There was a great article a few weeks ago in the New York Times about budgeting during these touch economic times, and I set it aside to comment on. I can related to the story about homeowners who find themselves buy large quantities of food because of a good price. We installed open shelves a few months ago and unearthed a good deal of food supplies...and discovered we have all sorts of dry goods that we'll never eat!
Tom and I both feel very, very lucky to have what we hope are stable jobs. We were even luckier to have found tenants earlier this year for our house. But now is the time for everyone, lucky or not, to take a step back and look a their home finances.
Recently we canceled our gym membership. I think this is the first time since my college days that I don't have a membership somewhere, but we found ourselves wasting it for months on end. I've been rationalizing that by not paying $110 or so a month, within three months we'll have saved enough for a Wii! On a more serious note, we're hoping to walk the dog more and get back into running, maybe buy some weights off of craigslist.
As for food shopping, we've seen the prices go up and quality go down at our local Shaws. We've been buying more items in bulk, where appropriate, at BJs. I got a big kick out of picking up a three-pack of Chai tea mix. It's the same stuff Starbucks is using to make my $3.78 Chai lattes, and I got at least 20 or so-worth for just $7. Now if only I could find bagels that Tom likes nearly as much as those at Dunkin Donuts!
Tom rediscovered the local butchershop, McKinnon's in Davis Square, where the prices and quality are outstanding. We're still participating in the meat CSA, but find for cold cuts and one-off items that we don't plan to freeze, McKinnon's is the way to go. We ended up dropping the vegetable CSA, feeling that we wasted more than we ate. We recently dropped by Wilson Farms in Lexington, and while the prices aren't complete bargains, the quality and selection is so much better than the supermarket, it's worth shopping selectively.
We sold my car last year and have survived 13 months on one car. This cut back on insurance, taxes and fuel costs significantly, and we were pleasantly surprised at how we dealt with the change. We plan our weekend errands much more carefully now, so I imagine we've cut back in a small way on one-off trips that waste time and gas.
What have you cut back on? What habits have you changed to save money/energy?
Monday, December 15, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Finally, a Christmas tree...
When Tom and I first moved in together, he spent an outrageous sum of money on a very beautiful Christmas tree, having grown up with fake ones for most of his life. After that first year, the novelty wore off, and he realized that having a real tree is a bit more work than he had anticipated.
The past two years, we haven't had xmas decorations, much less a tree. Two years ago I was traveling like crazy, and last year we were in between houses. I think maybe I had a wreath. So when I announced to Tom earlier this month that I fully intended to get a tree, let's say he was less than thrilled...
They're such a mess...
Where are we going to put it - we don't have room for our regular stuff...
It's two weeks 'til Christmas - why bother...
They're too expensive...
And so forth... But I dug in my heels. We compromised: I could get a tree, but he wanted nothing to do with it. Ha -- a familiar refrain to many wives (kind of like the dog he wanted, but I make sure she has food and gets baths on a regular basis...but I digress!) So off I went to Home Depot tonight, where decent trees can still be had for $29.
The chase was on, however, for the stand. I went down to our house in Plymouth after Thanksgiving and collected all of our holiday decorations. No stand to be found. I don't know what it is with these things -- I'm fairly certain that in the nearly 15 years that I've been living on my own, I've bought at least five or six of them. They mysteriously disappear every few years...no doubt still attached to a tree and thrown out in a fit of rage when they fail to unscrew.
Target: sold out. Kmart: cleared out. Home Depot: nada. Yikes -- I have a freshly cut tree and no stand! I'm about to run out to the 24-hour CVS in Porter Square when my mother-in-law calls me from the front door: wait! My sister-in-law may have an extra! Many, many thanks to Judy who dug through her basement and found a spare stand!
A little help from my father-in-law getting the tree upstairs and upright in the stand, and presto: Heather has her tree.
Take that, Tommy! ;)
The past two years, we haven't had xmas decorations, much less a tree. Two years ago I was traveling like crazy, and last year we were in between houses. I think maybe I had a wreath. So when I announced to Tom earlier this month that I fully intended to get a tree, let's say he was less than thrilled...
They're such a mess...
Where are we going to put it - we don't have room for our regular stuff...
It's two weeks 'til Christmas - why bother...
They're too expensive...
And so forth... But I dug in my heels. We compromised: I could get a tree, but he wanted nothing to do with it. Ha -- a familiar refrain to many wives (kind of like the dog he wanted, but I make sure she has food and gets baths on a regular basis...but I digress!) So off I went to Home Depot tonight, where decent trees can still be had for $29.
The chase was on, however, for the stand. I went down to our house in Plymouth after Thanksgiving and collected all of our holiday decorations. No stand to be found. I don't know what it is with these things -- I'm fairly certain that in the nearly 15 years that I've been living on my own, I've bought at least five or six of them. They mysteriously disappear every few years...no doubt still attached to a tree and thrown out in a fit of rage when they fail to unscrew.
Target: sold out. Kmart: cleared out. Home Depot: nada. Yikes -- I have a freshly cut tree and no stand! I'm about to run out to the 24-hour CVS in Porter Square when my mother-in-law calls me from the front door: wait! My sister-in-law may have an extra! Many, many thanks to Judy who dug through her basement and found a spare stand!
A little help from my father-in-law getting the tree upstairs and upright in the stand, and presto: Heather has her tree.
Take that, Tommy! ;)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
A very Aimee Christmas...
Tom and I have been ridiculously sick for the past week or so -- as in "missed my work's holiday party Saturday night" level of sick. And I can't remember the last time we were sick at the same time, so it's an added bonus to have two miserable people in the house. Needless to say, the dog has been camping out with Tom's parents for hours on end, only coming up to make sure we're alive when she wants to be fed.
A few months ago, I bought us tickets to an Aimee Mann concert at the Somerville Theater tonight for Tom's birthday -- he is a huge fan! We didn't read the fine print and were disappointed to learn a week or so ago that it's a Christmas concert, not a regular show. And by this week, feeling as lousy as we did, I can't say that either of us was mustering up a lot of enthusiasm. If the concert had been anywhere other than just over a mile away, we probably would have bagged it.
And we would have missed an awesome, very eclectic show!
For starters, the Somerville Theater in Davis Square is a wonderful place to see a show. Plenty of parking, cheap refreshments (as neither of us was up for a beer, we paid just $4 for a soda and tea!), and the theater portion of the building makes for a very intimate setting. To our delight, Aimee Mann is very down to earth, with a wonderful sense of humor and biting sarcasm (and occasional potty mouth!). The evening was emceed by a rising comedian, Todd Barry, from New York who has that really dry, laid-back personality that quickly had us in stitches. Mann was joined on stage by artists Juliana Hatfield (I can't believe she's 40 -- she looks about 20!) and Nellie McKay (wonderful, very different type of singer whom we had never heard of, but thoroughly enjoyed). Lots of funny, off-beat holiday songs, including a number by the preggo Hanukah Fairy, and a hillarious three-part film that spoofed The Christmas Carol and starred notable actors like John C Reilly and Michael Cera. I almost died laughing!
To Tom's neverending joy, about halfway through the show, Mann says, to hell with this -- not everyone likes Christmas songs, and proceeds with six or so of her own songs, including one or two from her latest album. What an incredible voice -- and as Tom pointed out, with so little perceptible effort!
The show ended up being a real treat! Happy birthday, honey!
A few months ago, I bought us tickets to an Aimee Mann concert at the Somerville Theater tonight for Tom's birthday -- he is a huge fan! We didn't read the fine print and were disappointed to learn a week or so ago that it's a Christmas concert, not a regular show. And by this week, feeling as lousy as we did, I can't say that either of us was mustering up a lot of enthusiasm. If the concert had been anywhere other than just over a mile away, we probably would have bagged it.
And we would have missed an awesome, very eclectic show!
For starters, the Somerville Theater in Davis Square is a wonderful place to see a show. Plenty of parking, cheap refreshments (as neither of us was up for a beer, we paid just $4 for a soda and tea!), and the theater portion of the building makes for a very intimate setting. To our delight, Aimee Mann is very down to earth, with a wonderful sense of humor and biting sarcasm (and occasional potty mouth!). The evening was emceed by a rising comedian, Todd Barry, from New York who has that really dry, laid-back personality that quickly had us in stitches. Mann was joined on stage by artists Juliana Hatfield (I can't believe she's 40 -- she looks about 20!) and Nellie McKay (wonderful, very different type of singer whom we had never heard of, but thoroughly enjoyed). Lots of funny, off-beat holiday songs, including a number by the preggo Hanukah Fairy, and a hillarious three-part film that spoofed The Christmas Carol and starred notable actors like John C Reilly and Michael Cera. I almost died laughing!
To Tom's neverending joy, about halfway through the show, Mann says, to hell with this -- not everyone likes Christmas songs, and proceeds with six or so of her own songs, including one or two from her latest album. What an incredible voice -- and as Tom pointed out, with so little perceptible effort!
The show ended up being a real treat! Happy birthday, honey!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Happy Larry Bird to Tom!
He's sick as a dog and has a final tonight, but be sure to wish Tom a happy 33rd birthday!
Friday, December 5, 2008
A well-tended bookshelf
I recent read a great and timely article in the NYT about managing a ever-expanding collection of books -- it made me laugh about my own problem! Anyone who has visited my home will tell you that I have books everywhere -- I convinced Tom to install floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in a particular useless corner of our living room; I have a basket of "to read" books in our bedroom; our home in Plymouth has at least 3 different sets of bookshelves throughout. To say nothing of the collection I left behind at my parents' house and have yet to ransom out.
Although not quite as bad as I am, Tom is an avid reader himself. We have pretty much every Stephen King and Henry Rollins, and he's building an impressive collection of both cookbooks and books about cooking.
Through our many moves, I've been whittling down the collection. Those that I read and didn't care for usually go to the local library or the MIT Furniture Exchange. A pretty significant stash is still down in Plymouth -- old textbooks from grad school classes, a random assortment on the top shelves that I didn't get to sorting.
I love looking at my collection, although I only just started re-reading some recently -- "From Beruit to Jerusalem" seems particularly relevant these days. I have an adversion to lending out anything other than those I disliked -- have you ever noticed how the favorite book you lent to a good friend never seems to get returned?
And yet I buy more! When I traveled out to the West Coast a lot, I had at least a half dozen independent bookstores I liked to visit and especially peruse the discount sections. There's nothing I like more than finding a book I wanted to read marked down to mere dollars! Tom keeps telling me I need to get a library card -- the Somerville Library is a reasonable walk from the house and probably a lot less expensive. But then I recently rediscovered one of my favorite places as a child: the New England Mobile Bookfair in Newton. Oh my lord - book heaven!
How do you manage your collection?
Although not quite as bad as I am, Tom is an avid reader himself. We have pretty much every Stephen King and Henry Rollins, and he's building an impressive collection of both cookbooks and books about cooking.
Through our many moves, I've been whittling down the collection. Those that I read and didn't care for usually go to the local library or the MIT Furniture Exchange. A pretty significant stash is still down in Plymouth -- old textbooks from grad school classes, a random assortment on the top shelves that I didn't get to sorting.
I love looking at my collection, although I only just started re-reading some recently -- "From Beruit to Jerusalem" seems particularly relevant these days. I have an adversion to lending out anything other than those I disliked -- have you ever noticed how the favorite book you lent to a good friend never seems to get returned?
And yet I buy more! When I traveled out to the West Coast a lot, I had at least a half dozen independent bookstores I liked to visit and especially peruse the discount sections. There's nothing I like more than finding a book I wanted to read marked down to mere dollars! Tom keeps telling me I need to get a library card -- the Somerville Library is a reasonable walk from the house and probably a lot less expensive. But then I recently rediscovered one of my favorite places as a child: the New England Mobile Bookfair in Newton. Oh my lord - book heaven!
How do you manage your collection?
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