I'm A Guest Blogger On Wise Bread Today!

Go here:

http://www.wisebread.com/gadzukes-10-ways-to-use-up-your-zucchini-bounty

Last week Wise Bread, one of my favorite frugality/personal finance sites, posted an invite for guest bloggers. I submitted several story ideas at 11pm and the following morning I woke up to an email asking me to write my zucchini pitch into an 800 word column. Yay! How much do I love immediate gratification?

Even though the 800 word story only earned me $10 Amazon gift card, I'm so excited that my little article was published! Today, the editor who worked with me on the zucchini story sent me an email telling me that she'll be contacting me about my other story ideas. Yay! Potential future work!

While I can't put the $10 Amazon gift card directly into my 100k savings account, I'm hoping to use it down the road to offset the cost of some of my Italian textbooks...and put that money I save on books into savings.

I Hate To Be One Of Those Lame People

who blog about their appliances. But I admit it:

I'm an appliance whore. 

The only major disagreement that I have ever had with Mr. Foxypants is over my refrigerator. That's the one thing that I had to leave behind for my renters when I moved in with him last year. My old fridge was custom-built for me by Marvel, the refrigerator division of Viking. It was such a pain in the ass to manufacture, that I own the prototype. Marvel will never make another one like it. Basically, it is a glass-fronted undercounter unit designed for restaurants stacked on top of a stainless steel freezer unit. It's gorgeous, works like a champ and uses about as much energy as a single light bulb every month. Mr. Foxypants hates this refrigerator because it is so small and doesn't have door storage for his enormous collection of moldy preserves and out-of-date condiments.

It was a true testament of my love that I left that piece of appliance perfection behind for my renters, and moved in with the 20 cubic foot, black, pebble-finished, monstrosity that my boyfriend brought into the relationship. I've tried to get over having to store my food in a crappy refrigerator that takes up nine square feet of my precious kitchen floor real estate. I've told myself that owning a beautiful fridge does not make me a better person. I've actually prayed for the ugly fridge to break down so I could have an excuse to replace it. I know. This is pathetic.

So, even though Mr. Foxypants sent me the following email last friday--

"I know you really love your marvel. And in case it’s not apparently obvious, I’m trying to go out of my way to get you something special to fill that refrigerated void in your life…"

--still it came as a total shock to me when Mr. Foxypants announced on Saturday that we were going to go shopping for a new refrigerator. I think part of his change of heart came from the fact that his refrigerator is loud, leaks water, and doesn't close entirely unless you bump the door with your hip really hard. But I suspect the real reason for this decision is that compared to my darling vintage stove which I moved into his house last month, there can be no doubt: his fridge is ass ugly. 

Oh, how I love my shallow boyfriend who cares about filling that refrigerated void in my life.

Now, here's my question: When did refrigerators get so huge? We went to four different home stores on Saturday night on a reconnaisance mission and every single one of them was filled with gigantic french door fridges. It's no wonder Americans are so fat. It would take a family of 12 to eat through 25 cubic feet of food before it goes bad. Even though we only looked at the Energy Star rated models, all of them use more energy than my 11-year-old Marvel which, by the way, isn't Energy Star rated, just smaller and more efficient. The only small refrigerators that anyone carries are those rinkydink ones you could rent for your dorm room for $20 a month. None of the stores carry any of the top 10 most efficient models that have received excellent reviews online. Which, to me, seems slightly outrageous. 

Mr. Foxypants and I return home in a state of righteous annoyance. Even though he agrees that it's important to be as green as possible with this purchase, he feels like I'm being unreasonable about my expectations. There is no way to get a bottom freezer, 100% stainless steel, freestanding, restaurant grade refrigeration unit that also meets our energy efficiency standards, and has a small footprint for under $4000. And since I am allegedly on a savings rampage, I don't really have a leg to stand on, because he's the one who will be paying for the refrigerator, not me.

I refuse to be thwarted. I spend three hours the next day calling every other new and used appliance store in a 25 mile radius of my house searching for the most elusive of cute appliances. (All right, the most elusive of cute appliances would be a washing machine, but I already have one of those and this is my story). As you might guess, cute industrial refrigerators are basically impossible to find used because who wants to get rid of pure cooling awesomeness? That's right. No one. The manager of the local fancy appliance store does take pity on me and offers to give me a $700 discount on their Liebherr 30 inch floor model, so it will only cost me $4000 without tax, a price that I cannot afford and cannot even use to prove my boyfriend wrong about my intractable nature. 

So, how dumb am I? Really dumb. Because, had I looked on ebay I would have found a slightly used, but still under warranty Liebherr refrigerator for HALF its normal sticker price that measures a slinky 24 inches by 24 inches by 81 inches, offered by an ebay dealer located THIRTY miles from my house, and been able to buy it from the comfort of my home instead of spending two frustrating hours walking through home stores and three hours on the phone calling every other store in a 25 mile radius. 

And in the world of refrigeration, the 24 inch Liebherr is the only unit that can hold a candle to my Marvel. 

Yes, anything worth having can be found used. I bought the Liebherr 24 inch off ebay this morning and it's being delivered on Thursday. 

Color me smug.

Channeling My Inner-1950's Housewife, Who, By The Way, Is Awesome

I needed to replace the gorgeous vintage Wedgewood stove in my old house (which I moved to the house that I share with Mr. Foxypants) with a "new" stove for my renters. I am a big fan of  Okeefe & Merritt and Wedgewood stoves from the 1940's and 1950's. In addition to cooking like champs, owning a vintage stove is like having a classic car in your kitchen. They are just so cute. So, instead of buying a new stove, I went shopping for a vintage range on Craigslist. I found a O&M cutie for just $100! Vintage stoves in LA sell for $1200-$12,000 depending on the model and condition, so this one was a total steal. The reason why it was a steal? Well, that would be because it was in pieces. I spent half of yesterday assembling the parts into what resembled the other vintage stoves I have owned. Then I called the gas company for a free appliance check, so I could be sure there weren't any gas leaks I wasn't smelling. 

The gas guy came out and told me I needed a "real" stove mechanic to fix the stove, as the safety valve to my oven didn't work and two of the burners refused to light and needed to be replaced. "You know, you could buy a new stove for $300," he told me sarcastically on his way out the door.

Today I stopped by Sav-On Appliance in Burbank. (I must give Marsha and Emmett, the owners, a huge plug. Due to their proximity to Hollywood, Sav-on supplies most of the vintage appliances you see on tv shows and movies. They have beautiful vintage stuff along with a bunch of other crate damaged but totally working new appliances. They are also amazing at what they do). I asked Marsha if she had a oven safety valve for my model stove lying around and if she could do a house call. Instead of charging me $300 for what she thought was simple work, Marsha proceeded to give me a 20 minute clinic on what could be wrong with my current stove that I could repair. For example, she told me that cobwebs could be blocking the gas line and that I could clear that up with a bent paperclip.

Armed with steel wool, a darning needle, and new information, I returned to my rental property. An hour later the stove is super clean and works perfectly! I didn't even have to call Marsha and have her walk me through how to disable the heater (yes, the range has a HOUSE HEATER in addition to a broiler, oven, griddle and four burners) so my renters wouldn't scorch themselves accidentally.

Vintage stove completely assembled with a flat head screwdriver and a darning needle! 

So, in addition to saving $1100 on the purchase of a vintage stove through savvy Craigslist shopping, and saving $300 on repairs by fixing the thing myself, I now have stove repair bragging rights.

Which are priceless.

There are several morals of the story:

1. Vintage stoves are the greatest. When's the last time you heard about someone fixing their microwave oven with a darning needle?
2. If something was created for a 1950's housewife to use, it probably means it was designed for her to fix. This means you can fix it too.
3. Just because some guy looks at your cute, but totally impractical shoes and deems you not handy...well, that just means he's a terrible dresser.

Abe's Birthday, and about pennies

It's (still) Feb 12, which used to be Abe Lincoln's birthday (still is) but no longer a holiday. Nevertheless, I have been collecting pennies all week wherever I find them, and adding them to my piggy bank. I took a bunch of items to two local consignment stores -- one gave me $8 cash and the other is working on pricing and will keep the items for 2 months before donating if they don't sell.

One store is for kids' clothes, and since I have the trendy teens, she took a handful of their trendy items, while the other is for women. I took a bunch of costume jewelry to that place, and she took almost everything I had, which is very nice. My dresser top is "lighter" without those items that I never wore anyway.

Tonight I went through the DVDs that were "mine" from way back -- mostly chick flicks -- and will take those to the used book & DVD store fro cash tomorrow. Not sure how much I'll get -- but I'm not going to watch any more "Legally Blonde" or crappy movies about "I married my best friend's fiance or my formerly gay friend" or whatever. Life's too short to own crappy movies that you don't watch, don't you think?

And again with Coin Girl, I have found change on the street almost every day for the past week, as much as a dime, mostly pennies. Very cool.

I turned in my library books today ON TIME (no fees) and did not bounce any checks (NO FEES/PENALTIES) which for me is a pretty big deal, but may it get more usual as we proceed. I did buy 2 balls of yarn at Beverly's (on sale) but I had a $5 gift certificate from 2005 and thus the yarn cost me just $0.55.

Today I got all my tax papers together and took them to Mr Tax Guy. I believe I will get about $1500 back, and that's nice, but I also want to adjust my withholding ASAP so I have that money now vs later, after the government rolls around in it naked for a year. Tomorrow is payday when my first automatic savings deduction goes to my ING savings account (2.5 % interest). That will be "invisible savings, bec I don't see that account unless I go there online. I am not likely to spend what isn't accessible in my checking account and tied to my ATM card. I'm fooling myself into saving! How dumb am I? Or smart? Voila! I give you -- Julia Tracey, Mistress of the Penny.

Sleuthing to find pennies all over town,
"Moolia"

Julia's January Savings

(Hi, it's me -- popping in to post, per Miss Moneybags' request)

OK, so I may not have saved much in January -- I dipped into my emergency fund for a couple of sudden expenses (like food money for sick daughter in NY who couldn't wait tables while throwing up). My bank does the "Keep the Change" program, where it rounds up the extra change and adds it to my savings account. I saved about $10 that way. And in fact, in the past few years, it tells me I have saved $500+ in "keep the change." Where did it all go? This year I will track it.

I also made 7 cents in interest...but that will soon change, because I am going to open an ING-orange account, which pays better interest -- 2.5%, I saw on their site. That's an improvement over the 0.25% I'm getting in my BofA savings account. However, because I dipped below the minimum, I got dinged $18 and $3, which ate my "savings" and lost me some more.

So in actual savings, not so much.

However, a couple of changes are in motion. I have opened a new savings account, as mentioned, so just sitting still I will be earning more. I will be sure not to dip below the minimum in the other account, to avoid the charges. I'm on the alert for avoidable expenses like that -- like parking tickets, library fines, bounced checks, etc. -- wherever I can avoid such fees, I am focused on not forgetting about them or ignoring due dates, etc. That's a big step, for an "artiste" who never paid much attention.

Next, I recently met with my money guy -- a financial advisor, who gave me a homework assignment of determining all my interest rates and income vs expenses, to determine where I can save or consolidate. I told him I wanted to be $10k richer in a year -- I may not save that much in a big pile, but I will be that much more ahead, out of debt, etc. Mr Husband and I also chatted about the same topic and are united in our efforts on that front. Another big step.

If you haven't yet added money to your IRA, it's not too late to do so for 2008, and get credit for it. I'm trying to weigh if it's worth it to put money into my IRA now or just into savings with interest, because of the market crash. Mr. Moneyguy (no relation to Miss Moneybags) will help me with that.

I also have a bunch of tiddly little moneymaking ventures coming down the pike -- like keeping the aluminum cans instead of putting them into recycling. Like knitting java sweaters for coffee cups, to sell at local coffeehouse (they were impressed with my own handmade java sweater and want to have some to sell). Like a book I'm getting published and the percentage I will get from the publisher -- depending on how many sell. Like teaching a handful of classes at the adult school (no credential needed) -- perhaps $1,000 by the end of spring. Like consigning a bunch of books, clothes, and household items, and selling other items on eBay.

So though I don't have any real profit to declare at present, I have been making great strides toward money in the bank, money on the way, and debt-B-gone.

Julia, former spendthrift

Spending Money Left, Right and Center

Wow, wasn't the inaugeration great? What an exciting end to a historic election! I'm so proud that I live in a country where it's possible for a black man, a woman and an angry hamster to run for president. 

Other than the inauguration, yesterday really sucked.

I thought I was doing great with the challenge. I'm selling a book a day on half.com, I've been eating all my meals at home, and I've been batching all my errands in an effort to save time and gas. On Saturday, I gave blood, got a haircut, dropped off a final check to the painting crew that is working on my house, donated 100 books to the library book drive, and recycled my laser printer's toner cartridge. 

Yesterday, I realized that, in my zealousness, I'd not only recycled my old toner cartridge but the drum unit of my printer too.

The cost of a replacement drum unit: $119.

Can I just say that spending that money was so painful? It was like getting a paper cut on your tongue or trying to bite off a hangnail but accidentally ripping it down to your knuckle instead. Excruciating and annoying in equal measure. My exciting $100 half.com earnings for January were wiped out in one flick of my wrist and the super-speedy recycling pick-up schedule at Staples. I was SO angry at myself for this stupid waste of money, gas and time. 

But, my anger was short lived. It lasted exactly eleven minutes.

I wish I could tell you that years of yoga and meditation allowed me to work through my frustration with tremendous efficiency, but that's not what happened. What happened eleven minutes after I discovered that I'd thrown away a key part to an important piece of office equipment was this: Mr Foxypants came into my office and told me that Evelyn, who is my favorite koi, had been killed by raccoons that morning. 

What I learned yesterday is that it's very hard to stay angry about a broken printer when you are on your hands and knees collecting the loose scales and bones of your pet, wrapping her half-eaten remains in a cloth, and tearfully digging a hole under the lemon tree for her grave. And while she was one of our most expensive fish, I felt no sadness about her purchase price, I only felt the loss of her life. While a drum unit costs more than a hunk of molded plastic really should, it's replaceable. Evelyn is not. None of our other fish have her soft expression or her regal swimming style. The pond feels empty without her.

People who think that money cannot buy happiness have never purchased a pet.

The Hateful House

Q: Why is it that your house never looks as good as it does when it goes on the market?

At this point I might as well call this my 110k Savings Challenge because if I spend $10,000 repainting my house, tearing down the rotting garage and replacing the broken hot water heater, I'll consider myself lucky. 

I have a love/hate relationship with my house.  Mainly its been a hate relationship for the last couple of years. My 1920's abode is showing its age and falling apart. I have lived in "that house," much to the chagrin of my neighbors, for a long time because I just never had the spare $7500 lying around to pay someone to repaint the exterior or the spare time to do it myself. 

Last April I moved into Dinky Manor, which is my boyfriend's 1937 dumpy bungalow. We've spent all of last year making his place livable, while my house stood vacant and overgrown. While I'm so happy to be sharing a home with Mr. Foxypants, my housing situation has been endlessly frustrating to me. I had renters last May who were willing to live through me slowly renovating the place while they lived there, but then my sewage system went kaput and needed to be completely replaced. Right after that, my garage, which had been derelict when I bought my house a decade ago, finally decided to cave in. Finally the water heater broke. All this time, I've been paying my mortgage and property taxes, of course. 

Well, it's time to put my house to work. I have two friends who want to rent out my place starting March 1st, so I have to get my house into excellent living condition--ironically a condition that I never experienced during the 10 years I lived there. 

My friends have agreed to pay me $875 more than my monthly mortgage in rent each month. (They will also take care of the gas and electric bill and supply their own renter's insurance). The extra $10,500 each year that I will make in profit by renting out my house will cover my homeowner's insurance, my property taxes and the water bill. So, starting in March, my biggest financial burden will be paid for by other people and my month living expenses will consist of paying for the phones and the high speed internet connection at Mr. Foxypants' house! 

In the mean time, I'm scrambling to stay ahead of the renovation costs. I'm hemorrhaging money which totally sucks. I've been using a credit card (which is the Devil) to pay for all the home repair...meaning that I'm already in debt and it's only the 10th day of the year. Luckily, I've sold $80 in books on half.com this week and I sold one of my handmade necklaces today for $60. None of this money was anticipated, and I'm really hoping that weird little windfalls continue coming my way...not that I can count on that though. But if I can somehow continue to eek out an additional $140 a week by selling random stuff this year that would be $7140! Almost enough to pay for that paint job.

So, unfortunately, the next 50 days will be spent trying to pay down that credit card so I don't have interest-accruing debt cutting into my savings plan once my house-as-profit-generating-machine kicks into gear. Grrr...