December 10, 2006
From now until December 28th, you can use fewer points to redeem for gift cards and certificates.
[Check it out at their website]
The pricing:
$50 gift card: 4500 points (instead of 6000)
$100 gift card: 9000 points (instead of 10,000)
$200 gift card: 18,000 points (instead of 20,000)
The options, mostly in increments of $50 or $100, sometimes $200:
Banana Republic
Crabtree & Evelyn
Eddie Bauer
Gap
Lands’ End
L.L. Bean
Macy’s
Pier 1 Imports
Spa Finder
The Sharper Image
Avis
Carnival Cruise Lines
Marriott® Cheque
Ritz-Carlton® Currency
Royal Caribbean® International
Bennigan’s
Legal Sea Foods
Omaha Steaks
Wanda posted a link to this nifty calculator that just panders to my love of online calculators that crunch my retirement goals and the likelihood of reaching them.
Answering the questions based on the real amount of money I’m taking home as opposed to base salary, I find that I’m not on track AT ALL:
Age: 24
Savings thus far: $5000
Contributions/month: $400
Investing Style: Aggressive Growth Goal: 2,943,000
On Track for – Poor Performance: 745.00
On Track for – Average Performance: 1,737,000
Boy, and I was all proud that I had racked up 4k in my 403(b) in that last nine months!
My insistence on funding the e-fund more has a lot to do with that, maybe I need to reduce the amount I expect to save in my cash savings monthly now that I’m so close to my goal and increase the retirement funding. Or I should reach my goal first? Hmmm ….. It looks like I have to double my contributions to make a significant change, otherwise the most I could expect from even average market performance is possibly making my goal. I suppose there’s only so much I can save every month, now it’s just a matter of making adjustments like putting more into a Roth, the 403(b) and less into cash savings.
December 5, 2006
My friend’s wife’s the kind of person who HAS to finish what she commits to and just started a major project in her current job that will keep her busy until March. A few months ago, she was recruited by another department in her university for an executive position, and didn’t even feel very comfortable accepting the interview appointments because of the timing, but felt she should at least give it a chance. Obviously her boss doesn’t want to lose someone like her, but decided after a lot of thought that she couldn’t hold her employee back from such a huge promotion and raise and has encouraged her to do what’s best.
So the new department head wants her. He wants her enough to push back the start date until January if she’ll accept the offer which includes a 22% raise. They don’t NEED the money and she loves her job. She’s also concerned that she’ll be less busy. [Yes, my friend thinks she’s weird for worrying about making more money for less work. I think it’s the best of both worlds, more money and more time to do stuff?? Dude.] Because she still won’t be through with that project until March, she feels like she just can’t accept the offer.
What would you do?
December 3, 2006
Amazon has a sale going on right now ranging from 25% to 70% off television show DVDs. This makes something like Fawlty Towers much more affordable at 29.97, instead of 59.98!
And, you can cash in on this deal as well:
Buy a DVD, get a free TV show download ($1.99 instant rebate)
What does this DVD + download deal mean for you? It means that you can buy DVDs of shows including Prison Break, CSI, Numb3rs and CSI: Miami. And, you can download current episodes just after they’re broadcast — and before they come out on DVD!
Remember, if you’re going Christmas shopping, make your lists FIRST, THEN shop lest you be lured in by the Siren song of deals deals deals! And if you’re ordering from a website such as the lovely Amazon.com, be sure to order early enough so that you can take advantage of the slower Super Saver Free Shipping, and not have to pay extra shipping charges. Those can absolutely kill any deal you might get!
December 1, 2006
In response to my letter regarding several problems I had at a recent Sheraton, I was offered a refund of the incidentals (about $200) or 10,000 Starpoints which is said to be the equivalent of a single night’s stay. I’ve never actually redeemed Starpoints before, so I don’t know how easy it is. Does anyone know if it’s better to take the cash or the points?
November 30, 2006
He got 2 tickets to the Bocelli concert for $320!!! Only 20 bucks over budget!!
AND he’ll be home for the weekend, so we can give them to my parents together! YESSS!!!
I need to shop for WORK:
I’m responsible for coming up with some good ideas for our colleagues. I refuse to order any of the generic corporate gifts from the gift basket catalogues. Last year was the beverage year: I made up coffee and tea packages, and a huge tequila/margarita mix basket for the boss.
What to do this year?
This would be easier if I were shopping for myself =D
Yay:
1. Good for work, good for me
2. 2-inch heels MUST be kinder to the feet than 3-inch heels
3. They’re a lot cuter in person and SEEM comfy….
Boo:
1. They’re $60.
2. They’re only available at Nordstrom. ie: no bargain shopping!
