This week the tao of making money is hosting the 85th Carnival of Debt Reduction. I submitted my article "disappointed with the women in red,". Sadly MP Dunleavy and her women friend's have sort of lost track of the goal of being debt free it seems.
One of those ladies who is not disappointing but actually moving along is Tricia at blogging away debt, she submitted an article called "I've come a long way baby,". Very nice website.
Another cool post is "Steps to reduce CC spending" by Mr. Credit Card. His 5 steps are great, I pretty much do steps 2-5 but not number 1. I just can't let go of my CC, but no biggie. I try not to eat out too much, we had a not bad April, mostly ruined by going out with people. And I borrow not buy books, never shop at a mall, and I check my bank balance daily. Great and easy tips. Glad to know I do most steps to stay out of debt.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Car Lease?
So on Saturday we went out to dinner with friends, again splitting the bill equally, and again pissing us off. Anyway though one of the people we were out with told us something really interesting and cool.
His bonus from the company was a car, toyota prius to be exact. Instead of more stock options or a cash bonus the company leased him a toyota prius. Of course cash would be better, but a a free car was better than nothing.
DH and I were discussing this later and decided would we take a car if offered it? I suppose we would, after all its' a free car. And it would be rude not to take the offer. Plus it's not like the company was offering a cash bonus in lieu of.
But why a leased car? DH says it's because the amount paid is monthly, instead of a lump sum. So for a business that cash flow is handled better. Also buy leasing a car, the company doesn't have to worry about the guy leaving and taking the bonus. Another issue is a car lease is tax deductible to a business, unlike a typical bonus.
So I guess having a car leased for you a nice bonus. But would I sell my car if I were offered this perk? I don't know, probably because it would be wasteful to have 3 cars and 2 drivers. What would you do? And would you take the car lease? Is it a typical perk/bonus of a job? We'd never heard of this before, usually people who get company cars are salesmen, not just office jockeys.
His bonus from the company was a car, toyota prius to be exact. Instead of more stock options or a cash bonus the company leased him a toyota prius. Of course cash would be better, but a a free car was better than nothing.
DH and I were discussing this later and decided would we take a car if offered it? I suppose we would, after all its' a free car. And it would be rude not to take the offer. Plus it's not like the company was offering a cash bonus in lieu of.
But why a leased car? DH says it's because the amount paid is monthly, instead of a lump sum. So for a business that cash flow is handled better. Also buy leasing a car, the company doesn't have to worry about the guy leaving and taking the bonus. Another issue is a car lease is tax deductible to a business, unlike a typical bonus.
So I guess having a car leased for you a nice bonus. But would I sell my car if I were offered this perk? I don't know, probably because it would be wasteful to have 3 cars and 2 drivers. What would you do? And would you take the car lease? Is it a typical perk/bonus of a job? We'd never heard of this before, usually people who get company cars are salesmen, not just office jockeys.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Living on Food Stamps?
This past week Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski decided to take a weeklong challenge of living off of food stamps. He would have $21 in food stamps for the entire week. Gov. Kulongoski is doing this to raise awareness of the difficulties of living off of food stamps. To raise awareness that government handouts were insuffiecient to feed a family on..
I have often said that it's very expensive to eat healthy, and this article showed that to be true. Gov. Kulongoski started out by heading to the organic foods, only to discover that they were much too pricy. Though he desired Progresso soup, it's cost was too prohibitive and thus instead he chose instant ramen noodles at 1/5 the price.
One wonders if he would have made out better if he had coupons to help? Also the woman helping him Mrs. Sigman-Davenport, who also lives on food stamps, suggested that he eat lots of filler foods like mac and cheese and beans. Not exactly a balanced healthy diet, but cheap. Even with coupons, many of the foods on sale were "filler" foods.
Also food stamps I think are not meant to be the sole source of food for a family. I think they are meant to supplement the income coming in to allow a family to have enough to eat. Of course the food they eat will not be healthy or condusive to losing weight. No the foods they are able to purchase will be full of empty calories, unhealthy, and most likely very processed. I guess there is a support of the idea that being thin goes hand in hand with being rich.
I have often said that it's very expensive to eat healthy, and this article showed that to be true. Gov. Kulongoski started out by heading to the organic foods, only to discover that they were much too pricy. Though he desired Progresso soup, it's cost was too prohibitive and thus instead he chose instant ramen noodles at 1/5 the price.
One wonders if he would have made out better if he had coupons to help? Also the woman helping him Mrs. Sigman-Davenport, who also lives on food stamps, suggested that he eat lots of filler foods like mac and cheese and beans. Not exactly a balanced healthy diet, but cheap. Even with coupons, many of the foods on sale were "filler" foods.
Also food stamps I think are not meant to be the sole source of food for a family. I think they are meant to supplement the income coming in to allow a family to have enough to eat. Of course the food they eat will not be healthy or condusive to losing weight. No the foods they are able to purchase will be full of empty calories, unhealthy, and most likely very processed. I guess there is a support of the idea that being thin goes hand in hand with being rich.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Cheap Vacation?
So DH really wants to go on vacation. And no we haven't got the money for it. But he said a weekend vacation would be acceptable if we went somewhere. I think he'd love a week and we'll discuss maybe going camping or renting a cabin for a week somewhere close. But he really wants to weekend in Niagara Falls.
So we disscussed it and came up with $600 for 4 days/3 nights driving. That includes the 3 nights hotel, 4 days of dog boarding, gas for driving, and eating out while we're there. Do you think that's too expensive or about right?
We decided to drive because otherwise we'd have to fly to Buffalo or Toronto and rent a car anyway so we might as well drive. Also since we had to drive to the falls it'll be not that much longer if you factor in driving to drop the dogs off, which is on the way, then driving to the airport, waiting before departure and time to get the rental car.
Our biggest expense is probably the dog boarding, but it can't be helped. Since we have two dogs now it's twice as expensive, oh well. So anytime we plan on going anywhere we always have to add that expense, even a weekender. And we've considered a dog sitter, but I'm not sure who'd we trust. And our dogs are sort of high maintenance so I'm not sure if we could just allow a neighbor or friend to watch them. Well we don't know anyone who'd take two dogs anyway. Plus one of them is still a bit problematic.
Anyway I'm just wondering, is this what most people would spend for a weekend away? Are we far off? Does anyone have any suggestions for a cheap weekend vacation?
So we disscussed it and came up with $600 for 4 days/3 nights driving. That includes the 3 nights hotel, 4 days of dog boarding, gas for driving, and eating out while we're there. Do you think that's too expensive or about right?
We decided to drive because otherwise we'd have to fly to Buffalo or Toronto and rent a car anyway so we might as well drive. Also since we had to drive to the falls it'll be not that much longer if you factor in driving to drop the dogs off, which is on the way, then driving to the airport, waiting before departure and time to get the rental car.
Our biggest expense is probably the dog boarding, but it can't be helped. Since we have two dogs now it's twice as expensive, oh well. So anytime we plan on going anywhere we always have to add that expense, even a weekender. And we've considered a dog sitter, but I'm not sure who'd we trust. And our dogs are sort of high maintenance so I'm not sure if we could just allow a neighbor or friend to watch them. Well we don't know anyone who'd take two dogs anyway. Plus one of them is still a bit problematic.
Anyway I'm just wondering, is this what most people would spend for a weekend away? Are we far off? Does anyone have any suggestions for a cheap weekend vacation?
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Walgreens Easy Saver Rebate
Today I shopped at Walgreens for the first time to do the Easy Saver Rebate. It is a program where you shop and get money back for items purchased. You have a choice of cash back or a Walgreen's gift card which gives you an extra 10% back on the rebates you earned. Now I'm doing great about getting a ton of free stuff at CVS so I'm not sure if this is worth it. But they did have two items with mail in rebates which made me do it.
The ove glove was sold for $14.99 and there was a $5 rebate for it. So it was $9.99, and I decided what the heck. Perfect timing because I really wanted to buy that for a long time. The second item I was dying to try was the scubbing bubbles automatic shower cleaner. This item was sold for $24.99 with a $5 MIR as well, but I also had a $10 off coupon so it will be $10 to try it.
So I was sold on the idea of buying these items, thus I decided to shop more and buy the 3 items which were free after rebate (FAR). One was 20 count Aleve for $3.99, but I had a $2 coupon so I guess just scored and extra $2. I also bought Gum toothbrush for $2.99 but again I had $1 coupon. And finally I also bought 24 count Excedrin for $3.99 with a $1 coupon, so I felt a bit better.
And I asked for a Walgreen gift card so I can make an extra 10% on my 20.97 rebate I expect to get back. That means I should actually get back $26.37 in walgreen gift card. Is it worth the $38 I spent today? I am not yet sure, but I hope to get my rebate back asap so I can use it on my May purchases. If not I'm going to be out a lot of money in May as well. I'm hoping to roll this every month and just purchase items FAR or stuff I really want like the ove glove and scrubbing bubbles.
Also if anyone has comments on the ove glove, I'd love to hear them. I don't know if it's the best thing, but I'm willing to try it. It looks like next month might be a good month as well. Lots of free stuff in the Easy Saver, I think I'm going to do at least two deals.
The ove glove was sold for $14.99 and there was a $5 rebate for it. So it was $9.99, and I decided what the heck. Perfect timing because I really wanted to buy that for a long time. The second item I was dying to try was the scubbing bubbles automatic shower cleaner. This item was sold for $24.99 with a $5 MIR as well, but I also had a $10 off coupon so it will be $10 to try it.
So I was sold on the idea of buying these items, thus I decided to shop more and buy the 3 items which were free after rebate (FAR). One was 20 count Aleve for $3.99, but I had a $2 coupon so I guess just scored and extra $2. I also bought Gum toothbrush for $2.99 but again I had $1 coupon. And finally I also bought 24 count Excedrin for $3.99 with a $1 coupon, so I felt a bit better.
And I asked for a Walgreen gift card so I can make an extra 10% on my 20.97 rebate I expect to get back. That means I should actually get back $26.37 in walgreen gift card. Is it worth the $38 I spent today? I am not yet sure, but I hope to get my rebate back asap so I can use it on my May purchases. If not I'm going to be out a lot of money in May as well. I'm hoping to roll this every month and just purchase items FAR or stuff I really want like the ove glove and scrubbing bubbles.
Also if anyone has comments on the ove glove, I'd love to hear them. I don't know if it's the best thing, but I'm willing to try it. It looks like next month might be a good month as well. Lots of free stuff in the Easy Saver, I think I'm going to do at least two deals.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Festival of Frugality #71
This week the 71st Festival of Frugality is hosted at the tao of making money. My post about "vacation want or need" was submitted to the festival.
One great article at the Digerati Life was "Do you know how much your car cost you?" I really enjoyed reading it. I've thought about dumping one of our cars because now that we live on the East coast it's sort of unnecessary because I usually use public transportation. However both cars are paid for, we've taken care of them, and we know the history. So it would probably cost more for us to sell it now and buy a used car later. One which we don't know the history. Besides we've already eaten the depreciation of our new cars, which are nice cars, but really it didn't depreciate as much because they were super cheap cars to begin with.
Second article I enjoyed was "cutting grocery costs without clipping coupons" by Amy Fontinelle. It made some great suggestions, I might also add don't shop when hungry. Also always shop with a list and stick to it. But her list is good and informative.
Enjoy the festival!
One great article at the Digerati Life was "Do you know how much your car cost you?" I really enjoyed reading it. I've thought about dumping one of our cars because now that we live on the East coast it's sort of unnecessary because I usually use public transportation. However both cars are paid for, we've taken care of them, and we know the history. So it would probably cost more for us to sell it now and buy a used car later. One which we don't know the history. Besides we've already eaten the depreciation of our new cars, which are nice cars, but really it didn't depreciate as much because they were super cheap cars to begin with.
Second article I enjoyed was "cutting grocery costs without clipping coupons" by Amy Fontinelle. It made some great suggestions, I might also add don't shop when hungry. Also always shop with a list and stick to it. But her list is good and informative.
Enjoy the festival!
Becoming Frugal again?
I am starting to think that DH and I more frugal than I thought. I don't think we're living quite as large as I would think we are. I hate to admit it because I feel that we spend A LOT of money very wastefully, compared to our families. Our families are ultra conservative and very, very conscious about not wasting anything. So I feel very luxurious having cable, internet, cell phones, two cars, two dogs, and we love to eat out.
Now before we had little choice to about being frugal. We didn't have much money, lived in a very expensive area, and often dumpster dived and did other crazy stuff for money. We never ate out, never watched movies that wasn't free, and often did surveys or interviews for money so we could maybe get a burger or rent a video. Money was definitely scarce. Then well our circumstances improved almost 18 months ago and we were able to "almost start living large," hence the nickname.
Anyway I began to look retrospectively back these past months and have determined recently that we haven't changed our lifestyle very much. For example we picked up two rugs from neighbors who were throwing them out. We also got free garbage cans from other neighbors moving out. We went to our neighbors homes and got free plants for our yard, with their permission off course (free hostas). And last night I picked up free newspapers from people's recycle bins for the coupon inserts. Yep, I guess my old habits are resurfacing more and more.
I'm starting to wonder if we aren't just frugal to the bone, or if we had more money, and less expenditures we would spend more? I don't know. I would love to eat out but we refused to start the habit, so DH has eaten out probably less than 1 hand's worth at his job. Big deal? Yes. I very infrequently eat out lunch, I can't remember the last time with a coworker.
Do you think that frugality is something your born with or not? Do you think it's based on how you were raised? Or is just mind over matter?
I guess as my nickname suggests I hope one day to live large and really be able to spend my money freely.
Now before we had little choice to about being frugal. We didn't have much money, lived in a very expensive area, and often dumpster dived and did other crazy stuff for money. We never ate out, never watched movies that wasn't free, and often did surveys or interviews for money so we could maybe get a burger or rent a video. Money was definitely scarce. Then well our circumstances improved almost 18 months ago and we were able to "almost start living large," hence the nickname.
Anyway I began to look retrospectively back these past months and have determined recently that we haven't changed our lifestyle very much. For example we picked up two rugs from neighbors who were throwing them out. We also got free garbage cans from other neighbors moving out. We went to our neighbors homes and got free plants for our yard, with their permission off course (free hostas). And last night I picked up free newspapers from people's recycle bins for the coupon inserts. Yep, I guess my old habits are resurfacing more and more.
I'm starting to wonder if we aren't just frugal to the bone, or if we had more money, and less expenditures we would spend more? I don't know. I would love to eat out but we refused to start the habit, so DH has eaten out probably less than 1 hand's worth at his job. Big deal? Yes. I very infrequently eat out lunch, I can't remember the last time with a coworker.
Do you think that frugality is something your born with or not? Do you think it's based on how you were raised? Or is just mind over matter?
I guess as my nickname suggests I hope one day to live large and really be able to spend my money freely.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Carnival of Personal Finance #97
This week the 97th Carnival of Personal Finance is at the Endless Gibberish. My post about "jealousy/envy" was included and actually highlighted as one of the three favorite posts in the carnival.
The Endless Gibberish also picked out Everybody Loves Your Money Post about "Top 13 money saving ideas." This was an absolutely hilarious read. I found it very amusing and wonder if anyone will take some of the suggestions seriously.
The other post I enjoyed is by Free Money Finance "why Dave Ramsey needs to consider his credit score." It really hits home why even those of us who are well off need to consider our credit score.
Enjoy.
The Endless Gibberish also picked out Everybody Loves Your Money Post about "Top 13 money saving ideas." This was an absolutely hilarious read. I found it very amusing and wonder if anyone will take some of the suggestions seriously.
The other post I enjoyed is by Free Money Finance "why Dave Ramsey needs to consider his credit score." It really hits home why even those of us who are well off need to consider our credit score.
Enjoy.
Carnival of Homeowner #2
The second edition of the Carnival of the Homeowner is up at Home Insurance lowdown. My article trusting trust deed is up.
I enjoyed this second edition of the carnival. One simple and elegant post was "4 Red Flags for home repair fraud" by my simple trading system. It listed simple 4 things to look for when hiring someone to do repairs to your home. It was nice neat and simple. The second great post was "buying a house impossible in some markets," a the digerati life. I overall enjoy the digerati life, but this was a very thought provoking homeownership post about high cost of living areas.
The idea is that there are 10 seriously unaffordable home markets. Of which New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, and Boston are part of these markets. So I guess when people talk of unaffordable and expenesive areas to live they should think about how bad it is in those cities before they say where they live is unaffordable. What can I say? I've only bought, lived and owned in three of those 10 seriously unaffordable home markets. Sigh, so I've never known how to live in a cheaper area.
I enjoyed this second edition of the carnival. One simple and elegant post was "4 Red Flags for home repair fraud" by my simple trading system. It listed simple 4 things to look for when hiring someone to do repairs to your home. It was nice neat and simple. The second great post was "buying a house impossible in some markets," a the digerati life. I overall enjoy the digerati life, but this was a very thought provoking homeownership post about high cost of living areas.
The idea is that there are 10 seriously unaffordable home markets. Of which New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, and Boston are part of these markets. So I guess when people talk of unaffordable and expenesive areas to live they should think about how bad it is in those cities before they say where they live is unaffordable. What can I say? I've only bought, lived and owned in three of those 10 seriously unaffordable home markets. Sigh, so I've never known how to live in a cheaper area.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Part four coupon journey...
Okay so I've been spending almost nothing at CVS with coupons this month. And I have enough extra bucks so that I spend almost nothing next month as well. Pretty nice deal, I think I have enough toothpaste 10 tubes to last a lifetime. There's only two of us and we use a tube about every two months.
But since I've been couponing I will say I've been more consciously looking for savings. And today I found a steal of a deal. I went to Target and bought dog treats for 99/cents a bag. The purina eazy chew meats. They are small and while not the typical 100% meat treats I buy, they were substantially cheaper than usual. There was a coupon attached for $1 off and the sale price was $1.99 so I bought 7 bags. Sure before I might never have noticed the coupons so this was an awesome deal.
I also have been using my coupons on stuff like gogurt again something I never bought before, or dole juice. Yes they are prepacked foods, so I feel really guilty, but DH loves eating the yogurt while driving in the morning and I never bought him juice. We're soda drinkers so this is sort of an alternative to his 3-4 can a day habit. Granted we still have about 40 cases in the closet of Soda, but we're weaning him off of Coke. And no soda doesn't affect us, we go to bed with a can of soda next to DH. We drink it, brush our teeth and can sleep no problem.
But I guess the best thing for me about couponing recently is just I've become more conscious about our spending, more conscious again about pricing items and calculating the best deals, and just overall watching what we buy at the grocery store.
Plus I had a coupon for $1 off fresh express salads (prepackaged salads I never buy), which I have 4! I nearly lept because the store was having a Buy one get one free deal on top of that, so I lucked out. $2 for 2 bags of 1 lb salads. Awesome!
So I guess overall I've been saving a lot, I have enough medicine, toiletries to last a lifetime. I no longer need to buy any shampoo, bodywash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. I could even donate some. I also have a ton of toilet paper and paper towels. So I have I made huge progress in couponing? Yes/no, yes in non-perishables and no in food, but we're getting there. I am at least saving the cost of a the paper $3/week in food from coupons so I'll continue.
But since I've been couponing I will say I've been more consciously looking for savings. And today I found a steal of a deal. I went to Target and bought dog treats for 99/cents a bag. The purina eazy chew meats. They are small and while not the typical 100% meat treats I buy, they were substantially cheaper than usual. There was a coupon attached for $1 off and the sale price was $1.99 so I bought 7 bags. Sure before I might never have noticed the coupons so this was an awesome deal.
I also have been using my coupons on stuff like gogurt again something I never bought before, or dole juice. Yes they are prepacked foods, so I feel really guilty, but DH loves eating the yogurt while driving in the morning and I never bought him juice. We're soda drinkers so this is sort of an alternative to his 3-4 can a day habit. Granted we still have about 40 cases in the closet of Soda, but we're weaning him off of Coke. And no soda doesn't affect us, we go to bed with a can of soda next to DH. We drink it, brush our teeth and can sleep no problem.
But I guess the best thing for me about couponing recently is just I've become more conscious about our spending, more conscious again about pricing items and calculating the best deals, and just overall watching what we buy at the grocery store.
Plus I had a coupon for $1 off fresh express salads (prepackaged salads I never buy), which I have 4! I nearly lept because the store was having a Buy one get one free deal on top of that, so I lucked out. $2 for 2 bags of 1 lb salads. Awesome!
So I guess overall I've been saving a lot, I have enough medicine, toiletries to last a lifetime. I no longer need to buy any shampoo, bodywash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. I could even donate some. I also have a ton of toilet paper and paper towels. So I have I made huge progress in couponing? Yes/no, yes in non-perishables and no in food, but we're getting there. I am at least saving the cost of a the paper $3/week in food from coupons so I'll continue.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
CNBC Portfolio Update
This is a short post because today is a beautiful day outside. But I'm still doing the cnbc portfolio challenge. Currently I am
Rank - 49688
Percentile - top 5%
Value - $1,177, 302.42
Not too shabby and I thought I'd be doing a lot worse.
Rank - 49688
Percentile - top 5%
Value - $1,177, 302.42
Not too shabby and I thought I'd be doing a lot worse.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Tithing while in Debt?
Do you believe it's okay to tithe while in debt? Why or why not?
I've looking at this question on a few message boards, and have gotten a huge variation of answers. I think it's okay to tithe while in debt as long as you are not behind on any payments. I think tithing can be a line item in a budget. But it is NOT reasonable while you are behind on your payments to the CC, utilites, mortgage, etc basically if you are not current with your bills. Any debt not current needs to be focused on and brought current before a budget can be set up. Because otherwise you are dealing with late fees, interest you can't predict, etc. So once you have a balanced budget and are able to properly budget every dollar tithing while paying off debt is great. I also feel if you cannot pay for services rendered, then you need to stop tithing.
There was an argument that you should never stop even when times are hard. Even if you are not current you are thanking God. He deserves your giving because without giving to him, you aren't showing appreciation. And if you can't live on 90%, 100% isn't going to help.
What is your opinion and why?
I've looking at this question on a few message boards, and have gotten a huge variation of answers. I think it's okay to tithe while in debt as long as you are not behind on any payments. I think tithing can be a line item in a budget. But it is NOT reasonable while you are behind on your payments to the CC, utilites, mortgage, etc basically if you are not current with your bills. Any debt not current needs to be focused on and brought current before a budget can be set up. Because otherwise you are dealing with late fees, interest you can't predict, etc. So once you have a balanced budget and are able to properly budget every dollar tithing while paying off debt is great. I also feel if you cannot pay for services rendered, then you need to stop tithing.
There was an argument that you should never stop even when times are hard. Even if you are not current you are thanking God. He deserves your giving because without giving to him, you aren't showing appreciation. And if you can't live on 90%, 100% isn't going to help.
What is your opinion and why?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Jealousy/Envy?
Okay I was reading another message board when I came across a thread about how people are
"productive" because they earn $150k. The tone of the post was very jealous, nasty, and envious. I couldn't help but wonder, is it so wrong to earn money?
What is the problem people seem to have with others being successful? I have no issues with other people making good money, I just hope that I am as fortunate. I also am happy for people who earn 6 figures, I think "Wow they work hard, good for them." I thought that when I was making $20k/year, except I also thought "I can't wait until I make that much."
So to me it's not about what others have, it's about what I have. I also refuse to be ashamed at the money we make, because we work hard for our money. And we've made sacrifices. The person who wrote that is 24 with 3 kids. Am I jealous, you bet, I am choosing to not have children at this time to financial secure our future. I could easily have had kids by now, but I am making a conscious decision and sacrifice to not have kids. But I can't let my own decision, influence making her feel bad for her decision. Yet she doesn't see the other side of the argument, that perhaps to make that much money other sacrifices had to be made.
I guess that's the maddening part, is that people only see what they want to see. They see the high income, but don't think about maybe it took years of schooling. Or it took years of working long, long hours starting your business. Or that the person works 90-100 hours a week. All they see is the money. But there must be reason to earn that sort of money, some sort of sacrifice that the person earning less is unwilling to make. Would they take on that job? Would they work that many hours?
I guess the thing is whether you earn a lot or little, it's what you keep. Meaning that you are able to spend less than you make is the main thing. When we earned a lot less I thought earning more was the answer. Not true, our needs changed. But now earning more, do I think earning 2x what we make would be the answer? No, because I've learned that it doesn't matter as long as you are happy with yourself and your earnings.
"productive" because they earn $150k. The tone of the post was very jealous, nasty, and envious. I couldn't help but wonder, is it so wrong to earn money?
What is the problem people seem to have with others being successful? I have no issues with other people making good money, I just hope that I am as fortunate. I also am happy for people who earn 6 figures, I think "Wow they work hard, good for them." I thought that when I was making $20k/year, except I also thought "I can't wait until I make that much."
So to me it's not about what others have, it's about what I have. I also refuse to be ashamed at the money we make, because we work hard for our money. And we've made sacrifices. The person who wrote that is 24 with 3 kids. Am I jealous, you bet, I am choosing to not have children at this time to financial secure our future. I could easily have had kids by now, but I am making a conscious decision and sacrifice to not have kids. But I can't let my own decision, influence making her feel bad for her decision. Yet she doesn't see the other side of the argument, that perhaps to make that much money other sacrifices had to be made.
I guess that's the maddening part, is that people only see what they want to see. They see the high income, but don't think about maybe it took years of schooling. Or it took years of working long, long hours starting your business. Or that the person works 90-100 hours a week. All they see is the money. But there must be reason to earn that sort of money, some sort of sacrifice that the person earning less is unwilling to make. Would they take on that job? Would they work that many hours?
I guess the thing is whether you earn a lot or little, it's what you keep. Meaning that you are able to spend less than you make is the main thing. When we earned a lot less I thought earning more was the answer. Not true, our needs changed. But now earning more, do I think earning 2x what we make would be the answer? No, because I've learned that it doesn't matter as long as you are happy with yourself and your earnings.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Vacation: Need or Want
Okay the WIR message board is really giving me some good topics to write about. The question is a vacation a want or a need? I say it's a pure want, there really is no reason to go on vacation when you are in debt. But a lot of people on the board say that a vacation is a necessity when paying off debt to stay motivated. I can see their point and possibly concur.
However what I can't fathom that people can justify a vacation as only a trip that is a week or longer. That a weekend away is NOT considered a vacation. I think this is just pure spoiled and selfishness, "I want it, and I want it now syndrome" coming out. This easily explains why so many people in society are in debt. Because we sit here and justify our wants as needs. We look to others who actually support these crazy ideas. Think I'm nuts? Look at these two different threads here and here.
These two threads, especially the one by MP Dunleavy "Can I afford a vacation" makes me physically ill. The materialism and support of it was galling. These women on the board said it was "okay" for her to take a vacation though she's in debt, and has been in debt for over 2 years! And she makes enough to have paid it off over and over again, but instead she keeps racking up debt. Also MP Dunleavy, knows it's wrong or else she wouldn't be asking.
In the second thread asking about vacations following up MP's thread, even called MP's vacation a "euphamism" for week in Spain! Week in Spain, and MP is already taking 2-3 vacations to visit family this year. MP Dunleavy just justifies rampant spending, overconsumption, and materialism. I used to be a huge supporter of the Women in Red, but now I feel that it's just a place where women go to get support for out of control spending. They instead have no idea what the words "delayed gratification," means.
This excesses are disgusting and puts a face on overconsumption. People who say that by talking about the harsh truth and calling the person on the carpet about their spending mean. I wrote on both threads, yes maybe to a weekend vacation, NO to a week in spain. I also called MP Dunleavy on making $80-$100k/year and still unable to pay off $40k in debt in 2-3 years. But another poster said it was hard, as - if! I know because we make that much and can easily save $40k in 1 year. Please. She's just running wild on spending and everyone supports her overconsumption.
Well my rant is over. I understand now why I left posting on the board a few years ago. It became a place to justify expenses not be held accountable for spending.
However what I can't fathom that people can justify a vacation as only a trip that is a week or longer. That a weekend away is NOT considered a vacation. I think this is just pure spoiled and selfishness, "I want it, and I want it now syndrome" coming out. This easily explains why so many people in society are in debt. Because we sit here and justify our wants as needs. We look to others who actually support these crazy ideas. Think I'm nuts? Look at these two different threads here and here.
These two threads, especially the one by MP Dunleavy "Can I afford a vacation" makes me physically ill. The materialism and support of it was galling. These women on the board said it was "okay" for her to take a vacation though she's in debt, and has been in debt for over 2 years! And she makes enough to have paid it off over and over again, but instead she keeps racking up debt. Also MP Dunleavy, knows it's wrong or else she wouldn't be asking.
In the second thread asking about vacations following up MP's thread, even called MP's vacation a "euphamism" for week in Spain! Week in Spain, and MP is already taking 2-3 vacations to visit family this year. MP Dunleavy just justifies rampant spending, overconsumption, and materialism. I used to be a huge supporter of the Women in Red, but now I feel that it's just a place where women go to get support for out of control spending. They instead have no idea what the words "delayed gratification," means.
This excesses are disgusting and puts a face on overconsumption. People who say that by talking about the harsh truth and calling the person on the carpet about their spending mean. I wrote on both threads, yes maybe to a weekend vacation, NO to a week in spain. I also called MP Dunleavy on making $80-$100k/year and still unable to pay off $40k in debt in 2-3 years. But another poster said it was hard, as - if! I know because we make that much and can easily save $40k in 1 year. Please. She's just running wild on spending and everyone supports her overconsumption.
Well my rant is over. I understand now why I left posting on the board a few years ago. It became a place to justify expenses not be held accountable for spending.
Festival of Frugality #70
This week No Credit Needed is hosting the 70th Festival of Frugality. For some reason I was on a carnival binge this past week, so I submitted my article "addicted to CVS".
Check out a few great posts Basenji mom's "I love petsmart," I love them too but for reasons other than she posted. Also Not made of money's post reiterates what I say about "eating out of the pantry," it saves me a ton of money, eat what you buy. Funny how simple and easy it is but so many people don't do it, myself included. Finally I read this wonderful and powerful post by the Frugal babe about "selling her engagement ring".
Check out a few great posts Basenji mom's "I love petsmart," I love them too but for reasons other than she posted. Also Not made of money's post reiterates what I say about "eating out of the pantry," it saves me a ton of money, eat what you buy. Funny how simple and easy it is but so many people don't do it, myself included. Finally I read this wonderful and powerful post by the Frugal babe about "selling her engagement ring".
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
hiding money?
Do you stash cash in your house? Or are you a bank sort of person? At the Personal Finance Advice Blog, the author interviewed a former burglar about the best places to look for money. The former burglar gave many interesting suggestions.
The number place to leave your cash is at the bank! Because no matter how smart you think you are, these burglars are smarter than you would think, this is their professional job, and they have done it a lot. So they have experienced many scenarios.
He said to leave money out and about. Sometimes theives will take money that is left out and leave. So they won't bother tearing your house up. Burglars want to do two things, get money and get out fast. So trying to hide money sometimes is more detrimental than helpful.
The truth is that many burglars know all the typical hiding places for money. So you should strategically place money in these places like dresser drawers, closet, etc. This will prevent the burglar from tearing your house apart as he looks for money. Second he'll leave much quicker if he thinks he's found your stash. Third don't put things in out of place sorts. Like a campbell's soup can in the bedroom. This makes it an obvious place to stash money. Fourth, if you have a safe deposit box make it obvious, label a folder or envelope with that information. That way the burglar knows you have nothing valuable. Also if you have a safe, lock it down. Also if you stash money make sure you tell someone where you put it, in case you die or something. So your family doesn't just throw out the cash with the item.
We keep our money in a fire safe, not much either like $100 I think. We also keep important documents in there mostly. And yes I think maybe we should get a safety deposit box, but I'm not ready for that step yet. However our firesafe is very, very heavy over 50 lbs and I doubt a burglar could just up and carry it easily. He'd be better off stealing our flat screen tv or something. So I'm not worried about it.
One funny thing I thought, is telling your family about the money. Why? Because I guess my grandmother doesn't trust banks or something so she keeps everything in cash. And she squirrels away money everywhere in the house, and it's super easy to forget. She just "misplaces" the money, then has my mom run around the house looking for it. I doubt a burglar would find the money if she can't even remember where it is. So that being said, tell your family where you leave your money. After all what if something happens? I think we'll be tearing my grandmother's house apart for her savings all in cash. Sigh.
The number place to leave your cash is at the bank! Because no matter how smart you think you are, these burglars are smarter than you would think, this is their professional job, and they have done it a lot. So they have experienced many scenarios.
He said to leave money out and about. Sometimes theives will take money that is left out and leave. So they won't bother tearing your house up. Burglars want to do two things, get money and get out fast. So trying to hide money sometimes is more detrimental than helpful.
The truth is that many burglars know all the typical hiding places for money. So you should strategically place money in these places like dresser drawers, closet, etc. This will prevent the burglar from tearing your house apart as he looks for money. Second he'll leave much quicker if he thinks he's found your stash. Third don't put things in out of place sorts. Like a campbell's soup can in the bedroom. This makes it an obvious place to stash money. Fourth, if you have a safe deposit box make it obvious, label a folder or envelope with that information. That way the burglar knows you have nothing valuable. Also if you have a safe, lock it down. Also if you stash money make sure you tell someone where you put it, in case you die or something. So your family doesn't just throw out the cash with the item.
We keep our money in a fire safe, not much either like $100 I think. We also keep important documents in there mostly. And yes I think maybe we should get a safety deposit box, but I'm not ready for that step yet. However our firesafe is very, very heavy over 50 lbs and I doubt a burglar could just up and carry it easily. He'd be better off stealing our flat screen tv or something. So I'm not worried about it.
One funny thing I thought, is telling your family about the money. Why? Because I guess my grandmother doesn't trust banks or something so she keeps everything in cash. And she squirrels away money everywhere in the house, and it's super easy to forget. She just "misplaces" the money, then has my mom run around the house looking for it. I doubt a burglar would find the money if she can't even remember where it is. So that being said, tell your family where you leave your money. After all what if something happens? I think we'll be tearing my grandmother's house apart for her savings all in cash. Sigh.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Carnival of Personal Finance #96
This week the 96th Carnival of Personal Finance was hosted by JP at AllfinancialMatters. This looks fantastic as well. I submitted my article "the risks of being a stay at home parent." Which thus far has generated some discussion.
But an entry that grabbed my eye is "maxing out retirement = saving too much." Somthing near and dear to my heart. I don't fully agree with the article, since I think saving now leads to more choices later, but there are some valid arguments about spending too (Guess most people would never think I would say that). But I know if I had a lot more money and was able to do one thing, I'd buy a new car. Yep you read that right, but it's not a priority and I can't afford it to back to my car it is.
Second post I really enjoyed I have to really REALLY recommend is "financial train wreck - my pastor's house." Wow, what a unbelievable story. I guess I should say I don't believe in organized religion. Am I an atheist? Maybe, I'm not sure yet the jury is still out. But I can't believe that someone who goes to church could be taken by their PASTOR! This is compeletely unbelievable. But I can understand why you never do business with FRIENDS or FAMILY! Before you do anything with someone you wouldn't want to be suiing, read this post!
But an entry that grabbed my eye is "maxing out retirement = saving too much." Somthing near and dear to my heart. I don't fully agree with the article, since I think saving now leads to more choices later, but there are some valid arguments about spending too (Guess most people would never think I would say that). But I know if I had a lot more money and was able to do one thing, I'd buy a new car. Yep you read that right, but it's not a priority and I can't afford it to back to my car it is.
Second post I really enjoyed I have to really REALLY recommend is "financial train wreck - my pastor's house." Wow, what a unbelievable story. I guess I should say I don't believe in organized religion. Am I an atheist? Maybe, I'm not sure yet the jury is still out. But I can't believe that someone who goes to church could be taken by their PASTOR! This is compeletely unbelievable. But I can understand why you never do business with FRIENDS or FAMILY! Before you do anything with someone you wouldn't want to be suiing, read this post!
Carnival of Money Stories #9
This week the Carnival of Money Stories #9 is hosted at Fire Finance Blog. I submitted my article on the Goals of my retirement. Looks like a great carnival.
One article which caught my eye was Money loves Money by the Queercents. Looks like a blog I intend on reading a bunch more later. The posts on Sleeping with money is about all the money lessons we've learned from relationships. I love it. Very engrossing blog. Hmm..maybe I'll political and write about why I think gay people should get married.
The other article is "how to save a buck a week". I can do that in my sleep. But it's good for people who are looking to save a buck.
One article which caught my eye was Money loves Money by the Queercents. Looks like a blog I intend on reading a bunch more later. The posts on Sleeping with money is about all the money lessons we've learned from relationships. I love it. Very engrossing blog. Hmm..maybe I'll political and write about why I think gay people should get married.
The other article is "how to save a buck a week". I can do that in my sleep. But it's good for people who are looking to save a buck.
Cash Advance Options - devil's advocate post
Why would someone need a cash advance? Well first possible that someone has an emergency come up which requires more money than a person has cash on hand for. Say a person is unable to pay the rent because they were expecting a paycheck but it was late or not processed.
Where would they get a cash advance? There are two options, either a cash advance on a credit card or a payday loan. Neither option while ideal, sometimes are required for those who are in trouble financially. Which option is better? I’m not sure but I’m going to investigate the matter. I do not promote cash advances, but I do understand that there are people who utilize them. Perhaps they need to examine their spending habits if they are utilizing cash advances, because they are likely living beyond their means. However this post is to examine the options of cash advances.
First a cash advance on a credit card is only possible if you have a credit card. People who need cash advances might already have maxed out credit cards, no credit cards due to poor credit, or are here illegally and thus unable to obtain a credit card. Thus for this subset of people they would be unable to obtain a cash advance from a credit card.
However if someone did have a credit card, say a Citibank general CC, they could insert the CC into an ATM and take out a cash advance. However the caveat is that there is only a limited amount of money which can be advanced either by the credit card or the ATM. What are the fees involved with using this method? First the ATM company will likely charge you a fee for using their machine. Second the CC company will charge a fee for each cash advance, usually a minimum of $5 or 3% of the cash advanced. Third, the CC company often charges and interest rate of 20-25% for the money advanced instead of the typical 10% interest charged for purchases. This interest begins accruing immediately unlike a normal CC purchase which typically has a 30 day grace period. Another caveat is that if you have charges on this credit card, any payment you make will be applied first to the purchases, then to the cash advance. This means that if you do not pay it off in full, the cash advance will be continually accruing interest at a much higher rate than normal and without a grace period.
Now the second option for a cash advance is a payday loan. Payday loans are where borrowers go to a lender say National Payday and apply for a cash loan due in full with your next paycheck. These loans typically require a fee for every $100 borrowed, similar to the CC company. But typically the borrower will leave a post-dated check for the amount borrowed plus fee with the lender who will then collect the money. The fees for this type of lending ranges from 10-15% for the two week period of the loan. Thus, you pay the fee up-front unlike a CC cash advance and know how much interest you are dealing with. For example you might write a $500 check but only get back $400 cash and that would be a payday loan. Often times people who do payday loans keep going back for more because their need for more cash enters into a vicious cycle.
I personally think a payday loan is a better option than a CC cash advance. Solely because CC cash advances accrue interest immediately and are paid last when you pay your CC bill. Thus unless you have a CC with zero charges and only use it for a cash advance, the payments you make will otherwise be to your current charges. Thus it could take a long time to pay off a cash advance. However payday loans are supposed to be a one time cash advance using your paycheck. And the borrower will know exactly what percent interest they are paying on borrowing say $400. There is no possibility for extra interest.
However, I think if you are using either a CC cash advance or payday loan you are in serious financial trouble. There is no easy way out. A person needs to sit down and really examine their financial circumstances and determine how much money they really are spending and if there is a possibility of them not using a cash advance. It could take selling things, getting a second job, or just spending cash instead of using a debit or CC. Whatever it is, a person who is depending on cash advances to survive is quickly circling the drain of being financially fit.
Where would they get a cash advance? There are two options, either a cash advance on a credit card or a payday loan. Neither option while ideal, sometimes are required for those who are in trouble financially. Which option is better? I’m not sure but I’m going to investigate the matter. I do not promote cash advances, but I do understand that there are people who utilize them. Perhaps they need to examine their spending habits if they are utilizing cash advances, because they are likely living beyond their means. However this post is to examine the options of cash advances.
First a cash advance on a credit card is only possible if you have a credit card. People who need cash advances might already have maxed out credit cards, no credit cards due to poor credit, or are here illegally and thus unable to obtain a credit card. Thus for this subset of people they would be unable to obtain a cash advance from a credit card.
However if someone did have a credit card, say a Citibank general CC, they could insert the CC into an ATM and take out a cash advance. However the caveat is that there is only a limited amount of money which can be advanced either by the credit card or the ATM. What are the fees involved with using this method? First the ATM company will likely charge you a fee for using their machine. Second the CC company will charge a fee for each cash advance, usually a minimum of $5 or 3% of the cash advanced. Third, the CC company often charges and interest rate of 20-25% for the money advanced instead of the typical 10% interest charged for purchases. This interest begins accruing immediately unlike a normal CC purchase which typically has a 30 day grace period. Another caveat is that if you have charges on this credit card, any payment you make will be applied first to the purchases, then to the cash advance. This means that if you do not pay it off in full, the cash advance will be continually accruing interest at a much higher rate than normal and without a grace period.
Now the second option for a cash advance is a payday loan. Payday loans are where borrowers go to a lender say National Payday and apply for a cash loan due in full with your next paycheck. These loans typically require a fee for every $100 borrowed, similar to the CC company. But typically the borrower will leave a post-dated check for the amount borrowed plus fee with the lender who will then collect the money. The fees for this type of lending ranges from 10-15% for the two week period of the loan. Thus, you pay the fee up-front unlike a CC cash advance and know how much interest you are dealing with. For example you might write a $500 check but only get back $400 cash and that would be a payday loan. Often times people who do payday loans keep going back for more because their need for more cash enters into a vicious cycle.
I personally think a payday loan is a better option than a CC cash advance. Solely because CC cash advances accrue interest immediately and are paid last when you pay your CC bill. Thus unless you have a CC with zero charges and only use it for a cash advance, the payments you make will otherwise be to your current charges. Thus it could take a long time to pay off a cash advance. However payday loans are supposed to be a one time cash advance using your paycheck. And the borrower will know exactly what percent interest they are paying on borrowing say $400. There is no possibility for extra interest.
However, I think if you are using either a CC cash advance or payday loan you are in serious financial trouble. There is no easy way out. A person needs to sit down and really examine their financial circumstances and determine how much money they really are spending and if there is a possibility of them not using a cash advance. It could take selling things, getting a second job, or just spending cash instead of using a debit or CC. Whatever it is, a person who is depending on cash advances to survive is quickly circling the drain of being financially fit.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Carnival of Money, Growth, and Happiness #2
I participated this weekend in the second Carnival of Money, Growth, and Happiness at Credit Card Lowdown. Amazingly there was over 30 submissions for this new carnival. I submitted my post about the "continued saga of eating out with people."
Other great entries was Getting Greens "Getting fit without spending money, " something near and dear to my heart. I used to be a total gym person out in CA, but now I find myself unable to commit to the expense of a gym out here. It's ridiculously expensive compared to the ultra cheap rates I'm used to. And I loved being a gym member because I would spin 4-5 mornings/week and work out in the evenings occasionally. It kept me in great shape, now I'm a couch potato. But this article does motivate me to go running or something outside.
I also enjoyed Micheal Cook's post "Option Arm Resets are here." I think his article is simple and well written, anyway enjoy the carnival!
Other great entries was Getting Greens "Getting fit without spending money, " something near and dear to my heart. I used to be a total gym person out in CA, but now I find myself unable to commit to the expense of a gym out here. It's ridiculously expensive compared to the ultra cheap rates I'm used to. And I loved being a gym member because I would spin 4-5 mornings/week and work out in the evenings occasionally. It kept me in great shape, now I'm a couch potato. But this article does motivate me to go running or something outside.
I also enjoyed Micheal Cook's post "Option Arm Resets are here." I think his article is simple and well written, anyway enjoy the carnival!
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