You can call it upgrading – that’s what a lot of marketers do. Yet at the end of the day, the belief that you need a certain model of a given product is brainwashing – brainwashing that eats a hole in your wallet, wrecks your sense of self-worth, and derails your progress toward your real dreams. If you can break out of the brainwashed pit, you can rise above the marketing mess to get only what you need when you need it and have more money and peace of mind in the rest of your life.

Think of the money

An obvious start to breaking out of the brainwashing pit it to stop and really think about the money you’re spending. So much of the buying behavior in America these days is driven by impulse and instinctively saying, “Yes” to sales pitches, that simply stopping for a moment can snap you out of a shopping haze.

There are a lot of tactics you can use to help you stop and think before you spend. One is to make a thirty-day list of items you want and count down to buying them later, while another is to get a partner who you must call before you buy anything. Other tricks include not carrying credit cards, making yourself look online before any offline purchase, and making yourself write down a list of all your debts before making any new purchase.

Pick a method that works for you and stick with it. You usually don’t need a newer version of your current possessions – and when you pay the bills, you often wish you hadn’t bought most of what you do have. Why perpetuate the problem? Stop, think, and spend less.

New book Reveals How To Survive, Earn A Good Living And Possibly Even Make A Fortune During The Coming Hyperinflationary Collapse!…

Know the opportunity you’re trading in

Another factor in the “buy, buy, buy” mindset is that it limits what you can actually achieve and experience in your life. If you spend $400 on a new smart phone, that’s $400 you don’t have for a trip back to your parents, a new washing machine, or even your rainy day fund. The $80 you spent on an extra pair of shoes because they were on sale is $80 you don’t have for birthday presents or a training manual on home canning.

This isn’t to make you feel guilty about spending at all – it’s just to make you more conscious of your life choices. What’s really important to you? Having more apps on your phone or staying in a nice hotel while you’re on vacation? Spending time with your family or having a big night out with your friends? No one but you can answer those questions honestly, but being aware of your personal priorities helps make you immune to marketing messages that would lead you astray.

Marketers want you to believe that the new model of their product – or even just buying it in the first place – is going to make your life better and happier. You’ll be more content and more attractive with XYZ pants. You’ll be the envy of your friends if you install PDQ in your house. But your personal priorities and deep-seated desires get lost in all that commercial noise. Being conscious of what it is that you really want out of life will help you understand how the choices you make drive the opportunities available to you later, and help you keep the right doors open for yourself later.

Go for the green angle

If the money and your values don’t shift your behavior, look at what mindless consumerism does to the environment. Landfills are overflowing with perfectly usable goods that were tossed because they became “obsolete” in the eyes of the modern shopper. The minerals and rare metals needed for high-tech gadgets cause destructive mining around the world, and plastic litter is so ubiquitous that third world nations are using it to build schools. You can do the world a favor – literally – by holding on to perfectly good items even when marketers want you to get the latest and greatest gizmos they can create.

Breaking out of the mindset of automatic upgrades and constantly striving to own the newest things brings your personal goals back into focus. You stop living on autopilot and start only getting the things you really need in light of your personal priorities. This will help you learn to laugh at all the ways marketers try to separate you from your money – and help you feel like you already live a life of abundance.

©2012 Off the Grid News

If you haven’t heard of this conspiracy to rip your hard-earned dollars out of your pocket over and over again, that may be because business gave it a fancy name. The term “Planned Obsolescence” refers to the practice of intentionally designing goods to fail and break after a set time period of “acceptable life” once purchased.

Instead of being dismissed as a lousy idea and a way to cheat consumers, is it any surprise that it was embraced by businesses everywhere? You’ll see it most often in the following products:

Printer Inks:  The amount of ink left in your printer is measured by a microchip, which shuts off printing when levels are below a certain amount. Not when the ink is gone – just when it’s below where manufacturers want it. And God help you if you want to print black and white when the cyan or yellow are low – it’s not allowed! Manufacturers make more money from ink purchases than from the printers themselves, so they installed the microchips to keep the revenues flowing.

Cars:  The new model year is barely different from the previous year, but every year car makers rush something new to the market. As a result, it is increasingly difficult to find older car parts. Manufacturers don’t want to provide spare parts – they want you to buy a new car. Thank goodness the Internet helps you fight back by letting you source parts from all over the country and even the world – otherwise your local dealer would have you right where he wants you when your current car breaks down.

Consumer Electronics:  Apple once got sued for designing its batteries to fail just after the warranty expired. They don’t do that anymore, but the market as a whole seems intent on making your computer, laptop, cell phone, and mp3 player obsolete as soon as possible. Batteries die, operating systems won’t support new programs, and replacement parts for “vintage” electronics stop being manufactured. But “new and improved” often isn’t any better – the new smart phones are notoriously bad at actually making phone calls, just to give one example. It’s better to try and patch your old system for as long as you can!

Clothes:  Clothing doesn’t hold together like it once did thanks to the rise of “fast fashion” retailing. Basically, the idea is to find the new hot look and get it into stores as fast as possible using the cheapest materials and labor available. The item is made to last as long as the fad – and no longer. Ripped seams, pulled threads, disappearing buttons, and worn-through fibers are all hallmarks of this trend. Being handy with a needle is one way to fight back, and so is buying vintage clothing – the old stuff was made with care and designed to last a lot longer!

Nylons:  The original nylon was used for parachutes by the military in WWII. Try to imagine jumping out of a plane armed only with a few pairs of LEGGS or Hanes hosiery sewn together. The original pantyhose and nylon makers quickly figured out that hose that lasted forever wasn’t profitable – so they made it weaker and more easily torn to keep the sales flowing.

There are so many more products out there designed to wear out and break down. With effort, you can avoid them or work around their flaws, but it’s no joke that manufacturers are after your wallet. What tricks have you found to outsmart them and their made-to-break goods?

©2012 Off the Grid News

Marketing culture makes big bucks in this confusion – and it’s a part of why even when you’re trying to cut back, you just can stop overspending. But there is a way to stop overspending for good, if you have the discipline to put it in place.

The secret is known as “The-30 Day List”. It’s a simple piece of paper that can honestly cut thousands of dollars of unnecessary spending out of your life. And it will re-educate you to resist the “must-have” mentality created by marketing departments so you can keep your hard-earned dollars in your pocket.

Setting Up Your List

To get started with the 30-Day List, you need a blank piece of paper with you at all times. Keep it in your pocket purse, or car. Don’t get caught without it – this is when impulse buys happen!

The key is that when you see something you want, you don’t reach for your wallet. Reach for your piece of paper. Write down the item, how much it costs, and the date you wanted to buy it. Then put the paper back in your pocket and walk away.

Groceries, gas, and hospital stays are exempt, but everything else needs to go on the list. A new pair of shoes? Put it on the list. Toys for the kids? Put them on the list. Something little for the house or a tool for the garage? On the list. Even if you’re in the store and have the item in your hand … put it down, write it down, and walk away.

Remember to use the list when you’re shopping online, too. Many people who are very disciplined in their offline purchases are out-of-control impulse shoppers online.

Let Your Spending List Ripen

Once the item is on the list, it has to stay there for thirty days without being purchased. This is the time when you and your family can reflect on whether or not it is truly worth it to buy the item. Is it something really needed or just a passing want?

Some people keep their ripening items on a master list posted on the fridge or near the family telephone. This keeps the items front and center in terms of being evaluated. You may be crying over leaving some great discount shirts on the rack, but find that after three days, those shirts aren’t even something you have space for in your life. Cross that off your list and be happy you avoided an impulse buy!

Research Free Alternatives

Along with letting things ripen on the list to separate impulse buys and wants from needs, the 30-Day List is great for giving you time to research free alternatives. Maybe that book you wanted can be borrowed through the library. Maybe a neighbor has the hedge clippers you were looking at and doesn’t mind if you use them.

Another option is to look for giveaway groups or bartering programs. Freecycling groups are all over the country, helping match unwanted items with new homes {http://www.offthegridnews.com/2011/04/01/freecycling-programs-to-benefit-your-family/}. Craigslist has a barter section, or you can check for local groups by asking around.

Check back on your deadline

After thirty days, if you still want the item and you know you can’t get it for free after research, you can buy it. However, what most people find is that after thirty days, there’s not much on their list that they actually want to have. What is left is also often on sale in stores, allowing you to save even more on the things you waited to buy.

At the end of the day, you’ll be much happier with your bank balance and your purchases if you use the 30-Day List. It cuts impulsive wants out of the picture, leaving you only with things that you’ve thoughtfully chosen to add to your life. And by getting you to focus more on waiting and alternatives, the 30-Day List helps you – finally! – get your overspending under control.

©2012 Off the Grid News

Visit the average prepper homestead, and the chances are you will find homes that don’t look all that much different from the homes you see everywhere else. Americans have been conditioned to believe that houses must be large to be comfortable, and even those who are trying their best to escape from the careless wastefulness of mainstream society may not stop to consider whether or not they actually need so much living space. But here is something very fundamental that should not be overlooked. A person who resides in a 2,000-square-foot home will have twice as much space to heat, cool, light, insulate, and enclose as someone living in a 1,000-square-foot house – and 2,000 square feet is actually several hundred square feet smaller than the average new home currently under construction in the United States.

So to reiterate, if you are an off-the-gridder serious about finding ways to live more efficiently, as you look around you at your surroundings, you should definitely be asking yourself: do we really need a house this big? And if your answer to that question turns out to be “no,” then you just might be ready to join the growing number of people who are throwing their enthusiastic support behind the Tiny House Movement .

What Exactly Is the Tiny House Movement?

The Tiny House Movement is a loose coalition of designers, builders, and alternative living advocates who have been working together to create a style of housing that can combine functionality, variety, comfort, efficiency, and aesthetic imagination in a package of 400 square feet or less. So far, somewhere between one and two thousand tiny houses have been built at various locations around the U.S., and the pace of construction has started to pick up in response to growing interest among that subculture of hardy and adventurous souls who are always ready to try something new – especially if it can save them some money.

A good percentage of these houses actually measure less than 200 square feet in size, but many still feature most of the amenities we have come to associate with home – kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, furniture, office space, food storage areas, and so on. Anyone who has spent time RV’ing will be at least somewhat familiar with the tiny house style of living, but the big difference is that tiny houses are designed to be permanent residences and not just temporary vacation pit stops.

At the forefront of the Tiny House Movement is the Small House Society, which is an association of architectural and building firms plus individual designers who have banded together to publicize and promote the “better living through smallness” alternative. While prefab tiny houses are offered for purchase by some companies, there are oodles of plans, instructional books, video demonstrations, and workshops available at bargain prices to help guide erstwhile do-it-youself’ers who would prefer to construct their own units. A good prefab tiny house may cost in the $20,000 to $25,000 range (still obviously just a fraction of what a “normal” new house would cost), but a DIY’er with a little imagination who is willing to work hard and do some research could build their own fantastically functional and wholly unique unit for less than $10,000. And because these homes are so small, lighting, heating, cooling, and electricity costs will be reduced dramatically, perhaps down to as little as 10 to 20 percent of what it would cost the average person to pay their utility bills if they were living in a typical 2,500-square-foot behemoth and drawing all their power from the grid. So as you can see, for anyone who willing to sacrifice some interior space in exchange for some healthy improvement in the size of their bank account, a tiny house could be just what the doctor ordered.

Start a mini farm on a quarter acre or less, provide 85 percent of the food for a family of four and earn an income?!

Living Small – and Loving It

Because operating expenses and resource consumption are so limited in a small residence, tiny houses and off-the-grid living go together like the proverbial horse and carriage. Solar panels or wind systems for electricity, propane or wood-powered stoves for cooking and fireplaces for heating, composting toilets, RV-style holding tank set-ups for fresh and waste water management – these are just some of the appropriate technologies that tiny house aficionados have turned to in order to meet their basic living requirements. And because we are mostly talking about miniaturized versions of these familiar appliances and systems, both the initial investments and the costs for continued use are less than would be required if the full-scale versions of these technologies were being installed in larger homes.

But everything comes with a price, right? So don’t tiny house owners have to make big sacrifices in the areas of comfort and convenience?

Actually, no, they really don’t. What helps to make tiny houses so attractive to so many is their high degree of flexibility, as they are normally constructed to specification or built using plans that have been carefully chosen to provide just the right mix of features. Essentially, tiny house clients choose the characteristics they would like their new homes to have before construction even begins, and the structures that will be put up are then designed accordingly. Bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, dining areas, study areas, work spaces, stairs, and entertainment dens can all be included in the planning of a particular tiny house, just as long as they aren’t the full-sized versions with which we are all familiar.

Ultimately, what distinguishes a tiny house from the average American home is its embrace of the cozy over the spacious. In a typical middle-class residence, leg room is considered to be of utmost importance, while tiny houses give you just the space you need to get from one place to the other and nothing more. While it is easy to see why urban or suburban dwellers might crave extra interior space, since they are hemmed in so much of the time when they are out and about mingling with the maddening crowds on the highways, sidewalks, and elevators of the city, this are different in rural areas, as country-style living is defined by its direct and intimate connection to nature and the great outdoors. Because the prepper lifestyle is so firmly grounded in the land, no off-the-gridder living in a tiny house would have to worry about feeling caged up inside for long, not when there would be so much fresh air and open space available just outside his or her front door.

In truth, our apparently universal preference for big spaces in which to live is based on custom more than anything else, and the majority of tiny-home owners come to relish the coziness and contained comfort their unique little residences provide in abundance.

New Survival Seed Bank Lets You Plant A Full Acre Crisis Garden

Outsmarting Your Local Bureaucrat

For those who appreciate efficiency in cost and resource usage, are not turned off by the aesthetics of the small, and just generally enjoy thinking outside the box, living in a tiny house could be the cat’s meow. But there is one potential fly in the ointment that cannot be overlooked – government red tape. In their infinite wisdom, local authorities across the land have adopted building codes that can make it very difficult for applications for permission to build a tiny house to receive approval, especially if the proposed residence is to be less than approximately 300 square feet in size. Even though they would never admit it, the main reason why governments have adopted such restrictive codes is because larger homes mean larger property tax collections; too many people occupying small homes would mean too many low assessments, and where would be the fun in that?

Fortunately, there are ways to get around these building code restrictions. For example, mobile living quarters are generally exempt from these size rules, so most tiny home builders are constructing their residences on trailers that can be theoretically hauled around from location to location. Needless to say, this only makes the whole tiny house concept even more attractive, since it gives people the option of taking their house with them should they decide to move somewhere else, or even when they go on vacation. But even if a person chooses to park his or her tiny home in one spot for twenty years without ever moving it an inch, as long as it stays on its trailer, it will be considered mobile and therefore no building codes will have ever been broken.

Getting Off the Grid of Debt

The Tiny House Movement is making people rethink their ideas about what good living really means. Crushing mortgage debt and waves of foreclosures have soured millions on the idea of owning their own home, but if people are willing to start considering more reasonably-sized alternatives to the typical American home, it could revolutionize the way the housing market functions. For those seeking ways to survive and thrive off the grid, tiny house living has much to recommend it, and because the initial investments required to construct such a unit are so low, tiny houses could provide an outstanding alternative for people on limited budgets who are anxious to find a way to join the swelling ranks of the independent homesteading community.

©2012 Off the Grid News

Back in the good old days when gasoline cost a pittance, these temporary price increases were not much to worry about. But now that gas prices have reached the point where it can cost you $70 or $80 to fill up during the summer driving season in particular, cutting down on automobile fuel costs is obviously something that everyone would like to find a way to do, especially when they know they are going be doing a lot of extra driving.

Of course the best way to reduce gas costs is to buy a more fuel-efficient vehicle. But even if you cannot afford to take such a dramatic step, there are still a number of things you can do to save money on gasoline this summer. In the spirit of full disclosure, it has to be admitted that none of the fourteen tips mentioned here is likely to be a big time money saver all by itself. But if you follow all of the advice offered here, in its entirety, rest assured that each time you check out your credit card statements or look at your bank account this summer, you are going to notice the difference.

Here, then, are are terrific tips that, if followed diligently, will allow you to save a lot of money on gasoline over these next few months.

New book focuses on the unique requirements of off-grid living as well as using “green” energy for homeowners who remain connected to the electrical utility.

Tip 1:  Inflate Your Tires

According to the good folks at the AAA, only 17 percent of the automobiles currently running on America’s roads have all four of their tires adequately inflated. This problem is ubiquitous because most car owners forget to check inflation levels regularly, and as a result, most vehicle owners have absolutely no idea they are riding around on under-inflated tires.

It is estimated that you will lose .3 percent on your gas mileage for every pound in PSI that you are below the maximum inflation level on all four tires. This might not sound like a lot, but if you are riding around on tires that are ten or more PSI below the top level you could be reducing your MPG by as much as one to two miles per gallon.

Tip 2:  Use the Right Oil

Using the grade of motor oil recommended by the automobile manufacturer can improve gas mileage by 1 to 2 percent. It is a good idea to look for phrases like “energy conserving” on the API Service Symbol that will be found on the outside of the oil container, as this means that substances have been added to the mix that can reduce engine wear and tear.

Tip 3:  Control Your Weight

Not your weight specifically, but the weight that has been loaded into the car. For every 100 pounds that are added to a vehicles natural weight, the MPG will be reduced by about 2 percent. For every 250 extra pounds that are loaded into an automobile, you can subtract about one mile per gallon off the normal number.

So the moral of the story is, travel light whenever possible; or, maybe the moral is that everyone in your family should go on a diet, which would save you money on food as well as on gas.

Tip 4:  Monitor Prices with the Help of Technology

For the technologically savvy, apps can be your friend. The GasBuddy app, for instance, can give you the locations and prices of filling stations anywhere in the country, so no matter where you are traveling, you will be able to use your Android, Blackberry, or iPhone to comparison shop for the cheapest gas. Other good apps include Smart Fuel, Exxon Mobile Fuel Finder, and AAA TripTik Mobile.

All of the above are available for free download.

Tip 5:  Plan Your Errands Carefully

Errands can and should be combined to reduce summertime mileage. The key here is that when you do head out on an errand run, you should go to your farthest intended destination first and then work your way back. The reason for this is that engines burn gasoline much more efficiently when they are properly warmed, so a longer trip at the beginning will help your engine get its temperature up where you would like it to be.

Tip 6:  Avoid Heavy Traffic Whenever You Can

Rush hours should be avoided at all costs, and just in general the path less traveled should be preferred whenever that choice is realistically available. High traffic density can slow down traffic flow significantly, prolonging trips and wasting a lot of gasoline in the process.

Google Map is now available for smart phones, and the handy grids this program produces will let you know what streets or highways are tied up or running slowly at the very moment you are out on the road, regardless of your location.

Tip 7:  Slow Down (at Least a Little)

Sixty miles per hour is the magic number. Once your speed goes beyond this level, MPG will start dropping. For every five miles per hour you go over sixty, you will end up spending an additional twenty-five cents per gallon, which just goes to show you that slow and steady does indeed win the race.

Tip 8:  Balance Your Windows and Air Conditioning Properly

It is true that air conditioners use fuel, but it is also true that open windows create an aerodynamic drag that increases exponentially the faster an automobile is traveling. Testing has shown that it is more efficient to have the windows down and the AC off if you are going 55 mph or less, but when you are traveling at 60 miles per hour or more, you will actually save gas if you turn the windows up and turn on the AC. Of course, if you can close the windows and have the AC off at the same time regardless of speed, that is even better, but this may not be a reasonable alternative during the dog days of July and August.

Tip 9:  Develop Your Coasting Skills

When you constantly use your brakes to slow down and stop, you are essentially fighting against your engine and using up precious fuel in the process. Most of us are not used to coasting up to stop signs or traffic lights, but it is definitely wise to practice this skill until you get good at it. Learning to use your brakes as little as possible will help save gas, and it is not as hard to master the art of coasting as you might expect.

Tip 10:  Keep Your Foot Off the Accelerator on Hills

Testing has proven it – if you just let your car slow down as you go up hills, instead of applying extra pressure to your accelerator in order to maintain your speed, you will come out ahead of the deal when you coast down the hill on the other side. Of course, you may not be able to do this when traffic is heavy (not without being beeped at by a whole chorus of backed-up vehicles behind you), but any time you can get away with it, you should let your car take its time when it is climbing up a hill.

Tip 11:  Control Your Acceleration Properly

Everyone knows that if you stomp on the gas to try to get from zero to sixty in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, you will be wasting gas and forcing your engine to stress and strain in a very inefficient manner. However, that does not mean that you should accelerate up to speed as slowly as possible. On the contrary, lower gears work less efficiently than higher gears, so you will want to get out of them relatively quickly.

Something like fifteen seconds to go from zero to fifty might be about right; however, the key is to always accelerate at a noticeable but steady pace, which is something that you will just need to practice so you can get a feel for how to do it right.

Tip 12:  Right Turns Only!

Eliminating left turns from your driving repertoire in areas where there are stop lights or relatively heavy traffic flow really does make a difference. Less idle time waiting to turn gives you more actual movement per gallon of fuel burned, which is why FedEx and UPS both instruct their drivers to skip left turns as a matter of policy. Even if you have to go a few hundred feet out of your way to change left turns into right turns, in the end it will be more than worth it.

Tip 13:  Keep the Ethanol Out of Your Tank

Ethanol has less energy potential than gasoline, so its presence in gas will inevitably reduce fuel mileage. Of course, ethanol is supposed to be good for the environment, but there is evidence to suggest that this is not true, and that the whole ethanol program is really little more than a hidden subsidy for politically connected agribusiness interests (as ethanol is made from corn). Making things worse, ethanol can also corrode car engines, and if you have a vehicle that was manufactured before 2001, it is absolutely essential that you not use the new E15 ethanol fuel, which will eat your engine alive in no time at all.

Tip 14:  Buses, Trains, and Bicycles

This is an obvious one of course; it is just a matter of how dependent you are on the private automobile to get around, and how willing you are to be a little more flexible or creative in your travel choices.

Since summer is the perfect time for vacations, one way to cut down on automobile usage is to put together trip packages that will get you to where you want to go without requiring you to drive there; and once you get there, bicycle tours of scenic spots can provide hours of fun for everyone. Buses may be mostly a utilitarian option, but riding a train can be an experience in and of itself, and bicycling is great exercise and a wonderful way to see beautiful country up close and personal.

©2012 Off the Grid News

However, regardless of the destination, there are certain issues you will need to deal with head on when it comes to ride sharing. These include fuel costs, schedules, driving duties, back-up plans, and personal behavior guidelines. You can feel your way through these things on your own, or you can follow my tips for a starting and maintaining a successful ride share program.

Talk Money Upfront

The point of ride sharing is to save everyone money. Period. You’re not running a charity.

Before you get going with your ride share, calculate the costs and how you plan to cover them. Will everyone chip in cash weekly to cover gas? Are you paying on a per-mile shared basis or on an even split plan? Who pays for tolls, meters, or parking passes? What’s the cash arrangement for one-way riders, such as neighbor’s children dropped off but not picked up? How much is really being saved by each rider?

Knowing the numbers helps keep everything fair and ensures a win-win situation for all parties. You can eliminate uncomfortable conversations about money later by dealing with them before the first dollar is spent. Also, discussing the costs and savings of the ride share will help each member give it the value it deserves in their life and plans. No one really likes getting up ten minutes earlier to share a ride to work, but for $55 a week in gas and tolls, they’ll know why they do it.

Sort Out Schedules Before You Start

Ride share successes depend on compatible routes and compatible schedules.

Ideal situations are children with the same school schedule or workers headed for same factory shift. However, you may find that interested riders can adapt their schedules. Maybe it’s no big deal to stay an hour later at the office on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to share a ride both ways with a college student. Perhaps your elderly neighbor wants a ride into town twice a week to shop and see friends for afternoon coffee. Or you can share four days a week and not share on Friday when you do something else after work.

For the cost savings, even finding just one day a week when a ride can be shared may be worth it. Talk with your friends, neighbors, and co-workers to find out what days and times work well for sharing and ensure that everyone can hold to a shared schedule once it is set up.

Designate Your Driver

Someone has to drive, but it doesn’t have to be the same person everyday.

As you begin, discuss driving duties. Will you switch each day? Once a week? Never? You may be the organizer, but it might not be the most cost effective option for the group for you to be the driver. Other members may not want to drive, or they may not have a reliable car. If they don’t drive, will they contribute more financially, or are you happy to be the designated driver all the time?

A Good Medical Kit Is A Must Have While You Are On The Road…

Have a Plan B

Every ride-sharing program needs a firm Plan B to avoid emergency situations for everyone.

Before you begin, get everyone’s contact information at home and at work. Determine a plan of action if the driver’s car doesn’t start – how will the group be notified, and when will it happen so that everyone can still be to work or school on time? In the event of car repairs or accidents, who will take over the car pool duties? What happens if someone needs to stay later at work or leave in the middle of the day for a sick child?

Answering these questions in advance can help alleviate concerns people may have about giving up their own means of transportation. For some, to be late means losing a job, and unpredictable transportation is a financial kiss of death. Others worry about not being able to stay late for overtime or run to their child’s school if their kids are sick. This doesn’t mean they can’t ride share with you – it simply means that a Plan B needs to ensure everyone knows what to do in time to cover themselves or make alternative transportation arrangements.

Mind Your Car Pool Manners

Last but not least, lay down the rules for in car behavior to keep everyone sane and happy.

Car pool manners are simple, but they go beyond just showing up on time and being polite to the driver. Smoking and eating in the car are only with group permission and consent of the car’s owner. Certain topics (bosses, politics, sex) may be banned for mutual sanity. Radio stations may need to be voted on or a rotating “who picks the music” system put in place. Cologne may be banned outright. With these rules you can ensure those who ride together stay friendly – or at least civil enough to continue cutting costs by splitting a ride. It may not be a perfect system, but by keeping everyone well mannered, you can have a successful and financially beneficial ride-sharing program of your own.

©2012 Off the Grid News

A car with basic fuel efficiency driven just twenty-five miles a day costs you nearly $100 per month in gas. Cut that number in half – or more – by sharing your commute, car pooling the kids on their way to school, or partnering up with a neighbor for grocery runs. The key is getting yourself in a formal or informal ride share program, where compatible travel goals equal cost savings for everyone. It may not be something you’ve considered before, but ride share programs are more common and easier to find than ever thanks to the Internet. Here are some places to start looking.

Check National Databases

Did you know there are national databases of ride share programs? You can sort them by state, region, or destination. Some are even sophisticated enough that you can use them as a way to get from an airport to the center of town by partnering with local travelers – nationally and internationally.

Many of the databases are simply that – a place for information about existing programs. These include eRideShare, PickupPal, and Rideshare-Directory. Others, such as Ridester, are feedback rated temporary ride arrangements that work to match people in need of rides with vehicles without a long-standing agreement. Check out multiple listings to get an idea of what’s out there and the possibilities for ride share arrangements.

Look For Local Programs

Another option is to research local programs through your state and county Department of Transportation (DOT) offices. Kansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, and many other states have “official” rideshare programs that are hosted through DOT offices. Some of these programs may qualify you for commuter lane use or discounts to reward you for partnering with the program.

Cities and sections of cities may also host their own through local community groups, government offices, or forums on Craigslist. The Kansas City Metro Area is one example of an area with a formal program through a DOT, while Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, and Toledo, Ohio, have listings through Craigslist. As with anything out on the broader web, exercise due diligence before hopping in just anybody’s car, but don’t be so paranoid that you miss out on valuable savings opportunities. It is definitely fine to meet with someone at a coffee shop or cafe to check them out before ride sharing with them!

How To Achieving Energy Independence through Solar, Wind, Biomass and Hydropower…

Ask At Work

Your job may be another place to find a shared ride. Large corporations sometimes offer their own programs or have funds to offset costs of location-specific programs started by workers. Even small companies may offer benefits to ride share groups, such as preferential parking for cars with three or more workers.

Work is also a good place to find someone who shares your schedule. A neighbor at the same firm makes a solid car pool partner, since you both have to be at the same place at the same time. Even if you don’t know anyone offhand who might be interested, a sign-up sheet in a break room or common area may start a conversation that leads to a reliable ride share arrangement.

Put The Word Out Socially

For less formal ride share arrangements, don’t be shy about putting the word out in your social networks. Post on Facebook, send an email to friends, mention it at church, or start a conversation at your next dinner party. You may find a college student who needs a ride to a campus near your office three days a week or a stay-at-home mom who can drop you at your job when she takes her kids to school and pick you up after their piano lessons. The key is to be flexible and open to a variety of arrangements as they can all help you cut your gas costs.

Ride sharing within your social circle can also be a chance for you to deepen some of your connections in the community. You’ll be connecting with other cost-conscious or environmentally conscious souls, and you’ll have several minutes each day to have an uninterrupted conversation. It adds to the spirit of connectedness around you and may help you find other independent minds for other projects or ventures outside of ride sharing.

Even sharing a ride one day a week can make a difference in your budget and your mentality around being able to cope with rising fuel prices. The government and world energy leaders can do their own thing, but on the ground you can look to ride sharing and other shared-cost ideas to help you weather the storm and come out firmly ahead.

©2012 Off the Grid News

Nothing could be further from the truth.  Not in this economy.

Consignment stores are back – with a vengeance and social media marketing skills. The “new” world of consignment features designer clothes with the tags still on them, jeans and t-shirts in mint condition, perfect but unwanted shoes, and gorgeous accessories that have been rescued from overcrowded closets. Most are selling for 50 to 80 percent off their original sticker prices, creating killer deals for savvy shoppers.

Some of the sharp rise in quality has to do with quantity. Americans are increasingly switching their mindset away from the “more, more, more” mantra that guided the consumer splurges of the last decade. They’re looking at their closets and their lives and wondering why they ever bought some of “this junk” to begin with. They no longer want to be burdened with the evidence of previous excesses. They’re cleaning out and cutting back, but they don’t want to throw things out. Instead, it’s heading for the consignment shop.

The big uptick in usage and popularity for consignment shops started in 2008. Between January and August of 2008, the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops (NARTS) reported that its 1,000 member stores were looking at an average sales increase of 35 percent. Some 85.8 percent of stores were reporting an increase in new customers, and 74.5 percent reported new suppliers or donors coming through the doors. Since then, the Wall Street Journal reports that increases have continued as shoppers seek a way to offload unwanted goods for a profit and pick up great clothes for less.

In response, the consignment industry has brushed off its old reputation and gotten hip to the times. Take Mosh Posh, a Tampa-based consignment store, as an example.  The store opened in 2009, just as the consignment market was really picking up. The owner, Justin Basil, had gotten hooked on consignment stores the previous year when his wife consigned some of her clothes at what he called a “typical” shop – old, dowdy, and unfashionable.  He thought of improvements and went hip and modern with his own store. He also went online – Mosh Posh is the most popular consignment store on Facebook, with nearly 16,500 fans.

Mosh Posh is not alone in using social media to help market what’s in stock and develop a fan following. Many consignment operations are branching out from their local roots and cultivating customers across the United States and even overseas. Suddenly, these stores are no longer back corner affairs for locals – you can get deals sent to you by ordering online and follow your favorite consignment stores to keep up on what’s new in the store.

Loyalty to a consignment store as a top shopping spot? Times are changing, indeed. Still, your inner bargain hunter shouldn’t be too surprised. “Once people find that great bargain, they’re hooked,” says Adele R. Meyer, executive director of NARTS.

If you are bringing in clothes for consignment, remember that the competition is heating up and standards are high. Mint condition clothing, lightly worn shoes, and of course, things with the tags still on them are what’s highly desired. Seasonal wear will sell differently than clothing appropriate year-round, and accessories tend to be a mixed bag. Accept that storeowners are experts on pricing, and read payment agreements carefully.

To make the most out of a consignment shopping trip, pay attention to what the store offers and give yourself plenty of time to try things on (most stores have dressing rooms). Some consignment stores focus on menswear, while others focus on women’s wear or children’s clothes. Even in stores that you know have clothes you like, it can be an adventure uncovering the perfect look. Give yourself time to experiment and make it fun, knowing that at the end of the day you’ll have found a new look for much, much less than regular retail prices.

©2011 Off the Grid News

Credit cards and store cards became the preferred payment method. If you didn’t have the money to buy something, just charge it! The power of plastic was a retailer’s friend.

Fast forward to 2011. Many consumers now look at the plastic in their wallets as a necessary evil rather than a convenient shopping tool. Nationwide, the average American family is carrying over $26,000 in debt, an amount equal to a year’s worth of average national earnings. We don’t want anything more to do with debt if we can help it, but that doesn’t mean we all have the ready cash to pay for big-ticket items. To bridge the gap and encourage shoppers to shop, retailers are bringing back the old relic, layaway.

Basic Principles of Layaway

Layaway operates on a basic installment payment system, but it’s not without its fine print. Customers usually need to pay a small fee – usually $5 to $10 – to enroll in the layaway payment plan. Holding your purchase in the plan also requires a down payment, normally equal to 10 or 20 percent of the total purchase price. Most stores offer a minimum required total purchase price to qualify for layaway, though this is often extremely low. Wal-Mart, for example, has a $15 minimum.

Items that have been placed on layaway stay with the store until the final payment is made. Payments may be set up to be monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly, depending on the fine print in the plan. Consumers who change their minds do have the option to get their money back out of the plan, although cancellation fees are charged and enrollment fees are often not refunded.

Stores Reviving Layaway

Stores reviving layaway represent some of the nation’s biggest retailers. Wal-Mart, for example, had discontinued its layaway programs for everything but jewelry in 2006. It will relaunch layaway for the 2011 holiday season in mid-October, and, if things go well, the program will be expanded to all year.

Wal-Mart’s desire to return to layaway is driven by the success that other retailers have experienced. Toy ‘R’ Us and Sears recently relaunched their own layaway programs and enjoyed a nice boost in sales. Since nearly 20 percent of Wal-Mart customers don’t use bank accounts and/or operate outside traditional credit card models, it’s a chance to recapture sales opportunities in a time when stores are fighting for every dollar they can grab.

Using Layaway To Your Advantage

Layaway programs can provide definite advantages to consumers although they need to be considered carefully to ensure the costs don’t outweigh the benefits. Using layaway programs to your advantage requires some thought as to what purchases you will need at a much later date, something that can be counter-intuitive for modern impulse buyers. Discipline is a key factor.

The biggest savings with layaway come from big-ticket items you would otherwise put on a credit card. For these items, the $5 or $10 program enrollment fee doesn’t represent a significant mark-up on the final cost. The fee is also less than what you would pay in interest if the purchase was charged and later paid off.

However, you do want to be sure to read the fine print. The Better Business Bureau receives a number of complaints about layaway programs each year, and many of those complaints stems from misunderstandings over program terms. If there are fees for late payments, deadlines for pick-up, or charges for canceling a purchase, you need to be sure you understand them up front.

At the end of the day, layaway allows you to go home with a purchase with no debt overhang.  When the item leaves the store, it is fully paid for, and there are no collection calls down the road. Instead, you can save for what you need, avoid debt, and still bring home aspirational or big-ticket purchases for the holidays, birthdays, or any time you’d rather not get involved with a credit card.

©2011 Off the Grid News

Now, you may be thinking that the answer is probably something illegal. This isn’t true. From Netflix to Hulu to SideReel, there are dozens of ways to follow your favorite TV show online that won’t get you in any trouble with the law or make you feel like you’re stealing. Many of the them are completely free or cost just a few dollars a month. It’s way less than cable with the added bonus of being able to watch the shows at any time of the day instead of needing to hang out in front of your TV during prime evening hours.

Network Sites

One of the easiest ways to follow a TV show online is at the television network’s own website. Shows are usually available the next day and stay up for two or three weeks after their original broadcast. This lets the networks get their numbers for the actual broadcast on cable and then quickly collect popularity data based on how many people watch the show online for free on the network’s site.

The shows stream online, just like a long YouTube video. Unlike some of the other options available out there, watching on a network site will include commercials. You may also have to download a special plug-in, such as Microsoft Silverlight, to view the video. Still, it’s free, and you’ll have all the other resources for the show such as cast interviews and trailers heavily promoted alongside the main video.

Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes

After the network sites, the next path to check for watching your TV shows online is with the big video providers, namely Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes. While Hulu does have some free video viewing, like the other options there are many more shows that are available for a price. A $7.99/month subscription to Hulu gives you old and new shows, while a $79/year subscription to Amazon Prime gives you access to online versions of thousands of movies and TV shows along with free 2 day shipping on orders from Amazon itself. Netflix lets you choose subscription models that allow for instant streaming video to your TV or computer, or you can opt to have the disc of the season (usually about a season behind) sent to your house.

If you don’t want a subscription and don’t want to wait for a disc to arrive, there is also the option to just buy individual episodes of the shows you like. TV episodes in HD are available from Amazon Instant Video for $1.99 or less, with whole seasons for sale for $15 – $20. iTunes follows the same model, allowing you to buy a quick copy of your favorite show as a season or episode by episode for 99 cents and up.

SideReel and Blinkx

Another free option to watch TV without cable for the slightly more adventurous is to head out to video aggregator sites such as SideReel or Blinkx. These sites are ad supported with banners and pop up windows (ignore and block, no problem). They scour the web for uploaded copies of TV shows, often having shows available to view within a few hours of their original airdates.

While links that cost, such as iTunes or Amazon, are included, both sites also offer video links from other online TV streamers. These include MegaVideo, Videobb, and TVjunction. The sites make money by showing ads next to the video, but most of the video they show does not include commercial breaks. You just have to click through a few windows and wait for the video to load.

Obviously, it would be better if we all had the willpower to give up TV completely. However, I just can’t do it! If you can’t either, join me in cutting the cost of your indulgence. Cancel the cable and watch TV online for less!

©2011 Off the Grid News