No, it's not managed by a "sleeping toddler"... it's from a mom with a sleeping toddler. Frequency of toddler sleep determines frequency of writing. From real estate and savings to dandelions and allergies -- something for everyone.
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I think this guy is right in his approach -- find the holes in your spending and plug them. However, where is this magical 10% return he's talking about??
posted by Ruth Larson @ 12:52 PM
Some strategies for teaching your kids about money. Ages 3 and up :)
posted by Ruth Larson @ 11:21 AM
Okay. I must be really out of the loop since I saw the advertisement for this on a cereal box, but . . . Looks like Disney is producing a Lord of the Rings type film based on the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrode. I hope they stay true to the story! Comes out December 9.
posted by Ruth Larson @ 11:04 AM
Somebody else acting on the "too many investors chasing too few real deals" idea . . . and this guy has the money to back up his hunches!
posted by Ruth Larson @ 4:16 PM
Finally located the official I bond interest rate history. Ooooo! The excitement builds!!!
posted by Ruth Larson @ 8:58 AM
One issue Property Ladder never addresses is how to avoid pricing yourself out of the market. (I guess since it's California it's almost impossible to price yourself out of the market . . .) Anyway, Eric and I continue to have a property hidden in the backs of our minds. It is WAY distressed. Foreclosed. No appliances. Bad floors. Water in the basement. Landscaping needs. Etc. It's been on the market FOREVER! Can we say overpriced? Anyway, mostly as a thought experiment we've been trying to figure out how to do a low end flip. Here's the deal: The most a property in this location is ever going to go for is $230,000 (assuming the market doesn't change) -- which is definitely on the low end of things around here. The neighborhood is safe, but older. The road it's on is kind of busy. So, how do you make a property nice and livable without breaking the bank? This property simply can't support granite and stainless. One thing I'm noticing is that lots of richer people like to re-do their kitchens and bathroooms about every 6-10 years . . .hmmm . . .six year old appliances and 10 year old cabinetry might look really new in a house from the 1960s. However, these "rip outs" sell for a lot cheaper than new. Hmmm . . .I wonder why that would be? :) It's possible to get flooring, window coverings, and bathroom vanities this way too. . . . Maybe the money saved on the kitchen would allow the cash to fix the basement so it doesn't leak anymore. That's the scary part of a flip. Fixing the basement would be expensive, but you'll never re-coup the money. I guess you just have to make sure you account for that in the price you're willing to pay. I think the last thing you want to do on a property like this is make your improvements so terrific that you can't sell the place. . . .
posted by Ruth Larson @ 11:32 AM
You've seen the commercials, right? Where you store clothes/blankets/etc. in 1/3 the space? Well, my daughter has an abundance of clothes, so on an impulse purchase I decided to try a Space Bag. After 20 minutes of fighting to get (and keep) it sealed, it actually worked reasonably well though I'm not sure the compression factor is what they claim it is. They also don't hold as much as it seems they should, but I digress. . . Anyway, I contacted customer service about my problems with sealing it and they replied that if I sent them the brand name seal from the bag they'd send me a new one. Wait, I just spent a good chunk of time fighting with this thing, so I can cut it apart and try again a few weeks later when you send me a new one that very well might have the same problem?? What kind of a non-responsive customer service response is that?? Typical of the ones I've been getting lately I guess. I contacted a bank about a property they owned (through foreclosure) to see if they wanted to sell it (it wasn't on the MLS.) The person I talked to said it wasn't in their database and their e-mail response to me I should contact my local mortgage lender for financing. No wonder the taxes on the property haven't been paid! Oh well, back to the Space Bags. Realizing that putting all of Candela's clothes in Space Bags would cost a small forture I decided to try the garbage bag/ vacuum cleaner route. It actually worked surprisely well :)
posted by Ruth Larson @ 3:12 PM
I'm trying to avoid the fr------ word since Google seems to REALLY like that word. But, here's a re---- for full size Noxzema continuous clean. If you're not hooked on one brand it might be a good deal. Well, no cost is almost always a good deal, right?
posted by Ruth Larson @ 9:34 AM
More about I bonds. One of the highlights is that you can redeem them tax free for eligible post secondary education expenses. BTW, Mark, the "base rates" I've found between 2003 and Aug. 2005 have varied between 1.6% and 1.0%. So, though they're fixed for the life of the bond evidently the base rate varies over time. I'm not sure what the current rate is, but I think it's safe to say "not much".
posted by Ruth Larson @ 10:12 PM
Here's a nice thread on I-bonds. If you're looking for a decent return with lots of security these might be the way to go.
posted by Ruth Larson @ 9:58 AM
This is almost a "duh" to me now, but it sure wasn't when excema first showed up on Candela. Basically, the gist of this article is that if your baby has excema it's probably caused by a food allergy to milk, egg, peanut, soy, wheat, or rice. If this is such common knowledge how come nobody told me when it was really important??
posted by Ruth Larson @ 8:47 PM
Okay. You heard it here first (okay, you've probably heard it in lots of other places, but . . .), the real estate market is slowing down. I'm not sure it's slowing down everywhere, but definitely around here. I'm not sure prices are down all the much, but houses are definitely spending a lot more time on the market. Even Kirsten has to be a wee bit concerned since the last couple of episodes of Property Ladder haven't had a sale to talk about . . .And that makes a much less interesting show! (I still challenge Property Ladder to do a show in a real area -- "whoops, I blew my budget by $100,000 I guess I'll have to raise the price my that much"-- but I digress.) Flippers all over the internet seem to be catching on to the slowdown too, so I guess that lends some more credence to the idea.
posted by Ruth Larson @ 7:46 PM
I met with the financial advisor I mentioned earlier today. She definitely failed the flood question. She proactively fought to get her property declared not in a flood plain so she wouldn't have to buy flood insurance. Hope it works out for her, but I'm not sure I'd want to live on a street next to a river and with a "Valley" in the title. . . . She fought the classification (and won) on the basis that the maps were 100 years old and the classification was rediculous. Now, I don't know, she might be on the top of a great big hill or something, but I wouldn't dismiss a flood map simply because its 100 years old. I've been though a "700 year" flood and I ain't that old! (I was also very nervous that the flood would repeat itself just last week -- a mere 5 years later.) This person did seem significantly more competent that the previous advisor we interviewed, but I'm not sure the product line is in line with what we want/need. I am the only person that thinks 70 years of stock market history really isn't all that long? I might be wacked, but I think the stock market has changed on a fundamental level and I'm not at all convinced it's going to average a 8-9% return over the next 30 years . . . (Especially if I'm paying fund managers and financial advisors in the process.) I dunno . . . I guess time will tell.
posted by Ruth Larson @ 7:16 PM
Nice article on how "real" people save money and retire early.
posted by Ruth Larson @ 8:43 AM
This doesn't really fit into my blog, but since everything fits into my blog . . . After Katrina hit everybody talked about how New Orleans was a disaster waiting to happen (like they knew all along). Well, some dude I don't know and who probably doesn't have too many credentials has a list of the next five disasters waiting to happen. You might be especially interested if you're in: Tacoma, the Eastern Seaboard, Boulder, or Dallas/Forth Worth. But if you're not, don't worry . . .there's a disaster waiting for all of us . . .:(
posted by Ruth Larson @ 12:24 PM
I think Suze is about 80-20 on this one. Her opening line is horrible. Be concerned about earthquakes and especially floods. I also think she's a bit hard on the HELOC/credit card issue, but to each her own.
posted by Ruth Larson @ 1:41 PM
Evidently happiness is a U shape that bottoms out in the 40s. I guess that means we've got a few more years of decline . . .that's not a pleasant thought . . . The cures? Friends, family, exercise, and that special form of exercise that happens primary in the bedroom . . . (I wonder how good the adsense Googlebots are. Will they pick up on that nuisance? I don't think so :))
posted by Ruth Larson @ 9:15 AM
In the never ending quest to seek out and take advantage of things offered for no cost I'm going to talk to a "financial advisor" next week. (A senior vice president no less . . I must be very special . . .) For my 2 hours of trouble I supposedly get a $100 gift card good for several high class restaurants, so hey, why not :) I am glad that they'll talk to me without Eric being there. I assume that means they're not going to try to sell me any "one time, you need to buy this now" kind of things like the timeshare people always do. However, my past experience with financial advisor types has been less than impressive, so I think I need to go into the experience with a little bit of planning. I think I've decided the ultimate question: "Do you think I should have flood insurance? Why or why not?" The correct answer is yes unless she brings up the fact that flood insurance does not cover any "finishes" in a basement. If she says yes I know she'll be looking out for me instead of herself. How do I know this? The federal government is the only enitity that offers flood insurance to my area . . .so, if I buy flood insurance it ain't gonna be from her. She makes nothing. So, Mrs. senior vice president, where do your true interests lie???
posted by Ruth Larson @ 1:30 PM
Hey, the title makes perfect sense to me :) Actually, this is pretty much an update on misc. stuff in my life. On the allergy front: Candela had incidental contact with peanut butter than again resulted in hives . . .so, I now officially know it wasn't my imagination :(. I am thankful, however, that at least for now the reactions have been limited to hives in the areas that were touched. I'm still glad we went ahead an got a couple of epipens just in case though. She's still got an excema patch on the back of her knees. (It was made worse by going in the pool, but I don't think that's what caused it.) This morning she wouldn't stop screaming until I put the Baby Excema Cream on it, so it must have been bugging her . . .at least a bit. This morning we learned a new word -- "cream". Hopefully next time she'll use it instead of randomly screaming and pointing. BTW, Walgreens has a $5 rebate on Gentle Naturals Baby Eczema cream this month in case you need some.
posted by Ruth Larson @ 3:21 PM
