Friends, I'm interjecting some realness into the giftiness this week. I want to talk about payday loans.
The short of it: Thems be bad.
The medium of it: listen to/read any of these NPR stories.
The long of it: We ended up paying off someone's payday loans to get them out of a heap of trouble and I really wish they would have come to us before they got the high-interest loans. I mean, I really wish they weren't in trouble at all. I really wish they weren't on mental/physical/emotional hard times. I'm glad they came to us before we had to go to their funeral. But I'm pissed that the payday loan place is profiting. I'm pissed that it even came to this.
In fairness, our friend has said they'll pay us back. It's supposed to be a swap of interest-hungry loan for interest-free loan. But I'm muy skeptical. Money destroys families and friendships with things go bad. We don't want to lose friendship and money.
My PSA to friends and family: PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME BEFORE YOU GET A PAYDAY LOAN.
So for the Flip-It Friday part:
Would you ever take a payday loan?
Have you?
HAVE I SCARED YOU AWAY FROM THEM YET?!
[Steps down from soapbox. Exits stage right. Makes a ham sandwich.]
Showing posts with label finance advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label finance advice. Show all posts
Friday, December 6, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
10 Ways to Tell You've "Developmentally Lept" Into Adulthood
A Developmental Leap is when a person reached a turning point between phases of life and makes a giant step towards growing up. It's exhibited in children by being cry-y, cranky or clingy. In adults* it's exhibited by being cry-y, cranky and get-the-f#ck-off-y.
I've noticed it as such:
1) You pass up worrying about preventing gray hairs and wrinkles for wondering how they show up so quickly and being generally in awe of the transformation. Like one of those pills that, when in water, becomes a towel or a foam dinosaur.
2) You start off conversations with coworkers with the phrase, "My financial planner says..." and you get worried about other people not having a retirement plan. For both their sake and yours. You don't want your tax dollars to compensate for their lack of planning!
3) You get hair cuts with the specific intent to not look like a mom**, not draw attention and not have to spend more than 10 minutes on it***. I got my hair cut last Tuesday and literally NO ONE has said a word about it. Except The Mr, but he's legally required to notice.
4) An invitation to attend an outdoor concert seems like a trick.
5) When you happen to get in a nap, you wake up in a state similar to the twilight between drunk and hung-over and you haven't had a sip of alcohol in days. And yet... it was a wonderful nap! Let's go for broke and call an 8:30 bedtime!
6) Shopping makes you nauseous for a combination of any of the following reasons: prices, sizes, tweens, the general public, florescent lighting, touching those credit card machine buttons with your bare hands or the ease of accessibility to drive-thrus.
7) You scold someone else's unattended children in public and feel no shame. ("Hey hey hey! Watch for cars!")
8) You recognize your own slow-creeping racism/sexism that is birthed from road rage.
9) You notice a hobo pooping in the alley behind your house and, while you are disgusted, you commend him for doing it in some newspapers and at least trying to throw it away. Never mind he placed it in the recycling bin.****
10) You keep a formula letter to the city and/or bookmark the 311 website so that you can easily report downed tree limbs, blacken street lights, graffiti or that damn noise from the neighbors having a party past 10 PM*****.
*Me
**My only real request
***Even for formal occasions
****Have you read "Everybody poops"? You've gotta hand it to him. Or don't. Ew.
*****The. Nerve.
I've noticed it as such:
1) You pass up worrying about preventing gray hairs and wrinkles for wondering how they show up so quickly and being generally in awe of the transformation. Like one of those pills that, when in water, becomes a towel or a foam dinosaur.
2) You start off conversations with coworkers with the phrase, "My financial planner says..." and you get worried about other people not having a retirement plan. For both their sake and yours. You don't want your tax dollars to compensate for their lack of planning!
3) You get hair cuts with the specific intent to not look like a mom**, not draw attention and not have to spend more than 10 minutes on it***. I got my hair cut last Tuesday and literally NO ONE has said a word about it. Except The Mr, but he's legally required to notice.
4) An invitation to attend an outdoor concert seems like a trick.
5) When you happen to get in a nap, you wake up in a state similar to the twilight between drunk and hung-over and you haven't had a sip of alcohol in days. And yet... it was a wonderful nap! Let's go for broke and call an 8:30 bedtime!
6) Shopping makes you nauseous for a combination of any of the following reasons: prices, sizes, tweens, the general public, florescent lighting, touching those credit card machine buttons with your bare hands or the ease of accessibility to drive-thrus.
7) You scold someone else's unattended children in public and feel no shame. ("Hey hey hey! Watch for cars!")
8) You recognize your own slow-creeping racism/sexism that is birthed from road rage.
9) You notice a hobo pooping in the alley behind your house and, while you are disgusted, you commend him for doing it in some newspapers and at least trying to throw it away. Never mind he placed it in the recycling bin.****
10) You keep a formula letter to the city and/or bookmark the 311 website so that you can easily report downed tree limbs, blacken street lights, graffiti or that damn noise from the neighbors having a party past 10 PM*****.
*Me
**My only real request
***Even for formal occasions
****Have you read "Everybody poops"? You've gotta hand it to him. Or don't. Ew.
*****The. Nerve.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Flip-It Friday: "Just Trust Me," said the Employer with his hand in your wallet
"Just trust me" should conjure alarm when anyone says it, but when it comes to your employer and your money it's especially concerning.
Allow me to give you a hypothetical* set of circumstances:
You with me? I mean "my friend"? I mean you? I mean.... it's hypothetical.****
Moving on.
So I've read up on ESOPs a bit and understand that they can be a great way for a majority stock owner to get out of their stock in a regimented way and enjoy some tax breaks in doing so. It's good for the company because the company gets a flood of cash whenever a stock offering happens and those offerings are like clockwork. It can foster a sense of ownership among employees as their hard work is directly related to the success of the company and therefore increases any ROI.
BUT...
There are some flaws and questions that bubble up here.
(Take a deep breath. No real life hyperventilating over hypotheticals*****)
Say you were talking with your boss about this topic and s/he said something like:
"When I like working for a company, I invest in it. It shows that I am invested and good things (i.e. promotions) may happen sooner for me because I show interest."
That's like saying:
"Sure you can cut my left arm off in hopes that one day I'll be famous for being a one-armed juggler. I don't need to see your credentials or diploma on the wall. People live with one arm all the time and I'm right handed anyway! Bring on the circus!"
Ok, maybe an exaggeration, but don't you think that screams: "JUST TRUST ME".
You know who else said, "Trust me?"
Enron.
---
*Real. This is real life. Someone advise me!
**Some bright young stars just left to start their own business because they believe the current executive team is driving the company and workers away from progress.
***The company already has some level of employee ownership. It's just not taken off as some employees have received pay cuts in the past couple years and no one has received bonuses - which used to be how people bought stock.
****Real, soooo real.
*****Someone get me a paper bag!
Allow me to give you a hypothetical* set of circumstances:
- You work for a medium sized, private company that is managed by a board with a majority stock-holder/CEO/President kingpin.
- Said Maj-Stock-Ho/CEO/Prezzy is a bajillion years old and cannot walk without huffin'-shufflin'.
- Company has just experienced a small defection of top talent due to incongruous business theories**.
- To establish a plan for the future that involves transitioning Maj-Stock-Ho/CEO/Prezzy from his seat-o-power and get the underlings excited about the company, the Powers That Be have informally announced the initiative of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)***.
You with me? I mean "my friend"? I mean you? I mean.... it's hypothetical.****
Moving on.
So I've read up on ESOPs a bit and understand that they can be a great way for a majority stock owner to get out of their stock in a regimented way and enjoy some tax breaks in doing so. It's good for the company because the company gets a flood of cash whenever a stock offering happens and those offerings are like clockwork. It can foster a sense of ownership among employees as their hard work is directly related to the success of the company and therefore increases any ROI.
BUT...
There are some flaws and questions that bubble up here.
- You need to know if this ESOP is tied to your 401k and/or incentive compensation - AND it's questionable whether or not there will be any education on what type of ESOP is coming. In both cases this could mean that instead of YOU getting to chose how to invest your extra income, your company automatically puts all of your deferred retirement/bonus bucks into the same company for which you work. Which brings me to...
- You have all your eggs in one basket. Your retirement, your health insurance, your income! If your job goes away, your life is dramatically affected! Which brings me to...
- How is the stock price determined? Who holds the Powers That Be accountable? Can I get out of the stock when I want to like I can other investments? Which brings me to...
- If the value of the stock has anything to do with the shares available for purchase, does an age top-heavy company (more older folks than younger ones) mean that upcoming retirements will flood the stock pool and therefore devalue the stock for those left behind? Which brings me to....
- What if these unknowns, the age of the board members and executive team, the recent defection of these bright young-uns means that the company is not stable!? Who would buy stock in shaky company!?!?
(Take a deep breath. No real life hyperventilating over hypotheticals*****)
Say you were talking with your boss about this topic and s/he said something like:
"When I like working for a company, I invest in it. It shows that I am invested and good things (i.e. promotions) may happen sooner for me because I show interest."
That's like saying:
"Sure you can cut my left arm off in hopes that one day I'll be famous for being a one-armed juggler. I don't need to see your credentials or diploma on the wall. People live with one arm all the time and I'm right handed anyway! Bring on the circus!"
Ok, maybe an exaggeration, but don't you think that screams: "JUST TRUST ME".
You know who else said, "Trust me?"
Enron.
---
*Real. This is real life. Someone advise me!
**Some bright young stars just left to start their own business because they believe the current executive team is driving the company and workers away from progress.
***The company already has some level of employee ownership. It's just not taken off as some employees have received pay cuts in the past couple years and no one has received bonuses - which used to be how people bought stock.
****Real, soooo real.
*****Someone get me a paper bag!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
"We've Got Time!" Said Chicken Little to the Sky, Daringly.
AKA: The Dangers of Deferring Retirement Planning
(suspense) Dun, DUN, DUHHHH!
The Mr. and I started meeting with financial planners when I was 26. We interviewed a couple of them to ensure we got a good fit, as financial advisers are like other professional services where personality and relationship matter. Both of the people (from two different firms) we met with though had the same two reactions to us and our financial breakdown.
1) You guys are much younger than my usual clientele.
2) If nothing in your savings, 401k, stocks, bonds, etc. changes, you will only reach a fraction of your retirement goal by the time you want to retire.
Here are the facts about us:
I am 27, the Mr. is soon-to-be 29 (I like to round up to 30 to irk him).
We BOTH have 401ks that we max out and then some.
We have no credit card or student loan debt.
We have savings, a low-rate mortgage and a low-rate car payment.
I have some educational bonds that are vested.
The Mr. has done moderately well conservatively playing in the stock market.
The Mr. may have some inheritance, but that is uncertain at this time.
We are interested in retiring early with enough money to enjoy our golden years*.
So. I thought to myself, "Self, you're set! Look at how well you've planned and how you allocate your debts and savings! Pat your self on the back and go have a BLT**."
I and think the Mr. and I aren't far from the norm in our planning.
Many youngun's have some retirement planning in place. Some have more. Some have none. But most of us think, in my experience, that we've got time.
Here's what "time" and our pre-adviser planning would get us, according to CNN's retirement calculator:
(some spaces have been whited out for our privacy)
Blah blah blah, basically the bottom line is this:
We will only have a 55% chance of being able to retire when and how we want if we don't change our plan.
And that means taking action now. This is how we changed our tune. "Finance" is the category to notice.
The more accurate, robust breakdowns of our financial trajectory done by the professionals showed that most of our investments only made big bucks in the final, compounding years before retirement.
And think that 6-figure number is atypical for retirment? This basic calculator says that a modest retirement at a later age even costs $1.5 million, accounting for inflation! Pensions are going the way of the Atari*** and don't count on Social Security, friends!
As my vibrant 92 year old Grammy says: "You always need more than you think you do."
*Travel and buy lattes.
**Had a BLT in Minnesota that was on pita bread... I recommend it!
*** Pac-man!
(suspense) Dun, DUN, DUHHHH!
The Mr. and I started meeting with financial planners when I was 26. We interviewed a couple of them to ensure we got a good fit, as financial advisers are like other professional services where personality and relationship matter. Both of the people (from two different firms) we met with though had the same two reactions to us and our financial breakdown.
1) You guys are much younger than my usual clientele.
2) If nothing in your savings, 401k, stocks, bonds, etc. changes, you will only reach a fraction of your retirement goal by the time you want to retire.
Here are the facts about us:
I am 27, the Mr. is soon-to-be 29 (I like to round up to 30 to irk him).
We BOTH have 401ks that we max out and then some.
We have no credit card or student loan debt.
We have savings, a low-rate mortgage and a low-rate car payment.
I have some educational bonds that are vested.
The Mr. has done moderately well conservatively playing in the stock market.
The Mr. may have some inheritance, but that is uncertain at this time.
We are interested in retiring early with enough money to enjoy our golden years*.
So. I thought to myself, "Self, you're set! Look at how well you've planned and how you allocate your debts and savings! Pat your self on the back and go have a BLT**."
I and think the Mr. and I aren't far from the norm in our planning.
Many youngun's have some retirement planning in place. Some have more. Some have none. But most of us think, in my experience, that we've got time.
Here's what "time" and our pre-adviser planning would get us, according to CNN's retirement calculator:
(some spaces have been whited out for our privacy)
Blah blah blah, basically the bottom line is this:
We will only have a 55% chance of being able to retire when and how we want if we don't change our plan.
And that means taking action now. This is how we changed our tune. "Finance" is the category to notice.
The more accurate, robust breakdowns of our financial trajectory done by the professionals showed that most of our investments only made big bucks in the final, compounding years before retirement.
Two words. Compound interest.
And think that 6-figure number is atypical for retirment? This basic calculator says that a modest retirement at a later age even costs $1.5 million, accounting for inflation! Pensions are going the way of the Atari*** and don't count on Social Security, friends!
As my vibrant 92 year old Grammy says: "You always need more than you think you do."
*Travel and buy lattes.
**Had a BLT in Minnesota that was on pita bread... I recommend it!
*** Pac-man!
Friday, May 17, 2013
Flip-It Friday: "Cool" All a Facade
I was reading this article (mostly the last point that says "Hey, your girlfriend maxed out her Gap store card to buy new jeans every season. Don't be jealous. She'll carry that debt for longer than the jeans fit.") and thought about how envious I was of everyone around me in my early 20's. They had newer cars, unlimited funds for dinners out and constantly updated their wardrobe and home.
I was so embarrassed when the dog I had in college chewed up my roommate's $20 decorative pillow.
Where am I going to get a spare $20? The horror!
I didn't have a credit card in college, worked low-paying jobs and grew up modestly so I didn't go to school thinking I was going to have cool stuff. Cool was deferred until... well.... I'm still waiting.
But now that I'm older, have a stable job, married to someone with a stable job and we have our finances under control, I can finally afford to get a few "cool" things for myself and my home.
News flash.
The new rug has been ruined by chew-fancy animals.
My new black pumps (bye, bye holes!) kill my feet.
I could pretty much go to dinner anywhere tonight (not NEXT though... still hoping for tickets!), but am going to cook a meal at home using ingredients under $20.
I'm thankful for the Mr.'s and my humble ideas about finances. We come from people who have no interest in accruing debt. Neither of us were interested in brand name clothes or lavish belongings. We have spent a few pennies on travel, but it's all in the budget and we do things like eat the free breakfast at the hotel to save money for other events.
Basically stuff is stuff. Cool is a facade. Family and experiences matter.
Now look at this face!
My Godson says: "Look at you. Thinking you hot and stuff. I know you can't afford those Jimmy Choos!"
I was so embarrassed when the dog I had in college chewed up my roommate's $20 decorative pillow.
Where am I going to get a spare $20? The horror!
I didn't have a credit card in college, worked low-paying jobs and grew up modestly so I didn't go to school thinking I was going to have cool stuff. Cool was deferred until... well.... I'm still waiting.
But now that I'm older, have a stable job, married to someone with a stable job and we have our finances under control, I can finally afford to get a few "cool" things for myself and my home.
News flash.
The new rug has been ruined by chew-fancy animals.
My new black pumps (bye, bye holes!) kill my feet.
I could pretty much go to dinner anywhere tonight (not NEXT though... still hoping for tickets!), but am going to cook a meal at home using ingredients under $20.
I'm thankful for the Mr.'s and my humble ideas about finances. We come from people who have no interest in accruing debt. Neither of us were interested in brand name clothes or lavish belongings. We have spent a few pennies on travel, but it's all in the budget and we do things like eat the free breakfast at the hotel to save money for other events.
Basically stuff is stuff. Cool is a facade. Family and experiences matter.
Do you feel pressure to keep up with your friends?
Now look at this face!
My Godson says: "Look at you. Thinking you hot and stuff. I know you can't afford those Jimmy Choos!"
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Online Shopping Supports My Decision to Not Become a Parent
Searching for a gift for my niece's first birthday (Happy Birthday on the 23rd!), I narrowed my choices down to 3 and let the reviews do the choosing. Among other notes (usefulness, educational level and if it will be gender neutral to share with her brother), these negative reviews steered me toward an easy winner.
Bwahhahahah! My sister should thank me for avoiding the riotous, seizure-inducing, mouthful toys.
"Awful! Loud, chaotic, no real educational value, and worst of all not [the toy it advertised]."
"... a riot of crazy beeps, chimes, and voices goes off. We had it on the quiet setting and even so, it drove us crazy just testing it."
"...it just brings on another seizure-inducing round of flashes and shrill noises."
"... I am reluctant to let her play with it because she can fit the entire circle shapes (cookie and orange) completely into her mouth."
Bwahhahahah! My sister should thank me for avoiding the riotous, seizure-inducing, mouthful toys.
For the baby who has everything? A smartphone with 4-G, Fisher Price technology.
I'm seriously considering writing a check for her college fund. It's the ultimate educational gift and she can share with her brother, should he grow up to be a deadbeat.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Why I Won't #Ask4More Today
Today, April 9th, is Equal Pay Day. It symbolizes how far into 2013 women have to work to earn what men did in 2012.
But I won't be asking for any more today. Or this week. Or this month. Here's why:
I know my company.
Good or bad, I'm privy to some very tough and telling conversations. I know that my company is not going swimmingly right now, more like just floating. I know that some have lost their jobs and others have taken pay cuts to keep us going. I am not about to ask for more when I know others are being given less and less.
I know my industry.
The construction industry is not all the way back to normal yet. I know that labor jobs are coming back, but those are the first to go and the first to come back. They are relatively cheap for builders and architects while professional services, such as my company, are more expensive and not always brought back into the fold at the same rate.
I know my bosses.
I am valued and respected at my job. I have received inflation based raises since starting here and given opportunities that others haven't. They wouldn't do me dirty.
I have earned other perks.
I get things that are arguably better than money. I get a day to work at home once a week (hello, hair appointments and open grocery checkouts!). I am learning design with tutorials and materials on the company dime. I can expense lunches I have with interviewees. When I asked for a medication to be covered by our insurance, HR got it done. I have full design and editorial license in our blog, newsletter, Facebook and other materials. I am given a long, loose leash.
I think that women are undervalued in the workplace, I do. I know that not everyone is being paid what they should be, but that doesn't mean that everyone can demand a raise. If your company cannot give you a raise, see if there are other perks you can get. Negotiate a lifestyle, not a salary and if that includes money adjustments, so be it. Asking for more money when you know your company isn't in a good place can show that you are obtuse, unprofessional and not a team player.
Will you be asking for a raise this week? Do you negotiate things outside of your salary?
But I won't be asking for any more today. Or this week. Or this month. Here's why:
I know my company.
Good or bad, I'm privy to some very tough and telling conversations. I know that my company is not going swimmingly right now, more like just floating. I know that some have lost their jobs and others have taken pay cuts to keep us going. I am not about to ask for more when I know others are being given less and less.
I know my industry.
The construction industry is not all the way back to normal yet. I know that labor jobs are coming back, but those are the first to go and the first to come back. They are relatively cheap for builders and architects while professional services, such as my company, are more expensive and not always brought back into the fold at the same rate.
I know my bosses.
I am valued and respected at my job. I have received inflation based raises since starting here and given opportunities that others haven't. They wouldn't do me dirty.
I have earned other perks.
I get things that are arguably better than money. I get a day to work at home once a week (hello, hair appointments and open grocery checkouts!). I am learning design with tutorials and materials on the company dime. I can expense lunches I have with interviewees. When I asked for a medication to be covered by our insurance, HR got it done. I have full design and editorial license in our blog, newsletter, Facebook and other materials. I am given a long, loose leash.
I think that women are undervalued in the workplace, I do. I know that not everyone is being paid what they should be, but that doesn't mean that everyone can demand a raise. If your company cannot give you a raise, see if there are other perks you can get. Negotiate a lifestyle, not a salary and if that includes money adjustments, so be it. Asking for more money when you know your company isn't in a good place can show that you are obtuse, unprofessional and not a team player.
Will you be asking for a raise this week? Do you negotiate things outside of your salary?
Monday, March 25, 2013
Spring Clean Week - Money Tip: Don't Buy The Small Stuff
Don't Sweat Buy The Small Stuff
I was out with some friends at The Container Store a few years ago. Despite being an organization store, this place is really interesting. Cubbies in every color. Hooks that hang on doors, drawers and walls. Shoe boxes that fit all styles and then tetris together in a neat cube! Fun and practical!
TCS had a line of acrylic boxes in all shapes and sizes with lids. I think that they were intended to be used for office supplies, but some of the boxes were so ridiculously small that not even a paperclip would fit. Fun and NOT practical? Let's all buy one!
So we all bought a tiny box for no reason and mine sat on a bookshelf for at least 3 years, collecting dust.
When it came time to purge it, I was reluctant to throw it away. I mean... its a durable, colored plastic box. And it's so cute. But what is it doing for me? Nothing! I never used it and I just ended up knocking it around when I dusted because it was so tiny, light and flick-a-ble.
I try to remember this item's trajectory through my life whenever I want to buy a decorative bowl from a flash sale site or Goodwill... when I think I could get a deal on a great pair or black flats... when I insist that I will use a milk frother at home!
I am challenging myself to leave a shelf empty, a wall bare and a corner vacant! I will throw away holey underwear, I will take that box to the thrift shop (saw Macklemore this past Saturday- waddup!?), I will hold back from buying seasonal/holiday*/temporary items (not that I do this much, but it IS tempting)!
And most importantly, I won't invest in small things. If it's not important or vital, I'll try to do without it. I may acquire things that are small in size, but big in value, but I won't deal with the petty.
*This could be another post. Do you buy holiday themed things that can't be used year round? Do you spend money on things that are disposable for the holidays? Do you throw parties with tons of trinkets?
I was out with some friends at The Container Store a few years ago. Despite being an organization store, this place is really interesting. Cubbies in every color. Hooks that hang on doors, drawers and walls. Shoe boxes that fit all styles and then tetris together in a neat cube! Fun and practical!
TCS had a line of acrylic boxes in all shapes and sizes with lids. I think that they were intended to be used for office supplies, but some of the boxes were so ridiculously small that not even a paperclip would fit. Fun and NOT practical? Let's all buy one!
So we all bought a tiny box for no reason and mine sat on a bookshelf for at least 3 years, collecting dust.
When it came time to purge it, I was reluctant to throw it away. I mean... its a durable, colored plastic box. And it's so cute. But what is it doing for me? Nothing! I never used it and I just ended up knocking it around when I dusted because it was so tiny, light and flick-a-ble.
I try to remember this item's trajectory through my life whenever I want to buy a decorative bowl from a flash sale site or Goodwill... when I think I could get a deal on a great pair or black flats... when I insist that I will use a milk frother at home!
I am challenging myself to leave a shelf empty, a wall bare and a corner vacant! I will throw away holey underwear, I will take that box to the thrift shop (saw Macklemore this past Saturday- waddup!?), I will hold back from buying seasonal/holiday*/temporary items (not that I do this much, but it IS tempting)!
And most importantly, I won't invest in small things. If it's not important or vital, I'll try to do without it. I may acquire things that are small in size, but big in value, but I won't deal with the petty.
*This could be another post. Do you buy holiday themed things that can't be used year round? Do you spend money on things that are disposable for the holidays? Do you throw parties with tons of trinkets?
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Common Sense Wednesday: You Down With CSC/DoD? You Know, Conspiracy!
I watch enough documentaries and political/government dramas (hello Scandal! hello Homeland!) to make me a nut job when it comes to trusting the government, but hear me out.
A few weeks ago the NBC Nightly News (whadup, Bryan Q. Williams!) featured a story about how the Department of Defense fleeced American taxpayers by conducting a runaway $1 billion dollar technology project that produced zero results or usable product (or some results if you count "lessons learned").
Today I was Googling to find this article and reference it for work. I looked on several news sources, including NBC, and even calling the Mr. to have him look it up got me nothing.
The story was nearly nowhere. It had either been taken down by NBC because, at two weeks old, it's now old news OR... the main contractor on the project, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), put some lawyer muscle into this and asked that the tracks be wiped OR...
Conspiracy!
How else would the story have been wiped from all other news sources too?
I'm not sure what the truth is, but I know that if you somehow read of me being locked up for insanity or killed in a freak accident, know that I was right!
Who am I kidding. You won't read about it. They control the papers!
Well, you might read about me in the IEEE Spectrum because that's where I was able to find the real story about CSC and the DoD.
When I searched for "Bryan Williams" on Pinterest, I got this image. I was immediately sold on it's incongruity and turn-of-the-century sex appeal - HA!
A few weeks ago the NBC Nightly News (whadup, Bryan Q. Williams!) featured a story about how the Department of Defense fleeced American taxpayers by conducting a runaway $1 billion dollar technology project that produced zero results or usable product (or some results if you count "lessons learned").
Today I was Googling to find this article and reference it for work. I looked on several news sources, including NBC, and even calling the Mr. to have him look it up got me nothing.
The story was nearly nowhere. It had either been taken down by NBC because, at two weeks old, it's now old news OR... the main contractor on the project, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), put some lawyer muscle into this and asked that the tracks be wiped OR...
Conspiracy!
How else would the story have been wiped from all other news sources too?
I'm not sure what the truth is, but I know that if you somehow read of me being locked up for insanity or killed in a freak accident, know that I was right!
Who am I kidding. You won't read about it. They control the papers!
Well, you might read about me in the IEEE Spectrum because that's where I was able to find the real story about CSC and the DoD.
When I searched for "Bryan Williams" on Pinterest, I got this image. I was immediately sold on it's incongruity and turn-of-the-century sex appeal - HA!
Monday, February 25, 2013
How to Make Terrible Things Benefit You
Punchline: start a blog.
Basically it's the concept behind the phrase, "You may not find this funny now, but you'll laugh about this later."
It's like this:
When we were buying a car over the weekend (more on that tomorrow, I think), we were seeing what we could get for our '98 Honda as a trade-in.
We were hoping for a few grand as the car is under 150k miles and we kept it up pretty well and, well, its still running!
Then the dealers all showed us how we'd never be able to sell it for a couple grand...
because the odometer had "potentially" been rolled back.
Why potentially? It was so obvious that it had because the Carfax report showed it having lower mileage in 2004 than when we bought it in 2011.
Either someone rolled it back generously or the car was driven backwards and Ferris Bueller was totally right!
Fast forward to today and we were potentially driving a 200k mile death wagon. I mean, the car would just slow down sometimes for no reason.
Not to mention it rattled over everylittle big winter pothole at which the Chicago plows have chipped away.
Not to mention that the check engine light was on for so long that it eventually went off... like when you're telling a story in a crowded room, everyone sips their drink and looks away, so you eventually stop the futile story mid-sentence.
So the questions that we're all asking can be answered the same way.
Why did we think we were getting any money for this car?
Why didn't we run a Carfax ourselves? (The dealers told us that every yahoo buyer runs a Carfax*)
Why didn't we just ask someone to fit it for a pair of cement tires?
Why were we still driving the Honda death-ccord?
And why didn't we get so mad at the prospect of this car being a total waste of money?
Because it would make a great story for the blog!
And twitter.
One of my favorite tweets from the whole ordeal was when the dealer told us that it would cost them more to take the car to auction than it was worth. Basically, they wanted us to pay them extra just to take the Murder Accord off of our hands.
*Learned our lesson
Basically it's the concept behind the phrase, "You may not find this funny now, but you'll laugh about this later."
It's like this:
When we were buying a car over the weekend (more on that tomorrow, I think), we were seeing what we could get for our '98 Honda as a trade-in.
We were hoping for a few grand as the car is under 150k miles and we kept it up pretty well and, well, its still running!
Then the dealers all showed us how we'd never be able to sell it for a couple grand...
because the odometer had "potentially" been rolled back.
Why potentially? It was so obvious that it had because the Carfax report showed it having lower mileage in 2004 than when we bought it in 2011.
Either someone rolled it back generously or the car was driven backwards and Ferris Bueller was totally right!
Fast forward to today and we were potentially driving a 200k mile death wagon. I mean, the car would just slow down sometimes for no reason.
Not to mention it rattled over every
Not to mention that the check engine light was on for so long that it eventually went off... like when you're telling a story in a crowded room, everyone sips their drink and looks away, so you eventually stop the futile story mid-sentence.
So the questions that we're all asking can be answered the same way.
Why did we think we were getting any money for this car?
Why didn't we run a Carfax ourselves? (The dealers told us that every yahoo buyer runs a Carfax*)
Why didn't we just ask someone to fit it for a pair of cement tires?
Why were we still driving the Honda death-ccord?
And why didn't we get so mad at the prospect of this car being a total waste of money?
Because it would make a great story for the blog!
And twitter.
One of my favorite tweets from the whole ordeal was when the dealer told us that it would cost them more to take the car to auction than it was worth. Basically, they wanted us to pay them extra just to take the Murder Accord off of our hands.
*Learned our lesson
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Paycheck, Needs, Wants, Under-the-Mattress
Income, Spending, Saving
I read that your income should be broken down as 50% Needs, 30% Wants and 20% Savings.
I used our Mint.com to factor what we really spend.
Considering Net, post-taxes, post-retirement-contribution, we are 50/24/26.
That makes for a nice nest-egg, I think, but a weird-shaped woman (Dolly Parton, maybe?).
I read that your income should be broken down as 50% Needs, 30% Wants and 20% Savings.
I used our Mint.com to factor what we really spend.
Considering Net, post-taxes, post-retirement-contribution, we are 50/24/26.
That makes for a nice nest-egg, I think, but a weird-shaped woman (Dolly Parton, maybe?).
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Tipsy Tuesday: Just Say No to School
I'm done with school.
Don't get me wrong, I loved school at all levels and plan to be a life-long learner (hello reading!), but until collegiate learning is more affordable, I won't go back.
I was reading this girl's tale about graduating with 6-figure debt. She and I have parallel lives (grew up on a tight budget, got scholarships for undergrad, got degrees in Creative Writing and Psychology, graduated with no debt) right up until she decides to go back to school.
I'm taking this as the final sign that I should take grad school off the table.
Listen, I know for some of you out there, higher degrees have helped your career and you are making 3-fold what you would have made without that masters/doctorate. To you, I say my new favorite phrase:
"Good on ya."
But the rest of you. C'mon! Creative Writing or other "arts" don't need a higher degree... especially if you cannot afford it! Unless scholarships/fellowships/dad is willing to pay for it, your 6-figure debt in loans will not be worth it. You'll never be able to pay it back without a lifetime of sacrifice.
Come. on.
I've been guilty of thinking about getting a masters. I wanted to do it. I love school, learning and the idea that I can add an entire other line to my resume. But it would never be worth it.
I'm going to use my psychology (bah!) to list some words that might describe you who are pursing higher degrees for no other reason than the love of syllabi, freshly sharpened pencils and earning A's instead of $'s. If any of these resonate, take heart and stop wasting your time and money:
Coward
That's right, you may be a coward. You may be afraid to try and fail. You may be worried that no one will like your work. You may be worried that the real world is hard.
Idiot
You might be an idiot if you think that a master's degree is the sand in which you may stick your ostrich-head while you wait for the storm of low employment to pass and the economy to turn around.
Math-Challenged Idiot
You're this special breed of idiot if you think that your masters degree will guarantee you more money and therefore will be worth the expense. Life costs more than you think. For instance, you need to account for taxes. Take your potential salary and lop off a third of it. Use a calculator if you have to.
Elitist
You may be afraid to work a job you think is beneath you. You are better than the rest of us. You are so smart. You will wow us all at parties one day. But you won't be invited to those parties if you stink of pretension and too-poor-for-deodorant.
Parasite
You are totally okay with living off the land (Walden style) or living off of others (Tinker Grey style). Some may have sympathy for you and give you a hand-out. "This starving artist I know", they'd say. I'm not saying that struggling for your art is bad; I am saying that planning on relying on others is bad. And relying on them when you could have avoided some massive debt is bad. Heaven help you if you rub elbows with Republicans.
Lesson? Don't go back to school if you can't afford it.
Any of those sound familiar?
Are you in a master's program and you see a light at the end of the tunnel, both financially and career-wise?
Did you get your masters/doctorate and regret it?
Do you regret undergrad?
Am I too harsh? Comment and chew me out :)
Don't get me wrong, I loved school at all levels and plan to be a life-long learner (hello reading!), but until collegiate learning is more affordable, I won't go back.
I was reading this girl's tale about graduating with 6-figure debt. She and I have parallel lives (grew up on a tight budget, got scholarships for undergrad, got degrees in Creative Writing and Psychology, graduated with no debt) right up until she decides to go back to school.
I'm taking this as the final sign that I should take grad school off the table.
Listen, I know for some of you out there, higher degrees have helped your career and you are making 3-fold what you would have made without that masters/doctorate. To you, I say my new favorite phrase:
"Good on ya."
But the rest of you. C'mon! Creative Writing or other "arts" don't need a higher degree... especially if you cannot afford it! Unless scholarships/fellowships/dad is willing to pay for it, your 6-figure debt in loans will not be worth it. You'll never be able to pay it back without a lifetime of sacrifice.
Come. on.
I've been guilty of thinking about getting a masters. I wanted to do it. I love school, learning and the idea that I can add an entire other line to my resume. But it would never be worth it.
I'm going to use my psychology (bah!) to list some words that might describe you who are pursing higher degrees for no other reason than the love of syllabi, freshly sharpened pencils and earning A's instead of $'s. If any of these resonate, take heart and stop wasting your time and money:
Coward
That's right, you may be a coward. You may be afraid to try and fail. You may be worried that no one will like your work. You may be worried that the real world is hard.
Idiot
You might be an idiot if you think that a master's degree is the sand in which you may stick your ostrich-head while you wait for the storm of low employment to pass and the economy to turn around.
Math-Challenged Idiot
You're this special breed of idiot if you think that your masters degree will guarantee you more money and therefore will be worth the expense. Life costs more than you think. For instance, you need to account for taxes. Take your potential salary and lop off a third of it. Use a calculator if you have to.
Elitist
You may be afraid to work a job you think is beneath you. You are better than the rest of us. You are so smart. You will wow us all at parties one day. But you won't be invited to those parties if you stink of pretension and too-poor-for-deodorant.
Parasite
You are totally okay with living off the land (Walden style) or living off of others (Tinker Grey style). Some may have sympathy for you and give you a hand-out. "This starving artist I know", they'd say. I'm not saying that struggling for your art is bad; I am saying that planning on relying on others is bad. And relying on them when you could have avoided some massive debt is bad. Heaven help you if you rub elbows with Republicans.
Lesson? Don't go back to school if you can't afford it.
Any of those sound familiar?
Are you in a master's program and you see a light at the end of the tunnel, both financially and career-wise?
Did you get your masters/doctorate and regret it?
Do you regret undergrad?
Am I too harsh? Comment and chew me out :)
Thursday, June 28, 2012
(Pre)Friday Flip-It: Taco Supreme Court Ruling: Nacho Grandma's Healthcare
What do you call cheese that doesn't belong to you?
... Nacho cheese!
Heyo! (Does that give the title some context?)
I can't wait until Friday to flip-it on you guys. Tell me: What do you think about the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the new proposed healthcare law?
Comment below with:
- Your health insurance status (have vs. not-have)
- Your political views (if you're comfortable sharing them - I showed you mine, remember?)
- How you currently pay for healthcare/how much you need (i.e. Are you chronically sick?)
Aaaand to lighten it up, here's Katy Perry:
I can't say what it is. I think it's her low female voice (a contralto, Wikipedia says). I won't read Twilight, The Hunger Games or finish the Harry Potter series, but I will watch Katy on YouTube... on repeat. There you have it, I'm a book snob but a chick-pop junkie.
Also an update on the hair. Here's day 2 of the Keratin Treatment:
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I wrapped it up last night to shower, but was still worried about the humidity in the shower frizzing it out. I blew it out with a hair dryer for about a minute just to make sure that it was totally dry. This morning I combed it slightly and ran out the door.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Healthcare Rant: Update!
Remember this post on the screwed-up nature of healthcare and my own personal woes with prescription coverage? (Dad, this is the post I said you could skip reading since it related to women's health. Likewise you can skip this one ... it includes a personal story, so just be warned.)
---
Well, here's what I did about the IUD situation:
The last week in May: I spoke with my HR department about the fact that IUDs aren't covered by our spectacular insurance even though the doctor's visit to *cough* "place them" are. She said that there's likely nothing we can do since it isn't in the plan, but she thought it was weird that only IUDs were explicit from the plan when other forms of more expensive birth control were covered. She said she'd talk to our insurance broker and see what the reasoning was behind that decision.
Monday, June 4th: I went to see my lady doc (who, by the way, is the best lady doc I've ever had. I'm not going to share her name because I want to make sure she doesn't get too popular and not have time for me. Do you keep any secrets like this?). Mr. S left the ultimate IUD decision up to me. I decided it was now or never and scheduled a same-day appointment for the 4th (there were time constraints on when this could be done). Let me remind you that this was a $1,000 product, not currently covered by my insurance.
(Skip to the bottom to see how the whole IUD thing went. Again, men in my life other than S, you may not want to read that.)
Tuesday, June 5th: Felt crappy, but was glad I did it.
Wednesday, June 13th: HR manager comes to me and says, "So, in talking to our broker we thought that it was strange that it wasn't covered. It wasn't covered in our old plan, and when we switched brokers, we just copy/pasted the whole plan without revising things. We are slowly revising things to meet the current need and this is one of the things we chose to revise. As of July 1st, we will cover the procedure and the pharmaceutical product."
I then say, "That's nice, but I already had it done." I had no reason to wait since they gave me no indication that there would be any change. I made it clear that I had to do the procedure at a certain time of the month and that time came and went.
HR then said that if I could get my doctor to forward-date the procedure to have happened in July, then it would be covered.
I then call my doctor's billing department, my insurance company and get a sort of run-around saying that my HR department or insurance broker would have to write a letter to the insurance company saying that the procedure would be covered on the date it was given. They can't just change procedure dates.
I go back to HR and tell them what I find and she said that she'd go back to the broker and see what they could do.
Thursday, June 14th: HR manager comes to me and says that they have looked up my insurance claim and have agreed to backdate the coverage to include my procedure and the expensive product used!
I'm so happy I could cry. Life isn't fair for me ... in a good way.
Advice I can tell you that I learned from this experience:
- Always call your insurance company to see what is covered on your plan. Ask questions if it doesn't make sense.
- When calling your insurance company, make sure you get the reference number attached to your conversation. This way, if you have to call them back you can pick up in the conversation where you left off.
- Price shop other, comparable procedures/pharmaceuticals and see if you can bargain with your HR/insurance broker - it helps make your case!
- If you feel your insurance should cover something that it doesn't, you can file a grievance appeal after the claim has gone through.
- It never hurts to ask!
---
The IUD Sitch
Since the IUD has to be placed during a certain point in your cycle, I needed it to be put in on short notice. I went back and forth with the doc about pain killers as I've heard and read that this is a painful procedure. She offered to call me in something stronger, but said that Vicodin wouldn't help me as much as I thought because of the type of pain (inflammation) that it would be. She suggested I take a strong amount of ibuprofen right as I get into the docs office. So, I went with the Advil.
Holy balls that was the worst 90 seconds of my life. Intense pain. The kind where I didn't know what to do with my hands and they were shaking and squeezing my stomach. Thank Jesus that I didn't move and that my doc is a pro at these (already did a few that day even before I got in the office!) because she said it could take up to 5 minutes to do, but only took us 90 seconds. After the preliminary measurement and actual placement was over, I felt immediate relief. Like-just-hit-the-ground-after-nearly-falling-out-of-your-parachute-harness relief. She had me lie their for a few minutes to get my bearings and calm down from the adrenaline rush.
I imagine that this was like getting a piercing on an internal organ. The initial pain is awful, but the adrenaline is addictive. Don't get me wrong. I don't want to do this again, but I can see where people are coming from with tattoos/piercings. I'd had piercings (3 in the ears, 1 in the nose), but none hurt like this.
So anyway, the first day was mostly shocking, but I was ok. The next day, thankfully, I worked from home. I would have needed to take a sick day if I didn't work from home. I felt crampy all day and was couch-ridden. Nothing I haven't experienced before with normal woman-issues. I have taken ibuprofen off-and-on for the past week to maintain the pain, but it's only gotten better. Some days I need no meds or heating pad at all.
---
Well, here's what I did about the IUD situation:
The last week in May: I spoke with my HR department about the fact that IUDs aren't covered by our spectacular insurance even though the doctor's visit to *cough* "place them" are. She said that there's likely nothing we can do since it isn't in the plan, but she thought it was weird that only IUDs were explicit from the plan when other forms of more expensive birth control were covered. She said she'd talk to our insurance broker and see what the reasoning was behind that decision.
Monday, June 4th: I went to see my lady doc (who, by the way, is the best lady doc I've ever had. I'm not going to share her name because I want to make sure she doesn't get too popular and not have time for me. Do you keep any secrets like this?). Mr. S left the ultimate IUD decision up to me. I decided it was now or never and scheduled a same-day appointment for the 4th (there were time constraints on when this could be done). Let me remind you that this was a $1,000 product, not currently covered by my insurance.
(Skip to the bottom to see how the whole IUD thing went. Again, men in my life other than S, you may not want to read that.)
Tuesday, June 5th: Felt crappy, but was glad I did it.
Wednesday, June 13th: HR manager comes to me and says, "So, in talking to our broker we thought that it was strange that it wasn't covered. It wasn't covered in our old plan, and when we switched brokers, we just copy/pasted the whole plan without revising things. We are slowly revising things to meet the current need and this is one of the things we chose to revise. As of July 1st, we will cover the procedure and the pharmaceutical product."
I then say, "That's nice, but I already had it done." I had no reason to wait since they gave me no indication that there would be any change. I made it clear that I had to do the procedure at a certain time of the month and that time came and went.
HR then said that if I could get my doctor to forward-date the procedure to have happened in July, then it would be covered.
I then call my doctor's billing department, my insurance company and get a sort of run-around saying that my HR department or insurance broker would have to write a letter to the insurance company saying that the procedure would be covered on the date it was given. They can't just change procedure dates.
I go back to HR and tell them what I find and she said that she'd go back to the broker and see what they could do.
Thursday, June 14th: HR manager comes to me and says that they have looked up my insurance claim and have agreed to backdate the coverage to include my procedure and the expensive product used!
I'm so happy I could cry. Life isn't fair for me ... in a good way.
Advice I can tell you that I learned from this experience:
- Always call your insurance company to see what is covered on your plan. Ask questions if it doesn't make sense.
- When calling your insurance company, make sure you get the reference number attached to your conversation. This way, if you have to call them back you can pick up in the conversation where you left off.
- Price shop other, comparable procedures/pharmaceuticals and see if you can bargain with your HR/insurance broker - it helps make your case!
- If you feel your insurance should cover something that it doesn't, you can file a grievance appeal after the claim has gone through.
- It never hurts to ask!
---
The IUD Sitch
Since the IUD has to be placed during a certain point in your cycle, I needed it to be put in on short notice. I went back and forth with the doc about pain killers as I've heard and read that this is a painful procedure. She offered to call me in something stronger, but said that Vicodin wouldn't help me as much as I thought because of the type of pain (inflammation) that it would be. She suggested I take a strong amount of ibuprofen right as I get into the docs office. So, I went with the Advil.
Holy balls that was the worst 90 seconds of my life. Intense pain. The kind where I didn't know what to do with my hands and they were shaking and squeezing my stomach. Thank Jesus that I didn't move and that my doc is a pro at these (already did a few that day even before I got in the office!) because she said it could take up to 5 minutes to do, but only took us 90 seconds. After the preliminary measurement and actual placement was over, I felt immediate relief. Like-just-hit-the-ground-after-nearly-falling-out-of-your-parachute-harness relief. She had me lie their for a few minutes to get my bearings and calm down from the adrenaline rush.
I imagine that this was like getting a piercing on an internal organ. The initial pain is awful, but the adrenaline is addictive. Don't get me wrong. I don't want to do this again, but I can see where people are coming from with tattoos/piercings. I'd had piercings (3 in the ears, 1 in the nose), but none hurt like this.
So anyway, the first day was mostly shocking, but I was ok. The next day, thankfully, I worked from home. I would have needed to take a sick day if I didn't work from home. I felt crampy all day and was couch-ridden. Nothing I haven't experienced before with normal woman-issues. I have taken ibuprofen off-and-on for the past week to maintain the pain, but it's only gotten better. Some days I need no meds or heating pad at all.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
What We Can Learn from Wine: The Economy
According to this article in The Atlantic, the market for fine wine is taking a downward turn just like the world economy.
The article sites the Chinese as being a gauge for economic and consumer trends. China has been on the upswing for wine consumption, namely French varieties and status labels. As my cousin Mary Oakley would say, the Chinese are buying up wine in exhibition of "face". They choose traditionally expensive wines from France and buy from major suppliers with well-known, expensive products. This gives them the insurance of getting a great wine all-the-while impressing those that come to dinner or just see the bottle sitting on the shelf. Like having an impractical car in the garage.
While Mr. S and I were in Napa, we learned that the Asian cultures are much more into wine now than they used to be. Some of the wineries had large export markets going right to Japan and China. They claimed that Asian cultures were getting into wine they way a teenager would - breaking into their affluent parent's wine cellar and taking the fanciest bottle (my words, not theirs). Since France is known for wine, French wines are the equivalent of a bright pink bottle with rhinestones and a blinking cork.
BUT. Relatively recent inclusion of California wines into European tastes tests prove that American wines can be just as impressive as (and in some cases, more so than) their French grandparents.
Now, this article only mentioned that the Chinese weren't buying as much French Bordeaux as they used to, and that they are branching out to other regional, French wines. Is the article leaving out American wines to make a point on the instability of wine sales? Are the Chinese just not as hot on American wines... yet? Or am I just overly patriotic of our wines and therefore should support the wine industry and buy local :)
A plug for buying local: Wine is traditionally stored and shipped in heavy glass bottles. It takes more oil and resources to ship wine from Australia or Chile than it does from California. And if you live in the Midwest, it takes more oil to ship from California than it does from Illinois. Support your local economy, U.S. regulated working conditions, lower carbon emissions, and lower fuel usage by buying local.
The article sites the Chinese as being a gauge for economic and consumer trends. China has been on the upswing for wine consumption, namely French varieties and status labels. As my cousin Mary Oakley would say, the Chinese are buying up wine in exhibition of "face". They choose traditionally expensive wines from France and buy from major suppliers with well-known, expensive products. This gives them the insurance of getting a great wine all-the-while impressing those that come to dinner or just see the bottle sitting on the shelf. Like having an impractical car in the garage.
While Mr. S and I were in Napa, we learned that the Asian cultures are much more into wine now than they used to be. Some of the wineries had large export markets going right to Japan and China. They claimed that Asian cultures were getting into wine they way a teenager would - breaking into their affluent parent's wine cellar and taking the fanciest bottle (my words, not theirs). Since France is known for wine, French wines are the equivalent of a bright pink bottle with rhinestones and a blinking cork.
BUT. Relatively recent inclusion of California wines into European tastes tests prove that American wines can be just as impressive as (and in some cases, more so than) their French grandparents.
Now, this article only mentioned that the Chinese weren't buying as much French Bordeaux as they used to, and that they are branching out to other regional, French wines. Is the article leaving out American wines to make a point on the instability of wine sales? Are the Chinese just not as hot on American wines... yet? Or am I just overly patriotic of our wines and therefore should support the wine industry and buy local :)
Purple Toad from Paducah, KY. I got this wine from my parents when they visited Paducah.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Tipsy Tuesday: How to Save on Utilities
We love being thrifty, don't we?
In light of this post by Newlyweds on a Budget, what are your utilities? Do articles like this cause you to look at what you spend on utilities?
What we spend:
Hulu: $8 for extra content and HD (Mr. S likes that)
Netflix: $8 (streaming only)
Cable/Internet bundle: $50 (We'll get a break on this from S's employer for his working from home and it will only be $30!)
Cell phones: $200 (We get reimbursed portions of it as we are the executors of a family plan with several people AND S's job will give us a break on it since he won't opt to get a work phone which will bring this down to $70 for us!)
Gas: $40
Electric: $50
Yikes. That looks like more than I thought when it's all lined up!
Anywho, we've been able to add in some luxuries lately (so thankful for turning the AC on in 90 degree heat!) and have skimped in the past. Here's how we cut corners.
1) No cable. Cable used to leave a big whole in a person's life if they had to give it up. But now that Hulu and Netflix are available, why bother?! The only reason we have it is because it was super cheap with the internet (they're practically giving it away now!).
2) Share internet. If you live in a multi-unit building or even in a close neighborhood, you can piggyback internet for general web-surfing with no slowing speeds. If you are working from home or running a data center out of your house (ha), then this might not be a good option, but for general email or hulu-ing, this can work. We did this for a while and it worked ok (for only paying $20 a month for our portion).
3) Cell phone family plans. You see those deals all the time to add-a-line to your current plan. If you and a few family members/friends share a plan, you can save a ton of money.
4) Hulu. It's free without HD, and free is pretty affordable! (You can also read. My book club is reading this book. Anyone else read it?)
5) Dress for the weather, not for style. I wear thick hiking socks to bed in the winter and walk around pants-less in the summer. It saves on heating and cooling and I get to use a full range of my wardrobe. Win win! If you're cold in the winter, get a fleece and a blanket. Some people complain that our house is roasting or freezing and to them I say, "I'll change the temp when you agree to pay the bill!" I love the adventure of seeing how little we can pay for energy. I think I'm a masochist!
Do you do anything to save on utilities? Do you consider more than just the bottom line when you adjust your habits? We also like feeling that we're saving the environment by sweating in the summer!
In light of this post by Newlyweds on a Budget, what are your utilities? Do articles like this cause you to look at what you spend on utilities?
What we spend:
Hulu: $8 for extra content and HD (Mr. S likes that)
Netflix: $8 (streaming only)
Cable/Internet bundle: $50 (We'll get a break on this from S's employer for his working from home and it will only be $30!)
Cell phones: $200 (We get reimbursed portions of it as we are the executors of a family plan with several people AND S's job will give us a break on it since he won't opt to get a work phone which will bring this down to $70 for us!)
Gas: $40
Electric: $50
Yikes. That looks like more than I thought when it's all lined up!
Anywho, we've been able to add in some luxuries lately (so thankful for turning the AC on in 90 degree heat!) and have skimped in the past. Here's how we cut corners.
1) No cable. Cable used to leave a big whole in a person's life if they had to give it up. But now that Hulu and Netflix are available, why bother?! The only reason we have it is because it was super cheap with the internet (they're practically giving it away now!).
2) Share internet. If you live in a multi-unit building or even in a close neighborhood, you can piggyback internet for general web-surfing with no slowing speeds. If you are working from home or running a data center out of your house (ha), then this might not be a good option, but for general email or hulu-ing, this can work. We did this for a while and it worked ok (for only paying $20 a month for our portion).
3) Cell phone family plans. You see those deals all the time to add-a-line to your current plan. If you and a few family members/friends share a plan, you can save a ton of money.
4) Hulu. It's free without HD, and free is pretty affordable! (You can also read. My book club is reading this book. Anyone else read it?)
5) Dress for the weather, not for style. I wear thick hiking socks to bed in the winter and walk around pants-less in the summer. It saves on heating and cooling and I get to use a full range of my wardrobe. Win win! If you're cold in the winter, get a fleece and a blanket. Some people complain that our house is roasting or freezing and to them I say, "I'll change the temp when you agree to pay the bill!" I love the adventure of seeing how little we can pay for energy. I think I'm a masochist!
Do you do anything to save on utilities? Do you consider more than just the bottom line when you adjust your habits? We also like feeling that we're saving the environment by sweating in the summer!
Dusting Off the Soapbox: a Rant on Healthcare
Close your ears, dad; it's another rant on women's health and healthcare. You can skip this one and come back later today for a normal Tipsy Tuesday :)
---
Fuckin' insurance.
There, I said it.
I have some of the best insurance around. Everything is covered. Even massages (I know!). The dentist is cheap, they cover my eyeglasses and mental health counseling is even free! My company really believes in taking care of people. There is a woman in my office who, with complications, had a baby for only $40 out of pocket. $40 beans, people! She had to pay the copay to see the doctor to diagnose her pregnancy and then another $20 to see a specialist to diagnose her complications. Even delivery was covered by our provider. Holy hell, that's nice.
Not everyone is this lucky. I know cause this is the first job I've had that has insurance and really takes care of you. I know I've got it good.
I thought I saw no wrong until I went to the doc today. Regular checky-check. Nothing to write home about. I even got some great no-baby solutions from the lady-doc that would be long-term and relatively hormone free (me thinks me found a winner!). She suggested I see if insurance covered it before scheduling the implementation of this solution.
Mother F-balls, IUDs cost $1,000 and aren't covered by my insurance. And that's just the cost of the product, not including the in-office procedure. Ironically, the office visit is covered. I can go see the doc, but she can't DO anything.
Now, I'm not mother (and I plan not to be for a long time, if ever), but I know that having a baby costs a ton of money. Just being pregnant costs money with ultrasounds, vitamins, doc visits, etc. Then you have to actually have the thing which translates to some hospital time (or birthing center time.... or birthing tub with herbal incense and waterfall music time) and then re-translates to: MONEY. Thousands of dollars. And that's just if everything goes well! And that's also just what people pay out of pocket who even have insurance... let's just imagine what the insurance company is paying for someone to have a baby on their plan. Hell, some women can't get insurance once their pregnant because it's too much of a money-suck on the insurance. (So messed up. Deep breaths into a paper bag.)
Tell me if this is messed up: I can get a massage discounted at 80% on my insurance but I cannot help save the provider money and my employer time and money (hello maternity leave!) by getting a break on contraceptives? Messed up?
I can tell you that my company would not be happy to deal with my potential long-term leave right now. Not that I'm invaluable, but that our team has had a lot of shifts lately (resignations, new-hires, new initiatives that I am managing) and my boss has flat-out said that the only thing that could ruin his day (after my cohort resigned) was if I came to him and told him I was pregnant.
Moral of this story - if birth control were covered by insurance, if my provider and I could split the difference of this IUD, if the mother-f-ing Catholic church would stop suing over contraception then maybe the US would have fewer unplanned pregnancies, fewer unfit or unprepared mothers or fewer families incurring financial, emotional and physical strain! And let's not forget that the buck doesn't stop with those strained families; it passes right on through (like a corn nugget in a turd) to the communities and ultimately the taxpayers (cough - that's you!).
After all, the legislation isn't staying that you have to use contraception, it's just saying that you have the right to have access to it like you would any other medication. Now, I don't know if IUDs would be covered in Obamacare, but the whole ordeal did get me thinking about medication, women's rights and what is holding back healthcare.
What do you think? Am I missing something crucial here that makes this all make sense?
Disclaimer: I love Jesus. I love families. I love America. I stand by Planned Parenthood, the God that created liberty and the country that allows for it. Now, let's come together!
---
Fuckin' insurance.
There, I said it.
I have some of the best insurance around. Everything is covered. Even massages (I know!). The dentist is cheap, they cover my eyeglasses and mental health counseling is even free! My company really believes in taking care of people. There is a woman in my office who, with complications, had a baby for only $40 out of pocket. $40 beans, people! She had to pay the copay to see the doctor to diagnose her pregnancy and then another $20 to see a specialist to diagnose her complications. Even delivery was covered by our provider. Holy hell, that's nice.
Not everyone is this lucky. I know cause this is the first job I've had that has insurance and really takes care of you. I know I've got it good.
I thought I saw no wrong until I went to the doc today. Regular checky-check. Nothing to write home about. I even got some great no-baby solutions from the lady-doc that would be long-term and relatively hormone free (me thinks me found a winner!). She suggested I see if insurance covered it before scheduling the implementation of this solution.
Mother F-balls, IUDs cost $1,000 and aren't covered by my insurance. And that's just the cost of the product, not including the in-office procedure. Ironically, the office visit is covered. I can go see the doc, but she can't DO anything.
Now, I'm not mother (and I plan not to be for a long time, if ever), but I know that having a baby costs a ton of money. Just being pregnant costs money with ultrasounds, vitamins, doc visits, etc. Then you have to actually have the thing which translates to some hospital time (or birthing center time.... or birthing tub with herbal incense and waterfall music time) and then re-translates to: MONEY. Thousands of dollars. And that's just if everything goes well! And that's also just what people pay out of pocket who even have insurance... let's just imagine what the insurance company is paying for someone to have a baby on their plan. Hell, some women can't get insurance once their pregnant because it's too much of a money-suck on the insurance. (So messed up. Deep breaths into a paper bag.)
Tell me if this is messed up: I can get a massage discounted at 80% on my insurance but I cannot help save the provider money and my employer time and money (hello maternity leave!) by getting a break on contraceptives? Messed up?
I can tell you that my company would not be happy to deal with my potential long-term leave right now. Not that I'm invaluable, but that our team has had a lot of shifts lately (resignations, new-hires, new initiatives that I am managing) and my boss has flat-out said that the only thing that could ruin his day (after my cohort resigned) was if I came to him and told him I was pregnant.
Moral of this story - if birth control were covered by insurance, if my provider and I could split the difference of this IUD, if the mother-f-ing Catholic church would stop suing over contraception then maybe the US would have fewer unplanned pregnancies, fewer unfit or unprepared mothers or fewer families incurring financial, emotional and physical strain! And let's not forget that the buck doesn't stop with those strained families; it passes right on through (like a corn nugget in a turd) to the communities and ultimately the taxpayers (cough - that's you!).
After all, the legislation isn't staying that you have to use contraception, it's just saying that you have the right to have access to it like you would any other medication. Now, I don't know if IUDs would be covered in Obamacare, but the whole ordeal did get me thinking about medication, women's rights and what is holding back healthcare.
What do you think? Am I missing something crucial here that makes this all make sense?
Disclaimer: I love Jesus. I love families. I love America. I stand by Planned Parenthood, the God that created liberty and the country that allows for it. Now, let's come together!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Flip-It Friday: What's your shopping style?
S and I went on a mini shopping spree for him at TopShop/TopMan last night. His new job requires fancier clothes than he has, so he needed to spruce up about 5 days worth of work attire. That's a lot of clothing for one man in one shopping trip. More on what we bought, here.
We have different shopping styles, so I know that putting our nose to the grind could be a struggle. I get worn out with all the people early on and he gets worn out with the decisions and walking around. We have to do things quickly and efficiently - "Do you like this shirt? Yes or no!", "Would you wear these pants with those shoes? No? Then don't get either!", "These pants fit perfectly... lets get 3 pairs in different colors!" Bing, bang, boom, we're done.
What's your shopping style?
Do you make lists and are an in-and-out shopper?
Do you like to browse and could make a day of it?
If the former, how do you make decisions so quickly?
If the latter, how do you keep going after you've seen 100 pairs of navy trousers!? And how do you keep from spending a fortune?
We have different shopping styles, so I know that putting our nose to the grind could be a struggle. I get worn out with all the people early on and he gets worn out with the decisions and walking around. We have to do things quickly and efficiently - "Do you like this shirt? Yes or no!", "Would you wear these pants with those shoes? No? Then don't get either!", "These pants fit perfectly... lets get 3 pairs in different colors!" Bing, bang, boom, we're done.
What's your shopping style?
Do you make lists and are an in-and-out shopper?
Do you like to browse and could make a day of it?
If the former, how do you make decisions so quickly?
If the latter, how do you keep going after you've seen 100 pairs of navy trousers!? And how do you keep from spending a fortune?
We didn't get this bag, but I really loved it. It came in a weathered green version and a black version too. I liked the green, even if it is a men's bag :)
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tipsy Tuesday: The Quarterly Financial Roundup and Retirement
(The last time I did this was for October, so therefore, 'tis quarterly when measured on my own, made-up cycle.)
**Update at the bottom**
Get excited! I've got charts for you:
What tools do you use to plan for retirement? To save?
Drink Pairing: fresh orange, pear, parsley and strawberry juice. We juiced this morning (as we committed to do everyday this week for breakfast) and it was our best combo yet. Parsley may be an odd choice, but it has vitamin K!
**Update**
I had a comment from what I assume is my college roommate, RM. Not sure what happened to the comment, but she said she uses Mint.com and that her transactions are appearing twice. Does this help? If not, should you alert Mint to your problem? I know Mint is working on fixing things overtime and opening tickets with them might help you and others get solutions faster. :) So glad you use Mint!!
**Update at the bottom**
Get excited! I've got charts for you:
The first chart shows how conservative we are with our spending. When I say "not spending" I don't always mean "saving" because sometimes that extra money sits in our checking account (instead of our higher-interest savings account) until we move it over to savings. Which we/Mr. S recently did. 
Boom... and...
The second chart shows the breakdown of our expenses. There is some wiggle room in there as we did just pay for flights to Nicaragua in January (the dark blue slice) and we pay for a family plan for cell phones when we get reimbursed for the cost of some of the users (the lighter blue slice) and that reimbursement isn't reflected here.
BAM!
These charts reflect January's spending, saving and where all the money went. It's it glorious!?
When we were in Nica with our friends B.Lill and her husband (collectively they are called BaM), B and I started discussing investments, particularly retirement. (If retirement savings isn't considered an "investment", please leave a comment to correct me. I love learning and am working on humbly accepting fault!)
Anyway, BaM saves aggressively for retirement. M's parent's retired early after selling their dental practice and are still living-da-vida-loca as young retirees. BaM want to do the same and are busting their butts to make it happen.
Their primary goal is retirement savings (as they already own their forever-home, a car and probably have a nice cushion set up if/when kids come along in the next few years).
Hearing about Social Security in the news and learning how flawed of a plan it is for both our parents and our own golden years makes me scared for retirement. Not for me necessarily, because I believe Mr. S and I are aware of the issue there and realize that we need to start planning now if we want to take it easy in our older years, but for our generation.
Are you scared about retirement? Do you know where your security is going to come from when you're older? Are you squirreling away ANYTHING now? Yes, even in your 20's.
My advice to you: start saving for your retirement. Max out your 401k. Is a Roth IRA better for you? More tips for planning for retirement while in your 20's.
Also, keep a handle on your finances. Check them regularly (I have made charts quarterly, but I check Mint.com regularly). Get a handle on overspending and reward yourself when you've done well.
What tools do you use to plan for retirement? To save?
Drink Pairing: fresh orange, pear, parsley and strawberry juice. We juiced this morning (as we committed to do everyday this week for breakfast) and it was our best combo yet. Parsley may be an odd choice, but it has vitamin K!
**Update**
I had a comment from what I assume is my college roommate, RM. Not sure what happened to the comment, but she said she uses Mint.com and that her transactions are appearing twice. Does this help? If not, should you alert Mint to your problem? I know Mint is working on fixing things overtime and opening tickets with them might help you and others get solutions faster. :) So glad you use Mint!!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Get a Job or Get a Diploma
[Or just get a life! -*zing*]
I kid, I kid. School is awesome. I wish I could make a living out of going to school.
But after going to a social media marketing conference last week ($200 for a day) I thought, "I'm not learning anything here; I should totally just give up on these one-offs and get my MBA in marketing!"
I spent the afternoon pricing out schools in the area, looking at class schedules and emailing those I know who have taken graduate exams to see what their thoughts are on it.
Backing up a few months, I saw a quote to the following effect on Facebook and it made me cringe:
"Hey FB friends! What should I get my masters degree in??"
.... no words, lady. No words.
If you have to ask, maybe you shouldn't be going back to school, hmmm?
Fast-forward again. I'm sitting on the train with my roommate (i.e. Mr. S) and say "I'm going to get my MBA. Would you mind living in Chicago for another few years while I wrap this up?"
He blinks at me, agrees that it's fine, but I think that's all just a tactic to go along with my wild ideas until I lose sight of them.
Consider THIS the reason that sight has been lost.
I have a great job that's entertaining my creativity but is still challenging enough that most days I pinch myself and worry that they'll find me out for the fraud I am (if they only knew what I don't know...). I have a career track that's worthwhile to me and that I can see rocketing me in the right direction. I have NO debt and I'm on schedule to BUY a house with my roommate/husband by the end of next year (woo-hoo!).
Why would I want to spend 3 years shoveling money into a maybe-pit? Thanks, but no thanks. I'll take my extra money and have a waiter bring me Mai Thais on my private rooftop deck.
*Edit: As always, do what's right for you. I know many people who have several advanced degrees -some making use of these degrees, some not. Remember, for the sake of this blog (and in my life in general) I use extremes and seek to get a rise out of people. No shock about that. Carry on.
I kid, I kid. School is awesome. I wish I could make a living out of going to school.
But after going to a social media marketing conference last week ($200 for a day) I thought, "I'm not learning anything here; I should totally just give up on these one-offs and get my MBA in marketing!"
I spent the afternoon pricing out schools in the area, looking at class schedules and emailing those I know who have taken graduate exams to see what their thoughts are on it.
Backing up a few months, I saw a quote to the following effect on Facebook and it made me cringe:
"Hey FB friends! What should I get my masters degree in??"
.... no words, lady. No words.
If you have to ask, maybe you shouldn't be going back to school, hmmm?
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He blinks at me, agrees that it's fine, but I think that's all just a tactic to go along with my wild ideas until I lose sight of them.
Consider THIS the reason that sight has been lost.
I have a great job that's entertaining my creativity but is still challenging enough that most days I pinch myself and worry that they'll find me out for the fraud I am (if they only knew what I don't know...). I have a career track that's worthwhile to me and that I can see rocketing me in the right direction. I have NO debt and I'm on schedule to BUY a house with my roommate/husband by the end of next year (woo-hoo!).
Why would I want to spend 3 years shoveling money into a maybe-pit? Thanks, but no thanks. I'll take my extra money and have a waiter bring me Mai Thais on my private rooftop deck.
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