Frugal Living

I can't quite put my finger on why, but there is definitely something about the presence of a roof rack that screams "ADVENTURE." Quark, sporting his cool new summer haircut, concurs. Either that, or he's decided that the Vanagon is some sort of mutant sheep in need of serious herding. No way of knowing which. Regardless, my new custom fabricated solar rack is now in place, and after driving a few miles on the freeway this evening, I was relieved to find it precisely where I left it. Always a good thing. I also made some good progress on the cabinet design today, and the basic structure for both sides is now just about finished. With plenty of odd angles and contours to deal with, it's been slow going, but the results are shaping up nicely. All that aside, the real highlight of the day was when Q installed the latest addition to the workshop to end all workshops. I don't want to tempt Mother Nature, but I think the impending summer heat just got a little more tolerable...

Are you getting married soon? Be sure to check out these 7 tips for planning a wedding registry. And don't go it along. Your fiance and future husband should have a say in how you select wedding gifts for your bridal registry.You might also enjoy (Note: Some offers may have expired)$5 Off Crock-Pot Lunch CrockRefillable K Cup: How to Save Money on K Cup CoffeeFree Bridal Guide MagazineThe post 7 Tips for Planning a Wedding Registry appeared first on Suddenly Frugal Blog.

When it comes to fixed rate and adjustable rate (ARM) mortgages the standard personal finance advice is to always get a fixed rate mortgage. Most people opt for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, but a 15-year [...]Recommended For You:When is the Right Time to Refinance Your Home?30 Year Mortgage vs. 15 Year Mortgage: Pros and ConsBuying a Home? How to Get the Best Mortgage RateWhat is a Second Mortgage? Advantages and DisadvantagesHow Much House Can You Afford to Buy? Read the rest of Should You Choose an Adjustable Rate Mortgage? at BeingFrugal.net.

When I found out Target was going to open over 100 stores across Canada this year, I was excited but realistic. Could my days of cross-border shopping at one of my favourite stores be over? Or would Target Canada fall short of the prices found in the USA? That’s what I intended to find out this past weekend during whirlwind shopping trips to my two closest Target stores. May 18th, 2013: My first stop was Target Canada, in the suburb of Coquitlam – approximately 32 km from downtown Vancouver. May 19th, 2013: My second stop was Target USA at the Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham, WA – approximately 83km from downtown Vancouver. For my trips, I decided to compare the prices of a few common household items. These figures below don’t take into account provincial or state tax, duties charged at the border, the extra cost in gas, or puts a dollar value on the time spent crossing the border (although with the Nexus pass, it didn’t take me that much longer to get to Bellingham than to Coquitlam). Instead, I’ve chosen to focus just on the price of the products – taking into an account an exchange rate of $0.97 on the Canadian dollar. Ready? Let’s shop at Target! We’ll head to the personal care and beauty section first, because that’s where I generally start my Target shopping trips. My go-to mascara is Maybelline’s Volum’Express (The Rocket). Now to pick up some Aveeno body lotion, which is only slightly cheaper in the USA. I can’t live without Burt’s Bees lip balm, and at any given time, I have 3 to 5 floating in between my purse, home, car, and desk at work. When comparing a 24-pack of Durex condoms, I found out it was 32% cheaper to practice safe sex in America. Next up is Tylenol. There’s a small difference here: the Canadian version has the eZtabs, and the U.S. version is just regular caplets. A major expense most men complain about is the cost of razor blades. I thought they would be significantly cheaper in Bellingham. Turns out the savings is barely worth mentioning. If you’re sick of paying so much for disposable blades, perhaps an electric shaver system will be your next big purchase. Note the U.S. package also has a bonus of a few accessories (worth over $30) that the Canadian version doesn’t have. This was a bit of a surprise to me. The regular price of a 20-pack of Energizer Max Alkaline batteries in the USA is $13.79, which is 23% more than the regular price in Canada. I don’t know much about video games, but I do know that if I’m ever going to buy myself Call of Duty for Xbox, it’s going to be across the border. If you’re in the mood to hate your life, I’d recommend picking up Windows 8 Pro in Bellingham. I now know the best thing about living in Vancouver isn’t the ocean or the mountains or the abundance of delicious vegetarian restaurants – it’s the fact that Nutella is 17% cheaper in Canada. The Magic Bullet in Canada isn’t pictured with all the accessories, but it’s the same 17-piece system that’s selling in the U.S. I just read an article in MoneySense magazine about how generic baby diapers are just as good as the brand names. I wouldn’t know, because I’ve never changed a diaper in my life. But, if you must have brand name Pampers, they’re cheaper in America. Note to self: Don’t buy Calphalon pots and pans in Canada. Even the bonus Tide Pods attached to the detergent bottle can’t help out this price match. I don’t have any pets, but it’d be cheaper to feed their faces with food from Target USA. Well, there you have it! A short 16-product comparison of Target Canada vs. Target USA. What did we all learn from this? Buy your Nutella and batteries in Canada. The rest could be worth taking a trip across the border. I personally never go across the border with the specific intention of shopping. ItR

Forgive the cheesy homophonic wordplay, but it's not a turn of phrase one gets to use every day of the week – sealing the ceiling, that is, which is precisely what I finished doing a few days ago. It's no Sistine Chapel, but it does pop rather nicely now... That's three coats of Varathane satin polyurethane – no stain at all – and I'm so pleased with the results that I may just stick with this natural look for the rest of the interior. And speaking of which, I'm about thigh-deep into the cabinetry now, and though it's slow going due to my being a complete novice, I'm happy with how it's taking shape. Photographic evidence to come soon. Q is slated to be out of town for all of June, and because he handles all of the welding duties around here, we ramped up work on the custom rack that will house my solar array a couple of nights ago. Here are a few teaser photos... As I type this, fabrication work has been completed, the rack fitted to the van's gutter mounts, and she even passed a quick test drive this afternoon with flying colors. I just need to prime and paint the rack tomorrow, and it'll then be ready to receive the solar panels I picked up about a week ago. I realize that it's a bit premature to be installing solar panels when I don't even have much of an interior yet, but this is a two-man job, so I needed to get to it while Q is still around. So it is that in another week, I stand to be all alone in Q's workshop for a while, and between that, the impending summer heat, and the fact that there's still a decent amount of work to be done, I find myself increasingly thinking about the possibility of taking a break for a few months and heading to higher elevations for one last go-around in the Chinook. Nothing has been decided yet though, and I intend to keep plugging away at least until the end of the month before assessing the situation further.

Claremont McKenna College (CMC) announced it will end its “No Package Loan” financial-aid policy beginning next fall for incoming freshmen, demonstrating the uphill struggle some colleges face in providing access to some of the neediest students. “The policy change represents a movement among a lot of colleges toward more merit-based and less need-based aid,” CMC junior Carly Lenderts told Campus Progress. “That shift harms low-income students more than this specific loan policy. As a middle-class student at a private college, I’m obviously biased toward need-based aid as it allows me to be here.” CMC was among a handful of schools that instituted policies in recent years to remove student loans from the financial aid packages offered to undergraduate students in order to make college more accessible to lower-income students. The college enacted its No Package Loan policy in 2008. Instead of loans, the school pushed for more financial aid programs. But with the recent economic recession, the school’s board of trustees decided the college wouldn’t be able to sustain the policy. Research and input from the admission and financial aid committee guided the decision, which studied the effects of the No Packaged Loan financial-aid policy over the past five years. “CMC’s generous financial-aid policy is definitely responsible for me being here,” Lenderts said. “My parents never would have signed the paperwork without the promise of significant financial aid.” College President Pamela Gann announced the policy-shift in an email to the college community March 14. She explained need-based students who enter CMC in fall 2014 will be provided “reasonable loan amounts of up to $4,000 per year in the financial aid package.” And emphasized that students up to the Class of 2017 will not be affected by the change in policy. “The administration showed us the changes in college cost vs. ability to pay,” Lenderts said. “College cost has risen quickly, and ability to pay has risen slowly. A lot of that is because of the recession, and as a result CMC has overspent its financial aid budget in the past few years. Families have less money to send kids to college, but it costs colleges more to retain their competitive edge.” Other schools that have dropped or altered their no-loan policies include, Carleton College of Northfield, Minn., Cornell University, Yale University, Dartmouth College, and Williams College. Many colleges advertise diverse student bodies and try to recruit students with diverse backgrounds. “I think that’s great, but socioeconomic diversity is woefully absent at a lot of private liberal arts schools.” Landerts argued. “Regardless of other diversity factors, you can’t claim to represent a wide array of life experiences if the only students who can afford to come to your college are upper- and upper-middle class.” She continued: The debate within the CMC community is centered upon this policy being announced right after other announcements about doubling our endowment and plans to renovate dorms and build a new fitness center. Obviously, donors select what their money goes toward and financial aid is less glamorous than a shiny new building with your name on it. Hopefully CMC will focus future fundraising efforts on increasing the funds for need-based aid. With more than 38 million Americans burdened with $1 trillion of student loan debt, there’s no mistaking that student debt is a growing crisis in need of meaningful solutions. Reducing the amount of funding students are pressured to acquire through student loans was a step toward that, but as colleges and universities face the unsustainable nature of no-loan financial aid programs it’s becoming clear that other avenues are necessary to lessen the burdens experienced by student loan borrowers. The post Colleges Take Back No-Loan Promises appeared first on Frugal Dad.

Many of us are looking for ways to save money, as well as be greener in our habits. Luckily, more sustainable living and saving money often go hand in hand. Indeed, many of the things that [...]Recommended For You:Kill Energy Vampires and Reduce Standby Power UsageIs It Worth It to Build a Green Home?How to Decide Whether to Repair or Replace75 Frugal Hacks for Your HomeYou Tell Me: Is a Freezer Worth the Money? Read the rest of 5 Ways to Green Your Home and Save Money at BeingFrugal.net.

While many will be heading to beaches and nightclubs this summer, more and more students are choosing to spend their summer vacations giving back to the community by undertaking service projects for charity. Why not earn college credit or resume-building life experience while you’re at it? International Student Volunteers Make a Difference During Summer Break ISV reports that more than “140 universities granted academic credit to their students for participation in the ISV Volunteer Program.” Students may find challenging and rewarding opportunities in South Africa, Thailand, Eastern Europe, Ecuador, Australia, the Dominican Republic and also New Zealand. Students experience a mix of adventure travel and charity oriented service projects. All life experiences are sure to alter the way you look at spring break, and some will even offer college credit. Spend Summer Break with Break Away Break Away partners with well established chapter programs at some of the best-regarded schools in the United States. Examples include Cal Poly in California and Emory University in Georgia. Students desirous of attending these schools may find a suitable “in” by participating in school-sponsored service projects that in some cases might even provide college credit. Even when there is no college credit attached, the life experience you’ll get looks good on resumes and college applications. Volunteer opportunities vary greatly from tutoring non-English speaking children to helping with farming and home building. International Service Projects with International Education Programs (IEP) Spend summer break traveling the world and volunteering your time and expertise. Whether you want to serve in Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru or the Philippines, this organization can match you up with a good fit. Moreover, it also provides you with the documentation required to turn your service projects experience into college credit – if your school approves. Gain Life Experience with the Homeless Challenge Project from the National Coalition for the Homeless The National Coalition for the Homeless issues a 48-hour challenge to live like a homeless person. Spending two full days living and interacting with — and getting to know the lifestyle of — the homeless provides life experience you cannot get from a classroom setting. It will also prepare the student for charity work or spring break volunteer projects with the homeless. Internships and Work Experience with i-to-i The advantage of life experience-building trips with i-to-i is the short-term nature of the service projects. They may last only two weeks or go up all the way to six months. Not always charity, the opportunity to interact with a new culture, on foreign shores — and gain valuable hands-on experience — is worth every penny of this trip. A Final Word on College Credit Unless a service project is directly sponsored by a school and carries a notice that college credit is offered, it is up to your university or college to decide whether your request of credit for one or more service projects will be honored. If you are looking to charity work with an eye on specific college credits, contact the school of your choice or academic advisor ahead of time to inquire about their willingness to accept your proposed summer vacation service project. The post Fun and Meaningful Ways to Earn College Credit this Summer appeared first on Frugal Dad.

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, Kendra gives us a glimpse of her version of minimalism: one that includes two children and a lovely renovated house. Surf on over to her blog to read more. Kendra writes: My parents gave me a taste of minimalist life when they packed us into a 35-foot camper and lived up and down the west coast for a few years. While I liked some aspects, I daydreamed of normalcy and putting down roots, you know, having classmates who weren’t my sisters. Then we did all that and I grew up.  I grew up and married and had two babies simultaneously and renovated a beautiful old house. When the dust cleared, literally from the renovation, I emerged from survival mode and began reading about intentional living. It occurred to me that there were options, and possibly better ways to spend a life. I read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and realized my life was a story and I wanted it to be a good one. With my husband supporting me, we ventured into uncharted waters and started fashioning our family into more. More peace, more free time, more understanding about what makes us happy. Our initial purge of stuff was a year ago now. Our minimalism looks a bit different because we do love our 2500 sq ft renovated 1920s house. But I’m comfortable with empty cupboards, empty storage rooms, empty drawers. It also looks different because I love interior decorating, so it isn’t very sparse that way either. But the definition of minimalism that gave me hope that I could fit into it was, “Having only things you use and love.” I love my art, so it stays, but I’ve let so much else go. I love being free from the “rules” that “made” me keep things I didn’t want. I love being able to admit I made a mistake when I bought something and give it away or sell it, rather than trying to make it work for three years. Because I’ve quit denying that I made those mistakes, I’m learning from them and when I do buy something, I make a better choice. I think the most gratifying moment was putting stacks of totes and containers I’d used to organize my stuff out to sell. Knowing I’d emptied them was exquisite. The success of minimalism in stuff has spurred two No Spend months, a more experience-based Christmas celebration and now, I’m facing down the giant that is time-management with the principles of less. It’s amazing how hopeful I feel for the future, after seeing how much thoughtful changes improve life’s quality. I believe our family’s story can be epic in love-sharing, since we’re learning to dial down anything that competes. Kendra’s living room {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: Louisa Rogers Real Life Minimalists: Grace Real Life Minimalists: Melanie in California

And on the fourth day, after much trial, error, cursing, and nagging internal voices of self-mockery, a ceiling emerges... You'd really think that by now, having done a fair amount of body work, painted, and for crying out loud, replaced a freaking engine, there wouldn't be much that could still feed those nagging internal voices, but the truth is that there were moments over these past few days when I wondered if this ceiling thing was simply beyond me. It looks like I was wrong though. The main challenge to this whole affair was rooted in the fact that the width of the ceiling is not constant throughout the length of the van. As a result, the three panels pictured above each had to be tapered to follow this contour just right. If off by too much, they wouldn't bow properly once installed in the side channels, and the pile of rejects now littering the floor in Q's workshop betrays just how much of a royal pain this was. But it's done now, and as the passage of time wears away the memory of all that soul-sucking frustration, here's hoping the results prove to have been worth it. Onward.