American Opportunity Education Tax Credit: Textbooks Included

For all the laments about the rising costs of college, there are plenty of people who pay low or no tuition. For some, perhaps most, this is need-based. For others, including many members of the middle class or beyond, this is merit based.

Why am I mentioning this? Because I have mentioned the American Opportunity Tax Credit to many people and not one had heard of it. There have long been tax credits for tuition and fees. And for most, tuition and fees ate up--and continue to eat up--the credit, In 2009-10 (and, I think extended in the recent lame duck congressional session), TEXTBOOKS are included in the $2500/year potential credit. TEXTBOOKS were never included before.

Because both of my children made use of their National Merit Scholarships, they pay no tuition or fees. THANK YOU CHILDREN FOR YOUR CHOICES. Like many, I have been appalled by textbook prices. Even with all my ingenuity and frugal bloodhound skills, I have seldom managed to save very much.

As of 2009, I can relax. The French text is $120 plus a $90 computer pad fee...well, tant pis.

But many don't know about this. My daughter wanted to lend her books to her pal last semester. The books were keepers and I didn't want them to go astray. Miss Em's friend had very high SATs and received free tuition at the same college. I told Miss Em to tell the friend to tell her parents that they would be eligible for the credit. Via the grapevine--from a doctor--a thank you.

Miss Em's hometown friend who received both need- and merit-based aid was lamenting the fact that she couldn't accompany us to Goodwill for a fun shop because she had to save for her textbooks. I told her to tell her mother about the credit. I hope she does.

Many students in Louisiana (TOPs program) and Georgia (HOPE credit) pay no tuition. Other states give free or reduced tuition to students--like my daughter's friend above--who have high SATs or ACTs (over 1400 seems to be required; over 1500 will be better. This is just for the first two parts. For the ACT, I think over 30 is the requirement. It may be higher.)

Even students at private schools may receive tuition scholarships. Textbooks, often not covered, are estimated to cost around $500/semester. I think this is a low estimate, since textbooks prices--like prescription drugs--are both required and prescribed by people often clueless about the cost to the users. Much has been written about the constant, unnecessary revisions in textbooks, which render used books unusable.

OK. Enough of that rant. For those who pay no or low tuition--and this perhaps applies to community college students in some areas--the American Opportunity credit can BE USED FOR TEXTBOOKS.

I hope Miss Em's pal's mom files an amended return for 2009 and 2010.

If you know anyone in a relevant situation, please pass on this info!

P.S. I am NOT A TAX EXPERT. LOOK INTO THIS YOURSELF. PLEASE.

First Bit of Luck for the New Year

On New Year's morn, I cooked up some lentils. I got a little nervous. Later, I asked Frugal Son if it HAD to be black-eyed peas for the new year or would lentils suffice? Black-eyed peas, he averred.

I never ate the things before I moved to the South. I think the black-eyed peas are optional anywhere else, but I did not want to bring the bad karma down on me. We need that gris-gris.

Our first dinner was traditional: black-eyed peas, greens (still from the garden!), a little bacon. I think rice is traditional, but I made mashed potatoes anyway because I love them.

Next day: Miss Em inserts DVD into drive on our Mac. Mac goes crazy. This happened before. The nice people at Best Buy removed the DVD at no charge and we forgot about the problem.

Mr. FS very gloomy: We need to get this fixed. It will cost hundreds of dollars. Me: gloomy too.

Sunday at noon: Mr. FS sets out on the sad journey to Best Buy. Guess what? Our Mac is under warranty for SEVEN MORE DAYS.

MORAL: Eat your black-eyed peas. Eat your greens. No matter how you cook this traditional fare, it will be frugal. And what could be more frugal than good luck?

The best Louisiana cookbooks are the ones put together by the various service organizations around the state.

Coffee, Tea, and Me

The above title is an allusion to a scandalous book of the 1960s titled Coffee, Tea, or Me. This book--unread by me--detailed the sexual adventures of flight attendants (then called stewardesses) and pilots in the swinging 60s. Evidently one of our neighbors (a pilot, never seen by me) was a character in it. His disguise was transparent and his wife Lillian divorced him and moved away with their 6 kids.

My Frugal Son has been home for a few days. He has been maligning me for buying too much (good) stuff at Goodwill. He has a point. But watch out for the forces of thrift store karma.



Frugal Son has become interested in loose tea. We searched--to no avail--for our tea strainer. So...when I went to Goodwill, what do I find?

Of course, this item was greeted with ecstasy by Frugal Son.

On to coffee. I made some nasty comments about the now ubiquitous coffee pods. Funny About Money replied with a survey of coffee making methods and paean to the French press, which is what I use.

This inspired me to waste some time--I mean, research--coffee making methods. I discovered this, which seems pricy for what it is. It seems like it would be less messy than the French press, however.

Has anyone used it?

More Free Food for Grown Ups: Fear and Trembling

Another free food event. Is this a karmic event? There are rumors flying about mass layoffs. I'm not talking about it any more.

Last night, Mr. FS and I walked down to the pretty old church where we heard a free concert. We've been attending these monthly concerts for years. Last night we heard the New Leviathan Oriental Fox Trot Orchestra.

After the concert there is a reception with wine and a smallish buffet. Most of the attendees are in their late-60s and up. Many come from a very upscale retirement and assisted living community. I must say that the attendees are big eaters!

I noticed last year that the food was getting more abundant and better. I think that a a large group of women from the church now work in the kitchen; it's something of a social event. Last night, at the first concert of the season, the food was great, so good that we didn't have to eat dinner at home.

I tried to stick to the healthy stuff: gazpacho, a great barley and lentil salad with pine nuts, and fruit salad were the highlights. I avoided the pimiento cheese spreads.

Perhaps the forces of karma were saying to me: Don't worry about the bad stuff that might befall higher education in your state. You can always go to free concerts. You will always have a healthy and delicious meal once a month.

Another Budget Category: Community

There have been rumblings here and there on the topic of community, with the basic idea that supporting local businesses is GOOD and increases the quality of life for all. Once one tries to put such support into practice, things get more complex--local businesses may be more expensive than the big-box counterpart, to name only the most obvious objection.

I certainly don't know how to weigh all the facets of the issue against one another. One thing I've noticed though: sometimes local business is very personal. This may be more true for me because I live in a small town.

Here are some local business issues I have encountered.

A good friend opens a coffee shop in another town. It is located far out of my usual way. Plus, I seldom go to coffee shops as a general rule--unless I am in New Orleans or Paris. So, I don't patronize the business. After 5 years, she and her partner call it quits. Should I feel responsible--in a teeny way?

The husband of an instructor in my department opened a small restaurant near school. The husband was in my class ages ago. As a rule, I don't go out for lunch. In fact, Mr. FS and I have been lunching on peanut butter sandwiches for the last 20plus years. Should I go?

Then there are the zillions of other similar stories I could recount. Here is my idea: create a BUDGET CATEGORY for COMMUNITY. That would be separate from your food category (since you don't go out for lunch as a rule) and your giving category (since you are not donating anything). Perhaps we should (or I should) earmark a certain sum each month for patronizing community businesses or events that I might not otherwise.

What do you think of this idea? How do you weigh community concerns into your practices?

CPW and LBD: Some Thoughts

CPW=Cost Per Wear
LBD=Little Black Dress (LBD has just entered the dictionary, I read)

Sometimes I think the CPW concept just encourages overspending. All the experts--fashion mags, especially--counsel determining what's "worth it" by COST PER WEAR:if you buy a jacket for $1000.00 and wear it 1000 times, it only costs $1.00/wear, and hence is cheaper than the $3.00 yard sale sweater that languishes in your closet unworn. This seems to make sense.

I thought about a potential CPW fallacy when I was in a three-generation shopping excursion with my mother and daughter in Lenox Massachusetts. As a "resort" area, Lenox sports boutiques that tend to have very nice items and that tend not to have sales. I'm not too comfortable in these boutiques, but my mother likes the people who run one, and so buys a few things a year.

While we were there, Miss Em tried on a Michael Stars dress--just cotton, with some modal, and a bit of spandex--that was around $100.00. It was my fault, because I showed her the dress. Of course, being 19 years old, and extremely tall, Miss Em looks good in almost everything. I thought the price was too high for what was really an elongated tee shirt.

Miss Em exclaimed, "Think about cost per wear! I could wear this every week for a year!!" And, "I don't have an LBD!" And, "I need an LBD!"

I got all crabby and at the end everyone was mad at me: Miss Em and my mother, not to mention the store owner my mother likes so much. We did buy Miss Em a nice cotton gauze tunic, which she has worn a number of times.

I knew I had an argument, but I couldn't formulate it. Then, after a few days, it hit me! The CPW concept ONLY works if you have ONLY a few things.

If you have a closetful of stuff (all nice, by the way) as Miss Em does, by wearing the LBD once a week, you are displacing other items from your rotation. So, at one a week, the LBD would have a low CPW, but the other items would end up having a higher one.

Therefore, the CPW concept only works for those disciplined enough to have a very streamlined wardrobe. You can't stuff an expensive item into a full closet and talk about CPW, can you?

Interestingly, our next stop was Northern California, another very affluent area with a resort component. We were in Sonoma, where there is an excellent thrift store, The Church Mouse. There Miss Em found a Susana Monaco--you guessed it--LBD for $10.00. It was nicer than the first LBD.

Miss Em didn't want it, but I made her buy it. She recently thanked me for pushing it on her. The CPW is down to about $1.00!

What do you think of the CPW concept? Helpful? Or a marketing ploy?

If you're ever in Sonoma, stop by the wonderful thrift.

My Karmic ROI: Relief

ROI=RETURN ON INVESTMENT

A few days ago, I wrote a tongue-in-cheek post about depositing $600.00 into my karmic savings account: that's how much a thrift store acquaintance said I'd saved her when I recommended thrifting a tux set for future proms. The tongue-in-cheek part came at the end, with the query: What should I spend my $600.00 on?

I hope that writing about my karmic moment--which just happened--will not bring bad luck. Knock on wood for me.

On the last day of our almost three weeks of visiting our relatives in Massachusetts and California came some disquieting financial news. Because of Frugal Son's--what shall we call it--flakiness, he did not have a dormitory assignment. (See last year's post on French visa for similar event.)

Now, students can always live off-campus. But Frugal Son has a ROOM AND BOARD SCHOLARSHIP, which does not transfer to off-campus housing. He called and discovered that he was number 10 zillion on the waiting list.

Anyway, through some parental ADVICE and PRESSURE, and the aid of an administrator in navigating the scary bureaucracy of a large school....he got a room! I guess a lot of people drop out at the end...and the administrator said they DO try to accommodate students with scholarships.

The savings: $6000.00, exactly 10 times my karmic investment.

Amazing.

$600.00 Deposit to my Karmic Savings Account

As you may have surmised, I've been on the road. Much of the road did not include access to the internet, though we discovered that if one sat with a laptop by my father-in-law's mailbox, one could pick up access from a neighbor. Still, it's hard to keep up on a tiny EEE computer, with its tiny keyboard.

Things I will not report include many stressful on-going dilemmas. Also, you will not be hearing about our night in the Atlanta airport, caused by running out of fuel while circling, being diverted, and having to wait 5 hours for another crew. OOPS! Well, Delta will be hearing about that one.

To ease back into my writing life, I will report on an event. I went to the grocery for some milk and, of course, nipped into Goodwill, right next door. As always, the workers asked about my vacation. Then a customer-pal said across the room, "You saved me $600.00."

REALLY? what did I do? It turned out that I mentioned to this mother of two boys that it was a good idea to acquire a tuxedo and accessories before the prom season. Each of her boys went to 3 proms, leading to a savings of AT LEAST $600.00.

I had forgotten all about giving that advice, though I have mentioned it a few times in this very place.

A tuxedo is a necessary purchase also for musicians, as I learned when I worked in a vintage shop in Bloomington Indiana, home of an acclaimed music school.

It is easy to find a tuxedo EXCEPT when you need one, so I suggest you start looking now. $5.00 spent on a tux will save $100 in rental fees, an excellent return on investment.

My only question is What should I spend my $600.00 on?

Frugality and Destiny: Thrift Store Compliments

Yesterday, I wrote about my efforts to depart ever so slightly from the frugal path, only to realize once more that it may be my destiny. This was brought home to me YET AGAIN at Goodwill.

I was cruising the racks in my usual blissed-out way. Another woman was doing the same, only she had a shopping cart (or buggy, as one says here) with two little kids in it. She suddenly burst out. "You're so lucky!" I snapped out of my reverie. She continued, "You're so thin! You can wear anything!"

I was wearing, if you must know, my Lands' End tunic, which I got on sale for about $11.00. It is sold as a beach cover-up, and has since gone up a few dollars. Still quite reasonable, I think. With it, I sported a pair of Athleta capri sport leggings, which I had gotten at GW.

I thanked her and we separated. We met up again. She said, "I had two babies after 40! It's so hard to find clothes." I commiserated and said that my younger child was born when I was 38. Then she said, "I love your look. You look so European chic."

I kid you not.

Compare to my experience, recounted yesterday, of my miserable time in the dressing room, trying on bona fide Euro chic clothing.

Frugality as Destiny, once more.

My Chanel Shoes: A True Story of Thrift Store Karma

Since you last heard from me, we have been in Alabama, visiting our dear daughter. We were accompanied by my mother. All this intergenerational travel is fun, but stressful. Lucy Marmalade/Miss Em was a great host, getting us tickets to the ballet Cinderella and treating us to meals.

Now we're back, with about a week of vacation ahead of us. And I am, of course, completely uninspired. So I will present a true story of thrift store karma. I was saving it for an uninspired moment.

Several years ago (5? 6?), I was, as usual, blissing out at Goodwill. I was in the check out line, with some unmemorable stuff, when the woman in front of me (not someone I'd seen before) decided to show off her finds. She had about 4 designer bags. She explained to me that they were good fakes. Then she said, "But these are real." And showed me some black Chanel loafers. They WERE real. She said, "I don't wear this size, but I got them for my grandbabies to use for dress up." I said, "What size are they?" She said, "37." "That's my size," I gasped.

That's as far as you can go with thrift store etiquette. You cannot beg for the shoes or offer to buy them or even make remarks about how it is a total waste to give children Chanel loafers to use as dress up shoes.

And, of course, this woman paid for her wares and whisked off to wherever with the shoes.

Being a masochist, I went back to Goodwill the next day. I am embarrassed to admit that I was a wee bit depressed about the shoes. Really, it's better not to know about what you missed.

I was looking through a big bin of shoes. I said to myself (sorry if this offends your religious sensibilities), "If God wanted you to have the Chanel shoes, he would have given them to you!"

Then, you guessed it, ANOTHER pair of Chanel loafers appeared, identical to the first, only in brown. I kept looking for a third pair, but none appeared.

These are, no question, the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. No one knows they are Chanel except for me. They are plain old loafers with the crossed c's on top. Interestingly, anyone who did notice the logo would assume they were fake. That is because, with my general disarray, I just don't look like someone who would have Chanel shoes.

Not only did I get the shoes, but I got a neat story.

Do you believe me?

Black and Gold Karma

I assume that even the unsporty folks know that the New Orleans Saints are in the Superbowl. And that the colors are black and gold. And that the NFL does NOT own the rights to Who Dat? And that thousands of men wearing dresses paraded in honor of Buddy D, a sportscaster now deceased, who said he would parade wearing a dress if the Saints ever went to the Superbowl. And that the real party will be in New Orleans, not Miami. And that my classes Monday will be ill-attended no matter what. And that many schools are closed on Monday. And that Sunday night MASS is cancelled in New Orleans.

Well, I am not a sporty type. But still. It has been so fun to see all the handmade signs in yards on the way to school: Bless You Boys.

This is a place that loves to dress up. Being a dour and lugubrious Yankee, I have never participated in the usual Halloween scene, where all the teachers dress up as witches, monsters, and the like and bring candy to students. I usually forget to wear green on St. Patrick's Day. I suppose that the dignified teachers at Tulane and LSU wear their regular clothes on holidays, but I definitely show my outsider status at my more friendly school with my urban black.

Yesterday, I realized that I was the ONLY person at the grocery store not wearing black and gold. Even the babies had Saints tee shirts. So this morning, I decided to try to fit in. Black was easy. Gold...well, I didn't have anything. I was going to make a joke to my students, but cannot divulge it here without revealing my REAL identity.

Then I remembered last this week's trip to the Food Bank Thrift Store. I was donating bags of bags, which they use for their merchandise. I did peek in, and bought a Talbots wool jacket in a cornsilk yellow. Not my usual color, but it was so pretty. I decided that the color passes as GOLD. I am wearing it right now.

Now that I think of it, the official name of the thrift store is ALL SAINTS.
WHO DAT say dere's no thrift store karma?

Thank You to the Universe for my Emergency Fund

So, the end of semester grades were turned in last night. Next comes the flurry of complaints and questions. Then...clean up the house, use up the stuff in the freezer, and reread War and Peace!

But then as I sat at the computer, a crown fell off my tooth!

Next morning, Mr. FS turned on his Dell computer. We hate Dell for its bad customer service anyway. Now we will put our vow to never buy anything from Dell again: Mr. FS was greeted by the dreaded blue screen. We took the computer to the Geeks at Best Buy and discovered that a diagnosis would cost $200.00. JUST SAY NO.

Back home, Mr. FS managed to turn the thing on again and backed up all the files just in case.

It turns out that putting the crown back on is no big deal. But we have to buy a new computer.

Tell me, is it good karma that the computer died after the semester was over? Or bad karma that it died at all? We had one computer that lasted for over 20 years. Now it seems that computers have become throwaway items with short life spans.


OMMMMMMMMMMM. We have an emergency fund for our new computer. OMMMMMMMMMM.

Bad Customer Service: Example of Chico's

One reason I love thrift stores is that there is no customer service. I do not want sales people flattering me.

Every now and then, I do venture to a real store. Right now, I will vent my irritation at Chico's. Now I am not a great customer of that store. I bought one thing there this year. I find the quality very low for the price. And I hate that I am often the youngest person in the store. But some of their stuff has updated styling.

What I really hate is the customer service. Chico's sends me incredible coupons, probably because I don't buy anything. So I once ventured in to the one in Tuscaloosa Alabama, when we had a bit of time to kill. Miss Em sat in a chair and read a magazine. I tried on a shirt and, though I was pretty sure it was unflattering, I wandered out to show my obliging daughter. Before I got to her, I was intercepted by two beaming saleswomen. I said, "Please don't say anything. I want to get my daughter's opinion first."

They said, "Oh, we weren't going to say anything. We just like to look at the shirt on people who wear it well, so we can give ideas to other customers." OMG. Is that part of their training? Miss Em just shook her head. We left.

Then I succumbed again on Cyber Monday. There was free shipping and a discount, so I decided to try some skinny jeans. I got a confirmation, but then no shipping email. Finally, after more than a week, I called. The rep put me on hold and after about half an hour reported that the suppliers hadn't made enough. Oh. "Why wasn't I notified?" "We only just found out." Erghhhhh.

After a few days, I still hadn't received a cancellation so I emailed Customer Service, suggesting that they should officially cancel my order. I also suggested that they give me free shipping on another order. The response I got said (paraphrased) "Thank you for telling us about canceled order and free shipping. We will pass your concerns on to our production team blahblahblah."

I wrote back, saying that not a single one of my issues was answered. I got the SAME response again, with an added comment (paraphrased), "We are a specialty store and supplies are limited." Maybe it's a specialty store--whatever that means--but there are over 600 of them!

Once again, Aristotle comes to my rescue. The customer service in-store is too much; the email customer service is too little. And I still haven't received a cancellation!

To recover from my irritation, I went to Goodwill, where I found a new Chico's jacket. I decided all by myself that I liked it. Karma once more.

Frugal Karma: Two Episodes

You never know. Mr. FS and I have been walking on the Tammany Trace every day. Yesterday, he suggested that we walk in the neighborhood instead, even though we sometimes dawdle. OK.

So we set out and passed a yard sale. Now I don't do yard sales--too much driving and too much time wasting with uncertain outcomes. Too much stress as people watch you reject the junk they spent so much on. But this was KARMA.

First, Mr. FS declared that he would wait in the street, but eventually he sidled over and found just what he wanted: a SONY discman. $3.00!

Then I kind of wafted over to a table where I found a package of 7 yards of fabric cording. In the exact colors I needed. This was even more karmic because the roadblock to my getting some pillows re-covered has been choosing the cording. I tried two fabric stores and even with TLC customer service at the second one, I almost passed out from the "paradox of choice." Strangely, this cording is nicer than the ones at the store. And, even though the seller was asking for too much money for her clothing (some from Paris!), the cording was only $1.00.

Then we continued on our walk. We had to walk back to the yard sale because we had not a penny on our persons when we went on the walk.

Today, I wended over to Goodwill. There I found just the book I've been wanting to read: Flow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihakyi. Of course, I had to buy 4 additional books, since books are $0.39 each or 5 for $1.00. In one of the books I found a wedding invite to the fancy (Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara) nuptials of Danielle Trober and Alexander Vouvalides. Also in the book was a card listing hotels with space reserved, helpfully listing the price range, from $$$ to $$$$$.

The juxtaposition of my budget blissful thrifting and the fancy route to (I hope) wedded bliss was interesting. Back to grading papers. Seldom is this an activity conducive to flow. But perhaps after reading the book, I can achieve this blissful state.

A Frugal Miracle: Automotive Edition

Mr. FS and I always spend a lot in the summer. This is because we are teachers and the rhythm of our lives means that we do all the stuff in the summer that we don't have time to do during the school year. Some is necessity: visit to Aged P's on both coasts with children (around $6000/year for flights, car rentals, etc); fix roof. Stuff like that. Other expenses are optional, but eagerly anticipated, like my new kitchen cabinets of August 2008.

This summer is almost over for us. Then the IMA and Engine Lights went on in our Honda Civic Hybrid (2003). This was under my watch and I forgot to say anything! But Mr. FS noticed last night. So, he took the car in to Honda. When the courtesy van brought him back, he said, First the bad news. We need a new battery pack. They cost $2000.00.

Pause (a la Harold Pinter)

The good news is that the batteries are under warranty up to 80,000 miles.

Silence (a la Samuel Beckett)

And we have 79, 698 miles on the car!

Oh boy! What should I spend my $2000.00 on?