A Penny Saved » Other

Auction Tip

JD — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:28:47 +0000

In my neck of the woods we are entering auction season. Everything from antiques, to horses, to houses, to junk is sold this way. Sometimes it is an all day event, even with food vendors set up at the location.

If you happen to be going to an auction in the near future you might want to remember this “tip” I picked up from a friend’s story the other day regarding one of his auction experiences.

He and his wife packed up a number of items to sell at an auction. While at the auction they decided they might bid on some things, and they went their separate directions to find “bargains”. He found a table he thought would be useful and proceeded to bid on it – and he won the bid! He was so excited and ran off to find his wife to show her. After finding her and showing her his prize, she was not so excited – he had just bought the table that they had brought to the auction to sell! The “prize” now sits on their porch.

When going to an auction it pays to remember what you brought to sell! It also pays to be on the same page with your spouse regarding things to keep and things to get rid off. Fortunately my friend and his wife still laugh about that event, but now they are a little more careful at auctions!

Hi there - could you help spread the word about A Penny Saved? We rely on word of mouth to get new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would truly appreciate it. Auction Tip is a post from: A Penny Saved

Poverty Simulation Seminar

JD — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:10:17 +0000

I was invited and on Tuesday I attended a Community Action Partnership (CAP) Poverty Simulation Seminar (now that’s a title!). What an amazing experience.

CAP brought together individuals and organizations from our community who in some way work with or come in contact with those living in poverty. As a pastor I received an invitation (our church does financial counseling, food vouchers, and in some cases meets benevolence needs). There were about 100 people there, plus volunteers who helped run the poverty simulation.

Upon arriving, each individual was given a lanyard with a plastic card that had your “name” on it. For the next hour you were to become that individual. I was a young man of 25 (not bad!), who was employed at minimum wage, but was homeless (not good!) with a girlfriend (played by another individual at the seminar) and baby (age 1). We were to work together to lift ourselves out of our situation.

The hour (actual time) was to represent one month in the life of the individual. Every fifteen minutes would be a new week. After 15 minutes the whistle would blow and you had to get back home (or in our case to the shelter) and then begin your new week.

The event was held in a large gym, and ringing the outside of the gym were various businesses, government services, nonprofit organizations, etc. There was a pawn shop, cash checking service, grocery store, even a jail which had numerous occupants through the event. The volunteers were very good at their roles – some would be helpful, others would give you the wrong forms, close early or be on break, etc. Also throughout the seminar you could randomly receive a “luck of the draw” card which could give you extra cash (like win the lottery) or give you a set back (flat tire, dentist bill, etc.).

The hour was very intense. Between “working” and standing in government lines we couldn’t get anything done. In fact the simulation was so intense that the individual who was “my girlfriend” had to stop and leave the room – her blood pressure was so high that it set off her diabetes!

After the hour was up we had a chance to debrief our experience. The theme around the room was one of feeling desperation and hopelessness. It was a very good simulation of what millions of Americans go through everyday just to survive. It gave me a better understanding of what can work or will not work when you are trying to help others.

If you ever get a chance to do this type of simulation in your area definietly take advantage of the opportunity. It will definitely make you think and possibly change your attitutde or misconceptions about being poor.

Auto Insurance and Accident Update

JD — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:09:19 +0000

Well, we finally got our Ford Explorer back from the repair shop (Thanks Guys!). Everything looks great, even better than it was in some places! And everyone is doing fine – my wife had a little whiplash but she is okay now. Our overall experience with the insurance companies was good. Our insurance company, Erie, paid the medical part and they came through. The other party’s insurance company, Progressive, paid for the accident repair (since it was their fault). I was quite impressed with Progressive – they were good to work with and paid everything they were supposed to. We had no hassles.

Since the accident I have been thinking about insurance, so this weekend if I can find some time I want to review our policy and see if I need to make any changes. It’s a good thing to do on an annual basis, but I must admit it’s been a couple of years since I’ve done it. Not the best to wait until after an accident (much better before!), but fortunately everything was covered. I especially want to look at our collusion coverage and our deductibles to see if they are good for our situation.

If you haven’t checked your insurance in a while, it might be a good time (before an accident!) to review your policy, either to look for savings or more complete coverage, whichever you need.

This Snow is costing me Time and Money!

JD — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:00:34 +0000

We live on a hill, and our driveway goes down hill from the street to our garage. So everyday now for the past four or five days, the wind blows the snow down the driveway to the bottom toward the garage doors where it melts in the sun then freezes into ice before I get home. So now I have an ice skating rink at the bottom of my driveway!

So yesterday I had to go and buy more snow melt – 100 lbs of it! This was definitely not in the budget. My arms are tired, my back is tired. My wallet is tired. I am so ready for Spring. Even my girls yesterday were talking about how they can’t wait for Summer – when children are tired of snow you know you have had enough!

So this afternoon (I have a 1/2 day) I will do battle once again with the elements and see if I can get my driveway semi-cleared so we can park back into our own garage.

Snow and More Snow!

JD — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:37:46 +0000

Sorry for the light blogging, but I am in the midst of cleaning out from a blizzard! The picture below is in the parking lot where I work – which I was unable to get to for two days! If you can’t make out the sign it says – “Do Not Enter”. Schools are still closed and there are still roads that are not open.

During the last snowstorm (just last week) I traveled up to see how the roads were (in my 4 wheel drive vehicle) – it was just me, one other car, and two snow mobiles! This recent snow storm was even worse. Now they are calling for more snow on Monday. Yikes!

I love having four seasons, but I am quickly tiring of winter. This has been the worst winter in 50 years in our area. I can’t wait to see my electric bill!

Good neighbors are priceless!

JD — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:55:50 +0000

Yesterday was another exciting day in our household. I had a meeting away from the office that went from 8:30 am until 10:00 am. I left my cell phone in the car during the meeting because I hate having to answer it when I am in the middle of something else – bad move!

My wife and children went into town to pick up some groceries and get some errands done before the big snow. On the way at 9:30 am she was rear ended. She was in a Ford Explorer, the other driver was in a Dodge Ram truck – his truck won. My wife didn’t think his vehicle had a scratch on it, but our vehicle had the back tailgate door smashed in, taillight broken, and the window was shattered. Thankfully the flying glass did not hit the girls.

So because I left my cell phone in the car (again, a bad move), my wife couldn’t reach me. So she called our neighbor who works close to town. He came right over, helped calm her down and the girls, followed her back in his vehicle to our house until I could be reached, then went with me to drop off our wrecked car, than he took me to pick up a rental. Now that’s a friend!

We took my wife to the doctor because she was very sore from whiplash. They examined her and want to keep an eye on her until Monday to see how she progresses. They gave her some medicine for the pain. The girls seem to be okay, but we are keeping a close eye on them. They were pretty shook up.

At 4:30 p.m. my wife and I ate an early supper – probably nerves. A little before 5:00 p.m. our neighbor and his wife call us to invite us over for pizza! My wife and i didn’t go, but our girls were thrilled.

We love our house and it’s location. But even better than that is having the best neighbors in the world! Priceless!

Another thing bites the Dust!

JD — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:36:20 +0000

Our house has gremlins, I swear it! Last night right as I was getting ready to heat my leftovers for supper, the microwave broke! Of course we called to see what it would cost to fix it- between the fee for the service call and the parts, better off to buy a new one!

So the tally of broken items is now at five:

Well Pump
Two Windows
Water Heater
Water Treatment System (Kinetico)
Microwave

Our emergency fund has taken quite a beating! Once again I will be going over our budget to see if we can scrape a few more dollars out to save (and to pay bills). We sure have done our part to help the economy – can someone else do their part now?

Haiti Donations

JD — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:56:17 +0000

If you are financially able, consider making a donation to one of the many organizations that are helping in the relief effort in Haiti. If you are not sure where to give, one good organization is Samaritan’s Purse. If you know of other’s, feel free to leave a comment and a link. Thanks.

Time to Get Organized for Tax Season!

JD — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:54:40 +0000

By now you have probably started receiving those “Important Tax Documents Enclosed” letters in the mail or in your email inbox. If you haven’t already done so, it’s time to get yourself organized. I have a filing system in place, so for me, it’s just pulling the documents out from the past year, gathering the ones that are coming now in the mail, and putting them all in one folder so I am ready to go when the time comes.

If you haven’t been so organized, maybe this is the year to start! The simplest thing to do is get a folder – it can be any type, or even a shoebox! Then, whenever something comes to you throughout the year that could have tax implications, you stick it in the folder. These documents could be anything from medical bills, to charitable donation receipts, educational expenses, etc. When you do your taxes this year, make a list of the things you needed to do them. Then keep that list attached to the folder you have set aside. When you get something that you’re not sure if you will need, check that list – if you will need it pop it in there.

Organizing yourself doesn’t have to be complex (in fact the more complex the less likely you are to do it!). Keep it simple, and do what works for you. And if you need motivation, just think about all the pennies you will save by having those documents that will help you claim all those deductions!

Free Home Depot Activity

JD — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:24:14 +0000

This past Saturday I stumbled upon a free activity at Home Depot some of you might be interested in. On the first Saturday of the month during the morning, Home Depot has “building” activities for children. They give each child (6-12 ?) a work apron which they can keep, plus a project kit. They had several to choose from – a wooden calendar, a bird house, and a bean bag game toss (each month they have different projects). In addition to the kit they provide all the resources you need (hammers, glue, etc.). The projects are simple – designed for the kids to do with some assistance. Also, the staff was very friendly and helpful – they even gave me a kit and an apron for my youngest girl who was not with me.

My three girls loved it (ages 9, 8, and 7). It was a chance for them to do something fun, plus they are also so proud of what they made. For me it was great because it was all free! A win - win!

Definitely during the cold winter months up here in the north this is something I want to take advantage of.

P.S. I did not receive any financial benefit for recommending this activity.