Potluck Thursdays!

Here’s a frugal foodie idea, if there ever were one: work potlucks just because. A couple coworkers and I have taken to ordering lunch in once in a while, in the interest of departmental bonding and fun. It’s fantastic because there are tons of choices, and it’s such a nice way to break up the day. It’s also horrible because it so quickly depletes my restaurant budget.

So we’ve come up with a solution: Potluck Days! One person is bringing crock-pot soup, I’m baking challah and another is bringing a dessert. Just as fun (or more?) and way less money.

Mission: Financial Indy, Part Two

RENT: I decided to start paying my parents $500 a month. Why this amount, when I was looking at a condo for $1100? First, I’m only renting a room, for the sake of comparison. I don’t have free access to the kitchen, and I can’t have people over whenever I’d like. This is very convenient and comfortable, and I love my suite, but $500 seems fair.

WORKING FOR DAD: I’ve mentioned before that I work part-time for my dad’s company. Since last fall, it’s been paying me $500 a month. So in the interest of getting my dad to approve the whole me-paying-rent thing, I suggested a compromise.

SOLUTION: He’s taking me off the payroll. I’ll still work for him, and he’ll still let me live here. It’s a good deal for everyone: I feel like I’m contributing, he has a lower payroll and we’re both happy.

Plus, I take comfort in knowing I’m not charging him much by living here. They’d still heat my room if I didn’t live here, and my water/electricity is minimal. I’m hardly ever home, to be honest!

Mission: Financial Independence

I called my insurance agency (old boss) today and asked them to give me a quote for my own auto insurance. My agent left me a voicemail this afternoon, saying that my credit came back perfect–only one in a hundred get this score, he said–so my rates will be good.

**Update Tues, 2/26: Under my parents’ policy, me/my car were $364 for six months. Now, on my own, it’s $350. I have a high collision deductible and a $0 comp. Plus, if I don’t get in an accident all year, they’ll refund 15% back. Oh, Allstate, how you do.

Next up, cell phones.

Do you know your credit score?

When I applied for the apartment, the management company ran a credit check on me. The agent let me know I had a good score (760), which was kind of nice to find out. I always, always pay everything on time and always have, but I don’t really have a lot of credit. I can’t remember the last time I checked… I suspect it was a year or so ago on that Equifax site online.

Everyone can have a free credit report each year. Do you know your score?

My New Budget

Yet another byproduct of the great “will she or won’t she” moving debate has been a reevaluation of my savings plan. I’ve decided, effective immediately, to start saving more aggressively. Because I enjoy Excel and its charts so much, here’s a snapshot:

Savings: my Roth and my regular stock portfolio
Giving: tithe, charity, gifts
Rent: I’m going to start paying my parents rent, even if they don’t want it. I haven’t figured out how I’ll get them to take the money yet, but I’ll keep brainstorming.
Fun: entertainment, clothes, dining out
(other) Necessities: toiletries, services (i.e., doctors’ appointments, cheap and infrequent haircuts, work on the car, etc.), diesel for my Jetta, groceries

How I Shop & Eat for Free

Do you know what I love? Getting things I would be willing to pay for completely free. It’s awesome.

The other night, I sat down and looked at the reward points I’ve accumulated, partially through my Visa debit/credit card and partially through MyPoints (reading e-mails*).

The result? $25 at Target and $10 at Starbucks.

*Do you know MyPoints? Essentially, you click on e-mail ads, and they give you points. After you’ve earned a certain number of points, you’re able to redeem them for gift cards! If you’d like a referral, e-mail me!

How to Save When Dining Out

I was telling a friend at work that my dad’s birthday dinner (last fall) seemed to cost an arm and a leg. For all four of my family members to dine, my brother and I split an almost-$100 bill.

“That’s not so bad for four people,” she responded. “My family’s lucky if we can keep it under $200 [for six].”

She has a good point, turns out. I’ve done a little asking around, and most people seem to spend upwards of $20 each (even for lunch?) when enjoying restaurant fare. That’s high for me, but it’s normal, I’m told.

What about you? What’s your average?

In my frugal self, I cringe at spending more than $10 for lunch or $15 for dinner, per person. For anyone looking to lower the bill, consider these spend-less tips for the savvy diner:

1) Split an entree with someone.
Even though I love food, I can seldom pack away the whole portion of a restaurant meal. When possible, I like to split something. This means a lower bill and a smaller portion–both pluses for me.

2) Split an entree with yourself.
When I can’t share with someone, I often take leftovers home with me. I love when I can get two great meals out of an order. True, I’m still spending full price, but I consider it a deal when I’m getting another day’s dining out of it.

3) Drink tap water.
I don’t drink alcohol and rarely drink soft drinks, so water’s the way for me. Usually I ask for a slice of lemon, and I go through three or four glasses. It costs nothing and is good for me!

4) Don’t get appetizers.
Same goes for desserts, though I’ll admit I seldom resist. When trying to save, it’s a wise plan to just get one course at the restaurant. Maybe go out just for dessert or just for appetizers, if your friends are game.

5) Order like a child.
This is so tacky, but I still love ordering from kids’ menus, when I can. Obviously this wouldn’t work at a four-star establishment, but at weekly stops like a Steak N’ Shake or something, I happily order the child’s portion. Delicious and much lower prices.

Have an idea I missed? Share it here! I’ve heard a lot about the restaurant.com certificates and coupon books… anyone a fan?

Where Will I Live (con.)

I hardly know where to begin with what’s happened in the past few days.

First off, I didn’t take the apartment. {Insert heavy sigh.} I loved it, but bottom line: I was scared to spend so much. My whole body tensed up a little when I thought about removing the cushion in my budget, and I was worried about not being able to save aggressively anymore.

Instead, I started thinking more seriously about buying. Oh. my. gosh.

I told the agent that I was considering rent-to-own options, and she told me that the condo owner would be more than willing to do that. I asked for a figure: it was way high.

FYI: I’m closely connected with a real estate brokerage , so I asked them if they could run comps on similar properties that have sold within the last six months (so I’d know if this price was reasonable). Turns out nothing has sold, and at least three homes have been listed for two+ years. Interesting. This little inquiry also led to their wanting to know what kind of homes I wanted, if I had an agent representing me, what my must-haves were.

So. I now have a real estate agent (them). They’ll refund half my co-op, if I were to go with a property on the MLS. Today, the managing broker spent a couple hours going through listings to show me what’s available and what’s a good/bad value. O. my. gosh. AGAIN.

I came home and told my parents the latest news, and Dad (my brilliant financial planner, if ever there were one) says now is just not a good time to buy. No matter what the comps say or what people may think, he’s convinced properties will only go down in this area for the next few years. He says I should wait two or three years, save more money and then, maybe, I should think about buying.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

decisions, decisions

OK, so on the plus side: the apartment was even more beautiful in person, and its location is perfect. I could walk to the grocery store, the train, the entire cute downtown. Add to that the all-new kitchen, the enormous walk-in closet in the bedroom, a fully renovated bathroom that looks like a page from a designer magazine and parking space that’s included, and this apartment is my dream come true.

Of course, there are negatives:  Though parking is included, it’s a bit of a walk from this unit, which would be a pain on cold days or when carrying packages. I hate the idea of climbing up and down three flights of stairs to do laundry. It’s not the top floor (like I thought I was) and might be noisy with hardwood floors in a vintage building. Most of all, though, this place is at the highest price I could afford, and it doesn’t include electric, cooking gas or cable.

I’m nervous about not having a cushion in my budget. The smart, frugal, pf-blogging side of me says: wait for something about $200-$300 less. This smart side has found and contacted another unit owner in the building about a possible rent-to-own option.  This smart side hates the thought of throwing $13000 away when I don’t have to.

But the fun-loving, wouldn’t-it-be-cool side says: go for it! You’ll figure something out, even if it means eating less or living without cable.

Decisions, decisions.

Have I Found the Apartment?

So forget everything I said about not moving out. I have found an a-ma-zing apartment: it’s in the town I want, in the vintage-style building I want, on the top floor, filled with hardwood floors, offering all stainless steel appliances. It’s also still available, I just got confirmed to me this morning. I really, really like it, and I haven’t even gone to visit yet.

Let me rewind to yesterday: even though I haven’t been planning to move out, especially not by a specific deadline, I have been flipping through Craigslist still, just out of habit. If something looks good and doable in my price range (actually more like $200 or $300 less than my price range, just so I could still feel frugal), I’ll contact the poster for more info. Yesterday I went to visit two places. At the first, a neighbor noticed us (my brother came with) waiting outside and came over to see who we were looking for. “I’m renting my place, too,” he said. Turned out, he was asking $850 for another one-bedroom ($825 if I’d do a one-year lease), when the guy I was waiting for wanted $875. I told him we’d stop over when we finished our appointment. The more expensive unit had a kitchen with 20-year-old appliances and a dingy bathroom; the $850 was all renovated (isn’t that crazy?). Both, though, faced the busy expressway directly–a big negative.

The second place was in the town I LOVE and in a quiet, historic neighborhood. The landlord wants $740. It was hard to see the potential with the absolute filth and squalor the current tenant was living in, but it wasn’t too bad. Negatives: carpet everywhere–even in the kitchen, a hideously ugly lobby/entryway and a creepy basement where the laundry was kept.

So the verdict: a no-go on both.

Then, late last night, scrolling through old postings for the town I love, I found this gorgeous one. It’s perfect, offering everything except an in-unit laundry (but free machines in the basement, I guess). Price: $1100, not including electric, cooking gas and phone. This is the highest I would pay for a one-bedroom, as it still allows me to put away a chunk of money in savings each month.

I think I’m going to go see it.