- Bad. My 3yr old knows how the Nationwide commercial ends…including the agent's name. Too much TV. #
- RT @MoneyCrashers: Money Crashers 2010 New Year Giveaway Bash – $9,100 in Cash and Amazing Prizes http://bt.io/DZMa #
- Watching the horrible offspring of Rube Goldberg and the Grim Reaper: The Final Destination. #
- Here's hoping the franchise is dead: #TheFinalDestination #
- Wow. Win7 has the ability to auto-hibernate in the middle of installing updates. So much for doing that when I leave for the day. #
- This is horribly true: Spending Other People's Money by @thefinancebuff http://is.gd/75Xv2 #
- RT @hughdeburgh: "You can end half your troubles immediately by no longer permitting people to tell you what you want." ~ Vernon Howard #
- RT @BSimple: The most important thing about goals is having one. Geoffry F. Abert #
- RT @fcn: "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." — Winston Churchill #
- RT @FrugalYankee: FRUGAL TIP: Who knew? Cold water & salt will get rid of onion smell on hands. More @ http://bit.ly/WkZsm #
- Please take a moment and vote for me. (4 Ways to Flog the Inner Impulse Shopper) http://su.pr/2flOLY #
- RT @mymoneyshrugged: #SOTU 2011 budget freeze "like announcing a diet after winning a pie-eating contest" (Michael Steel). (via @LesLafave) #
- RT @FrugalBonVivant: $2 – $25 gift certificates from Restaurant.com (promo code BONUS) http://bit.ly/9mMjLR #
- A fully-skilled clone would be helpful this week. #
- @krystalatwork What do you value more, the groom's friendship or the bride's lack of it?Her feelings won't change if you stay home.His might in reply to krystalatwork #
- I ♥ RetailMeNot.com – simply retweet for the chance to win an Apple iPad from @retailmenot – http://bit.ly/retailmenot #
- Did a baseline test for February's 30 Day Project: 20 pushups in a set. Not great, but not terrible. Only need to add 80 to that nxt month #
Are We Facing a Financial Crisis Today?
This is a guest post.
It is hard to deny, that we are currently in a financial crisis. This is true not just in the United States but in the entire world! Indeed if
you look at what has been happening in Europe, the United States is not even in the worst shape among the advanced countries. Ireland, Portugal and especially Greece are suffering slow economic growth and crippling debt, with many other European countries not far behind them. Even countries that are still experiencing strong growth like China and India have no insurance against suffering a slow down in their rate of expansion.
However the United States is the world’s largest economy, so our milder economic problems have a larger proportional effect on the rest of the world. As the saying goes among economists, “When the U.S. catches a cold, the rest of the world gets pneumonia!” Therefore there is tremendous pressure on the United States to resolve the current financial crisis. America is trying to lower its debt and balance its budget before a serious financial crisis develops here like in Europe. If Congress and the President can agree on how this can be done then strong U.S. growth may return and thereby stimulate economic growth worldwide.
Alas, this debt cutting and budget balancing is easier said than done. Cutting spending means reducing or even eliminating government services that people have become accustomed to and prefer not to give up. Social Security for retirement, Medicare for health insurance, food stamps for the poor and many other spending programs all have people who depend on them and who are not happy to have them curtailed or eliminated. When such cuts were attempted in Greece and Great Britain, rioting broke out in major cities by those opposed to the cutbacks. Such violence is not expected in the United States, but it is still politically very difficult to make the kinds of cuts required for fiscal recovery. In fact the U.S. recently had one of its major credit ratings lowered because of skepticism that America has the political will to make the necessary changes.
On the plus side the United States has always managed to gets its financial house in order in the past, and most observers believe it will do so again, although there may be some spectacular political fireworks along the way! In the meantime many are wondering how to enhance their safety against today’s uncertainty and how to achieve financial freedom and peace of mind until better times arrive. While it is not possible to shield oneself completely from the financial crisis, it may be wise to get some cheap insurance quote to discover what types of insurance policies may give you some protection.
Whatever your financial status, there are always ways to protect what you own if you are willing to shop around. But whether one receives cheap insurance quotes or higher ones, now is the time to protect your assets until today’s financial crisis passes.
Slumlord Update
We’re six weeks into our new lives as slumlords. Our tenants moved in late in January for a lease that started February first.
Our tenants are paying $1200/month for a two bedroom, 1 bathroom house and 2 of the 3 stalls in the garage. This is in a first ring suburb. The house itself is a bit under 2 miles from the border of Minneapolis.
The rent is on the lower end of the curve for the size and location, and my wife has known the tenants for years.
Of the $1200 we get each month, here are our fixed expenses:
- Water/sewer/garbage: $170 per quarter
- Property taxes: $2359 for last year
That’s $253.25 per month we pay for the property.
The tenants pay gas, electric, and cable.
That leaves $946.75 in profit for us each month. Yay!
But wait.
Two days after moving in, the new boiler went out. It was a pain in the butt, but the company fixed it for free. They even loaned our tenants some space heaters, since this happened when it was -20 degrees Fahrenheit.
A couple of days after that, the drain pipes coming from the bathtub gave out. Eighty-year-old cast-iron pipes do that. $325 for that fix.
The paint we put in the kitchen is peeling? $250 and a day of painting.
Part of our project with Sammy has him maintaining the property. For the winter months, he’s been cleaning out the snow every time it falls. $425 for February and March. Welcome to Minnesota. I’m not sure this is going to be a continuing part of the property service next winter.
Sink clogged further down that we can reach with our pipe snake? $125.
3 feet of snow melting faster than the ground underneath is thawing, allowing water to seep through the basement walls? We don’t know, yet. That fix has to wait until the snow is gone.
Of the $1893.50 “profit” we’ve received so far, we’ve had to pay out $1125. Of the remaining $768.50, we’re setting aside $500 per month for future repairs, which we expect to keep making for at least a few months.
Hooray for a -$231.50 profit! It makes all of the work for the last 10 months worth it.
Shopping Online: The Money-Saving Secret
I try to do as much of my shopping online, if at all possible. The one exception is groceries. The two local companies that offer online grocery shopping and delivery have a markup that just doesn’t balance out with the convenience of not having to fight crowds at the grocery store.
I buy books, CDs, movies, even toilet paper online. It’s so much easier to spend 5 minutes on a website than to pack up the kids, drive to the store, wander around while trying to avoid coming within view of the toy aisles, get what I need and get out without buying a bunch of crap I don’t need.
For a long time, I’d just accept the price as the price. I’d pay whatever was asked. Eventually, I quit overlooking the magic money-saving option on almost all e-commerce websites: the coupon field.
Here’s how it works: While you are checking out, you will usually see a box marked “coupon code” or “promo code”. Put in a coupon code, and poof! you save money. Magic is fun.
What happens if you don’t have a coupon code?
I crank up my second brain, aka Google. For example, if I’m shopping at the Gap, I’ll type in “Gap coupon code“. When the search results come up, I open the top 4-5 pages all at once and look for the best deals. If a site is trying to charge $30 for shipping, a free shipping coupon is a winner. If I’m ordering $300 worth of Christmas presents, a 15% off code is a real prize. Other times, I will concentrate on the buy-one, get-one type of coupons. Those are handy when I’m trying to buy presents for all of my nieces and nephews.
The real secret is coupon stacking. It’s usually not allowed, but some sites allow you to stack different types of coupons. If I can find a “15% off $300” coupon and a “free shipping” coupon for the same site, I’ll try to use them both. One Christmas, I was able to get $100 of free stuff shipped for $5 by stacking BOGOs, discounts, and shipping coupons. I love to get free stuff. Always try to use extra coupons, if you can find them. This isn’t extreme couponing, just using the system as it was designed.
I search coupon codes every single time I order anything online. No exceptions. How do you save money when you shop online?
Written on behalf of Dealtaker.com
The Spending Styles of the Rocky Horror Picture Show
- Image via Wikipedia
Everybody has a spending style. Like a fingerprint, it is unique to each individual, even if that individual is fictional.
Since it is the Halloween season, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a Halloween movie, I’m going to look at how those characters spend their money.
Janet Weiss – A Heroine
Janet is the stereotype of every suburbanite soccer-mom-who-hasn’t-gotten-married-and-had-kids-yet. She wants to keep up with the Joneses(“It’s nicer than Betty Monroe had! [Oh Brad!]”) and she is obviously impressed by and envious of people who have all of the trappings of the “finer things”. If she has a credit card, you can bet that it is peeling on the sides from over-use. While she wears conservative clothes and sensible shoes to go visit an old mentor, she’s almost definitely got a closet full of fancy shoes and a drawer full of real-baby-seal-skin g-strings. If Brad were smarter, he’d run, and not just because of her loyalty issues. She’ll never be content with a sensible car and modest house.
Brad Majors – A Hero
Brad is a pompous jerk who thinks he’s better than those around him. He’s also extremely conservative and slow to accept change. He’s going to give Janet an allowance and complain every time she spends a penny of it. His investment portfolio is well-balanced and configured for long-term growth and he’s going to rub your nose in it at the neighborhood barbecue. To shut him up, just ask why his kid was born with an accent and garters.
Magenta – A Domestic
What’s a domestic? Magenta is the most financially responsible person in the show. She’s third -in-command of an alien invasion, but still takes on a second job? That’s a woman planning for retirement. She’s not going to rely on anyone to support her. She knows how to enjoy a party, without having to spend all of her money on a glitter-suit.
Columbia – A Groupie (as Little Nell)
Columbia is incapable of making a decision that wasn’t pre-formed by her peer group. She’s doomed to chase every fad, hoping it will impress those around her. While she’ll always be remembered for her glitter-suit or the corset that isn’t quite tall enough, she’ll never be happy or have a spare penny in case of emergencies.
Riff Raff – A Handyman
Riff Raff has jealousy issues. He sees his boss and commander throwing a party and having a good time, but, instead of working towards being able to do that himself, he kills his boss and steals his house. He is greedy, jealous, and deceitful. Don’t ever turn your back on him, or he’ll steal your wallet, hit you over the head and bury you in the backyard just so he can pretend it’s his party.
Eddie – Ex Delivery Boy (as Meatloaf)
Eddie is out of his head (H-E-D). He’s the tag-a-long who will keep buying expensive dinners that he can’t afford in an attempt to impress whoever is around to see him pick up the check. He isn’t sure how to fit in, but he’s positive that he can buy his way there. In reality, he’s dead(spelled right) broke and will end up getting screwed.
Rocky Horror – A Creation
Here is the true blank slate. He’s just seven hours old, so he’s got no bad habits to break. Unfortunately, he’s never had to learn any hard lessons, so his head is easily turned by an glittered bauble or babbling, half-dressed flake. He’s incapable of making an informed decision about anything, so he follows everyone around getting whatever they like. He’ll spend his entire life getting by on his looks, which will almost always be successful, until life catches up to him and he dies broke and alone.
Dr. Frank-N-Furter – A Scientist
Frank knows how to throw a party. He travels 12 billion light years brings not only a keg, but the entire party house with him. Who wouldn’t want to be his friend? There’s a fancy house, a room to stay in if you drink too much, pretty people being built in the lab, and gourmet corn-fed delivery-boy being served for dinner. Watch out, though. He doesn’t tend to his job. One day, the credit cards will be maxed, the bank will foreclose on the house and send it back to Sweet Transexual Transylvania, leaving Frank penniless. Who will be his friend then?
Which Rocky character are you?
Science Fiction
Double Feature.
Frank has built and
Lost his creature.
Darkness has conquered
Brad and Janet.
The servants gone to
A distant planet.
Budgeting Sucks
Budgeting kind of sucks.
Filling out a budgeting spreadsheet, putting in all of your expenses, listing all of your income, tracking all of your spending. Yuck.
Balancing the fact that you may have $200 to spare, but if your gas bill is a bit lower one month then you have a some more money, but if your electric bill’s a little bit high, then you have a little bit less. It’s too much work.
Here’s the new plan:
I just opened up a new credit card. This credit card’s got a fairly high limit, not that I care since I’m never going to come close to the limit. It’s got an okay interest rate, not that I care–it’s going to be paid off every month. It also has a good travel rewards plan, so our family vacations can, to a large extent, be paid for.
Now, with this card, I’m taking all of my regular bills, and setting them up to be automatically paid by the credit card. It’ll get automatically charged every month. I won’t have to think about it. Once a month, I’ll just log on and pay off the card. All I have to do is make sure the balance stays under my monthly budgeted amount. I already know what I have to be paying each month, so, no problem.
This will make it easier to budget and track my actual spending. It’ll even make it easier to balance my checkbook, since right now, I’m logging into my bank account a couple of times a month to compare it to Quicken. Any budget helper is nice.
After this plan takes effect, my bank account will only have any ATM withdrawals that I need to make–which shouldn’t happen more than once or twice a month–and my checks to day care. There should be just six manual transactions every month plus all of my miscellaneous transfers to and from INGDirect, which should also be minimal– there should only be two of those each month.
This will simplify everything while at the same time giving me the maximum amount of travel rewards I’ve been able to find. Hopefully, it will work as well as I think it will.
