So much great advice! Thank you Ingrid and Michaelg! I know someone who goes to a feed store for horses. I will tell him to pick me up some 40lb bags of alfalfa and I can collect leaves from the local parks to mulch with. Checking Ashdown and Vintage for the sales, too. Thanks Diane_nj, Moroseaz, Silverkelt, Karl_bapst_rosenut, Predfern, Terryjean, Sammy, Jacqueline3, Roselvr and Canadian_rose for the wealth of info.!!! You all have made me realize that compost makes the garden world go 'round. Also thanks Hoovb and Particentral, for putting things in perspective. I suppose it's all relative and there are other hobbies that can be more expensive, but creating a gardening budget will help me get to the point of being wealthy enough to fly airplanes as a hobby, keep show grade koi and collect expensive art. Now, dealing with show dogs is not a hobby I would pursue. :) Juliet

Over a number of years, while dealing with folks learning the rudiments of effective money management, I've suggested, with their permission, that they plan to have 3 to 6 mos. worth of income available quite readily, in case of an emergency need. For folks with variable or seasonal income, or worrying about the security of their employment, I would more likely recommend their having 9 mos. to a year's worth of money available in case of emergency, or as replacement for income if theirs were to stop, for whatever reason. Usually personal financial advisors suggest that one keep part of those assets in a savings account and quite likely some in a money market account, which pays a higher rate of interest than a savings account and is readily cashable in case of need. As clients became more aware of the complexities of managing their money, especially if they had learned the wisdom of not carrying balances of debt on their "credit" cards over the original billing period, thus incurring interest expense, I sometimes told them of some of my own approach to the emergency money issue. I don't like earning interest. Money in a savings account or money market fund (also in CDs and GICs, which, being for a specified term, aren't easily available in case of immediate need) carries the banks oft-repeated guarantee that the number of dollars, apart from the rent on the money, won't shrink. The inverse guarantee, never stated, is that, apart from the rent on the money, the number of dollars won't grow, either. The only return that those dollars of principal will ever produce relative to that period of time is produced right then. And, in Canada, that kind of income, interest (along with wage/salary, or resultant pension [apart from a certain deductible amount on the latter]) attracts income tax at the top rate. Those being the types of income earned by most citizens. As I'm older, with no kids to perhaps get sick and keep me home from work, or spouse, the same, and as my pension gets deposited monthly, I don't have to worry if my car needs repairs, including a part that must be sent from wherever, how I'll get to work for the next week ... or so. Or similar improbable problems. I have a credit card or two and in case of emergency, I can almost always pay for whatever emergency bills develop, as they arise using the credit card. As I had some certificates for mutual funds that I own (issued without fee) and stocks (issuance fee applies), I used them as collateral to obtain a fully-secured line of credit with a limit higher than several months' pay, which usually sits there unused (and the bank does not charge a fee for inactivity). Before the credit card bill is due, I arrange for a loan using my Line of Credit of the amount needed to pay the full amount owing on the credit card debt. I deposit the proceeds into my bank account, then transfer the amount due to the credit card issuer to my account with them (with no fee for the transfer, a I'm a senior). A while ago, the interest rate on the LOC was 6.25%, and back then I calculated that, if the loan were not for an emergency use, but for investment, I could pay the interest at almost nil net cost to me. Then the interest rate was lowered to 5.75%, and a month or so ago to 4.75%. But I keep the Line of Credit available for emergency use, and one to be used for investment, entirely separate, for the interest on the first is not deductible, but that on the second is deductible. My experience has been that I can usually produce enough savings to pay off that loan for emergency use using the Line of Credit over only a few months. It has been my experience that the need for such emergency loans is infrequent. In the meantime, I invested a larger amount into some equity-based mutual funds, or, preferably, into individual stocks that I bought directly, as then I don't pay a substantial annual fee to the manager of the mutual fund for his/her service. Some mutual funds develop dividend income and capital gain income annually that, though they reinvest, they declare a distribution annually to me, that is then taxable at the time, but at a lower rate than on interest income. However, there is usually a growth in value of the mutual fund ... but I don't become liable to pay tax on that, until I either sell the fund ... or die. So the tax on that growth was deferred. Then, howerver, I pay tax at only half of the regular rate. For Canadian stocks that I buy directly, some of them pay me a dividend annually, and that type of income used to be taxed at a rate much below the rate on interest, then last year a change in the rate of calculation meant that the tax rate on them was reduced even more. Some pay no dividend at all, so I am not liable to pay any tax at all relative to those stocks over the years that I own them. However, several of the stocks that I own have grown in value over the years ... and there have been some losers, as well. I am not required to answer to the income tax people for those gains during the years that I owned them. One that I owned for 41 years has doubled four times during that period (last year it was four and a half times, but they were involved in some of those stinky mortgages in the U.S. that have gone bad). When I sell those stocks, or die, I have to answer to the income tax people for the capital gains that have developed and they require that I pay them tax at regular rate on very second dollar of that growth - but I get one half of those growth dollars free of tax. Over the years, the growth produced by the stock holdings has been higher in most cases than the assets invested earning interest. Then, much of the ongoing dividend income was taxed at low rate as it was earned and paid ... and the tax on the capital gain was deferred till sale, then assessed at half regular rate. If there were losses on some stocks, those losses were deducted from capital gains on other stocks. I like that ball game a whole lot better. I'm willing to pay even non-deductible interest on an emergency fund that I borrow, for it's an infrequent situation, and is usually paid off over a term of a few months ... but the money that I'd invested as outlined above had produced a much better rate of return than had it sat earning interest in a money market or a savings account. As I said ... I don't like earning interest! Some ideas about money management that may be of interest. ole joyful P.S. Confession time ... a few months ago, I had most of a year's income readily available ... and most of it in a plain old savings account, not even in the money market fund that would have earned at a slightly higher rate! So much for the difference between theory and practice! Actually, I'd thought for some time that I'd soon be investing it ... but month by month was dragging my feet, for I didn't like the looks of the market. In addition ... the general concensus of advice is ... ... don't try to time the market!! Just invest, on a regular basis, when the money becomes available. Smart-asses (and preachers) aren't always doing what they say! Kids (when they get to be teens, especially) will tell you the same about their parents, right? o j

The last time DH bought a new car, way back in 1992, he went to one of those discount volume dealerships. They tried to get him on a tactic I hadn't heard of before or since for that matter. They told him the payments on the vehicle ($450) but they wouldn't disclose the selling price or interest rate. DH liked the 1992 Blazer a lot, he was shopping when the 93s were out, but they had been redesigned and he didn't like it as much. DH was ready to buy, he can be a bit gullible at times. Anyway, he had me come up with him to test drive, and we talked to his salesman (actually, I was doing most of the talking at this point) and the saleman swore up and down that all he knew was the payments, not the selling price or interest on the vehicle. I told him that was a load of crap and we walked out (DH very reluctantly). The next day we went to another dealership and talked to a very nice college kid who had just started selling cars and told him we didn't want any run arounds, if he couldn't get a price and had to talk to a manager etc. we would walk. So he said fine, gave us a great deal and a not bad interest rate and we bought it right then. For what came out to $450 a month. A week later, the salesman from the original dealership called to see if we were still interested in the car. DH answered the phone. He told him we bought at another dealership. The salesman had the gall to become irrate and say we wasted his time and deserved payment. At which point DH said he wasted OUR time so we were even. Then the salesman wanted to know what kind of deal we got on the vehicle. DH said "You wouldn't tell us the price of the Blazer when we wanted to know, we're not telling you what we paid, but I can say we were very happy with the dealership and will tell everyone what a terrible experience we had with you." Walking was the best thing we ever did.

"QUOTE>The best way to save money is to... NOT spend it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you don't spend it, you save it. Don't think too hard about it. Putting it under your mattress gives a better return than spending it!"QUOTE> As a single person with no children I sort of agree with this. I'm not big on investing. Perhaps once I'm done with school (returning adult changing careers). I have direct deposit and don't really pay attention to my money. I pay my rent, credit card bill, phone bill, food bill, car payment and ins. Those checks go out every month.(except car ins. I pay that in a lump sum every three or four months, I don't pay attention) As a recovering shopaholic I don't purchase much of anything. I'm too busy anyway with work and school. So I basically ignore my money. I find that when I do finally look into my bank account I end up with so much just sitting around. Last year I looked and to my suprise I had six grand just sitting there. It accumulated over a few months. I finally did open a online account and put it in there and now it sits there being ignored again. I transfered my credit cards to my credit union, my car loan to the credit union and pay my tuition out of pocket so no bill once I'm done. All that extra income will be all mine. I just spent about six grand on new furniture but I'm paying it off monthly (union cc special super low rate until its paid :)) and letting that suprise six grand that accumulated just sit in that online account. When it reaches nine thousand I will pay off my car. Then pay off the credit cards with the extra from the no longer car payment and lower ins. extra cash. Shouldn't take long. I pay way more than the minimum now anyway. Then once again with the ignoring and we will see how much I accumulate. That will go towards a house down payment. If you have no outside responsibility other than yourself. Ignore your money and stay out of the malls. Don't look at your account for a few months. ( I didn't do this on purpose I'm just real lazy when it comes to balancing a check book and if I didn't have direct deposit I would walk around for weeks with a live check because I always forget) When you see the extra in the account you tend to spend it. I know I have enough to cover the checks I write so I don't think about what's left over. I ignore it and then one day take a peak and suprise large sum looking back at me. I don't recommend this to everyone because it obviously won't work for all. Keeps me in line though. I see money that has no obligation tied to it and mall here I come!