mrshelm's comments

Snowflake Your Way to Savings - Blog Entry

04 Jan 2008 09:23 AM

My grama used to call this "egg money". (Basically, anything you can do without actually having a full time job, that brings in a small enough amount that your family doesn't notice and ask for it.) Babysitting. Having a yard sale or craft/quilt sale. Sewing/mending, doing laundry or cleaning, or cooking for others. These all sound old fashioned, but ask any mother who works full time if she wouldn't LOVE to have someone do her laundry, dishes, or cooking for her sometimes, and be willling to pay $5/10 for it. Or, if she needs someone to watch the kids a couple hours after school, or on school holidays sometimes. And, since you're going to be there anyways, you might as well do hers and get paid for it. Plus, most of these things can be done on your time with your kids around.

For someone with handyman skills, let all your friends and family know that you're available to help with minor home/car repairs for a small fee. Sometimes people just need an extra hand moving a piece of furniture, painting a room, or changing their oil.

Saving Money on Garbage - Blog Entry

12 Dec 2007 02:55 PM

I would add: > Choose your service level. If you can get away with the lowest service level they offer, and occasionally go over, do it. If, however, you're running a business out of your home, you might be better off paying for the "all you can haul" level. > Investigate burning. Depending on your area's rules, you may be able to burn certain types of trash. Obey your environmental conscience, but it is an option. > Go green with cat litter. Some litters are now made of natural materials that can even be flushed in a septic system, or used in compost. (Perhaps you'll want to use that compost for landscapes, not vegetable gardens.) > Share your trash with a friend. We had a single neighbor that created very little trash. About once a month, he added a bag to our load. We didn't care, and he saved. Why should he pay for weekly service? > Reuse. Think of alternate uses for things before trashing them. Anyone can reuse a margarine tub as tupperware. > Get crafty with trash. Cardboard becomes picture frames, paper becomes notecards, etc. There are tons of websites with creative ideas along these lines.