Persistent frugality

So what got me thinking about persistence and frugality was a tube of moisturizer. I use a moisturizer recommended by my dermatologist called DML Forte. (Yes, that's really what it's called.) At $12.99 for four ounces at the medical building pharmacy, it's more expensive than most over the counter moisturizers, but it's worth every penny because it's the only thing that keeps my rosacea in check.

It comes in a rather hard, not very pliable tube, which makes it extremely difficult to push the dregs out (the way you can with toothpaste, for example). Last night, I was hitting the open tube into my palm to use gravity to force the last of the moisturizer out. After a couple of small dollops flew out, I was ready to give up, throw the tube out, and open up a new one. But then I thought about the cost per ounce and kept pounding.

But I wondered:

How hard do most people work to get the last of something out of a container?

How many people actually think about the pennies they're saving as they scrape the bottom of a jar or squish a tube?

And is the manufacturer counting on people not being able to get the last half-ounce of moisturizer out, thereby maximizing their profits?

I have to admit that I'll work hard to get the very last of something that's not perishable, but when it comes to food, I rarely scrape a jar until it's totally empty - I can't help but feel that the residue just isn't fresh!

What about you?

The 29-Day Giving Challenge: Day 26

Today was Day 26 of my 29-Day Giving Challenge. Today was really easy, since it's Mother's Day. In addition to the flowers for both our moms that I ordered the other day, we gave my mother-in-law Madonna's new CD.

Happy Mother's Day!

For most new(ish) mothers I know, the best gift is a little "me" time, so dads, if you can take the kids out for a little while today, do it!

I think today will be a pretty average Sunday for us, but I will spend it thinking about how amazing it is to have two little boys running around when I once spent Mother's Day in tears, afraid that I would never be a mother. This was a few years ago, after my second miscarriage.

To anyone out there who is longing for a baby, my heart goes out to you. I hope you can get through today by focusing on your own mother instead of what should be.

This Week in CFO History: Using a mei tai, potty training, nutrition tips, and two recipes

Back in 2007, I gave an update on using my mei tai (hint: I loved them so much that I ended up with three), shared some potty training tips, and relayed some tips from a nutritionist I had seen.

In 2006, my morning sickness abated enough for me to cook a little. I made Creme Brulee French Toast for Mother's Day, and shared a recipe for cooked apples that Alex liked a lot.

How I've been faring in the Drugstore Game

I haven't wanted to clutter CFO with the details of my drugstore transactions, but I've been writing quite a bit about it over at CFO Reviews. Ever since I crunched the numbers and confirmed that I'm saving money by playing The Drugstore Game, I've been determined to save even more. I know it's possible - I read about it all the time.

You can read about my recent plays in the Drugstore Game at CFO Reviews by clicking on the label, DRUGSTORE GAME.

The 29-Day Giving Challenge: Day 25

Today was Day 25 of my 29-Day Giving Challenge. I donated some food to the Stamp Out Hunger food drive, including $10 worth of food that I got for free at Walgreens by playing The Drugstore Game.

I can't believe there are only four more days left in the challenge!

This Week's Carnivals

CFO participated in two carnivals this week. Please visit them and check out the great articles!

The Carnival of Taxes #36 is up at Don't Mess With Taxes.

And the Make It From Scratch Carnival #62 is at Creatively Me!

The 29-Day Giving Challenge: Day 24

Today was Day 24 of my 29-Day Giving Challenge. I donated money to World Hope International to support their disaster relief efforts in Myanmar. I chose World Hope because I have donated to their microfinance program in the past.

Don't forget that tomorrow is Stamp Out Hunger Day and that your mail carrier will be picking up donations for local food banks when s/he comes to deliver your mail!

Review: Kaboost Portable Chair Booster

The folks over at Kaboost were kind enough to send me one of their chair boosters to review. The concept is simple: Put a chair's legs into a four-pronged booster so a little kid can sit at the table at the right height.

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, we took the opportunity to move Alex out of his booster seat and into a regular dining chair outfitted with the Kaboost. Set up was amazingly easy and took only a minute or two.

We've been loving our Kaboost ever since we got it. Especially Alex. The slogan, "Little kids sit like big kids," really applies to him. He especially likes being able to slide out of the chair since there's nothing tying him down. This is good and bad, of course. Tyler seems to be jealous of this aspect, but there's no way I'm letting him loose just yet.

If I have one complaint about the Kaboost, it's that it's difficult to slide in and out from under the table. But of course, this is also a good thing in that it's an important safety feature. Alex can't push his chair around by pushing on the dining table, nor will he topple over because the chairs legs slid out.

I would highly recommend the Kaboost to anyone who wants to keep from scratching their dining chairs up with a booster, or whose kid is ready to get out of a booster. Even if you are hesitant to give your child the freedom to climb off the chair at home, you might want to consider one for the grandparents' house, where protecting the furniture might be a bigger concern. The Kaboost is also easily portable and actually comes with a handy travel bag.

Check out this video to see what the Kaboost looks like in action:

Stamp Out Hunger on Saturday

Each year, the United States Postal Service holds a food drive to collect donations for local food banks. The event is called Stamp Out Hunger and it's one of my favorite charity events because it's so easy to participate. All you have to do is leave a bag(s) of nonperishable grocery items next to your mailbox. (They ask that you not include items that are expired or in glass containers.)

This is an excellent time to go through your pantry and clear out the things you won't use before they expire. Participation is more important than ever this year as food banks are feeling the effects of a down economy.

Thanks to Gina at Mommy Making Money for reminding me about the food drive!

The 29-Day Giving Challenge: Day 23

Today was Day 23 of my 29-Day Giving Challenge. I sent a small gift to a friend today, hopefully it will brighten her day!

One recall today: Munchkin bottle warmer

If you think you have the following item(s), click through to the CPSC press release for more details:

Baby Bottle and Food Warmers Recalled by Munchkin Due to Fire Hazard


As always, I highly recommend signing up for recall notifications by email at the CPSC web site.

We've paid off the car - now what?

As I mentioned yesterday, we were able to pay off our car loan less than two months after we bought the car. One reason we were able to achieve this is because we were setting a substantial amount aside in savings each month specifically for the car purchase. But now that the car is paid off, I thought I'd mention some of our other financial goals and how we're going to get there.

The first thing we are going to do is continue saving for a new car. That might sound strange, considering that we just bought one. But we've decided that we never want to take out a car loan again. Every car we buy from now on will be paid for with cash. Our next car purchase should be in about five years, and we'll probably spend about the same amount of money. Saving $325 per month for the next five years will give us $19,500 plus interest. We should be able to pay the remaining cost of the car with the trade-in value of our current car and additional savings. I'm not contributing more to the car fund because . . .

I am also significantly increasing the extra amount that we pay on my student loans each month. At this rate, my loans should be completely paid off in less than two years.

Finally, I am increasing the amount we put into "regular" savings each month. In addition to what I have budgeted, I'll be snowflaking all extra income into our savings. This savings is money that will pay for our vacation in Las Vegas in the fall (we're going for a relative's wedding), as well as any other unexpected expenses that arise. Once we've saved a substantial amount, I'll use the money to make a large principal payment on my student loans, and then we'll start over with the savings. (Note: This isn't our emergency fund, which will remain untouched.) While I could put this money toward my student loans to begin with, I like having the extra cushion in my savings account. (Especially since we have talked about installing a new air conditioning system, which would run about $3500.)

Once my student loans are gone, we'll be debt-free except for our mortgage. I'm really looking forward to celebrating that milestone!

Free Iced Coffee Day at Dunkin' Donuts - May 15

Next Thursday is Free Iced Coffee Day at Dunkin' Donuts. Unfortunately, there isn't a single Dunkin' Donuts location near my home or office. Believe me, I checked their store locator to be sure. Bummer!

But, for those of you who are lucky enough to be able to swing by a Dunkin' Donuts, you should know that you can pop in between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. on May 15 and choose between the regular or Berry Berry flavors. Be prepared for a line, though - they're expecting to give away more than four million iced coffees! For more information, visit www.MyIcedCoffee.com.

Finally, here's some Free Iced Coffee Day trivia:

• Dunkin' Donuts will use more than 88 million ice cubes on Free Iced Coffee Day, and will pour approximately 31,250 gallons of cream.
• You could fill seven Olympic-size swimming pools with the amount of coffee that will be used on Free Iced Coffee Day.
• If you lined up each cup of iced coffee served on Free Iced Coffee Day lid-to-lid, the line would stretch for more than 236 miles.
• If you stacked up each cup of iced coffee served on Free Iced Coffee Day, it would reach nearly 300 miles into the sky, the vantage point of a typical space shuttle orbit.
• Dunkin' Donuts is partnering with the nonprofit National Police Athletic League, which supports underprivileged youth. Dunkin' Donuts will donate $80,000, broken up in increments of $5,000 over 16 individual markets, to help fund National PAL's Youth Leadership Program.

The 29-Day Giving Challenge: Day 22

Today was Day 22 of my 29-Day Giving Challenge. I sent ecards to the women in my moms group for Mother's Day to let them know how much I value their friendship. We all have three-year-olds, and met at a breastfeeding support group in the first six months of our children's lives. Even though we no longer get together weekly, we gather together a few times a year and it's always such a wonderful, warm event. We also keep in regular contact via email, sharing anecdotes, photos and parenting advice. I know I'm very lucky to have these women in my life, and I just wanted to make sure they know that!

Our car loan is officially paid off - in less than two months!

I am thrilled to report that our car loan is officially paid off. We took out the loan in the middle of March, so we've paid it off in less than two months!

How did we do it? The most important thing we did was buy a car that we could easily afford. We also negotiated a great price. And, we saved up for the purchase. All of this meant that the loan wasn't a very big loan. And it helped to have good credit, so that we could get a loan with a great rate.

As for paying off the loan itself, we basically snowflaked all available funds toward the loan. The funds included the amount we had been saving monthly for the car purchase, the amount that I normally would have transferred into our savings account, our tax refund, our tax rebate, and some additional small amounts of income that trickled in during the last two months.

Considering we took 4 1/2 years to pay off our last car loan, I'm extremely pleased that we were pretty much able to meet my 2008 financial goal of paying cash for a new car.

What's our next financial goal? Stay tuned . . . I'll share that with you soon.

Updated Potty Reviews

About a year ago, I reviewed the Fisher-Price Royal Potty and the Fisher-Price Royal Potty Step Stool. At the time, I liked both potties quite a bit. But since then, we have disposed of the original Royal Potty after realizing that the shield didn't work that well and urine frequently leaked out onto the floor (note: this probably wouldn't be a problem with a girl).

In the last year, the Royal Potty Step Stool has worked well. Urine doesn't leak out of this version, and it's fairly easy to clean. You can also use it as a step stool for boys when they pee in the toilet while standing up. One caveat: we found that the fanfare function never worked right (and didn't make much difference to Alex) so we simply turned it off.

The second potty in our house now is the Safety 1st Comfy Cushy 3-in-1 Potty. My chief complaint about the Safety 1st potty is the lid that comes with it. It looks from the picture like they might have altered it a little so the lid is flatter, but the lid that came with the one we have has deep sides. A child can't lean back on it, and it nearly doubles the potty's footprint when it's up. Our solution to the problems created by the lid was simply to remove it. Removing the lid does eliminate the option of using the potty as a step stool, but we keep a small IKEA stool in our bathroom for Alex to stand on when he pees.

The Safety 1st stool has a rubber ring to sit on, which is fairly easy to clean and seems comfortable to sit on. However, the ring will discolor and crack if not thoroughly dried before being replaced on the potty. The potty bucket is easy to remove and clean.

Overall, the Fisher-Price Royal Potty Step Stool and Safety 1st Comfy Cushy 3-in-1 Potty have served our needs well. However, I can't help but wonder if we could have chosen better. If you have used a potty that you (and your child) absolutely loved, please let me know in the comments!

The 29-Day Giving Challenge: Day 21

Today was Day 21 of my 29-Day Giving Challenge. I donated a box of toys to the boys' daycare today. (Yes! I actually remembered to take them out of the trunk!)

I also ordered Mother's Day gifts for both my own mother and my mother-in-law. Does that count? ;)

Review: Alive and Kicking

A few months ago, I was asked to review a book called Alive and Kicking. Its tag line is "Legal advice ... for Boomers!" and indeed, it's full of legal advice for people who are retired or approaching retirement. But I actually think the tag line is a little misleading, because the book is also full of practical "life" advice such as how to talk to your family members, avoiding/dealing with elder abuse, and how to find a nursing home.

I really enjoyed the book, but as an attorney, I like citations and sources. And I felt that was lacking in this book. In fact, it's my one criticism. I wish the authors had done one or both of the following: (1) presented an intro detailing their experience and expertise, so that I understand why I should believe and trust them; or (2) annotated their assertions with footnotes and sources. There are rather brief bios of the authors at the very end of the book, but, while impressive, they don't really bolster their authority to the degree that it needed bolstering.

But, let's be clear: I don't have any reason to doubt the recommendations in this book. In fact, from what little I remember of Wills and Trusts in law school, the advice in this book appears sound and should probably be read by all boomers and maybe their children as well. The book covers a lot of ground, and I found it personally relevant, even though I'm only in my 30's. I understand more now about my grandparents' situation, for example, as related to Medicare and their mental capacity. And I am a little more knowledgeable about my parents' situation as well, for example, in terms of their options with Social Security.

I do think the book is worth reading, but at $24.95 for the paperback version (at Amazon), it's pricey for a paperback. I recommend checking it out at the library first and taking notes.

The 29-Day Giving Challenge: Day 20 & a great photo coupon for Mother's Day

Today was Day 20 of my 29-Day Giving Challenge. I had lunch with one of my law school professors, and for once, she let me treat. So that was one gift.

I had put some toys to donate to the boys' daycare in the trunk, but naturally, I completely forgot to take them out. So that intended gift didn't happen (hopefully, I'll remember tomorrow!).

I also came across such a fabulous deal that I'm going to risk giving away one of my mom's Mother's Day gifts just to share it with you (although maybe I'll get lucky and she won't read CFO this week). Yesterday's weekly Walgreens circular included a coupon for a free 8x10 photo, a $2.99 value (the coupon should be printable here).

However, the best part was that Freebies4Mom gave the promotional code, 4MOM, which you can use to order the free photo online. If you pick it up, it's completely free. Standard shipping is 99 cents.

The in-store coupon is only good on Wednesday, May 7. But you can order the photo online from now through Wednesday. And you just have to order it by Wednesday; you can always pick it up later. So don't miss this great freebie!

The Drugstore Game: Is it worth it?

It's been almost two months since I started playing The Drugstore Game, so I decided to do the math and see how much I've saved. That way, I'll have a better idea if all of the effort is worth it.

As background, I used only my CVS purchases in my calculations, since I spend very little at Walgreens and I buy only items that are steeply discounted (usually with a weekly ad coupon) or free after rebate (usually with a manufacturer's coupon, making them more than free, plus I get an extra 10% on the rebate by having the rebate credited to a Walgreens giftcard).

So in the last two months, I've spent $80 at CVS. This includes approximately $20 in makeup that I bought just for the bridal shower I attended about a month ago.

To compare what I would have spent if I hadn't shopped at CVS, I went through my receipts and added up the cost of things I would have bought anyway: toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, the makeup, tissue, etc. I used the price I would have paid for these items if they were on sale and/or if I had a coupon at stores like Target and Ralphs. My total was over $130, and I'm pretty sure that's conservative.

So, the verdict is that I've saved at least $50 in less than two months by shopping at CVS. And, I've gotten many more items that I wouldn't have bought at other stores. We are actually using some of these things, like razors, greeting cards, and deodorant. And there are quite a few things we're donating or giving away, like over-the-counter medication and hair dye. It's actually been a mental adjustment to learn to buy things I don't need, simply because they are money makers (i.e., free after ECBs plus overage because of a coupon).

As I get more experienced and skilled at calculating the various deals for CVS, I expect to spend less and less out of pocket while buying more and more. I hope I will never have to pay for toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo and conditioner ever again.

The other thing to consider when calculating how much I've saved is that I'm now making significantly fewer trips to Target than I used to. I have good self-control at CVS because I know that without ECBs and sales, their prices are generally higher than other stores. But at Target, I will often temtped by things that are on clearance. So I'm sure my savings are actually a lot more than just $50 in two months!