Best Of Buck, October 2009

At the end of each month I highlight a few of my favorite posts from The Buck List. Here is the October batch.

Ten Ways I Have Made Money Since Loosing My Job

How To Save Money After You Die

How to Buy a Used Car – Including the Audacious 30% Rule

Frugal Recipe: Mom’s Mac and Cheese

How to Save Money by Using a Locker

How to Find Free or Cheap Health Care



Related Reading:

Best Of Buck, August 2009

Best Of Buck, September 2009

Best Of Buck, First Anniversary Edition

How Terrible Customer Service Led Me To Great Bargains

A while back I was wandering around the lumberyard in back of our local Menards looking for my lost order when I came across their bargain bin area. I had never noticed it before because I am usually in a different part of the lumberyard. The terrible customer service I was experiencing (NEVER trust the security guys for the correct location of merchandise) had actually led me to this previously undiscovered area.

Lying around or stacked against the side of the building was landscaping timber and edging, railroad ties, miscellaneous lumber of various sizes, sand, broken bags of concrete mix, sections of fencing, gravel, etc. While getting correct directions from the forklift guy I asked him about prices. He said they usually try to sell the stuff in lots, just to get rid of it. One recent example he gave me was of a customer buying an entire skid of railroad ties for fifteen dollars.

The next home improvement project I run into I will be checking the bargain bin area first.

Frugal Recipe: Chipped Beef Over Chow Mein

This recipe is part of a series of occasional frugal recipes. If you have a frugal recipe you would like to share send me an email (BuckWeber (at) gmail.com) and I will consider it for the series. If I use it I would be happy to link back to your site or blog.

Here is another recipe we got from my mom that makes for a quick, filling meal. This is also my daughter’s favorite meal. Several times while she was away at college she called me for the recipe to make the meal for her friends and herself. I think making her favorite meal while away from home helped a little with homesickness.

Ingredients

Two packages of Buddig Sliced Beef (cut into small squares)

One can cream of celery soup

One can cream of mushroom soup

Two cans spiced French Cut green beans (do not drain)

A few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce and black pepper

Instructions

Combine all of the above ingredients in a pan and heat through. When hot serve over crunchy chow mein noodles.

Further Reading: Mom’s Mac and Cheese

How to Pick Up Cans for Fun and Profit

My state of Iowa is one of eleven in the United States that has a container deposit law. Iowa mandates a deposit of five cents per container of carbonated beverage at the point of purchase.

Other states charge ten cents or more depending on the size and type of material the container is made of, and some include fruit juice and bottled water containers.

When the containers are returned to a grocery store or redemption center you get the deposit back.

Enough Background…What About The Profit Part?

Not everyone returns their cans for the deposit they paid. When that happens it is up for grabs, if you can find the cans.

Some of the homeless people in my area have almost turned the skill of can hunting into a science. You can see the best ones coming into the redemption centers at the end of the day with bulging plastic garbage bags full of found treasure. A few, the real pros, have modified shopping carts or even bikes with huge wire baskets to speed up the job and take a load off the back.

In the face of such devotion and skill I am but a lowly part time amateur, but I can point out some places I have had success and share my observations of homeless techniques.

Rivers and Lakes

I have had pretty good luck around bodies of water, which seem to bring out the inner-slob in a lot of people. Fishing spots can yield a collection of beer cans among the empty night crawler containers, fishing hook packages and dead carp.

By checking the woods around a lake or along a river and you will surely come across an abandoned teenage party spot. These can offer the greatest variety of cans and bottles, such as a few cans of six different kinds of beer along with, for example, a banana wine bottle, a couple liters of Mountain Dew and a whiskey bottle. If there is the presence of vomit or the smell of urine you are on your own. I don’t know how the homeless handle this situation but I just keep on walking.

Parks

Shelter houses and the park woods can also produce teenage party spots, as mentioned above.

A real bonanza can be park trash cans or barrels. Families or twenty-somethings many times don’t want to hassle with who is going to return all of those cans so into the trash can they go with all the rest of the garbage. Usually you have to dig a little, but it can be worth the patience. Gloves can speed up the job and embolden one to dig a little deeper. For me a can with unidentified spoogie on it stays in the trash can, but I suppose that’s a judgment call.

Roads and Highways

This option is mentioned as observation only, as I have not walked roads looking for cans and bottles. My guess would be the more traffic a road has the better your chances of finding cans. Also, a higher concentration of people along a road, such as downtown streets, could increase the yield.

Thinking about roads led me to ponder the bounty Interstate Welcome Center trash cans could produce. Not practical to drive around checking them, but maybe worth a spot check while you are traveling.

Outdoor Sporting Events and Concerts

Trash cans and parking lots near where sporting events and concerts have been held can be easy pickins’. Soccer fields, high schools, Little League fields, you get the idea. Apply the same hygiene precautions as mentioned above.

Seriously, Buck…Where Is The Fun In That?

I guess it is a bit like a treasure hunt. You are probably not going to find a chest of gold, but you will usually make a few dollars per outing, get some exercise walking around and help keep your community clean. What’s not to like about that?

Additional Reading:

10 Interesting Ways to Make Some Side Cash

How To Save Money By Salvaging

Save Money By Foraging

Ten Ways I Have Made Money Since Loosing My Job

Bottle Bill Resource Guide

Weekly Roundup

The Buck List participated in several carnivals recently. Check out the following for good articles that run the spectrum of personal finance topics. Thanks to the hosts for including my posts.

Carnival of Personal Finance Edition #227

October 19, 2009, Hodge Podge Edition of the homesteading carnival

Carnival of road to financial independence #12

29th Carnival of Pecuniary Delights – Money and Song Edition

Carnival of Savings 4th Edition

The Buck List received a very nice write up from the MSN Money blog Smart Spending, which you can read here. Thanks again Karen.

Try out Free Sharing as an alternative or addition to Freecycle and Craigslist to get rid of your junk or find something you need for free.

This might be the most obscure way yet that I have found to make money online: sell your Fruit Crate Labels. If you have any of these lying around, or come across some in the future, it looks like there is a market for them.

Post of the Week – A personal finance post I found to be exceptional.
The Washington Post ran this piece about “Frugal Fatigue.” Prepare yourself for quotes such as “it was a sad and scary time” describing forced frugality during the Great Recession.

Have you ever thought about furthering your education online or even going for a degree? Visit Online Degree Programs where they say they have “1089 Online Degree Programs and 115 Colleges in our database!” No money? Check out their 100+ Places to Get a Free Business Education Online.

Looking to borrow or rent an item rather than buy? Look around your area on Borrow Me for what you need, or consider some things you could rent out to make a little side cash.

Before you take out a mortgage or apply for a credit card visit the Center for Responsible Lending for some solid advice on getting the most for your money and traps to avoid. Also a great resource if you are already in trouble.

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed. I wrote this little article on how to sell, trade or cash in your gift cards.

How to Find Free or Cheap Health Care

While the debates and politics surrounding health care reform are swirling around Washington, D.C. and elsewhere it is worth exploring the many ways currently available to get basic health care in this country at little or no cost to you. With no further introduction needed, let’s explore what is available.

Many hospitals and clinics offer free screenings for a multitude of conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Check your community calendar for when these screenings occur in your area.

Search online using the words “university dental school” and your city or state to find a school in your area. Most provide both general and specialized procedures at reduced costs so that their students get hands on training. Many schools and clinics also have set days during the year when basic services are offered for free. Check their online calendar of events.

County hospitals have for years both trained our doctors and provided reduced cost services to uninsured patients. Many will pro-rate payments for services if you have no insurance and usually have to accept emergency patients regardless of their coverage.

Search online using your religious affiliation and the word “clinic” to find faith based clinics. They will almost always serve and treat anyone regardless of religious affiliation.

Search Free Medical Camps for free medical and dental clinics in your area.

Also search the National Association of Free Clinics for a free clinic near you.

Find a Walgreens Take Care Clinic close to you and explore the services they offer.

Additional Reading:

Give Your Doctor a Checkup

How to Save Money on Meds

Focus On: Smart Money

This is the sixteenth in a series of brief reviews of personal finance and frugal websites and blogs.

Smart Money is the online presence of the magazine of the same name, which is subtitled “The Wall Street Journal Magazine.” A visit to this comprehensive site will reveal multiple financial planning and research tools, sections devoted to investing, spending and small business topics, as well as general personal finance issues. If you are at all familiar with the Journal you can expect to find the same kind of in depth commentary on this site. Well worth a visit.

Send me an email (BuckWeber at gmail.com) if you have a frugal or PF site you would like to see included in this series. If it belongs to you include a few lines about it and yourself.

Become a Food Rescuer!

Having been born and raised in Iowa I have grown up and still live surrounded by the ways and means of feeding people. A summer or fall drive in the country here will engulf you in oceans of corn and beans, dotted with islands of livestock pasture. To live the majority of the year surrounded by such bounty might give one the false assumption that we don’t give thought to much beyond producing food. From the education of George Washington Carver to Herbert Hoover’s food relief efforts and the many agricultural contributions of the Wallace family to Norman Borlaug saving an estimated one billion people through better food production methods, Iowa and Iowans are historically linked to both feeding others and showing them how to do it themselves.

So What’s The Problem?

With all of the effort and progress this state has made with increasing food production and spreading agricultural education around the world what happens when we have too much to consume? Imagine massive amounts of good food going to landfills while food pantries and homeless shelters are left wanting. Picture restaurants and supermarkets throwing away food at the end of the day while people go to bed hungry. This nightmare is a reality.

So What’s The Solution?

While there have always been hungry people and have always been wasteful people there is a solution that can solve the problem just by brokering between the two: food rescue.

A few years ago my wife and I decided to switch our charitable giving to a ministry that oversees several homeless shelters and pantries. Our decision was based on wanting to help people with the basics; food, water and shelter. Food rescue is a vital method of providing people in need with food that would otherwise go to the landfill.

Okay, So What The Heck Is Food Rescue?

To quote the California Food Scrap Management website food rescue programs “take excess perishable and prepared food and distribute it to agencies that serve hungry people. Agencies served by food banks and rescue programs include community centers, soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, senior programs, and childcare centers.” Donors can include “large manufacturers, supermarket chains, wholesalers, farmers, food brokers, and organized community food drives. Perishable and prepared foods are typically collected from restaurants, caterers, corporate dining rooms, hotels, and other food establishments for prompt distribution to hungry people in their communities.”

That’s Great, But What Can I Do?

First off, donate any excess from your pantry to a local food bank.

Consider a monetary donation to your food bank.

Spread the word. Ask grocery store and restaurant managers if they participate in a food rescue program. Tell your local elected officials about food rescue.

Volunteer at a food band or with a food rescue program.

Visit the following sites for more information on how food rescue works and what you can do to help.

Wasted Food

Food Rescue

Feeding America

While we might not all be able to achieve what the great people mentioned above did, we can make our own small contributions to cutting waste and helping to feed the hungry.

Further Reading:

Giving to Charities

Help End World Hunger

Food Banks, Pantries and Soup Kitchens: How to Find Food in Times of Need

Weekly Roundup

The Buck List participated in one carnival this week. Check out Economy and your Finances Carnival Oct 11 2009 for articles on investing, debt and general personal finance topics. Thanks to the host for including my post.

Have extra produce from the garden, or are you looking for something a little different or out of season? Register for free with Veggie Trader to buy, sell or trade homegrown produce.

If you are planning on moving or already have there is the always the box question: where do I find them and what do I do with them when I am done? Box Cycle might have an answer to that.

Post of the Week – A personal finance post I found to be exceptional.
Exceptional does not necessarily mean I agree with it, as is the case with this weeks pick. Paul Michael wrote a provocative post for Wisebread asking if there should be a “Fat Tax” on Junk Food. The comments are a better read than the post!

Do you or someone you know need help avoiding foreclosure? Visit Find a Foreclosure Counselor and search your state to find some help.

Want to live in a cave with no job and plenty of time to ponder the failings of humanity? Me either, but this guy in Utah is doing it and writing about it.

IMshopping “provides answers to your shopping questions. Simply type in a question and we'll route it to the experts who can provide unbiased opinions and links to products.”

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed. I wrote this post about how to get a free loan from the NGA.

How to Save Money by Using a Locker

We decided to try buying our meat from a meat locker a few years ago after hearing from several people how much money you can save. It seemed a little intimidating at first, because we didn’t know anything about it. We got together with a family who knew a farmer and decided to give it a try. We still usually will go in on a cow with one or more family, depending on who needs what at the time.

ALL NATURAL EQUALS BEST FLAVOR

All of the cows we have gotten our beef from have been raised free range and fed organically, and it really makes a difference in the taste. Everything, including the hamburger, has a richer, more flavorful taste than what we get from the grocery store.

HOW TO BEGIN

If you don’t know a farmer the best way to begin a relationship with a meat locker is to simply go in and introduce yourself and tell them you would like to buy X amount of meat from a local farmer. The locker deals with the locals daily and should be able to put you in contact with a farmer or just broker the deal themselves. You will need to know how much you want (a whole, a half, a quarter) and find out what the farmer charges per pound for the animal on the hoof. Once you have that settled there is usually a short wait; generally a few weeks, depending on how close the animal is to slaughter. The locker calls when they know the animal is being brought in and will give you the date the meat will be ready after processing.

THE BIG DAY

When the day comes to pick up your meat, take some coolers with you because it will all be frozen solid. (I would assume, at this point, that you know you are going to need a deep freezer at home!) You then pay for the meat locker processing the meat. Sometimes we have paid the farmer separately and other times left a check for him with the locker. Your locker charges will include slaughtering, processing the carcass, grinding and offal. As you might imagine you can end up with a lot of ground beef if you decide on a cow, so we pay the nominal fee to have ½ of it made into patties. With pork your fees can include bacon and ham curing.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU SAVE?

How much can you save buying in bulk from a locker? Looking back at our receipts our beef processing weight has ranged from 269 to 730 pounds. Adding up what we paid the farmer and the meat locker it averages out to $1.80 per pound. And that’s for everything from ground beef to roasts to steaks.

So, would it save you money to buy from a locker?

Frugal Recipe: Mom's Mac and Cheese

This recipe is part of a series of occasional frugal recipes. If you have a frugal recipe you would like to share send me an email (BuckWeber (at) gmail.com) and I will consider it for the series. If I use it I would be happy to link back to your site or blog.

I don’t know where my mom found this recipe, but my family sure is glad she did as this is one of our favorite quick meals. The original recipe called for one can of Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese Soup but the company drastically changed the flavor years ago, and rendered the meal inedible, in our opinion. After several experiments to approximate the original flavor we hit upon the following combination, which we all agree is pretty close, and delicious.

Ingredients

Two 10 Oz. packages of shell noodles

One 12 fl. Oz. can of evaporated milk

One Jar Ragu Double Cheddar Cheese Sauce (Net Wt 1 lb.)

One can Underwood Deviled Ham Spread (Net Wt 4.25 Oz.)

One cup shredded cheddar cheese

Two tbsp butter

Instructions

Cook shell noodles according to package instructions. Drain water and add the butter then stir until melted.

Add ½ can evaporated milk and ½ can cheese sauce along with remaining ingredients. Stir well and simmer until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

P.S. I usually make ham and scalloped potatoes with the leftover milk and cheese sauce.

Further Reading: Pat’s Corn Chowder

How to Buy a Used Car – Including the Audacious 30% Rule

I bought my first used car in the fall of 1981, just after turning 16 and getting my drivers license. It was a 1972 green Chevy Nomad for sale in the neighborhood for just a few hundred dollars. It was a solid, well running car and it was soon sporting a gigantic Led Zeppelin bumper sticker across the tailgate. I’m pretty sure it would have been a good deal for the money if not for the snowy day a few months later when I crashed and totaled it. The only serious injury was to my pride, having to revert to bumming rides from the parents and my friends again until I could find another good deal.

To this day I have not bought a car new. I’m not a big fan of payments or taking that huge depreciation hit driving it off the lot. I believe in paying the least you can for a used car, maintaining it well and driving it until it drops.

BUYING FROM A PRIVATE PARTY

The first step is to decide how much you have to spend (cash) and then stick to that amount. Don’t waver, you can find something decent in your price range, even if very low. One of my current vehicles is a 1981 F-150 that I paid $800 for and it drives great. Not so pretty, but reliable.

When you find a few vehicles in your price range check Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds for price comparisons. If they are in line with what the owner is asking go check them out.

First, ask the owner a few questions: Has it ever been in an accident? What kind of mileage does it get? Have you had to put any money into it? And the big one: Why are you selling it? If you like the answers, and they seem genuine, proceed to the inspection.

Walk around the vehicle and check the following:

Body – Rust? Bad rust? Is the paint faded, or brighter than it should be?

Glass – Intact, no cracks?

Tires – Do they have any tread? Any cracking or bulging?

If the exterior passes, open the doors, look in and get in. Check the following:

Smell – This might not be a big deal for some but if a car smells musty or just plain stinky I’m done with it right then. Next!

Upholstery – Any tears, rips or stains? How about the carpet?

Pedals – Do they show any excessive wearing?

Steering wheel – Is it solid up to the firewall, with no play?

Wires – This one might seem a little strange but if there seem to be a lot of wires hanging loose under the dash it usually means it has been pulled out or messed around with.

Trunk – Does it smell musty? It might leak. Is the jack and spare there or under the vehicle?

If it passes that stage ask the owner to pop the hood and start the engine.

Does it start? This might seem obvious, but I have looked at a few cars that failed to even start. While I am walking away the owner is usually assuring me that this has never happened before.

Does the motor run smooth? Any clicking or tapping?

Does the motor show any signs of leakage down the sides? Is it greasy and dirty?

Look up at the bottom of the hood. Is it oily or greasy?

If it runs quietly and the motor is not excessively dirty, hop in the drivers’ seat.

With the motor still running put your foot on the break and slowly shift through all of the gears. Does the vehicle jump or want to move from gear to gear? If so, it could mean transmission problems.

Check out everything with power running to it such as the lights, locks, radio, seats, etc. Does everything work?

If the transmission shifts smoothly and (most) everything has power, take it for a drive.

Try different speeds, including the highway. Does it accelerate to your satisfaction? Is the brake pedal tight, and does the vehicle seem to stop adequately?

Is there any play in the steering? Does the vehicle shake or shimmy at higher speeds? That could mean anything from low tire pressure to a bad alignment.

Run through the gears again, including reverse. Is it smooth or jerky while shifting?

If possible, take it up a hill. Does it loose a little speed or a lot?

If it passes the driving test, it’s time to deal.

I have found that if it is a pretty decent car that I think I might want, its best not to act excited when you bring it back to the owner. Hand them back the keys, make a few comments about anything you might have noticed wrong, and wait a few moments. If they don’t offer a price reduction, shoot them a lowball offer of at least 30% less than what they are asking. Even if they do make the first offer, counter with the 30%. Most people price to deal and I have found that the majority would rather have the cash in hand and the car gone.

If it is no deal, offer your name and phone number if they change their mind, and walk away. There are plenty of used cars out there, and everyone’s situation is different. They are usually selling the car because:

There is something wrong with it.

They need the money for a financial emergency.

They need the money to buy a newer car.

They already bought the newer car and need to unload the older one. This scenario is usually the best one for you, the buyer, because at this point they just want to be rid of it.

BUYING FROM A USED CAR DEALER

All of the above tips apply to buying from a dealer, including the 30% rule. Many of the small lots buy at auction the used car trade-ins that the new car dealers get. Some of these used cars sell for a song, and the dealers have a nice, automatic profit built in.

When my teenage daughter and I were shopping for a used car for her a few years ago we came across one that passed all the tests, including teenager lovability. There was only one small possible roadblock: the car was $3,500 and she only had $1,500 to spend. When we got back from the test drive I explained the situation and made the offer of $1,500. He went in to talk to his manager for a minute, then returned and accepted the offer! Sometimes they shake their head in disbelief, other times they accept.

A few other tips when looking to buy from a lot:

Ask if there are any warranties.

For newer used cars check J.D. Power for owner reported problems.

Ask the dealer for the vehicle history report.

SOME OTHER OPTIONS

I have not bought a used car using these options, so I don’t have an opinion either way about the kind of deals you might find. Thought they might be worth a mention.

Buy a used car at state or federal auctions.

Buy from a police department auction.

Buy from a car rental company.

Now get out there and find yourself a good, used car. And don’t forget the 30% rule!

Weekly Roundup

The Buck List participated in one carnival this past week, the 85th Running of the Money Hacks Carnival (Saturn’s New Ring Edition). Check it out for a large variety of personal finance and investing articles, among many other topics. Thanks to the host for including my post.

I was asked to contribute a guest post to the MSN Money Smart Money blog. You can read my post here. My thanks to Karen Datko for the invitation.

Post of the Week: Between the blogs that I subscribe to and the posts I come across while out and about on the internet daily, I end up reading a lot of personal finance posts during the course of a week. I decided to add this little section to the Weekly Roundup to highlight a post that I found to be exceptional. For my inaugural pick, check out 10 Attributes Of The Perpetually Broke.

While trying to figure out a printer problem a while back I came across Fix Your Own Printer. This comprehensive site deserves to be bookmarked and used if you ever run into printer problems.

We bought a new laptop a few months ago and I got so annoyed with the trial copy of Microsoft Office that came preloaded I decided to finally try OpenOffice. While there are a few differences that take some getting use to, overall I have been pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to use. If you have not used it yet I would recommend giving it a try.

Check out My Grocery Deals, where you can search their list of retailers’ flyers and circulars for deals and print off the coupons.

Got an excess of golf balls lying around? Head over to We Buy Used Golf Balls and see what you can get for them.

Free Night of Theater this year falls on October 15. Check out their search option to find a show near you.

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed. You might find this post about online coupon sites useful.

My Ten Favorite Homesteading Books

Being frugal by living on less and making or growing your own things are basic tenets of the homesteading philosophy, one that is near and dear to my heart. While my wife and I have not made it to the country yet, it has been a goal for several years that we are still working on achieving. Our main obstacle is not finding a place but getting out of the one we are in. In the mean time we have incorporated many homesteading ways into our urban lifestyle by reading various homesteading books, and the following are my favorite books on the subject. You might notice some glaring exclusions, such as Scott Nearing and Gene Logsdon, but I decided to limit my list to books I actually own.

If you are interested in the subject and have some favorites of your own, feel free to share!

Homemade Contrivances and How to Make Them by Skyhorse Publishing

This is a reprint of a book originally published in 1897. The subtitle is 1001 Labor-Saving Devices for Farm, Garden, Dairy and Workshop and my little copy runs to 621 pages. While there might not be many people needing to know how to make an ice-hook, or a tool box for a wagon these days there are plenty of other contrivances listed in this book that are still useful today. Bonus: several pages on how to blow up rocks and stumps with dynamite.

How to Make a Living on Almost Nothing and Have Plenty by Janet Chadwick

My copy is dated 1979 but does not really seem out of date. Janet draws from her personal homesteading experience with her family to cover everything from gardening to raising livestock to cooking. A good guide that covers basics that she admits she wrote for beginners.

Five Acres and Independence by M.G. Kains

My copy is dated 1946 and was the twenty third printing of this little book, which indicates it was popular in its time. This almost 400 page guide is a meaty, concise “road map” of how the author and his wife revived a neglected, poor piece of land and thrived.

The Big Book of Self-Reliant Living edited and compiled by Walter Szykitka

This reference book on self reliance was culled by the editor from U.S. Government agencies, State governments and university extension services. The chapters cover topics such as first aid, survival techniques, health, food, farm and home, tools and construction. A very handy book to have in your personal library.

Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Okay, so it’s eight books instead of one, but it’s my list and I can cheat if I want to. I was visiting with an author friend of mine the other day and the Little House books came up. He mentioned how, when reading them, he got “bogged down reading things like five pages on how to make soap.” Which is precisely why these books belong in your homesteading collection.

Living on an Acre edited by Christine Woodside

This is usually described as “the classic USDA handbook” for good reason. An excellent resource that covers most of the topics in Five Acres and Independence mentioned above, plus a few more.

The Foxfire Series edited by Eliot Wigginton

This time capsule of Appalachian country living is probably my favorite on this list. This series (cheating with more than one book again) had its genesis in getting Eliot’s high school class focused on something other than tormenting him. He suggested they gather some local poetry and include interviews with elderly locals, starting with their relatives. The first magazine was a hit and eventually led to a series of books on folklore stories and instructions on plain living. These books not only serve as a time capsule of simple Appalachian ways, but also ring with authority because the topics are described by the people who did them.

The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour

This book bills itself as “the complete back-to-basics guide,” and that claim gets no argument from me. It is packed with illustrations from cover to cover, which helps bring his narrative to life. I would encourage you to not only check out this book but also seek out some of the others John wrote.

Country Wisdom and Know How from the editors of Storey Books

This oversized, almost 500 page monster of a book is a compilation of reprinted homesteading booklets originally published by Storey in the 1970’s. It is, like they write in the introduction, like having “your grandfather or grandmother at your elbow, showing you how.”

Homesteading Your Way to Health and Happiness by Fred Moller, Jr.

My beat up copy of this little book was saved from a dumpster. The author describes he and his wife’s decision to move to the country, at ages 40 and 46, and their struggles and triumphs during their homesteading adventures.

Related Reading:

Six Great Gardening Websites

Ten Books to Have Around When the Internet Goes Down

Save Money by Foraging

Focus On: Frugal Village

This is the fifteenth in a series of brief reviews of personal finance and frugal websites and blogs.

Sara Noel writes a syndicated Frugal Living column that “emphasizes simplicity, family values and eco-frugality.” She runs several Web sites, including Frugal Village, which mirrors her column and provides frugal tips on cooking, gardening and gift ideas, as well as extensive archives and an active forum. Take some time to look around her site, and if you have a question ask her through the Q & A section.

Send me an email (BuckWeber at gmail.com) if you have a frugal or PF site you would like to see included in this series. If it belongs to you include a few lines about it and yourself.

How To Save Money After You Die

Eternal frugality? Not quite, but there are plenty of ways to hold down costs from the time of your death until final disposition of your remains. Ready for a cheery post? Let’s go!

GETTING READY FOR THE END

Before the Big Event it really pays to shop around the various funeral homes and monument companies in your area and ask for price lists to get a good idea of what is offered, what it costs and to help you decide what your final wishes will be. While you might have been thinking of an elaborate send off in a fancy casket and a huge tombstone, price lists will help you to formulate a plan that you can afford. I have read that the biggest downside to prepaying for expenses is the possibility you might move, but unless that seems like a pretty sure thing a prepay option might be a good way to lock in current prices.

If you are a veteran, thank you for your service, and you and you spouse are entitled to a free burial and headstone in a national cemetery.

FRUGAL CASKET/COFFIN ALTERNATIVES

If you decide on a memorial service you can use a press board box called an alternative container. You rent a ceremonial casket that the alternate fits into for the visitation. It is removed after the service and you are buried in the press board box. Frugality by deception!
You can buy your casket from a discount casket company to avoid the large mark up by the funeral home. Check out Casket Xpress as an example and search for “discount caskets” online.
If you are even mildly handy you could just make your own coffin.

CREMATION

Cremation costs much less than burial – up to 90% less. If you don't experience an automatic icky reflex to the idea of your flesh being incinerated and then having the charred remains of your bones pulverized into powder, this might be your most frugal choice. Unless you have some room in the backyard. Check your Department of Health for state regulations.

GIVE SOME, GET SOME

Another frugal option is to donate your body to a school – they pay for transportation and final disposition of cremated remains.

Finally, don't forget to sign up to be an organ donor. Could be your final chance at spreading good Karma, if you believe in that sort of thing.

Related reading:

Write Your Will…NOW!

Weekly Roundup

The Buck List participated in two carnivals this past week. Check out the 197th edition of the Festival of Frugality and the Carnival of Pecuniary Delights – Welcome to Canada Edition, eh! for articles on building frugal habits, investing and money saving tips and much more. Thanks to the hosts for including my posts.

The Rideshare Directory offers to “find a regional or national rideshare, vanpool, or carpool resource.” Search your state and travel together next time.

Check out Flipswap to find out how much your old cell phone is worth. If they want it they even pay for shipping.

Consumer Action is a site dedicated to “serve consumers nationwide by advancing consumer rights.” They offer a free hotline and also compare prices on credit cards, bank accounts and long distance services.

Got a great idea for a writing project? Are you a budding filmmaker? Maybe a musician trying to find the funds for that first EP? You might want to check out Kickstarter.

Dinner In Minutes is the website of Linda Gassenheimer, offering links to her books, columns, featured recipes and exclusive tips.

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed. This post touched on why it’s important to give to charities.

Ten Ways I Have Made Money Since Losing My Job

I lost my job at the end of July, 2007. Rather than retell that story in this post you can read about it here, if interested. Since that time I have been trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up, and I have narrowed it down to creating, specifically writing, however I enjoy photography as well. I have several ideas in mind to try in the near future, but thought it would be clarifying for me, and maybe mildly interesting for you, to recap what I have tried already since losing my job. I am a big believer in the multiple streams of income school of thought. I have not reached my full “stream” potential yet, but by trial and error I have discovered a few ways to make money, as well as eliminating some others.

After looking over my list I would love to hear what you are doing to make money, whether it’s for some side cash or full time.


Blogging
I started The Buck List over a year ago knowing nothing about blogging. I monetized it right away with Google Ad Sense, read a little about SEO, and subscribed to ProBlogger. My main objective was not to make money with the blog but to force myself into a writing routine and work on building my skills. It’s good that I was not expecting much, because that’s what I’ve gotten. I still enjoy it, but I am feeling a little cramped writing only about personal finance issues. Either this blog will change or I will start another one with broader parameters. As for the money, so far I have received two checks from Google. If you know what their minimum payout is, you have a pretty good idea how much that amounts to. Like I said, I was not expecting much, so I have not been disappointed. My page impressions are finally high enough that I am making money from it every day, but not nearly enough to live off of. If you have ever heard that it’s hard to make money blogging and that it takes a long time to make any at all, believe it.

Café Press

This one looked easy enough; through up some templates to fit their merchandise and watch the money roll in. I promoted my shop on the blog for several months and have sold, so far, a bumper sticker. I finally removed it from the blog and have pretty much given up on this one.

Garage Sale

We had a garage sale recently to clear out some stuff and brought in $300 during the one and a half days we held it. The most time I spent on it was making nice, big, readable garage sale signs. I know they attracted a lot of people because every third group that walked up made a comment about “nice signs.” We have plenty more to get rid of, so another one is planned for next spring. And I saved the signs.

Hauling
I have already written about my hauling experiences here, so there is really no need to go into all of that again. It ranks pretty high on my money making scale, and I think I would do it again if the situation presented itself. Good exercise and good money.

Odd Jobs

These have usually paid well. I have removed snow, cut down trees, repaired fences, built gates, etc. Once even a small group of people know what skills you have to offer you can easily find work like this to fill in the gaps.

Craigslist
Selling my stuff on Craigslist has been the largest money maker for me, by far. It has also been one of the largest sources of frustration because of the no-shows. I continue to do it because if you have practical, household stuff to get rid of I think this is the best way to go. It’s free, and your buyers come to your front door.

Consignment
I had never sold anything through a consignment shop before my hauling endeavourers landed me an entire wardrobe from a clean out. Twenty items at a time (that is the weekly limit at the shop I use) I carted the wardrobe up there, and month after month a check showed up in the mail. That wardrobe is now all gone, but we have become regulars taking up our own clothes for some side cash. Not enough to live off, but a nice supplement to the other streams.


Surveys, Reward Sites and Sweepstakes
These have been a mixed bag, mostly a waste of time, but I have received checks or PayPal deposits from Cash Crate, Opinion Outpost and Own My Site. I am accumulating points (I have close to 5,000) from My Points towards gift cards and I just started messing around with Up Down. I also play Adjack, if I remember to, but have not won anything. I went through a sweepstakes period but have pretty much given up on those, too. Anything I do in this category is usually done as filler, serving as five to ten minute breaks while on the computer.

eHow

I have been writing sporadically for eHow for a few months now, recycling Buck List posts into How To articles. I have been surprised at the constant trickle from this particular income stream. This is one I want to work harder at to find out just how much potential is there.

Zazzle
Ah, Zazzle. This was one of the first “shops” I created, along with my Lemonade and Café Press attempts. I have sold a few shirts and for months I have been meaning to add more product, but it just keeps getting placed on the backburner. Maybe writing this will help prompt me. Maybe not.