Use The Food You Have

Ever feel convicted about wasting food when you clean out the refrigerator?
Then try the ideas offered in, Tips to Reduce Food Waste. Practices as simple as letting vegetables have room to breathe in the cripser drawer and using leftover seafoods and meats to make stock can greatly reduce the amount of food that spoils before it can be consumed. This article not only offers food saving alternatives but better ways to use all parts of fruits and vegetables, including recipes to try at home. Imagine the feeling of opening an empty fridge and knowing that you and your family ate everything that was in there leaving no waste.

Owning a Piece of The Dream?

Grow up, get married, own land…

That’s been the American dream for ages. Owning a home or piece of property has always been viewed as a sign of wealth and as a good investment. What if that is no longer true? Robert J. Shiller for the Economic View section of the New York Times brings this idea to light in his article, Why Land and Homes Actually Tend to Be Disappointing Investments. Shiller points to many causes but one of the most intriguing is the decrease for demand of urban land, specifically home plots; with the development of micro-housing. A current trend that is changing the way many live in “downtown” areas. Where this movement will be in ten or even twenty years still remains to be seen, but if it goes the way Shiller predicts, the need for rural land will be so low that farmland may be converted back into wildlife preserves.

Buy Only What You’ll Use

Give yourself time to think about every purchase. That’s what Carl Richards, for the New York Times suggests in his article, New Rule: All Purchases Subject to a 7-Day Mental Quarantine. We have a similar process in our house for purchases made at Goodwill. If you bring it home, you must clean it and incorporate it into your life within seven days or it goes back to Goodwill. In many ways, this compares to the seven-day item quarantine Carl’s family is currently using.

During the quarantine, the person desiring the object must answer the following questions: How much did it cost? Are you replacing something you already own? Why do you think it’s amazing? And if it’s food, are you sure you’ll eat it? Once the time limit has passed, it is much easier to make an ‘informed’ decision and not end up with something you’ll never wear, use or eat. Give it a try and let us know if it works for you in the comments.

Have You Written a Money Letter?

Dear Reader,

Did you know that writing a simple “money” letter to your children will have more of an impact on their spending habits than just telling them your thoughts and feelings about money?

This week, why not think back to your biggest money successes and failures (these are often most helpful), put pen to paper and send your child a note that can have a deep and lasting effect on their lives? If you’re lucky, they’ll listen to your advice and you might even find yourself featured in a book, like Gail Shearer did when her daughter Kimberly wrote the book, Smart Mom, Rich Mom, based on the money letter she received from her mother.

Need advice on just what to say? Check out this article from the New York Times, The Money Letter That Every Parent Should Write.

Overtime and Fair Pay

Ever sat at work on a weekend or late in the evening wondering why you didn’t qualify for overtime? Salary threshold rules have not been adjusted for inflation since 1975 and currently reflect a maximum amount of $23,660 per year. The new proposed changes to the law would raise this limit to $47,476 per year, allowing a larger segment of the salaried population to qualify for paid overtime. As this legislation is coming at the end of President Obama’s term, it remains to be seen how it will fare with a new administration, but for the moment this is one more step toward fair pay for a whole new set of employees.

Making Overtime Fair Again

Google Takes A Stand

Wednesday, Google announced they would ban all ads pertaining to payday loan businesses. Customers will still be able to find these companies through an organic search on the browser but the ads will not be featured. Google has seen fit to “edit” their ad content previously as noted by Christine Hauser for the New York Times in, Google to Ban All Payday Loan Ads.

Google has taken similar action against advertisements for other products or services that it deems harmful or dangerous, such as guns, fireworks and tobacco. Last year, Google disabled more than 780 million advertisements for reasons ranging from counterfeiting to phishing.

It’s quite refreshing to see such a well known, worldwide company taking a stand of this magnitude. Go Google!

Parents, Kids and Healthy Eating

Children tend to be picky eaters and for most of us this only means a little wasted food and some frustration at the dinner table. But what about the parents who cannot afford to throw away food? The working poor who must stretch to make ends meet often have the same nutrition goals for their children but lack the financial resources to introduce their children to new foods and flavors. Statistics show that children must be given a new food 8-15 times before it will be accepted. Imagine how much discarded food that amounts to in a week, a month. Caitlin Daniel reinforces the idea that many parents share the same health desires for their children in her article, A Hidden Cost to Giving Kids Their Vegetables and offers possible ways that schools and organizations may help support a healthy lifestyle for all.

Spend More Now, Save In The Future

Ever stood in the store comparing two items; the one you truly want and the one that is similar but much less money? Ever considered that if you buy the more expensive, higher-quality version you might have it for years to come and not need to invest more at a later date? Carl Richards, in his article, Spend the Money for the Good Boots, and Wear Them Forever for the New York Times, Your Money section gives a very compelling argument for this theory. Definitely worth consideration the next time your gut says, “spend the money.”

Join The Crowd

Ever seen the internet ad for ThingCharger? A current, large-scale crowd-funding campaign that promises a space saving, re-charge station for all kinds of electronic devices. These offers appear in your inbox and all over the internet, urging you to share your wealth for inventive ideas and charitable causes. On the opposite side of the spectrum from funds seeking venture capital, are sites such as YouCaring, an online compassionate crowd-funding community. Check it out today and see all the ways you can make a difference in the world!

Want to start your own crowd funding site? Try this article.
19 Psychological Tactics for Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns

How To Manage Your Money When Illness Strikes

No one wants to think about major healthcare crises, but there are ways to ease the financial impact that these unexpected events often cause. In the article, 4 Ways to Help Clients Plan for Unexpected Medical Expenses, an AICPA blogger offers insight into dealing with illness, Medicare, health savings accounts and proper planning for the surviving partner.