Random Frugal Thoughts, A Plea, And A Challenge

1.  Today I’m planning on making solar cooker chili for dinner. Solar cooker chili is just about the ultimate in Frugal cooking: cooked in my solar cooker (self-explanatory); chili is delicious, nutritious, and comprised of lots of cheap ingredients; chili is eminently stretch-able: it will make re-appearances in chili dogs, nachos, and chili, chili chili.  Yum.

2.  Here’s my Plea:  Please, please, PLEASE if your company matches your 401(K) contributions take advantage of this.  This little “perk” seems to be going the way of the dodo, so jump on this while you still can.  This is FREE money! It’s CRAZY not to take your company up on it! It can really give your retirement savings a lot of added muscle when coupled with your own before-tax contributions.  For example, my husband’s company matches up to 6%.  That means if he will commit to contributing 6% of his pay to his 401(K), the company will kick in 6% also.  That adds up to 12% of his annual pay.  That is almost effortless savings (well, maybe not.  But as effortless as it gets).  Don’t shortchange your future.

I know, I know - I feel your pain.  There are so many other things we can be doing with that money TODAY.  It’s hard.  But you know: You, Me, We ALL deserve to secure our futures.  We work hard for our money.  We should prioritize keeping a little more of it so we can have a comfortable retirement. (P.S. Even if my company eliminated the match (you stink, Company)  I would still contribute, because I am getting significant tax advantages.  So all is not lost).

3.  Yay! Americans are saving more than ever! According to a story in today’s L.A. Times, “the personal savings rate jumped to 6.9% in May, the highest in 15 years”.  This story was actually reporting this as a bad thing but I think this is great news, since the savings rate in America has been in negative territory for so many years.  Great job, American peoples.  Keep up the good work.

This could be a fun challenge, too, if saving money is something that needs some motivation.  I think I will do this - figure out what 6.9% of my income is and save it (on top of any other savings I may engage in).  If I wasn’t saving anything at all this would be a great place to start   This 6.9% could be socked away in a 401(K).  Which would probably be matched with FREE money. (Hmmmmm.  I like where your head’s at, Tess).  It’s the “Great American Savings Challenge!”.  Fun, fun, fun.

4.  I just came back from running around in the dark.  I discovered this: that running downhill is a lot harder than when I was a kid.  I didn’t run down every hill this morning, either.  But I did run down a lot of them.  Well, I’ll get there little-by-little. Whoa! I just had a crazy thought: if I keep at it, maybe someday I’ll be running UP those hills!