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4 Steps to Furnishing Your New Place While Saving Big

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furnishing new place

Whether you are moving into your first place or decided to upsize, filling your home with furniture is often a costly venture. According to For Rent, the average person spends $3,596 on bedroom furnishings alone. If you want to buy a new sofa, the average cost, according to Forbes, comes in at about $1,025. For many, spending thousands upon thousands of dollars to furnish their home just isn’t a realistic option. Luckily, it is possible to save big while outfitting your new place. Here are four steps to furnishing your new place that ensure you won’t break the bank.

1. Thrift Stores and Consignment Shops

If you are outfitting your home and need practically everything, thrift stores are a great place to start. Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, and Salvation Army stores are filled with useful household items for incredibly low prices. Plus, if you head to thrift stores near affluent neighborhoods, you might be able to find some high-end brands for cheap.

Consignment shops are also worth exploring when you need to furnish your new place. Like thrift stores, you are buying used items for lower prices. However, the costs can be higher, but the quality might be upped as well, making it a reasonable tradeoff.

2. Reselling Apps and Websites

Apps like LetGo and OfferUp allow shoppers to connect with local sellers who want to get rid of their excess stuff. You can find nearly any item imaginable, especially if you live in or near a big city, including furniture, housewares, and home décor items.

Similarly, Craigslist is still a popular option for people who want to sell items they no longer need, making it worth checking as well. Facebook also has thriving community marketplaces, usually hosted in groups focused on a location. If you need something and want a chance to get it for free, consider signing up at Freecycle as well as people are not allowed to charge for anything they offer up on the site.

Since people can list nearly anything for sale, the prices, quality, and condition can vary greatly. However, it does give you a chance to score some bargains if you are patient and vigilant.

3. Garage, Yard, and Estate Sales

If you don’t mind doing a little traveling, garage, yard, and estate sales can give you a chance to get some nice items for significantly less than retail. As with shopping the reseller apps and websites, the quality, condition, and price can vary. You also have to deal with the travel costs and understand that you could spend hours scouring sales only to find nothing that piques your interest.

However, you do have the option to negotiate to bring prices down further. This means that you could spot a bargain and get it for even cheaper than the usual sticker price.

4. Discount and Big Box Retailers

If the idea of having used furnishings makes your skin crawl, then focus on discount and big box retailers. Stores like Ross Dress for Less, TJ Maxx, Big Lots, and HomeGoods have new items at prices far below traditional retail, and you can actually check out the items in-person at the stores. Walmart, Target, and Ikea also have reasonably priced furniture and household items, and some may be on display, allowing you to get a closer look at a piece before you buy.

For those who don’t feel the need to try before they buy, Amazon, Wayfair, and Overstock could be worth checking out. While the prices can run the gamut, it is possible to score some deals here as well.

Ultimately, it is possible to furnish your new place without breaking the bank as long as you shop in the right places. Consider following the steps above and see if you can’t score some bargains while you outfit your new home.

Do you have another tip that can help people furnish their new place without spending a bundle? Share it in the comments below.

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Spring Cleaning Decisions: Keep It Or Throw It Away?

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throw it away

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.

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?

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Is Picking Up Pennies Still Worth My Time?

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picking up pennies“If Bill Gates saw $100 lying on the ground, it wouldn’t be worth his time to pick it up,” a friend told me once. She reasoned that he would make more during that time by doing something else. At an estimated salary of  $1.38 million per hour, Gates would likely make more than $100 in the two seconds it would take to pick up that $100 bill.

Is It Worth It If You’re Off the Clock?

“But what if he’s off the clock when he sees the $100?” I asked my friend. “Then it would be worth his time.” I realize that people like Bill Gates are never really off the clock, and in fact, that $1.38 million per hour includes even the minutes he’s sleeping, but my point was that he could just as easily spot the cash when he’s on the beach as when he’s doing business. Then he’s making money in his leisure time, not when he’s earning his salary.

Even if the $100 flew in his office window while he was working, I added, he could easily continue certain types of work – thinking of new ideas or talking to an assistant, for example – while he bends down to pick up the cash. Then, during those two seconds, he would have made $233 instead of $133. Even minimum-wage workers are allowed a few seconds to stretch, so no one is cheating his or her employer by picking up a penny on the clock.

The Value of Picking Up Pennies

Odds are, you’re not Bill Gates, you don’t make $1.38 million per hour, and you never see $100 bills lying on the ground. You probably see quite a few pennies, though. Is it worth your time to pick them up? If you could make a living picking up pennies, one after the other,  40 hours a week, you would make $37,440 a year, assuming two seconds to pick up each penny. Some people, like my friend, would say that picking up a penny is not worth your time if you make more than $37,400 annually. I say that, even if I made $500,000, picking up that penny would be worthwhile because I would then have made $500,000.01.

The amount of money you make is irrelevant to whether it is worth your time to pick up a penny. However, other factors may lead you to choose to let the penny remain there. By picking up a penny on a busy sidewalk, you risk being trampled and having to pay much higher medical bills. If you pick up a penny whose previous owner you can identify, you may be stealing (at least ethically, if not legally). Picking up a penny on a first date might give your date the idea you’re cheap, and you could miss out on a second date. (Though, if he’s a keeper, he will be thrifty himself and may beat you to the penny.)

For Most, It’s Worth It

You may be too tired to pick up the penny; your back may hurt; a child may appreciate finding it more than you would. Any of these circumstances could provide a legitimate reason to let a penny remain on the ground. “I make too much” is not a good excuse. If you had picked up the penny, no matter who you are, you likely would have made more.

Do you think it’s worth picking up pennies? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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10 Money Saving Uses For Flour

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money saving uses for flour
Croissants. Shepherds Pie. Cake. What’s the common ingredient in all these dishes? Flour! Even if cooking isn’t your interest, there are plenty of good reasons to keep a sack of flour in your kitchen. Did you know this household staple has a number of uses that don’t involve being a food ingredient? Here are ten money-saving uses for flour.

1. Repel Ants

Ants can be significant indoor pests, especially small black sugar ants. If you want to keep ants from getting into your pantry, just sprinkle a line of flour along with the back of the pantry or where you see ants going in your house. The ants will be repulsed by the flour and won’t be able to cross the line. The trick here is that you’ll need to use white flour as ants are notorious for liking whole wheat flour. For good measure, mix the flour with some boric acid, but be careful if you have pets or children in the house – they may eat the acid/flour mix and you don’t want that. Don’t spend money on commercial ant traps – use flour instead. Total savings: $5 – $17.

2. Repel Garden Pests

Green thumbs have known about this trick for a while. To get rid of buggy predators simply sprinkle flour on squash or potato plants in order to repel pests. The starches in the flour will gum up the leaves, trapping insects until they die. Don’t buy expensive pesticides. Total savings: $18 – $20.

3. Clean Up Playing Cards

After a while, your playing cards can accumulate a layer of oil, snack residue, and household dirt. The way to clean them is to put some all-purpose flour in a paper bag. Drop the deck of cards into the bag with enough flour to cover, shake vigorously and then remove the cards. The flour will absorb the oils and the flour dust can be easily knocked off when you shuffle the deck. You may need to shuffle the deck several times before the cards come clean. Don’t buy a new deck. Total savings: $5 – $10.

4. Make Paste For Children’s Crafts

Flour is great for making a number of children’s crafts. Look no further than your pantry for an inexpensive safe paste that is ideal for children’s paper craft projects, such as paper mache and plays scrapbooking. To make the paste, mix 3 parts water and 1 part flour in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring consistently. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring until thick and smooth. Cool it off and pour it into a plastic bottle. The paste makes a handy glue and will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. No need to buy commercially available art paste. Total savings: $4 – $5.

5. Make Kids Modeling Clay

Parents know that entertaining children is a non-trivial challenge. So, use some flour to make kids modeling clay to keep your kids busy on a rainy day. Knead together three cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup salt, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 or 2 drops of food coloring. Add or remove flour or water until the mixture is just right. When the ‘clay’ is the right consistency, store it until needed in a plastic bag. You can also form the clay into sculptures for handy holiday ornaments. No need to buy Play-doh. Total savings: $8.

6. Polish Copper and Brass

You can make your own brass and copper cleaner much more cheaply than buying it. Just combine equal parts flour, salt, and vinegar and mix it into a paste. Apply the paste to the metal. Let it dry. Once the mixture is dry, buff it off with a clean and dry cloth. No need to purchase copper cleaner. Total savings $13.

7. Restore Shine to Steel

If your stainless steel sink is looking a little flat use some flour to get it back to a warm glow. Here is what you do:

  1. Wash the sink thoroughly. Use some sort of cleaner on the sink, like dish soap and hot tap water.
  2. Dry the sink thoroughly. Buff the sink with a clean towel. This sounds lame, but water left in the sink will turn the flour into a nasty goo and you need the flour dry to get the buffing effect.
  3. Add flour and buff. Sprinkle the sink with flour, covering about half of it with a thick dusting. Then use a paper towel or soft cloth to buff the flour into the sink as if you were waxing a car. Don’t forget about the rim around the top of the sink, handles, knobs and all of the other little groves where dirt accumulates. The accumulated food gunk should start to disappear and the metal should start to look shiny again.

The flour works by getting into the grooves in the sink that sponges can’t reach. You can use this same process on steel pots and pans as well. No need to get steel cleaner. Total savings: $13.

8. Absorb Oil

If you are struggling to remove oil from a carpet, linoleum floor, or anywhere it has spilled, flour can easily solve this problem. Depending on how much oil has spilled, use an appropriate amount of flour to sop up the mess. Let the flour absorb the oil for a bit, then clean up the mess by wiping up the flour and scrubbing out the stain with soap and warm water. No need to buy a bunch of special pads. Total savings: $7.

9. Use It As A Door Wedge.

Another money-saving use for flour is to use your flour as a door wedge. The average bag of flour weighs about 5 bucks. If you have a door that won’t stay put, wrap your bag of flour in some plastic or put it in another bag and use it to prop your door. This will work better indoors and you’ll want to be sure the bag of flour is well wrapped so it won’t split open and cause a mess. No need for fancy door wedges. Total savings: $14 – $60.

10. Use Flour As A Security Feature.

Like most people you may have some things in your home that you would like to be kept private or secret. In this case, let’s say that you have a drawer with some private items inside of it (cash, firearms, other valuables, etc.). Simply sprinkle some flour on the edge of the drawer. The drawer is opened then flour will fall off the drawer, and you know if your goods have been accessed. Clearly, the best thing to do would be to secure your valuables in your home where nobody can find them, however with the flour option, you will know if someone has been in your stuff. Don’t buy kitschy hidden home safes. Total savings: $15 – $200.

Finally, if you are going to buy flour, don’t forget to save money by buying in bulk. For example, a regular 5 lb bag of Pillsbury unbleached white flour retails for about $5.40 on Amazon.com. A two-pack sells for $8.49 – a savings of $2.31 when you factor in unit costs.

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Photo credit: Melissa Wiese

11 Reasons To Do Jigsaw Puzzles

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In our world of electronic gadgetry, the old-fashioned jigsaw puzzle gets short shrift. It’s not sexy or exciting, some think, so it can’t possibly be any fun. But jigsaw puzzles are a great source of frugal entertainment. As you pass the jigsaw puzzles in the toy department on the way to the more glamorous Lego’s, Leap Pads, iPads, and console games, here are some reasons why you should stop and take a longer look at the puzzles.

Inexpensive

Jigsaw puzzles are cheaper than many other toys and entertainment choices. You can find a 1,000 piece puzzle for less than $5 in some stores. You can find boxes with multiple puzzles included for under $10. And the price only goes down if you buy on clearance or from a thrift store or yard sale.

All Ages & Ability Levels

You can find jigsaw puzzles with big pieces that work well for little kids or those with dexterity problems. There are puzzles that contain many thousands of pieces if you need a challenge (I’ve seen one with 32,000 pieces) or puzzles that are all one color if you want to make yourself crazy. And there are plenty that are middle of the road. Whatever your ability, age, or amount of free time, you can find a puzzle that will work for you.

Puzzles Last

A puzzle can provide quite a few hours of entertainment. Given the inexpensive cost, you get a lot of entertainment time for your dollar.

Good For Your Brain

Puzzles are an excellent activity for keeping your brain sharp. They challenge your dexterity, spatial reasoning, and logic. Even better, they work both sides of your brain simultaneously, something few other activities do. The creative side works to see the finished product, while the logical side works to fit the pieces.

Social Interaction

While a puzzle taxes your brain, it’s not so demanding that you can’t talk with your friends or family while working on it. Some of the best conversations in this house have happened over a puzzle.

No Electricity Required

You don’t need electricity to work on a puzzle (at least during the daytime), unlike video games or movies. This means they don’t add to your power bill and you can use them during snowstorms or hurricanes when the power is out. It gives you something to do when other options aren’t available.

Improve Your Concentration

Nothing teaches you to focus and concentrate on a task like finding the right piece to go into the puzzle. You also learn patience because it can be quite a while before the puzzle starts to come together and you have to keep plugging away at it until it does.

Help Your Subconscious

They give your subconscious a chance to work on other things. Working a puzzle allows your mind to rest and think about other things. Whenever something big is bothering me or when I need to find a solution to a problem, I pull out a puzzle. I’ve come up with some of my best ideas and solutions while puzzling.

Inexpensive Artwork

If you glue a finished puzzle together and mount it, you’ve got some interesting artwork for your house or apartment. Puzzle glue and a frame or mounting board are inexpensive.

Educational Tool

I’ve learned about art and geography from puzzles. Puzzles of famous paintings and places have inspired me to look for more information.

Arthritis Help

Puzzles provide a gentle and enjoyable way for patients to improve dexterity and exercise their hands. Moving pieces, picking them up, and turning them doesn’t seem like much to someone with normal dexterity, but to an arthritis sufferer it can be a meaningful challenge.

The next time you’re looking for some entertainment on a budget, don’t just skip past the jigsaw puzzle aisle. Puzzles are cheap and they give you a lot of benefits for very little money. You can’t say that about many forms of entertainment. Making these even more budget friendly, chance are you have a few neglected puzzles in your closet right now.


Finally, if you are reading this and want to actually get some crossword puzzles to play, the best book on puzzles available is The Penguin Classics Crossword Puzzles. Its got nearly 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com, so its a good addition to your collection.

(Photo courtesy of Filip Federowicz (filu))

12 Homemade Cleaning Product Recipes for Every Area of Your House

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With the prices of everything skyrocketing, making your own cleaning products can be an easy way to save money. In addition to saving money, most are homemade cleaners are non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and safe for use around pets and children. They take very little time to make, so they don’t add to the workload. Friends and family members frequently ask for my homemade cleaning products recipes, so I’m sharing 12 of my favorites. I’ve tried all of these and found them to be at least as effective, if not more so than commercially prepared products.

Getting Started

Before you get started mixing things up, you’ll need a couple of spray bottles to hold your homemade cleaning products. You can get inexpensive bottles in the travel section of stores like Wal-Mart or Target, or you can use glass spray bottles like these on Amazon, which are reusable and come with labels.

You can also reuse spray bottles from commercial cleaners as long as you thoroughly clean them out to prevent unwanted chemical reactions. Be sure to label your bottles to prevent accidents.

You’ll also need some old rags, sponges, or cloths for scrubbing purposes. I use an old fashioned sponge for the heavy scouring work and microfiber cloths for cleaning surfaces like countertops. Microfiber cloths can be rinsed/washed and reused over and over, making them an inexpensive choice if you don’t like rags or old washcloths.

12 Homemade Cleaning Products Recipes

Now that you’ve got your basic supplies, on to the recipes!

1. Window/Glass cleaner: Mix equal parts water and distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle. You can use a rag to wipe the glass, but a sheet of newspaper does even better.

2. Floor cleaner: Pour 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar into one gallon of water. Mop the floors as usual.

3. Countertops: Mix equal parts distilled white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray and wipe down countertops with a sponge or cloth. For stubborn stains, scrub with baking soda.

4. Tubs/sinks: Straight baking soda works well for scouring away soap scum and mildew. Sprinkle it into the tub and add just enough water to make a paste. Then scour away. Spray the chrome with the countertop mixture (above) of vinegar and water then wipe down to make it shine. If you have heavy mold or mildew, straight vinegar sprayed directly on the affected area works well for loosening it.

5. Toilets: Sprinkle straight baking soda into the toilet and swish around with a brush. Let it stand for a few minutes, swish a final time, and flush.

6. Fabric softener: Pour 1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar into the fabric softener dispenser or add manually during the rinse cycle. This softens clothes, removes excess detergent and does not leave a smell behind.

7. Carpet deodorizer: Sprinkle straight baking soda on the carpet, using more in heavily trafficked areas or where pets stay. Vacuum after 20-30 minutes.

8. Powdered laundry detergent: Mix 5 cups soap flakes and 7 cups of Borax and shake well to mix the flakes and Borax. Store in plastic container or old laundry detergent box. Use 1/2 cup per load.

9. Exterior house wash: If you have vinyl siding, this cleanser will get rid of mold and mildew. Mix one quart of bleach per gallon of water in a hand sprayer. Add 1/4 cup of dishwashing liquid (hand washing liquid such as Dawn or Ivory, not dishwasher liquid). The dishwashing soap just makes the mixture “sticky” so it will adhere to the wall long enough for the bleach to do the work. Spray on the walls and then rinse with a garden hose or light pressure wash.

10. Drain Cleaner: Pour 1/4 cup baking soda down the drain. Follow with 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar and plug the drain until the fizzing stops. Pour one gallon of boiling water down the drain to flush out the clog. Prevent clogs by pouring a pot of boiling water down the drain once per week.

11. Dishwasher Rinse Aid: Pour distilled white vinegar into the rinse agent compartment and wash as usual.

12. Furniture Polish: Mix 1/4 cup olive oil or mineral oil with 4 tablespoons distilled white vinegar and 20-30 drops of lemon essential oil. Pour into a spray bottle and shake well before using.

Homemade Cleaning Product Concerns

One of the concerns I often hear about the recipes that use vinegar is that the vinegar will leave a smell behind. Let me assure you that once it dries or runs through the rinse cycle in the washer, it no longer smells. One of the benefits of homemade cleansers is that most leave no scent whatsoever behind, so your home does not smell like a hospital. If you want to add some scent, you can experiment with essential oils such as peppermint or lemon. You can find these at health food stores, or places like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

Another concern is that these cleansers don’t kill bacteria. Research has shown that vinegar does kill certain household pathogens, so if you want to disinfect without using harmful antibacterial chemicals, vinegar is a great choice. Tea tree oil is another great disinfectant and can be mixed with water and used on countertops and in sinks, tubs, and toilets to disinfect.

Helpful Tips and Warnings

As with any sort of cleanser, test your creations on inconspicuous areas to make sure there’s no discoloration, scratching, or other adverse effects. And two final words of warning: First, never use vinegar on natural stone such as granite or marble because it will scratch and pit the stone. Second, never mix bleach with vinegar because it will give off a toxic gas.

Using homemade cleansers is just as effective and much less expensive than using commercial cleansers. Once you’ve mastered the basics, don’t hesitate to experiment with the concentrations and added scents you use to find what works best for you. Just remember to always test anything new before using it widely.

Do you make your own household cleaners? Share your tips in the comments below!

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