Mighty Bargain Hunter

Find mismatched pairs of shoes at OddShoeFinder.com

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I bought two new pairs of shoes this weekend.  They set me back $100.  I need to buy two pairs of shoes each time because I wear a 7 1/2 4E on my right foot and a 9 1/2 D on my left foot.  My right foot is a clubfoot.

I used to be able to get an orthopedic discount at some shoe stores (like 1/3 off of one pair) because of my funny feet, but I have yet to find a store where I am now that will do this.  They certainly won’t let me mix and match. ;)  But paying for two pairs of shoes is only a minor annoyance considering that I can walk almost normally and do pretty much what I want; I’ve known people with my problem who can’t.  My previous mismatched pairs have gone to charity, like the National Odd Shoe Exchange.

NOSE wrote me back after I donated five pairs of my shoes and said that finding someone with the opposite problem I had might be tricky.  This organization is volunteer-run, and there’s only so much they can do at the moment.

As I was buying these shoes I had the idea of starting up a website that would serve as a marketplace for these kinds of shoes — something that was searchable.

Well, I found a site that already does what I had planned to do:  OddShoeFinder.com.  After signing up for a free account, I searched for my sizes, and found three matches for the sizes of my feet, though I think the right shoes listed was too narrow for my right foot.  I’m sure there will be more posted later as the site grows.  It’s possible to search for particular kinds of shoes, as well as for ranges of sizes.

There are already over 2,500 pairs listed on the site, and the prices people are asking are very reasonable.  Even better, this site currently does not charge either buyers or sellers.  It’s a bit like Craigslist in that regard but concentrated on mismatched footwear.

The icing on the cake was the support I got from the webmaster with my login issues — very personable, and very quick.

If you have the same problem as I do (mismatched feed) please head over to OddShoeFinder.com and see if you find the odd shoes you need, as well as list your odd shoes for sale!

Posted in Deals and Steals | 5 Comments »

80% off at Restaurant.com through Halloween

Restaurant.com is handing out 80% off coupon codes a lot more frequently!  Which is good!

Now through October 31st you can get $25 worth of qualifying dining expenses at thousands of restaurants for only two bucks — 80% off their normal price of $10 and a 92% discount to face value!  This discount is also good for the Restaurant.com popular Dinner of the Month program, so you can enjoy these kinds of savings for up to a year!

Just do the following:

• Head over to Restaurant.com and make your selections
• Enter coupon code TREATS to enjoy your discount!

Posted in Deals and Steals | 5 Comments »

Link Roundup: Wallet returned edition

My wife’s wallet came in the mail today.  The only thing that was missing was the cash.  The two gift cards that she had in there were returned along with her driver’s license and her (now void) credit cards and debit cards.

Here are some links of interest from great blogs in my reader:

• Clever Dude lists fifty finance and prosperity classics.
• Christian PF shares ten ways to not become rich.
• Consumerism Commentary commentates on the shambles of an economy.
• Millionaire Money Habits refines the “multiple streams of income” concept.
• Smart Spending and Student Scrooge talks about the methods that waiters and waitresses use to increase their tips.
• The Simple Dollar says to stop wasting money on disposable things.
• Think Your Way to Wealth suggests creating your own financial bailout plan.
• Brip Blap minds the little things.
• Money Ning warns that we should guard against overspending when we buy in bulk.
• Wise Bread summarizes the sorry mess of our financial profligacy.
• Five Cent Nickel wonders if The Oracle is on crack.
• Frugal Dad discusses the 25 rule.
• Blunt Money lists personal finance topics that everyone should know.

Plus, a long overdue thank-you to Girls Just Wanna Have Funds for including my spend less than you earn post in the Carnival of Personal Finance.

Posted in Roundups | 7 Comments »

Back to Basics: Downsize

(By the way, NCN has a new podcast out after taking a break for a few months.  He talks about staying true to the basics in this one.)

In times of plenty it’s natural to want to enjoy more of what life has to offer.  When people feel rich, they feel the draw to supersize their lives.  Larger vehicles, larger houses, larger vacations, larger boats, larger plasma TVs.

Larger things often cost more money to buy, more money to maintain, and more money to fix.  When money becomes tight, these large things become large liabilities, and downsizing is a way to lessen those liabilities.

Downsizing in times of hardship isn’t fun. Giving up the Hummer for a Yaris is probably very scary, especially the first time you take it on the interstate.  Trading a yearly trek to Disneyland for a staycation can sting a little bit.  Getting rid of the boat can … well … OK, that one might feel pretty good

But just as any major life event has an adjustment period, adjusting to a lower-consumption lifestyle takes time, too.  As a rough analogy, after six and one-half years of marriage I hardly remember what it was like to be single, and by all measures it’s better than being single.  This isn’t to say that moving from a 4,000 square-foot home to a 1,500 square-foot home or an 900 square-foot apartment will ever be better than it was, but it will become more familiar with time and easier to deal with.

Where are some areas that can be effectively downsized?

• Downsize your vehicles. Many people are already doing this because smaller cars are less expensive to fuel.  Even though we’ve gotten a little bit of a breather on gas prices recently, they’re still north of $2 per gallon.  It’s still expensive to gas up a Hummer.
• Downsize your cable. Going from extended cable to basic cable can save $30/month or more, depending on how many premium channels you carry.  Or turn it off entirely, save even more money, and find lots of extra time to build your wealth.
• Downsize your memberships. Maybe the gym membership has to go, or the monthly massage.
• Downsize your vacations. Instead of an elaborate cruise, maybe visit a few nearby museums or hike on a trail near your home.  Besides, the boarding pass is just the start of the expenses on a cruise.
• Downsize your taxes. (Legally of course!)  Take advantage of a 401(k) if it makes sense, or contribute to a flexible spending account for health care with pre-tax money to reduce your tax liability.  This requires a little planning, though.
• Downsize your family’s activities. Being involved in three kinds of dance lessons, little league, PTA, Awana, Cub Scouts, etc., are great.  Some of the more expensive ones maybe can be cut.  What may end up happening is that the children can dedicate more time to the activities that remain, and may become more proficient in them more quickly.  For grown-up activities, it may come down to giving up ones that consume lots of cash in consumables (like paintball, for example).
• Downsize your house. This downsizing is one of the more drastic ways to cut expenses, but it has the potential to save quite a bit of money, assuming of course that the current house can be sold.  Heating and cooling costs probably will go down with a smaller home, as well as other repairs, landscaping, etc.
• Downsize your location. This is more drastic still.  Are you in an expensive area?  The cost of living definitely varies from place to place.  Moving means leaving many things behind: friends, family, school, church, work, and everything else that’s familiar.  If the cost of living is too much to bear, then there may not be too much choice.
• Downsize your tithe? Some friends from church are self-employed and in the course of their business have run into lean times.  They tithed faithfully through these times, and the Lord provided richly for them.  (This isn’t meant to suggest causality but regardless, God will provide.)  (Update: I should have been clearer: I don’t think downsizing your tithe is a good idea.  The question mark on “Downsize your tithe?” and the example of what happened when a family didn’t downsize their tithe weren’t enough to convey this.)

What other areas are ripe for downsizing?

Posted in Basics, Personal Finance | 12 Comments »