I do feel like a slacker. Is my output going to drop to one blog post a month? It might. I have been reading a lot lately and I just have not found the time to fit both into my life. Or maybe I just ran out of things to say…when you run out of words writing is tough. Another option is just a winter hibernation. I don’t think I can pin point it quite yet. I will let you know what my investigation turns up.
A few news items. I think I have discovered the best combo of price, coverage, and phone selection. Drum roll please… Cricket wireless. It is basically AT&T service at a discount price. Another news item. I tested myself to see what life would be without cable for a week. Well I have to report no drop in life satisfaction. Now I just need to get ready for dropping pay TV by getting an antenna set up. Can’t live without my pbs.
Welcome to the new year. If possible make sure to do your 2015 Roth IRA contribution. I got mine in early only to see a couple of poor days in the stock market. It does hurt a bit but based on history time in the market is better then dollar cost averaging. Since I am not smart enough to time the market, I will just have let history be my guide.
Have you increased your 401k contribution this year? Well if you got any sort of raise you automatically did. But what about raising your deferral 1%. You won’t even miss the money and your future self will probably give you some cool points.
New Years resolutions. Not sure I have one yet. What is my main goal in the new year? What do I wish to accomplish?
It is amazing to me how much the price of cell phone service has dropped in the last 3 months. I look forward to getting out of my contract in May. I bet I will be able to cut my cell phone bill in half. I think in the next year there will be a small revolution in pay tv.
If think everyone should calculate their net worth at least yearly. Quarterly would be best. I think doing so makes one accountable to ones self and gives a person motivation. I think it works for the same reason as people that weigh themselves everyday when trying to lose a few pounds end up losing more weight the those that did not.
My goal is to weigh 180 by the end of January. I am also thinking about getting a chin up bar. I just need to figure where I would mount it
I am suffering from my first major car repair bill of my life. I guess I should just call myself lucky for lasting so long without one. How is that for cup half full mentality.
On to my main topic. I am getting a bit tired of all these seemly unvoluntary costs of life that should be voluntary or really just done away with completely. I guess all expenses I will mention are voluntary just the social pressure almost forces one to pay up. The most egregious is the office pool to buy the boss a gift. Why give a gift to the highest paid person? That one might be the worst. Another office related one is paying for the privilege of wearing jeans. I don’t own any jeans and I find my dress pants more comfortable why would I pay to wear jeans. I guess the money does go to charity but giving to charity should be an individual thing. Speaking of charities if anyone raising money mentions someone else that already donated to try and spur your donation. Very bad form just classless. Parents selling stuff for there kids. This is one time I stand up and say no. Well I usually lie and say someone already asked me to buy from them. Picture day at school not only are the photos way overpriced btw they have pretty much removed
the cheapo packets they have multiple picture days now. Spring and fall and sport pictures geez. Here is one that burns me people raising money so they can go compete in a national competition. Say a person wants to compete in the international baton championship in Australia. Why should I help fund your hobby and vacation? I could go on to what I think of most charities but that will be for another time
I am officially terrible at league of legends. I can’t seem to do anything right and I am just getting owned. Could my skills degrade that fast? I had never been a carry but at least I did not feed. Now that I am going to bed earlier so I can wake up earlier to workout I maybe league twice a week. Also I have stArted to read most every night. Maybe it is true that you really only have time for one great passion in life. I think that is true for anyone with younger kids.
Right now the expense ratio on all my retirement Accounts is a respectable .34. It will be lower once my Roth IRA is transferred to vanguard. If I remember correctly, my expense ratio was around .85 before I woke up about the hazards of high expense. I have to give a shout out to the dough roller podcast.
Well it looks like I hit my goal of weighing 185. I am setting a new goal of 180 by the end of January. I resisted doughnuts today at work. Small victories. Small victories
Oh the year end. How can one feel like they are on track or maybe even steaming ahead financially and then a roadblock comes up. I should not whine to much all these extra expense were pretty much all accounted for. Exactly what expenses I am talking about are property tax and insurance. Both are coming due for me at the same time. I could pay my insurance monthly but I would get charged five dollars a month for that privilege and I couldn’t use my credit card. Easy folks I would carry a balance. Thankfully I have set up a poor mans escrow account for myself. I put enough money in for my larger expenses (mortgage, insurance and property tax). Since it is in a separate account it is easy not to spend it. I still hate spending that kind of dough with getting something really tangible. I guess I will earn some credit card bonus cash
Hello everyone everything is half off (including my pants) in this blog to celebrate Black Friday.
Black Friday I have had the misfortune of going shopping once on Black Friday and I think that one experience would qualify me as having PTSD. I will never again venture out in those crowds. Being wiser I stayed home…well I did go to Ace hardware. I just had to use my fifty percent off coupon. I bought hardwood floor cleaner.
My family thanksgiving day celebration went well nothing exciting to report. I was excited about these two days of warm weather. Unfortunately it is going to cool off tomorrow.
I was working for my former company down in Houston. I go to a seminar in Dallas. After the seminar, I am at this construction site. I end up helping a couple of workers and they invite me to dinner. I go to the dinner and It is an Indian family that has one adopted white son. The whole family is depressed about their state in life. After hearing all their grievances, I get up and tell them how they can prove their lives. Ask for raises, make themselves more valuable to the company, go to college, learn valuable skills. I also explained a couple of basic economic principles. I finally get this call from my boss asking where I am. I did no realize it was close to midnight since there was a full noon and it was so bright outside. The family thanks me for opening their eyes to the world. Anyway I look out the window and two futuristic armies are fight in downtown Dallas and are just destroying the city. I see a Lamborghini heading straight for the house. I tell everyone to duck and cover. Next thing I know the entire building has collapsed. The only survivor is the adopted white son. I see a family find him in the rubble and take him home.
Oh as I sit here wondering or maybe musing (well that is a bit self-serving). A side note could that be said by just about everything a person does? I fear that I do come off as cold or uncaring and maybe a bit of an insufferable know-it-all. When I hear about people’s financial transactions or pending financial transaction, I try to offer the best advice I can (only if they ask for it). I do know that personal finance is as much driven by emotion as it is logic and sound math. I try to get them to see that frugality is not a dirty word. Maybe it is better to deny your wants so you can win in the future. In my personal life,I do fear debt. The only debt I have currently is a mortgage and it bothers me almost weekly. I just want it paid off. I fear I am losing my train of thought maybe lets go to something else.
Have you ever wanted to give someone some unsolicited advice in the worst way? Well I do. Okay I will get off my dear Abby kick
Now for something completely different. Nope that is all I have
Good night to all the beautiful people of the world
How quickly I went from worrying about dehumidifying to now worrying about humidifying. Besides the discomfort of dry skin, I have read that optimal humidity can improve health. Now do I sound like a witch doctor…okay hear me out. The mucus membranes in your nasal cavity are responsible for filtering out a lot of the bad stuff we breath and to function properly mucus must be moist. It makes sense to me. Now just to get my air at work the proper humidity. But the whole climate in my office I will save for another place and another time.
Just a quick update the working out schedule seems to be working. I think I am staying fairly motivated. Motivation is the key since I have never experienced what is known as the exercise or running high. Maybe I am doing it all wrong or something. I do know that interval training is tough and was probably developed by satan himself (should I have capitalized the s in satan)
I do miss riding my bike. I was hoping to be able to bike in the afternoon but it just can’t seem to warm up.
I do hope I remember my dream tonight. I wish I remembered more of my dreams
Just a few thoughts and opinions on my life and things I am interested in.
One Man's Musings 