"Our waste problem is not the fault only of producers. It is the fault of an economy that is wasteful from top to bottom – a symbiosis of an unlimited greed at the top and a lazy, passive, and self-indulgent consumptiveness at the bottom – and all of us are involved in it,” Wendell Berry.

The brunt of Berry’s argument comes when he says our waste is connected to the economy — to how we use and use and use without thought to conservation, moderation, or luxury. I think we can stretch the logic of his statement to say that our waste directly relates to our spending habits. For instance, a person who uses the green linen grocery bags instead of opting for the plastic sacks at checkout would be more money conscious. If consumption leads to waste and the majority of waste comes as a result of convenience, laziness, and general apathy then we might need to reconsider our perception on use.

The natives of this country did hunt for their food, not travel to grocery stores to buy plastic covered meat with food coloring to accentuate it’s freshness. The act of slaughtering an animal meant preserving a family through use of that animal’s resources. Today we often times forget the process behind the foods and supplies we consume. We see only price labels, packaging, and product. The resources we use come down to buying bits and making them fit holes, not finding the whole and making it fit the individual needs.

American society does waste more per capita than any country in the world. Coincidentally we’re also a country of consumers rather than savers. Our economy thrives on this spending, but we also lose site of usefulness and needs when we simply buy and buy and buy. As individuals we can attempt to stymie excess spending by reining in the unnecessary purchases and making smarter shopping decisions on the whole.

The best place to start for smart shopping would be where we meet our life needs: food, shelter, and clothing. We need these essentials, so how do we go about getting them without creating too much waste in the process, both for our wallets and the world around us. In the next few posts, we’re going to take a look at how we can transform our approach to spending on necessities and forfeit waste in the process.

How much does pregnancy cost? It depends…is that a good answer? It is if you consider having insurance against not having it. Big difference, like thousands of dollar difference. Then there’s the question of natural birth or Cesarean section. Another big difference. So let’s take a look at what’s in your control and, well, out of your hands.

Pregnancy means several things to an expecting mother, apart from the feelings involved. It means eating healthy, cutting out bad habits like drinking and smoking, and taking prenatal vitamins on a daily basis. It also means having to take trips to an OB around once a month until closer to the due date, at which point it will be every two or one week. The cost associated with these changes amounts to between $250 and $500 for a typical pregnancy (with insurance). There were a few hitches. We had two sonograms, which the insurance company didn’t completely cover. That was around $145. Our copay for the OB visits was $10, and we went 11 times. That’s another $110. So that was $255 of the total pre-pregnancy costs.

Of course, we had to get a room ready too. A baby girl should come home to a pink bedroom. It’s written somewhere, I believe. The cost of the room remodel was $85 for paint, chair rail, and painting supplies. But the intangibles don’t end there. We also had to furnish the room, since this was our first baby. We looked around the major stores, like Walmart, Kmart, and Target, but didn’t really like what we saw. A few of the cribs looked ok, but we also needed a bassinet. We ended up searching Craigslist.org and my wife found a terrific deal on a complete baby room set, including a crib, changing table, glider, and matching footstool. We talked them down to $200 for the set that new cost them over $1200. It’s quality wood and in really good shape. But that’s another $200 to our baby bottomline.

At this point we’ve bought the healthy things for the mother, paid for the doctor visits, and furnished the baby’s room for right under $500. Now comes the hospital stay.

In our case, the Cesarean section came after hours of pushing. It was a relief, but definitely added cost to the visit, but that was definitely not our concern at that point. I’m just thankful for annual deductions on health insurance. Once we reached the $1,500 threshold, the insurance paid the whole of the hospital tab. And it was expense. Without insurance, the whole experience would have cost well over $13,000. With insurance, we will pay less than $1,000 for the delivery.

So all in all pregnancy will cost us close to $1,500. Did I mention baby showers? It’s a great way for friends to help out with the costly goods like diapers, clothes, blankets, and other necessities for new parents. If you want to save money, I suggest you ask about any midwives through the hospital. They can do the delivery and are usually very compassionate and caring in the process. Good luck to you and yours. Once it’s all done and you see the glowing face of your child it all becomes worthwhile.

The standard state run university is going to cost a student approximately $10,000 a year in tuition and books. By the end of the end of four years that would be $40,000 towards a bachelor’s degree that will act as a stepping stone to more education or to a decent paying job. A decent and reputable online university will not save a whole lot more than that in tuition fees. However, they DO save you money.

Typically a year of full time studies online would see a reduction from a State run university, but anywhere from 20% to 50%, depending on courses and each individual college.

Still others may be only furthering their education or taking primer courses for a traditional program in their community. Online courses offer savings of time too, since the home work can be done at any time, and it’s likely any quizzes or tests only have to be finished on a certain date, not at a specific time.

Online courses are not for everyone. They can save on tuition and time, but they also require greater initiative. Not that we can’t skip classes, but online requires us to be motivated without “going through the motions”. The cost of an online education would be reduced by the intangibles, like lack of housing and lack of travel costs.

Over time, more and more companies will recognize degrees from accredited universities as valuable as a more traditional education. The savings founds from both the intangibles and the reduction in tuition fees can definitely help cut the costs of gaining an education. However, one pitfall remains — the lack of government support by way of grants and student loans. Until that gap is met with reasonable options for prospective students, many will continue to use online courses as a way to further an education or catch up on coursework, not to pursue a full degree. With technological advancements, online courses should continue to grow and gain respect. One would imagine the government will eventually open the door to loans for online coursework. It’s only a matter of time.

The Home and Garden Blog will talk readers through ways to save money when decorating the interior or exterior of your home. The first post is just a glimpse into what will likely be in store. But like any blog, the dialogue is what creates the best solutions.

In her profile Kay had this to say:

I enjoy sharing my home and garden passions with others. Even more, I want to learn how other people are getting the look they love for less. I am all eyes and ears! Please share your success stories. What works for you may spark an idea for all of us. Have fun making your place “Home Sweet Home.” Check in for money-saving ideas, when you can. Let me know what decorating, entertaining, or gardening problem you’re grappling with. If I don’t have a good suggestion, another of our community possibly will! There’s always a way to get the look you want, even for very little money.

So take a minute to wish Kay all the success in the world, and don’t forget to sign up for the Home and Garden Blog’s RSS feed via a reader or with your email address.

The dealership was about a 20 minute drive from our house, so on the way I coached my wife on what to expect. Do not expect to leave with a new vehicle tonight, I told her. We cannot get roped into an emotional purchase. We had our eyes on a 2006 Dodge Caravan. The price was right and the size of the vehicle would allow us to cart around the little one without too much hassle. We arrived and talked to a salesperson. In no time we were driving around a large country block, testing brakes (gently, of course) and other things like acceleration.

The van met and exceeded our expectations. We hoped to buy it without sacrificing any money each month, which meant the payments had to be in the same ballpark as the previous car. We still owed $5,500 on the old car. The dealership of course didn’t want to give us $5,500 for our old car, which meant we would have to pick up the difference. I was disappointed, but told the salesperson if that was all they could do then that was fine. We left on good terms, and with a slightly better counter offer. I told them to call me if they could do $500 better.

I received a call the next afternoon.

It wasn’t too much of a shock. I figured $500 wouldn’t keep them from selling the car to me. The biggest thing was being cool enough to walk away. Two years ago I wouldn’t have done that. I would have conceded the $500, which amounts to two months worth of payments. The deal keeps us at the same payments a month, so we’re both thrilled.

In the end, the deal came down to what we could afford in our budget and negotiating to get to that point. Of course, in the loan paperwork office they offered us a three year warranty that amounted to an extra $40 a month on the loan payment. That’s for five years. Wow. An almost $2,500 service plan on a three year old vehicle. I don’t think so. Be sure you watch what you sign up for. All in all it was a great experience, and we now have the little one to go with the van. More on that in my next post.

The VoucherSeeker Interface

Strictly by look and feel, the VoucherSeeker.co.uk site offers a clear and understandable approach to finding voucher codes. The owners have developed a way for users to search by store name or by category of products, so you can find the deal you need. From the top navigation, a user can grab the most popular vouchers being used by members. This and the link to Popular Offers gives everyone a quick glimpse at the money saving power of the site. I really liked the ease of access to this type of information.

The sign up process takes very little time and they don’t require any information beyond name and email address. Once you register with the VoucherSeeker site, you will be enrolled in the weekly deal newsletter. From there, a user can configure the site to email any deals that come through for certain categories or products. This means you won’t miss the 25% off coupon or the great offer on a product you purchase regularly. You can choose to send the alerts daily or weekly, at your discretion. If they get annoying, just turn off the alert or cut down the frequency.

The site doesn’t allow users to submit deals, so the codes are regulated by a team behind the scenes. While this cuts out the community aspects of the site, it certainly ups the prospect of finding a deal that’s current and not outdated.  When you search for voucher codes, the results show up in a sleek page designed to have the user click through to the intended discount site. A single click opens a new window to view the store with the coupon active and it also clears the obfuscation of the code on the VoucherSeeker site so the user can write it down to save it for sometime later.

VoucherSeeker.co.uk also offers European shoppers quick ways to share deals with friends. The sharing features appear next to each code so users can send codes on to others who might find them useful. This way a user won’t run the risk of writing the code down incorrectly in an email or making some other trivial mistake. Overall the site makes it easy to find and share thousands of onlines stores’ voucher codes  – valid with both big and small online shops.

Conclusion

The easy to use features of the site puts the novice online shopper at ease. If you want a deal, find the category or shop you need and click a link to a deal that works for you. Do you want to find what others have found most useful online? Just click the popular voucher link to see the most used vouchers. The site doesn’t push advertising and their committment to up-to-date codes shows in the results you find category after category. I recommend bookmarking this page and using it anytime you need to purchase something online.

As most of you know, my wife is about to deliver our first child. This brought on a multitude of problems the final one being transportation. Last weekend the friendly insurance company down the street held a free child seat safety event. They helped me properly install the newly purchased child seat into my wife’s car. (Her car has four doors, unlike my two door — so hers has been deemed the baby mobile.) Afterward, I realized my 6′ 1″ frame would be hard pressed to ride around in that car — the baby seat was digging into the back of the seat and my knees brush find the dashboardirritating.

After much discussion, we agreed that her car could be traded in for an economical van. The hope was to keep her payments the same, and not stress out our finances. We hopped in the car Saturday and made rounds at car dealerships. We were pleasantly surprised to find more than a few good deals on vans with low mileage. We jotted down locations, mileage, make, model, and year, so we could research a bit at home.

The research began on KBB.com, which stands for Kelley Blue Book. It’s the end-all-be-all tome for car enthusiasts. The site relates all the information a person needs to know, including trade-in value, retail value, and private owner sale value. The difference can be a few thousand dollars on many cars. Of course, dealerships have overhead, and their markup is understandable. You know what we found? Most of the cars we took note of were priced a few hundred dollars over the KBB dealership price for an excellent condition vehicle.

Through negotiating we want to meet our financial goal, lowering their sale price closer to the private owner sale price. We can at least assume on the private owner price that the dealership would be doing fine. They would make a profit and I would walk away with a deal.

I’m bringing my secret weapon — my father. He’s the negotiator before William Shatner in his Priceline commercials. He’s hard-nosed and unrelenting in his pursuit of a deal. Me, well, I know my limits. I sometimes get sentimental about a vehicle and let that cloud my judgment. It’s best to go armed with an expert. At least I won’t go soft and take on more financial responsibility than I can handle. I’ll post in a few days regarding our negotiations and see if we can save some money off the market price.

This is a guest post that works as a terrific follow-up to our garage sale post. Thanks to

It is no glaring epiphany that yard sales aka garage sales are a beloved part of American culture. The familiar signs, sometimes professionally printed, but more often scrawled on cardboard with a black marker, punctuate
any weekend drive through American neighborhoods. For some, these signs point the way to untold bargains, and sometimes, even hidden treasures, but for the poster, they simply announce the intent to shed unneeded items.

Either way, yard selling is an institution, an American tradition - one with its own cadre of dedicated enthusiasts. All across the country, on any given morning, there are thousands out before sunrise stocking tables on their dew covered lawns with items from the basement, attic or garage, while others cruise the streets, sleepy eyed, coffee in hand, searching for those nocturnally placed signs. Others have moved into the information age, and utilize websites such as GarageSalesTracker.com to advertise their sales or to plan their shopping strategies on a much wider than neighborhood scale.

It is certainly no wonder that yard sales enjoy such a beloved place in American custom. Aside from the work of hauling items to the yard, there really is no downside for all involved. Sellers get to cleanse their homes of unneeded, unused, or unwanted items, creating lots of new living and storage space while adding cash to the coffers. Shoppers save tons of money buying tax-free articles at pennies on the dollar. Even the kids can cash in on the flow of shoppers with a lemonade and cupcake stand. What’s not to love about that?

When you think about it, there are many reasons why garage sales are so wonderful. Need money for a charitable cause? Yard Sale. Trying to afford something new for the home? Yard sale. Moving out and do not want to haul all your stuff to the new place? Yard Sale. Moving in and need to furnish on a budget? Okay you get the idea. The list goes on and on, from the only place where one can find treasures to furnish with a retro look, to a bridal gown for just a few dollars, the good old American yard sale is a treasure in itself.

Those in the know are aware that yard sales often are the final act of those who are moving out and an early exercise for those who are moving in. This knowledge can empower one to utilize yard sales in ways that pay off in ways that many may not imagine. Yard sales are a great indicator of homes soon to be on the market or areas where homes are selling. May is the start of yards sale season, and this season promises to be busy.

Folks are into saving money more than ever, and lots of moving is going on all across the country. Jobs change, lifestyles change, young people are heading to college and new Americans arrive everyday. All of the above are good reasons for the existence of the yard sale tradition.

So are you ready to be a yard seller? Do you have your magic marker and poster board ready? Are you setting your clock for four a.m. to go out and look for signs? Well, not so fast. Yard selling has changed. Like everything else in American culture, yard selling has gone high tech. That’s right, it’s hit the web, and sites like GarageSalesTracker.com make things a lot easier.

While day glow poster board signs and pre dawn cruisers will never disappear, there are now more efficient ways to advertise and find yard sales. No more wasting gasoline hoping to happen on a sale, now you can just log on and search by area. No more trying to decide which telephone pole will get the most traffic for your sign. Now, you can just log on, post your sale and wait for customers.

Internet sites like GarageSalesTracker.com have brought the age-old tradition of the American yard sale to the 21st century. Sellers can post sale times and locations months in advance, as well as photos of items and driving directions. As a seller, you can get unlimited word count and national exposure for less than the cost of an ad in your local newspaper. There is even a rainout guarantee!

Buyers using the net can benefit as well by searching for specific items and getting fuel saving directions to the right sale for the right item. In addition, buyers can contact the seller beforehand with questions. So save an hour’s sleep, forgo the signs (Okay the kids like doing them so have them anyway), and beat the early bird cruisers by knowing where all the sales are ahead of time. Log on, sit back and make your plan. It is the new wave of an old tradition, and who doesn’t want to be on the cutting edge?

My wife hails from a tropical island, where temperatures regularly hover around 90 degrees. She’s no stranger to high temperatures and cooling off. Her culture relies on shade, umbrellas, and fans for their cooling needs. It surprised her how much we use air conditioning here, even when it’s only eighty degrees outside. Of course, if the temperature peaks 100 degrees, then we’re both fanning ourselves over the air conditioning vent. But we do stave off the desire later and later into the summer months.

The best way is to move slower, not to overdo it, and to wear breathable clothing. Some of us are conditioned in our offices to enjoy the cold blast of freon induced breezes. At home we might suffer a little more because of this, but we can also learn to enjoy the outdoors. Why stay cooped up in the house, when nature has blossomed, bloomed, and beckons us outdoors. Learn to enjoy twilight outdoors with the newspaper instead of in the air conditioned house.

The biggest savings come when we’re not at home. There’s no need to cool an empty house. Set the thermostat up when you leave for work and down when you return home. The same goes for sleeping hours. We can deal with warmer temperatures at night, so leave the thermostat at a higher temperature. The power you’ll save will make up for minor discomforts at bedtime. Put an electric fan next to the bed if you still feel the heat. Just be sure to turn it off in the morning.

This summer you can save money if you can change some of what we often times take for granted. We can live without the thermostat set to 68 degrees. Try enjoying the heat to see if it works for your household. It might save you a bundle.

Impulsive spending hits us when we least expect it. It could be a result of any number of things, like a recent tax return that was larger than expected, a bonus at work, a large rebate, a small rebate, inheritance, settlement, or lucky scratch-off (shame on you!).

The impulsive buy rears its head while we’re out shopping  at the grocery store, clothing outlet, or roaming the mall for a birthday gift. It can attack without warning. Sometimes it’s a hunger in the belly that forces us into Cinnabon followed by a gallop to Starbucks. Other times its the vision of ourselves in a sleek leather jacket, a cotton blouse, or a ballcap from our favorite team. Without regard to budget, savings, future, or regret, we reach for our wallet and pull out clams, dough, or plastic.

A proper response to impulsive shopping should be practiced time and again.  I’ve heard of extremes, like freezing a credit card in a block of ice (it doesn’t damage the card, but keeps our paws off the thing). Our method is simple. Ask yourself a question: Do I need this right now?

At one point in my life, I could have been crowned impulsive shopping king. Those days ended when credit card bills became tomes and savings accounts dwindled. I started asking myself the question above, and I made decisions based on need, not on want. It’s such a simple thing, really.

Of course, many of us might make changes in spending habits for other reasons, like family, education, or simple lack of funds. Good luck curbing impulsive purchases. It’s a habit to break, if you want to save money.