Posted on 05/19/2011 8:24:38 AM PDT by wbill
How do you explain to your kid that he can't have a summer vacation because of inflation? Instead, my family and I looked for meaningful ways to save on our summer activities. By doing some of the work ourselves, looking at money more rationally, and committing to stuff, not fluff, we plan to save $12,975 in summer 2011.
Summer entertaining
Garden parties, barbecues, and family reunions make summer special. To keep our menus rich while saving money, my sister and I agreed to serve ground beef instead of steak at all 10 of our family get-togethers. In this way, we plan to spend $1.50 per person on meat instead of $15, for total savings of $1,350 this summer.
Summer vacation
To save on airfare and rising fuel prices, we searched the Internet for a local venue that would make a good vacation site. We chose Mount Baker, located 30 minutes from our home. We plan to pitch a tent, camp for a week, fish, hike, play guitar, and listen to audio books by the campfire. Instead of our usual $5,000 vacation allowance, we plan to spend $400, thus saving $4,600.
Painting the house
Every year we hire student painters to refresh the exterior paint to keep our home looking pristine and to protect the wood siding. Our neighbors, on the other hand, paint their homes every five years. To save money this summer, we've decided to paint the trim around the windows and doors only and to do the work ourselves. That will save us $1,500 this summer.
Garden landscaping (snip....but the rest of the article is in the same vein)
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
You'll save even more when nobody shows up!
$15 per person per steak? Maybe if the event were catered or you're using ridiculously high-end cuts of beef, but I can go down to the local grocery store on any given week and get decent quality steaks for $5-$6 per pound.
I do this every year, saving myself a load of money.
I figure I’ll save $7,000-$8,000 by not painting the house this summer. Another several thousand by not taking a vacation I never planned to take and have never taken in the past. But I am going to pop for some sirloins on sale at Fareway for $5.99/lb to cook on the grill. That’ll set me back, say $2/lb over ground beef, maybe as much as $20-$30 for the whole summer!
What do they use, watercolors?
Spending 12K this summer is normal to this person. WOW!
Lots of FReepers on Yahoo! today, or something. The readers are looking for pitchforks and torches.
Yeeeeees, Thurston and I decided to let our arborist go also.
Nothing says "the great outdoors" and "roughing it," like listening to audio books around the campfire.
THAT was MY thought....WHO hires someone to paint (touchup) their house paint EVERY YEAR? (Answer: a lazy, financially irresponsible liberal)
The illegals you hire will be pissed off.
Maybe if you call "Summer" from May to October.
When I got to the "I hire students to repaint my house every year" I started laughing out loud. Wonder if this same person congratulates themselves for "hiring local".
Times are tough all over, eh what Lovey? lol!
Hopefully, Mrs WBill decides to keep *her* arborist. I've grown accustomed to sleeping inside the house.
So....they had $12 k to save in the firs place.
Attention, Obamaloon West Wing felon-cretins....I’ve found you a source for more money.
These people really don't get the whole camping thing. These are probably the least equipped people for life. Ground beef is a revelation to them? Typical limousine Lib mentality. These idiots will probably set their tent up on an ant hill.
This summer, I’m going to fire my full-time employee who picks the green Skittles out of my candy bowl because I don’t like them. At $50/hr, that should save me nearly $60,000
Are you bringing a tent for the nanny, too? Based on the rest of the article I'm assuming someone will be running into town every evening to pick up dinner, thereby blowing right through your $400 budget. Oh, and walking the 15 feet between your tent and car does not qualify as 'hiking.'
I don't consider myself to be one of those people who're always making financial comparisons to neighbors or their things, but Yahoo has lots of snobby writers in their financial section. These authors frequently begin their articles with outlandish, unrealistic premises: "Yes, you CAN save a million for retirement by age 50...just start socking away $4500/month at a modest 7% rate of return..." Or, "let's say you're an average couple making $250,000 per year..."
Obviously they are shining examples of self reliance.
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