February 28 marked my one-year anniversary as a Spectrum carrier. That's right--I deliver newspapers. This involves arising every morning at 4:30, driving to the "dock" to retrieve the papers, and folding and delivering them. Generally, this process takes me just over an hour and I generally earn $400-500 per month. This gig isn't going to make me rich.
The truth is I am not doing it because it makes monetary sense--or cents, I suppose. I wasn't even looking for a paper route when this one fell into my lap. Actually, my children were talking to the previous carrier who was moving out of the area, and they volunteered me for the job. Originally, I agreed to fill in for a weekend. After two days I figured I could do a few more... and then a month... and then a year.
For the first month I quit the paper route every morning. Just before my feet hit the floor, I would think, "I am going to quit today." Within five minutes of waking up, that thought had fled and I was glad to be up and moving. I certainly can't claim to never go back to bed once my route is finished--I do that fairly often. But there are also days that I am amazed at what I have accomplished by 7:30 in the morning. That is one of the perks.
Another perk is a renewed appreciation for the value of money. My husband (who has been the main breadwinner in our household since our first child was born 14 months after we married) graciously lets me manage all of the paper route money. It is deposited into a separate account, and I keep track of it and use it as I see fit. I suppose you could call it my allowance.
Originally, I set out to earn a bedroom set. We have never really owned a bedroom set for our master bedroom. We have connections that would allow us to get a really good deal. I have now saved enough for the bedroom set--only I don't want to spend it... yet. I decided that I want to earn twice as much as I need, so that I still have a respectable amount in my account when I make my purchase. Not only that, but I have had a few "good causes" that have come up in the meantime. It is easy to see that the causes have more value than a new bedroom set, so I part with some of my savings.
Many of you probably have this experience managing your family finances. Unfortunately, I had become somewhat detached from our family finances prior to acquiring the paper route. While I have never been a spendthrift (shopping holds little thrill for me) I had experienced a "disconnect" between spending and its effect on the bottom line. These experiences have helped me prioritize expenditures, so that my resources are applied to things that really matter to me.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Living On the Edge
We are living on a budget. I am very good at spending most of a pay period's food budget in the first week of the 16-day period. It can be a problem. We are out of milk... and dish soap... oh, and money. Pay day is tomorrow. All is not lost, however; I have bartering power.
Yesterday my seven-year-old son was chomping at the bit to get pages to display his football cards. They carry these pages at Target. I happen to have a $5 gift card to Target. Aaron happened to have $4.20. The pages happened to cost $5.30. Aaron gave me all of his money, and I used 30 cents of it along with my gift card to pay for the pages. That left me with $3.90 plus another dollar in change that I had lying around.
While Aaron and I were at Target, Rob called to remind/inform me that we were down to our last 2-3 cups of milk. Hmm. Well, I had cash, but that was ALL the cash I had. I had hoped to use the cash to get a killer deal on almond M&M's at Albertson's (that coupon expires today), so I didn't want to buy milk before payday. I described my dilemma to Aaron. Since milk is equated with cereal at our house, Aaron quickly suggested that we have eggs and orange juice for breakfast today instead of cereal. Great idea. I didn't buy milk. When Rob learned that we hadn't purchased milk, he mixed up some of our dry milk--and HE actually likes it!
Now about that dish soap... we still don't have any. Well, we have some for the dishwasher but none for handwashing dishes. The dishes are piling up. My four-year-old wanted to play with his friend today. I told him I had to run an errand, but we could pick up his friend after that. When I called his friend's mom, she mentioned that she needed to run to Costco to get paper. Hey, I have paper! She traded me a ream of blank paper for half bottle of dish soap. You might think I got the short end of that stick, but don't worry--I bought the paper on a great Back-to-School deal AND I have plenty of it. I would have given it to her, but I need dish soap.
OK, so you might think I am pathetic. That isn't really my point (but if you feel better about yourself in seeing how pathetic I am, all is not lost!). My point is that "necessity is the mother of invention." When we live within our means, it allows us the opportunity to A) recognize God's hand in our lives and B) use our resourcefulness and ingenuity to meet our needs, both of which are very fulfilling experiences. Naturally, I could have floated myself a loan for a day or two, but then what would I have had to say in this post!?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
2 Nephi 9:51
"Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness."
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Economic Stimulus
"Stimulate the economy." That is the catch phrase that politicians keep using. President Bush stimulated the economy last year to the tune of $150 billion. I was dumbfounded. Don't get me wrong--I like "free" money, but the TANSTAAFL (There Ain't No Such Thing As a Free Lunch) principle from my 11th grade Economics class did not fall on deaf ears. Everything has a price. If the government is giving us money today, we can be sure that we will be paying it back tomorrow.
How about that deficit? Should the government be learning from millions of citizens or should the citizens learn from the government's, albeit poor, example? The two are definitely models of each other, but what are we learning? Let's say that a couple scrimps and saves to afford a house. "Whew-now maybe in a few years we can afford some nice furniture... But wait, we want furniture NOW." (Sometimes it is easier to tell a two-year old "NO!" than one's own "natural man.")
Please note that the couple could afford the new living room set if they would put away $200 per month for a year (or two, depending on the extravagance of their tastes), but remember--they want it NOW. So the furniture is purchased with the promise that it will be paid off by December. But wait, what good is this furniture without a plasma television? Who is going to sit in furniture without something to watch--and they won't have the furniture paid off until December and they can't put off the television purchase until January, because what a "waste" to let that nice new furniture just sit there, so... Before they know it, they are still paying for that "new" furniture 10 years later.
Now back to the government. For as long as I can remember, I have been hearing the phrase "trillion-dollar deficit." Whoa. Not a phrase I would want attached to my social security number, but wait. That phrase is attached to all of us--each and every American. Our nation is being run at a deficit. We cannot pay our bills. But we want that special interest NOW. We want better health coverage NOW. We want better roads NOW.
Some people lose their furniture, cars, house, and anything else of marginal value before they wake up and realize their mistake. At what point does the government wake up and realize its/our/their mistake? When do we say, "Wait! We can't buy that--we don't have any money!" My guess is that each party is wanting that Wake-up Call to come during the other party's term in office. Meanwhile, they just keep making promises with money they don't have. When people file bankruptcy, they can no longer find institutions willing to loan money to them. When a government files bankruptcy, the same thing is likely to happen...
How about that deficit? Should the government be learning from millions of citizens or should the citizens learn from the government's, albeit poor, example? The two are definitely models of each other, but what are we learning? Let's say that a couple scrimps and saves to afford a house. "Whew-now maybe in a few years we can afford some nice furniture... But wait, we want furniture NOW." (Sometimes it is easier to tell a two-year old "NO!" than one's own "natural man.")
Please note that the couple could afford the new living room set if they would put away $200 per month for a year (or two, depending on the extravagance of their tastes), but remember--they want it NOW. So the furniture is purchased with the promise that it will be paid off by December. But wait, what good is this furniture without a plasma television? Who is going to sit in furniture without something to watch--and they won't have the furniture paid off until December and they can't put off the television purchase until January, because what a "waste" to let that nice new furniture just sit there, so... Before they know it, they are still paying for that "new" furniture 10 years later.
Now back to the government. For as long as I can remember, I have been hearing the phrase "trillion-dollar deficit." Whoa. Not a phrase I would want attached to my social security number, but wait. That phrase is attached to all of us--each and every American. Our nation is being run at a deficit. We cannot pay our bills. But we want that special interest NOW. We want better health coverage NOW. We want better roads NOW.
Some people lose their furniture, cars, house, and anything else of marginal value before they wake up and realize their mistake. At what point does the government wake up and realize its/our/their mistake? When do we say, "Wait! We can't buy that--we don't have any money!" My guess is that each party is wanting that Wake-up Call to come during the other party's term in office. Meanwhile, they just keep making promises with money they don't have. When people file bankruptcy, they can no longer find institutions willing to loan money to them. When a government files bankruptcy, the same thing is likely to happen...
Monday, February 2, 2009
One Thing About Blogging...
...it's CHEAP. Cheap entertainment, that is. Every minute that I spend blogging or blog stalking is a minute that I am not spending money. Not that I have ever been a shopping enthusiast. I did, however, realize a few years ago that I release endorphins when I spend money. Thankfully, I am not too proud or lazy to return things "for a full refund." Also, I must admit to having spent my fair share of time and money on eBay.
Let's count the cost of hobbies, shall we? My hobbies include, but are not limited to, playing the guitar, solving Sudoku puzzles, writing in my journal, reading, exercising, photography, and tennis. The latter two are very much in the development phase. I have tried my hand at quilting, participating in a block-of-the-month class for one full year. I have crocheted the edges of numerous baby blankets. For a period of my life I made bread and granola weekly. And I have run two marathons. You know, "Jack of all trades and master of none."
The cost of so many hobbies is predominantly a sunk cost in that once you make the initial investment, there is very little cost involved. For example, my Sudoku puzzle fetish was once limited to the one puzzle I would receive in a weekly newspaper. Then I purchased a Page-a-Day calendar for around $7 at Costco which sort of extinguished my fire. It remains on April.
My guitar cost around $80 plus a few lessons (the cost of which I shared with a friend), plus guitars for two of my sons, plus their lessons...
My journal-writing habit costs me in the neighborhood of $20 per year, assuming that I have a faithful, consistent year of writing. Reading is relatively inexpensive because I do own a library card... but I will admit to relishing the feel of a NEW book.
Photography is a hobby I am anxious to embark on--does one "embark" on a hobby? Anyway, my dear husband treated me to a very nice camera this past Christmas. I can tell you that it cost several hundred dollars but not over $1000. I guess it is already an expensive hobby--and I haven't even started my class yet. The digital element contributes significantly to its cost effectiveness, however. Some people (like my sister and a very good friend) take this hobby and make a business out of it--talk about COST EFFECTIVE.
Exercising is cheaper if the cost is limited to a good pair of shoes, but once you add the gym membership it multiplies exponentially... which explains their very existence. But still, $35-60 per month is cheaper than therapy, so you have to weigh it. Last week I had a 30-minute lesson with a tennis pro that I had purchased in an auction at a school carnival for $8. (Hmm--I purchased the lesson, not the pro.) I came away feeling that those eight dollars were well spent. On the other hand, I now find myself wondering how I am going to fit tennis into my routine.
So, it seems the most cost effective way to have a hobby is to turn it into a business. Find people who will pay you to do what you enjoy. I hear that's how the first soap opera magazine got started...
Let's count the cost of hobbies, shall we? My hobbies include, but are not limited to, playing the guitar, solving Sudoku puzzles, writing in my journal, reading, exercising, photography, and tennis. The latter two are very much in the development phase. I have tried my hand at quilting, participating in a block-of-the-month class for one full year. I have crocheted the edges of numerous baby blankets. For a period of my life I made bread and granola weekly. And I have run two marathons. You know, "Jack of all trades and master of none."
The cost of so many hobbies is predominantly a sunk cost in that once you make the initial investment, there is very little cost involved. For example, my Sudoku puzzle fetish was once limited to the one puzzle I would receive in a weekly newspaper. Then I purchased a Page-a-Day calendar for around $7 at Costco which sort of extinguished my fire. It remains on April.
My guitar cost around $80 plus a few lessons (the cost of which I shared with a friend), plus guitars for two of my sons, plus their lessons...
My journal-writing habit costs me in the neighborhood of $20 per year, assuming that I have a faithful, consistent year of writing. Reading is relatively inexpensive because I do own a library card... but I will admit to relishing the feel of a NEW book.
Photography is a hobby I am anxious to embark on--does one "embark" on a hobby? Anyway, my dear husband treated me to a very nice camera this past Christmas. I can tell you that it cost several hundred dollars but not over $1000. I guess it is already an expensive hobby--and I haven't even started my class yet. The digital element contributes significantly to its cost effectiveness, however. Some people (like my sister and a very good friend) take this hobby and make a business out of it--talk about COST EFFECTIVE.
Exercising is cheaper if the cost is limited to a good pair of shoes, but once you add the gym membership it multiplies exponentially... which explains their very existence. But still, $35-60 per month is cheaper than therapy, so you have to weigh it. Last week I had a 30-minute lesson with a tennis pro that I had purchased in an auction at a school carnival for $8. (Hmm--I purchased the lesson, not the pro.) I came away feeling that those eight dollars were well spent. On the other hand, I now find myself wondering how I am going to fit tennis into my routine.
So, it seems the most cost effective way to have a hobby is to turn it into a business. Find people who will pay you to do what you enjoy. I hear that's how the first soap opera magazine got started...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
An Empty Fridge Is Easier To Clean
Just one blessing that comes from living within a budget. You can see that my refrigerator is not totally empty. We have plenty of condiments, dressings, and fixings that would taste good on something else--a vehicle, if you will. In the days of being "loose" in my budgeting, I would look in my fridge (which would be chuck full) and not see anything to eat. Last night I looked in my fridge and saw a bunch of Romaine lettuce, 1/3 pan of chicken enchiladas, some leftover spaghetti sauce, a bowl of leftover Mama's Feel Good Chicken Noodle Soup, and a bag of carrots. From this, I made our meal...
The meal didn't exactly go over like Papa Murphy's pizza--not even close actually. My nine-year old asked, "When are we going to have a MADE meal again" as though we had been eating leftovers for weeks. When I reminded him the chicken enchiladas were fresh the day before and the chicken noodle soup was fresh the day before that, he smiled acknowledging his blunder. How soon we forget. I should also mention that our refrigerator is not our sole source of food--we have food in our pantry, freezer, and storage rooms. Tonight my family will probably be treated to MADE chili, but we will have to forgo the MADE cornbread until tomorrow (payday).
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