Jana Says

Living life from cover to cover

Celebrating the holidays without shopping

by Jana 16 Comments

So here we are. Holiday season 2012. Thanksgiving has been overshadowed by Black Friday and people’s wallets and budgets are hurting in order to make sure that underneath the Christmas tree is brimming with presents. It’s also the time of year when people are extremely generous, giving to all different types of charities.

It can get very expensive.

For me, though, I’m having to scale back a bit this year. My husband and I began living on one income about 6 months ago and there isn’t as much money to go around. Our daughter also has a December birthday and we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah in our house. While we do a good job of managing December without incurring any debt, this year, we’re trying to focus on activities that provide as much joy as receiving gifts but cost a whole lot less money.

Because for us, it’s about the whole spirit of the season rather than receiving gifts (I know that sounds like a crock but I promise it’s true). We really do enjoy the whole atmosphere of the holidays and we’re trying to focus more on spending time as a family rather than buying a tremendous amount of gifts. To do that, we’ve compiled a list of activities for us to do together:

  • Read. There is an abundance of holiday books, particularly for kids. Our daughter loves to read so we’ve been going to the library to pick out some books featuring her favorite characters (Marley, Dewey, Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious) in holiday settings. My husband also has his childhood copy of “T’was the Night Before Christmas” that we read together.  Each night we take turns picking out which stories we read and sometimes, we even make up our own.
  • Bake. One of my hobbies is baking. I love to do it and I love to find new recipes (my husband enjoys this as well). For this holiday season, I’ve been exploring fun, creative ways to bake some favorite holiday treats like fudge and cookies but I’m also trying out some new ones. My daughter is the best kitchen helper I can ask for and the time we spend baking is much better than time spent shopping for yet another Barbie doll.
  • Tour the Christmas lights. I heart Christmas lights. A lot. They’re so pretty and festive and fun. Fortunately, my family also enjoys the lights as much as I do so it’s not unusual for us to get in our car and drive around, looking at lights. In years past, we’ve also gone down to Ocean City, MD to explore their Winterfest of Lights. It’s relaxing, inexpensive and really, really beautiful and well done. When we’re done, it gives us something to talk about as well as ideas for what we might like to do with our house the next year (which we never actually do. Our house is way too small).
  • Take advantage of free activities. I suppose we’re lucky. Where we live, there is an abundance of free family activities during the holiday season. For instance, we can go to our local library and build a gingerbread house (cost—cans of food for the local food bank). We can go to a local apple orchard and meet Santa (outdoors and way less crowded than the mall. And there are no stores to tempt us). There’s a free Christmas music concert. The list goes on. It’s a way for us to enjoy some activities as a family without spending any money. And it’s fun!
  • Establish our own traditions. Every year, we have a Christmas movie marathon. We have a number of DVDs and we’ll have a day or two where all we watch is Christmas movies (poor Hanukkah gets left out. I refuse to watch Adam Sandler’s “Eight Crazy Nights” and I don’t know of any other Hanukkah movies). All of that culminates with “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. Yes, it’s a lot of TV but it’s a family tradition. Just like eating spaghetti and meatballs on Christmas Eve and opening one stocking gift. It may be quirky but it works for us and these are the memories that are most important.

The commercialism of the holiday season really does annoy my husband and I. As parents, we feel that we have an obligation to teach our daughter those same values. By finding alterative activities that we can do as a family and don’t cost a lot of money, we feel that we’re off to a good start. And by occupying our time this way, it’s less time we think about shopping and more time creating lasting family memories.

 

My Black Friday strategy

by Jana 6 Comments

A good friend of mine asked me to go shopping with her this Friday. At the outlets. At the beach. In Delaware (where we live. No sales tax). I thought about it for awhile before I said yes (and had confirmation that we aren’t going to get there at the asscrack of dawn). I considered a number of pros: my in-laws live about 30 minutes from the outlets, my friend is willing to meet me in between the stores and my in-laws’ home so I don’t have to drive the whole distance and it’s a day I get to spend with friends.

And about a million other people. So there’s that.

But I’m willing to get over that because, although I hate crowds, it will be nice to get out of my in-laws’ house for a few hours and do some outlet shopping. It’ll give me a chance to pick up not only some desperately needed household items but some Hanukkah and Christmas presents with no one in my family breathing down my neck, screaming “I’m hungry” or “Are we done yet”.

I’m kind of looking forward to that part.

What I’m not looking forward to are the temptations that I know will be in abundance. Outlet prices are tempting enough but when you couple them with Black Friday sales, they’re pretty ridiculous. I know myself and I know that I have to approach my shopping expedition with a strategy for a) getting what I need; b) surviving the crowds without contemplating homicide or assault; and c) not spending all my money in one day. So, I’ve spent some time and thought about how I’m going to handle Black Friday:

  1. Adhere to a cash budget. I know how exactly how much money I have to spend on every member of my family. I have to stick to that budget pretty tightly because now that we’re a one income family (well, technically one and a half but my next part-time paycheck is going towards a new mattress). In order to do that, I’m only bringing cash and I’m putting the cash in envelopes marked for each person. I can’t be trusted with a credit card and my debit card also presents a danger. So, cash it is.
  2. Stick to my list. Like Santa, I made a list and I’m checking it twice. Only instead of finding out whose naughty or nice, my list will tell what I need to buy. And since I need to stick to my budget, that also means I need to stick to my list. It doesn’t matter if I see something cute or awesome; if it’s not on the list, it’s not getting bought (unless I’ve purchased everything else and still have money left over. Then we can negotiate).
  3. Repeat this mantra: A deal isn’t a deal if it’s something I don’t need. If I find something that’s a fantastic, once in a lifetime price and it happens to be on an item I don’t need and can’t afford, it’s not a deal. It’ll break my budget, make me veer from my list and, while I’ll probably have an initial high from finding such as sweet deal, I know that I’ll wind up with buyer’s remorse. And that? Is a surefire way to ruin this kind of shopping trip.
  4. Resist the influence of others. George Thoroughgood drinks alone. I shop alone. I’m horrible at letting others’ opinions interfere with my common sense. I’m weak at times and get talked into making frivolous purchases or going over budget (you know those statements “don’t worry about it? It’s only $5?” Well, they add up. Figuratively and literally). I have to stand strong and not let that happen. No matter how good of an argument my friends might make.
  5. Avoid certain stores. There are certain stores that, no matter how hard I try, I will not be able to walk out of without buying things (why, yes, Bath and Body Works, I am talking to you).  There are some stores, like Kate Spade and Coach where I can window shop with no problems (because I can’t afford most of the items) but the other ones, nope. No way. They take all my money. All self-control  I have gets left at the door. To combat that, I will adamantly refuse to set foot in those stores unless I have budgeted money for them. Which, now that I think about it, is probably a good idea.

And as far as Cyber Monday? I’m avoiding that madness as much as possible. Except for the things I have to order online and for those, I’ve already planned and budgeted. It’s much easier for me to control myself on Cyber Monday than on a Black Friday trip to the outlets.

This is the first year I’m going shopping on Black Friday. If all goes well, I might consider doing it again. If not, I’ll just revert to my old plan—finishing up shopping before Thanksgiving even starts.

Readers, if you’re going shopping on Black Friday, how do you plan on keeping your spending in check? 

A stolen piano and other robberies: How to be safe when traveling

by Jana 16 Comments

The following is a guest post from Pauline Paquin, a French girl who has recently started to blog over at Reach Financial Independence (and one of the mentees in the Bloggers Helping Bloggers program. My mentee, actually. She’s awesome). Born and raised in Paris, Pauline blogs about how she has been traveling the world for the past 10 years, while trying to build wealth and achieve financial independence, and how you can follow your dreams and reach your goals too. You can follow Pauline on Twitter @RFIndependence.

I don’t care much about material things. Being safe and healthy is what matters most to me. It is a good
thing to have, considering all the stuff that I have lost, damaged, or have been stolen over the years.

The piano
My piano was stolen when I was living in Guatemala. I know, it’s not something you can sneak up your
sleeve and leave my house with. I was about to move out of the country after living there for three
years, and selling my stuff on the local ads website. A guy contacted me , saying he would send movers
over, they would hand me a bank certified check and leave with my piano. This is common practice
here, so I accepted. When they arrived bright and early at 7am, I didn’t realize that it was so I couldn’t
call the bank and confirm the check. Until the fake check bounced a few days later.

WHAT I DID: Call the bank who ”issued” the check to warn them. They knew about the scam. In my
defense, how many of you know what a certified check from bank X looks like? Call the police. They knew too, and told me to put other ads under another name with their cellphone number, and they would call when they catch the thieves. They never called.

The first robbery
Guatemala is known mostly for its robberies. During the three years I lived there, I heard all kind of
scary stories happening to my friends. Getting mugged at gunpoint, or kidnapped as a kid, most upper
class families lived in fear, with bodyguards and houses surrounded by barbwire. I thought I was
smarter. I didn’t show off. I cycled around, I had no schedule to track me, and as a foreigner I could be
making minimum wage working for a non profit. Not the best target.

It worked. Until I started thinking I was untouchable. Once, I withdrew about $400 to buy a fridge
(didn’t have a credit card yet), went to the shoe shop next door, left my purse on the floor while I tried
the shoes on, and found the money missing.

[Read more…]

Business lessons from a roadside bullet vendor

by Jana 7 Comments

Caution: This post may contain bits of hyperbole. 

When I was about 13 or so, my family was driving home from seeing a Broadway show. For reasons that I will never understand, my father has always preferred driving into Manhattan instead of taking a train (I have recently driven in Manhattan. Not on purpose. It’s a long story but suffice it so say that when your 5 year old is in the backseat, telling you to stop crying and that it’s okay because everyone makes mistakes, it’s probably a good idea never to repeat the activity that caused that statement). Financially speaking, it might be more cost effective to drive instead of taking the train (seriously, have you ever ridden the Long Island Railroad? It’s a damn fortune) but I would think that with 2 kids in the backseat who rarely get along, the train would have been better (although maybe not. My parents could yell at us in the car, far from the prying and judgmental eyes and ears of strangers). But I was not in charge and my opinion meant very little so my dad drove us.

Normally, my father has a fabulous sense of direction (a trait I did not inherit. I cannot get anywhere, even with directions. It’s atrocious). But on this particular occasion, he took a wrong turn and we wound up in a very…unsavory neighborhood. In fact, I’m pretty sure my mother instructed us to lock the doors and not to make eye contact with anyone (my mother might be a little excitable). Being the obedient (ha!) daughter that I am, I listened to my mother. Somewhat. I locked the door and tried to avoid eye contact but I had to look out the window. I had no choice. There was no where else to look except at my sister who I’m fairly certain didn’t want me looking at her because I’m sure we were fighting about something. And am I glad I looked out the window because there, in illuminated in the street lights of whatever not so great neighborhood, I saw him.

Like this. Except more bullets and less umbrella.

The man standing on the street corner, selling bullets. Off of a folding card table. And I’m pretty sure he had a sign that said something like “Bullets. $5/box”.

Amazing.

I was astounded, and highly amused. In fact, I’m think that maybe I screamed and pointed a little (which was inevitably followed by a reprimand from my mother and sheer embarrassment from my father). I couldn’t help it. It was, and remains, one of the greatest sites I have ever seen. I mean, every part of that is just pure marketing/sales genius. He followed so many pieces of advice that if he weren’t making money, I’d be surprised. After all, he:

  • Offered a desirable product at a great price. Or that’s what I assume he did. I’m not a big fan of guns, and I’ve never had the reason to price bullets (except while playing The Oregon Trail), but $5 for a box of bullets seems like a great deal. And based on his location, it’s a fair assumption that bullets are a quick moving product so for $5 a box, his profits were probably through the roof. While I’m not sure what he was paying his supplier, it probably was low enough that he could sell the bullets at a discounted rate and still make a living. 
  • Had low overhead. I can’t imagine that his business was sanctioned by New York City, which means that there were no permit fees, business license fees or any other fees related to establishing a legit business. But he was able to keep his profit margin up by using a folding card table (which I assume he got for a few dollar or for free by removing it from the trash) and I would assume that the rent on a street corner for this type of business is reasonable (or free). No utility payment, no employees. Just him and his bullets. 
  • Picked a great location. No. He picked a fabulous location. Right at an intersection that has a stoplight, in a bustling neighborhood. No shortage of potential customers. Also, his entire set up was completely mobile so if business slowed down in one place, it was almost no problem to pack up and move somewhere else, with a new customer base. He also had the flexibility to move to areas with less competition and, I’m assuming that his most loyal customers would follow him anywhere. Hard to beat that. 
  • Clearly did market research. He knew what he was doing when he selected that particular product to sell in that particular neighborhood. He knew what the people wanted, what they needed, and how much they were willing to pay. He knew what hours to work and when to best reach his customers.This gentleman was clearly in tune with his clientele and he knew how to deliver. That, to me, is a smart businessman. 

Yes, this was a completely nontraditional business (and probably illegal as hell). But that doesn’t make it any less brilliant.

Who says you need any formal training to run a business?

Readers, what do you think of this gentleman’s tactics? Can we learn something from him (besides that fact that selling bullets off a card table is a great business idea)? 

 

 

4 ways being an asshole affects your finances

by Jana 15 Comments

someecards.com - Don't ever say stuff just because you think you should. That's the definition of an asshole

No matter where you live, no matter what you do for a living, no matter how much money you may or may not have, there is one person we have all met. You don’t always know that he is coming and often, he’s in disguise. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he shows up, ready to reveal himself.  And the reveal usually takes place in unexpected situations. Because that’s a typical characteristic of…

The asshole.

We’ve all, at one point or another, met a giant asshole. He might be at work, he might be in your family, he might be the customer in line behind you at the grocery store. But we’ve all met him. He’s rude, arrogant, obnoxious, condescending, and, worst of all, kind of dumb. Sadly, he doesn’t know these things and falsely assumes that there’s something wrong with everyone else because there’s no possible way it can be him.

The asshole also thinks that he is the most important person in the room/building/store/world, which makes his sense of entitlement that much stronger. This belief leads him to act in atrocious ways towards everyone he deems beneath him (which, in his mind, is everyone) and how someone like this can look at his own reflection in a mirror and go to bed with a clear conscience just boggles my mind.

But I guess it is not for me to understand the inner psychological workings of an asshole. It is just for me to deal with.

However, contrary to the asshole’s primary belief system, acting in that manner is not the best way to get things done (sorry, any assholes reading this. It’s true). Since this is a personal finance site, let’s focus for a minute on the many ways in which being an asshole can actually hurt a person financially:

Promotions at work.

Many assholes are very productive at work. The desire to outdo everyone and prove that he is the greatest worker around is very strong. And that kind of work ethic is great! Who doesn’t want to work with someone who is superproductive and great at finishing his work on time (or early!)? When I was in an office, I certainly did. Unfortunately, the asshole makes the working environment so unpleasant that when it comes time for promotions, his reputation may precede him, leaving him left out in the cold when a higher paying position becomes available. Because while everyone is willing to tolerate a mid-level asshole worker, no one wants him in charge.

Dealing with customer service.

Things get screwed up. It happens. A bill is wrong, a product is defective, a meal is too cold or contains a vile ingredient that we distinctly asked NOT to be in the food. In all of these instances, you are going to need someone else’s assistance. In all of these instances, it behooves you to be nice. By being nice when a mistake has been made, I have received money off bills, free food, new products…all good things, right? But I have witnessed people being assholes in all of these instances and it has never, ever worked in their favor. Sure, they might bully the people into giving them something but it’s never as much as if they had been nice in the first place.

Getting help from friends and family.  

Who among us hasn’t, at one time or another, needed the help of friends or family on a project? Whether it’s moving, painting a room, babysitting, or just general assistance, we’ve all called on friends or family for a little help. We do so because asking for that kind of help is cheaper than hiring a professional. In fact, many finance experts advocate bartering services with friends and family for just that reason. But no one wants to help an asshole (unless, of course, the asshole is also a bully. In which case, the asshole will probably just bully you into helping him, making you think he’s an even bigger asshole).  So he is left to either pay someone or do it himself. That can get expensive.

Creating friendships.

No one wants to be friends with an asshole. They are horrible to be around, mainly because you have to listen to their narcissistic rantings, holier than thou attitude and general disdain for everyone and everything they feels is beneath them. An asshole is negative, annoying, and full of general unpleasantness. In short, if an asshole is at a party, it’s because the host takes pity on him. Actually, now that I think about it, most assholes don’t have any friends because no one wants them around. So, they develop expensive, ridiculous habits that eat away at money that probably should be saved for a rainy day. Or the day they actually get a friend. Because the only thing worse than an asshole is a broke asshole.

Most of us have our asshole moments. I know I do. It’s hard to be perfect all the time. But for those who are assholes all the time, it has more than just a negative effect on your personal life. It affects your financial life, too.

Just something to think about.

Connect with Me

Subscribe to Jana Says

Jana Says
© 2017 by Jana Says. All Rights Reserved.
Crafted with by sasspurrella designs.