Gift Cards vs Money

I was reading at WiseBread about chinese money habits. She made the observation that Americans would rather give a gift card than give money, while the recipient may prefer cash, for savings or spending purposes.

In later years, my parents have been giving me cash for holidays, along with smaller gifts (that I ask for specifically). I have learned that I prefer cash to help with daily expenses, rather than cards that mean having to spend money (and, with the economics of gift cards, typically I have to spend my money to get full value of the card.) I like this, but I could be more frugal with my gifts, and place them into special savings accounts for my future needs.

What do yall think? Cash or gift cards?

Radical Junk

I have a lot of junk.

 I keep a lot of things that I think I might need.  I also admit that I have a shopping problem, and I love fantasizing about things to buy.  (Working on it

Right now, my current fantasy is real estate.  It will probably be several years before I am stable enough to buy real estate, and afford a house.  Doesnt stop me from looking.

I have been looking at micro living.  Living in RVs, living in Tiny Houses or Katrina Cottages, etc.  (The Katrina cottages are interesting, as I can get a smaller house that is designed to be expandable).  Of course, there is always my standby, the Monolithic Dome.  Sure, the latter looks funny, but it is an indestructable house with very high energy efficiency.

However, I have a lot of Junk.  Lots of it.  So, my current strategy of sorting through my things is “If I had to live in 100 square feet, would this be something I would keep.”  So far, in this category are 1) most of my books, 2) clothing, 3) things from family members, and 4) alcohol.  (I have lots of alcohol that I have collected, and while I dont drink it, I like having it here for friends.)  Im sure this list will grow longer, but those listed above are my priority.

 What items would you keep?

Furniture

I am planning on moving into a small unfurnished apartment (after living in furnished apartments for the past two years) and I am thinking about what I need to furnish my new place.

 It also complicates things that I have no truck, and no close friends with trucks, that can help me move large objects.  So, buying something, I either need to have someone deliver it, or rent a truck to have it delivered.

I think a bed or futon will be my first purchase, with possibly a desk and computer chair as the second purchase.

February Goals

Remainder of February goals: Except for the planned expenses for my friend’s party, I will spend no money (except for gas) between now and February 28th. (the 29th is a planned party.) This is possible because I have food in the freezer that I need to use, and I am bad about reheating my frozen leftovers. (I enjoy cooking as a stress reliever, but I typically end up throwing food away because it has gone bad.) So, I will defrost and use up my leftover stash for the next two weeks. The refusal to buy food also prevents be from buying fast food, and unhealthy food (for me) like chips and croutons.

It will be interesting to see what my mind thinks of as “needs.” I already know I will have several expenses at the beginning of March to deal with, and I don’t really have the money to deal with all of it. I am also going on a long vacation in March, in which my frugal budget will have to stretch amazingly.

Second goal is to get rid of at least two boxes of things, and more is always better. I recently moved into a one bedroom apartment, and I will be moving again back into a two bedroom, which will probably be much smaller than my current situation. I have far too many things that I have not used in years, so if I haven’t used it in a year, with the exception of books and clothing, it will be tossed. (Books I will keep or try to sell, but most I will keep. Clothing, if it is too big or I’ll never wear it again, it can go, but too small clothing I will keep for my weight loss.)

Frugal Cookware

Cast Iron.  The indestructable piece of cookware that you will never need to replace.

Right now, I have  a 10 inch skillet, a smaller 5 inch skillet (cornbread!), and a newly purchased 5 quart dutch oven.  (The dutch oven was purchased specifically for No Knead Bread, (even though I dont do much bread), but I also gave away my last large cookware piece, so I needed a replacement.

There isnt anything that cannot be cooked in cast iron. Some places warn to stay away from acidic sauces (like tomato) because the iron can leech from the pan into the food, but unless you are on a low iron restriction, this isnt that much of an issue. One of my friends said Garlic turns purple within cast iron, I havent tried this yet.

I still have two pieces of bakeware (including a lasagna pan, and a large cookie sheet) that I may not be able to replace with cast iron.  But, i will be on the lookout for used places that might have them.

Frugal Low Carb Meat

Shop around for meat prices. Fresh turkey is 1.39 in the meat section, but 99 cents in the frozen section in my local market. Another market regularly has 10-pound bags of chicken leg quarters for less than 4 dollars. (at the first store, this size bag is 8 dollars. Still a bargain, but not as much so.) Check other chicken prices, to see if any are on sale. Compare the prices of fresh meat to frozen meat; see what gets you the best deal.  know the prices at your local farmers market, if they have a meat vender.  Since I know i can get most cuts of meat at 5 dollars a pound at the farmers market (for grass fed beef), I will not pay close to that mark.  Some places offer cheaper meat.

When I had my 6 quart slow cooker, I would place all of the chicken quarters, without their skin, in the cooker. Add some salt and pepper, cover, cook for a few hours. (high for 2-4ish, but check on them after 2 hours.) When all the meat is done, remove from the slow cooker and let cool enough to handle. (Leave any juices in the cooker, and the cooker on low.) Remove the meat from the bone, cut into smaller pieces, and store in the fridge for three days, and freeze whatever you cannot use. These are excellent to use for any sort of quick cooking dish, chicken spaghetti, chicken and onions, etc. The bones can be returned to the slow cooker, and the cooker filled with water, to create a luscious chicken broth. Chicken broth, with chicken and vegetables makes an excellent and filling soup.

Why I Live Alone

I moved a week ago.

I have a lease until August with this location (on campus apartments), and due to the restrictions, it would have been almost impossible to break my lease (well, at least without getting married or dropping out of school, both of which are not options for me).

I chose to move into a one bedroom apartment, rather than continue to share living space with a roommate on the verge of a breakdown, or move into an unknown situation.

I probably cannot afford my living situation.  So, why, as a frugal grad student, did I make this choice?  Several reasons.  Living on a strict budget now means adjusting to my situation.  When I move again in August (in with a friend of mine), my rent budget will be cut encormously, allowing me to save the difference for the lean time in January.

This also allows me a six month breathing room, in which I know all of my stuff is *my* stuff, I dont have to deal with someone elses physical clutter.  As I am attempting to downgrade most of my stuff (in preparation for the move), this is a good thing.  In addition, I am writing my thesis this summer, having a far less stressful homelife should hopefully create a better space for writing.

Hopefully I can survive until September.