Need Extra Money: You've Got To Hustle For Your Dreams

My favorite line in the great chick flick, Pretty Woman, is uttered by a happy homeless man at the end of the movie.

"Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream? Everybody comes here; this is Hollywood, land of dreams. Some dreams come true, some don't; but keep on dreamin' - this is Hollywood. Always time to dream, so keep on dreamin'."

IMDB Pretty Woman Quotes

The dream is crucial.  As a guy who lived on the poor side of town once told me, "Every body has to have a hustle."  The hustle isn't necessarily illegal, it's just something people do on the side to pick up a few extra bucks.  For example. Some folks were into shoes and would buy and sell them. 

Now, with the advent of the internet, it's become easier for everyone to hustle up a few extra bucks through ebay, etsy, craigslist, writing sites, or affiliate programs.  Sometimes a hustle will turn into a full-fledged business or a viral hit that brings in big bucks.  

It doesn't take a lot of money to get started.  In fact, Chris Guillebeau has shown us the way in his book:  The $100 Startup:  Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future. So keep on dreaming and keep on trying to make your dreams come true!

How to Postpone Buying Gas

There is nothing quite like needing to buy gas at the end of the pay period.  If you need to maximize the little amount of gas that you have left, there are a few things you can do.

1.  Drive Gently.  Fast starts and heavy acceleration drinks gas quickly.  Instead, accelerately slowly and steadily.  Strive not to use the brakes.  Coast to stops whenever rather than braking heavily.

2.  Minimize Stops.  It's better to travel continuously than it is to stop.  You don't want to sit at traffic lights so take the highway.  Choose travel times when the highway is less congested so that you don't get caugt in stop and go traffic.

3.  Minimize the Number of Trips.  If you are traveling somewhere, it is better to stop along the way and get things you need instead of making a separate trip later.

4.  Don't Buy More Gas Than You Need.  If you know you need to make a 20 mile round-trip commute two more times during a pay period and that you ger 20 miles per gallon, you only need a little over 2 gallons.  Depending on the price of gas, that's probably only $7 or $8. So buy $10 worth of gas instead of $20 or $30.

5. Buy Gas With Cash. If you are low on funds, the automated card reader on the pump might not authorize you to purchase an indeterminate amount of gas.  If you plunk a $10 bill down inside and pay cah for gas, you won't have that issue.

With these tips, you should be able to make it through til the end of the pay period.  But, don't drive on fumes that may leave you stranded in a dangerous area.  When you get paid again, buy the gas you need.

Shopping the Sales

If you are operating on a shoestring budget, it's important to spend money wisely.  One of the best ways to save money is to buy items when they are on sale.

Last Friday, I heard a radio ad that Target was having a "buy one, get one free sale" over the weekend on cookies and crackers.  It was an awesome chance to stock up on snacks before football season.  We saved over $17 on cookies and crackers.

 If we had been really smart, we would have had a stockpile of coupons to use.  Then, we would have walked out with tons of cookies and crackers for nearly free.

Seven Reasons to Consider a Micro Home

Or Get a Minihouse, Tiny Cottage, Little Cabin, Miniature Log Home or Studio Condo 

The economy is getting tough. It might be time to head for a shack out in the woods. If so, here are some great reasons to consider a tiny house, microhome, small cottage, or mini cabin. If the size of your dream home has been shrinking with your portfolio, it might be time to consider a dwelling the size of a Thoreau House or Unibomber Shack. A teeny, tiny, cottage, cabin, minihouse, or microhome is an extreme measure, but it might be an affordable housing solution. A few Americans have traded traditional homes for microhouses as small as 150 square feet. Here are seven reasons to consider tiny home.

Thoreau Cabin Replica. Photo by RhythmicQuietude at en.wikipedia [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

First, microhouse designs are economical. According to CNN.com, Bill and Sharon Kastrinos live in a tiny 154-square foot house the size of a garden shed which cost them $15,000 and has utility costs of only $15 per month.

Second, to fit into a microhome, a lot of material items have to go. Typically, micro house dwellers sell excess clothing and possessions or donate them to charity. Then micro house owners have to get creative with space-saving techniques and be fanatical about getting rid of an old items when new items are brought into the home. There's simply no room to mindlessly consume.

Third, if you are an ecologically minded, a microhome has a minimal impact on the environment, a small carbon footprint, and can be designed to be super energy efficient. If you want to power a home with an alternative energy source, the low energy demand of a microhome makes it far easier. It would be very easy to design a solar powered microhome.

Mississippi Cottage - Photo By Jennifer Smits (This image is from the FEMA Photo Library.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Fourth, microhomes may help the poor rebuild in America after disasters. Many small, old, homes occupied by the poor and elderly were wiped out by Hurricane Katrina. The big box housing chain, Lowes, offered the Katrina Cottage series of small home designs as an affordable way for people to rebuild. In Mississippi, small cottages provided a way out of trailer life for hurricane survivors.   Even smaller microhomes may make home ownership viable for the poor without exposing them to dangerous and dishonest mortgage situations.

Fifth, many microhomes are mobile. To dodge zoning laws, many microhomes are built on a trailer chassis and are classified as campers or mobile homes. If your job moves, your home can move with you.

Sixth, microhomes make great vacation spots. The cost of prime vacation real estate is climbing as oceanfront, lakefront, and mountainside lots are snatched up. Building an economical structure makes a vacation home much more attainable.

Seventh, in the most crowded cities, some people are squeezing into ultra-small condominiums of only 300 to 400 square feet. In high priced real estate markets, tiny condominiums allow people to live closer to urban centers where they can avoid long commutes and enjoy amenities like parks, museums, and restaurants.

It's getting tough to sustain the American Dream in an era of economic instability and recession. Affording a 30-year mortgage in a time of 2 and 3-year job tenures can be daunting. For some Americans, the answer might just be to think small. If you can't think outside the box, at least, you can shrink the box.

Sources:

"Downsizing to 100 square feet of bliss," Thelma Gutierrez and Traci Tamura, CNN American Morning, 10/22/2008, http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/10/22/tiny.houses/
"The 298-square-foot condo," Melinda Fulmer, MSN Real Estate, http://realestate.msn.com/buying/article2.aspx?cp-documentid=6285435
"Move Over, McMansions: Microhouses Are on the Rise," Annelena Lobb, Wall Street Journal Online, June 14, 2006, http://www.realestatejournal.com/buildimprove/20060614-lobb.html
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pg&p=2006_landing/Katrina_Cottage/KatrinaCottage.html

Eight Ways to Take A Shorter Shower

How To Save Money Buy Taking Shorter Showers

[I first published this article October 22, 2007 on Yahoo Contributors Network.  Today, the advice still sound.  You can still save a lot of money on water and electricity or natural gas buy taking shorter showers.]

Due to the severe drought conditions in much of the Southeastern United States, Georgia's Governor Sonny Perdue has declared that October 2007 is "take a Shorter Shower" month. But, many of us morning zombies don't wake up until we've actually been in the shower for a full ten minutes.

We often find that we have wasted plenty of precious water before we are even fully conscious. Clearly taking a shorter shower is an acquired skill. But, as Atlanta's reservoirs drain precipitously below 120 days of water, the skill of short shower taking is clearly worth acquiring. Here are eight easy ways to take a shorter shower:

1) Don't Perform Any Extra Rituals in the Shower. Some people shave in the shower. Some people brush their teeth. There are many things to do in the shower other than wash, shampoo, rinse, and get out. If you drop the extra rituals and stick to the essential business of getting clean, you are bound to save time and water.

2) Pretend You Are in the Navy. On Navy ships, water has traditionally been a precious commodity. To conserve it, sailors were advised to turn on the water, get wet, turn off the water, soap up, shampoo, and then turn on the water again to rinse off. The entire operation should only take five minutes. At least this is what my dad, a Navy veteran, always told my brother and me when we were growing up. Since I've never served in the Navy, it's entirely possible that my dad was just trying to save money on the water bill.

3) Watch the Clock. If you have a wall clock, place it where you can see it from the shower. You may have to replace your current shower curtain with one of the transparent variety. If your bathroom gets so steamy that you can no longer see your clock, it's long past time to get out of the shower.

4) Race the Timer. If a wall clock isn't motivation enough, get an inexpensive kitchen timer. Give yourself seven minutes and try to complete your shower before the egg timer bell goes off. If you are successful, try shaving a minute or two off of your time each week. Eventually, your shower should take no more than 15 seconds. However, if you get soap suds in your eyes on the way to work, you may have to give yourself more time.



5) Dance to the Music. Play a single track on an MP3 player in the bathroom. When the song is over, so is your shower. But, remember it's not fair to play Golden Earring's "Radar Love."


6) Shower with the Dog. You could always try locking your dog in the bathroom with you. If your dog has been sleeping all night and has to go out, he'll let you know. You can probably count on him barking at you within two or three minutes. The thought of your dog using your bathroom as a bathroom should provide extra motivation to get out of the shower and let him out quickly. Make sure you wear a bathrobe when you let your dog out. Otherwise, the PETA protestors outside your door may see you naked.

7) Have Your Spouse Make it Cold. If you have been cheating with these other methods and giving yourself a little too much extra time, you obviously need someone to stage an intervention. Have your spouse sneak in and turn the water to cold after five minutes. Fear can be a powerful motivation to take a quick shower.

8) Keep it Cold. Nothing makes you move quicker in the shower than running out of hot water. If you start your shower cold and keep it cold for the entire shower, you will find yourself showering at a frenetic pace. By using the polar bear alternative, you will be in and out in no time and you'll be sure to take the shortest possible shower.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, showering accounts for about 17 percent of all indoor residential water use. So, if these tips don't work for you, go out and find a low-flow showerhead!