Clinton Is Looking Better To Me

Never say never. I never thought I would have a good thing to say about our former President, Bill Clinton.

But he must be teachable. After all he has become a vegan and his health is improved. He's no longer a heart attack waiting to happen. I applaud him. I'm proud of him. And if he can do it, so can others.

The second reason he is looking good to me is that he had a balanced budget. Less than 2 decades ago, he did it. Why can't we?

I'm not inviting lots of complicated explanations. I'm a simple woman when it comes to money. Spend less than you make, borrow as little as possible and pay it back as fast as possible, and stick to it .

If everyone were asked to contribute a dollar towards our deficit, or if the rich decided to give more, in a one time donation to the government, we would come very close to wiping out the deficit.

So the sugar daddy exists and it is us. Why won't we do that? Because it's too obvious, it's too simple and it's too easy.

It seems like we would rather fuss, fret and argue than do the right thing. How about it America? Let's be the sugar daddies and mommies and watch Congress and the President swoon from gratitude overload!

A Bad Economy is Good

Lest you think I've lost my mind, let me tell you about a dream I just had.

I dreamed I was getting married and I had a groom and a dress. That was it. It was snowy and it was hard to drive around.  I was teaching a class and so I had a few potential guests, my students, the ones that might feel like showing up. I had a place to get married. I hadn't booked it but I felt that some room or porch would do. It was a beautiful, very large house that was a meeting place and I was sure I could use a corner.

I had no cake or other food. I had no chairs for guests to sit on and I had no advance planning.

What did I have besides the groom and the dress? I had God, I had love, and I had time. I was also excited because I had confidence that it would work out. And it did.

The people in the house were thrown into a tizzy. Why did I take it for granted that I could have a room, a closet or a porch to use? They were hanging onto what they had and no rule breaker was going to invade their space.

I persevered and it all worked out.

You see you can have a wedding without much. You can also have a life without lots of amenities.

Most people are focused most of the time on what they don't have. How can I get what I don't have? Why can't we focus on what we do have?

It would be a huge shift for Americans to learn to do that. Our lifestyles, our economy, our hopes and dreams are based on what we don't have. And yet, the less we have, we still chug on, doing what we can with what we have.

I love to read about people who grew up poor but didn't know it. Their parents never told them. Whatever they ate at dinner, they gave thanks for. They weren't focused on the food they didn't have.

I remember taking a big bag of outgrown, used clothing to Goodwill when my boys were little. Son #2, in the car with me, asked, "Where are we going?" "To Goodwill, to give the clothes to the poor." I'll never forget his response, "But mom, we are the poor!"

What had I done wrong? How did he know he was poor, that we were poor, a divorced mom with 3 kids scrambling to make ends meet? Of course, I must have told him. I must have been focused on what we didn't have instead of what we had. That was my mistake and I am passionate about sharing my mistakes so you don't have to make them too.

Times of lack, like today, are good for us. It gives us an opportunity to practice being rich without the money, amenities and lifestyle that we think we should have. We are still richer than 80% of the world. We need to start being grateful for what we have and act grateful as well. Our happy future depends on it.

We need to learn the secret that Paul discovered more than 2000 years ago. "I know what it is to be in want, and I know what it is to have more than enough - in everything and in every way I have learned the secret of being full and being hungry, of having abundance and being in need. I can do all things through him who gives me power."

Remove Temptation

How do we stop spending and thinking about spending?

The answer is a little know fact: remove temptation.

Oh, you already knew that? Then how come we watch TV and see ads all the time. We surf the internet and have ads all over the pages. We get emails tempting us to buy almost everything at a discount.

I have taken a bold step. I have "unsubscribed" to almost all the cool deals that used to be delivered to my inbox daily: ebates, groupon, livingsocial, daily swirl, Kohls, Ralph Lauren, Macy's, Nordstroms, Neiman Marcus, Kodak, Replacements, Williamsburg Marketplace, and much more.

When you want to resist temptation, you need to replace the tempting thing with another, more satisfying pleasure. So I made a list of those things that I will do instead of internet browsing and just musing on what would be fun to buy if I ever had enough money.

Here's my list: lengthen my Bible Study time or even have more than one a day, create meal plans and prepare food, watch some Food prep DVD's I own, work on my book, write and shop for publishers and/or literary agents, and write my blogs.

This is more than enough. But in case I need more, I can exercise more than once a day, I can just hang out with my husband, and I can nap.

What's on your replacement list?

Leaning Book Shelves

I am decorating my daughter's condo in Fairfax VA ultra modern, a new style for me.

Naturally, if I save money on furnishings, the sooner I can tackle the kitchen renovation which means the sooner I can have you over for dinner:) I already know that I want Ikea to do the kitchen.

So the leaning library shelves I wanted on a "nook" off the living room cost over $1000! No way!

I looked online in every catalog I could think of, Overstock.com and ebay. Finally, I saw exactly what I wanted on ebay. The wall is 36" wide and these shelves are 34" wide. They will fill the space nicely.

My wait paid off. I got them for $99 and free shipping and handling. That's a bargain.

What's not a bargain is that they arrived in a box which means someone will have to assemble them when I bring them to Virginia.

I'll pray that my neighbor's brother, who is handy and very nice, will be around.

Save Money To Do What?

I woke up this morning with a revelation that is BIG.

My motto as Q of B used to be, "Live rich without being rich." The missing piece is why? If Q of B was all about me, my clothes, my house, my bank account, then is was poor indeed.

I woke up with a new motto, one that answers that question and is way better than the first.

             "Earn and spend every dollar as if each had the potential to change the world.

  Inspire and help others to do it too." 

Just yesterday I was lamenting to my husband that it seems to take forever for me to have real clarity of thought, especially on all the important things in life. Well, this one was worth waiting for.

So how would your earning and spending change if that motto were yours? 

Let me know how you answer that one. You have a lifetime to work it out.

Bad Advice from The Washington Post

 June 2, in the Style Section of The Washington Post, there was an article about buying “investment” piece furniture that is classic, will stand the  test of time and wear, and be the best “first” pieces of furniture to get when just starting out.

Baloney.

The prices on that furniture were appalling.

Let me tell you about what I just bought, classic investment pieces of furniture to adorn a condo in Fairfax county. I found a Natuzzi  red leather tufted sofa and arm chair for around $1800 at Hamilton Sofa and Furniture Gallery in Chantilly. I went back and special ordered two ottomans to match for another $600. And a beautiful painting to go with, a modern autumn scene rich in hues of reds, yellows, oranges, browns, greens, some blue and dots of black, stunning.

I bought a clearance dining room table, round glass topped with circular wood base and 4 chairs at Macy’s for $627.

And a platform bed from Ikea with storage drawers underneath was $300. Later a tufted, genuine leather headboard will be bought on eBay for $345.

It my rate I can furnish 3 condos for the prices quoted in the Post for one place.

You need the Queen back, Washington!

Becoming Lower Maintenance

I've done it before and I'm doing it again, giving myself haircuts.

I've given my husband every haircut he's had during the last 21 years. And sometimes I cut my own hair.

Well today, with my husband's help, I cut my hair and it looks fine, a medium length bob.

So I just saved $50 and once every 6 weeks multiplied by 8, let's say, I will save $400. If I lived in an area with a higher cost of living, I would have saved more. How much has my husband saved over 21 years?

Why are we doing this? We are realigning our priorities and our expenses just like everyone else in America because "The times they are a'changing."

Don't laugh. It will happen to you. If you don't do haircuts, you may cut out restaurants, fast food, extra pairs of shoes, driving around just for fun, some things that you used to spend money on that are just not worth it now.

The only way to have more money is to make more or spend less than you make. There is no other magic about it.

When you think of creative ways to save, please share them. We all need to be inspired.

Labels Matter and Then They Don't

Are you a label snob? Sometimes I am and sometimes I'm not.

I am buying an expensive outfit, pants and a jacket from a high end designer because it is timeless, fits well and I'll wear it for years. When I'm 85, it will still look good.

I'm not buying the casual top that goes with it because I don't like the way it fits and it's too expensive. Go figure!

I went to GoodWill Industries and found the perfect coral turtleneck to go with it, brand new and the right color and the right neckline and the fit is great.

My husband thinks I have more chutzpah than anyone else because, having no cash on me, I used a credit card and asked for the senior discount. So the top cost $4.00 and with the discount and tax, I paid $3.65 for it. The cashier said they would process a sale of  20 cents with a credit card!

So I'm inconsistently consistent. That's me, your Queen of Bargains, shopping to tell you all about it.

Sample Sales

This tip is from a stealth "Queen of Bargains" in London.

Go to www.dailycandy.com and register for the city nearest you. You will get notices of real sample sales where you can snag bargains on major designers.

This is an invitation from other stealth queens. Send  me your tips and I'll pass them along.

Thank you, very much! 

Business Cards

I can't keep a good thing to myself. That's why I blog about deals as I find them.

Allergic to overhead, I have resisted getting business cards for my various ventures. Until now.

I have designed, ordered and received new business cards for 2 ventures: my healthy eating blog: http://dontswallowthat.blogspot.com  and my acting. The product is excellent and the cost is more than reasonable, let's say very inexpensive. In both cases, I ordered the slow ship method to save money and received them both in less than a week of ordering.

I found that I could use all their tools on line to design a quality product and I am very happy.

What's the source? You've seen them advertised everywhere: Vista Print. Go to: www.vistaprint.com
and stop procrastinating like I have done for the last 5 years.  I will reuse them for additional products because the quality and service are that good.

Luxury Defined

Rereading The Shell Seekers by Rosamund Pilcher on a flight home from Nashua, NH to Florida, I found the perfect definition of luxury. On page 377 she says, "Luxury, I think, is the total fulfillment of all five senses at once."

For me, if I could be sailing on the intercoastal waterway eating a takeout meal from Present Moment Cafe in St. Augustine, listening to Mozart or Nina Simone or Michael Boublee, smelling the clean salty air, watching other boats drift by, sitting with my husband, holding hands and cuddling, that would be luxury defined.

The cost for this experience. Probably $16 for the food and perhaps up to $40 for the sail, a total of $56. Once or twice a season is enough for me. I can live off of the memories the rest of the time.

A less expensive version would be bringing the food I make at home on a picnic at the ocean, say at unpopulated Flagler Beach, sitting on our ergonomic chairs that we bring from home, for an early morning breakfast to watch the sunrise, with just a few other intrepid early birds that walk along the ocean's edge. Cost to me? Whatever the food cost, less than $10.

What is it for you? Please share.

The Decline of People: Spending is "It"

It has occurred to me that one reason people spend money, think about spending money and then reflect on spending money is because people have become less important.

What do I mean by this? If you spent most of your time helping people, interacting with people, praying for people, being with people, there would be less time for this money thing. Isn't that what people used to do way back, let's say in the mid 1950's?

Just speculating on how and why people think they must keep up the shop/spend cycle has me wondering what it would be like if we  made room for more interactions with people in our lives than we do now.

One more thing. Thinking used to be a valued activity. Now, the speed of electronic communication has given us a handicap. I think it's not possible to live, process our lives and have quality relationships with people because that all takes time. We want what we want with the click of a mouse or the touch of an icon. Our minds don't work that fast. 

This weekend, take a few hours to "think." I like to go into a "deep think" to process what I am doing, what I should be doing, what I should not do, what I like, what gets in my way, and my relationship with others. I'll be so busy that I won't shop. What about you?

Please send feedback.

Save Money When Traveling

Here's a tip from Anabel. When traveling, save money on meals by not eating in restaurants. Go to grocery stores with eat in facilities, like Whole Foods. Everyone can get what they want; compared to a restaurant, prices are lower and there is no tip to pay.

Or take a tip from frugal consultants who stay in hotels with the evening "Manager's Specials". If you eat whatever is put in front of you, you will be satisfied with the meals and the free drinks from 5-7 PM. That way you can eat and pocket the per diem.

If you are fussy about what you eat, go the the grocery store or get take out from local restaurants and eat in your hotel room, to at least save the tips.

Always eat the breakfast provided because even the fussiest eater can have fruit and oatmeal. Look for the whole grain muffins or bagels and take one with the small package of peanut butter, to have for lunch. You've now given yourself a raise. If the per diem is, say $75 per day, and you eat all your meals in food that is provided, you've just added to your take home pay, because per diems are not taxed.

Now this requires discipline, but take the per diem and stow it in a special savings account, along with any bonuses you receive and other unexpected income. Now you have savings that will build.

Extra money is extra money. If you put it in your regular checking or savings account, it will be swallowed up with the other money you have and you will feel like you can never get ahead.

On travel, if you can use the corporate credit card, you won't affect your cash flow, if your reimbursement doesn't come on time. If you can cover expenses before you receive your reimbursements, take advantage of your frequent flier credit card and earn points on everything you buy. Free trips for miles earned this way make great free vacations. 

If you think this money is peanuts, think again. Little money adds up to big money. Twenty per diems at the $75 rate equal $1500. If I were to give you a check for $1500 next year, would you take it? Of course you would. This savings tip just has you give the check to yourself. Say thank you all the way to the bank and start saving for bigger dreams.

She's Back!

Where has the Queen of Bargains(R) been? Working, saving, spending, advising, just the usual. I have other blogs and jillkampmelton.blogspot.com has taken most of my attention since I'm writing a book on communication while teaching.

But the times demand that I return to my post, warning you how to save money, sharing spending strategies that will work in the good times and the bad, and pointing the way to specific bargains when I find them.

Make this a regular spot and I won't disappoint.

Six ways to have more money in a month than you have today:

1. Make your meals at home. Once a week have a pot luck with friends rotating as hosts. You'll have the fun of eating out, but it might just be across the street with no bill and tip to pay.
2. Eat more vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds and drink water. It's less expensive than beef, chicken and fish and is much healthier.
3. Cluster your errands to save gas. Alternate driving with a friend to save more gas.
4. Clean clothes at home. Air them, brush them, launder them by hand and save on cleaning bills.
5. Put 10 % of every paycheck you earn into a savings account. Don't touch it.
6. Exercise every day, even if only for 10 minutes. You will begin to lose weight and your clothes will look better on you and you won't feel like you need to buy new clothes.

Three more ways to save money:

1. Stop smoking. You will not only save money; you will save your life.
2. Stop drinking. Juice veggies and make fruit smoothies. The flavors are exciting and cheaper then alcohol.
3. Start walking. Walk to errands, walk to friends, walk to work, walk at lunch, walk and use the stairs instead of taking elevators and escalators. You may be able to quit the gym. Your life will include more exercise as you move through your day.

This is the starter list. There will be more, much more.

Glad to be back.