This article was really helpful in making me look at what it is that's causing me to spend too much. I didn't realise beforehand but now it's glaringly obvious to me that gluttony is my financial downfall - all the food I've ordered in! And what makes it worse is when I buy food in person and think of it as saving money on delivery when it's actually wasting money on expensive food when I have plenty at home. Now I know the problem, i can combat it - great article!
Great list! I'm not a fan of the Libman wonder mop. When I use it I have to constantly get it wet again because the micro fiber absorbs and doesn't spread the water/soap. I do like the feature of being able to machine wash the head.
Regarding the suggested choice of VGTSX.... there appears to be no rational reason to invest in an international stock fund for the following reasons:
(1) The revenue of the companies that make up the S&P 500 consists of 40% from overseas. So, you already have global diversification right in the S&P 500.
(2) The US and international stock markets are highly correlated; 89.4% over the past 10 years. So, there is virtually no additional market diversification to be gained.
(3) Weaker performance: 10-yr history of VGTSX (international stocks) shows total return of 1.04% compared to 7.30% for VTSMX (total US stock market).
(4) Currency Risk: Non-US companies have stock that is denominated in their local currencies. If you live in the US you probably pay all your bills in dollars... not euros, or yen, or pound sterling. So why take the currency exchange risk of investing in overseas companies, on overseas stock markets, buying and selling stock in foreign currencies ? Fyi, international is up a bit this year only because the dollar is down against other currencies.
Summary: International stocks have underperformed US stocks, their performance is highly correlated over time, and you are already globally diversified in the stocks of the S&P 500. So, why take the currency risk ?
Usually when you hire someone to handle a project at your house, you hire the person as an independent contractor, not as an employee, so employment law issues won’t arise. For example, if you hire a plumber to repair a leaking pipe and you provide no specific instructions regarding how you want the pipe fixed, you’ve hired an independent contractor. Some people may mistakenly believe they can avoid employment and tax law issues altogether by classifying all household workers as independent contractors. Don’t make this mistake. Misclassifying a worker is illegal and can lead to fines, tax evasion charges, and serious professional consequences for attorneys.https://swiftbonds.com/
There is some type of car selling scam going on on Craigslist where people are advertising nice cars really cheap and using the text now app as the contact number. When you call it, whether you leave a message or not, then people will send you a text message saying the car is still available and to email them at some email address. Then when you do, the reply with some details and ask for your full name and address to supposedly open an eBay protection claim (mind you, the car is not listed on eBay). After that I am not sure what happens because I would never give
My full name and address but when I pushed one seller about why they were now saying the escalade was grey and $6000 in Omaha, when the ad was for a white one for $4000 in the Philadelphia Craig's list the seller stopped communicating with me. So far I have flagged over 40 ads like this in two days time, and I have a meeting with a special prosecutor that is going to look into the activity. Not sure if you know anything more about this scam and what the end result is but if you do, I would really like to know.
I think just spending time together is a way to show love. Sometimes things can get hectic with work, activities, kids, etc. so having some quiet time together to connect is definitely appreciated! I am also the kind of person that values experiences over things so am a fan of 'no-cost' gifts!
These are such great saving practices! When I first moved out of home, my dad taught me to save 10$ of your paycheck and to always pay yourself first no matter what. I've been doing this for years and find this is another great strategy to really save up. Gives you a sense of control as well.
Amanda
I am trying to keep my electricity around that level, and trying to get my oil bill down, but getting the oil down has been so much harder, without freezing the pipes.
For me, layering clothing, using down comforters or below zero sleeping bags or electric mattress pads, one or two hours of space heaters a day is starting to make such a big difference without causing the electricity to go up very much.
Trying to do the math, but I plan to add heat tape to the pipes and try to not use the oil at all and just raise individual room temps by 10 degrees. Thinking it makes mathematical sense.
Stay away from cheap tax agents with big promises. I would suggest to just do it yourself with some trusted tax software from H&R Block or TurboTax, get a coupon from BargainCat and do it yourself.
The throws cost 20 cents per day versus every six feet of baseboard heating is the equivalent of a space heater.
Get a $35 Lasko bathroom heater and it has the function to shut off after one hour, but it will raise the room you are in back up to comfortable level.
There are other good brands, which raise the room temp 10 degrees in a little over an hour, and even if you used a space heater 24/7 for 31 days, the heating portion of the bill would only be around $110, and if you only used it 12 hours, you would have a warm house and the heating portion would be $55 and that would cut your electric bill dramatically
Last year, I put in triple pane windows with krypton and storm doors and dealt with insulation, and plugged my leaky basement windows, so this year is the start of the low heat challenge for me, but I would love to get it down to a no heat challenge.
Insulating and adding triple pane windows made it so much easier. My house used to be freezing cold at 72 degrees and now it is not bad at all at 55 degrees.
I have been turning it up to 60 for a few hours before bed, mostly, because the temps at night have been in the teens and I have been worried about pipes bursting.
Next year, I want to try wrapping the pipes either in insulation or heat tape.
If I can figure out the pipes, I could get down to an electric throw in the living room and an electric mattress pad in the bedroom. Those only cost cents per day. Versus oil, which is $200 for every 6 weeks, even keeping the house 60 and below.
I read that a space heater running 24/7 would only cost $110 per month, which would save me versus oil, because they raise the room temp of my living room 10 degrees in an hour, and I would turn them off at that point.
I am thinking wrapping the pipes in insulation would be enough when the weather is above 20 degrees at night, but the heat tape uses closer to 7 watts, and that is definitely cheaper than oil.
You can show love for your partner for free by exchanging massages. (You can buy some nice candles & massage oils for not too much money, and they will last you a long time and add to the romantic mood. I like battery operated tea lights as well because they can be replaced using rechargeable batteries!) I also like to cook a special meal for my spouse and usually end up spending far less than if we had gone out to a restaurant.
Anither way to use up small balances is to attach them to your itunes or google play accounts, with many songs or apps costing a buck or 2 its a quick way to satisfy those small purchases without actually detracting from your primary accounts which can often be a pain to keep track of such small charges over the long haul. It also helps curb binge shopping on app markets since the costs are often minimal it can be easy to rack up significant charges quickly without realizing it. By using left over balances you have to change out the cards more often as charges accrue and the balances deplete which helps to make you aware of what you are spending on consumable digital entertainment. Sure agry birds are fun but do you really need to buy every version of them in HD format all at once? Lol
Stay away from Netspend. This unscrupulous company mined my 11 year-old child's name from some list and sent a card in her name even though you need to be 18 to use the card! This is a seedy high interest, hidden fees company. I will be filing a complaint against these clowns.
We drove past the restaurant where we went on our first date, and talked about how nice it would be to go back there soon...on a night that wasn't so busy!
Cooking!
Homemade treats from the kitchen.
This article was really helpful in making me look at what it is that's causing me to spend too much. I didn't realise beforehand but now it's glaringly obvious to me that gluttony is my financial downfall - all the food I've ordered in! And what makes it worse is when I buy food in person and think of it as saving money on delivery when it's actually wasting money on expensive food when I have plenty at home. Now I know the problem, i can combat it - great article!
Great list! I'm not a fan of the Libman wonder mop. When I use it I have to constantly get it wet again because the micro fiber absorbs and doesn't spread the water/soap. I do like the feature of being able to machine wash the head.
I make him a sweet treat'
Regarding the suggested choice of VGTSX.... there appears to be no rational reason to invest in an international stock fund for the following reasons:
(1) The revenue of the companies that make up the S&P 500 consists of 40% from overseas. So, you already have global diversification right in the S&P 500.
(2) The US and international stock markets are highly correlated; 89.4% over the past 10 years. So, there is virtually no additional market diversification to be gained.
(3) Weaker performance: 10-yr history of VGTSX (international stocks) shows total return of 1.04% compared to 7.30% for VTSMX (total US stock market).
(4) Currency Risk: Non-US companies have stock that is denominated in their local currencies. If you live in the US you probably pay all your bills in dollars... not euros, or yen, or pound sterling. So why take the currency exchange risk of investing in overseas companies, on overseas stock markets, buying and selling stock in foreign currencies ? Fyi, international is up a bit this year only because the dollar is down against other currencies.
Summary: International stocks have underperformed US stocks, their performance is highly correlated over time, and you are already globally diversified in the stocks of the S&P 500. So, why take the currency risk ?
Usually when you hire someone to handle a project at your house, you hire the person as an independent contractor, not as an employee, so employment law issues won’t arise. For example, if you hire a plumber to repair a leaking pipe and you provide no specific instructions regarding how you want the pipe fixed, you’ve hired an independent contractor. Some people may mistakenly believe they can avoid employment and tax law issues altogether by classifying all household workers as independent contractors. Don’t make this mistake. Misclassifying a worker is illegal and can lead to fines, tax evasion charges, and serious professional consequences for attorneys.https://swiftbonds.com/
There is some type of car selling scam going on on Craigslist where people are advertising nice cars really cheap and using the text now app as the contact number. When you call it, whether you leave a message or not, then people will send you a text message saying the car is still available and to email them at some email address. Then when you do, the reply with some details and ask for your full name and address to supposedly open an eBay protection claim (mind you, the car is not listed on eBay). After that I am not sure what happens because I would never give
My full name and address but when I pushed one seller about why they were now saying the escalade was grey and $6000 in Omaha, when the ad was for a white one for $4000 in the Philadelphia Craig's list the seller stopped communicating with me. So far I have flagged over 40 ads like this in two days time, and I have a meeting with a special prosecutor that is going to look into the activity. Not sure if you know anything more about this scam and what the end result is but if you do, I would really like to know.
I think just spending time together is a way to show love. Sometimes things can get hectic with work, activities, kids, etc. so having some quiet time together to connect is definitely appreciated! I am also the kind of person that values experiences over things so am a fan of 'no-cost' gifts!
These are such great saving practices! When I first moved out of home, my dad taught me to save 10$ of your paycheck and to always pay yourself first no matter what. I've been doing this for years and find this is another great strategy to really save up. Gives you a sense of control as well.
Amanda
I am trying to keep my electricity around that level, and trying to get my oil bill down, but getting the oil down has been so much harder, without freezing the pipes.
For me, layering clothing, using down comforters or below zero sleeping bags or electric mattress pads, one or two hours of space heaters a day is starting to make such a big difference without causing the electricity to go up very much.
Trying to do the math, but I plan to add heat tape to the pipes and try to not use the oil at all and just raise individual room temps by 10 degrees. Thinking it makes mathematical sense.
Stay away from cheap tax agents with big promises. I would suggest to just do it yourself with some trusted tax software from H&R Block or TurboTax, get a coupon from BargainCat and do it yourself.
In the meantime, try a Lasko bathroom heater.
It shuts itself off after an hour and really warms a bathroom sized room wonderfully.
They have done studies and pipes start to freeze when the outside temps reach about 20 degrees.
I don't turn the thermostat higher than 50 unless the weather says that the outside temp will be 20 F or lower.
Next year, I am going to be using heat tape and try to go lower.
If you use heat tape, it uses about 7 watts of electricity and you can drop the temp lower than 60.
Use electric throws, and turn it down to 60.
The throws cost 20 cents per day versus every six feet of baseboard heating is the equivalent of a space heater.
Get a $35 Lasko bathroom heater and it has the function to shut off after one hour, but it will raise the room you are in back up to comfortable level.
There are other good brands, which raise the room temp 10 degrees in a little over an hour, and even if you used a space heater 24/7 for 31 days, the heating portion of the bill would only be around $110, and if you only used it 12 hours, you would have a warm house and the heating portion would be $55 and that would cut your electric bill dramatically
Last year, I put in triple pane windows with krypton and storm doors and dealt with insulation, and plugged my leaky basement windows, so this year is the start of the low heat challenge for me, but I would love to get it down to a no heat challenge.
Insulating and adding triple pane windows made it so much easier. My house used to be freezing cold at 72 degrees and now it is not bad at all at 55 degrees.
I have been turning it up to 60 for a few hours before bed, mostly, because the temps at night have been in the teens and I have been worried about pipes bursting.
Next year, I want to try wrapping the pipes either in insulation or heat tape.
If I can figure out the pipes, I could get down to an electric throw in the living room and an electric mattress pad in the bedroom. Those only cost cents per day. Versus oil, which is $200 for every 6 weeks, even keeping the house 60 and below.
I read that a space heater running 24/7 would only cost $110 per month, which would save me versus oil, because they raise the room temp of my living room 10 degrees in an hour, and I would turn them off at that point.
I am thinking wrapping the pipes in insulation would be enough when the weather is above 20 degrees at night, but the heat tape uses closer to 7 watts, and that is definitely cheaper than oil.
You can show love for your partner for free by exchanging massages. (You can buy some nice candles & massage oils for not too much money, and they will last you a long time and add to the romantic mood. I like battery operated tea lights as well because they can be replaced using rechargeable batteries!) I also like to cook a special meal for my spouse and usually end up spending far less than if we had gone out to a restaurant.
Anither way to use up small balances is to attach them to your itunes or google play accounts, with many songs or apps costing a buck or 2 its a quick way to satisfy those small purchases without actually detracting from your primary accounts which can often be a pain to keep track of such small charges over the long haul. It also helps curb binge shopping on app markets since the costs are often minimal it can be easy to rack up significant charges quickly without realizing it. By using left over balances you have to change out the cards more often as charges accrue and the balances deplete which helps to make you aware of what you are spending on consumable digital entertainment. Sure agry birds are fun but do you really need to buy every version of them in HD format all at once? Lol
Stay away from Netspend. This unscrupulous company mined my 11 year-old child's name from some list and sent a card in her name even though you need to be 18 to use the card! This is a seedy high interest, hidden fees company. I will be filing a complaint against these clowns.
Mentoring! By far the best gift to give and receive.
I cook dinner and make homemade cards!
We drove past the restaurant where we went on our first date, and talked about how nice it would be to go back there soon...on a night that wasn't so busy!
I make my husbands favorite meal and give him lots of hugs and kisses.
I show love by listening. Sometimes people need to talk and they just need someone to listen to them.
My wife puts two teddy bears in the window above the driveway so I can see them as I come home from work. Always makes me smile!