FIF: Payday Loans

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.]

Thoughtful Thursday: Tithing

Hey kidlets. I've got a lot of things I need to talk about.

List for accountability's sake:
- How busy I've been and what my real opinion of "busy" is.
- A pulse check on my religion. That me in the corner...
- The red herring of the Republican party
- Closed-minded prejudice and the rumors it births
- A follow up from my performance review
- A Roo-update, as she's the real reason you're all here.

But today, somehow, I have the mustard to talk bout tithing.

Tithing: one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government.

I haven't called myself a part of the little-c church (a local, physical community) in years. I haven't called myself a part of the big-C Church (the world-wide community of the like-minded) in at least a year. I just don't think I've ever declared it to anyone. But that's another post about me in the corner, losing my religion. 

I wanted to talk about tithing (or offering, or putting pennies in the collection plate, or mission trips, or serving in Sunday school, or not taking vaccines, or praying the gay away, or trusting your pastor more than your financial/medical/psychological adviser... deep breath).

I barely tithed when I was in the church (somehow didn't see how my mega-church of traders, lawyers and blinged-up film makers needed my $20/week), but now I am so averse to giving to organizations that have a religious motive that I feel like I want to pull out of some long term commitments. 

For instance, I have a friend to whom I give for her annual salary. She is a "missionary" with Campus Crusade for Christ*. I feel that giving to her salary only promotes pushy evangelism. I am trying really hard to have no opinion of anyone's religion. But as a former insider I feel its is not only dishonest that I support Cru's mission but it is also hurtful because I'm starting to resent the recurring charges and call for prayer support. 

I wonder if taking this money away from her will cause her to lose her job. Or if the people she's disciplining are really getting help from her (emotional support, stable friendship, a meal, etc.).

And remember when I felt torn by giving to World Vision to support Syrian refugees? When all war is caused by religion. 

You heard right. Read it again. I thought it before. Bill Maher (however crass) has said it. And a sweet, Alabama-born veteran I met on the plane to Seattle last week, also named Bill, reaffirmed it. 

I have no problem with giving. In fact, I love to give. The Mr. and I set aside money each month and enjoy spending it on people who need it and causes that make the world better. 

I just wonder if I should take that money out of religious causes and give it to Kiva or UNICEF or Paws. 

What would you do? 

Who would/do you give to? 

Does an organization's religious affiliation affect your giving?

*Never mind that the organization is trying to "take back" the word "crusade" as if it wasn't a self-righteous Jesus-mask for stealing people's land, lives and rights.

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.

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 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!

Move Along, Nothing to See Here

Don't laugh at me when I try something new and fail.

I'll get pissed at you and have a hard time forgetting it.*

Like the time I got dressed as child in all-red-everything. It wasn't cute and I got laughed back into my room and out of going to church.

Like anytime I've attempted to make a serious craft. I plateaued at 10. Let's just buy our needlepoint pillows and driftwood candle holders from now on, shall we?

Like the time I put all commas in an expense report instead of a mix of commas and decimal points and ended up asking Finance to subsidize a $4 million dollar cocktail event.

Go ahead. Laugh if you feel like you should. I'm tired and you're arrogant.

*Read: My ho-hum mind forgets everything. My angry mind forgets nothing and will recall your rude superiority the next time you look weak in front of me.**

**This doesn't apply to the Mr....(Honey, I correct your choice of words because I love you and you're hilarious. And you can correct my blog because you're a gracious, righteously terrified editor.)

"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.

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!

Go Home, The Nest, You're Drunk

via Pinterest

The sophomore follow up to the bridal magazine and site "The Knot" is called "The Nest". Then comes baby in a baby carriage with "The Bump". The assailant du jour is "The Knot". My commentary is in red. 

Exhibit A:

9* Signs You Shouldn't Have Kids

1. You’re an awful aunt.
You know the names of every band member in The Killers and can recite the Vogue masthead in your sleep. However, your niece is 7 and her name is Emily—and you insist on calling her Emma—and sincerely think that’s her name. She decided to just go along with it. Red flag.

If you knew that you were calling her the wrong name, wouldn't you stop? How does one have the self awareness to know when they "sincerely" call their niece the wrong name?

2. You’re completely broke.
You and your husband are 7K in credit card debt (thanks to your shoe addiction and his “necessary” 60-inch flat screen for the coveted man cave). Not to mention, you just borrowed some 911 money from your dad to make this month’s mortgage payment. Baby equals diapers, daycare and basically a good $250,000 in expenses by the time your kid turns 18 and you send him off to college. Check yourself, before you wreck yourself.
I've heard that if you wait until you have enough money to have children, you'll never had them. BUT if you have $7k of shoe-debt you need to stop even thinking about having a family and cut up your credit cards. And sell those shoes. And seek counseling. 

3. You’re a jet-setter.
Your friends call you a bird because you and your man love to fly away on a whim and have the means to do it! I’ll let you in on a little secret: A spontaneous trip to Miami for a long-weekend is out of the question once your baby arrives. It’s more like a spontaneous trip to the 24-hour drug store because you ran out of diapers and nipple cream. Again.

Are you broke (see item 2) AND a jet-setter?

4. You flush fish…a lot.
You can’t remember to feed your Beta fish a measly flake every other day. You’re on your seventh Beta Fish. Enough said.

Betas ≠ Babies.

5. You’re super-squeamish.
Remember that recent GNO when your “fun, single friend” drank a little too much and puked and you started gagging and abandoned your hair-holding duties? Babies spit-up a lot. In fact, there are a lot of bodily fluids involved in raising a child. Might wanna try potty-training a puppy first.

6. You’re the worst babysitter. Ever.
Your girlfriend asked you to baby-sit her charming preschooler. You came home with Play-Doh in your hair, glitter down your bra and a first-degree burn when you went to drain the noodles for the “easy” mac ‘n cheese. You called in to work the next day to recoup.
Sticky hair, glitter on your chest, slight burns. My first reaction is "that sounds normal". My second reaction is  "doesn't sound like babysitting".

7. You love to sleep.
Nothing pleases you more than cuddling up with your husband on a Friday night and watching a movie after a long workweek. You’re both asleep before midnight and rise around 10 a.m. to make espresso and lounge around. Newborns wake up every two-hours. And take it from me: five-year-olds think starting the day at 5:30 AM is normal … on a Sunday.
Same can be achieved with a dog. 

8. Your relationship is a mess.
Newborns put even the strongest marriages to the test—imagine what a colicky baby could do to your shaky relationship? From the sleep deprivation to the stress of major responsibility 24-7, trust me, parenthood is not a fix for your troubled marriage.
This is truth.

9. You’re a workaholic.
From a sudden bout of the stomach flu (he got it and now so do you) to the Mother’s Day breakfast at school, there will be times when work has to take a backseat to parenthood. Make sure that you’re ready to do that juggling act before you have no choice.
Also truth.

One they didn't mention? #10: You just don't want them.

*You think that starting a sentence with a numeral is OK? Maybe The Knot shouldn't have spawned The Nest. 

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.

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!"

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.

Thanks for posting this, Chelsey!

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?

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.

Source: catchmyparty.com viaDonna on Pinterest

*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?

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 every little 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

Upcoming Gift Guides

This isn't a real post. Don't get all hyped up thinking you'll walk away being inspired or informed, like usual (ha!).

I was just thinking of how much I love (online) shopping for gifts for my family and thought:

"Self. You like to compile gifts. Why don't you do a gift guide for people who hate crowds and want to buy everything online. And who enjoy a humorous, useful, delicious, classy gift. People just like you."

So here it comes, a big gift guide for the easily overwhelmed, thin-walleted, introverted, quirky gift giver!

I'll break it down by types of recipients. Not by gender (because every other blogger on two legs does that).

It will go as follows:

Couples gifts
Outdoorsy gifts
Foodie gifts
Stocking stuffers

So get excited. The first post with my fun, gifty findings will be tomorrow!

Source: primitivesbykathy.com via Nicole on Pinterest

----

Announcement to my family

My sister and I decided that it would be fun/easy to do couples/household gifts this year for $25 or less per household. That means that the Mr. and I would get only one gift as a "household" and that gift can be not more than $25. My brother, as a single guy (handsome ginger seeking nice, SWF age 20 - 25 who enjoys laughing her head off! Message me! J/K... or am I?) would count as a household and would get one gift at $25 or under. I have thought about getting my sister and bro-in-law 2 little somethings that equal $25 so they each get a smaller gift, but have yet to decide. The point is, keep is under $25 :)

Thoughtful Thursday: Free Box Economics

By Sara Gilbert on Get Rich Slowly

"When I think about it back at home, this chair — and the others at my kitchen table — are pretty radical. I’m rejecting the idea that I must buy a new chair from IKEA or a furniture store, one that’s made in a factory by workers who earn a wage (living or no), and purchased at a retail store whose workers are also paid. I brought it home on my bike, oil companies and American car manufacturers be damned. I did not create any new demand for new things.

But I saved an inestimable amount of future costs, from the disposal of the old chair to the environmental costs of manufacturing and shipping, to the health costs of workers who manufacture and ship these products, right down to my own feelings of well-being and not-argument. I don’t have to ask my husband for money to buy a new chair; we won’t argue about money, today."

Source: sfgirlbybay.com via Emily on Pinterest

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 :)

via

It's like I always said

"Vote with your wallet"

Corporations control this planet. Of the world’s 100 largest entities, 51 of them are corporations. Walmart, for example, is economically bigger than Norway. And virtually every major corporation is awakening to the fact that traditional advertising is no longer sufficient for building a world-class brand. Advertising is a $300 billion industry in America alone. More importantly, it is the connection point between consumers and trillions of dollars of commerce. But advertising no longer works as powerfully as it once did. Consumers have gone through a communication revolution, while advertising is almost exactly the same as it was during the Mad Men era. Consumers don’t watch or believe ads the way they once did. Technology gives them the truth in the form of ratings and reviews. So this generation’s Mad Men know that great brands are now built based on great corporate behavior, not on great advertisements.

A vegetable in a bag of candy

When I first heard about Ann Curry leaving the Today show for maybe unfavorable reasons, I was pissed. She's a great veteran journalist. Racism, sexism, Matt Lauer, etc. were all running through my head as possible reasons for her leaving. 

But then I watched this video of an interview of Curry with Forbes last year. I get it. She is sad to leave the show because she thought she could make a difference. She thought that she could make news about NEWS again. That she could give the viewers a few light segments on cooking and fashion and then sneak in the necessary, healthy bits about Darfur or women's rights. With Today Show ratings slipping, NBC decided to make a change. Morning news is a little more bubblegum and trix without her.

She was a vegetable in a bag of candy. 


I hope she does still reach people in her new role. I know I'd be happy to watch her.

Remember, folks: its all about the ratings. We vote with our money, our time and our attention. If you believe in reality TV shows that feature hidden cameras and obstacle courses, sure, vote for that. But if you believe in educating the public, keeping politicians transparent and making a difference for the underprivileged or underrepresented, make sure your attention, your time and your money reflect that. 


---


Oh My WORD!


Less than 2 minutes after I clicked "post", I saw this:

via, originally seen here

"Carbon dioxide emissions are not just warming up our atmosphere, they're also changing the chemistry of our oceans. This phenomenon is known as ocean acidification, or sometimes as global warming's "evil twin" or the "osteoporosis of the sea." Scientists have warned that it poses a serious threat to ocean life. Yet major American news outlets covered the Kardashians over 40 times more often than ocean acidification over the past year and a half."

Sweetjesuswearedoomed.

The Real Cost of Cheap Fashion

I just read this excerpt of a book on the high cost of cheap fashion. (Of course, NPR... you go, NPR)

Ironically enough, I found in a post from a blog called The Budget Babe. It reminded me of when my friend Makenzie vowed to take a year off from buying new clothing - and she got her mom and sister to join her! They would stick to buying only thrifted clothing or buy from ethical, sustainable sources. (Underwear and socks were the exception.)

I have thought lately about my choices in clothing. My personal budget has an awesome dip in if for the first time in probably a year. I haven't spent my "fun money" because I usually spend it on clothing or shopping for myself and I can't bring myself to buy another shirt or candle. I will even go as far as wandering around a store for 20 minutes carrying a pair of shoes just to put them back and leave the store. I can't do it. I get guilty thinking about where the shoes were made, who made them, how they can possibly be so inexpensive, and, selfishly, if I even really LIKE the shoes or if I'm just looking for the purchase-high.

I really want to read the book by Elizabeth Cline referenced above. Maybe it will spur me forward into ethical clothing choices. Maybe it will give me hope that I won't look like an outdated homeless person if I vow to make better fashion selections - or none at all.

Flip-It Friday: Would you Sell Your Vote?

In a world where nearly everything can be bought and sold, would you sell your vote?

Via NPR. 

This book by Michael Sandel (a guest on the Colbert Report) presents the struggle that everything can be bought (or "charmed" like the cartoon above suggests) - or can it?

Consider the following:

- Corporations are people
- People can give money to campaigns
- Campaigns win elections

Would that mean that corporations buy elections? Does that mean your money is tied to your vote?

We're talking about election votes here, but I hope we see that our money is our vote in a lot of areas: like what is considered entertainment (stop watching the Kardashians and maybe their ratings will drop and they'll go away!), what you consider food (don't think ducks should be force-fed? buy ethical froie gras, or none at all!), if we value the environment (buy less plastic, drive a smaller car, survive on less!).

Whew! Let's bring this back down. I get excited about this stuff, as you can tell. I think its important to stand up for what you believe, but also to be tolerant of others. I'm not sure if I would sell my vote in a pinch. Of course, if I didn't need the money, I wouldn't want someone else making up my mind for me (that, to me, is what selling a vote would do). But if I were down on my luck, maybe.

What would you do?

On the flip side, would you buy a vote?

---
My book club just had our meeting after reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It presents the debate of whether or not tissue samples belong to an individual, to a company or to science as a whole. With big money involved, and lives as risk, I couldn't make a conclusion on what I thought should happened to people's discarded - or harvested - cells. Chances are, pieces of us are sitting in labs all over the place and we have no right, currently, to say whether or not these cells can be used for research on anything from cancer to nuclear bombs! And with money and patents in the mix, who's in charge? Who benefits?

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?

via

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.

via

*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.

Flip-It Friday: You're Too Broke for That!

Right off the top here I'm going to say that this question could get political. Please comment honestly, but with a conscious filter that this is a public forum. And if you must be crude to comment, go ahead, I just might delete your comment. Haha... like people ever comment anyway :)


So what bone am I picking? Welfare.

There has been a debate about whether those on welfare should have to pass a drug test to receive government assistance. I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. (P.S. I spelled "iceburg" the first time like Suburgatory, which, btw, is really funny and reminds me of Mean Girls...carry on.)

Should taxpayers have more of a say in how individuals receiving welfare spend their money? Whether it be having more strict guidelines with how food stamps can be spent or not allowing welfare dependent families to buy "extras" like pets or have satellite TV.

I once was behind a family with young children in the grocery line and they had boxes of donuts, several gallon jugs of sugary "fruit" punch drink, chips, greasy "salads" from the deli and pork cracklin's. Not one green vegetable on the whole conveyor belt and this is a local market that has extremely affordable produce. (A 5 lb bag of carrots for $2.99, hello!!) The parent's total was well over $100 but they only had to pay about $40 of it because of their Link Card.

via

I grew up in a money-conscious household and my parents were very smart (from my perspective) on raising 3 kids on one modest salary. We rarely had "fake" food (didn't even keep soda in the house for a long time) nor did we have cable or satellite TV. Even now as I am making my own way, S and I cut back on the unnecessary to afford the things we need and value.

Priorities are in the eye of the beholder, but when it comes to a family's health or the well-being of children, I get riled up. To think, with the junk food they eat, they are making their children more at risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and other health-related illnesses. I don't believe that these families can afford huge medical bills if they can't even afford groceries. 

So what do you think? Does something about a food-stamp family buying junk food just make your jaw hit the floor? Should those that get assistance from our tax dollars be able to "splurge" on the unnecessary? Am I being really insensitive and not seeing the big-picture?