Ask the readers: it is OK to buy a Christmas gift from thrift store?

Holiday season to try frugal person patience: there are so many temptations to spend. Of course, all we want to enjoy a festive nature time this year, but when you can draw the line? And how the fugal is too frugal?

Michel writes with great question. It is sort of dilemma facing the picture itself. Here is its history:

Like you I am a big proponent of thrift store shopping. Saves money, and it is simply more fun, go to the Mall – at least for me. Since I live in the area of New York, I am happy that many of the area thrift stores are full of fantastic things, including quality of designer and brand name clothing, many of which are worn only.

The latest thrift store trip I picked up two designer bags as a Christmas gift for my college adult nieces, but now I'm having second thoughts.

On the one hand there is no way they will ever really take buses and Kate Spade bags for their own e.on, on the other hand, I don't know if they share my acceptance and love to thrifting, and they may not respond well to the thought of someone else is gifted cast-offs.

Since the new versions of these bags are my budget, there is no way to transfer these things as something different. What you? it is tacky to purchase gifts thrift store?

My initial response to Michelle question is that of course is a good idea to purchase gifts thrift shop-do it all the time! But perhaps this is because of the way in which my family has set up his gift exchange.

In my family, adult $ 5 gift exchange: each of us buy something not more than five Bucks for every other adult costing. This forces any budget folks to get creative. And, therefore, thrift stores are really fantastic place to find gifts. Garage sales, too. (And I spent many hours of entertainment for trawling Amazon transactions.)

Here below my favorite example: a few years ago I found a set of pens good preparation for ten Bucks in the garage sale. My brother, to be used to draw the House plans (although he no longer), and I think they would make a great gift for Christmas. I haggled the price up to five Bucks. Back home, I user the actual price for pens. They usually sell for about $ 70. Result! (I'm not sure if Jeff to use them, but this is the best $ 5 gift, I am ever give.)

Obviously, not everyone is in a situation where given bargain buys from garage sales and social acceptable is thrift stores. But I would like to Licenzopolu?atelaima that there are plenty of people there for whom this kind of thing it's okay, at least to some extent.

But this is sort of an issue where a certain need to poll a wider audience. Not everyone shares my love of purchase of used. In fact, many readers of GRS deplore thrift stores. Instead of steering Michel down (probably misleading) my own time, it is probably best to respond to the field from different points of view.

Do you think? When is a good idea to buy gifts from the thrift shop? It is always well? Was never well? And what of the specific situation of Michel: must it feel any shame for Designer bags used to nieces this Christmas?

This article is to help readers, frugality, translator

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Ask the readers: how you can Build a lion, a budget?

If you are starting from the beginning of the creation of the wardrobe was how would you do it?, Prioritize quality? Highlight the costs? Or whether some of the happy balance between these two? That is what the author j. GRS reader wants to know. He writes:

I'm 40-something man who has lost 40 pounds during the last year of something. This is a good thing. But now my Old clothes don't fit. Frugal member, as this creates something of a problem. How I re-build my wardrobe keep an eye on costs?

For most of my life I've dressed in adult what I call Modern Slob. Or maybe a Geek for casual. My wardrobe consists of jeans, t-shirts and sweatshirts, most of which were bought from Costco and local thrift stores.

Now, when I am thinner, I'm more interested in, as well as a dressing. In other words, you want to display in the comfortable and does not like don't let hoot. I do not need to buy the land, but I would like more information about how to buy inexpensive clothing classic fashions. I do not know where to start.

First, the third person myself referring to hinder the free movement of goods. (It is a bad Seinfeld episode or something like it.) The next step is to develop, my concerns.

Really I am something of a wardrobe in the event of a crisis. Downstairs living room, I have a pile of clothes, which no longer fit. I am gradually to give these away from friends and family (and Donate to charity elsewhere), but in the meantime is to dress a little to the left. I don't need to build my wardrobe it was before the size of a wardrobe in the project, but I want some basic information are available. Right now I have no dress shirts that fit. And the dress is not pants. And not turtlenecks. And no jeans.

You can go shopping spree, the local shopping mall I suppose, but it does not, in such a way as not to me (and many levels). I tried to buy some new clothes, Costco, but I do not like fit and nasal cleansing, Neti, Neti Pot, they offer just now. Which leaves me thrift shops, but these are incomplete solution. I am really puzzled about how to build a wardrobe on a budget.

Affordable fashion?
Recently ran out of curiosity, I've been reading magazines such as GQ, and Esquire. I have not done this for 20 years. (And when this spell passes through, it is likely to have another 20 years before I pick them again.) At the same time, there are a couple of problems in an entertaining, modern fashion mags:

Surely it must be borne in mind balance. Must be nice clothes for an affordable price, in particular as I seriously folks, who Don't give a whit patterns labels for the data. I would like to only quality. (And even though it pains my frugal nature, I am prepared to admit that the quality of the paying agencies may be a little more, it's a good idea to it.)

The cost of quality with the Detail?
For example, recently I bought the icebreaker merino Wool t-shirt REI on the sale of $ 45. I felt guilty of this day (because it is three times what I usually use the t-shirt), but then I wore it to us a trip to Europe. I loved it. well, but the shirt seemed to be the best of all, it never cio — even if I wore a straight weeks. (Not a joke.) If the entry price of the t-shirt is used, it is worth $ 45, and I think my book is no longer feel guilty about buying it.

But I'm not willing to spend $ 45 each carton, which is full of t-shirts. That is crazy, right? In addition, I am not prepared to rule out the suspicion of stocks of thrift. Can I buy a large stuff for Cheap. For example, Just last week, I went to the thrift store Kris and his shopping with her sister. I was giddy to find one of my favorite shirts — one that (I) you are empty, because it is too large for the size of the instrument —. For five bucks. (Then I found the other two in the same company, which I have to pick up, too.) And just yesterday I bought a name brand corduroy trousers nice-looking, the second of the two $ 6 at thrift store.

If the thrift stores are so great, why not they are used exclusively? No, they are a great way to complement the already clothes, but from the beginning, it is difficult to connect by using a wardrobe. Their selection is … random. And coordination between the styles.

Help me help myself
Yea, my beloved readers need your help. You tell me: How to find affordable clothing? If the beginning of the creation of the wardrobe was where to begin? It is possible to do only by using the thrift stores? Are you willing to pay more for quality? How much more?

Finally, you can recommend to all of the sites data for dressing well? (I am particularly interesting training-dress very well on a budget that is.) Or maybe I should forget the search if you are looking for comfortable and modern, just go to the slob back!

This article is about the budgeting, alternatives, clothing

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Ask the readers: How do we afford-Buy House?

Even though they may belong to the farther, housing prices have begun to appear in many parts of the United States, a reasonable account by "logging in" again. Mortgage rates are Cheap, too. Of course, therefore some of the GRS readers have begun to express their interest in buying a home.

But prices are still high in many places — including Washington, D.C., that is, if William resides. He declined to ask for advice line: recently, he would like to buy a home on the intrinsic merits of, but the prices are too steep. What he should do?

My friend and all read "get Rich slowly. We have tried to all be able to save for retirement through the accounts of the various tax incentivized and we all live in Washington, D.C.-area. We all have one question, which is becoming increasingly more important: how all of us, as the case may be, of the country, buy a home?

Together with my girlfriend and make about $ model each month (for example, taxes). This may seem like a lot, but it does not seem to go far in D.C. If I took five years to store a 2 bedroom apartment, I need to save $ 1600 a month. Although I am split it into two, which is still $ 800 per person per month. That is close to our rent payment and have more money than I've lived in the whole of the College and grad school.

This also applies to more money than we currently save each month, so we are not only a legal obligation to do so through a lifestyle of deflation, but we could not save $ 1500 for any other purpose. As close as you can tell, we have all our extra dollar per project for several years. Is what is supposed to happen?

Help! How anyone can take the form of a home?: book prices You know all the good answers? Do your readers?

One of the first first: When housing prices are high, as the case may be, a smart tag is a straight line basis over the lease term. Even if you ran out of favor rental fell during the past decade in the Middle, there is no shame in it. As a matter of fact, the times, a lot is economically rational transfer.

Earlier this year, I wrote an article that tried to answer the question "the hire sense?" Because it does not directly apply to William's answer to the question of, I will offer as a part of it here.

The numbers of the rental
One way to tell whether the better to lease or buy, the price of rent is by looking at the ratio of arithmetic means (or P/R ratio). This number enables a rough idea of whether or not there is a fairly priced homes in your area.

Although it may sound like an intimidating, quite, p, and r ratio is not too hard. All what you need is:

Two similar houses (or condos or apartments), sales, and the second one place to rent the other annual rent. Divide the selling price is one. The result is a P/R ratio.

For example, suppose you find $200000 House for sale nice neighborhood. You can find out a similar task in relation to the House the next block to rent 1 000 a month (which serves as a basis for $ 12,000 per year). $ 200,000 to $ 12,000, for Splitting 16.7 P/R ratio.

What does this number mean? In writing of The New York Times, David Leonhardt says, "rent ratio above 20 means that the monthly cost is greater than the cost of renting ownership." It is a little bit of opaque, but Leonhardt means is what greater P/R ratio, the more it makes sense to rent, however, it makes sense to buy — and, as the case may be.

During the housing bubble national P/R ratio 20 near came and went much above in some cities. In other words, a $ 200,000 House can be rented for 10 000 $ a year (or slightly more than 800 € per month), which is a pretty good deal.

Nationwide the normal range is between 10 and 14 (paragraph it would cost $ 1200 and $ $ 200,000 House for rent 1600). Just before the housing bubble in the 1990s, the national P/R ratio was usually 14-15 (about $ 1100-$ 1200 for rent $ 200000 in the House).

Another way to measure the cost of housing is to compare it with your own family income. 1984 and 2000, the median home prices were approximately 2.8 times the median annual income of the family. (That is, the cost of a typical House of about three times what the family acquired during the period.) at the beginning of the 1970s during the home prices were approximately 2.3 times the income of the family. During the housing bubble, this ratio jumped 4.2.

Figures did not mean that there will be a lot of their own, but they are able to give some kind of idea of whether or not there is an apartment is overpriced in the region. In addition, the display must be considered that most of the Families comfortably book your home, and who pays approximately 2,5 x their ANNUAL INCOME on the basis of the earlier chapters. (So, if your family makes $ 80,000 per year, you have a book in our theoretical $ 200,000 House.)

Note: If you want to see if it makes sense to rent or buy more personal situation, take a look at this rent vs. Buy Calculator, which will take place in New York Times. It has been around for several years but have never found any better. Connect the numbers and the calculator will tell you how long it would take, you can disconnect from, even if you have bought the House. (Don't forget, you can click on the button "Advanced", if necessary.)

Exploitation of the provisions of the sectoral and geographical katvealueiden
In Washington, D.C., expensive city. I'm guess that William and/or his girlfriend are tied to their jobs, and that the work will not be able to make it in the rest of the country. This is in General.

However, if the owning a home is important to you, and the prices are high, sometimes the best financial decision is to move elsewhere. This is especially true if you can do is cheaper than a part of the country of work. The provisions of the sectoral and geographical katvealueiden exploitation of children is an excellent way to live in A RICH TEXT FORMAT (RTF).

In my case Portland is expensive and I can't write anything. Perhaps, for example, North Dakota. But my job is not portable, and he loves, he is employed in the place. (Plus, we can reserve our home.) So, we stick now here.

Is stored in the down payment for the
Finally, William worrying that if he wanted to save down payment, it take him for years. "It is what is supposed to happen?" he asks. Generally, Yes. According to the information of the Government of the United States housing is by far the largest costs in most people's budgets. It will take to hold down payment of 10 years!

Sometimes you can buy a home with very little to the bottom of the page. My wife and I bought our first House in one of the 3% down (or $ 3,300), such as, for example, in 1993. But this brings added complications, not least of which is a private mortgage insurance, which is required if you do not have at least 20% of the equity in your home.

Most people buy a home for the intelligent way to have a large down payment. And that means saving for two and a half years at a time. -The Stories I've heard, although this can be handled very much like the debt snowball, if the screen saver to pursue one goal — down payment — fanatical vigor.

Reader advice
Enough theory! What would you do if William's situation? If the same place you've been in the past, what choice you have made? Should he gives the idea of owning never at home? He has not be impatient and save? Or should he packed his bags and Move North Dakota?

This article is about the Type of readers, House and Home

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