Weekend Round Up

Pottery Barn's modern take on the piggy bank. Via Shelteriffic.com





Preppy Checkbook Cover from thesquarenest.blogspot.com






A helpful resource to looking great for less $$. Via The Lipstick Diaries.

Happy Weekend!
xoxo!

Nosy Financial Questions

Do you have friend who wants to know the price tag on everything? How much was your house or rent? What about your car? handbag? shoes?

Do not feel compelled to answer these questions. If you want to take the direct approach you can kindly explain you'd rather not say or you've decided not to discuss your finances with friends.

If that makes you uncomfortable you can politely dodge the question (this is probably what I would do :) Respond to a question about how much you paid for your car with "Probably more than I should have." and then quickly change the subject "But it gets such great gas mileage, I'm excited not to have to fill up the tank every other day." This gets your friend on to a new topic and demonstrates the financial question is closed for discussion.


sourced from RealSimple.com

Group Gifts

Everyone is pitching in for a gift and wants you to contribute. Or you are spearheading the collection of money for a gift. Either can become a sticky situation.


Situation #1:
People expect you to contribute to a big group gift, but even your share is more than you wanted to spend.

Solution: Kindly explain to the person who is collecting the money that you already had another gift in mind for this particular person or occasion and then go purchase something that is within your price range.


Situation #2:
You are in charge of collecting money for a group gift and some of the group keep giving you the brush off.

Solution: Send a kind email asking everyone to give X number of dollars by a certain date. If you are still waiting on certain members after that date, it's perfectly appropriate to send another email. You can mention and thank those individuals who have paid. If the second email is not effective talk to those people who have not paid separately and offer to take whatever they can give if the amount owed is an issue.


(sourced from RealSimple.com)

Splitting the Check

We've all been to those large group dinners where everyone breaks out into a sweat when the bill arrives. Do we split the check evenly? Pay for exactly what we ordered? Here's what the Emily Post Institute has to say about it...

- At an informal get-together, decide as group prior to sitting down if you want it all on one tab or if some people in the group would prefer a separate check. Either decision is fine, as long as its agreed upon before dinner

-If a single check it agreed upon and everyone orders food in the same price range, it makes sense to split the check evenly

-If people's orders are markedly different in price and if diners consume a couple of alcoholic beverages while you just have water, those who spent more should offer to cover more of the bill. If they don't gently remind them of some of the larger differences and split the check accordingly.

The Going Rate

The pay rate for a babysitter varies from place to place, on the number of children and on the difficulty of care. Smaller children require more assistance and supervision as do kids with special needs. Older children can do more for themselves and are generally easier to care for. But according to Momlogic.com, these are the national base pay rate:

Grade School Sitter: $8/hr
High School Sitter: $10/hr
College Age Sitter: $12/hr


An extra $1-$5 can be added to the base pay rate if the sitter is expected to do housework, care for more than 2 children or do any additional responsibilities. Remember, a babysitter is looking after your most precious asset, so you want to compensate them fairly. Watching your child is not a minimum wage responsibility.

Money Etiquette

We've all been in situations where money has been the topic and you feel quite awkward, whether it's a question of "How much was your new car?", "How much money do you make?", or my new favorite "How much is your wedding going to cost?" Regardless... we've all been there. So here are the top five "Money Faux Pas" according to AOL:

1. Asking Nosy Money Questions

The faux pas: What's your salary? How much did you pay for that huge flat-screen TV? What's the value of your house? "People like to play 'The Price Is Right,'" jokes Jodi R.R. Smith, founder of Mannersmith, a Boston-based etiquette consulting firm. "Whether it's the cost of a new sweater or a new house, inquiring minds want to know." But most people are uncomfortable talking about their life in terms of dollar signs. And asking makes you seem wealth obsessed.

The fix: "When in doubt, don't ask," says Smith. If you have a valid reason for your question, change its direction. Say you're hoping to switch job fields. Ask about the salary range for similar positions, rather than your friend's, specifically. Just being nosy? Do your own research. Figures for everything from property values to salary estimates are available online.

Should you be on the receiving end of a nosy money question, your best bet is to answer it, without really answering. Instead of rattling off the price of your new sweater, says Smith, you might say, "I got it at Bloomingdales. Isn't it lovely?"

2. Flashing Your Cash

The faux pas: You're not shy about spending money -- and you never let anyone forget it. When you're not leaving a 30 percent tip (in big bills) at a fancy restaurant, you're bragging about the cost of your suit, how well your portfolio is doing or the big check you just wrote for charity. "There are people who think that showing they have money will equate with having people like them, with being important," says Peter Post, a director at The Emily Post Institute and author of 'The Etiquette Advantage in Business.' "Really, everyone is thinking, 'What's wrong with this idiot?'"

The fix: "There's a difference between being generous and being flashy," says Post. Aim for the former by not bragging about or otherwise drawing attention to your finances. People will still notice that you paid for dinner or made a substantial charitable contribution (charities usually make sure of this by posting donor lists) -- and will like you better for not rubbing their noses in it.

Stuck making small talk with a cash-flasher? Steer the conversation to another subject, he says. Feel free to say that you think money's too serious a topic for a party (or wedding, golf game, etc.).


3. Banking Via Friends

The faux pas: When you're short on cash, it's all too easy to turn to a friend for a loan, whether $5 for lunch or $800 for emergency car repairs. But it's wise to neither a borrower nor a lender be, says P.M. Forni, author of 'Choosing Civility.' "Money is something people take very seriously," he says. "The risk is always there that a good relationship will be mortally wounded."

The fix: "Don't borrow because it's convenient," says Forni. Only ask for money in an emergency -- and then repay the debt as soon as possible. And if you're the would-be lender, know that it's acceptable to decline. "It's perfectly OK to say you'd like to help in any other way," he says.

In either case, your best bet is to formalize the loan. Set out terms for when the borrowed amount will be paid back, and whether any additional cash will be owed as interest.

4. Depersonalizing Gifts

The faux pas: "If your friend buys you a $200 T-shirt, there's this idea that you're obligated to turn around and buy her a $200 T-shirt," says Smith. But that's not friendship -- it's obligation. When you take away the thought that goes into choosing a gift, all you're left with is the bill. (And who enjoys those?)

The fix: "Your gift should be a reflection of your relationship with the person, and of your budget," says Smith. Not the per-person cost of the wedding you're attending, or the value of the gift someone gave you. If you focus instead on finding a gift your recipient will enjoy, she says, no one involved is likely to focus on its price tag.

5. Spending Someone Else's Money

The faux pas: Organizing a birthday dinner for a friend, you pick a pricey restaurant and notify the guests that they're expected to chip in for the guest-of-honor's bill. Sounds good -- except you've made assumptions about the other guests' budgets, says Judith Martin, aka Miss Manners. "First they decide what they want, and then they figure out how they'll get others to pay for it," she gripes. This gaffe also takes the form of expecting someone to spend money on your behalf, she says -- to sponsor you when you run a 5K for charity, for example, or buy the lot when you host a Tupperware or Pampered Chef party.

The fix: Consider only your own budget before you make plans, rather than what others might spend, Martin advises. Don't assume, or ask, that others contribute. It's OK to mention, for example, that you're joining a charity walk. Just let your friends be the ones to bring up the offer of a donation.

When someone is trying to spend your money, be up front about what you can afford. Try offering an alternative. In the case of the birthday dinner, for example, suggest (cheaper) Restaurant X instead; or say that you've already purchased a gift, but would be happy to attend dinner if everyone pays his own way.