February 27, 2013
Our favorite diner isn’t open every night for dinner so when we have the odd BURGER-BURGER-BURGER craving, we needed a back up.
Thanks to @chicago_ted’s endorsement, we decided to give Jack’s Prime a try. PiC had heard of it before, I hadn’t, but I’m willing to try food on a single recommendation.
It’s specifically a burger place so they do more than the basic cheeseburger and hamburgers that we can get from the diner. Less complicated than the wildly popular (so I’m told) Barney’s Gourmet Burgers over here but still more complicated than I really need.
I fail to appreciate the super messy burger with spinach, or swiss cheese and mushrooms, chili and sour cream – they’re all a bit over the top for me. A cheeseburger or a hamburger loaded with fresh veggies (and bacon!) hits the spot, every time. Sometime chicken or turkey but otherwise, basic works just fine.
The Voodoo Fries, though, they sounded pretty awesome.
Their burgers are on the pricey side, in my opinion, starting at $9.00 for your basic burger. We settled on two burgers, side of onion rings for an extra $1.50, a side salad and couple of waters. If I was hungrier, those Voodoo Fries would have been MINE, plus the Rainbow Shake. Our really simple but filling meal ran about $26 after tax and tip.
Their food is pretty great and we’ve gone back again after our first taste test. It’s only not our first choice because their prices are rather hefty ($6 for specialty fries, same again for a shake, burgers start at $9) while their serving sizes are a bit skimpy. I can almost count the fries served up on the side, or the leaves in that side salad up there. I might be petite but my appetite typically isn’t.
Any burger lovers out there?
February 25, 2013
These past few months, the television has been on in the background (to lure the dog out of seclusion) for background noise. I haven’t had tv on this regularly since I was a kid jonesing for my cartoon fix.
Some of the commercials are so awful I have to wonder: Does this stuff work on anyone? Personally, these bring out the SkeptiGrinch in me.
Every holiday car commercial ever
Tagline: Give the best surprise/present/gift of love ever!
Image: Red ribbon on a car
Reaction: Because after the surprise of a new car wears off, the cost of a car payment or the car purchase can be your next shiny surprise! WOO! PiC didn’t need to be told he’d be stabbed with a fork if he bought an unplanned brand new car without discussing it with me. And hold the puppy kisses but as much as he’d like a surprise car, he would NOT like what we paid for it.
Toilet Paper commercial
Tagline: Let’s get real about what happens in the bathroom!
Image: Lots of women gushing over toilet paper and very carefully not ever saying poop or pee.
Reaction: When were we pretending that any self respecting bathroom with a toilet wasn’t for poopin or peein? Because that’d be a new one on me. What’s with the completely woman-centric casting? You’re trying to tell me that men don’t use toilet paper? Oh. Right. Men aren’t supposed to care what caresses their tushies. Except believe me: they do. Maybe not to the extent of discussing it on television but strictly speaking, I don’t care that much either.
Local S.F. clothing boutique (Lauren knows my pain!)
Tagline: We really like you!
Image: Women fawning and chitchatting.
Reaction: Get. AWAY. *slaps hands* If I wanted a shopping buddy, I’d bring my own.
They “like” their customers and that’s why we should shop there? Not because they provide excellent products, prices or service? This is a business not a friendship. PLBTTT.
Mirena
Tagline: You don’t have to think about it
Image: Woman yoyoing on the decision of whether to have children. In the background, a litany of side effects including hypertension, acne, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, depression, infertility and very commonly, ovarian cysts.
Reaction: Is that actually worth the risk?
The Buy a Home, funded by no-we-haven’t got an Conflict of Interest Realtors Association
Tagline: “Owning a home increase self esteem and test scores.”
Image: Happy fake families.
Reaction: PROVE IT. Show me those studies.
Also while you’re at it, tell me about the side effects on families when people overreach their means to buy real estate they can’t afford, or have unexpected events like job loss or serious illness that impedes their ability to pay the mortgage because of this myth that everyone should – no matter what – buy a home.
Men’s testosterone supplements
Tagline: It’s just a number, if it’s low, increase it!
Image: A dude confident now that his “numbers” are higher.
Reaction: What Lauren says: 
It’s the rare commercial that’s clever, entertains without being maudlin, cheesy, scary or offensive. Twitter friends pointed me to the recent Toyota “granting wishes” commercial- that was funny and cute. Of course I still love the Volkswagen Darth Vader one, not least because it plays on my geekdom and little kids learning to love it as well. Oh and the Purina (?) dog in training to lose weight commercial is fun.
But I can’t remember the last commercial that made me think, maybe I’ll try that. Can you?
February 20, 2013
Y’ALL.
DISCOVERY! I’m super excited about this.
I’ve been booking travel, lodgings and car rentals for the year’s upcoming travel. “Seasoned” traveler that I am, you’d think that I would have remembered to try something like this before but nope, honestly, it was really just a mistake, a fluke.
My flight was originally booked for a Thursday instead of a Wednesday because once a year or two, I make a stupid mistake like that and book a flight or a hotel or the like for the wrong day. Luckily for me, United has instituted a 24-hour fee-free change period after purchase or this would be a very different post, full of chagrin and grumpy.
This time, my brain fizzle worked out wonderfully. The wrong dates, starting on the Thursday instead of Wednesday, were the dates I left entered into the car rental search page and just left there a few weeks back.
This was what I expected to pay:
Flipping through outdated tabs to close them out, the search page reloaded itself with new rates. My eyes about popped out and did a do-si-do.
Instead of the outrageous $40+ per day I had budgeted for, there was a quote for about $10/day! Even after all the ridiculous taxes and fees that get tacked on, we’d save about two thirds of the expected cost when all’s said and done just by doing without a car the first day.
I thought the difference was either: renting a car the day after triggers the special week-rate instead of a daily rate, even though it showed a much-improved daily rate and they even charge that for the extra day at the end there; or that special rates become active on that specific date. I’m leaning toward the week-rate thing, personally.
The full rental is still more than two full weeks but changing how it’s booked does this:
Start the rental on Wednesday, pay about $53/day every day.
Start the rental on Thursday, pay about $20/day every day.
This isn’t usually a luxury that can be enjoyed while traveling but thankfully, we’re booked to stay at an AirBNB place where the hosts are willing to offer a ride or two. That flexibility lets us spend a bit more for the first days and still come out way ahead.
The new rate:
You’d better believe I jumped on that with both feet.
Of course, before booking, I made sure to double check Fatwallet and Ebates to see who had greater cashback to help defray the surcharges and whatnot. It was only 3% from Ebates but that beats the 1% from Fatwallet. It’s not like I’ll see that money for a long while since the account just paid out and it has a minimum payout threshold but it’s nice to bank a little something for later.
Know what this means? MORE FOOD. Ok, it’s not like I didn’t already budget daily spending money but it’s nice to know there’s some flexibility in the budget now. I only anticipate spending on food and more food.
Pardon me, I’m going to carry on dancing a completely uncoordinated jig over here.
February 18, 2013
It’s a bit of a truism that time is money.
There’s a whole bunch of stuff about paying for “extra time” by hiring out the work you don’t need to do and stuff about activities like watching tv are time and money wasting but I won’t bore you with a rehash of that.
I used to take advantage of every possible earning hour by doing something that might or would bring in the extra cash. But there’s only so many earning opportunities, and frankly I don’t need to spend every waking hour trying to scrape in every single penny. This is a luxury I’ll gladly enjoy.
So the equation’s different for me. It’s not a cash value I assign to the time that I would normally be “off”, it’s the energy and satisfaction return on investment.
(Of course, even as fatigued as I get some days, that Puritan work ethic I subscribe to suggests that sleeping my weekends away is not “worth” it but who said I was great at theoretical maths anyway?)
That got me thinking about how we choose to spend our non-work time.
Money over time choices
choosing the labor: In a very direct time-to-savings thing – PiC participates in a hobby that requires membership in an organization. Part of the membership requirement is a set number of required volunteer hours per year. If those hours are not fulfilled, the organization charges you per hour up to a max of, say, $300.
I suppose “required volunteer hours” becomes oxymoronic: required =/= volunteer, so much. But PiC refuses to budget for that charge, insisting that he’ll be darned if he pays $300 that he doesn’t have to. Here’s the fun part: he’s allowed to claim hours that non-members log with him. So guess who gets roped into the choice to do “volunteer” hours?
As the best wife evar, though, I don’t complain. 🙂 He picks things we can do where, for the most part, I get much-needed sun and he can do most of the work if I’m not really up to it. By our powers combined, we can knock off nearly all the required hours in a day or two.
result: six to ten hours of labor, lots of tired afterward depending on how long we’re on our feet. But those hours are spent doing “recreational” stuff together and equal 1 very grateful spouse.
choosing being “boring”: On tired days, or even just after a really rough week, I can spend my weekend reading, futzing around on the internet and watching tv. NCIS marathons FTW!
I’ve slowly collected a tiny collection of DVDs I cherish to keep me company when I’m having long days alone. FIREFLY FOREVER. <3
result: very little going out. There are times I actively refuse to think of reasons to go out, instead of stay in. Perhaps excessively so. But I am quite entertained. Cheap, cheap date. And indoctrinating PiC in my favorite pop culture. Discovering that PiC actually has a favorite Firefly episode now = priceless.
choosing DIY instead of relying on the professionals: I love trying to cook things at home when the dish becomes a favorite. Also, some maintenance I’d just rather do myself. Likewise, PiC insists on doing some hobby related repairs.
result: lots of cursing, scaring the dog into the furniture and exile, burning of hair stove-top, breaking of tools to save anything from $12-35 at a time. Yields entertainment, the occasional sense of accomplishment or embarrassment: “how long did that take???” We’re not horrible at DIY, but the screw-ups are most memorable.
Time over money choices
choosing to eat out: because eating is good. But sometimes, food is just not worth scraping ourselves off the sofa, bed, or ground to spend a couple hours in the kitchen. Or we just really have to do that other thing.
result: supporting our favorite restaurants, retaining some sanity, discovering new delicious restaurants. Unless they’re not.
choosing professional massages: need I explain?
result: happier body, saner spouse.
choosing a Costco run: instead of going to four different stores to shop sales and coupons.
result: trading the thrill of the bargain hunt and occasionally losing PiC in the morass of Costco on a weekend for less variety in the foodstuffs and fewer stops. And not spending time couponclipping. (Which I actually enjoyed when time wasn’t so precious.)
choosing travel: Much as I hate leaving my precious Doggle behind, and avoid extraneous exertion ;D travel for work or pleasure is always a bit of a learning experience and an opportunity to eat delicious food.
result: Experience and things, I say, each in moderation.
choosing professionals instead of DIY: Most car repairs are now beyond me. In Southern California, there was more room and friends to help test repair notions out. Without a driveway and with fewer tools at our disposal, to the mechanic!
result: Possibly more airtight repairs, more reading up on what a car really needs to avoid unnecessary work, fewer oil stains.
The Choices Not Yet Made
Entirely outside of work and lifestyle stuff that directly relates to money, I still want to volunteer my time to causes I believe in:
I haven’t figured out how to fit in a regular volunteer gig though. They all want some specific time commitment that may be more than I can actually handle right now.
Ultimately, no real issues with how we’re doing things right now with the exception of needing to figure out how to fit in something good. It feels important and perhaps worthy of trading money for time to make that happen.
Are you happy with the choices you’re making right now?
February 13, 2013
An Ebates email touting “an extra 30% off Jcrew.com” caught my eye earlier and I casually meandered over to check it out. Much of the time, this poking about never turns up anything so it seemed harmless.
But now that an allowance for each of us has been established during the formation of the budget, my hoarding (money) habits came to the fore and insisted that I calculate exactly how much was left for the month before making any moves.
Of course that meant entering all transactions for January and February into the spreadsheet because if I’m already in there, why not?
After subtracting the cost of the second dress (not pictured), my allowance stands at $160 right now. These pants I liked so much are available in pinstripe and at $75 (before tax and shipping), a fair bit less than the original $98 paid. Even knowing that next month will bring another month of allowance money, and even after having said I’d get a second pair when they were on sale again, my gut says: no! Wait until you have more to spend so you’ll always have over $100 in allowance!
Of course. Because a spender cannot be made out of a saver, no matter how laissez-faire you get.
There’s been a lot of banter back and forth so far about what we’d be willing (he, really) to take out of our respective allowances so this imposed limit on spending has been both hilarious and instructive in forming more conscious spending decisions.
It always niggled at the back of my mind that deal sites were going to be the death of our savings goals; PiC orders from them 8-10 times more frequently than I do. But this is good, we’re figuring out that territory.
As for the pants: these are supposedly their most popular pants, it can’t be stupid to think they will absolutely go on sale, for this much, again later in the year, right? (I’m counting on it. Plus, like SewPetiteGal, I hate paying for shipping.)
February 6, 2013
It’s only taken a year and some, but PiC and I finally sat down and hammered out a working spending and savings plan for the year.
While I admire, and in some ways covet, the non-combined strategies that other folks have (@mochimac, @nofearingthemon), it doesn’t feel as feasible for the two of us. A) Hi, I’m a control freak. B) See A. You’d think after surviving a year letting go, Ms. C Freak could give it up but I’ve done all the laissez-faire that I can stand and it’s time to get back on the horse.
We are temperamentally so different in our money attitudes that even if we agree on our goals and are on the same page about our priorities, we simply need to be on the same page on the details for a while because otherwise, the full picture between the two of us feels obscured.
Super Bowl Sunday, we sat down and hammered away at collected spending records from last year and talked through the money allocation for this coming year, section by section.
For the kind of money we make, despite the Net breaking down to considerably less than the Gross, I’ll be damned if we can’t commit to saving at least 25% net plus 10% gross (retirement). The interesting bit here is that my new company doesn’t offer a retirement plan so he’s increased his contributions for the year to aim at maxing out at least his plan. That’ll be close to what the two of us would have done separately, with benefits on both the savings end and the tax-deduction end of things.
My paychecks will be the cash cows: taking care of most bills and another chunk of savings.
I must say: the process was hugely uncomfortable during the first half. It felt like we were teetering on the cusp of a disgruntled outburst or tiptoeing over an abyss of resentment. Maybe it’s just me projecting. Something visceral deep inside hates being questioned about how I manage, organize and allocate money if he’s going to follow up that question with not agreeing with me. Again, hi, Control Freak. And it’s also the result of never ever talking about money details in real life with anyone. This was the first real delving expedition and for the first three hours, I was hating life.
As the hours wore on, we worked through the placeholder amounts that had been filled in while I was futzing around with the spreadsheet and setting up categories and approximate amounts; like deep breathing, negotiating the numbers and talking through expectations, definitions and other thoughts released the extra tension released.
On Entertainment:
R: What are we planning to spend on? This probably doesn’t need to be $1500.
PiC: Well, we are a cultured people…
R: No. We are not.
On Fees:
PiC: Does “fees” mean credit card annual fees?
R: And stupid tax.
PiC: ?
R: Parking tickets, late fees, stupid stuff you wouldn’t plan on paying but get hit with anyway.
PiC: Oh. Let’s just not do that.
R: Yeah, let’s just don’t be stupid.
On Categories and Budgeting for Spending:
R: We spent a ridiculous amount on this category last year.
PiC: *mulling* Let’s put savings down here (in the list of spending categories)
R: NOPE. Savings are first and non negotiable. Cut somewhere else.
PiC: This is GDocs, everything’s negotiable!
On Entertainment and Eating Out:
PiC: We’re going to need to really keep an eye on that.
R: …yeah….
PiC: I’m going to defrost a chicken.
Discoveries:
Our disposable income still doesn’t account for some of the trips we wanted to take this year but we’ll figure that out as it comes. PiC was surprised to see how much we’re already committed to spend even before satisfying the Trip List.
Our total combined income, after taking about 30% off the top, does not stretch as far as I expect it to. This triggers the money-hoarding instinct until I remember that I still pay for much of my dad’s costs. Even though this is the lowest the Extra Household costs have ever been, it’s still significant.
The total amount of money planned for spending still strikes me as obnoxious, even if I know intellectually that 50% or more of the budget is dedicated to fixed/non-discretionary spending like rent, mortgage, food, utilities and gas. My donut-loving cash-poor self didn’t go away, she’s just trapped in the body of an otherwise generally reasonable person.
I keep remembering daydreaming six years ago: If I earned 100K/year, do you know how much I could save??
A wistful part of me still wants to be able to save like that. Staring down the barrel of Dad’s increasing years and contemplating children, I still feel wholly frighteningly unprepared. (Strong finances and a huge emergency fund are the fuzzy blankie that lets me sleep at night.)
Objectively, we’ve got a fairly solid budget that sets up our savings and spending plan cohesively and generally fits what we think is both reasonable and important.
February 4, 2013
Vanessa and I started an interesting conversation on Twitter when I failed to fully grok her meaning behind these tweets:
This surprised me because: I enjoy a good hot drink from Starbucks once in a while and I certainly would love a European vacation. The fact that I haven’t taken one yet is to do with lack of time, money and general coordination. No discrimination either: I’d like a Canadian vacation, a New Zealand vacation, an Australian vacation among numerous other destinations I don’t have time to reel off.
I’ve always considered myself a PF blogger, first and foremost. Certainly for the first 90% of this blog’s existence, I was Tightwad Extraordinaire. But things have changed, as they should, as I earned more and became more financially stable.
The idea that everything but tightwaddery is roundly and generally condemned by PF bloggers comes as a bit of a surprise especially when PF bloggers themselves feel it’s the official theme song. I mean: it’s personal finance.
It’s not Finance for the Good of the People.
It’s not Finance by Fiat.
It’s not Finance: As Long As We All Approve.
The Asian Pear joined the conversation with some elaborations on what is evidently known in the General Standards for PF bloggers.
PF bloggers, we hate life and choice?
Once again, I’m a PF blogger. (Perhaps I’ve been booted out of the “the club” and didn’t know it?) Either way, I do not identify with these general terms and I don’t feel like the people I read or converse with do either. It seems a bit of a shame, in my opinion, if the trend is so clear. Though not to me, apparently I’m oblivious.
My Take
While, no, I don’t think financing living room sets or pricey televisions is a good idea, particularly because I have experience with how shitty that turns out for the responsible person in the household (*cough* family *cough* thanks!), I don’t have any issue with people making life choices that suit the individual. You want to enjoy life? You have the money to pay for it? Excellent. Go for it.
You want stuff and you don’t have the money for it? Well, probably not the best idea. Do what you will, please don’t natter at me if it doesn’t work out. I’ll also choose not to read if it’s a blogger who uses their blog to expound on the many failures and failings of life. We all have a choice here.
I will cop to enabling friend bloggers to buy stuff they’d like but only after I’ve established that it fits in with their principles. (Do they abhor debt beyond anything else? Then would this incur debt? Do they prioritize food over things and feel guilty for spending on more things? Would they be annoyed later that they had more stuff than they can appreciate?) If I’m asked, I will render an opinion. But those are my friends. I only want the best for them and I can suggest one thing or another based on knowing their values.
Otherwise, I only have observational comments for you because it’s Not. My. Life. If flamethrowing commences, which sounds a little bit like what my fellow Tweeters were saying, that’s a bit much.
Unless you plan on subjecting me to your whining over the results of your “bad” decisions (doubt it, I’m too mean for that) or it’s going to materially affect me in some way (again, doubtful), then I really can’t say that I feel like anyone’s life decisions requires much of my concern. Doesn’t mean I might not suggest that a course of action might be more or less advantageous than another if I happen to have had experience with the situation but I completely understand that not everyone is soliciting advice. And as Oil and Garlic mused, even when they do, that doesn’t mean they intend to follow it. So, as a friend says, “nothing to do with me.”
So what’s up with the “Judgy McJudgerson”-type rules of a PF blogger?
Did we (not we, “they”) form a club from which the Commandments are issued over what is good or right and what is bad or wrong when it comes to money and you’re signing on the dotted line to be subject to mockery and derision if you take a different path? Therefore, you have to hide your “unpopular” decisions lest you be judged and summarily executed?
That would a) suck and b) be rather stupid.
Again, I cite “personal finance is personal.” Sure, there are general rules of thumb that make a lot of sense but they’re just general and blindly insisting on rules of thumb aren’t how to run a household or live a lifestyle for each and every one.
I’m not your PF keeper, and you aren’t mine.
Now, I see the general assery that people get up to on the “anonymous” Internets. As a lover of comics who enjoys the occasional sporting event and has various other interests, there’s a particular theme, a common phenomenon perhaps. I see cyclical preoccupation with validating whether or not you’re good enough to carry the card of the in-crowd, whether you BELONG: this is where crap like “fake geek girl”, “geek cred”, the “bandwagon fan”, “fair weather fans” sprouts and thrives.
It’s been referred to as a fandom problem, a genre problem or something specific to the subject. But across the span of occurrences, it really just looks like it’s a people problem.
Our version is apparently at least in part perpetuating a hate-disdain cycle that Miss JJ calls out.
As such, I would like to propose: it’s your money and your life. Do what works for you. Also (Wheaton’s Law) don’t be a dick.
Your thoughts?
Is this as simple as failing the Civility test or is there something more going on? Being controversial for the page views, perhaps? Some people do believe that drama or increase chatter = success.
Note: Turns out MochiMac and I were channeling each other.