David G. Mitchell

Spring Cleaning Decisions: Keep It Or Throw It Away?

April 23, 2019 By David G. Mitchell 5 Comments

I spent Christmas visiting my parents. When I am at my parents’ home, I am always amazed that nothing is ever out of place. I can walk into the house and know exactly what I will see and where it will be. I know what’s in every drawer and every closet. If they’ve purchased something, it will be obvious immediately. Mum thrives on order. She rarely seemed to question whether to throw something away or keep it.

The same was true of our home growing up. Even now, almost 20 years since my parents sold my childhood home, I still can picture all of the furniture and the contents of every drawer, cupboard, closet, and attic. Even the garage was always properly arranged. My parents knew what to keep and they knew what to donate to charity. If an item was no longer in use, it was no longer deemed useful and removed from the home, unless I salvaged it as a memento of my youth.

The things I saved are not necessarily things that I would ever use. Some I saved purely for sentimental reasons. I still have an old sweater that my Dad wore in the early 1970s and a shirt he wore about the same time. When I was 4 years old, my dad wore this sweater whenever he worked in the yard. Although I’ll never be able to wear the sweater because I’m much bigger than my Dad, but I’ll always feel a connection to him just because I have it.

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Throw It Away or Keep It?

Knowing what to keep and what to throw away or donate or sell can be a difficult assessment. This past week, I decided to re-organize my office. More specifically, I removed all of the furniture and used it to update my wife’s office. In doing so, I had to sort through a lot of the assorted knick-knacks and collections that I have amassed over the years, but which my wife really does not want in her office.

Some of the items I realized I had no basis for keeping as they were long past having any practical utility (a cracked coffee cup that I used in the early 1980s) or which had no identifiable nostalgic association for me (a telescope that I still do not know how I acquired). Those things I eliminated. Other things (a toy pistol that I got as a souvenir during a trip to Disney World in 1976) I kept because, like my Dad’s sweater, they are evocative of memories that I am not willing to lose.

My Annual Spring Cleaning

Every year at this time, I require my sons to do a full cleaning of their respective bedrooms. Of course, they clean their respective rooms regularly, but a full cleaning requires them to try on all of their clothes and look at every item, and then to decide whether it is something that they really need to keep. I don’t require them to eliminate anything (other than broken items which could injure someone if used) but I remind them that whatever they do not eliminate, they will have to constantly clean around or organize throughout the year.

One son embraces the annual clean up and eliminates a significant percentage of the contents of his room. Clothing that won’t fit, books that he will no longer read, games that he has outgrown and not played in years all go into his “yard sale area” (a portion of our garage in which I let him store anything he wants to sell at our community yard sale).

Additional Benefits of Decluttering

By getting rid of the clutter in our homes, we avoid the need for extra storage, whether that means bookcases, shelving, blanket chests or cardboard boxes. We also save effort because the less we have, the easier it is to know where everything can be found. Knowing what we need to keep, and being willing to part with what we do not need, is not always easy, but the simplification of our lives that comes from parting with the unnecessary can make life much easier. That, of course, allows us to spend more time doing things that we find more meaningful than dealing with all of our accumulated “stuff.”

How do you decide what you need and what you do not need? Do you sell what you do not need on eBay or in yard sales? Do you donate your unwanted things to charity or simply toss your old things into the trash? As the new year begins, let us know how you deal with the things you have gathered in years past.

Keep it or throw it away? How do you decide?

5 Animal Businesses You Can Do From Home

March 1, 2019 By David G. Mitchell 33 Comments

Yesterday, I got a dog. We named him “Peter’s Lucky Biscuit” and he is adorable. We had to get a pure breed because we needed a hypoallergenic breed that would be more likely to be compatible with our son’s allergies.

Our son has always wanted a dog. He did all of the research on hypoallergenic breeds and made a very compelling case for getting either a doodle, a Portuguese Water Dog or, my favorite, a basenji. We loved every aspect of the Labradoodles that we met, except for the price tag. We met with two breeders, and both told us the same price — $2500!

Animal Business Ideas: Dog Breeding?

The breeders we met had one thing in common. Dog breeding was a “second job.” In each case, both the husband and wife had day jobs, and the dogs were their second source of income. Both breeders also involved their children and turned breeding into a family activity — one that pays really well.

The breeder from whom we purchased our Biscuit has dogs who have had litters in each of March, April, and May. She has already sold all of the puppies from the April and May litters — 14 puppies at $2500 each. Admittedly there are some overhead costs for food, toys, veterinarian bills, and stud fees, but a huge portion of that $2500 per animal is profit.

Our breeder told us that she and her husband sat down with their two daughters six years ago and had a family meeting. They considered whether breeding was something they wanted to do together. After unanimously agreeing, they purchased two breeding doodles, did a lot of research, and have not looked back since. The younger daughter, now 13, is in charge of photography and the breeder’s website. The elder daughter, now 17, does a lot of the caregiving for the puppies and she must do a good job of it — she just bought a new Volvo convertible with cash she earned caring for puppies.

I’ve learned a lot about animals this month, some of it unpleasant, but most of it wonderful, and I have learned that there are a lot of ways to turn a love of animals, or at least an interest in them, into ways to make money. Here are five animal business ideas you can operate from your home.

Become a Pet Breeder

Whether you breed cats or dogs, you can earn money raising healthy, pure breed animals. If you own your home, you can certainly earn more than enough to pay your annual mortgage with one litter per year. Raising puppies is a lot of work, but it’s also amazingly rewarding. A window pet door and plenty of puppy potty training pads are worthwhile investments as a breeder. Our breeder told us the joy she gets from putting a puppy in a good home makes her feel wonderful for days, even though it is hard to see her “babies” leave her house.

Become a Groomer

In my community, several mobile pet groomers are available to groom pets from a van in the owner’s driveway. One in particular charges anywhere from $50 to $150 per hour depending on the services you choose. There are pet grooming schools in all 50 states. If you love animals and like to be out and about during the day, pet grooming is a great way to earn a living.

Become a Dog Walker

If you live in an urban area, many professionals do not have time to walk their dogs, especially on weekdays. Dog walkers can earn up to $30 per hour and sometimes even more. All you need is a means of traveling to the dogs and a way to advertise your services, and you can set yourself up as a dog walker.

Become a Pet Sitter

When pet owners travel, they do not want to worry about their pets. Pet sitters will visit a pet regularly during the day, feed and water the animal, take the animal for walks, and generally look after the pet while the owner is unable to do so.

Become a Pet Chauffeur

Many pet owners, especially the elderly, are unable to take their pets to veterinary appointments or other appointments (and to be honest, I really cannot figure out what those “other” appointments might be). Pet chauffeurs are drivers who will take pets to those appointments so that the owner does not have to find a way to do so.

Are you an animal lover? Do you already work with animals? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Enabling Self-Indulgent Adult Children Is Not Good Parenting

February 1, 2019 By David G. Mitchell 117 Comments

About 10 years ago, a woman I know gave up a high paying job in Connecticut because she felt she could not handle the stress. She moved to rural Florida for a few years, lived with a guy she had met in high school in a house that her parents bought, and basically became substantially unemployable – not that she was looking for a real job. She held various low-level jobs until the economy started to slump.

Over the course of the past decade, she has broken off her relationship with her high school “friend” and grown increasingly dependent on her now 70-year-old parents. They started by paying for her home and then her health insurance. Finally, about six months ago, the parents sold the house and had their daughter move in with them. They now cover all of her insurance and living expenses, while she works to earn just enough money to go out with her friends.

The parents are not made of money. Indeed, the recent economic slump has made money a bit tight for them, as their investments have shrunk. Still, they do not stop paying for their daughter’s needs and many of her wants. (It is only recently that she gave up a $500 per month lease on a luxury car!) They even co-signed a loan for the daughter’s ex-boyfriend’s truck but, fortunately for them, he paid off the truck on his own.

When Did Children Stop Taking Care of Elderly Parents?

If we look back at history, the idea of elderly parents taking care of the financial needs of adult children is quite new. Until quite recently, just the opposite was true, and parents could hope for at least a modicum of support from grown children when the parents reached a certain age. Now, it seems that the number of adult children who are relying on parental support is growing by leaps and bounds.

Parents should not have to support adult children who are not disabled. Enabling self-indulgent and selfish behavior in adult children is not even good parenting. An adult who finds a better paying job will enjoy a higher standard of living. An adult who takes a pay cut will need to make sacrifices. Just because an adult wants to take a pay cut, however, should never mean that his or her parents should be the ones to make sacrifices.

Given our current economic climate, there is no justification for an adult child to live off of a parent’s largesse. Supporting an adult child is a very bad decision, especially if the parents do not know if they have sufficient funds to support the child for the rest of his or her life as well as themselves for the rest of their own lives.

If You Have Children, What Should You Do?

If you are a parent supporting an adult child, you cannot show junior to the door without a transition period, of course. Set up a plan so that you can wean your child off of your expense account. Give the child a period of time to find a job, to save some money and then to move out or to start paying their own rent. Offer emotional support and guidance, but cut off the ready flow of funds. Make being a dependant unpleasant, but don’t stop showing your love for the child.

Do you have any other advice for caring for adult children? Share it with us in the comments below!

Parents Need to Learn How to Not Spoil Children
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(Photo courtesy of Ludovic Bertron)

Why You Should Put Your Kids in Private Schools

March 22, 2017 By David G. Mitchell 30 Comments

There are a lot of discretionary expenses that we incur every day. Whether we spend more for a brand name product or save money on a generic product is entirely up to each individual buyer. Whether we should buy a new car or a used car or go without a car is also an individual decision. Indeed, personal finance sites are largely devoted to helping readers find ways to reduce discretionary spending without sacrificing quality of life.

So today you may find it odd that I am going to make the case for spending a lot of money for a service that you can otherwise get for free – private or parochial school for your children. I would have been surprised by such a notion until a few years ago, too. When my kids were young, I vowed that they would never go to a private school. Public education was rock solid in my opinion and I was willing to make that case to anyone who would listen. I was misinformed and my concept of public education was many years out of date.

Before I go any further, let me also add that my criticism of the public school system is not based on criticism of its teachers. Although both of my children now attend parochial schools, they did attend public school for a few years and we were generally very impressed with the quality of the teachers. Unfortunately, that was the only thing that impressed us.

Of course, I also would not criticize any parent who truly favors public school over a private or parochial education. Parenting is a very personal decision and I respect that. Nevertheless, if you are considering educational options for your kids, you might also want to consider the following reasons that we have for making private/parochial education our single greatest expense after our mortgage.

Less Violence: Our local public schools are “A” schools, as rated by our state. They also have very disruptive environments and, often, even violent environments. With larger class sizes and a wide range of academic abilities represented in each class, it is much harder for teachers to keep control. Harassment and bullying are very common. By comparison, we have found that in our local parochial schools, harassment and bullying are virtually non-existent. This results in a much better learning environment because there is no environment of intimidation.

Uniforms: Because private and parochial schools require students to wear uniforms, there is no arguing in the morning about whether clothing is appropriate for school. There is also no competition among the students to look the best. Uniforms make shopping for school clothes much easier and they cut down on the cost of clothing because a child wearing a uniform to school usually only needs two identical outfits (with one being worn and the other in the wash each day).

No State Mandated Testing: Private and parochial schools do not typically give the same assessment tests that many states (perhaps all) mandate for their public schools. As a result, private and parochial schools do not have to “teach for the test” and can emphasize a broader based curriculum. This allows each student to perform to his or her level without being held back by students whose performance has not yet reached its potential.

Improved College Transcripts: Based on the colleges that have accepted students from our local private schools, college admissions people give added weight to attendance at competitive parochial and private schools. Also, because private and parochial schools tend to offer a more rigorous curriculum than public schools, students attending private and parochial school should be better prepared for the demands of college.

Money Spent on High School can be saved When in College: We have neighbors who are not happy with the local public schools but they are adamant that they will not move their kids out of the public school system. Instead, they have saved a HUGE amount of money (with a goal of $500,000 by the time their two young sons are 18) so that they can send their boys to private colleges. We take a very different approach and would rather spend money (but much, much less than $500,000 – an amount that I cannot even begin to fathom) on primary and secondary education.

That is not to say that we don’t plan on helping our boys with college, but college can be much less expensive than private and parochial high school. We pre-paid our sons’ tuition in our state’s pre-paid college program many years ago. As a result, they can attend any of our state’s public colleges or universities without paying any tuition. Our pre-paid cost was about $7,000 per child and for that each will be able to attend a good four year undergraduate school, several of which are highly competitive. (Of course, they need to be accepted for admission, and that we will learn pretty soon!). Ultimately, we would rather pay for a solid education before college because we believe that without it, they will not be able to perform as well in college.

More Involved Parents: At our parochial high school, the parents are much more involved than the parents at our local public high school. The classes are also much smaller so it is very easy to get to know the parents and the other children. Of course, there are also a lot of great communities where the public schools can result in close-knit associations, but it is much easier to foster a sense of community in a small parochial or private school than in a larger public school (our local high school as 8,000 students as compared to 1200 at the local parochial high school).

One Free Night Per Week (Maybe!) When our sons were in elementary school, they had to attend religious education one night per week. After they left the public school, they received their religious education in class and thus we all got a free night that we otherwise would have spent driving kids to class. Religious education cost about $200 per year so that amount was also “saved” and could be applied to their tuition.

Each of us has reasons for the educational decisions that we make for our children. I do not stand in criticism of any decisions that you or your family members may make, but I do hope that if you can find a way to afford a private or parochial education, you will at least consider it. My wife and I make sacrifices to ensure the best possible education for our kids, and we are convinced that we have made a sound decision.

What do you think? Are private and parochial school worth the investment? Do you live in a community with public schools that are strong and that you would not consider leaving? Have you had a bad experience with a private or parochial school?

Photos: Public School Review and The Advocates

Who Should Pay When Eating Out?

February 13, 2017 By David G. Mitchell 17 Comments

I just enjoyed a delightful lunch with an old friend. I drove to her office and we walked to a nearby seafood restaurant where we were able to relax and catch up. It was quite a pleasure and I had a completely and thoroughly entertaining meal with her.

After we had finished our lunch, the server brought the bill over to our booth and presented it directly and undeniably to me. The server let there be no doubt as to who she expected to pay and it was clearly the male in attendance. On the one hand, I did not mind receiving the bill because I had fully intended to buy lunch since my friend had paid the last time we got together (and I don’t forget these things). On the other hand, I really felt that the server’s implied sexism was a bit out of date.

After my friend and I negotiated for a moment over who would pay — my friend arguing that the employed person should pay and me arguing that the person with custody of the tab should pay — I paid the bill (since possession always wins), and we strolled back to my friend’s office. As I drove home, I recalled a few amusing anecdotes that my friend had shared but my thoughts kept drifting back to the restaurant bill.

As a person who is supposed to be thinking about ways to save money, was I foolish to turn down my friend’s offer to pay? No — I did the right thing, but there are plenty of scenarios in which I would have allowed a friend to buy me lunch. If you have never thought through your strategy of “who pays?” here is how I break down payment obligations when two or more people dine out.

The Business Lunch

This is an easy scenario. Each party should pay his or her own way unless one party expresses otherwise. A service provider trying to court a potential client should certainly offer to pay and can probably justify the cost as a client development expense. A client who wants to reward a service provider for a job well done might also offer to buy lunch (or dinner) as a reward for a job well done. The assumption going into any business meal, however, should be that both parties pay their own way.

The Date

This is another easy one. Whoever asks another person to dine out as part of an established or desired romance should also bear the cost of paying. Personally, I understand that philosophy but I have never lived by it. I am perhaps a bit old-fashioned (and some would say sexist) in that regard but any time I went out on a date, I always insisted on paying. Fortunately, it has been twenty years since I was in the dating world so my attitude in this regard, even if it is old fashioned, can only get me into trouble on these pages.

Friends Getting Together

When friends get together for dinner or drinks or whatever, they need to find the payment model that works best for them. When I was in school, I ate at the same diner every night. My room-mate and I got the same meal every night and we took turns paying. If some nights one of us ordered a little more or a little less (appetizers, drinks or whatever), it did not matter, as we knew it would wash out in the end. At the same time, I had a famously cheap friend who (despite being wealthier than any of my other friends) always found a way to avoid paying when it came time to pay a bill. After about three months of his payment avoidance, I learned that we needed to ask for separate checks or I was going to be feeding him for the rest of his life.

Parents and their Children

Parents should pay for their kids until the kids can support themselves and then they should treat the meal as they would treat it among friends. I love to be able to buy things for my Dad but I know that he also likes to pay my way, too. When we golf — about 8 times per year — we alternate payment. Of course, he would like to pay every time, but at 82 years of age, he can’t beat me up the hill to the pro shop anymore.

What other scenarios do you encounter when you dine out? Have you ever been “stung” by friends and forced to pay for a bill that you had not expected — or wanted — to pay? When do you expect someone else to pick up the tab and when should you pay?

Photo: Martin Cathrae

Places Where You Can Score Free Coffee

December 12, 2013 By David G. Mitchell 5 Comments

When people talk about making small changes that can save a lot of money over time, the daily cup of coffee is often the example used. If you skip that $4 morning cup each day, you save $20 a week which comes to over $1000 saved for the entire year. The thing is, even if you skip out on buying the cup of coffee, your body is still going to crave it.

There are a number of ways to save money on coffee. I often carry a thermos of coffee (or tea, which I actually prefer) when I leave my house. A thermos provides me with about eight cups of coffee and that is more than enough to last as I do my daily errands. Nevertheless, sometimes a thermos of coffee is just not enough to satisfy my desire to get a hot beverage that I do not have to make for myself, so I decided to do some exploring. Surely there must be ways to get a free beverage somewhere nearby. Fortunately, I found several.

Bank or Credit Union

Local banks and credit unions often have coffee brewing in the morning. Some larger banking institutions do as well, but it seems to be more common for the smaller ones to do this than the larger ones. My local credit union even serves free doughnuts on Saturday morning which is a double savings bonus.standard

Library

While this isn’t a standard service that all libraries do (and they do offer a lot of other free services), I have been to more than one where there is coffee served in the morning. It’s great to be able to wake up with a fresh cup in hand as I browse through different books to see what I want to take home to read.

Local Bookstores

Much like the library, many local independent bookstores offer a pot of fresh brewed coffee each morning if you happen to still have one in business in your town. The larger chain bookstores tend to have chain coffee shops in them these days instead of free cups. Again, it’s a great way to get your morning fix and to spend some time looking for books that you might be interested in purchasing.

Hotels

Most hotels will have coffee brewing in their lobby in the morning, and many of them will have it available all day. You can go in and ask them about their rates and grab yourself a cup on your way out. Hotel lobbies are also a great place to get free wifi if you need it. If it is pass code protected, you can usually get the password from the person at the front desk if you ask nicely.

Building Supply Stores

Many building supply stores such as Home Depot and Lowes will have free coffee available in the morning for their customers. It makes sense. Most construction workers have coffee running through their veins. While it might depend from store to store if they actually serve it, my local Home Depot does.

Work

if you happen to work in an office where they offer free coffee, be sure to take advantage of it. While it’s not as common as it once was, there are still a lot of office coffee pots that run each morning. If the reason you avoid the office brew is because you never know if it’s fresh, use this easy cup/time trick that everyone in the office will greatly appreciate:

Restaurant Promotions

While you won’t be able to walk into a restaurant everyday and score a free cup of Joe, free cups are often a popular way to promote new promotions that restaurants are having. There are also holiday celebrations and specific days of the year that many fast food chains will promote free coffee. Stay on the lookout for these promotions and you can get free cups a number of times a year this way.

Grocery Stores

My local grocery store (Publix) has two large urns of freshly brewed coffee (regular and decaf) at the entrance to each store. I spend a lot of time shopping for groceries, usually visiting Publix at least 4 or 5 times per week as my first chore of the day. Conveniently, I can start my day with a cup of Publix coffee at no charge. My son will stop into Publix just to get a cup of coffee if he is walking by the store. Who says there no such thing as a free cup of coffee.

Decor Stores

This may seem a bit strange, but some furniture and decor stores will sometimes offer free coffee and tea samples. World Market is one that comes to mind. It make sense. With a free coffee in hand, you are more likely to stick around a little longer to look at what they have to offer. Just make sure you don’t buy anything that you weren’t already going to buy or that no-cost cup will quickly be quite expensive.

Gyms

Our local YMCA has an urn of coffee available to members every morning. I stop by on Saturday mornings especially (but I confess I have not worked out in a long, long time) and enjoy a cup while I am on my way to watch my sons play baseball nearby. The coffee tastes good and the price is just right!

Churches

When I was a young man, my friends and I mapped out all of the churches at which we could get free food on different nights of the week. At one point, a friend who was particularly aggressive in getting free meals managed to get a free dinner from the Hare Krishnas on Fridays, a vegetarian meal at a local Seventh Day Adventist church on Saturdays and another meal from yet another church on Sundays. I was less aggressive in that regard, but I did always manage to find churches that offered free coffee (and often ended up visiting events at a Unitarian church because they had the best coffee). Today, I can stop by the parish life center at my local church and find a free cup of coffee many days of the week.

Barber Shops

If you have to pay to get your hair cut, look for a barber shop or salon that offers perks such as free beverages. We have several local barbers who offer coffee, soda and even beer or wine while patrons are getting their hair cut. Admittedly, a patron has to be waiting for a haircut to get the free coffee, but if you have to spend money, you might as well get as much as you can for it!

Aveda Beauty Stores

If you are wandering around in a shopping mall and you have a thirst that you need to quench, Aveda beauty stores offer complimentary tea to patrons even if they are merely browsing.

Teavana

Teavana is a tea retailer with stores in thirty states. Although Teavana does not sell tea by the cup (bulk teas only, at least at my local store), they do offer several complimentary cups of tea in their stores.

Where do you go if you want a free cup of coffee or tea? Are there any stores near you that offer complimentary beverages while you browse?

(Photo courtesy of AtOMiCNebula)