April 16, 2007 | Everyday Wisdom, Questions Answered

This past weekend I did a massive email clean-out, and realized that I’d lost track of several advice questions, some from as far back as January. I am hanging my head in shame. Just as a general suggestion—if you email a question to me and don’t either hear back or see a post about it within a few weeks, feel free to email me again. I’m human and I’m busy and I often get well over a hundred emails a day (not counting all that delicious spam), and things do get misplaced. I’m sorry.

Frances emailed me a really long time ago, and she’s probably married with three kids by now, but I will address her question, anyway, because it will make me feel less like a slacker. I mean, because I care.

Hello Mir ~

In admiration of your helpfulness to Allanna with her house-outfitting question, I come with another broad request. I am planning for my August wedding with a very limited budget and welcome any tips on finding the essentials at reasonable rates. I know that I am on my own with the local aspects (reception location and caterer, etc.), but do you (and your oh-so-helpful readers) have any recommendations on online vendors for things like flowers, programs, decorations, favors, and other little sweet things?

Thank you!

Hey! August! Plenty of time left! (Oh, Frances, I am sorry I didn’t get to this sooner, truly.) Anyway, let’s see what we can find…. (more…)

April 5, 2007 | Everyday Wisdom, Questions Answered

I know I haven’t been answering many questions lately, but I just got this one and thought I’d try to tackle it before we have to leave Panera and go back home to our cold, powerless house.

Michele writes:

Hi Mir, the most beautiful of all bloghers.

I am a stay-at-home mom of two young boys, 2.5 and nearly 1. Before having kids, I worked in the publishing field, and had (what I thought was) a wardrobe that I loved. Now that I have kids, I am astonished at what I end up wearing every day. It’s embarassing (although not as embarassing as the ladies wearing the matching sweatsuits IMHO). Plus, I’m 41, so I can’t pull off a lot of the styles that are in the malls (ie, cheap and easily found.)

I need clothes that are A. Sturdy, meaning that I can wash and wear them and that they will last longer than one afternoon. B. Cool, so I don’t look like I’m trying to be a teenager again or that I am closer to menopause than my kids first day at preschool. and C. Reasonably priced. I am staying home and forgoing my career because I think it’s the right thing to do. Must my sense of style be sacrificed too?

Please help!

This is something I can answer, I think. Hang on, Michele! Help is on the way! (more…)

February 7, 2007 | Everyday Wisdom

Wooooo, those of you who tried to hop on this deal have maybe done it before, or maybe this was your first experience with it, but either way—you’ve done it now. The adrenaline rush. The thrill of the chase; the high of the ultimate bargain. That’s the sort of thing that makes shopping fun again, right?

Well, yes and no.

For those of you who are maybe haven’t hopped on a deal like this before, you need fair warning. There’s an excellent chance all of our orders will be canceled. (more…)

January 24, 2007 | Everyday Wisdom, Questions Answered

Yesterday’s post on the Dos and Don’ts of credit cards prompted this comment from tennessee gal:

Delurking to ask a question. I am still in college and stumbled across your site through a link, but I love the freebies! I currently have no credit in my name and after trying to get my fiance a cell phone with no credit (they wanted a $1000 deposit), I decided I should get a credit card and use it to buy my gas each month. The point is to keep it simple. Something that I would be purchasing anyway, and I know I can pay off with my current job. My question is this: I’ve heard two different theories. One is that you don’t build credit buy paying off your credit card each month, that you should carry a balance on it. The other is that you should pay it off each month and that does build your credit. I am personally a fan of the second one where I pay it off each month and not carry a balance. I talked to Mom about this and she couldn’t remember how she built credit. And there are so many conflicting articles on the internet about this, I wanted to know your thoughts! I have not picked a card to get yet, so any suggestions you have would be welcome. Please help this college student going on the right track! (and I think I’m supposed to say that you are beautiful and ROCK!)

(That tennessee gal… she’s a quick learner. See how she sucks up to me on her very first question? She’s going places, I can tell.)

So how about it—do you carry a credit card balance simply to “build up” your credit? (more…)

January 23, 2007 | Big Picture, Everyday Wisdom

I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about this before, but it’s a pet topic of mine and bears repeating, even if I have. (Besides, I can’t find it, if I did. Feel free to tell me I’m getting old and senile; I’ll forget all about it in a few days.)

More and more I’m seeing financial planning and couponing and general save-money-now sites advocating a lifestyle completely free of credit. “Pay cash for everything!” they shout. “Cancel all your credit cards except for one, and only use that one in a dire emergency!”

I especially like the people who advocate taking that one credit card and freezing it inside a gigantic block of ice in your freezer, so that you’ll have to wait for it to melt to use it (thereby supposedly avoiding impulse purchases). Those people have clearly never 1) shopped online, 2) memorized anything, 3) seen an ice pick.

The fact of the matter is this: Used responsibly, credit not only makes life simpler, it saves you money. (more…)

January 16, 2007 | Everyday Wisdom, Questions Answered

Allanna writes:

Mir, you pretty thing, you!

Did I remember to mention that you’re pretty? And brilliant? My question is this: My husband and I recently bought our first house… and we’re trying to get it to be gorgeous and wonderful. One thing in particular that we’re looking for is home-stuff hardware… exterior door handles, bathroom faucets, and the like. How can we best emulate your mad skillz in getting spectacular deals on these things?

Thank you so much! You’re pretty!!

Allanna is very good at sucking up. We like that. In fact, I bet that Allanna is really, really pretty.

So how do you get all of those annoying little house things for less? (more…)

December 21, 2006 | Everyday Wisdom, Questions Answered

Mmmm… snacks.

Mom Nancy writes:

Hello Lovely Pretty Mir!

My question pertains to a family trip (9hour flight) we’re taking mid-January with three kids under age 9 — one with a peanut allergy. I need some suggestions for snacks in their carry-ons that won’t have them all sugar-high half way through the flight, and that won’t cause a need to break out the Epi-pen. Every kind of snack/cereal bar I look at is either loaded with high fructose corn syrup, or may contain peanuts.

I remember you mentioned packing your own snacks when you went to BlogHer, and I recall Monkey was a no-nut kid as well. So I’m hoping you’ll have some great suggestion that I’m obviously overlooking. I’m limited to regular supermarkets — no Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods within an hour of me.

Any other flight tips are welcome as well!

Thanks,
Nancy

Ask and ye shall receive, Nancy! (more…)

December 7, 2006 | Everyday Wisdom

Otto found this one, though I would’ve posted it anyway because it’s a good one.

In a busy season of holiday madness, it’s great to find little ways to give back, and/or to shift the focus from stuff to connecting with people.

Why not go visit Let’s Say Thanks and send a card or twelve to our troops overseas? Why not sit down and send a few with your kids, even?

You don’t have to agree with the war to be grateful to those men and women (many of whom are little more than children, themselves) who are putting themselves in harm’s way. And it may be a better use of your time than finding just the right tie for great-uncle Milton.

November 23, 2006 | Everyday Wisdom

Get off the computer and go tell someone how much they mean to you.

I’m on my way to do just that. (I’ll be taking an airplane. If you’re lucky, you can just walk right into the next room. It’s cheaper, and doesn’t require the motion sickness wristbands I feel compelled to use when I fly.)

Check back tonight and early tomorrow for Black Friday goodness.

November 21, 2006 | Everyday Wisdom, Questions Answered

Lord knows that I try my hardest to give thoughtful gifts to my kids’ teachers. This is partly because I just love to give a gift that’s well-received, and partly because my children are hellions (and as I can’t just give out the large wads of cash their teachers so richly deserve, I have to make do with what I have).

So you know that I couldn’t pass by this question:

Lovely Mir, please help me. I was foolish not to take advantage of the deals you had previously highlighted as being great gifts for teachers. Now I am looking for something to give to my children’s teachers (and also their assistants) for the holidays that would be both appreciated by them, and inexpensive for me. I admit that last year I gave mugs, and although they were very beautiful mugs, I do not want to give mugs again. Please help me find creative ways to say thank you to their teachers!

(Also, I have several people that I usually give little token gifts to during Christmas, and if I could just give the same to everyone, well, that would be beyond wonderful.)

Many, many thanks -
Elleana

(more…)