Meet my blogroll: Growing Up Gabel

Camille has been a long time CFO reader and active commenter, and so I found her own delightful blog, Growing Up Gabel. She writes about topics close to my heart, including frugality, cooking and family, all with a touch of her sweet personality. Features of Growing Up Gabel include a weekly "Vons Bargain Meal of the Week" - last week, it was Crock Pot Swiss Steak with Corn on the Cob and Zucchini. Yum! I also love her recent post on the importance of a price book, something I've discussed too.

Previously: Meet the blogroll I've already introduced

Reiterating the benefits of contacting customer service: Make it a habit!

I've written before about how to tell companies that when you're both satisfied and dissatisfied about their services or products. I generally practice what I preach, but I have to admit that sometimes I simply forget or get lazy.

For instance, I have a broken night light sitting on my desk. It's been there for months. I intended to email the manufacturer to complain about how it was broken when it came out of the package. But I got lazy and now it's too late (since I appear to have tossed the packaging that I thought I'd saved).

As I get tangible results from contacting companies, I realize the benefits of making it a habit. And it really does pay off – literally. Earlier this week, I found a tiny dead bug in a Target brand package. I immediately used the online contact form to contact Target and by that evening, I'd received a response saying that my message had been forwarded to their monitoring staff and that they were sending me a $3 check to reimburse me for the product. I would have been even more impressed if they were also reimbursing me the 28 cents that I paid in tax, but in this instance, I didn't even ask for compensation. (It was a non-food product and I'd used almost all of it before I found the bug.)

On my post about complimenting companies and asking for coupons, Mama Bird left a comment noting that she's had success emailing companies who make products that rarely go on sale. I think that's a great strategy and plan to implement it myself.

So, to sum up, the lesson of the day is make it a habit to contact customer service with all good and bad experiences!

Previously: How to write an effective complaint letter & How to write a complimentary letter and get free coupons

Changing my shopping habits: Am I now spending less on groceries?

A few months ago, I mentioned that I had started shopping at multiple stores in order to get the best deals on groceries. I was asked if my spending had declined, but at the time, it was too soon to tell. Now, I have a pretty good idea of where we stand.

The bottom line is, my grocery spending remains about the same. But, we are eating out a lot less, so our overall spending has gone down. Since I started cooking again shortly after changing my shopping routine, I'm spending the same amount of money but buying more groceries. I'm also wasting less, and we're eating healthier.

I could spend a lot less if I was willing to buy more conventionally grown produce, and conventional dairy and meat products. These items account for about a third to a half of my weekly grocery bill, and I could probably spend half that amount by buying conventional products. But I can afford to buy organic produce, dairy and meat, so I do. It may not have much effect in the long run, but I like the idea of keeping my boys' bodies as chemical-free as reasonably possible.

I've pretty much eliminated Costco from my list of grocery stores. I'm sticking to going there just for gas and birthday parties because it's too inconvenient and the savings aren't worth it – especially compared to the risk of impulse buys.

I continue to do the bulk of my shopping at Trader Joe's. I wish it was publicly owned so that I could buy stock. They consistently have the best prices on organic and antibiotic/hormone-free products, and the relatively new store in Woodland Hills actually has decent parking. (Every other TJ's that I've been to has a horrific parking lot.)

I also shop at Ralphs (Kroger affiliate) and Pavilions (Safeway affiliate) on an almost-weekly basis to pick up loss leaders. The SoCal grocery thread at SlickDeals is my best source on these deals, and this is where the "more stuff for the same amount of money" part of my shopping really comes into play. I routinely get things for free at these stores, and the amount of savings at the bottom of my receipt is almost always over 50%. Granted, the savings amount is calculated based on regular prices, which at these stores is usually absurdly high, but the point is that I walk out of there with a lot of great deals. Last week, I bought three boxes of Wheat Thins for 69 cents each, and they'll make inexpensive contributions to our pot-luck playdates.

The last store I regularly buy groceries at is Whole Foods. Bargain Briana recently started listing the weekly deals there, which has inspired me to check the deals for my local stores on the web site (locate your store, then click for a pdf flyer for specials). Yesterday, I bought 3 pounds of hormone and antibiotic free ground beef for $1.99 per pound, the best price I've ever gotten. It's 22% fat, which is a higher fat content than I'd like, but I always drain my ground beef anyway, so it'll be fine. I actually wish I'd bought more, so I might be heading back today if it's not too inconvenient.

The bottom line here is that there are many ways to save money on food, and that you have to do what works for you. I'll be the first to admit that shopping at multiple stores and organizing my coupons takes a fair amount of time. But for me, it's worth it.

Previously: Costco vs. Trader Joe's vs. Ralphs

Earthquake Preparedness: Are you ready for the big one?

There was an earthquake on Sunday night here in Southern California – it felt like a small one out in the San Fernando Valley, but my friends who live south of LAX said the 4.7 quake gave them a pretty rough jolt.

By all accounts, the damage and injuries were minimal. But it was a good reminder that an earthquake can happen at any time and it's important to be ready for one.

The booklet Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country has a lot of good, basic information. You can read it online, download it as a PDF, or order free copies.

One thing we've done that puts our minds at ease is assemble some emergency kits w/ essentials like a hand-crank radio and flashlight, work gloves, nonperishable food, etc. The California Office of Emergency Services has a comprehensive checklist (pdf).

This earthquake has reminded me that I need to update the kits with fresh food and clothes for the kids. I think I will also replace the first aid supplies while I'm at it!

Previously: Emergency Preparedness Reminders

Meet my blogroll: Like Merchant Ships

I'm not exactly sure when I "met" Meredith of Like Merchant Ships, but I quickly fell in love with her blog. She's the sort of gracious, loving person who somehow manages to inspire rather than diminish. And she shares all kinds of wonderful ideas on her blog – crafts, cooking, cleaning, childcare, and more. I particularly love how she creatively stretches her dollars, and how generous she is with them. Who wouldn't love to be the lucky recipient of gifts like these?

Recently, Meredith ventured into Once-A-Month Cooking. She and Jessie spent six hours putting together 15 recipes (I think it worked out to 30 meals for each of them). She shared her freezer packing strategy at Frugal Hacks, where she writes a weekly column aptly titled "Cheerful Frugality."

If you don't know Meredith already, please head over to meet her. She recently moved her domain and resigned her lovely site. She's also got a handy Tumblr page where she links to favorite articles she's found throughout the blogosphere.

Previously: Meredith interviewed me last year (the podcast no longer seems to be available). One of the things we talked about was the price of eggs, which had been rising quickly at the time – since then, Trader Joe's has held the price steady at $1.49 per dozen.

Thumbs up to Fidelity Customer Service

Back in November, I mentioned that California residents could get a $50 Target gift card by opening a new 529 Scholarshare account. I waited until December to act on the offer, but I did get applications for both boys in by the deadline. In the subsequent weeks, I got lots of mail from Fidelity (which manages Scholarshare), confirming that they had received the applications and opened the accounts.

And then I waited.

I'd signed up for an automatic deposit into both accounts, but the money wasn't being withdrawn when it should have been. I knew it might take some time to set the withdrawals up, but finally, at the end of last month, I had to admit that something wasn't right.

I dreaded calling customer service but I didn't feel this was something that could be communicated effectively via email. So I forced myself to make the call, and as always seems to happen, it was much less painful than I thought it would be. I was put on hold for a while, so the customer service rep could go figure out what the problem was. That was okay, though, because when he came back on the line, he really had figured out the problem. It seemed my authorization to withdraw funds hadn't been sent to the right department.

I then mentioned the Target gift cards and pointed out that through no fault of my own, the requirements for getting them had not been fulfilled. (The first contribution had to be made within 90 days of the creation of the account.) The CSR agreed that it wasn't my fault and said he'd get back to me. The next day, I was informed that the gift cards were on their way. And they arrived just a couple days later.

These are the first Fidelity accounts I've ever owned, and I'm pleased with how they handled the situation. Hopefully, the automatic withdrawals will now be taken care of and I can put the boys' 529 plans on autopilot.

Previously: Good customer service from Sharebuilder

White Bean Dip

For some reason, I've been craving a simple, tasty white bean dip, so I made this up. It's great with baby carrots and pita chips.

White Bean Dip

1 15-oz can white kidney (cannellini) beans
1 teaspoon minced garlic
zest and juice of one small lemon
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a mini-food processor and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Variations: I haven't tried any of these, but I'm thinking that if you want heat, a dash or two of hot sauce would be nice. Or, try adding some spices, like cumin or curry powder, depending on what you like.

Previously: More recipes at Chief Family Officer

Works for me: Make a quick weekday lunch salad

One of the benefits of cooking at home instead of eating out is that you eat healthier. And I've definitely been eating healthier the last few weeks. One thing I've started doing is packing a salad for lunch every day. If I add protein, it can serve as an entree, though I'm more likely to leave out the protein and have it as a side dish along with leftovers from the previous night's dinner.

I'm all about the speedy packing, however, and I've established a system for packing a quick salad the night before. The first thing I do is drain and rinse a can of black beans. I have a small colander that comes with a bowl, so I use that. The second thing I do is chop a package of steamed beets. I get these at Trader Joe's – they come vacuum packed, and there are approximately five steamed beets in each package. I dice the beets and store them in a plastic container.

Each night, I put about 1/3 cup beans and 1/4 cup beets in the bottom of a plastic bowl with a lid. (I use the bowl that came with this Lock & Lock set but any similar container will work.) If I want dressing, I'll add some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt to the bean and beet mixture. Then I fill the rest of the bowl with lettuce, and top the lettuce with some shredded cheese (usually part-skim mozzarella). If I want protein, like shredded chicken or kalua pork, I add that on top with or instead of the cheese. Because the wet ingredients are at the bottom of the bowl, the lettuce won't wilt (just make sure that it's dry before you pack it).

In the morning, all you have to do is grab the container and go!

Find more Works for Me Wednesday tips at We are THAT Family.

Previously: A wake-up call: Time to go back to menu planning and cooking at home

Does the mortgage interest deduction make carrying a mortgage worthwhile?

Since announcing our intention to pay off our mortgage in six years, I've been asked if that's wise, given that the interest on a mortgage is tax deductible. The short answer is, it doesn't really matter to me. Paying off the mortgage will free up a lot of cash flow, which in turn will open up lots of options for us - options that I most definitely want to have in six years, because they may include things like the very expensive private school that we can't afford right now.

The long answer is - no surprise here - it depends - on whether you can earn more money with the extra principal payment than you would save by paying off that amount of principal. The math gets kind of complicated (at least for me), and I'm not a CPA or tax lawyer, so let me know if I haven't got this right.

Let's say that you'll pay $10,000 in mortgage interest this year and are in the 25% tax bracket, meaning that you'll pay $2500 less in taxes thanks to your mortgage. Let's also assume that if you pay an extra $250 per month in principal, you'll reduce your mortgage interest to $9,000, and therefore reduce your tax deduction to $2250. In other words, you'll end up paying $250 more in taxes this year because you paid off $3000 extra in principal ($250 x 12) . But you also paid $1,000 less in mortgage interest, for a net gain of $750.

Now, suppose you could take that $250 per month and invest it somewhere and earn more than $750 over the course of the year (plus more, to cover the taxes you'll owe on the extra income). Then theoretically, you're better off not paying extra on the mortgage but going with the investment instead. However, it also occurs to me that the math ought to be even more complicated because the mortgage interest savings are probably compounded over the life of the loan - that sort of calculation is way beyond my abilities, so I'm not even going to attempt to go there.

In my case, I haven't run the actual numbers to see if we could earn more via investment than we'll save by paying off the mortgage early. I don't even want to attempt those calculations, and in any event, it doesn't matter because I would predict the gain wouldn't outweigh the options that I'm looking forward to having in six years. And for us, that's what really matters.

Menu Planning Tip: Check the Weather

I've been planning weekly menus for a couple of months now. I used to do it years ago, and started again recently when Marc and I decided that I should cook more so we could stop spending so much on take out.

I've gotten better about planning my menus around what I already have and what needs to be used up, and yesterday I figured something out that I'm going to put into practice this coming week:

I'm going to check the 7-day weather forecast when planning my menu.

Why is this important? Well, my car thermometer read 99 degrees yesterday. And I'd planned on making pizza for dinner, which of course meant turning on the oven.

I made the pizzas anyway, and they were delicious. But I realized that I can possibly avoid this problem in the future by checking the weather forecast.

Of course, pretty soon, every day the temperature will hit 100+ degrees and I'm planning to keep my oven use down to once a week when we get into summer. But until that happens, I'm checking the weather forecast before I plan my menu!

Previously: Menu Planning: Getting Started

Stamp Out Hunger: The Annual USPS Food Drive is on Saturday

Each year, the United States Postal Service holds a food drive to collect donations for local food banks. The event is called Stamp Out Hunger and it's one of my favorite charity events because it's so easy to participate. All you have to do is leave a bag(s) of nonperishable grocery items next to your mailbox. (They ask that you not include items that are expired or in glass containers.)

This is an excellent time to go through your pantry and clear out the things you won't use before they expire!