Sense to Save

Sorting through our clothes and creating a spring/summer clothes shopping list

These unseasonably warm temperatures have had me going through my spring/summer clothes much sooner than I expected. Here’s what I’m doing.

The kids:

I got (mostly) caught up on laundry to asses what we have in its entirety. I sorted out items they’ve outgrown, never wore, were stained beyond repair or were getting too worn. Johnny had a pair of pants that were worn by a bunch of little boys and the fabric was finally starting to wear thin. Time to toss ‘em.

I saved the wintery clothes that were still in good condition, for some other little kid (be it mine or a friend’s baby, or selling ‘em off in a yard sale some day).

Since it’s still only March, it’s entirely possible we’ll have another cold snap. I kept out a few long-sleeved items and some sweatshirts just in case.

I sorted through the hand-me-downs in the next sizes up and pulled out pieces that are mix-and-matchable or otherwise can make a complete outfit. I had some bottoms for Vivienne that were really cute, but I had absolutely no tops to pair with them. Not gunna work.

For her, I need a swimsuit. I think I’ll go with a two-piece item since that’ll probably fit her longer than a one-piece. I’d like a diaper-cover bottom and a rashguard-type shirt to keep her skin more protected. That’s all I’m going to need for her at this point in the season. Woo!

For Johnny, he’ll also need swim trunks and a rashguard shirt. He has an intense dislike/fear of being in water, so I really won’t want to spend much money on it, in case he doesn’t actually swim or splash this year.

He has plenty of shorts but will need a few more t-shirts in the next sizes up, and also a few items for church.

I’m still checking out area consignment and thrift stores for them, and if I can’t find what I’m seeking there, I’ll go to Kohl’s or Target or something, as well as keeping my eyes out for a good neighborhood yard sale.

Side note:I am really missing St. Vincent de Paul’s in Castle Shannon, PA, and The Has Bin on Rt. 88 for cheap, quality second-hand clothes. :/

My husband:

When it comes to clothes shopping for Shane, he has it so easy. He wears button-down shirts and polos to work, along with khakis or dress pants. On weekends, he’ll wear a polo or t-shirt with jeans. Such an easy formula. All we have to do is cull the fading/worn out items and replace them with colors and patterns he likes.

I spotted a good sale on Kohls.com yesterday (it’s now over). Dress shirts were marked down, and there was a 20% coupon code, free shipping, plus 6% cash back from Ebates. Win! I spent 5 minutes choosing shirts and ordered them. If they don’t work, no trouble — I’ll just return them.

He needs 1-2 pair shorts (a jean and a khaki) and he’ll be good for the season.

Myself:

Oh, ugh. I’ve been sorting my closet by items I like and sorta like, but don’t wear very often. If a “sorta like” item hasn’t been worn recently, I’m sending it on its merry way to a thrift store. Why keep it around?

I’m back to pre-baby weight and I’m going to need some more bottoms and tops. I really try to do a mix-and-match wardrobe, though I’m still learning how to do this more effectively.

I’ve enjoyed this series on building a remixable wardrobe at Putting Me Together. Choosing versatile pieces really does make a difference!

I still need to make an actual list of what I’ll need to round out my spring and summer closet.

I’m taking a break from online clothes purchases for myself. It seems like I really need to just try things on. So, in the next few days (hopefully) I’ll make a list of what I want for myself and hit the stores.

How ’bout you? What’s your method of getting ready for the changing season?

Monday misc. — updates on chipping counter tops, dropped phone calls, and more

Blossoming pear tree! Photo credit: Me, Kacie of Sensetosave.com

This is technically still winter. What in the world? We’re enjoying it. I wasn’t expecting such an early spring, and I still have some inside projects I want to do (spring cleaning, painting, organizing paperwork) so maybe we’ll have a few rainy days so I can get to it. I’m not about to spend 70-80 degree non-humid days inside if I can help it!

My tree (pictured) is blossoming. Just a few days ago it was just buds. It smells kinda odd, though.

Counter top update:

Just about a month after we painted our kitchen countertops with Giani Granite, we noticed some chipping in the paint. You can see our old white countertop underneath. It isn’t so obvious now, but I do notice it if I’m looking for it. I think as time goes on, it’s going to get worse.

The damage is near the sink and above the dishwasher — heavily trafficked areas. Maybe we didn’t let it cure long enough?

While the counters did look neat at first and people who have seen it in person were amazed that we painted it, I just don’t think I can recommend this kit for a kitchen. Kitchen countertops need to be durable! I don’t think this is a long-term solution and I don’t think whenever we go to sell our house someday it’ll work to leave the counters the way they are.

I contacted the company and they were really awesome about wanting to offer a different type of topcoat. The representative I spoke with said for unexplained reasons, some people’s counters chip and need a different seal. They offered to send that at no charge. I’ve yet to say “yes, send it please” because part of me wants to just replace the counters with new laminate.

That would be more expensive, obviously. Shane isn’t wanting to go that route. I just feel like if we’ll need to change the counters eventually or before we sell someday, we might as well do it early on so we can enjoy it.

I’m glad we tried it, though. We did not like the white laminate counters we had and knew we wanted to change them somehow. We just hoped the paint kit would have worked out better. I bet the kit would work better in a guest bathroom or a bar area or somewhere that doesn’t get tons of use. Some people haven’t had a problem with it at all — it really has lots of positive reviews.

Still, I thought I needed to update on our experience.

Magic Jack update:

Not long after I posted my fairly positive review of my Magic Jack Plus, I’ve had a calls drop. Not sure why! Slightly frustrating, though I have calls drop sometimes on my cell phone, too. It’ll happen randomly. It’s enough that I want to put out a strong caution if you’re considering the device for your own use.

I’m keeping ours because it’s still extremely inexpensive. If I’m talking with my mom and the call drops, I’ll just call her back. Easy enough to save a lot of money, even if it can be annoying.

Water stuff:

I read my municipality’s annual water quality report (nerd) and was disappointed to see some violations with regard to the use of chlorine. Gross. I purchased a shower filter at Lowe’s for $18 and I’m amazed at the difference. No dry skin after a shower! No irritated eyes! Probably plenty of health benefits, too, since we’re not breathing chlorine vapors or absorbing it into our skin.

I also purchased a higher-quality filter for our fridge water dispenser via Amazon subscribe & save. It’s not as fancy as a reverse osmosis system or something of the sort, but it’s budget-friendly and better than the stuff straight out of the tap.

Stay-cation:

Shane is taking some time off next month and we plan to do some fun stuff around central Indiana. At first we thought we’d go somewhere vacation-y, but then we remembered we’d have a 16-month-old who doesn’t sleep well near me or in weird places. She’s still in the ‘crazy stage,’ though she seems to be chilling out. We figured we’d be gentle to ourselves instead of stressing out when we’re really just wanting to relax.

So, we’re looking into some things to do in central Indiana and do a stay-cation. The zoo, Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum and Conner Prairie are on our list…anyone want to give me more ideas?

Carnival of Personal Finance #352: Cocktail party edition

Welcome to this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance #352! A bold link with an asterisk indicates editor’s picks*.

A group of money bloggers gathered at a cocktail party hosted by a gal named Kacie. They sipped wine, nibbled on hors d’oeuvres and talked about all things finance. Conversation varied from serious to silly as the evening progressed.

Lingering in the foyer shortly after arriving, a few bloggers discussed finance professionals.

“How much should we trust financial experts?” Money Beagle wanted to know.

“Why do you ask?” wondered Miranda Marquit. “Are you relying too much on a guru’s advice or something? You’ve gotta put together a plan that fits your specific situation. Their advice is usually general.”

“It seems like a lot of them are just ‘big hat, no cattle’ people,” Squirrelers chimed in. “You’d be better off to be a ‘small hat, big cattle’ person, as I like to call it.”

“Sometimes, it’s hard to tell whether someone is a financial advisor or salesperson,” Retire Happy observed. “Look to see how they make their money.”

***

Things got awkward fast near the snack table:

“One of the few things that are a certainty: You will die*,” Jake of I Am 1 Percent gravely told a crowd around him.

A few murmured in agreement. “But, there are some things you can do to recapture wasted time* so you won’t have regrets,” offered Saving Advice. “The thing is, many of us have more time than we think we have, if we’re really honest with ourselves about what constitutes wasted time and what’s important.”

“Sure, we’re all going to die eventually,” agreed Young and Thrifty. “But do you know why you need critical illness insurance? You never know what might happen to you — you might not die straight-up.”

“Good grief, gas sure is expensive!“ See Debt Run interjected, desperately wanting to change the subject to something less morbid.

“I know!” agreed Wallet Blog. “Speaking of gas, BP made a mess of its credit card.”

“Ya know, despite the best 0% purchase credit card offers, and the 100,000 matching Capital One Venture Rewards Bonus, there’s no reward for paying your mortgage with a credit card,” said Two Pennies Earned. “I’m also sorting out whether it’s better to use frequent flyer miles for cash or flying.”

“When it comes to credit cards, balance transfers may not be the solution to your problems,” said Eric from DollerVersity. “I came across some tips to help you track everyday expenses. You’ve gotta get a handle on your spending, or balance transfers won’t do much for you.”

***

Several bloggers reclined on some deck chairs, catching a springtime breeze.

“We plan to pay our mortgage off early,” Passive Family Income told the group. “We’re paying more than $200 extra per month, and that will cut a lot of time off our loan.”

“Oh, that’s nice, but some think that renting is the path to wealth,” said Free Money Finance.

Philip Taylor threw his hands in the air, frustrated with regular bills, and considered the cost of living off the grid*. Before going that extreme, he figured he’d learn some gardening tips for beginners.

***

Browsing titles arranged on a second-hand bookshelf, Narrow Bridge Finance saw an opportunity.

“Kacie, did you know you could sell your junk easily with Amazon? They’ve made some changes to make it easier for sellers.”

“Junk?” she repeated. “Yeah, thanks. I’ve sold unwanted items online before, and earning extra money online with paid surveys helped me pay down debt and build up savings.”

“Speaking of savings, and uh…keeping things safe – a safe might not be the best place to hide valuables in your home,” Start Talking Cents told his hostess, looking around the room and observing nothing of value. “If you had valuables, you could hide them behind insulation in your garage, or maybe in an old paint can.”

She considered this idea, then realized her assets were mostly in her retirement accounts, in target date funds*. Asset allocation is important in her overall investing strategy.

It’s possible to retire wealthy on an average salary, but you’ve got to have the discipline to stop yourself from dipping in your savings and stick to your financial plan to make your thousands or millions.

“Having one million dollars doesn’t necessarily mean you’re rich if you don’t handle the money properly, and I learned some interesting principles from Millionaire Teacher,” said Echo.

“Are there any safe investments anymore?“ Watson Inc asked. “With the unsustainability of Social Security, I think you have to be extremely careful with your investments.”

“It’s important to understand your investments,” Novel Investor replied, “and beware: ETFs should come with a warning label, and do keep an eye to tracking error. I read an interesting case against passive investing, for people who like to be more hands-on.”

***

Perched on sofas and chairs in the living room, a few discussed high-level topics in investing.

“Is it even possible to have a dividend stock bubble?” Dividend Growth Stocks wanted to know.

“I’m not sure about a bubble, but I’d like to figure out when you can retire on dividends,” Dividend Growth Investor replied. “There’s definitely a crossover point you have to reach.”

“Would you consider investing in a Structured Settlement Annuity investing to be a good deal?” someone asked Nerd’s Eye View.

“Yes, but…here. Let me get you a refill while I explain this to you.”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m screening covered call options for my traditional IRA,” said My Journey to Millions.

***

Several bloggers headed toward the computer room to watch a silly YouTube video.

“I see you have a little home office setup here. Let me share 4 tips to get the most out of working from home,” suggested Jason from One Money Design.

“I have a lot of respect for online degrees,” My University Money announced, nodding toward Kacie’s computer monitor. “It’s the way of the future! Oh, I’m going to retweet this post reviewing Medishare from Money Help for Christians — health care can be so complicated.”

Jason agreed.

“Can I borrow your phone charger? I want to comment on The Urge to Merge: Money after Marriage, That Is from Tie the Money Knot, but my battery is about dead.”

***

“Hey Sandy,” Kacie asked, “how did your finances improve last month?”

“Good, thanks!” Sandy replied. “I’m making a lot of progress in the last few months, and paid off another credit card as of March 1. I’ve improved my debt totals by $14,421 since the beginning of December.”

*High-fives all around.*

”Losing weight taught me about saving money*,“ Well Heeled told Peter, while passing up a plate of stuffed mushrooms.

Peter was jogging in place.

“Paying down debt should be like interval training*,” he said, then dropping to the floor for a few push-ups. No one looked surprised at his impromptu workout.

“It’s a long road to budgeting bliss, mused Eemusings. “Definitely not a sprint. You’ve gotta be in it for the long haul.”

Others agreed.

“There are 9 ways I could have avoided debt,” said American Debt Project, “but what’s done is done. I came across a stress-free way to prioritize your debt, and it’s helping me to improve my credit score as well.”

“When you’re checking your credit score, are you checking the Fico or ‘Fako‘?” Dough Roller asked. “There’s a difference.”

***

“Holy C.O.L.A., Batman! I Got A Raise!,” exclaimed Debt Black Hole. “Well that’s great, but my name isn’t Batman,” said Tom from Stupid Cents. ”What would you do with a wage increase?,” he inquired. “You’re not going to spend it all at the company store, are you?”

“I’ll probably be more like Paula at Afford Anything, and invest 100 percent of my income.”

“Wow, that’s pretty amazing! Let me tell you more about what I learned from my first job,” Hope to Prosper chimed in. “Apple is the world’s whipping boy for worker conditions, jobs, profits. Is that fair?”

“I don’t think so. And here’s something interesting — I’ll tell you why your decisions are already made before you make them*,” Shaun from Money Cactus predicted.

***

“Have You Heard of the Volcker Rule?“ Budget Snob asked. “If not, on July 21, 2012 you will,” he ominously predicted.

“I’m vaguely familiar with it,” Suba replied, making a mental note to read up on it later. “What I want to know, is why haven’t women taken the stage yet? And aren’t you really irritated at the 9 biggest rip-offs ever?”

“Beats me,” shrugged One Cent At A Time. “We should apply the concept of Karma in personal finance to see what we can learn.”

 [Photo used via Dave Dugdale Creative Commons]