CHECK THEM TWICE
Empty out your pockets folks, then donate. Donating pants, shirts, toys, furniture etc. to second-hand shops is a great way to help others out who are looking for a bargain.
How many of you check through each article of clothing or furniture that you donate before you let someone haul it away?
Probably many of you can come forward right now to say you are guilty of not checking pockets before you donate.
If you plan to donate clothes make sure you know where that last mustard stain landed just in case you are that one person who forgets a wad of money in the pocket before you give them away.
If you are like me you don’t like to keep every penny you own tied up in a bank or investment. You have a stash of money at home although nothing serious enough to go rampant over if it was misplaced it’s simply a bit of cash to get you by if you need some cash.
I for one like to keep my money in the bank and don’t keep excess amounts of cash lying around the house although some people come up with unique places to hide cash around the house. I have to give them credit because not everyone likes to stash their money in a bank for fear they will lose their life savings.
I’m not sure that would ever happen but try telling that to your grandmother who believes that money under the mattress is much safer. I often say on the blog it’s hard to change someone’s mind especially if they believe in something faithfully.
I’ve heard one relative say the banks are crooks so my money is staying with me. No, they don’t care that they are losing bits of interest they could be accumulating all they care about is that they can touch, see and cradle their money every single day.
Not everyone gets excited seeing numbers on a computer screen. Cold hard cash is really what gets the action going. Am I wrong? You pull out a wad of cash and you will have plenty of people around you. You pull out a credit card and you look just like everyone else. Cash is king, that is a fact.
Money in your pockets
When I was reading about the pair of pants found at Value Village this week in Lethbridge, Alberta stuffed with cash in the pocket I was not surprised. It’s not sounding like someone lost $100 we’re talking some big bucks here.
OK, I was a bit surprised because I thought who forgets all that cash in a pocket. Many Canadians are struggling to get by that we don’t let even a dollar out of our sight. Well maybe that’s a bit far-fetched because some of us do but we don’t just forget about a lump sum of cash we have at home.
I could understand if it was hidden in a box that was donated or maybe even an envelope in the back of a book but not in a pocket of a pair of pants. If I want to hide money at home you can bet I won’t run to the first pair of pants that I hardly wear and stash it in the pockets.
The way my wife likes to purge our closet you can bet it’s as good as gone. They are currently trying to find the owner of the missing money found in the pants pocket at the Value Village.
I can only imagine the things they find while going through donated items that people toss away without thinking. Sometimes when you go into a Value Village you see a glassed in counter with high-value items inside such as cameras, jewellery, watches etc. Sometimes I wonder if people actually meant to donate that stuff or they ended up at Value Village by accident.
It’s not every day someone says, “ah let’s donate your wedding band set to Value Village”. I’m pretty sure if that showed up I’d be a bit concerned it ended up at the store by accident but the reality is they likely find stuff like this all the time hidden in pants, jacket pockets etc. You may have an ex who says I don’t want this anymore and donates it, who knows.
When you decide to donate items whether it be to Bible for Missions, Church groups, Free-cycle , Thrift stores or Value Village treat each article of clothing as if you were about to wash them. Check every single pocket because you never know what you may have forgotten in the pockets.
The same goes for furniture and books especially if you are donating items from an estate sale of from someone who has passed away. You never know what they may have stashed away somewhere and forgot to tell someone or didn’t put it in their will.
A few extra minutes might save you or someone you love lots of heartache if something of value goes missing. In the meantime I hope the person who forgot all this cash in their pants pocket comes forward to claim the money they likely worked hard to save.
Your money is your money so save it as you may but at least remember where you put it or let someone know so it’s not donated in unforeseen circumstances.
Have you ever lost or found something of value in a donated item you purchased or picked up for free?
Weekly CBB posts
If you missed any CBB posts from the week here is the list of posts you can catch up on reading!
- How to start your spring garden using odd containers
- How my co-op program shaped my work ethics
- Do you blow your grocery budget if you are in a rush?
- Finances are like moon phases: Our Net Worth Update February 2014
- Twice baked potatoes….so delicious
- I want to be more successful than my father
CBB at home and the blog
What a week it has been. I was on the road in that winter storm we had in Ontario just a few days ago and it was awful. It took me close to 4 hours to get home on the highway.
I won’t be missing the snow this year that’s for sure although they say we will be getting at least 2 more snow storms before Spring arrives. I was happy when I came home to see that my neighbour had plowed my drive for me. It’s great to have neighbours who look out for you and vice versa.
I have yet to get my basil and tomatoes planted into my seedling pots which I have to get done this week. It’s going to be a busy week for us as we will be attending the Toronto Home Show and plenty of appointments. We always enjoying going to the home show because it gives us inspiration into what types of renovations we’d like to do in our home.
Other than that, it’s been pretty quiet around here. The wife hasn’t been feeling so well lately so I’m hoping once the nice weather gets here it will get us out and about a bit more. We love the outdoors and being inside during the winter really brings us down.
Nothing new and exciting on the blog this week. I was happy to read that The Brighter Life picked up my blog post about me doing my co-op at the zoo in the UK. It just goes to show you that if you invest in yourself a bit you never know what will come of it.
Have a great week everyone!
Mr.CBB
Fan deals and inspirations
Submit your Brag or Inspiration If you have a brag that you want me to share email me at canadianbudgetbinder (@) [yahoo] [.ca] or fill out my contact form by Friday each week to have your brag considered for the Saturday post.
This week Jen Peacock shares her furniture find for her upcoming basement renovation.
Hi Mr. CBB,
We are on the lookout right now for anything at all that we can use for refinishing our basement or for when it is done. I saw these chairs on a local Facebook auction group.
They were in mint condition. I just had to have them. The bidding started at $40 for the pair. I won them for $80. I found out that they are originally from Wal-Mart so I looked online to see what they may have originally cost.
I found something very similar and they cost $269 EACH! I feel like I got a great deal. My parents might be a little upset when they come home from Florida and find them being stored at their house though lol.
That was the only problem with buying them so early. We have nowhere to put them. Ken was a little angry when he found out I bought them.
I explained that I felt it was best to purchase them now at such a great price rather than when the basement is finished and we feel desperate to furnish it.
If we feel desperate to finish it we may spend too much money. Who knows if we could ever find a deal like this again. I love them and I can’t wait to see them in my finished basement!
Thanks,
Jen 🙂
Making a difference
If you know a personal finance blogger that is making a difference and want to nominate them please send me an email so I can reach out to them for a feature story.
Note: If you are a blogger who gives back and would like to be featured by all means get in touch with me as I am filling spots up for the rest of 2014 and they are going quickly.\
Today I’d like to introduce you to my blogger pal Pauline whom you may recognize from Reach Financial Independence and Make Money Your Way… now she runs The Savvy Scot!
Hi everyone!
My name is Pauline and I run The Savvy Scot, a UK personal finance blog that focuses on saving money and spending it wisely. Most of the advice can be applied to people anywhere, and then part of it is focused on UK readers, with topics such as maximizing your tax-free savings accounts or how to have an affordable day out in London.
The Savvy Scot was not always mine, I bought it a little while back and am hoping to keep it as good as it was, or make it better! In real life, I live in Guatemala, Central America, but lived in the UK for three years and still own a rental property over there, which keeps me connected with current matters.
This is my third blog, and the journey has been really fun, as I started the other two from the ground up, that one was like having a third kid that already walks and talks, much easier on some aspects, although I hope the previous readers like my content enough to stick around!
My goal on The Savvy Scot is to help people make the most of their money. You work hard enough to earn it, so you should stretch it as far as possible.
I recently did a new year financial boot camp where I covered most aspects of your financial life you should have under control: refinancing your mortgage for the best rate, getting the best credit card for your needs, challenging your local taxes for a reduction, saving money on travel, food and entertainment, etc.
Now that I have made back the purchase price on the blog, 10% of my income will be donated to educational projects in my Guatemalan village.
I already do it with my other sites and have donated over $5,000 so far, to send the best students of middle school to a boarding high school 300 miles away, and to help little girls buy supplies, shoes and uniforms so they can attend primary and middle school.
I hope to see you come visit The Savvy Scot blog!
-Pauline
What is a blog carnival?
Some fans have asked me “what is a blog carnival?” so a little explanation is due here for anyone reading for the first time or for my long-time fans.
A blog carnival is where a blog or website hosts what we call a carnival of blog posts from around the web. Most blog carnivals have a theme and certain rules for submitting which must be followed.
If you are a blogger and would like to learn what blog carnival directories I submit to each week you can find the information in a previous Saturday Weekend Review post that I wrote.
Carnival glory
A big thanks to these pages for accepting my blog posts and sharing them in the following carnivals and/or sharing my blog posts with their fans.
Carnivals
- Carnival of Financial Camaraderie– Save and Conquer and Carnival of Money Pros
- Lifestyle Carnival
- Carnival of Financial Independence– Reach Financial Independence
- Yakeezie Carnival- The Value of Geek
Blog Mentions
- The Brighter Life
- Mo Money Mo Houses
- Everybody Loves Your Money
Google search terms
Every week I get thousands of people visit Canadian Budget Binder because they did a search online and found my blog. Keep in mind any spelling errors below are because I share with you the exact way they typed their search engine query to land on my blog.
Here are a few of my favorite searches that may have even brought you here and you’re reading this, right now.
- Welfare Food Recipes- I get this lots and to be honest with me there is no such thing. A recipe is a recipe. Now you can use low-cost ingredients in recipes and make them delicious. We don’t need to put a name on recipes like this.
- How to make pudding give rrsp– Hmm not sure if the person lost their train of thought or wants to pay for investments with pudding lol.
- Can you still receive calls if Rogers cuts your service?– Will your car run if it’s out of gas? If you can that’s news to me because most times when you have a service cut, it’s cut.
- What happens when you owe $16,000 in rent in Ontario?– Hmm, well you owe it. A debt isn’t going to walk away. If you don’t pay it, then you suffer the consequences.
- Tim Horton’s red velvet muffin recipe– Like we will find that online, good-luck.
That’s all for this week’s edition of The Saturday Weekend Review #63. Have a great week and catch me here again next Saturday with more updates.
-Mr.CBB
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I haven”t lost or found any money in clothes for charity but I do usually wash things before I donate so I’d find it in the washer or dryer…. But this still reminds of something from back when i was a kid. Seems my Dad hid some cash in a big dictionary of his. I used the dictionary to look up some words for school and found the money. He wasn’t home but Mom was. Dad lost the money to Mom!!! Oops!!!!
I need to get planting some seeds here too. I have some basil, sweet peas and morning glory from the Buck or 2 to plant and today I got some sage and some cosmos to start. I still want to get some petunia seeds to start for the hanging baskets. I’m thinking if I can find them to plant pink and purple petunias in those baskets with, maybe some little white flowers to accent. I had a basket last year that had pink petunias and purple verbena and it was so pretty!!! The only thing planted so far is the pink pampas grass and it is doing well.
As usual Jen got a nice deal on those chairs!! I’m on her side with getting them now at the sale price before she needs them!!! I’ve been looking over Pinterest at some of the ideas for re-purposing wooden furniture….some awesome ideas!! It’s amazing what you can do with a little paint and elbow grease!!!
Hope the good weather improves everyone’s health and have a good weekend!!!