January 21, 2013
Funny About Money’s ruminations on the one-day, one-housekeeping task approach reinforces the idea that simple /= always easy. For a little over a year now, I’ve been doing a similar thing with our housework despite my preference to do big-clean-days which are both time and energy monsters.
More sensible, it seemed, to take it in turn: do the routine things that will drive me batty if not done regularly, and insert one other chore. It’s like a special housekeeping menu.
Routine: dishes every day, trash and recycling when it’s more than half full, picking up the kitchen after cooking.
Insert one: Brush the dog, human laundry (full wash, dry, fold and store), dog laundry, vacuuming. Full counter wipedown (instead of the clean as you go). Clear out the fridge or freezer. Clear the dining table of the inevitable pile of things. Pick up the bedroom and living room.
It doesn’t seem like much but there are plenty of days where I’ve worked 13 hours, cooked dinner and cleared up afterward only to curl up in the corner, refusing to do any more. And any time I tackle more than one optional chore, I find myself sucked into a snowball of more related chores. Well heck, that happens anyway.
- Clearing the table leads to needing to file and/or shred paperwork. Which leads to filling up the recycling that needs to be taken out. Which also means I’d need to pick up all other recycling because why not take out everything?
- On the other hand, properly starting a chore like laundry means all the clothing, or towels or toys shed randomly in various places gets picked up so it goes both ways.
- Vacuuming, oh vacuuming. As we get more things, we have more things the dog can shed on. So the decision: do a half-arsed job or go whole hog? Whole hog means pulling out everything he might have shed on, vacuuming and wiping them down, vacuuming behind, under, and over everything. Three guesses how often whole-hog turns into half-arsed? 🙂 There are times I’ve considered vacuuming him. Like when my pants are so furry from crawling about and hugging Doggle that I take a few passes at them.
The interesting thing is, while I’m in favor of exchanging money for time, and just as importantly, money for energy, within reason, it seems more obvious to the outside observer than to me that hiring a cleaner would be as a good an investment in protecting my health and sparing PiC’s energy as any other thing we’d try. Priorities, right? After all, do I need to be the one vacuuming or could a good cleaning service do it just as well?
Obviously, a good cleaner could do just as well.
My three objections:
A) It’s work but not that much work. Especially when I lower my cleaning standards. 😉 So is it really worth it? (maaaayybe)
B) I don’t want to hire a cleaner and then spend time cleaning before they get here. That’s annoying. I have better things to do with my paid for time. But I know PiC would be inclined to do this. This is a houseful of neurotics.
C) Cost: I’m not prepared to give up something to afford a cleaner just yet.
The assumption is that we have plenty of Disposable Income between the two of us. We do have enough to live comfortably now, with a few luxuries like eating well and traveling occasionally (on a budget of course), but that’s about it if we’re going to keep saving because I still pay a good chunk of Dad’s living expenses. I spend about $20K/year right off the top for his regular expenses, excluding medical or emergencies, and that’s less than ever before. He’s been working himself to the bone to make enough to pay for the utilities, gas, groceries, and any necessary incidentals. I can’t and don’t begrudge what I do still pay but that’s also money not available to pay for cleaning.
Still, I wonder whether it’d be worth stretching or wiggling the budget to make it happen.
Does anyone have help at home? What does it entail and how much does it cost?
March 1, 2011
Partially on a whim, I’d embarked on an UnCash spending strategy for 2011.
I’d wanted to stop making unplanned purchases this year, or rather, have a contingency plan for most basic and probable spending needs to redeem points for gift cards and avoid spending real money. I’d harken back to the college days, (ah yes, when I could only shop at Borders funded by Discover rewards money!) redeeming American Express Gold Card Membership Reward points, Thank You points and other reward points for a small stash of gift cards. It’s a small stash, after all, because earning those rewards requires spending cash in the first place.
I’ve always done this to some degree, but have mostly fallen behind the eight ball. It’s time to pull the straps back up on this strategy and see how well I can do with picking up the gift cards first, then spotting the sales!
Besides, with the as-yet unbudgeted wedding, even though PiC and I still haven’t come to any decisions yet, stashing cash just makes sense. Even as low-key as we’re going to go, no photographer’s going to take points for payment. (Are they?)
So far, I’ve collected:
$25 – Victoria’s Secret
$75 – Spa Certificates
$50 – Banana Republic
$50 – Amazon, via Swagbucks and other miscellaneous deals.
$50 – Starbucks for PiC
The key problem with this tactic, of course, is the limited types of gift cards offered by the rewards program. But quite honestly, I’m not going to invest a massive amount of time and energy into this. I already know which cards pay out the highest percentage per dollar spent per spending category, that’s always going to be the first priority to maximize. Redemptions will then follow on as every program has at least one useful option, even if it’s not an immediate need or want. This is a long-term strategy anyway, so it won’t fill in all areas of spending, especially not high-spend areas like gas or groceries, but it can occasionally supplement.
May 30, 2009
Ah yes, hindsight. I knew this layoff was coming, most likely mid-year, yet it took me until April to start making appropriate adjustments.
Earlier this year, it was important to have cash on hand, so I cut back on retirement contributions to a bare-bones 3% (not including company match, which was maxed). My reasoning at the time was sound, but flawed due to incomplete knowledge.
Error One: I’m entitled to severance equal to one month pay when I separate from this employer, as well as over 200 hours of vacation pay. Didn’t take that cash payout into consideration. I made this assumption because I hoped to quit before the layoff which would have meant no severance.
Error Two: For another, my cash savings program was much more successful than anticipated. In January, I had $7000 for routine monthly expenses and $23,000 in savings. Since then, I’ve added ~$10,000 to those accounts, all while still paying bills. I could have spared a few thousand for retirement savings, considering the “sale prices” of the past several months, without being cash-poor & investment-rich post-employment.
Error Three: I didn’t consider that I’d be eligible for unemployment, and that it’ll cover all my monthly bills. At the time the plan was conceived, monthly expenses were well over $2000/month, so I estimated needing at least $35,000 in cash for 12 months of unemployment. In the meantime, the truck was sold, the family car was totaled and if nothing else, my monthly needs improved tremendously thanks to both events.
Being that pessimistic means I have an unusual stash of cash, just sitting around, while only having made just a little over $2000 in retirement contributions. Ergh. I hate throwing away both the opportunity to invest at lower prices and the tax benefit.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not bemoaning doing better than expected, for heaven’s sake. I’m just wishing I’d done a little better at making decisions based on the long-term, or at least considering the whole fiscal year. I subscribe to the “hope for the best, plan for the worst” mentality, but I clearly need to work on my automatic worst-worst-worst case scenario planning reflex. It’s a little dire. After all, it’s not like it’s the Zombie Apocalypse.
Of course, I haven’t hyperventilated about being a bag lady in a while, so maybe that was necessary for peace of mind.
For now, I’ll make a small adjustment to my contributions for the last check and leave payroll alone. Maybe I’ll make a few smaller investments, in addition to the CD I just bought. No sense in fussing too when we have so little time left, not until I learn how to read the future!
[Dear Magic 8-ball: will I find a good, well-paying job with benefits adjusted for COLA this year? What’s that? “Concentrate and ask again”? Hmph. I prefer Neil Gaiman‘s Magic 8-ball. I miss it.]
February 25, 2009
On Twitter, @debthater asked: For all u personal finance peeps, is your 3-6 months of living expenses savings SEPARATE from your “emergency” fund? Curious
My answer was that my living expenses account (“cash cushion”) and my emergency fund are totally separate.
Most others (@singlema, @wellheeledblog) keep their money all in one pot to keep it simple.
Is everyone else is more organized than I am?
My expense account was initially deliberately separated out so that it would be easier to track during the effort to break out from the paycheck to paycheck cycle. It’s really sad to get misled into thinking there’s more than there really is because of the bigger numbers of the emergency fund!
Now that the cash cushion is healthy, am I just complicating matters by maintaining two sets of accounts?
It’s partly psychological, partly record-keeping. E-fund money is untouchable: it’s for real emergencies ONLY. The expenses money is intended to be used for monthly costs and unexpected non-emergencies. If I keep it all in one pot, it seems like the whole pot is accessible, not just a portion of it. Also, there are enough miscellaneous transactions (deposits, usually) that it seems easier to keeo them separated.
What think ye? Should I just simplify matters and combine all the accounts? (By “all,” I have to admit that my emergency fund is spread across 3 banks because I was worried about accessibility, low rates and the bank failures. I wanted to have access one way or another to some of the money I needed in case of problems.)
How do you handle your accounts? Do you simplify/complicate things?
February 17, 2009
Between online billpay, Yodlee, and automatic credit card billing, I rarely write checks anymore. At most, I write two checks a month, so I’m pretty laissez faire when it comes to balancing my checkbook. Lately, all I do to balance it is highlight uncashed checks and cross out cashed checks. Plain and simple. 1) Make sure the money’s transferred in to cover the check, 2) put a line through it.
If this seems a little flippant for a normally neurotic financier, there’s a very good reason for it. I’m breaking myself of the habit of tracking each single penny in my checking accounts because I’m normally tempted to mess with the cushion in there. It kills me to see any balance that’s not earning its keep. Never mind that it IS earning its keep by serving as insurance against those times I have a boneheaded moment and pay bills in my sleep out of the wrong checking account, the risk of assuming that I won’t screw it up this time is too great.
Clearly that upsets the delicate balance of my banking system, so I intentionally close my eyes to the checking account. Mostly.
I’m on check number 863 now, so I keep checking back on that single uncashed check from seven months ago. I had a sneaking suspicion that if I looked away, it’d jump up and go commit dastardly deeds. And so, it’s with great relief I raise my arms in triumph and announce, the man has finally cashed his check!!
I can now go about my business. Halleluhjah!
February 9, 2009
It just occurred to me that I should take a look-see at my Thank You points: earnings rates and redemption value.
The rate of TY points accrual depends on two things: my spending and my use of Citi products. The former is dictated by monthly expenses and needs, so it ebbs and flows naturally. The latter is dictated by whether or not I remember to pay at least one bill from my Citi checking account. When I remember, I earn 400 points a month, when I don’t, it’s only 200. With the addition of a Citi CD, though, I’ve been bumped up to the 600-points-per-month tier. Miniscule, but still points.
Looks like my Diamond Preferred card is still earning me two points per dollar, that’s cool. The double points promotion was a result of my cancellation spree last year, who knows if I can sweet talk them into giving it to me for another year.
On to the rewards!!
I just want a GC that will defray my everyday costs: nothing frivolous and at a 1 point: 1 dollar redemption ratio.
Gas cards are my first choice now …. and completely gone. No BP, no Shell. Dang! Oh wait, they have a Sunoco card, but I don’t think we have that here in California. After checking the site, it looks like their cards can only be used at Sunoco stations, unlike BP cards which can be redeemed at Arco stations. Ah well.
Retailers:
If that no-wrinkle ladies’ shirt from Brooks Brothers truly doesn’t wrinkle, it might be worth picking up a $100 card. I used to like ironing, but not anymore. Bed, Bath and Beyond and Macy’s are still going for $100/10,000 as well.
Amazon: $50/6000 – handy for ordering birthday and Christmas gifts
CVS: $50/6000 – if I wanted to start doing the CVS Extra Care game, this could get me started without using cash of my own.
Banana Republic: $50/6000 – nice to have one or two GC for BR around in case of awesome clearance sales.
It’s a shame that the redemptions are getting both scarce and … sort of pathetic. It’s the ongoing entropy of any loyalty program, though, they always tend to reduced value over time. Meantime, I’ll keep an eye out for newer, better programs, like Chase’s Cash Plus card which gives me five points per dollar at gas stations, grocery and drugstores. That gives actual cash back.
Note: The WSJ just ran an article on the banks’ pulling back of rewards.
December 18, 2008
It’s too late now, but it occurred to me that for all of my agonizing over finding the best price and fit in a new laptop, I neglected to fully maximize possible cashback options.
I did use ebates.com for a 1% cashback rebate. (If anyone wants a referral, we each get $5.)
That’s about $7 back, if they include cashback on tax.
I did use my Citi card that offers 2% back on all purchases in Thank You points.
That’s 1466 Thank You points.
However, I did not think to use my Chase Cash Plus card at the grocery store for 5% cashback rewards. [“Wait, what?” you ask. I know, I’m getting there.]
If I had gone to Vons/Safeway, using my Chase card to purchase a $700 Best Buy gift card, I would have earned 3500 points. That’s the equivalent of $35 because 5000 points can be redeemed for $50 cash, instead of a piddling 1466 Thank You points which cash out at an average rate of 6000/12000 points for $50/$100 gift cards.
Hmph. I could have stopped by the grocery store on my way home from work on Monday and more than doubled my cashback, in actual cash. Careless, I tell you. Miss M, you can still benefit from my mistake!