Jana Says

Living life from cover to cover

The pros and cons of my finances

by Jana 4 Comments

I do something that I think a lot of us tend to do. I tend to focus on the negatives rather than the positives. It doesn’t matter what it is. More often than not, I will discuss why something about me or a situation or a meal is bad rather than discussing what was done. I do this most often with anything about me personally (intelligence, appearance, parenting skills, etc) but I also do it a lot with my finances.

For so long, I had no money. I was drowning in debt and all of my paychecks went to pay someone else. Stuck in dark black hole, I never thought it possible to claw my way to the top and eventually climb out. Even now that I have no credit card debt and am much more financially secure than I was 5 years ago, I still feel like I’m doing something wrong. I still look at my financial picture and see something bleak. It’s like having body dysmorphic disorder only with my finances instead.

I wish I could stop thinking that my financial picture is dismal. Because I know it’s not. It’s just that for so long, everything I did was wrong, it’s hard to flip the mental script. So I’ve decided to try something. I’ve mentioned before that I was in a sorority. When we were voting on girls during rush, we used a “pro, con, con, pro” system. Essentially, we had to start and end on with a positive adjective with the negatives sandwiched in between. I’m not sure where this logic came from, but it’s nice to start and end a conversation on a positive note. It would also force us to realize that no matter what, there’s always something good or nice to say about another person.

I figured I could try this system with my finances. I’d list a pro, con, con, pro with a little bit of explanation for each.

Pro: I am two months away from being nonmortgage debt free!  After approximately 5 years of paying down debt, I’m almost done. Honda, you can kiss my ass! If I never see a credit card statement again, I’m fine with that. Financing anything? No, thank you! I just keep singing George Michael’s “Freedom” in my head. Or maybe I’m more like Pinocchio now that my debt strings have been cut. Whatever it is, it feels terrific!

Con: I’m not saving enough for retirement, my daughter’s college or general savings. As I am in my mid-30s, I am significantly behind in my retirement savings and have a lot of ground to make up if I ever want to retire. For college savings, there is some money but not enough to even cover one semester of books in 13 years when she starts college, never mind tuition. And the husband and I seriously need to ramp up our general savings for things like new cars when ours eventually stop working, travel, home repair or new home purchase, emergency pet expenses or any other major expense. These deficiencies could plunge us back into debt.

Con: My husband’s student loans. Since he, like so many others, had to pay for college and graduate school by himself, his loans are quite high (in the $40K range). The goal is to pay these off before our daughter starts college. It’s possible, maybe, with a lot of hard work and dedication. But I’m exhausted from the last five years. And I have a great deal of resentment towards this particular payment because I know the circumstances behind its existence. It’s difficult keeping up the dedication towards paying off a debt that is not technically mine. I

Pro: I am a good financial role model for my child. By gaining the knowledge through my get out of debt experience, I developed a much stronger grip on personal finance.  I have better, healthier habits. I understand fundamentals like how to create a budget, live within my means, set up savings goals and use my money practically instead of frivolously. I have a rudimentary understanding of complicated subjects like investing and insurance. I understand how to use credit intelligently. Most importantly, money is not a secret or taboo subject; I talk to her openly about our finances. And by doing this, I’ve broken the debt cycle in my family.

Having written it out like that, I feel better and more confident about my finances. I know where my weaknesses are just as I now know my strengths. I think now I understand why my sorority made us vote like that.

What does your pro, con, con, pro look like?

Outsourcing chores

by Jana 18 Comments

A few years ago, at the recommendation of a co-worker, I read Tim Ferriss’s “The 4 Hour Work Week”. To be honest, I hated the book. I thought that he came off as pompous, rude, snobby and kind of douchey. Most of what he discussed could in no way, shape or form be applied to my life and my situation. Except for one idea. Outsourcing.

Quite frankly, I love the idea of outsourcing the unpleasant aspects of my life. I would love to be rid of the chores that I can’t stand so that I can focus on the things that I do love and want to cultivate. And, if I think about it, I already do outsource some things—haircuts, dog grooming, trash and recycling pick up, and car maintenance. I don’t mind paying for these services because they are convenient, make my life easier and honestly, no one wants me cutting his or her hair. Or working on a car.

The problem is that I want to outsource household chores. I’m not the most domestically inclined woman around. While I do enjoy some things like cooking and baking and child care and general errands, there are certain things I cannot stand. Those are the ones I would like to eliminate. But the cost for outsourcing those chores is way too expensive for my budget. Or is it? I decided to do a little research and come up with an amount that I would have to pay each month to outsource the 3 things I hate the most:

Laundry

Dane Cook once joked that the only way to completely have no laundry is to wash your clothes naked. Sadly, he’s right. Laundry is a cruel joke, especially when you have a child and dogs. I am forever stuck in a cycle of wash, dry, fold, put away. Repeat the next day. I think I spend a minimum of 10 hours a week doing laundry for my family (fortunately, my husband does his own laundry. This is a huge blessing). While I’m able to complete other tasks while the washer and dryer are running, it’s still annoying to be in the middle of a task only to have to stop to attend to the laundry. Not to mention that I hate the whole laundry process. So I wondered what it would cost to have someone do my laundry for me.

I looked around and there are services that will wash and fold my clothes. Here’s the info on the                   cheapest company I found:  $1.25 a pound with a minimum of 10.  That’s just for your standard wash, dry, fold that is supposedly done according to my explicit directions. They claim to have no extra fees, including delivery. Let’s assume I have 25 pounds of laundry per week. That’s a minimum cost of $125 per month. However, they don’t say how long it would take to complete the service, and I have to schlep my clothes to the place and pick them up.

The verdict? Not worth it. I’m not really saving any time by having to drive back and forth to the place, it’s expensive compared to doing it myself and I’m basically a slave to their time frame.

Cleaning

I’ll admit it. I’m a terrible housekeeper. My house would never be deemed uninhabitable as I insist that beds are made, bathrooms are tidy and there are no dirty dishes all over the house. However, I’m lazy with dusting and vacuuming, my kitchen floors don’t gleam, toys are usually all over my living room and laundry is usually everywhere (see above about how I hate laundry). My husband and I do the best we can but my house never looks quite clean enough. I would love to have one of those houses that sparkle. But with me in charge, it’s not going to happen.

Enter a cleaning service. These are pros whose job it is to make my house sparkle in that commercial, TV show way. I did use a cleaning service last year, just prior to Thanksgiving, in order to get my house respectable enough to have company. That service cost $220 for 2 hours but I figured it was expensive due to the fact that it was an initial, deep cleaning. If I remember correctly, it was approximately $100 per week for regular home maintenance, based on the size of my house and what would need to be done.  Let’s say I have the service come 2 times per month. That’s roughly $200 and I would have to stay home (I have extreme paranoia issues and can’t stand when people I don’t know are left unattended in my home).

The verdict? It’s a possibility. I loathe cleaning and I’m not good at. Additionally, a cleaning service would free up time for me to work on my blog or other projects.

Food shopping

There is nothing that makes me more anxious than the thought of a supermarket on a Saturday or Sunday morning. The small aisles, the shopping cart collisions, the wrath at the deli counter, the agony at the register. It all makes me grimace with displeasure. Unfortunately, this is the one chore per week that I cannot put off (have I mentioned that I purposefully have 3 weeks of clothes and underwear so that I can go that long without doing laundry?). I’d send my husband but he loves supermarkets like I love MAC and I fear for our budget. So each week, armed with my budget, my list and my body armor, I trudge to the supermarket for what is the worst hour and half of my week. And every week that I’m there, I wish there was a way to avoid this horror.

I have learned that there is! Apparently, my grocery store has a service where I can order my food online and then a refrigerated truck will deliver the groceries right to my front door! This is fantastic! After the first delivery, which is free, there is a delivery charge which is based on the amount of food ordered (<$150 has one set of fees, >$150 has another) and the time frame in which the food is delivered. However, like the cable companies, your food has a delivery window and the delivery charge is based on the window you pick. Let’s say I pick the 4 hour delivery window. That would run me $3.95, for a total of $103.95 each week.

The verdict? I’d give it a try for free. Although I am freaked out by the thought of someone else handling my groceries, it might be worth it to avoid having the headache of food shopping. Besides, while I’m waiting, I can always do laundry or clean!

Do you outsource any household chores? What value do you get from it (besides time)?

 

Money Shuffle: Holiday Edition

by Jana 11 Comments

It’s been a while since we’ve played this game, so let’s dust it off the shelf and get ready for another round of Money Shuffle!

Yes, it’s everyone’s favorite game where I put my iPod on shuffle, write down the first 5 songs that come up and then give you a little money story related to the name of the song (not necessarily the subject matter). In the spirit of Christmas and Hanukkah, the stories in this edition of Money Shuffle will focus on holiday memories.

Let’s do this!

Song #1: You’re My Home by Billy Joel Much to my disappointment, my daughter has discovered Barbie. If you’re not privvy to Barbie, let me explain how expensive this little tramp actually is. The dolls run anywhere from $8-$25 a piece, The extra outfits will cost you between $20-$30. Then she has a car, a camper, pets, and all the accessories that go with that. And then there’s the house. Which is what my daughter wanted for Christmas this year. However, the house that Barbie lives in costs around $150. And it’s gigantic. I live in a relatively small house. There was no way a house that big and costs that much (which I’m assuming in a real people equivalent would be like $1M) was going under our tree. So For $44, I bought her Barbie’s vacation town house instead. Someone in our house needs to go on vacation.

Song #2: Looks That Kill by Motley Crue There is nothing more stressful than buying a holiday gift for someone you’ve just started dating. Way back in 1996, this happened to me. My then-boyfriend (now husband) had only  been dating for about 2 months when Hanukkah and Christmas showed up. Not knowing what to get him, I went with a very basic, standard gift–a sweater. He, knowing how much I like penguins, proceeded to get me the single ugliest thing I have ever seen. It was a penguin clock. And not a nice one, either. This was an evil looking penguin with the clock face on its stomach, set against what pretended to be a snowglobe. I’m pretty sure the look I gave him said it all.

Song #3: Alien Shore by Rush Being Jewish, I never had the pleasure of experiencing Christmas upclose and personal. Hanukkah really isn’t a big deal–say a prayer, light some candles, get a present. Repeat for 8 nights. But Christmas is a whole other event. The first time I went home with my husband for Christmas I felt like an intruder on another planet. My mother-in-law goes absolutely insane with decorating for Christmas. It’s quite unbelievable. I felt like I had walked into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory only with lights and wreaths and bows and nativity scenes and candles and a giant tree instead of candy. Then there was the food. On two different days. And the big production of opening gifts was nothing I had ever seen before. I was wide-eyed with amazement the entire time, much as I imagine I would be if say, I went to Mars.

Song #4: Face Down by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Disclaimer: The subject matter of this song is not funny and should not be taken lightly. I understand that and in no way does the following story intend to detract from the purpose of this song. This is a Thanksgiving story. A few years ago, when we first hosted Thanksgiving at our house, we realized that we did not have a large enough table to hold our families. So we called a rental place and placed an order for a long table and about 15 folding chairs. We set everything up in our living room, which was the only place we had room for it. Fortunately the living room is carpeted (this is an important fact). We go about eating our meal, everyone is laughing and having a good time. The next thing we knew, we heard a crash. Everyone went silent until we saw my mother-in-law, on the floor, laughing her ass off. Apparently, the chair had given out and collapsed underneath her. Once we realized she was OK, we all started laughing, too. This incident is now family legend.

Song #5: All I Need Is a Miracle by Mike and the Mechanics Every December 1, I fly into a panicked frenzy. Between birthdays, Hanukkah, Christmas, office parties, New Year’s, and other general end of the year craziness, I pretty much freak out that there’s no way I’m going to handle everything. I’m terrible at asking for help from anyone so I try to do as much as possible on as little sleep as necessary. This usually ends up poorly, with me being a tired, frazzled, stressed out mess who collapses on New Year’s Day. However, everything gets done on time and within the budgeted. Much like the oil that lasted 8 days in the lamp, I survive each December on some sort of miracle.

Thanks for playing!

 

 

The tale of the $100 paycheck

by Jana 22 Comments

This is the true story of my first real paycheck.

As a kid from Long Island, my summers were spent at camp. First day camp, then sleep-away camp (CPLV. Best. Camp. Ever), then one summer on a west coast/Canadian Rockies tour. By the time that all ended in 1993, my parents told me that the following summer I would not be allowed to return to camp (this made me sad. Many arguments ensued) and I had to find a job. So that summer, the summer of 1994, at the ripe old age of 17, I got my very first job. As counselor-in-training. At a camp.

It was a logical job. After all, I was an experienced camper and I had plenty of experience babysitting (I had been doing it since I was 12. Yup, back then, people left 12 year olds in charge of their children) so it made sense that I would get a job supervising children in an outdoor setting in the middle of summer. Rather, I would get a job assisting someone supervising children in an outdoor setting in the middle of summer. It was my sneaky way of still being able to go to camp but meeting my parents’ requirement of getting paid.

I was a smart one, too. Not only did I manage to luck out with having 6-year-old girls but I signed up to be a bus counselor as well (even though I was 17 and had my own car, I still chose to be a bus counselor. There was a reason). I know you’re wondering right about now “How on Earth are those two decisions smart?” I’ll explain. It’s a rather simple explanation that can be summed up in two words–more tips. Where I’m from, it’s protocol that parents tip their children’s counselors and CITs. Parents of 6-year-old girls know what a handful they are and people always tip the bus counselor. All of these equaled more money for me. Which I desperately needed because my pay? Was pitiful.

I know that you’re thinking that this sounded like the perfect summer job. It was outside, going swimming, doing arts and crafts, avoiding horses (I am terrified of horses) and I didn’t even have to pay for my own gas to get to work. What sounds better, right? Unfortunately, there was a downfall to this job. Besides the fact that the guy I had a huge crush on all summer did not like me back (this was the first time I realized that perhaps I should not have crushes on Jewish boys, much to my parents’ dismay), my paycheck, which I was set to receive only at the end of the summer was going to be a very paltry $100.

$100. For 8 weeks worth of work. I found this out at the interview and I still took the job on purpose. Reflecting back, I realize that this was insane. But in my completely illogical, 17-year-old head, it made sense. I didn’t want to waitress and the thought of working retail was not at all appealing. I was a camper, dammit! I was going to work in a camp no matter what. I was still going to earn money through tips and babysitting on the weekends. Also, I was very fortunate that I had no expenses beyond my hobbies. What did I need money for? So, I accepted the $100 with a smile on my face, satisfied that I had landed my very first real job. And you know what? The experience was worth every penny of that $100.

If you do the math, that summer I worked for approximately $.31 per hour. I’m sure that’s somehow unlawful. But the camp was able to get around any sort of law and that’s what they paid me. I do remember that I made about $300 in tips. When you think about the fact that I had 4 or 5 campers and there were about 7 kids on the bus, that equals roughly $25 per kid. OK. Maybe that’s pretty terrible, too. But at the end of the summer I had $400 and nothing to spend it on but CDs, books, and going out with friends. Not too shabby. Fine. It is shabby, but I was proud of it. Because I had not only applied for the job, but I interviewed and was offered the job all on my own.

Now, over 17 years later, I’m still proud of that job. I learned so much (in addition to figuring out that Jewish boys don’t like me) about myself, my capabilities and my work ethic. I learned how much sunscreen it takes not to get a sunburn. I learned that, no matter how hard I try, I will always be afraid of horses. I learned that people can go way overboard with their love of Stevie Nicks. I learned how to apply for a job, how to interview for a job, and how to accept a job. Most of all, I learned the satisfaction of getting a paycheck.

And that? Was worth all $100.

Reader response: Cooking for a small family with a picky eater

by Jana 4 Comments

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on how I try to combat rising prices at the grocery store. In that post, I got a comment from one of my awesome readers, Marci, asking for the name of a particular cookbook that I referenced. In the comment, she also mentioned that she is looking for healthy recipes to feed her family of 2 (her and her son). I emailed her, we chatted and she stated that she really is looking for tricks and tips to feed a small family with a picky eater who doesn’t really eat meat. I think I can help.

I love to cook. Now. What started out as a necessity has grown into something I really enjoy doing. It gets a bit complicated in my house because I don’t eat meat but my husband and daughter do (I do occasionally eat fish). My daughter is a good eater but there are things that she refuses to eat–fish, anything green, black beans (unless they’re in chili). There are some other foods she won’t eat but that changes with the tide. What she loves one day she hates the next. That’s fine though; I’ve figured out how to trick her. But I suppose that’s not really what Marci is interested in hearing.

To deal with a picky eater and a small family, here are some tactics that I use:

  • Cook once, eat twice. If a recipe is for 4-6 servings, make the whole recipe. Then freeze half and use that for another meal either later in the month or another month. This reduces cooking time overall and makes menu planning a lot easier. Some people advocate once a month cooking as well.
  • Prepare foods that freeze well. Erin Chase, the $5 Dinner Mom, has recipes for muffins and snacks that specifically say “freeze well”. Making these recipe means that not only will you have quick, easy, go-to snacks and meals on hand, but they won’t go bad for quite a while (just make sure you label the storage container with the date)
  • Invest in good storage containers and bags. If you buy a package from the grocery store of say, taco shells, you know you’re not going to use all 12 in one meal for 2 people. If you have good storage, you should be able to use them the following week without them going stale. Again, make sure you label the container or bags with the date the package was opened.
  • Use a package of food for more than one meal. It’s true that most packages come with servings that are for more than 2 people. It’s easy for the food to go to waste. To combat that, use the food in more than one meal. For instance, about 2 weeks ago, I found a great deal on wraps (keep in mind, I don’t use coupons). They were on sale for approximately $3 for a package of 16. I knew that for those 16 wraps, I could make pizza wraps, breakfast wraps, tortilla strips for corn and salsa soup, and my husband still has some left over for lunches. You can do this with pretty much any food you can think of.
  • Explore vegetarian cooking. Since Marci’s son does not like most meat but eats pasta and vegetables, it’s worth it to look into vegetarian cooking. There are tons of websites and cookbooks for recipes (allrecipes.com is my favorite), and vegetarian cooking does not have to include tofu. There are lots of kid friendly vegetarian recipes as well.
  • Institute the “no thank you” bite. There are times where I will make something that my daughter will look at and, before trying it, will say “I don’t like that” or “Ewwww” or some variation. So we have a no thank you bite rule. That means that before she says she doesn’t like a food or before she refuses to eat it, she has to try at least one bite. If she doesn’t like it after the one bite, then she doesn’t have to finish it. This encourages the picky eater to try new foods since he knows he has an out if he doesn’t like it!
  • Don’t buy in bulk. I know that a common strategy for saving money is to buy in bulk but for a small family, it might create more food and money waste than produce savings. If you do coupon, you can probably save more money by using the coupons and sales than buying in bulk.
  • Trick ’em with shapes. For a child like Marci’s who doesn’t like foods that are combined (as in a casserole), you can use a cookie cutter to cut the foods into different shapes. Your child may not like to eat a piece of lasagna but if it’s in the shape of an airplane, he may change his mind. Cookie cutters are pretty inexpensive (I bought mine for $.50) and work wonders on a picky eater.
  • Let the child help with menu planning and meal preparation. Since I’ve started including my daughter in my weekly menu planning and asking her to help make our meals, she’s been much more open to trying new foods. It gives her a sense of pride to know that she helped and she wants to try the (sometimes literal) fruits of her labor.
Do you have any tips for Marci? 

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