My Frugal Brother's Second Career

At a recent family gathering, my sister asked my brother, "Did you win that grill in a contest?" as she pointed to a nice gas grill.

"No," he said, "I picked it up off a curb in our neighborhood."

We all laughed.

My brother has made a second career of saving money by winning contests, using coupons, accepting credit card special offers, finding curbside treasures, and more.

One of his first big wins was a trip for two to the Redskins Super Bowl in New Orleans in 1987. He had bought multiple scratch-off cards. First, he won a Redskins hat, then a Redskins jersey, and then he received a registered letter for the tickets. He took Dad as his guest as a belated Christmas present.

Later, he began to enter multiple sweepstakes multiple times by sending in 3x5 cards. The next big prize he won was a cruise to the Bahamas for four nights and three days for two for Mom, fulfilling one of her greatest wishes.

But, his best prize was winning a county housing lottery where he got the opportunity to buy his beautiful brick townhouse.

My brother has a full-time job, an hour commute and an extended family. From what I can tell, he enters sweepstakes he sees while out doing errands, on his cell phone during his bus commute from ads in magazines and newspapers, or online while watching television or during family gatherings.

I admire how he has incorporated saving money into his everyday thinking. Every conversation with him generally includes a tip on how to save money. Recently, he suggested I open a account with an online bank because their interest rates were better than most. Visit him at home and he will offer you a 2 for 1 restaurant coupon or something similar.

He briefly stopped entering sweepstakes until he saw an instant win sweeps online for a $100 Visa card in 2002. He won. He thought of giving the card to his wife until he saw a Roomba, a flat vacuum robot, on Amazon for $125. He thought this would be a great gift to help his wife clean the dog hair from under the sofa. So, with a $25 first time buyer's credit and free shipping, he got the Roomba for free.

At a family New Year's eve gathering in 2007, he entered multiple online sweepstakes that were closing and won a trip to Disney World for his family.

Some of his other wins have included multiple liters of soda for everyone in the family, movie tickets, hats, shirts, and more.

My brother is a member of a Sweepstakes $10,000 club.

His philosophy for entering sweepstakes is to enter contests where the prize would change his life or to enter contests that have little interest.

He warns that there are dangers in entering online sweepstakes. Many sweepstakes sites are shams and others flood your mailbox with junk mail. He set up a separate email account for his sweepstakes entries.

Another way my brother wins prizes is to accept invitations to seminars. In addition to a free lunch, he has won an iPod and an iPad.

He uses multiple credit cards to get discounts and air travel miles. He, also, takes advantage of special credit card offers and prizes for opening new bank accounts.

Some of his other curbside finds include a large glass tabletop and a toilet for parts. He also likes to visit big box stores and food courts at lunchtime to get free samples.

He uses Freecycle.org, an international online service with local chapters, where posters list items they want to giveaway or items they want. One of his favorite finds was a collection of Dora the Explorer videos for his granddaughter.

And his dog, came from a local animal shelter.

On a recent visit to my brother's, his daughter, and I went to the grocery store to pick up a few items for dinner. As we stood in line, I realized we had not brought our own bags and would be charged $.05 for each bag. Here comes my brother with a handful of plastic bags that he gives us as we reach the cashier. When we exited the store, I asked him where he got the bags; he had raided the plastic recycling bin.

A Frugal Friend Finds Curbside "Treasures"

Just another day in Mexico.

During a lunch walk with my friend, she spied an abandoned laundry basket on the sidewalk and near it was a bag of trash. Sticking out of the bag was a wooden rack. She grabbed this, too.

Back home the wooden rack, after being sanded and finished, would serve as a towel rack in the bathroom.

A new laundry basket could cost around 70 pesos; a wooden rack about 40 pesos.

Amy Dacyczyn advises checking curbside "trash" for useable items. In the Tightwad Gazette, she gives some great examples of treasures she and others have found. While I have never had any luck finding useable items in curbside "trash", my brother has found many items including a gas grill which just needed a few minor repairs.

It pays to keep your eyes peeled and to look in unlikely places for "treasure."

On My Way to the Lavenderia (Laundry Service)

As I was hauling my laundry to the Lavenderia, I passed by a "garage" sale.

In Mexico, you learn to take advantage of sales on the spot.

In amongst the various items was a lovely clean, plush, pink bath mat for 15 pesos (~1.50U.S.).  Value between 40 to 100pesos.

The Junk Drawer and the Fine Art of Puttering

After being prematurely retired, I downsized significantly and moved to Mexico. Two years later after acclimating my new environment. I rented a one bedroom furnished apartment.

Among the pieces of furniture that came with the apartment was a large wooden bureau with four big drawers, one large shallow drawer and two small drawers. Because the bed had several large storage drawers for personal items, I did not need the bureau in the bedroom. So, I moved it into the living room/dining room area to use as a sideboard for linens and kitchen items.

I made one of the small drawers a junk drawer. Nothing says home like a junk drawer.

My junk drawer holds spare light bulbs, batteries, spare key chains, odd keys, guarantees for purchased items, rubber bands, nails, screws, pens, broken items, and other odds and ends.

Most people have hobbies. Many like sports. Lots of people are artistic and make crafts and such. I like to putter. I find it relaxing. I go around my home and determine if the furniture is in the best position.  I go through the drawers and sort and rearrange items. If there are items I know I will never use again, they go into a barter box.

I examine the rooms to see if there are items that need repair. Today, I sorted through my junk drawer. I found a broken corner from a stone paperweight. I found the glue and repaired the piece.

Then, I went though my closets, I found a colorful handbag and decided to hang it on the wall for decoration. I found a pair of pants I meant to mend. I made the repairs and now have a “new” pair of pants. I also found a little horse statue that was a gift from my mother; I moved it to my bookcase for display.

I sorted through my earrings and separated those that I use often, those I hardly wear --holiday and special earrings, and broken or single earrings. I repaired one pair of earrings and found a pair to put in the barter box.

In addition, my puttering makes me feel organized. It also reacquaints me with my belongings. Sometimes, I call this process “shopping in my closets” because I find things I forgot I had and might have purchased, again. So, I save money.

All in all, these few hours were relaxing and profitable.

This is a Fantastic Graphic Summary of Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing

Source: http://www.businesswebpagecreation.com/selfpublishingbooks.htm

Reprint of SFF-World Post -- What Do Star Trek and Zorro (TV shows) Have in Common?

As a newly self-published author, I have been neck-deep in research in the various aspects of self-publishing. 

 

Research can take some surprising turns. At night, I would relax and watch old Zorro TV shows on YouTube. Then, during an internet search, I found a self-published biography of Guy Williams, the actor who played Zorro, by Antoinette Lane (Guy Williams: Man Behind the Mask). I got the eBook in Kindle. Long story short, Ms. Lane did a massive amount of research and produced a great biography of Mr. Williams. 

 

Anyway, I continued to watch the old Zorro shows and thought back to my first introduction to the show when I was a child. As a child, I was in love with Zorro, the horses, the action scenes, and the concept of good triumphing over evil without understanding the true nature of evil. Yet, when I think back, that show had a impact on my life, in the ideas I hold about good and evil, and even about the Spanish culture and American history. 

 

Today, I look at this show and see adult themes presented: tyranny, slavery, deception, crime, history, romance and more. 

 

Zorro was produced in the late 1950s by Disney. Star Trek came out in the late 1960s, produced by Desilu. When Star Trek came out, it was perceived as unique, yet, the creator, Gene Roddenberry, described it as "a wagon train to the stars." A western in space. 

 

I am a Star Trek fan and I appreciated how the stories present classic struggles to understand and overcome ideas like prejudice, intolerance, tyranny, slavery, crime and more. Star Trek also promoted exploration not just of space but of the human mind. 

 

What made Star Trek truly successful in my mind was that it presented classic stories that explored human nature. 

 

When I look back at the Zorro TV shows, I feel that they also presented classic stories that explored human nature. 

 

Both shows influenced my outlook on life.

 

Updated due to changes in Blogspot coding. 

40+ Small Ways to Save Money in Mexico

While I enjoy being a tightwad, it also carries with it an ethical responsibility.

 

As Amy Dacyczyn notes:

“It is wrong to save money at the expense of others.”

--p228 The Complete Tightwad Gazette.

 

Here is my list of small ways to save money in Mexico:

1. Save receipts, create a price book (include housewares, clothing, groceries, services, & other items).
2. Develop menus and staples list, stock up on basics.
3. Scout various markets for price comparisons.
4. Buy vegetables and fruit on sale or in season, cut up and freeze.
5. Look for holiday items on sale after the holidays for future use.
6. Check grocery receipts for mispriced items.
7. Use crock pot, freeze portions for other meals.
8. Drink water instead of soda.
9. Make juice spritzers with club soda and juice or dilute juices with water.
   
10. Refill water bottles for personal use.
11. Use drink concentrates and powdered drink mixes.
    
12. Reuse tea bags and coffee grounds.
    
13. Wash and reuse baggies safely.
14. Dilute dishwashing soap, shampoo, and hand soap.
15. Use homemade skin products as a DIY facial: olive oil mask, grape juice astringent, milk as a rinse.
16. Compare health providers, expertise, reputation and costs.
17. Buy used clothes, household items from flea markets and “garage” sales.
18. Repair clothes and other items.
19. Wear old shoes around the house, save better shoes for dress-up.
20. Develop a basic mix and match wardrobe, foundation black pants or light brown skirt.
    
21. Use plastic grocery and laundry bags for trash bags.
22. Use cloth napkins.
23. Wear solar watch.
24. Recycle envelopes and copy paper.
25. Take public transit.
26. Use fans versus A/C.
27. Unplug microwave when not in use.
28. Turn off lights and fans when leaving the house.
29. Walk and/or do yoga and exercises in home.
30. Read free or low-cost ebooks from Smashwords, Amazon, Project Gutenberg and more.
31. Use OpenCulure.org for viewing classic English movies for free.
32. Attend various free cultural events.
33. Use Skype and Magic Jack for international calls.
34. Research travel and large purchases, then wait at least 24 hours before purchase.
35. Pay off credit cards, use credit cards for purchases if concerned about a dispute, pay credit card in full.
36. Compare ATM fees, use the lowest.
37. Reduce number of ATM withdrawals per month.
38. Put regular weekly or monthly savings amount, and spare change into savings account.
39. Research CD interest rates, store money in long-term CDs.
40. Barter.
41. Reduce, reuse, recycle, regift, rethink, and re-enjoy.
42. Best of all, be creative and keep your eyes open for savings opportunities.