More adventures in buying USA

As my pants size has increased over the past three years, so has my belt size.  I only had one belt that fit.  Fortunately it was my black one, which is the one I wear the most.  My brown one was always a little small, and it’s way too small now.  So I had to get a new one.

I found one online, on a website called Natural Reflections.  They make all kinds of leather goods, not just belts.  (They have a couple of purses I really like!  But I don’t need one right now.)  I had an excellent experience with them.  I ordered on a Sunday, and immediately got an email that said, “If you don’t receive your order by Friday, respond to this email and let us know!”  That never happened before.  It came on that Wednesday.  It’s very well made and I like it a lot.  I probably won’t need another brown belt in my working career.

I have spent more money on the toy recycling truck and on this belt than I would have if I wasn’t determined to buy Made in USA items.  However, I’ve also saved money, because I haven’t gone to Target to look for toys and belts and ended up coming home with a lot more stuff than I intended to buy.  I also haven’t spent any time or gas money driving around town looking (in vain, I’ll bet) for Made in USA goods.  I think that offsets any increased price.  And the prices are not increased that much.  It’s worth it to me to save the time, get exactly what I want, and support a US manufacturer.

So far, so good. 

Made in China, part 2

One of the great things about reading (there are so many!) is that one good book will often lead you to another.  That was the case with Cheap, which led me to another book, called A Year Without “Made in China” by Sara Bongiorni.  I recommend this book, too.  Sara was already a Wal-Mart boycotter when, on Christmas Day of 2004, she was appalled by the amount of Made in China stuff that her two small kids got for Christmas.  She decided to make a New Year’s resolution that she would spend 2005 without buying anything made in China.  Her book details her experiences, which are often funny.  I won’t spoil any of it; I’ll just say that she had mixed results.  The items that gave her the most difficulty were toys, shoes, sunglasses, holiday decorations, humane mouse traps, and printer ink cartridges.

 

There are a lot of reasons to try not to buy Chinese-made stuff.  Sara’s explanation to her kids was that she wanted to give the rest of the world a chance.  My reason when I was shopping for dog toys was environmental – how much fuel got burned to get that fleece duck from China to my local PetSmart?  There’s also the sweatshop argument, although that’s a double-edged sword.  Do you refuse to buy anything that was made in a sweatshop because you want to punish the parent company, or do you buy those things because the sweatshop workers have such an awful life and if their jobs were to disappear it would only get worse?

 

For me, the most compelling argument right now is economic.  We have to bring manufacturing back to the US.  An economy built on the accounting shell games that the big banks play will never fully recover.  My trip around the world, courtesy of my own closets, has been an eye-opener.  I was pleasantly surprised that I did have a few US-made things, but also disappointed that I had so few. 

 

I did a Google search for “women’s clothing made in USA” and got a long list of results, several of which look very promising.  Of course I haven’t bought anything from any of them yet, so I can’t guarantee any kind of customer satisfaction from any of these, but here is a short list:

 

Made in USA Forever.com – not just clothes, but also shoes, great toys, furniture, and more

 

All USA Clothing – where I should have gotten my long-sleeved tees

 

A.S. Tees – men’s, women’s and kids’ clothing

 

Americans at Work – a directory of Made in the USA goods of all types (air cleaners to wood stoves, including holiday decorations!)

 

It’s not New Year’s Day, but I’m going to make a resolution anyway: Buy American whenever possible.  Starting now.

 

I’ll let you know how it goes. 

Good and bad news on the home front

I did some weeding this morning, particularly around two new plants: the elephant ear plant I got at the farm, which is going great guns, and the beach sunflower I planted on my slope.  It’s really spreading, and doing just what I wanted it to do: taking over that whole area.  When I get more of that slope cleared, I’m going to transplant some more from around the mailboxes.  Eventually that whole section of the yard should be under cover.  We’re getting just enough rain that everything is continuing to grow well.  A little too well, in the case of the weeds.

I was dreading getting my electric bill this month, and it was in today’s email: $136.63.  Argh!  I’ve got to turn the thermostat back up to 78, I guess.  It’s been very comfortable at 77, though.  I get hot so easily, and it’s really hard to get cooled back down.  You wouldn’t think that one degree would make such a difference, but believe me, beyond a “certain age,” it definitely does.

Chicken dark meat was on sale this week for $0.99 per pound, so I got about 2 1/2 pounds.  I’m going to try it in the solar oven tomorrow.

How are those goals coming?

We’re halfway through this year.  I can’t believe it.  Where does the time go?  The older I get, the faster it goes.  I guess that’s true for everyone.

Back on January 1, I set a few goals for myself for this year.  I figured I’d better check on them at the halfway point and see how I’m doing.

Goal #1: lose 15 pounds.  I weighed 175.5 at that point.  This morning I weighed 179.  Definitely not progress!  But at least I’ve stopped gaining weight.  I’ve switched from a daily Coke to unsweet tea, and allow myself a Coke on Fridays.  I started walking, then stopped, so I’ve got to get back to that.  I am not going to get to 160.5 by January 1; at this point I’ll be happy with 170.

Goal #2:  have six months of food and essentials stored for disaster prep.  I have about 3 months stored at this point, and I’ve discovered that I don’t have room for 6 months worth.  I’m about at capacity now.  I’ll add a few more things over the rest of the year, but I’m going to have to be satisfied with 3 months.  That should be enough for a natural disaster or a huge flu pandemic.

Goal #3: Come in under budget every month.  I managed that for two months, but then in March things started going south.  May was a disaster.  I’ve done okay in June, but not great.  I have a new budget starting tomorrow, which I think will help me be more successful in saving money and not spending so much. 

Goal #4: Pay an extra $100/month on my car loan.  I did that for the first three months, but didn’t manage to do so for April, May and June.  I haven’t budgeted for that for the rest of the year, but if I have that money at the end of the month, I’ll put it on the car loan.

Goal #5: No food waste.  I’ve done well with that.  My compost pile is thriving.  I can’t say that I haven’t thrown anything away, but it’s been very little.

So – the report is not a positive one.  Nothing to do but get back on track.

Spending less and earning more

I read several personal finance blogs, and their basic advice is very similar: Spend less than you earn.  That’s the best way to stay out of debt and build savings.  Given that, there are two ways that you can achieve that goal: spend less, or earn more.

I drew up my new tentative budget, although I still don’t know for sure what my take home is going to be starting July 1.  It’s got everything covered, though, whereas before I didn’t.  I didn’t have a monthly amount budgeted for kennel expenses, for instance.  When I had to be out of town and Ralph had to go to the spa for a few days, I’d just take it out of savings.  Now, I have an amount to set aside per month for the kennel.  When a big trip comes along, I’ll already have a large chunk of change saved up to give Ralph a good vacation as well. 

There were several other categories like that, where it seemed I often had expenses, but no budget for it.  I’ve fixed that now.  I think it will keep my spending well under control, and I won’t have to dip into savings nearly as often to cover unexpected things.

Earning more is a little more problematic.  Due to the budgetary problems in Florida, we didn’t get raises last year or this year, and it’s very likely we won’t get them for 2010-11.  My next chance at a raise will be July 2011, when I come up for promotion again.  (We have a set schedule for faculty promotions.  I was hired at the instructor level, so after three years I was eligible for promotion to assistant professor, where I am now.  I’ve been at this level for two years, and after two more years I can be promoted to associate professor.  With a promotion comes an automatic raise.)

In the meantime, the cost of everything keeps sneaking up.  Gas prices are climbing slowly again, which means that food prices will follow before long.

So, I’ve been thinking about other ways to earn more.  Interestingly enough, there was a related post at Frugal Dad this week called Everybody Needs a Side Hustle.  It’s a good post.  One of his points is that when considering a second

My tools of the trade

income stream, it should be related to what you already do.  Well, what do I already do?  I do research.  I edit most of my boss’s letters.  I proofread our departmental documents before they go out or get printed.  I help students find sources for their papers, and help them write their works cited or bibliography pages.

All of those are things that I can do from home, or from anywhere, any time.  All I need is my computer.  So what I’ve decided to do is set up a website, and do research/editing/proofreading/citations/etc. for people who need those services.  There are a lot of sites out there that write term papers for students; I’m NOT going to do that!  But I can fix grammar, spelling, wording, paragraphs, citation style, whatever for them, and they’ll get better grades.  I can do research for people who are working on their dissertations (I already do this for our faculty at work).  I can help people with books, theses, proposals or presentations for work, whatever.

I’m working on building the website now.  It’s going to be called A+ Research Services.  It may go nowhere; it may not bring in a penny.  But I’m going to give it a try.

A new fiscal year

The end of the month

My fiscal year ends June 30.  The college’s fiscal year ends then, so mine does too.    That’s when our benefits change, any raises go into effect, etc.

I don’t know what my take home pay will be yet, and I won’t be able to find out until June 29.  There weren’t any raises this year, so my base salary won’t change.  But I’ve increased the amount of money that will go into my flexible spending plan every month, and my health insurance premiums have gone up by $3.00/month (not bad!), so my take home will be somewhat less than before.

My budget will have to be adjusted, too, to fit the new paycheck.  I also don’t know yet what my car insurance will be.  It shouldn’t change much, but it’s always a few dollars different.  I also have some spending categories that I haven’t budgeted for in the past (eating out, for example).  I always end up spending some in those categories, so I have to start budgeting for that.

I’m also going to set up a separate website in an attempt to bring in a little extra income.  I’m still working on the idea, but I’m going to go ahead and establish it, so that will be an extra $6.95/month. 

And, the costs of food and gasoline continue to climb.  Higher expenses, lower paycheck.  Just like a lot of other people.  Sigh.

Spices are expensive!

I spent $93.00 at the grocery store Saturday.  Argh.  That’s considering, though, that I didn’t even go to the store last weekend.  And, a lot of that cost was spices.

The most expensive ones were coriander and curry paste at $4.00 each.  I also got cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne

Pure gold, in tasty powdered form

pepper, white pepper, curry powder, fish sauce, and coconut milk.  I’ve discovered a love for curry, and I’m going to learn how to make it.

I got the Publix brands where I could, but they don’t have the more exotic ones like coriander and cayenne pepper (not that those are extremely exotic – I guess they’re just not used as commonly).  I had to upgrade to McCormick for all the others, except for the coriander and cayenne, for which I had to buy Spice Islands brand – the most expensive of all.  There was a whole selection of organic McCormick spices, but those suckers are REALLY expensive.  I didn’t get any of those.

Fortunately, most recipes call for very small amounts of these things.  Otherwise I couldn’t afford to make curry at home.

None of the bottles say where the spices are from (although the curry paste, coconut milk and fish sauce are all from Thailand).  I guess we don’t grow many spices here, so they all have to be imported.  And they’re probably time-consuming to harvest, which is why they cost so much.

I am going to use these very sparingly.

Saving money on laundry

Ever since I’ve been doing my own laundry, I’ve used Bounce fabric softener in the dryer.  I don’t know exactly why; I guess maybe my mom used it sometimes (although she hung her laundry outside to dry when I was growing up).  I don’t remember ever running out and/or trying to go without it.

Well, last week, I ran out.  I didn’t do grocery shopping at all last week, so I tried drying my clothes without the Bounce.

Guess what?  They’re still soft.  The only difference is that my towels are now more absorbent than they were.

Hehe.  No more Bounce expense!

One change at a time

Twice in my past, I’ve worked in weight-loss clinics.  One was hospital-sponsored and one was private physician-sponsored.  I’ve taught a lot of weight loss classes, both in those settings and in other jobs I’ve had.  I’ve also taught stop-smoking classes.  There is one thing I always emphasized in those: only put yourself through one change at a time.  If you’re just starting an eating plan, don’t try to stop smoking at the same time.  Get established on the eating plan, then stop smoking.  If you’re going through a divorce, don’t try to lose weight at the same time.  Get through the divorce, then lose the weight.  You get the idea.

I’ve read a few discussions in blogs (which I cannot find to link to now, of course) that talk about the same principle, in terms of managing weight and managing money.  Most people seem to find that they have trouble doing both at the same time.  If they’re doing well in one of the areas, the other suffers.

Boy, have I been a shining example of that in the past few months.  (For all of 2009 so far, actually.)  In January and February, I did well sticking to my budget.  I had a little money left over at the end of January, and a little more in February.  However, I was getting exactly zero exercise.  Since then, though, the situation has reversed.  I’ve been getting more exercise and doing more yard work (although I’m not tracking my meals), but my expenses have exploded.  Ack.

In March, I went on vacation during spring break.  Even though I only went to my parents’ and it didn’t cost anything

Sigh

but 3 tanks of gas, I had to put Ralph in the kennel.  That adds up quickly.  I think it was around $300.  That was also the month that I had two haircuts and two payments to the CSA during the same month, since there were five Saturdays and both of those fell on the first and the last Saturday of March.  March is also the month for Ralph’s yearly trip to the vet, and he got started on glucosamine powder, at $53.00.  That lasts him a month.  All of that wasn’t terrible, but it got the ball rolling.

In April, I ate out too often.  I had Ralph’s new medicine to pay for again, and several of my own prescriptions came due (I only refill most of them every 3 months).  Also, several pieces of clothing that I had had my eye on for some time went on sale.

This month is only half over, and it’s already been extremely expensive.  Here’s the rundown:

• May 1.  Ralph’s heartworm/flea medicine has to be renewed (it comes due every 6 months).  $110.00 from Drs. Foster and Smith.
• May 2.  I receive an unexpected bill from a book club to which I belong.  I didn’t mean to order these two books, but they came anyway, and I decided to keep them because they looked interesting (and they were).  $36.00.
• May 3.  My membership to AARP comes due.  Not expensive, but still an unexpected bill.  $49.00 for five years.
• May 4.  I leave to spend the week in Orlando at the Florida Library Association Annual Conference.  Dinner out at a yummy soul food restaurant; about $20.00.  (I paid cash and apparently tossed the receipt.)
• May 5.  Our one down day at the conference, so we go shopping.  I find some great bargains: four pairs of capris at Macy’s ($25.00 each); an organic cotton duvet cover for my bedroom, exactly what I had been looking for, marked down from $189 to $47; a jacket that goes with lots of things I have and I will wear forever, at Chico’s, 30% off, $54.00; and lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, $23.00.
• May 6 and 7.  More eating out, for lunch and/or dinner.  I took cereal to eat for breakfast every day.  We are too busy for me to spend any money otherwise, thank goodness.
• May 8.  We check out of the hotel; my half of the room bill is $319.  We drive home; I go pick up Ralph at the spa; $223.00.  I also note that gasoline has gone up $0.10 since we’ve been gone; a tank full is $30.00 at Hess.
• May 9.  I go through my accumulated mail; my Florida State University Alumni Association membership is due.  $45.00.
• May 10.  Big sale at TravelSmith.  $19.00.
• May 11.  Big sale at Orvis.  $123.00 (for four pieces).
• May 12.  Another bit of mail from last week informed me that I am out of compliance with the city code on the size and visibility of house numbers.  I go to Lowes to remedy the situation; $32.00.
• May 13.  I stay home.  However, my cable bill gets deducted (automatically) from my checking account, and I note with displeasure that it has gone up $4.00.
• May 14.  A trip to the dentist for a necessary crown on a molar; $575.00 (and that’s with my insurance paying 40%).  On the way home, I stop at my insurance agent’s office and pay my homeowners’ insurance renewal for the year; $589.00.
• Which brings us to yesterday.  Another piece of last week’s mail informed me that because my house is more than 25 years old, I have to have a roof inspection to renew my windstorm insurance [this is separate from homeowners' insurance, which does not cover windstorm (read: hurricane) damage].  I call the inspector; he’ll be out next Tuesday.  $45.00. 
• The same piece of mail informs me that my windstorm insurance premium is increasing, from $495 last year to $745 this year.  I guess I should be glad it’s not more than that.  The only good news is that it’s not due until late June.
• I also note today that I am almost out of Ralph’s glucosamine powder.  That’ll be another $53.00 next week to the vet.  (I’ve looked online, and it’s only a dollar or two cheaper.  Might as well pay the vet; he’s a small businessman and that money stays in the community.)
• Every time I start my car, my oil light comes on, because it’s been more than 6000 miles since my last one.  I call Saturn to make an appointment.  That will be about $25.00.
• On May 23, I have two separate high school graduation parties to attend; two of my best friends have daughters, both of whom I have known for most of their lives, who are graduating next week.  I’ll need to get cards for both and give them a small gift (read: money).  Total: about $55.

Once more: ack.

Next month is absolutely going to be a no spending month.

Thank heavens for emergency funds.

I miss the Sunday paper

I subscribed to our local newspaper on the weekends for a long time.  I didn’t have time to read the weekly paper in

Those were the days

the mornings before work, but I enjoyed starting Saturday and Sunday in a leisurely fashion with the newspaper.

The last time my renewal came up, it was at a time when I just didn’t have the money right then.  So I decided to not renew at all.  I’ve dropped all of my magazine subscriptions since then, too.  I’ve saved a good bit of money that way.

Our newspaper, like many others, has fallen on hard times.  Around the time that I stopped subscribing, it was starting to cut back on sections.  Now, I understand, it’s dwindled away to a shadow of its former self.  Right after I sent in my notice of non-renewal, I got a call from the paper’s subscription department.  The lady was practically begging me to renew.  I expect they’ve lost quite a few subscribers, with the economic conditions here.

But it’s just foolish for me to get the paper at home any more…because we get it at work.  The whole thing, coupons and all.  I can sit at lunch on Monday and cut out any coupons I like.  That’s one of the huge advantages of working in a library.

Still – I used to enjoy sitting on Sunday afternoons, reading the paper while the Braves game was on.

No more Braves games, no more Sunday paper.

I miss both of them.