Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Dear Santa,
I know it's a little bit early to start asking for next year's present, but this one is big and you're going to have to save up.
I really, really, really, really, really want my own robot bartender. I will love him and talk to him and pet him and we will be best friends forever and ever and ever. And finally, when I yell, "Bitch, make me a drink!" someone will actually do it.
I really, really, really, really, really want my own robot bartender. I will love him and talk to him and pet him and we will be best friends forever and ever and ever. And finally, when I yell, "Bitch, make me a drink!" someone will actually do it.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Loan Groans
"Right before Christmas, Congress decided to slash $12.7 billion over the next five years from the federal student-loan program and boost interest rates on the most popular loans." That's right kids, once again the gray hairs in Congress decided to balance the budget by robbing the advantages of their generation from those that follow. Last year it became harder to declare bankruptcy from credit card debt which they impose no restrictions on getting into, and just so you know, even if you do declare bankruptcy, your student loans don't go away. So if you still have loans, consolidate them now, even if you're still in school.
Impending Disaster
I've been booked to appear on a show called On Q Live!, which as it sounds is a live show on the Q Television Network. It's a gay-centric cable network available in a few cities. I will be appearing on January 30th 9-10 Eastern time. I'm sure to make an ass out of myself, so tune in and TiVo it to replay over and over.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Save on Sloth
Here's an article I wrote for Frontiers Magazine on how to save money on cable and home movie-watching. (Articles on this website are only up for a couple weeks, so don't be surprised if the link is down when you click. Nobody get your hopes up!)
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Hotels on the Cheap
Lifehacker posted and article on using Priceline and Bidding for Travel on how to get high-end hotel rooms for cheap. Good stuff.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Politics
I don't know why I've become so political lately. Just so you know, Party Like a Rock Star has nothing to do with politics. It's about partying, and how to spend less on it.
What do you want to save money on? Clubs, drugs, booze? Be specific. What entertainment expense do you wish wasn't so expensive? Ask me and I'll do my best to share.
What do you want to save money on? Clubs, drugs, booze? Be specific. What entertainment expense do you wish wasn't so expensive? Ask me and I'll do my best to share.
Down with Boomers
For a while I thought I was the only person who disliked the Baby Boomers as a generation, but then again I never really looked into it. As I've been following Anya Kamanetz's blog, I keep seeing more links to other pissed-off people. Someone even has a blog devoted solely to Boomer-hating: http://ihateboomers.blogspot.com/
The blog description header says, "They are like a plague of self-centered locusts using up everything in their path and leaving future generations nothing but wreckage and pestilence."
Word!
The blog description header says, "They are like a plague of self-centered locusts using up everything in their path and leaving future generations nothing but wreckage and pestilence."
Word!
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Flip It
I think I've mentioned Woot.com before. They have one deal per day, usually on consumer electronics or computer parts. My friend Nate pointed me to GoingToday.com, which is a similar site for music equipment.
Both of these sites offer occasional mystery items for little more than the cost of shipping. I thought of them as a fun surprise package, but Nate informs me that the reason these sell out almost instantly is because people flip them- resell the items on eBay or elsewhere for a profit. If you want to put up the effort, it's an easy way to make some spare cash.
Both of these sites offer occasional mystery items for little more than the cost of shipping. I thought of them as a fun surprise package, but Nate informs me that the reason these sell out almost instantly is because people flip them- resell the items on eBay or elsewhere for a profit. If you want to put up the effort, it's an easy way to make some spare cash.
Cheap Drinks
Slate.com also posted a story about Starbucks' secret menu that includes "short" drinks. The author says they're cheaper and better tasting than the standard sizes on the menu. He uses this to explain how markups work and why, but you can just use the information to get yourself a cheaper smaller cup of coffee.
Missing the Point
Slate had an article about Generation Debt yesterday. The author's argument is that although the economy is stacked against Generation Y, "College is more expensive today in real terms. There's been a shift in student aid- more loans and fewer grants. The Baby Boomers, closer to retirement, are sucking up more dollars in benefits. There's more income volatility and job insecurity than there used to be," the author is "annoying" because essentially, young people have no right to complain. They will get married and therefore increase their incomes. There will likely be times of economic boom to follow this bust. And other problems such as losing benefits and job insecurity happen to people of all ages. This is true, but entirely misses the point.
Kamanetz's book argues that we have the above problems that everyone suffers from, but on top of it we have much, much more debt. The situation is worse for our generation. Her point is made.
What the Slate article also misses (and not having read Kamanetz's book yet I don't know if she covers) is that the problems that these generations are experiencing are not going away anytime soon. The Baby Boomers will continue to further tax Social Security and Medicare for another 20-30 years. In order to keep these programs running at all, the country will likely be forced into great economic compromise in other programs that effect all the younger generations. We can't count on Social Security at all after the Baby Boomers bankrupt it. The older generation has benefited from pensions and job security and student loans and other government assistance, then got busy using their economic and population advantages to revoke these same benefits for the generations who follow them.
Our financial futures will be determined not just by the national and global economic situation. They will also be determined by us taking interest in the political process by which our benefits are reduced, and voting for present current responsibility and legislation that ensures there will be something left for the future besides insurmountable debt. Granted, that sounds time consuming and not like too much fun, especially when most of your time is spent trying to make ends meet.
Kamanetz's book argues that we have the above problems that everyone suffers from, but on top of it we have much, much more debt. The situation is worse for our generation. Her point is made.
What the Slate article also misses (and not having read Kamanetz's book yet I don't know if she covers) is that the problems that these generations are experiencing are not going away anytime soon. The Baby Boomers will continue to further tax Social Security and Medicare for another 20-30 years. In order to keep these programs running at all, the country will likely be forced into great economic compromise in other programs that effect all the younger generations. We can't count on Social Security at all after the Baby Boomers bankrupt it. The older generation has benefited from pensions and job security and student loans and other government assistance, then got busy using their economic and population advantages to revoke these same benefits for the generations who follow them.
Our financial futures will be determined not just by the national and global economic situation. They will also be determined by us taking interest in the political process by which our benefits are reduced, and voting for present current responsibility and legislation that ensures there will be something left for the future besides insurmountable debt. Granted, that sounds time consuming and not like too much fun, especially when most of your time is spent trying to make ends meet.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Broke, Broke, & Broke
I bought Suze Orman's The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, & Broke several months ago but didn't get around to reading it until yesterday. The book covers topics such as how to increase your credit ratings, pay off debts (and in what order), start saving for retirement, and purchase big ticket items like a car and house.
Though I hate the sight and sound of Suze Orman on television, as she always seems to be yelling at you, I do like the book. It's a practical compendium of basic financial strategies for the ten or so years after college graduation. She lays out how to improve one's credit score without paying off your cards. She advocates using credit cards if necessary to establish yourself in a new career. She answers the questions, "Should I put more money into my savings account or my IRA?" and, "Should I use my IRA to pay off my credit card debt?"
Much of the advice can be used as a check to make sure you're doing the right things in the right order. For example, since the interest on my student loans is so low, it's better to pay the minimum and put money into a savings account rather than pay off the loans.
The latter half of the book is useless to me at this point. Since I'm broke, I won't be investing anything in the stock market, buying a car, merging assets with a spouse, or even thinking about owning property. But should I actually earn enough to consider any of those things (like if you happened to purchase 10,000 copies of Party Like a Rock Star), I'll go back to this book to see how to best go about it. It's a resource I plan to hang on to for a while, and that's more than I can say for most other books I've bought this year.
Though I hate the sight and sound of Suze Orman on television, as she always seems to be yelling at you, I do like the book. It's a practical compendium of basic financial strategies for the ten or so years after college graduation. She lays out how to improve one's credit score without paying off your cards. She advocates using credit cards if necessary to establish yourself in a new career. She answers the questions, "Should I put more money into my savings account or my IRA?" and, "Should I use my IRA to pay off my credit card debt?"
Much of the advice can be used as a check to make sure you're doing the right things in the right order. For example, since the interest on my student loans is so low, it's better to pay the minimum and put money into a savings account rather than pay off the loans.
The latter half of the book is useless to me at this point. Since I'm broke, I won't be investing anything in the stock market, buying a car, merging assets with a spouse, or even thinking about owning property. But should I actually earn enough to consider any of those things (like if you happened to purchase 10,000 copies of Party Like a Rock Star), I'll go back to this book to see how to best go about it. It's a resource I plan to hang on to for a while, and that's more than I can say for most other books I've bought this year.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
San Francisco Transportation
As of today, the cost of BART ride in San Francisco is 15 cents more than last year. The good news is that BART is still less than MUNI for in-town travel. The bad news is that BART is one-way only. Running a round-trip errand on MUNI costs $1.50 but takes over an hour. On BART it takes 20 minutes but costs $2.80. I suppose in the end, the time you save is worth more than the difference in fares.
To get a BART discount, you can buy tickets on Caltrain for cheaper. Also, on "high-value" tickets there is a discount at selected retail locations: there you can purchase a $48 ticket for $45.
To get a BART discount, you can buy tickets on Caltrain for cheaper. Also, on "high-value" tickets there is a discount at selected retail locations: there you can purchase a $48 ticket for $45.
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