Save money! Save health!

Ok, so that title make no grammatical sense. I couldn't think of anything better.

Since I've been posting about allergies and colds I figured this post would go right along with that. Chances are you or someone you know could save some cash. I wish this post would work for all of us but it's rather topic specific.

See, this is about cigarettes. I'm not even going to touch on the health impact. I won't mention it, not even once. I'm going for the money argument. A long time about I used to be a smoker. I know it's hard to quit but the way I eventually did quit was by checking my bank account. I added up everything I spent on cigarettes and I was not happy.

I'm going to make it quick:
Average cost of Cigarettes per pack by state varies from $4.96 in Kentucky to $14.50 in New York. (Prices from theawl.com)
I'm going to run averages a few different ways: The lowest average price per pack $5, Highest price per pack $14.50, and average price per pack $8.4622 or $8.50 for simplicity.
First how much it costs a year.
Smoking only a pack a day you spend: $1,825.00; $5,292.50; or $3,102.50.
Smoking a half pack a day: $912.50; $2646.25; or $1,551.25
Smoking a pack a week: $260.00; $754.00; or $442.00
and 2 packs a day: $3,650.00; $10,585.00; or $6,205.00

Numbers, numbers, numbers...

What does it mean?
For college students:

Average cost of a 4 year college per year for a full time undergrad $22,092. (according to NCES) So if you smoke a pack a day at the average price of $8.50 a pack you can pay 14% of your tuition out of pocket every year or $12,410.00 by the end of college. That like getting a semester free of loans!

For high school students:
Again with a pack a day.
You can buy a scooter or put a down payment on a car. You can have one very awesome prom dress or tux plus enough cash for weekly mani/pedis and possibly enough for your favorite stylist or shopping trip.

For young adults:

You can use the money to help pay off a student loan, put a down payment on a car, get your weekly mani/pedi, invest in stocks, or put it in a 401k.

So lots of things to do with it other than smoke it.

Stay green,

Yasha

Fast and Fun Table Setting.

I recently had to set a table for a charity luncheon and found myself in the position of needing new table dressings. I did not want to spend a ton of money dressing the table but it needed to look nice.
I decided to only buy things I would actually use on my own table once the event was finished. Here is what I used to make a table setting for less than $5 per chair and a centerpiece for less than $30, of course depending on what you have on hand cost may vary a bit.

Origami directions

Hobby Lobby Items:
Charger
Butterfly Napkin Rings
Origami Paper

Walmart:
Flowers (look for sale prices!)
Napkins and Placemats Colors vary according to season.

Sushi:
My sushi was a gift from a friend bought off etsy but here is a cute tutorial of how to make felt sushi!

This was a super fun project and the kids will love to help with it!

The centerpiece. Origami and felt sushi around a simple glass vase with flowers from Wal-Mart's Discount section.

Close up on the Origami and Felt Sushi.

Napkin ring holder made from Butterfly flower ornaments. Wrap the wire round a toilet paper roll.

Blue napkins and placemats found at Wal-Mart 

Green Flower Chargers from Hobby lobby.

Final Product!

Allergies Again

Oh wonderful flowers blooming and filling my nose with congestion.

I've found better ways to deal with allergies than the tea and honey I used to drink.

My new favorite friend: Immune-Tea by Birthsong Botanicals. I love the taste of this tea! And the smell cannot be beat... Cookies. I can't tell you why but it smells like cookies. You can find it here at their etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/BirthSongBotanicals

To add a boost of vitamin C I've been putting elderberry extract to the tea. It adds a nice fruity flavor and accents the rest of the tea.

To top it off I've been putting a few dried mint leaves and local honey in the tea. Not only do they help soothe sore throats they do wonders for the immune system when fighting off that nasty pollen.

What's your favorite way to fight allergies?

Stay green,
Yasha

Origami Centerpiece

I had to make a table setting for a charity event some months back and decided I wanted to keep the centerpiece on my counter. Of course the whole thing is much too large to a small apartment counter, so I broke it down a bit and used origami to fill in the gaps.

It really didn't cost anything. Most craft stores like Hobby Lobby will carry Origami paper and there are many varieties. This is so much fun to do with the whole family; everyone can make their own favorite shapes to add!

I love this site for origami instructions they have great videos on some of the tricky pieces. Try it out I would love to see your centerpieces! http://www.origami-instructions.com

Stay green,

Yasha

Charity Table

Simple At home piece

Counter top Piece

Downsizing to a Minimalist

We're out of the house and back into an apartment. Not a big deal for us. Some repairs were made to the house but there was so much wrong with it. It needed more work than we were told, plumbing, structure, etc. Just goes to show you even if you think the repair job is good you could run into more than you can handle.

One of the things we're going to have to fix is the amount of stuff we have! From the 15k sqft house to a 700sqft apartment things certainly do NOT  fit. So how to make it fit? First we downsized out entertainment center from a 2 piece to a small 1 piece that fits just the tv and game system. The desk has gone from a corner desk to a single top desk. And no more dining room. That last part is the only sad thing about it all.

But what did we do with all the stuff? We sold most of it! Between Craigslist and a yard sale we got rid of many things we didn't need and made a small profit. The rest of it went to charity. Since we don't have room I didn't want to keep it all here; we didn't see the point in renting a storage unit for things we don't need. So, out it went!

Here's to a less cluttered home!

Stay green,
Yasha

New Kitchen courtesy of Resale

I've just gotten home after a full day family fun. My only disappointment today was the realization that I was 100 tiles shy of refinishing the bathroom.

Today we visited Re-Store. Re-Store is a resale store featuring items needed to remodel an repair homes. Everything is donated or rescued from the dumpsters at job sites. This wonderful store is run laby Habitat for Humanity and everything you purchase goes to funding new homes for people that need them!

After spending 2 hours sorting through 8x8in tiles I finally realized I would be 100 tiles short of the 260 I need. *sigh* Oh well, I can try again later.

Stay green, Yasha

Remodeling for Rent!?

Do you want to save on rent? We do.

We moved from our 1000 sqft apartment to a 1500 sqft house and saved $345/month in rent! How did we do it? We have an agreement to upgrade the house by renovating and landscaping while living here. Many of the things are simple such as repainting, wallpapering, redoing flooring, and improving the general curb appeal. So far my out of pocket expenses have been about $50 for some flowers ($45) and wallpaper ($5 at Goodwill). Not too shabby considering how much we're saving.

Many of the things we need to replace or install the owner's have previously purchased but don't have the time to install. The flooring had been previously purchased and sat at the owner's home for over a year until I picked it up. One of them even showed me how to install it! The tiles in the bathroom are only loose and I just need to reset some of them (no water damage or rot just loose grout.)

Depending on the owner I could have found myself paying biiiig bucks for the remodel of this place. You should always sit down and talk about how the costs are going to work out. Who will pay for what. If something breaks (anything from shingles being replaced or a hole in the roof to the AC unit breaking down) who fixes it? You do not want to get stuck replacing the AC unit on a place you are never going to own. It almost like you're a live-in part-time handyman compared to a live-in flipper. Make sure the majority of things purchased (especially big ticket items) will fall on the owner's expense.

DO expect to have to pay for all your utilities. They're expecting you to help remodel a house; they do not want to pay your cable or electric. Of course you can save on electric by line drying or cut back on water by switching shower heads.

DO expect to shell out some money on repairs. You'll discuss this with the owner when you sign your rent agreement.

DO ask what the owner wants done from big to small projects and list them in priority according to the owner. That hole in the wall may be a big deal to you but the owner may want the front lawn taken care of first.

DO ask the owner what supplies they have on hand that you could use or look through. Sometimes that last can of paint left from repainting their own living room will have just enough left in it to repaint the kitchen.

DO stay in touch with the owner and consult them at each step. Before you buy that wallpaper consider it's general appeal to a potential renter or buyer and how much the owner will like it. The wallpaper I bought to put in the kitchen is from the same manufacturer and is in the same collection as the current wallpaper; I was lucky enough to find this at Goodwill.

DO shop at Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, and places that offer leftover items from remodels, new builds, and mass builds.

DO try to schedule shopping trips with the owners. You will both appreciate it in the end. It will also help you learn what they like.

DO NOT agree to anything that sounds fishy. Use you best judgement on this one.

DO check how much other houses rent for in the area. You are going to want a discount on that rent!

DO let them know what you can and cannot do! If you know how to tile a bathroom and repair or shingle a roof tell them! Also, let them know if you have never done this before! They will work with you or move on to the next possible helper. Do not get in over your head!

DO write yourself a schedule for your repairs and keep track of everything done. Keep the owner updated on your progress. This can be done easily in the form of a simple and sweet monthly letter. Make it fun or business like your choice. Include pictures of your progress; I prefer to do before and after shots.

Hopefully if you do a good job they will let you continue living there with or without discount. They may ask you to start on a different house they own or refer you to a friend that needs the same work done. That about sums it up. Most of the repairs are pretty easy and There is no project I cannot finish in a day or two. Go check your newspaper for listings! Have fun and happy remodeling!

Stay green,
Yasha