The above title comes from a family joke. Those who know Mr. FS in person might be surprised to learn that in his younger days he had a motorcycle. He also subscribed to a motorcycle magazine, not one of the raunchy ones.
There was a funny story in one of these magazines about a man who had a sudden hankering for New Orleans chicory coffee. He went to a grocery in his midwestern city and discovered that the coffee was about $5.00. "That's ridiculous," he thought. "It only costs about $2.00 in New Orleans." So he hopped on his motorcycle, with $2.00 in his pocket, and set out for New Orleans. The rest of the article recounted how he earned money on the road, eventually arriving in New Orleans, where he bought his coffee. He then returned home. It was a wonderful essay!
So we say, "We're going to Paris to get some cheap couscous." There are variations for other destinations.
Now we'll be going to Tuscaloosa to visit Lucy Marmalade. She has a lot of meals left on her board card. And we'll be bringing Lucy's grandma also, not just to eat, but to see the beautiful campus.
Isn't it funny that we ended up living near New Orleans and drinking chicory coffee all the time?
Do you have any stories of funny--and false--frugality? And if anyone can find the article mentioned above....I'd love to read it again.
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Monday, 29 March 2010
Good CD rates?
So, readers, what do you think of these rates from First Guaranty Bank:
2 year 2.75%
3 year 3%
4 year 3.25%
5 year 3.5%
Strangely, they don't have 1 year advertised.
Would you bite (and if so, which maturity) or would you wait?
2 year 2.75%
3 year 3%
4 year 3.25%
5 year 3.5%
Strangely, they don't have 1 year advertised.
Would you bite (and if so, which maturity) or would you wait?
I Still Love Big Lots:Pasta, Brownie Mix, Sunscreen
What won't I do for my dear readers? Last week, when my dental visit ended a bit early, I stopped at the Big Lots in the town where I work.
I discovered that even 30 miles apart, Big Lots will have different merch. Where I work: a lot more Hispanic food, including the Nescafe Clasico I recommended (at $5.00 a bit more than at Target).
Back home, I found brownie mix for $0.50. It came with Halloween sprinkles. Interestingly, the Christmas and Valentine's Day editions were $1.00. Perhaps those holidays are more popular?
I put 10 boxes in my cart (for Lucy M, who likes brownies). When I wheeled by that aisle, the rest, maybe 30 boxes, were gone!
They also had De Cecco organic pasta for $1.00 and Coppertone Nutrashield Sunscreen ($2.00 for either 6 or 3 ounces. Guess which size I bought?). The sunscreen is 70 SPF, which is not as important as the fact that it contains Avobenzone, one of the full-spectrum ingredients.
They still had lots of the 28 oz cans of tomatoes with basil for $0.50.
No other good deals, which is, as Martha would say, a "good thing," because my cupboards are bursting, in spite of a $25.00/week grocery budget for the last 6 weeks.
I discovered that even 30 miles apart, Big Lots will have different merch. Where I work: a lot more Hispanic food, including the Nescafe Clasico I recommended (at $5.00 a bit more than at Target).
Back home, I found brownie mix for $0.50. It came with Halloween sprinkles. Interestingly, the Christmas and Valentine's Day editions were $1.00. Perhaps those holidays are more popular?
I put 10 boxes in my cart (for Lucy M, who likes brownies). When I wheeled by that aisle, the rest, maybe 30 boxes, were gone!
They also had De Cecco organic pasta for $1.00 and Coppertone Nutrashield Sunscreen ($2.00 for either 6 or 3 ounces. Guess which size I bought?). The sunscreen is 70 SPF, which is not as important as the fact that it contains Avobenzone, one of the full-spectrum ingredients.
They still had lots of the 28 oz cans of tomatoes with basil for $0.50.
No other good deals, which is, as Martha would say, a "good thing," because my cupboards are bursting, in spite of a $25.00/week grocery budget for the last 6 weeks.
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Ten Years to Retirement?
Ten years--give or take. My dream is to go till almost 70 and I'm hoping that I still love going to work then.
My 10 year number is a wake-up call, not so much to saving, though that's part of it, but to decluttering and NOT buying stuff.
What if we move in ten years? Having witnessed (from afar) my in-laws' sudden, emergency-instigated decision to move from a house they had lived in for more than 40 years, I just don't want to go through the agony.
With this logic, I should unload 10% of my stuff every year. That would include books. I really will not be needing my academic books at that point; some, indeed, are worth a pretty penny since they are out of print.
And, no, I should not buy any furniture, no matter how scraggly some things are getting. Same goes for kitchen items, especially heavy ones like dishes and pots and pans. Here's hoping that my children will want some of kitchenware, not to mention some of my zillion cookbooks. See above.
Luckily, I don't need to dress for success. Most conferences don't require suits anymore, except for the most snobbish. Besides, if the whirling rumors (firing! across-the-board pay cuts!) come to pass, I won't want to be looking at the pricey clothes in my closet instead of cash in my emergency fund.
I am, then, between the Scylla of moving in ten years and the Charybdis of economic uncertainty. The first calls for decluttering; the second calls for not-buying-and-banking-savings. It's a win-win situation. Talk about making lemonade from lemons!
What helps you declutter? What helps you save?
My 10 year number is a wake-up call, not so much to saving, though that's part of it, but to decluttering and NOT buying stuff.
What if we move in ten years? Having witnessed (from afar) my in-laws' sudden, emergency-instigated decision to move from a house they had lived in for more than 40 years, I just don't want to go through the agony.
With this logic, I should unload 10% of my stuff every year. That would include books. I really will not be needing my academic books at that point; some, indeed, are worth a pretty penny since they are out of print.
And, no, I should not buy any furniture, no matter how scraggly some things are getting. Same goes for kitchen items, especially heavy ones like dishes and pots and pans. Here's hoping that my children will want some of kitchenware, not to mention some of my zillion cookbooks. See above.
Luckily, I don't need to dress for success. Most conferences don't require suits anymore, except for the most snobbish. Besides, if the whirling rumors (firing! across-the-board pay cuts!) come to pass, I won't want to be looking at the pricey clothes in my closet instead of cash in my emergency fund.
I am, then, between the Scylla of moving in ten years and the Charybdis of economic uncertainty. The first calls for decluttering; the second calls for not-buying-and-banking-savings. It's a win-win situation. Talk about making lemonade from lemons!
What helps you declutter? What helps you save?
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Free to a Loving Home: Books
The bane of the declutterer is the desire to find a loving home for all the discards. I myself suffer from this problem. Even though Flylady and her ilk urge us to LET GO, it's hard.
For me, it's especially hard with books. Most of the bookbuyers at the thrifts I habituate don't even look at the titles: they just scan with their phones, and wait for a "YES." But I have luckily found a few places where my books will find loving buyers.
First, I donate to the English Club at my place of employ. The money raised is used for travel to conferences.
When I went to the library today, I saw a sign that the Teen Club is collecting books for soldiers. What could be better than that?
Finally, Lucy Marmalade and the scholars in the "Fellows" program will be doing a three-week service project in rural Alabama, an area with over 50% adult illiteracy. The hardest books for me to unload are children's books. We are hoping that the library will take donations of books to be given away to children who participate in the program.
Last week I was playing with the tiny baby belonging to one of my students. The student was telling me that she loved to hold the baby while she fell asleep, even though all the books said it was wrong. ERGHHHH. I brought my very own copy of Penelope Leach's masterpiece to the next class. Finally, I found a good home for my beloved baby book.
I just packed up many books for the soldiers.
Free to a loving home.
What do you have problems with in the declutter department?
For me, it's especially hard with books. Most of the bookbuyers at the thrifts I habituate don't even look at the titles: they just scan with their phones, and wait for a "YES." But I have luckily found a few places where my books will find loving buyers.
First, I donate to the English Club at my place of employ. The money raised is used for travel to conferences.
When I went to the library today, I saw a sign that the Teen Club is collecting books for soldiers. What could be better than that?
Finally, Lucy Marmalade and the scholars in the "Fellows" program will be doing a three-week service project in rural Alabama, an area with over 50% adult illiteracy. The hardest books for me to unload are children's books. We are hoping that the library will take donations of books to be given away to children who participate in the program.
Last week I was playing with the tiny baby belonging to one of my students. The student was telling me that she loved to hold the baby while she fell asleep, even though all the books said it was wrong. ERGHHHH. I brought my very own copy of Penelope Leach's masterpiece to the next class. Finally, I found a good home for my beloved baby book.
I just packed up many books for the soldiers.
Free to a loving home.
What do you have problems with in the declutter department?
Friday, 26 March 2010
From the Mouths of Colleges: Search for Low-Need Students
Every now and again, I glance at the websites of the liberal arts schools where I had short-term jobs. I love the ethos of such schools, but was, for my own children turned off by the expense.
I've seen musings on the internet about the relation of the housing bubble and the tuition increases of colleges: people seemed more than ready to borrow from their housing appreciation. And, of course, there are many wealthy people around. In case you didn't know, colleges ARE businesses, albeit non-profits. The particular college below was, during my brief period of employ, in the money, the recipient of the largesse of a major drug company's foundation.
From the mouth of a college: the targeting of students from families that can afford to pay its almost $50,000/ year tuition and room and board fees:
Faced with falling enrollment due to the current financial situation, members of the community are devoting significant time and resources toward attracting more students to the college.
The Office of Admissions is pursuing a number of initiatives aimed at increasing the applicant pool and improving the yield of admitted students who end up enrolling. Some of the initiatives are aimed specifically at students who are low-need, or whose families can afford to pay a higher portion of tuition costs.
Mr. X explained that the goal of the initiatives is to increase enrollment from last fall’s total of 1,124 students to the college’s target figure of 1,200 students.
Any thoughts?
I've seen musings on the internet about the relation of the housing bubble and the tuition increases of colleges: people seemed more than ready to borrow from their housing appreciation. And, of course, there are many wealthy people around. In case you didn't know, colleges ARE businesses, albeit non-profits. The particular college below was, during my brief period of employ, in the money, the recipient of the largesse of a major drug company's foundation.
From the mouth of a college: the targeting of students from families that can afford to pay its almost $50,000/ year tuition and room and board fees:
Faced with falling enrollment due to the current financial situation, members of the community are devoting significant time and resources toward attracting more students to the college.
The Office of Admissions is pursuing a number of initiatives aimed at increasing the applicant pool and improving the yield of admitted students who end up enrolling. Some of the initiatives are aimed specifically at students who are low-need, or whose families can afford to pay a higher portion of tuition costs.
Mr. X explained that the goal of the initiatives is to increase enrollment from last fall’s total of 1,124 students to the college’s target figure of 1,200 students.
Any thoughts?
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Is College Necessary? Two Cases
How could I even think such a thought? But many of my cherished and longstanding beliefs on education have undergone changes over the past few years. To wit: the virtue of private liberal arts colleges, a la Oberlin and the like. I was saving up for these, but when it came to the decision, we went for free public institutions over pricy (even with some merit aid) colleges. I think Mr. FS and I feel more agony over the decision than my children do. Had we only had one income, and our children thereby eligible for full need aid, then it would have perhaps been a different story. Likewise, if we had higher incomes or wealthy families backing us up.
Two cases I have heard of late are making me ask "Is college necessary?"
Case 1: Talented musician, mediocre student. Got into out-of-state college with good music department. Received instate tuition, but entered on academic probation. After 3 years of Ds in all subjects other than music performance, he is taking a year off and working in a restaurant. The manager loves him and suggested that he think of a career in restaurant management. The restaurant in question is part of the empire run by a superstar Louisiana chef. He has a significant amount of student debt. What would be the point of his getting a college degree?
Case 2: Heard this one yesterday. Academically talented student, only child, attended prestigious lefty New York college. Suffered a tragedy: her boyfriend died suddenly of a congenital condition. Took leave from college. Working as buyer in mother's uber-successful clothing boutique. She is brainy enough to learn on her own. Or she could avail herself of the many nearby colleges. What is the point of her getting a degree?
That I--a true believer in art for art's sake--even entertain such thoughts is a shocker.
What do you think?
Two cases I have heard of late are making me ask "Is college necessary?"
Case 1: Talented musician, mediocre student. Got into out-of-state college with good music department. Received instate tuition, but entered on academic probation. After 3 years of Ds in all subjects other than music performance, he is taking a year off and working in a restaurant. The manager loves him and suggested that he think of a career in restaurant management. The restaurant in question is part of the empire run by a superstar Louisiana chef. He has a significant amount of student debt. What would be the point of his getting a college degree?
Case 2: Heard this one yesterday. Academically talented student, only child, attended prestigious lefty New York college. Suffered a tragedy: her boyfriend died suddenly of a congenital condition. Took leave from college. Working as buyer in mother's uber-successful clothing boutique. She is brainy enough to learn on her own. Or she could avail herself of the many nearby colleges. What is the point of her getting a degree?
That I--a true believer in art for art's sake--even entertain such thoughts is a shocker.
What do you think?
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