A - Z PRIMER: “A” IS ALSO FOR ACCOMMODATION

I hope everyone had a good mother’s day last Sunday.  Perhaps you had breakfast in bed, dined out, or had a mini-vacation. 

Speaking of vacation, I want to continue with “A” in the “A to Z” discourse.  Whenever we take a vacation, holiday, excursion or leave our homes for an overnight or extended period of time, we need to find accommodations.  As the way we go about finding and using accommodations may be quite different than the “ordinary”, I thought it worthy of a blog topic. 

I want to preface this blog discussion by first stating that I have nothing against chain hotels/motels or 5-star accommodations, but as it generally doesn’t fit our budget or lifestyle, we rarely, if ever, go that route. 

So what do we do? 

1)  First off, in keeping with the principle of not spending more than we earn, we always pay attention to the cost of accommodations.  But of course it’s not just about cost.   

2)  We spend a lot of time looking at reviews from others.  As people tend to comment if a place was “absolutely terrific” or “a real dump”, sometimes it can be difficult to get an average perspective.  Nonetheless, it’s immensely helpful to read reviews from others. 

3)  Depending on the purpose of our stay often determines what we are or are not willing to overlook/include/exclude.  For example, if we need an overnight accommodation for an early morning flight, our criteria is much different than if it’s a holiday stay.  I’m sure most people do the same thing; they adjust their criteria depending on the situation. 

4)  Assuming we need accommodation for vacation, we try to use local businesses versus chain hotels/motels.  It’s not just that they tend to be cheaper (which usually is true) but we feel that “going local” or “buying local” is an important way to support the economy where we’re staying.  

When you stay local, you have the added benefit of tapping into the knowledge base of the locals, as well as the opportunity to develop personal connections.  Developing personal connections in an area you are visiting adds tremendous value and enriches the time spent.  I’ll come back to this point again…and again…and again. 

There are zillions of websites and apps to find just about whatever type of accommodation you are looking for.  I’ll let you do your own internet searches. I want to talk about two of my favorite websites/means of accommodation; CouchSurfing and Airbnb. 

Yes, I suppose I could have covered CouchSurfing when I got to the letter “C”, but I didn’t want to wait that long. 

 

What exactly is CouchSurfing?

CouchSurfing is exactly what it sounds like…People (i.e., “surfers”) ask to stay with a CouchSurfer host.  No money is exchanged; however it is common practice for the surfer to bring something to share with the host (such as food, beverage or other token of appreciation) 

CouchSurfing was founded in 2004 and is one of the better known “hospitality exchanges” (where people host other people for the sake of cultural exchange).  Hospitality Exchanges are terrific forms of accommodation, but in reality, are much, much more than that.  They are a means to make connections with others, to share ideas and foster cultural interchange.   

Many people have HUGE trepidation thinking about hosting strangers, or staying with people they don’t (yet) know.  CouchSurfing is more popular outside of the USA and is more popular amongst the Gen X and Y’ers.   

I would say that Americans tend to have much more xenophobia than other cultures.  I base my premise on the reactions we’ve gotten from our family and American friends (“You what?  You have strangers stay in your house??  You stayed with strangers???  Didn’t you fear for your life????) versus the reaction from our non-American friends (“What a great idea!). 

CouchSurfing is worldwide and one can conduct searches for where/who to stay with by: location, gender, age, as well as subcategories/groups.  We are a member of the CouchSurfing family group and try to stay with families. 

Our experience with using CouchSurfing, being both hosts and surfers has been nothing but positive.  During our travels in Europe, over the course of two months we stayed with 16 different CouchSurf hosts.  We choose several hosts based on their profile (we wanted to meet them!) rather than where they lived.   

What we found is that by staying with a local, in their home, that we gained much more intimate knowledge of the area.  It was as if we had our own personal guides – Wait – we DID have our own personal guides!  Furthermore, we now have incredible friendships in Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. Here we are with one of our favorite CouchSurfing families in Seville, Spain:

 

 

 

We have also done a bit of surfing in the USA – and it was absolutely terrific!  In fact, we ended up buying our trusty Subaru wagon (the one with the British flag painted on the hood) from our CouchSurf hosts! 

 

 

Note:  There are also other ways to stay with hosts, other than Hospitality Exchanges.  There’s HelpX and WOOFERS, but there is an expectation of doing work (i.e., labor) in exchange for accommodation.

 

Airbnb 

Airbnb was founded in 2008 and is based out of San Francisco, CA.  The idea is to connect people to unique travel experience whereby people (hosts) can rent out their homes, spare rooms, or other potential accommodations (i.e., tent, yurt, travel trailer, castle, island, etc.), like a hotel.  So, on the one hand the idea is similar to that of CouchSurfing in that you (often) stay in people’s homes.  But it has a business element (and perhaps some would argue a higher level of safety/security) in that the traveler pays the host.  A host can create a webpage listing their type(s) of accommodation on the Airbnb template.  They set up a profile; decide what to charge and what to offer.  Airbnb takes a small percentage and the rest of the payment goes to the host.

Airbnb is currently in about 192 countries and in more than 26,000 cities.  During our two months of travel in Europe, we used Airbnb four times.  Each host and each accommodation was different than the next; all were equally wonderful.

To use the Airbnb services, one types in a location (city), dates and number of people needing accommodation. The resulting search provides a listing of potential Airbnb sites. One can filter by price, proximity and services.

Being the entrepreneurial spirits we are – we recently (as in less than one week ago) made a profile to be Airbnb hosts.  So – anyone out there needing accommodation out our way?  We cater to families and allow well behaved pets.

To view our Airbnb link, go to:

 https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1171593

*As I'm writing this and getting it ready to be published, we already received our first Airbnb request!  Wow - This is very, very exciting for us!! 

 

Well, I think that's enough of the letter "A" for the moment.  Next week I'll move onto the letter "B" and talk about things like: Bargains, Budgeting, Buying in Bulk, Bicycling... and whatever else comes to mind.

--------------------

Disclaimer time: I’m not a financial planner, nor am I a business guru.  What I am is a very practical person with (as my mother always said) “a good head on her shoulders”.   I have good common sense and am old enough to have accrued plenty of wisdom and practical sense. 

 

 

 

 

 

THE ‘A - Z' PRIMER OF LIVING WITHIN OUR MEANS

Or not spending more than we earn…

Yes, literally – A to Z…Each week I’ll work my way through the alphabet, talking about the things we do or don’t do in order to live within our financial means…

Or getting back to our Rule #1: We Don’t Spend More Than We Earn

It has occurred to me that the way we live and the way we do things is quite different…very different…maybe downright weird.  As I started preparing for this blog and thought about this “A” topic, I thought to myself: “We really do approach things quite differently than many others!”

The letter “A” is for two seemingly diametrically opposed topics:

• Automobile Purchasing; and

• Alternative Transportation

Automobile Purchasing

I’m going to start out by stating the fact that I detest cars.  I absolutely loathe owning a car.  I abhor polluting the air; I can’t stand consuming fossil fuel, and am reviled knowing that the entire automobile industrial complex runs the country.   

Next, ironically, somehow we’ve managed to buy and sell more used cars than just about any other sane person we know.  Perhaps that’s the key word:  sane... In order to live an innovative lifestyle, perhaps one needs to live on the verge of ‘sanity’.   

It does seem rather oxymoronic, or perhaps just moronic, but in my loathsomeness to cars, I thought I would share the cars we’ve owned from 1994 until the present time.  The little + signs means we sold the car for more than we paid and the – signs means we sold the car for less than we paid. 

*Disclaimer:  We’ve never taken a huge loss on a car purchase or sale – more on that later. 

 

Cars from 1994 (Since moving to Oregon) until 2013

Order  Year                Make/Model                           Gain/Loss

1          1966                Austin Healy Sprite                +

2          1977                Subaru Wagon (yellow)         +

3          1987                Subaru Wagon (art car)          own

4          1953                Ford Prefect                            +

5          1978                Ford F250 P/U                        -

6          1985                Dodge Minivan Caravan        +

7          1976                Ford F100 P/U                        +

8          1977                Nissan Sentra Wagon             +

9          1982                Volvo Wagon                          -

10        1978                Jeep Wagoneer                       +                     

11        1986                Dodge Colt Vista Wagon       +

12        1966                Ford Cortina GT                     - (parts)

13        1068                Ford Cortina GT                     +

14        1961                Rambler Station Wagon         +

15        1956                Dodge Coronet                       +

16        1964                Chrysler 300                           +

17        1976                Fiat 128                                   +

18        1977                Toyota Van                             +

19        1981                Mercedes TD Wagon              +

20        1985                Isuzu 4x4 Trooper                   +

21        1994                Oldsmobile Bravada               +

22        1990                Ford Windstar                         -

23        1987                Subaru 4x4 GL Red                own

24        1977                Toyota Van                             +

25        1990                Toyota Previa                          own

26        2002                Ford Fiesta (Spain)                 -

27        1990                Subaru Legacy                        own

28        1993                Subaru Legacy                        own

 

The Gain/Loss only reflects purchase and sale price, not time nor parts invested.  In general expenses for parts have been for customary and usual repairs (i.e., brakes, hoses, clamps, muffler/exhaust).

And, for those of you who are more visual, you might enjoy this short video, which has a sampling of these cars.

 

 

  

 

  

So why in the heck?  How in the heck??  Are we on the verge of sanity??? 

First, the how.  For us, it’s not been difficult.  We look for *inexpensive, interesting cars, without a need for huge repair and with a potential market need or want.  And why?  Given my passion in recycling and reuse, I see older cars as still having life and purpose.  As well…because Andy has a great skill set for working on old cars and knows a lot about what to buy and what to stay away from.  So, we’ve kind of turned our loathsome need for cars into a bit of a small business opportunity.

*the most we’ve ever paid for a car was $4,000.  On average we spend less than $2,000 for a car.

 I’m not suggesting that this model is a good fit for everyone.  Perhaps it’s not a strategy that interests you.  But that’s the key.  If you must have a car, you should do your research and have a strategy.  Here are my recommendations:

 

1)      Whenever possibly, don’t buy brand spanking new.  As soon as you drive it off the car lot you’ve lost value.  Of course it depends on the kind of car you buy and how much you drive it, but in general, the average rate of depreciation is about 20% in the first year.

2)      If you can, buy a reliable, economical used car (where the depreciation has either stopped or is negligible).  Again, do your homework about make, model, year.    I realize that this may be too much of a hassle for most people.  Find someone you trust to help you.  Note:  Having an older car will often drop automobile insurance payments.

3)      If you decide to lease or make payments, look carefully at the terms.  Realize that making monthly payments for a car is not an investment.  Start thinking about your major purchases as long-term investments or loses to help you in your decision making process.

4)      Lastly and most importantly…Don’t buy a car unless you absolutely need one.  Rely on other forms of transportation when/where possible. 

 

I know that this seems so hypocritical for me to state.  As aren’t we the former/current owners of dozens and dozens of cars? It does, I admit.  If I didn’t need a car, I wouldn’t own one and perhaps there will be a point in our future where we will make living choices that will virtually eliminate our need for a car.

 

Alternative Transportation

We live in a beautiful state.  We live in a part of Oregon with outstanding natural beauty.  We also live in an area where it is very, very, very difficult to function without a car.  We aren’t purists.  We have several used cars.  I don’t like it one bit, but short of moving (which at the moment isn’t a reality), we do our best.  So here’s our best in using alternatives.

 

1)      Carpooling.  We try to drive in/out together whenever feasible.

2)      Bundling errands

3)      Having a car-free day (this is similar to the idea of the plastic free money week).

4)      Walk where/when possible.

5)      Bicycle where/when possible.

 

We are always thinking about our use of our cars and I suppose that if I want to impart any message at all, it's just that. Think before you decide to get into your vehicle. Think about if you have to use your vehicle, or if there's another way -- a better way.

Depending on where you live and depending on your personal situation, you may have different alternatives to using a car.  If you live in a city, you may have access to public transit.  You may be able to use an electric vehicle, a scooter or motor bike, all of which greatly reduce the carbon footprint.  When we were living in Spain, we all fell love with the Vespa scooters, an Italian brand of scooter. 

Apparently the name “vespa” means wasp in Italian.  Hmm – I wonder if they branded that name because of the sound of the motor…We’ve talked a lot about purchasing a scooter or motorbike to use where we live in Oregon, but as so many people drive monster trucks, I’m afraid we’d get squashed like a…like a…wasp.  

As we’re a bit of exercise fanatics, my husband and I try to commute with our bicycles.  The closest grocery store (Trader Joe’s) is about 8 miles away from our home.  We endeavor to ride our bikes there either every weekend, or every other weekend.  During the late spring and summer, I try to ride my bike to work (about 14 miles one way). 

 

But for the most part it’s not practical, and not that safe.  While there are bicycle lanes, everyone is in their car bubble, listening to their car bubble music, and is tuned out about the world outside their bubble.  I can’t tell you how many near misses I’ve had with people not paying attention.  Nonetheless, I think it helps me with the car guilt factor.  Plus I thoroughly enjoy commuting by bicycle. 

Here’s something to think about when you use your own power (i.e., walk, bike, scooter) as a means of transport.  You accomplish several things simultaneously.  Really…

 

• You actually do get to your destination.
• You get to your destination much slower and much more aware of your trip and purpose.
• Alas – you force yourself to slow down and observe.
• You get awesome exercise.
• You release stress and tension.

I do use the car much more than I’d like to.  Last year we had the fantastic opportunity to live in Spain.  Hopefully I'll get to write about that opportunity in a future blog entry.  One of the best things about living in Spain was being able to walk everywhere.  No, actually the best thing was that everyone walked everywhere.  Everyone walked to school, to work, to the park, to shop and to get together with family and friends. 

I’m a HUGE proponent of walking, as well as bicycling and wish that I could use my own power as a means of transport on a more regular basis.  But for the time being, I’ll continue to use my reliable Subaru, Toyota, or whatever other used car we have on hand… and continue to dream about an alternative transportation industrial complex running the country.   

You might think that I'm done with the letter 'A'...but not quite. I'm afraid next week's blog still has me talking about the letter 'A'...stay tuned!

Disclaimer time: I’m not a financial planner, nor am I a business guru.  What I am is a very practical person with (as my mother always said) “a good head on her shoulders”.   I have good common sense and am old enough to have accrued plenty of wisdom and practical sense. 

 

 

MY PLASTIC-FREE MONEY WEEK

I want to start off this blog talking about the results from the experiment – the challenge I set for last week’s blog.  If you read the last blog entry (Don’t Spend More Than You Earn) you may remember the challenge:

 

“Pull out your credit cards (and debit cards) from your wallet and stick them in your underwear drawer for the week."   ---   A trial separation from you and your credit card.

 

To kick off the event, I said I was going to go the week without using my credit card.  So – how’d it go?

I withdrew cash from my bank account and went with cash all week.  My husband used a combination of cash, check and debit card (I took more of the purist approach, but then again it was my challenge!). 

 

First a few personal observations/findings from the week.

 

1.      It’s kind of a pain to handle cash for every transaction.  Last Monday, when I made a small purchase at my local Safeway, I used the self-service checkout and had to stuff paper money into the little slot and wait for my change.  It took considerably longer and was more of a hassle than using the plastic.
 

2.      On the other hand, by having to use the cash in my wallet, I found myself thinking a lot more about the daily purchases I was making.  I was much, much more aware of what I was purchasing I was considering, how much they cost and money was remaining in my wallet. 

If anyone else decided to give up the credit card for the week, I’d love to hear about your experience(s).  If you didn’t and want to give it a try, please challenge yourselves, and then make a comment in the blog about it.  As much as a pain in butt it was to go all week without using plastic money, I’d like to suggest that every year we have a NO PLASTIC MONEY week. 

These silly little experiments have a way of creeping into our consciousness and creating changes in the way we spend our money – and that is part of the solution in getting to living within one’s means.
 

My Results

3 gas receipts for a total of:                             $58.82

7 grocery receipts for a total of:                       $168.28

8 snack/meal receipts for a total of:                 $26.56

5 household/repair receipts for a total of:        $290.41

8 thrift store purchases (household, books):    $148.00

 

Total weekly expenditures:                          $692.07

Some of these purchases were typical (i.e., gas, grocery, snack) and some were atypical (household repair and some of the thrift store purchases) as we are working on a house project.

 

 

Surprises for me: 

 

How much we spent on groceries and how much was spent on snacks/meals.  The two together near $200.00.  However, when compared to the Official USDA Food Plans:  Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels, March 2013, we fall into the low-cost plan.

 USDA Cost of Food

 

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2013/CostofFoodMar2013.pdf

 

The USDA calculates average food costs at four different consumption levels: thrifty, low-cost, moderate-cost, and liberal. They assume that all meals and snacks are eaten at home, which lowers the cost. In March 2013, the thrifty plan for a family of 4 per week was $146.40. Low-cost = $191.10 Moderate cost = $238.90 and Liberal cost = $289.90. 

 

As I mentioned in earlier blog entries, this represents only a portion of our expenses.  Balancing our monthly expenditures and looking at all the numbers is right up there with doing our taxes or going to the dentist.  It’s downright painful.

 

Nonetheless, taking a critical look at what comes in versus what goes out is essential.  If you haven’t done it for awhile, I strongly urge you to STOP READING for a bit, gather up your documents and do a little (okay, a lot of) math.  You can do it by hand (like my father did/does) with a ledger, or use a spreadsheet/computer program.  Do whatever is less painful.  There are numerous programs and spreadsheets out there to help you set up your categories and calculate your average monthly expenses.  For example:

 Spreadsheet for Personal Finances

http://financialsoft.about.com/od/spreadsheettemplates/Spreadsheet_Templates_for_Personal_Finance.htm


or here's a short video on a Google based home budget spreadsheet

 

 

 This isn’t rocket science, not in the least.  It’s basic math…addition and subtraction.  Boring?  Kind of… Tedious?  Perhaps… but in order to get to the “Don’t Spend More Than You Earn” zen way of financial living, you must get a handle on your current spending habits – and compare them to what you bring in.

 

So – take the time this week to find yourself a spreadsheet or system you like (or one you can tolerate) and start putting the numbers into the appropriate spaces.  I certainly DON’T want to know the personal details of how much one spends  -- or earns.  I realize that when it comes to our money and spending habits, we’re kind of private about sharing those details. 

 

What I would like to know is if there were any surprises or if you learned anything interesting (like I did with the grocery/snack food).  Please feel free put something in the comment section about your findings, or about anything else relevant to the blog. 

 

Of course the key is that once you discover a surprise, or learn something, to make a decision to change what you don’t like.  For me, seeing that we spent $26.56 on snacks/meals was quite a shock.  I might challenge myself and my family members to make more meals a home, or to have their coffee/tea in a ‘to go’ mug… What about you?

 

With the next blog entry, I want to start writing about our ABC’s of how we manage to ‘Not Spend More Than We Earn’.  I’ll be discussing how and what we purchase (or how and what we don’t purchase).  I’ll try to provide useful suggestions and ideas and will also be looking for your ideas.

Stay tuned and subscribe if you want to receive regular blog updates.