Why it’s Frugal to live in Arizona

photo credit: SearchNetMedia

This is part of a series here at Ultimate Money Blog. I’m going to be featuring fun money facts about all 50 states in America and why it is frugal to live in that particular state. Here are the states we’ve covered so far:
Alabama
Alaska

photo credit: Ms. Phoenix

Economy

Arizona’s economy is interesting in the fact that it relies on its lovely climate as a main factor.  Crops and livestock contribute, and it’s about a 50/50 split between the two.  Lettuce, cotton, cantaloupes, barley, potatoes, and wheat are all main crops grown in the state.  Cattle and dairy farming make up the other 50%.

Tourism and retirees help bring the bucks to the Grand Canyon State.  With a plethora of sunshine, dry heat, and beautiful scenery, who wouldn’t want to visit Arizona?

photo credit: SearchNetMedia

Taxes

Arizona collects personal income taxes in five different brackets, ranging from 2.87% to 5.04%.  The sales tax is around 6.3%. The state of Arizona doesn’t tax food for consumption, or drugs that have been prescribed by a licensed physician.

photo credit: rezsox

Employment

Arizona’s largest employer is the United States government, followed by Wal-mart.  Interesting!  If you’re looking for a career in hospitality, Arizona may be the state to go to due to the high volume of tourism.

photo credit: Orygynyl Photography

Housing Costs

A frugal place to buy a house may be Tempe, Arizona, where you can buy a house for around $150,000.  Of course, the further you are willing to live away from a city, the better the housing costs will be!

photo credit: ocean yamaha

Miscellaneous

Arizona would be a frugal place to live in the winter, as you most likely won’t have a huge heating bill.   If you’re a fan of raw vegan foods, you can find an abundance of citrus and vegetables here!  All in all, I think Arizona would be a fabulous place to live if you do not like cold at all.  I can say that it wouldn’t be frugal to live there in the summer with the air conditioning bills!

Do you have any other ideas on why it’s frugal to live in Arizona?  Would you consider moving there?

Selling Yourself

photo credit: bradley j

Day after day, I dream of selling my house, buying some land in the woods, and living in a cabin, yurt, or tiny house. Yet day after day I continue the lather, rinse, repeat that is my life. Wake up, go to work, work, come home, clean, go to bed.  Often times I feel like my life is unfulfilled; rather, my job is unfulfilled, but it pays really well and I know what I am doing (for the most part).

Sometimes I feel like the biggest sell out.

I think that one of the best reasons to be frugal is to be able to live on less and have time to do things we love, yet personally I am not able to walk the walk as much as I talk the talk.  I work this job that is okay, not something I’m in love with, but I do it for the money and the benefits.

I’ve been thinking about going part time for awhile, and then I sit down and figure out how much money I could be making rather than staying at home doing whatever. If I did go part time, chances are I’d take about an $8 an hour pay cut, plus the hours that would be decreased, and then I’d probably feel like I gave up something I shouldn’t have.  I’ve decided to make the best of it currently, and do my best at work and keep paying off debt and saving money for the future.

That doesn’t mean that I still don’t dream of my cabin in the woods, or living in an rv and traveling full time.  It just means that I’m working towards being able to do that one day, hopefully sooner than later.

Do you ever feel like a sell out?  How do you combat living your dreams versus being realistic?

If You Can’t Eat it, Don’t Put it on Your Skin

photo credit: Veganbaking.net

One rule that I always follow when it comes to hygiene and making my own body care products is that if I can’t eat it, it doesn’t go into my product. The largest organ of the body is skin. Skin absorbs so many toxins throughout the day from the air around us that the last thing we need to do is add more toxins to our body by slathering on chemicals.  According to this site, skin absorbs 60% of products used topically. When the skin absorbs lotion, the ingredients make their way into your bloodstream.  I like knowing that coconut oil and olive oil are making their way into my bloodstream and not something like Polyethylene glycol (PEG).

A few of the ingredients I use in my products are:
-baking soda
-coconut oil
-olive oil
-castor oil

All natural, all edible.  And the time that it takes me to make my own beauty products is negligible because I enjoy making them and I am pretty well versed now.

Have you tried any of my recipes?  What other recipes would you like to see?

Uses for Mason Jars

photo credit: nate steiner

A lot of frugal and green people are always decluttering, reducing, and recycling. I don’t think you should go out and buy new “green” items to fit in with the fad of being green.  I think that there are many creative ways to use what you have in different ways to save time, money, and the Earth.  I do think that one item that you should have on hand that can be used for many purposes is mason jars. If you are into garage sales, you can normally find some there. I’d recommend buying pints and quarts. We also keep old glass jars from almond butter, pickles, etc.  Soak the jars in hot water and the labels should come right off!  They come in handy for so many different uses!

Fun fact: Have you ever wondered where the saying “Mind your p’s and q’s” came from?  Back in the day, when people at the bars got rowdy, the bartender would tell them to “Mind your pints and quarts”.  It got shortened, and the popular “mind your p’s and q’s” came to fruition.

What can you use mason jars for? Here are some things we do with ours:

1. Drinking. There is nothing better than a mason jar full of ice water during the summer. I like to add a slice of lemon. It’s funny- when we have company and run out of glasses, I use my glass jars, and everyone gets a big kick out of that, especially the kids!

2. Food Storage. Sometimes I have leftovers and it’s not enough to warrant using our Pyrex glass storage containers. I also like putting homemade yogurt, kombucha, and other beverages in them.  Dehydrated fruits and vegetables also store well in them!

3. Canning.  The past couple years that we’ve grown our garden, I’ve canned tomatoes. They have turned out fabulously, although I am not sure they are saving me money.

4. Decoration- If you put some marbles, glass beads, or other trinkets, the jars would be such a cute display!

5. Fermenting foods.  Ever since I tried make your own sauerkraut, I’ve been hooked on the idea of fermenting my own foods. Glass jars are the best for this!

6. Collect loose coin. Think of what cute change jars they would make!

7. Make your own candles. Candles in mason jars are awesome for around your house, or even for gifts!

What do you store your leftovers in?  Do you have Mason jars at home?

Sunday Link Love

I hope you all had a great week! I am looking forward to next week being a lot less busy than my last two weeks have been at work.  I am thinking this next week will be the best!

Here are some posts I enjoyed this week:

How Credit Card Numbers are Generated @ PT Money

Can You Be Content While In Debt @ Deliver Away Debt

The Winning Receipt @ Out of Debt Again

Unemployment and Motivation: A Case Study @ The Amateur Financer

Big Rocks First @ Simple Mom

The Young and the Homeless @ Little House in the Valley

How to Pay Off Your Mortgage in Record Time @ 151 Days Off

How to Make Money Picking Up Poop @ Saving Money Today

I Always Knew I Was Going to be Rich @ Planting Dollars

Avoiding Reactive Personal Finance @ Beating Broke

Are You Saving At Least 10% of Your Income For Investment Purposes? @ Ending the Rat Race

Win a Flip Video Camera @ The Centsible Life

Win an iPad @ Money Crashers

How to P*ss off your Banker

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…

Have you ever been waited on by a teller and you can tell that they’re annoyed, either with you, or something else? Have you wondered what happened to make them so mad?  Here are some some things that bankers find annoying.

1. Standing in line (or in the drive thru), loudly yakking away on the phone. At my bank, we’re required to make small talk with customers.  I’ve seen tellers not call customers up to their windows until they are finished with their conversation.  I think it’s rude to interrupt the customer just as much as it is to stand in line talking on the phone.

2. Not having deposit slips filled out. Deposit slips really should be in the customer’s handwriting.  Not only does this help the teller assist you quickly, but it also reduces the risk for error. If you don’t know your account number, that’s one thing, but if you expect the teller to fill out that you want to deposit $20 and get $50 back, please do that yourself.  Trust me, the teller will appreciate it.

3. Not endorsing checks. There are some checks like insurance drafts that must be endorsed by the recipient.  If they aren’t, chances are that they will be returned by the paying bank and the money will be taken out of the account.

4. Yelling about overdrafts/account balance differences/the weather. It’s not the teller’s fault, so please don’t take it out on them.  They are only there to help you.  No one likes yelling!

5. Complaining. Whether it’s about how the posting process works, the color of the debit card, or the fact that you don’t have enough money, chances are all they can do is sympathize with you.  If you have a problem, ask for the customer service number.  They can normally route your problem to the correct area.

6. Bringing in $1000 in loose or wrapped coin. We don’t take loose coin (because we don’t have a coin counter), but if it’s not a huge bucket, normally I’ll help the client wrap it, or just take it in my drawer.  A few rolls of coin are fine to bring in, but when you bring in $100 in pennies, that’s annoying.

If you don’t do the things listed above, you’ll be a great banking customer.  The tellers will love you and may even give you a sucker. 

Are you a good bank client?  Do you do something else not listed here that annoys bank employees?

Yakezie Alexa Challenge!

photo credit: xmacex

One of my favorite things about blogging is the interaction with people. Whether it be my lovely readers or other bloggers, I truly enjoy making contacts with others!

I have signed up for the Yakezie Alexa Challenge, where a group of bloggers are trying to create powerful friends and improve their Alexa rankings.  If you’re looking for a great list of personal finance blogs, be sure to check this list out!

You might be wondering “What is Alexa ranking?”- basically it’s a measure of the traffic to your website.  The lower the number, the better your traffic is.

Every Sunday I try to include a round up of my favorite posts that I encounter from the blogsphere during the week.  I’m going to be highlighting blogs from the Yakezie Challenge in an effort to help others promote their great sites.

I’m happy to be a part of such a great community, and thanks so much for your continued support!  If you have any blogs you think I should check out (they don’t have to be personal finance related), please drop the name in the comments!

What’s your favorite blog?

Frugal French habits You can Try at Home

photo credit: hipposrunsuperfast.com

Do you ever feel like you’re struggling against an entire consumer culture when you enact a new frugal habit? If you’re like me, you’ve gotten plenty of glazed-over stares and slightly snide remarks about your simplified and money-saving ways. In these situations, you can pat yourself on the back for standing up for your values–regardless of pressures to the contrary. You can also tell yourself that you are dabbling in French culture without ever hopping the pond. Here are some typically French (and frugal) habits to engage in shamelessly.

1. Don’t buy on credit. Could you live without a credit card? Most people in France do. They pay with a debit card, check or cash. If they want something they can’t afford right away, like a car, a new kitchen appliance or some household repairs, they head to their bank to get a consumer line of credit . . . with fixed interest rates . . . if their bank thinks they can afford it. I’m sure you can appreciate the savings involved with carrying smaller debt and less astronomical interest rates.

2. Live with your parents a little longer. The French do not consider it strange at all for young people to live with their parents into their late twenties or early thirties. Imagine if you’d lived with their parents during your first few working years. Ok, some of you out there are nor hyperventilating at this thought, but keep an open mind! It could mean the difference between starting out in debt and starting out with a sizeable nest egg.

3. Live in a small space with less storage. Have you ever wondered how it would affect your spending if you didn’t have room for any more stuff—no garage, no walk-in closet, no closet at all? And don’t forget the effect on your heating bills if suddenly your living space were cut in half.

4. Walk! Many people in France live close to shops and services they use. Even those who drive into town to work are likely to park the car in one place and then walk around to run their errands after work. Walking can save you money on gas as well as on health care since it can cut back on stress and obesity.

5. Drive a tiny car. Picture yourself in a car the size of a Ford Fiesta–the typical size of cars in France. Smaller cars are often less expensive to purchase and can save you money on insurance, car registration and gas later on. Driving one of these little guys, you may not feel like spending your life in your car, but really, who wants to spend life in a car anyhow?

6. Don’t be afraid to wear your clothes more than once in a row. That’s right, wearing clothes two or three days in a row to work or to social occasions is completely acceptable in France. Not needing to have a separate outfit for each day of the week means you can get by with fewer clothes. Not washing clothes each and every time you wear them means they will last longer as well. (Yes, it’s ok, even encouraged to change your underwear on a daily basis!)

7. When you buy something new, plan on keeping it for a long time. Craigslist exists in France, but is nowhere near as robust as in the Unites States. You simply will not find large numbers of people in France buying expensive new items only to sell them for half price or less a few years later. Imagine if you intended to keep everything you bought for a decade . . . Would you be more selective about what you purchased?

Some of you who have tried out a few of these frugal strategies in the US may have some experience with cultural pressures to the contrary. I personally enjoy reminding myself (and sometimes my critics) that very civilized and sophisticated people in France do these things all the time!

How do you cope with being an outsider in consumer country? Do you have any family or cultural traditions to draw on that remind you that you are not alone?

This advice comes from my friend Trish at Simple Life in France, where she shares her tips on simple living and saving money.

Are college loans worth it?

If it means earning a million more in a lifetime than non-college grads, many would say that it is definitely worth it. But is it really worth the years that you can be in debt if ever you even graduate?

My position regarding college loans isn’t really that firm, really. Every person’s case and circumstance is different from the other but debt is one of the financial killers out there and it doesn’t really make sense to place yourself tens of thousands of dollar in debt even before you earn your first real paycheck.

The recession has even made it more complex since the amount of job losses and unemployed made it even more tricky. A great number of borrowers find themselves still without jobs after graduation. With loans unpaid, they’re sinking into a deeper hole.

1. You don’t really need college to succeed… In my book, no amount of classroom learning can ever swap for life smarts and determination. I think we’ve already got too many Bill Gateses and Steve Jobses who can attest that a college degree is necessary to earn the big bucks.

2. …But learning it helps. Still, I have to press on the issue. You can’t mess with the statistics that tell you that college degree holders get more over a lifetime of earning than high school graduate counterparts.

3.Go for affordable education. If going to a more expensive college is not an option given your finances, then opt for a more affordable one. You can go to a state college or university. Or if even that will be a strain, then go to a community college.

4. Time things properly. You can always get better education anytime. You can opt for a BA degree now from a cheaper institution and take additional classes to supplement your learning with things relevant to your work. Drowning yourself in debt and interest for years after you graduate doesn’t really seem to be a sensible thing to do nowadays.

When financial issues set you back

The thing with implementing an otherwise “doable” financial plan is the unexpected. You might think that you have a bulletproof plan but there are times when life just hits you with a grenade launcher.

That’s probably one thing that I learned after a couple of years trying to implement my financial plan. In a perfect environment I should’ve saved up enough to start paying for a house and a car but for quite a lot of months I find myself channeling part of my savings to replenish my emergency fund.

Car needs repairs. House needs repairs. Medication for the seasonal bouts of illness. There are certainly times when I feel that luck just isn’t on my side. The important thing is that I’ve never let these setbacks throw me off entirely with my financial plan.

My savings are still untouched. My emergency fund replenished. My plans to acquire assets are simply taking a bit more time than planned. But I am not broke.

There’s no reason to throw good money after losing good money. I know a few people who’ve said “F*ck it!” to their savings plans after they were forced to spend on something unexpected.

While it does feel good to just buy yourself something to counter that feeling of “My money’s all going elsewhere other than to me,” binge spending as a way to cope is the worst thing you can do when implementing a financial plan.

Setbacks happen to everyone. If you think that the Joneses are doing much better, statistics would say that they really aren’t. Your neighbor might be driving a much newer car than you but chances are he’s still in the hole paying for it.

So don’t get permanently sidetracked when you get to spend money on emergencies. Emergencies happen and just sort things out the best way you can so you can get back saving for that first million.

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