Almost Frugal » Etc

Bastille Day

Kelly — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:13:58 +0000

It’s Bastille Day here in France, so we’re taking the day off! Enjoy your Wednesday!

Bastille Day by Kelly | Permalink | No comments

Please Welcome Kyle!

Kelly — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:02:16 +0000

Please welcome Kyle, from Rather-Be-Shopping.com. He’ll be writing a weekly feature on frugality- featuring links to lots of online coupons as well! I’m delighted that he’s joining the Almost Frugal team, as I’ve been a big fan of his over the years, especially his posts on BeingFrugal. Kyle will be posting on Fridays, beginning next Friday, June 4.

A little about Kyle:

I live in northern California with my wife and 3 young kids. I own and operate a website called Rather-Be-Shopping.com which specializes in online coupons to over 550 stores, organized in 24 shopping categories. I also have a blog where I write about frugal living, tips on saving money, and other musings about family life.

I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com way back in 2001. I was doing my Christmas shopping online in 2000, and I saw a box that said, “Enter Your Coupon Code Here”, I had never heard of a coupon code before, so I did some research on putting together a site that would categorize these coupons and the idea was born! I started out doing it part-time, and as my site grew in popularity, I realized that I might be able to make a go of it full-time. So in 2003 I switched over to full-time and haven’t looked back. Then in 2007 I started the Rather-Be-Shopping.com blog and it gave me a great outlet for my creativity. I do blog about coupons from time to time, but I mainly write about frugal living and making your money go as far as possible in everyday life.

Welcome!

Please Welcome Kyle! by Kelly | Permalink | 5 comments

Why I’m Almost Frugal

Beth — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:00:07 +0000

First of all, I want to thank everyone for making me feel welcome here at Almost Frugal. I’m really enjoying being part of such a great, supportive community.

I realize that I haven’t properly introduced myself and how I fit into the AF picture, so I’ll give you a little background. I come from a solid middle-class family, although we were definitely on the lower end of the scale when I was younger. We always made do with what we had and my parents made a good life for themselves thanks in large part to a strong work ethic.

Fast forward to high school. We moved around a lot with my father’s job, and just before I started ninth grade we moved to a wealthy suburb of our capital city. The kids I hung around with wore name-brand clothes, drove nice cars, and lived in huge, newer houses. Most importantly, they spent money as a way to pass the time. I wasn’t really happy in this environment, but it took me a long time to understand why, years of working part-time jobs after school to try and pay for outfits from the Gap and dinners out with friends.

I was lucky enough to figure out that what I was missing was something real–not something that could be bought–and to find friends who felt the same way. Part of that was just growing up, getting out of the high school mentality, and part of it was discovering that appreciating simple things was key to living a simple life. Which doesn’t mean that I don’t love window (and catalogue, and online) shopping as much as the next person–just that for me, I get as much or more pleasure from looking as I do from buying.

I’m lucky to have a husband who is even less materialistic than I am, and we have a very common sense approach to our finances. With the exception of our apartment, we don’t own anything that we didn’t have the money in the bank to buy outright. Although I have a small salary we usually manage to save a bit every month. So what makes me ‘almost’ frugal? My biggest challenge is fighting the battle of the “stuff” (especially in a teeny-tiny home) and learning to be very deliberate about what I spend my money on. I also tend to spend too much money on both food and small-purchase items.

I think another of my financial flaws is being too conservative. I don’t like taking risks in any way, especially with money, and I need to think more creatively about income. The fact is that although I enjoy my job, it involves lots of hours of work for very little return, which is not helping us to try and build up our retirement savings, of which we have next to none.

So that’s a bit about me. I look forward to sharing more with you on our frugal journey!

Why I’m Almost Frugal by Beth | Permalink | 5 comments

Survey Shows Financial Press and Bloggers are Key Investor Influencers

Kelly — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:58:53 +0000

Sharebuilder and ING Direct recently published a survey on the investor sentiment of younger and older Americans. There were some interesting statistics that I thought I would share with you.

Forty-three percent (43 percent) of those 21 to 39 years old plan to invest more in 2010 compared to 33 percent of those 40 to 65 years old
Almost half (49 percent) of those 40 – 65 have reduced or eliminated their reliance on financial professionals
Almost half (48 percent) of younger investors think they need more than $500 to start investing, compared to 56 percent of older investors
Almost one-third (30 percent) of the younger group say their parents had the biggest influence in getting them started investing

From the press release:

ShareBuilder from ING DIRECT USA announced today the results of a first-of-its-kind comprehensive survey that measured investor sentiment by age groups. After a decade of economic challenges and a rollercoaster stock market, the survey reveals how younger and older investors uniquely perceive market opportunities in 2010 and how their investment habits differ. Overall, the survey found investors of all ages have not been beaten down by poor portfolio performances or negative news about the stock market. Instead, they are highly optimistic with plans to invest more this year than last, expecting higher returns in 2010 and taking a more hands-on approach to their investment decisions.

For a press release, it’s actually an interesting read!

Survey Shows Financial Press and Bloggers are Key Investor Influencers by Kelly | Permalink | One comment

Three New Frugal Voices

Kelly — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:00:53 +0000

I’m pleased to officially present three new frugal voices on Almost Frugal.

While Almost Frugal started out as the story of one woman’s journey towards frugality (me), it is now a group blog as I wanted to take the opportunity to bring some new and different voices onboard.

I asked Beth, Emily and Nicole to help write for Almost Frugal because I feel like we all have things in common (living abroad, small kids, entrepreneurship, the immigrant experience, Frenchness), yet we all have different things to contribute as well.

Almost Frugal now brings together the voices of four women as we talk about frugality, our relationships with money, trying to feed our family for less, still living the good life and so much more. For us, being frugal doesn’t mean deprivation, it means being smart with your spending, saving and money goals.

I was incredibly lucky that these three talented women agreed to write for Almost Frugal. Here they are!

Beth: the only one of the three who I know in real life, Beth lives close to me and is also American. Our kids are close in age, and we first bonded over kid stuff, but she’s much more financially put together than I am! She will be writing on Wednesdays.

From Beth’s about page:

By day I’m Mrs. Gourbiere, teacher of English in an international school. By night, I’m just Beth– wife, mama to two amazing girls, and aspiring writer. In France for the past five years, I’m still mastering the art of the French language, although I’ve definitely become a better cook!

I don’t know much about personal finance (I think it involves math?) but I believe in living simply and within my means. I enjoy the occasional splurge as much as the next person, but I don’t think having more stuff makes you happier. I’m also a planner, so I tend to think more long-term than day-to-day, and I like finding creative ways of using what I already have.

Nicole- a long time Almost Frugal reader, who also has her own blog (home to Too Cute Tuesdays) but more importantly her own communication consulting business. She will be writing on Thursdays.

From Nicole’s about page:

My name is Nicole Ouellette and I’m a contributor at Almost Frugal. I am a 28 year old single woman living in rural Maine, tucked in the northeast corner of the United States. I am the owner of my own business, Breaking Even Communications, which helps small businesses and non-profits market themselves online. Being a one woman operation and in year two of full time small business ownership, I am in frugal mode on all fronts. A lot of my life is DIY, listening to good advice, and realizing when I can’t go it alone.

In addition to my business and blogging, I love the outdoors and living in Maine allows me to hike, bike, ski, and otherwise recreate in the great outdoors. I also love lemons, dogs with short legs, good design, French things, travel, and social media websites. I am known for telling good stories, knowing the lyrics of even the most obscure songs, and putting people at ease. I live by the motto that it makes a great story, you should do it.

Before changing to a business and marketing focus, my own blog Breaking Even was a personal finance blog. I’ve been reading Almost Frugal since the beginning and it’s exciting to be contributing, and to hear more from the people who read it.

Emily- another long time Almost Frugal reader. Emily has her own blog Mumblings from Troy, Ohio. She homeschools her little boy and owns an international pizza franchise with her husband. She will be writing on Tuesdays.

From Emily’s about page:

Age: 35

Gender: Female

Astrological Sign: Capricorn

Zodiac Year: Tiger

Occupation: Jill of all trades

Location: Troy : Ohio : United States

Personal Blog: Mumblings from Troy, Ohio

About Me

Bible-thumping, 30-something, happily married, infertile (or so I thought!), overweight, eccentric, opinionated, survivor of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and foreclosure, self-proclaimed frugalista, and mother of a spunky, devastatingly handsome homeschooling 1st grader with the attention span of the proverbial fruit fly, and a little girl angel who waits for me in Jesus’ arms.

Interests

Balance

between being a SAHM and wife of a small business owner. I’m a frugalista

so anything that has to do with saving money. I love to cook

concentrating on healthy

cheap meals that can be frozen. Also reading

music

long baths

and reality shows.

Almost Frugal is still, most of all, a community. Because learning about frugality is easier when you are with friends, join us as we journey towards frugality together, sharing tips, tricks and support along the way.

Welcome!

Three New Frugal Voices by Kelly | Permalink | 2 comments

A Frugal Poem

Kelly — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:03:50 +0000

For Our Anniversary

Now that the flowers have dried and withered,
I will tell you that they were a re-wrapped
bouquet—severely discounted—
which allowed me to purchase
those two salmon fillets I glazed
with a bottle of maple dressing,
the crab cakes I served with a spoonful
of spicy mustard from the housewarming sampler
your mother had gifted us,
the package of pre-mixed chocolate chunk
cookie dough I baked from scratch,
and from a fundraising ballet troupe,
that banana nut votive candle
which lasted just the one night.

“For Our Anniversary” by Jason Tandon, from Give Over the Heckler and Everyone Gets Hurt. © Black Lawrence Press, 2009.

A Frugal Poem by Kelly | Permalink | 2 comments

New Years, Goals & Resolutions

Kelly — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:55:14 +0000

Happy New Year Everyone! Or rather, happy last day of 2009.

2009 has been an exciting year for us. I finished my first year of graduate school, we bought a new car, we moved, I started a new job, my oldest son started first grade. Lots of cool stuff. There’s been some sad stuff too: our new apartment was broken into and my oldest cat died. Luckily there have been many more ups than downs, for which I’m very thankful!

2009 also marks the second year of Almost Frugal, which I began on December 27, 2007. In that time, about 1800 readers have subscribed by RSS and email, I have published 554 posts, people have left 5,067 comments and I did one blog redesign (with more blue and some nice red accents).

January 3, 2010 will mark the 10th anniversary of when I first set foot on French soil. As I only planned to be here five months, I’m a bit flabbergasted to have never left (except for vacations home and so on). I’m still not sure how long I will stay here, although I do know that when I do leave, it will be with a lot more luggage than when I arrived… three children, three cats and a French husband tend to do that to you!

My resolutions for 2009 were a mixed bag, in terms of success.

In periods of low stress, my hands looked nice… in stressful times, not so much!
I was about half way through an ‘If I Drop Dead’ file… then my computer got stolen. (Lessen to self- all new documents get saved remotely!)
We mostly failed at the financial resolutions as well; we took on new debt in 2009 (both consumer and car loan), but we paid off one car loan and a bunch of other consumer debt.
I saved the €1000 emergency fund several times… then it got spent on emergencies, several more times!
I did start giving my kids an allowance, somewhat irregularly.
I didn’t quite reach my Almost Frugal goals, but that doesn’t really matter, either; writing Almost Frugal and connecting with other people thanks to this blog has been a blast!

I’m setting three resolutions for 2010.

To make, and stick to a zero balanced budget, one in which every penny earned is a penny accounted for and which also includes a plan for savings.
To give something, in some way, every week. (More on that on Monday.)
To try and keep my stress from affecting my personal life. I think I’ve mastered not chewing on my fingers (!) when stressed, now I just need to stop letting it affect how I interact with my family. This is going to be a challenge, especially as I write my thesis!

To all my friends, both new and old, from the internet and in real life- thank you for being a part of my life in 2009, and here’s to a wonderful and challenging 2010!

What are your resolutions for 2010?

New Years, Goals & Resolutions by Kelly | Permalink | 4 comments

Showing Your Face to the World

Kelly — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:11:26 +0000

How do you think of yourself? How do you want others to think of you? How do you think others really think of you? And what kind of behavior would it take on your part to make the three coherent?

For example, there is still a flaky 17 year old somewhere inside of me. I have a hard time feeling (almost) thirty-five sometimes because to me, being thirty-five denotes responsibility and grown-upness. But others think of me as grown-up and responsible, a ‘Get Things Done’ kind of person, because in fact, I am in part a boring, ‘Get Things Done’ kind of person.

Another example: I feel like I’m bad with money. That should come as no surprise to you- it’s why I started writing Almost Frugal! But on the other hand, people think of me as being frugal, again, because of Almost Frugal. So what kind of behavior would it take to bring the two ideas together? Well, a bit more saving and a bit less spending, a whole lot more budgeting and maybe a bit of the envelope system tossed in for good measure. You know- the oldies but goodies.

The other day, I did a presentation for a local association of job seekers on how to effectively control your online presence. In other words, when a potential employer does a Google search for your name, what do they find? One of the things I mentioned as helping people to control their message, and thus how others think of or perceive them, was to use the same photo everywhere. Then I showed this picture:

Yeah, that’s me all right. It’s what you’ll find on my Twitter page, my personal Facebook page, my website, my LinkedIn profile and so on and so forth. Basically, every place that I am online, you’ll find that picture.

But what does it say about me? Certainly not the image that I want to project: that I am an interesting, smart, confident qualified person, who’s full of life and good stories. No, this picture is more the flaky seventeen year-old who needed a picture for her resume.

So when I had the opportunity to have some professional pictures taken at a fabulous price (€20) as part of my networking organization, I jumped at the chance. And got this one, to boot:

Better, non?*

Now as to the last question at the beginning of the post: “what kind of behavior would it take on your part to make the three coherent?“, well, I don’t think a picture is worth a thousand words. But I do think it is worth trying to figure out (best done with friends and a nice bottle of wine), how well the way you feel inside matches the image you project to others. And once you’ve figured that out, try and figure out what you need to do to make the two match up better.

That’s a story for another post, however!

* There is another, more traditional version of a head shot, on my About page.

Your turn:

How do you think of yourself?
How do you want others to think of you?
How do you think others really think of you?
And what kind of behavior would it take on your part to make the three coherent?

Showing Your Face to the World by Kelly | Permalink | 5 comments

Coming Out the Other Side

Kelly — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:15:52 +0000

We’ve moved- it’s official! And I love my new apartment- it’s so big and filled with sunlight! The kids are happy too and so is the hubby… it’s just the cats who are out of sorts, and expressing it as only cats do best! I’ll let you imagine the details.

We managed to move pretty frugally, even though it felt like we spent an arm and a leg. Between the help of our friends and family, not having to rent a truck, and refurbishing some old furniture for new purposes, I think we did pretty well. Not to mention the glories of Ikea’s ‘As-Is’ department! I’ll write more about the specifics of moving on a budget later.

We still don’t have internet, or a phone, so i don’t have a lot of time to write, but I did want to let you know that we are all alive and well… and moved!

Coming Out the Other Side by Kelly | Permalink | 7 comments

Carnival of Pecuniary Delights

Kelly — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:00:52 +0000

Welcome to the 23rd edition of the Carnival of Pecuniary Delights! I’m delighted to be hosting (again).

From the carnival’s about page:

The Carnival of Pecuniary Delights is a weekly carnival which travels from one blog to another. The purpose of this carnival is to showcase quality articles that may have lapsed into obscurity within the dusty archives of a blog but deserve another day in the limelight.

Unlike other existing personal finance blog carnivals, the Carnival of Pecuniary Delights has no limitation on the age of posts submitted. However, its requirements for quality are more stringent and hosts are asked to be more discerning in their selection of articles to feature.

We had a lot of great submissions. I prefer to choose older posts in order to respect the philosophy of the carnival and to be able to really highlight posts that might otherwise be lost to the archives, although I have included a few good posts that were published this week. With that said, and no further ado (and with a few favorite pictures of French landscapes, just because!)…

Editor’s Picks

DR from DoughRoller presents How to Stop Printer Ink Cartridges from Smearing Your Budget.
Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents presents How to File Complaint Against Your Financial Advisor.
The Smarter Wallet from The Smarter Wallet presents How To Build Good Credit and Clean Up Bad Credit.

The Rest of the Best

Banker Saver from Banker, Saver presents Are You FDIC Insured? Make Sure Your Money Is Safe.
J. Money from Budgets Are Sexy presents Confessions of a Starbucks Barista?.
Silicon Valley Blogger from The Digerati Life presents Find The Best Web Host For Your Online Business.
FMF from Free Money Finance presents My Jobs, An Interesting Transition.
Matt Jabs from Debt Free Adventure presents The Debt Steamroller – I WILL FIGHT to reach my goals!.
MattB from Financial Methods presents Insurance For Your Fantasy Sports Players…Really?.
Madison from Kids and Money presents Games for Kids About Money.
PT from PT Money presents Roth IRA Rules.
Miss Thrifty from Miss Thrifty presents Cleaning Silver: This one’s a beauty.
Viviana from The Lean Times presents Financial Advice to My 20′s Self.

If you’re interested in participating in next week’s edition of the carnival, to be hosted by Pecuniarities, then please submit your articles here.

Carnival of Pecuniary Delights by Kelly | Permalink | 3 comments