Posts by jsangl
Saving Money on Home Improvement
I have been updating an older house lately, and today I will share with you some ways that I have saved money.
1. Friends/Family have helped out for FREE!
- For FREE! I can't believe it! My friend, DJ, has worked over 40 hours on my house. He just keeps showing up! My mother and father showed up while I was in the pit of despair over this dad-blamed house. They stayed a WEEK and canceled a Florida trip to stay and help pull us out of the mess! I should note that my father has built homes for almost 50 years.
2. Borrowed tools!
- Call me a free-loader, but tools cost a lot of money! My friend, Will, loaned me an air compressor, hose, and air nailer. DJ loaned me a shop-vac, miter saw, and approximately 50 other tools.
3. Used 10%-off coupons at Lowe's!
- If you are moving, you can get a 10% Lowe's coupon by clicking HERE. Even if you are moving across town, you can get this discount.
4. Used 10%-off coupons at Lowe's in conjunction with manufacturer's rebates.
- I wanted to install the 30-year American Cottage Pergo flooring in on of my rooms. Pergo had a special at Lowe's from 3/4 – 4/1 that offered $0.40 off PER square foot. I used the 10%-off coupon to purchase the Pergo, and then got another $0.40 off per square foot.
5. Buy used appliances!
- They aren't brand new and they won't have a sticker on them, but you can buy an appliance SOOOOOO cheap! I have friends who were re-doing their kitchen. They are replacing their appliances and were looking to sell their old ones. I bought a stove that is a major upgrade from what we did have for WAY CHEAPER than a new stove (think 5 – 10% of the price of a new one).
- I sold a refrigerator and my old stove from my house, and I was willing to negotiate. They asked how much I wanted, and I said, "I'm asking $200, but make me an offer." They did. They left with the appliances. WIN-WIN-WIN.
6. Do the labor yourself!
- This only applies if you actually know what you were doing. The room addition that was put on the home that I purchased was not done well. The down side was that the roof leaked miserably. The up side was that it only leaked when it rained!
Do not think that just because you have a hammer and nails that you are a carpenter. This is especially true on home remodels. It is so much harder to work backwards on a house.
Financial Hero – Dave Ramsey
A new category of posts starts TODAY. This category titled "Financial Hero" will be used to share about people that are my Financial Heroes and why they have become a Financial Hero to me. Enjoy!!!
Why is DAVE RAMSEY a www.JOSEPHSANGL.com Financial Hero?
Dave rocked my world in December 2002. I had been terrible at managing our short-term money. We had always contributed heavily to retirement, but our short-term savings hovered continuously at around $4.13.
Dave's 7 Baby Steps changed the way I look at money forever. I printed out these 7 Baby Steps and put an "expect-to-accomplish" date next to each one.
Jenn and I became debt-free (except for the house) in just 14 month's time. We are now at Baby Step 6 and making HUGE strides toward Baby Step 7.
Why should DAVE RAMSEY be your Financial Hero?
- Dave Ramsey will tell you like it is. He speaks at a level that you and I can understand. Dave also is on over 300 radio stations every day for three hours which really helps you learn more about personal finance through the experiences of others! You can listen to him on-line anytime HERE.
- Dave has excellent resources available for you to learn more about your finances. I recommend that everyone take Financial Peace University, a 13-week life-altering class. You can find a class near you by clicking HERE.
- Dave's book, Financial Peace, Revisited, is my personal favorite book that he has written. He has also recently released The Total Money Makeover. These books should be mandatory reading in high school. He also wrote an earlier, less-known book called More Than Enough that was good, but I would read the other two books first.
- Dave is real and authentic. He has lost and won with money and is an excellent communicator.
- Dave is also crazy about teaching our kids this stuff. So much so that he has written a line of children's books. They are filled with very creative drawings and have actually been given out by the millions as part of the Kid's Meal Program at Chick-fil-A!
Dave, you are an official www.josephsangl.com Financial Hero! You ROCK!
Fix-it Upper House – Worth It?
For the first time in my life, I have bought an older home.
Jenn and I have owned three other houses – two of them brand new and one was four years old.
Now we have purchased a home that is 28 years old.
Yeah, that wood paneling with wallpaper over it that looked like wedding cake was beautiful. The two different leaks in the roof were nice. The discovery of a pile of trash underneath the house was great.
With the work that we wanted to accomplish on the house, we decided to delay moving in until we had addressed many of the known issues. We have worked tirelessly for almost two months to get the house ready, and we finally moved in last weekend.
We're tired! It has been nearly a full-time job getting this house ready. I spoke four times at NewSpring Church on Sunday, February 25th, and when I finished the fourth message, I got into the car and drove to the house to work on the house. My days that I have taken off from my crusade have been spent at the house. As we worked on repairing the roof, I managed to smash my thumb to oblivion using a 22 oz Estwing hammer.
OOOUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHH!
You may be considering buying and fixing up a house. You may be wondering if it would be worth the effort. I will tell you this – I am the son of a home builder, and it has been very difficult for me. I don't do this sort of thing EVER, but I kinda sorta know the general activity required.
I would say this, we have gained some significant sweat equity and learned a lot by fixing up this house, but I would not do this again for my personal residence. EVER.
Money Saving Ideas
More money saving ideas, courtesy www.josephsangl.com …
1. Gardener? Talk to friends/family about possibly obtaining some bulbs/divisions/corms/tubers of perennials. Free flowers are awesome! I have obtained surprise lilies, day lilies, dianthus, coral bells, rudbeckia, iris, and other AWESOME plants for FREE. I love FREE. Anyone have any?
2. Seek out a cash-only, no insurance doctor. You will pay 1/2 of what you would to a doctor who participates in insurance programs. Why? Because a doctor who deals with insurance needs at least two full-time people to chase insurance companies and payments. You will feel better knowing that you have prepaid your bill, got a better deal, AND did not have to deal with the insurance company.
3. Buy a used car that is 2 to 4 years old. Most of the sharp depreciation in value is done by year 3 and when you lay down CASH for the purchase (remember – no debt!) you will get a better deal! There is something about seeing 100 $100 bills laying down on the hood of a car that makes a car dealer or individual sell a $12,000 car for $10,000. Try it!
Hey, I used to not negotiate anything, but I was B-R-O-K-E! No longer!
Financial Counseling
Over the past three months, I have been able to meet with 123 people in 81 different one-on-one financial counseling appointments.
What an amazing quarter! I have been honored to meet each person and hear their story.
Here are some key things I have learned through these counseling sessions.
- Couples who work together on their finances are in better financial condition than couples who do not work together.
- People who give faithfully rarely have huge, burdensome financial problems.
- People want HELP/HOPE not REPROACH/DISAPPROVAL (they already know that they have a problem!)
- Some people will just flat-out refuse to learn.
- You have no idea how much debt your neighbor/friend/relative has!
- People have big dreams/ideas/plans, but have no idea how much it will cost to accomplish them.
- It does not matter how much you make, only how much you give/save/spend.
- People pay way too much for insurance.
- Car payments are an epidemic.
- Saving money is a foreign concept for many people.
- Once shown a better way (INCOME – OUTGO = EXACTLY ZERO), most people will immediately switch!
- Schools are doing an awful job of teaching money management.
- Parents are doing an even worse job of teaching money management.
What have you learned as you have learned to manage your money better?