Fake a New High End Countertop for $150

When we bought our first home in Baltimore we put in lots of sweat equity especially when it came to painting. I went a little nuts; after finishing the walls in every room, I moved to the cabinets and kitchen counter top.

The cabinets were not easy as traditional wood cabinets, because they were the lovely white laminate stuff that doesn't like paint. I found the Gripper primer that makes anything stick and it worked great.  The first time I painted the kitchen cabinets I did them in red (lasted for a few years until I needed a change), the second time in an espresso faux wood grain finish (I just dragged a rag vertically to get a grain effect).

I even painted the counter-top in the kitchen by applying the gripper, 2 coats of high gloss black, I created texture by applying gold and silver paint using bubble wrap, and then sealed with 5 coats of Polyrylic (I probably didn't need to do that much but I wanted to be sure it was sealed). I sanded between each coat to ensure a smooth finish. It was a bit of a process but ended up looking pretty awesome. I had a hard time locating a picture of the black "granite" that I painted a while ago, but you get the idea here (you can also see the espresso cabinets which were just changed from bright red):

The counter lasted 5 years and it was still looking pretty good but we decided we wanted to lighten it up a bit. We still didn't want to spend a couple thousand on a new counter at this point so I did some research and found the Rustoleum Countertop Transformations product. It turned out wonderful and took a fraction of the time to complete (compared with my previous painting procedure!). I would highly recommend it if you are looking to enhance your kitchen for less than a couple hundred bucks (and don't want to spend 7 straight days painting, sanding, and waiting for 24 hour drying times). The both looked quite nice actually, but the Rustoleum product was a lot easier.

This picture shows what it looked like after the transformation, we used the Desert Sand color. This product created a lot smoother, more professional finish, in no time. We also later added a back splash that tied the cabinets in nicely! The pictures don't really do it justice, but it really looked nice! When we sold our house this year the Realtor wrote down high end counters- when we saw that we told him what we actually did and he was amazed!

7 Easy Ways to Reach your Financial Goals in 2016

Do you need a foolproof plan to get your butt into financial gear this year??

First step, what are your financial goals for 2016? Take a minute and write down the first 3 that come to your mind.

If you are like many others, you have likely listed one of the following:

• Save more
• Spend less
• Stick to my budget
• Pay down my debt
• Make more money
• Get organized

Second, be more specific. Do you want to save $100 more each month? Why? Is this for retirement, college savings, or just that vacation you want to take? All of the above?
Go through your list and make each one more specific, that way you can celebrate more and be comfortable that you are on your way to reaching your goal.

Now that you have your specific goal, what can you do to make it EASY to work towards and HARD to fall to the wayside?

Here are my 7 tips on making things EASY (or at least easier )on your financial mindset this year. Try them and let me know how they work!

1. Dedicate a separate checking account just for your expenses. Figure out what your fixed expenses are (rent, utilities, cell phone, internet etc.) and then have them automatically paid from this account. Divvy up your direct deposit, or paychecks so that the appropriate amount is going into your expense checking account and let it be. This way you know everything is getting paid and paid on time. And it helps with budgeting, since you don't have to constantly check in on yourself to make sure you didn't spend your rent money.
   
2. Set up a savings account for each goal. You might already have a retirement account or college savings set up. But what about for your other savings goals? Set up a separate account for each goal. This way you can track your progress and are less likely to pull out cash on an impulse. This means one for the emergency fund, one for the vacation fund, one for the house improvement fund etc. Even if you only start with tiny contributions to each, you have started.
3. Set up an automatic debt payment tied to every time you get paid. This should come out of your expense account. Whether you get paid twice a month or once a week, set this payment for the day after. This way, the payment is out of your face before you have a chance to spend it! 
4. Set up an automatic savings contribution tied to every time you get paid.  Same deal as the debt payment, set this up for the day after you get paid and bam! Before you know it you are on your way! This should also come out of your expense account (you are paying yourself). This takes 5 minutes or less. 
5. Transition to online statements. You not only reduce clutter in your house, but then you can find what you need quickly, oh, and help save the planet.
6. Switch to the envelope method for problem spending areas. Is one of your goals to spend less on take out? Or maybe its shoes? Give yourself a monthly cash allowance for these, and literally put it in an envelope. When its gone its gone.
7. Ask for a raise (if you deserve it)- its surprising how many people just go with the regular 1-2% annual raise and never think to ask for more! You don't know if you don't try! Don't deserve it yet? Enhance your skills so that you will. Whether its taking a free (or employer paid) class online or just dedicating a couple hours a week honing a skill/ hobby you enjoy. Just make sure that when you do get some more cash, you divvy a good chunk of it up to your monthly savings or debt reduction plan!

Do you have more? Let me know!

Snacking Makes you Immune to Advertising?

Photo credit: Alamy via the Huffington Post

Is there actually a benefit to munchin' in front of the tube?

According to an article in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, when you watch a commercial your brain "unconsciously practices how to say the name (even if you are not actually mouthing the words)". However, when you are chewing your "mouth cannot subtly whisper the products name". This prevents the brand from taking residence in your brain. This doesn't just work with snacking, but also chewing gum, or talking... but the catch is that it only works for brands that you are not familiar with... interesting!

So while we are told that eating mindlessly while watching sitcoms may not be good for our waistlines, it may help our wallets!

Now is it the same for kids not "wanting" something they see on TV just because they happen to be eating some Cheerios at the same time? Who knows, I don't really want to test that theory!


Topolinski, S., et al., Popcorn in the cinema: Oral interference sabotages advertising effects, Journal of Consumer Psychology (2013),

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-10-popcorn-cinema-oral-sabotages-advertising.html#jCp

Make Dumplings - Save Money - Be Happy

I know its been a while... a lot has been going on!
We were out of town (back to the Minnesota homeland) for the month of December. Then we had a death of a very close family member while we were there. I also started doing a little more contract work, so I have been falling behind on my "fun" stuff!

Photo credit: http://www.closetcooking.com *

Its been about 6 years since my infatuation with dumplings began; steamed dumplings to be exact. My favorites are still the kind you can find only at your Chinese take-out place that are really doughy and have that wonderful blend of pork and who knows what else. And the sauce... oh the sauce... sweet, salty, & spicy maybe with a sprinkling of green onions and peanuts. I still have not quite figured out how to duplicate the sauce; and its a crap shoot if I order from a random Chinese place if they will happen to make the sauce the way I like it.

Moving on. I would love to eat those doughy dumplings every time I have a craving- but that obviously will not work for my checkbook (even though they are usually not too pricey considering, but still $4 for 6) or my waistline. So, I have tried several of the frozen variety that range from $5-$8 and you usually get between 15 and 20 dumplings; some come with sauce; most don't. And usually I am not extremely impressed with what's stuffed inside, not to mention the overall taste.

If you have about an hour (or less if you have helpers). You can whip around 50 of these babies for  for under $10 (depending on what kind of  meat you use). They are not as exotic as my doughy faves, but also not as sinful... and really are quite tasty.

Steamed Dumplings
1 lb ground (turkey, pork, beef etc.- leaner the better); I think turkey tastes great, and less fat to boot [$3-$6]
1/4 cup (more or less to taste) of chopped bamboo shoots or water chestnuts [$1 or less]
4 scallions sliced [$0.25]
14 oz bag of coleslaw (or broccoli slaw) mix (optional)[$2]
12 oz package of wonton wrappers [$3]
2 options for sauce to add to the wonton mixture: 1) Franks Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce (1/4 cup); 2) Mixture of 1 tbsp each of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic, & minced ginger

Dipping sauce: if used Red Hot Sweet Chili- use that to dip; if used other mix 1/4 cup each of soy sauce and rice wine vinegar, throw in a tsp of ginger, sugar, and dark sesame oil and top with scallions, red pepper flakes, & chopped peanuts if you want!

• Grab your steamer basket and fill the pot with water to almost where the basket hits... bring to a boil. Fill a small bowl with tap water
• Mix meat, shoots or chestnuts, scallions, coleslaw, and whichever sauce you are using in a big bowl.
• Use one wonton wrapper and place tablespoon amount of mixture in middle; use water to moisten edges of wrapper and fold in half- secure.\
• Decide how many you want eat, throw the rest on a wax paper lined cookie sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, toss in zippie and take out as desired.
• Depending on the size of steamer you can cook 5-10 at a time for approx 5 minutes- 8 minutes from frozen (test to make sure meat is cooked). Try to make sure they don't touch one another to prevent sticking. You can use non-stick spray on the steamer or throw down some leftover coleslaw to keep the dumplings from attaching themselves to your basket.
• Dip, eat, love

 My 2 year old twins  really liked these; they prefer the sweet chili sauce ones to the other sauce.

* I vow to try this recipe soon, they really look wonderful

Grocery Shopping: Short & Organized = Sanity & Savings

Who doesn't want to stay sane AND save money while shopping?

Photo credit: ACEI Ch

With toddlers in tow, grocery shopping can be a challenge, if not a nightmare. While they love riding in those cars attached to the grocery cart, I never know when the window will close. Will they last all the way to the dairy aisle? Or will the meltdown begin by the bananas?

What I didn't realize, is what I learned from all this. My grocery shopping trips have become very efficient. First, I need my list to be in order of the store so I am not racing all over the place. Second, if I have coupons that I  may need to refer to while shopping, those must also be in order of the store.  Third,  I tend to only buy what is on the list, since that is all I have time to grab (and sometimes not even that).

When I do have the chance to go by myself, not surprisingly, I tend to spend more time in the store... and buy more as well. While I may have more time to price compare, I also have more time to take advantage of the all-too-frequent impulse buy.

While going to the grocery store with my kids is not my favorite thing, I am actually saving money because I have no other choice but to be quick and organized.

Simple but True: Short & Cheap

1. Make a list as you run out of things- keep it in your kitchen
2. Make a menu- add what you need to your list (you can base your menu on your coupons or whats on sale**)
3. Order that list based on your store. For example, produce, cans, breakfast, snacks, frozen, dairy, bakery- or however your store is laid out.
4. If you are a coupon clipper, keep them in order so you can grab and go while making your list. Then order your coupons based on your list.
5. Stick to your list (unless its truly something you forgot) and get out of the store promptly!

Oh! And don't go when you (or your kids) are hungry!

Don't get the paper? Online coupons are awesome: Coupons.com; Smartsource.com 

 **Check out FoodOnTheTable.com for menus based on what's on sale at the grocery stores you frequent. They give you recipes to choose from based on your preferences and then you can print out a grocery list as well!

High Interest Checking Accounts

Many financial institutions advertise interest bearing checking accounts (yippee!), but wait... they are as widespread on the interest spectrum as there are theories on how to raise your kids!

According to Bankrate,com, as of May 2012, high-yield checking accounts averaged over 2% while interest on traditional interest-bearing checking accounts was a whopping 0.06%. So you could be making 33 times more money if you just do your research (or read this!).

So of course you want the high-yield account... what's the catch? You will likely have to meet certain monthly requirements, and of course, you have to move your checking account (which can be a hassle with all the automatic bill payments these days). Read the fine print for the reqs before you sign up to make sure you can meet them (i.e. direct deposit, certain number of debit transactions, minimum balance etc.)

A great place to start:

• Check out the results of Bankrate.com's survey on interest bearing checking accounts for both banks and credit unions.

• Play around on DepositAccount.com's interest rate finder for checking accounts (both online/ national and those in your area). While Bankrate is very helpful, DepositAccount.com is a bit less biased by advertisers.

Islamic Banking and Saving for College

Graphic from thomaswhite.com

 There are special requirements in Islamic Law when it comes to finance. I find it very intriguing. Maybe our country would not have gotten into such a financial mess if we took advice from our ancestors and global neighbors!

 I met a woman this weekend who would like to start saving for college for her 1 year old. The problem is, she cannot have an account that accrues interest because of her religion, Islam. We were talking about two different 529 plans (a prepaid trust and a college investment plan). She was asking if either of these accounts accrue interest, because if they did, she could not take advantage of them.

To take a step back, a lot of folks intertwine the meaning of income (interest) that you earn on a savings account at your local bank/ credit union and income (interest) that you earn on an investment. The primary difference is the risk you are taking and the potential reward/ loss that you may receive.

The income that you earn on your savings account is determined by a set rate and is insured by either the FDIC (banks) or NCUA (credit unions). The income you earn on an investment is determined by how the company's stock or your portfolio fares in the market. It is not insured, so you can potentially lose your investment, however the reward can also be significantly higher.

So I had to determine if this woman was talking about any form of interest (including investments) or if it was just tied to one or the other. This led me to do some research on the topic of the Islamic view of money and saving to determine specifically if this woman can use a 529 plan to save for her child's education.

What I found:
First of all, Sharia is the moral code/ religious law of Islam; Islamic banking adheres to this code. Sharia prohibits the payment or acceptance of interest and/ or fees (known as riba) for monetary loans. The reasoning behind it, is that money is merely a medium of exchange, has no value in and of itself, and is purely a way to define a common value between things; therefore, 'money' should not be used to make more money on itself through interest (whether in a bank account, or lent to someone).

One can invest in a business or property however, as long as the business/ real estate venture does not provide products or services that go against Sharia.
(http://www.islamic-banking.com/prohibition_of_interest.aspx)

So, can you save for your kid's college education in a 529 plan if you are Islamic? 
Yes. However, since a person is not allowed to invest in businesses that go against Sharia, this may be a difficult thing to successfully accomplish. Technically, a person could have a prepaid trust or investment plan (as neither are providing mere interest on money) if they make sure that each investment in the portfolio complies with the Islamic law. This is one of the few if only options this person would have; they would not be able to save money in a Coverdell account or any other account tied to a traditional banking institution since that would be earning money, on just.. well, money.

If anyone runs across this post and has more information, please let us know!


An interesting find:
It appears as though the nation of Islam are not the only ones who feel this way (at least historically):

• “Very much disliked also is the practice of charging interest: and the dislike is fully justified for interest is a yield arising out of money itself, not a product of that for which money was provided. Money was intended to be a means of exchange; interest represents an increase in the money itself. Hence of all ways of getting wealth, this is the most contrary to nature." Aristotle

• “Do not charge your brother interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest.” (Deuteronomy 23:19)

• “If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest.” The Holy Bible (American Standard Bible)

• [Jesus said], “If you have money, do not lend it at interest, but give [it] to one from whom you will not get it back.” Gospel St Thomas, V95