Wise Bread Book Excerpt: DIY Ten-Finger Discount

A 10-finger discount? Without theft or fraud, I score big savings with my manicured hands. Through careful maintenance and do-it-yourself enamel, I create my own 10-finger discount.
After a visit to a salon, I follow these steps:

• Let the paint dry. Meditate, breathe deeply or count to 1,000. The goal: Keep your mind active and your hands still. This Zen-like approach to nail polish will preserve a manicure. That's because nothing fades faster than smudged, nicked or dented nails.

• Wear a top coat: a glaze of clear polish will serve as an invisible barrier between your manicure and the world. Clear polish works like slipcovers on a sofa. It's all about preservation. So, beginning 24 hours after a salon visit, I apply clear polish every day.

• Cover up: I clean with gloves, since washing dishes, gardening and other daily activities can crack, scratch and chip our nails. For protection, wear appropriate gloves -- rubber, canvas or cotton -- while completing household chores.

A DIY manicure is also a money-saver. Groom and polish your own hands for less than 50 cents a session, compared to salon visits that typically cost between $10 to $25 per visit, plus tax and tip. Here's how I give myself a manicure:

• Pay attention. Professional manicurists have a variety of tricks for softening, filing and painting nails. Watch and learn.

• Buy the right tools. It's easier to create a salon finish if you have the right tools, including a nail clipper, a pumice stone, files and enamel. Don't forget the cotton swabs and nail polish remover. Those tools make it easier to tidy up whenever you paint outside the lines. There are also great painting kits that make it easy to apply a French manicure.

• Be patient. Painting nails is like meditating. Focus, breathe and concentrate on a small canvas of life. Don't be afraid of making mistakes; goofs can be removed or painted over.

Editor's Note: This excerpt--written by Sharon Harvey -- is from 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, a Wise Bread book coming out Monday, May 18! It's the best of the personal finance blogosphere! In addition to the Wise Bread writers , 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget also features top finance bloggers JD Roth (Get Rich Slowly), Trent Hamm (The Simple Dollar), Leo Babauta (Zen Habits), and Sharon Harvey (The Frugal Duchess).

Here's more info and a peek inside the book.

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5 Shoes Ties Between Carrie Bradshaw & Me: Frugal Lessons Inspired by Sex and the City

Based on my history as a former New Yorker and part-time shoe model, I've been asked to examine the ties that lace me to Carrie Bradshaw and the Sex and the City girls. That question came from Will in the Wise Bread forum for bloggers. Here's my answer:

5 Shoes Ties Between Carrie Bradshaw & Me

1. Shoes: I used to collect shoes. At one point, I had over 50 pairs of shoes in my closet. However, whereas Carrie B. wears expensive Manolo Blahnik shoes ($400-$600), I collected discounted high-end shoes from Marsalls. I've purchased BCBG shoes for $22-29. (Full price: triple digits!) Nine West shoes for $6 and other bargains.

But my frugal shoe fetish was dangerous. On the screen, Carrie B. and her pumped-up fictional friends are aware of their expensive foot path. I lacked self-awareness and honesty. With my bargain shopping, I could easily trick myself into believing that I was really saving money.

Ha! Eventually, I started investing more energy (and dollars) in soulful pursuits and spending less on the soles of my feet. Of course, my heart still beats faster when I find a great deal on pretty shoes, but I can walk away from the shoe rack with my budget intact.

2. The Keyboard Connection: Carrie B. is a newspaper columnist. I'm a newspaper columnist. We both write from our personal observations. We both write about important issues: Carrie B. writes about sex; I write about money.

3. New York Lives: Carrie could have been one of my neighbors. In fact, I'm convinced that I once bumped into her at a small grocery store in Manhattan.

4. Mr. Big: No comment. TMI.

5. Valuable Friends: Carrie's close relationships with her friends are wonderful. Her friends provide free therapy sessions and column fodder. I can relate to those close connections. Even when my bank account was depleted, I've always felt rich in friendships.

My advice to Carrie:

#1 Forget the labels. In fact, by the end of the Sex and the City movie, she marries Mr. Big in a no-name dress at City Hall. This event takes place after their initial broken engagement and cancelled big-ticket reception with the over-the-top wedding gown. Clearly, Bridezilla had a high-profile meltdown!

At the end of the day, Carrie realizes that The Dress, The Label, The Reception shouldn't overshadow the real milestones of life. She frugally takes vows in a plain suit. Part of me wishes that we were all born smart and could just skip all of our financial, personal and professional meltdowns. Why can't we go straight to the happy ending and the credits?But that insight leads me to my second piece of advice for Carrie B.

#2 Enjoy the journey. It's all a process. I've learned about living frugally and meaningfully through excessive mistakes. Errors can pay long-term dividends or at least provide material for a blog post if we're honest enough to examine our mistakes.

Check out my answers to other questions at the Wise Bread Forum: Ask the Frugal Duchess a question! (Women of Personal Finance Spotlight) Thanks!

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Here's how to buy my new book:

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Come Visit Me: Frugal (Virtual) Trip to Miami Beach

Hey! Now that Tropical Storm Fay has finally left Florida, it's sunny in Miami Beach. So consider visiting me...I'm hanging out at a Wise Bread forum:

Here's what the the folks from Wise Bread mentioned:

"For this entire week (8/18- 8/24), Sharon Harvey Rosenberg (The Frugal Duchess) will be answering questions in our forum about blogging, personal finance, and her new book Frugal Duchess: How to Live Well and Save Money Anywhere "

So please top by, visit the forum and ask a question! Thanks!

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Here's how to buy my new book:

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Welcome to Wise Bread Readers & My Weekly Roundup

Welcome Wise Bread Readers! Welcome to my weekly roundup of favorite posts. By the way, I'm hosting a Q&A session at a Wise Bread Forum:

"For this entire week (8/18- 8/24), Sharon Harvey Rosenberg (The Frugal Duchess) will be answering questions in our forum about blogging, personal finance, and her new book Frugal Duchess: How to Live Well and Save Money Anywhere "

Please drop by and ask a question or two. Last week at the Wise Bread forum, SVB from The Digerati Life was in the spotlight as the guest host, and the session featured great questions and thoughtful answers! It's a bookmark. Thanks to all the folks at Wise Bread for inviting me to their forum.

Weekly Roundup: Links I Liked

Here are a few posts that caught my eye over the last week:


From The Simple Dollar: Winning the Battle Against Low Quality Generics While Still Saving Money

From Mapgirl's Fiscal Challenge: If I Were to Buy a House Today…

From AllFinancialMatters: Thomas Jefferson’s Wise Advice

From Five Cent Nickel: Is Your Credit Union Safe?

From My Open Wallet: Marriage and Health Care Costs

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Here's how to buy my new book:

@ Amazon.com
@ Barnes & Noble
@ Borders
@ Target.com

Welcome to Wise Bread Readers & Viewers from NBC-6, CBS 4/33 and Plum TV

Special thanks to Wise Bread and to writer Myscha Theriault for reviewing my book in a recent post. Here's the link to her review. If you are visiting my blog from Wise Bread: Welcome and please look around at the various posts.

Also welcome to television viewers from South Florida Today, where I was interviewed by anchor/reporter Trina Robinson. Here's a short description of the segment on NBC6 South Florida Today, which aired July 8, 2008

Thanks to Trina Robinson and producers of that show.

Here are links to other recent videos:

CBS4 Jim & Jade In the Morning on MY33 -- segment aired July 7, 2008

Special thanks to: anchors Jim Berry and Jade Alexander, who interviewed me. Thanks to the producers.

Plum TV - DayBreak Miami Beach. Thanks to production and anchor team at Plum TV

Special Thanks to Galena Mosovich Public Relations

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