Some of the best directions come from those who have recently traveled the road. This page provides a place to share your ideas and the resources that you have found useful. Sharing vital information can help others adapt - even thrive - in our changing world.
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Paying bills: When is it too late?
It is never too late to catch up on old bills. One thing I learned from my multiple debts is to not have a goal that was simply geared towards getting financially caught up. All of us need more than a quick fix. I had two strategies that worked well. The very first step was to live in the present, not the past. Paying old bills is living in the past. I quickly listed them one by one on a drawing board in my kitchen. Step two was to pay off the ones that I could clear the fastest, then sort the others by high interest. I paid off the little ones and knocked out the most financially damaging ones. This brought me to the present. The final step was to practice prevention, not treatment. Having self-restraint from spending money was easy during the work week. It was the weekend free-time that was putting me in the red on my bank account. I tried to find ways to cut my spending habits and live simpler. This included paying myself in a savings account. If we consider wellness, being financially responsible is vital to living healthier.
--Rodney J. Avery, Office Assistant 3
Coupons make a comeback
I recently started watching a TV show about “extreme couponing,” and while I don’t have a lot of time to devote to such an endeavor, I found I immediately started saving 50% or more on every grocery shopping trip just following a few simple guidelines:
- Look your weekly store ads over carefully. When something goes on sale for a great price, stock up.
- Combine store sales with coupons. Using this method, I often find deals for 75% less, and sometimes free! Coupons can be found in newspapers, online, and even stuck to product packaging.
- Take advantage of stores that match competitor’s prices and/or coupons, that double coupons, or let you combine store coupons with manufacturer coupons.
- On a buy-one-get-one-free deal, you can often use a coupon for both items, maximizing savings.
- Look online for websites that will share tips and tricks. Some key words and phrases to use are “frugal living,” “coupon basics,” “weekly ad matchups” (bloggers do the work for you, identifying which stores are reducing prices on items with current coupons, and where to find coupons), and “saving money on groceries.”
Using these guidelines has made a huge difference in our budget. The savings are immediate, tangible, and gratifying!
--Coupon Queen
Stop buying clothes!
I decided to forego clothes buying for a year last August. I am no longer tempted and tormented by clothes on sale. It is surprisingly pleasant to be free of the wants and the temptations. Have I stopped cold turkey? Well, no. In the winter I did buy a new swimsuit because the elastic in my old one was shot, and I didn’t’ want to wear a t-shirt when I swam. I also bought new pants when my husband insisted on it. (But I have only worn them a few times!) This move isn’t for everyone but could be helpful to some.
--Molly Dove
Thrift stores
My partner is a thrift store junkie. That’s a good thing since we have little discretionary funds. When I go with him, I find very little in my size or otherwise that I like. When he goes by himself, mainly for shirts, he brings me some great ones. Although they are gently used shirts, but by the time they are washed and ironed with spray starch, they look as good as new.
Friends often remark about my collection of new shirts and the fortune they must have cost. Little do they know that on average, each shirt cost as little as $1.50 each. For two people on a very tight budget, those are excellent prices.
--No longer shirtless in Seattle
In retirement, a house is not only a home
A co-worker who is facing retirement passed along a great article from the May AARP Bulletin about housing after retirement that I thought might be of interest to others who are also "of a certain age." Some new-to-me ideas and recommendations include choosing to retire near friends rather than family (friends are more readily available), the advantages of selling then renting, and when and why it can be the right thing to walk away from a mortgage. See AARP Bulletin Article
--Patty
Free and low-cost prom dress rentals
I read a recent article in The Olympian about "Cinderella’s Closet Network," a nonprofit organization in Lacey, that offers free and low-cost formal dress rentals. For $25 to $40 – the cost of dry cleaning service – a teen can choose a gently-used dress and an accessory such as a wrap, fancy high-heeled shoes, the perfect purse or matching costume jewelry for her event. Scholarships are available for girls who can’t afford the dry cleaning fee. See Olympian article.
If there is no such store in your town, consider starting one!
--Wish Granter
Kids' clothing bank
As I was sorting through the piles of clothing my granddaughter has outgrown, it occurred to me that there are probably a lot of parents/grandparents that are doing the same thing. Children grow so fast that a lot of their clothing doesn’t even have time to wear out before they need a different size. Talk with your school leadership and find out if you can start a clothing bank or clothing exchange under their sponsorship. It’s an opportunity to give and receive!
--Grandma Carol
Babysitter co-op
When I was a young mother it was difficult to not only find babysitters but to pay for them. A group of young mothers, including myself, got together to problem-solve how we could help each other out. We ended up forming a babysitting cooperative where each member took a morning where they babysat another member’s child. It was guaranteed free time that didn’t cost anything but the willingness to return to the favor. It worked great!!
--Grandma Carol
Veteran's preference in layoff
After five years with the state, I thought I was in pretty good shape. I liked the work I was doing, had a good boss, and got along well with coworkers.
I recently learned that my agency is impacted by the recession and will need to cut several jobs. I keep hearing rumors that several positions will be cut in my work area. Now five years don't seem like much seniority. I went to my HR office and learned that as a veteran with an honorable discharge, I can get up to 5 years of seniority added to my total. As a veteran of 10 years in the army, this was welcome news!
--Exhale in Yakima
WAC 357-46-060 Does a veteran receive any preference in layoff
Thrift stores can be goldmines
Did you know that in some parts of the country, Goodwill Industries has "boutique" stores called Blue Hanger Stores? Blue Hangers sell some of the gently-used and last year's left-over big-time brand-name merchandise that people donate to them. Since there are no Blue Hanger Stores in Washington (yet), that means that there is great stuff to be found by frugal treasure hunters on the racks and in the bins at our local thrift stores! Who wants to pay full price for anything if they don't have to!
--Frugal Shopper