Better Old than New

Some things are just not made like they used to be &  for those who value quality its best to buy somethings older than new. I found this article and couldn’t agree more with it, so much of today’s new stuff it made of crap. Crap materials, shotty workmanship this is not what most people want to pay for but end up doing so.

Here are some things that are better older than new. Its not to say that new things can’t be nice, but let’s face it I don’t want it to fall apart after 3 uses, be broken after 1 year or have to constantly be repaired or worse replaced. The more money you spend re-buying the same damn thing the less $ you have for those more important things in life (maybe that vacation you’ve been planning, annual trips to see family, a new car, college savings, more retirement money). I couldn’t have picked a better time to share this I was looking at furniture today & its amazing how much of it is MDF, particleboard, saw dust just glued together, don’t get me started. The dresser drawers feel like they would buckle to a few heavy sweaters.  I know not everyone has the budget for solid wood, new furniture this is why older wood furniture can be re-sanded, & then painted/stained to your liking and last for many more years.

 

Best things to Buy in December

Okay, so its December, and we are in the last month of the year or as most refer to as Holiday Season (Thanksgiving – Christmas)

And when the holidays come people tend to always spend more $ then planned because they didn’t stick to a list (for groceries, gifts, etc). Well, here’s the good news there are some items you should buy in December in order to get the best deals. I always recommend cleaning out your closets & home twice per year. If your debating what to get rid of here’s a simple guide:

1. If clothes don’t fit (too big/small) they must go – make sure they are clean & then fold them, either donate to a second hand store (Goodwill / Salvation Army), a homeless shelter, church or thrift store.
2. Get rid of duplicates (you do not need 3 weed whackers) & do NOT keep things that are broken & can’t be repaired.
3. Another reason to clean out twice per year is this will help you determine what you need/don’t need (in the winter if you realize you need a bathing suite for next summer its much cheaper to buy in December than June, same things in reverse for winter coats).

I was reading Yahoo Finance and found this article to share with you, also please read the comments as some people have posted great resources for items in the comments of the article.

 

 

Holiday Entertaining

I was talking with a friend the other day whose parents had just left the country after staying for a month here in the states with their daughter and her husband. It got me to thinking about the holidays, traveling, and entertaining. First off, entertaining should be Fun & Enjoyable not stressful, so I made a checklist of things to do to make your holiday entertaining less stressful. Also you can read this article I posted on entertaining here

1. If your hosting the entertaining at your house do all your grocery shopping 2 days in advance (Thursday for Saturday)
2. Make a list of the food, decorations, etc. that you need and stick to the list so the shopping goes quicker and you do ot buy things your really don’t need.
3. Commit to making some of the food the day before (when making a list of foods you plan to have during your entertaining make sure some of these can be made in advance) – Baking cookies, Salad, Prepare Burgers, Marinate Chicken, etc.
4. Make sure to have ice frozen the day before, and chill glasses in the fridge the night before
5. Make sure that where ever you plan to eat (dining room or some other table maybe in a family room) that you set the table ware, and flatware  the day before.
6. Make sure to know anyone’s allergies beforehand (nuts allergies can be common so leave them out of items where it really makes no difference – like brownies, or a roast)
7. If you are decorating or its a special occasion, make sure to decorate the day before you do not want to be running around last minute and try to decorate while food is cooking, your getting ready, and the door bell is ringing.

If you have any entertaining suggestions please share them with us and Happy Holidays.