Moving and Miscellany

As I may have mentioned, I recently moved to a new apartment. With added square footage comes the need to fill that space (a pretty good reason to stay in a cozy place!) With the move, my shopping list includes a host of new items:

- new mattress/sheets
- bookcases (partial to the leaning/ladder variety)
- chaise lounge (IKEA has a very comfortable looking one for $299)
- lamp
- and MOST IMPORTANTLY, new drapes with noise/light blocking capabilities (I believe there was a reason the leasing agent showed us the apartment at 3 pm on a Saturday).

My goal is to keep all of these purchases under $1000 -- crazy you might say -- but here has been my plan of attack so far:

- Craigslist - good for everything except the mattress/linens. While I might normally lean towards scrounging for a used bed, my mother was appalled at the idea and insists that I get a new one, per an incident at a hotel and bedbugs. Since her concern also includes some financial assistance, it has been dutifully noted. I am using this comparison site to do some fact-checking and comparison shopping on different mattresses.
- Overstock - Especially for high-quality linens. They also have a lovely looking chaise that was a bit off from what I am looking for, but their $2.95 shipping on everything, including furniture, is incredibly appealing.
- JCPenney - allegedly have the best selection on blinds. Also, the website features a closeout section that is right up my alley.
- Ebay - everything
-IKEA - chaise, bookcases

I would love any tips or price comparison tools anyone might have. Have you recently moved and found a great discount furniture place? Let me know! I plan to do an updated post on any great deals or helpful sites I find.

(Since I may go broke saving money, the only activities I can partake in are those that are free or near free -- good thing Goldstar was to the rescue! In the event update I received, I was able to get FREE tickets to Kiss Me, Kate. All that I had to pay was the service fee ($13 for two!) So, for the price of a drink, I get to see live theater! Sign me up!

DIY Projects

Readymade is the magazine that I wish I had founded. The tagline: A Bimonthly Print Magazine for People Who Like to Make Stuff. Yes! That's me! I LOVE craft, art, and DIY projects.

I recently discovered them while wasting time at Urban Outfitters. They published a book entitled, How to Make (Almost) Everything that had me at hello. Feeling handy is one of my very favorite feelings, and I am forever redesigning uses for things I find around the house and at work. Since moving apartments, the hampster wheel is turning like crazy on how to decorate on a budget. This magazine has lots of ideas for fun projects for your place.

Another site that features great DIY project is Instructables.com. I am especially drawn to a project on how to make a lightbulb vase. Needless to say, it's a project that requires some serious protective gear. Let's hope I don't lose an eye on my next day off!

FSF: Healthfest

Due to no premeditated thought on my part, today's Free Stuff Friday (FSF) seems to have taken on a bit of a healthy theme. As I am sure you can tell, there's not often a lot of thought put into thematic elements here at The Financista, so this comes as a pleasant surprise! (I kid...well, mostly).

To start off with, get yourself in the right frame of mind with a free one-year subscription to Positive Thinking Magazine (while this is a bit tongue in cheek, I bet this could really come in handy when you are having one of those days). I would use a junkmail email address for it though, if you were interested. Otherwise, you will probably be receiving offers to join the Snail Lovers Fan Club magazine or Boat Shoe Fanatics trade magazines every other day.

So now you can check off taking care of your chakra and move on to taking care of your bones. Wal-Mart is featuring a free sample of an "easy to swallow" multi-vitamin and calcium pill. While my preferred method of dairy intake is ice cream, these certainly do have fewer calories.

Next up, once you take care of healthy bones and your inner glow, attend to your outer one with a free sample from Aveeno's Positively Ageless facial line.

Once you take care of all of these, you should be glowing from inside out! (I apologize to the men who read this blog -- I promise to have something tomorrow that is a bit more unisex!)

Free $25 Gift Certificate to McCormick & Schmick's

McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants offer a free $25 Dining Certificate when you make your reservations online. Their food is tasty, though a bit cher ($$$) for just a regular night out. Great for special occasions or when you just feel like treating yourself. With a $25 GC, it might be pretty reasonable. Deal ends March 31.

To get this deal:
- Click here to make your online reservations;
- Print this form and write your online reservation's confirmation number on the certificate.

-- This info is courtesy of Dealnews, an excellent resource for great steals and deals.

Trash to Treasure

I love the idea of taking someone's garbage and making it into something useful. The Breast Cancer site has a take on this idea by featuring bags made in the Phillipines that are crafted by a womens' cooperative from juicebox packages that would normally take forever (or maybe longer) to decompose. While you save the environment and further a small business venture/social enterprise, you simultaneously help women obtain mammograms who would not normally be able to afford them.

The bags seem durable, bright, and fun. Plus, having one means not needing to take additional plastic bags from the grocery store. Some stores, like Whole Foods, will even reward you for bringing your own bags by passing along a cash discount to you. (I've heard that anywhere up to 20% of grocery store mark-ups go to providing packaging. There's no reason they shouldn't pass that savings along to you, even if it is only a nickel!)

I think this may be a win-win-win-win situation. What's not to like about that?

Scissors and Shots

In honor of Mardi Gras, here's a little something to get you in that Carnivale spirit. In fact, I am surprised I am finding this in DC and not in New Orleans. A drink always seems to be a ready accessory in NOLA. I will have to suggest it when I am down there. On that note, starting tomorrow, through Mardi Gras, The Financista will be on hiatus while I am celebrating in the fair city of New Orleans. Posts will pick up again on the 21st! In the meantime, The Motley Fool is always a good read. Laissez les bons temps roulez!

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The price of a good haircut these days may drive you to want to hit the bottle, or so the Red and Black Bar in NE DC seems to think.

Here's the deal: The Red & The Black Bar, a New Orleans Style bar, now offers a haircut-and-a-shot deal every Tuesday, 9-11 p.m. Get coiffed and boozed up at the same time. It may make that pixie cut seem like a good idea, so be forewarned.

It seems like a great deal, if you are only looking for a simple shape-up. The cut is by a reputable stylist (allegedly), John Cullen of Salon Loule. The bartender's reputation is not described. You get a quick cut and a shot of your choice for just $12.

The Red & The Black, 1212 H Street NE, between 12th and 13th Streets (202-399-3201 or redandblackbar.com).

-- Thanks to Daily Candy DC for the tip. (Check them out for a free newsletter with tips like this one!)

Updated: Taxes Taxes Are (Still) No Fun

Below is my post concerning my contribution to the society at large (taxes). It was brought to my attention that if you clicked on the link I had listed to LibertyTax, and you signed up for their service that way, they would try to charge you $14.95! Wow, no way! Instead, please make sure that if you'd like to use their services (or any of the other tax providers) that you enter their website through the IRS Free File website, linked here, and in the original post. I hope this didn't hurt any one else! There's no reason to get frustrated and just shell out the money. As I put it to my friend, that's almost 3 burritos we're talking about (and 5 total when you file your state taxes for free instead of paying $15! That's a lot of Chipotle!)

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...But, thank the good Lord, they are done!

I took some of my own advice and filed my taxes for free online. The great commonwealth of Virginia may go broke with my $24 refund, but don't think I won't collect!

The Free File site from the IRS allows you to pick what service to use -- it seems all of them are free if you make under $52,000. I settled on LibertyTax mostly because I would liked the sound of the name (way to go, marketing department).

By and large, it was an easy process. There were lots of help options if you get lost (not difficult in the labyrinth that is the tax code). The federal portion can be filed for free, but they wanted $12.95 to file my state portion! No way was I going to fork over more than half of my state return just to save a couple of minutes! Instead, I went directly to the Virginia Department of Taxation website and filed my state taxes there for free. It was useful to have already received the estimate from Liberty Tax about how much my refund should be. Since the numbers matched up, I knew that I was on track. So, I submitted everything, breathed a big sigh of relief, and now I am finished until next year!

$15 back from PayPal on $30 purchase

Attention all Ebay fantatics! If you do your shopping on eBay or other online retailers using PayPal, this promotion is for you! PayPal is offering a $15 rebate on a single purchase of $30 or more made before March 31, 2007 at any qualifying retailer that accepts PayPal including eBay. All you have to do to get the rebate is:

- Register your email here
- Make a single purchase of $30 or more
- Make it at an eligible website

Purchases must be made between February 8, 2007 12:01 AM PST and March 31, 2007

That's it. Once finished, the $15.00 rebate will be deposited into your PayPal account by May 28, 2007. You can also access the promotion from the front page of PayPal if you prefer. This is great free money if you already are looking to purchase something on eBay.

- Thanks to Saving Advice.

FSF: Love Dairy, But Your Stomach Doesn't?

This free sample is to help with lactose intolerance. And, I am not really going to go into any more detail about this -- You know if you need it! Bring on that Edy's Slow Churned!

Wachovia, You Have Met Your Match

I have been a Wachovia customer for close to two years now, and I have been usually quite happy with the service I have received -- great online access, good customer service, lots of branches.

All of that changed two days ago.

Last week, when logging on to check Yodlee (which I do incessantly), I noticed there was an offer for $50 for opening a new free checking account [note the word choice here -- it's important]. So, I thought to myself, "Fifty bucks? Sure, why not?" I filled out the requisite paper work, including a queston which asked me if I was an existing customer. I noted that I was and carried on.

The next day, I received an email saying that I had to verify my account creation over the phone. I wasn't surprised by that, and I actually appreciated it a little bit -- they were making sure it wasn't fradulent. I decided to call the toll free number when I didn't have anyone pick up the direct line listed in the email. BIG MISTAKE. After waiting several minutes to speak to a representative, an epic battle of wills began.

The man on the phone desperately tried to convince me that the offer was only for new customers, not just new accounts. I patiently told the confused gentleman that it said nothing about needing to be a new customer anywhere, just that you needed to open a new account. The debate continued for several minutes until I finally just said, "Ok, that's fine, but you may want to actually put that on the ad instead of taking up people's time with an offer that is misleading."

The next day (did you really think I would be defeated that easily?) I tried calling the direct number I had received in the email and when the person didn't pick up, I just hit "0" to speak with another financial specialist.

An angel of helpfulness answered. Chris was unbelievably accomodating. Within 5 minutes, my checking accounts were linked to each other, to my existing checkcard, and online. What service! All I needed to do for the $50 was deposit $100 of new money into the account. No sweat!

A few lessons learned (specifically about this ad and in general):
- this account needs to be opened online
- $100 of new money must be deposited
- the $50 probably won't show up until June
- don't second guess yourself - if you've read the small print, stick to it!
- customer service is hit or miss - sometimes you just need to talk to someone else
- direct numbers are always better than general 800 numbers
- lastly, call this number instead: 704-590-0854 (for a Financial Specialist named Shaun).
- I find that the "Financial Specialists" tend to be far more informed. My guess is that these are the kids recently out of college, young and eager to help, as opposed to someone getting paid $8 an hour to answer the complaints of whiners like me.

All in all, I still think it's been a decent use of my time. Even if the entire situation took 30 minutes, I am not making close to $100/hour. Hopefully, with reading this, you can save all the shenanigans and just pocket the $50 in 5 minutes!

A Financial Fable

Bankrate, one of my favorites, posted a great allegorical tale about Early Shirley and Late Nate to illustrate the power of compound interest. Please read the story, learn the lesson, and act on it!

Consider the tale of Shirley and Nate.

Shirley's not particularly organized or ambitious, but she had the advantage of attending a seminar while still at college where she learned about the magic of compound interest.

So at age 25, after graduating from college and landing a job, she opened a Roth IRA and began contributing $4,000 a year to it. She chose a moderately aggressive balanced fund within her IRA that invested mostly in stocks, with limited exposure to bonds. It produced annual returns of 9 percent on average.

Shirley did this even though she owed money on college loans. She continued to invest until she turned 35, at which time the account was valued at $60,772. Then she stopped and invested nothing more, but continued to earn 9 percent annually in the account. At age 35, her life intersected with Nate's.

Nate was quite ambitious and owned all the latest technological gadgets. But he had put off investing because, well, he was about driving cool cars and impressing women and he just didn't want to think about retirement. Retirement was for old people. He finally started investing $4,000 annually at age 35 because Shirley put him up to it. In fact, that marked their first fight, among many.

Nate invested this amount for 20 straight years in a mix of funds that also returned 9 percent annually on average. When he turned 55, his account was worth $204,640 -- less than Shirley's account value, which by then had grown to $340,591. Nate's total outlay of $80,000 was twice that of Shirley's. And oh, by the way, the two had split up eons ago, after only investing six months in the relationship.

You can read the rest of the worthwhile article here.

Happy Birthday, Gipper.

When I was a little girl, I was in love with Ronald Reagan. I used to go up to the television screen and stroke the glass, always wishing that he would be my friend. In the twenty some years that have passed since then, my love has grown into a deep admiration. I credit his example of fiscal responsibility, budgeting, and optimism with significantly shaping my own financial (and personal) outlook.

Today, on the anniversary of his birth, I would like to honor him by posting just a few of his own words, which speak for themselves more clearly then I ever could.

“And I hope that someday your children and grandchildren will tell of the time that a certain president came to town at the end of a long journey and asked their parents and grandparents to join him in setting America on the course to the new millennium—and that a century of peace, prosperity, opportunity, and hope followed. So, if I could ask you just one last time: Tomorrow, when mountains greet the dawn, would you go out there and win one for the Gipper?”

Dirty Little Secrets

You love hearing other people's dirt? Always around the office cooler, waiting for tidbits to fall out of the mouths of your coworkers? You live for gossip? Get your fill at Postsecret. The author gave his address, invited people to send postcards containing the secrets that they had never told anyone else, and made them into several books. He posts new secrets every Sunday. Skip the soap operas and telenovellas, these free reads are real, entertaining, and sometimes even heart-wrenching.

(I realize this is a bit of a personal-finace related reach -- hey, it's free entertainment).

Lalala to Some New Tunes For Cheap

It seems that just about anything can be made better when the internet is added to it. Finding new music definitely fits into this category. I have already written about my love for Pandora, a way to find new music for free and listen to it online, but what if you want to take it one step farther and buy a new album? Lala is a service that allows you to ethically and legally get new music for cheap -- $1 plus $.75 for shipping and get rid of some of those musty CDs you don't listen to anymore (Tracy Bonham anyone?)

How it works:
List the CDs that you have to trade.
Send your CDs off.
Get new music in the mail.

It seems that easy. The owners of the site do ask that you delete the music you ship from your iPod, and I concur. Keep it honest.

Sounds like a great way to be clutter free and get some new tuneage.

Free Stuff Friday (FSF): Taxes and Tea, Still a Party

This week has been abnormally busy, but here are a couple of things to brighten your Friday. I am amused to remember that the first led to the dumping of the second, and that my taxes still inspire that same kind of rage from me 200 years later.

The IRS allows you to file for free online, if you make less than a certain income. The small print says:

Free File allows taxpayers with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $52,000 or less in 2006 to e-file their federal tax returns for free. That means 70 percent of all taxpayers – 95 million taxpayers – can take advantage of the Free File program.

Since my assets are simple (read: meager), there's no reason for me to get someone else to do my taxes (as much as I would love it). You can find the requisite forms here.

Then, to calm yourself down over the absurd tax code (flat tax anyone?), enjoy a nice cup of organic tea with your free sample from Yogi Tea.