Advice

I am here to offer you advice. If you have any questions or issues with any part of life, I can give you any advice I can. If you have relationship issues, roommate issues, apartment issues, budgeting issues, job issues... ask me about it and I will give you some advice. Just post a question in the comments or e-mail me at rfwarlick@vzw.blackberry.net and I will reply ASAP. 

How to go grocery shopping

Grocery shopping is something everyone has done by the time they are our age. Most of us have done serious grocery shopping by now. This blog will give you more tips and tricks to going grocery shopping effectively, and hopefully not have to make another trip out an hour later.

• Make a list: Through the week write down things you need as you run out of them. This is most easily done on a dry erase board you can keep on your fridge, or somewhere else easily accessible. Then, on your grocery shopping day transfer this to your list! As for the rest of the list, it would be best to plan out your menu for the next week, to save gas on multiple trips a week. Write down all the ingredients you may need and buy them then. 
• Make a menu: At the beginning of each week write a menu for the rest of the week. Add these things to your list. Include, or don't include, date nights. I listen to Cosmoradio on Sirius, and they talked about one girl who would arrange her dates in the beginning of the week and then write her menu to save money. 
• Take your list! Make sure you make a list and take it with you! Otherwise, you may forget something. Organize your list based on your grocery store, to avoid having to double back. 
• Coupons!  Before you go, gather up your coupons. Check expiration dates, and pick up staple items that are about to expire even if you don't need them. I'm talking about paper towels and tissues, not chicken broth. 
• Eat! Don't go to the grocery store hungry. At least buy some fast food on your way, if you really have no food at home. Otherwise you may buy things that look good, but that normally you wouldn't actually buy.
• Check prices! Buy the less expensive brand, unless you really like a certain brand and are willing to pay extra. But things like rice, buy the store brand. 
• Check expiration dates! Before you buy something, check the expiration date. Think about when you plan on using it, and try to figure out if it will be used before the expiration date. 
• Double check your list! Before you leave, run back through your list and check for everything. Make sure you got everything you needed. 
• Pull out your card! I usually save dollars, as much as $10, just on food for me between my coupons, and my membership card. They usually don't sell your info (I have about 10 different cards and have never gotten anything, but I have heard some do), they just want to know what you buy. So make sure you have one to every grocery store you may shop at.

Make sure you bring you list everytime you go shopping! It will be your life saver. And if you don't know what you want to get because your new to grocery shopping (like me) base it on what you have coupons for. 

Decorating on a Budget

Since writing this post I have had a lot of new experiences in decorating and a lot more advice. In addition to this post I would encourage you to read other posts such as Making a House a Home for additional information on decorating on a budget.

When you first move out on your own, you often have only what you used to decorate your dorm or prefurnished apartment in college, sometimes you childhood furniture. But this is usually not enough to decorate an entire apartment. On top of having no decorations, you generally have no money. This blog will help you in your quest to create a comfortable place to live that you love showing off to your friends!

• Roommate: If you have a roommate, you have an additional income, but also additional taste, that hopefully matches. But it would not be wise to purchase a major item to decorate the common areas of the apartment without consulting your roommate, or without a returnable receipt. Also, make sure all the items you purchase you really do like, and don't just go with this decorating theme, because once you two separate, which will happen one day, you have to decorate your next apartment or house with these items.
• Paint: Few things will make your apartment more unique and comfortable than painting it. If you can, getting a professional painter will be best, but make sure the carpets are covered if you do it yourself. Also, check to make sure the apartment allows this. At mine, if it's a dark color I have to put a layer of primer before I move out, but many complexes repaint the walls anyway before the next tenant.
• Stores: There are a lot of stores out there that sell a lot of decorating items geared towards people our age that are less expensive (and often less quality). Target is one. Target is constantly changing what's on their sales floor. But they have everything you may need. Some more are Bed Bath and Beyond, and Linens N Things (if one is still open around you, they are going out of business). What would not be suggested is to order furniture online. The S&H would probably be $100 plus, and you could go to a nice store and buy really good furniture for the price of this S&H. I would suggest going to the stores and picking it up yourself, maybe even renting a UHaul for a few hours and driving it yourself if you or a friend don't own a big SUV or truck. Great furniture stores would be IKEA, Ashley furniture, and Rooms to go. Especially right now, many places have low or no interest for a long time.
• Second-hand: Much second-hand furniture is second hand for a reason, because it is no longer stylish, but there are things to be done about this. Goodwill and other stores have furniture for very low prices. Also try yard sales and flea markets. Sometimes you can find antiques that look great. And you can often haggle with these guys. To spruce up wood, try painting it, especially white. If it has doors that are missing glass, or the glass doesn't look good, take the glass out and put lace in instead. As for couch's and chairs, buy slip covers. If you are not a smoker, smell it very closely, because a smoker may have owned it previously and it's nearly impossible to get that smell out.
• Creativity: Getting creative is the best way for you to decorate on a budget.
• Hang your necklaces on the wall. It's easy storage, and it decorates your bedroom. Add a mirror and write on it using dry erase markers.
  
• Buy some fabric you like and hang it as curtains. Hang panels of it! Borrow a sewing machine from a friend and simply fold over the edges to keep them from fraying. Then take scraps about two inches wide and about six inches long, fold the edges, and then fold them in half and sew them along the top to actually hang with.
• Buy posters, and then buy really inexpensive poster frames and hang these. From a distance they look really good.
• Keep it simple, but use color. Having things everywhere looks tacky. Putting a picture frame or two on a side table, a candle set on your coffee table, just a few things makes it look put together. But decide on a theme, and try to stick to this theme.
• Look up apartment websites such as Rental Decorating Digest and Apartment Living for more ideas. These ideas will cater to apartment living, with non permanent decorating ideas.

I hope this helps in your quest making your apartment your own. It is very important to feel at home once you get home. It helps you unwind from work or shopping. Do everything you can to decorate your apartment the way you want to, but don't go out a max out your credit card. You may have a relaxing place to live, but that will change once your bill comes!

Fashion on a budget

Most people want to look their best anytime they leave home. Most people want to stay up on the latest fashions, but not everyone can afford the latest fashions. There are entire blogs devoted just to this: staying fashionable on a budget. This blog will talk about some tips and tricks, but if you want more detailed information, google fashion on a budget and follow some of those blogs.

• Online Codes: Especially during economy lows, stores are constantly passing around codes for their online stores. There are websites devoted just to giving you codes to get discounts. Whenever you order something online, check some of these out first. A great one that I have mentioned before is www.retailmenot.com. Before you buy something online again, be sure to check this website out and you may be able to get free shipping, or an overall discount, and you can buy more! 
• People.com! This website is in connection to the gossip magazine that is found in grocery and drug stores. But it does have a section in which it shows where to buy less expensive versions of celebrity clothing. The exact website is: www.peoplestylewatch.com/people/stylewatch/shopping. 
• Shop! There are some great stores out there that have very fashionable clothes at lower prices (and lower quality). But if you are the type of person to wear an outfit that is in style for a single season, buy less expensive clothes, even though they may fall apart after a few months. Forever21, Wet Seal, and Charlotte Russe are some of my favorite examples. 
• Department stores! Department stores have great clothes a lower prices. Most department stores have a large section of well known and expensive brands. Instead, go to the juniors, petite or women's section and shop here. They often have great sales and great looking clothes at lower prices.
• Second hand stores! While some great things can be found at Goodwill for just a few dollars, and these should definitely be checked out, I'm more talking about Plato's closet. You can take your old clothes here and get money, and then spend it on clothes. Many clothes were simply grown out of and are still in style. They are also very picky (so don't expect to be able to sell everything) but this also means that you will find fashionable clothes. 

It is always important to look your best, and dressing fashionably is always a plus. But unfortunately, this can sometimes be expensive. I hope this helps you look your best while staying within budget. And if you want more detailed information, be sure to google fashion on a budget to find entire blogs devoted to this subject.

Money Saving Tips

Especially with the economy, it is often necessary to save money where you can, especially when you are already the bottom wrung at work. This will help you save money where you can. 

• Buy store brand- Stores are getting better at copying ingredients of the national brands. It is often a good idea to at least try the store brands, because if you do like them you could save a lot of money, $30 for every $100 spent. Some items that are good to buy store brand are your staple items: rice, flour, sugar, salt, milk, applesauce, apple juice, frozen vegetables, frozen juices, or vinegar. You shouldn't buy toilet paper, macaroni, salad dressings... 
• Use coupons and sales. Buy a divider and clip coupons every Sunday, or go online and print out coupons. Sales, especially around the holidays, are always a good idea. Before you buy anything always check your coupons or sales, or maybe even hold off for a sale.
• If you buy items online often, you should be using discount codes everytime. There are websites that have lists of shopping codes by store that can give you discounts and free shipping. Some of these include www.retailmenot.com, www.currentcodes.com and www.couponcabin.com
• Buy energy efficient light bulbs. They cost a little more and are a strange shape, but they use a quarter the energy and last 10 times longer. They are especially good if you leave a light on all the time to prevent walking into a dark apartment. Most apartment complexes maintenance teams are willing to change out any light bulbs you can't reach. 
• Drink tap water instead of buying bottled water. Most bottled water is taken out of a tap anyway. It may taste a little different, but it is something you can get used to. You can also fill up bottles with tap water, but be sure to constantly wash the bottles. 
• But fake flowers. Flowers brighten up any apartment, but spending almost $20 a week on new flowers can get expensive. If you buy fake flowers to just switch out each season, you can save a lot of money. 
• Don't continue to buy movies and TV seasons. Rent them instead. Blockbuster charges about $5 to rent a single movie, and this can get expensive. Try getting netflix. I rent two movies at a time and it costs only about $14 a month. You can rent as many as you want, but only a certain number can be out. This is a great way to watch TV shows you get into late, or you want to re watch instead of spending $50 for the entire season. DVR is also great. It costs only $7.95 a month and you can record two shows at a time. This way you aren't stuck at home all the time. 
• If you take a lot of pictures and then get them developed in an hour, this can add up. Many websites, including shutterfly and Kodak can print and mail pictures you load online for less than ten cents a picture plus shipping and handling. It only takes about a week to get them, and if you order in bulk you can save a lot of money
• Put some money in a savings account of some kind. You could add $20 to an account each week, or add 50 cents to a jar every day. Do something special with this money: Each year take a vacation with this money, use this money for Christmas presents, or save it towards a car or house. If you don't think about it and just add money to this "account," it can add up quickly. 

Update 1/14/2009

• Woot.com: This is a great website that sells very nice items for dirt cheap prices. They sell one item on special everyday, and make sure you check it out early because they usually sell out! They also sell tshirts and wines. One drawback is that it may not be something you actually need, so think for a minute about how much you'll use it, how necessary it is, and how much you have to spend. But if you have a little extra money to spend and want to buy something that takes a lot of extra money, go check it out! 

Apartment necessities

This post was written several years ago. This post is a comprehensive list of odds and ends necessary for an apartment. I would encourage you to look at other posts for tips on decorating on a budget, and stocking your kitchen.

So you've moved your few belongings into your new apartment, and you realize that you don't have much. Depending on your living situation in college, you may have everything you need already. Go through this list to make sure you have everything:

Kitchen- you need to be able to cook, so it is wise to spend your money here first. This is a list of what I use most often.

• Microwave- this is a very fast way to cook, but you have to make sure your apartment doesn't come with one.
  
• Four saucepans- the more you have, the fewer times you have to run the dishwasher. A 1-quart saucepan will cook an entire can of soup, so if you only cook for yourself you don't need huge saucepans.
• Iron skillet- these are cheaper, but more maintannce. It also deposits iron into your food, not enough to harm you, it's like taking an iron vitamin. At the bottom I have included a paragraph about caring for your iron skillet.
• Large kettle
• Ribbed grill- I don't have one, but with this you can grill burgers inside.
• Casserole dishes- casseroles are great for cooking and then freezing for work.
• A few good knives- you don't need a 20 piece set. A simple set of 4 has everything you need.
• Spatulas- at least a metal one
• Spice rack- I have spice containers that are magnetized for the fridge. These are great for small apartments
• Tupperware- make sure it is microwave and dishwasher safe. Ziploc makes great cheap, safe tupperware. Cheap enough that can be thrown away, but they won't fall apart.
• Plates, glasses and flatware- the more you have the less washing you have, and the more you can entertain.
• Papertowel holder
• Measuring Cups
• Cutting board

You may also need:

• Toaster
• Blender
• Food Processor
• Roasting pan
• Rolling pin
• Much more

Caring for your iron skillet:

• When you first get it, after you wash it, you need to spray it down with pam (pam will become your best friend with this thing) and cook it on low heat for about 10 minutes. Then just let it sit out, but keep it greased. If you only use it once in awhile then you only need to do this when you use it for the first time when there's no grease in it. If you make scrambled eggs in it everyday, keep it greased by spraying it down after every use. Do not run it in the dishwasher! After every use simply wipe it out. If necessary you can scrub, or soak it (often necessary after you cook meat), but it is handwash only.

Furniture- you will need a few items of furniture to live. It is possible to get good furniture for less than $100 a piece from Goodwill. You can also check the classifieds and craigslist. But you are often in charge of transportation. If you want new furniture, try Ashley furniture or Rooms-to-go. Ikea is a great store for everything you need at good quality. They are very simple, but geared towards younger people. They also usually require assembly. With the economy doing not so good, many places are having huge sales, or are even going out of business. This would be a good time to stock up. I was able to buy a very good futon on special when I bought my mattress.

• Sofa- a futon can fold flat for guests, or your own bed. Or you can buy a sleeper sofa.
• Dining room set
• Bed
• Dresser
• Entertainment center and TV
• Coffee table
• Side tables and lamps