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It’s been a rough week for me. The death of my friend Sparky has dominated my thoughts and actions. It’s been good to spend time with his friends and family, though, and to see how much he affected those around him. There’s another memorial service for Sparky next week, so much of my time will be spent preparing for that, as well as taking care of other important things I’ve neglected (completing a book chapter, refinancing the house, etc). Get Rich Slowly will continue to feature guest posts for at least a few days more. Than you for your patience.
In happier news, today marks 20 years that Kris and I have been together. (We were married in August 1993, but we celebrate today as our actual anniversary.) Kris is a wonderful wife, a savvy partner, and my best friend. I’m grateful to have her in my life. In short: She rocks!
Enough with the soap opera stuff, eh? What you really come here for are stories about personal finance — stories like these:
At All Financial Matters, JLP asked one of his readers to write a guest post on how she saves money. She obliged, and Stacey’s guide to saving money is the result. In this first part, she shares her tips for clipping coupons.
In an older article at Wise Bread, Philip Brewer writes that you can obtain huge tax-free investment returns by “buying in bulk and stocking up during sales”. He runs the math to prove his point, then looks at the non-monetary advantages and disadvantages of stockpiling food. (Thanks to Trent at The Simple Dollar for highlighting this article. Trent published a related article about his own pantry today.)
Lynnae at Being Frugal has produced a quick video showing how to make a frugal mocha. “The costs of mochas from the coffee shop can add up quickly. So now I make my own at home.” This could help some of you addicts save a little money!
Finally, at one time I was planning a deluxe post about shopping for a used car. That’s on the back-burner now, but I do want to pass along this great article from Consumer Reports on How to spot a lemon. As a fellow who has had a hand in buying two crappy used cars, I have this page bookmarked for future use.
This article is about Spare Change Saturday, 24th January 2009 (by J.D. Roth)
January 24th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Congratulations JD! Can’t wait to start reading your stuff again!
January 24th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Were the shoes an anniversary present from Kris? You’ve got to talk about the torture that is being forced by your spouse to get new clothes :). Great job on 20 and enjoy the next 20.
January 24th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Ha! No, the shoes were because I don’t have a pair of dress shoes. I’m giving a presentation to a conference of financial planners next month, and we’re trying to make sure I don’t look like a total slob. Apparently the lack of dress shoes isn’t my only shoe problem, according to Kris. The fact that I use a pair of Timberland work boots as my everyday casual wear doesn’t impress her.
January 24th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
congrats on the 20years of marriage and all the best for the next 20!
January 24th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
“True wealth has nothing to do with money.”
My favorite investment is the time I spend with my family and friends. Who would have thought that I could get such great returns from a simple act like changing a diaper.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Congratulations on the anniversary JD! And good luck with the memorial service. Just remember to keep focused on the positive.
BTW - It’s ironic that you were about to post something about buying a used car. My wife is expecting a baby and we just went through the whole process. I wrote a short article with some tips — feel free to borrow the material or if you’d be interested in a guest post, email me! (Full disclaimer though, I’m more of a blog reader than a blog writer!)
http://www.vincentchiaro.com/2009/01/vinnys-guide-to-buying-car.html
January 25th, 2009 at 3:14 am
Twenty years! Awesome. Congratulations to both of you.
January 25th, 2009 at 5:15 am
The biggest coupon clipping service in the US is http://www.thecouponclippers.com . She has been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal and mentioned on various tv shows. She often has over 500 people on her site ordering coupons at once. You don’t have to get your own from the Sunday paper since you can order them from her.
http://www.afullcup.com also gives super advice on where the sales are and how to get them combined with coupons to get stuff for cheap or free.
January 25th, 2009 at 7:00 am
@J.D. & Kris — Congratulations! It sounds like you two have a great relationship.
@Becky — Thanks for the links (#7) — they look good.
January 25th, 2009 at 7:27 am
Congrats on 20 years JD! We’re working on our first
This site has been a real inspiration for me, thanks all your work!
January 25th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Hey I’m glad you mentioned frugal mochas. I love, love, love the Iced White Chocolate Mochas at Starbucks but at $3.58 a drink it adds up quick. I’ve found a substitution in Hills Bro. Double Mochas. I buy the mix at Target for $3 and take it home and blend it with milk. It doesn’t taste exactly like like a white chocolate mocha but it’s good enough. Definitely keeps me from spending 3-4 times as much per week and it’s got to be healthier for me.
January 25th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
JD,
Congratulations on 20 years with Kris. This is why GRS appeals to many audiences because you are so real.
I’m posting the same comment I posted on beingfrugal.net about the mocha here:
Good recipe but no matter how I tried using brewed coffee and cocoa, it is never quite the same.
I decided to invest in an espresso maker. They were all very expensive but after extensive research, I picked the DeLonghi machine from Target for $79.99. Though still expensive, I consider it frugal, considering it paid for itself in one month by keeping me from going to Starbucks. The only drawback, the milk steamer is not very hot so I still have to heat up the milk separately. Best of all, it tastes MUCH better than Starbucks because I use good ingredients.
Recipe:
8 ounces milk or 1 cup (I use soymilk)
0.5-1 ounce chocolate syrup (I buy the Trader Joe’s brand, no high fructose corn syrup. I also found some cocoa mixes work good like Dagoba brand)
3 ounces espresso (I like Italian Roast)
Cost: Less than $1 per cup.
This is just my experience, do what works for you.
January 25th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Congratulations JD!! In these days is not so common to get 20 years and still be convinced about that!!
January 25th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Relationships are so important — especially when you’ve just had a shock like the death of your friend. Best wishes for many more years of coupledom! It has been my experience that good relationships just get better as time goes by.
January 26th, 2009 at 9:29 am
The advice on the Spotting a Lemon link is great - thanks for including. I’d like to add that people should check their *own* cars regularly for many of those things. It’s frugal to visually inspect your tires (pressure, even and total wear), fluids (enough? no oil in the water?), belts (no fraying or excessive wear), etc. Find the problems before your timing belt breaks or your head is cracked and think of the money and inconvenience you’ll save.
January 26th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Congratulations on your 20 year marriage! No worries about the guest posts — I love that other people regularly contribute to your blog, and I’d hazard a guess that most people like to read the guest posts and get another view on a new topic. It certainly introduces us to like-minded blogs.
January 26th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
20 years? Cool! Congratulations.
January 26th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
yay and congrats!
we just celebrated 20 years too.
which may be part of my reason to say:
more love-tinged posts please!
a memoir of you and kris - and how you
approached challenges together thru
the years - would be a nice start.
January 28th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Happy anniversary!