Donna Freedman

The opposite of obligation.

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imagesEver seen the Pixar film “Up”? In the how-Carl-and-Ellie-met montage is a moment when the two of them sit side by side, reading and holding hands.

That was DF and me on Sunday, reading and hand-holding in adjoining easy chairs. For him it was “Mozart in the Jungle” and for me it was one of the “Anne of Green Gables” books. (I’d never read the series as a kid and recently I found several titles in the recycle bin.)

It was so nice to see DF rooted for a while. Usually he’s in constant motion: cooking, working in the yard or garden, hanging out laundry, tidying up. Even when he sits still he’s often working: paying bills, balancing his checkbook, dealing with his father’s estate. Yet there he was, reading a non-work-related book and smiling.

And me? The day before I’d written a post for Surviving and Thriving and finished my Monday post for MSN Money. Thus I felt temporarily free to follow the adventures of Anne Shirley, even though unread personal finance books are currently stacked eyebrow-high on the desk.

For the first time in who knows when, we were observing a Sabbath. I don’t mean that in a strictly religious sense, but as a day of rest. A chance to recharge. A dozen hours of peace. The opposite of obligation.

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Swagcode alert! (Three-fifths of the way done.)

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Good morning, everyone. (It’s way too early to be a great morning, i.e., it’s still 5 a.m. in Alaska.) You’ve got just under an hour to snare five Swagbucks. From now until 7 a.m. Pacific, go to the Swagbucks site and enter the code Shop4School. This case-sensitive code is good in all Swagbucks-playin’ countries except … Read more

9 cheap (and non-toxic!) “convenience” foods.

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groceriesNobody ever went broke underestimating consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for convenience. Spending extra to get on the plane before everyone else.

Picking up milk and bread at the 7-Eleven to dodge the supermarket hordes. Ordering takeout because they’re too tired to cook. Buying a one-ounce “toddler pack” of Cheerios to carry in the diaper bag.

Really? That grab-and-go pack of cereal works out to as much as $27.50 a pound! Fill up your own container, already.

Convenience food does have its place, especially if a $5.99 rotisserie chicken keeps you from ordering $40 worth of Thai food. (Or if ordering a strategic pizza allows you to spend time with family and/or taking better care of yourself.)

But if you keep certain frugal convenience foods on hand, you won’t have to resort to takeout as often (if ever).

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Swagcode alert! (The second of five.)

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card129You’ve got about two hours to earn five easy Swagbucks points. From now until 2 p.m. Pacific, go to the Swagbucks site and enter the code SchoolStarts.

This case-sensitive code is good in all countries where Swagbucks is offered.

Not sure what I’m talking about? You can get the basics by reading “Swagcode alert! (And four more to come.).” Feel free to click on the link in that article to join the program. (Note: If you do, I will receive a referral bonus. If you don’t want to do that, then just go to www.swagbucks.com and sign up that way.)

Short form: Swagbucks is a simple-to-use rewards site that lets you cash in for products, gift cards or even PayPal payments.

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A little piece of SaveUp ’13, just for you.

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65293My trip to the SaveUp ’13 conference has come and gone, and quickly. I left Anchorage on the evening of Wednesday, July 31 and arrived at the Orlando World Center Marriott late Thursday morning.

There followed a whirlwind of sessions and discussions about coupons, SEO, plug-ins, apps, readership, blogging tips and the like. Food, too — really good food. I just don’t make things like wild mushroom risotto or miniature pineapple cakes often enough.

And oh, the fresh pineapple, melons and other fruits available at every meal – most Alaskans never get their fill of strawberries, but I sure came close.

The fun was fleeting, though. An airport shuttle picked me up at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Two less-than-comfortable flights later and DF was bundling me and my bag into his aging Subaru.

Speaking of bags: That’s this week’s giveaway. 

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Herding trolls.

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thYesterday was a Suzy Homemaker* day for me: I made deviled eggs, a batch of soft oat rolls and some oatmeal cookies, then invited my niece and her kids over for a round of Café Awesome. After that we went out to glean feral raspberries.

During the day I also put up the first of those Swagbucks “Five for Five” promotional posts and wrote and scheduled the other four. I arranged for a couple of interviews, did some research for next week’s articles, rounded up and washed jam jars, and made a huge batch of raspberry-rhubarb jam.

(Note to self: Nine cups of rhubarb means lots of chopping. Find an easier recipe.)

However, I also made the mistake of visiting the comments section of “How to make a quick $50,” that day’s MSN Money post. Suffice it to say that the process sucked far too much time out of my day.

DF sympathized when he got home: “Herding trolls again?

 

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Swagcode alert! (And four more to come.)

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card129The Swagbucks rewards site has a “Five for Five” promotion going on starting, well, right now. Before I explain, let me give you the first code:

Zoom over to Swagbucks and enter the code BloggerTips, which is good from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Pacific today. The case-sensitive code is valid in the United States, Australia and Canada.

Go ahead. I’ll wait. But then come back to find out what a “Five for Five” promotion is.

Now that you’re back, here’s the scoop: Swagbucks has asked bloggers to put out posts touting the latest code. I’ll be doing this four more times between Friday, Aug. 9 and Saturday, Aug. 17. Each code is worth five points. (Hence, “Five for Five.”)

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Entering the giveaways? Check your e-mail!

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imageLast week’s giveaway — a trio of Ray Troll magnets — went begging twice. The first reader whose name I pulled did not claim the prize, even though she had more than the usual 24 hours in which to do so. (I got too busy to check my e-mail.)

The second name I pulled? Also a non-responder.

The third time was the charm for a reader named Jenzer, who turned out to be an excellent match: Some years back she’d given a Ray Troll T-shirt, “Bass Ackwards,” to her dad, an avid angler. So glad the magnets went to a good home.

This short, semi-chiding post is a reminder: If you enter, why not check to see if you’ve won?

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Giveaway: Clark Howard’s new book.

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9781583335253LConsumer king Clark Howard has followed up his New York Times bestseller “Living Large in Lean Times” with another one that’s sure to be a hit. I know this because I’ve read it: Clark has donated two copies for review and/or giveaway.

Review first, giveaway after.

The format of “Clark Howard’s Living Large for the Long Haul” is quite smart: Interview 50 U.S. residents who were body-slammed by the recession and find out how they coped.

This is both shrewd and reader-friendly. Too often personal finance books and articles use people as bad examples: “John Smith had 24 credit cards. For years he was up to his hairline in consumer debt, and ultimately declared bankruptcy. Now his credit score is in the crapper, he can’t get a decent auto loan rate and landlords don’t want to rent to him. John is an idiot. Don’t be like John.”

It’s not that object lessons are bad. It’s that sometimes they’re a little too close to the reader’s own behavior. The temptation is to shut down, i.e., to be unable to learn anything from the example, or to pretend you’re nothing like John (“Yeah, I have a dozen cards but at least I don’t have two dozen – and I’m making the minimum payments on time so everything’s cool.”)

Clark’s premise is swell and once again he’s packed the pages with sometimes obscure and always ingenious tips. It’s a terrific resource, and one that I plan to keep on my own bookshelf along with his previous book.

That said, there’s something else to say: Clark, if you’re reading this, get yourself an editor, son. Please.

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