Green Minded Wallet

I was in the grocery store this evening and decided to get some tortilla chips because I have some sour cream that I need to use up. Well there was a sign in front of the smaller bags that said 2 for $6.00 9-13.5 oz. A bit further down the isle, there was a sign that said 2 for $6.00 16-24 oz. in front of the larger bags. Huh? So I went back and check the smaller ones. Sure enough there were the exact same price and they were the exact same brand. If I hadn’t been paying attention I would have probably just bought the smaller ones since that is the size I usually get. But I got the bigger one since it was the same price, hence cheaper per oz., and well, I have a lot of sour cream to go through. This was one of those times where paying attention, really paid off.

No Comments »

Here are three good reasons (in my opinion anyway) to power down your computer.

1. Less access time for hackers, virus, spyware, etc. If your computer’s on, someone might try to attack it. Even with good computer security protection programs, new problems are found all the time. If you only use your home computer for 4 hours in the evening, why leave it on for 8 hours when you’re sleeping.
2. Reduce your energy bill; computers do use energy. Ever put a laptop on your lap? I find this is especially true of desktop monitors. Sometimes when I’m at my desk reading, I’ll turn off my monitor because it generates so much heat it can make me sweat. Here’s an estimate of how much you might save.
3. Reduce your energy usage. Yes, it can make a difference.

This of course assumes that you just use the computer at random times during the day and don’t need to keep it running. However, if you’re calculating digits of pi or computing a two-hour window for a space shuttle launch, then well, it might be best to leave it on. My MO is to put my laptop in stand-by mode when I’m not going to be using it for a while and then turn off the power strip (or unplug it) if I’m headed to bed or out the door. I know that some people say that you shouldn’t use the power-save mode, but I use it all the time and my computer has lasted over four years. And some of those same people tried to tell me that I needed a new hard drive when my touch pad stop working (thanks guys, great advice).

No Comments »

Do you ever feel as an environmentally conscious and/or frugal person that you break social norms? Do you ever not do something that you think is the best choice because it would seem too “outlandish” or perhaps even unprofessional?

One of the great things about being a grad student is that the social and financial expectations are fairly low: while you are expected to be clean and tidy, it pretty much ends there. No one has a problem with thrift store clothes, or with you not checking your email at night because you don’t have DSL at home. Cars are not required and if you bring a lunch of rice and beans, no one thinks it’s weird. Roommates, used furniture, and mason jars as drinking glasses are all perfectly acceptable. I love it.

I think being a grad student is great because I can focus on doing something that I love without having to worrying about appearances. If my work is outstanding that is what people know me for, not my trendy clothes or Crate and Barrel furnishings. However, I do wonder what is going to happen when I get out. Somethings I know will have to change: no more sweatshirts or fabric patches on my worn jeans. But what about the other stuff: can I still bring beans and rice to work for lunch? Am I expected to wear makeup and have my hair professional styled? Am I going to have to buy a kitchen table and real bath mats?

Even with the “real jobs” that I’ve had, people always considered me as starting out and made allowances for such things, will they continue to do so? How much should I care (i.e. how much will it affect my career)? Have you ever struggled with this? Has it made you pick one job/career over the other? Do I just need to get with it and buy some new pants?

1 Comment »

And by bikers, I’m referring to those riding the non-motorized variety. I write this post because I walking home yesterday afternoon after getting off the bus and someone did an “on your left”. It took me a while to figure out what was going on since I took a bit of a nap on the bus. Well, I let the person pass and was all happy about it for ten seconds or so, then I started to get annoyed as I realize we wouldn’t have even been in that situation if they weren’t riding their bike on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the road. Now to be fair, there is no biking allowed on the street on this particular, well street but still, not cool. So I’ve come up with a list of things that I found help foster happiness between bikers, pedestrians, and car people. This list comes from being a biking commuter and some of the issues and problems I’ve discovered and discussed with others over the years.

• Do you homework. Know the rules of conduct and what’s expected of you as a biker in your community. Learn which signals you are expected to use, and use them. Seriously, signaling goes a long way. If fact, some drivers might want to brush up on these as well.
• Travel in the same direction as traffic. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the road, the sidewalk, or the bike path. There just isn’t enough space for bikes to ride in two directions on the same side.
• Pick a place and stay there. It’s really frustrating for cars and other bikers if you switch between the road and the sidewalk. Unless there are signs specifically indicating that you need to get off the road and use the sidewalk, please do everyone a favor and stay put; it makes things flow so much more smoothly.
• Have tools to fix your bike if need be. A patch kit and a spare tube will cost you less than ten bucks. Some people just carry a patch kit, but I’ve busted tubes so bad that couldn’t be repaired (example I split one at the base of the valve once, fun) so it doesn’t hurt to have a tube handy.
• Get a bike pump with a pressure gauge and check your pressure regularly. I’m not saying you have to check it every day, but I always check mine every few days. If fact the reason I found that I went through a lot of tubes when commuting was because my tire pressure was way too low. Once I bought a pump with a gauge I was able to make sure that my pressure was in the recommended range and I went from having a flat every 3-4 weeks to having none. Seriously, I know they are expensive, but they’re worth it.

Note, this is just my opinion of things that are important (and often overlooked). There are other things that are important (helmet, duh) or even necessary (lights, etc). You can likely find some great web resources and there’s probably some good info at your public library as well about biking. But these are some things that I’ve found to be invaluable in my time as a bike commuter.

No Comments »

People in the personal finance realm often talk about buy and hold as an investment strategy, often involving stocks, bonds, real estate, etc. Here I’m going to talk a bit about buying and holding as a strategy for a different type of investment: consumer purchases.

This spring I was desperately searching for new footwear, but didn’t have a lot of money after moving and paying for all of my school stuff (good times). I looked around at some different sneakers and finally landed on a rather plain pair of sneakers from a known brand that I could walk around in (and I got them for less than 40 bucks plus no shipping charges on purchase or return).

I was really proud of my purchase for a good three weeks or so, then the weather warmed up and I threw on my sandals. I began to feel pangs of guilt as I thought about how long I had had my sandals. Now, I don’t quite remember when I bought them, but I’m pretty sure that I’ve had them for at least three years. And they were, quite expensive as far as sandals go. I was feeling guilty because I realized that none of the sneakers I’ve purchased have ever lasted that long. In fact, if the ones I bought this spring last through the end of the year, then they will have done a good job as far as sneakers are concerned. At the time I bought my sneakers, I was strapped for cash and in severe discomfort at the end of the day (I calculated that I walking about 2-3 miles/day at that time). I was at the point where I needed to buy something and I didn’t have a lot of money to spend.

In the long run though, the sandals cost less, and produce less waste, while the initial cost was much more, I can feel much better about the purchase. A comparative pair of shoes by the same company would probably cost me around 100 bucks, a bit less if I can find them on sale. And while that’s more than twice the price of the sneakers I bought, they will (likely) last more than twice as long.

Looking back over the years I have found this to be the case with lots of items, not just shoes. Things like cheap book bags and office “furniture” you buy at those Big Box Stores. You can easily end up buying two cheap ones, in the time that it takes you to go through one good one. And even if the cost price wise is the same, the environmental costs lean in favor of buying one durable product. So I’ve decide to try and become a buy and hold investor of consumer items whenever possible. The hardest challenge I see is anticipating the big expense. Because I let my last sneakers wear down to nothing, I was in dire straights and unable to afford the longer lasting product; in order to be successful in this endeavor, I will need to honestly assess the items that need to be replaced in the next few months, so that when it comes time (or I see them on sale), I can purchase a high quality version that will last me a good, long while and create less waste and hassle (because I generally hate shopping for new stuff).

No Comments »

Maybe you’re thinking about upgrading your bed or you have old sheets that are ripped, worn, stained, etc. If the sheets are nice you might consider freecycling them. But if not, don’t despair, they can still be salvaged. I’ve found a number of ways to give new life to old sheets.

• Curtains – sheets make great curtains, they’re light and airy and can be pretty and decorative. All you have to do is fold over one edge and make a pocket for the curtain rod, you could also get really fancy and make tabs for the curtain rods, but that really isn’t necessary. If your sheet has a decorative trim on the top you can hang it upside-down and use the decoration as a nice border. Sometimes your sheets are in pretty bad shape and probably would be an eyesore hanging up in your living room. In that case you can use the sheet as a liner, or you can cut it up for …

• Material – sheets are great material to use in smaller projects like tablecloths and potholders. Because these items are so much smaller than the original sheets, you can (probably) just discard the ripped, torn, faded parts and have a lot of material left over. If you feel weird about eating off of your old sheets, you can always use the material for the insulating layer. And if you do that you don’t have to worry about removing the bad pieces. So now you’ve made some nice flowered kitchen curtains with matching potholders and tablecloths but you still have some material left over. Well you can always take those scraps and make …

• Stuffing – take all the soft, ragged material you have left over and use it as filling for a pillow, a doll, or a pet bed.

I’ve made curtains from sheets and hope to make some potholders and tablecloths this summer. Here are some other ideas of what to do with an old sheet (if fact it’s worth checking out the whole page). Know of any others?

No Comments »