Recycling just makes sense. Making the effort may not be simple in a world of consumerism where most items are built to be replaced instead of repaired, but you too can recycle some common items into profitable pieces with a little ingenuity. Try these 6 ideas out at home to get started.
1. Skids. Recycling skids has become one of the favorite pastimes here on the farm. We have used plastic skids to make shelters for chickens, stray cats, and dogs. The sturdy construction means these houses hold up terrifically. We’ve also found that many skids are made from hardwoods. We took these hardwood skids apart, had the local Amish lumber mill plane them down, and made a nice floor for our storage room – all for the price of the planing service and a little varnish and sealer.
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While we are still contemplating whether owning a dog is financially feasible, another significant financial decision we are facing in the future is our transportation situation. My fiancé is planning on coming with me next baseball season. The problem with minor league baseball is…I have no idea where I am going to be. This is the biggest barrier to a number of things in our lives, and the transient life we will live is molding our financial decisions now and will continue to do so into the future.
Right now we both own cars, but how will we get them where we need them? Is shipping a car a good option? What about selling/buying? We will continue to explore our options in the coming months.
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With the rising cost of fresh produce, many consumers are looking for a cheaper way to eat healthy. But is growing your own food and canning really a frugal choice or is it a budget buster? Let’s take a look at a couple examples below (Prices current as of June 2012).
Organic Green Beans
Requirements to Can Your Own
- Organic Green Bean Seeds= $5.90 for 1 packet
- Fertilizer (Miracle Gro Quart Organic Choice All-Purpose Plant Food Concentrate) = $9.97
- Canning Jars (12 count, 16 ounces)= $9.38
- Replacement bands and lids= $4.29
- Pressure Canner (Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker from Amazon) = $79.59 plus shipping
Initial Can Your Own Investment= $105.20 plus tax and shipping for 192 ounces ($0.55 per ounce)
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My fiancé and I have been considering buying a dog for some time now. When my roommate’s fiancé came to the town we are playing baseball in, she brought their dog and this gave new life to the conversation. We could see the joy the dog brought them, but we could also see some of the difficulties involved in having a dog in such a transient time in our lives. We know the breed of dog we would like, but we haven’t decided if we want to move forward. This is a big decision and we know it shouldn’t be taken lightly. We determined there are a number of different costs we need to take into account when making this choice.
Initial Cost
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No more greasy burgers for you. No more frothy Frappucinos, hold the whip. No more fresh new duds just because you deserve it.
All great decisions, but you must also ask yourself, “how much am I really saving?”
Are you saving enough to pay off all your bills? Are you significantly reducing the strain on your wallet?
Probably not. Saving $10-15 a week will never make you rich. It will help to ease your burden a bit, but little else.
The Fact
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The end of a marriage is not only tragic, but it also leaves a number of logistical and financial problems in its wake. One of the issues that many separating couples may need to educate themselves about is how a divorce will change their tax burden. Here are four topics that might make the first year of tax-paying after divorce more complicated — and how to deal with them:
1. Filing as married or single depends on when you got divorced. You can continue to receive the tax benefit of filing jointly as a married couple only if you were still officially married for the entire tax year in question. For example, if you are in the process of a divorce that will be finalized in January of 2013, you and your spouse can still claim a married status on your taxes for 2012. If, on the other hand, your divorce is finalized in December 2012, then you will both have to file as single.
Filing as head of household is one possible way to avoid the marriage status conundrum and still save some money on April 15. In order to qualify for this status, you must file your return separately from your estranged spouse, you must have lived apart from your spouse for at least the last six months of the tax year, you must have paid over half of the cost of maintaining your primary residence, and you must be able to claim your child or children as your dependent.
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