What I Learned in Year One Part 5

I am not perfect.

This was the biggest shock of all! I was so determined last August, I was so dedicated to sticking to a budget and a diet and I wrote everything down and I worked out every day, but I stumbled, a lot.

I figured out this year that life gets in the way of our plans. I knew this, of course, but it is more apparent when you are so focused on those plans.

I try not to beat myself up about my imperfections, some of them are kind of charming, but I am also trying to not blow them off and learn from them. I have found patterns in my imperfections (my penchant for cheating on my diet on Wednesday night for example) and am trying to mitigate the damage (planning a healthier splurge for Wednesday).

I don't imagine I will get any more perfect in year 2, I just hope when my imperfections show themselves they are adorable and quirky.

What I Learned in Year One Part 3

Retail therapy is not actually therapeutic.

I used to shop for pleasure, but I now realize it was the same kind of instantaneous pleasure I got from eating an entire bag on mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. It felt euphoric for a bit and I loved everything I bought, but then the guilt would settle in and I would start to worry about the debt I had added to my credit cards and wonder how I was going to pay the bills.

A whole year with no credit cards and I never once had that feeling (about shopping, the peanut butter cups are still an issue). Everything I bought over the year (and believe me I still shopped) I paid for with cash, either budgeted or gift money, and I did not once feel guilty about anything.

Also, shopping is now a real treat. I plan for my shopping outings and try to make the most out of them. They are no longer binge shopping trips.

It is hard to isolate the things that happened this past year that have lead to my overall better sense of contentment, but this is definitely one of them.

What I Learned in Year One Part 1

I learned a lot about myself this past year, this week I will revisit a few of the big things in hopes of reviving my success.

I made some big changes in my life last year, but I learned in the past couple of months that all those changes are useless if I am not faithful in writing it all down.

Starting today I am back to a food and budget journal and will attempt to log all calories and spending. It will definitely be harder this time around as my life is so much busier than it was at this time last year.

Last year I used Fit Day online for my food journal and did all budget recording on an Excel spreadsheet. If anyone has any cool new user-friendly websites or apps please send them along!

Mini Size Me

The basic principal of capitalist economics is supply and demand. If people want it, they will pay for it. And while the country is struggling to recover economically I am not the only person who is willing to pay more for less.

This article was on the financial page of Yahoo yesterday. It is a financial analysis of the mini size trend in restaurants.

I have said this before: I am more than willing to spend more money to help control my eating. If the Super Size portion costs less per ounce I cannot get it and just eat a Mini Size amount, I will eat it all.

I love the mini size trend, particularly in desserts. Restaurant desserts have always been over sized and over priced. I am willing to pay half as much for something a quarter of the original size. I know that might seem like a rip-off, but technically I am still spending less.

There is no way I am going to become someone who doesn't eat dessert. Having options like mini Blizzards and cupcakes make this much easier. I can have my cake and eat it to without massive regret.

Feeling Secure

I apologize for the brief hiatus, but sometimes life gets in the way of blogging and the past 10 days have been chock full of life, some good and some bad. The good involved a business trip that resulted in a new sense of financial security.

Those of you that know me understand how insecure my financial life has been the past few years. Like way too many people in this country my job has been in jeopardy and my salary cut significantly and threatened again and again. I know I am not alone in this, but as a single person with barely any savings it led to huge anxiety.

I left my business meeting on Thursday with a solid position and salary commensurate to what I make now. While there was no raise there is much better guarantee that the money will not be cut in the future. This allows me to maintain the budget that I have established this year and that is working quite well for me.

Also, since this is straight salary and not a commission-based salary there is room for merit raises in the future.

I had not realized how much of my life I was suspending in fear of another pay cut (or worse). I have spent the past few days wondering which of the adult ed classes I am going to take and stopped worrying about my lease renewal. I feel free in a way I haven't in years but I have to work very hard to rein in that freedom to not overspend out of relief. I need to channel all the good feelings into focus for the diet...

Creative Recycling

I get a lot of budgeting newsletters and many of them have clever ideas that I have incorporated into my life. Last Tuesday I hinted at a few creative recycling ideas in an article on reusing containers from the grocery store.

I only got one response (SSG your Starbucks card will be in tomorrow's mail!) and perhaps my parameters were too vague so next contest will be more clear. In the meantime here are some of my favorite suggestions from my newsletter article (written by Tricia Goss):

1. Grated Parmesan Cheese containers usually have a flip top with 2 different sized openings (holes and a larger single opening). Use for powdered sugar to dust baked goods or fill with baking soda to use as a bathroom cleaner. Also good for homemade spice blends that you can shake out or spoon out as needed.

2. Many condiments, such as mayo jelly and ketchup, come in squeezable bottles. Clean and use for homemade pancake or waffle batter making breakfast a snap. Also, wash and reuse so you can buy larger less novelty containers of these condiments and just refill.

3. Small plastic containers, such as yogurt or pudding cups, are just the right size for homemade popsicles. Fill 2/3 of the way with juice of your choice cover with wax paper or plastic and insert a wooden stick. This is a great diet tip too as you can control your frozen treats!

4. Glue the lids to small glass jars under the cabinet of a garage or work room and fill the glass jars with hardware or craft items. Screw the jars back to the lids for out of the way storage and easy identification of supplies.

The lesson here is, the next time you are about to throw something away look at it in a different light. I am sure there are helpful uses for most containers (heck there are whole stores devoted to buying new and expensive ones) that will keep them out of the landfill for awhile. If you think of a great reuse for an everyday item please let me know, I am always looking for new ideas!

Contest: Creative Recycling

So I am hosting my first contest here at 4 to 40! I am looking for the most creative reuse of a grocery item container (i.e. a mayo jar or toothpaste tube).

I read an article today with some really clever reuses for items which save money and keep things out of landfills.

I will post a bunch of these ideas next week, but in the meantime show me what you got! The winning idea gets a $5 Starbucks card for the summery coffee treat of your choice. Deadline is Friday at 5:00 p.m. so get thinking...

Spring Into Shape -- for Free

If the gym is not in your budget and you are looking to work off some winter weight, check out this article.

All of the calorie burning suggestions in this article can be achieved for free. You can dance at home to the radio (and trust me I should only dance at home, in the dark). Now that it is light later you can take a walk after work. Your local library likely has yoga and Tai Chi DVDs for free and depending on where you live there may be community groups that offer sessions of one or the other for free or at a low cost.

I love my gym workouts and do not consider them a chore, but rather a blessed break from my day. I know not everyone feels the same way about the gym. Despite my love of the gym, the increasingly nice weather inspires me to get out and try new things and as my fitness level improves I am always on the look out for a new challenge.

I can't wait to see what I am capable of by the end of the summer.

That Box in the Closet

After my fabulous workout this Sunday I dug out the box in my closet with the smaller clothes in it. It was a little trip down memory lane, some of the items had not seen the light of day in 7 years (and as a result some were down right out of fashion).

I tried everything on and was pleased that some of it fits already. Some of it is close and I put that in a pile marked "Memorial Day". Other things are quite a bit too small (and still have tags on them) so they went in a pile marked "Cruise" in hopes of making it on to my body by the end of July.

It was great though to see what I have for spring/summer clothes and know that I am not going to have to do much shopping. I tried on a pair of capris with the tags still on them that fit nicely and are now hanging in the closet ready to wear. I also have a bathing suit that is in the Memorial Day pile and that is great as I threw my old one away at the end of last summer. I intend to buy a new swimsuit, but this one will be a good back up.

With the budget reigned in it feels good to put some of these purchases from the past to good use in the present and get some new outfits in return.

Shopping Hangover

I went shopping this weekend. I had had a rough week and I had a couple store coupons that were expiring at the end of the month and some money I had saved from holiday gifts that I could legitimately spend without touching my budget.

Now I feel hungover and guilty about the spending. Should I have saved that money in case something happens? Did I really need those things?

Altogether I spent $200 and about $50 of that was on gifts for others which I could actually work into my budget. I bought a few items of clothing to fit my smaller body and some yarn for future projects. I didn't do much damage, but I did it quickly and with a mindlessness akin to eating 4 Cadbury Cream Eggs in one sitting.

I clearly have impulse control issues. Why? How do I reverse this cycle of binging and guilt?

Wait! Don't Buy That...

We live in a disposable society. We buy more than we need and we throw away the excess. When I am at my most frugal and environmentally-concerned I imagine the United States has already produced as many goods as we could use for many years and instead of buying new we should all have big yard sales and just recycle what we don't need or want any more.

This article on wisebread.com has 6 simple tips for helping your budget and a couple of them struck me as obvious, but surprising. The idea of a waiting period for a purchase was fascinating to me. We have all heard about waiting periods to purchase guns (although as Homer Simpson said "Waiting period? But I'm mad now!), but what if we used that same psychology before buying a new purse or a pair of boots? If after 30 days you still really want the item and you can afford it, go for it.

The last tip is also something I am trying to do more: assess your purchase after you have had it for awhile. Do you use the purse? Wear the boots? Are they comfortable? Good quality?

I did this with my e-reader. I bought my Nook and for the first month used it to play Sudoku. I was starting to think I had wasted $150 when I could buy a Sudoku book for $4 at CVS. Then I read my first book on it and fell in love with it. I saw the benefits to this trendy piece of technology and was thrilled I had used some of my Christmas money on this instead of candy and magazines.

For my whole life I have spent money when I had it, like this week after getting paid and paying all the bills I was so tempted to go out and buy something. I had nothing in mind, maybe some DVDs or a spring coat (neither of which I need). Reigning in the impulses and being more thoughtful in my purchases will take some time, but I hope I am on the road to recovery.

Bring Out Your Leg Warmers

This is not a fashion blog and I am not a fashion maven by any stretch, but I saw this article on Wisebread.com and it inspired me. Spring is coming, it may not feel like it today, but it will be here soon.

While I will, luckily, need to buy some smaller clothes I am not in a position to replace my wardrobe. The concept of buying simple, easily interchangeable wardrobe pieces and dressing them up with accessories is very appealing to me.

Even more appealing, I own a lot of accessories already and don't put them to very good use. So next week's challenge is to dig through the closet and the drawers for the cute bracelets, scarves, purses and headbands and put them in an easy-to-find spot.

I have a couple friends that are pros at accessorizing and I try to take inspiration from them. It is a very budget-conscious way to spice up your look. Accessories do not have to be particularly well made, if you can pull of a $2 headband from CVS do it, your hair won't fall out if it is plastic.

Another budget-friendly idea: Accessory Swap Meet. One girl's gaudy is another girl's gorgeous.

Everyone has that broach that your mother's friend gave you for Christmas. You have it tucked in the back of your jewelry box, too guilty to throw it away since it was a gift.

Or better yet, you impulse buy this giant ring with a big red glass stone that you love, but you have elfin hands and it looks like some sort of strange dermatological problem on you, but your friend with the long lithe fingers carries it off beautifully. Clean out your stash and offer up the unwanted, odds are it will look fabulous on someone else!

Six Months Without Credit Cards

Time, while a universal invariant (as I learned from Dana Scully), seems relative in a lot of ways. The 31 days in January seem a lot longer than the 31 in July. So it was with confusion that I realized last night that it has been six months since I gave up my credit cards.

I am happy to report that life has been going just fine without them. I survived Christmas and have really learned to reign in my shopping impulses. I am not perfect, but I am a lot better.

A few things helped along the way. First, having a debit card with a credit card logo allows me to do all the credit card fun things, like shop online, without wracking up the debt. I do technically have a credit card, it just takes the money from my checking account. Also, as I mentioned recently, gift cards are my friends. I have had the pleasure of some personal shopping thanks to gift cards from the holidays. I am far from deprived.

The only time over the 6 months when I truly noticed my lack of plastic was when I was traveling, particularly to Chicago in December during a snowstorm. I knew that if my flight was canceled coming home I was in trouble as I had very little cash prior to pay day and no safety net Amex in my purse. Luckily that did not happen and since then I have built up my savings enough that I would be able to access enough cash for a hotel in that situation now, but at the time it was a little tense.

I am really surprised by how easily I have lived without credit cards. The biggest reason for that is controlling my monthly spending, both on credit card payments through my DMP and my household budget. I have yet to feel really broke.

I wish the six month diet report was as glowing....

Planning for a Rainy Day

Hey, it's raining out.... That is simply a coincidence. This post is about planning for a rainy day or a special occasion.

I just read a reader tip in one of my financial newsletters that resonated with me. This woman buys a small grocery store gift card every pay day (she did not say for how much, but I imagine it would vary depending on your own budget) and tucks it away for special occasions, holidays birthdays etc. when the grocery bill includes a bunch of extras.

I have mentioned the use of gift cards to assist in budgeting in the past. I have squirrelled away a couple from Christmas that I intend to use in the spring, but I really like this idea too.

If you have a really good week at the store, lots of coupons or a great sale on staples, spend the difference in your budgeted grocery money on a gift card. This will insure that you use that saved money on future groceries and not on candy and magazines.

Planning ahead for those festive occasions will take the sting out of the bill and keep the focus on the fun.

Also, holding on to a gift card for the movies or dinner can make a boring month a lot more interesting. Like finding $5 in your coat pocket, finding a gift card in your desk months after the holidays will brighten a dreary day, like say, this one.

Snack Attack

I should know better by now. I cannot keep any kind of snack food in my house without overeating. This week I went to Trader Joe's (home of the seemingly healthy snack options) and I bought a box of chocolate chip cookies and a bag of wasabi peas and a bag of sesame snack sticks.

I ate the cookies over the course of 2 sittings, the entire box. The sesame sticks and wasabi peas I mixed together and brought the majority of them to a friend's house (where I ate quite a bit) the remainder I put in a jar to snack on throughout the week and finished them yesterday.

These things are now added to the long list of items I cannot keep here. I cannot keep chewy granola bars or any kind of cookie or candy. I cannot keep cheese and crackers or potato chips. I must buy all of these things as single serving items or I will eat the large container in an absurdly short amount of time.

Buying the smaller sizes is not cost effective, I know this, but sometimes the budget is less important than the diet.

Memories of a Lifetime

Some things do get cheaper with the advances in technology. One of those things is photo processing. In this digital photo age, you can upload your photos to a number of sites (Snapfish, Shutterfly, etc.) and pick and choose which pics you want to print.

In the old days you had to process the whole roll, even the ones your brother took of a dead squirrel on the side of the road. You endded up paying for a lot of crappy photos with people's heads missing and your thumb over the lens. Nowadays you can select the cream of the crop photos to print, print only those and pay just pennies a print. You can have them shipped to home or if you need them quickly they can be processed at a local store (Walgreen's, Wal-mart and others)

Keep an eye out for special offers to, the competition is fierce for your online printing needs so they are always offering deals. In fact today at Snapfish you can get 15% off your order and free shipping. I am ordering my Christmas photos now!

Pictures make great gifts, with an inexpensive frame or album a few nice snapshots are a thoughtful way to remember the ones you love!

The Tax Man Cometh

Recently I alluded to my trepidation at visiting my tax man. I love my tax man, he is always my Valentine and often he ends up netting me a sizable refund. But I knew I was in trouble this year.

You see, before I came to terms with my debt in 2010 I made a big financial boo-boo: I cashed out a 401K. It was not a ton of money (sure it might have become a ton of money 40 years from now, but I was worried about the here and now) and I prepaid the taxes (or so I thought).

I did this in early January 2010, the money is long spent and when I got the tax paper work I realized they had failed to take out any state tax. I am a complete dolt when it comes to financial matters so I fretted terribly these past few weeks about what I was going to owe.

I also felt bad sitting down at Gary's desk yesterday and confessing my financial sins like the Catholic school girl I once was.

When all was said and done, I only owed the State of Massachusetts $50 and I had overpaid the penalty to the federal government on the 401 K so I am getting a small chunk back from them that will cover the $50, the fees for my Valentine Gary and leave me with about $200 to play with.

This would have been devastating a year ago. Before my budgeted life I needed a 4 digit refund check to survive, but this year I can put half of the $200 in savings and spend the remainder on yarn or wine or a pedicure or whatever I want and not feel guilty about it. Amazing how my life has changed.

To Meat or Not to Meat

Recently, over a plate of sausage, I discussed the ideas of vegetarianism with a friend. When the sausage was finished and they brought out the chicken, we had come to the conclusion we would never be vegetarians. And after 3 tapas made of cheese we had already ruled out our chances at being vegans.

People choose eating lifestyles for different reasons, some for health (although totally eliminating any part of our food system seems not completely healthy to me), some for animal rights, some because it requires sacrifice and self-control and they can then laud that over the weaker meat-eaters of the world. My reason would be sustainability.

Producing enough meat to feed the planet is an incredible burden on our eco-system. As we have overbuilt our planet we have clear cut habitable areas for wild stock to be raised, leading to the animal-rights issues that drive some to vegetarianism. The process for butchering and packaging and shipping meat requires a ton of fossil fuels. So what is the solution?

For me it is 2 meat-free days a week. Now I am just one small consumer in a global market place, but if everyone agreed to go meat-free even once a week there would be a positive environmental impact. Like most steps in saving the planet, the little ones count too.

Eating meat-free on occasion is good for your health (unless you replace meat with Fritos) and good for your wallet. Find recipes using heart-healthy black beans, which cost pennies a serving and are filling and delicious or shop the local farmer's market in the summer for corn and tomatoes or try one of 10,000 pasta recipes out there.

But even though I love you Al Gore, please don't ask me to give up my cheese.

How Tightfisted Are You?

I receive an e-newsletter on frugality and financial matters as part of my debt counseling. Last night I took the "How Tightfisted Are You?" quiz submitted by a reader.

Like every quiz of its type, from "Who's Your Perfect Mate?" to "What Eye Shadow Color Looks Best on You?" I scored in the middle.

Questions ranged from "For dish detergent you..." and the options included making your own, which lets face it, I won't be doing to "For food storage you..." and one of the options was reuse Ziploc bags, which I do do on occasion depending on what was in them.

It got me to thinking about my frugality over the past 6 months. I am by no means a role model on spending yet, but I have developed some good habits and while I have been sticking to my budgeted savings plan and not dipping into that savings I am not sure I am maximizing my savings vis a vis my frugality. I think I am able to do more fun things with money I am saving on dish detergent. No one said I was going to become a financial genius over night, right?

Wash That Water Bottle

Reusable water bottles are a no brainer in this day and age. There are so many options and really high quality ones for not a ton of money (and think of all the money you save on buying bottled water). From an eco-friendly/budget-friendly perspective get yourself a reusable water bottle.

I use a metal one, but there are great BPA-free hard plastic ones too. Do your research and go buy one for yourself for Valentine's Day.

Once you are in the habit of using one, remember to wash it. I am no germa-phobe, I live in a city and I often touch grimy gross things and I ride public transportation! I washed my water bottle maybe once a month. I figure I only put water in it and I'm the only one who uses it, how dirty can it be?

Well, the answer is...very. Germs and other little critters love dark, warm wet places and manage to latch on to anything. They prefer crevices, so try to get a water bottle that is smooth and doesn't have too may ridges. Wash the bottle with hot soapy water at least once a week, more if you put anything other than water in it or you leave it with water in it for any extended period of time.

My water bottle has never made me sick, but it would be a terrible irony if I got some bug from this source of wellness.