Foreclosures : a great oppotunity, or ambulance chasing?

I've got a moral dilemma of a dialog going on in my head lately. It goes something like this:

Me: "There sure are a lot of folks being victims of foreclosure these days..."
Angel Me: "Yes, it's true. We sure should have these folks in our prayers."
Devil Me: "True... We should wish the best for them. Say, how's that real-estate hunt going?"
Me: "Wow... funny you should mention that. Not too bad. Could always be better."
AM: "That hard work will certainly pay off. I know you trust that everything will work out for the best."
DM: "I'm sure. So what happens to these homes that are foreclosed?"
Me: "Well, the owners can't afford them anymore so they lose them."
DM: "I hear they sell for way under market-value. You should snag one."
AM: "And profit off of the misfortune of others? Do you think he has no conscience?"
Me: "No, you're absolutely right. I couldn't do that."
AM: [proudly] "See?"
Me: "How much under value?"
DM: "I have a website so you can find out."
AM: "Wow -- A 2 bedroom? For that price? Well, if this isn't a sign of God's providence, I don't know what is."
Me: "Isn't this kinda... um, morally grey?"
DM: "Well, the bank is the bad guy here putting mom and little baby joey out on the street. The damage is already done."
AM: "It's true... You'd actually be helping out the economy."
DM: "If you don't, someone else will get it."
AM: "Do you really want Pumpkin to have to grow up in a 6'x5' bedroom, always wishing her daddy loved her enough to not store root vegetables under her makeshift bed?"
Me: "What on earth are you talking about?"
DM: "Yeah, I'm kinda lost on that one too..."

...I'd go on, but it just gets weird from there. You get the point. Morally grey or just pricing based on circumstance?

[link] Free Forclosure Searching

A Home of Our Own, not just a home: how we've been doing and our future plans.

Columbia and I were talking last night and decided we needed to set a reasonable goal for ourselves. 1 post a week. It's not much, but it's SO MUCH more than we've been doing lately. Before we share our plans with you, here's how we've been doing:

Living on One Income in NYC

• Even though Columbia completed 30 credits above his masters degree (the top salary in the doe) this past summer, it took a couple of months for the transcripts to come through... then processing time... FINALLY at the end of December we got the raise, and the retro-active pay (for the day he completed the last credit). We had been just learning to break even (and not dip into our savings anymore) when this happened, so we were overjoyed for the new monthly cushion and to be able to pay back some of our savings.
• We've cut out spending even more. It's funny how frugalness really leads to more frugalness. And we don't feel like we're depriving ourselves or Pumpkin. Our families also gave us quite a few gift cards for Christmas and birthdays (Columbia's is November, Mine is in January) so we've been able to use them for special treats as well as necessities like clothing.
• Columbia found an awesome produce stand near his job in Elmhurst. He is at that school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, so twice a week he stops there. He spends about $10 each time and gets their best deals on the best looking fruit and veggies. This week one of his hot finds was 2 quarts of beautiful strawberries for $2. His purchases there have become what we base our menus around.
• We have actually started paying into our savings again each month. Yep. We're working with an excess. I'm feel as if I should maybe erase that - just incase typing the words jinxes us or something (so the bold and italics was probably really overdoing it =). I was looking through our bank statements in February and realized that we are at the same place we were last year at this time when we had 2 salaries. We feel so blessed that I am able to stay home with Pumpkin without putting us into debt.
• Cha-Ching! Tax refund! We realize we will not get this windfall next year, but it is nice to have such a big addition to our savings. We even got a good amount back from the state, which is unheard of for us.

Our Plans

• At this point, all signs point to my staying home another year. I am thankful that the NYCDOE lets me decide on a year-by-year basis. I'm still a commitment-phob at heart, so this makes it easier on me mentally.
• We are looking to buy an apartment. Yep. Really. A 2 bedroom at that. No, I'm not kidding! The housing market has hit NYC and we are in a place where we can take advantage of it. Columbia even went to TWO open houses last Sunday and we plan on going to at least 2 more this week. Last year at this time I was telling friends that 1 bedrooms were finally coming into our price range. Now, we are seeing twice as many 2 bedrooms for that same number! Our union has worked out a relationship with Acorn Housing (they are NOT Acorn) so that we get extra perks (lower interest rates, etc). We'd went to an informational seminar several years ago and thought they were a great resource. Columbia went to another in January to start the ball rolling this time. We are nearly ready to send in our paperwork and see what our loan pre-approval number is. This will decide a lot for us. Including if we continue to look in Manhattan or start searching the outer-boroughs (Columbia, stop crying, it will be okay =). A good reminder for me has been that the apartment we buy does not need to be our home forever, just the next 5-6 years at least. This realization takes a considerable amount of weight off of my shoulders.
• One post a week. It will probably revolve around apartment hunting, where we are in the process, or how our 2 cats are not only the bane of my existence, but are crippling our chances at getting approved by a coop or condo board. Just kidding about the cats... sort of. :/

On another note, Pumpkin turned 1 March 9th! She is such a joy.

Our Birthday Girl!

(Note: this is not our apt, but a family member's home in LI)

What's your tipping policy?

I'm a very inconsistent tipper. Now more than ever, I'm trying to restrict what I spend, so I think about it frequently. To make it more confusing, I must not know all the rules. I've had the conversation with people over the years, and everyone has different ideas of what's an appropriate tip for a given situation. Here are the categories in which my confusion lies:

1. Take-out Food
   This is what got me started thinking about it again today. With our first attempt at Taco Soup brewing for dinner (and more than a few lunches) JC and I caved and enjoyed Lenny's for lunch. I thought I'd pocket the delivery tip and go pick it up myself. Online, I was confronted with a tip box at the end. Huh? Why else would I pick it up? Call me crazy, but the main reason I'm picking it up is to save a couple of dollars on delivery. I left it blank, but surely felt some guilt about it. Paying by credit card makes it worse, since that tip line shows up, looking all blank and lonely. Sorry, tip line, but you're sleeping alone tonight. Am I the only one who leaves the tip line blank for take-out??
   
   
2. Delivered Food
   JC and I have disagreements over this. I used to tip 15%, as that's what I thought tip practically translated to (I believe it's Finnish in origin....) Anyway, we ordered with a few friends one night and I figured the tip was about $20 for bringing food from 5 blocks away. After a few awkward glances around the table, we figured tipping for delivery is more of a set-price thing, loosely based on (distance) x (the number of bags delivered) / (the temperature) + (Preciptation) / (Mode of Transportation)... and somehow pie gets figured in there (the dessert, not the mathematical constant, which would be too easy).... Now it's "ahhhh, give him $3". I'd like to see that tip calculator.
   
   
3. Sit-down Food
   My general feel here is 15-20%. It's rare that the tip is ever dependent on quality of service, though if someone goes above and beyond, we try to be generous. Lousy service still gets at least 15%, but as they say, "you can't put a price on talking smack behind someones back." - author unknown
   
   
4. Service for something included (ie. leaks repaired by the landlord)
   This might make a difference in the type of apartment you live in. If you're in a full-service doorman type building, it might be expected that you tip anyone who comes into your apartment to do work. Of course, if you got it like that, props to you -- it might be in your nature to tip anyway, and this point is moot. In the past month we've had no water for a 36-hour span, and no heat for the same amount of time three days later. You can rightly assume that we're not living with the Jeffersons. We generally don't tip for landlord service, but we'll offer coffee/coke/water, etc.
   
   
5. Service such as furniture delivery, man with a van, etc.
   Another confusing one, as you've generally paid a shipping cost for your item, possibly a large amount. So how much more do you tip for a service you already paid extra for? I figure you can probably size up number of people * bulk of delivery * time spent in your home... In my experience, this usually comes out to between $5 and $15 per person.
   
   
6. Taxis
   A co-worker from around 2000 had some formula in his head which was something like "I round up until it hits $10, then I round up and add a dollar". I thought this was pretty measly (consider a trip that totaled $9.70), but with small totals and cabbies that don't really deal with change, this is usually my least consistent place to tip. Granted, my taxi days are few and far between now, but occasionally it happens. My preferred method in the past year has been to use a credit card, and just tip a dollar or two on a short ride. No change, no fuss, and no ATM charges...
   

Do these "rules" sound way off? Are there exceptions to the rules that I'm missing? I'd love to hear your thoughts (...um, unless you're the cashier at Lenny's. :)

Out with the old... tree, that is

It's that time of year again. Time to reclaim your living room and throw out that holiday tree. You won't miss it too much. After all, you'll be finding it's needles until next Christmas. Here's the news release from New York's Strongest:

Sanitation Begins Christmas Tree Recycling on January 5th
Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty announced today that the Department will begin its annual Christmas tree curbside collection and recycling program on Monday, January 5, 2009. The program will run through Friday, January 16th.

Residents should remove all tree stands, tinsel, lights, and ornaments from holiday trees before they are put out at curbside for removal. Trees must not be placed into plastic bags. Clean, non-bagged Christmas trees that are left at the curb between Monday, January 5th and Friday, January 16th will be collected, chipped, and made into compost. The compost will be processed and subsequently spread upon parks, ball fields, and community gardens throughout the city.

In January 2008, the Department collected over 160,000 discarded Christmas trees.

"The Department is very pleased to offer this special recycling service. Providing collection and recycling options for residents is environmentally valuable and benefits our neighborhoods. Working in conjunction with the City's Parks & Recreation Department allows residents to take part in the recycling process and permits them to even reuse their composted Christmas trees to fertilize for the spring. Compost is a natural fertilizer and is an excellent soil enrichment that promotes the healthy growth of plants and grass," said Commissioner Doherty.

The Parks & Recreation Department will be hosting Mulchfest 2009 on Saturday, January 10th and Sunday, January 11th from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. at more than 80 sites throughout the city. To find citywide locations, visit the Parks & Recreation website at www.nyc.gov/parks. The citywide service allows New Yorkers to drop off their holiday trees at designated parks for mulching and event attendees can pick up free mulch. All lights, ornaments, and decorations must be removed from the trees prior to drop-off.

For more information on Christmas tree collection and recycling and/or Mulchfest 2009, visit www.nyc.gov/sanitation or www.nyc.gov/parks or call 3-1-1

We'll be getting ours out to the curb this Sunday. Not to beat the rush, or to be the cool ones who do it first, but to end the constant struggle between Pumpkin's natural curiosity about an indoor pine tree and the dubious structural integrity of a $4.95 tree stand. At this point, the stand has become less a water dish for the tree, and more a water dish for the cats. Disposing of the tree will be our first act of simplifying in 2009... until the end of the year when we do it all over again.

Uncluttering Christmas with Thoughtful Gifts... not just buying 'stuff' so you have something to give

Pumpkin bargain hunting at a craft store.

Yes, yes, I know, last year Columbia wrote a post on uncluttering gift ideas but I love that the topic is becoming more and more popular. Also, who can't use more ideas for thoughtful gifts that don't take up much space?

This is why I salivated all over Northern Cheapskate's post on 7 Gifts for People Who Have Everything. It's not just 7 gifts, by the way, it's 7 amazing ideas that don't just speak to buying for those hard-to-buy-for-friends-and-relatives but also elaborates on being especially thoughtful in your gift giving. It will not surprise you to know that Columbia and I are a big fan of #6: Experiences. This has always been a favorite gift to give each other. A night away to a B&B, a frugal but fun weekend in Boston, a 'Saturdate' with all the trimmings, or tickets to a favorite show or game have showed much more thoughtfulness than just a gift wrapped under the tree. I may have even liked them better than jewelry (Columbia, when you read this, know that this is true but I do absolutely love the above mentioned sparklies).

If you are finding yourself more and more drawn to DIY, then Sew, Mama, Sew has ideas for every person on your gift-giving list. Sew, Mama, Sew is also posting great ideas submitted by their readers, like this one on homemade Irish Cream (scroll down - Yum!), so check their site daily for more ideas.

I have been inspired so much this year that I am not sure how I am going to get to all of the projects I have planned. Putting up Christmas decorations might be a good start, though...