Around the Sun: Blog About Saving Money

I drive north on I-5 every work day, right under the Portland Aerial Tram. Catching a glimpse of that silver bubble gliding overhead fills me with equal parts dread and wonder. I just don’t understand how a couple of cables can hold something like that up, though that doesn’t stop me from wanting to give it a try.

If you are among the 5 Portlanders who haven’t heard, the grand opening of the tram is this weekend, January 27 and 28, and rides are free to the public.

What may be less well-known is that the Portland Streetcar will also be free.

And if a free tram ride is not in cards for you this weekend (which seems highly likely per the tram website), you can try again every weekend in February:

http://www.portlandtram.org/index.cfm?event=news

Don’t worry, eventually I’ll get used to those flying bonbons and keep my eyes firmly fixed on the road at all times.

(Photo from Portland Aerial Tram website)

A little bit of funny to start off your weekend, courtesy of Saturday Night Live and Steve Martin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIm8Mfo4_Fk

Hello Portlanders,

How gorgeous is the weather today?! Crazy gorgeous.

After enjoying such a feel-good day, I highly recommend checking out Portland band The Dimes at Music Millennium at 5 pm.

The Dimes are an indie-rock group with a sunny disposition. Their music is catchy, their vocals divine. And they are great to watch because they look like they’re having so much fun. You’ll walk out with a smile on your face, I promise.

Even better, the show is free.

The Dimes
Sunday, January 14, 2007 at 5:00pm
MUSIC MILLENNIUM NORTHWEST — 801 N.W. 23RD (AT JOHNSON)
http://www.musicmillennium.com/

The Dimes online: http://thedimes.com/

And on MySpace: http://myspace.com/thedimes

(Photo from myspace.com/thedimes)

We grocery shop about once a week, typically bringing home several bags of groceries. This can lead to a mountain of bags in no time. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to bring my own bags, and I was happy to see the Oregonian run an article today about just that:

You can read the full article here:

http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/portland_news/116777671276830.xml?oregonian?pddlg&coll=7

Bringing in your own sack is not only environmentally friendly, but grocery stores also provide small incentives such as a chance to win a gift card, 5 cents off your bill for each bag, or a donation to a local charity. To learn about the policies of several local stores, click on “Saving sacks” in the Factbox located in the upper right corner of the article.

There’s one correction to the article: I recalled that Fred Meyer also deducted 5 cents from your bill for bringing in your own paper bag. So I called the Tigard and Beaverton stores, which confirmed that all Portland area Fred Meyers should be following this policy.

I am going to keep a cloth bag in my car to help me with my resolution.

Creative uses for plastic and paper grocery bags: There are many ways to use bags you already have. The Frugal Duchess has compiled great suggestions here and here.

You can also knit a bag from strips of plastic grocery bags, like this one (pictured above):

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_needle_arts/article/0,2025,DIY_13768_3059465,00.html

Recycling bags: In the Portland area, paper bags can go into curbside recycling, while grocers like Fred Meyer and Albertsons have recycling bins for plastic bags. Wherever you live, you can find out about recycling services in your area by typing in your zip code at Earth 911.

(Photo from diynetwork.com)

I just got back from a trip to Hawaii to attend a wedding. On the flight over, I couldn’t help but notice that a number of people knew each other in our section of the plane. A woman next to me struck up a conversation about Hawaii and sites she wanted to see. She explained that she had never been to Hawaii before and had earned the trip through Home & Garden Party. Most of the people near us were also from Home & Garden Party. I confessed that I had never heard of the company. She promptly pulled out a small catalog of products and gave a short description: you host parties, you sell products, you have a sponsor, you sponsor others. She pointed out her sponsor a few rows in front of us. I politely looked through the catalog and then tried hard to end the conversation.   

At the wedding, my husband and I chatted with one of the other guests at our table. He was the brother of a friend, and we knew little about each other, so we started from the top: What do you do for a living? His answer: Quixtar. He makes $70K a year working 8 hours a week. He lives in Hawaii and owns a home. He and his family vacation in Sun River every year. He has a really deep tan. He beams about his business. Though intrigued, my guard went up.

As you may have guessed, I have a pyramid scheme phobia. Technically, the companies I’ve mentioned are not pyramid schemes. And it’s not really a phobia, per se, the general business model just doesn’t suit me. Though I know that these types of business opportunities are not for me, I can’t stop thinking about my encounters with these individuals because of the lifestyles they lead: great vacations, flexible hours, less work and more money. I want all of those things too. I just need to find my own way.  

It’s been inspiring to me to see so many PF bloggers include charitable giving among their 2007 financial goals. You can read about a few here, here and here.  

Along these lines, I want to advertise the Kim Family Art + Craft Auction going on at eBay now until January 8.  

100% of proceeds go to The James Kim Memorial Fund.

To learn more about the auction and its organizers, contributors and items, go to the Kim Family Auction Blog or this article.

To bid, go directly to eBay.

You can learn more about James Kim and his family here.

Auction organizers Stephanie and Lisa have beautiful blogs that I follow daily. They have done a great job of organizing the benefit and gathering so many talented artists. The story of the Kim family search and James’ ultimate death captured my heart, and I have been looking for a way to show my support. Off to eBay….

(Photo from Kim Family Auction)