My father was an entrepreneur. He was always starting businesses. He was always selling things.
When I was very young he operated Steve’s Lawnmowing Service. He also sold World’s Finest Chocolate. He carried boxes of chocolate bars with him to church, and sold them after Sunday School. I remember standing on the church lawn, waiting while Dad joked and told stories and sold candy.
He tried lots of other things, too: he was a flight instructor, he sold Shaklee, he raised nursery stock. He read personal finance books. (The Richest Man in Babylon was one of his favorites.)
Dad’s first real entrepreneurial success came with Harvest Mills, which he started in the mid-seventies. He built a wheat grinder from scratch. He liked it so much that he decided to sell them. He developed a system for manufacturing them in a production line. Then, further capitalizing on the health-food craze, he developed the Little Harvey food dryer. These sold well, and soon he had purchased one of the first plots of land in a new industrial park. Harvest Mills was a success.
Dad sold the business in the late-seventies for a large sum of money. For reasons that are no longer clear to me, he never saw full payment for the business. (My memory is this: he sold Harvest Mills for $300,000 payable in ten yearly installments, but the buyer went bankrupt and somehow only one payment was made. Dad, who always had poor personal finance skills, squandered what money he had been paid on airplanes and sailboats, his expensive toys.)
The next six or seven years were tense. The economic outlook in the early eighties was poor. Dad moved from one sales position to another: selling staples, selling industrial supplies, selling boxes. He started other businesses: an accounting service (with software that he wrote in Microsoft Basic on an Apple II), a nursery (again), a wood stove manufacturer. These all failed.
On his fortieth birthday — 31 July 1985 — Dad left his job as a box salesman and founded what would become his greatest success: Custom Box Service. He worked night and day to create a business that could exploit a marketplace niche. He sold the boxes. He designed the boxes. He made the boxes. He delivered the boxes. He did the accounting. He lived and breathed boxes for a decade. One-by-one his three boys came to work for him.
Dad died ten days before the business’s tenth anniversary, ten days before he would have turned fifty years old. Cancer ate his body, consumed his will. He left behind an unconventional inheritance: no money to speak of, but a growing, thriving business.
For the past eleven years, his children (and a nephew) have kept this business running. It now sells well over a million dollars a year. But none of us are entrepreneurs. We don’t have that spark. Sometimes I sense a glimmer of it inside myself, but in order to prosper as an entrepreneur, you need chase a dream that you believe in one-hundred percent. Boxes are not my dream.
When I was a boy, Dad tried to foster my entrepreneurial spirit. He encouraged me to sell seeds from a magazine, but I was too shy to knock on doors. I also failed at selling greeting cards. He tried to teach me to peel chittum bark that could be sold to god-knows-where for use as a natural laxative. (He had done this himself to earn money as a boy.)
Sometimes, if I were personally vested in the enterprise, I relished buying and selling things. In fourth grade, in order to generate money for new comic books, I took my old comics to school and sold them. I took my Star Wars trading cards and repackaged the doubles, selling each thick bundle for twenty-five cents each. I sold my old Hardy Boys books to buy new ones.
Now, for the first time in twenty years, I’m beginning to feel a bit of the entrepreneurial spirit. I have an idea, a plan, a vision.
I am now ready to become an entrepreneur, too.
Thanks, Dad.
Stephen E. Roth 31 July 1945 – 21 July 1995
This is how I like to remember Dad: busting a gut over something.
Featured image credit: Howard Nourmand courtesy of Nourmand & Associates
A home is a symbol of status.
That sentence rings true whether you live in New York or Beijing, Vancouver or Madrid, Prague or Mumbai. But nowhere is the competition to stand out quite as fierce as Los Angeles, where million-dollar homes go to extreme lengths to appeal to potential buyers.
In what seems like an endless parade of upscale amenities, sprawling floorplans, and lavish interiors, the luxury segment of L.A.’s already competitive real estate market is constantly adapting to the changing needs (and growing expectations) of buyers in this price range.
But in a city that’s rife with new builds, there’s an undisputed appeal for homes with a bit of history — and a design that’s guaranteed to withstand the passage of time.
Paul Williams homes are hot commodities in L.A.
Out of the many architects that left their mark on the City of Angels, one name stands out: that of Paul Revere Williams, one of the most prolific and accomplished architects in recent history.
With his wide range of architectural styles — from traditional colonials to casual ranch-style to midcentury modern marvels — Williams left his mark on the city’s most glamorous and exclusive enclaves, including Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air and the Hollywood Hills.
He designed or revamped close to 3,000 buildings starting in the 1920s all the way through the 1970s, and rose to fame as the go-to architect of California celebs and business magnates alike.
Paul Williams counted Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, William “Bojangles” Robinson and other entertainers among his high-powered clientele.
But beyond his flashy role as ‘The Architect of Hollywood”, Paul Williams built countless homes whose owners have not been immortalized on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. And these homes, with their timeless design and quality of build, continue to attract buyers in droves.
“Paul Williams’ homes are hot commodities in LA. His classic style and long-standing career designing for LA’s most storied legends make him one of city’s most celebrated architects. Owning a Williams home is owning a one-of-a-kind, classic home that has stood the test of time.”
Michael Nourmand – President, Nourmand & Associates
SEE ALSO: The Chemosphere House and 6 other striking John Lautner-designed homes
And he should know. Michael’s company, Nourmand & Associates, a leading real estate brokerage in the Los Angeles area, sold three Paul Williams-designed homes in 2021 alone — one more charming than the other.
“It’s an honor for myself and Nourmand agents to have represented both buyer and seller in the most recent Paul Williams listings.”
Most recently, Nourmand & Associates closed on the $11.5 million sale of Villa Andalusia (pictured above), a 1931-built Italianate Pallazo that’s touted as one of the finest properties in Los Feliz. Konstantine Valissarakos represented the buyer in the transaction.
The sale followed two other noteworthy transactions closed by Michael Nourmand himself; the first, a picture-perfect family home that traded for $8.75 million, and the other an exceptionally well-crafted Beverly Hills home that commanded a $5.198 million sale price. For the latter, Michael Nourmand held the listing alongside Adam Sires, with another Nourmand & Associates agent, Jill Epstein, representing the buyer.
And these million-dollar sales are by no means outliers.
In early 2021, a Brentwood manor Paul Williams built back in the 1930s for opera singer-actress Grace Moore and her husband, Spanish actor Valentín Parera (later occupied by legendary actor Tyrone Power) sold for $10.1 million to veteran CAA agent Josh Lieberman.
Prolific celebrity house flippers Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have also just closed on a Paul Williams-designed home in Beverly Hills Post Office. According to the Los Angeles Times, the couple paid $8.5 million for the pristine mid-century home that’s tucked in the gated enclave of Hidden Valley Estates.
But beyond the visual and structural appeal of the homes the lauded architect left behind, there’s a much more complex legacy.
The legacy of Paul R. Williams
While he’s widely remembered as “the architect of Hollywood” and a top choice among the stars of his time, Williams’ repertoire is vast in both style and quantity, creating some 3,000 buildings before his death in 1980.
A 2012 NPR profile chronicling his work crowned him as “the trailblazing architect that helped shape L.A.” Beyond the residential projects he worked on, Williams didn’t shy away from tackling ambitious public and commercial buildings.
He helped design iconic structures like the Los Angeles County Courthouse, the historic Spanish-colonial style YMCA building in downtown LA, and even parts of Los Angeles International Airport.
He was part of the LAX planning and design team, working on some of the most well-known commercial and municipal projects, including the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Building, Hillside Memorial Park, Westwood Medical Center, and the First AME Church.
Because of his varied portfolio, you might even recognize his handwriting: it’s prominently plastered on the façade of the Beverly Hills Hotel (which he didn’t build, but expanded and renovated throughout the years).
But Paul Williams’ legacy extends beyond the structures he helped build.
He was the first African American architect to become a member of the American Institute of Architects in 1923, and later, in 1957, he was inducted as the AIA’s first black fellow.
Despite the deep prejudice and racism he faced, Williams masterfully navigated the business and social circles of the day.
The LA Conservancy reports that he even learned to draw upside down in order to sketch for clients from across the table — for the benefit of any white clients who might have been uneasy sitting next to an African American.
Williams famously remarked upon the bitter irony of the fact that most of the homes he designed, and whose construction he oversaw, were on parcels whose deeds included segregation covenants barring Black people from purchasing them.
Later in his career, Williams chose to devote more of his time to projects aimed at providing affordable housing; he co-designed the first federally funded public housing projects of the post-war period (Langston Terrace in Washington, D.C.) and later the Pueblo del Rio project in southeast Los Angeles.
It wasn’t until 2017, 37 years after his death, that the American Institute of Architects awarded him his gold medal for the outstanding contributions he made in the world of architecture.
“Our profession desperately needs more architects like Paul Williams. His pioneering career has encouraged others to cross a chasm of historic biases. I can’t think of another architect whose work embodies the spirit of the Gold Medal better. His recognition demonstrates a significant shift in the equity for the profession and the institute.”
William J. Bates, FAIA, in his support of William’s nomination for the AIA Gold Medal, Architectural Digest via Wikipedia
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Christmas movies are more than entertainment — they can offer financial lessons, too. The Grinch reminds us that expensive things aren’t everything, while Ebenezer Scrooge proves spending and sharing money is often a good thing. And if you learn anything from Home Alone, it’s the importance of security and insurance.
Ahh, the holidays.
There’s nothing better when it’s snowing outside than having a cozy night in, re-watching countless reruns of your favorite holiday movies. 🎥🎄
You love them all — the classics, the rom-coms, the are-they-even-Christmas-movies. (And yes, they are). There’s something undeniably nostalgic and magical about seeing these holiday stories brought to life — even for the hundredth time.
Yes, there are lots of jingle bells, mistletoe kisses, and sparkly snowfalls. But along with the holiday clichés, these Christmas movies might even offer some practical financial lessons. 🤑
Not sure what we’re talking about? Grab your bowl of popcorn and your coziest blanket — and let’s dive into 10 of our favorite holiday movies and the financial lessons you can learn from each. 🍿
1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Let’s start with a classic: a story about the grouchy green monster who lives on Mt. Crumpit. Annoyed by the holiday cheer, the Grinch attempts to “steal” Christmas from the residents of Whoville. You know the rest — after sneaking into all the Who’s houses to take every Christmas gift in sight, the Grinch expects the town to mourn the loss of their beloved holiday.
Instead, he hears them singing and celebrating the next morning — even without their presents. The Grinch learns that it isn’t expensive gifts that matter at Christmas. Instead, it’s the people and community you celebrate with.
💸 Financial lesson: You don’t have to give or receive expensive gifts to celebrate the holidays.
Old Ebenezer Scrooge has come to life many times through countless film adaptations of Charles Dickens’ story — because it truly never gets old.
Scrooge is a grumpy, greedy, and selfish old man with a reputation for his tight-fisted ways. He refuses holiday invitations and unwillingly gives his employee, Bob Cratchit, a single day off for the Christmas holiday.
It’s not until being visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve that he understands the tragic reality of the life he’s been living — and the dark future that awaits if he doesn’t change his ways.
With a new perspective, greedy Scrooge finally loosens the purse strings. He wakes up Christmas morning and immediately sends an expensive Christmas turkey to the Cratchit family, later offering the hardworking Mr. Cratchit a raise. He also celebrates the holiday with his long-neglected nephew, who’s grateful to have his uncle around at last.
💸 Financial lesson: Saving is important, but so is spending money on experiences, things, and gifts that bring value to your life and others’.
Read more: When it’s okay to spend money
3. It’s a Wonderful Life
It’s a Wonderful Life depicts the selfless life of George Bailey — from the time he was a kid until he takes over the family Building and Loan business. Soon after their wedding, George and his wife Mary witness a run on the bank. The couple loans out their honeymoon money to keep their customers afloat.
Over the years, George continues to give himself to his community, sacrificing his goals and dreams to serve his neighbors and friends. But when a misplaced check leads George to fear his arrest and his business’s downfall, he loses all hope and contemplates ending his life.
With the help of the angel Clarence, George soon realizes he’s got a family and community who love him. Meanwhile, Mary makes up the lost money through generous donations from friends and neighbors. Try to make it through the final scene without crying, I dare you. 😢
💸 Financial lesson: If you’re struggling financially, there are resources and people who can help.
4. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
What’s the holiday season without the Griswold family’s hijinks?
Determined to have a wonderful Christmas, Clark Griswold takes the holiday spirit seriously, harvesting an enormous Christmas tree and decking out his house in a blinding display of lights. But as you might expect, things don’t go as planned — especially when the inlaws show up.
With the financial pressure of giving his family an incredible Christmas — plus the added burden of hosting his relatives — Clark desperately awaits the arrival of his Christmas bonus check. To Clark’s dismay, the bonus doesn’t arrive. Until, that is — in a state of fury — Clark confronts his boss about it. In the end, it’s a happy, if unconventional, Christmas.
💸 Financial lesson: Don’t spend beyond your means, even with the stress and pressure of the holidays.
5. The Holiday
The Holiday is a good old rom-com with a holiday twist. Two women on opposite sides of the world are equally unhappy with their love lives as the holidays approach. Trying to escape their respective lives for Christmas, the women meet on a house-swapping website and decide to trade homes for the holidays.
You can guess the rest: In her new surroundings, each woman meets the perfect guy and lives happily ever after-ish — all thanks to a holiday abroad.
💸 Financial lesson: House swapping is a fantastic way to make vacations more affordable.
Read more: Travel hacking 101: A beginner’s guide to travel hacking like a pro
6. Elf
Likely one of the funniest Christmas movies of all time, Elf tells the story of Buddy, a misfit human — raised by elves — as he searches for his biological father in New York City. Hilarity ensues as soon as Buddy reaches the Big Apple, but the financial lessons start in the North Pole.
Surrounded by handy, hard working elves, Buddy grows up doing exactly what’s expected from him: making toys. But it quickly becomes obvious — to Buddy and the elves — that he’s no natural toymaker.
Eventually, Buddy realizes making toys isn’t the right job for him, and he needs to set off in search of something different. First lesson: your initial career may not be the best fit.
Toward the end of the movie, Buddy’s biological dad has to make a tough choice between work and family. He chooses family (it’s a Christmas movie, after all 🧑🎄), and this choice eventually leads him to starting his own business.
💸 Financial lesson: You don’t need to keep a job that makes you unhappy — and you can always strike off on your own.
Read more: How to start your own business — a complete step-by-step guide
7. Die Hard
The only action movie on this classic Christmas list, Die Hard isn’t your typical holiday flick.
On Christmas Eve, New York City Detective John McClane heads to a holiday party at his estranged wife’s Los Angeles office. Instead of holiday festivities and reconciliation, the evening turns into a hostage situation. A group of German radicals seizes the building, and a battle between McClane and the terrorists breaks out.
Where’s the holiday cheer, you ask? Well — *spoiler alert* — the good guys win. It’s Christmas Eve, remember?
And what about the financial lesson? Turns out the bad guys were after bearer bonds — a fixed-income security in the form of a physical certificate. Without registration, bearer bonds belong to whoever has them in their possession. This makes them vulnerable to theft, ideal for money laundering, and the perfect subject of this thrilling holiday film.
💸 Financial lesson: Secure your valuables, and keep your money somewhere safe.
8. Four Christmases
Along with the fun decorations, seasonal treats, and general festivity of the holiday season, this time of year can bring plenty of chores, too. For some, spending your holiday vacation making appearances at numerous parents’ and inlaws’ homes is more of an obligation than a choice.
Some people, like Brad and Kate in Four Christmases, opt to spend Christmas their way by traveling to a faraway, sunny destination. And if you’ve seen this movie and met their families, you know it’s an understandable — even necessary — thing to do.
But Kate and Brad make one big mistake that costs them their trip and instead forces them to spend Christmas day visiting family at four different (and very dysfunctional) households.
Their mistake? Not buying travel insurance.
Yep — after a canceled flight shuts down Kate and Brad’s plans, they spend the holiday making four unpleasant visits instead of relaxing on the beach. Yikes.
💸 Financial lesson: Travel insurance is often worth the cost.
Read more: Is travel insurance worth it?
9. The Preacher’s Wife
The Preacher’s Wife follows the story of Henry, a struggling pastor, trying to make it through the Christmas season. Not only are members of Henry’s congregation coming to him with their own monetary and personal struggles, but the church itself is on rocky financial footing.
With the stress of keeping his congregation afloat, Henry’s marriage starts to disintegrate. It’s not until the arrival of the mysterious angel Dudley that Henry has a change in heart. He starts to understand he can’t do everything — but one thing he must do is be there for his family.
Ultimately, Christmas arrives with a happy ending for both Henry’s congregation and his family.
💸 Financial lesson: Financial stability is important, but don’t let money distract you from other important values.
10. Home Alone
In the original Home Alone, 8-year old Kevin McCallister has to defend his (very large and beautiful) home from burglars after his family accidentally leaves town without him.
Parental mistakes aside, Kevin not only survives — he thrives, booby-trapping his home for the ultimate bad guy takedown. It’s the stuff of (8-year-old) dreams. By the time the police arrive, Kevin has thoroughly destroyed much of his home with tar, glue, feathers, fire, and so much more.
We can learn a lot from Home Alone — aside from not leaving 8-year-olds behind when traveling. But how about taking better measures to secure your gigantic house? Not to mention the importance of buying the right insurance.
💸 Financial lesson: Secure — and insure — your home and valuables.
Summary
That’s a wrap on 10 financial lessons from your favorite Christmas movies. From It’s a Wonderful Life to Home Alone, these stories can teach us valuable lessons about money, such as the importance of investing wisely, saving for a rainy day, and securing our valuables.
We can also learn from the mistakes of others, like not buying travel insurance or taking the right measures to protect our homes. So this holiday season, take a few minutes to give your finances a tune-up with these timeless lessons. Happy holidays!
Buster, the cat who is and isn’t mine, lost his ear. The man who raised Buster lost his house. And I lost a tooth.
I keep a tally of what happens in my neighborhood of changes.
The lost house — around the corner from me, once the man’s family home, put on the market by his siblings — sold in no time. Of course it did. It was affordable by L.A. standards, in up-and-coming, river-adjacent Frogtown.
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Proceeds from the sale were divvied up, and the man opened a bank account for the first time ever. He was able to buy a beat-up car and an old RV. The RV is tidy and has curtains. It looks more like a preserved family vacation vehicle from the 1980s than shelter for the otherwise unhoused in 2023. He parks it on the street right next to the house he grew up in and lived in until a few months ago, only moving it to the other side for street cleaning.
The man has friends, people who are looking out for him. They may not be able to house him (he has lived alone for so long he might prefer independence), but he has places to shower and do laundry without judgment. He has redeemed himself from whatever he got up to in the past (there are some wild stories), and one of the old-timers calls him a good soul. He must be. He feeds the ducks by the river, and he bottle-fed orphaned Buster when the cat was a kitten.
Buster, who now belongs to no one, has claimed a lawn chair parked under my guava tree. He developed a festering bloody lesion on his left ear — his white ear. White cats — and mostly white cats like Buster — that spend a lot of time outdoors are prone to skin cancer, just like white people.
I took Buster to the vet and he got scheduled for a pinnectomy (removal of his ear). I was advised to make sure he wore a cone and stayed indoors for the following two weeks, but I knew that was not possible. Buster was coneless in about five minutes but he spent a couple of post-op days inside my house, where he was miserable.
So I let him out, trusting his cat judgment to know what was best. He went back to his old independent routine, albeit with some crusty stitches where his ear used to be. He could still get his medicine — antibiotics — when either the man or I fed him.
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A fortnight later, I took Buster back to the vet to have his stitches removed. The instructions were the same — cone and indoors for the next two weeks. Yeah, yeah, yeah… I opened the door to the carrier while it was still on the backseat and let him hop out when we got back to Frogtown. After about an hour of sulking somewhere, he was in his chair under the tree.
The man tells me what it was like growing up here. As a kid, he used to be able to get to Elysian Park by a footbridge that crossed the 5 Freeway. The bridge was damaged by a mudslide and taken down. Which, he says, was just as well from his parents’ point of view. A 9-year-old boy from the neighborhood found two victims of the Hillside Stranglers in the park in 1977.
The man is aware of his own vulnerability. He sleeps with one eye open, still able to hear the familiar sounds of the neighborhood chickens, the church bells, the trains from across the river. He knows he could be prey to criminals or do-gooders, bureaucrats or unhappy neighbors who one way or another could take what little he has. He makes me think about survival in a way I never have before.
The biggest threat might come from those whose “respectable” existence has influence. I’ve heard that some of the latest arrivals in our enclave have complained about the RV parked on the street. I guess if you’ve paid $1.5M for a property you don’t want to be in close proximity to a grizzled man in a home with wheels. Maybe they should try to get to know its inhabitant instead of complaining.
Once, pointing to the glove compartment in his car, the man told me he had an exit strategy. I was not surprised. I get it. It makes sense if you’re cornered by disease or poverty.
But for now, the cat, the man and the changes here are relatively stable. Every new day is greeted with caution.
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Oh, about my tooth. It was time for a 30-year-old crown and root canal to be replaced with an implant. Like everything else, my missing-tooth smile is only temporary.
Nancy Glowinski is a former global head of photography for Reuters.
This is the first of a planned series in which I interview friends and family about their attitudes toward money. Most of these will be anonymized (and much shorter). Some will not. This first interview is with Scott Durbin, a member of Imagination Movers, a rock band for kids. This band is an entrepreneurial venture that required a huge leap of faith.
Scott, what made you and the other Movers decide to form a band? And why a band for kids?
Once you get into your 30s, you begin to feel opportunities to be creative evaporating. This time in our lives is often devoted to starting families, working for the company, paying bills to stay above the proverbial water, or working on our various relationships (wife-husband, boyfriend-girlfriend, other). I could get philosophical about the conflict and guilt of doing something seemingly self-indulgent versus being a good father/husband/worker, but let’s save that for another day. Luckily I have an amazing wife!
Several forces led to the founding of the Imagination Movers.
1. First, the guys in the group are very creative fellows. Creativity bubbles to the top given an opportunity.
2. Strangely enough, having families created an environment that allowed us to pool our creativity. That and proximity. When the Movers started, we lived within walking distance from one another. We all started having kids at the same time (minus Smitty who is the Mover without children). Kids have birthday parties. Parents gather. A ritual is established, and instead of going to bars or wherever to hang out with your mates, you’re left with your two-year-old’s birthday party as a means of convening. But it’s all good. These gatherings became the second peice of the puzzle.
3. When you have kids, you are immediately introduced into a foreign culture. You acclimate yourself as best you can, discovering the latest coolest educational toys, kids’ music, enrichment opportunities, places to play or visit, restaurants where kids eat free, any video/audio that might make your kids smarter — the whole kit-n-kaboodle. You discover your children want to listen to something over and over and over and over and over again, so as a survival parent, you want to make sure you can tolerate whatever that music is. This was the third key to development of the Imagination Movers.
4. Meanwhile, my wife has a friend who works at the local PBS affiliate. My wife’s friend often asks me to participate in commercials or promos they do. So there I am dancing for a commercial advertising the station’s fundraiser, a Beer Tasting Fest. The commercial is a hit, so I am receiving a lot of local affiliate PBS love which I put on the shelf for later use. This is a fourth thread. (All these threads will come together, so stay with me.)
5. Finally, I am a huge fan of Mister Rogers and Captain Kangaroo — people who possess a sincere desire to better the lives of their audiences and an almost palpable integrity that assures you they are not full of crap. And on top of that, they are REAL and not cartoons. I love cartoons just as much as the next guy, but heck, you know live action children’s entertainment is needed. A cartoon can only model so far or translate so much. It’s two-dimensional. So when Fred Rogers passed away, I felt called to take his place. Sounds crazy, but that become this nagging gut thing for me. I wanted to create a local kids’ show that treated kids like people and not consumers. This was the last factor in the band’s creation.
So here’s where the threads start coming together:
I mention that I want to start a local kid’s show to my wife’s friend at the local PBS affiliate.
I talk about the idea with my friends (and future Movers) at parties or the local grocery (the neighborhood essentially).
As I begin waxing, I arrive at a name for the show — “Imagination Movers” — and a broad concept that Movers work in the other-worldy land of imagination, and it’s the job of a Mover to bring people good ideas when they have idea emergencies.
I pitch the initial notion to the guys at a party. They’re in. We start writing a treatment/script in the attic of Dave’s house that we plan to pitch to the local PBS station. As we work on the show, music becomes a cornerstone. Rich and Smitty whip out the guitars and jam. Since the first script is about ‘healthy snacks’, most of the songs are in that vein. Well, we start writing songs and sometimes play them at get-togethers. People love the songs. Really love the songs.
We pitch the show to the local PBS affiliate and they love it, but with PBS-type entities, they have NO money. We are disappointed, but everyone loves the songs. So Rich decides to invest in a home studio and we begin recording the music we wrote for the show.
The rest is Mover history.
So why did we become a kids’ band? For the most part, our children/families were where we were, and what we were about, so our songs became part observations of our lives, part honoring our wee ones (and hopefully creating something meaningful for other wee ones), and a sincere desire to be the new Mr. Rogers. But in our case, Mr. Rogers has been divided into four parts, and instead of wearing a cardigan … wears blue coveralls.
What was your family’s financial situation at the time you started the Imagination Movers?
At the time the Movers started, I was entering my sixth year of teaching. Picture if you will, being the ‘bread winner’ on a teacher’s salary. Ahhh, the luxury of it all. My better half worked full time-ish as an office manager for a web firm and was earning a little less than me. Our income, however, was supplemented by a rental property. Even so, we rented to friends and consequently asked for $150 month lower than market value for the area.
Having two wee ones, we were quite honestly living paycheck to paycheck. We had some credit card debt but nothing crazy.
Our biggest financial problem — and this sounds strange — was vacations. Here’s the recurring scenario: we would finally get ourselves into some kind of financial stability and then boom, we would go on a family vacation and put ourselves right back into a mini-hole. Not trying to shift blame from self, but ‘we’ were not as frugal when it came to vacations as we should have been. My wife having been raised in a close knit family that always took summer vacations, was pretty adamant that we take similar family vacations. The problem with vacations is that you’re more apt to splurge thus obliterating your vacation budget. It’s the mentality of saying to yourself, “Hey, we’re on vacation! We won’t be able to do this for awhile or eat this good or whatever.” And soon enough, your food budget no longer exists and you’re stuffing your face with $20 crab cakes. Viva la vacation!
How did starting the Imagination Movers affect your personal finances?
For a while, everything we did was out of personal pocket. As the organic nature of our project began to take root and blossom, it was clear that some kind of real investment needed to be made so our Big Ideas could be realized. That investment was a gut check: it meant we needed to use more of our own money. So began the Movers. Honestly, everything we did — from purchasing blue suits to buying equipment (such as a PA and wireless mics) to investing in a home studio — came from the pockets and sacrifices of Rich, Scott, Dave and Smitty. The great part is that we so believed in what we were doing that money, time and energy aligned themselves and we went into overdrive.
Rich and I were the initial big investors. Dave and Smitty pitched in when possible. Rich took the burden of financing a home studio, which led to the biggest collective cost we faced early on: the creation of our first audio release, Good Ideas. Taking into account the manufacturing of the CDs, paying someone to master them, and PR, we were looking at a few thousand dollars head-on. We didn’t have much disposable income, but we found the money. (I think Smitty sold plasma. I sold balloon animals. Dave panhandeled and Rich washed cars.)
All in all, to get the Movers started, we had to get out the shovel and dig into savings so the machine could begin to turn. Our first big hope was that sales from the CD and early shows would allow us to reap what we sowed. Either we’d get back what we paid into the project, or allow the money we made to lead us to other opportunities. The latter became the yellow brick road.
So to answer your question: my personal savings was hit, parts of my home were converted (putting up shelves for inventory, setting up a network system, getting filing cabinets), and little costs (mailers, paper, postage) sometimes cut to the bone. Instead of buying a six pack or going to a movie, my disposable income went to buying CDs and labels to burn early demo copies for people.
How did you and the other guys feel about this? It sounds to me exactly as if you’ve been starting a business. Do you feel this way too?
We had big ambitions from the start. Although it seemed like a great side project, we secretly treated it as an opportunity to become self-employed and as such worked it like it was a small business. I took on the role as visionary, aspiring to some very lofty goals.
When our demos turned into real products, the fire was lit and we added more goals: creating a coloring book based on one of the songs, printing t-shirts, looking to establish distribution for our burgeoning product line. You name it, and we were plotting it. We even financed a trip to Toy Fair in New York in an attempt to introduce the world to the Movers.
I will say we were smart about resisting investment from outside of the group. Some financial advice we received led us to just say no to third party investors. I remember something about us selling securities in the group if we did so; in other words, we’d be opening ourselves up to a very complicated financial and legal world.
We also had some great friends who encouraged us to form a business plan. Sounds incredible impetuous, but we formed an LLC, met with local business leaders (Idea Village, a business incubator in New Orleans), and started working on goals.
Naturally, guys in the group participated in the project as best they could. Some did much more than others, but we were aware of the sweat equity certain people were giving early on. Rich and I were in working situations that allowed us to devote more time to the project than Dave and Smitty. Dave was working hard as an architect and Smitty as a fireman. We were — and still are — doing something that we loved, so turning it into a business simply allowed us to keep everything on the up and up, as well as kept us organized.
Scott, how did Hurricane Katrina affect the Imagination Movers? How did it affect your personal financial situation?
Katrina, without question, was a reminder of just of fragile we are; how life can turn on a dime with very little warning. Its effects were truly devastating, but with destruction there comes new life and so it was with my family personally and the Movers professionally. First off, Katrina destroyed three Mover homes and most (if not all) possessions. Here is a picture taken near our home a few days after the levees broke.
Keep in mind, most of this water stayed around for days. Sadly enough, photographs, videos of a child’s birth — you name it — met a watery and moldy grave. Actually, it went further than that — it destroyed the neighborhood. The places you went to have coffee, ‘make’ groceries, the church you attended or the school you dropped your kids off were gone. In the blink of a wink, everything you saw for miles became ghost-like. Even today — more than a year plus after — empty houses, lonely streets, lost neighborhoods now whisper for anyone, anything to bring them back to their former selves.
The Mover office was also trashed. Countless CDs, coloring books, musical instruments were ruined. And guess what? The Movers didn’t have insurance. We had liability insurance, but we were so small and Mom-and-Pop-ish that we hadn’t needed more insurance — or so we thought.
Luckily Smitty lived on the West Bank, so although his home experienced minor wind damage, it escaped the destruction. The material things naturally hold memories, but not life and our thoughts focused on the well being of him and others like him soon after Kat hit.
Right after the disaster, everyone was reeling from the new reality we were forced into and for all intent and purpose had not processed the extent to which our lives would change, but we knew at the very least we did have the Movers. In particular, the Movers had two shows booked in Texas, one in Dallas on the Labor Day weekend and another in Plano. With the exception of Smitty (who was knee deep in search and rescue), we all rallied and went to Texas to fulfill our obligation. Quite honestly, no one knew about their jobs or future income or anything. All we could see in front of us was a small payday and so we went with quite honestly the clothes on our back. We had no instruments, no Mover suits — nothing, but we went. And we played. Here is a picture of the Mover suits we used in place of our trademark royal blue ones. Note: Kyle is our ancillary Mover and plays drums for live shows with us.
Life afterwards was surreal. We no longer had a place to live. My family lived with my parents and my brother and his girlfriend in a tiny house with one bathroom in Lafayette, Louisiana (about two hours west of New Orleans). My job as a teacher was in limbo. I spent time in line for food stamps and wondered what queer curiosity tomorrow would bring. All the while I was still a dad and husband and the well-being of my family was paramount to everything I did. I’m sure the rest of the Movers felt the same way.
Personally speaking, my family received help from people we knew and didn’t know. Friends sent us giftcards for bookstores so we could buy the kids books as our wee ones love to read. Other friends and people we didn’t even know sent assistance of clothing and toys and hope. Churches helped. Companies helped. People helped us restore the basics. The Movers too received emails of support and even a guitar was sent. The emails, for the Movers sake, really kept the project going. The simple act of someone somewhere taking the time to share with us how important what we did — musically speaking — meant in the lives of their children (many whom were going through the same situation as us) humbled us. Buckled our knees. We knew. We knew we had to continue despite the overwhelming sense of powerlessness we all felt.
All in all, looking back, I am a better person. Though I wouldn’t wish the ordeal on anyone — the goodwill (and Godwill) of so many showed taught me about selflessness and how truly to give of the heart. As for my personal financial situation, well I was unceremoniously dumped from my position as a teacher in an independent school in New Orleans. I hold no grudges but wished they would have done it with a little more humanity and compassion. It was a phone call and a FedEx package. Either way, no job meant no income and no health insurance. My wife had to go to work full time so we could have health insurance. Our situation was so transformed that we were unaware of what might happen next (food stamps, unemployment, ect). Lots of ‘what ifs’ came along. Lots of ‘how did we get here.’
On the good side, the reality of our immediate financial situation was: we forced ourselves to save, to tore up those proverbial nuts for winter. Some pluses included no longer having to pay some of our bills: electric, cable, water, etc. We did receive some emergency funds from Red Cross, FEMA and some monies from of our insurance companies. All in all, our financial situation was made very clear to us: the ins and outs of our money was front-and-center and we were forced to deal with our financial situation head on. Credit card debt — what to do about mortgage payments on a home we no longer lived in — paying rent, too — you name it. We dealt with how we were going to handle it, especially having lost my salary.
Since I had no job, the Movers became a full time gig. As it did with Rich and then later with Dave. Any reason we had not to jump headfirst into this venture disappeared and so we signed with Disney. What a crazy juxtaposition that is — you sign a deal with Disney and you still are having difficulty making ends meet. Most people believed we were rich once the Disney deal came — biggest misnomer you could ever imagine. Hopefully our financial situation will improve, but the fact is: reality and perception are clearly two different things. Our main source of income is not Disney. Instead it was and is playing live. It’s our favorite thing to do and so we do it — right now to survive financially and emotionally. As a sidebar: Major props to Music Rising as it was a Godsend. Without it, the Movers would be instrument-less.
It’s now been a year since Katrina. How are things now with the band? With your financial situation?
A year plus removed from Katrina, it seems everyone yearns for routine and normality. My life now is spent in a city two hours west of New Orleans. I am the only Mover who has not returned to NOLA. My family sold our house after having sat on it, hoping the city and state would give us reason to reinvest and rebuild. Translation: a plan of some kind or another. Unfortunately, they have failed miserably in my humble opinion. The local leadership has become invisible and crime has riddled a city in desperate need of hope.
The world wonders why the Saints meant so much to the city of New Orleans. The inside scoop: a simple football team allowed the city to be one, regardless of color or creed or financial state. It allowed all people to smile and be hopeful because the city itself didn’t offer those commodities.
Back to the Movers — We’ve been fortunate to have videos rolling on Playhouse Disney so it does raise our profile. We’ve been working our tales off to make half of what we were making as professionals: architect, journalist and teacher — so we could make this dream come true. Sidebar: Smitty still works as a fireman in New Orleans. Shows you our true reality. Even with that said, we have opportunity and that is all we can ask for. We finished a pilot presentation (we felt was incredible) and five new videos which will hopefully air soon. All of the filming was shot in LaPlace (which can be considered Greater New Orleans to some). We felt humbled to know that an idea we created was now employing 75-ish people, most of whom were from the local area. Good story. Gives you lumps in your throat.
As I type this, I really have no idea what the future holds — financial or otherwise. I just hope I can make my next payment! Money is, after all, like all the things lost in Katrina: it comes and goes. A person defined by money gets short-changed by life. Family and friends are what make life special.
Thanks to Scott for sharing his story. Look for more money interviews with other real people in the coming months.
To date, the Imagination Movers have released the following:
Compact Discs Good Ideas (2003), Calling All Movers (2004), Eight Feet (2005) DVDs Stir it Up (2005)
Want to hear what the Movers sound like? Here’s a song called “My Favorite Snack”. This song is popular among both the kids and parents we hang out with. You can find more mp3s for download at the Imagination Movers site.
Scott reports that the group has a brand new CD coming out on a major label in March. Want to hear what the Movers sound like? Here’s a song called “Clean My Room” that — among other things — reminds me of Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion”. You can find more mp3s for download at the Imagination Movers site.
Thanks to Scott for sharing his story. It’s a great example of the need for emergency funds and the realities of entrepreneurship (and making money from hobbies). I hope to do more money interviews in the future. I’m exploring the idea of making these podcast-based. If you have any thoughts on this, drop me a line.
Faith-based investing! What does it mean? Is it a worthy investing route to follow?
In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at this type of investing and explore how you can make it work for you. Read on to learn about how this way of investing strategy allows you to reinforce your values.
Nowadays, investors are not putting their money just anywhere. Investors have realized the benefit of investing in things that matter. These include things like caring for the environment, wildlife, society, and minority groups. They want to make a difference with their investments.
Investors are now looking for investment options, which offer good returns and align with their beliefs and values. This way, even as they make more money, they do it with a clean conscience.
Faith-based investing is an investment philosophy that many investors are now embracing. And, like impact investing or socially responsible investing, it promises to do more than multiply your money.
So, what exactly is faith-based investing, and how does it work? Is it worth your money and time? And, how do you get started with faith-based investing?
Let’s dive in and find out.
What is Faith-Based Investing?
When we see the term faith-based, most of us instantly think of “religious investments.” Well, while it’s connected to religion, it’s definitely not in the way most of us might think.
Firstly, faith-based investing has nothing to do with religious organizations’ stocks. In fact, as you might already know, religious organizations are non-profits, thus, don’t issue public shares.
For instance, you’ll never see churches, mosques, or temples, offering shares to the public.
So, if not investing in religious organizations, what does faith-based investing mean?
Your next guess might be correct.
Faith-based investing is not too different from other investment philosophies. All aim at maximizing investors’ returns.
But, investors here don’t choose just any investment. They focus on investments whose strategies align with their religious values.
This way, the investor’s faith, values, and beliefs determine where they invest their money. As you can notice, while this type of investing doesn’t mean investing in shares from places of worship, it’s still tied to religion and values. And that’s why faith-based investing can also be referred to as values-based investing.
Interestingly, every faith has its opinions and perspectives on how to invest money to support certain causes. Also, the same applies to causes that contradict the faith’s beliefs and values.
For this reason, we will dissect faith-based investing based on some of the main religions around the globe. This will help us understand the concept better.
Top Faith-Based Investing Options
If you want to start your faith-based investing journey, here are some of the main options you can choose from.
Christian Investors
Christianity is the world’s largest religion, with around 2.5 billion followers. And, all these people lead their lives based on certain beliefs and values – investing is part of this life.
If you are Christian or wish to invest based on Christianity values, there are two main investment styles you can opt for:
Catholic Faith-Based Investing
The Catholic faith has its own framework on how believers should lead their economic life. The framework outlines ten faith-based principles and guidelines. This outlines how Catholic Christians should engage in finances and the economy.
Generally, they emphasize investing in companies or funds that support various positive issues. For instance, environmental conservation, human rights, fair employment practices, etc.
Also, Catholic investors will avoid investments that support certain things. These include abortion, weapons, adult entertainment, embryonic stem-cells research, etc.
Their investing principles revolve around moral law and human dignity.
Currently, we have many companies, investment firms, and funds you can pick from. These are companies where such values form part of their investing philosophy.
This means that as a Catholic value investor, you can invest freely in these companies or entities. And, you won’t have to worry about contradicting your faith.
Some excellent examples of Catholic faith-based investment entities include:
Catholic Investment Services
This is a not-for-profit investment management firm designed to deliver high returns on investment. And, it keeps Catholic faith principles at heart. It aims at pursuing investment excellence based on Catholic faith values.
Currently, the firm manages assets worth over $1 billion and serves around 45 Catholic institutions. Also, its restricted companies’ list stands at 700.
Catholic Investment Strategies
This is another great way to invest in Catholic faith-based investments. Here, the platform allows you to invest your money in a way that aligns with your faith and church values.
And as they put it on their website, they will never invest your money in companies whose values contradict the Catholic faith.
Generally, the platform invests in institutions like hospitals, universities, etc.
Also, they offer a portfolio that fits your needs. The portfolio excludes investments that support abortion, contraception, racial and gender discrimination, etc.
The LKCM Aquinas Funds
With the LKCM Aquinas Funds, the main investment strategy is guided by social responsibility (SRI). This Equity Fund offers Catholic faith investors an investment option that promises high ROI.
Its choice of securities and companies to invest in depends on the principles and guidelines formulated by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. The fund has been operational since 2005 and continues to grow with a 9.83% growth rate since it began.
Protestant Investing
Unlike the Catholic faith that shares common beliefs across the entire faith, Protestants are somewhat different. While some denominations are quite liberal in their beliefs, others are more conservative. But, their principles tend to be similar.
Generally, the Protestant faith encourages work ethics and hard work. It urges its followers to invest in entities that support general Christian values. This mainly involves social consciousness. This means that this type of faith-based investing might not be as strict and specific as its Catholic counterpart.
Also, even as they promote social consciousness, they exclude some investments. These include stocks that support:
Adult entertainment
Weaponry
Embryonic cloning
Addictive behavior (drugs, gambling, etc.)
High-interest loans (shylocks and payday loans)
Some excellent examples of companies and funds that support Protestant faith-based investing include:
GuideStone Funds
For over 20 years, GuideStone has faithfully served faith-based investors and advisors. The platform seeks to offer strong-performance investments guided by various Christian values.
GuideStone provides Protestant faith-based investors an excellent opportunity to invest in mutual funds. And, it offers a diversified portfolio across various asset classes. It does all this with Christian values in mind.
The platform seeks to offer socially screened investments that are well managed. These ones guarantee great returns for the investors.
In essence, they use biblical teachings and values to ensure that investors get good returns. Also, their money is also invested in investments that make the world a better place.
The fund’s main values revolve around family, health, stewardship, life, and safety. So, if this sounds like you, you certainly need to start your investing journey here.
New Covenant Funds
This is a faith-based investment fund by the Presbyterian Church. It seeks to offer Protestants the best investing style based on their values.
Basically, the fund’s investment strategies depend on socially responsible investing. Here, the slogan, “you can do well while doing good,” guides them. It gives diversity in investment options, as well as charitable giving.
The platform makes investment decisions based on social consciousness principles. It supports doing good to help nature and society.
Additionally, it avoids investments that promote negative issues. This includes things like gambling, alcohol and other addictive drugs, pornography, etc.
As a Christian, New Covenant Funds offers something for everyone. Whatever your investment mission is they have something for you.
Jewish Faith-Based Investing
Giving and diversification are the key principles that guide Jewish faith-based investing. Jews follow investment strategies that adhere to these two principles, among other values in their faith.
In the Jewish religion, there are many teachings about giving and diversification, as seen in the Talmud. These teachings subsequently act as guidelines when it comes to investing.
Jewish investing doctrines and beliefs resemble socially responsible investing. Here, society and the environment are major pillars in investment decisions.
Different faith-based investments embrace socially responsible investing. This is because it fits into the guidelines and principles of different religions.
Some of the main issues addressed in this type of investing option include:
Social justice
Climate change
Region’s specific issues
Various mutual funds offering Jewish faith-based investments focus on various crucial issues. Some of the best investment platforms here include:
Jewish Values Investment Funds
Investing in Jewish faith-based mutual funds has been made easier. JVIF, LLC, offers an excellent way for Jews to invest in companies and funds that align with the Jewish faith and beliefs.
This investment advisor recognizes the importance of tzedakah (charitable giving). It allows the Jewish community to invest in things that matter to them.
The Bend the Arc
This is another great fund, offering Jewish investors a chance to grow their money. An, it allows them to take part in charitable giving.
The fund aims to encourage community development by supporting initiatives as follows.
Small businesses,
Affordable housing, etc.
With as little as $20, anyone can invest and make a change. The fund’s Community Investment Note finances various organizations. These are organizations that bring positive change to various communities globally.
If you want to invest in something that makes the world a better place, this might be the way to go.
Islamic Investing
Just like Christianity and Jewish faiths, the Islamic religion has values and beliefs. These guide its followers on the way to lead their lives, including financial matters. This way, when it comes to investing, Muslims have specific guidelines or principles to follow.
Generally, Muslim investors will adhere to halal or permitted values while investing. This set of rules allows investors to undertake a disciplined type of investing. They make investments that are ethically, socially, and environmentally responsible.
Islamic investing principles discourage investing in areas such as:
Pork related businesses
Companies that invest in gambling, drugs, and adult entertainment
Short-term speculation (the faith considers this as gambling).
Companies with huge debts since they are paying interest for the loans.
Any investment that pays interest (money markets, savings account, etc.)
In other words, any company or fund that wants to qualify for Islamic investing must adhere to Sharia law. It must follow the teaching from the Quran, Qiyas, Ijma, and the Sunnah.
If you’ve been looking for a way to make Islamic faith-based investments, here are some excellent options for you.
Amana Mutual Funds
These are Islam faith-based mutual funds offered by Saturna Capital. The funds’ investment strategies are guided by the Islamic faith. And, they embrace social, ethical, and environmentally-friendly practices.
However, they prohibit investing in interest-bearing securities and bonds. They’ll usually try to guard their investments against inflation through long-term equity investments.
Saturna follows investment principles that avoid interest or companies engaging in prohibited issues. These include the sale of alcohol, pornography materials, gambling activities, etc.
Allied Asset Advisors, Inc.
Allied Asset Advisors operates like any other investment management company. It offers portfolio management, financial planning, mutual funds, and retirement plans for investors.
The company is Islam faith-based and offers investment opportunities supporting the Islamic faith.
It introduced the Iman Fund, which is tailored to fit the needs of Muslim investors. It adheres to Sharia law and principles.
Is Faith-Based Investing Worth It?
Absolutely yes! If you find the right investing platforms, you can easily make money. Also, you’ll feel proud of how your money is being invested.
But, you should note that faith-based investing faces the same risks as other investments. So, ensure that you’ve not settled for just any company or fund.
Choose companies that can prove strong financial standings, charge reasonable fees, and that show growth potential. This way, you don’t end up investing your money in companies that will never offer value for your investment.
Generally, faith-based mutual funds and ETFs offer better long-term returns.
This is according to research published by John C. Adams and Parvez Ahmed from the University of Texas and the University of North Florida.
So, if you feel that faith-based investing ought to be your next investment move, it can certainly be a good move. But as mentioned, do thorough research on the best faith-based investments depending on your values and beliefs.
Author Bio:Kyle is the founder of The Impact Investor, a website focused on helping others invest sustainably without sacrificing financial returns. We all want products sourced by sustainable and ethical means, why should investing be any different? Follow my investing journey on my Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter accounts.
Balancing work, your social life, friends, family, church, and staying in shape on top of a full-time work schedule is insanely difficult.
Everyone is trying to find ways to save money, eat healthy, and carve out more time for themselves in their insanely busy schedules.
Meal prepping is the perfect solution. No more unhealthy takeout on the way home and no more work lunches that add up to thousands of dollars a year.
Meal prepping can help you save time, money, and help you to eat healthy along the way.
The problem is meal prepping can be difficult if you don’t know your way around the kitchen.
These meal prep resources can make meal prep way easier. They’ll help you to find recipes, plan out your meals, get more variety in your diet, and save you time along the way.
Some of the resources are specific to certain diets while others focus on general health while saving you money.
Here’s a list of the best meal prep resources to use this year!
Best Meal Prep Resources To Use
Whether you’re a meal prep newbie or looking for more meal prep resources to spice up your game, we’ve rounded up the best meal prep resources to use in 2020. Blogs, websites, social media accounts, you name it, we’ve got the resource on the list.
Read on to find out more about why each of these resources made it onto our list of top picks.
Blogs / Websites
If you do a quick meal prep recipe search online, the results can be more than a little overwhelming. Where do you even begin when your search results yield millions of results? We’ve got a starting point for you. These blogs and websites are some of the best meal prep resources to use in 2020.
1. Meal Prepify
I’ve spent the last 8 months trying to create the most epic meal prepping blog that exists. We curate recipes from all over the food blogging community to create resources for anyone trying to save money, eat healthy, and get more time to do what they love.
Whether you’re looking for keto breakfast ideas, air fryer recipes, or you want to eat vegetarian, we can help you get started meal prepping.
2. Meal Prep Mondays
Do you think that meal prep must require hours and hours of time? Then, you don’t want to miss Meal Prep Mondays.
This site is designed with busy people in mind. Why the focus on Mondays? The site creators believe that the purpose of meal prep is to set yourself up for success with the week ahead. The focus is on healthy eating at a budget-friendly price point.
3. Budget Bytes
Budget Bytes has been around for over a decade, and there’s a reason for it. Actually, there are thousands of reasons. Beth’s site features some of the tastiest recipes we’ve seen and provides a detailed breakdown of the cost as well.
As an added bonus, the site is super viewer-friendly. It’s easy to navigate, and their Latest & Greatest feature will have your mouth watching in no time.
4. Meal Prep On Fleek
Meal Prep On Fleek is an excellent site that even offers a meal prep master course. The purpose of the course is to teach people everything they need to know about meal prep while integrating the importance of mindset and healthy living.
If you need one more reason to check them out, it’s their pizza chicken recipe. The dish went viral, and it’s no surprise why. It’s a super simple dish that is prepped in one pan. It’s a great go-to whenever you’re craving pizza.
5. Renaissance Periodization
Meal prep is all about finding menu options that fit your lifestyle. If fitness is your focus, you want to get to know Renaissance Periodization. The site features templates, coaching, and even a diet app to help you meet your fitness goals. Plus, check out their advice for meal prepping on a budget. If you think healthy food is too pricey, their tips will have you reconsidering.
6. Mashup Mom
This one is for all of our Aldi fans out there. Of course, you can find many of these ingredients at other stores, but there’s something about the magic of Aldi. And let’s not forget their fantastic prices.
Mashup Mom makes meal plans for real life, and her inspiration is the Aldi weekly flyer. Cook along with her using current sale items or dig through her archives for more Aldi-inspired meal prep.
YouTube
Let us share a little secret with you. YouTube isn’t just a place to find funny videos. It’s actually a fantastic search engine that connects viewers to some of the best meal prep resources online. The best part is that if you find one video you love, there’s a good chance you can subscribe to the creator’s channel for similar content.
Let’s take a look
6. Fit Men Cook
Kevin Curry of Fit Men Cook promises healthy meals that are never boring, and he delivers on YouTube. These meal prep resources are perfect for men and women who want to focus on eating well while minding their money. ?
Each video includes links to meal plans, grocery lists, and recipes. To get a taste of his channel, check out his video on $75 meal prep using Amazon Fresh.
7. Downshiftology
Downshiftology is an excellent resource for everyone, especially people who are focused on following gluten-free diets. Her content isn’t exclusive to meal prepping, but she does have every season covered with meal prep ideas.
If you want to sharpen your skills with healthy basics, this is a great source for that as well. After all, mastering zucchini noodles and cauliflower rice should make meal planning that much easier.
8. Caitlin Shoemaker
Maybe you think vegan food is boring and bland. Or maybe you think it’s expensive and hard to make. Caitlin Shoemaker’s channel is about to set you straight.
Check out her vegan meal plan videos to see everything from on-the-go ideas to tips for serving up $3 meals with Trader Joe’s ingredients.
It’s perfect for everyone, whether you’re a long-time vegan or simply trying to test out more meatless options.
If you aren’t vegan, but want to clean up your diet, then my friend Bethany can help you find ways to eat more vegetables even if you hate them.
9. Mind Over Munch
Mind Over Munch is the resource for you if you want your recipes served with a side of straight talk. Alyssia knows that eating healthy can be hard, and she’s here to help.
With video names like Easy Healthy Meal Prep in One Hour, she speaks our language. Food that tastes great, is good for you, and comes together in a snap is something that we can (and do!) subscribe to.
10. Lemonade Mom
Lemonade Mom knows that most of us are short on time. To save us all from ourselves (and our local fast food restaurants), she shares some of the best meal prep ideas on her YouTube channel. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all covered thanks to her easy slow cooker freezer meal prep videos.
She even features ideas on how to make Dollar Tree ingredients work into your meal plans in ways that are both budget-friendly and healthy.
Instagram accounts
Don’t let the fantastic photos fool you. You don’t have to be a master chef to consult Instagram. In fact, there are plenty of Instagram accounts that are excellent meal prep resources for people who are just getting started.
Here are some Instagram meal prep accounts that we love.
11. Food Prep Princess
Food Prep Princess is meal prep royalty for good reason. Her Instagram account features a ton of different meal prep ideas, and she also takes the time to showcase ingredient lists and shopping trips that make her meal prepping successful.
Her highlights are overflowing with helping Stories, showcasing everything from individual recipes in action to some of her best prep rituals.
12. Meal Prep Daily
What will you find at Meal Prep Daily? In addition to tons of meal prep ideas, there is plenty of advice for people who are just getting started or want to step up their meal prep game. The account also features fitness ideas and fun content.
If you want a laugh, check them out! Plus, this account even has a dedicated Stories Highlight about meal prep basics called Meal Prep 101.
13. The Girl on Bloor
The Girl on Bloor is a self-proclaimed fit foodie. But don’t think that her Instagram account is only for master food preppers. There’s something for everyone. Her Highlights focus on fit foodie essentials, including meal prep tips, slow cooker recipes, instant pot ideas, one pan meals, and low carb essentials.
She also does a terrific job proving that meal prep is anything but boring. She often spotlights ways to mix up ingredients, such as her mashed, loaded, and roasted sweet potato post.
14. Damn Delicious
Damn Delicious is no stranger to being featured on our site. She’s churned out two terrific cookbooks, her website is fantastic, and she has a must-follow Instagram account.
Come for delicious recipes like her cilantro lime chicken thighs and stay for the most adorable Corgi content online.
15. We Love Clean Food
We Love Clean Food is based in Dublin, Ireland and is dedicated to showcasing what clean eating and meal prep looks like in real life. In addition to getting a behind-the-scenes look at what meal prepping looks like in action, the Instagram account also takes a deeper dive into specific meal ideas and recipes.
If you love cheap and easy keto recipes, then this is the account to follow.
Communities
What if you could find an entire community of people to brainstorm, troubleshoot, and connect with over great food? You can! Thanks to Reddit and Facebook, there are meal prep communities popping up all over the place.
Check out the ones that made our list of best meal prep resources for 2020.
16. Meal Prep Sunday Subreddit
Don’t let Reddit intimidate you! Even if you’ve never been on the platform before, you will fall in love with this resource. Basically, Meal Prep Sunday Subreddit is a gathering of dedicated meal preppers who share ideas and inspiration with one another.
If you’ve got questions, they’ve got answers. Additionally, it’s a terrific spot to find new recipes.
17. Meal Prep Ideas Facebook Group
Meal Prep Ideas Facebook Group is a public group that anyone can join. A quick scroll will leave your mouth watering and your mind spinning. People are very active in the group, sharing snaps of what they’re prepping for the upcoming week.
In addition to gathering inspiration, you’ll often see people putting their own spin on recipes. This group is worth joining no matter how long you’ve been meal prepping. You’ll be surprised at the new tricks you can learn.
Paid (But Awesome!) Meal Prep Resources
Don’t get us wrong. Free resources are ideal, and there are a lot of awesome free resources online. There are also a few excellent paid meal prep resources that we have to include on our list of best meal prep resources. The content they deliver makes them well worth the cost. We promise!
18. $5 Meal Plans
Would you be willing to buy back your time for $5? If you answered yes, then this resource is for you. The purpose of $5 meal plans is to take the time out of meal planning.
For $5 a month, you receive a weekly hand-crafted meal plan that feeds your family healthy and tasty options for $2 per person or less. Over 35,000 people use $5 Meal Plans, and you can try it for free for 14 days!
Brazil is planning to reinstate its visa requirements for U.S. travelers, suspending a decision made in 2019 to encourage more tourism to the country.
The visa requirements — which were first reported by Reuters — will also apply to travelers from Australia, Canada and Japan. Brazil’s government is set to announce the decision Thursday.
While former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration scrapped visa entry requirements for U.S. travelers, the Brazilian government found that the measure didn’t do much to significantly increase tourism in the country; however, the COVID-19 pandemic may have played a role in hindering the initiative’s potential impact.
But as Brazil brings back its visa process for U.S. travelers, you can still visit the region without having to shell out lots in airfare. Although keep in mind that you will now have to probably give yourself some time to apply for a Brazilian visa if you plan to visit. Copa Airlines, LATAM Airlines and Avianca Airlines have a few spring and summer deals to Belo Horizonte, starting at $293.
You can fly to Belo Horizonte from Boston, Miami, New York City and Washington, D.C. A round-trip flight to the Brazilian city would otherwise typically cost $900, so these fares are a steal.
Deal basics
Airlines: Avianca, Copa and LATAM. Routes: From Boston, Miami, New York and Washington to Belo Horizonte. How to book: Search through Google Flights to find your ideal dates and then book directly with the airline of your choice. Travel dates: March to mid-June. Book by: The next two to three days.
Thanks to Going for flagging these flights. The site’s Premium membership has discounts of up to 90% and includes a 14-day free trial — all for only $49 a year. The Elite membership also scouts premium economy, business-class and first-class deals.
Sample flights
While there’s availability in March, Brazil’s imminent visa requirements could affect any last-minute plans, so be sure to give yourself some time to apply for a visa — it normally takes 10 business days for a visa to arrive, according to Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Here are examples of discounted flights:
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Copa: Miami International Airport (MIA) to Tancredo Neves International Airport (CNF), starting at $293 (includes a layover in Panama City).
Avianca: Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to CNF, starting at $428 (includes a layover in Bogota, Colombia).
Avianca: Dulles International Airport (IAD) to CNF, starting at $514 (includes a layover in Bogota).
LATAM: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to CNF, starting at $592 (includes a layover in Sao Paulo).
We recommend using Google Flights to determine your best dates and then booking your flights on the airline’s website. Direct airline bookings are more dependable if a flight is canceled, delayed or experiences a booking change.
Google Flights shows how good of a deal the $293 fare is for a round trip from Miami to Belo Horizonte — all the other available flights cost at least $800.
For returning flights, Copa has three options that keep the fare at $293.
Also, remember that Google Flights can sometimes show lower fares than what’s advertised on the airline’s website due to the availability of third-party booking sites.
The fares featured in these deals are for basic economy only. Copa’s basic economy charges fees for checked baggage, seat selection and booking changes.
Maximize your purchase
Use a card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, like The Platinum Card® from American Express (5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), Citi Prestige® Card (5 points per dollar on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2 points per dollar on travel). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
Even though Brazil will roll out its visa entry requirements again, it shouldn’t hamper your ability to visit the country, especially when there are good flight deals. Basic economy may be restrictive, but some of these flights are so heavily marked down that even if you were to pay for checked baggage and seats, you’d still be saving tons.
How much should you spend on a wedding? Well, that depends on who you’re asking, I suppose. As I’m sure most of you are aware, the personal finance blogosphere tends to be divided into two main camps: those that are focused on investments and entrepreneurship and those that are focused on frugality.
In my experience, however, the entrepreneurship camp is pretty live-and-let-live. The whole “cut everything you don’t care about so you can spend whatever you’d like on the things you do care about” school of thought. When you think about it, this makes sense for a few reasons.
We all have different skill sets to be utilized in our respective side hustles.
Different skills mean different pricing schemes.
We all have different work and family situations that we’re fitting said side hustles in around.
We all care about spending our money on different things, and those things cost different amounts and reflect our tastes and values.
Long story short, what this means is that sometimes it’s difficult to talk about investment and entrepreneurial issues in a way that applies to everyone.
Scenario 1: Someone who just graduated from college, hasn’t been able to find a job yet, and doesn’t have much work experience or professional contacts who is moving out of the dorms and trying to get a lease on an apartment.
Scenario 2: someone who has been in a stable job in their field for fifteen years and wants to start building up their side hustle so they can leave their nine to five and spend more time working from home now that their second child is on the way and their home is halfway paid off.
How do you give the meaningful advice to both folks at the same time? Not an easy task.
However, if I post a recipe for how to make your own laundry detergent and tell you it only takes 20 minutes to make a six-month supply, well — there’s no reason everyone can’t take advantage of that, right? As a result, frugalistas tend to be a little more “one size fits all” and, dare I say it, judgmental (in lots of blog communities, anyway, though blessedly less so at GRS).
What does all this have to do with my wedding? While my husband and I spent significantly less than the national average of $27,000, we did end up clocking in at what was — for me, anyway — a nearly heart-stopping $11,400.
However, there’s more to this type of spending than pure number-crunching; psychology and social expectations play a huge role, and those who argue that those factors shouldn’t play a part are in need of a serious reality check.
Expectations v. Reality
Contrary to stereotype, my idea of a wedding was eloping and sending out postcards to our holiday card list afterward telling people it happened. After all, we not only have school and consumer debt we’re trying to pay off (more on that in another post), but we’ve been together for six years and living together for four of those years. In my eyes, it was a formality that didn’t require a huge expense.
My fiancé, on the other hand, wanted the whole shebang: ceremony in a church (which I did manage to talk him out of — barely — by pointing out that we’re atheists) and formal reception with a hundred and fifty guests. He’d literally been dreaming of his wedding day his entire life and had never once envisioned it without all the bells and whistles. I can’t emphasize this enough; He wanted a black-tie affair and a string quartet, and that’s just for starters.
After pointing out a few salient points, like:
I hadn’t paid off over $10,000 in credit card debt just to rack it all up again, especially when my salary is only $40,000 per year.
He had just quit his extremely lucrative job at a mid-size law firm where he was well on his way to partner for a far more uncertain future starting his own firm with a friend who isn’t exactly renowned for his work ethic.
Our parents were in no position to contribute to the costs: we were completely on our own as far as paying for the wedding.
He agreed with me that there was no way we could pull off a traditional wedding and honeymoon on our own. At first we didn’t think this was going to be a big deal; after all, surely there were less-expensive packages offered by wedding vendors, right? We priced five vendors and, much to our surprise, struggled to find a single one that could provide us for a quote under $20,000. Which didn’t even include the honeymoon. Gulp. Enter compromise. But where would we even start?
However, over the course of many conversations, priorities began to emerge.
First, neither of us are huge DIY-ers, meaning we weren’t going to sit around for hours making invitations and table centerpieces from scratch. Second, having a formal event was non-negotiable; a pot-luck in the park wasn’t going to cut it. Third, the event itself could be small, as long as all our friends and family were invited. Fourth, we weren’t willing to forgo a honeymoon in favor of the ceremony. And finally, we wanted to go on a cruise for our honeymoon.
The Epiphany
Score! I don’t even know where he came across it since it’s not on the cruise company’s main page, but somewhere in the endless Google searches my husband found what ended up being our solution: having the wedding itself on the cruise ship! While it sounds deliciously decadent, shockingly it ended up our most affordable option.
Here’s a rough cost breakdown:
Ceremony and Reception: $2000 for up to 20 guests, $30/each thereafter. We ended up paying about $250 for going over the limit, so $2250 total. The reception was an open bar and included a selection of 10 appetizers.
DJ: $100. We provided the CDs with music, he was just the host.
Flowers: $100. Basic bouquets.
Bride’s apparel: $600. I bought a sample dress for $110 and had it tailored. This amount also includes my accessories.
Groom’s apparel: $200, tuxedo rental. Though pricey, a tux was one of his non-negotiables and going through the cruise company was cheaper than having to rent a tux for the entire week of the cruise.
Rings: $300 each, $600 total. My ring is white gold with CZ accent stones and his is white gold. We bought mine off a costume jewelry website and his off Amazon.
“Rehearsal” dinner: $400. There wasn’t actually a rehearsal since the boat docked the morning of the ceremony, but we took our friends and family out for deep-fried seafood the night before we set sail.
Invitations: $500. Note: This is probably the expense I regret the most. Due to a pretty significant miscommunication, we waited until the last minute humanly possible to get invitations sorted out, and we paid for it. Ugh.
Postage: $100. Note: Don’t forget to account for this expense! We had to buy 65-cent stamps for the invitations and then you have to also stamp the RSVP cards. Originally the plan was to do RSVP postcards to save a bit, but since we needed full legal names and birth dates with the RSVPs to comply with cruise ship regulations, this didn’t end up being feasible.
Wedding website: $100. This was for one year of hosting service, which is about how far in advance you want to start notifying people of a cruise wedding anyway.
Bridesmaid’s gifts: $300. I bought their jewelry for the wedding as well as took them out to a fancy brunch, since they planned the bridal shower in my state and a bachelorette party in the state where the wedding was held, despite the fact that neither of them lived in either of those states.
Favors: $150. This one was almost a fight, too, since the favors he wanted were really expensive. However, since we had fewer than 30 people attending when all was said and done, we could spring for this.
Photographs: $1000. Note: this seemed expensive to me, but apparently a professional wedding photographer usually runs $3000 or more. Our photographer was actually included in the cost of the wedding, so the $1000 is only for the prints we purchased and digital copies of those prints. He also turned them around in THREE DAYS, which is apparently unheard of in “normal” wedding photography circles. And everyone agrees that they’re stunning.
Flights, hotel, and other transportation: $1500. We live in Arizona and the cruise departed from Florida, so we would have spent this regardless. It’s also worth noting that my friends and family all are from Florida and having the wedding there was the only way a lot of them could afford to come. Additionally, we ended up having to pay the overweight luggage fees because we weren’t willing to pack light for our own wedding.
Cruise: $2200. This was a seven-day western Caribbean cruise with four ports of call. We also stayed in one of the nicest cabins on the ship — we had a living area, plenty of closet space, and a balcony.
Spending while on cruise: $1300. This included excursions like snorkeling with sting rays, zip lining in Belize, tubing through ancient Mayan caves, alcoholic beverages while on the cruise, and all gratuities.
Total: $11,400
Since the wedding actually happened while the ship was in its home port, guests could attend even if they weren’t coming on the cruise. Since they weren’t obligated to cruise with us, and most of the guests would have had to travel to us even if we’d gotten married in our home state, the wedding was no more or less a burden to attend than it would have been otherwise. And four of our friends did end up joining us on the cruise, which ended up being even more fun than a honeymoon alone!
The Aftershocks Afterglow
We managed to pay for about half of these costs prior to the wedding, and ended up with credit card balances of approximately $5000 that still need to be paid off, or about $2500 apiece (we haven’t combined finances yet). However, it’s also worth noting that I fully paid off my last remaining $2500 in credit card debt during the year prior to the wedding. On the surface my balance hasn’t changed, but this means I know I can pay off my share of wedding debt within a year, since I’ve basically done it before.
While I will admit that I started off resenting every penny and every minute of my time I spent on the experience (remember, I wanted to elope), I had an amazing time and appreciated the opportunity to reconnect with family and friends a lot more than I thought I would. And while he started off resenting that we weren’t taking advantage of every upgrade available, after everything was said and done he agreed that everyone considered every aspect of our wedding to be very classy, indeed.
What Do You Think?
Are we heroes to be commended for spending less than half the national average? Complete and total fools duped by consumerism and the wedding racket into spending way more than we should have? Have you ever had an experience with a romantic partner where initial opinions differed so radically on an issue of such significance? If so, how did you resolve it?
Have you ever hosted a yard sale with dismal sales? You made a dollar per hour for your efforts. No fun.
Last weekend, I hosted a garage sale with my brother, my ex-wife, and my girlfriend. It was a raging success. We cleared out tons of stuff, and we netted over $2500 in the process.
I’ve hosted many yard sales over the years (and shopped at dozens more) and have developed some strong opinions about what works best. I’ve heard people complain that garage sales aren’t worth the time. But they can be quite profitable if you do a few simple things.
Happy customers browsing our sale…
Yard Sale Tip Sections
With so many tips, we divided them into ten main sections that cover all the aspects of hosting a yard sale.
If the subject was too large, we broke the main section down into sub-sections to highlight specific topics. Click on any of the hyperlinks to go immediately to that section or sub-section.
Yard Sale tips we consider essential are marked with a happy star ?. But don’t ignore the other tips! They’re all important to know.
Define Your Goal
The kind of event you hold depends on what you’re trying to accomplish, and it’s usually one of two things:
Get rid of stuff (fast) or …
Make as much money as possible.
(Skip to next section)
Scheduling Your Sale
Take Advantage of Different Seasons
Whether you’re trying to get the most money for your things or to sell them as quickly as possible, consider how timing can affect your choice of location, what you sell, how you advertise, and even how often you schedule yard sales.
For example, if you’re moving and you can’t take it with you, a yard sale is the perfect solution. But you may also be up against some tight deadlines that complicate things. How do you make it work in February, or if you only have a weekend, or you won’t have anyone to help you?
On the other hand, if you have a lot of time, you can maximize your result by scheduling a few events that target special or seasonal items. What should you know about merchandising to get the best price?
Depending on your area, you may find that one-day sales are more beneficial. Experiment with which day is best. Maybe a Thursday afternoon/Friday combination is great, or just Fridays.
? You may think it’s best to schedule a yard sale in the summer months, but it’s possible to have a successful yard sale any time of year. In fact, you might even be able to capitalize on the fact that it’s February or November and there aren’t as many yard sales. Think about the pros and cons of each season.
Springtime
Advantages:
In northern climates, a yard sale in spring is an invitation to spend money after being cooped up all winter. There’s an air of optimism that could boost how much you’re able to sell.
Disadvantages:
Weather patterns are often unpredictable, and that could affect turnout. Pay particular attention to location and logistics. Shelter is critical to protect your merchandise and keep customers happy despite conditions.
Advertising:
Be clear about how rainy weather will affect the hours of your sale.
Good Items to Sell:
Sports equipment
Camping gear
Gardening tools
High-quality children’s clothing
Patio furniture
Summertime
Advantages:
The hot, sunny, lazy days of summer make it easier to attract a throng and hopefully increase sales. And since the days are longer, you may only need a single day to sell all your items.
Disadvantages:
Heat and humidity are concerns in summer, so it’s important to provide shade and a place for customers to sit.
Advertising:
It’s even more important to differentiate yourself in advertising. Find your hook free ice water, a kiddie pool, a neighborhood back-to-school sale.
Good Items to Sell:
Back-to-school clothes
Furniture and household goods for dorms/apartments
Outdoor toys bikes, camping gear
Books (especially children’s books)
Electronics
Autumn
Advantages:
Fall still offers pleasant weather, but the most hard-core (read: negotiate-like-crazy) customers are burned out.
Disadvantages:
Depending on your area, wind and weather patterns can be unstable. That doesn’t usually affect turnout, but it’s another reason to protect your merchandise.
Advertising:
Your customers may be looking for, or college students may need, your furniture and household goods to furnish dorms or apartments. Highlight these items in your advertising, as well. Maybe even title your sale as a Back-to-school yard sale!
Good Items to Sell:
Winter items
Exercise gear
Picture frames
Holiday decorations
Collectibles
Wintertime
Advantages:
In the lower latitudes, winter yard sales may continue on just as they do in the fall. Not so in the cold climate of the higher latitudes. Still, motivated buyers find motivated sellers in the winter months too. The winter months may be the best time to find bargain-hunters.
Disadvantages:
In winter, location and logistics are critical. A community or church hall may offer the best environment for a yard sale if they will work with you. Even a storage facility may permit a yard sale on their grounds if you’re a customer.
Advertising:
Give clear directions for parking and how to access any buildings.
Good Items to Sell:
Space heaters
Firewood
Tools
Furniture
Clean linens and blankets
Merchandise
With yard sales, word gets around. So stock your sale with lots of stuff to pull the biggest crowds and generate buzz.
Locate and sell anything you no longer want or need. Aaron LaPedis, author of The Garage Sale Millionaire, suggests taking an inventory of all of your possessions in order to determine what you should sell and what you should keep. “Make sure you go through your house top to bottom — every closet, drawer, nook, and cranny,” says LaPedis. “Nothing is too small or too big to sell.” And make sure you have enough stuff.
? Don’t base what you sell on what you would buy. You never know if someone likes to fix broken things or is looking for materials for an art project. If it’s something you don’t want and it’s safe, put it in your garage sale.
Offer to sell stuff for family and friends. Ask around to see if anyone has big-ticket items to sell. Not only does this help them, it also could potentially draw more customers to your sale.
Look beyond household stuff as your merchandise. Do you have plant starts you could pot and sell? How about leftover building or landscape materials?
Take the time to wipe off the dust and dirt. Clean stuff sells better. Period.
Differentiate!
All garage sales are basically the same. Find a way to set yours apart, whether it’s by theme, price, scale, or amenities. Last weekend, for instance, I billed ours as a “geek garage sale”, and emphasized that I had graphic novels, board games, and computer gear. My Craigslist ad brought folks from far and wide because of this. They bought the geeky stuff, but they also bought kitchen gadgets and yard art and clothing.
Label your sale. Lots of graphic novels, board games, and computer gear? Bill it as a “geek yard sale.” We did this last weekend and my Craigslist ad brought folks from far and wide because of this. They bought the geeky stuff, but they also bought kitchen gadgets and yard art and clothing.
Free delivery! If you have several large items to sell, another way to differentiate yourself is to find a couple of volunteers with trucks who wouldn’t mind delivering items — for free — after the sale.
Partner with your neighbors! Neighborhood garage sales attract tons more customers, so talk to your neighbors and spread the word ahead of time to arrange multiple sales. Find out what your neighbors are selling and offer to refer your customers to them. Or, better yet, hold your garage sale during an established entire-neighborhood garage sale day.
Offer free lemonade, cookies, or even just ice water. Most garage sales are held on hot days so a jug of watery lemonade or refreshing ice water is a nice gift for your customers. Don’t forget that visiting pets get thirsty too.
Engage the customers. Be friendly. Chat up the people who stop by. Be engaging. When parents with young children visit, I always find something to give the kids for free (often it’s whatever they’ve gravitated toward). I also throw in freebies for folks who buy lots of Stuff. This builds goodwill, especially among the other customers who are watching things transpire. I believe we sold more because Kim and Kris and I were friendly and fun.
Advertising
Getting the word out about your sale is critical to your success. In the old days, advertising meant sticking an ad in the newspaper, which would normally cost around $20. Newspapers may still be useful today, but other (free!) methods exist.
Here’s how to advertise to get more customers today.
Neighborhood Publications:
If you’re hosting a yard sale along with others in your neighborhood, check if they publish the yard sales. This may be free or cost a nominal fee.
Craigslist:
To get the most value from a Craigslist ad…
Advertise the date and location of your sale.
Add pictures and descriptions of the nicer items.
? Put up ads for the most valuable things in their respective categories on Craigslist. Some people might not be browsing in the garage sale section but might see your ad for the table set in the furniture section and come to the sale for it and more stuff.
Once it sells, delete that listing immediately as a courtesy.
Make your Sale Shareable. Social Media is your Friend:
?Facebook, Twitter, Instagram use them! The entire week before the sale, post on social media about your merchandise. Include pictures. During the day of the sale, update your status or tweet on what you still have available.
Nine Tips to Make your Signs Sizzle!
Your goal is to get as much traffic as possible. If your signs are unclear or difficult to read, people won’t waste their time, especially if there are dozens of yard sales to choose from. Simple is best!
I’m shocked at how ineffective most garage sale signs are. It’s like people don’t care, or as if they don’t spend twenty seconds putting themselves in the shoes of their customers. Keep signs clean and neat. Make sure everything’s legible. Make sure nothing’s ambiguous. Clear signage is worth its weight in gold. Our signs included the address, the date and time of the sale, and an arrow pointing the way. I hung a dozen of them along the major traffic roads in the area, funneling people onto our street.
Our signs also had the address and an arrow pointing the way…
Design to inform and intrigue
Use bright colors to attract attention.
Use a thick marker of a contrasting color to make big, bold text.
Adding a border around your text may increase readability. Remember that your customers are cruising by at 35 miles per hour!
Have large arrows pointing in the correct direction. It’s so much easier to follow arrows than to slow down to read an address.
Remember that superlatives rule Awesome! Blowout! Epic!
Where’s your sign?
Post multiple signs around your neighborhood.
Place signs at nearby major intersections and at each turn along the way.
Also, take a practice drive past one of your signs. Do people have time to read it, make a decision, and make the turn, before they’ve driven past it?
After the sale is over, remove all the signs!
Supplies
The right supplies can make your sale run more smoothly. So as you get closer to the big day, gather everything you need.
Borrow tables and shelves to display your merchandise. Having a check-out table can be helpful. It helps people know exactly where to go to ask a question, and placing the table near the exit allows you to welcome people in while watching that they don’t walk off with anything.
? Apron or fanny pack for the money. I use a cheap cloth apron/utility belt from the local hardware store. It works beautifully. Some people use fanny pack or a zippered bank deposit pouch.
Markers, scissors, masking tape, price stickers, and poster board. As you change prices throughout the day, you’ll use these items. Also, use these supplies to mark items that are NOT for sale.
Paper/pencil. Use this as a ledger to jot down a description of each item and how much you sold it for or to place stickers on a page for each seller. (This can help make it easier to settle up after the sale if you have a neighborhood event.)
Calculator. Having a calculator will expedite your checkout line and make it easier if you’re not especially gifted at math!
Batteries. Keep an assortment of batteries on hand so that a prospective buyer can test that old Nintendo Gameboy for himself.
Extension cords. If you are selling electrical items, make sure you have an extension cord handy or display these items near a plug so people can test them.
Bags/boxes for customer purchases. Collect free bags/boxes before your sale so your customers can haul away their purchases.
Hangers and a method to hang clothes. Searching through hanging clothes is much easier than pawing through a table covered with clothes.
Plenty of cash. Get two rolls of quarters, a stack of 50 $1 bills, 10 $5 bills, and 5 $10 bills. Do it two days before the sale so that, if you forget, you can still get the change on the day before.
Pricing
Know your purpose. “There are two types of garage sales,” an old man told me last weekend. “One is to make money. The other is to get rid of Stuff.” Know which type of sale you’re holding and why. Your purpose will affect how much you negotiate and how much you give away for free.
As mentioned above, be clear on the purpose of your sale. Are you selling things to make money or to get rid of them? This question affects everything you do, from how you price things to how willing you are to negotiate. Surprisingly, you can often make more money (and get rid of more junk) by pricing things low. (If your goal is to get top dollar, you should really be selling on eBay or Craigslist.)
Oh, and lose your sentimental attachment. Unfortunately, no one cares how much you paid for an item or how many memories are attached to it. It’s a sunk-cost. They just want a bargain!
How to Establish Price
Know the value of your items. By doing some research on eBay or Craigslist, you might discover that some of your items are worth way more than you thought. However, this does not mean you should actually charge those prices. By attending yard sales yourself, you’ll have a general idea of what an acceptable price is. Also, you’re probably safe by pricing things somewhat below what the area thrift stores charge.
Don’t price your stuff too low. People like to bargain, so allow some wiggle room. Also, you want to make money. You can always have a 50-percent-off sale over the last couple hours.
Price items like a store. If you have a lot of something, “Buy 3, get 1 free” works really well.
Other pricing strategies. Fill this box for $10 or fill this bag for $5. Anything not valuable can go on tables dedicated to that and you will get rid of all sorts of stuff that people might not buy individually but might stuff in a box.
To Price or not to Price.
Pricing items is a pain, no question.
Some people find it more profitable not to price anything because customers are turned off if the price is too high.
However, most customers prefer priced items, if only as a starting point for haggling.
Opting for a hybrid approach may require pricing larger items, or grouping like items on a table and then placing a sign on the table for the prices.
You can also place anything worth less than $5 or $10 on a table with a note to make an offer.
Another innovative approach is to mark by colored stickers only and having a master price list or two. As the day goes on, you can easily change the master price lists without changing prices on the individual items.
Be Willing to Bargain, but be Less Flexible at the Start.
If you just want to get rid of your stuff, you probably won’t mind haggling over anything.
But if you’re interested to make some money for your efforts, don’t haggle over a low-priced item or two. If your customers buy several things, cut them a deal.
Also don’t cut prices by much the morning of the sale, unless they are buying a ton of stuff. Tell them that you’ll cut prices a couple of hours before the end of the sale, and if they’re willing to take the chance, they can come back later. Or offer to take their phone number, and say “I’m sorry, but I’m not comfortable selling it at that price. Would you like me to call you if it’s still here at the end of the day?”
By the end of the sale, it’s best to practically give things away rather than face the prospect of having to deal with it later.
Staging
Too many garage sales are a haphazard collection of Stuff piled every which way. Don’t be like that. Take lessons from supermarkets and department stores. “Organize things so they’ll catch the shopper’s eye,” Kris says. “And don’t have depressing music playing.” (At the start of the sale, I had some New Age music on the stereo. “It sounds like a funeral,” she told me. She had me put on Elton John’s greatest hits instead, and people loved it. Sales improved!)
If you really want more bang for your buck, borrow from the big retailers’ playbook for how to display your merchandise.
Prepare your window display. How do regular stores get people to stop in? By creating intriguing/beautiful/interesting window displays. You won’t have window displays but use the concept. You can lure more customers by placing highly-desirable items near the road.
Move your customers to the right. For whatever reason, shoppers prefer to move through stores counter-clockwise. To get your customers to do the same, you can set up a table with free lemonade to the right, or display good items (but probably not the most expensive), or colorful, items to the right. You may want to place your most expensive/desirable items in the back of the garage, on the wall. As long as your customers can see these items from the garage door, they will walk past all your other items first.
Display items to their advantage. Too many garage sales are a haphazard collection of stuff piled every which way. Customers want bargains with the feel of a store. Put the highest value items at eye level or clearly marked on a high-value table. Organize things so they’ll catch the shopper’s eye. Hang up clothes, sorted by size, with the sizes clearly labeled.
Slow your customers down. Instead of lining your garage with long tables, consider staggering them in such a way that your customers slow down — without creating bottlenecks, of course.
Make it cohesive. Establish themes. While you can group like items together, also consider grouping items of the same color, or by theme. One theme could be music: Gather old instruments, CDs, and old speakers together.
Shed a little light. Lighting is important in big box stores, and it’s just as important at your yard sale. Make sure all light bulbs are working in the garage. Consider setting up table lamps and white Christmas lights to brighten the atmosphere.
Promote expensive items. Big-ticket items can be tough to sell, but you can do it with a little extra effort. For example, if you have a digital camera to sell, gather all the bits and pieces and place them together on a table along with a printout of the Amazon page for the camera.
Think like a customer. As soon as you’ve opened and fielded the initial flood of shoppers, walk through your sale as if you were there to buy something. How does it feel? Are things clearly marked? Is it easy to move around? Visualize any potential bottleneck areas. Are your books on the ground in boxes or are they placed neatly on shelves and tables? As things sell, move items around to fill in the gaps.
Make it easy for shoppers to test electronic items. If it is a sound or video electrical item, take a retailing idea from the pros and set it up to play. A TV that is playing will sell much better than one that is off. This is also true of sound electronics. Play videos on TV. People will start watching and ask to buy the video.
Create visual interest. While you want all the customers to see into your garage clearly, don’t forget that staggering items at various heights along your garage walls creates visual interest and allows better visualization.
Display impulse purchases. Wherever customers check out, conspicuously place inexpensive, fun items.
Have a box of free stuff. Nothing is more fun than finding something for nothing, so place a large, well-marked “FREE” box close to the curb. Mention the free box on the main Craigslist ad and place an individual Craigslist listing in the Free category.
Complementary items. Have a pile of complimentary items and let buyers pick one item to go with each purchase. It could be any old junk, but people will love getting a freebie.
Set up a lemonade stand. Instead of giving away free lemonade, your child can sell lemonade — and make her own money!
Be the Pinterest of yard sales. Your customers may think something looks cool, but they aren’t really sure how they’ll use it. Consider displaying some of your merchandise on furniture you have for sale. By displaying the item in an interesting way, or even printing out some craft projects you found on Pinterest, you may inspire your customer to take the treasure home.
Avoiding Problems
The Early Birds.
Warn in your ads that “early birds pay double.” Otherwise, you’ll be stuck fumbling for change and entertaining these folks rather than getting your items ready. Or if you don’t want early birds to show up, don’t put your entire address in your ad. Then, just before you open, put out the signs and open the garage door. And don’t take money (meaning, no sales) until you are ready.
Future Burglars.
Unless you personally know them, don’t allow anyone in your house. If they ask for a bathroom, direct them to the closest public restroom.
Do NOT Use a Cash Box.
Carry your money on you at ALL times. You don’t want to present a target for casual thieves. More than that, you don’t want to be duped by professional swindlers who run distraction con games. It happens. It is devastating to see the profits from all your labor and the proceeds from your hard-to-part-with items vanish in an instant. This happened to a woman on our street on the last day of the sale last year. Do NOT use a cash box. I use a cheap cloth apron/utility belt from the local hardware store. It works beautifully. Some people use fanny pack or a zippered bank deposit pouch.
Don’t Bad-Mouth your Items.
A decade ago, Kris and I held a garage sale with a group of friends. One guy constantly told customers what was wrong with the items they were purchasing. “Oh, that book is awful. That’s a terrible movie. That skillet doesn’t heat very well. That game is boring. Needless to say, we sent this friend inside to drink beer ASAP. Your goal is to sell the items. Don’t lie — just emphasize the positives. Oh, that book is very popular. That movie won three Oscars. That skillet is great for pancakes. That game is fun for kids.
The Hostess with the Mostest.
If having a group yard sale, pick the best location in terms of traffic or accessibility or parking (and don’t forget to clear parking spots on the big day for customers). Offer the host a bonus such as a percent of the sale or a hosting fee. Also, go over ground rules such as the bargaining policy, etc.
(If you have an option to select the home where the sale is hosted, select a home with a shaded drive, if possible.)
Wrapping It Up
Have a plan for what you’ll do with your unsold merchandise.
Some non-profits will pick up unsold stuff, so research this ahead of time.
If you are going to drop anything off at a thrift store, know their drop-off times/days. Also, check to see if there are any limitations on what they accept.
Post on the local freecycle (www.freecycle.org) that, after a certain time, whatever is left is free for the taking — and remember to include your address. If you’re lucky, people will schlepp it away for you!
Even after years of purging, I still have too many books…
We’d only intended for ours to be a two-day sale, but we did so well that we decided to open Sunday too. This time, we re-branded. Because we still had shelves filled with classics, graphic novels, and photography manuals, we billed ourselves as a “book sale”. Surprisingly, this still brought folks in. Traffic was much lighter than previous days, but we still cleared $400.
In the end, we sold $2,454.90 worth of Stuff. Kim and Kris and Jeff didn’t do as well as I did — none of them spent a lifetime making foolish financial choices and “collecting” books and records and comics and other toys — but everyone seemed happy with the money they earned. And as for me? After years of battles, I think I’ve finally won the war on Stuff!
A great yard sale begins with a great plan. What are your best yard sale tips?