I remember way back when movies used to be $3.50.
And now they’re $10.00.
For the most part, I stopped going to movies a long time ago, not because of finances, but because the person who I most often went to movies with liked to talk while we were with them, a cardinal offense in social terms in my opinion.
But even if I was still going to movies, $10 would make me think, especially considering that after the theater run is through I’ll be able to get the DVD for $15 and put it on my portable device or anything else I want to.
That said, for great special effects, there’s nothing like the theater.
How much is too much for a movie?
I think everyone has a personal black hole, something that just never gets done or is so low priority that it only happens about once a blue moon. It happens for me, a lot.
Cleaning the house.
I admit it, I’m a slob, which often surprises people who don’t know me in real life. It’s not much of an admission, actually; it’s such a part of me I’m not ashamed of it. I’m almost proud.
It’s unfortunate, because I know that being neater would boost my productivity. It would probably increase my energy as I would have less clutter to fight through. But the way things are now, I’m likely going to have a full two weeks off from work to get through my action list to the point where cleaning the house gets pulled out of the black hole and gets done.
What falls into your personal black hole? Is it cleaning? Or laundry? Or balancing your checkbook? Tell me what never gets done.
I’m on vacation this week. Some of these posts may be a bit short, but they were written to give you something to read while I’m traveling as well as to continue on our ongoing themes:
It occurred to me as I was contemplating subjects to write about today that I spend lots of my time for this blog on the Web; not just on this site, but researching, reading, and making decisions. Much of that time is spent on other personal finance blogs (see my sidebar for a bunch that I like), but I also spend a lot of time on other sites and was wondering if those of you who are reading have favorite sites as well.
For instance, one of the sites I use regularly is Yahoo! Finance, largely because I like the way they do stock quotes and profiles of companies and funds; it also is great for research because of its historical data. Big Charts is great for charting financial data if I want to see some information graphically, CNN Money has financial columns I read regularly, and since I own so many different Vanguard funds, their Web site is another I regularly peruse.
Then there are the Web sites of companies or organizations where I’m actually keeping my money, places like Treasury Direct, First Hawaiian Bank, ING Direct, Capital One, Chase, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, Discover Card, American Express, Firstrade, Sharebuilder, and, again, Vanguard.
What are your favorite financial Web sites, other than the blogs?
I’ve become more and more willing to buy used items as time goes on. My current netbook (an Acer Aspire One) was bought used; so was a pair of Tactical 5.11 pants I wear. If I needed to replace my truck (which I hope I never do) I would be more than willing to look at a used model. I’m a regular at the local Savers looking for computer equipment and other electronic gear.
What wouldn’t I buy any way but new?
I think it’s a tougher question as I explore frugality more and more. Clearly underwear isn’t something I’d buy any way but new (and for someone like me that also means bike shorts); aside from that I’m not really sure. I’d consider used books, electronics, appliances, computers, CDs, DVDs, clothing–what else is there?
What are some products you would insist on buying new?
Welcome to our on-time-for-once edition of the Link Payday. This day after United States Independence Day, we take a look at some of the best posts on personal finance blogs of the last few weeks:
This is a conversation that comes up fairly often: how much or what to give for a wedding gift? Lynnae over at Being Frugal asks the readers the question in You Tell Me: Favorite Frugal Wedding Gift. This is a tough one to tackle and opinions seem to vary wildly, so thanks for taking it on!
Blogging Away Debt tackles a close to home subject (everyone in this state is affected, either directly or through a friend or family, by the crunch here which is possibly leading to furloughs or layoffs) when she talks about Understanding Government Spending… Since she’s a government employee herself, she has a view that’s right in the midst of this controversy.
Ron at The Wisdom Journal might be talking to me when he says Having Too Many Goals is Like Having None. Yes, I have a lot of goals, but I’m hoping they’re not too many; I do, however, run out of energy and not get everything done the way I want them too. I’ll have to consider that a bit.
Spilling Buckets tells us 10 Things I Wish I Knew as a First Time Homebuyer. Considering that they just purchased their home, I think they’re far ahead of the game; after all, I wish I knew a lot of things as a first time fill-in-the-blank only months or years later!
And finally, David over at My Two Dollars tells us How to Fix a Mistake On Your Credit Report. I‘m hoping I can finally get one of the bureaus (after years of trying) to fix a mistake on mine (they think I lived somewhere in California–I’ve never lived off this island!).
And that’s your Link Payday for July 5, 2009!
A few weeks ago, the Governor of Hawai’i (the state I live in) ordered furloughs of most state employees of three days a month for two years, and ordered departments that were exempt from her being able to order furloughs (Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Department of Education) to cut their budgets by an equivalent amount of money–roughly 14%.
Needless to say, there’s been much uproar about this. The unions representing government employees are challenging the orders in court, and departments are considering their options, many choosing to close three Fridays a month.
For those employees who are already struggling with the high cost of living in Hawai’i, I doubt many have 14% slack in their budgets–quite frankly, very few do, and if they do, they may have to cope by reducing the amounts they are saving. But more likely, these employees are barely making ends meet already.
Everyone here knows someone who will be affected by these furloughs; professionally, I have to deal with state employees on a very regular basis, and it’s clear that there will be even more slowdowns to some state systems that already take long amounts of time to get business done (Ever try applying for some kind of welfare benefit? It already takes up to 90 days to work up a Medicaid application here–will it take 14% more time?).
My heart goes out to those who are receiving such cuts. I’ve been thinking about it myself: could I cut 14% out of my monthly budget?
My guess is I could, but I would have to substantially reduce the amount I’m saving for retirement, which would be like cutting off my nose to spite my face.
How about you? Could you do the same? If you’re like me, I’m guessing you’ll have difficulty doing so–join me in sending hope and positive energy to those who are facing these difficult times.
While some may argue otherwise, I don’t consider myself a workaholic. On the other hand, I know people who are–those who work seven days a week. When I once asked one of them why she did what she did, she stated that she was far less likely to spend money if she was at work rather than off.
I’m in the midst of an eleven day work stretch and wondering if what she’s saying is actually true. While yes, I admit I’ve been way too busy to actually go to a store and spend money, I have run out of my usual lunch food and had to actually buy cafeteria food for the first time in a long time today during day eight of work.
On the other hand, the child and family social worker in me (that is, pretty much all of me professionally), tells me that keeping busy is one of the best ways to manage behavior (read: keep people out of trouble). Extrapolating on that, if you don’t spend money while you’re working, if you work more, you’re less likely to spend.
I’m not sure where I stand on this question. What do you think?
As a parent educator in my spare time (that’s the part time job I sometimes talk about), one of the classes I teach is about money management, and invariably one of the topics is allowance.
Allowance is one of the primary tools we have to teach children about allowance, and through the questions of when to start and how much to give, there are two schools of thought on allowance.
1) Allowance is a reward for appropriate behavior, and inappropriate behavior (not doing chores, coming home late, disrespect, etc.) will result in a reduction or elimination of allowance.
2) Allowance is a share of the family earnings because you are part of the family. Negative consequences for misbehavior will not include withholding of some or all of the allowance.
Both are okay, with one important caveat: you must be consistent. If you set things up so that a negative consequence for misbehavior is withholding of allowance, you need to do it. Or if you say you’ll get allowance no matter what and there’ll be other negative consequences for misbehavior, you can’t start withholding allowance.
What are some of your thoughts on allowance?
Welcome to our late-but-not-forgotten edition of the Link Payday for February 23, 2009. I thought that the comparison of customer service situations really merited running before the Link Payday, so now that that’s over, here we go. Let’s take a look at some of the best blog posts in the personal finance blogosphere over the past couple of weeks:
Ron over at The Wisdom Journal discusses How Freelancing is Different Than a Regular Job. As someone who is constantly interested in freelance gigs, this is a great read; yes, it requires more discipline to be a freelancer, and more hustle to make it pay off!
Her Every Cent Counts goes a little farther than me but has a lot of the same feelings I do when she gives her opinion on The Housing Bailout: It’s Unfair, It’s Unnecessary, It’s Ridiculous. I have a hard time feeling like it’s the right thing to do when so many people who made poor decisions have the possibility of being bailed out by their fellow taxpayers who didn’t make poor decisions with buying more house than they could afford.
Frugal Dad tries to make things simple for those struggling with credit cards and balances when he writes on Paying Off Credit Card Debt in Ten Simple Steps. It’s not easy to have the discipline to do it, but Frugal Dad tries to make the process as simple as possible.
Lynnae over at Being Frugal has a problem with DirecTV. It’s in several parts on her blog, but my favorite is her self-described rant that says It Might be Legal, But it Sure isn’t Ethical! This has certainly made me think twice about ever dealing with DirecTV.
Finally, JD over at Get Rich Slowly has an interesting question to pose when he decides to Ask the Readers: Is it Unethical to Work a Second Job? I found this a fascinating question, as a guy who has worked two jobs for many, many years.
And that’s your Link Payday for February 23, 2009!
A money hack is some kind of trick you do with your money. No, not a magician’s trick, but some way you try to stretch a dollar or substitute something less costly for something more costly, or some way to get a maximum reward for your dollars. For instance, one of my money hacks is when I stop at a 7-11 to get a soda, I pay with my gasoline rewards card, because it has a 5% reward when used at a gas station–and for some reason, at least on this island, 7-11s are regarded as gas stations
Another money hack is what I call card timing. This involves buying things on the same day that my credit card closes. For instance, my Discover card bill is due on the 16th of February, and the bill closes on the 17th of February. Whatever is on the bill on the 17th of February needs to be paid March 16th. However, if I buy something on the 17th of February, the purchase usually slips by the February 17th closing date and winds up on the March 17th statement, meaning I don’t pay for that purchase until April 16th–effectively gaining another month.
JD of Get Rich Slowly also runs a Money Hacks site; when you read that site you can find all kinds of other money hacks. But I thought I’d pose this question to all of you: what are your favorite money hacks? Please post a comment here if you have one you really love!
