Surviving and Thriving with Downward Mobility vol 1 iss 2

Well friends its that time again. Well past that time really, but here is the next instalment in my series on how to not only survive but also thrive (and have fun doing it) during these economic hard times.

This week's instalment is about thriftstores. Many, if not most of you, have purged your cabinets, armoires, and closets for donations to charity thrift stores operated by organizations such as the Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, the Humane Society, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, or your local battered women's shelter. But why just get rid of things at these places?

Do you have a birthday gift to buy? need a new coat for winter? need to redecorate your living room? Well then, get yourself to your nearest goodwill! In addition to getting things for way below regular retail prices, you experience guilt free shopping. You are providing an outlet for those with surplus to keep their unwanted items out of landfills. Also you are providing work and jobtraining for the poor, as well as other services to those in need.

You can even win money for especially creative reuse of items found at thriftstores operated by several national organizations such as Goodwill Industries Inc.

Have you found a treasure at thrift stores? please share about it in the comments section below.

Jo

April savings challengeq

Ok folks here's my results for my savings challenge for april:

debt reduction 600
cash on hand 450
savings acct 1745
coin on hand 52

total for april 2847

add that to my total from the 1st quarter:

april total 2847
1st total 3097

grand total 5944

my goal is to save 20,000 this year (well pay off 20,000 in debt plus build savings--in short to become 20,000 richer by the end of the year).

5,944/20,000= 29.72%

this is gunna be a tough one to live up to as my base salary is onlyd 25,000 making my "live on" amount a measly 5,000 for the whole year. Oy.

How is your savings challenge going?

Joe

Surviving and Thriving with Downward Mobility vol 1 iss 1

Ok, so I have decided to put in a new series of posts here. This one will be ways to survive the downturn with the economy. If you are new to frugality these will be some helpful points to keep in mind. If your an old time frugalista, why not share some pointers of your own in the comments section below.

The first istalment is couponing. We all know those coupon inserts that come in the sunday paper that you probably toss in the recycling bin without giving them a second thought. Well stop it. Pick that insert up and flip through it for any coupons for products that you use. Clip those out and organize them in some small envelopes with categories written on the outside. Feel free to use a different coupon organization system if you wish.

Now go to the store and use those coupons! just by using coupons you can shave 25% off your grocery bill. You can save even more by visiting stores that do double coupons or triple coupons. And guess what? even more can be saved by using coupons. You can even get free stuff by simply using coupons. Even more amazing you can sometimes get paid for buying stuff by advanced coupon strategies such as those you will find at Don't Read This Its Boring, an excellent blog by a friend of mine.

So ladies and gents, get out there and go coupon crazy!

Joe