Uncommon Cents

Is there a time? I wonder. That said, I certainly have made comments about things like a $299 notebook computer or a free after rebate broadband router.

That said, quality is not cheap.

Granted, quality is not the only issue. Sometimes very decent products get closed out for new versions; other times stores are using “loss leaders” to get people into stores.

Is there a time that a product costs too little?

I’m writing this at Good to Grill, a local eatery in Honolulu that I would likely never have frequented except for Twitter.

I just finished off their $9.99 prime rib special for lunch on a weekend–that I would not have heard of if not for Twitter.

Earlier today, I gave some tech support over Twitter. And I heard about 4 gigabyte flash drives for $10 at WalMart on Twitter.

There’s a lot of financial power in my life afforded to Twitter.

I’ve decided that when I take my trip to Philadelphia I’m going to rent a car.

I realize that those of you who know me well don’t think that my driving on the continent is all that hot of an idea, and I usually agree with you. This time, however, I think it’s going to be the thing to do; that and the fact that the last time I traveled on the continent I did a lot of driving (of course with my handy GPS) I did fine is pointing me toward doing so.

I’d also like to do it frugally.

One of the ways I got a car cheaply the last time I needed to rent was by waiting until the last minute–well, not waiting, really, since it was when my truck was broken into and rendered unusable and I needed a working vehicle right then and there. It resulted in me being able to get something for $14 a day before the large amount of fees and taxes common with renting cars.

I think I may do something similar here.

The gamble, of course, is that they’ll run out of cars, or go into short supply. I don’t know if that’ll happen, but of course, it could.

We’ll see how this goes.

Today I spent some time taking inventory of a whole bunch of gift cards I’ve received; I did this largely because I was down to just over $6 of credit on the iTunes Store and I knew I had a few gift cards.

In fact, between a gift certificate and gift card I added $80 to my iTS account.

I also have $80 in Visa gift cards and a smattering of other cards from stores or restaurants like Jamba Juice, California Pizza Kitchen, and Longs.

I know I sometimes debate to myself whether or not to use a reward credit card for a purchase or a gift card. In general my rule is to use the gift card, but I don’t always follow that rule. If it’s a generic Visa gift card, for instance, and I need gasoline, I’d rather use one of my two 5% reward cards.

For the most part, I will use gift cards if I have them. It’s just that there are a few exceptions.

A discussion on Twitter today prompted me to think about this post. Up for discussion was the changing of automotive air filters. My opinion was that that the reusable K&N filters were a great way to go and didn’t even consider their performance improvement claims–my claim was just because since I’ve changed over to them, I’ve never even needed to do a cleaning and oiling of the filter; it’s always passed the sun shining through test.

So when I was discussing that with someone who had never changed an air filter, a car technician I know–an incredibly nice, smart guy–joined the discussion and stated that at least the last time he read up on it there was no demonstrable difference in performance with clean, dirty, or third party filters. He also did say that he used the same test I did to indicate the need to replace or clean the filter, although he did wonder where debris went if the filter still looked acceptable.

The K&N filter probably costs about three to four times as much as a regular air filter and claims improved performance; I don’t know if it provides that. But it has passed the replacement test since I’ve had the truck, and that’s well over 100,000 miles.

So, I think that in this case, even if the performance claims aren’t substantiated, the lower maintenance was worth the extra cost- -at least for me.

Two of my Twitter buddies who met on Twitter got married this week. Many of the guests were Twitter friends–in fact, the invitation was on Twtvite–and it all made for a high tech wedding.

And of course, since I was involved, frugality is important.

For the couple of hours we were outdoors, I was in charge of providing WiFi for the group. The wedding also was livestreamed, so Internet access was extremely important. A few WiFi hotspots were needed. While I am known to be a walking WiFi hotspot, It’s different to provide it for dozens of guests rather than a handful of people.

Fortunately, I have friends with similar if not better setups, and two of them were willing to loan them to the cause. That, and local business Hawai’i Photo Rental has a 4G Sprint Overdrive for rent–and offered guests of the wedding (both the bride and groom are avid photographers) a 30% discount.

And that’s how to do WiFi at an outdoor wedding on the cheap.

This week’s sad former millionaire gone broke story is that of former National Basketball Association star Ray Williams, now 56 years old. While he played before the time of incredible contracts, in his NBA career he earned more than two million dollars–before hitting his mid 30s.

He is now living on the streets, or more to the point, in his car–which doesn’t operate properly anymore.

Unlike many other athletes fallen on hard times it isn’t believed that drugs, alcohol, or gambling, it isn’t believed these were contributors to Williams’s fall. Rather, he hasn’t been able to hold onto a job and has suffered from horrible luck and some poor decisions.

Yet another time to point out that how much you make is important, but how much you keep is what really matters.

Professionally, my colleagues often say I am very conscious of ethics. I take this as a compliment.

Similarly, despite my desire for frugality, I try to be ethical doing it.

There are times when frugality can be unethical. For instance, borrowing a neighbor’s WiFi is (at least some places) illegal, but definitely not ethical. What about using the WiFi from a McDonalds or a Starbucks without paying for an item there?

Or, for instance, needing a piece of equipment for one event, buying it, then returning it for a full refund after the event is over?

I will admit that I have done some of these things, at least in the past. This week I actually even had the thought come through my head to go to a local cellular phone company, sign up for a mobile hotspot, use it for an event this Wednesday, then return it for a refund.

But that would not be the right thing to do.

So yes, there are ethics with frugality.

This post is cross posted with my other blog, Athletic Diabetic:

One of the things I really like is something that lasts a long, long time without needing replacement–or that can be reused over and over again with a little bit of work. Profile Designs Bar Wrap–bicycle handlebar tape for the uninitiated–is one of those things.

Since it doesn’t have adhesive, there’s nothing sticky to mess with. If it slips, just take it off and rewrap it. It’s durable–my current set has lasted through at least three rewrappings–and comfortable. And since it’s black it never really looks dirty either.

I love this stuff.

As I blogged, my aunt in Seattle passed away and I just spent considerable money out of my emergency fund to get her to the funeral. The difficult part of dealing with this is not having the money, but rather, making sure the emergency fund gets back up to snuff before there’s another emergency.

This means that frugality–which I haven’t been practicing as well as I used to–is making a comeback.

Aside from events I’ve already RSVP’d to (a wedding early next month, for instance), just about all instances of going out that aren’t inherently low cost are going by the wayside. Gifts are scaled back, as is food shopping. I’m not going to stop saving–or slow it down like I did earlier this year when taxes were bringing me down–but I am going to have to squeeze every penny as it leaves my wallet.

This is going to last for quite some time, months, in facts. It’s not going to be fun, but it is definitely necessary.