Announcements

Inertia

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In the absence of force, a body either is at rest or moves in a straight line with constant speed.  My body is at rest right now and there isn’t any force to get it moving.  I am having a hard time getting motivated to do anything right now either mentally or physically.   I know if I could just do enough to gain a little momentum I would be able to get more things done and feel better about myself.  I just can’t get started.

To me it is kind of like running.  I like running but I never want to go for a run.  If I do go for a run though once I am doing it I enjoy it and am glad I do it.  The next day though I still won’t want to go for a run.  This changes if I manage to go running often enough for it to become a habit.  Once it is a habit I look forward to running and no longer have to overcome my initial resistance.

I’m out of the habit of running right now.  I need to get back in that habit as well as develop a habit of working on my blog and other things.  Maybe this post will be enough of a spark to get me started.

Moving Day

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I am moving in to my new apartment today.  I managed to find a one-bedroom apartment for $360 a month.  That is a pretty cheap even for Kansas City.  The apartment is nice it is just in an old building.  That is my best tip for finding a cheap apartment – look for an older complex that is still well maintained.  You can often get an apartment in older buildings for much less than the normal rate.  I guess this is because people think apartments in older building aren’t good?, I don’t know. The location is great with a CVS drugstore, Dollar General, grocery store, bank, movie theatre, library, park, and lots of restaurants within walking distance.

The only negative is that it is on the third floor and there is no elevator.  That could be a positive though because I need to exercise more.  Luckily, I don’t own much stuff so moving won’t be too difficult.  A couple of carloads should get me moved.

Changes

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Sorry for the lack of posts this week.  I have some major changes going on.  I am now single again and in the process of buying a vehicle and finding a place to live.  I don’t wish to share the details of my breakup but I will say that it was 100% my fault.

I should have a new vehicle tomorrow.  With this vehicle purchase I plan to keep detailed records of every expense associated with it so that I will be able to determine the total cost of ownership.  This is something I have planning to do for a couple of years and it will be interesting to see the results.  At least I think it will.

I will share more details of upcoming changes as they happen, provided I still have internet access.

Book Review and Giveaway: 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget

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The writers at Wisebread have come out with a book titled 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget. As you might guess from the title this book is chock full of useful tips on getting more for your dollar. These ideas will help you have a nice lifestyle while being frugal. Frugality is about making smarter choices with your money not sacrifice.

The book reads like a series of blog posts. Which isn’t too surprising since the tips are mainly from posts at Wisebread. If you like reading blogs posts – and since you’re here reading a blog, you probably do – you should enjoy reading this book. The tips have been organized into several categories such as travel, food, health and beauty, etc. to help you find tips.

With over 10,000 tips the book doesn’t go into much detail on any of them. Most of the ideas are pretty simple though and don’t require a lot of explanation in order for you to be able to utilize the ideas. This book would be an excellent resource for anyone who is just getting started with being frugal. Even if you have been frugal for a long time such as I have you will likely find a few helpful tips in this book.

I’m giving away a copy of this book. To enter simply leave a comment on this post. Only one entry per person. The book will be shipped via media mail so the winner must have a U.S. address. The contest will close on Friday and the winner of the random drawing will be announced at that time.

Medical Study Update

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My new Guinea Pig!
photo credit: j.reed

I checked in today for a nine-day stay at the clinic that is conducting my medical study. It has been easy money so far but having to stay in-house for nine days will be a drag. Considering the money I am getting paid I won’t complain too much. We have tons of free time which is generally spent on the Internet, watching TV or reading.

I was hoping to get a lot of work done on the Internet while I was here. Unfortunately, their wi-fi Internet here sucks. It has been out most of the day and when it is working the speed reminds me of the old dial-up days. If the connection doesn’t improve I might be posting sporadically over the next nine days. I will make sure I get on tomorrow to draw the winner of the Amazon $5 gift card giveaway.