This post is from staff writer April Dykman.

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I’m in the process of renovating a house. This includes a complete kitchen remodel, new fireplace, drywall to replace wood paneling, refinishing the ceilings, paint and wall repairs in every room, and more.

Needless to say, this project has kept me extremely busy!

And I’ve had to make a lot of financial decisions in the last four months, almost on a daily basis. Where do we go frugal, and where do we spend more?

Here are a few examples of the choices we made, based on what we spent:

Free

• Did all of the work ourselves! (Thanks goes to my dad for leading this project.)

• Repurposed the wood paneling in the living room to replace rotted paneling behind the washing machine.

• Refinished a free door to replace the one in the kitchen.

Frugal

• Used inexpensive white subway tile in the kitchen.

• Bought off-the-shelf cabinets and used butcher block for the countertops.

• Purchased paint-and-primer-in-one, which meant I only had to apply one coat.

Paid extra

• Bought a highly-rated oven, since we cook daily.

• Installed a chimney-style hood range. This was a total want.

• Purchased a farmhouse sink, which was far less expensive than most farmhouse sinks, but still cost more than a standard sink.

I can’t say we made all the right choices. In fact, some choices were made quickly because we just needed to get something done! I also quickly learned that no matter how much planning you do, most of the time you’re just solving one new problem at a time.

At any rate, it’s been fun, frustrating, and educational. But enough about my project, let’s get to the links!

Free: Lifehacker U

It might be graduation season, but why not go to summer school?

Whether you need to know the basics of savings and credit or you’re ready to graduate to building portfolios and investment clubs, you can learn everything you need to know in a college course. Only it’s all online, and the tuition is free.

Lifehacker put together a list of free, online courses available this summer from universities and learning centers: “The beautiful thing about taking classes online is that you can pick and choose the classes you want to attend, skip lectures and come back to them later (in some cases — some classes require your regular attendance and participation!), and do examinations and quizzes on your own time.”

This semester, their list includes these five courses in finances and economics: University of Michigan’s Introduction to Finance; Marketplace’s Money 101: Credit, Debt, and Saving; Marketplace’s Money 101: Retirement and Investing; Saylor University’s Money, Banking, and Financial Markets; and The Open University’s Contemporary Issues in Finance.

Frugal: wall art

I really like giant wall art, and I’m sure this is because of my Pinterest habit. The problem is that whether you buy prints or put your own photographs on canvas, wall art isn’t cheap. Even with a DIY job, there’s the cost of the print, the cost of the mat and frame.

But blogger Frugal Babe, who I featured once before on GRS, has a great solution: engineering prints. Funny enough, she first saw the idea on — wait for it – Pinterest!

“[Engineering prints] are supposed to be for blueprints,” she writes, “but you can print whatever you like, as long as you’re okay with blueprint quality.” You can make prints up to 3′x4′, but they can only be black and white, and they’re printed on thin paper. “They end up being a little bit more grainy than a photo-quality print would be, but I think the effect is actually pretty cool,” she says. “If and when they fade or we want to switch to newer photos down the line, we can print new pictures for just a few dollars.”

Total cost for one engineering print and a frame she bought at Goodwill? $9.

Paying extra: conscious consumerism

If you’ve ever asked why a shirt costs what it costs or where exactly it was made, you probably didn’t get any good answers. But some clothing brands want to change that, giving their customers more transparency about their products.

For instance, clothing company Everlane believes in “radical transparency,” like their look inside their Los Angeles factory. And in response to customer demand, Nordstrom is providing factory information and is considering specifying “people-friendly” products on their website.

“New research indicates a growing consumer demand for information about how and where goods are produced,” writes Stephanie Clifford in her New York Times article. “A study last year by professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard showed that some consumers — even those who were focused on discount prices — were not only willing to pay more, but actually did pay more, for clothes that carried signs about fair-labor practices.”

Would you be willing to pay more for fair-labor clothing? Share in the comments, and tell us where you pinch pennies and where you’re willing to spend more.

GRS is committed to helping our readers save and achieve your financial goals.Savings interest rates may be low, but that’s all the more reason to shop for the best rate.Find the highest savings interest rate from Ally Bank, Capital One 360, Everbank, and more.

This post is from staff writer Kristin Wong.

“If they cleaned this place up, it could be pretty nice.” –My mom’s take on NYC.

This week my mom was kind enough to take some time off work and accompany me to New York, where I was a guest on one of her favorite shows, “Fox & Friends.”

“Did you know Gretchen Carlson won Miss America?” my mom asked me when I first told her about the interview. She would then tell me this every day for the next three days.

See Kristin’s interview here.

At any rate, Fox invited me to discuss a piece I’d written for GRS: My student loan story: How I paid it off in a year.

To be honest—maybe too honest—I’m surprised at how helpful people have found this article to be. Of course I thought it would be somewhat helpful, otherwise I wouldn’t have written it. But I mostly thought it would serve as anecdotal evidence that the rules of personal finance really do work: Live below your means. Avoid lifestyle inflation. Make your debt a priority. I figured we all already knew this and my story would just serve as a cute little reminder.

But not everyone lives in the world of frugality. Not everyone’s a Get Rich Slowly reader. Not everyone finds time to put much thought into their finances when they’re so overwhelmed by them.

In fact, when I was determined to pay off my loan, it was less about financial responsibility and more about OCD. I can’t enjoy things without other things being sorted out first. When I was a kid, I couldn’t watch a movie at home unless the living room was spotless. I was a weird kid. And that weirdness carried over into adulthood with my student loan debt. Taking a vacation with negative $12,000 was like watching a good movie in the middle of a bad mess.

But back to the interview. There are a lot of issues about student loan debt that you can’t cover in a 60-second TV spot. Fidelity recently sent me a study outlining some of these issues:

• The average college debt for recent graduates is now $35,200. That’s quite a bit more than my $12,000.
• On average, recent grads think it will take 10 years to pay off their debt, and 7 percent of them think they’ll never be able to pay it back.
• A recent MSN Money article discussed how college students aren’t able to pay off their student loans. Grads can’t find jobs because would-be retirees are staying in jobs longer, as they can’t afford retirement.

Obviously, there are a lot of variables that I didn’t have to deal with in 2006. I sat awake last night thinking about whether I was oversimplifying advice for these poor grads, who are probably drowning in debt and may be desperate for a job—any job.

Then I thought about the importance of financial education. We get into tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt to learn about journalism or literature or biology, and oftentimes, we go through our 20s (or beyond) without knowing anything about personal finance.

I first stumbled upon GRS after reading a career-related post. I can’t quite remember which article it was, but I’ve been reading the site ever since. In a short amount of time, I’ve learned so much about personal finance by reading the articles, considering the comments, and now writing my own stories. I’ve always been frugal, but I probably would’ve made a lot more money mistakes had I not taken the time to educate myself about personal finance.

If we’re going to get into debt for the sake of education, then we should educate ourselves on how to get out of it. And that’s where I think the basics of personal finance begin: live below your means; prioritize your debt, etc. Yes, it’s simple, but it’s a good start.

GRS is committed to helping our readers save and achieve your financial goals.Savings interest rates may be low, but that’s all the more reason to shop for the best rate.Find the highest savings interest rate from Ally Bank, Capital One 360, Everbank, and more.

This post is from staff writer Kristin Wong.

Last week, I got back from an amazing 10-day trip. Brian and I saw Stonehenge, sailed the Irish Sea, and I threw up three times. It isn’t a true vacation unless I’ve thrown up.

During our journey, we had a few money-related experiences, and I took the time to journal them. We were frugal. We learned about tipping. We talked to bartenders about taxes. I enjoyed these money highlights and financial reminders along our journey, so I thought I’d share.

More than money

A chatty cabdriver drove us from Dublin airport to our hotel. Once we arrived, he had a deal for us:

“Now, listen. I’m going home after this. If you want, you can drop off your bags, I’ll wait here, and then I’ll give you a ride to wherever you want to go. No charge.”

Immediately skeptical, we said, “Eh, we’re really tired. We’re probably just gonna take a nap.”

“Oh, come on,” he insisted. “It’s a free ride. Drop off your bags and let’s go!”

We were a little nervous about getting taken, but we went with it. He drove us to Temple Bar, talking the whole way about how he was looking forward to going home and sharing a bottle of wine with his wife.

“Yeah,” I thought. “That you pay for with the extra money you’re about to charge us.”

Once he pulled over and dropped us off, I noticed the meter read 30.00. At the hotel, it was 23. Here we go.

“Eh, let’s just make it 22,” he said. I was taken aback. That was a pretty good deal for the airport ride alone.

“You sure?” Brian asked. Our driver insisted. Brian then handed him a 20-euro note and a five-euro note. “All I’ve got is the five,” Brian said. The driver then insisted we just make it 20, refusing to take any tip. What then ensued was a shouting match, with Brian insisting on the tip, and our driver, Bob, yelling that we were giving him too much.

Bob finally relented, allowing us to take down his address to ship him a bottle of California wine once we get back home.

The experience made me realize I’m very distrusting of people when it comes to money. This guy was so kind, and I immediately branded him a scammer. Sure, it’s only natural (and necessary) to be wary in a strange city, but this was a good reminder that life is about more than money, as J.D. would say.

Frugality is satisfying

That Saturday, Brian and I rented a car in Wales. We learned how roundabouts work (I think) and took way too many pictures of sheep. We stopped in Cardiff, the country’s capital. Walking around Cardiff Bay, we came across a flea market, and one of the booths sold handmade bracelets for one euro.

“Oooh, pretty,” I said, and Brian took out some change and bought me a nice one with blue stones. We didn’t buy any other souvenirs in Wales, and I thought $1.29 was a pretty good price for a piece of jewelry that reminded me of a beautiful place. Because I also thoroughly enjoy frugality, the bonus is whenever I wear this, I’ll also always think: And it was only one euro!

But sometimes it’s OK to splurge

The next day, we got to Stonehenge. The whole experience was pretty amazing, despite a lady asking me to take her photo because “this needs to go on Facebook!” Really? We’re standing here, amid of one of the seven wonders of the medieval world, and you’re talking about Facebook? (Real talk: It only made me angry because I was thinking the same thing.)

In addition to the overall majesty, we were also impressed with our Stone Circle Access. You can see Stonehenge for free from behind a fence, and you can pay £8 admission price to see it behind a smaller barrier. For that price, you can’t walk up to the stones, but you can get fairly close. Maybe, like, 30 feet away?

But then there’s Stone Circle Access. With this, you’re able to get up close to the stones for an hour, before Stonehenge even “opens.” You can walk around them. You can walk under them. You can sit by them. The only thing you can’t do is touch them.

The cost for this access? £16 a person. Together, Brian and I paid $48. Sure, it’s double the price of general admission, but it was worth it.

(Note: Click here for more info on Stone Circle Access.)

The money customs of other cultures

Part of the fun of traveling is learning about other cultures. Throughout our trip, we noticed that tipping was inconsistent. Sometimes it seemed customary; other times it didn’t. We tried to tip at Temple Bar, for example, and our money just sat on the counter the whole time.

“I don’t think you tip bartenders here,” I told Brian.

“I just saw another guy do it. You’re supposed to leave one!”

“That’s not what Rick Steves said!”

When we returned to Dublin after our jaunt to the U.K., we decided to learn about tipping norms from a real Dubliner (as opposed to Google).

“If you’re at restaurant, you tip,” our bartender informed us. “Maybe 10 percent, or, if the service is exceptional, 15. But barkeepers don’t usually expect tips. Maybe if they go out of their way or something like that.”

He also gave us a brief lesson in Ireland’s tax system, which was interesting. For example, their value added tax (VAT) has different ranges, depending on what you buy. Books, children’s clothes and educational stuff have a zero percent VAT range. Most everything else is taxed at 13.5 percent. But retailers factor this into their pricing, rather than adding the “plus tax” like we do in the States.

“That’s partly why everything is more expensive here than it is in the States,” our bartender told us. “The tax is included.”

He then made us a free sandwich (the kitchen was closed) and chatted with us for the next couple of hours. We tipped him.

The importance of being prepared

The following night we logged into our account to see how much we’d spent. We budgeted for the trip, but we also used a credit card to avoid foreign transaction fees. The card we chose not only waives these fees, they also have a good rewards program.

Our spending was about what we expected: sobering enough to make us put down our pints and say, “OK, let’s try to cool it for the rest of the trip.” But one thing that gave us a little jolt: We racked up $130 in rewards. Our card offered a free $100 if you spend $500 within the first few weeks. I had forgotten about this perk, so that was a nice little surprise.

It was awesome being able to use this card and not worry about fees. We rarely had to take money out of an ATM. Before our trip, we had painstakingly planned and budgeted. Brian even groaned because I organized our planning into “Phase I, Phase II and Phase III.” It took some effort, but we figured out the most frugal way to splurge. This isn’t a budget vacation post, and I’ve already gotten long-winded, so I’ll sum up the details in a few brief bullet points:

• The “Hotel Tonight” app has an awesome $25 referral deal. We both used it and got one room for $40 and another really fancy one for $60.
• Before booking flights, I read that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest days to buy airline tickets. This was true for me.
• We nicknamed Ryanair “Lyin’ air” (hilarious) because of their notorious fees. But it was still a pretty low price to fly from London back to Dublin. We shared one checked bag and split the fee.
• AAA discounts work on overseas car rental.

Overall, I thought the trip was a good example of how I’ve learned to manage my finances. I enjoy frugality, but I also enjoy a well-budgeted splurge. And now, I’m back to work and focused on earning more, fueled by the gusto of a thoroughly enjoyed break.

This post is from staff writer Sarah Gilbert.

I lose count of my “jobs” these days: my literary writing (that theoretically pays, or had better one day or else), a nonprofit board on which I serve as president, and the magazine I started last summer. While I certainly put the same intensity into everything, I can definitely say that I work more hours for free than I do for pay.

So when I got the advice from a well-meaning friend, “You shouldn’t let them work you like that for free!” I had to shake my head a little to see his perspective. I’m so committed to these projects (and I know the money simply isn’t there unless I raise it myself) that I don’t mind the work:pay ratio. My general agreement with myself is that, as long as I’m making enough money to pay bills, buy good coffee and local meats and veggies, and save a little, I can do whatever I want with my (ahem) “spare” time as long as it’s for a genuinely good cause.

I heard the same phrase again a few days later, directed at someone else. “You shouldn’t do that for free.”

Well, maybe you should do it for free?

I honor and pay fealty to your right to maintain your own sets of career principles and your own agreements with yourselves. But I’d like to point out that doing a thing for free might often be in your best interests and, if you have your basic financial bases covered like bills, food and savings, doing things for free could be good for your financial and your emotional bottom lines. Actually, there are many times doing a thing for free could be… well, profitable.

Disclaimer: Many commission-based sales positions have enormous appetite for people working for free, and I cannot quite envision the time when such commission-based sales would qualify for any of my below categories. I’d love to hear your experiences if you believe differently!

Consider doing the thing for free if it meets with one or more of these possibilities:

1. You can have access to the very best in your industry.

A lot of academic and nonprofit work ends up this way. At many local writing and creative non-profits, volunteers hobnob with established writers and artists whose reputations are truly luminous by taking them out for drinks, designing newsletters or staffing events where you may not be paid for the drink you just handed to Tom Brokaw. But come on — Tom Brokaw!

It’s the “layer” of superstars just under the Tom Brokaw level who can potentially be the most helpful to your career and to whom you wouldn’t have access if you were doing similar work for pay (say, as a cocktail waitress or caterer or managing the customer newsletter for a small business). These are the people who will be the “who” in the old famous phrase, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

As the representative of the nonprofit on whose board I serve (and which has me up late many nights working for free), I took it upon myself at a small writers conference I attended to show a good time to the agent who had been brought in to give us talks on the publishing process. We’re now great friends, and though I have my own agent, I will look to her for advice and connections to her favorite editors. It was free, and it could be the relationship that makes all the difference in my career.

2. You can learn skills you could not learn (or not so quickly) in a for-pay job.

A lot of grant writers and public relations professionals begin their careers like this: the PTA or the neighborhood board or the church outreach group sees an opportunity to apply for a grant. Or a small startup need to get some PR and can’t pay. “I’ve always wanted to learn that,” the parent or neighborhood board member or friend-of-a-startup says. “I’ll try!”

A couple of turgid books and dozens or hundreds of hours of free work later, and the grant is submitted or the public is related-to. Once you’ve accomplished that and had quantifiable successes, those can be easily translated into for-pay work (and the good kind, that pays handsomely by the hour), and those you’ve helped will be eager to write you references.

3. You can have a title you could not qualify for otherwise

I run a magazine, and we always need more help. “I would love to have an editorial position on my resume,” said one volunteer. While the volunteer’s skills are bountiful, her experience is in other fields; we’re not going to split hairs and we happily offered up a title that gave both the gravitas she required and also filled the functional hole we needed filled.

While it’s even more work for free, starting your own thing is another way to get a title for which you may not be able to be hired. A small nonprofit organization you started could use an executive director! How about you? Next time you want to apply for a position whose screeners won’t accept anyone without [fill in blank] years of experience in [fill in blank] management, you’ll fill in all the blanks.

4. Your free work will give you leverage for a for-pay position

A board member came to the board with an offer: “I work as executive director free for six months, while I work to raise money for a salary for myself.” Once six months had arrived and the volunteer had raised the requisite money in grants and donations we might never have attempted without him, it was an easy sell.

If you’re going this route, it’s good to get the agreements in writing, and even worth hiring a labor attorney to draft a contract with specific benchmarks. “If Jane Jones raises $x thousand in grants and $x thousand in individual donations by December 31, the salary will be $y effective January 1.”

5. You just really, really love what your work is doing

If you can afford to work for free, and you’re slaving away for some tiny nonprofit staffed by homeless youth, and there is no future in this work, and you’re far too old to get any sort of “community service” credit for this, and all you’re doing is washing dishes but you are having amazing conversations with the people you serve and you feel you’re making a difference in the world? GO FOR IT. Be prepared to look your well-meaning advisers in the eyes when you complain about your wrinkled hands or the stinky neighborhood where you work, when they say, “You shouldn’t work for free.” You can say, “Thanks for caring about me,” and show up again tomorrow because you are awesome and the world needs more people like you.