is not including what I just stumble upon, which is a fair bit). When I collect a fair bit of links on the subject, I like to have a little mini-series (like with Curb Appeal last week). I won't do series all the time (promise!) but it is nice to have a little mini-package, don't you think? So this week, I'm traveling, well, virtually. Physically I am still very much in my normal life.

Some of us are looking at a long weekend coming up. (Yes, I know it's only Monday but I can look forward anyway!) Due to gas prices (and everything prices really), many of us may stick closer to home then we normally would. Kiplinger's had an article about cheap summer vacations last week, ranging from playing tourist in your town to doing a longish car trip several hundred miles rather than flying somewhere.

For the long weekend, in an effort to save fod money, I will be staying put. I personally have never seen Timber Tina's Great Maine Lumberjack Show or the Agassiz outcrop, though I am in within a ten minute's drive of both. Oh and there is Acadia National Park a whole half hour away. I've got options for the weekend so I will definitely do something. I'm sure you have options, too.

Sean and I keep a list of things we want to do by our little marker board near the phone and try to tackle one or two every so often. Our day trips make us feel like we get around without spending a lot of money. And there is always more to add to the list, which is always exciting. I posted our list on this blog "Day Trip Ideas For Spring And Summer". B

Without a list somewhere, we would forget that we have options. And since the birth of the list, we've done a lot more activities. Of course, this is how Sean probably really feels about my constant want to do things (got to love The Onion for being right on).

If you make your own list, do share a favorite day trip idea of yours!

Like this? Check out these related posts:
...And All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt" about cheesy souvenirs...
A Day Trip: The World's Most Underrated Vacation

Book Review: Eat, Pray, Love (Well, So Far)

You Too Can Petition The Universe

I really dragged out attempting to read "Eat, Pray, Love". Sarah sent it to me when she sent "Helping Me Help Myself" but I could get psyched up for it. 1) New York Times Bestseller means it's too popular. I mean, do I only read things because other people say it's good? 2) Author photo, pretty and blonde, what is this "everything" she needs to search for in life? and 3) The title, the minimalist cover, the spiritual journey, all felt too Oprah to me. (And by too Oprah, I mean in a kind of preachy, commercially spiritual kind of way. I don't actively dislike Oprah but she's not exactly my favorite, probably in part because she's insanely popular).

It was either read or do yard work this afternoon so I picked up "Eat, Pray, Love" and an hour later, I already love it.

First of all, painful divorce then torrid affair that ends in heart break. I can kind of relate. Throwing up every morning because something in your life isn't right? I've been there. And her little stories, funny, warm, and completely relatable. And since I've been passively seeking to improve my spiritual life for the last few months, and since the book is seeming to start with the "pray" part, I feel something translatable to my life. 

One part I wanted to share was where our author is in a car traveling with a friend. She is wishing she could write a petition to God for something specific to happen in her life (here: her husband signing the divorce papers so she doesn't have to spend a year in court). She says she feels like she can't do this because she feels she should just have faith in God that it all works out.

"Where did you get the idea you aren't allowed to petition the universe with prayer? You are part of this universe, Liz. You're a constituent- you have every entitlement to participate in the actions of the universe, and to let your feelings be known. So put your opinion out there. Make your case. Believe me- it will at least be taken into consideration."

"Really?" All this was news to me.

So she writes her petition. Dear God, please do this, here are some reasons you should, thanks.

I read it to Iva, and she nodded her approval.

"I would sign that," she said.

I handed the petition over to her with a pen but she was too busy driving so she said, "No let's say that I did just sign it. I signed it with my heart."

"Thank you, Iva. I appreciate your support."

"No, who else would sign it?" she asked.

"My family. My mother and father. My sister."

"OK, they just did. Consider their names added. I actually felt them sign it. They're on the list now. OK- who else would sign it? Start naming names."

So they go on to list people who would sign it. People living and dead who hate conflict, friends, relatives, movie stars, politicians, historical figures. They come up with quite a list.

It makes you realize your desires not only effect you but many other people as well. (Your desires, attitude, financial state can also be thought of this way.) Prayer doesn't have to be this passive activity but something you can actively feel you are doing by defining what you want as well as why you want it to the universe. You can also think of who would support you and why. As someone who does not like to feel like I'm letting too many things happen to me, this kind of prayer feels oddly empowering.

So petition away. Maybe God can help you reach a spiritual, emotional, or even financial goal if you petition him.  And if spirituality is something that interests you, give "Eat, Pray, Love" a try.

...And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

A Cheap And Cool Souvenir That You'll Actually Still Like Two Weeks Later

Maybe it's that it's spring and Sean and I have been talking about taking a vacation but travel is on my mind. Looking around my house reminds me of cool trips I've been on in the past because of something I learned from my friend Sarah.

While other people think about how to pack that sombrero for the plane flight back or try to find that perfect shot glass to compliment their friend's drinking problem, Sarah swears by buying a print from a local artist. They are usually inexpensive (less than $10), they are unique to the area, and make for great wall (or other) decor once you get home. Alternatively, it can be stashed away in a scrapbook, not taking too much physical space in your life.

Now there is nothing wrong with getting other souvenirs (if that's what you're into) but I think a print is the perfect compromise between something artsy and something fun. I took a few photos from around the house of prints I have from different places I've visited. Because I've never paid a lot of money for the prints (and because they aren't originals), I have no problem cutting them down slightly to fit in a standard size frame. (Remember, if you see a frame that's a good size, shape, and price, you should get it. Spray paint and/or Sharpie markers can easily change the colors of the frame.)

So if you are stuck on what to get from that flea market for yourself or your mom, a print is what I recommend. Just put down that collectible snowglobe and step away from the table of knick knacks. Your mom (and your wallet) will thank you.

Image: My framed prints from New Orleans and Moab, UT take up way less space (and cost less) then your average thimble collection. 

Whew! It's Friday Link Love

Sadie shares my sentiments; it was time for this week to be over!

I thought that a round of link love would be a lovely Friday idea. The theme: "Make Something Of Yourself This Weekend" Perhaps you, like me, feel the need to do something productive over the weekend after a week filled with work and general blah-ness. (I'm all over this curb appeal project! Plant sales, here I come.)

Here are some ideas if you are blocked or don't want to attempt curb appeal-related projects, some more crafty then others. (Some requiring little time, giving you plenty of quality napping.)

Make a podcast. (Try Audacity or FeedForAll for free editing software.)
Make sculptures with junk cars. (Carhenge!)
Make dangly pearl earrings.
Make a cool sewing project. (Free sewing patterns that are actually cool.)
Make a lemon creme brulee tart. (This recipe makes me want to bake. Amazing.)
Make something new out of your jeans.
Make your desk clean.
Make someone's day.

Happy weekend! 

Curb Appeal: Beating Around The Bush

A Week-long Series On Gardening, Landscaping, and Money

As a result of some exterior stuff (bad week), I had some blog block today. I did what any self-respecting twenty-something would do: I called Mom.

You know, for someone who has never really grown much plantwise, talking to her made me realize I actually have had some successful attempts. In particular, with bushes.

I have always liked bushes. I have a vivid memory of discovering a flowering bush in a small forest behind my childhood home. I cut a flower and brought it to my mom. We've since attributed this bush to something my grandmother had planted before she died... Perhaps something she wanted us to just find later (I mean, why else put it in the middle of a forest, right?). Every year, multiple times a summer, I went back to the bush to check on it and brought my mom a flower from it after it bloomed. I marveled at how it would grow, with little sunlight in bad soil, without me having to do anything to it. I used to think it was a miracle.

Fast forward to adulthood where I decide to attempt to garden for the first time. I love hydrangeas but when I couldn't find one at the Vinalhaven store, I had to improvise. What is an easy bush to grow? (I asked around.) Try a butterfly bush, everyone said. And try I did. I dug a bed at my old Vinalhaven house and anchored the plot with a big ol' butterfly bush. I did nothing to it except weed and water and it grew. I bet it's still flowering in front of that little house now. And let me tell you, if something can grow on Vinalhaven, it'll probably grow a lot of other places, too.

So bushes are not only hearty but pretty and often perennial. You can cut flowers for a bouquet on a table or just sleep with your windows open and breathe in...

So try a butterfly bush, a hydrangea, or even a bleeding heart bush (they play nice with hostas, bonus!). They are fairly inexpensive ($5-$40), are guarenteed to grow year after year, easy to maintain, and pretty looking and smelling.

I'm pro-bush, but only in the plant way. Have you had any luck with bushes (as in with plants, not people)?

Curb Appeal: You Can Grow Your Own Way

A Weeklong Series About Landscaping, Gardening, and Money

Yesterday, I talked about some inexpensive and perennial ornamental plants to boost your home value. You can also, however, use some more functional plants to grow your own food, even if (like me) you've killed an aloe plant.

Growing food has been a way to engage students and rehabilitate prisoners, not that those two are related... what I'm saying is that growing food is clearly something good for the emotional and physical health of a person big or small. (For way more about the social/societal benefits of growing your own food, check out the book Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet, which is a great read.) Frugal Dad had a great post recently tying in lessons learned gardening with lessons to be learned in personal finance. There are clearly mental, social, and emotional benefits from the act of growing food.

And to look food growth purely as an investment, I'm betting that gardening is going to get really popular this year because of rising food prices. Growing your own food could be great way to save money and eat healthy (not to mention a way to use up some of those empty flowerbeds I have).

The resource you will most heavily invest in any food growth is your time. (Seeds aren't expensive and neither are bags of soil if you look around....some people may even be giving it away for free). Get Rich Slowly has carefully chronicled the time him and his wife spend gardening (as well as the money on supplies) and will be over the course of the next year.

So what is a tentative gardener like me who wants to save money at the grocery store and increase curb appeal to do? I need successful plants to boost my ego and to grow food at a small enough scale to be able to maintain the garden. I picked Sean's brain at breakfast this morning as he was a gardener in a former life. Here was, almost word for word, our conversation:

What's the easiest thing to grow? Tomatoes.

Why? Because all you have to do is plant them and water them. Not a lot of things attack them.

What else? Jerusalem artichokes.

Why? Because they are a root. They have the added benefit of coming back every year.

Oh, so potatoes would work too? Yup. I have to go to work now.

So as a new person to gardening, I'm going to do these easy plants and a little herb garden, which is what I had moderate success with last year (I love rosemary and basil!). And boy, will I have some good beds! Any other recommendations from real gardeners out to someone like me who is clueless and slightly lazy about living things that can't whine for food?

If you need some more scientific factors to keep in mind, check out this short article "Planning Your Garden" from WSCH6.

Curb Appeal: Good In Beds

A Weeklong Series About Landscaping, Gardening, and Money

Ah, flowerbeds. I get why people have them. They allow you to plant pops of color or small vegetable plots without commiting to a huge garden. They have the added benefit of making it so you don't have to mow as much of the lawn. They are the great pair of earrings to your house's outfit, the spring of your house's step. They create clean lines and borders. But why do we have ten huge beds on our property, anyway? That's a lot of pressure.

The good news is there are a lot of hostas in a few of the beds. At first I thought they were boring but now I have come to love them. Here's why:

1) They're perennial.
2) They're green and bushy so they take up a lot of room.
3) They do alright in some shade.
4) They flower in the late summer/early fall when not much else does.

So if you have a lot of beds, embrace the ease of the slightly boring hostas or hosta-like plants.

Because they don't have much color other times of the year, I planted some violets in between a few of the hostas. I picked perennials (I'm too lazy to replant) and Sean told me violets would reproduce like crazy. And sure enough they are coming back this year! So the hearty little violets will go inbetween the hostas, adding color the time of the year that the hostas are boring. Other little minxes of the plant world: cosmos. They are borderline invasive. We planted one seed pack in two barrels last year and they are already coming back for more. 

I planted a herb garden last year (ok, garden may be a generous word, maybe a plot?). The only thing that came back: chives. And the plant is already huge. So if you are looking for a spiky green plant you can cook with, I suggest a chive or two.

If you feel like breaking out and trying something new I haven't mentioned, keep a look out for plant sales and swaps this time of year. Sometimes colleges or nonprofits have sales in spring. (And they are usually cheaper than the greenhouse and the money goes to a cause.) On the swap side, ask friends, family, and coworkers. They may have extra plants that they just can't use. (One of my coworkers brought in some yesterday.) You may even see some on the side of the road. 

So hostas, violets, cosmos, and chives I recommend as far as varieties of plants to fill your beds. If I haven't killed them and they can grow on our acidic soil underneath partial shade, they're keepers as far as I'm concerned. Make sure to get perennial: they are the plants for us lazy people. But remember, just because you're lazy, doesn't mean you aren't good in beds.

Images of a hosta and a cosmo from www.wikipedia.com (sorry folks, left my camera at work) 

Has Your Curb Got Appeal?

A Weeklong Series About Landscaping, Gardening, And Money

I don't know if it's the HGTV marathon this past weekend (mom has cable and that's our favorite channel to watch together) or some links I've been collecting these last few weeks but I've been thinking a lot about landscaping/gardening lately. I feel like a lot of people want a nice home but don't have gardening experience or money to do the necessary projects and maintain them. Thinking about beautifying the yard is daunting to me but is clearly necessary to add value to the house and avoid judgement from the neighbors. I will devote this whole week to outdoor beauty and value. Today's topic: groundcover.

The house I currently live in has little curb appeal mostly due to the lack of lawn. It is spotty with lots of leaves. Sean mowed it a total of three times last year because that's all the mowing it needed. Our lawn makes it look like we don't care, which we do. We just don't know where to start.

What you plant seems to be determined by your climate zone (see the map at this link to figure out yours if you live in the US), your soil type, and what is immediately underground. (In our case, we live in zone 5, have acidic soil, and have a lot of slate just under the surface.) You also may want to note if your yard gets a lot of shade, if the soil retains moisture well, if there are certain insects about (we've got a lot of ants) and you may want to calcuate the square footage you want covered so you can effectively budget your project. (In our case, about 10,000 square feet). This is all good information to take with you to the garden center, because the more information you have, the more likely you will be able to make good choices for your yard situation. 

Here are some ground cover options:

1) Reseeding the lawn with grass. According to my friend Jane, look for grass that works in the shade if you've got shaded areas and look for perennial grass (so it'll come back next year—I thought all grass was perennial but it isn't!). Prices seem to vary on variety so be prepared to shop around a bit.
2) Moss. I've noticed we have a lot of moss naturally growing on our lawn. The New York Times had an article about moss as ground cover just a couple weeks ago. It seems good for acidic and shaded soils (our issue) and it has the added benefit of not having to be mowed. This seems to be a little more expensive then grass seed but may be cost effective over time.
3) Astroturf. At $0.45 a square foot, for about $1,000 dollars, we could have an astroturf lawn. Ew.
4) Dig up the lawn for a huge garden. My friend Sue dug up her whole lawn and made a garden. A ton of work, but gorgeous.

I'm going to shop around for the first two options. In the meantime, does anyone have any tips for a pretty lawn that doesn't cost a lot of money? Stay tuned tomorrow for more about making the curb of yours more appealing!

First photo: This lawn looks better than ours! From http://www.rmnpforums.com/blogs/

Second photo: Sue's lawn is amazing and with a lot of work, yours could be, too. I'm impressed; I can't even keep a spider plant alive. From http://www.onestep-sue.blogspot.com/

Cheap Electronics and Electronic Accessories

Yesterday, I drove to my hometown and surprised my mom for Mother's Day. The five hours driving and taking half a day off work were completely worth it to see the look on her face when I walked in.

I like to be helpful when I come visit so I asked her if there was anything she needed help with. She needs a new laptop charger for her computer (I like being the tech person in her life, even though probably to many people, I'm low tech). I got on the case this morning.

I heard about Deal Extreme from Brown Eyed Girl And Her Money as a cheap way to get electronics. I was waiting to check it out until I had something to buy.

I found the laptop charger for my mom's specific computer in a quick Google search. The price looks good ($26) until you go and put it in your shopping cart. Ten dollars is the minimum amount in shipping, which brings the price to almost $40.

I then did a quick search on Deal Extreme for the same product. With shipping included, $21. Now that's a little better.

Brown-eyed Girl had good things to say about it (though I can't find her entry on it at the moment), saying she got the product quickly and it worked well. I believe her, I mean, she is on my blogroll.

So if you need a 4G flash drive ($21) or crystal soil balls for your plants ($2) it's worth a quick check to see if Deal Extreme has what you need. It's the best deal around as far as I can tell. And I mean, who doesn't love a slightly quirky Japanese company?

Story Of A Fort Kent Flood Victim

If Life Hands You FEMA Chicken Soup, Put It In Your Pantry

Optimism will always get you far. And so can a little sarcasm for that matter! The following guest post was written by one of my best friends, Robby. You can be Robby's "friend" and read his blog on his Myspace page.

So, I thought it would only be appropriate to write about the topic everyone is concerned with these few days....The flood! I for one, like Noah himself, predicted the flood would occur and had made preperations to build an ark...then I got lazy! j/k..No seriously, you can't have that much snow and not expect to see it turn to water.

4/30/08 Wednesday (4am)  My brother Derek says, "Robby, we got to get the BLEEP out of here!".  And the Grand Evacuation began...we grabbed our clothes, electronics, important papers, put stuff on blocks and fled to the higher grounds of Belone Hill (parent's house). Oh I got the cats too....in two trips...i couldn't find flav....

10am - pleasant street looks like the scene from the movie "The Day After Tommorow" when Jake gyllenhall is trying to get his friends to the NYC library for refuge. Of course you have your snoopy old bastards who clogged the main artery in Fort Kent just to "snoop".  I shouldn't complain....45 minutes is nothing to spend on Pleasant street....I was only trying to go find my cats..no biggy "Monsieur Nadeau" was curious about his AARP membership and felt compelled to try getting around town to the post office.

12pm - so the rumor that Maine Public was cutting the power in fort kent spread like wildfire....so...we went to Johns  Convenience and bought lots of useless coldcuts, water, flashlights...every other person in town had the same idea....cha-ching! for John's...they cashed in on the foolishness of we fort kenters!  I got a sweet meat and cheese platter though! YUM!

5/1/2008 thursday 12pm- so I went to my house via "big pickup" to assess the damage.  Not too bad....4 inches more and i would have had soggy furniture...it never made it into my house. Thank God! I then began the laborious task of cleanup....who comes down the street...an old lady from the American Red Cross....now I know they are here to help and thank god for people like that who will drop their day to help those affected by tragedy....but I don't need any more water...."Lady do you see my backyard?...Get me a beer!"...seriously though...i dont need anymore water...bring me some money!

5/2/2008 friday 3pm - The Department of Environmental Protection and FEMA made their preliminary rounds of the area.  A crazy weird guy with a truck load of what appear to be "gigantic maxi pads" drove in my driveway...reminescent of the way the storm chasers drove in the movie "twister".   He, essentially, walked right into my house and threw his maxi pads in my cellar...."nope no oil....why is your power on?!!" (really saying...are u stupid?)..I said...well this isn't MY house....my landlords fled...i dont know where they are.  "Here, take these pads....throw them in your cellar and don't drink the water!"

5pm- Laurie Lozier (a total sweetheart) asked me if I wanted FEMA foods from the Wallagrass school....now normally i would be like sure...but part of me today did not want to feel like a victim....I'm not broke or anything...I didn't even loose anything substantial....I'm just displaced!..but needless to say...i took them.... Holy Crap! FEMA feeds people well!  Its all organic food! Organic peanut butter, cereal, pasta, you name it! and i even got some sweet handwipes!  the ultimate though....24 cans of chicken noodle soup! SCORE!

well thats the timelime of significant events of my stint as a "survivor" of the great flood.   It had its ups and its downs...but at least everyone is okay....I can't move back till the heat, hotwater,  and electrical are fixed but at least my internet works!

I'll keep you updated with flood-related news as it happens. In the meantime, things to keep in mind when disaster strikes.

1) See the writing on the wall. If you know a disaster is coming (such as impending melting of the biggest snowfall on record), take steps to minimize the effects on your home and your life.
2 )Stay calm. It's best for everyone.
3) Know what you'd take if you had only five minutes to grab things. Keep a list, physical or mental, of where it is.
4) Keep some food (a few days worth) in your pantry to keep from unnecessary purchases (and in case FEMA takes a couple of days to get to you).
5) Rely on the help of family, friends, and FEMA. They'd do the same for you, right?
6) Stay optimistic. Robby has always had a great attitude and in coping with disaster, I bet it has come in really handy.

Top Image: Robby's house is the one behind the trees. Keep in mind he normally has a backyard.
Bottom Image: Robby's backyard. As he said "Maybe I shouldn't have raked my lawn. Oh well, at least I have firewood now!"

Best Advice You Ever Got?

A Little Philosophy About Money And Life

CNN Money recently had a slideshow of financially successful people all answering the same question "What was the best advice you ever got?" The answers are what you'd expect: kind of general, a little profound, and applicable to money and life in general. Here are a few favorites:

Focus on things you do different than others. (Peter G. Peterson)
Get out of your comfort zone (David Petraeus)
Always be the person who signs your checks (Tina Fey)

To be honest, a lot of other people I didn't know. A lot of older white guys who run large companies (at least I'm assuming, a lot of the companies were not recognizable to me). I would have liked to see a broader spectrum of different types of successful people.

Most of the advice that was stated came from fathers or bosses. I wish I could remember advice my father gave me. He was pretty tight lipped on finances in general. (According to the New York Times, it's a movement among young people to not keep their finances to themselves but with the popularity of personal finance blogs, I'm highly doubting it's just younger people.) I had long wanted to pick my dad's brain for financial advice in particular because he ran a successful business and was loved by his family and community at the same time. How did he build his money early on? What were the best things he did for the business and for his life? But sometimes you can't wait too long to ask... As far as bosses, I do remember an old boss who taught me how to "manage up", meaning to manage yourself when your direct supervisor can't or won't give you feedback.

The slideshow is a little superficial but does the job of getting your mind going on what you've gotten for financial advice (both good and bad).

What I always keep in mind, in finances and in life: 1) Everyone is doing the best they can. and 2) If it will make a good story, you should try it.

(And from the Freakonomics blog, some computer-related proverbs for these technological times.)

Have you gotten any really good advice? Maybe CNN Money forgot to ask you but I certainly won't.

The Zen And Art Of Coupon Clipping

There are some things we admittedly can't do much about. Gas prices and high taxes are two such things (though I suppose you could convert your car to biodiesel or work under the table but both those things require too much effort for me).

I've been looking for ways to further trim my budget, which is actually quite lean. I have made it a goal though of cutting off $50 a month from my $250 a month grocery bill (that's for two people).

There are a few tips related to grocery shopping that I seem to keep hearing over and over in my research and from talking to people: make a price book and cut coupons.

Price Book
If you look at your grocery list, you are probably buying the same things most every week. A price book is just a book you bring with you to the grocery store and write down the lowest prices you pay per item. This way, when you are shopping and wondering whether something is a good price or not, you can consult a reference specific to where you live and shop. I think I have one of these in my head but I really should formalize it. I may be surprised.

Coupons
Yes, I have been using the Grocery Game for a few months now and it is quite helpful but I really want to step up my game (plus it's $5 a month, I mean, can I do this myself?). I've also used coupons off their website to go with the sales. The idea with coupons is 1) that you wait until something is on sale and use a coupon to buy it and 2) you buy nonperishable things while they are on sale so as to "stockpile" them.

And here's an article if you want to get really serious about the coupons (From The Digerati Life).

Since I haven't given coupon cutting the chance it deserves, I went out on Sunday and bought the weekend paper for $1.50. I then proceeded to cut the coupons from it (probably at least $20 worth). I listened to the radio and had a coffee. I found myself quite relaxed after! I even took a photo to illustrate the experience.

So my financial goal is to reduce my grocery bill by $50 a month using a price book, coupons, and The Grocery Game.

Wish me luck and do feel free to share your own coupon cutting tips and tricks.

Five Tips To Commerce-Free Days

Going Whole Days Without Buying Anything Is Really Empowering

I was baking a cake when I lived out on Vinalhaven a couple years ago. An angelfood cake. From scratch. I didn't realize a springform pan was required until I was halfway through the recipe. What most of us would do at this point is run out and go buy a pan. But on a little island, there is no kitchen store. There was, however, Carla.

I called around amongst my friends for a springform pan. My friend Liz was living with Carla, who had enough cake pans for a cake pan museum. She even asked me what kind of springform pan I wanted. Incredible.

So on Vinalhaven, even when there were days I could have easily bought something, I was forced to improvise or wait until the next time I was in Rockland. There were multiple days were I bought nothing, often at least 3 or 4 in a row. I decided to carry on this practice into my non-island life.

Commerce-free days are days when I don't buy anything. Not a coffee, not a tube of lipstick. You'll be amazed when you see, "Wow, I've gone two days without spending any money!" You feel so disciplined and self reliant. Here are a few of my favorite tips to a commerce free day.

1. Make your own coffee/tea/iced tea/work treat. When I first moved to a town with a coffee shop, I got one everyday. It was a dollar and something I really had missed having access to. Then I realized one month that I spend $30. On coffee!

At the beginning of April, I bought a pound of my favorite coffee from my local coffee shop (in case you're curious Rock City Coffee's Jet roast) and some creamer. I used the french press in the company breakroom to make coffee whenever I felt like it. It's been over a month and about 1/4 of the bag is gone. I think I'm getting my money's worth, not to mention the chance to peruse a magazine while it brews.

Your weakness may not be coffee. But make that reward you give yourself during your work day something you can make yourself. (You'll see it really add up at the end of the month, trust me!)

2. Borrow, don't buy. I'm not a baker. I needed a springform cake pan once, so why go out and buy one? Borrowing from neighbors, friends, and the library is not only economical but a great way to meet people or learn more about people you already know. (For example, in talking to Carla, I found out why my baguettes never came out baguette-y... I apparently need a form!)

3. Have someone teach you. Michaela and my mom taught me to use a sewing machine so now I don't need a tailor. Sean taught me how to beat eggs to stiff peaks by hand so I've never bought a mixer. You are surrounded in your life by people who know how to do things. Rather than paying someone to "just do it", learn the skill yourself. Family and friends also accept a currency that is appreciated by many of us: pizza and never-ending gratitude.

4. Lead yourself not unto temptation. Don't shop recreationally. Stay away from stores, both online and in person. Make yourself stick to the list if you go in a large store where you need just one or two things. Do what you have to do to avoid the commercialism if you are tempted, even if it means taking a different route home from work to avoid stripmalls or taking your credit card out of your wallet before going with a friend to your favorite store.

5. Do what you have to do. This is your personal journey but if you need to buy cold medicine to sedate you enough to sleep through the fog, do it. Commerce-free days should allow you to think about your purchases, not to make you completely miserable.

I urge you to see how many commerce-free days you can get in. Try it in May then look at your budget at the end of the month. You may be amazed by yourself, which you probably should be more often. I mean, you are pretty great, and you don't need extra stuff to prove it.

Photo: No Willams Sonoma for you on your Maine island of choice.    

I'll Take "Concerts That Aren't The Rolling Stones" for $25

A Reasonably Priced Concert Is Still Rockin'

Last night, Sean and I went to see James McMurtry. The Dedringers opened for them and are a fabulous, high energy band from Austin, Texas. Then to the crowd's enthusiasm, James McMurtry's guitar tuner tuned James' five guitars.

First of all, I'll say that James McMurtry sounded as good live as he did on CD (which I've found is, sadly, not always the case). He started playing around 8:30 p.m. and didn't stop until 11 p.m. He played all his hits as well as stuff from his new album. The tickets cost $25 each.

I was hanging out with my middle school girls a few weeks ago when one of them was talking about going to a Jonas Brothers concert. They said tickets only cost $500. I was floored. I may pay that to see the Stones, you know, if they also helicoptered me in. But $500 for a concert?!? I couldn't believe it. (As an aside, the most I've ever paid for a ticket was $80 to see Matchbox 20, with The Push Stars opening. Both bands were great but any more money would have been out of my price range.)

The great thing about last night was the price made it really accessible for everyone. There were old people, young people, hippy people, biker people, crazy dancers, foot tappers... Hundreds of people came out for the concert, which not only made for a more energetic atmosphere but also great people watching. (I have a bad people watching habit, though the biker chick and her serial-killer looking boyfriend fighting the whole concert was super-interesting!)

So check out smaller local venues, especially in summer, for bands. You can preview them online before buying tickets so it isn't a total surprise (even local ones seem to at least be on Myspace). You'll be supporting a local (and likely, talented) artist and get some cheap entertainment for yourself. You may even get a high drama relationship to watch at no extra charge.

Image from Usatoday.com

Speaking of cheap entertainment, win some exclusive movies from Breaking Even, Inc. in our special May Giveaway!

My New Favorite Website

Looking For A Discount Code Before Submitting An Online Order: Priceless

The last time I bought something online (business cards at Vistaprint last week), I noticed the little "enter promotional code here" field in the shopping cart. I decided to type in "promotional code vistaprint" in a Google search before submitting my order. I got a code that saved me 80%. (FYI Vistaprint does have free business cards but they use the back of the card to plug their website, which I didn't want for my purposes.) Twenty dollars for 500 cards was a fine deal to me.

I had to adjust my Typepad account information yesterday. I saw the coupon field again so in another window, I typed in "discount code typepad" in a quick Google search. I now have 15% off my monthly subscription rate. Why didn't I think of this before? In addition to buying things through places like Ebates and getting money back, I could also use promo codes to get additional discounts. Where am I getting these codes, you ask?

http://www.retailmenot.com

It gives you the promotional/discount code as well as the likelihood for success. For example, the Greyhound codes I tried a couple months ago for my Boston trip didn't work but at 15% success rate, I wasn't expecting they would.

So before you buy something online, especially from a major retailer, give retailmenot.com a shot. It's about 30 seconds of effort but for frugal-minded folks, well worth it.

Repurposing Old Furniture

Why Buy New When You Can Customize It For You?

When my parents gave me their ginormous entertainment center five years ago, I took it. It was massive and kind of dated but if held a lot of stuff (all my DVDs and CDs fit on one of the slide-out shelves) and it served as a bulky home for my television (also "stolen" from my parents).

My last move took its tole on my entertainment center. Made of that fake wood particleboard, part of it came off the side while taking it out of the Uhaul. Everyone's first inkling was to junk it. Instead, I saw a massive blank spot in our kitchen as an opportunity to repurpose it.

After nailing the falling off piece back on, Sean helped me take apart the top and bottom pieces (which were only held by four screws). Then I painted the bottom part black (1/2 gallon of black and some left-over primer: $20). It took about four coats to make it so the fake wood was no longer showing through.

To make a counter, I got a scrap piece of birch from the pile of leftover wood at my local hardware store (they gave it to me for $5 and cut it to size), some cheap moulding to put around the edge, and polyurethane to seal the whole thing when I was done (all totaling about $25).

My mom and her Miter box helped me cut the molding and nail it with tack nails to the side. I put four coats of polyurethane over what would become the counter of the island.

I then attached the counter to the black-painted island. It just seemed to need one last thing.

My brother-in-law helped me order fork, knife, and spoon pulls for the island (and then paid for them without telling me). Sean installed them for me as a favor one afternoon.

So with a little help from friends and family and about $50, Sean and I now have more counterspace for prep as well as a place to store those slightly obscure kitchen appliances (I really should use my blender more...). Here are the before and after shots (forgive the bad MTV show playing in the background. That was back in the cable days!)    

In addition to not spending a ton of money on a piece of furniture, we've helped keep it out of the landfill at least a little longer.

And what happened to the top part of said entertainment center? Well that's for another blog...

Why RSS Rocks

It's RSS Awareness Day!

Happy RSS Awareness Day! Thanks to Centsible Shopper for making me aware of it.

What the heck is an RSS feed anyway? Have you ever seen this orange logo anywhere? Well that's just one of the major ways to indicate that a blog or website site has an RSS feed.

RSS (which stands for Real Simple Sindication) a way to keep track of all the blogs and websites you like without having to go to each individual website everyday. Neat, huh?

If you have many blogs you read everyday for example, going to visit each website could take hours. With RSS, you can “subscribe” to a website or blog, and get all the new headlines from all the sites and blogs you like in one list.

That one place where your RSS list is created is called an RSS Reader, and it gathers all the headlines from all the websites and blogs you have subscribed to.

How Do I Put An RSS Feed on my blog or website?

Most blogging software comes with a way to incorporate them into your blog easily but if you need to go it alone, here is an article about how to make one.

How Do I Subscribe to an RSS Feed?

1. Get an RSS reader. Here is a list of them. Being a Google stockowner, I use a Google Reader. You just download your reader of choice as you would anything else. (Don't worry; they don't take a lot of memory or anything!)

2. Go to www.breakingeveninc.com (or your other favorite blog- sorry couldn't resist some self promotion). Click on the orange icon (see picture in this blog), click "RSS", or click "subscribe to this blog's feed".

3. You click on your reader of choice to tell my feed how it should deliver the content to you (in my case, I click the "Google" button).

Then you're done. The latest content from Breaking Even, Inc. is in your reader. You see just the headline and click on it to read more of the post.

RSS feeds allow me to keep track of about 100 blogs and websites daily so I know what's going on in the world of personal finance and Maine (well, mostly).

As a blogger, I appreciate any web traffic I get but I do get a special smile to see when my "subscribers" go up (that is, those who read my site with the help of RSS). All websites want (and appreciate!) repeat readers. It helps build community around a blog. Here's me appreciating RSS...   

Do you need more info than I've explained here? Back in Skinny Jeans has an article that explains it all: How to Explain RSS the Oprah Way

Have you hugged your RSS reader today?

A Fort Kent Flood Update

The nation has turned its eyes elsewhere but Fort Kent continues to deal with record-high waters in a flood that resulted in the final (though likely partial) melting of a record snowfall.

My family helped to evacuate some of the people. As my sister said in an email to me:

"It was so sad, I can't imagine everything those people lost.  We have a lot to be thankful for.

The water is going down.  They have yet to decide if they'll reopen Main Street tomorrow.  Justin got power back into the store (Quigley's Building Supply) late this afternoon, so they are going to attempt to open in the morning.  I've been out of school since Wednesday and we'll be out again tomorrow.  There is significant flooding in Frenchville too, near Rosettes.

Justin has been helping around town, its almost 9:30 a.m. and he's still unloading donated bottled water down at Shop and Save. (Officials) are concerned that some of the private wells will become contaminated.  Town water is still safe, so we're lucky.  He's using the forklift to unload pallets donated by Hannaford. 

This town really makes me proud.  It is unreal how people came together....Luckily the only damage has been to "stuff"...all replaceable (except household memory items). 

Definitely something I hope to never see again..."

FEMA assessment could start as soon as Monday, according to Senator Susan Collins.

In the meantime, photographs were taken by my mother and brother-in-law of the destroyed lumberyard and they are hopeful insurance will cover the losses.

Please continue to keep the small town of Fort Kent in your thoughts... It's been almost constantly in mine these last couple of days.

Will A Recession Make Us Fatter Or Skinnier?

So the economy is in stagflation mode, not recession mode as of yesterday (Debt Free Revolution). Food prices are soaring and are expected to be inflated for at least two more years (CNN Money). What I want to know is does recession make people fatter or skinner?

You'd think that having less money available would mean less food available, which would make America as a whole skinner. (Interestingly enough, car's are actually lightening up these days. Ford introduced it's car that lost sixty pounds to gain some gas mileage (CNN Money). Maybe if we lost weight on our bodies that sit in our cars, we'd also get better gas mileage?)

In short, recession should slim us all down. There is, however, much more evidence that a recession/stagflation will make us all a little porkier. The Simple Dollar delves into how recession triggers poor food (and other) buying decisions while Sense to Save has reviewed a cookbook born out of a phenomenon: The 99 Cent Only Store Cookbook.

Also in a nation of comfort food, where people are depressed about the economy and watching more television (the most accessible "free" entertainment), it seems we are headed towards getting fatter.

What can we do? In short, shop smart and cook more. If you are totally not excited about cooking or don't know where to start, this is a great post for you. And if you want to know how and why this food crisis is happening (and what you can do), check out this great post at Cheap Healthy Good.

In short, the recession will only make you fatter if you let it. Start cooking and thinking ahead about food purchases and you should stay your healthy self.

Other posts at Breaking Even, Inc. that may be of interest:
A Look At Extreme Grocery Shopping
The Grocery Game Review
A Week In Food (good healthy meals for less than $10 per dish)

Fort Kent Maine Floods

I never thought I'd see the day when Fort Kent, Maine would be number 7 in Google searches. Fort Kent, Maine is my hometown. Most of my family lives there. And it's flooding.

I called my family and they are ok. The lumberyard of the family hardware store is a total loss but it sounds like they had insurance. My family members helped with the evacuations and said the water was rising pretty quickly yesterday while they were doing that.

The sun is out today though and it seems like the water is receeding. My mom said this whole thing has prompted people to think of rebuilding the International Bridge, which has apparently been swaying. The dike kept the water from spilling over onto Main Street by a few inches (at least, in some places). For awhile, everyone was in suspense because it could have gone either way.

My friend Roland sent me this photo via email. The next day, I saw it on the front page of the Bangor Daily News.

Please keep Fort Kent in your thoughts. I sure am.