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Replace or Not? Considering How Much I Need Something.

Posted by Lynnae on August 28, 2008

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The following is a guest post by Ryan Suenaga of Uncommon Cents. If you like this post, consider subscribing to his RSS feed!

My camcorder died. I use it pretty rarely, but it’s not like I can easily substitute another item for it, although my digital camera works decently in some situations doing just that. It’s long out of warranty and it would probably be more cost effective to replace it than to have it repaired.

The question: do I replace it?

While I’m a Geek (and Geeks are almost always gadget hounds, including me), I also consider what’s economically sensible for my situation. I may use my camcorder three times a year, mostly at KansasFest, which I’ve already attended this year.

How urgent is it for me to replace this camcorder? It’s really not all that urgent, although it’s nice to have around. Compared to some of my other expenses (like the professional insurance I have due in November, spending around the holidays, and building up my Roth IRA), the camcorder isn’t all that important, and it’s certainly not something I use daily or anywhere close to that.

If my car or bicycle needed to be replaced, you’d bet that I’d not even consider if I needed to actually buy something, just what to buy and how much to spend. While not in the same economic class, I’d not think twice about getting a new pair of running shoes or work shoes. These are things I use daily or darned close to it and are essential to my way of life.

Compared to my other electronics, it’s also far down the list. I use my iPod touch daily, particularly its calendar and Internet functions (and for music, audiobooks, and podcasts too!); if something happened to it, it’d require immediate replacement or a dramatic change in my lifestyle. Same for my MacBook (which replaced my iBook when it failed). My desktop computer could wait, but would certainly need replacing before my camcorder; my cellular phone or digital camera would also warrant quicker replacement based on how much I use them.

So, what’s the answer?

The answer is, "I’m not sure yet." I do think I will eventually replace the camcorder; the question is just when and under what circumstances. Similar camcorders can be had for well under $200 on the refurbished market (this one was itself refurbished), so it won’t be a huge dent in my wallet. But as long as I have more important priorities, the camcorder falls into the category of being replaced at my leisure rather than being replaced immediately. I think I’ll get
one, but I’m also sure it’s not this week, next week, next month—and maybe not even next year.

If you were Ryan, what would you do?

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Filed Under Personal Stories | 1 Comment

What Are Your Financial Fears?

Posted by Lynnae on August 27, 2008

The following is a guest post by Ashley of Wide Open Wallet. If you like this post, consider subscribing to her RSS feed.

One thing I fear is my husband being out of work. Yes, we have an emergency fund. But for a one-income family it’s a nerve-wracking thing. If my husband lost his job we would get though it, but it would mean major lifestyle changes around here. What are we doing about it? Well, a couple of things. Honestly, the main things we are doing is waiting. Waiting until my son goes to school. Then I can work without having to pay for day care. Another thing is that I am currently in school. That way when I do go back into the work force I’ll have a degree. Lastly, I’m trying to make a few bucks here and there and hope something turns into some actual cash flow we can count on.

Another fear is retirement. I know we haven’t saved enough for retirement. It’s something that I worry about. What are we doing about it? Well, I hate to say it but nothing. We are saving a little every month but it’s not enough. I could list a million excuses why we can’t save more. But the fact is there is only so much money to go around and I can’t meet all my goals as fully as I would like. But it’s on the list of things to do.

College is my last fear. Not my own college education, but my kid’s. The more I read about how expensive college is the more my stomach goes into knots. I know that I can give them free room and board, which is huge, and that I will help them as much as I can while they are in school, but will that be enough? What if it turns out that my kids have great passions and through hard work and determination they get into a private and expensive school they are just dying to go to? Then what? It would break my heart to have to watch them give up their dreams. What am I doing about it? Nothing. It’s in our long term plans but again, we can’t do everything we would like to do with a finite amount of money. I think we need to beef up our retirement savings before we start saving for college. It’s just some cold hard facts of life at work here.

So what are you fears? What actions are you taking against them?

A note from Lynnae: Thank you Ashley, for sharing your fears with us. It sounds like you’re taking steps to address them, even if it’s slow going right now. Kudos to you for doing that.

My biggest fear right now is adjusting the budget to accommodate a mortgage payment. I know we can handle it, but it will definitely be an adjustment.

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Filed Under Personal Stories | 8 Comments

Tightwad Tuesday: Frugal Homemade (and non-toxic) Oven Cleaner

Posted by Lynnae on August 26, 2008

Clean Oven.jpg

I cannot stress how much I hate cleaning the oven.

Yes, it’s really me posting today. It’s been a crazy last few days with packing and cleaning and renovating. And we’re not even halfway there. But I just HAD to post today. Why, you ask? Let me tell you!

I cleaned my oven. I’ll confess, I’m not the best at keeping on top of that unpleasant task. And of course, living in a rental, we have a basic oven. Not self cleaning. Bummer.

Still, I needed to clean the oven before we move out of the house, so I decided to tackle the dreaded task over the weekend. I didn’t have any oven cleaner in my cleaning cabinet, because the fumes make me sick. So I searched the internet for a better solution to my problem than Easy-Off. I found it. But would it work?

On Saturday afternoon I sprinkled about 1/4 inch of baking soda on the bottom of my oven. I also sprinkled some on the door, because there was some grime there, too. Then I took a spray bottle filled with plain tap water and sprayed the baking soda until it was damp. Every couple of hours I’d spray it some more.

Sunday evening I went to work. I took a basic scrub sponge and began to scrub out the baking soda. I was surprised at how quickly the baked on grime came off! I definitely had to scrub some, but it wasn’t any more difficult than using commercial oven cleaner, and it sure smelled a lot better. I didn’t have to worry about burning my hands, either!

When I finished the inside of my oven, I used the same baking soda and water trick on the section under the stovetop coils. Only this time I only sprayed the baking soda once and only waited 20 minutes or so. It still worked well!

I used some soapy water to wipe down the outside of the oven, and voila! All clean! And the next tenants won’t have to smell Easy-Off the first time they use their oven!

Photo by SuperFantastic.

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