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Our thanks to Jason Fitzpatrick and Lifehacker.com

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If you’ve started biking more to cut down on gas consumption you might have noticed what a pain it is to transport things on a bicycle. Convert a bicycle to a cargo bike and you’ll be hauling groceries in style.

Instructables user CarKat didn’t originally build his cargo bike because he wanted an efficient way to move groceries around but because it offered a different way to haul kids around than a rear-trailer. While traveling in Copenhagen he noticed many families in the bike-friendly city transporting children in cargo bikes where the cargo was carried in the front of the bicycle instead of on a rear trailer or attached cargo area. He liked this design much better than feeling like his kids were in a little pod behind him where he couldn’t see them and was concerned motorists couldn’t either. Kids or no kids, however, it’s a great design for moving a large amount of cargo with just a bicycle.

His build involves hacking apart an old bike, lots of steel tubing and wood sheets, and welding to hold it all together. We’d highly recommend checking out the comments section on the build, you’ll find quite a few lengthy and helpful comments and discussion threads about the design and potential tweaks that would make it even better.

Have experience with a store-bought or DIY cargo bike? Let’s hear about it in the comments.

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Our thanks to Green Deane and EatTheWeeds.com

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Our thanks to Jeffrey and GroceryCouponGuide.com

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Eating Well on $1 a day

I was talking with my sister and explaining to her that with couponing, I think that I could live on $1 a day for food and have plenty to eat. She looked at me skeptically thinking that I was exaggerating.

“No, really, I could live on $1 a day and not be hungry,” I said.

“All you would eat is cereal and junk food,” she countered. That is not a healthy diet for a month.

“I think I could have a fairly healthy diet on $1 a day,” I replied. “At least a lot healthier than you think.”

“Including fruits and veggies?” she asked, the skepticism in her voice coming through again.

“Including fruits and veggies,” I said.

“You couldn’t last a month,” she said sure of herself.

Thus the “Eating Well on $1 A Day” challenge was born with the following rules in place:

1. I will begin on May 1 and will have no accumulated food of any kind. I have $31 to spend ($1 for each day of the month). I can start buying food on May 1 and can not exceed the $31. I must document the cost of the food with receipts.

2. I can only use 2 computers to print coupons. Although I have access to more which would make this challenge much easier, we agreed that not everyone will have access to a lot of computers. However, we also agreed that anyone reading this has access to at least one computer and should be able get access to another one using a bit of creativity.

3. I can only use 2 inserts from the Sunday paper each week. Although I have access to many more than this (I usually pick up anywhere from 3 to 5 copies for free from the local coffee shop alone each week), we decided that not everyone would have access to dozens of inserts. We agreed that anyone could get the coupon inserts from at least 2 Sunday papers with a bit of creativity. I am allowed to use up to 2 of previous week’s coupon inserts that I already happen to have.

4. I can use as many coupons as I want that I can get in the grocery store where they are available to everyone.

5. I can only buy food from retail outlets (grocery stores, drug stores, food markets, etc). I can’t supplement what I buy at the store with free food from trees, dumpster diving, friends, food banks, donations, growing my own, etc.

6. I can only use deals that anyone else would have access to getting.

It should be an interesting challenge and I will have my work cut out for me, but I think that it will be possible. If nothing else, it will certainly be a food event that will bring some surprises and humor…

Day One: What I bought
Day One: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day Two: The Object Is to Stay Alive
Day Three: Eggs & Bananas
Day Four: Berry Smoothie (but not the type you want)
Day Five: Getting Into A Routine
Day Six: Sugar Withdrawals
Day Seven: The First Week
Day Eight: Drinks
Day Nine: Eating Breakdown
Day Ten: One Third Done
Day Eleven: Fingers Crossed
Day Twelve: Score!!
Day Thirteen: I Hate Shopping
Day Fourteen: 2 Weeks Down Summary
Day Fifteen: Tampons & Pantiliners
Day Sixteen: Over The Hump
Day Seventeen: Different Perspectives
Day Eighteen: Disappointment
Day Nineteen: Tough Day
Day Twenty: Forgetfulness Is Costly
Day Twenty-One: Peanut Butter Revelation
Day Twenty-Two: Disaster!
Day Twenty-Three: Math Deficient, But Lucky
Day Twenty-Four: One More Week
Day Twenty-Five: Decisions, Decisions
Day Twenty-Six: Turkey Franks
Day Twenty-Seven: My Current Food List
Day Twenty-Eight: Irritable
Day Twenty-Nine: Should I Continue?
Day Thirty: Discount Find
Day Thirty-One: Final Day

10 Things I Learned Eating On $1 A Day For A Month

I have decided to continue this $1 a day challenge, but now that I have established that it can be done with fairly strict rules, I will make some changes allowing me a little more freedom to really take advantage of the coupon deals and throw some creativity in there as well:

1. I am no longer limited to 2 computers and 2 inserts from each Sunday paper. I can use all coupons that I can get hold of as long as I don’t pay for them (eBay, coupon brokers, etc) and I am only allowed to pay for 1 Sunday paper.

2. I am allowed to use food out of my garden (although that probably is more than a month away before it produces anything).

3. I am allowed to go to the local coffee shops and buy tea (only tea) there. I don’t consider this breaking the spirit of the challenge. I go to coffee shops because I am much more productive if I get into a new setting at least once a day (this was one of the toughest things about the challenge), but it is not fair for me to use their wifi and not pay to be there.

4. I am allowed to forage for food and get food from alternative places than just regular retail outlets.

5. If I come up with other ways to get free / cheap food, I will put it to the vote of the readers here as to whether or not it is an acceptable way for me to get it — and abide by their decision.

Day 32: What Was I Thinking?
Day 33: Should I Be Proud Of This?
Day 34: Apparently, I Don’t Know How To Eat Corn
Day 35: Major Coupon Blunder
Day 36: Free Beer
Day 37: Mail-In Rebates Are A Pain
Day 38: Blackberries!
Day 39: Blahh
Day 40: Being Hungry Sucks
Day 41: Costco Is Expensive
Day 42: Time Consuming
Day 43: Balanced Diet
Day 44: This Is All New To Me, Too
Day 45: Fighting With Wildlife
Day 46: Coupon Organization
Day 47: Where To Get Sunday Coupon Inserts
Day 48: My Simple Coupon Strategy
Day 49: Should I Be Able To Eat Free Farmer’s Market Samples?

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Our thanks to Jon Bruner, Forbes.com, and Survivalblog.com

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Please check out this fascinating interactive map: Where Americans Are Moving. If you click on an individual move segment, it shows the average income level of those moving. As an interesting example, click on Teton County, Wyoming. Wow! (Could this be, because there is no personal income tax in Wyoming?.) CLICK HERE TO INTERACT WITH MAP

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CLICK HERE FOR FREE PDF GREENHOUSE PLANS

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Our thanks to Kathy M. Kristof,  consumer advocate Clark Howard, and The Los Angeles Times

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How close are you to the financial edge? Take this quiz

Americans are falling deeper into debt, and they are increasingly waiting too long to seek help, a credit counseling expert says. Find out where you stand financially by answering these 10 questions.

April was financial literacy month. Did you learn anything?

The anecdotal evidence doesn’t look good. Americans are falling deeper into debt, and they are increasingly waiting too long to seek help, said David Jones, president of the Assn. of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies.

He ought to know. His group, based in Fairfax, Va., represents nonprofit credit counseling companies that provide free and low-cost consumer credit counseling, debt management and financial education services nationwide, and he said it was inundated with calls for help.

People calling in recent months typically are so deeply in debt that only a fraction can budget their way out of bankruptcy. A year ago, he estimates, less than 10% of credit counseling clients ended up in bankruptcy. Today, he said, it’s closer to 30%.

Statistics provided by the court system underscore the point. Nationally, bankruptcy filings have more than doubled since 2006 and are heading back into the record territory not seen since 2005, when the nation’s bankruptcy laws were overhauled.

“Even though the economy is getting better, people go into denial about their own situation,” Jones said. “We end up able to help fewer people because they’re coming to us in worse shape.”

How close are you to the financial edge? To help you find out, here’s a 10-question multiple-choice quiz, developed with some guidance from the National Foundation for Consumer Credit and Clearpoint Financial Solutions.

1. The amount I have socked away in savings to handle emergencies could pay all of my living expenses for up to: A) three months; B) six months; C) 8 months or more; D) about an hour and a half, if I cut back.

2. My spouse and I fight about money: A) frequently; B) sometimes; C) never; D) through court-appointed lawyers.

3. Payments on my consumer debts — auto loans, student loans, credit cards and home equity lines of credit — amount to less than: A) about 20% of take-home pay; B) 15% of take-home pay; C) 10% or less of take-home pay; D) considerably more than 20% of my monthly paychecks.

4. When it comes to saving for retirement, I’m socking away: A) 6% or a little less of income to get the company match; B) 10% of my income; C) the maximum allowed by the company plan; D) whatever’s in the couch cushions. Seriously, who can afford to save for retirement?

5. My housing costs, including property tax (when applicable) and insurance, amount to less than: A) 30% of my take-home pay; B) 25% of take-home pay; C) 20% or less of take-home pay; D) more than 30% of take-home pay.

6. I make more than the minimum required payments on my credit cards: A) sometimes; B) most of the time; C) always — I pay off the full balance each month; D) never. If they demand $29.37, that’s what I’m paying and not a penny more.

7. I spend less than I make: A) unless there’s a sale; B) except in cases when I’m investing in something long-term, like education or a car that gets me to work; C) always; D) when I manage to work enough overtime.

8. My finances: A) are an occasional source of concern; B) are largely in control; C) are never a cause of worry; D) give me cold sweats.

9. I have enough insurance to cover medical costs: A) as long as they’re not catastrophic; B) for both me and my family; C) and I have money set aside to cover co-payments and deductibles; D) only if I never get sick.

10. I know my net worth and: A) though it’s not what I want it to be, I’m working on it; B) it’s good and growing; C) I’m the typical millionaire next door; D) it tells me I’m insolvent.

Scoring: Give yourself 5 points for each A answer; 2 points for each B; 1 point for each C; and 10 points for each D answer. Total your points and assess your score.

76-100: Danger zone: You are in the economic red zone. Get yourself to a credit counselor pronto. If you need help finding one, go to http://www.nfcc.org or http://www.aiccca.org. Both are national credit counseling associations that allow you to find a counselor in your neighborhood by hitting the “find a counselor” buttons on their home pages.

51-75: Teetering: You may be making your payments now, but you’re on the razor’s edge of trouble. It’s time to get serious about budgeting and saving. If you can’t do it alone, get help.

26-50: Healthy and happy: You’ve got adequate savings and good habits. Keep it up and you’ll be comfortably rich in no time, if you’re not already.

0-25: Go ahead and gloat: You are in an enviable spot, likely to be able to handle any economic emergency that comes your way. But you already knew that, didn’t you?

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Our thanks to Marilyn Zelinsky-Syarto and ShelterPop.com

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Baking soda, boiling water, and aluminum foil clean tarnished silver-plated heirlooms. Photo: Noricum, Flickr

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Our thanks to Roxanne Griswold and James Wesley, Rawles

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Our thanks to consumer advocate Clark Howard

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Don’t accept or carry anything larger than a $20 bill

RIP-OFF ALERT: Clark Howard has a rule: He never carries anything larger than a $20 bill. Why? Because bills larger than that have a much higher chance of being counterfeit.

The Los Angeles Times reported a story about a fellow who cashed a large money order at the Post Office. He was given eight $100 bills, all of which turned out to be counterfeit. He discovered this when he tried to spend one of them at a gas station that used a counterfeit-bill detector. The police were called on him.

While the cops were on the way, he consulted a lawyer, who advised him to report the remaining bills to the police. The police confiscated the bills, and the fellow was out $800. Even though the bills came from a government entity (the USPS), once someone accepts a counterfeit bill, the liability becomes theirs, and it immediately becomes a felony to pass them on to anyone else.

Clark Howard wants you to look anything larger than $50 as poison: just don’t accept them for payment. Sure, there may be counterfeit $20’s floating around, but on the off chance you get one of those and lose that cash, it won’t hurt nearly as bad as losing $100 or more.

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