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.

Bath Towels

I'm tired of paying for bath towels that shred or have colors that run.

A few sets of towels ago, I bought Ralph Lauren towels at an outlet store in Florida and the colors ran and ran, and dyed other clothes that were washed in subsequent loads. Yuk!

Then there was the set I bought from Wal-Mart, a beautiful sage green. After one washing, threads began to unravel. Then life happened and I never made time to return them. A year and a half later I determined to replace my very hairy towels, some with threads that hung down all over one side.

First, I went to Kohls to take advantage of a towel sale and purchased replacements, same color, obtaining the promise that if they got "hairy", I could return them after I had washed them. Several hours later, after one trial wash load of towels, I packed them back and returned them, glad to get my money back but unhappy that I had not found what I was looking for.

Second, I polled friends and one discerning shopper told me about the Biltmore Brand of towels, sold at Belk. With my husband at my side, we both marched into Belk like hunters determined to bag the big one. And we did.

The Biltmore brand of towels had escaped my attention until now and I don't know how that happened. On sale, with an extra discount taken at the register, the towels were less than $8 each. Pale sage green, softer than a towel of mine has ever been, large and rich looking, these towels are wonderful. I washed them immediately and no loose threads appeared.

Belk also gave us a receipt that gave us an additional $10 off if we bought more within a few days of our initial purchase. Since we had bought all the towels and face cloths available in our little burg of Palm Coast, my husband went to St. Augustine within the required few days and bought 10 more facecloths, hand towels and another bath towel to complete our set.

In time for out of town guests, we now have a beautiful set of towels that seem to be wearing well. I've been thinking about the Biltmore brand of bed spreads, quilts, shams, etc. to compliment our towels.

No joke! Go tell everyone about these towels. They are the best and could be triple the price.

The "What's Important" Test

I'll bet you think you know what's important in your life. Tell me: family, friends, relationships, God, meaning, stuff like that.
Now look around your house. Count how many piles of stuff you have in each room, in each closet? Now look in your clothes closet and guess how much stuff you have that you never wear? Count the shoes, coats, tops, jeans, and accessories, including hats. 20%? 50%? 80%?
Now take a tour of your food cupboards. How much food do you have stacked that you haven't used in the last 3 months? 3 years?
Let's go into the attic or basement. What's there? Christmas decorations gathering dust? Boxes of photographs wai ting to be sorted, put into albums, discarded, given away?
Look now into your address book. Perhaps it's online. How many friends, family members and business colleagues have you kept up with recently, in the last 3 to 6 months?
When you do the math, how do you rate? Are the relationships taking your time or is the acquiring of stuff taking your time? Be honest.
So if your test results reveal that your stuff takes more of your time than your relationships, it's time to makeover your life. There is a big discrepancy between what you think your priorities are and what they actually are.
"Dis" the stuff and interact with the people in your life. You will feel more fulfilled, happier, more useful and amazingly, your closets may start to get emptier, as you clear the clutter from your life.

Gas: How to fill up and where to buy

This is an article that was sent to me by a trusted friend. It's good info. Save and pass on.

Money Saving Tips on pumping gas
I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... but here in California we are also paying higher, up to $3.50 per gallon. But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon.
Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose, CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The
colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money. One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.
Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.
WHERE TO BUY USA GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW. READ ON
Gas rationing in the 80's worked even though we grumbled about it. It might even be good for us! The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should return the favor. An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS. Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia . Just buy from gas companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis.Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill-up the tank, I am sending my money to people who are trying to kill me, my family, and my friends.I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil.These companies import Middle Eastern oil: Shell........................... 205,742,000 barrelsChevron/Texaco......... 144,332,000 barrelsExxon /Mobil............... 130,082,000 barrelsMarathon/Speedway... 117,740,000 barrelsAmoco............................62,231,000 barrelsCitgo gas is from South America , from a Dictator who hates Americans. If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! (oil is now $90 - $100 a barrel)Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:
Sunoco..................0 barrelsConoco..................0 barrelsSinclair.................0 barrelsBP/Phillips............0 barrelsHess.......................0 barrelsARCO....................0 barrelsIf you go to www.Sunoco.com, you will get a list of the station locations near you. All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing.