i The Frugal Law Student | 2007 | May

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Grilling Tips For The Perfect Summer Cookout

Written by Brett McKay

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Tomorrow’s Memorial Day. My wife and I will be driving down from Tulsa to Oklahoma City to spend the day with my family. Burgers and dogs will be had, along with plenty of potato salad and baked beans. If you’re planning on grilling tomorrow for Memorial Day, here are some last minute tips to help you have the perfect cookout.

  • Let a gas grill preheat for about 10 minutes before you start cooking. For charcoal grills, wait 20 to 30 minutes for the charcoal to turn to a light gray.
  • Keep the grill vents open. This lets oxygen in to feed the flames.
  • Clean your grill. Take the grate off and wash it down with warm soapy water. Make sure to scrub it with a wire brush or steel wool before and after cooking.
  • When using charcoal, douse the coals with the least amount of lighter fluid as possible. If you don’t have lighter fluid, substitute it with salad oil.
  • To estimate the temperature of your grill, hold your hand, palm side down, about 6 inches above the coals. If you can only hold your hand for:

2 seconds – it’s hot, about 375°F or more
3 seconds – it’s medium-hot, about 350 to 375°F
4 seconds – it’s medium, about 300 to 350°F
5 seconds – it’s low, about 200 to 300°F

  • Use long-handled tongs or a spatula to turn food. Do not pierce the food while cooking. Piercing lets all the juices out.
  • Completely defrost meat and poultry before grilling so it cooks more evenly. Use the refrigerator for slow, safe thawing or thaw sealed packages in cold water. You can microwave defrost if the food will be placed immediately on the grill.
  • Turn items only once and test with and instant read thermometer.
  • Cook food to a safe internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside. Use a food thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe internal temperature. (The instant-read type works particularly well.) Whole poultry should reach 180°F; breasts, 170°F. Hamburgers made of ground beef should reach 160°F; ground poultry, 165°F. Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts and chops can be cooked to at least 145°F. All cuts of pork should reach 160°F.
  • Eat and enjoy! Happy Memorial Day!

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[tags]cookout, grilling, food, The Frugal Law Student[/tags]

> Brett McKay | 27 May 07 | Food | Comment (1)

Why I Started The Frugal Law Student

Written by Brett McKay

Why I Started The Frugal Law Student

After a few years of being an avid blog reader, I decided to start my own. Because I was big fan of personal finance blogs and law school blogs, I thought I would marry the two and create a blog dedicated to helping law students mitigate their crippling law school debt. I figured it would be a good way to keep track and hold me accountable for how I managed my finances in during law school.

My blog has evolved quickly over the seven months I’ve been writing. The Frugal Law Student started out as an anonymous blog in which I shared what I spent each day with anybody else who cared to read. Occasionally, I’d give a tip. I finally realized that my spending habits weren’t that exciting, so I started writing more tips on how to save money and less on what I spent on a particular day.

While my blog is geared towards law students, I’ve found that many of my readers are non-law students. It’s nice to have such a broad audience to write for. I hope that my posts have been able to help other law students who also have the same goal to keep their student debt in check.

Why The Frugal Law Student Is Valuable To Me Now

Writing The Frugal Law Student has really helped me and my wife stay in control of our finances. Our goal is for me to finish law school with the least amount of debt as possible. Writing everyday on how to save money really keeps me focused on that goal.

I’ve also made new friends and connections through blogging. For example, Andrew Flusche of Legal Andrew fame has become one of my good friends in the blogsphere. He’s helped me out a lot with the development of my blog. I don’t think I would be where I am today with The Frugal Law Student without his help. Perhaps the connections I’ve made while blogging will result in a new job or some other opportunity.

I also think writing The Frugal Law Student has helped my writing skills. If you ask my wife, she’ll tell you that two years ago my writing was horrible. However, with the help of my legal writing class and The Frugal Law Student, I feel I’ve become a decent writer. I know I can still improve, though.

This post is part of Top Law Student’s group writing project on why law students have blogs.

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[tags]Top Law Student, Frugal Law Student, blogging[/tags]

> Brett McKay | 27 May 07 | Blogging, Writing | Comments (3)

Frugal Tips From Ralph Nader

Written by Brett McKay

ralphnader_-_nader_ralph.jpg

You might not agree with his politics, but you have to agree that Ralph Nader is one frugal guy. While Nader has assets in the millions, he still lives like he’s a starving law student. Here are a few tips we can learn from Mr. Nader’s life

  • Don’t own a car. Ralph Nader hasn’t owned a car since 1955. I guess he swore off them after he wrote Unsafe At Any Speed.
  • Live in a boarding house.
  • Don’t upgrade your technology. Mr. Nader still uses a black and white television. I can’t remember the last time I saw a black and white TV.
  • He isn’t married and he doesn’t have kids. I plan on having a family. The money savings don’t outweigh the joy of family life. However, I can see how not having kids would save me a ton of money. Clothes, sports camps, food, and education costs can add up. As my father-in-law says, “Kids are money sucking leaches.”
  • He buys clothes at the Army Surplus Store. Nader wears socks that he bought 20 years ago an Army surplus. Not only are the clothes cheap at surplus stores, they’re made to last.
  • He buys his clothes at thrift stores. Sure, Ralph doesn’t have the latest fashion, but he never looks like a schlump. You always see the guy in a suit and tie. However, instead of spending hundreds of dollars on his wardrobe, he’s only spending a few bucks.

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[tags]Ralph Nader, frugal[/tags]

> Brett McKay | 26 May 07 | Clothing, Frugality, Saving, Simplicity | Comments (5)

The Five Absolutely Worst Times To Go Grocery Shopping

Written by Brett McKay

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I’m not a big fan of going to the grocery store, especially when it’s packed with people. Not only do you have to deal with too many carts in the aisles, the waits at the check seem to last an eternity. If you want to avoid the crowd, don’t go shopping at these times:

  • Weekends. It seems like Sunday is the busiest of the two days.
  • Weekday afternoons between 4 and 7PM. This is when the on the way home from work crowd packs it in.
  • During or just before a holiday weekend like Fourth of July and Memorial Day. If you wait this long you’ll have to deal with all the grillers getting ready for the big cookout.
  • The day the weatherman predicts a big winter/rain storm to come in. People will ransack the grocery store to stock up on supplies. Not only will the grocery store be packed, everything will probably be gone
  • The afternoon before a holiday. Make sure to buy your Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey at least a week in advance. You’ll avoid the crowds.

Are there any other times you try to avoid grocery shopping? Drop me a line and add to the conversation.

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[tags]food, grocery shopping, The Frugal Law Student, frugal[/tags]

> Brett McKay | 25 May 07 | Food, Personal Finance, This And That, Time Management, Tips | Comments (11)

4 Financial Benefits Of Part Time Law School

Written by Brett McKay

If you’re not sure you can afford law school, look into part time programs. With part-time law school programs, you can continue to work full time and you go to law school at night. Because you’re still working full time, you have some financial advantage over students who are going full time.

  1. You can contribute to retirement. Because you’ll still be earning an income, you can continue to contribute to your retirement account. While not contributing regularly for a few years may seem like not a big deal, the power of compound interest and the market may cause you to lose out on thousands of dollars in your retirement fund.
  2. You still might have access to health insurance. It’s a sad fact, but most students don’t have access to affordable health insurance. When you or a member of your family gets sick or injured, medical bills can set you back financially. Hopefully, with your job you have access to health insurance.
  3. You can take out fewer loans. You can offset the costs of your legal education by working. Instead of having to take out tens of thousands of dollars in loans for living expenses, you only need to borrow what you’ll need to pay for tuition. If you make lots of money, you might be able to get away without taking any loans out.
  4. Flexible entrance requirements. If you didn’t do that well on the LSAT or have a dismal GPA, you might look into to part-time programs. Usually they’re much more lenient in admission standards. If you want to see if law school’s the right thing for you, with out making too much of a commitment in money and time, then a part-time program might be right for you.

What do you all think? Are there any other financial benefits of going to law school part time? Or do you think part time law school will actually hurt you financially? Later this week, I’ll be posting on the financial pitfalls of part time law school, so I’d love to have your input.

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[tags]law school, legal, debt, personal finance[/tags]

> Brett McKay | 24 May 07 | Debt, Education, Saving, law school | Comments (12)

Dieting Is Making You Poor

Written by Brett McKay


If you want a heavy wallet, you should stop dieting. That’s right. If you care about your net worth, you’ll gladly eat that Little Debbie Brownie sitting in the pantry. (Mmmm… Little Debbie Brownies….)

According a study done by the University of Michigan, dieting can increase the likelihood that you’ll spend more money impulsively.

Humans only have a limited number of mental resources to allocate towards self control. The scientists theorize that if you’re using these mental resources to resist food cravings, you become more prone to giving in to other temptations, like impulse spending.

Alright, so you shouldn’t just let yourself go. But maybe this is a reason to stop obsessing with whichever Atkins/South Beach/No Carb diet is in vogue. Just eat like a normal person. Your wallet will thank you.

Additionally, dieting itself can get expensive. Diet books, diet programs, and special diet food can all eat away at your bank account.

Source: Men’s Health June 2007

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[tags]diets, personal finance, money[/tags]


> Brett McKay | 24 May 07 | Food, Personal Finance, Saving, This And That | Comments (3)
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