Getting the Most from Used Furniture: Telltale Signs of a Bad Deal

From curbside castoffs to upscale antique stores, there's plenty of used furniture in the marketplace.

''You want to look for quality,'' says David Fernan, owner of Victoria's Attic, two vintage furniture and art stores in Fort Lauderdale. Here's a list of tips for selecting used but well-made furniture.

• Peek inside: Construction of drawers, for example, offer important clues about the quality and durability of a dresser, desk or china closet, according to furniture professionals. Experts at Pop's Unfinished Furniture, a California-based outfit, say the drawers of poorly made furniture typically lack guides, the tracks that help you open and close them. Fernan says drawers in better quality furniture have either wood or metal guides.
• Check for cheap shortcuts: Glue, stables and fiberboard indicate cheap construction and a short life-span.
• Test the sofa cushions: Low-quality sofas and chairs are often made from low-density foam cushions. These pieces look good in showrooms, but sink and sag in less than two years. Well-made sofas use higher density foam that will retain its shape for years, Fernan says. Seams can be telltale. When shopping for a sofa or chair, check the cushion seams. If the seams have become flattened or if the cushion appears to be sagging, don't buy the piece.
• Check the weave on wicker: It's often costly to repair wicker weave, so carefully consider any purchase that needs new wicker caning, say the editors of RDLiving.com, a website affiliated with Readers Digest.
• Avoid reupholstering: Unless you're really in love with a piece, it may be cheaper in the long run (and less of a headache) to buy a new chair.
• Look past the surface: A quality piece of furniture may be lurking beneath an ugly paint job, according to my husband, who has refinished several tables and cabinets. Consider repainting or refinishing used furniture as a do-it-yourself project.
• Know the market: Befriend the owners and managers of second-hand and vintage stores. Learn the weekly or monthly timetable for new shipments, donations and sales.

This is from my latest column in the Miami Herald.

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Email Eats Time & Money: How I Find Word Economy

Email often takes a big bite out of my day in terms of time & money. Sometimes the email box delivers constructive, important or profitable online activities. It's also great to get chatty notes from friends and family. (Please keep writing!) But too often, I just spin my wheels in cyberspace with business or notes that should be handled later.

Fortunately, I've tapped into a few tricks that help me avoid costly electronic detours. Here are the tips:

1. Email-Free Zone. In Making Work Work by Julie Morgenstern, the author recommends steering clear of email during the first 60 minutes of each day. That strategy works quite well for me. I try to begin my day with a high-priority chore and then check into the email box after I've taken care of that business. In that way, I avoid getting pulled into interesting, but low-priority email tasks.

"Email is the biggest time-suck of the modern workday."-- Julie Morgenstern "Email can save or steal time, depending on how you manage it."


2. Use the clock & create a schedule. Create a schedule for checking your email, recommends Quick & Simple in the May 1 issue. On a manic day, I check email several times an hour. That electronic addiction is expensive in terms of lost productivity.

In Quick & Simple, productivity guru Marsha Egan recommends checking the email box about four times or less each day.

Four box checks is not enought for me because I am a home-based freelance writer, but limiting my checks to once an hour might work.

3. Two-minute rule: Quickly review your email. Handle the high-priority business, but everything else must fit into 120-second time slots. If an email can be dealt with in two minutes or less, write back. But if the chore demands more time, put it in your do-later-action file. Of course, this rule does not apply to high-priority items.

4. Banish mail notifications: Ditch the "You've Got Mail" chime. That automatic notice will derail your day.

5. Maintain multiple accounts: Have a personal account for high-priority chats with friends, relatives and business associates. Set up a spam account for low-priority online business, like newsletters, promotional campaigns and other items.

6. Use the subject line: Some informal requests and statements can be easily typed into the subject line. This economy of words will encourage others to do the same, says Julie Morgenstern.

7. Create templates for routine chores: This sounds cold, but a pre-fab template can help you answer mail quickly. This strat works best if you customize each note for the situation.

For example, I receive a lot of email pitches from PR people, who are strangers. I save time by sending back a generic "thanks-for-the tip; I'll contact you later if I am interested."




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Deal or No Deal: In-Store Negotiations

Why is it okay to negotiate over price at car dealerships, but not for furniture at a national chain? We've learned to ask (politely) for lower prices when shopping for everyday items and gadgets. Here's a short rundown of bargaining opportunities:

1) Large department stores and regional chains: The managers may be aware of unadvertised sales or may have special discretion to offer additional discounts.

2) Furniture stores: Some friends of mine recently cut a favorable deal for furniture and delivery at a Rooms to Go outlet.

3) Flea markets and garage sales: The best deals are late in the day.

4) Electronics stores: Consider this: My husband purchased a portable DVD for one of our sons. (My son used a $50 gift card and other cash gifts (from us and others) to finance the purchase.) The $149 sticker price for the battery-operated, 7-inch DVD player was slightly more than my son had saved.

Via cell phone, I told my husband to ask the store manager about future promotions for DVD players. We would just wait for the lower price.

"Hey, if the only thing holding you back is price, I can go lower," the store manager said.He offered $119 and my husband accepted! By the way, the manager explained that peers at his store and many others have authority to cut deals with inquiring consumers!

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Zoned Prices: Same Chain; Different Area & Higher Prices

It's so odd: In different neighborhoods, the same national chain will offer different prices on the same item.

As a result, prices for individual products often vary greatly. We live near three different branches of the same store and have found significant price differences for the same item. My mother, who lives in Central Florida has spotted a range of prices for the same item at different Publix locations. I've noticed this same trend at Walgreens and other stores.


That's because many chains zone prices according to zip codes. The cost of real estate, labor and other operations factor into pricing. I find the lowest prices by either shopping around or checking the company's website, where weekly specials are available for different stores based on zip code or neighborhood. We've also compared price notes with friends.

You can even call food manufacturers for pricing insights. One pasta maker, for example, told a friend of mine which local retailers sold the company's pasta products at the lowest prices.


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Brad Pitt & Cheap 31-cent Scoops at Baskin-Robbins

What do I have in common with Brad Pitt? A multi-racial family and a fondness for Baskin-Robbins, which will host a special discount scoop promotion on May 2. The ice cream chain is charging only 31 cents a scoop on that day.

The cheap scoop promotion is taking place next Wednesday night (May 2) from 5 pm to 10 pm as a special fundraiser for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. If you want an email reminder, Baskin-Robbins is happy to fill your in-box with a note if you register at the 31 cents a scoop promotional page. I'm skipping the online registration step, but I do plan to make a note on my laptop calendar and datebook.

Many celebrities are fans of Baskin-Robbins and over the last week, I've spotted a couple of paparazzi shots of famous faces in or walking from Baskin-Robbins.

For example, in this picture from tmz.com, Brad Pitt was photographed (with daughter Zahara), walking from Baskin-Robbins:

Brad, Angie and Zahara made a quick stop for a cold
scoop of goodness from a Baskin-Robbins... tmz.com

Likewise, Us magazine recently featured this photo (last picture on the left column):

KRISTIN CAVALLARI helped JOEY SIMON, 6, tidy up after an
ice-cream outing to a Beverly Hills Baskin-Robbins on April 3.

On many Sunday afternoons, my family buys ice cream scoops at one of several shops in our area, including Baskin-Robbins. We save money by using coupons and other special promotions. It's a cheap, but fun family date.
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Can I Throw It Out Now? When to Toss; When to Save

On the one hand, my frugal self wants to get every drop out tubes, containers and appliances in my cabinets, frig and purse. But on the other hand, is it really safe to hold on to stuff for too long? What kind of deadlines are we talking about?

I found some answers about expiration dates from a variety of sources. Here's a quick sketch of what I've found from Woman's World magazine.

• Smoke Alarms: Buy new batteries every year (or when your alarm starts that annoying "low-battery" hum). Purchase a new smoke detector every 10 years.
• Spices: Dried and ground spices (ginger, cinnamon, chili) don't spoil, but will lose flavor after 24 to 36 months.
• Toothbrush: Replace every three months.
• Disposable razors: Good for two or three shaves.
• Makeup: Mascara should be replaced every three months to avoid eye infections from bacteria. Lipstick twice a year (hmmmm. Is that really true? I've kept favorite shades around longer). Foundation: replace opened containers every eight months. That's the word from Woman's World.

But I found these guidelines in an ABC news article :

"When to Throw out Cosmetics

Eye makeup: after three months

Facial cleanser: after six months

Makeup foundation: after one year

Lipstick: after two years

Powder: after two years

Lip pencils: after several years"

When to Throw out Household Items* (From ABC news)

Fire Extinguishers: Replace your extinguisher every 12 years because over time it loses its pressure and becomes ineffective.
Smoke Detectors: Throw them out every 10 years because over time the electronics don't work as well. They can lose their accuracy and sensitivity, and fail to alert you in an emergency.
Paint: Get rid of your paint every two years to three years — and even sooner if it's been exposed to freezing temperatures.
Mattress: Buy a new one after 10 years because mattresses are impossible to clean. A 10-year-old mattress can have 10 million dust mites. An old mattress actually feels heavier because it is full of dust mites and their droppings.
Pillow: Throw it out after three years, but wash or dry clean twice a year. In the average used pillow, a British study found 1 million fungus spores, including species normally found in bread mold and shower walls.
Disposable Batteries: Toss these after seven years, even if you don't use them.
Rechargeable Batteries:
Throw these out after three years to five years. Because these contain harmful
chemicals, dispose of them properly at a hazardous waste center.

*Batteries, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers should be taken to hazardous waste disposal centers.

Here's the link to the complete ABC article about disposable guidelines and other resources:

When to toss out food.

And an excellent guide about the shelf life of food from the University of Nebraska.




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Free Online Tools for Creating Your Own Floor Plans & Designs

Forget hammers and nails. Help for design projects is online. A number of free or fee-based ($15 and up) software programs enable consumers to create floor plans for the home or office.
Even if you're hiring a decorator, the programs can streamline the consulting process and avoid costly misunderstandings by providing a full-color sketch of your tastes.

Here's a sample of design programs that arrange furniture, fixtures and other accents:
• http://www.seemydesign.com/: This free design program guides you step by step. Step one: Select colors from an online paint chart. Step two: Customize a basic grid by providing room dimensions and selecting furnishings from a broad selection of items. Step three: Rotate and arrange the furniture. The program provides floor and fixture selections and names of retail and wholesale outlets that sell the items you select. You can save, print and e-mail your floor plan to a designer or yourself.

• Online "Room Planners'': A few retail chains offer free online programs that let you design a floor plan using furniture from their showrooms. Two such chains are Ethan Allen at EthanAllen.com and Thomasville at Thomasville.com. Within 30 days, Carls plans to introduce an online design program at www.carls.com.

Each program differs, but here are the basic steps. The room planner option is typically on the main page of the website. You will have the option of selecting either a ''prebuilt'' layout or creating your own floor plan. You can then arrange the floor plan with furniture and accessories from the store's showroom. On the Icovia Room Planner offered by Thomasville you can alter walls, redefine corners and resize furniture by clicking on icons or dragging the mouse. (The link to the room planner is on the upper right hand corner of the main page.)

To access a greater range of online design features, Thomasville requires online registration. Registration allows you to save floor plans and to e-mail your designs to others.

Home Depot offers a variety of do-it-yourself home design software at affordable prices. Design packages include a three-dimension floor-plan design program for the entire home for $19.95 or design programs for specific indoor or outdoor projects, including bathrooms, garage doors and decks. Most of the programs cost $15 to $30.

That's my latest column from the Miami Herald.

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Welcome Jane Austen Fans!: Austen's Money Obsession

Welcome Jane Austen fans, including visitors from the Austen Blog and Austen-tatious.

Jane Austen -- my favorite author -- cared about words and money. Money, marriage and society are major themes in Jane Austen novels such as Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Sense and Sensibility. Earlier I wrote about Five Frugal Lessons From Pride and Prejudice.

Beyond the world of fiction, Jane Austen was savvy about money and as a financial writer, I continue to learn about money management from the Great Jane. In the notes about Emma (Penguin Classic version), critic Ronald Blythe comments about Jane Austen and finance:

Here are some lessons I learned from his essay on Jane Austen.

1. It's possible to have a full life on limited means:

"[Jane Austen] is a realist and as a person who managed to live a very full life on very small means, she could scarcely be expected to depict a society which lived on air." (P. 468). --Ronald Blythe

2. Money is a tool that allows us to measure other areas of our life.

"There is a hard fiscal outline to Emma; the references to money are frequent and telling....But her use of income is a device to anchor her society and in Emma it is also used as a moral test."
(p. 468 )--Ronald Blythe

3. Money matters. We should all carefully monitor our financial profiles. As a writer, Jane Austen carefully tracked her book profits. She pushed for better financial arrangements with her publishers and ultimately landed a profit-sharing arrangement for the publication of Emma.

"...towards the end of her life, Jane Austen made a note of the profits of her first three novels...When she described herself as a 'mercenary' author, in this respect, she had good reason to."-- Ronald Blythe

4. Keep the Faith. Jane Austen kept writing. She continued to create characters and pages of text, despite the initial lukewarm reaction from publishers.

"None of her publishers was generous to her or showed real faith in her." --Ronald Blythe

5. Marry for love. Despite her emphasis on the financial security, Jane Austen's main characters all marry for love, albeit to either wealthy or comfortable partners.

"In her own life, the unmarried Austen decided against a practical marriage based on money alone....."Her attitude is consistent: "Marriage without love is wrong. In 1802, she herself suffered a great agitation through accepting a proposal of marriage from a well-to-do man and then the next day withdrawing her acceptance."

-- notes from D.W. Harding in the Penguin Classics edition of Persuasion by Jane Austen.



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Our Frugal Sleepover Party: 1O Tips for a Standout Party

Maybe we're crazy, but my husband and I recently let 20 third-grade girls move into our house for an over-night slumber party. We spent lots of energy on the party but very little money. The best part: my daughter and her classmates had a great time.

Here are my TOP 10 Tips for Great Slumber Party

1. Play a movie: Pick out a parent-approved, kid-friendly movie from either the library or the rental store. Or show a movie from your own collection. We saved money by showing a film (Babe) that we already owned. The girls were reading Charlotte's Web in school and "Babe" --a movie about a pig--was a big hit at the party.

2. Play Bingo: The girls enjoyed rounds of bingo. We had a spirited competition, with the girls picking and calling out the numbers.

3. Low-cost arts & craft project. We took digital photos of the girls, then downloaded and printed out the photos. Using low-cost art supplies from a craft store, the girls made and decorated picture frames. Our party goers enjoyed every step of the process, especially the picture posing phase.

4. Let them bake the cake: Pushed for time, we didn't bake the birthday cake in advance. Instead, measuring, mixing and baking became a party activity that the girls enjoyed.

5. Offer fireworks: On the gated roof of our apartment building, my husband offered a mini-fireworks show with the girls at a safe distance. They enjoyed the color and smoke. This activity worked because we followed all safety procedures, with lots of adult supervision.

6. Do Yoga. A few meditative poses and stretches were great for chilling out a room full of high-energy and party-happy girls. They thought it was fun and I pretended to be a yoga teacher.

7. Skip the pizza and serve pasta: It would have cost over $75 to serve pizza and fries to over 20 girls on a Saturday night. Our homemade baked ziti and fries cost less than $7 for the entire party. And the girls loved the food. We had a plain-pasta option for those who were allergic to dairy products.

8. Keep breakfast simple: We just served cereal and milk. At another sleepover, we offered strawberries, waffles and whipped cream for breakfast.

9. Curtail party hours: Our guests arrived Saturday evening, with a Sunday @ 11 am pickup time. By ending the party before lunch, we limited the amount of meals that we had to serve. We were tapped out after serving Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast.

10. Constant adult supervision: For safety and security, my husband and I have a rule. One of us stays awake until the last child is asleep. And one of us, gets up when the first child wakes up. My husband took the late shift and I woke up around 6:30 am when the first kid was up. We didn't get much sleep, but we felt secure about the safety of our guests.




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Ed Burns: Subway Travel & Frugal Detour from Hollywood

Actor Ed Burns is schooling his young daughter on the value of a subway ride and a low-profile, non-Hollywood lifestyle, according to this recent item in Us Magazine. See the third photo on right hand column on this link.

'ED BURNS (waiting for the train with 3-year-old daughter Grace ) tells Us about not going Hollywood with his family: "We live in New York and stay away from all this as much as we can."--Us Magazine

I enjoy taking my own children and my journalism students on bus trips around Miami. For some kids, these public transportation field trips are a first-time commute. But I think it's important to demonstrate the benefits and uses of public transportation.

I've used subway and bus systems in New York, Paris and London. Public transportation represents a frugal and eco-friendly way to commute. This green transportation guide from TreeHugger has excellent links about public transportation.

TreeHugger also has 10 Top Tips for a Green Commute. Here a few of my favorites from that list:

"8. Buy fare saver tickets.
Return,weekly/monthly, or off-peak bus/train tickets are often significantly cheaper than single ride tickets, which will encourage you to use said bus/train more often.

9. Plan your trip.
Obtain timetable and route-maps for your journey to know what to expect in advance. Many municipal public transport systems now have free online databases than will take your staring point and destination and calculate the fastest times and best route for your trip. This can take the uncertainty out of public transport travel."

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Paint Your Rooms for Free OnLine

My Tuesday Tip: Free online painting services. On a recent Sunday afternoon, I designed, painted and repainted the walls of several rooms of my home without spending a dime. And when I was bored with my pallet choices, I clicked a few buttons and selected a new makeover in less than 20 minutes for a bathroom, living room, and two bedrooms.

As a step-saving device, many major paint companies offer free online services that allows you to test a variety of paints on the interior and exterior walls of a home or office. In less than an hour, I tested virtual room makeovers from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and Pratt & Lambert. Here’s how the process works.

Benjamin Moore. Of the three virtual paint kits, Benjamin Moore was the only one that required registration. But in exchange, I had access to a wide menu of do-it-yourself paint options. These are the steps:
1. Log onto to Benjamin Moore & Co. Select the “Personal Color Viewer” option.
2. Type in notes about your home in the “My Project Notebook.” This option enabled me to record my comments, design details and reminders. You can create a different file for different areas of your home.

Select a room to paint. You can either use the rooms (living rooms, kitchen, bedrooms, etc.) provided for free by the program or for $10 you can purchase software (disc or download) that enables you to upload actual digital pictures of your own rooms.
Pick your shades. The program provides an extensive pallet. Apply color to ceilings, walls, trim and other accents.
Save and print your rooms. You can use the note section to jot down the names and number of different paints. You can tap into this file during future visits to the site. The site also contains a calculator that estimates how much paint you will need for each project based on measurements provided by you. The rough estimates could help eliminate waste or shortages.

Sherwin-Williams :

I also had fun painting at www.sherwin-williams.com/. Here’s what I did:
Select the “Color Visualization” button on the homeowner’s page at: www.sherwin-williams.com/do_it_yourself.

• Pick either the exterior or interior option. Interior option provides several sample rooms.
• Click and drag swatches of color to different areas of the room. The program instantly transforms the target area. Take note of color names and numbers .
• Select the print option.

Pratt & Lambert Paints: This paint company offered a wide range of paint colors.

• Pick the Lambert Color Visualizer option at www.prattandlambert.com.
• Select an area from either the interior or exterior scenes. In the bedroom menu, for example, there are five different model rooms on the menu.
• Paint the room through the click-and-drag function.
• Print the room makeover.

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Scratch & Dent Bargains: My Latest Miami Herald Column

While sinking into a neighbor's soft leather couch, I felt a twinge of furniture envy. The couch was part of a three-piece living room set purchased new from a national chain's clearance center. At a scratch-and-dent sale, my friend updated her living room for a fraction of the standard retail cost.

Here are her tips and other suggestions for finding fine pieces for less.

• Track down clearance centers. National chains operate clearance outlets featuring furniture at steep discounts. Rooms to Go has clearance outlets throughout the country and Neiman Marcus has Last Call Centers in different states.
• Ask about scratch-and-dent sales. Most retailers offer a discount for new merchandise that is slightly scratched or nicked. At Brandsmart, a friend purchased high-end appliances (a washer and dryer) that were new, but cosmetically flawed and sold at a discount.
Department and electronics stores also sell floor models at mark-down prices.
• Don't be afraid to bargain. The sales staff at the clearance sale accommodated a request for color substitutions in a three-piece (monotone) furniture set. The staff also agreed to a negotiated delivery price.
• Think outside the retail box, recommend the editors of RDLiving.com, which is affiliated with Reader's Digest. This article provides details. Consignment stores, estate auctions, discount price clubs (Costco, BJ's and Sam's Club), yard sales and flea markets sell new or gently used furniture. A mixture of new and used furniture is stocked at Habitat for Humanity Restore, which has stores all over the country.
• Check out hotel liquidation sales. Hotels in South Florida and other major markets frequently update their decor with new furniture, selling the existing furniture and fixtures at low prices.

This is a version of my latest column from the Miami Herald. Here's the link.

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Frugal Duchess Travel Guide: My Collection of Discount Travel Websites

We'll be traveling to New York for a family wedding in early summer. I want fine comfort at fine prices. So I'm on a mission to find pocket-friendly, but luxurious travel arrangements. I also received a stack of Budget Travel magazines from a neighbor. Great info! And from that magazine, plus other sources, I've put together a list of online frugal travel services.

It's a work in progress. I will test out these different sites over the next month and will report on my success. Feel free to leave comments about your experience with any of these services. Your suggestions about other discount programs are also welcome.

Short-term apartment rentals:

furnishedquarters.com
hotel-alternatives.com
Craig's List (New York chapter) also has a list of short-term vacation rentals in the New York area.


Other discount fare sites:
www.qixo.com/: Budget Travel highly recommends this summary website (an extensive search) of the best fares. BT also recommends tapping into the qixo engine to find out which airline has the lowest fare and then connecting directly to the carrier's website for even lower rates. I tried this strategy and it worked great for me. More details later.

www.travelhub.com
www.hotwire.com
www.priceline.com


Hotel coupons & other discounts:
www.interstatetravelbuddy.com/
www.roomsaver.com/
www.hoteldiscounts.com/


Air rates and other specials:

iflyswa.com/ : Specials are posted on Tuesday and removed on Thursday
www.travelocity.com/
www.expedia.com/
www.skyauction.com/: Bidding begins at $1 for travel packages. Check out the auctions that are closing to get a deal at a low price. A friend of mine uses this site and has scored great packages at low rates.
orbitz.com
Cheaptickets.com
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Eco-Chic, Frugal Tips From Upscale Town & Country; Plus Imus Reflections

From organic strawberries to electronic blackberries, I found terrific frugal and green advice from a surprising source:

The April Issue of Town & Country, a glossy magazine dedicated to luxury and fine living. The April edition represents T&C's "Special Green Issue," and it's loaded with excellent tips about saving money, while saving the environment.

Here's a quick summary of one of the "eco-chic" features. Organic Food Strategies Pesticides and poisons in our food can lead to health care problems and costly medical bills. In fact, toxic environmental conditions contribute to cancer in kids and "cancer is the leading cause of death in children," according to T&C.

Eating organic produce limits the amount of toxic chemicals that poison our bodies. Organic food is expensive and I've written about thrifty organic food purchases in this article. But if you can't afford to buy a long list of organic food items, a pick-and-choose strategy of organic shopping can help you eat safer while saving.

Here's another approach to altering a diet: "Take a food that you eat often and make that one food organic. If you make macaroni and cheese, make sure the chess is organic. Otherwise you get high levels of dioxins, hormones and pesticides in the milk. With that one change, you're improving your child's health," according to Deirdre Imus,** author of the new Green This! book series (Simon & Schuster) and founder and president of Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology.

She is one of several eco-mavens featured by Town & Country. The other experts are featured below, but first an aside:

~~~~ **Deirdre Imus -- is the wife of disgraced and dethroned "shock jock" host radio show Don Imus. I was personally sickened by the racist and sexist remarks made by Don Imus about the Rutgers University Scarlet Knight basketball team. His remarks hit me in the gut. As an African-American, Jewish Female, I have met ugly biases on every front.

From childhood through my adulthood, I've heard people put down my skin, my nose, my hair & my gender & my religion. It's real, but some folks like to dance away with: Just Joking, Don't be so sensitive and my least favorite: My aren't you sooo PC!!

I also want to go on record with my passionate protest about the sexist images of Black women in many rap songs and videos. I like hip-hop, but I don't like the degrading language about women that many artists use. Words and images have power. That's my frugal two sense on the subject. I'll let Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer have the final word on the Don Imus situation.

"We, the Rutgers University Scarlet Knight basketball team,
accept — accept — Mr. Imus' apology, and we are in the process of forgiving,"
Stringer read from a team statement a day after the women met personally with
Imus and his wife. "We still find his statements to be unacceptable, and this is
an experience that we will never forget."

--Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer

~~~~~~
Cutting Electric Currents to Save:

Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council (nrdc.org).

"Unplug your Blackberry and cell phone chargers when you're not using them--they're vampires, sucking electricity out of the wall.

Her other tips:
1. Buy energy efficient cars and appliances
2. Use compact florescent light bulbs
3. Get active in community groups


Mindful Shopping:

Leslie Hoffman, executive director of Earth Pledge (earthpledge.org), says it's "vital" to pay close attention to our consuming and shopping patterns. Here's her advice: "Before buying anything, ask how big it is, what's in it, who made it, where it came from and how much energy it took to make it."

Here's the full T&C article that features the above women.
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5 Frugal Lessons I Learned From Pride & Prejudice; Plus Thrifty Movie Trivia

Marriage, money and society are major themes in Jane Austen novels such as Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Sense and Sensibility.

Frugal living is also an important theme in Pride and Prejudice, which was recently made into an excellent movie featuring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.

Here are:

My 5 Favorite Frugal Lessons from Pride & Prejudice, followed by money-saving trivia from the 2005 production.

1. Walking is an important and low-cost form of transportation.

Scenario: Elizabeth Bennet wants to visit her sister Jane, who is ill and stranded at a friend's home about three miles away.

Quote:

"Elizabeth, feeling anxious, was determined to go to her [sister Jane], though the carriage was not to be had; and as she was no horsewoman, walking was her only alternative."

--p.78 Penguin Classics version of Pride and Prejudice.

2. Gambling is an expensive hobby.

Scenario: Elizabeth joins a small gathering in a mansion. A gambling card game (Loo) is introduced as a form of entertainment.

Quote:

"On entering the drawing-room she found the whole party at
loo, and was immediately invited to join them; but suspecting them to be playing high, she declined...[and] said she would amuse herself...with a book."

p.83

3. Reading is an excellent form of entertainment.

Scenario: Several characters spend the evening reading. Miss Bingley is not really a reader, but she makes the following statement in an effort to impress the other readers in the crowd.

Quote:

"I declare there is no enjoyment like reading! How much
sooner one tires of any thing than of a book!" p. 100

4. Save money to have the necessary funds to help others who are less fortunate.

Scenario: After marrying Mr Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet becomes a very wealthy woman. But she lives frugally and uses her savings to bailout Lydia, a spendthrift sister who has married a gambler. Lydia frequently requests financial aid from Elizabeth.

Quote:

"Such relief, however, as it was in her [Elizabeth's] power to afford, by the practice of what might be called economy in her own private expenses, she frequently sent them. p. 394

5. Don't live above your means. Don't spend recklessly.

Scenario. Lydia and Mr. Wickham, a married couple, are big spenders and are forced to constantly look for new housing.

Quote: "They were always moving from place to place in quest of a cheap situation and always spending more than they ought."

Here's what I learned from bits of trivia about the 2005 movie production of the book.

1. Recycle clothes and costumes. New is not better.

The uniforms for the redcoats worn in the parade sequence came from the "Sharpe" TV series. There was no unit in the British Infantry at the time with yellow facings on their collars and turnbacks, however Bernard Cornwell, author of the Sharpe series created a regiment from whole cloth called the "South Essex" which he described as having yellow facings on their collars.The uniforms were created for the Sharpe's TV series, and were pulled from the wardrobe department for this film.

Trivia

2. Free labor and the power of "Thank You."

'Emma Thompson' did an uncredited and unpaid re-write of the script. She receives a "Special Thanks" credit at the end of the film.

Here's the link to the Jane Austen Society of UK and Jane Austen Society of North America

Vinegar & Dishwashers: Tips From MomAdvice in Miami Herald Column

Who doesn't want to save time and effort in the kitchen? Amy Allen Clark, founder of MomAdvice.com and representative for a national cleaning products company, has developed of number of money-saving cleaning tips.

Here are the tips she shared with me:

• Use vinegar as a rinse. There's no need to buy fancy products for the rinse cycle of your dishwasher, because vinegar works just as well, Clark says. For newer models, pour a quarter cup of vinegar into the rinse dispenser. For models without a rinse dispenser, add a quarter cup of vinegar to the door dispenser during the first rinse cycle, which should be indicated by a dial or panel on the outside of your machine. For really old dishwashers, listen for the sound changes. During the rinse cycle, the vinegar will circulate and remove residue. ''Vinegar is great for removing spots on dishes,'' Clark says.

• Vinegar can clean your dishwasher. Place a bowl with two cups of vinegar upright on the lower rack. Then run the empty dishwasher without detergent to thoroughly clean the interior.

• Step-savers during cooking. ''Make sure your dishwasher is empty when you prepare a meal,'' Clark says. An empty dishwasher encourages a clean-as-you-go mentality, saving time in the long run. As you cook, lightly rinse off utensils before loading them. You'll have less to clean after dinner and less heavy-duty scrubbing.

• Soak dishes during meals. Fill a sink or plastic tub with cold water and dishwashing detergent. During cooking and dining, soak sticky or especially dirty pans or dishes. This process reduces cleanup.

• Use cooking sprays. A spritz of nonstick cooking spray in pans before cooking makes dishwashing easier. Cooking sprays also help prevent food stains in plastic containers.

This is from my latest Frugal Duchess column in the Miami Herald.
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Checking Out for Passover: PFBlogs.org, Carnival & Teens

The last days of the Passover are Sunday night through Tuesday night. I'll be offline during that time. While I'm eating matza, I have a few recommendations:

1. Check out www.pfblogs.org: This site offers a diverse chorus of personal finance voices about money, frugal living and investments.

2. Go to the Carnivals: The carnival of personal finance and the Festival of Frugality are a few of my favorites. The insightful Mapgirl (Mapgirl’s Fiscal Challenge) hosted the latest edition and a new edition of FOF will be up on Tuesday at The Digerati Life, another of my favorite bloggers.

3. Teens and Money. Parade magazine highlighted a new publication from the FDIC. It's called Teens and Money at pueblo.gsa.gov.


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Welcome Simple Dollar Readers

Welcome to readers of The Simple Dollar and Consumerism Commentary. Thanks for visiting my site. Please feel free to look around and leave a comment.

This week, I've had a spike in traffic,which I attribute to my guest post at Consumerism Commentary and to a few mentions at The Simple Dollar, where my item about dishwashing tips was featured and this post also.
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5 Things I Learned by Guest Posting at Consumerism Commentary

I went to school this week courtesy of Flexo at Consumerism Commentary. While providing a guest post for Flexo, (Guest Post: Quality Clothes for Less than a Buck), I learned a few things (and picked up a boost in traffic).

This is what I learned and many of the lesson extend beyond Blogsphere:

1. Links matter. I submitted a Microsoft Word file to Flexo and he massaged the text with links. He provided links to almost every institution, previous post or magazine that I mentioned in my article. Links are helpful to the reader and provide a post with credibility.
2. Plan vacations carefully. There's no reason to lose traffic or a presence in the market while you're out. Beyond the blogsphere many workers, executives and sales staffers make extensive plans to cover their niche or clients during vacations. I was impressed with Flexo's careful choreography of his vacation.
3. Community matters. Many of us with blogs prosper and benefit from our online networking. In other careers, industry ties are also important.
4. Take vacations: Mental, professional and emotional breaks are important for career growth and sanity.
5. Fine-tune headlines. Be specific: Flexo upgraded my original headline. I had written something about cost-per-wear and he tweaked it to: Quality Clothes for Less than a Buck. Concrete terms and numbers really sell.

Here's a list of the guest posts at Consumerism Commentary as of today:
Guest Post: Ditch the Car and Save a Bundle
Guest Post: 10 Questions With a Professional Real Estate Investor

Guest Post: Thoughts on Raising Money-Smart Kids
Guest Post: Cutting Down the Cost of Razor Blades
Stop, Drop, Roll, by NCN of No Credit Needed
The Real Estate Bust Around the Block, by SVB from The Digerati Life
The Case Against Gold, by Lazy Man of Lazy Man and Money
Gradual Frugality, by Leo from Zen Habits
How Not to Buy a Car, by KMC from Advanced Personal Finance


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I Cashed My Check at the Bookstore: The Pits & Perks of Extra Money

I loved my part-time job at Rizzoli bookstore in Manhattan. Located on 57th Street in Manhattan, the bookstore was a magnet for celebrities like supermodel Naomi Campbell and designer Karl Lagerfeld. I met several Broadway stars and other performers at Rizzoli. Working at that upscale bookstore expanded my grasp of music, literature and international news. And the store had great books, which was one of the perks and pitfalls for me when I worked there part-time.

Books at a discount represented a major problem for a bookworm like me. I often spent my entire paycheck at the bookstore. Why did I even bother cashing my check at the bank? I should have just signed it over to Rizzoli.

The same thing happened to me in Pittsburgh when I was hired to work part-time as a petite run-way model during the seasonal in-store fashion shows for the petite clothing line. On the day of the fashion shows, I received an employee discount. It was a generous discount and I generously shopped away my modeling paycheck at Saks.

Tired but Broke addresses that issue in a recent comment left on my post about part-time job opportunities.

"One thing I must add is that a part-time gig should not be at an establishment that will tempt you to spend the part-time pay check."--Tired but Broke

Of course, there are many perks of part-time jobs. This excellent piece from CNN.com. has a helpful list about part-time job perks. These benefits include:

1. Free tickets to cultural events (Ushers for plays, cinemas and museums).
2. Discount passes for theme parks or exhibits.
3. Employee shopping discounts: (books stores, clothing stores and other specialty retailers)
4. Free food: waiters and employees of catering firms, cafes and restaurants often get free meals.
5. Mentors: I've learned a lot from different co-workers at various part-time jobs.
6. Career advancement: I know of one bank executive, who began her career as a part-time receptionist during her college years. The contacts and knowledge that she acquired during her part-time stint led to a full-time, high-powered career move.
7. Extra money.
8. Enhanced time management skills: Anyone who works part-time while working or studying full-time becomes well-schooled on the ABCs of time management.
9. New skills: My son picked up extra organizational skills while working the cash register at a local pizza shop. Likewise, my stints as a part-time waitress also taught me a lot about efficiency and focus.
10. Appreciation. A second job really opened my eyes to the difficult tasks my parents faced while working extra hours in addition to their full-time professional careers as educators. Working along side seasoned cashiers,waitresses and clerks also made me sensitive to the financial difficulties faced by minimum wage and low-salaried employees, who work full time in stores, restaurants and other jobs. They often do a lot of work for little pay.

Here are the other part-time income stories I've written:
Different Types of Part-Time Jobs
How to Make a Part-Time Job Work: Tips from My Dad
How to Make a Part-Time Job Work: Tips From College Students
Putting Extra Paychecks to Work









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Putting Extra Paychecks to Work

Over the last two weeks, I've written several posts about managing part-time jobs. But what about the extra paycheck? Here are a few tips based on my own experience and research.

• Save the part-time pay in a separate account, says my friend Cynthia, who works in a doctor's office in the day and at Dippin' Dots at night. A separate account keeps the extra paycheck from disappearing. The accumulated savings builds momentum,which makes it easier to save. The money feeds itself.
• Have a long-term goal. My friend Cynthia is working to pay off student debt. She lets about three months of extra paychecks accumulate in a special savings account and then applies the lump sum to her student loan balance. It's easier, she says, to see progress with this strategy. My father worked extra jobs to help pay for the new home my family built when I was a kid.
• Pay bills: Extra paychecks can be used to pay specific monthly bills.
• Emergency repairs or expenses.
• Buy household items. Replacing our shrinking supply of cutlery was low on my priority list, but we really needed a new set. Therefore, I used a second-source income check to purchase a new set of flatware from an online vendor. Because the replacement set did not come out of our normal budget, the cutlery felt like a free gift when it arrived via UPS.

These links also provide helpful info about managing extra or second income:

Key Bank recommends setting up priorities.

CNN has a helpful piece about using your part-time job to get extra perks.

Tomorrow: Extra Paycheck Traps to Avoid

Here are the other part-time income stories I've written:

Different Types of Part-Time Jobs

How to Make a Part-Time Job Work: Tips from My Dad

How to Make a Part-Time Job Work: Tips From College Students
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Letting Go for Passover

Passover is a holiday about liberation from slavery. We're slaves to many facets of our lives. I've been a slave to my mirrors, checkbooks, disappointments and daydreams.

Frugal living, however represents, my personal economy and freedom from the ghosts and baggage that I've overstuffed with my mental merchandise.

That's why I enjoy Passover. It's a spring ritual of letting go and starting new beginnings.

I'll be off-line until Wednesday night as I celebrate the holiday.

Seasons Greetings to those who celebrate Passover and also to those who celebrate Easter & other rites of Spring.



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Cutting Dishwasher Costs: Tips from a Sears Expert

Here are easy ways to extend the life and efficiency of dishwashers, which typically last eight to 15 years.

• Check the filters. The filters, which trap or catch excess food, are at the base (interior floor) of the dishwasher. ''Always make sure the filters are clean after every load,'' said Mike Kozlowski, director of product quality and support for Sears.

• Prevent rust. Examine the tines that hold dishes in place. Look for tines that are nicked or damaged under the rubber coating. Faulty tines could leave rust stains on dishes or break off and damage the pump.

You can fix the damaged tines with rack repair kits sold in the repair section of appliance stores or at major hardware stores. You can also purchase replacement dish racks.

• Inspect the spray arms, which are in the floor or ceiling of the appliance. A buildup of food or detergent can block holes in the arms, preventing the even distribution of water during the cleaning cycle.

• Remove large food particles from dishes, but let the dishwasher do the rest. For example, clear away the French fries, but don't worry about the dried ketchup stain on the plate, even if you run a load only once a day. This strategy will save water, energy and effort.

''Some people literally clean their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher,'' Kozlowski said.

Don't make that mistake.

• Speed the process. Cycles are often prolonged so that machines can fill up with hot water. For instance, the dishwasher will continue to run water until the water is hot enough to begin a new wash cycle. To conserve time and energy, Kozlowski recommends running hot water for 10 seconds in the sink adjacent to the dishwasher before turning on the machine. This gives the dishwasher a head start by warming the water in the pipes and shortening the running time for the machine.

This is from my most recent column in the Miami Herald.
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How to Make a Part-Time Job Work: Tips From College Students

What's the best strategy for working part time while taking either grad school or under grad classes? I asked that question to several students. My husband -- who attended full-time classes and worked part-time shortly after our second child was born -- also provided some tips. In earlier posts, I've provided tips from my Dad, who often worked several jobs during my childhood.

FLEXIBILITY

"I picked a job where they were flexible about working around my schedule," said my husband Avi, who worked at a latte cafe while attending full-time classes for an interior design degree program.

As an undergraduate, Lisa Ibanez, of Hialeah, worked up to 20 hours a week for two years in the infant room at a preschool affiliated with the University of Miami.

“I changed diapers. I gave bottles. I prepared food,” recalls Ibanez, who is now a grad student at UM.

She enjoyed working with children and appreciated the flexibility of her on-campus assignment, which enabled her to easily shift between classes and work. As a graduate student, she now works on campus as a research assistant and enjoys the same level of flexibility that she encountered during her undergraduate years. Campus-based employers are also lenient during mid-term and final exam periods and make accommodations during academic crunch periods.

“All of the people knew that we were students first and employees second,” says Ibanez.


RISE EARLY

Alex Jean-Jacques, a work-study student from Hollywood, Florida: As a senior at Broward Community College, Jean-Jacques works six to eight hours a day in the school’s financial aid office in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

On a typical Tuesday, for example, he wakes up at 4:30 am to lift weights and prepare for an 8:00 am class on campus. By 10, he reports to the Financial Aid office, where he works until 4:30 pm. After a three-hour evening class, Jean-Jacques studies until midnight. It’s a long day, but the perks of campus employment extend far beyond the paycheck.

“I’m able to learn more and gain more experience, especially while working in an office,” says Jean-Jacques, who hopes to be an architect.

HAVE FUN & MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR COMMUTE

"I also picked a job where I had fun," my husband Avi said. "I'm real social. Working in a coffee shop wasn't a tremendous hardship to me."

He also picked a part-time job that was near his school and he really used his commuting time to study. He took the bus (cheap transportation) and used the bus ride to read for class.

THE ABC'S OF WORK-STUDY PROGRAMS

For many students work-study programs bridge the fiscal gap between professional aspirations and the five-figure annual costs of higher education. Most colleges and universities offer a diverse mix of work-study programs, which provide student workers with a paycheck, work experience and flexible schedules. The various programs involve federal, state and private funds.

Under the Federal Work Study program, the U.S. government provides colleges and universities with the funds to cover up to 75 percent of the cost of work-study salaries. Individual schools finance the remaining balance of the student payroll. Students can apply for the Federal Work Study program by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Work-study grants are awarded based on need, but students are urged to apply early for the federal program because of limited funds.

PAY AS YOU GO: THE ANTI-DEBT PLAN

Work-study programs are an earn-as-you-go opportunity to help students pay for their college education,” said Marcia Conliffe, Associate VP of Student Success & Enrollment Management Services at BCC. “By earning money to cover their educational expenses, students are not forced to borrow as much in student loans that will need to be repaid after graduation.”

TAPPING INTO MENTORS

Many of the students, I chatted with worked second jobs that provided mentors and resume experience for their post-school careers.

Catalina Castillo, a second -year student and a psychology major, works three hours each day in the media relations department where she tracks, files and distributes newspaper articles about Miami-Dade College and its affiliated programs. The job pays $6.40 an hour and Castillo says that the office experience provides excellent training for her future career as a psychologist.

Miami-Dade College also participates in Florida Work Experience Program, a state program that reimburses private companies that hire MDC students. Using state funds, Miami-Dade College reimburses employers 70 percent of the cost of student salaries, according to Luis Betancourt, MDC’s director of Work Programs. On behalf of the school, Betancourt actively recruits local companies to participate in the work-study program, including law firms and other professional services companies.

“The companies cut costs and save money, and the students get a foot in the door,” Betancourt says. “You have students working alongside people who might possibly become mentors.”

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