Save Money on Glasses and Contact Lenses

I was cleaning my glasses the other day and like the butter fingers I am, dropped them. A lens popped out. I instantly thought, “Great, I’m going to have buy new glasses now.” (I should note that I’m new to the glass-wearing crowd.) I suddenly thought, “What would happen if these glasses were broken?” How could I replace them cheaply?

With that in mind here are a few tips to save money on glasses and contact lenses:

Buy Glasses and Contacts in Discount Stores

• Buy Glasses and Contacts at Wal-Mart – This is where I got my current glasses. I decked them out with nearly every option and they came in at $200. If I had gone to a specialty store they would have been a lot more.

  I must admit that I didn’t research it much at the time, but Wal-Mart has always been a “go-to” store for me when I didn’t have time to research. In the business world, there’s a famous saying that says nobody ever got fired for buying IBM products. I think the same could be said for saving money at Wal-Mart.

• Buy Glasses and Contacts at a Discount Warehouse – Before my most Wal-Mart purchase, I went to BJ’s Warehouse to partake of their 2 pairs of glasses for $99 special. You don’t get any frills like anti-glare coating, but overall it was a good price.

Buy Glasses and Contacts Online

Buying glasses and contacts online might be the single best key to saving money on glasses and contact lenses. Sure you might have to wait some time for them to reach you, but the savings can be big. Plus, I typically wait a week or more for glasses from online stores. I went to one random site and com

• Contact Lens Comparison Shopping – One place where you can compare contact lenses is at LensShopper.
• Eyeglass Comparison Shopping – A good place that focuses on glasses specifically is Eyeglass Retailer Reviews
• Buy Glasses Online – The glass I got from Wal-Mart had just about everything you can imagine. They are anti-glare and transition lenses. That cost me $200. I went to Prescription Glasses Online (who might not be reputable), and found that the same glasses would cost about $100.

You really discuss buying glasses online without mentioning GlassyEyes and his experience (hint: it’s very a good one). He’s got a lot of comments and even responded to one optometrist’s opinion.

Another Idea

• Get a Price Match – It doesn’t always make sense to start out looking for a price match (where’s the savings on a match?), but it helped out CleverDude.

To finish up my story about my dropped glasses, I simple brought them Wal-Mart. They fixed them in about 4 minutes. The most interesting thing to me is that they never asked my name, never verified that I was a previous customer, nothing.

Photo Credit: BrittneyBush

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I know some bloggers might be upset about sending traffic to others. That’s the wrong attitude. Give your readers the best information, even if it’s not on your site and they’ll come back. Also, others in the Blog Traffic Exchange are sending you back readers. If you have a quality blog (and I’m sure you do), these readers will notice and want to stick around.

The Blog Traffic Exchange aims to keep everything fair. If you receive more than you give out, you may be cut off from receiving until you catch up. (I’m hearing “will be cut off” is the better phrase, but I don’t want to be that absolute without confirmation.) However, you can escape this clause a bit, by upgrading to a Pro Account.

The Pro Account gives you the ability to be a little unbalanced. You also get full stats about who is linking to you, who is clicking on your site, and who is sending traffic. Coming soon to Pro Accounts is a way to black list sites so you don’t have to send traffic to a competitor’s site. In short, if you are trying to monetize a blog, the Pro Account is worth every penny.

This is where the exclusive, limited-time offer comes in. The Blog Traffic Exchange will charge you $20/mo. or $200 a year, but as a wholesaler, I can give offer it cheaper… $10 a month or $100 a year. I only have 10 accounts available, so if this sounds like something you might be interested in, act quickly.

First you’ll have to get the basic Blog Traffic Exchange Wordpress plugin and install it. Then you’ll have to request a key which you can use in the Paypal form below to upgrade to a Pro account. I don’t want to go into the full installation instructions, they are on the Blog Traffic Exchange website.

$10 a month:

BTE API Key

$100 a year:

BTE API KEY

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Here are some other interesting items from the Amazon Friday Sale:

• Pike Street 3 in 1 Softie Wrap/Throw – Holy switched advertising Batman. I was going to make fun of this product because the image makes it looks like you are getting your Monk on: . When you click through to buy (you may have to scroll to the chocolate color, it went right there for me before), they tempt you with a hot babe on a bed showing some serious leg. Monks everywhere must be disappointed.
• I Am Not a Paper Cup – I love this marketing plan. Let’s just list all the things it’s not… I am not a hammer… I am not underwear… I am not the thing your aunt gave that you don’t know what it is… Bonus geek cred to any reader who gets that last reference.
• Calculator Paper Rolls, 2.25 Inches x 150 Feet, White, 100/Carton – The two people left in the world that still use calculators with paper could probably split this box of 100 rolls and have enough for 10 lifetimes… I suppose that’s why they are 60% off.
• American Innovative Neverlate Executive Alarm Clock – I’m a sucker for anything with “innovative” in the product name. They wouldn’t lie right? However, add in “American” in the product name and you had me at “hello.” These guys just got greedy by adding executing and promising you’d never be late again. It just ruined it for me. They should learn to quit while they are ahead.
• Collapsible Pet Feeder – I love anything collapsible. We have collapsible colanders, food storage containers, funnels, pretty much anything you can think of. However, this is the first time I’ve seen a pet dish that does this. It looks a little flimsy for Jacoby, so I’ll pass.
• Track’r Pet Bicycle Trailer – The wife is looking to start bicycling for exercise. Extra exercise and getting Jacoby some fresh air? Sounds like a win-win. However, it doesn’t sound as much as a win-win as jogging with him so that he gets exercise too. He’ll also outgrow this quickly so we’d have to step up to the large.

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You might know Moolanomy from his very popular personal finance blog… or one of several hundred concurrent projects he runs. Those projects range from Personal Finance Buzz, a place to vote up your favorite personal finance posts, to Blogthority, a resource dedicated to all things blogging. To be brutally honest, his lack of Laziness bugged the poop right out of me. He is very much Bizarro Lazy Man. I got over this bitterness though. We are on the same team – trying to help people better manage their money to live well and be happy.

Getting back to Moolanomy Answers, you can either ask questions, or if you think you are Mr. Smarty Pants, give a shot at answering questions. By answering questions you’ll earn points. For a limited time the points could win you an iPod Shuffle. Help people out and get a chance at free music? That sounds like a win to me.

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I gave the simulator a shot and I almost reduced the state deficit in half, while increasing K-12 education to the national levels. In order to do that I turned the state into a toxic waste dump and drove out every corporation with raised taxes. I think I also had to raise the sales tax from 9.25% (in my county at least) to around 78%. Oh and I had to let all the criminals go free. Maybe the companies that make bars for windows will stick around… not that anyone can afford them with the sales tax.

I’m making a big joke of the situation in California, but it’s no laughing matter. The state has some serious issues and people are going to be negatively affected (they already are). I need to commend Next10. I’ve always been a fan of crowdsourcing a solution and while that would be nice, the education that Next10 is giving Californians is a step in the right direction.

Did you try the simulator? Tell me the choices you made in the comments below…

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My parents divorced in 1990. They were married for 18 years. While Lazy Man and I were engaged he gave me the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki while we were on vacation in Hawaii. After I read the book, I realized that money was at the root of what went wrong in my parents’ marriage.

Here are the milestones of their financial life:

• July 1972 – My parents moved out of their parents’ house and into an apartment in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the Greater Boston area. At the time, my grandfather’s real estate company owned the building and my father and mother lived there rent-free in exchange for being superintendents. There was no written contract signed and the compensation was free rent only, no pay. My dad worked during the day as a groundskeeper for the local playgrounds and occassionally pumping gas. My mom was a secretary. They did not have a checking account. My mom paid all the bills with money orders.
• December 1974 – My mother stopped working to become a stay at home mom. My father gave her $140.00 a week in cash for groceries and incidentals.
• 1979 – Dad was pumping gas when became friendly with the priests at the local church. They invited our family to a spaghetti supper. We went and my mother met all the neighbors and became friendly which them. The people they met are highly educated: engineers, doctors, nurses, rocket scientists, and professors at private universities. My mom flourished in this crowd and joins the parish council and the hospitality committee. My father, a high school dropout, who was illiterate until 1986 never went back to the church. My dad never went to the parties and never went to mass. He simply claimed that “he is too stupid.” In the meantime, my mom went to lavish parties, and drank from fine crystal. Her friends got mink coats for Christmas. My mother naturally wanted the same. She invited her friends over for a party and spends $500 to give them the . She asks my dad for an 1100 mink coat. It doesn’t end, if it wasn’t the mink coat, it was something else high end. My dad sees the neighbors with high end electronics and cars. He just goes out and buys them without consulting my mother. This includes a boat for my dad enjoys fresh water fishing.
• September 1985 – My mother got in a car accident. This lead to a law suit. My parents had no emergency fund to pay the legal and medical fees. My mother went to the bank and closed my sister and my college fund to pay the fees. This savings account was started by my grandmother. It had all the money I got from our baptism and our first communion – a couple thousand dollars. My sister and I would never see this money again.
• Early 1987 – My parents constantly fought about money and spending. I remember one case where my mother bought perfume, cigarettes, and other personal items. My dad didn’t approve of this use of “his money.”
• Late 1987 – My mom decided to quit smoking to help with costs and go back to work as a secretary. My sister and I became “latchkey kids.”
• The fights about money did not get better and became verbally abusive. The culminated when my mother got a speeding ticket. With no emergency fund, a $600 ticket is a lot of money.
• 1990 – My parents separated in 1990. My dad was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and depression. The court ordered my dad to give my mother $160 a week for my sister and I, who will start college in 1993. He routinely forgot to send the check and my mother had to get his work to send her the money directly. We stayed in the apartment and my mom, my sister, and I took over the maintence duties. Later, NBC would approach my mom about doing a sitcom based on a mother and two daughters managing an apartment My mom was too self-conscious about her writing and turned the offer down.
• Late 1990 – My dad moved back in with this parents. He bought a conversion van with a VCR. Over the next 10 years he moved in with three women… and bought a timeshare with one of them.
• 1995 – My college sent a $1900 bill for tuition. My mother was not prepared for it and states, “You can’t go back, I don’t have the money.” She has a condo filled with decorative items for catalogues. At Christmas each year, she buys multiple gifts for all friends and hosts a party with gifts for all guests. She borrowed the money for my college from a friend. I worked two summer jobs to pay the friend back.
• 1999 – I am have financial problems myself. My externship for school required you to have a car to get to your extern site (something they conveniently neglected to mention). I asked my dad (since he was only giving me $80 a week for child support) if he could help me with gas for the car. He gave me his Exxon credit card. When the bill came, I realized he was not paying the balance on the card. I later found out he wasn’t paying the balance of any of his bills – including his car payments on the conversion van.
• 2001 – My dad declares bankruptcy. My aunt and I had a conversation regarding this. We had no idea how this could have happened. He has never had to pay rent. He didn’t go on luxury vacations. He never helped with college expenses. He bought a lot of items that depreciate value like cars and boats. My grandmother told me that my parents were “big spenders” and was upset about their lack of saving.
• 2007 – For my wedding to Lazy Man, my mother borrowed $5000 from her 401k plan so her 50 friends from the church could attend the wedding. Lazy Man and I strongly discouraged this. Our theory was that if you can’t afford it, then shouldn’t go. We wanted a small wedding anyways. However, since she was invited to their kids’ weddings at the Ritz Carlton it would be social suicide if she did not reciprocate.

Current Day

My Dad: When you are married more than ten years your spouse is entitled to a percentage of your retirement if your spouse doesn’t remarry. My mother has not remarried. She has a boyfriend, but is too set in her ways to remarry. My dad does not want my mother to get 18% of his retirement. His answer is to “work until he dies.”

My Mom: She is also worried about retiremennt. Borrowing from her 401k for our wedding doesn’t help matters. I told her she would have to sell her condo which is now worth 3 times what she bought it for. She put my grandparents’ house in her name. When my grandfather dies, she will have that money – at least $200,000. Today, my mother still has no emergency fund.

My feeling today is that Lazy Man and I should not be involved in helping them. They made the bed… they should lie in it. If you couldn’t tell, I am extremely bitter about the college fund wipeout and my dad’s lack of support during my college years. Maybe time will heal that wound, but there’s always going to be scar in my eyes.

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Now that I’ve thoroughly depressed everyone, let’s switch to a more happy topic… the new iPhone came out this week. My office is abuzz and of course a couple of people had them on the first day. I’ve been loving my Palm Pre. (The drawback is fairly poor battery life – even after implementing the suggestions from around the web). One of the more interesting things that I’ve found is that people ask me what amazing thing the Palm Pre thing that the iPhone doesn’t do. Personally, I’d like to just say “work on Sprint which is a lot cheaper.” It’s funny these people only seem to care about the price of the device… and these are the smart, mature ones.

I’ve come up with a new demo though to why the Palm Pre is great. I pick up the phone and slide it open and start typing in “Ted Williams.” It’s great to show how the first few types of “Ted” show options to dial 314 (the same number keys on the Pre), as well as my contact list. I finish off the Williams and then hit the Wikipedia button. In 6 seconds I’ve finished my typing and in around 10, I’m at Wikipedia reading about Ted Williams. I can’t think of a faster, more direct way to get the information.

There’s a bit of a rivalry coming along between the two devices. Fans of both sides are starting to compare the two devices. I’ve been a little drawn in by them on sites like:

• Anandtech’s Review – According to them the new iPhone’s web browser is 22% faster than the Pre and other applications load a lot faster.
• YouTube is Faster on the Pre – The YouTube application starts up faster, gets to the video at the same speed, but is much higher quality.
• Palm Pre Wins CNET’s PrizeFight – The part where the Palm Pre loses here is boot up of the phone – something that I’ve done about once a month on average.
• More Browser Wars – The iPhone seems a little faster here in a place with poor Pre coverage and great AT&T coverage (i.e. it’s not a fair test), but the iPhone flubs up the wifi test and has to be completely restarted while the Pre continues showing the page

Before we get to the links, I have a short money story to share:
In other news, I was doing some cleaning this weekend when I my wife suggested that I use the Clorox Ready Mop pads with the Swifter we have. I take it out of the box and ask, “How does this clean?” The answer, “It doesn’t, you have to put down cleaner first?” My response, “You mean we paid money for paper towels on a stick?” It seems we did. They didn’t even absorb very well.

Oh, I forgot to mention that my wife is surprising me with doggie daddy pizza. Yay!

Here are the links for this week:

Money Writers:

• Brip Blap examines the four(ty) hour workweek. What would you do with 36 hours of empty time a week?
• Frugal Dad writes the path to contentment.
• Your car is making you poor and what you can do about it over at Generation X Finance takes a good look at American car ownership.
• Million Dollar Journey shares an early retirement story of a man who retired at 31.
• My credit card account got closed says Digerati Life.
• Money Smart Life blogs about day trading vs. long term investing.
• My Dollar Plan provides a shopping list for a newborn baby.
• The Sun’s Financial Diary asks where is gold heading to?

Awesome Personal Finance Posts:

• Mighty Bargain Hunter asks how much is that gold jewelry worth?
• Consumer Commentary blogs on the new consumer financial regulation.
• Five Cent Nickel shares the following benefits of homemade household cleaners.
• Your Money 2 Keep comes up with some of the simplest and stupidest ways to save money!
• My Money Blog wonders if my car qualify for the Cash for Clunkers program?
• How many stocks are needed for a well-diversified portfolio? Find one answer at The Skilled Investor.
• Savvy Frugality posts the top 5 unnecessary expenses.
• Master Your Card says these are 10 things I would never go cheap on… again!
• My Two Dollars blogs when spending the money is worth the cost.
• Joseph Sangl also lists ways on how to NOT save money.
• Fabulous Financials writes on why the poor pay more.
• Pay Less for Money shares How to Eat Healthy, Lose Weight and Save Money at the Same Time
• Rich Credit Debt Loan offers this guide to saving money in five minutes flat.

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What does the job entail? It’s simply marketing the lifestyle of wine country via the Internet. You’d be expected to connect with Facebook and Twitter users, create videos of your experience on YouTube.

What makes this such a fabulous idea? A couple of things:

• The Publicity of the Job Itself – What’s it worth getting news coverage for this job? Hell, in a tiny, tiny way I’m contributing to the value that Murphy-Goode is getting by writing this post. I’d bet they received more than $60,000 worth of free advertising before they even choose the Lifestyle Correspondent.
• Getting the Brand Spread Consistently – Part of me can’t imagine people will follow the correspondent. However, I can imagine the correspondent will have a lot of Twitter followers and a lot of Facebook friends. This is surely a quality asset for Murphy. They’ll increase their mind share, especially if they can keep it going with promotions it’s followers.

I work with a company that employs a social media consultant. I don’t have any firm statistics, but I’m fairly sure that the company doesn’t get the same value for it’s dollar as Murphy-Goode is going to. Then again, the product isn’t quite as sexy. It’s not very obvious to me how they could extend a similar type of promotion.

For a little while, I thought of applying for this position. I ended up skipping it because I’m not very good with the video camera. Also, it would be about 3 hours away from my wife and puppy. While they may be able to come with me, I’m sure my wife wouldn’t appreciate that commute. However, it’s not too late for you. If you hurry, there’s still time to apply for the job. It ends on midnight Friday night.

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Money Writers:

• Brip Blap wonders will people change?
• Frugal Dad writes on extreme saving when you are young: how much is too much?
• Learn how to do a mid-year financial checkup – things to think about this summer over at Generation X Finance.
• Million Dollar Journey posts this helpful guide to high end chequing account comparison.
• One million dollars down the drain… or thrown in the dump. Read the full story at Digerati Life.
• Money Smart Life warns about credit card telephone scammers.
• My Dollar Plan talks about the tax credit for first time home buyers.
• The Sun’s Financial Diary posts a new PineCone Research sign up link.

More Finance Posts:

• Mighty Bargain Hunter comes up with five more great ways to slam the door on your customers.
• Free Money Finance blogs about a wasted opportunity.
• Bargaineering provides a few mobile banking safety & security tips.

More Awesome Posts:

• Experiments in Finance is still suffering from Bay Area housing price sticker shock.
• Mapgirl’s Fiscal Challenge says if I buy a new car…
• How many stocks are needed for a well-diversified portfolio? Find one answer at The Skilled Investor.
• All Financial Matters discusses flawed thinking…
• Rich Credit Debt Loan writes building wealth when the economy is slow.
• Studenomics shares how to pick up girls in college when you’re broke.
• The Baglady asks does raising a boy cost more than raising a girl?
• Gather Little by Little shares ways to save even more money on your electric bill.
• Bad Money Advice examines the idea of saving $71,000 on your mortgage.

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Save Money on Groceries

Though prices have come down as the economy has slowed, there’s not much doubt that food is much more expensive today that it was in the past. It seems way out of line with inflation. Experts have cited many factors for this. Some say a change of eating habits in China and India towards more expensive foods is the reason. Others say it’s been poor weather conditions. Still others claimed it was the expensive price of energy (which obviously comes into play shipping food). It is probably a combination of all the above. While things are better now, I think we are going to have to live getting used to paying more for your food.

It doesn’t have to be that… there are many ways to save money on groceries:

General Tips

• Coupons – Coupons can save you money, but there’s a danger. You may buy things you ordinarily wouldn’t. You also might find that are spending your time just to get a name brand product. The store brand might be as cheap. Then again, I’ve been known to clip a coupon on occasion.
• Watch for Shrinking Portions – Companies have been known to reduce portion sized to maintain the same pricing points. The idea is that you’d notice a raise in prices more than you would a shrinking of portions. Yogurt comes in 6oz now instead of 8oz. The half gallon of ice cream has gone to 1.75 quarts and then to 1.5 quarts. Even propane portions are pathetically puny.
• Don’t Shop as Often – Ever go shopping and pick up one or two extra items? Well if you go shopping often enough, that’s a lot of items. If you limit your trips, you’ll limit the amount of extra buying that you do.
• Make the Most out of Leftovers – I’m not that creative when it comes to food. I don’t think about how to make tonight’s meatloaf into tomorrow’s sloppy joe. However, I don’t mind have leftovers for lunch (or even breakfast) the next day. I’m weird, but I’ve been known to eat the same thing for a week. If you aren’t like me, there are plenty of creative things to do with leftovers, but that’s a study in itself.

Plan Ahead

When it comes to saving money, there’s little substitute for planning. This is true in many aspects of life and groceries are no exception.

• Keep Inventory on your Fridge – I’ve been intending to get a laminated spreadsheet of everything we use and stick it to the fridge. The idea is that I could use a water-based marker to check of the items that I need (as I need them), bring the list shopping with me, then wash and reuse it. I’ve been Lazy with this though, so instead I clog up my brain with details about what to get. My clogged brain system works fairly well for me, but I wonder how much more efficient I could be if I wasn’t storing information about how much milk we have in our fridge.
• Do a Final Once-Over Before Shopping – It never hurts to give the final look to make sure that inventory is right.
• Prepare Meals in Advance – While it might increase your grocery bill, planning your meals in advance will save you money by avoiding spending on convenience foods. Recently, I’ve been making what I call chicken bowls (chicken rice Rice-a-roni, chicken , diced tomatoes, and pinto beans all mixed together) and beef bowls (beef Rice-a-roni, ground beef or cut up steak, diced tomatoes, and pinto beans) and having them on hand.
• Grow Your Own Vegetables – Though it’s not the Lazy way, it’s a way to save some signficant money.

Buy in Bulk

There are is a lot of money to be saved by buying in bulk. Not only can you get great prices, you can cut down on the number of trips to the grocery store. The only problem is that many groceries expire. Here are some tips to get around that.

• Get a Foodsaver – I found that a FoodSaver does save you money. Foodsaver bags can get expensive, so I’d suggest getting a FoodSaver wide mouth jar sealer and some wide mouth mason jars. You’ll be doing the environment a favor by reusing as well.
• Get a Chest Freezer – The perfect companion to the Foodsaver and mason jar is a chest freezer. Now I can prepare those beef and chicken bowls months in advance. I can also stock up when boneless, skinless chicken is under $2.00 a pound.
• Be Careful About Too Much Bulk – Few families really need a keg of mustard. It simply makes them buy a bigger refrigerator or house.

Get the Best Deals

It’s time to finally find the best deal when you are at the grocery store. Here are some tips to do that:

• Have a Head for What Things Cost – Some people have a price notebook and use that to keep track of what’s a good price. I tend to clog up my brain with that information. The good thing is that if you limit the products you buy to just a few, your brain gets use to it.
• Know Where to Shop – Some stores always seem to have bargains on certain things. For instance, I know I can always get Charles Shaw (2 Buck Chuck) wine at Trader Joe’s (a great way to save money on wine). Wal-Mart has great prices on Sam’s Choice diet soda. I know that when I’m walking into these places, I’m going to be stocking up. For produce, shopping at farmer’s markets are an excellent way to save money. For those in the military, commissaries offer deals. For other tips see my article, Saving Money on Groceries: Picking the Right Store
• Stock Up on Non-Perishables – One of the biggest ways to stretch your dollar is to stock up on non-perishables. Sometimes you can save 50% easily. That’s almost like getting a 70% raise (since you have to pay tax on it). There’s a risk of going overboard. My mother has Windex that has to be from the early mid 1970’s. I’m sure she got it for 9 cents after some double coupon promotion. She gave it to us, but we are convinced it has CFCs and don’t know how to recycle it.
• Look at the Weekly Circulars – They often put the best deals right on the first page to entice you come into the store and do all your shopping there. That’s convenient because you know what’s really a deal right away.
• Use a Store’s Card – Many grocery stores have a card where they’ll give you a much better price for swiping it. Sure you are trading your personal information… unless you gave them a fake name to begin with . Not that I’d suggest doing something like that…

Change Your Eating Habits

I know this isn’t the easiest or best way to save money. However, it’s worth noting that you can control these factors which can save you lots of money.

• Drink Water – Water is quite cheap. Even if you buy a Brita slim pitcher it will still beat the cost of other beverages like my aforementioned diet soda. You’ll also feel fuller as drinking water may help you lose weight.
• Avoid Processed or Frozen Foods – Convenience often comes at a price. Sometimes it’s monetary, but other times it’s the use of ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup that deliver little nutrition. These processed foods are typically located in the center of the store. One can avoid them by usually walking along the perimeter where the meat, eggs, produce, and milk, etc. are.
• Eat Less – Many Americans eat too much. Not only can you save money by eating less, but calorie restriction may help you live longer.
• Look for Cheap High-Quality Food – Beans are excellent sources of fiber and protein… and they are cheap. Eggs have gone up in price, but they are still reasonable sources of quality protein. You don’t have to be a body builder to know a tub of whey protein can go a long way to making milk a quick breakfast.

That’s all I have folks. What other ways do you save money on groceries?

Photo Credit: dionhinchcliffe

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Before I start, I should give a few caveats. I’m not a tax-advisor. I’m not even a financial planner. This is just one person’s opinion based on some research. If you have knowledge in this area and I’m off, please let me know. In the upcoming weeks, I’ll talk with my tax advisor about what do for real. My theory is that it can’t hurt to come in prepared. If I know the pros and cons of each plan, the meeting will go that much quicker.

SEP IRA: Self-Employed Retirement Plan Benefits and Basics

In looking at retirement programs, I found 5 areas that I should focus on:

1. Contributions are tax-deductible – My tax rate this upcoming year with the full-time consulting looks to be fairly high. I can avoid that high rate now and take a chance that I’ll have a lower rate at age 59 1/2 (or later). Usually that’s a good bet since income and hence your tax rate typically drops in the retirement years (right?). Still it’s something to consider that it might not be the case.
2. Low administration costs – A little like keeping the expense ratio down on a mutual fund, low administration costs automatically save you money off the top.
3. Choose your own investments – SEP IRAs are like other IRAs, so you can invest in the same way as you would anything else. For instance, I could get a brokerage account at Fidelity
4. SEP IRA contribution limits – The contribution limit isn’t as straight-forward as you might expect. According to Wikipedia the contribution the limit is 18.587045% of your net profit. That 18.580745% may sound like a crazy number, but it’s actually derived from accounting FICA tax and other limits that are over my head. It seems like there’s an top level maximum of $49,000 in 2009. This complexity is exactly why I have tax people to help. For me this 18.58% number is looking like it might be a good thing. I could potentially be able to squirrel away more tax-deferred money with the SEP IRA than I could with a 401K plan.
5. SEP IRA contribution deadlines – The deadlines seem the same as other IRAs, so I should be able to simply wait until I have my taxes done in March next year and write a big check. However, in general, I probably want to be contributing a little every month and then just finish up with a bigger check to the limit.

Caveats of SEP IRA

SEP IRA’s aren’t all rainbows and puppy dogs… and it’s certain not a pot of gold. Here are some of the things I’d have to think about before jumping in:

• All employees must receive the same benefits – Since I’m the only employee this is an insignificant factor for me.
• 18.587045% of net profit – I’m trying to invest back in my business with web sites so I’ve been thinking about intentionally keeping my profit low. However, my full-time consulting is essentially all profit, so that could be a significant amount.
• SEP IRAs are not a free lunch – By going with a SEP IRA, I’d only be deferring paying taxes. It’s not like I get out of paying tax altogether. Then again, when looking at retirement vehicles, nothing is a free lunch, so this is to be expected.
• 10% early withdrawal penalty – If I try to access the money before age 59 1/2, I’ll pay a 10% penalty on the money. Do I really want to lose access to this money for the next 26 years?

In the end, I’m thinking that a SEP IRA may be a strong contender as a place where I should put my money. The fact that it’s relatively easy get up and going is a huge plus for someone as Lazy as I am.

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The income from this month was $1415.88, which is definitely a low point. I would like to blame some of that on the tax season going away and people enjoying the good whether. Additionally, I have been focusing on earning a name in the real world with day job. However, things are looking for up for the next month in a couple of ways. You can see the MoneyStrands ads that I’ve thrown all over the site (please support me and click them and sign up). That’s going to help the upcoming month.

The big news is that I slipped my third anniversary of writing by you. Yep, I’ve been writing for Lazy Man and Money for more than three years now. The first person who can e-mail me mentioning my completion of the fourth year of writing earns $25 in Paypal, Amazon, or Ebay gift certificates. Just mention this post. I was purposely quiet about the third year, because I have what I feel is a bigger milestone on the horizon… in the next month or two. I’m sure some astute person can figure out what that is. I’m hoping to do a big giveaway (maybe multiple giveaways) and perhaps have a few announcements to make.

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Sprint had managed the release really well. Everything was extremely well organized. However, they were activating so many phones nationwide at the same time that their computers went down. It took them over an hour to provision my phone.

The Sprint people (who were really, really nice) decided that I waited much to long and offered me 50% off of one accessory. I quickly asked for them to set me up their Touchstone charger – a very cool induction charger. They quickly realized they couldn’t do that. Not only that, but they said to provision the phone they had to have me on one of their newer plans… the cheapest of which were $25 more than I pay a month now.

What do I get for that $25? The network is still the same. I’d still get the same unlimited Internet that I had before. I’d still get the same text messages. What I get is to lose the grandfathered plan that I’ve been in for 8 years, because Sprint decided to rebundle, rename, and reprice the feature set that I had before. Fantastic!

I’m planning a call to Sprint retentions tomorrow. Obviously, it’s hard to get too far with them when you are waiting in line to buy the hot new phone – and the guy there didn’t have the power to help me – especially in the chaos of their computers going down. We’ll see how that works. I’ve had luck with that in the past.

Here are some articles to keep you busy. I might not get an article out as my wife undergoes some minor foot surgery.

Money Writers:

• Brip Blap comments on the statement “I’m debt free, except for the (insert blank.)”
• Frugal Dad looks into the gift of equity
• Million Dollar Journey offers 8 ways to keep your kids busy this summer without going broke.
• Digerati Life comes up with a list of the best places to retire for cheap.
• Money Smart Life presents stock dividends 101.
• My Dollar Plan gives the floor to readers to share Lending Club returns.
• The Sun’s Financial Diary asks is the Fed going to determine savings account interest rates?

More Finance Posts:

• Five Cent Nickel offers five suggestions on how to pay off your mortgage early.
• Bargaineering posts the average net worth of an American family.
• Six great ways to slam the door on your customers by Mighty Bargain Hunter is on what not to do–consider it customer service suicide.
• Early Retirement Extreme presents my 4 hour work week.
• Money Crashers shows readers how to adjust your portfolio for inflation.
• The Dough Roller blogs about the myth of good debt versus bad debt.
• Rich Credit Debt Loan asks should you pay for your child’s college education?
• Our Personal Finances says a retirement calculator puts the market decline in perspective.
• Steadfast Finances posts examples of kids using Facebook & MySpace to make millions as teenage entrepreneurs.
• All Financial Matters wonders if 41 miles per gallon enough to justify buying a smart?

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The Palm Pre is being billed as the best competitor to the Apple iPhone. Almost everyone agrees that Apple iPhone is the best cell phone you can buy today… so that begs the obvious question, “Why not just get an Apple iPhone?” For me, some of it is design, and some of it is price.

• The iPhone is only available on AT&T – My wife is on Sprint (as well as myself) and the free network to network calling saves me money. And while the Palm Pre is only on Sprint, Palm has a history of working with other networks. There are rumors of a Pre being on Verizon by the end of the year… and
• The iPhone’s plans are expensive – Also, I’ve been with Sprint so long that I get every add-on they offer for around $50 month. The equivalent AT&T plan is $90. Cnet’s Rick Broida also says that the iPhone plans are too expensive. That $90 gets you nights and weekends starting at 9PM instead of 7PM. That’s big because I have some friends who I can call on the east coast from 10PM-11PM. I’m sure that calling them at midnight would be pushing it.
• The iPhone lacks a keyboard – I will never be able to touch type on a glass screen. I’ve never seen anyone type with one-hand on the iPhone either. This aspect alone represents a major for me to not go with an iPhone.

Here are some of the features that makes the Palm Pre exciting:

The Apple iPhone has some of those features plus many additional ones… and two days after the Pre comes out Apple is expected to announce a big update to the iPhone. However, it still comes down to price and my complaint there isn’t as much with Apple as much as it is about AT&T (well and Apple’s exclusive agreement with them).

I’m not the only one who is enthralled by what the Palm Pre represents. Many of the biggest names in technology agree that for the first time since it came out, the iPhone has a competitor:

• Associate Press: Dazzling Palm Software beats the iPhone – Title says it all.
• PC Magazine – Palm Pre Feature Face-Off – “The Palm Pre is the sexiest handset since the iPhone—and it also marks the dawn of a major new smartphone platform.”
• PC World: Palm Pre Review – “the Palm Pre made a solid impression on me. Its eye-catching design and smooth operation make this smartphone the most exciting device I’ve seen in a while.”
• USA Today: Pre could pilot Palm to smartphone glory again – “The first Palm Pre will certainly give the iPhone and other rivals a run for their money.”
• Gizmodo: Palm Pre Review – “Impressive start to an OS that should form the base of some quality phones in the future”
• SlashGear: Palm Pre Review – “[Palm has] delivered a smartphone not only capable but honestly impressive and distinctive… we’d readily recommend the Palm Pre.”
• CNET: Palm Pre Review – “Palm has developed a solid OS that not only rivals the competition but also sets a new standard in the way smartphones handle tasks and manage information.”
• Palm InfoCenter: Palm Pre Review – Can’t get much more biased, but “The Palm Pre delivers on Palm’s promise of a bringing a next generation differentiated product to market. WebOS is a powerful and compelling new mobile platform. Despite being a 1.0 product, the Pre is pleasantly functional and it users in new level of simplicity and ease of use. Coupled with the attractive hardware design and charming display, this adds up to a distinctively agreeable experience for mobile phone users. Palm has a lot ridding on the Pre and it now appears to be fully back in the game with a superb combination of software and hardware.”
• Information Week: Video Palm Pre Review – I hate websites that include video without some kind of translation – especially when I’m trying to pull out a “quotebite”. And now I’m just sad to learn that I didn’t coin the word “quotebite.”
• Engadget: Palm Pre Review – “Some of the ideas and concepts at play in webOS are truly revolutionary for the mobile space, breaking down lots of the walls that separate the experience of using a dedicated PC versus using a handheld device… To put it simply, the Pre is a great phone, and we don’t feel any hesitation saying that… Just like the iPhone’s notches up the ladder, and the G1’s contributions, the Pre moves the game forward in a very real way.”
• WSJ.com: Palm Pre Takes On iPhone – “All in all, I believe the Pre is a smart, sophisticated product that will have particular appeal for those who want a physical keyboard. It is thoughtfully designed, works well and could give the iPhone and BlackBerry strong competition…”
• New York Times: Palm Pre Review – “… Especially when you consider that Verizon Wireless has announced that it will carry the Pre ‘in the next six months or so.’ Can you imagine how great that will be? One of the world’s best phones [Palm Pre] on the nation’s best cell network [Verizon]?”

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I have a loan situation that I need some advice on. I have been struggling with the best way to pay off 4 loans with the same interest rate. I want to pay these off in whatever order will have the least interest paid overall. I can’t seem to find any information through researching on the web as to the best solution for this (and I’m not much of a finance person either!) The monthly payment for these 4 loans is lumped together at $373 per month. I’d like to pay an additional $300 per month, but don’t know if I should apply this extra money "strategically" across the four loans or only to one. Does it make sense to pay the highest loan first so that I can tackle the interest portion of each payment earlier rather then later? I have been using this loan comparison calculator and after playing around with different numbers, it seems like it makes most sense to pay across all four:

Here are the loan amounts:

Current Interest rate on ALL four: 6.75%
Number of payments left: 197

Loan A: $6,000
Loan B: $8,000
Loan C: $11,000
Loan D: $19,000

Here are the different payment scenarios when applying an extra $300 (as I am understanding it):

Scenario #1: Apply extra $300 to lowest loan first
If I did this, I could pay off Loan A in 1 year, 7 months, with total interest paid of $327. I can apply the extra minimum payment towards the other loans, plus roll over the extra $300.

Scenario #2: Apply extra $300 to highest loan first
If I did this, I could pay off Loan D in 4 years, paying a total of $2,323.79 in interest (just for that loan, this doesn’t include the interest on the other 3). Again, this would leave me the extra minimum payment I had been paying towards Loan D, plus I can roll-over the extra $300 at that point to the remaining 3 loans. How can I figure out the total interest paid over the life of all 4 loans this way though? I need a calculator like the one I am using that ALSO lists the amortization schedule?

Scenario #3: Apply extra $300 equally across all 4 loans
4 extra payments of $75 are applied to each loan. This would be $11,947 in interest paid over the life of the loans. However, the smaller loans would obviously be paid off sooner, meaning I could just roll over that money to the other loans (and I am assuming this would lower the amount of interest even further). Is there an easy way to calculate this?

Scenario #4 (what I have been doing for the past 2 months)
Apply extra $300 across all four loans based on percent of each individual loan amount I make the following extra payments towards each loan:

Loan A: $40
Loan B: $55
Loan C: $75
Loan D: $130

When doing it this way, I pay $11,474 extra in interest over the life of these loans.

Am I doing these calculations correctly? How should I best apply this extra $300 each month so that I pay the LEAST amount in interest over the life of all these loans? I read alot about how its better to pay the lowest loan first because it’s "psychologically" better. However, I don’t care about the psychological aspect of paying these loans off, I care about paying the least amount of interest over time.

Here are my thoughts:

It mathematically shouldn’t matter if all loans are the same interest rate. Buffy should end up paying the same interest. I put the emphasis on shouldn’t because my math isn’t what it used to be. Also, I was too lazy to find a loan amortization calculator to hand her, but there should be some good ones at Dinky Town.

However, I can see some factors that Buffy should consider:

She mentioned the “current” interest rate on all loans is 6.75%. Are they locked into that rate for the length of the loans? If not, perhaps she can anticipate which might increase in the future and pay those off first?

Are all loans of the same type? I think if you have to get a loan in the future having an outstanding student loan would look better than a personal loan. Also a HELOC can be dangerous in a poor housing market and an economic downturn as we’ve seen.

I’m with her on the psychological aspect of paying off loans. In the end, she knows she’s got $X in debt to pay, so getting rid of it the fastest is best. Sorry Dave Ramsey!

Readers, can you let me know what else I missed? Also, please feel free to contact me with questions any time using the contact button at the top of the page.

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9:02 – Show starts off strong with a bunch of CNBC types in a board room discussing the economy… and Will Smith saying effectively, “What?!?! You people are boring… Worse yet, I don’t know what you are saying.” The best line was, “Imagine I was a person, how would you talk to me?” When they start to show him slides, he unplugs the projector. The average person doesn’t (and shouldn’t) follow a report with a rolling stock ticker on it… it should be a universal rule of personal finance.

9:03 – Will Smith decides he needs to talk to Mellody Hobson. In my opinion it’s an unusual choice since she is president of Ariel Investments, LLC, a Chicago investment firm managhating over $3 billion in assets (according to Wikipedia)… and she’s on the board of Starbucks… can anyone say latte espresso factor? It doesn’t sound like she’s the average person… plus it seems like she’s the board room type that Will Smith just got fed up with.

9:03 – A flash comes up that Mellody’s walking speed in heels is 9.36 mph. Kristanna Loken didn’t walk that fast without heels in Terminator 3. It’s a good thing that the intro is in slow motion… we wouldn’t see her.

9:04 – Mellody starts out strong… makes the great point that you don’t learn about money in school. Instead you learn how to make bookshelves. Looking at my own experiences, I know how a cam shaft is, how to plane with the grain of the wood, how to create a “well” in my mixing bowl (at least I think that’s what it’s called), and how to thread a bobbin. These are all things that most people could pay others to do if they didn’t carry an average of $8,000 of debt. As Mellody points out, everyone could use personal finance… only a few actually use the wood working skills. I don’t want to trash being handy at all, but personal finance should rank ahead of it.

9:05 – Antonio Banderas and Marisa Tomei talking about credit card debt as if their daughter is on drugs. I love it… great analogy.

9:06 – Cedric the Entertainer comes up with one of the most controversal topics of personal finance… he says that using credit card is a relationship and he strongly implies that using them is bad… this is fine for beginners, but Cedric doesn’t tell people why is bad… there’s no explanation about using it for reward points. I’m sure this is directed to those people with $8,000+ in credit card debt as mentioned above (update a couple of minutes later they say it’s up to $10,000 on average).

9:08 – A survey “on the street” shows that quite a few people have many credit cards… as many as 9. Here’s the thing… number of credit cards should not be a factor to most people. I probably 9 at one point in college. I used them responsibly to get 10% at Structure… oh I just dated myself. The show is focusing on the wrong thing… the number of credit cards alone doesn’t hurt you. Using credit and not paying it all off each month does.

9:12 – Subprime mortages explained by Cedric the Entertainer… Is he talking, because his hands are all over the place as if he’s trying to wave in a plane.

9:14 – Mellody interviews what seems to be 4 or 5 New York City people on spending habits… It’s not exactly a diverse sampling.

9:15 – Seth Green doing “Cribs” on the budget and it just isn’t funny. Good mention of saving money by shopping on Craigs List. There’s no way the car he shows gets 38mpg on the highway as he claims. While everything in the house looks well worn, the kitchen has brand new stainless steel appliances. The stove might even be a Viking.

9:17 – Mellody is back to New York asking people about their emergency fund. No one has a good answer. I don’t really the see the value in this. Of course you can find people in New York City who don’t have emergency funds.

9:18 – Mildly entertaining speed dating skit with Antonio and Marisa. Weren’t they married and talking about their daughter earlier?

9:28 – The show took too much time explain what stocks and bonds are… though the Etrade babies were entertaining.

9:29 – How did they find all these people who don’t know what the S&P 500 was? Maybe it’s just me, but I knew at 13…

9:30 – … and aparently the Jonas brothers do too. Well sort of… there’s no mention that the S&P 500 typically has only bigger companies. There’s no mention of small company indexes like the Russel 2000. Not a peep about the Wilshare 5000. Hmm, Nasdaq has the “newest and coolest companies”, is this a product placement/advertisement?

9:32 – Oscar the Grouch saving up for a dumpster… fantastic!

9:34 – Good call about the biggest risk when it comes to investing is not taking one.

9:40 – Christian Slater and Rosario Dawson talking to companies about 401ks. I’m too distracted about the pairing of personal questions with 401K questions from the audience.Christian Slater’s abs aren’t that impressive – not that mine are better. I think my wife isn’t reading this, so I’ll just say that Ms. Dawson is ridiculously hot.

9:44 – Average Social Security check is $1100 a month. Mellody is right about saving for retirement before saving for kids’ college education. It would be nice if she explained the main reason… no one is going to give you a loan for retirement.

9:50 – Samuel Jackson delivers a great performance playing a financial expert who is broke. America needs Samuel Jackson yelling at them about living within your means.

Overall Wrap-up

The show pushed 4 points:

• One have one credit card
• Live in a reasonable home
• Have an emergency fund
• Save for Retirement

The show was entertaining, but it’s trying to be too many things to too many people. If you are 60 you might be able to relate to Samuel Jackson, but Oscar the Grouch and the Jonas Brothers won’t connect well with you. If you aren’t into the hip-hop scene, Seth Green’s “Crib’s” is going to seem very out of place.

Despite the fun I pointed here, it was a very good show, and anything that pushes personal finance into the mainsteam media is a good thing.

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Save Money with Yard Sales

When I was growing up it was practically tradition that my mom and I would spend two weeks a month going to yard sales in the summer. Maybe it was the way frugality was stressed growing up, but there was always a great emotional rush of finding something you wanted for just a little bit of money. I imagined how much I more I could buy with my allowance. Also, for this 8-year-old kid, it was a treasure hunt.

That feeling had gone away in recent years. My wife and I lived have lived in apartments and condos that were around 1200 square feet. There’s not a lot of room for buying much of anything. In fact, we had been thinking how to sell some of the stuff we have. However, with our recent move, things have changed. We’ve moved into a cavernous 1500-1600 square foot place – complete with two living rooms. One of the living rooms is mine to be designed a sports haven (my wife’s idea). My wife has chosen to make her living room over with a wine-theme to entertain guests (or just relax after a long day of work). This has led us to redesign a room.

My wife has an idea of what pieces she might like, but there’s quite a bit of flexibility. For instance the couch could be accented by pillows of a wine-glass theme or maybe a throw with a grape-based one. Flexibility and the need for a number of things makes for successful yard sale experience. With that in mind and the start of the summer season, I thought it would be appropriate to give these tips to save money with yard sales:

• Focus on the Wealthy Neighborhoods – Why focus on the wealthy? Two reasons: 1) Their “crap” is often a luxury to a person with an average income. 2) Much of the time, they just want to get rid of stuff. When I lived in the Boston suburbs, we’d go to places like Wellesley (which has become the biggest real estate price gainer in the last year according to Forbes). In Silicon Valley, we can almost go anywhere and find people in million dollar homes. My wife and I found two wrought-iron patio lounge chairs for a total of $200… originally $1600 at Pottery Barn. They aren’t brand new, but wrought-iron should last us for a long, long time.
• Get There Early – I’ve never been to a yard sale where the philosophy is to add the good stuff in the middle of the day. The standard practice is for the sellers to set things up the hour before it’s supposed to start. If you can show up ten minutes before the start, you can beat the crowd and get your mitts on some of the best stuff.
• Take a Chance – Sometimes it’s worth buying something that you might not ordinarily want. We found a nice framed mirror on Sunday. We didn’t have a need for a mirror, but I remembered spending around $200 for one of similar quality as a wedding present for a friend. It was $40. When we got home, it looks like it could fit well in the wine room my wife is designing. I figured that in the worst case we could probably turn around and sell it for $50.
• Negotiate – I shouldn’t have to mention this, but nearly everything is negotiable at a yard sale. Often times, you can bundle a few items together and get a low-priced fourth for free.

While we are moving in and adding new stuff, we are still focusing on getting rid of the old. To get a head start, we designated an area of the garage for when we host our own yard sale later this month. To prepare, I’ve bookmarked these yard sale hosting tips from Get Rich Slowly and FrugalDad. After all, our trash is another couple’s treasure, right?

Photo credit: Orlando Rob

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I went to work on making this website faster. However, instead of doing the things that would give me the most bang for the buck like optimizing database calls, I went a different direction. Based on some things that I was doing with my job, I looked at the images on the site. Even though I don’t have a lot of images, they take up much more than 50% of the data you see.

I went through the images that you typically see, the logo, the MoneyStrands ad (I’m biased, but check out their stuff, it’s amazed me at Finovate), and all the smaller images like the Email This and StumbleUpon icons. I shrunk them down using Smush It! and uploaded them to Amazon’s CloudFront service. CloudFront is a CDN – Content Delivery Network. It takes the files that I upload and spreads them around the world. Someone in Hong Kong doesn’t have to request a big file from my server in the United States… they get it from an Amazon server in Hong Kong. Similarly, people in the United States get files from places closest to them rather than having to move them across the country.

The combined effects have been dramatic. Before I started, it would take as much as 10-12 seconds to download some pages according to Pingdom. When I finished last night around 1AM – I was seeing speeds around 3-4 second. Surely some of that was the reduced traffic at 1AM on the west coast. However, since then, I’ve seen it stay around 6 seconds or so.

I hope you’ll notice the speed upgrades as well – please let me know in the comments. Also, here are some links to keep you busy while I get back to writing actual personal finance articles.

Money Writers:

• This week Brip Blap talks on how to have a happy childhood.
• Frugal Dad teaches parents how to say “no” when your child wants something and make it stick.
• Generation X Finance explores the answer to this financial question: my employer stopped matching my 401k – should I Still contribute?
• Million Dollar Journey writes finding your passion.
• Digerati Life gets into balance transfer credit card tips, facts and traps.
• Money Smart Life posts credit score tips you need to know.
• My Dollar Plan asks readers to help a reader: keep the house or save for retirement? How would you answer this?
• The Sun’s Financial Diary gives 7 tips to building and maintaining a good credit history.

More Finance Posts:

• Mighty Bargain Hunter blogs on how personal finance will not crawl away and die…
• Consumer Commentary says your house is not a good investment. Do you agree- why or why not?
• No Credit Needed blogs frugal 51 weeks a year!

Recommended by Lazy Man: Zecco.com - Join now and trade stocks for free (no commissions).

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5. Last Day For CollegeAdvantage Free Money (and Some Personal Finance Links) Today (May

• Go to Ohio’s CollegeAdvantage and open an account
• When asked for a referral code use 2481398 to receive the bonus
• Deposit $25 or more to qualify for the bonus
• You should receive your bonus in in 7-10 business days

Your reward for signing up (I’m optimistic here) is a round-up of some great personal finance posts form the last week:

• Rich Credit Debt Loan shares 4 Modern Ways to Get Rich by Saving Money. Can you think of any to add?
  
• Moolanomy discusses 3 Habits That Will Ruin Your Finances.
  
• The Simple Dollar asks what’s next after retirement savings? What have you done?
  
• Money Money talks about how to stop eating out!
• Frugal Bachelor posts fat people are not frugal. What say you on the subject?
  
• Almost Frugal shares lessons learned about frugality while in graduate school.
• Frugal for Life offers these 5 easy home cooling tips.
• One Frugal Girl asks would you take a homemade sandwich to a restaurant? I know my friend’s sister has, what about you?
• Millionaire in a Chair blogs middle class feels pinched.

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5. Saturday Personal Finance Round-up (Get Your Forever Stamps Today) I think th

• I can’t decide what is better, having Monday off or the quick week that follows it.
• I can’t decide what I find more depressing… the title of Social Security healthier than your 401(k) or the information inside the article that assets will be exhausted when I turn 61 (2037).
• I’ve been loving CNET’s Cheapskate. If you love technology, the site is either evil or a godsend. It’s evil if you are trying to control your spending. It’s a godsend if you are already spending a lot on technology and want to save some money. With $60 GPS systems and $133 Blu-Ray players, I almost buy something every day.
• The next 8 days are going to pass really slowly. The Palm Pre can’t get here fast enough. I’m readying the iPod tombstone. Then again, I often exaggerate rumors of death
• I find Madonna’s $10,000 a month water habit amazing. The water itself is $5 a bottle. I wonder how much the shipping is. If it was free, she’d go through more than 66 bottles of water a day. Even if the shipping is $5 a bottle, that’s over 16033 bottles of water a day. There’s a limit to drinking water to lose weight (not that she needs it).
• Watching television yesteday, I shed some man-tears for Tony Rakoczy. Today we found out that it was his ex-wife, Bonnie Sweeten, that abducted their daughter. I can’t imagine how you could go through more extreme emotions in 24 hours than he did. It’s been rumored that financial problems might have been behind the abduction. File that as reason 57,932 why to have your financial house in order…
• … but be careful not to go overboard with that financial house. I suppose that “overboard” is relative to where you live. For instance, a little domestic violence is acceptable for spendthrift wives.
• When I hear that song, it gives my ears hell. Truth be told I’ll miss it when it’s replaced with another top 40 hit. Truth be told I’m lying.

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However, that’s not the point. The important question is whether you are just staying still or whether you are gaining? For far too long, I’ve just been staying still. I haven’t been pushing myself for gains.

Part of the reason why I’m not pushing myself for gains, is that I’m Lazy. I haven’t been putting in the work. I have to start changing that… However if I fail, at the very least, I can eat right for the day. This last Thursday, I didn’t get a chance to get a full workout in… I was too busy trying to write, making airport trips for my wife, and other stuff. So when it came for dinner, I looked to throw a couple of pieces of boneless skinless chicken with a little BBQ sauce on the Foreman Grill. I grabbed myself some V8 Fusion Acai Berry, tossed it into a blender with 5 oz. of red wine (Two-Buck Chuck Shaws from Trader Joe’s) and some frozen berries (also from Trader Joe’s). In hindsight, I probably could have added some vanilla whey protein. Nonetheless, it took me only about 90 seconds – including clean-up. I added a little dark chocolate for desert (goes great with my speedy sangria).

I had a nice high-protein, high-antioxidant meal. I could probably add more veggies, though the V8-Fusion has some. It’s not a perfect meal. However, I felt like I had done as much to get healthy as going to the gym… and I could do it the Lazy way. It’s not good to substitute eating for exercise all the time, but when it’s necessary, it’s better than nothing. For that day, eating well “was my gain.”

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Guide to Hypothermia

The following is a guest post by Ski Snowboarder. He often writes about skiing safety, skiing gear (including a winter sports store), skiing tips and snowboarding tips. If you like what you read, I suggest you subscribe to his RSS Feed.

All of you ice-fishers, skiers, and snow-mobilers out there, listen up: if you’re going to be enjoying your favorite winter sports as much as possible, it will help to learn about the possible risks and dangers to the wintry outdoors. Having more knowledge will only help you feel more confident, relaxed, and prepared when you finally head out into the cold.

One fundamental aspect of knowing the risks of being out in the cold is knowing about hypothermia. Hypothermia, simply put, is the condition your body enters when it loses too much heat to your environment and can’t replace the heat. Here are some much-needed facts to keep in mind:

First, know your stages. There are three stages to hypothermia, and being aware of the symptoms will help you know when it’s time to head back inside.

• Stage 1 – Your body drops a degree or two Celsius below its normal temperature. You’ll notice Stage 1 when you start shivering and your hands, numb, won’t be able to perform the tasks they normally would. Your blood vessels are starting to constrict, limiting the use of your extremities, and goose bumps might form.
• Stage 2 – You’ll know when you’re entering Stage 2 because of a “warming” feeling (as if you’re warming back up but are still in the cold) and cannot touch your thumb to your little finger. In Stage 2, your body temperature has dropped 2-4 degrees Celsius from your normal temperature and your extremities might start turning blue.
• Stage 3 – If you haven’t gotten inside at the first signs of Stage 1, your body will be less able to move you around. Someone in Stage 3 Hypothermia is now at their limits, and more of their body might turn blue as cellular functions shut down, eventually leading to organ failure.

Hypothermia is not a pretty thing, but being educated about the changes your body goes through will help you to keep “warm” strategies when you’re outdoors. Always be on the lookout for signs of Stage 1, and once you experience them, find warm shelter immediately. This is one reason you’ll want to stay close to the indoors as much as possible – the deeper you go into Hypothermia, the less you’ll be able to move yourself.

Don’t let the fear of Hypothermia ruin your fun. Just know the symptoms so that you can make adjustments, keep yourself warmer, and make sure not to stray far from a source of heat that will warm your entire body – like a heated building. If you can stay warm enough to avoid shivering and not experience any numbness in your fingers in toes, you should feel free to enjoy the winter.

Photo Credit: ap.

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So while I’ve been sitting on the couch, I’ve been thinking about how handy it is to have this sick bag beside me. It’s small purse-like thing, about 5″x7″ and 1″ deep. We usually use it to bring on vacation, so we know we don’t have to pay full price for just a couple of pills.

So what’s in my sick bag? Glad you asked… (Of course, I buy the generics of everything, because it’s cheaper, but I’ll include the most recognizable brand name.)

• Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) – 24 pills takes up almost no space. And unlike phenylephrine it actually works.
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) – Good for allergies, runny noses, and falling asleep. This a staple for whenever I travel.
• Ibuprofen (Motrin) – Good all around pain killer, good for muscles.
• Loratadine (Claritin) – I’m really allergic to cats. With this in my system, I can play with cats all day. It’s different than the Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) because I can actually stay awake to play with them.
• Simethicone (Gas-X) – Gas isn’t much fun. This will help take care of that.
• Ranitidine (Zantac) – Reduce the acid in your stomach with this.
• Calcium Carbonate (Tums) – Surprisingly pairs well with Ranitidine above. It works almost instantly. Plus extra calcium – what’s gotta be wrong with that?!?!
• Loperamide (Imodium) – Good for those times that things aren’t just coming out right.
• Docusate Sodium (Colace) – See Loperamide – but just the opposite. Don’t take both and let them fight it out… I imagine it would be fun.
• Lozenges – A good combination of Cepracol and menthol lozenges
• Neosporin – Good for any cuts that arise.
• Bandages – A no-brainer for any kind of sick kit.

That’s about all that I have in my

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Here are the two new foods I’ve fallen for:

• Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame – Weight Loss Journal pointed me to these gems available at Costco (and Amazon obviously). For those not familiar with dry roasted edamame. It’s a high protein, low carb food. It has 70% less fat peanuts and 40% more protein. One serving gives you 14g of protein and only 2g of net carbs (due to the 8g of fiber). In Silicon Valley, you can pick up 29oz (27 servings) at Costco for around $7, making it very recession friendly.
• Fage Greek Yogurt – Greek Yogurt should not be called yogurt. It tastes more like a sour cream. I use it as I would sour cream too… It goes in dips, on nachos, in burritos, and of course in tzatziki sauce. It has no fat, 9 grams of carbs, and 20 grams of protein. That protein is not a mistype. I first found it at Costco for $7 – bring it to about $1.75 for a 120 calorie serving. That’s too pricey for me and I can only see it as a base for mixing with other cheaper, but still healthy ingredients (mixed berries and Kashi GoLean Crunch?). However, I found that Trader Joe’s has their own brand of Greek Yogurt. I can’t tell the difference in taste, but my wife says it’s slightly more tart, but still much better than regular yogurt. The Trader Joe’s version is $2.79 for half the Costco size (or $1.40 per serving). It has 2 more grams of protein bringing it up to 22 grams. More protein for less money, that makes it a decent value. I just wish I could buy it in more bulk from Trader Joe’s and get a larger discount. Maybe I can cut a deal with the store manager. I’ve heard that works in rare cases.

A year ago, I didn’t know these two foods existed. Now I’m plotting how to chop up the edamame and add it to the greek yogurt to make a superfood.

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• How To Be Successful in the New Year (20 Tips Inside)
• Make a New Year’s Resolution for SMARTER Goals This Year

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I’m trying to motivate myself to do my own workout on Mondays, but as of now I always seem to have a pile of writing to do. I’m sure it’s just a matter of re-prioritizing things. Even if that doesn’t work I’m in the best shape I’ve been in since I tried the 100 Pushup Challenge. Maybe I should give that another go in a few weeks to compare my strength from then until now.

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That is not to say that there are not medications or medical problems that do lead to weight gain. That is another problem entirely. For this article, I’m focusing rather on the mindset that weight gain is inevitable at certain stages of our lives. Once you get past this mindset it is much easier to start developing a solution and when you have a heads up about the potential to gain weight, you will have all the tools you need to avoid it.

Why not start with the freshman 15? It is quite common for students to put on weight once they leave home and have to make their own food choices. Many students are suddenly presented with numerous fast food options at the cafeteria and when they are pressed for time or stressed it is all too easy to make a bad food decision. Instead of reaching for that piece of pizza, it is important to recognize this behavior and take steps prevent it. While much of this is dependent on the emphasis that is placed on healthy food at home, students can make their own choices once they realize the damage they can do to their health by eating the wrong kinds of food.

Menopause is another major problem for women and in some cases it is more difficult to avoid gaining weight during this period of your life. However with care and diet adjustment it is possible to avoid gaining weight while you are going through menopause. The key is understanding how many calories your body needs at this point. Many of us do not realize that as we age, our caloric needs decrease. Speak with your doctor about your concerns of menopausal weight gain and determine how many calories you actually do need.

Last up is middle-age spread. If left unchecked, you can easily gain weight during middle-age, especially as you become less active. Once again we are dealing with the fact that our caloric needs change as we age and we may not be getting enough exercise during this stage in our lives. By recognizing those early on you can take steps to prevent middle-age spread and that is a lot easier than trying to fix it once it has occurred.

There is a lot to be said for having a healthy diet plan and exercise plan no matter how old you are. Take the time to listen to your body and learn what it needs. No one needs to be a slave to weight gain, and with proper care and attention it is possible to avoid so-called inevitable weight gain.

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When it came down to it, I realized that the motivation for going to my free gym wasn’t there. The equipment isn’t the best and since it’s always there I don’t go. However, going with my wife is a different story. We’ve got the buddy system working for us. Also, the gym has Body Pump classes which have been fantastic thus far. It’s like having a personal trainer there for me. I wake with more “good soreness” than I’ve had in years of gym workouts on my own.

In the end, the price of $29 a month for a gym in Silicon Valley seems to be worth it. I don’t know if this will transform my stomach into a set of six pack abs, but it seems like a smart move in the right direction – something that I sorely need at this point.

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Failure to stay focused is likely the number one problem with home fitness. A great cardiovascular program consists of nothing other than walking. Other forms of home or office fitness programs include “Isometric or Aerobic Exercises.” Many people opt for the infamous exercise DVDs and videos where they can pop them into the payer and exercise right with the coach. Again, privacy is the main benefit, especially for females, the fact that you can do it whenever you want to without having to travel, being able to save on gas and eventual vehicle maintenance, you won’t be watched, which many fear while they are in the gym wear. Even if you choose a home fitness regimen there will be some type of financial obligation involved, even if it is only a good pair of gym shoes.

Home exercise programs are not dependent on any weather conditions so there are no excuses at all. Deciding on your fitness regimen warrants careful consideration because everyone’s life is different. Maybe finances will help you to decide if it is not a good time for you to pay for a gym membership which can often be costly. Plus if you are working out at the gym you will need a few changes in exercise outfits but at home there is no need to worry about what you are wearing.

For many, going to the gym is a great option because there are various equipments that can be enjoyed, there are usually swimming pools at the gym and swimming is an excellent exercise and great for the cardiovascular system and the overall body. Swimming will work on parts of the body and muscles that you never knew existed – just look at these five reasons to take-up swimming. Gyms offer trainers as well and for some a trainer is just the thing that they need to stay motivated. Trainers will work with you and tell you what to do when many times you don’t know what to do. They can also recommend the best diets to meet your needs too. It can sometimes be hard to decide if you should choose the gym or rather a home fitness regimen but try to base your decision on finances, the available equipment interests, and your own comfort level.

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• The 2001 New England Patriots – In some ways this team had a horseshoe in it’s lower intestine. The team, coming off a disappointing 5-11 record, lost it’s star quarterback and had to go with a 6th round draft pick for most of the season. They started off by losing the first two games of the season. However, they plugged along with no offensive star players and bunch of guys acquired in free agency. Suddenly they had a win streak, score just a little more than their opponents.With 3 games left in the season, I remember plotting with my roommate how they might actually earn a bye in the playoffs. It’s absurd to think of an 8-5 team has the ability to win a bye in any season, but as things unfolded the 1 in million scenario occurred and the Patriots had the second best seeding with an 11-5 record. In one notable game they won against Buffalo, with a play by a literally unconscious player. And in the first round, the famous tuck rule saved the Patriots season (as well as some impossible field goals by Adam Vinatieri). After that, the Patriots won the next two playoff games (including the Super Bowl) despite Vegas having them 14 point underdogs.Moral: If the Patriots can win that Super Bowl, anything is possible.
• Dustin Pedroia: AL MVP – Yep that guy above won the AL MVP this year. He doesn’t even look like a baseball player does he? Well, he worked his hindquarters off all season, earned himself a gold glove at second base and lead the Red Sox to the playoffs. He’s only 5′8″ and obviously not the most muscular person on the planet. Oh and he won the Rookie of the Year last year.
  

  Pedroia also knows how to party

  Moral: If Dustin Pedroia can not only make the major leagues, but win prestigious awards, what is your excuse?

• The 2004 Red Sox – It’s game against the Boston’s biggest rival, the New York Yankees. Things get ugly as the Red Sox lose 19-8. Facing elimination, down 3 games to none (a deficit no one has ever come back from), the Red Sox took the field in game 4. Playing tough, they are down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth with the best closer in the history on the mound for the Yankees (Mariano Rivera), the Red Sox improbably scrap out a run to tie the game and extend the Red Sox season. In the 12th inning, a home run ensures that the team will play a game 5 in the best of 7 series.In game 5, the Red Sox are down 4-2 in the 8th inning when the Red Sox manage to tie up the game. The game stays tied until the 14th inning when the Red Sox won in the longest postseason game at the time (11 minutes shy of 6 hours). Game 6 brought out the famous Bloody Sock Game. Curt Schilling pitched with the ankle injury that was likely the reason for his horrible game 1 performance. Doctors had experimental sutures to keep it together as long as they could, but by the end the game the sock was a bloody mess. You can find the sock in the Hall of Fame.In game 7 the Red Sox without too much drama. Then they went on to sweep the Cardinals for their first title in some 86 years.

  Moral: If you think things look dark now, you have an easy road compared to the 2004 Red Sox.

• Wes Welker – This is a player who is barely 5′9″ and probably doesn’t weigh an ounce over 180 (yes he’s listed at 185). He wasn’t drafted out of college and his first team cut him. Add that his goofy New Kids on the Block Right Stuff kicks:
  and you’ve got a player set up to be the laughing stock of a physical game like the NFL. You would be wrong to assume such things.

  Last year he finished with a league-high 112 receptions, setting the a Patriots’ team record. This year he became the first player to catch a ball for each of his first 9 games. The streak is still at 11 games and counting.

  Moral: If you didn’t get motivated by Pedroia, Wes Welker should seal the deal.

I’m pretty sure not everyone can relate to Boston sports like I can, but that’s not the point. It’s not important where you find your motivation – just that you find it.

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