Later this afternoon my producer Erin and I are setting out to find – and film – a Lincoln Lunch in Los Angeles. What’s a Lincoln Lunch? A $5 meal named after the dead President that graces the fiver. I strongly believe that it is possible to find a tasty Lincoln Lunch in any city and someday I hope to test this claim!
I used to find and write about one Lincoln Lunch every week for my column in the LA Daily News. Now I’m reviving my hunt for lunch deals, but this time it will be on video. We hope to publish the “video blog post” within a week of filming it.
To whet your appetite and help you find a Lincoln Lunch in your own ‘hood, here are a few factors to consider:
- Does the eatery look like a hole in the wall?
- Is it located on the fringes of town or on a side street?
- Do you order at the counter?
- Is the food served on disposable plates?
- Does the eatery occupy a very small space?
- Is the eatery’s reputation based on word of mouth recommendations and not traditional advertising?
“Yes” answers to these questions increase the likelihood of finding a Lincoln Lunch because these factors indicate lower prices. No guarantees, however. If you are really desperate for a Lincoln Lunch, head to a taco stand or scan the lunch specials at a Chinese restaurant. I have found many LL’s this way. Bon appetite!
Save the date – June 6! That’s when I’m speaking at the West Valley Public Library in Reseda, California.
Starting at 1 p.m. I’ll share frugal vacation strategies and talk you through creating a simple budget (the same one that saved me $2,000 the first month I tried it). I’ll also go over Disneyland discounts and how to negotiate a deal.
The West Valley Public Library is located at 19036 Vanowen St. in Reseda, CA 91335. See you June 6 and 1 p.m.!
I’ve been meaning to write a post explaining how to buy a foreclosed home for EVER! But I just found a post that beat me to it on The Digerati Life, a top notch personal finance blog. Read the whole post here.
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<— FOUR WEEKS
AFTER PLANTING
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FIRST DAY
IN THE SOIL —>
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It’s been exactly four weeks since I planted my recession herb garden and I’m pleased to report that my mint, sage and rosemary, are getting much bigger. The mint is starting to take over, as readers cautioned it would, so tonight I may pluck a few leaves to make mojitos!
I water the herbs every 3-4 days and they get a good dose of sun on our deck. I took the picture on the left this morning. The one on the right is the day I planted them. How the little guys have grown!
Since my first attempt at recession gardening is going well I’d like to expand. What do you suggest I plant?
I’d like something that grows well in pots (I don’t have a yard, sadly) and that is edible, of course. Thanks for your suggestions!
Another garden tip:
It’s time to plant eggplant, which requires a long warm season, says Lowe’s Learn2Grow newsletter. “No matter what type you choose, eggplant requires a long warm season – and now is the time to plant!”
DISCLOSURE: I have a working relationship with the folks at Wise Bread.
A new book by Wise Bread is as fun and useful as the personal finance site the book is based on. In fact, this is exactly the type of book I wish had my name on the cover. Savvy spenders will recognize some of the tips as old habits, but many of them are fresh. Here are some of the book’s more interesting tips, which has 12 chapters broken into tidbits under the banner of frugal living and personal finance. It is 346 pages.
- Did you know beer brings our your hair’s highlights? “Give your lovely locks that sun kissed glow,” the book says in a section about extra uses for beer. “Soak your hair in beer then lay in the sun. It will pull out terrific highlights and make you smell deliciously hoppy! (Alternatively, wash the beer out if you’d rather smell like a normal person. Beer is also a handy conditioner.”
- See the world for free. The book points out short- and long-term programs where professionals can volunteer in exchange for living abroad, including Art Corps, the United Nations volunteer program, The Peace Corps, Voluntary Service Overseas, Geek Corps, Winrock International and a few more.
- In a chapter about making your clothes last longer, they suggest washing clothes inside out. “Clothes with texture (jeans) or designs and adornments can last longer if washed inside out…You’ll see less cracks and fading on your T-shirts, too.”
- The book shares a homemade recipe for scented body spray, which could make a fabulous gift! “Put two parts rubbing alcohol to one part water, and a few drops of your favorite scented oil in a spray bottle. If you’d like a little more luxury, add a bit of olive or soy oil for moisture to rub in.”
I got this far before I flipped to the back to check out their reference section, which is when I realized I am mentioned in a list of the “Best Personal Finance Blogs.” I am flattered (I ran in to show Hubby) but I’m not sure I can provide an unbiased review at this point. So I’ll wrap it up by saying the book is a fun read with many tips that I will be sharing over the next few weeks!
The book’s cover price is $14.95 but Amazon has it for $10.17.
Just got an email that Southwest is having a $49 summer fare sale! The $49 one-way fares are for flights on Tue and Wed. Don’t wait because the best fares and flight times go quick.
Caveats: 14-day advance purchase required. Purchase by May 14, 2009, 11:59 pm Pacific Time. Travel through October 28, 2009. Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines.
I had a nagging feeling Sunday morning that the memory jar I created for my Mom was just not enough. I did not spend a penny on the gift, though it did take me about an hour to assemble it and make a card. I even hid the present from my older sister, who gives really good gifts, because I was ashamed. My Mom deserves more, I thought.
Why is money so important when it comes to gifts?
I think it’s a combination of being taught and trained over the years that gifts are something you buy for another person. This message is reinforced by ads, marketing, and commercials. The gift of time or thoughtfulness is “just being nice.”
To hedge my bets, I woke up early on Mother’s Day and filled my Mom’s gas tank. When I told her she smiled and said thank you. I could tell she appreciated the gift, but it wasn’t something she would remember.
Later in the day I gave her the memory jar and my card. When she saw it she started to cry. “It was so nice of you to remember,” she said. And I know she will remember it.
As my Mom pulled out the slips of paper, she shared stories about the memories my siblings and I had put in the jar. We ended up talking about the important role music played (no pun intended) in our family’s life and decided to go hear live blues harmonica that night!
I felt much better about my gift after my Mom opened it and liked it. But I still have not completely accepted that my time and thoughtfulness are valuable gifts. What’s your philosophy towards gifts? How do you think I should get over my gift conundrum?
Related posts:
Saying no to gift gifing – one reader’s journey on a gift moratorium
Gift finder for every personality – a helpful Web site
Anything but scissors for my birthday – a woman’s plea for a decent gift from her husband
Here are the best frugal living and personal finance posts I read in the past week.
The Simple Dollar has a free eBook called Everything you really need to know about personal finance on one page
A guest post on Free Monday Finances tells How to ask your doctor, hospital or dentist for a discount
Frugal Dad has 10 secrets to curbing your appetite for stuff
Main Street shares 6 reasons to downgrade to basic cable
Bargaineering explains the proper way to dispose of a credit card in detail
Are you particularly frugal and a good writer? If so I want you to write a guest blog post for Bargain babe!
I am taking a “working vacation” next week to attend News Entrepreneur Boot Camp at USC and I am going to be hard pressed to write 3-5 blog posts everyday. I am looking for blog posts on a particular topic, such as how you save money on a particular item or category in your life.
If you are interested, email me at julia@bargainbabe.com for submission guidelines. Thanks!
~Julia
aka Bargain Babe
If you did not read How to run a garage sale, part I, please scroll down two posts for the back story.
The garage sale I ran for my Mom Saturday went well, though some of the really good stuff did not sell. It always amazes me what people will and won’t buy. We had a steady stream of customers from 8:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. At 11 a.m. traffic fell off a cliff.
What sold and for how much:
$22 – acoustic guitar with soft case (orig $50 before I realized it had a partially cracked neck)
$5 ea – two bowling balls (to a couple who said they have a “bowling ball garden” in their backyard. Gotta love the funky Berkeley types.)
$.25 ea – dollhouse furniture that was fairly beat up and not too clean after gathering dust for 20 years in my Mom’s attic
$3-$5 – heavy coffee table books
$5 – heat lamp
$20 – mountain bike. After it sold, two more customers said they wanted to buy it. One guy even told me he would have paid $30!
$15 – mini fridge. I had an extension cord to demonstrate it worked.
$4 – solid oak chair painted a tacky baby blue with pink splatters
$1 ea – used pet beds
$1 ea – kids toys
$1 (orig $2 to $3) puzzles and games
$1 – $2 – wood picture frames
Many misc. items
What didn’t sell:
$5 (orig $15) – a breadmaker, even though I marked it down many times. Probably should have started at $8 to $10.
$10 (orig $15) – a brand spankin’ new Cannondale Camelback. I’m carting it back to LA because I’m determined I can sell it.
$.50 to $3 – hardly any of the clothes
$10 – two full size kayak paddles
$5 – tire chains
$3 (orig $5) – Pirates of the Caribbean: curse of the black pearl DVD
$100 – Selmer clarinet (we made the mistake of not listing it in the Craigstlist add)
$1 – cowboy hats
$15 – a plug-in crepe maker
What didn’t sell because I put it aside for myself:
- A pair of gently used Cole Haan black loafers. Score!
- A floppy-brim straw hat that is very lady like
- A wooden hand massager that I can use for a gift
- Two small mason jars that will be great for storing leftovers
- A bright red sushi tray that my neighbor will love
- A red and white floral top
What worked:
- Displaying things on tables and benches so people did not have to get down on the ground to look at items
- Being friendly but not in-your-face
- Accepting most price cuts when customers suggested them
- Group items my category. Originally I recommended folks group items by price. But this only works for small sales. My Mom had enough stuff that it made more sense to group by category – sports equipment, kitchenware, furniture, clothes, books, etc.
- Marking everything with price stickers
- Advertising on Craigslist
What I would have done differently:
- Drop prices earlier. When I cut prices at 11 a.m. it was too late. I should have started dropping prices on items that nobody was showing interest in, like a 4-drawer dresser for $15, at 10 a.m.
In total we sold about half of the stuff. Another 45 percent got picked up by curb crawlers. Once you say something is free, it becomes very valuable!
The last 5 percent I loaded in my Mom’s trunk to take to Goodwill. Our total haul was $217.80. Not too shabby!
Hi folks,
The site was down for a few hours earlier today because of tech problems. My superb tech staff figured it out within a few hours. Thank you Sean and Andrew!
There are still a few kinks in the system but with some luck they will not interfere or bring the site down again. Thanks for your patience and for reading Bargain babe!
~Julia
aka Bargain Babe
I’m in the Bay Area helping my Mom clean out her attic by running her garage sale tomorrow. (And I’ll be here to celebrate Mother’s Day in person on Sunday!) It’s the beginning of garage sale season so I thought I would share how I prepare for a garage sale:
+ In the week leading up to the sale, gather everything to be sold into one room.
+ Two nights before the sale sort your stuff into piles according to price for: free, $.50, $1, $2, $3, $5, $7, $10…If you have a LOT of stuff, the sorting process may take two nights.
+ Bigger items that are clean and in top condition can go for as much as 50% of what you paid for them. If they are worn or damaged, reduce the price even more.
+ Make signs for each price category (i.e. $1 pile, $2 pile) or put stickers/tags on each item. People may be too shy to ask or think you are ripping them off if you are not upfront about your prices. If you do not want to label each item individually, jot down your prices on a master list. At the minimum, mark your higher priced items.
+ Cleanliness REALLY helps sales. A damp rag removes dust and dirt quickly.
+ The morning before, post your sale on Craigslist. In the post list your top items, any hot brands you are selling, your unusual items, and mention if you have a free pile. The more detailed you are, the better the chance someone looking for these items will find you. If you have enough free items, post them on Freecycle.org (free membership required to post).
+ The night before your sale make 5-10 signs. I like to write in bold letters “SALE” with an arrow pointing to my yard on manilla folders. In smaller letters I write the date and start time. The address is usually irrelevant because yard sales are a visual magnet.
+ The morning of the sale haul your stuff out while keeping your items grouped by price, which makes it easy for customers to assess what you have. Be prepared for aggressive “early birds” who will want to wheel and deal before you have finished dragging everything else out.
+ Presentation is key. Put everything on tables, blankets or in buckets. Clothes have a better chance of selling if they are hung up.
+ Have a few low bills and quarters to make change.
+ As soon as traffic starts dying down, roughly two to three hours after the start time, cut prices. Wouldn’t you rather make a buck or two off an old pair of shoes than drag them to Goodwill?
+ Load up whatever does not sell into your car and drop them off at Goodwill or Salvation Army.
Here’s how the sale turned out!
I’m not entirely pleased with Feedblitz, the software I use to email you all my deals. (If you don’t already receive them, sign up here.)
Feedblitz is free and I’m definitely getting what I’m paying for! In the past three weeks the email, which is scheduled to go out between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., has been delivered hours late. At least twice I’m fairly certain Feedblitz did not send it.
I have also received a few complaints from readers that links did not work or they could not download pictures, both of which could be issues with that person’s computer, not Feedblitz. But ya gotta wonder.
I could switch but it would be a big hassle for you and for me. Basically, we would all have to sign up again. So I’m wondering…
[poll id="21"]
I love reading comments! They make Bargain babe a conversation about saving money, not a one-sided rant. So to show my appreciation I’m going to highlight one comment each Friday.
Here is the inaugural comment of the week. (If you have not been reading the comments, just click on the “comments” link at the bottom of each post. My sister says they are the best part of the blog!)
I just got an email from Big Lots saying they sell groceries. WHAT??? I’m totally flabergasted. I thought Big Lots was all about last summer’s lawn furniture and tacky reindeer lights because that’s what I saw on the shelf my last visit.
But fresh food? They claim they have brand names at up to a 65 percent discount. What’s the deal? Has anybody bought groceries at Big Lots?
I chose this comment, written by a reader called AB, because s/he explains why my urgent plea to buy Forever stamps is off base. I argued that the upcoming 5 percent rate hike meant hoarding stamps was savvy.
AB’s logic has me nearly convinced I was wrong and that Forever stamps are not a great deal at all. What do you think?