Tag Archives: budget

DIY

It’s Not Too Late to Decorate!

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For as long as I can remember, I have been in love with Christmas. Not just the day, but the entire holiday season—there’s something so special about this time of year that puts me in a jolly mood.  I love the giving and loving spirit of people during this time, I love driving through neighborhoods, seeing them all lit up. I love getting together with family and friends. If I were to continue, it would go on for pages! But aside from spending time with my loved ones, my favorite thing to do is decorate.

As we grow up and move away from our childhood homes, there may be holidays we have to spend away from family and friends—for me, this is my first Christmas away.  And even though it will be difficult, I know I can still enjoy Christmas and Christmastime by surrounding myself with beautiful embellishments to lift my spirits. One thing that always brings me such joy during the holidays is sitting in a room lit with Christmas lights with the scent of a fresh Christmas tree.  Add some hot cocoa and a Christmas movie, and I couldn’t be happier!

Since those of us in our 20s usually don’t have buckets of money to throw at things like Christmas decorations, especially during this time of year, this is how I plan to decorate and save money while doing so.

For me, one essential decoration is, of course, the Christmas Tree.  I’ve found that real trees are far cheaper short-term than artificial trees if you shop for a good deal, even though they only last one season.  You can go to a hardware store and find real trees as cheap as $25 for a 6’ tree. Now, if you’re planning on investing in a tree to continue using year after year, then artificial is the way to go, but expect to pay more upfront.  I personally prefer to get a real tree.  It’s so much fun going and picking one out, even though I just go to Home Depot and not the forest to chop one down, but hey, it’s still fun. And oh, how I love the scent of a real pine tree during Christmastime—why spend money on buying sprays and candles when you can get the natural pine smell for free from your tree!?

This time of year, practically every store you go into has aisles and aisles of Christmas decorations—I’ve seen stores selling Christmas decorations since September!  But if you’re looking to decorate on a budget, be aware of where you are shopping.  It may be easiest to go to Target and get everything there, but they do not always have the greatest deals: I also check out places such as IKEA and the dollar store… yes, the dollar store!  You can find some great things like wrapping paper, bows, garlands, stockings, and great little stocking stuffers that other stores tend to mark up.  Michael’s is always one to have great sales during this time of year for quality products.  If you’re more of a DIY type, Michael’s is definitely the way to go.

If you enjoy decorations but aren’t much of a decorator, invite friends and make a night of it.  Every year, my family would put our Christmas tree up together.  We would make a big fun evening out of it, with snacks, eggnog, music and Christmas movies.  Last year when I moved to LA, it was the first time I wasn’t home to decorate my family tree, so I decided to keep that idea going by inviting my friends over.  I got a bunch of ornaments and paint pens, and we spent the night designing our own ornaments, stringing popcorn, and hanging them on the tree. Creating your own ornaments is not only inexpensive, it’s a perfect way to personalize your tree.  Year after year you will hang the ornaments and think of the memories creating them.  It’s really simple and fun—and for those of you who think you wouldn’t be good at it, it’s really a lot easier than you think.  You can buy glass balls or plastic (plastic is cheaper, but I prefer glass).  Grab some permanent markers, paint pens, glue, fake snow, glitter pens and really anything else you can think of!  One of my favorite ways to decorate an ornament is to draw a design, like a snowflake, with glue and sprinkle artificial snow on it.  It takes a plain decoration and makes it much more festive.  I also love taking off the top of the ornament and pouring artificial snow or Epsom salt in it.  Or simply use permanent markers, glitter pens, or paint pens to draw designs on it.  Last year, my friends and I signed one of the glass ornaments and dated it.  That one puts a smile on my face every time I see it.

I also love to hang garland around the house, but instead of plain bows of evergreen, I like to spruce up my spruce by twisting them with sets of lights. I also like to add extra Christmas color to my garland with berry garland. The little red berries pop, adding a nice festive touch.

If you don’t want to go all out, you can always add small accent pieces scattered around your place. Candles and hand towels add a little something extra that’ll get your holiday spirit up! They even make Christmas cookie candles, so you can make it smell like you just baked, even if you haven’t gone near your oven in months. (But, like with the smell of a fresh pine tree, you can always opt for the real things and bake some fresh cookies instead!)

Decorations can be subtle or extreme, but all are fun. It’s a chance to express yourself, so go out there and get creative with it!

Photo by Rob Adams

Photo by Rob Adams

Brainfood

Help Me Understand: The Government Shutdown

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The government’s shut down (well, sort of). From politicians to pundits, everyone’s squawking, but no one is doing a particularly good job explaining what the heck actually happened. I hear “continuing resolution” and “debt ceiling” being thrown around, and apparently they’re not the same thing? I took American Gov and I paid attention, but this thing is just a mess.

Photo by Elise Walsh

Photo by Elise Walsh

In my attempt to be a decent citizen, I figured educating myself was the least I could do.

The Plan

GOP conservatives never liked Obamacare, so they held a meeting shortly after Obama was elected for a second term to see what they could do about it. Led by former Attorney General Edwin Meese III, he and other high-profile conservative leaders signed a coalition letter declaring their intent to defund Obamacare before it was “too late.”

This plan finally came into effect on Friday, September 20th, when the House, led by Speaker John Boehner, voted for a “continuing resolution” (more on this in a minute) that included a provision to eliminate all financing for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare’s legal name). A couple days later while the bill moved through the Senate, we got to hear Republican Senator Ted Cruz talk for 21 hours and 19 minutes about how Obamacare “takes our freedom away,” with some side anecdotes about White Castle burgers and Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham. Then, a week after the House vote, the Senate having “considered” the bill, threw it back to the House with the defunding provision removed.

They went back and forth a couple more times, the House tacking on a defunding measure, the Senate sending it back without the defunding measure, and then it was October 1st, and the government shut down.

So what’s a continuing resolution and why is it important?

A Continuing Resolution

While it’s the President’s job to submit a budget proposal by the first Monday in February, it’s up to Congress to actually agree upon said budget and then spend the money. Theoretically, each year both houses must pass a dozen appropriations bills by October 1st that the President agrees to sign.

But this is Congress we’re talking about and it’s hard to agree on things, so a continuing resolution basically allows the government to keep funding its departments, agencies, and programs for a limited time in the amount that was already agreed upon from the previous budget. This way, representatives can work out their differences and pass a “real” spending bill. It’s kind of like two-step verification: Congress has to vote on the budget and agree to spend $620 million dollars on the Department of Defense, but then in order for the DoD employee’s (AKA most of the military) to actually get paid, Congress needs to specifically “appropriate” the funds. And just to give you some perspective: Congress hasn’t passed a balanced budget since 2001. We’ve had almost 50 CRs since then.

There are those hoping that the House will pass a “clean” CR—which essentially means a continuing resolution without an added policy change (like the provision defunding Obamacare)—but I’m not gonna hold my breath.

So, then what the heck is the debt ceiling and why does it feel like the same thing? Well, it turns out that it’s just one big coincidence and some really bad luck that our current budget expires on October 1st and we will hit the debt ceiling on October 17th.

The Debt Ceiling

The debt ceiling (or the debt limit) is basically a cap on the amount of money issued by the Treasury. First used in 1917, the idea was that a limit would help keep the President accountable for the money he spent (which in practice may not be true.) Raising the debt ceiling simply allows the government to borrow money from itself to pay for the things it’s already bought.

The key thing to remember is that the government has already spent the money. It’s like having a $200 credit card bill and only $187 in your bank account. The government gets to borrow the extra $13 dollars from itself by “raising” the debt ceiling. If we default (AKA we don’t raise it), it means we’re not paying our bills.

But this should not be confused with the budget deficit: the budget deficit subtracts the cost of running a country from the revenues it brings in each year. In 2013, the government spent $3.803 trillion, but only made $2.902 trillion leaving us a deficit of $901 billion. Our nation’s debt takes into account the previous deficits, which currently amounts to about $16.7 trillion.

To Sum Up

The GOP wanted to take a stand against Obamacare and, according to New York Magazine, they were originally going to do this with the debt ceiling, but switched gears after Ted Cruz’s stunt and went from threatening a default to shutting down the government instead. The government is shut down (which costs money) because the House and the Senate could not pass a continuing resolution and this display of “non-bipartisanship” has, thanks to bad timing, put us on the precipice of defaulting as well.

And that, my friends, is politics.

Extra Credit: While January 1st used to be the beginning of each fiscal year, in 1842 for reasons unknown, they changed it to July 1st, a date that was again moved in 1974 to our current due date of October 1st.

DIY

Decorating on a Budget

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Usually good style comes at a price: though minimalist decor is in right now, even that style is not minimal on your wallet. But what I have learned from a little experimenting is that you actually can design on a budget, if you get a little creative, and do things yourself instead of buying them. I tend to stay away from the lengthy, more complex projects, so I found some easy DIY projects that will make your simple home more exciting.

Bookshelves

Bookshelves

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

One way to spruce up your bookshelves is to de-clutter! Usually when things don’t look right, we instinctively add more to it; however, you can make your bookshelves look super cute by taking away all the busy stuff and only displaying a select group of things. Bookends come in handy here, whether you buy them or find something unique to hold the books in place. This way, you can spread your books throughout the bookshelf and add some things in between to please the eye (i.e. a small vase, a picture frame, a decorative bowl, etc.). This makes the whole shelf flow much better.

Instead of painting bookshelves, which takes time and money, I read an article about covering the insides with wallpaper. Now, wallpaper can also be a little expensive and difficult to work with, so an alternative is contact paper—it’s cheap, cute, and removable. Plus, if you get bored with it, you can keep switching it out with new designs!

Dresser

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

DIY Dresser

This one was exciting! I only needed a small dresser to hold some things I could not hang up. I found a solid wood dresser at IKEA for only $35. Choosing solid wood over other choices gives you the option of being a little more creative with it. I wanted to go for cute, but simple. I bought the smallest can of paint I could find for $5, assembled the dresser, and painted it. I also plan to order new knobs for it. Knobs can be pretty pricey, but it makes a difference! Urban Outfitters has super cute knobs for a good price. The total cost of my custom dresser came to $76.

Vase1

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

Not Your Normal Vase

One thing I learned upon being a “grown up” is that flower vases can be surprisingly expensive! In this category, some thinking out of the box can go a long way. I had a cheap soap pump whose look I really loved, but the actual pump had stopped working. I threw away the pump and tied a ribbon around the top of the bottle. I arrange smaller flowers in there, and it makes a great piece to fill up an empty space.

Vase2

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

Changing out flowers in your vase based on the season is a great way to bring a theme and some color into your home. Right now is a perfect time for tulips, daffodils and any of the more vibrant flowers. I also use a tin watering can as a vase, this goes well with dried flowers or autumn flowers.

Plants

Another great way to brighten up a room is to grow or buy plants. Growing your own plants is fun and cheap, but definitely time-consuming. It takes a while for a seed to fully bloom, but it’s so exciting when you first see it start to poke through the dirt. A short cut for those lacking green thumbs, or patience, is buying your own plants: this way, you don’t have a bunch of pots with just dirt all around your house while you wait for a sprout. Though buying plants is a little more expensive than growing your own, you can look for cheaper ones at your local nursery. When buying plants or seeds, pay attention to how big they grow and the amount of sunlight needed. If you don’t have space outdoors for them, they can always liven up a windowsill.

Plant

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

A great way to add some decor to the kitchen, and save some money on spices, is to have a windowsill spice garden! Mine adds a great aesthetic to my kitchen, and it definitely makes me feel good when I can cook with something that I’ve grown! Spice plants are only a couple bucks from a nursery and are small enough to sit on your windowsill.

Dress Those Walls

Dressing up your walls makes a big difference. But when buying pictures and frames, the money starts to add up. One thing to remember is that you can do something fun with a bunch of small pictures instead of hanging a big one.

One of my favorite things I did with my current apartment was going online (in my case, to life.time.com) and finding 16 photos I loved. I cropped them to 4×6, then found frames at IKEA for only $2.99 per two pack. This total project cost me $24 and took up a big part of my wall. I just printed the photos on a normal printer: since the photos are pretty small and framed, it’s hard to tell that they’re on computer paper rather than (more expensive) photo paper.

Walls

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

Posters

I love different film posters, and especially minimalist posters. Now, I know my limits, and I for-sure cannot make an awesome minimalist poster. But, I did play around in Photoshop with some photos and quotes from favorite movies and books and created my own 11×14 posters. I asked a co-worker in our art department to print them out for me, so I didn’t have to pay for printing! (If you don’t know anyone with a photo printer, I would highly recommend using Costco. If you don’t have a Costco Card, ask around: I’ve had lots of friends let me use theirs. Their prices are great and the quality of the photo is really nice.) At IKEA, I bought some 11×14 frames for $8 each.

Counter Space

Counters can seem plain and empty, but it’s easy to fill them up just using normal kitchen supplies, especially when you don’t have a lot of cabinet space. I really liked the idea of canisters with chalkboard labels, but I couldn’t find any cheaper than $8 each. But, on Amazon.com, I was able to buy a whole roll of chalk-paper to then affix to a $10 canister set I found on sale. You can cut out chalk-paper labels into your own designs or buy a paper-shape cutter and make the labels yourself. I also put the metal tins of my favorite tea out on my counter. It adds some color and the tins are actually really cute!

Keep in mind that you need to arrange your appliances in a way that makes use of your space, but you can also show off all your appliances at the same time. If you’re short on cabinet space, another decor idea is stacking your coffee cups against the wall. Or you can buy ceiling hooks, screw them under your cabinets, and hang up your mugs.

Counterspace

Photos by Christina M. Tedesco

If you have counter space in your bathroom, there’s a lot you can do to keep it organized while adding flare. Plants and candle holders are one good way to add that extra something that your bathroom is lacking. Wooden baskets are useful for holding hand towels and will also make your counter look less empty. Pretty jars with lids hide away Q-tips, cotton balls, and other necessities. Finally, a nice soap pump always adds a good touch.

In my bathroom, I also have a lot of wall space, so I bought more frames and some postcards from IKEA to keep my walls from looking empty and boring.

There are plenty of simple DIY ideas out there to make a difference in your home but not in your wallet—all it takes is some experimenting and creativity! If you have some more suggestions for our readers, feel free to leave a comment: we’d love to hear your creative ideas!

Travel

Camping Across the U.S.

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For those of us in the United States, it’s often easy to forget that we live in a gigantic country. One pretty spectacular way to remind yourself of the vastness and diversity of our nation (cue the anthem and waving flag) is to camp across the States. When my husband and I moved from California to Maryland for grad school and then, two years later, moved back to California once we’d finished, we opted to camp our way across. Both times, it was beyond spectacular.

Here are some tips to help you both avoid our mistakes and see some amazing things:

1) Choose how you want to get where you’re going.

Highways in the United States are numbered in a super convenient way. There are two-digit interstates (major routes) and there are three-digit interstates (that spur off the two-digit routes). In general, two-digit interstates that run north-south are given odd numbers, and east-west interstates are given even numbers. The numbers get higher as you move west to east, and south to north.

With those major routes at your disposal, see if they run near where you want to go. I like to sit down with a paper map and a protractor, but you could just Google Map it. Google Maps has a ton of great features. You can build a map and keep working on it over time. You can avoid highways or tolls, or measure each leg of your journey individually. Use the Radius Around a Point map to see how far you can go outside of your route in a certain amount of time.

2) Figure out how long you want to spend on the road each day.

If you drive cross-country in four days, you’ll spend 10–12 hours behind the wheel each day. This is brutal. Consider how many hours you can tolerate in your car. A good rule of thumb is to aim to get to the campsite before 5 pm so you can check in and, depending on the season, set up your tent or sleeping area in the daylight.

This will make your life a lot better because you won’t wake up those camping around you (making for awkward greetings and no chance at free coffee from strangers in the morning), and it’s much harder to accidentally hit your travel buddy in the head with tent poles when the sun is still up. If you get up at 7am (which you probably will because you’re sleeping outside and hello, dawn) and get on the road by 8am, you can still get eight hours of good driving with a lunch break and a little sightseeing in each day.

3) Make a budget.

Even though it feels like this would be less expensive than flying, the costs can add up fast. Use your budget to determine how many days you can really afford to stay on the road. Your gas and toll costs will stay constant, but the longer you are out and about, the more you will spend on lodging, food, and campsites. Here are some things to take into account:

  • Gas Money. This is easy to calculate: (number of miles ÷ your car’s MPG) × average price of a gallon of gas. Going straight across from California to Maryland was about 3,000 miles, the average price of gas today is about $3.75, and my car gets about 28 MPG. Here’s how that calculated to get us straight there:
    Gas Money equation

And I bet you told your math teacher you would never use anything you learned in the real world.

  • Tolls. These can add up super quickly and vary by state. If you are on a tight budget, it’s definitely worth figuring this out. Crossing a state on the same highway will likely cause the maximum toll. Here is a link to all toll roads in the U.S., with most of the prices.
  • Cost of Campsites. These can range from $10–80 per night. You can always look this up ahead of time.
  • Cost of Food. Resist the urge to hop between Wendy’s and Mickey D’s the entire way. Why risk missing a pretty unique opportunity to sample regional cuisine? Don’t discount grocery stores as a good place to grab basic meal makings. With this in mind, you can easily get by for $10–20 per day per person.
  • Miscellaneous Costs. Cool pit stops, unforgettable meals, souvenirs, maintenance—you never know. It’s always good to have a nice bit of flex cash to cover what you can’t predict.

4) Think about what to bring.

Buying camping gear can be overwhelming, so unless you want to end up with astronaut ice cream and four different types of headlamps, start by thinking about what you’ll be dealing with, then build your kit from there.

  • Weather. You don’t need intense sleeping bags if you’re camping in D.C. in August, but you will want a tent because of bugs. And if it’s super rainy, a car-camping setup is sometimes best.
  • Food. If you do not need to worry about bears, then consider whether you need a cooler. Will you be making a grocery stop every day? Will you be going through a particularly hot part of the country? Planning ahead and grocery shopping can go a long ways toward reducing your food budget.
  • Light. Flashlights and lanterns are beyond useful. Headlamps are also excellent because if you do arrive past sunset, you’ll have both hands to set up your tent.
  • Bathing. Will your campsites have showers? Do you need to bathe in a natural water source? Consider what your toiletries are made of, and whether they are safe to go into rivers and lakes.
  • Navigation. Smartphones and the Internet mean you could reasonably leave on your trip without planning anything, but don’t forget a paper map. I use this huge book map of the U.S. because sometimes it’s nice to get the bigger picture, and you never know when your battery will die or you won’t have service.
  • Space. If you are in a small car, don’t get even more cramped with unnecessary gear. If you can’t extend your legs fully when you set out, you’ll be throwing things out the window onto the highway by day two, and I’m pretty sure you can get a ticket for that.

Bottom line: You need a place to sleep and mechanics to make food. This could be as simple as a tarp and a cooler, or as complex as this.

5) Make reservations ahead of time for popular campsites.

Places like Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, or Yellowstone tend to fill up right at the beginning of the season. Check out the state parks’ websites, KOA Campgrounds, or a campsite aggregate website, like this one, where you can search by map and reserve online.

6) Do something to make sure you don’t go stir crazy.

Make a really long playlist. Only listen to local radio stations. Make a photography challenge: I took pictures of all the state signs every time we crossed a border. Are you driving through a friend’s hometown? Ask what their favorite places are, and stop there. We stopped at a great bar in Iowa City, Iowa, because a good friend went to college there.

7) Know when you need a break.

Maybe it’s a torrential downpour. Maybe it got dark more quickly than you expected. Maybe you are exhausted or sick or need a hot shower. Maybe you got lost four times that day and do not, under any circumstances, want to share a tent with your travel buddy. This happens. If you can afford it, taking a night in a hotel is not the end of the world and won’t make the experience any less authentic.

I think more than anything, be relaxed! Enjoy sleeping outside and seeing some places off the beaten path. There are few opportunities to take this kind of trip, so take the time to make it fun.

CampingHero

Photo by Anastasia Heuer