MJ Kim/Getty Images Frugality is a great thing. It can pave the way to financial freedom, security and even wealth. But it can also pave the way to madness, if you take it too far. Here are some signs you might be taking things to the extreme -- and what you should be doing instead. 1. You Put Way Too Much Time Into Penny-Pinching The internet is full of people who like to brag about the crazy measures they take to save money. They rinse out Ziploc baggies so they can reuse them. They spend hours each week clipping and organizing coupons to save a few extra cents on a can of soup that they don't even particularly like. They dissect nearly empty toothpaste tubes so they can scrape out the last bits of toothpaste. They spend far too much time, in other words, for not nearly enough return. Creativity and a do-it-yourself spirit is one thing, but if you find yourself devoting hours of your life to shaving off a few cents here and there, it's time to reconsider your savings strategy. Instead of making your own laundry detergent, could you start line-drying your clothes to cut back on utility costs? Instead of reusing the same sheet of tin foil over and over again, could you invest in some Tupperware so you can store your food without any waste? At some point, you need to recognize that your time has a value, too, and wasting it on extreme savings strategies isn't always the best way to spend it. I advise people to be frugal with their time, not just their money. 2. You Sacrifice Quality for the Sake of Pinching Pennies If you've ever re-used dirty bathtub water, or if you use rags as "reusable toilet paper," you're pushing frugality too far.
There are certain things in life that are worth paying a little more for.
10 Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Xinyuan Real Estate Co Ltd(XIN)
Xinyuan Real Estate Co. Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in residential real estate development in China. The company?s residential projects comprise various residential buildings that include multi-layer apartment buildings, sub-high-rise apartment buildings, or high-rise apartment buildings; auxiliary services and amenities, such as retail outlets, leisure and health facilities, kindergartens, and schools; and small scale residential properties. It also offers property management and other real estate related services, such as landscaping and installing intercom systems. In addition, the company leases properties, including an elementary school, a basement, three clubhouses, five kindergartens, and parking facilities. As of December 31, 2010, it had 21 completed projects with a total gross floor area (GFA) of approximately 2,049,460 square meters and comprising a total of 23,324 units, as well as 8 projects under construction with a total GFA of 1,804,946 sq uare meters. It primarily operates in seven tier II cities, comprising Hefei, Jinan, Kunshan, Suzhou, Zhengzhou, Xuzhou, and Chengdu. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tim Brugger]
Having completed the repurchase of approximately $12.6 million of the $20 million share buyback program started last year, Xinjuan Real Estate's (NYSE: XIN ) board of directors has authorized the repurchase of an additional $60 million of outstanding stock, the company announced today.
- [By Benjamin Shepherd]
In the meantime though, I would avoid betting on a hard Chinese landing, a bet that has cost many investors dearly over the past few years. I would, however, avoid most of the leading Chinese real estate developers such as China Vanke (OTC: CVKEF) and Xinyuan Real Estate (NYSE: XIN) which are almost entirely dependent on the domestic markets.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Buy Right Now: (LTUM)
Lithium Corporation, an exploration stage company, engages in the identification, acquisition, and exploration of metals and minerals with a focus on lithium mineralization in Nevada. It holds interests in Fish Lake Valley property that covers approximately 7,360 acres located in west central Nevada in northern Esmeralda County; Salt Wells property, which covers approximately 8,500 acres in Churchill County; and Cortez property that consists of approximately 4,960 acres located in Lander County, Nevada. The company was formerly known as Utalk Communications Inc. and changed its name to Lithium Corporation in September 2009. Lithium Corporation was founded in 2007 and is based in Reno, Nevada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By CRWE]
Today, LTUM has shed (-19.80%) down -0.0079 at $.0320 with 33,100 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 11:18AM EDT June 26, 2013), but don�� let this get you down.
Location Based Technologies, Inc. previously reported it received FCC and IC certification for its versatile LBT-886 device. These certifications are necessary before devices can be sold to consumers throughout the US and Canada.
Lithium Corporation previously reported it has recently acquired a new Graphite (BC Sugar) prospect in the Shuswap area of British Columbia, in an under-explored area. In addition to the acquired claim, Lithco has also staked another four claims, to bring the total area to be explored by the Company to 3,405.77 acres (1,378.27 hectares). Although graphite has been identified locally in marbles, it has become apparent that graphite is also hosted here in quartz, biotite/mica gneisses, and also in calc-silicate gneisses. The host rocks at BC Sugar are similar to the host rocks in the area of the Crystal Graphite deposit 55 miles (90 kms) to the Southeast, where Lithium Corporation holds the Mt Heimdal block of claims.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Buy Right Now: Nuveen Preferred and Convertible Income Fund (JPC)
Nuveen Multi-Strategy Income & Growth Fund is a close-ended balanced mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments Inc. The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Asset Management, Spectrum Asset Management, Tradewinds Global Investors, LLC, and Symphony Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the public equity and fixed income markets of the United States. The fund seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. For the fixed income portfolio, it invests in the debt instruments, including high yield debt and senior loans. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Merrill Lynch Preferred Stock Hybrid Securities Index, Lehman Tier 1 Capital Securities Index, Merrill Lynch All U.S. Convertibles Index, and CSFB High Yield index. It was formerly known as Nuveen Preferred and Convertible Income Fund. Nuveen Multi-Strategy Income & Growth Fund was formed on March 26, 2003 and is domiciled in the United States.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Douglas A. McIntyre]
J.C. Penney (NYSE: JPC) and the KMart and Sears divisions of Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD) are supposes to be the losers among large U.S. retailers. Their stores are too old, their brands too badly damaged, and their balance sheet too frail for either to do well in the white hot competition for holiday sales. However, their stock prices say otherwise, which means there is some expectation that they will outperform forecasts.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Buy Right Now: Cedar Shopping Centers Inc (CDR)
Cedar Shopping Centers, Inc., real estate investment trust, engages in the ownership, operation, development and redevelopment of supermarket-anchored community shopping centers and drug store-anchored convenience centers in the United States. As of December 31, 2007, it owned 118 properties, aggregating approximately 12.0 million square feet of gross leasable area primarily in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, Ohio, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Michigan, and New York. Cedar Shopping has elected to be treated as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and would not be subject to federal income tax, if it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 1984 and is based in Port Washington, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bill Smith]
Valuation
Lastly, because of the negative perception the entire industry has received, prices in this sector have been absolutely pummeled. ESI now trades at the lower end of all of its historical valuation bands: P/E, P/B, and P/S.
Bullish Points
Guru ownership and avg price: ESI owned by Hussman ($76.15), Weitz ($75.32), and Greenblatt ($73.29)Over 35% of shares are short, potential short squeezeStock buyback plan: ESI reduced outstanding shares by 19% yoy at the end of the 4th quarter. They repurchased 370K shares in 3Q11.The business model is scalable; the incremental cost to educate each additional student is low, leading to high marginsESI acquired Daniel Webster College, giving them a regional accreditation which they can use to broaden their reach in online classes
Bearish Points
High costs of education, in general, rightly or wrongly attract government intervention and could squeeze margins over time. Total student debt surpassed credit card balances, and sits at $1 Trillion as of the end of 2011.Subject to compliance with Dept of Education's 90/10 rules, which states a college can't collect more than 90% of revenue from students participating in federal loan programs.Cohort Default Rate (CDR): for-profit colleges must monitor the federal loan default rates of students who graduate or leave the school. If a school's CDR exceeds 25% for 3 consecutive years, or 40% in any one year, its students won't be eligible for federal financial aid.ESI competes on quality of product which is measured by graduation rates and ability to secure employment. For 2010, 70% of ESI graduates got employment in positions using skills taught in their program of study within 1 year. As of Oct 2011, this rate was 600 bp higher. The average annual salary reported by employed 2011 grads was $32K, compared to $32.4K for 2010 grads.With an improving economy, there's a potential ESI would see declining new student enrollmentsOver 35% of shares are short
Summary
Top 10 Penny Companies To Buy Right Now: Glatfelter (GLT)
P. H. Glatfelter Company manufactures and sells specialty papers and fiber-based engineered materials in the United States and internationally. It offers carbonless and forms papers for credit card receipts, multi-part forms, security papers, and other end-user applications; book publishing papers for the production of hardbound books and other book publishing needs; envelope and converting papers for the direct mail market, shopping bags, and other converting applications; and engineered products for digital imaging, transfer, casting, release, postal, playing card, and other niche specialty applications. The company also provides food and beverage paper used for tea bags and single serve coffee products; metallized products used in the labeling of beer bottles, innerliners, gift wrap, self-adhesive labels, and other consumer products applications; and composite laminates papers used in production of decorative laminates, furniture, and flooring applications, as well as a line of paper products used in batteries, medical masks, and other engineered applications. In addition, it offers airlaid non-woven fabric-like materials used in feminine hygiene products, adult incontinence products, cleaning pads and wipes, food pads, napkins and tablecloths, and baby wipes. The company markets its products directly, as well as through wholesale paper merchants, brokers, and agents. P. H. Glatfelter Company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in York, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
Glatfelter (NYSE: GLT ) has a new asset in its portfolio. The company announced it has finalized the acquisition of Germany-based Dresden Papier, which according to the American firm is "the leading global supplier of nonwoven wallpaper base materials."
- [By Marc Bastow]
Specialty papers and and fiber-based materials manufacturer P.H. Glatfelter (GLT) raised its quarterly dividend 10% to 11 cents per share, payable May 1 to shareholders of record as of April 3.
GLT Dividend Yield: 1.44% - [By CRWE]
Glatfelter (NYSE:GLT) reported that the previously announced presentation by Dante C. Parrini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, at the Deutsche Bank Global Industrials and Basic Materials Conference on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 will be available via a live web cast.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Buy Right Now: Homeowners Choice Inc.(HCII)
Homeowners Choice, Inc., an insurance holding company, provides property and casualty insurance in Florida. The company provides property and casualty homeowners? insurance, condominium owners? insurance, and tenants? insurance to individuals owning property. It serves approximately 59,500 policyholders primarily through independent agents. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By CRWE]
Homeowners Choice, Inc. (Nasdaq:HCII), a Florida-based insurance holding company, reported that its board of directors has declared cash dividends of 5.833 cents per share on its Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (“HCIIP”) for the months ending September 30, October 31 and November 30, 2012.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Buy Right Now: Diana Shipping inc. (DSX)
Diana Shipping Inc. provides shipping transportation services. It transports dry bulk cargoes that include commodities, such as iron ore, coal, grain, and other materials along worldwide shipping routes. As of December 31, 2010, the company?s fleet consisted of 23 dry bulk carriers, including 14 Panamax, 1 Post-Panamax, and 8 Capesize dry bulk carriers with a combined carrying capacity of approximately 2.5 million deadweight tonnage. Its customers include national, regional, and international companies. The company was formerly known as Diana Shipping Investments Corp. and changed its name to Diana Shipping Inc. in February 2005. Diana Shipping Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in Athens, Greece.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Nickey Friedman]
China announced it is shooting for 7.5% GDP for 2014. At the sound of that target, DryShips (NASDAQ: DRYS ) and�Diana Shipping (NYSE: DSX ) are likely celebrating. China is the primary country these days responsible for rising market rates for dry shipping, but something in the announcement may warrant a bit of caution.
- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Dianna�Shipping Inc. (NYSE: DSX) was raised to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) was started as Buy with a $50 fair value at Janney Capital.
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