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Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Flashback: How did you do with your financial resolutions?
So last year, I suggested a few very simple resolutions for stronger personal finance habits. They were:
Keeping a log of daily expenses: "One of the simplest and most effective ways to get a handle on your everyday spending is to keep track of every penny going out."
Never pay an ATM fee again: "Simply vow not to hit any ATM that will charge you money to withdraw cash from your bank account."
Be more mindful of the little things: "The point is not to cut all discretionary spending out of your life, but to look at whether the discretionary spending you're doing is the best possible use of those resources for you."
I freely admit that I blew the ATM fee vow once this year: I wanted to splurge on a cab ride home after getting dismissed from jury duty, and since I only had $10 cash to my name, I wanted to pick up another $20 or so to cover the fare. It was a really hot September day and I didn't relish the idea of hauling my 36-weeks-pregnant self all over downtown looking for my bank's ATM. So I called an audible and hit the nearest cash machine.
The ride was a guilty delight, the same way watching a matinee when one ought to be studying for finals is.
Otherwise, I kept an eye on the little things and it worked out well enough.
How did you do with your personal finance resolutions? Share at dollarsandsense@sfgate.com.
| Dec 28 at 09:18 AM
Monday, December 27, 2010
Flashback: How to regift without irritating anyone
So the stockings are no longer hanging by the chimney with care, the last of the gift wrap has been crammed into an overfull recycle bin, and you're left staring at a gift basket filled with biscotti and white chocolate hot drink mix and wondering what to do with it.
Answer: hit the Dollars & Sense archives. We've covered the finer points of regifting and provided some do's and don'ts for passing along your presents to someone who will appreciate them more.
Now go forth and pass along that plumeria-scented bodywash to someone who would really appreciate it.
| Dec 27 at 09:14 AM
Friday, December 24, 2010
Flashback: How to return gifts without headaches
It's the day before Christmas and really, at this point, you should stop worrying about shopping for presents -- you can always hand them over later with a "Happy Boxing Day!" "Happy 2011!" "I have twelve days in which to give you presents, up to and including twelve drummers drumming" or "I'm on the Orthodox calendar now, so this is actually early" -- and start worrying about what to do about any unwanted stuff you receive.
INSERT DISCLAIMER HERE: You're all civilized human beings, so I'm sure it goes without saying that you receive gifts graciously, thank the giver warmly and cherish the notion that you mean enough to someone else to merit a gift in the first place.
However, you can totally be touched by the sentiment and less than thrilled by the actual gift. And if you want to return it, here's how to do so with as few headaches as possible. At least, the return process will be headache-free.
| Dec 24 at 08:20 AM
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Padding your holiday budget for the unexpected
Despite my best plans, despite the email reminders and spreadsheets and so on, today I had to hit the holiday slush fund. The reason: I had two presents that I didn't get around to mailing until today.
For those who were unsure, here's what a facepalm looks like. Think of it as the kinesthetic equivalent of "D'oh!"
Yes, I blew past the USPS shipping deadlines for first class mail. (In my defense, I'm balancing the holiday prep with taking care of an infant who nurses every two hours or so, and that's blown holes in my errand-running routines.) So I went to Fed Ex today and ponied up for two-day shipping, just to be on the safe side.
It killed me to spend the money. But fortunately, I had it to spend -- we always set aside a little for unforeseen situations. Some years, it's an impulsive gift purchase for someone new. Some years -- like this one -- it's a stupidity tax.
Have you ever had a holiday expense that was completely preventable? Or one that was unexpected and sort of irritating? Share your stories of facepalm-inducing outlays at dollarsandsense@sfgate.com.
| Dec 22 at 09:49 AM
Monday, December 20, 2010
What you could do without this season
I snickered my way through Drew Magary's Deadspin entry, "10 Things That Christmas Would Be Better Off Without," (warning: the language is a little adult) if only because I too really, really dislike those Lexus ads where someone surprises someone else with an expensive car.
That entry got me thinking: What would I eliminate from Christmas? I'm still noodling that one over, but I'd love to hear what you'd eliminate if it were possible. Think big -- car commercials, shrink-wrapped gift baskets of cheese-like products -- and sound off at dollarsandsense@sfgate.com.
| Dec 20 at 10:27 PM
Try talking your family into this one
Six days from now, nearly every retailer in America is going to launch their after-holiday sales. For those of us on the West Coast, any time after 9 p.m. PST on Christmas is a great time to begin the bargain-hunting, as that's when many e-commerce sites switch to their December 26 sales.
I usually reserve a chunk of cash for shopping the sales, and I've got a running list of things I either want or need at specific stores; this way, if the opportunity arises and the price is right, I can pounce. My mom and I also use the after-holiday sales to grab our holiday cards for the next year. Why pay full price for cards in the fall when you can just buy a few boxes for 50-75% off and keep them stashed in a drawer for the next 10-11 months?
I've been thinking: If you and your family are truly committed to wringing the maximum value out of your budget ... why not celebrate Christmas in the very last week of the month? Instead of shopping Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales and hoping that prices don't drop any further, why not wait until they've bottomed out, then scoop up your presents at their lowest prices?
To be sure, this is a hard sell for anyone who's got small children in the house. Explaining to them that Santa's not showing up until December 30 because he needs to shop the sales is probably going to diminish the magic of the season. But for folks whose circle of gift recipients are all of legal age? It's doable. And it might even be a fun way to extend the warmth and fellowship of the season -- or observe it once the hectic crush of end-of-year obligations has eased.
Would you ever consider holding off on gift exchanges until the post-Christmas sales are in effect? Weigh in at dollarsandsense@sfgate.com.
| Dec 20 at 09:27 AM
Friday, December 17, 2010
Making gift shopping easier -- now and later
Another short entry, and one that will probably do you more good later than now ...
The only reason I'm able to get my holiday shopping done anywhere near on time this year is because I set myself up last year. Saved to my Google Docs account is a spreadsheet in which I keep track of the following on a year-by-year basis: Who is on the household gift list, what the dollar limit is for their gift, what we actually bought them, and what it cost us.
The spreadsheet is handy for several reasons: It prevents embarrassing repeats (a hazard when you're sending something to an elderly relative and you're tempted to fall back on old reliables like fruit baskets). It helps keep track of spending trends. It curbs impulse purchases and budget-blowing: If you have already committed to spending $75 on your sister's kids, then you're likely to keep that number fixed in your skull and get creative about how to get the most bang for the buck, as opposed to wandering around throwing stuff in a basket and being shocked when you've blown $125. And when you do blow your budget, you can see how it happened and take steps to ensure it doesn't happen again.
If you're more of a pen-and-paper type than a spreadsheet type, consider visiting Organized Home and printing out their holiday gift handouts. In addition to a holiday budget worksheet and a holiday gift list, they've also got printouts for folks who have gift closets and folks who are making, rather than buying, their gifts. I know it's too late to get really organized for this year's gift-giving season, but if you take a few steps now in anticipation of the 2011 holiday season, you'll be glad you did so in the fall next year. Take advantage of the holiday momentum and set yourself up!
| Dec 17 at 09:13 AM
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Gift guides: Are they ever really useful?
December's a tough month to be a magazine reader, for one reason that can be summed up in two words: Gift guides.
Nearly every magazine has a block of pages devoted to "helping" its readers find presents for everyone on their list. This premise alone is a little oddball: presumably, you're subscribing to, say, Outside or Entertainment Weekly or Sunset because you like outdoorsy activities or pop culture or entertaining. Unless everyone on your gift list likes the same things you do, how will a gift guide targeted toward you as a reader help you when shopping for someone else?
Then there are two other big problems inherent in gift guides: the vague categorization of gift recipients ("The girl on the go!" "The man's man!") and the price points for the merchandise. In the case of the former: Are you really sorting through the people in your life by their retailer-defined traits? Or are you thinking, "Okay, Mom, Aunt Gail, my brother, his partner Todd, my college roommate who just had a baby ...?"
(Although I will cop to being entertained by how American shoppers are sifted by market researchers and/or market editors. If you'd like to see this in action, go to "You Are Where You Live," punch in your zip code and see whether any of the consumer profiles fits you. Are you Bohemian Mix? Money and Brains? Urban Achievers?)
In the case of the second point: there's no denying that the merchandise in many media gift guides would make lovely gifts for someone. But the price points are usually such where you'd either have to have a gift budget stretching into four figures or a very small list. If I'm dropping three figures on someone's gift, chances are I already have a very specific thing in mind.
To be fair: Some gift guides do an excellent job of rounding up merchandise at all price points and they can provide quick, easy an budget-minded inspiration. For example, New York magazine's "Gifts for Everyone You Know" feature had the usual eye-rolling categories ("For your mistress," "For your mumblecore boyfriend") but in those categories were several affordable items that would actually be pleasurable or useful after the holidays. And continuing in the to-be-fair vein: Sometimes, you just hit a wall and need a little outside inspiration, and gift guides can provide that.
Let's throw this open to debate. Are magazine and website gift guides a harmless-yet-useless part of the holidays, like Old Spice gift packs and plastic tubes of red and green M&Ms;? Or do they genuinely add something useful to the goings-on? You tell me at dollarsandsense@sfgate.com.
| Dec 16 at 09:50 AM
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Save some money and some sanity in mere minutes
Just a quick one today ...
As a lot of you smarty-pants shoppers know, signing up to receive emails from difference e-commerce vendors can be a great way to get special offers from them. This is the season where the offers are coming thick and fast -- and that means that your inbox might be getting cluttered.
It doesn't have to. Most email programs will let you set up rules or filters that automatically move things out of your inbox and into designated folders or archives.
All year long, any time I got an email from a new e-commerce vendor, I followed these steps in Gmail:
- First up: Make sure you've got a label for all your e-commerce vendor promotional emails. I have one called "Promos from retailers" that I use.
- Got your label? Select the email message.
- Go to the "More actions" menu option at the top of the Gmail page and select "Filter messages like these."
- Select your search criteria (the site automatically preloads the "From" email address, which is probably the most efficient way to filter).
- When the next screen loads, click "Skip Inbox" and "Apply the label" [Whatever you've named your e-commerce vendor folder].
- Apply the label.
Few, if any, vendor emails make it to my inbox now, since I took the 45 seconds required to apply a filter, here and there, all year long.
Besides a clean inbox, putting all the e-tailer emails in one place lets me quickly and easily scan for free shipping offers, sales notifications and other deals. Spend a little time up front, save a little money later on.
Got any directions for filtering your e-tailer emails in different email clients? Shoot them to dollarsandsense@sfgate.com.
| Dec 15 at 09:09 AM
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
My kid's getting nothing for Christmas
Yes, you read the title of the post correctly. The daughter is getting nothing for Christmas from us, her loving parents.
Our reasoning? She's a baby. Our daughter will be exactly two months old on Christmas day; she neither knows nor cares about the whole presents-under-the-tree racket. And there's no material good she lacks, so there's no point in buying anything just so we can open her presents for her.
(Besides, I am reasonably sure that the daughter will be covered for presents. She does have two sets of grandparents.)
This will probably be our last present-free Christmas. But "probably" does not mean "certainly." And I found a few resources for celebrating present-free Christmases from now on.
There's Buy Nothing Christmas. According to the site:
Buy Nothing Christmas is a national initiative started by Canadian Mennonites who offer a prophetic "no" to the patterns of over-consumption of middle-class North Americans. They are inviting Christians (and others) all over Canada to join a movement to de-commercialize Christmas and re-design a Christian lifestyle that is richer in meaning, smaller in impact upon the earth, and greater in giving to people less-privileged.
They've got a page of suggestions for folks who still want to give something -- mostly focused around the gifts of time and skill.
Another site you can use: No Christmas Gifts This Year. The site encourages people to give their loved ones the gifts of time and attention, and comes with a customizable message you can email to people to let them know what you're up to.
And for people who want to skip the holiday altogether, may I suggest the Christmas Resistance Movement? If you're nodding along with this:
You know holiday shopping is offensive and wasteful. You know Christmas "wish lists" and "gift exchanges" degrade the concept of giving. You know Christmas marketing is a scam, benefiting manufacturers, stores, and huge corporations, while driving individuals into debt. You know this annual consumer frenzy wreaks havoc on the environment, filling landfills with useless packaging and discarded gifts.
Perhaps Christmas Resistance might be for you.
Do you think there's a time and a place for present-free Christmases? Do you practice them? Share how it's working for you at dollarsandsense@sfgate.com.
| Dec 14 at 09:42 AM
Dollars and Sense is about finding new ways to inject dollars, cents and sensibility into your everyday spending.
By Lisa Schmeiser, Read Bio
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