No New Year’s Resolutions

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I have decided not to make any resolutions for the new year.  After making three resolutions last year and only meeting one I’ve decided to do things differently.  I am  going to have goals they just won’t necessarily be year-long ones.  Also I will be more specific about my goals and my plan to achieve them.  One goal to lose weight and I have a specific plan to achieve that but I haven’t decided on any other goals yet.

Instead of writing about what I’m going to do here and then not doing it I am going to do stuff and then write about it.  That seems like a better model: more doing stuff, less talking about doing stuff.

My next post about goals will be after I have met one or tried and failed.

'Tis the Season for Giving… to Yourself

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This time of year many businesses are offering bonuses when you buy their gift card.  For instance AMC Theatres is offering a $10 concession card when you purchase a $50 gift card.  Since I easily spent over $50 there last year and will do so again next year this is a good deal for me.  If you know you are going to be spending money at a business anyway you might as well take advantage of these bonus offers.  It is an easy way to save a little money.

This thread at Slick Deals has a list of bonus gift card deals.

Deciding Where to Live

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It is getting colder as winter approaches and I find myself wishing I lived somewhere warmer.  Now that I’m finished with school and no longer with my GF there really is nothing keeping me here in KC other than the fact that I’m already here.*  In deciding where to live I would like somewhere warm but it also needs to have a reasonable cost of living. That rules out Southern California. I have lived in Las Vegas and Austin in the past and think both of those cities would meet my criteria.   The drawback to Vegas is that I like to gamble and that could certainly raise my cost of living.  Austin has the advantage of being within a long day’s drive of my family.

It would also be interesting to move somewhere I haven’t lived before.  I know Florida and many other parts of the South and Southwest would also meet my criteria.  If you live somewhere warm I’d like to hear your opinion of where you live and what the cost of living is like.  Then I can compare the pluses and minuses of various places to live.

Another option would be to act like a snowbird and go south for the winter and return in the spring.   That would mean moving twice a year but it might be worth it.

*I think a lot of people are living where they live by default.  When I moved to Texas people would always ask,  “Do you have family here?’ , “Were you offered a job here?”.  When I replied that I moved there just because I wanted to live there the answer seemed to confuse them.

Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Present for the Holidays

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Personal Finance bloggers, including myself, have pointed out in the past the wastefulness of buying Christmas presents. Economist Joel Waldfogel has written an entire book on the subject. He points out that you wouldn’t buy a $50 item for yourself unless it was worth $50 to you. It is entirely likely though that you will receive gifts that are of little to no value to you despite the fact that the giver spent considerable money on the gift. If you eliminate gift giving you eliminate this waste. I haven’t read the book but apparently he does offer some solutions other than just stop giving gifts. I don’t plan on buying the book but it is nice to see an economist shares my view on the wastefulness of Christmas gift giving. As a frugal person I abhor waste.

Despite my views I will probably be buying at least a couple of Christmas gifts. Some people don’t believe me when I say I don’t want anything and then I need to reciprocate.

5 Practical Ways to Save on Commuting

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This guest post was written by Dean Sherwin, owner of the blog Art of Stinginess. His blog features daily tips, tricks and lifestyle design guides which aim to save you money.

Very little is free in this life, yet by being stingy or at least by following some very simple guidelines we can easily cut back our expenses. One expense that many of us have is commuting. It can be a pain shelling out to get to a place just to earn money, can’t it?

Or maybe it’s not a job you commute to, maybe it’s college. In that case chances are you’re a student looking to save every penny you can. Here are some tips so you can do just that.

Public Transport

I for one used to cringe at the thought of getting public transport. The mere image of late buses or standing in the cold waiting turned me off. But then one day I did some calculations and the amount I would save as opposed to driving was astounding. I guess you could say I was rapidly converted.

Plus, you can use the time on your commute for other things rather than just mindlessly staring out the window. Many people take out a laptop and do some work. Others listen to music or watch TV shows on their MP4s. Public transport is what you make of it and by putting in the effort you can make it into that little bit of ‘me time’ we all like.

Use Your Status

Young People, Senior Citizens, Students, Civil Servants and other such members of our society are almost always entitled to discounts when it comes to transport. You have that I.D. for a reason so use it.

Discounts can go up to 40% or can wave the fare all together depending on where you live. So why pay extra when you don’t need too?

Cycling or Walking

Still, why pay anything at all? For those lucky enough to live within walking/cycling distance of their jobs, why not walk instead of taking your usual method. This way it won’t cost you a dime.

Once again you can listen to your MP3 player or just enjoy the stroll before the long working day starts. It’s great exercise and it’s good for the environment. (I even hear many life insurance policies are starting to lower their premiums for people who commute by walking or cycling so you could save even more money).

Car Pooling

Public transport or hoofing it might not always be on the cards. It could be pouring down rain or you may not live near a bus route. So car pool with your fellow employees who live close to you!

You’d be surprised how popular this is becoming. With the rising cost of gas and car insurance, many co-workers take joy in taking turns driving each other to work. Just ask around your workplace or enquire with HR to see if there’s a program already up and running.

Tele-Commute

If your job can be done from home (maybe you’re a designer, writer, programmer etc…) why not ask your boss if you can work from home 1-2 days per week? It saves on your commuting costs and it increases your quality of life. Plus with E-Mail, file sharing and Instant Messaging it’ll practically be like you’re at the office!

Many jobs are now making this an standing invitation as it pleases their employees and saves on their operating costs (electricity, phone etc…). Normally they will subsidize (to a certain extent) your own costs of a home office.

By implementing just one or two of the above tips you could potentially save hundreds of dollars per year. That’s good spending money for you vacation, right?