Lazy Man and Money

Easy and Cheap Home Remodels

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Wrapping up a surprise
Wrapping up a surprise

This article was submitted by the Handyman, author of Handyman Fix Home Repair (rss feed). He strongly belives in cheap kitchen remodeling. If you like the guest post please check out his website and consider subscribing to his rss feed.

With the state of the housing market and values for homes dropping across the country, there has never been a better time to think about remodeling. This is a quick and easy way to add value to your home and avoid heading into negative equity territory. There are many easy and cheap home remodels that anyone can do without breaking the bank. These little refreshments for your home can have a big impact not only on the overall value of your home, but they can also provide you with more functionality and you’ll just feel better about your house.

  1. Give your appliances a facelift. If you have always wanted stainless steel appliances, but can’t quite swing the cost, there is an easy way to get that same look at a mere fraction of the cost. Purchase contact paper with a stainless steel finish and simply affix it to your appliances. The process generally takes less than an hour, and if you are careful and follow the directions exactly, the results look just like the real thing. Or if you like to be more practical try Chalkboard Contact Paper
  2. Replace your flooring with peel and stick tiles. If your kitchen or bathroom floors have seen better days, but you can’t quite afford to get them completely redone, you may want to consider adding peel and stick tiles. These are available at most home improvement stores as well as discount stores and it will usually cost less than $150 to complete an entire room. The installation process is very easy and the finished result will look very professional.
  3. Replace kitchen, bathroom and interior hardware. Simply buying new door handles, and drawer pulls can have a big impact on how your house looks. There are literally hundreds of different finishes that you can choose from and most are relatively inexpensive. This is an easy fix and installation should take only a few minutes for each door or drawer you are updating. Consider going with stainless steel hardware for a modern look, or you can even find hardware that looks like wrought iron for a fraction of what the real thing would cost.
  4. Overhaul appliances to make them more efficient. Even forced air furnaces need to be cleaned every once in awhile and doing so can greatly impact how efficient they are and how much money you spend on energy costs. In addition, if your fridge is crammed full, cleaning it out will help it function properly and you can end up saving a significant amount of money on electricity. If you have window air conditioners, clean the filters to keep them functioning properly.
  5. Install new window treatments. Nothing dates a room faster than old window treatments. Consider ditching the mini blinds for a new set of drapes, or throw out those old curtains and install a brand new set of roman shades. There are many available options that can provide not only beauty, but also energy savings. Thermal backed window treatments can make a big difference in the comfort level of your home both in summer and winter.

These easy fixes certainly won’t break the bank and you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor, knowing that you saved a ton of money.

If you are interested purchasing various tools for you DIY projects please consider starting your shopping at the Handyman Fix Home Repair stores: Hardware Store, Garden Store, and Discount Appliances

Going Back to School? Here Are Some Tips That Helped Me

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It’s been 10 years since I graduated college, excuse me if I’m not fully in character. School was a different time in my life. I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about money. My mother raised me to think frugally and I think that stuck in my subconscious.

  • Car – I was the one with the car. Many people may say that you don’t need a car in college. It depends on the college, but at many it’s very important. I defer to the PCU quote, “Will you have a car? … Someone on your hall will, find them and make friends with them on the first day …”  If you are going to be the one with the car, here are some tips to save money on cars.
  • Clothing – Image isn’t everything… Or is it? For the first two years of college I wore sweat pants and sweat shirts almost exclusively. A great female friend of mine showed me that I might want to have something other than tube socks in my sock drawer. I made a decent investment in my wardrobe – going through a bunch of stores at the mall. It was the right idea, but not the right implementation. I would learn a few years later that I could have put together a similar wardrobe from TJ Maxx for about a third of the cost. Women: I’m going to attempt to speak for most men when I say that we don’t really care about fashion too much. With the way my hormones were in college, I could be impressed by breathing and having a pulse ;-). Lesson: Considering doing some research on how to save money on clothing. Random note: 7 years later the aforementioned friend would become instrumental in introducing me to my wife.
  • Easy Classes – I wouldn’t be afraid from taking an easy class or two the first semester. College is going to be a whole lifestyle adjustment and while you are there to learn – you don’t want to bite off more than you can chew. Also be careful about classes that appear easy, but take a lot of time. I thought the first level Spanish class would be easy since I had 7 years of it in college, but it required a lot of work. Just because you know the subject doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.
  • Technology – When I was in college laptops were very rare and quite expensive. However, you can now pick up an Asus EEE for less than $300 on Craigslist or an Acer Aspire One. These computers would be perfect for taking notes or hoping online in between classes.

    If you’re going to be living off campus with some friends or housemates, don’t bother with a landline. Research the best cell phone plans in your area and pick the one that suits you ““ between instant messaging and texting, chances are you wouldn’t use a traditional phone too much anyway, so save yourself the money.

The Money Writers have gotten together to provide you some more Back to School tips

FoodSaver Revisited

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Can Foodsaver Save You Money
Can Foodsaver Save You Money?

Another look to see if FoodSaver saves you money

I was reading this months Costco Connection and found a piece about preserving food. It probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that Costco would want to promote it’s products for sealing and saving food. With this kind of natural bias, I thought that I’d take everything I see with a grain of salt. Still I thought it was worth a look…

In particular I’d like to look at what they said about the FoodSaver. Costco mentioned this study from University of Arizona. It’s a shame that the study doesn’t seem to be in a text I could easily scan. You have to listen to the podcast. (Note to Publishers: Podcasts should always be accompanied with a text version when they are made for the web). The article also mentioned that Foodsaver preserves food up to 5 times longer citing a study by the University of California at Davis’ Department of Food Science and Technology. Having preserved romaine lettuce for more than a month, I can believe it.

But is Foodsaver a good value?

If you are like the people who throw away $600 worth of food a year from the Costco study, you may think it is immediately worth it. I found that it’s not quite that simple. You have to actually use the Foodsaver. It sounds easy, but a lot of the time I tell myself that I will eat the leftovers tomorrow. More often than I like, I lie to myself. When I use it, it does a good job.

The other issue to consider is the packaging materials. When we got the Foodsaver we bought bags – a good amount of bags on Ebay. I tried to save money and got generic bags. The ones I got don’t seal as well as the real thing. Finally, I realized that the best solution is simply to get a Foodsaver jar sealer and head to Michael’s (or other craft store) and some wide mouth mason jars. Now once a week, I cook up some chicken, steak, and hamburger, cut it into small pieces and jar it. During the week, it’s really easy to make burritos, tacos, chicken Caesar salads, spaghetti with meat sauce… and I’m sure a slew of other things that I haven’t thought of. I like that the jars are a one-time cost and keep our carbon footprint small (vs. using and throwing out the bags).

In the end, I think the Foodsaver can save you money, but like most anything you have to have discipline. It doesn’t always help just to have the tool available. Actually using the tool correctly is the key.

Photo Credit: webg33k

Confession: I Clipped a Coupon (and I Liked It)

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Coupon Clipping for Cash
Coupon Clipping for Cash

Clipping coupons may pay off after all

One of the universal tenants of Lazy Man and Money is, well, laziness. I try to find ways that I can maximize my dollar without sacrificing quality – or at least finding a good balance in value for my dollar. One of the things that I’ve been against in the past is coupons. I simply didn’t see the value in buying a Sunday newspaper (I get my news for free online), and spending time clipping coupons. The coupons are always for brand name products, which cost more than generics. I figure that by the time I’m done using coupons, I’m back to paying the price I was before.

Things changed two weeks ago. On a Sunday shopping trip a representative of the local newspaper offered a free edition of the Sunday paper. It was part of a promotion to get people to sign up for the long term. I was about to reject it as I had no real intention of reading it, when I realized that it’s worth looking for the coupons. You see, I’ve started shopping at military commissaries, because their prices for most brand name products are even cheaper than generics at my closest grocery store. Suddenly coupons have value because generics are no longer the cheapest option for me.

On Tuesday, I set out to the commissary with a pile of coupons in hand. I was a little overwhelmed, it was difficult keeping each coupon straight. It was also difficult finding and matching up all the coupons. I ended up spending twenty minutes more than I normally would have. I also ended up with a lot of non-perishables. I don’t think we’ll need toothpaste for quite a few months. My final savings at the end, $6.90. I felt I should have saved more, but when I look back on it, a number of the coupons weren’t for expensive things. In the future, I’ll look more for coupons that deliver bigger savings.

I think if I’m going to continue to use coupons, I’ll have to start buying coupons on Ebay. I don’t think I want to spend the time clipping them myself. Plus I’d rather not buy a newspaper I won’t read.

Title inspired by Katy Perry
Photo Credit: Roadsidepictures

Can I Pay Less for Something of Similar Value?

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Pay less and win the game of personal finances.

pay-less.jpgTodd at Harvesting Dollars contacted me today to tell me about a new meme he’s starting. With the upcoming summer Olympics, what financial games or tricks do you use to keep your finances in order? He saves his raises and doesn’t buy into lifestyle inflation. If you are good at that game, you are going to do pretty well. It’s a tough game to play and requires a lot of self-discipline.

My game: Can I Pay Less for That?

I don’t know too many who subscribe to the philosophy of “I like to pay full price whenever I can.” I honestly know a few, but they are pretty rare people in my circle. I’m very firmly looking to maximize my dollar in every area of my life that I can. Here are just some ways that I play the “Can I Pay Less for That” game:

  • Books – Library or Paperback Swap have the same books.
  • Movies – Netflix, RedBox, DVD Play, your cable’s On Demand (if you already have it) are fantastic alternatives to movie theaters if you realize that you are simply time-shifting the viewing of the movie. Plus I’d rather introduce my wife to The Godfather than run out to see Mamma Mia.
  • Transportation – I’ve already written about how I save money on cars. Now you can add save on gas to the list.
  • Clothing, Homes, and even Alcohol? – Want to pay less on other things? I covered a lot of my major savings in my save money round-up.

Despite the picture I chose to include, the key to almost all these tips to pay less is that I give up very little quality (at least in my mind, do what’s right for your mind). The books and movies tell the same stories. The cars get to me the same location. I have decent clothes for when I need them. I can trick my friends into thinking that my wine is expensive, since it’s actually good quality. It really adds up over time.

Photo Credit: St.VincentVolunteers