EcoSalon | Conscious Culture and Fashion » money

Just 1 Super Bowl Ad Could Give 140,000 People Water for Life

Anna Brones — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:06:43 +0000

Really.

With population growth, industrialization and limited resources, access to freshwater has become a crisis. 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water – that’s more than one out of six people. Every 20 seconds a child dies from a water-related illness. Water is such an issue that it is a key component in achieving the United Nation’s Millenium Development Goals.

These statistics are hard to grapple with, but for perspective, consider that this past weekend, a 30-second advertising spot during the Super Bowl ran for $3.5 million.

According to Water.org, the same amount of money it took to bring you a baby being catapulted to a bag of Doritos, could have been used to get 140,000 people water for life. For every 30 seconds of advertising, you could give hundreds of thousands of people around the world access to the one of the essential items that you need to survive.

Diverting Super Bowl advertising dollars to the water crisis may not be a viable solution, but it’s a start. Instead of being captivated by flashy cars and beer, imagine if just a percentage of those advertising budgets went to solving global problems instead of funding a vicious consumer cycle focused on buying more. One can dream.

Images: AngieSix [top left], hdptcar [right]

YNAB: A Budgeting App For Conscious Consumers

K. Emily Bond — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:45:37 +0000

An app + software system that will revolutionize the way you think about money.

If you’ve been under the impression that your bank account balance is a rocky reality, prepare yourself for an epiphany: the numbers are even more meaningless if the dollars behind them are unemployed.

Even if you’ve got millions, those little zeros whispering sweet nothings to you ledger after ledger, might very well be aloft atop a bubble set to pop. Or maybe you’re one of the 42% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck. Both camps, and everyone in between, could use You Need a Budget. YNAB for short.

Here are three examples of why you need YNAB:

#1: You own a car.

Cars are passive aggressive creatures that will blow a head gasket just as you’re about to pay off your Amex bill. You car knows you are about to pay off said bill because it heard you talking about it on your Bluetooth. Because it feels neglected (jealous even) it will drive over a nail, position its’ windshield under a falling object, attract vandals – it will stop at nothing to get you to notice how important it is.

#2: The way some people are about pornography, you are about shoes.

Try as you may to prove that very silly and vapid stereotype popularized by those who shall remain nameless wrong, you really have quite the fetish. The higher the heel and pricier the tag, the more titillating the titillation. Avoiding retail outlets might curb your habit for now, but you know a relapse is right around the corner…on 5^th Avenue.

#3: You live under a roof.

Renter, owner – it doesn’t matter. A bill to screw all other bills will arrive on your register thus mucking up your entire delicately orchestrated monthly money management schedule. You chose direct deposit, not a bad move per se. But you can’t do-si-do with the devil; the same holds true for ConEd.

Discernible in the examples above are three financial poltergeists that spook the hell out of money goals month after month, and year after “just getting by” year.

1.) Lack of foresight (cars have nasty mean streaks, we know this).

2.) Playing peek-a-boo with a bank balance (just because Citibank.com says you can afford luxe foot attire does not mean you can).

3.) Lack of preparation (winter happens, as do heating bills).

YNAB is ostensibly designed to help users overcome the demons that haunt most human-prone people by using a methodology comprised of four rules.

Rule 1: Give Every Dollar a Job

YNAB says:

“Instead of deciding to buy something based on the big (or small) pile of money in your checking account balance, you’ll decide based on a category balance.”

This translates to: no more guilty dining experiences because you know you’ve got a mint sitting in your Restaurant category. The same goes for guilty shoe purchases. By playing peek-a-boo with your personal Shoe Fetish balance, when it’s time to walk away you’ll know to walk away.

Rule 2: Save for a Rainy Day

“There are no normal months…if you don’t plan for the high-expense months, you’ll be in a world of hurt.”

This is how your car wants you to feel: hurt, like a scorned lover. Put $20, $30, $50 or more each month into your Transportation: Repairs & Maintenance category and when the time comes for him to pull a power trip, guess who’s holding the clutch?

Rule 3: Roll With the Punches

“When you overspend in a budget category for the month, the software automatically takes what you overspent and deducts it off the top of next month’s money.”

This is ostensibly meant to end whatever binge/purge thing you’ve got going by taking the guilt out of budgeting.

Rule 4: Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck

This is best illustrated with a graphic:

“Save enough money to go an entire month without touching your regular income. Then the next month, spend last month’s income while earning this month’s income.”

Net Worth

You might be thinking: this is all very Suzy Orman-ish and conceptually sound, but is YNAB applicable for those of us living outside of Oprah land?

In a word: absolutely. YNAB is definitely worth a go, especially since the company recently increased its free trial period from seven to thirty-four days. Putting rules one and two into effect alone will engender untold financial savvy and freedom. Rule four is an ideal that might take time to come to fruition, but doable. Rule three, in practice, can be downright confusing.

But the interface is friendly, and the rewards surprisingly immediate.

However, it is advisable to start clean at the beginning of the month even though the company anytime is as good a time as any. Far from inducing any aha! moments, a mid-pay-period start could result in untold confusion.

Available as an App for $4.99 and downloadable software for $60.

Word of warning: the app will not work if you don’t have the software, so you’re looking at an overall investment of $65.

The Fearless Wallet: Important Money Questions for Women

Agi Smith — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:48:30 +0000

Is it true that women can’t manage their money as well as men? Or are we just afraid of it?

Placing boys and their pricey toys on the mental shelf for a moment, let’s be honest: How many times have you yearned for that pair of designer shoes when you couldn’t really afford them? The ones with the black lace wrapped around the cream satin toes and the perfect heels – the ones that make your legs look long and luscious. They cost more than your rent and you know you can’t afford them, but as you slip them on your feet, the dialogue of desire begins:

Self: “I know I don’t have the money in my checking account and I need to pay rent with my next check. Hmm…I can put it on my credit card and I will stay vigilant and pay it off next month.”

“Enjoy your new shoes, Miss Smith, and thank you for shopping at Needless Markup!”

A month later, your credit card bill arrives and the warm fuzzy feeling of gorgeous kicks has turned into a full-blown bunion on your bank account. You find yourself crawling under the covers and praying to the gods above that somehow this week you will be the lucky lotto winner.

Women are earning more than ever, yet money is a topic of fear and discomfort for many of our sex. So if it’s any comfort, you’re not alone. (Although I wouldn’t get excited about this because collectively, we are part of a nation that has gotten ourselves into so much debt we’ve been downgraded from a triple A to a double A, and I’m not talking about cup size.)

It’s silliness to think women can’t budget, invest or manage their money as well as a man, but there are very real cultural factors affecting our gender when it comes to cash. As women, we are taught from early childhood to care for others and place ourselves last. Our natural instinct is to give everything we have away, leaving ourselves with nothing. In love, we give our whole heart away and any other organ we have if it means keeping a man. As mothers, we give our children every last morsel even if it means we starve to death. In life, we give away whatever we have as long as we fit in with the trendy crowd.

I counsel women frequently about money, especially in the wake of divorce, and the good news it’s not such a scary topic it’s been made out to be. Let’s talk about ways to avoid a financial disaster so we don’t have to move in together like Bea Arthur and Betty White in the Golden Girls.

If you are a married woman, I hope you stay in marital bliss forever, I do. But the facts don’t lie; up to half of you will end your marriage in divorce. Don’t shoot the messenger. I have interviewed hundreds of women who have gone through divorce and I can’t tell you how many times I have been told:

“I gave up my dream and went to work to support my husband while he finished school.”

The status quo won out, and these women trusted that their husbands would be the greater breadwinner. So, they put their hopes and dreams aside to build a life for their family. You see, we give, give, give. Nearly all of the women I have spoken to post-divorce have told me their financial situations are in dire straights. A woman is far more likely to live in poverty after a divorce than a man; despite expensive child support and alimony, most men eventually end up faring much better financially a few years out from a divorce than do women.

I pose this question to all of you, married (happily or not) or single:

“Why not prepare for war when at peace?”

The infamous Chinese General Sun Tzu famously said, “In peace prepare for war, in war prepare for peace. The art of war is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected.”

As a married woman, you are an executive in your family corporation and you should be involved in all financial decisions.

If your husband is running the financial side of the household ask him to teach you all about it. Assure him it’s not because you are planning an exit strategy, but rather, a lifelong family strategy that involves being financially responsible.

As a single lady, find ways to save money and put it aside. (This goes for married couples, too.)

Every time you get a paycheck make sure you pay yourself first. A good rule of thumb is to take out 10 percent of your paycheck and put it away. Find an investment services company that offers a money market account where you will accrue interest. Many of these companies offer free classes at their local branches on financial planning, stock trading, and more.

The importance of taking these steps is to release your anxiety about money and get to know it better.

We all have fear that we don’t have enough money and we constantly desire more of it. Either way, money is a scary proposition and we are basically at war with it daily. Sun Tzu is correct; war is a matter of life or death and the journey there is either to safety or to ruin. I choose safety, and therefore, my solution for anything that scares me, is to self-educate. Take online courses about financial planning or basic accounting or just read financial magazines. By taking these steps you will subconsciously become more aware of your money and you will have less fear attached to it. On a higher level, rather than resisting information about your finances (“I’ll just put it on my credit card”) practice non-resistance. Whenever I let go of anything that I am holding on to tightly it turns around and begins to flow to me with great ease. The Buddhist’s have a great way of describing this:

“The ocean waves come crashing upon the shore then silently returning to the sea. If you walk into the wave and resist the swell you will stay stuck in it until you tire out and perhaps die. However, if you let the wave carry you it will wash you ashore safely. Your emotions are like a wave, they come crashing in and then they flow out. However, if you resist the emotion you will hold on to it and it will not leave. You must allow yourself to feel it, observe it, and welcome it. Then, and only then will it wash out of you.”

Ultimately, there is only one person you should rely on to take care of you and your financial future…you. Do it consciously.

Be mentally present every time you spend a dollar. Embrace your fear of money (in fact, embrace all your fears and watch them melt away). Trust that you will always be adding to your abundance and through this practice you will create wealth not just monetarily but spiritually as well.

If you have a story to share or a question you would like addressed regarding your fear of money, please email us at: agismith@comcast.net.

Editor’s note: Agi Smith is a women’s advisor and author. Catch her articles about divorce, women and business, and learn more about her own personal story of triumph, at the Huffington Post.

Image: kevindooley, Kheel Center, sushi ina

The Friday Five, Vol. 22

Amy DuFault — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:03:47 +0000

A weekly roundup of EcoSalon’s top stories.

Anything But Shorts, Please is a fun look at a summer trend we simply cannot embrace unless hiking, biking or post surf: shorts. Instead, we give you a nice round-up of some great skirts that will love you for who you are and add a little more style when cruising about town.

EcoSalon Editor-in-Chief Sara Ost writes that DailyWorth is a “fuss-free, no-nonsense, wouldn’t-even-think-about-patronizing financial tips, guides and advice for women. From growing your savings, making your money work for you (instead of the credit card company), and ensuring you negotiate a pay raise on par with the guys, DailyWorth takes women and money seriously. Because we’ve come a long way, baby, and so have our bank accounts.” Don’t you owe it to yourself to know more about what your money can do? Read the article here to find out more.

Fast furniture retailers show no sign of slowing down, but the essence of slow furniture is something we can settle into. In Slow, Meet Furniture. Furniture, Meet Your Maker, Shelter Editor K. Emily Bond writes: “Like the slow food movement, the slow furniture movement is sweeping cities from Los Angeles to Toronto and is a reaction against mass-produced, cataloged, assemble-it-yourself, “disposable” furniture. Slower also denotes organic, as in the fabrication process is completed with human hands using sustainable materials. Slow food advocates seek a connection to the origin of each meal; slow furniture makers identify with their raw materials.”

You might have seen the headline, All We Are Saying Is Give Peas A Chance, and thought columnist Susan Goldberg was really into The Beatles – but no, she’s really into not tricking kids into eating veggies. Goldberg writes: “Besides the inherent ethical issues of deceiving one’s offspring, the problem with tricking children into eating vegetables is that they will grow up completely unaware that they have ever eaten or enjoyed a vegetable. If you steam, strain and puree spinach only to hide it in brownies, your kid will have no idea that he likes spinach – he will only know that he likes brownies. With childhood obesity at epidemic levels, do we really want to push more desserts on impressionable young people?”

In this week’s Sex By Numbers: Taking You For Granted, writer Abigail Wick encourages us to stop wasting time being so self-conscious and instead, live life to the fullest. She writes: “It’s this disproportionate focus on perceived lack that has really started to rub me the wrong way. Rather than celebrating their abundant gifts, there is a systematic zeroing-in on self-doubt. It frustrates me to see lovely, lovable female friends mired in such petty preoccupations. ‘Wake up!’ I want to scream. ‘Stop taking it for granted, stop thinking about yourself so much, stop this self-indulgence. Don’t wake up 30 years hence and rue the potential and pleasure you frittered away in a misery of your own making.’”

DailyWorth: Because We’re Worth It

Sara Ost — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:17:29 +0000

SponsoredA fresh (and free) financial service for women delivers no-nonsense tips and advice.

Money. Women are earning more than ever, yet when it comes to finance, many of us aren’t quite as savvy as we could be. Consumer culture is epitomized in women’s glossies. We’re taught to spend, spend, spend – and told we don’t know how to save, save, save. A life that’s both sustainable and stylish: right. Saving for that trip to Paris – that’s going to happen how? Working an eco-friendly wardrobe, forking it over for a Prius, and shoring up that nest egg Suze Orman has drilled into our brains that we must have? Even the most cash-flush could use a tip or two.

And while it’s more societal stereotype than truth that women aren’t as skilled in managing their money as men (boys do like their toys), talking about money is uncomfortable. We’d just as soon hear our moms talk about their sex lives. We dish with our girlfriends about divorce, dating, kids, husbands, friends, our periods, or moods, our careers, our bosses, our up-to-the-minute status reports of our latest gray hair, yet money is often a topic that induces awkward silences and coughs for another round of cocktails.

Enter DailyWorth. Fuss-free, no-nonsense, wouldn’t-even-think-about-patronizing financial tips, guides and advice for women. From growing your savings, making your money work for you (instead of the credit card company), and ensuring you negotiate a pay raise on par with the guys, DailyWorth takes women and money seriously. Because we’ve come a long way, baby, and so have our bank accounts.

At EcoSalon we explore the conscious approach in every facet of life, from health and food to sex and living to style and design. We may come from a place of holistic green values, but it’s the other green – money – that still makes the world go round. It’s time we all start talking about it. No woman, whether designer or barista, architect or attorney, should feel she isn’t in charge of her finances. That’s why we like DailyWorth and are happy to feature them for you (Alicia Silverstone over at The Kind Life likes them, too).

Subscription is free, so we encourage you to try DailyWorth today! Delivered daily to your inbox, with just the right amount of kick in the pants.

Daily Worth: Know Your Worth.

Editor’s note: This is a sponsored post. We are sharing this service with you because we believe it is a valuable offering for you, our readers. Feel free to send us feedback about this and any sponsored post to editor@ecosalon.com.

11 Ways to Save at the Pump

Andrea Newell — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:56:54 +0000

Tips for saving money on gas.

Gas prices are going up, again, and they might not be going down anytime soon. In the short term it’s painful, but in the long term, it may well be a useful reality check. High prices serve as a good motivator for all of us to be mindful of fuel conservation and reduce our own carbon emissions, saving money while we’re at it. Here are 11 ways you can conserve gas on the road, at home, and while you play.

Beware of public transportation. If you have a good public transportation system, by all means, use it. However, the good news is – more people will be using it. The bad news is – more people will be using it. State and federal budgets have been taking a beating, so that means that public transportation systems have had their share of cuts. The American Public Transportation Association has warned Congress that transportation systems could be overloaded if gas prices continue to rise. More funds for public transportation systems are more important now than ever, so start writing your politicians. In the interim, carpooling is another good option, and it goes without saying, drive a car with the best gas mileage that suits your budget and your needs.

Make friends with a mechanic. For those who do not have a public transportation system, no good bike path system, and have to drive – the first step is to make sure your car is in good condition. Correct tire pressure, clean air filters, wheel alignment and good general car maintenance will optimize your gas mileage.

Lose some weight. Get rid of any excess items you are carrying around in your vehicle. Extra weight makes your car work harder and use more gas. Also lose the sports racks, luggage boxes, and any other accessory that creates drag on your car when you aren’t using them.

Learn to (eco)drive. Back to driver’s education class, everyone. Give up your jackrabbit starts, quick braking, variable speeds, and just plain speeding. Embrace the posted speed limit, use cruise control whenever possible, and choose routes that have fewer stops and starts even if they are a little longer distance.

Wear deodorant. Lots of it. Summer is coming, and with it hot temperatures. While late model cars are pretty efficient, running your air conditioning can consume up to 20% more gas, so use the 4-40 rule. When driving under 40 m.p.h, roll down your (four) windows and feel the breeze. Driving over 40 m.p.h. increases the drag on your car (negating any benefit from not using your air conditioning), so roll the windows up and use your air conditioning sparingly. If you really want to avoid any impact on your fuel efficiency, drive with the windows up, the air conditioning off, and use your air vents.

Hone your time management skills. Condense all your errands into one trip on one day, instead of going out multiple days. Also, buy your gas in the early mornings or evenings when it’s cooler. Cooler gas is denser, so you get more for your money (the pump only measures volume).

Cut off ties to activities more than 10 miles away. Find things to do nearby instead. Ones that you can walk or bike to are even better. Learn to love your neighborhood and your town.

Vote for your town to build more bike paths. As much as we need better and extended public transportation, a plan to build more bike paths is a good idea in the long-term, too. Biking or walking is healthier and does more to alleviate carbon emissions than even taking public transportation. Currently, in many places, biking is simply too dangerous to be a good method of transportation. Wider road shoulders and sidewalks, paved bike trails and a refresher course of road rules regarding right-of-way for bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers are all good ideas.

Let your grass grow. Buck the neighborhood association rules and consider some natural landscaping. If you must have a manicured lawn, take stock of your power tool inventory. Before you get out your power mower, leaf blower, edger, and other gas-driven yard implements, consider replacing them with manual tools. Buy a push mower and use hand clippers, a rake, and a manual edger and you can get a workout, have a beautiful yard, save on gas and lower emissions.

Don’t go into the office. If your work permits it and your boss can be persuaded, work from home when you can.

Rethink your recreation. Gas-powered boats, jet-skis, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, and recreational vehicles are all popular forms of entertainment, but it might be time to change how we spend our free time and look for non-gas-powered alternatives. Some of those weekend activities could become prohibitively expensive this summer.

image: Don Hankins

The Goldberg Variations: The Upside of a Down Economy

Susan Goldberg — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 18:01:12 +0000

It has come to my attention that the current economic downturn has resulted in a reduction of global warming gases in the United States. The recession has led to a smaller economy and less energy consumption, which, in turn, has led to cleaner air.

This is good news to be sure, but I don’t know how much enthusiasm I can work up for it. “Silver linings” are tricky things, and there is sometimes little comfort to be had when a benefit results from a massively gloomy situation. If I found out that I had only weeks to live, my reaction would not be “Well, at least I don’t have to hear another word about those damn Kardashians,” although that is certainly the bright side of a tragic and untimely death. Similarly, clean air is nice, but can it really make us care less about worldwide financial ruin? I don’t know the answer to that, but in the spirit of glasses being half full, I offer this list of dubious advantages to a really bad economy.

Pleading poverty is the new get-out-of-jail-free card. Don’t feel like wasting an entire afternoon antiquing with the ladies? Don’t want to go to a fancy restaurant with the most boring couple you’ve ever known? Claiming you can’t afford it is the new way to get out of everything. And no one will dare try to talk you out of it.
Everything is on sale. Seriously. From cashmere sweaters to cocaine, from condos to Caribbean vacations, everything can be had at a discount.
The general public has caught up with me and now people everywhere distrust the fashion industry. I am no longer alone in feeling that there isn’t a sheath dress on earth worth $1,700. As more and more women are forced to keep wearing the clothes they purchased in 2007, they are disinclined to slavishly follow style makers who decree that the new fashion “must haves” are bolero jackets, harem pants, and anything chartreuse.
Comfort food has made a comeback. Belt-tightening has brought depression-era food back in style as consumers lose their taste for extravagantly whimsical restaurant dishes. Fewer and fewer eateries feature main courses that ascend 12-inches into the air, the main components of which are jicama, white truffles, and beef cheeks. Restaurants that want to stay in business have begun re-thinking the appeal of $22.00 appetizers, opting instead for meatloaf, fried chicken and artisanal ring dings.
In related news: Maitre d’s and hostesses in fine restaurants have become noticeably more polite. Gone are the days when restaurants had unlisted telephone numbers and bad-tempered models worked the reservation desk. Eating out is still expensive, but it is now possible to dine in nice restaurants without sleeping with or giving birth to the chef.
Due to the obscene expense of taxis, it is far easier to hail a cab in Manhattan. Conversely, it is next to impossible to find a seat on the cross-town bus.
Plumbers, electricians and painters who would not return your phone calls five years ago now send out holiday greeting cards and call to solicit your business.
The recession has put a significant and well-documented strain on relationships. On the bright side, it has also raised the value of gold. So your marriage may be breaking up, but you will probably get a really good price if you have to sell your wedding ring for scrap metal.
In order to make themselves more marketable, and better able to find jobs in a down economy, young people are getting their tattoos removed – as mothers everywhere rejoice.

Editor’s Note: Susan Goldberg is a slightly lapsed treehugger. Although known to overuse paper products, she has the best of intentions – and a really small SUV. Catch her column, The Goldberg Variations, each week here at EcoSalon.

Image: marysecasol.com

Broke? 20 Fun Things to Do Without Spending a Dime

Sarah Irani — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 19:35:22 +0000

The best things in life are…actually, yes, they are free. At least, creativity is free. It’s only in recent times that recreation and entertainment has been sold to us for a very high price. But do you really want to spend $30 for a movie and popcorn with a friend? Nah, you can do better – especially if you’re trying to save money these days, like most of us. Check out these ideas and step outside of the expensive, prepackaged entertainment box.

Guerrilla Gardening

Try your hand at guerrilla gardening. You know that boring patch of grass on the corner? I’m sure no one would mind if you sneaked in some sunflowers or a bunch of marigolds. Guerrilla gardening is an underground urban movement to take back the little green spaces most people ignore. Beautify your neighborhood, on the sly.

The Outdoors

Hiking, biking or walking in a local natural area or park. Yes, this is obvious, but sometimes we forget how free and easy some of the best pleasures are!

Concerts

Keep your eyes peeled for free concert and theater-in-the-park series starting in late spring and summer.

Urban Foraging

Take up urban foraging. Who doesn’t like free food? Learn about wild, regional edible plants or befriend a neighbor with an overloaded fruit tree going to waste. Augment your diet with fresh, free foods!

Sex

Have a partner? Have sex. Nature’s foremost free fun activity – get creative with it! (Getting busy is certainly one of our favorite healthy recommendations.)

Picnic

Take your honey or some friends on a good, old-fashioned picnic.

Trade Entertainment

Scour your books, CD’s and DVD’s for those items you just no longer need and trade them in for credit at a local used CD or bookstore. Spend the afternoon browsing for new reads and new tunes you’d never find otherwise. If there’s no used media store in your area, try a website like SwapTree or Title Trader.

Stargazing

Spend a night stargazing. Find star maps online or in the library, then scout out the darkest part of town and learn the constellations. Watch as they change through the seasons. Bring a romantic partner for extra motivation.

Podcasts

Explore the vast world of podcasts. I myself am a podcast addict, loving to enrich my mind with interviews and alternative news. You can find storytelling and comedy podcasts too if you prefer something a little lighter, or podcasts featuring music you’d never hear on the radio.

Volunteer

Try volunteering. I know, I know, this is not what people usually think of for fun, but my husband has shown me otherwise. He regularly volunteers for behind-the-scenes help at music festivals and expo’s, which means he meets lots of great people and attends the event for free. I’ve done it with him and I have to admit, it’s more fun than simply buying a ticket and being part of the audience.

Craigslist (and more)

Check out your local Craig’s List free section or Freecycle. This is a fun way to pick up free things you need, and maybe some fun items you can redecorate or make art with. Surprising things have been known to turn up…I’ve seen soap-making kits, antique roll-top desks and even a hot tub! It’s definitely worth a spin.

Clothing Swap

Call your friends and organize a clothing swap party. Tell them to bring all the clothing, shoes and accessories that no longer suit them (or fit them) and spend an evening hanging out and shopping for free.

Garage Sale

Have a yard sale. You know you have lots of stuff you could do well to pass along, and make a little extra cash while you’re at it. If the weather is still too cold where you live, start putting things aside now and you’ll be ready for yard sale season.

The Library

Make use of the public library. This has been one of my favorite free things since I was a kid. I mean, c’mon, books, movies, music – all for free!?! Depending on how extensive your local library system is, you will have an amazing amount of resources at your fingertips. Your taxes already paid for it, might as well take advantage.

Potluck

Host a potluck. Humans are social animals, and we all love to eat. Food is a great icebreaker.

Get Creative

Pull out a sketchbook and draw. If you’ve got colored pencils or watercolors, play around with those, too. Looking at something deeply enough to draw it can be a powerful exercise in perception – and recognizing beauty in surprising places.

Nature Knowledge

Get a regional plant identification guide (from the library, of course) and make a point of learning the names of the trees and plants in your area. It’s even more satisfying if you bring a sketchbook along and create your own personal botanical book.

Send a Note

Make homemade greeting cards for upcoming holidays and birthdays. You can use fabric scraps, magazine cut-outs and odd bits of beautiful paper. People love to receive snail mail.

Get Fit

Develop a workout routine that you can do without equipment (or minimal things you might already have, like a jump rope or dumbbells) and then do it! It’s most fun if you find a sweet spot outside, with the fresh air and shade under a tree. Need workout ideas? Here’s a place to start.

Write

Start keeping a journal. If you don’t like to write, don’t be dismayed. One of my favorite journalers simply does one small watercolor painting per day, and that’s all she needs to record the progress of her life. If you’re a crafty DIYer, you can easily make a journal yourself with simply things you have around the house.

Is that enough to get you started? What do you do for dollar-free fun?

Each week here at EcoSalon, the editors choose a post from the archives that we think you’ll love. The original post can be found here.

Images: Mr. Theklan, tanakawho, kandjstudio, orangeacid, sun dazed, davidChief, bensonkua, Phing., poplinre, Emuishere Peliculas, Dave Bezair, acloudman, mmadden, qnr, telmo32, Choctopus, kennymatic, faunng, peregrineblue, laurenatclemson’s, ghedo, peregrineblue

Women Want Rich Husbands To Support Them: Oh Really?

Katherine Butler — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 22:52:12 +0000

The other night, I accidentally fell on my remote control and Millionaire Matchmaker came on. You know, when one minute you’re reading War and Peace, and the next you’re watching Patti Stanger scream at single people in New York City. And so, I was treated to a date between Robin, a successful “millionaire-ess” and Luke, a plumber. Robin, who seemed drunk since birth, promised Luke a Maserati and a Ducati. Luke promised to act like a complete ass. They didn’t live happily ever after.

Patti Stanger, our millionaire matchmaker, promises true love to rich men and women. And while most of her clients are men, she does feature the occasional woman who is inevitably instructed to feminize her actions and appearance in order to catch a dude. This seems, of course, archaic. But despite seemingly outdated notions, Stanger is a reality hit and an unlikely feminist – simply for being an equal-opportunity offender at the top of her profession. She is, essentially, a CEO of ball-busting – and if her client doesn’t actually have a pair of balls, all the better.

So when a recent headline trumpeted “Women Want Rich Husbands, Not Careers” from the Daily Mail, I thought Ms. Stanger was up to more shenanigans. But this time, it wasn’t a reality TV personality making this claim but Catherine Hakim of the London School of Economics. According to Dr. Hakim, in a recent report published by the Centre for Policy Studies Think Tank, “Despite years of equality campaigning, more women are choosing to marry wealthy men than in the 1940s.”

Then Dr. Hakim blames feminists for our gender confusion. Via the Daily Mail, Dr. Hakim claims “Women today have more choices than men, including real choices between a focus on family work and/or paid employment. Despite this, many politicians and feminists appear disappointed with the slow pace of change in women’s attainment of top jobs.” In other words, women aren’t on top in the business world because they don’t want to be.

What kind of harm can a report like this do? It will likely enforce sexist beliefs already in place while making everyone else feel vaguely defensive and angry. But really, it should just be brushed off as another lame attempt to lump people of the same gender into black and white slots. Yes, some women want their husbands to support them financially. Most of the time, it’s because they are doing the unpaid hard work of raising children. And by that same token, some men are equally happy being supported by their wives. Clearly, to some, these people represent stark representations of their gender. So let’s just call it a day on the fight for equality, shall we?

As a recently-married woman, I wish I could sit back and let my husband take care of the bills. But I have what Dr. Hakim would probably deem the unfeminine need to earn my keep. I want to work and I thank my feminist foremothers for creating a society that lets me do so.

The good news? Controversy courts consideration, and women’s roles are always worth discussing. Certainly, there’s a lot to talk about. If you stay at home with your spouse supporting you, you may feel the need to defend it. If you work while someone else watches your kids, you may feel the need to defend it. If you choose not to have kids, you may feel the need to defend it. Now if only there was a study on how sick women are of defending their life’s choices.

Image Courtesy of Bravo

Which Do You Value More: Time or Money?

Luanne Bradley — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 18:08:34 +0000

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? was the haunting battle cry of the last great depression. These days, many of us are begging for something even more elusive: time. Please, mister, just give me an extra hour to squeeze in a run or a massage, a free weekend to go camping rather than paying bills and scrubbing the bathroom tiles.

Increasing research proves we are struggling in this time warp and are decidedly more stressed over time losses than wage losses or the exorbitant price of things. If it is a given that we value minutes over moolah, than what can we do to conquer the clock?

For one thing, it is clear many workers don’t bother taking the vacation days they have earned at work, according to a somewhat self-serving Westin Hotel survey. It found that while nearly 70 percent of those questioned feel revived after a break, a whopping 75 percent of us are too busy keeping up the pace to actually de-stress on a vacation. It was clear that a bulk of those who keep working rather than beaching or camping are fearful about job security (ah yes, the American way!) and at least 30 percent of those who do manage to take off check in with work every day.

One reason for working through earned time is that we have the least paid vacation days of any nation, which makes taking off even harder in a recession. Americans are afforded just 13 paid days on the average, compared with 42 days in Italy, 37 in France and 35 in Germany. Even if you take those paid golf days (as our president did), they usually don’t amount to many hours goofing off and having fun or just feeling your life. We all know how necessary this is for recuperating from the stress and strain of working and managing our lives.

Professional women often face a double whammy of keeping things up both at work and at home, believing they have no time to escape from either job. Studies continually show these demands are not imagined but rather expected of them. Working women who work from home become exhausted from the multi-tasking while commuters who don’t opt for public transit are often running on empty.

Shelling out $15 an hour for a house cleaner or babysitter could eat up too much of the income needed for the mortgage, medical insurance (it keeps going up, Mr. President), school-related expenses and other money-sucking priorities. Meanwhile, these women are prone to play housemaid on Saturdays, catching up on laundry and paperwork that falls behind during the busy workweek.

As the most overworked country in the world, it is hard to strike a balance. Even during a recession when have been tossed to the unemployment lines, we are forced to spend free time still caring for children or searching for work. The ego often prevents professional men from lazing on hammocks. Some even continue to dress the part as they search for new work online a home or coffee shops. Despite the fact that taking a breather is often the most beneficial way to gain new momentum, it can be humiliating to appear as if you have nothing to do.

While many Americans say a good income can improve their lives, few find it can buy happiness. People keep busy 24/7 – so busy they often forget to laugh and have fun, or waiting for that free moment when chores are done to reward themselves. Many of us also stress about using time to catch up on our connections, email or Facebook, and the time we needed to restore ourselves gets eaten quickly, according to Zenhabits, which compiled useful list of 20 ways to reclaim your time. One is to make a short list of four to five things you love to do and to actually make room for them. Another is to learn to say “NO”.

An important thing to remember is not to be so stressed over your time management that you lose sleep over it, since sleep is also vital for the body to rest and for the brain to repair cellular damage and absorb nutrients. If you get a free moment, you are better off with a nap than a coffee break. Sleep deprivation resulting from stress, or relaxing in front of the tube rather than socializing or enjoying music, just aggravates the sense of loss, experts say. And then you go around not only being time strapped, but as a cranky time strapped zombie.

Perhaps the goal is not to save up on time, like we try but fail to save up on money, but to spend it the right way. The bathroom tiles can wait. Your health and happiness cannot.

Image: merfam