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Paying for Pain: Mud Races

leslie December 11, 2011 Expenses 3 Comments

So far in my life I have ran several 5k’s, 10k’s, 15k’s, 1 half marathon and 2 mud race obstacle courses; Warrior Dash (3 miles) & Tough Mudder (12 mles).

All of these things cost money. Half/Marathons and the mud races all cost ~$100, for an experience of course. Paying for competition. Paying for a challenge. Often times because we need that to push ourselves, for additional motivation. Or because it is a challenge we, ourselves, cannot recreate.

Warrior Dash

Simply put, the Warrior Dash, a 3 mile long obstacle course, is a party. … Continue reading »

Free Things: Brooklyn Book Festival – 9/18/11

leslie September 15, 2011 Expenses No Comments

The Brooklyn Book Festival takes place this Sunday the 18th in downtown Brooklyn around Borough Hall. All events are free, some require (free) tickets, and this all takes place from 10a-6p.

Just a few of the plethora of events:

  • The Phantom Tollbooth at 50: From the fantastic imagination of Norton Juster and the unforgettable sketch of Jules Feiffer, the classic children’s story The Phantom Tollbooth was created 50 years ago in Brooklyn Heights. Join the famed author/ illustrator pair in a conversation with Leonard Marcus.12p. – St. Francis Auditorium (180 Remsen Street) (tickets required)
  • Comedy in Comics: Join and laugh with four artists of comics that are surreal, political, and hilarious: Eisner-nominated and cult-favorite Michael Kupperman (Mark Twain’s Autobiography: 1910-2010); Harvey, Glyph, and Inkpot Award-winning Keith Knight (The Knight Life: Chivalry Ain’t Dead); web-comics phenomenon Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant); and newcomer Jennifer Hayden (Underwire). Moderated by Heidi MacDonald of The Beat and Publishers Weekly Comics World.1p – St. Francis Screening Room (180 Remsen Street)
  • Moving Pictures: From B Movies to the Art House, film is possibly the most powerful broadcast medium of the past century—taking us on flights of fancy as often as it brings us face-to-face with the more unpleasant nature of the contemporary world. J. Hoberman (Army of Phantoms), Jason Zinoman (Shock Value), and Roberta Seret (World Affairs in Foreign Films) discuss the role of movies in understanding our world and ourselves. Moderated by film critic and Light Industry founder, Ed Halter. 5p – St. Francis Screening Room (180 Remsen Street)

    • Continue reading »

Grocery Shopping in NYC is Depressing

leslie August 08, 2011 Expenses, Food 12 Comments

I knew that groceries would be expensive in Manhattan. They were expensive in NJ so thought the difference would be negligible. It was not.

Here’s my first shopping trip on the upper west side:

Grated parm: $3.91
Grapes @ $2.69/lb: $5.33
100% whole grain bread: $3.99
Jarred Pesto: $3.59
Unsalted butter: $4.39
Cottage Cheese: $3.79
Strawberries: $3.99
Nellie’s Natural Eggs: $2.69
Chicken breasts: $6.01

Now, let’s compare this to the prices of some of these at a central New Jersey Wegman’s super market:

Cottage Cheese: $2.99
Unsalted Butter: $2.79
Strawberries: $2.49
Eggs: $3.69
Grapes @ $2.49/lb
Pesto: $2.49
Bread: $2.69

Shopping Around

Now, I am sure that the prices are cheaper in the outer boroughs and plan … Continue reading »

Relatively Frugal

leslie August 02, 2011 Expenses 7 Comments

I have been living in Manhattan for officially a month now and have been out of the frugal loop lately. Every time I catch up on fellow frugal blogs and articles, I just don’t find anything I can relate to.

Urban Living

I no longer have a car so I don’t need gas saving tips. I have no storage space, so I can’t buy in bulk. I have access to a plethora of free events, so I don’t need ideas on cheap dates. I rent an apartment, so I don’t need homeowner’s tips. I live with roommates, so I don’t need information on co-habitation budgets. I have to carry my groceries home, so I can’t stock up on sale items. I don’t do my own laundry, so I don’t need homemade detergent. Groceries are exorbitantly expensive and eating out can be really really cheap.

Continue reading »

This Weekend: Free in NYC (5/26-5/29)

leslie May 26, 2011 Expenses 1 Comment

With summer closing in, weekends are full of free events in NYC. Here are a few fun things to do this weekend, without spending a dime!

Free Cab Ride

Thursday May 26, 4p-6p
To celebrate some show moving to a new time, all cabs with a Dr. Oz promo on top will be free! These cabs will begin at major Manhattan destinations (Grand Central, Penn Station, etc) but once they drop off their initial passengers, they are free to anyone until 6p!

Continue reading »

Monthly Budget Recap: April ‘11

leslie May 15, 2011 Budget, Monthly Expenses 2 Comments

Since incomes are relative, my recaps are in percentages instead of dollar amounts.

April 2011 budget recap

Income

I received an income tax refund but also had to pay some taxes, however the refund did make for some nice extra income this month. This is fortunate since I forgot to factor it into April’s budget.

Fixed Expenses

I am still adjusting to the new apartment utility expenses which are, thankfully, much cheaper than at the last apartment.

Total April Fixed Expenses: Budgeted – 44%; Actual – 35%

Variable Expenses

I became a bit too excited about updating my summer wardrobe and spent far too much on clothes. Also, I did my annual hair highlights and should have factored that into my budget from the beginning. Thankfully my tax refund helped to balance out this over spending.

This was the first month I tracked my alcohol expenses individually. My estimate wasn’t too far off but I was surprised by just how much I spent on alcohol alone. Really, it is more the cost of socializing with friends, but I would like to cut this down next month.

This was also my first full month of commuting from Jersey City into Manhattan. The commute was far less than I expected with a total of $63 for the entire month! I separate MTA (nyc subway) because that is for my own leisure purposes and is not related to my commute.

Total April Variable Expenses: Budgeted – 32%; Actual – 22%

Continue reading »

Only Buy What You Can Carry

leslie May 08, 2011 Expenses 35 Comments

Often when grocery shopping we only focus on prices, discounts, sales and coupons. The best deal often means buying in bulk or multiples of an item (buy one get one free). However, shopping in this way is only possible if you have 1) a lot of storage space and 2) an easy way to get all this home.

If you own a car, purchasing large amounts of groceries at one time is not a problem. You can bring them all out to your car in a cart then make multiple trips from the car to your house once home.

Next time you are grocery shopping, imagine you have to walk home from the store; at least a 10 minute walk. How would you shop differently?

Continue reading »

Leslie’s Guide to Moving: Part 2 – How To Move In A Week (in 4 easy steps!)

leslie April 13, 2011 Expenses 3 Comments

I am putting together a moving guide to chronicle my most recent move to a new apartment. The guide will include finding a new apartment, moving cheaply & efficiently, and adapting to a new lifestyle.

How To Move In A Week

  1. Create a new budget
  2. Find subleaser
  3. Sell car
  4. Purge belongings

I will highlight each of these in future blog posts. Let’s start with the first.

Create A New Budget

My first post in the “Guide to Moving” series was determining what you can afford. This involves planning. Thinking ahead to where you will be moving to, what the rents are like in the area and creating a perspective budget. But sometimes, moves happen faster than we expect.

When I was looking ahead at these NYC budgets, I knew my lease did not end until May. I was merely planning ahead but did not want to get too ahead of myself. However, at the end of February, I received an email from a friend.

Her roommate had moved out unexpectedly and they needed someone to take the room. The apartment was an hour closer to work and the same exact rent as my current one in central New Jersey. I would not need a car and the cost and time of commuting would decrease drastically with absolutely no change in rent!

Continue reading »

Monthly Budget Recap: March ‘11

leslie April 03, 2011 Budget, Monthly Expenses 6 Comments

Since incomes are relative, my recaps are in percentages instead of dollar amounts.

March 2011 budget recap

Moved!

This was a weird month because I unexpectedly moved to a new apartment. Throughout the month, I incorporated moving expenses (and profits) into my budget and made decreases in other categories to offset the unplanned spending.

Income

I sold my car, received my apt security deposit, received an auto insurance credit and sold various pieces of furniture this month. This resulted in an additional $2,000 to my monthly income. For this reason, the percentages are not a direct comparison but still useful to know.

Fixed Expenses

I cancelled my auto insurance when I sold my car and received a refund for what I had already paid. I went over on my texting again, however, I have decided to increase my monthly plan by $5. I have the room in my budget to do this and it makes more sense than paying the overcharges every month.

Total January Fixed Expenses: Budgeted – 62%; Actual – 35%

Variable Expenses

When I learned I was moving, I immediately added an “apt/move” category to my budget and made adjustments in other categories accordingly. Thankfully, I over-estimated my moving expenses!

Total January Variable Expenses: Budgeted – 62%; Actual – 50%

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Leslie’s Guide to Moving: Part 1 – Determining What You Can Afford

leslie March 29, 2011 Expenses 10 Comments

I am putting together a moving guide to chronicle my most recent move to a new apartment. The guide will include finding a new apartment, moving cheaply & efficiently, and adapting to a new lifestyle.

Before you can start looking for a new place to live, you need to determine what you can afford. You may desire to live in a certain part of town, style of apt, or have your own place, but before you can even get started looking, you should make a realistic budget to keep you within your means.

Signing the lease on an apartment then realizing the rent makes your comfort of living tighter than you’d like, is a recipe for credit card debt.

Yes, this entire guide will involve apartments – I’m just not ready for mortgages yet.

The 30% Rule

Take your current budget, or create a new one if you don’t already have one (but you should!) and start plugging in a few increased rent numbers. It helps if your budget can show you the percentage of your income.

The “golden rule” is that your rent should be no more than 30% of your monthly income. Start with that.

Put in a rent amount that equals 30% of your income into the budget. Now look at the rent prices for your desired living situation and see how that matches up. Higher? Lower?

Keep in mind that your lifestyle may change as well. If you move to an area with a lot entertainment options, restaurants, or 24 hour places, you may find yourself spending more on eating out than you are used to. Try to factor this into your budget!

Moving to a Higher Cost of Living

I have been working in New York City for the past year commuting an hour and twenty minutes from central New Jersey paying 13% of my income on commuting.

I decided in the beginning of the year that I wanted to move closer to or directly to the city. However, I also knew that there would be a huge difference in rent.

I immediately began toying around with numbers on spreadsheets, comparing living on my own to living with roommates.

Living Sans Car

The most important factor I had to keep in mind with this type of move, is that I would not need a car. So, the first change I made was to take my current budget (from January) and add up my car expenses.

EZ Pass: $25 (not monthly)
Car Gas: $120
Insurance: $154

That alone is almost $300 without factoring in any car repair/maintenance. That extra money can go towards my rent without noticing much of a difference.

Moving closer to work means commuting will be cheaper. Moving into the city will reduce my commuting cost by at least $200.

That is $500/month saved simply by moving closer to work and selling my car.

Continue reading »

Monthly Budget Recap: February ‘11

leslie March 01, 2011 Budget, Monthly Expenses 5 Comments

Since incomes are relative, my recaps are in percentages instead of dollar amounts.

February2011 budget recap

Fixed Expenses

All good this month! I ended up skipping two therapy sessions due to scheduling conflicts this month, so I did not spend as much on that as predicted

Total January Fixed Expenses: Budgeted – 62%; Actual – 59%

Variable Expenses

I am embarrassed – I did terrible this month. I went waaaaay over my entertainment budget. However, most of the purchases are for shows/races/events that are occurring later in the year. I need to decide if I should spread these purchases out better or just get them all out of the way at once, as I did this month.

I caved in and finally bought a winter coat (on clearance!) after living in NJ for four years without one. Unfortunately, I did not budget for that.

Every month I budget low for groceries with the good intentions of buying less, but it is so difficult for me to do this. I need to be more realistic about this. To balance it out, however, I was under budget for eating out, which always makes me happy.

Total January Variable Expenses: Budgeted – 22%; Actual – 40% (eeeeeeek!)

Continue reading »

Factoring Morals, Profit & Long-Term Investment into a Decision

leslie February 23, 2011 Expenses 11 Comments

When I first began writing about my father and his financial situation, it was because he was in need of a new car. Since then, we both decided he would keep his car until it completely dies. Ideally, this is not the best conclusion but it makes the most financial sense.

It is likely that I will be moving in a few months and will no longer need my car. I have two options: 1) Gift my car to my father or 2) sell my car privately

Gifting A Car

The main advantage of gifting my car to my father will be my own peace of mind. It is a vehicle that I trust to get him safely around for quite a few more years. Also, it will be easy and affordable for him to repair.

Another advantage is spending less money in the long-term. It is likely that when my dad’s car finally does quit, I will need to pay for repairs or help him buy a new-used car. Hopefully, giving him my car which is newer and in good condition would prevent this.

The disadvantages are all purely financial. I would have drive my car from NJ to WY and still purchase a plane ticket back. That is much more costly than just a round-trip plane ticket alone. However, there is the experience of the road trip itself.

Another disadvantage is that I will not be making any money off of my car. It would be nice to have the cash to cover my initial moving in expenses of renting a new apartment (security deposit and the like).

Continue reading »

Non-Recipe: Flatbread Pizzas

leslie February 21, 2011 Expenses 1 Comment

Flatbread Pizzas

These single-serving pizzas can be custom-made to whichever deliciousness your heart desires.

This is an easy and quick meal that everyone will have time to make even after a long day at work.

What You Need

1 piece of Flatbread
Tomato Sauce
Toppings of your choice. IE: Mozzarella, Parmesan, Peppers, Onions, Pepperoni, Sausage, etc.

What You Do

Assemble your pizza! Spread a thin layer (or to your preference) of sauce on the piece of flatbread then layer on your toppings.

Bake at 400 until the cheese is brown and bubbly (10-15 minutes)

Recipe: Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce

leslie February 14, 2011 Expenses No Comments

This marinara sauce is chock full of vegetables with just a little spicy kick!

When I made this, I was all out of canned tomato paste so I made my own by reducing some plain tomato sauce and adding flour. It thickened the sauce up nicely. Also, I set my slow cooker to high (4 hours) but actually served the sauce ofter only 3 hours and it was still delicious.

Adapted from 4 Hats and Frugal.

What You Need

1 28oz can whole tomatoes, undrained and cut up
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 6oz can tomato … Continue reading »

Asking For Money – Sometimes It Really Is That Simple

leslie February 09, 2011 Expenses 9 Comments

Some may think the art of negotiation is dead, but it is still thriving. Just look at health insurance companies, for example.

When a medical office sends a bill to an insurance company, the insurance company negotiates an amount they will cover. The medical office knows when they send the bill that they will not be paid the amount they ask for.

However, the average person may not know this.

Hi. I do not have health insurance.

I did not know this when I received a bill for $1,600 after an emergency room visit. Not having health insurance at the time, I called the hospital billing department to set-up a payment plan, hoping that at the very least I could spread out the payments.

What the woman on the other end said blew me away.

Continue reading »

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