tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-128988292024-03-13T18:50:00.909-07:00The Debt DefierI'm a 20's something gal who has managed to successfully escape the debt trap. After struggling to pay off more than $30,000 of debt, I'm working towards growing my net worth so that I'll never have to rely on a credit card again!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-69868299821766767792010-07-02T17:20:00.000-07:002010-07-02T17:48:08.206-07:00Fat Wallet Cash BackI have seen lots of points programs in my time. Most of them seem like a waste of time because it would take so long to accumulate enough points to actually get something out of it. There are a few that I use regularly, only because it doesn't cost me anything. <a href="http://www.mypoints.com/"> Mypoints</a> for example sends me emails daily that allows me to earn points just by clicking through the email. I would say I get one $25 gift certificate to Target about every 6 months. Not bad for following a few links. I recently discovered <a href="http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/lpkitten">Swagbucks</a> and like that too because I don't have to shell out any money to earn points. I just do my regular web searches and badda bing badda boom, you earn points. Recently however, I've discovered <a href="http://www.fatwallet.com/">FatWallet</a> cash back and LOVE it.<br /><br />Normally the problem with these points programs is that they don't offer points for retailers that I frequent often and you have to accumulate a lot of points before you get anything. <a href="http://www.fatwallet.com/">FatWallet </a>on the other hand gives cash back for practically everything on the net (except for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2F&tag=thedebtdefier-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Amazon</a><img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thedebtdefier-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> sadly). They even give you 1% off for <a href="http://www.ebay.com/">Ebay</a>! Another great thing is that you can request to receive your cash back at anytime through Paypal so there is no waiting until you have accumulated 50,000 points to reap your rewards. Another bonus is that they link to any coupons or sales that are currently offered by that retailer. Right now there seems to be tons of sales and I just haven't been able to resist the great deals. "Really? I'll get the 70% off clearance sale plus 5% cashback?" It is truly a shopper's paradise. Plus you can find lots of great deals and freebies in the "<a href="http://www.fatwallet.com/best-deals/">Best Deals</a>" section of the site. Here are some of their tops deals right now:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fatwallet.com/best-deals/philosophy-purity-made-simple-one-step-facial-cleansing-cloths/">Free Philosophy Facial Cleansing Cloths</a><br /><a href="http://www.fatwallet.com/best-deals/best-buy-coupon-10-off/">10% off Best Buy coupon</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005N7SC?ie=UTF8&tag=thedebtdefier-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00005N7SC">$5 1-Year Subscription to Popular Science Magazine</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thedebtdefier-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00005N7SC" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /><br /><a href="http://www.fatwallet.com/best-deals/vans-shoe-sale-up-to-79-off/">Vans Shoe Sale: Up to 79% off + 4.0% Cash Back</a><br /><a href="http://www.niveausa.com/highlights/local_highlight/local_happysamples">Free Sample of Nivea Happy Sensation Daily Lotion</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-29468863047889478782010-06-25T13:05:00.000-07:002010-06-25T13:25:49.573-07:00Earn money for doing what you already doI discovered <a href="http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/lpkitten">Swagbucks</a> a couple weeks ago and I have already redeemed my points for a $5 Amazon.com gift card and I am well on my way to redeeming another one. This site gives you points just by searching the internet, participating in daily polls, and completely surveys. I was surprised at how quickly the points rack up! You'll earn 30 SwagBucks just for signing up for the program! It only takes 450 Swag Bucks to get a $5 Amazon gift card. Here are some tips in racking up points in no time:<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Do all of your routine searches through Swagbucks. </span>I set the Swagbucks search page as my home page and every time I do a search I use their search engine. You randomly earn anywhere from 5-15 SB just for doing these searches. I would say I earn about 50 SB a day just by doing normal searching. Think about it: after just 9 days you can earn $5 in gift cards just by doing something you normally would be doing anyways! There is the potential to earn hundreds of Swagbucks, but I haven't been that lucky yet. You can also download the toolbar so that you can do your searches without having to go directly to their site. You'll also get 1 SB per day for having the toolbar installed.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Participate in the daily polls. </span>You only get 1 SB for answering the poll question but they are kind of fun and super fast!<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Search for codes. </span>If you become a super dedicated Swagster, you can find codes throughout the day on their Facebook site, their blog, and on their Twitter page. These range from anywhere to 4 SB - 30 SB. <br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Participate in surveys. </span>You can earn hundreds of Swagbucks just by answering surveys (that is if you qualify). I have not qualified for any of the surveys yet, but I have earned hundreds just by filling out my profile. Plus, every day you get 1 SB just for checking to see if you have any more surveys available. <br /><br />5. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Invite your friends. </span>When you refer your friends, you earn Swagbucks every time your referrals earn Swagbucks. I imagine this can add up super quickly!<br /><br />I have heard of lots of people using these Swagbucks to pay for all of their Christmas shopping. Personally, I know I have a lot of books on my Amazon wishlist that I am looking to buy! So what are you waiting for? <a href="http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/lpkitten">Sign up now!</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-21417395014691645502009-04-03T14:40:00.000-07:002009-04-03T14:48:18.469-07:00Free Tomato Seeds from Campbell'sIt's no secret that I love gardening. I've already started my garden for this year with mixed success. I started my seedlings in a seed starter and got lots of tomato, cucumber, corn, and various herb seedlings. I decided to try using old tires as planters and lovingly transplanted my seedlings. Last year I had lots of trouble with the squirrels so I built an enclosure of plastic mesh strung on some bamboo stakes. It worked for a couple days but alas, the squirrels have already eaten all of the seedlings that I have planted down there. :( Luckily, I am also planting in the old garden spot and the squirrels have not found their way in there yet and I have a nice set of corn, tomatoes, and even potatoes growing there.<br /><br />If you're interested in starting your own garden this year head on over to <a href="http://www.helpgrowyoursoup.com/default.aspx">Help Grow Your Own Soup</a> to request your free packet of tomato seeds. All you need is a code from one of Campbell's condensed soups. In addition to sending you a packet of seeds, Campbell's is also donating seeds to local FFA chapters for every click that they receive on their website. So what are you waiting for? Go get some seeds!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-4187205180271739472009-04-02T16:44:00.000-07:002009-04-02T16:56:47.143-07:00Lucky Pennies!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/25/70/63322161215/n63322161215_2116707_900085.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 164px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2700/25/70/63322161215/n63322161215_2116707_900085.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Have you seen any pennies lying around lately? Well, pick them up! Not only will you be a penny richer, but you may win some free stuff from CiCi's Pizza. In an interesting promotion that is a sure sign-o-the-recession-times, CiCi's will be scattering <span style="font-style: italic;">1 million </span>(imagine Austin Power's voice here) special pennies that can be redeemed for prizes at their restaurant. Here is how they describe it:<br /><br /><blockquote>As part of its new Penny Picker Upper promotional campaign, <span style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1238715797_2">CiCi’s Pizza</span> is honoring savings-savvy Americans by dropping one million pennies in public places around their restaurants. But these are no ordinary pennies. The backs of each of these specially stickered pennies will list prizes like a free meal at a CiCi’s endless pizza buffet, a free drink, and a buy one pizza get one free deal that can be redeemed at local CiCi’s locations. It’s essentially rewarding you for being thrifty.</blockquote><br />To make the deal even sweeter, CiCi's will be donating each of the returned pennies to the Big Brothers Big Sisters Club of America. You can check them out at their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/CiCis-Pizza/63322161215">Facebook</a> page for more info. Happy change hunting!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-41826462870935785162009-01-03T17:39:00.000-08:002009-01-03T18:50:28.446-08:00How to Make a BudgetWith the New Year comes new resolutions and this year with the world in an economic downturn, there is no doubt that people will be resolving to better their financial situation. Whether your resolution is to save six months of living expenses, to pay off your credit cards, or to simply save more money, the first step you should take is to make a budget to guide you along your way. Here's how to get started.<br /><br />1. Start a money journal.<br /><br />For one month, track every penny that you spend. Make sure you track everything from your housing expenses to a pack of gum. There are many ways you can do this but the easiest way I find is to use <a href="http://www.mint.com/">Mint</a> online. It is an online service similar to Quicken that tracks all of your accounts (savings, checking, loans, investments, etc) and compiles the information into one place. I use my credit card for every purchase I can, even the smallest transaction. That way I can not only track where my money is going but I earn cash back on everything (I use a <a href="http://thedebtdefier.blogspot.com/2008/05/0-interest-cards-vs-cash-back-cards.html">Chase Freedom</a> credit card).<br /><br />If you're not comfortable using an online service, or if you are more partial to cash, you can always just keep a written journal of all of your spending.<br /><br />2. Review<br /><br />After you have tracked your expenses for 1 month, go back and look at where your money is going. Mint and other personal finance software have features that will automatically create trend reports to show you how much you spend in each category, but don't just stop there. Go through each and every purchase you made and circle anything that you think you could have done without. Notice if you are spending more than you thought in any one area such as dining, entertainment, clothing, etc.<br /><br />3. Take inventory<br /><br />Now that you know where your money is going, make a list of all of your essential fixed expenses. These are expenses that occur monthly and are about the same amount every month (rent/mortgage, auto insurance, car payment, taxes, student loans, etc). There may also be fixed expenses that are non-essential such as cable TV, Netflix, Tivo, and so on. List these in a separate column.<br /><br />You'll also have variable expenses that will change depending on your consumption. These can also be essential and non-essential. Examples of essential variable expenses are water, electricity, gas, groceries and so on. List these as an average of your monthly expense. The non-essential variable expenses will be categories such as dining, entertainment, clothing, shopping, and so on. We'll get back to these later.<br /><br />As an example, this is what you might end up with.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Essential Fixed Expenses:</span><br /><br />Rent: $1,000<br />Student loans: $150<br />Auto Insurance: $120<br />Health insurance: $100<br />Prescriptions: $20<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Essential Fixed Expenses: $1390</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Non-Essential Fixed Expenses</span><br /><br />Netflix: $22<br />Cell phone: $50<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total Non-Essential Fixed Expenses: $72</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Essential Variable Expenses<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Electricity: $35<br />Water: $20<br />Gas (Home): $25<br />Groceries: $150<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Gas (Auto): $120<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br />Total Essential Variable Expenses: $350<br /><br />Total: $1812<br /></span><br />4. Determine what you have and what you want to have<br /><br />Let's say that in the above example your take home pay (after taxes) is $2,500. Subtract your total above (in the example $1812) and you are left with the money in your budget for everything else. In the example we are left with $688. The first thing you should divvy out your money to is your savings or money towards paying off debts.<br /><br />Retirement savings (3%): $125<br />Emergency fund savings: $200<br />Down payment savings: $100<br /><br />Now you are left with $263 to divide among the non-essential variable expenses.<br /><br />Shopping (household, clothing, personal care) : $100<br />Entertainment and Dining: $113<br />Beauty (haircuts, grooming): $50<br /><br />And voila! You have a budget. The hard part will be sticking to it, but I guarantee that it will be worth it and you will be on track to achieving your New Year's financial resolutions.<br /><br />Happy saving!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-76299340034955664212008-05-30T10:57:00.000-07:002008-05-30T11:09:45.653-07:00Guilt Free Shopping<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bbbsaz.org/images/Savers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.bbbsaz.org/images/Savers.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />During my attempt to go 100 consecutive days of buying nothing new, I discovered this store called <a href="http://www.savers.com/">Savers</a>. It's a thrift department store, kind of like the Goodwill, but better. The Goodwill always seemed to be overpriced to me - I know this sounds ridiculous - but I remember the days when clothes cost $1-$5 and books were $.25 each! Now, when you go to the Goodwill you are hard-pressed to find any clothes under $8.99 and books are $3! At that price I might as well go to Target and the library.<br /><br />Well, Savers is like the good ol' days of thrift shopping. Everything is super cheap (it is used donated goods after all!) and to make it even better, if you bring a bag of donations, they give you a 20% off coupon for your entire purchase. It works out perfectly with the whole "one in, one out" philosophy.<br /><br />So the other day I took my bag 'o' donations, got my coupon, and went buck wild. Mind you, I haven't bought new clothes in months, so I was itching for it. I stacked my arms with cute things and then panicked thinking I was spending hundreds. I whipped out my calculator and guess what? I didn't have more than $30 in my hands. Amazing! I decided to "splurge" and bought it all, along with a few pots for the garden and a jam jar (they only had one) for my cherry jam making adventures.<br /><br />The whole thing wasn't more than $35 and I won't need to go shopping for a while. To make it even better, I don't have to worry about the environmental impact because everything was used and would've otherwise gone to the dump. All in all, it was guilt free shopping!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-61675635266250074072008-05-28T14:19:00.000-07:002008-05-28T14:39:43.045-07:00Update: Prosper LoansAbout a month ago I decided to dabble with Prosper as a way to increase return on my savings. I was a little skeptical but I thought I would try it out with $300. I chose 5 different loans and divided my money between them (4 loans at $50 and 1 loan at $100). I decided to stay fairly conservative to reduce the chance that any of them would default - 3 of the loans had a "B" grade, 1 had an "A" grade, and another was "AA."<br /><br />I'm happy to report that all of my loans made their first payment. I don't know why this shocks me, but I was pretty impressed. That doesn't mean I'm out of the woods yet. There are still 35 more payments to go! Currently, I'm earning an average of 11.25% so over the 3 years I should earn about $90 in interest (if they don't default). That's much better than the $30 I would earn if it was in a regular savings account. <br /><br />The one thing that is annoying about Prosper is that once the money is paid back (you get a payment every month), it's nearly impossible to get back out until you have a balance of $25. You can't make a bid to reinvest the money unless you have $25 and you can't withdraw the money unless you have $25. Right now, I only have $11 so it's pretty much stuck in there not earning interest. I thought about transferring money into the account just so I could then withdraw the full amount, but even that takes time and while the money is in transit you are not earning any interest on it. I suppose the trick would be to have enough invested so that each month your payments total more than $25. <br /><br />I also started my first investing adventures with my Sharebuilder account. I'm happy to report that the stock I chose, rose about 10% in the first month. Granted, this could change at any time but I think it was a pretty wise investment. I'm starting to think that investing is super fun, but then again I haven't suffered any losses yet. Let's hope this beginner's luck continues!<br /><br />If you're interested in trying your luck, you can use the following promotions to jump start your investments!<br /><br /><a href="https://www.sharebuilder.com/costco/promotion/index.asp?promocode=FANDF25*8sesf7ri">$25 bonus for signing up with Sharebuilder</a><br /><a href="http://www.prosper.com/join/lpkitten"><br />Earn $25-50 for signing up with Prosper</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-48302433351462798512008-05-25T17:27:00.000-07:002008-05-25T18:20:37.385-07:000% Interest Cards vs. Cash Back CardsChoosing the best credit card is a tricky business. There are a myriad of different credit cards out there with different benefits - cash back, points, miles, 0% interest. The card that's best for you will depend on your lifestyle and current monetary situation. For me, because I have no credit card debt and because I am mainly interested in growing my savings, I am torn between two different types of cards - cash back and 0% interest. At first, I thought for sure that the cash back card was the best bet, but then I started considering a few cards that offer 0% interest for up to 15 months. So which is best? I haven't figured it out yet so I'm going to lay out what I feel are the pros and cons of the two cards that I have chosen - the Chase Freedom card and Blue from American Express. Here we go.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chase Freedom Card - Advantages<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.yourcreditnetwork.com/images/blog/chase-freedom-card.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.yourcreditnetwork.com/images/blog/chase-freedom-card.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><ul><li>Offers 3% cash back on your top 3 spending categories (recalculated monthly) and 1% on all other purchases</li><li>$100 sign-up bonus</li><li>Cash back rewards are available to withdraw after you earn $50, however, if you leave it until you reach $200, they will give you an additional $50</li><li>No annual fee</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chase Freedom Card - Disadvantages</span><br /><br /><ul><li>If a merchant has not specified their spending category, it will be lumped under "other." My dentist did not categorize himself as "Medical services" so even though it was clearly one of my top spending categories, they claim there is no way to change it in the system so I only received 1% for a cool $1,000.</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blue from American Express - Advantages<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mitra.ch/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/ambluecard.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://mitra.ch/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/ambluecard.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><ul><li>0% interest for 15 months - If you carry the balance (and why not, you're not paying any interest), you could put that money in a high yield savings account and earn 3% on all of your purchases.</li><li>Earn 1 point for each $1 spent and redeem for various rewards. 1 point = approximately $0.01.</li><li>No annual fee<br /></li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blue from American Express - Disadvantages<br /><br /></span><ul><li>Carrying a balance could lower your credit score</li></ul><br />So, let's calculate the benefits based on spending $6,000 annually on a credit card.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chase Freedom </span>= $90.00 (50% at 3%) + $30.00 (50% at 1%) + $100.00 (sign-up bonus) + $50.00 (additional money for letting balance reach $200.00) = <span style="font-weight: bold;">$270.00</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blue from American Express </span>= $83.19 (savings interest) + $60 (rewards) = <span style="font-weight: bold;">$143.19<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Looks like the Chase Freedom card would be the best bet, just for the $100.00 sign up bonus. After the first year, it would be a pretty tough call between the two because it would take much longer to reach the $200.00. I was generous giving it 50% at 3% but this could be more or less depending on your spending habits.<br /><br />After this analysis, I'm pretty satisfied with my decision, although after I reach the $250 rewards, I may consider switching to a 0% interest card. What do you think? Any cards that you are loyal to or that you think have better rewards?<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-2248305197035815362008-05-25T12:44:00.001-07:002008-05-25T13:08:57.572-07:00My New ObsessionAs you may have noticed from some of my previous blog entries, I have become quite obsessed with my garden. The backyard has become a veritable jungle of fruits and vegetables in all stages of development. I am growing seedlings in any container I can find, buying worms to create worm poop, and contemplating collecting leaves off the side of the road to use as mulch. The zucchinis have begun to produce fruit and I've been busy cooking up <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_30334,00.html">fried zucchini</a> and <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Zucchini-Bread-IV/Detail.aspx">zucchini bread</a>. I got some free lemons off <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Freecycle</span> and made some super sour lemonade, yum! I found out the cherries ARE edible, but are better for jams than they are for plain eating, so I guess I'll have an adventure <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2005/06/norecipe_yikes.html">making my own jams</a>. Oh, and even better....the avocado tree has also decided to have it's free year of producing fruit (after 15 years?!) so we'll also have a fantastic - fingers crossed - avocado harvest.<br /><br />So yes, I am obsessed much, but that means my previous obsession, blogging, has kind of fallen by the wayside. Every time I sit down to write something, I think of something to do in my garden or I think of writing something about gardening. I should change the name to "The Debt <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Defier</span> Does Gardening" or something to that effect. :)<br /><br />But my dear readers (all two of you), do not give up on me yet. Perhaps this gardening obsession will subside and my good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ol</span>' blogging self will be back. In the meantime, I'm going to work on an article that I've been kicking around in my head, mainly because it's so cold and gloomy outside that it's no fun to be out in the garden anyways.<br /><br />Hope you're all having a great long weekend!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-32085467816277003382008-05-18T10:32:00.000-07:002008-05-18T10:43:53.092-07:00Cherries in my backyard?Ok, so I know this has nothing to do with "debt" per se, but I was so excited to find this today as I was churning up my compost pile:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/?action=view&current=random006.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 668px; height: 500px;" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/random006.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My grandpa planted these trees YEARS ago, but I have never seen them bear fruit. He planted them way out in the back and we hardly went back there, so I was surprised when I looked up and noticed a whole tree full of fruit. From what I can remember, they were cherry trees, but I have no idea if they were edible or purely ornamental. If they are edible, we will have cherries coming out of our ears (free food!) because there are at least three trees out there that are producing. If not, they look nice and brings back nice memories of my grandpa. :) I'm going to try to take a branch to the nursery to get their expert opinion. I'm crossing my fingers that we're going to have a nice harvest of homegrown cherries in addition to the veggies from my garden.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-66995211666606534472008-05-17T14:55:00.000-07:002008-05-17T15:36:27.328-07:00I Love FreeI would like to take a moment to bask in the bounty of my free samples.<br /><br />Sigh.<br /><br />It's so beautiful.<br /><br /><a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/?action=view&current=free.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/free.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Everything you see here was free. That's right. FREE! The only thing I had to pay was 12 cents of sales tax for the tampons, but I still think that's a pretty good bargain.<br /><br />All in all, here is what I've received so far:<br /><a href="http://healthfullife.com/Free-Cat-Food-Sample/Default.aspx"><br />1 6 oz. bag of Healthful Life Purina Cat Chow</a><br />1 Temptations cat treats<br />1 travel size Advance White toothpaste<br /><a href="http://walmart.triaddigital.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid13056.aspx">1 travel size Aquafresh White & Shine toothpaste</a><br /><a href="http://walmart.triaddigital.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid40794.aspx">1 travel size Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste</a><br />2 boxes of o.b. ProComfort tampons (Vons store coupon)<br />1 compact fluorescent lightbulb (Farmer's Market courtesy of the county)<br /><a href="http://www.doveproage.com/samples_hbl.asp">1 Dove Pro-age deodorant</a><br /><a href="http://walmart.triaddigital.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid15256.aspx">1 Dove Ultimate Clear deodorant</a><br /><a href="http://walmart.triaddigital.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid22612.aspx">1 Dove Advanced Color Therapy shampoo and conditioner</a><br />1 Dove Therapy Energize shampoo and conditioner<br /><a href="http://www.greenies.com/en_US/default.aspx">1 Feline Greenies cat treats</a><br /><a href="http://walmart.triaddigital.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid30862.aspx">1 Vaseline Intensive Rescue lotion</a><br /><a href="http://www.coffee-mate.com/StirUpSomethingNew/Default.aspx">1 bottle of Coffee Mate Vanilla creamer (up to $4.50)</a><br /><a href="http://www.starbuckscoffeeathome.com/">1 bag of Starbucks Breakfast blend (Click on Explore Our Coffees)</a><br /><a href="http://www.startsampling.com/sm/100198/captureAddress.iphtml?item=100198&source=&p=">1 bag of Seattle's Best Vanilla Bean roast</a><br /><a href="http://www.curel.com/event.asp?eventcode=curel_lssample&action=entry">1 Curel Life's Stages lotion</a><br />1 mini cup of Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream (Vons store coupon)<br /><a href="http://www.airbornehealth.com/">1 stick of Power Pixies from Airborne (not pictured)</a><br /><br />I had to actually go to the store today to pick up the free tampons and coffee creamer. I tried to see if they would double my free coffee creamer coupon, but she said they didn't do that. Darn! But she did give me another coupon booklet that included another coupon for a box of tampons and the ice cream (the first free ice cream coupon I gave to my grandma), so I turned right back around and got more free stuff. It was awesome!<br /><br />The other great thing about the free samples (aside from being FREE) is that they usually come with a generous coupon. If it's something you might use, that's a pretty nice bonus (especially if you can get the coupon doubled). <br /><br />I'm sure there's more to come. Every day I get something new in the mail. It's like Christmas every day!<br /><br />If you're interested, just do a google search for "free samples" and I'm sure you'll find lots of stuff too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-80230825612505078362008-05-04T12:55:00.000-07:002008-05-04T14:41:32.242-07:00Dumpster Diving Like a Pro<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://people.bath.ac.uk/ch1os/whittlesey/steveo%20the%20grouch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 335px;" src="http://people.bath.ac.uk/ch1os/whittlesey/steveo%20the%20grouch.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">My first dumpster diving adventure was a success, but I recognize that I was merely a </span><span style="font-size:100%;">novice</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> dumpster diver. We had to pass up on some good finds and experienced some unnecessary unpleasantness just because we weren't properly prepared. The next time we dive, I plan on learning from my mistakes and diving like a pro by following these <span style="font-weight: bold;">10 dumpster diving tips. </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Bring sturdy, water-proof gloves and hand sanitizer.</span><br /><br />Gloves are of the utmost importance when dumpster diving. Obviously, you'll want to protect your hands from any bacteria or sharp objects that you might encounter in the dumpster. We learned the hard way that it is essential that the gloves are water-proof so that liquids don't seep through. Make sure that you bring some hand sanitizer or baby wipes to clean up afterwards because you probably won't be able to wash your hands immediately.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Wear long sleeves.</span><br /><br />Digging around deep in the dumpster, you're just as likely to get your arms dirty as your hands. Protect them by wearing long sleeves.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Go late at night.</span><br /><br />Trash is at it's optimum levels immediately following business closing hours. You'll want to get there after they have taken the trash out for the day and before trash collection in the morning to find the best selection. Plus, you'll have less of an audience and avoid nasty confrontations.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Bring a flashlight.</span><br /><br />If you're diving late at night, you'll need a flashlight to uncover the hidden treasures of the dumpster. A headlamp would be super handy if you have one!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Take a friend.</span><br /><br />Dumpster diving is a team sport. You may need help lifting a large item, holding a flashlight, or backing you up with their super kung-fu skills if someone gets pissed that you're digging in their trash. Plus, it's just more fun to share the adventure with someone else.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Bring bags, boxes, and containers to store your finds.</span><br /><br />The last thing you want is a bunch of trash free-floating around in your trunk. Bring stuff to haul and contain your finds to make for easier transport and clean-up.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Bring something to stand on.</span><br /><br />For safety's sake, you probably don't want to take the term dumpster "diving" literally. Try to stay out of the dumpster to avoid encountering hazardous materials. It'll be much safer and easier to bring a milk crate or step ladder to step on and get a better look deep inside without actually having to get in.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. Invest in a grabby thingy.</span><br /><br />Since you're not actually getting in, you'll want to extend your reach with a grabby thingy (you know what I mean). You can buy one at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dgarden%26field-keywords%3D3-pronged%2Bgarden%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&tag=thedebtdefier-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Amazon</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thedebtdefier-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> for about $15.00 but if you're like me, you'll want a free alternative. Basically, anything that has a long handle and a hook on the end should work.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Don't dive in any locked dumpsters.</span><br /><br />Dumpster diving laws vary from city to city but it's a pretty safe bet that if it's locked, you should keep looking for another dumpster . If they lock it, that means they don't want you there, so don't go looking for trouble.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">10. Don't make a mess.</span><br /><br />If you go in and make a mess, chances are the building/home owners are not going to be happy. They may decide to lock up their dumpsters or complain to the local authorities, making it more difficult for you and others to dive in the future. Make sure to leave the area as clean or cleaner as you found it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-6484207925555345452008-05-03T14:26:00.000-07:002008-05-03T15:30:40.086-07:00Saving at a snail's paceEarlier, I had posted an ambitious goal of saving nearly $3,000 per month for grad school. Despite 2 solid months of <a href="http://thedebtdefier.blogspot.com/2008/03/100-day-buy-nothing-challenge.html">buying absolutely nothing new</a>, I was barely able to save a little over $700 this month. It would've been closer to $2,000 if I didn't have to pay over $1,000 for dental work (it hurts to type that) and if they hadn't messed up on my paycheck...<a href="http://thedebtdefier.blogspot.com/2008/03/our-tax-dollars-inefficiently-at-work.html">again</a>. At least with the paycheck, I'll be able to put the money towards next month's savings, but the dental work...boo! Needless to say, I am brushing and flossing like a maniac to avoid having to pay any more costly dental bills in the future. <br /><br />I had thought of taking on a second job to increase my income but I've had little luck finding something suitable. There was a job posted at the Fresh and Easy (<a href="http://thedebtdefier.blogspot.com/2008/03/ode-to-grocery-store.html">my favorite store ever</a>), but the pay was not enough to make it worth it, in my opinion. Honestly, I'm quite shocked at what's available out there. This is the first time I've seen a job market so scarce. I guess combined with companies cutting back and employees losing their jobs, the job market is pretty tight.<br /><br />In happier news, my garden has become a wild little jungle and is bursting with vegetables.<br /><br />Here's the garden just a couple weeks ago, if you remember:<br /><br /><a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/?action=view&current=backyard006-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/backyard006-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And voila, here's the after:<br /><br /><a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/?action=view&current=backyard-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/backyard-1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My how it's grown! I wish my money would grow as fast.<br /><br />Today, I got a very pleasant surprise when I went outside. We've had this cactus outside for years and I've never thought anything of it. The past couple of days, I noticed little shoots growing out of it and assumed it would be blossoming soon. I thought this was strange because I had never notice it blossom before. So today when I went outside I was amazed to find this:<br /><br /><a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/?action=view&current=backyard017.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/backyard017.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Wow-wow! I'm in love with this plant! I never knew that cacti could be so beautiful. <br /><br />And last but not least, take a look at my baby rosemary, basil, and mint plants. Notice that I've been using everything from yogurt cups, to plastic drinking cups, to plastic containers to plant seeds in. I'm starting to look at everything as a potential seed pot. The trick will be finding places to plant them after they get too big for their little seed starters. <br /><br /><a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/?action=view&current=backyard015.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/backyard015.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm telling you, I think I missed my calling. I wonder if I should just become a professional farmer?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-6471022540178919912008-05-01T17:46:00.000-07:002008-05-01T20:03:51.204-07:00Website publishes country's tax recordsOk, so thankfully, this story isn't from the U.S.<br /><br />Italy's government had a total <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/05/01/italy.tax.ap/index.html?eref=rss_latest">brain fart</a> and decided it'd be a good idea to publish the entire country's tax info on the web. That's right. Every Leonardo, Michaelangelo, and Donatello (uhh, what's the Italian equivalent to Tom, Dick, and Harry?) had their tax info briefly published on a public website until it was crashed by thousands of visitors. Presumably, everyone was trying to catch a glimpse of their neighbors, bosses, and co-workers salaries and they clogged the site. Eventually, the government wizened up and took the site down.<br /><br />Honestly, it would be kind of awesome to be able to get a sneak peek into people's finances, kind of like looking in someone's journal (not like I'd do that or anything). Then again, imagine all the problems it could create. You know a bunch of people went in and demanded raises today after seeing that their co-worker made more than them. How would you feel if all of a sudden your tax info was published on the web for the whole world to see? Would you care?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-74330979767718842632008-04-29T10:44:00.000-07:002008-05-16T20:03:46.150-07:00How to make $130 in 30 minutesI love free money, don't you? Here's a way to make $125+ in 30 minutes by signing up for a few financial services that will help you jump-start your savings.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Earn $25 by signing up for Revolution Money Exchange. </span> It's a Paypal-like service that allows you to send money via the internet. I signed up a couple of weeks ago and have already earned $65 for the sign-up, plus referrals ($10 each) and have transferred the money into my bank account with no problems.<br /><!-- By copying and pasting and/or using the Refer a Friend Button software you are accepting and assenting to the terms of the MoneyExchange Button Software License set forth at https://www.revolutionmoneyexchange.com/website/Licenses.aspx --><br /><a href="https://www.revolutionmoneyexchange.com/ReferAFriend/ReferAFriend_landing.aspx?referreremail=lpkitten@yahoo.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.revolutionmoneyexchange.com/images/raf_signup.gif" alt="Refer A Friend using Revolution Money Exchange" style="border: medium none ;" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Earn $25 by signing up for an ING Direct savings account. </span>ING Direct has been my savings bank for years now and I love them. If you don't already have a high-yield savings account, <a href="http://thedebtdefier.blogspot.com/2008/04/ing-direct-referral-links.html">you need one</a>. Earn $25 just by signing up and making an initial deposit of $250.<br /><br /><br />Orange Savings Account Links - Earn 3% with no minimums (remember you must start with $250 to earn $25)<br /><br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%a0%a0%c4%c5%cb%c5%bf%c3%c2%c6%bf%f7%c0%c2%cb%c3%c2%c6%c7%be%be%c0">ING Direct $25 Savings Account Opening Bonus</a><br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%9f%98%bc%bd%c3%bd%b7%bb%ba%be%ef%b7%b8%ba%c3%bb%ba%be%be%bf%bf%bf">ING Direct $25 Savings Account Opening Bonus</a><br /><br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%a8%4c%70%71%77%71%6b%6f%6e%72%6b%6c%6e%77%6f%6e%72%72%72%a3%6a%6d"><ing direct="" 25="" savings="" account="" opening="" bonus=""></ing></a><br />Electric Orange Savings Account Links - Earn up to 3.4% with more than $100,000<br /><br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%a1%93%b7%b4%be%b8%b2%b6%b5%b9%b2%b3%ea%b5%be%b6%b5%b9%b9%ba%ba%b7">ING Direct $25 Savings Account Opening Bonus</a><br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%a0%7b%9f%9c%a6%a0%9a%9e%9d%a1%9a%d2%9b%9d%a6%9e%9d%a1%a1%a2%a2%a0">ING Direct $25 Savings Account Opening Bonus</a><br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%99%86%aa%a7%dd%b1%ab%a5%a9%a8%ac%a5%a6%a8%b1%a9%a8%ac%ac%ad%ad%ac">ING Direct $25 Savings Account Opening Bonus</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Earn $25 for becoming a lender at Prosper and funding your first loan.</span> I <a href="http://thedebtdefier.blogspot.com/2008/04/evaluating-prosper-loan.html">just started</a> funding loans and I must say it's addicting. I picked loans that were pretty conservative and I'll be earning about 11% on my investment. Not bad!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.prosper.com/referrals/lender.aspx?referrer=lpkitten&utm_source=referrer-lpkitten&utm_medium=referral-button&utm_content=lender_dark-125x125&utm_campaign=referrals-lender"><img src="http://www.prosper.com/images/referrals/referral_lender_dark125x125.gif" alt="Business & Personal Loans. Great Rates. Prosper." border="0" height="125" width="125" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Earn $25-55 for signing up for Sharebuilder and purchasing a stock or ETF. </span>I've been interested in investing in some "green" companies for a while and last night started doing some research. I had already signed up for a Sharebuilder account years ago but haven't used it lately. I did some research and found some great promotions that allow you to open a new account (even if you already have an account) and earn $25-55. Sharebuilder charges $4 for each automatic investment if you have a basic account (no monthly charges). I'll be using the $55 sign-up bonus to jump start my investment portfolio. Nice!<br /><br />If you have a Costco account, you will receive a $55 sign-up bonus. If not,,you can still get a $25 bonus.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.sharebuilder.com/costco/promotion/index.asp?promocode=FANDF25*8sesf7ri">Click here to sign up for Sharebuilder and start your investment portfolio. </a><br /><br />So, now you've just earned over $100 and have a few accounts to start diversifying your savings. Not bad for just about 30 minutes!<br /><a href="https://www.sharebuilder.com/costco/promotion/index.asp?promocode=FANDF25*8sesf7ri"> </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-40213001579206525632008-04-29T07:20:00.000-07:002008-04-29T07:23:12.724-07:00Today is Ben & Jerry's free cone day!Go help Ben & Jerry's celebrate their 30th birthday by eating free ice cream! Nom nom nom.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.benjerry.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 361px;" src="http://www.benjerry.com/assets/images/features/fcd08btn.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-46706091400449251782008-04-27T10:34:00.000-07:002008-04-27T12:15:25.382-07:00Dumpster Diving AdventuresMaybe I have lost my mind, but last night I thought it would be fun to go dumpster diving. I've heard a lot about "freegans," people (with jobs) who go to the grocery stores late at night and live off of the discarded food found in the dumpsters. They claim this is completely safe, but I'm just not that hardcore (yet). But, I thought it would be an interesting Saturday night activity to go and poke around and see what was lurking in the trash cans (that's how I roll).<br /><br />I don't know what I thought we would find. I knew we would find some disgusting rotted food and a nose-full of unpleasant odors. But maybe, just maybe, I hoped for treasures, like an iPod tape adapter that I have been searching for ever since mine broke which I haven't been able to replace because of the 100 Day Buy Nothing (New) Challenge. I surely didn't expect to find what we did find.<br /><br />We started off at an business complex and was surprised to find that there were tons of people working at 10 p.m. on a Saturday. Now, I was just a little (ok, a lot) shy about poking through people's trash, so I definitely didn't want to have an audience. We drove around until we found a nice quiet dumpster and parked the car, got out our gloves, and started digging. Mind you, I don't take the term "dumpster diving" literally; we actually just kind of leaned over and peered in. At first, we didn't find anything too interesting. Empty pizza boxes. Cardboard boxes. But then, I rummaged across a huge pile of perfectly good clothes, everything from pants, to sweaters, to ties. I didn't want them but I figured they shouldn't end up in a landfill, so we took them out to wash and then donate to the Goodwill (hello, tax deduction).<br /><br />That wasn't all. We also found a wet suit in perfectly good condition, a box of CDs, and money! Yes, money! There was a bag that contained about 20 cents in change. Who throws away money? Perhaps it was beginners luck, but we found tons of stuff in this dumpster without ever having to set foot inside it. Who knows what else was in the bottom of that dumpster?<br /><br />We drove around to a few more with no luck and decided to try some retail dumpsters. We saw a shopping center with a bargain store and thought we might find some pretty good stuff there. Unfortunately, there was also a Jiffy Lube and a barber shop, so mostly all we found were hundreds of plastic oil containers, old air filters, and (barf) human hair. It wasn't completely fruitless because we found a ton of recyclable bottles and cans.<br /><br />Afterwards, we decided to hit up an apartment complex that had a whole alley full of dumpsters. I was quite nervous about going to an apartment complex because, well, people live there. And yes, we had someone staring at us from the balcony as we "dove" in their dumpsters. I can't blame them though; it's not every day that you see people like me going through your trash.<br /><br />The dumpsters at the apartment complex were pretty nasty. Rotting food and dirty diapers. MMMMM. Right away, I saw a nice-looking suitcase on top of the dumpster. I go to pick it up and it's heavy with stuff inside. When I opened it up, I found that they had used this perfectly good suitcase as a trash can. Who does this? It's bad enough that you throw away a perfectly good suitcase, but to fill it with trash and then throw it away, that's just too much.<br /><br />We went to a few more dumpsters in the complex and found some more bottles and cans, Coke rewards points (my bf saves these things if you want to send me yours), and another bag full of clothes. I probably could've kept going all night (it was so fascinating) but my trunk was full so I figured we should stop.<br /><br />All in all here is what we found:<br /><br />2 bags of clothes to be donated (tax write-off)<br />1 wetsuit (sell on Craigslist?)<br />1 bag of bottles and cans (CRV!)<br />1 suitcase to be donated<br />23 cents in change<br />10 CDs (about 3 in good enough condition to sell on Half.com, others to be recycled)<br />1 key chain beaner<br /><br />That was just from about 1.5 hours of active searching in approximaely 15 dumpsters. I was shocked at how much of the stuff in those dumpsters could've been recycled or donated and how little of what was actually in the dumpster really needed to be there. I take for granted that everyone is as conscious as I am about recycling or repurposing old materials and it was a little disheartening to see all that waste. I might even right Jiffy Lube a letter, requesting them to implement better waste management procedures. I just imagined all the Jiffy Lube's around the country producing that much unnecessary waste and I felt so overwhelmed. It's amazing that we're not all swimming in the trash that we produce every day.<br /><br />As disheartening as it was, it was also great fun. I think I'll definitely do it again. Maybe I'll check out a grocery store, just to see what is actually thrown out. I meant to bring it along and forgot on my way out! Next time, I'll try to remember my camera so I can share my finds with you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-23991773579636108062008-04-25T20:29:00.000-07:002008-04-26T11:19:24.205-07:00Cheap gas isn't always cheaperEver notice that some gas stations are able to consistently offer gas that is 10 cents cheaper per gallon than the other gas stations around town? People flock to these stations and wait in long lines to get the "cheaper" gas. Are these stations just trying to set competitive prices to attract customers or is there something more sinister going on here?<br /><br />Where I live, Arco is usually a good 10 cents less per gallon than other stations like Mobil, Shell, or Chevron. It seems like a great deal, until you realize that they don't accept credit cards. Who carries $50 in cash to fill up their tank? But wait! They accept ATM cards! No problem. So you fill up your tank on the cheap and use your ATM card to pay for it. Except, it probably isn't much cheaper if you realize that you're being charged $1.00 for the convenience of using your ATM card. D'oh!<br /><br />We can also factor in that when you use an ATM card or cash you are not receiving any rewards that you would if you were using a cash back credit card (and you should be). Personally, I would receive 3% back on my purchase.<br /><br />So if gas is $3.67 at Arco and I fill up 15 gallons, we could thus calculate:<br /><br />$3.67 x 15 = $55.05 + 1.00 = <span style="font-weight: bold;">$56.05</span><br /><br />But if I pay the extra 10 cents at another gas station and get the same amount of gas and use my credit card, I pay:<br /><br />$3.77 x 15 = $56.55 - $1.70 (3% cash back) = <span style="font-weight: bold;">$54.85</span><br /><br />Blimey! Paying <span style="font-style: italic;">more </span>for gas actually works out to be <span style="font-style: italic;">cheaper </span>in the long run, even if I don't pay the $1.00 ATM charge...and I don't have to wait in the long lines at the "cheaper" gas station! <br /><br />Lesson be learned - sometimes it pays, to pay more.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-14758681954006353762008-04-23T14:34:00.000-07:002008-04-23T15:11:47.395-07:00Is it time to stockpile food?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/new-imagebank/asia/0423_rice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/new-imagebank/asia/0423_rice.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Sam's Club (Walmart's warehouse division)<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/feedarticle?id=7481196"> announced today</a> that they will be limiting rice purchases to four bags per customer, amid supply and demand concerns. Costco is also limiting sales of flour and rice at some of their stores.<br /><br />They claim that business owners, like restaurateurs, are stockpiling food out of fear of global food shortages generated by media reports. The U.N. is calling the food shortages, "<a href="http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/04/american-retail.html">a silent tsunami</a>" that is devastating the world's hungry and driving up world food prices.<br /><br />Is this simply a case of panic, or are we going to be facing even more dramatic increases in food prices? Heck, the price of rice is already 66% more than it was at the beginning of 2008 and global food prices have risen 57% in the past month. How much higher can it go?<br /><br />Are you worried? Is it time to hoard food, just in case? Or will that just make the crisis worse?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-30818222510954817722008-04-22T10:08:00.001-07:002008-04-22T10:12:39.416-07:00Happy Earth Day!Go out and do something good for the Earth!<br /><br /><a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/?action=view&current=earthday_NY.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/lpkitten/earthday_NY.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-4401771252297372872008-04-21T14:02:00.000-07:002008-04-21T14:07:04.768-07:00Evaluating a Prosper Loan<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Back when savings interest rates were 5% or more, there <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">wasn</span>’t a lot of incentive to run out and look for investments that would provide a higher yield.<span style=""> </span>You could earn a decent rate of return on your money with no risk and no work on your part.<span style=""> </span>Now that savings interest rates are down, it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">doesn</span>’t make much sense to keep a huge chunk of cash in a savings account where it’s only earning 3%, especially with current inflation rates at 4%.<span style=""> </span>That means that for all the money you save earning only 3%, you’re actually losing 1% of the value to inflation.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>I’m not saying that you should run out and take all the money from your savings account and move it riskier investments.<span style=""> </span>Everyone needs to have some cash liquid and secure in case of an emergency or unexpected expense.<span style=""> </span>You just don’t want to keep it all stock-piled in an account that’s earning less than the current rate of inflation.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>So, I started contemplating the various options for investing my money.<span style=""> </span>I figured that it would be worth giving <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Propser</span> a try because credit card companies have been raising their rates and clamping down on consumer credit, causing people to look for other options to get a lower interest rate on their debts.<span style=""> </span>After being in debt myself for so many years, I feel for those who are struggling with their credit now.<span style=""> </span>When I was in debt, I was able to get lots of 0% interest offers, so I was paying very little interest on my debt.<span style=""> </span>I think if I actually had to pay interest (and some people are paying more than 15% on thousands of dollars!) it would’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ve</span> taken me years longer to pay it off.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ve</span> been browsing the listings for a while, trying to use my psychic powers to determine who the dead beats are and who is trustworthy enough to make good on their financial commitments.<span style=""> </span>Sure, I could just use their credit rating to help me choose, but a listing offers so much more to go on than just a letter score.<span style=""> </span>As I browsed, I realized that there were some very subtle, and non-subtle, red flags that (I hope) can help lenders choose borrowers that a minimal risk. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Financially irresponsible behavior.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Make sure that your borrowers have their priorities in line.<span style=""> </span>If they claim they’re taking out a loan to pay off high-interest credit cards and padded a little extra to pay for a vacation, then you should probably take a pass.<span style=""> </span>If they were serious about getting out of debt, they would wait to take a vacation until after they have paid off their debts.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. High revolving credit balances.</span><span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>If they don’t have a good explanation for their high revolving credit card balance, I assume the worst.<span style=""> </span>I want to hear an explanation as to how their habits have changed and what positive steps they are taking to get on the road to debt recovery.<span style=""> </span>If I don’t see those things in their listings, I assume that they are liable to making the same mistakes again. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. </span><u style="font-weight: bold;">Any</u><span style="font-weight: bold;"> delinquencies or public records.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>I take my finances very seriously, and I would want anyone who borrows money from me to take it seriously too.<span style=""> </span>Delinquencies are a big no no.<span style=""> </span>NO NO I will not lend to you.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Vague business plans.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>If it’s a business loan, I want to see a solid business plan and why it’s going to succeed.<span style=""> </span>Starting your own business is a risky venture, but you can minimize the risk if you have a solid business plan in place. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Lots of missing or vague information.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>I want to see that the person has taken some time and effort to make their listing as informative as possible.<span style=""> </span>If they <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">didn</span>’t bother to give detailed information about their expenses, credit card accounts, etc. then that shows me that their not concerned with helping lenders make an informed decision. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Inadequate income to handle unexpected events.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Make sure that they have enough extra income in their budget to make all their payments and handle any other unexpected expenses that may arise.<span style=""> </span>If their income and expenses barely leave them enough money to pay the minimum on their cards, than they are more likely to have to make some tough decisions and either miss a payment or take on more debt what something unexpected happens.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Borrowers who are also lenders. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>I find this one hard to understand - borrowers, who claim to have high-interest credit cards, making loans to other people on Prosper…and then using it as a selling point!<span style=""> </span>It’s like saying, “I’m not only a member, I’m the president.” ??????<span style=""> </span>My feeling is that if you have credit card debt, any money you have should be focused on paying off your own debts.<span style=""> </span>That’s a guaranteed return on your money with 0% risk.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Using these guidelines, I lent about $300 to about 5 different borrowers with an average interest rate of 11.23%.<span style=""> </span>I stayed more towards the conservative side, but even still that’s a lot better than 3% in my savings.<span style=""> </span>I’ll be posting back to report how well my choices turned out and whether or not I picked winners or losers.<span style=""> </span>I’m crossing my fingers for all winners!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Curious about checking it out?<span style=""> </span>Prosper is offering a $25 sign up bonus for lenders after you fund your first loan.<br /></p> <a href="http://www.prosper.com/referrals/lender.aspx?referrer=lpkitten&utm_source=referrer-lpkitten&utm_medium=referral-button&utm_content=lender_dark-468x60&utm_campaign=referrals-lender"><img src="http://www.prosper.com/images/referrals/referral_lender_dark468x60.gif" alt="Business & Personal Loans. Great Rates. Prosper." border="0" height="60" width="468" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-74514258322392710822008-04-20T11:25:00.000-07:002008-04-22T09:13:24.686-07:00Why you need an ING Direct accountING Direct is one of the best high-yield savings accounts out there. I've been a customer with them for years, and have never had a problem with them unlike other banks<a href="http://thedebtdefier.blogspot.com/2006/05/more-hsbc-drama.html"></a>. Why do I like them so much?<br /><br /><ul><li>They pay a competitive <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/brm/rate/mmmf_highratehome.asp?params=US,416&product=33">2.96% APY</a>. </li><li>There are no minimums and no fees. </li><li>They link to your current checking account for easy transfers, BUT money is not instantly available (it takes about 2-3 days to transfer to checking) so I'm not tempted to spend it.</li><li>They offer automatic savings plans.</li><li>Their referral plans allow you to earn extra cash for your savings goals.<br /></li><li>They have great customer service. They're always helpful and knowledgeable (unlike some places).<br /></li><li>Their website is easy to use.</li></ul>Really, I can't say anything bad about them, except for the fact that they used to have better rates, which is not necessarily their fault. The days of 5% savings accounts are dead for now so I'll take my 3% and run.<br /><br />So, if you're still stuck with a low yield savings account, consider signing up with ING Direct using one of the links below. They'll give you $25 just for signing up with an initial deposit of $250, and I'll earn $10 for the referral. Then you can start referring all your friends and earning even more money for your savings goals.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Orange Savings Account Links - Earn 3% with no minimums (remember you must start with $250 to earn $25)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%a0%a0%c4%c5%cb%c5%bf%c3%c2%c6%bf%f7%c0%c2%cb%c3%c2%c6%c7%be%be%c0">ING Direct $25 Savings Account Opening Bonus</a><br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%9f%6d%91%92%98%92%8c%90%8f%93%c4%8c%8d%8f%98%90%8f%93%94%8b%8b%8c">ING Direct $25 Savings Account Opening Bonus</a><br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%9f%98%bc%bd%c3%bd%b7%bb%ba%be%ef%b7%b8%ba%c3%bb%ba%be%be%bf%bf%bf">ING Direct $25 Savings Account Opening Bonus</a><br />ING Direct $25 Savings Account Opening Bonus<br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%a8%4c%70%71%77%71%6b%6f%6e%72%6b%6c%6e%77%6f%6e%72%72%72%a3%6a%6d"><ing direct="" 25="" savings="" account="" opening="" bonus=""></ing></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Electric Orange Savings Account Links - Earn up to 3.4% with more than $100,000</span><br /><br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%a1%93%b7%b4%be%b8%b2%b6%b5%b9%b2%b3%ea%b5%be%b6%b5%b9%b9%ba%ba%b7">ING Direct $25 Savings Account Opening Bonus</a><br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%a0%7b%9f%9c%a6%a0%9a%9e%9d%a1%9a%d2%9b%9d%a6%9e%9d%a1%a1%a2%a2%a0">ING Direct $25 Savings Account Opening Bonus</a><br /><a href="http://home.ingdirect.com/promo/promo_set.asp?t=%99%86%aa%a7%dd%b1%ab%a5%a9%a8%ac%a5%a6%a8%b1%a9%a8%ac%ac%ad%ad%ac">ING Direct $25 Savings Account Opening Bonus</a><br /><br />Don't think you have the money to start on your savings goals? Here are some quick and easy ways to save money fast and get you on your way.<br /><br />1. Compare auto insurance rates online.<br />2. Use the library for books, DVDs, CDs, and magazines. Then, sell your old stuff on <a href="http://half.ebay.com/">Half.com.</a><br />3. Pack your lunch. Need some inspiration? <a href="http://lunchinabox.net/">This </a>is an amazing site with creative, kooky lunchbox ideas.<br />4. Stop eating <a href="http://www.thewvsr.com/adsvsreality.htm">fast food</a>. Period.<br />5. Sign up for a good cash back credit card and earn money for all of your purchases (but don't carry a balance).<br />6. Buy all your produce at the local farmers market. I end up paying nearly half for my fruits and veggies than I would at the grocery store.<br />7. Find a <a href="http://www.erideshare.com/">carpool </a>buddy.<br />8. When eating out, share an entree with a friend. When drinking out, stick with beer or wine instead of fancy (and expensive) cocktails.<br />9. Drive at a slow and steady speed to increase fuel efficiency.<br />10. Use <a href="http://www.freecycle.org/">Freecycle </a>to find items you need for FREE.<br /><br />Following these tips, you'll easily save $250 in no time. Feel free to add your own tips in the comments and share your experiences with ING Direct.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-69725238327628687492008-04-20T09:22:00.000-07:002008-04-20T11:24:46.969-07:00Oh my dental woesMy teeth are quickly becoming the bane of my existence and a drain on my wallet. Just a couple weeks ago, I went in to get a root canal and got a temporary crown put in. It hasn't been giving me too many problems...until two days ago when I was eating kettle corn. I looove kettle corn and was chomping away when I hear CRACK. I had accidentally bit into a kernel with my bad tooth. I run to the mirror and check it out, and it looks fine. Whew. I thought for sure I was going to have to go in for another costly dentist visit, but it seemed just fine.<br /><br />Then last night, I was flossing away while playing Scrabble with my boyfriend. Why I felt so compelled to floss at that moment, I'll never know, but all of a sudden, I look down and see that my tooth is on the floor! There is nothing more humbling then to see your tooth falling out of your mouth (unless you're 5 years old, of course). <br /><br />The first thing that goes through my mind is, "Crap! That's going to be another $200!" I contemplated going around with a big hole in my mouth and living off a liquid diet for the next 4 days, just so I wouldn't have to pay any more money at the dentist.<br /><br />Luckily, Recapit came to my rescue and for $5 I was able to cement my tooth back into place. Let's just hope that my teeth stay in my mouth until I go back to the dentist and I don't have to shell out any more cash for my chompers. If my teeth keep this up, I'll never reach my grad school savings goal!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-89619622595397245832008-04-19T10:13:00.000-07:002008-04-19T10:28:22.160-07:00Attending grad school without going broke<p class="MsoNormal">The heat is on to jumpstart my grad school savings.<span style=""> </span>I recently got my financial aid letter and realized that my $1,000 a month savings goal is going to fall drastically short of the actual cost of attending grad school without incurring any more student loan debt.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Now, I realize that student loan debt is not all bad, but I already have $8,000 of student loan debt from my undergraduate studies and I’m not interested in getting any more, especially because the loans that were offered were unsubsidized loans with about 6.8-8.5% interest.<span style=""> </span>It might be worth it if I was going into a high-paying field, but teaching?<span style=""> </span>C’mon!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>After doing the math, I realized I’ll need to save at least $2,356 for the next 6 months to cover the estimated annual budget.<span style=""> </span>GULP.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Here’s the breakdown:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal">Estimated Budget</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Registration fees and health insurance<span style=""> </span> $9,645<br />Books and supplies<span style=""> </span> $1,881<br />Living expenses<span style=""> </span> $18,411</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Total:<span style=""> </span> $29,937</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Fellowship<span style=""> </span> ($7,000)<br />Current savings<span style=""> </span> ($3,000)<br />*Federal Perkins Loan <span style=""> </span> ($1,800)<br />**Teach Grant<span style=""> </span> ($4,000)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Total<span> </span>Needed to save $14,137<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total to save each month (6) </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">$2,356</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">* Interest is 5% and I don’t have to pay interest until 9 months after I graduate.<span style=""> </span><br />**This program is new so the details are still fuzzy.<span style=""> </span>I’m 95% sure that I’ll qualify for this federal grant.</span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Seems nearly impossible for me to accomplish, but I’m sure with a little creativity and hard-work, it can be done.<span style=""> </span>The question is, how does one go about saving $2,400 a month on a small salary?<span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">I'm already living at home to minimize my expenses. It may not be a glamorous life but Grams likes the company and I can save the majority of what I earn. I'm also considering taking on a part-time job for the next couple of months to increase my income. I get home fairly early from my "day job" so I have a good chunk of time in the evenings to take on something extra.<br /></span></p>Most of the budget isn't tuition; it's mainly just living expenses. If worse comes to worse, I suppose we could live in a tiny room...but I don't think my boyfriend or the cats would appreciate it. I'd like to avoid eating PB&J and ramen for the next 2 years and avoid a lot of the stress that comes from being dead broke.<br /> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Of course, the wheels in my head are spinning trying to come up with more ways to avoid getting into debt again.<span style=""> </span>I’m determined to avoid making the same mistakes I made the first time around.<span style=""> </span>And you know, as I come up with my brilliant schemes, I’ll be posting them here.<span style=""> </span><span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style=""><br /></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12898829.post-89539936809831634362008-04-15T07:42:00.000-07:002008-04-15T08:24:03.118-07:00Why a Recession is Good for Us<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ke5UdrjEpLQ/SATIBTsmsXI/AAAAAAAAAEw/iRTcY-xiN0g/s1600-h/binge+drinking.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ke5UdrjEpLQ/SATIBTsmsXI/AAAAAAAAAEw/iRTcY-xiN0g/s320/binge+drinking.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189492595430437234" border="0" /></a><br />The media has done a good job worrying us about the future.<span style=""> </span>Sometimes, listening to the news, I convince myself that I should be building a bomb shelter and stockpiling food to deal with the impending world crisis.<span style=""> </span>What with global warming, food shortages, and the upcoming economic collapse, we’re all doomed!<span style=""> </span>Gas is creeping near $4 a gallon.<span style=""> </span>Food is getting more expensive every day.<span style=""> </span>People are filing for foreclosures left and right.<span style=""> </span>Everything seems to be coming together to create a perfect mess.<o:p> </o:p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">But actually, when you stop to think of it, these things <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">aren</span>’t so bad after all.<span style=""> </span>In fact, it’s about time these things started to happen.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>The way I see it, the economy has been behaving like a teenager who’s just left home for college.<span style=""> </span>At first, they eat all the junk food they want.<span style=""> </span>They get a credit card and buy, buy, buy.<span style=""> </span>They drink and party and stay up late.<span style=""> </span>They think that life is just grand.<span style=""> </span>But then, the consequences set in.<span style=""> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">They’re fat, broke, and hung over and realize that it’s about time to grow up.</span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">That pretty much sums up how our economy has been behaving for the past 10 years.<span style=""> </span>Now, we’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ve</span> got to suck it up, pay the consequences, and work off that Freshman 15!<span style=""> </span>The good news is that once we start getting our act together, we’ll enjoy the benefits of our responsible behavior.<span style=""> </span>Here are just some of the positive effects that I see coming our way.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. People will get creative.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">You know the old saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”<span style=""> </span>Well lately, we haven’t had much necessity.<span style=""> </span>Easy credit has put the world at our fingertips.<span style=""> </span>Now that it’s gone, we’ll just have to get creative to find ways to enjoy the same quality of life that we’re used to.<span style=""> </span>Just think of all the breakthroughs in alternative energy that we’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ve</span> made in the past few years.<span style=""> </span>Once we started to feel the burn of high oil costs, people started going to the drawing board to find a solution.<span style=""> </span>Now, we’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ve</span> got algae fuel, energy producing knee braces, and revolving doors that produce generate power, among numerous other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">unthought</span>-of possibilities.<span style=""> </span>I have faith that we’ll pull together to see this thing through and end up with some great innovations as a result.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. We’ll lose weight.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Food in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> has been notoriously cheap and easy.<span style=""> </span>Packaged foods and fast foods provide convenience and so far have been relatively cheap.<span style=""> </span>Now that food is getting more expensive, people may have to get more creative with their eating habits and turn to healthier, inexpensive alternatives like lentils, beans, and other whole foods.<span style=""> </span>Forget the South Beach Diet; try the Recession Diet.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. People will talk more about money.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Have you noticed that ever since people started buzzing about a recession, people are talking a lot more about money?<span style=""> </span>They’re not bragging about their most recent purchase or that big raise they got (thank god); they’re talking about their problems.<span style=""> </span>People feel more comfortable admitting their mistakes when they think they’re not alone.<span style=""> </span>Who wants to talk about their credit card debt when Sally is gushing about her expensive new sports car?<span style=""> </span>Maybe, people can start coming out of the financial closet and create dialogues about smart money choices.<span style=""> </span>Sharing knowledge is one of the great things about being human - we don’t have to experience something ourselves to learn from it.<span style=""> </span>As people open up, more people will be able to draw upon their experiences to make wiser financial decisions.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">4.<span style=""> </span>There will be less traffic.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">People think twice about driving their car when gas costs almost $4 per gallon.<span style=""> </span>There will be more people carpooling, taking public transit, and just plain not driving.<span style=""> </span>As a result, there will be fewer cars on the road and less traffic.<span style=""> </span>HALLELUJAH!<span style=""> </span>I’d gladly pay more for gas if it meant sitting in my car for fewer hours.<span style=""> </span>As an added bonus, people will realize that driving like a jerk costs them money.<span style=""> </span>No more people speeding past you on the freeway and driving like maniacs (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ok</span>, we can wish right?)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. We’ll reduce our impact on the environment.</span><span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Saving money and helping the environment go hand in hand.<span style=""> </span>Walking instead of driving, turning off unused lights, buying less…all of these things cut back on energy use and make the world a greener place.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>The next time you here people complaining about the shrinking economy, don’t fret.<span style=""> </span>Just think about how great life is going to be.<span style=""> </span>You’ll be more creative, look great in your bikini (or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">speedo</span>) this summer, have some stimulating conversations, spend less time in traffic, and be one with nature.<span style=""> </span>Recessions are great, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">aren</span>’t they?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3