We have this green chair that sits in our sun-room.  It’s a very comfortable chair and I like to sit in it when I’m studying my Bible or reading a book to the kids.  The fabric is in great shape – but two of the little legs on the bottom of the chair have become unstable.  The holes where the legs attach have become “wallered out” and the legs will no longer hold firmly to the bottom of the couch.  On top of that, one of the little legs is broken and I have no idea where I might be able to purchase another one.

As a side note – I’m pretty sure the legs broke when my kids decided to play “can’t touch the lava” and used the chair (and the couch in the same room) as trampolines / safety zones.  If you are unfamiliar with “can’t touch the lava” – it’s a game kids play where they try to go around an entire room without touching the floor.  It also goes by “snakes on the ground” or “stay out of the water”.  Being a kid rocks!

I’m not much of a carpenter (although I did manage to build a playhouse for the kids), but I do know how to use a skill saw and a hammer.  So, I took all of the legs off of the chair.  I then took a 2 X 4 that I had out back, cut it into 4 pieces, and nailed those to the bottom of the chair.

Take a look -

Yes, that is a pretty rad Thomas the Tank Engine setup that you can see in the pic.  I nailed the first board along the left-hand side of the chair.  I then nailed the second board on top of the first, creating a very solid “leg” that runs the entire side of the chair.  You can’t see it in the picture (because the battery of my ancient digital camera died) but I did the same thing on the right-hand side.

Here’s how the chair looks with the new “legs” -

Notice the power cord trailing out the door?  It’s running to the skill saw.  You can’t see the “legs” – and the chair sits perfectly.  I think I might have another 2 X 4 out in the shed.  If I do, I might add another set of “legs” to the front an back, for even more stability.

There you have it – my free, frugal, simple, easy-as-pie fix for the broken chair.  Sure, if anyone looks under the bottom of the chair they’ll probably burst out laughing, but I can deal.  Rock on.

It’s only twenty dollars…

It’s only three percent…

It’s only for six months…

It’s only – Is there a more powerful, desire-justifying phrase in the English language?  How many times have I blown my budget, because I fell into the It’s only-trap?  Seriously, even those of us who are trying to follow our budgets tend to spend more, in bits and pieces, when we convince ourselves that twenty bucks, spent here or there, is no big deal.  It’s only twenty bucks, right?

Only after we get home, and reconcile our checking accounts or take a look at our wallets, do we recognize the truth – All of those it’s only-purchases have used up our cash, depleted our checking account, and inflated our credit card balance.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to write a series of articles about breaking bad financial habits – To be sure that you receive each of the articles in this series, sign up for my site feed, via RSS or daily email.

A few days ago, I talked about impulse purchases, those spur-of-the-moment purchases that break our budgets.  The first cousin of the impulse purchase – is the it’s only-purchase.  Remember, it takes just the briefest moment of weakness, the slightest mental hesitation, for a company to convince us to spend money on their products.  And, unfortunately, these companies are aided by our own internal weakness – the it’s only-gene, if you will.

Here’s how I’ve learned to deal with the it’s only-gene.  Think about these techniques, and see if they might work for you.  If you have other techniques or tips, feel free to share them in the comments section.

1.  Recognize that some it’s only-purchases are okay.  Seriously, once in a while, it’s cool to “waste” a little money.  I have three kids.  There are times, when we are at a restaurant or at the store, that’s it’s fun to give them each a dollar, and watch them purchase a bouncy ball or a fake tattoo from one of those little machines.  In our budget, we have a miscellaneous category.  Each month, we allow ourselves – and our kids – to be a little frivolous.  This keeps us sane.

2.  Admit that most it’s only-purchases should be eliminated.  Clearly, it’s cool to have a little fun, but let’s not get carried away.  If we are not careful, one dollar becomes five dollars, and five dollars becomes twenty dollars, and twenty dollars becomes one hundred dollars.  Create a specific amount for miscellaneous spending, and then honor that amount.

3.  Avoid situations that promote it’s only-purchases.  I’m married, with three little kids, and I know how little kids think.  They love to spend quarters on video games, toys, soda, and other assorted junk.  Knowing this, I tend to avoid situations where this assorted junk is available.  If I have a choice between restaurant A or restaurant B, I will tend to favor the restaurant without the massive wall of arcade games.  Depending on your age or station in life, you might need to avoid situations and places where you tend to overspend.  For some, that means skipping a visit or two to the mall.  For others, this might mean no more online shopping.

4.  Learn to substitute.  Instead of rewarding yourself (or you kids) with numerous, small, it’s only-purchases, reward yourself (or your kids) with really awesome free things!  Take your kids to the park.  Go to the library.  Pop some popcorn and watch a move at home.  Find free things to occupy your mind (and their minds).

5.  Do a little math.  If you are unmoved by any of the emotional reasons for avoiding it’s only-purchases, consider the mathematical reasons.  $10 per day, for one year, is $3,650.  If you continue to save, at $10 per day, for the next 50 years, and you get a modest return of 5%, you would have over $790,000.  Seriously.  Those it’s only-purchases really do add up!

Let’s leave the it’s only-purchases in the past.  Instead, let’s have a little fun, stick to our budgets, find alternatives to spending, and remember the long-term financial benefits.  In the end, we will not miss those unnecessary things, and we’ll be glad that we learned to be a bit more responsible.

I hate face-to-face negotiations.  So, in the past, I’ve paid full price for items that I’m sure I could have gotten for less, simply because I don’t like asking for discounts.  Recently, however, I managed to to make two rather significant purchases, and I negotiated lower prices for both of them.  Here’s how.

Purchase #1 – A new grass trimmer.

I purchased a new grass trimmer from a large retail store.  After deciding on the model that I wanted, I asked to speak to the head of the outdoor power equipment section.  (I’m not sure what his official title is, I just know he works with the outdoor power equipment.)  I told him exactly which model I wanted to purchase, and I told him that I was ready to by, that day, but that I didn’t want to pay full price.  At first, he mentioned that I could get a 10% discount, if I would only apply for a store-branded credit card.  (Click here to read about an interesting conversation I once had with a salesperson about store-branded credit cards.)  I explained to him that I had cash, and that I do not use credit cards.  I then stopped talking and just waited to see what he might say.

At first, he didn’t say anything, and then he decided to speak to his manager.  I assured him that I would wait for him to return, and he headed off to have a conversation.  A few minutes later, he returned, and offered me a 10% discount, no credit application necessary.   At this point, I almost went forward with the purchase, but I really wanted to test my negotiation skills.  So, I simply asked, “Is that the very best you can do?”  (This is an old negotiating tip, and one that many others have been using for years.  For me, this was a first.  Seriously, I do not like face-to-face negotiations.)  He found his manager again, returned, and told me that the absolute best he could do would be a 15% discount.  Not wanting to push things further, I accepted his offer, made my purchase, and now I’m  enjoying my new grass trimmer.

Now, I’m sure that some of you out there are much better at negotiating discounts than I am.  I’ll freely admit, I’m usually a pushover.  So, the 15% discount, while nothing spectacular, was pretty major for a guy like me, who usually avoids the negotiation process all together.

Purchase #2 – The Vacation

This one happened just a few minutes ago.  Last year, we found a really awesome, affordable place for our annual family vacation.  It’s on the beach, it’s secluded, and it’s perfect for our young kids.  This year, while booking our stay, I decided to see if I could get a discount.  I emailed the property manager, mentioned how much we loved our stay last year, and asked for the lowest rate she could give us for an eight-night stay.  A few hours later, she emailed back, with a total that was 10% less than what the property’s website was stating.  Again, instead of jumping on the first offer, I emailed back, and mentioned that we really loved the site, but that we wanted to be sure that we were getting the best possible rate.  A few minutes later, she emailed back, and gave us a 25% discount on the cost of renting the condo.  Not bad, I’d say, for a few clicks on the old keyboard!

There you go.  Two tales of negotiating success.   What about you?  Do you like to negotiate?  (I know lots of guys who do.  I know guys who will negotiate the price of anything!  Me?  I think I’ll save it for major purchases.)  Would you like to become a better negotiator?  With the current economic climate, do you think we’ll see more people negotiating prices?