Here is the most ridiculous article I have ever read about steps one family took in order to save money. It was written by Tal Baldo, posted on a Yahoo website concerning financial management. I do not know what world they live in - however - could it be possible that they just charge everything - then when they get way in over their heads they can just go bankrupt and let the rest of American citizens foot the bill?
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/First-Person-How-We-Planning-ac-2944943859.html?x=0
I copied and pasted the article:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/First-Person-How-We-Planning-ac-2944943859.html?x=0
I copied and pasted the article:
First Person: How We're Planning to Save More Than $12,000 This Summer
Tal Boldo, On Wednesday May 11, 2011, 12:40 pm EDT
*Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Do you have a personal finance story that you'd like to share? Sign up with the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own finance articles.
How do you explain to your kid that he can't have a summer vacation because of inflation? Instead, my family and I looked for meaningful ways to save on our summer activities. By doing some of the work ourselves, looking at money more rationally, and committing to stuff, not fluff, we plan to save $12,975 in summer 2011.
Summer entertaining
Garden parties, barbecues, and family reunions make summer special. To keep our menus rich while saving money, my sister and I agreed to serve ground beef instead of steak at all 10 of our family get-togethers. In this way, we plan to spend $1.50 per person on meat instead of $15, for total savings of $1,350 this summer.
Summer vacation
To save on airfare and rising fuel prices, we searched the Internet for a local venue that would make a good vacation site. We chose Mount Baker, located 30 minutes from our home. We plan to pitch a tent, camp for a week, fish, hike, play guitar, and listen to audio books by the campfire. Instead of our usual $5,000 vacation allowance, we plan to spend $400, thus saving $4,600.
Painting the house
Every year we hire student painters to refresh the exterior paint to keep our home looking pristine and to protect the wood siding. Our neighbors, on the other hand, paint their homes every five years. To save money this summer, we've decided to paint the trim around the windows and doors only and to do the work ourselves. That will save us $1,500 this summer.
Garden landscaping
In summer, we typically hire an arborist to trim our trees, spray them against parasites, and feed the roots. We also hire landscapers to edge the lawn, mulch the yard, and plant perennials. This year we plan to do the work ourselves and to borrow tools from our neighbors. We also intend to mulch the flowerbeds and give up on perennials. In this way, we intend to save $625.
Summer clothing
Every year we shop for clothes by inspiration, walking through the mall and picking out a new bathing suit, dress, T-shirt. This year, we will each get a small summer-clothing budget, which will force us to shop at outlets or secondhand stores. This step will help us save $1,400.
Summer remodeling
Because of dropping home values, this year we will not go ahead with the deck remodel we were planning. Instead, we will patch the old wood with wood putty and prime and will paint it once more to protect against water damage. In this way, we will save $3,500.
If a good majority of Americans had this amount of money to waste than our country would not be in the financial mess that it's in. I feel that Tal Baldo is out of touch with reality - at least with what's real with the average American. Just my opinion. oxoxoxm
