I happened to find a book named Millionaire Next Door. At first glance, the subject does not seem to fit into my comfort zone at all. The lifestyle of an American millionaire!?! Well that is as far as can ever be from a frugal lifestyle. The authors had also started their research with this assumption. And failed.
The book is a study of the lifestyles of the American millionaires. How did they end up being millionaires, and how did it affect their and their family members´ lives? And of course the most important question was, how to enter this fabulous secret society?
The millionaires were considered as households or families, except of course the singles were seen as individual persons. Most of these people were however with families, middle-aged or older and still married to their first spouse. No trendy butterflies at all! Typically there had been two sides in gathering wealth, comparable to a game. Offense, meaning outward action, gaining substansial or huge income. Well-paying job or a succesfull business was an asset here. The other, no less important part, was defence, meaning the incoming streams of money were not let to leak out. Most families had a strict budget for their everyday lives. Typically the husband was a breadwinner and the wife was a homemaker or otherwise more in charge of family matters. A common response from the husbands was "Yes, my wife is even more frugal than I am." The wives were very strict with the family money and clipped those "coupons" that Americans are so attracted to.
So it is not only how much you yourself make and save, but also who you marry, that will determine where you end up in the moneygame. I it sad to see couples that have fallen in love and committed to a relationship with oneanother, but not discussed these topics and eventually someone ends up suffering :/ I am lucky to have a frugal husband. I wouldn´t have married otherwise! :D We still have some finetuning in the emphasis though. Like which is more important an investment - a car magazine or a new bracelet?? Well, we are reaching a consesus. These costs will be allocated to our cigar-, barhopping- and nighttime cab budget (in which areas we "underachieve", lol)
To accumulate significant wealth in one generation, a third piece of strategy is needed: investing the money you save to receive more income. Millionaire families found the time to research investing or at least search quality investment advisor services.
Typical for millionaires was to appreciate quality in their purchases. They did not buy overpriced status items, nor the cheapest options. The setting of their everyday life was comfortable. They tend to buy classic items that endure time and use. This kind of purchasing strategy ends up being economical in the long run. Have you read Alexander von Schonburg´s book The Art of Stylish Poverty- How to Become Rich Without Earning Money? I think Millionaire Next Door approaches that book´s philosophy. American new millionare class and European impoverished nobelmen - (and me and you, who are here to read this post) - we all together as one global frugal community :D
Authors have a word of advice to parents: do not support your adult children too much financially! It eliminates their hunger to succeed and support themselves. They easily turn to dependents, who consider the parents as their primary source of income even in their middle ages. Actually it is better not to tell the children about the millions at all..
Eventually there will come a time to leave inheritance. The authors noted that many millionaires where practically with no means at the end of their lives. They had transfered their wealth little by little to their relatives or to other persons or organizations, by tax-free gifts or by whatever means. There appeared to be not much taxes paid from these estates. I dont know how that would be possible in Finland. Here the annual amount of tax-free gifts is so low, that it would take more than a lifetime to transfer a millionaire estate via that method.
All in all, The Millionaire Next Door was an entertaining read. It didn´t shake my world, but offered a solid reminder to stay on the frugal path. Now I should just find a way to generate massive income and invest it in some ingenious way. Easy peasy, lol ;)
Best wishes from the dusk and dim of the library,
Nina
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Hey we are moving!
Yei! I´m trying to convince myself that it is a 100 % positive experience. Mostly it is, especially when you reach the point when all your stuff has found its place in the new apartment. Transition phase may be a bit controversial. Since this is a familyblog, I will not use all the expressions that come to my mind to describe my feelings ;)
There is still plenty of time, but I have already started packing and making plans to smooth and cost effective project management. The cornerstones are our helpful family and friends and Pampers diaper boxes. We will not hire help and can transport our stuff there in a couple of months timeframe. My Spouse´s family has also recently moved, so hopefully we receive some decently sized (XL) moving boxes from them. A friend has promised to lend his trailer, so we need not rent one. (In Helsinki it is also possible to lend a trailer for free from the county recycling center. Maybe such a service is available also in your community? It is worth checking, if you are in need of one!)
I´ve been hoarding diaper boxes for quite a while now. Pampers-boxes are sturdy, with handle holes and if you pack them full of heavy stuff, like books, even the small and ethereal ladies are still able to carry them. (Ehem, I´m not "ethereal" by any means, but I still like to carry them.) Stairs are not a problem. After the move you can store many kinds of things in them, clothes, toys, shoes, china, etc... They can be closed on top, which also makes them decent storage units. My warmest recommendations to these boxes!
When you move without hired help, you will definitely need helpful others. There is so much to do! People always seem to think only about the heaviest items. Sofas, washing machines, bookshelves, you know. Sure they are critical, since everyone is not able to carry them, but there is much much more to do besides that! 99% of the time goes to all kind of preparing, smaller stuff and cleaning. So lets be thankful for all kinds of help offered! If you have a third cousin with scoliosis he/she can still pack kitchenware, take the dog out or watch the kids play, while you pack. Cleaning, taking off and hanging up lamps and curtains, dissembling and assebling furniture, laying books on the shelves (by alphabet, by theme or by colour) - at least these tasks come to mind when considering suitable jobs for helpers.
It is also important to be of help to others when needed. Either when moving or otherwise. One can help in so many ways. Cooperation can reduce costs from all parties.
I will return to this subject many times, either with moving updates or organizing and decorating our new home. Have a nice week!
Best wishes,
Mrs.Frugal Mover
There is still plenty of time, but I have already started packing and making plans to smooth and cost effective project management. The cornerstones are our helpful family and friends and Pampers diaper boxes. We will not hire help and can transport our stuff there in a couple of months timeframe. My Spouse´s family has also recently moved, so hopefully we receive some decently sized (XL) moving boxes from them. A friend has promised to lend his trailer, so we need not rent one. (In Helsinki it is also possible to lend a trailer for free from the county recycling center. Maybe such a service is available also in your community? It is worth checking, if you are in need of one!)
I´ve been hoarding diaper boxes for quite a while now. Pampers-boxes are sturdy, with handle holes and if you pack them full of heavy stuff, like books, even the small and ethereal ladies are still able to carry them. (Ehem, I´m not "ethereal" by any means, but I still like to carry them.) Stairs are not a problem. After the move you can store many kinds of things in them, clothes, toys, shoes, china, etc... They can be closed on top, which also makes them decent storage units. My warmest recommendations to these boxes!
When you move without hired help, you will definitely need helpful others. There is so much to do! People always seem to think only about the heaviest items. Sofas, washing machines, bookshelves, you know. Sure they are critical, since everyone is not able to carry them, but there is much much more to do besides that! 99% of the time goes to all kind of preparing, smaller stuff and cleaning. So lets be thankful for all kinds of help offered! If you have a third cousin with scoliosis he/she can still pack kitchenware, take the dog out or watch the kids play, while you pack. Cleaning, taking off and hanging up lamps and curtains, dissembling and assebling furniture, laying books on the shelves (by alphabet, by theme or by colour) - at least these tasks come to mind when considering suitable jobs for helpers.
It is also important to be of help to others when needed. Either when moving or otherwise. One can help in so many ways. Cooperation can reduce costs from all parties.
I will return to this subject many times, either with moving updates or organizing and decorating our new home. Have a nice week!
Best wishes,
Mrs.Frugal Mover
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
SodaStream cost-effectively
We received SodaStream Jet machine as a wedding gift from my employer. It was a nice gift and we have used it weekly ever since. I like especially orange and cola, and soda water with lemon. My husband´s favourite is apple-pear. But the price of the brand flavours - I am horrified! You have to pay for the bubbles, and when you add the price of the flavours... isnogood. I want to win this challenge!
The brand flavours don´t usually go on sale in our shops. And if there are sales, they don´t include our favourites. The price is mostly 7,95 €/bottle. In a discount store the price may be 6,95 €. Luckily there is a competing product "MySoda" on the market. We have tried them and at least orange and cola are ok. In our local discount store they are often on sale 1,95€/bottle, which makes 8 litres of soda. I admit I´m hoarding it :) My Spouses favourite - apple-pear- is my pet peeve, so it is better for me not to evaluate it. But he thinks that MySoda is ok also in that flavour option.
How about lemon water? It would be healthy and cheap to add fresh lemon to carbonated water. Or a drop or two of lemon juice concentrate. But I´m not quite sure how the SodaStream plastic bottle would endure it. Lemon is a strong acidic substance. If you drop lemon straight to the drinking glass, you have to prepare each portion separately. That is too much work, which I don´t need right now ;) It is not that good.
I bought lemon essence. A tiny bottle in a baking supplies section costs about 2,50 €. It has proved to be extremely sufficient. I have made many many bottles of fizzy lemon water and the bottle still looks as full as it was to start with. It is challenging however to dose a suitably small drop. Each time it has been a bit too strong for my taste. Perhaps a pipette would be useful. The essence is also somewhat oily, so the bottle needs to be washed and flushed thoroughly. Yet this is the best option that I have come up so far.
With these options you can prepare fresh bubbling drinks much cheaper than with brand flavours. In our family, we consume fizzy drinks about 2 liters in a week (2 liters is about half a gallon, if you prefer that measure). SodaStream -brand flavour costs about 0,66 €/litre. The cheaper MySoda costs on sale 1,95 € / 8 litres = 0,25 €/litre. The difference 0,43 €/litre. In one year that will total in our household 44 €. A bottle of essence drops will make up to 100 litres I guess, so 1 litre will cost about 2,5 cents. With 2 litres per week, that will save us about 66 € / year, compared to SodaStream brand flavour! I think I will check the baking section again, to find more essence drops! Strawberry would be nice.
Please note! The above mentioned prices are not the total prices of the drinks. This is a comparison between flavouring options. If you want to calculate the total cost of the drinks, please include the price of the bubbles and purchasing the SodaStream machine.
Have nice day!
Best wishes,
Nina
The brand flavours don´t usually go on sale in our shops. And if there are sales, they don´t include our favourites. The price is mostly 7,95 €/bottle. In a discount store the price may be 6,95 €. Luckily there is a competing product "MySoda" on the market. We have tried them and at least orange and cola are ok. In our local discount store they are often on sale 1,95€/bottle, which makes 8 litres of soda. I admit I´m hoarding it :) My Spouses favourite - apple-pear- is my pet peeve, so it is better for me not to evaluate it. But he thinks that MySoda is ok also in that flavour option.
How about lemon water? It would be healthy and cheap to add fresh lemon to carbonated water. Or a drop or two of lemon juice concentrate. But I´m not quite sure how the SodaStream plastic bottle would endure it. Lemon is a strong acidic substance. If you drop lemon straight to the drinking glass, you have to prepare each portion separately. That is too much work, which I don´t need right now ;) It is not that good.
I bought lemon essence. A tiny bottle in a baking supplies section costs about 2,50 €. It has proved to be extremely sufficient. I have made many many bottles of fizzy lemon water and the bottle still looks as full as it was to start with. It is challenging however to dose a suitably small drop. Each time it has been a bit too strong for my taste. Perhaps a pipette would be useful. The essence is also somewhat oily, so the bottle needs to be washed and flushed thoroughly. Yet this is the best option that I have come up so far.
With these options you can prepare fresh bubbling drinks much cheaper than with brand flavours. In our family, we consume fizzy drinks about 2 liters in a week (2 liters is about half a gallon, if you prefer that measure). SodaStream -brand flavour costs about 0,66 €/litre. The cheaper MySoda costs on sale 1,95 € / 8 litres = 0,25 €/litre. The difference 0,43 €/litre. In one year that will total in our household 44 €. A bottle of essence drops will make up to 100 litres I guess, so 1 litre will cost about 2,5 cents. With 2 litres per week, that will save us about 66 € / year, compared to SodaStream brand flavour! I think I will check the baking section again, to find more essence drops! Strawberry would be nice.
Please note! The above mentioned prices are not the total prices of the drinks. This is a comparison between flavouring options. If you want to calculate the total cost of the drinks, please include the price of the bubbles and purchasing the SodaStream machine.
Have nice day!
Best wishes,
Nina
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Little bottle of vitamin D
Little One is given vitamin D drops every day (the national recommendation is 10 micrograms / day). Each time the tiny bottle is about to finish, I get annoyed. There is always remains on the bottom of the bottle, that doesn´t come out, no matter how vigorously I shake it. The stuff costs at least 1476 € / liter, so there is a price tag for each drop!
This product includes lactic acid bacteria, and one bottle lasts about 4 weeks. Somebody might say, that it would be cheaper to care ones stomach by eating oatmeal instead. And buy cheaper vitamins. But Little One has used these drops since he was two weeks old and never any stomach problems. So we are not going to change it.
Could there be a way to tackle this problem? I tried to remove the plastic pieces: the ring around the neck and the piece that aids the liquid out of the bottle neatly drop by drop. First I tried with a sturdy kitchen knife. Way too heavy and sharp equipment for this operation - please don´t try! But an ordinary table knife (not sharp) did the trick. And it was possible to trickle more liquid out, for about a week´s use.
How much do I save by doing this? I get one more week in addition to the original four weeks. One bottle bought in a two-bottle package costs 11,07 € / 4 weeks. Price of a week is thus about 2,75 €. This operation gives me 10 weeks more in a year, so the annual savings will be 27,50 €. I think this makes sense, especially when the time needed was less than a minute :)
Best wishes,
Nina
This product includes lactic acid bacteria, and one bottle lasts about 4 weeks. Somebody might say, that it would be cheaper to care ones stomach by eating oatmeal instead. And buy cheaper vitamins. But Little One has used these drops since he was two weeks old and never any stomach problems. So we are not going to change it.
Could there be a way to tackle this problem? I tried to remove the plastic pieces: the ring around the neck and the piece that aids the liquid out of the bottle neatly drop by drop. First I tried with a sturdy kitchen knife. Way too heavy and sharp equipment for this operation - please don´t try! But an ordinary table knife (not sharp) did the trick. And it was possible to trickle more liquid out, for about a week´s use.
How much do I save by doing this? I get one more week in addition to the original four weeks. One bottle bought in a two-bottle package costs 11,07 € / 4 weeks. Price of a week is thus about 2,75 €. This operation gives me 10 weeks more in a year, so the annual savings will be 27,50 €. I think this makes sense, especially when the time needed was less than a minute :)
Best wishes,
Nina
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Thrift and frugality are addictive
Even in such a measure that some people want to blog about it. That includes me. Im not the poorest of the poor (luckily, so far). Nor am I the richest of the rich (unluckily, so far). Being frugal feels natural to me, and I actually quite enjoy thinking about new and even suprising ways to save money (and time and nature as well).
I also need to practise my English, which is the second objective of this blog. Much of its content will be the same stuff as in my Finnish blog Nuuka-Nina.
The first frugal observation is about babies and thermometers. Many, many years I survived with one traditional thermometer. Then we were blessed and the Little One arrived. First we acquired a digital thermometer (with a Moomin character, of course :) Then we wanted to buy another digital thermometer, because the first one was suspected to be not-so-accurate. It was not enough. A fine appliance that measures the temperature from the forehead was also bought (with a good discount, though). We even have a pacifier-thermometer. We have used about 100 € (136 $) to purchase them. The one that has really been useful and reliable, at least in my eyes, has been the first one. A simple basic 5 € (7 $) piece, with a clear scale. We could have saved 95 € (129 €)... Well, maybe in the next life... :)
A while ago that best one disappeared. Little One seemed somewhat feverish, so I headed to the pharmacy. Now I knew what to look for: a decent traditional thermometer. And I also remembered to show the loyal customer card, so I will receive some tiny refund later on :)
Thank you for reading and welcome again!
Best wishes,
Nina
I also need to practise my English, which is the second objective of this blog. Much of its content will be the same stuff as in my Finnish blog Nuuka-Nina.
The first frugal observation is about babies and thermometers. Many, many years I survived with one traditional thermometer. Then we were blessed and the Little One arrived. First we acquired a digital thermometer (with a Moomin character, of course :) Then we wanted to buy another digital thermometer, because the first one was suspected to be not-so-accurate. It was not enough. A fine appliance that measures the temperature from the forehead was also bought (with a good discount, though). We even have a pacifier-thermometer. We have used about 100 € (136 $) to purchase them. The one that has really been useful and reliable, at least in my eyes, has been the first one. A simple basic 5 € (7 $) piece, with a clear scale. We could have saved 95 € (129 €)... Well, maybe in the next life... :)
A while ago that best one disappeared. Little One seemed somewhat feverish, so I headed to the pharmacy. Now I knew what to look for: a decent traditional thermometer. And I also remembered to show the loyal customer card, so I will receive some tiny refund later on :)
Thank you for reading and welcome again!
Best wishes,
Nina
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