Living Better

The Motto of The Dollar Stretcher is "Living Better...for Less" I can really get behind the "Living Better" part. And, for that matter, I can get behind the "For Less" part, too. I love a bargain!

Full Disclosure: I am Mrs. Dollar Stretcher. That's right, I am Gary Foreman's wife. Since 1974 he's been showing me how to live frugally. Since 1974 I've been showing him how to spend it

• Taming the Paper Tiger

  I recently heard about a television program called "Hoarders." It chronicles real people who have become overwhelmed by their possessions. I watched a few episodes and was surprised to find it very touching. Hoarders aren't stereotypical people living in a dump with 14 cats roaming around. These were bright, warm, and vulnerable people. I felt like I would enjoy having a cup of coffee with any one of them (preferably at a coffee shop......). There have been times in my life that the stuff just seems to take over. It probably started growing up -- 3 sisters sharing one bedroom made for some wicked chaos. Then there was the baby and toddler phase. I defy anyone with small children to maintain a clutter-free home. But I have to say my overriding compulsion is paper. I can't get rid of paper. What if my house burns down and I have to prove that I bought that leather recliner in 1991 for $300? (Never mind that the paper is as likely to burn up as the chair is!) And what if there's an IRS audit someday (and they want to see records from 1978 for some reason)? I have manuals to every appliance that came into this house. Even if the appliance has long since left this house. But it goes beyond useful paper. In my boxes of photographs you'll find prints and the negatives (I may want to have reprints some day) of the shots when the camera fired off in my purse.  I frequently come across grocery store receipts from two years ago. The credit card offers can't be thrown in the trash. They need to be shredded. Which I'll get to someday. Sometimes it's sentimental; I have original receipts from my wedding (grand total $600), the births of my children (in case I needed to take them back for a refund), and letters and cards I have received. And my children's artwork, well.....If it was good enough for my refrigerator door, it's archive-worthy.  Sometimes it's unreasonable thinking; I know I'm going to want to read that book or magazine again. And maybe it's a good idea to print out some of those emails. I don't think I could be classified as a hoarder (yet). I am confident you'll never read about me in the paper or see me on reality tv. Mainly because I hate cats. But in the meantime, I am working on it. I've picked up some wonderful tips from The Fly Lady and Sandra Felton's Messies Anonymous.  I'm getting caught up on the shredding. I've even started selling some old books on half.com. Maybe next I'll buy a scanner. But if it comes with a manual............ Not to mention the receipt!   Posted Nov 16 2009, 08:28 AM by mary2 with no comments Filed under: Clutter, Hoarding, Organizing, Paper

• Labels - A New Perspective

  After my last blog post , my daughter called me "passive-aggressive." I had to give that some thought and decided that it is actually a compliment. I think she meant to tell me that I am a very creative problem solver. I managed to convey valuable information without actually telling her what to do. Genius! In fact, upon further reflection, I have decided that a lot of the labels my family has tried to pin on me are actually descriptions of some very positive traits. For instance: "OCD" - enthusiastically thorough. Without my checking, you can be sure the stove would burn down the house as soon as we drove around the corner. "Shopaholic" - savvy shopper. I know where the bargains are and I always come home successful! "Pack Rat" - always prepared. You never know when that avacado green dial telephone will be needed. "Messie" - skilled interior decorator. Why else does our house attract teenage boys in droves if not for our relaxed, homey atmosphere? "Smart Alec" -humorous. My son's girlfriend thought I was really cool! "Know-it-all" - Why, thank you. "Cheap" - frugal. A good steward of the family's finances never buys $100 jeans and sneakers. Unless they're in her size. And marked down to 75% off.  "Paranoid" - prophetic. If you don't drink your milk, your bones will get soft, your teeth will fall out, and you'll be buying DentureGrip before you're out of high school.  I know these things. "Hyperactive" - very energetic. Dust bunnies, weeds, Starbucks, garage sales...watch out, here I come." "Procrastinator" - thoughtful. If you don't formulate well-thought-out plans, nothing would get done. "Nosy" - concerned. I gave birth to you. I deserve to know everything. "Oblivious" - very, very happy. O.k., Family.  Keep them coming! I can take it!         Posted Nov 08 2009, 11:47 AM by mary2 with 4 comment(s)

• Home for Christmas

  I must state at the outset that this blog post IS NOT AIMED AT MY DAUGHTER--the away-at-college, now-all-grown-up one who can figure things out herself and, besides, if she doesn't know how to do something it must be because her mother did not do a good job teaching her while she was young .  No, this is aimed at someone who might happen to be needing to make travel arrangements to fly somewhere, say home for Christmas  or something like that. For those people, here are a few of my favorite travel sites. Be sure to remember to book holiday flights early. They fill up quickly, and prices may go up the closer we get to the holidays.  But you already knew that. It used to be I'd check prices on each of the reservation sites --Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, etc. And then I would go to the airlines' sites directly. Then when I was done with all of that, the prices would change and I'd have to start all over. No longer, thanks to kayak.com. They search all of those sites and display the flight options and prices in one place. The only pricing that I have noticed that they do not provide is from Southwest Airlines. So be sure to check their site before you make a decision. One more thing to keep in mind is the extra charges the airlines have for such luxuries as checked baggage, refreshments, and some seat assignments. Kayak has those fees posted as well at http://www.kayak.com/airline-fees. Now, once you have your flight selected, it's time to go to my second-favorite travel site, seatguru.com. This site gives the dimensions and characteristics for individual seats on the airplane. They tell you which seats have limited recline, misaligned windows, and reduced legroom. If only they could tell you which seats have the screaming babies! There's no question that your assigned seat has a lot to do with how tolerable a flight is. I admit to having resorted to some underhanded tricks in selecting seats to try to sit next to the ever-elusive empty seat. Never pay to reserve a seat. Can you imagine paying extra for an emergency exit row seat and then having a kid in the row behind you using your seatback for soccer practice? Unless I can assign the seats for everyone in close proximity to me, I'm not paying for it! When booking two seats on a flight, I'll select seats in a row that are three across and reserve the window and the aisle seat. (No hate mail, please!) If some poor soul ends up in the middle seat between my partner and me, I may have an attack of conscience and offer to take the middle seat myself. Sometimes. Select seats toward the back of the plane. Usually, seats fill up in the front first. This appears to be especially true for those dreaded middle seats. And finally, check the seating chart online the night before the flight and see if you want to change the seating assignment. If you need a hotel for your stay (which you probably won't if you're visiting someone near and dear who will be thrilled to have you  and will have your old room all ready for you), check hotels.com or some of the other sites. But you are likely to  find the best deals by going directly to the hotel's site. I like to use Trip Advisor to get recommendations and ratings for the hotels. And, finally, TravelZoo has a newsletter and web site with some excellent information about travel deals. If you subscribe to their newsletter, they'll alert you when an usually good deal is to be had. Maybe if the deal is good enough you'll decide to schedule a spur of the moment trip and, say, surprise someone for their birthday  or Mother's Day, or something. See you soon, honey.     Posted Nov 02 2009, 07:04 AM by mary2 with 3 comment(s) Filed under: hotels, travel, airline reservations

• The Sounds of Silence

  Lately I've been spending a lot more time in the car. With that much time on the road, I decided I want to listen to music of my own choosing. My husband’s doo-wop and my son’s Metallica just don’t do it for me. So I got hold of a hand-me-down iPod and set about filling it up. Yikes, is it ever confusing. There are mp3 files and wma files and wav files (oh, my!). Some play on mp3 players, some play on iPods, and some just take up disk space and don’t work with anything that I can figure out. There are music subscription sites, music download sites, and pirated music sites. I thought a subscription site would be a cheap way to go until I learned that when you discontinue the subscription somehow the music you downloaded disappears--except for music you paid extra for. (How do they do that? I picture a satellite that zaps your iPod the moment you cancel!) Purchased downloads are typically $.99 per song. That would add up in a hurry. And as for pirated music, can you say RIAA? The Dollar Stretcher has a good article that explains some of these confusing options. Fortunately, my music tastes are so outdated, the stuff I like is cheap. I decided to try eMusic’s subscription download. I get to keep what I download and can cancel it at any time. Plus I got a whole bunch of free downloads during the trial period. Then, I discovered that amazon.com and iTunes have some free downloads. There are other sites that do too, but I’m afraid of downloading a virus with it. So, one month into my subscription (total cost $11.99) I have a music library of about 175 songs. That should keep me occupied for a while. Now, wouldn't you know it, one of the channels in the car stereo has died. So I'm listening to Simon without Garfunkel. But that's o.k. I just sing his part karoke style.   The free amazon downloads can be tricky to locate. Below are links to the mp3 singles and the mp3 albums each sorted by price, beginning with "free." Free mp3 albums: click here Free mp3 singles: click here   Posted Oct 26 2009, 09:29 AM by mary2 with 1 comment(s) Filed under: itunes, emusic, mp3, music, ipod

• *Shoes for the Sole*

  I’ve been on a shoe kick (ha! Get it?) It started about the time I gained 30 pounds and couldn’t stand to look in the dressing room mirrors at the mall. That’s the nice thing about shoes. They NEVER make you look fat. Since that part of my wardrobe is getting so much attention, I suggested The Dollar Stretcher run a poll this week asking how much are people willing to spend for a great pair of shoes.   Michelle Obama’s shoes reportedly have a price tag of $540. Maybe she got them at a really good sale.   The devil wears Prada. Which could explain his evil disposition. Anyone would be cranky wearing these and paying $700 to boot (Ha! Another one!)   Me? I confess that I will spend more than I should on a pair of shoes. My absolute favorite shoes that I have been wearing for about 4 years now are a pair of Ugg Buckleroo mules that I picked up at Nordstrom Rack for about $65. They are soft and comfortable and lined with sheepskin! (oooh). I wore out the sheepskin and bought a pair of replacement insoles. They’re about ready to be replaced again. Before you head over to the mall to satisfy that shoe fetish, stop by the poll and tell the world "How Much Are You Willing to Pay for a New Pair of Shoes?"   Posted Oct 19 2009, 10:06 AM by mary2 with no comments Filed under: shoes, shopping, poll