Frugal Living

The technological goodness is finally starting to take shape underneath the bench seat... Pictured above, more or less from left to right, are my Samlex 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter installed on a shelf directly above the battery, the shunt that will eventually feed my Trimetric battery monitor, a Morningstar Tristar 45 solar charge controller, and finally, the fuse panel to which all of the appliances will connect. Obviously, nothing has been wired yet, but now that all of the above are secured in place, I can proceed with that tomorrow. Baby steps. For now, I'm pleased utterly relieved to see that I'll have plenty of room under the seat to intelligently lay out the guts of my electrical system. While I'd like to tell you I had this mapped out all along, the truth is that I didn't really know for sure how well everything would fit until today. You gotta love it when the cowboy design approach just sort of works out like that.

Monday 10th No Spend Day! Tuesday 11th No Spend Day! Wednesday 12th $8.61 lunch $2 parking $4 tea Thursday 13th $9.22 lunch $5.25 dinner Friday 14th $34.47 gas $15.50 ferry Saturday 15th – Victoria, BC $20.17 lunch $18.00 Bon Macaron $18.05 Cupcakes $6 bubble tea Sunday 16th – Victoria, BC $15.50 ferry $23.85 dinner Freelance Income: $0 Expenses: - $180.62 TOTAL: - $180.62 Well, this was another week where I didn’t bring in any freelance income. I’m disappointed, but at the same time I didn’t really work hard at it, so I can’t really be upset. I do have $600 coming to me for some freelance writing, as well as some advertising income that should get to me by the end of the month. But so far, June is shaping to be pretty slow in terms of extra money coming in. This week was also pretty bad for managing my expenses. Because I was working at events up until Wednesday, I didn’t really have time to go grocery shopping and prep meals. And since I was leaving Friday for Victoria, I just ended up buying a few meals out instead. :| Gotta get back on track with meal planning and eating healthy. The weekend in Victoria was relatively cheap. I went out for brunch with a friend on Saturday, then indulged in some macarons (12 for $18 is pricey – but I shared a little). I also bought some cupcakes from a bakery for my dad’s retirement party. If I had planned ahead, I would have been able to bake them for much cheaper! I was lucky that my weekend wasn’t more expensive. I usually park my car at the ferry terminal ($12/day), but was able to score a ride there and back from a friend. :) Anyway, there you have it! How was your week of spending? The post Spending Recap: June 10-16, 2013 appeared first on Give Me Back My Five Bucks.

How would you describe taking frugal living too far? A new CouponCabin.com survey says dumpster diving and extreme couponing fit the bill, along with other extreme frugal living behaviors.You might also enjoy (Note: Some offers may have expired)Despite the Fiscal Cliff, Are Americans More Optimistic…Tax Refund: Do You Really Need One365 Frugality Tips: Couponing When You CanCollege Graduation Advice: Be Smart With Your MoneySave on Back to School with Your AAA CardThe post Taking Frugal Living Too Far appeared first on Suddenly Frugal Blog.

"You could do it yourself, Glenn. If you did the engine, you can do this." So said Harry the Great earlier today, after I had dropped by his shop to find out what he would charge to replace a torn CV boot. I discovered the tear several days ago while rooting around underneath the van, and had been putting off dealing with it after rigging up a decent temporary fix using a plastic bag and some zip ties. I couldn't deny that the man's point held merit, and while I wasn't looking forward to dealing with the huge greasy mess that lies beneath a CV boot, I also wasn't crazy about forking over the $180 Harry quoted for the job. So I sucked it up, rolled back to Q's laboratory, jacked up the van, and after a modest struggle, managed to remove the axle assembly so I could verify that the underlying CV joint wasn't damaged. After thoroughly degreasing the joint and inspecting it for any wear caused by debris that might have gotten into the boot, I concluded that all was still good. Fortunately, I must have discovered the tear fairly soon after it had developed. There's a lesson here – periodically crawling around under your vehicle in search of any obvious signs of trouble is a good idea. Even if auto repair work isn't in your repertoire, you could still save a bundle by catching problems before they become much more costly. Pictured above is the torn boot, which I'm pretty sure even the least mechanically-inclined among us would recognize as not cool. Below is its shiny new replacement after several hours of getting pret-ty filthy... I'm now not only all cleaned up, but I also have a pretty decent understanding of the inner workings of a CV joint, and I bet I could do this repair in only one or two hours next time. This brings up a primary objectives of this Vanagon project – to empower myself to do more of my own maintenance work, so it's pretty gratifying to successfully pull off a job like this. And not just because the total cost came to a cozy $10, although having an extra $170 in my pocket this evening isn't so bad. Astute readers will have noticed the zip tie coolant hose repair behind the axle in the photo above (seriously, how did anything get done before zip ties were invented?). That hose had been rubbing against the CV boot, which I'm guessing is what caused the boot to tear, and while the hose did not spring a leak, it wasn't too far from doing so. That would have been disastrous, so once again – rooting around underneath your vehicle on a regular basis is a very good idea! I'll have to drain the coolant and replace that hose at some point soon, but my temporary patch job is quite solid, so this can probably wait a little while. I picked up the replacement hose the other day for around $25, and whenever I get around to it, the job shouldn't take more than a couple of hours to complete. How sweet it is to be freed from labor charges.

With the higher than normal unemployment rate, and even higher underemployment rate, many people find themselves in a situation where they can’t pay their bills. If you are one of those people, here are a few [...]Recommended For You:The Benefits of Being Debt-FreeSimplify Your Finances with Online Bill PayBuying a Home? How to Get the Best Mortgage RatePay Down Your Credit Card Debt Faster with a Balance…5 Steps to Paying off Credit Cards Read the rest of What to Do When You Can’t Pay Your Bills at BeingFrugal.net.

Here’s how I saved some money on the light fixtures and faucet for our kitchen renovation. Before shots: Our designer did his thing and searched for the right fixtures for our area: above the sink; above the island; above the table; and under-mount lights for the cabinets. He also selected a faucet that fit what I was seeking. Turns out, the best prices for all of those items were at Lowe’s. That surprised me — I think of that store as a bit pricey. But, everything was far cheaper there than it was at other places I searched for like items, so we rolled with it. Total price before discounts and cash back, with tax: $688.05 Here’s how I saved: I clicked through Ebates and earned 6% cash back on my total. ($38.08 back) I searched for coupon codes, and found one that gave me $25 off a $250 order. I was spending enough that I could split my purchase into two $250+ orders, so I divided my transaction, used the codes twice and saved $50 with that code. Not only that — when you reduce the dollar amount of the purchase, you’re also reducin g the sales tax. So, cutting $50 off the retail price saved me 7% of tax of $50, or a savings of $3.50. Not much, but still! I paid with my 1.75% cash-back credit card ($11.10 back) I used free shipping when that was an option, and free store pick-up when it wasn’t. Total with tax after discounts and cash back: $585.37. Plus about $8 worth of lightbulbs. We could have selected cheaper fixtures. I could have hit the Habitat for Humanity ReStore or something similar to perhaps find super deals. But in the end, I’m happy with these purchases and I’m excited to see it all come together. Shane installed the light fixtures. We could have hired that out, but it would have cost quite a bit — one company quoted $270 just to install the three fixtures. Here’s our kitchen today. We’ve primed the walls and installed fixtures: She thought I wanted a picture of her stickers. Well, kinda. But here’s another angle, and with the lights on Notice the circle above the island light? Yeah that’s from the old fixture. This is why we didn’t paint the ceiling yet — we’ll do that now that the new fixtures are in place. Also need to paint the trim and the walls (you can see the wall color we selected — it’s on a foam board perched above the cabinet in the bottom picture). The old fixtures put out a yellow cast, even though the bulbs didn’t cause that. Didn’t like the brass, either. This combo puts out a LOT of light. I think I might get a lower wattage bulb for the island. Additional related posts: Why we hired a kitchen designer In the planning stages of redoing our kitchen A free programmable thermostat for Duquesne Light customers and more?

When it comes to secondhand shopping, patience is key.  I’ve found over the years that I can get just about anything secondhand, if I’m not in a hurry.  So I try to make sure that no shopping trip is ever an emergency.  For the most part, this is pretty easy to do with a combination of knowing that most of what we buy is a want rather than a need, along with lots of planning ahead for things that I know we’ll need in the future, particularly for clothing, shoes, and outerwear for our boys. Other than the dress shoes I bought last month, I hadn’t bought myself any shoes for a long time.  I had my running shoes and flip flops, along with a couple of pairs of casual shoes, and I hadn’t seen anything else that caught my eye.  But this past weekend, my garage sale and Goodwill adventures netted me some great new shoes.  A few years ago, I was with a good friend when she bought a pair of red Keen Mary Janes.  I loved those shoes!  I thought they looked great on her, but they weren’t worth $89 to me, so I didn’t get a pair for myself.  But I did file them away in my mental shopping list of things to buy if I ever see them secondhand.  And last weekend at Goodwill, I found them in my size, in great condition, for eight dollars.  So now I have these: They have almost no wear on them, and they’re just as cute and comfy as I knew they would be.  And $8 is a lot easier on my budget than $89 would have been. I also got a great pair of Nike sandals at a garage sale last weekend for a dollar.  Yep, just one dollar for these: The hot pink insoles (love them!) are removable, so I took them out and washed them once I got them home.  Good as new, perfect fit, light as a feather, and a great alternative to flip flops during the summer.  So now my shoe wardrobe is all set for another few years with some good quality additions, and I only spent nine dollars.  You never know what you’re going to find at garage sales and thrift stores, but as long as I remind myself that I don’t really need much of anything, I can just wait until I find things secondhand. The main reason I was at the garage sales and thrift stores in the first place was to find school clothes for our son, who will be starting kindergarten in August.  Again, I’m not waiting until the last minute here: I’ve been slowly procuring clothing for him for the last few months, spending very little money in the process.  Since I started early, I’m able to be very choosey about what I buy for him.  If you have kiddos who are going to need school clothes in the fall, start looking now at yard sales and thrift stores so that you’ve got time to find what you need without feeling pressured to run to the mall the week before school starts.  It definitely pays off in the long run. Anyway, I knew we would be needing some good shoes for school.  Our son loves Crocs and wears them everywhere, but I don’t think they’ll work so well for school.  I don’t know for sure, but I’m assuming that he’ll probably have to wear something other than Crocs at least on days when he has PE class.  And once the snow flies, it would probably be frowned upon if I sent him to school in foam shoes with holes in them.  So I’ve been on the lookout for shoes for him too.  And last weekend I found these at Goodwill for three dollars: He wears a size 12 and these are a 13, so they’ll be perfect for this coming school year.  They’re from the Gap, and have basically no wear at all on them.  They look brand new inside and out, and the velcro makes them easy to get on and off.  Exactly what I was looking for, and the price was right too.  So it was a good shoe shopping weekend around here!  And just for a little extra fun, I also found a new wallet for a dollar.  I’ll be taking my old wallet (which was also a thrift store find) to the local consignment store on Friday when I

Once lost in the shadows of academia — and relatively unheard of only a decade ago — the best online teaching degrees, by value as well as enrollment, now dwarf their brick-and-mortar competition, outstripping even the largest state university teachers’ colleges. Online teaching degrees and online teaching certificates are now very common because they provide you the opportunity to begin or enhance your teaching career while you’re still working. If, for example, you choose to earn a Bachelor of Science in Education (BSE) with a Concentration in Elementary Teaching online, you can still work during the day – perhaps in a related job like an educational aide – and complete your online teaching degree when it’s convenient for you. Getting your teaching degree online can increase your job security as well; government statistics show that the unemployment rate for those with college degrees is around half of that for people who have no education beyond high school. Types of Degrees A teaching degree can lead to a rewarding career in education. Aspiring teachers who have an already-busy schedule many want to consider an online teaching degree. Some of the more common programs, and the careers that such programs feed into, include: Associate of Arts (AA) in Elementary Education – You can earn your AA in Elementary Education with two years of full-time study. This degree typically qualifies you for entry-level positions as an educational assistant, but most of those who acquire it go on to study for their bachelor’s degree at a four-year institution. Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) in Secondary Education – Usually requiring four, but occasionally five years of full-time study, a BA in Secondary Education is the standard degree for middle and high school teachers. Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) – Requiring between one and two years of postgraduate study, an MLIS degree qualifies you to work as a professional librarian. Specific concentrations include academic librarianship, archiving, information architecture, public librarianship and school (K-12) librarianship. Online Teaching Degrees According to USA Today, which performed an analysis of Department of Education data finds that four big universities, operating mostly online, have quickly become the largest education schools in the USA. Last year the four — three of which are for-profit — awarded one in 16 bachelor’s degrees and post-graduate awards and nearly one in 11 advanced education awards, including master’s degrees and doctorates. A decade ago, in 2001, the for-profit University of Phoenix awarded 72 education degrees to teachers, administrators and other school personnel through its online program, according to federal data. Last year, it awarded nearly 6,000 degrees, more than any other university. By contrast, Arizona State University, one of the USA’s largest traditional education schools, awarded 2,075 degrees, most of them on campus. Columbia University’s Teachers College awarded 1,345 degrees. Traditional colleges still produce most of the bachelor’s degrees in teaching — ASU topped the list with 979 bachelor’s degrees in 2011. But online schools such as Phoenix and Walden University awarded thousands more master’s degrees than even the top traditional schools, all of which are pushing to offer online coursework. Every one of the top 10 now offers an online education credential. The dean of the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education told USA Today that the move toward online degree programs is unsurprising. However, the dean said that he would be “interested in knowing is the degree to which they are simply pushing these things out in order to generate dollars or whether there’s some real innovation in there.” Congress has subjected for-profit universities to intense scrutiny in Congress. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who chairs the Senate Health, Educ

Over the past few months, I’ve gotten a lot of requests to talk about my freelancing – where my money is coming from, how I approach potential clients, and how I got started. I’ve talked about it before, but figured I could go a little more in depth here. Related: Time management for the freelancer As some of you know, my freelancing business started in 2005 when I was in my first year of college. I don’t actually think I had any paying clients – but I did a lot of volunteer work in order to build up my portfolio. Kind of hard to get business without proof you can do the work, right? In 2006, I started this blog. It was a way to keep me accountable for my personal finance goals, and my professional goals. I barely made any money from my blog for the first three years, and minimal amounts of money through freelance graphic design work. Every contract I got was through word-of-mouth advertising, and I didn’t really do much to grow my business. I kept going like this until about 2010, making about $2,000-3,000 each year through mostly graphic design work. I was writing a lot on this blog, but didn’t make a single cent through any sort of freelance writing project. I wanted to make more money freelancing, but I didn’t really know how. I wasn’t confident that my graphic design skills could carry me further, so I decided to focus on growing my blog instead. At that point (the spring of 2010), I had been blogging at GMBMFB for over 3 years, and I still wasn’t sure how I was going to make the leap from being an amateur blogger, into someone who could actually generate a decent income (without becoming super spammy). In the summer of 2010, I was offered my “big break” which also proved to be the tipping point of my career as a freelance writer/blogger. The financial editor of the Toronto Star contacted me, and offered me a job as a blogger for a new website called Moneyville (which launched in September 2010, but folded back into the Toronto Star website earlier this year). Of course, after verifying that it wasn’t an elaborate prank, I accepted. I would have been crazy not to. A job writing for the largest daily newspaper in Canada? Yes, please. Writing for The Star taught me a lot. I went from obscurity to being read by tens of thousands of people every week. And of course with that came a lot of criticism. That definitely affected my writing here at GMBMFB. I was self conscious, and aware that whatever I said on my blog was likely going to be used against me in the comment section of Moneyville. Or in discussion forums on other sites. It was really tough at the beginning. Yeah, I know. I knew what I was getting myself into. People can be really mean, and that’s definitely something to think about if you want to become a writer/blogger. Do you have thick skin? Can you let the insults and criticisms roll off your back? Or will you brood and get sad/angry about it? Anyway, by the end of 2010, I had made about $8,000 freelancing. It still wasn’t a lot, but it was triple what I had made in the previous year, and it gave me that push I needed to challenge myself to see how far I could go. This was also around the time I started working 70-75 hours/week. In 2011, I made $32,000+ in freelance income, and it was at that point I knew I had a shot at being able to work full-time as a freelancer. As my income increased, I had a huge decision to make because I was going to burn out. Do I do what’s scary, and try my luck at freelancing? Or do I play it safe, and continue to work a steady FT job? And as you may know by the end of 2011 I got the extra push I needed to quit my job. Related: When does a freelancing career take over? This year is a little bit different. I’ve spent so many years trying to increase my freelance income, that it seems weird to scale back. It was extremely difficult to leave my job with the Toronto Star earlier this year,

Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details. Today we hear from Archan Mehta, whose meditation practice led him to minimalism. He’s a writer, consultant, and teacher with a Ph.D. in Management, and invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn. Archan writes: Okay, I admit it: I’ve had a tendency to acquire things and hoard stuff. You could say: Well, you almost made a career out of it. I would go shopping and save up for a rainy day. But, as we all know by now, those rainy days only exist in our imagination. The clutter was so bad…it got to the point where I could not find what I was looking for; and this bad habit started to interfere with how I managed my day. It was a lousy feeling, that is, not being able to accomplish the things that make life worth living; not being able to achieve closure on daily tasks. Folders, laundry bags, pens, pencils, clothes, etc. were littered all over the place, and I found myself tripping over some of these items. In order to escape from this condition, I found solace in bookstores and libraries: after all, reading was my favorite hobby. Suddenly, I came across the works of Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Shakti Gawain, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and others. Reading their books opened my eyes to the possibility of embracing voluntary poverty: it was an idea whose time had come, but I did not accept it fully, since it was an intellectual concept. However, once I accepted meditation into my life–advocated by these writers–things started to fall into place. Slowly but surely, I started to make meditation a daily practice and it changed me. I was able to experience a shift in consciousness and started to live mindfully. The need to own things fell by the wayside: my shopaholic days were over. Today, thanks to the daily practice of meditation, I have few needs. I have donated most of my stuff to charity or I have removed these items from my life. I finally feel like there’s a load off my shoulders and it feels surreal. There is so much freedom in voluntary simplicity and a functional lifestyle. Will it work for you? There’s only one way to find out–try it. {If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.} Related posts:Real Life Minimalists: Christopher Real Life Minimalists: Jan Real Life Minimalists: Frances