Archive for April, 2009

I was taking a walk yesterday afternoon at the park, and when I got back to my car I noticed that my plastic engine cover was hanging down from where it should be (it shouldn’t be on the ground, I know that)!

When I got down to have a closer look, I noticed that three of the bolts that should have been holding it in place were no longer doing “their” job (no thanks to my habit of driving up onto those damn concrete parking lot stopper things). At the time, I only had two options: 1) I could drive home like this and risk having it fall off and help add to the Florida Highway’s trash (believe me, they don’t need any more) or 2) I could find something to hold it up until I could get home later to fix it. I was heavily favoring option 2, and this is the one I went with since I keep some rope in the trunk (I really impress myself sometimes). Continued

I don’t know if you know this or not, but this car dealer guy you’re talking to definitely has a vested interest in your wallet.

While you may think you have all the time in the world to choose, it’s his job to make your next purchase seem super urgent. Now, even if he’s showing you a straight-up econo-box, he’s still going to try to make you feel like you just have to grab this “great deal” right this instant, or else you will have lost your last chance forever. Truth is, if he doesn’t sell you a car, chances are he won’t get paid. He, like most car salesmen, works on commission and probably gets pumped up with backroom, sales-incentive speeches from his 4 or 5 bosses, which are promising him a trip to Hawaii, or allowing him to keep his job (sales managers use a wide array of tactics to get the job done). Continued

This is the way I see economic materialism (plain and simple) …

You come into this world with nothing and when you die guess what … you also have nothing! I know it sounds kind of depressing (actually, really depressing) but it is not, if you think about it. Chew on this for a second: material possessions are ok, but they will always just be things (nothing more, nothing less). You’ll forget about them when they’re long and gone, but you can’t say the same about your friends and family (who’ll help you make the lasting memories). Now what if you only had six months to live? Would you still care about these trivial things, which the advertisers and marketers say that you MUST have? Yea, probably not! I know that it’s pretty fun to buy nice things, but I also know that this stuff can get lost, stolen or ruined (or just plain forgotten about in the back of your closet or garage)! Continued

Did you know that the average credit card APR is just above the 18% mark?

You say your rate is higher than that? Well, don’t you think the time has come to change that … to stop giving these rip-off companies your hard-earned money, when there’s a very simple solution to getting a much lower rate? What is that solution, you ask? Calling and asking for a better rate is my answer to that, plain and simple!

WARNING: This is where I get serious: convincing your stinking, no good credit card company to lower your rates will not only reduce the amount you pay on interest each month, but it will also drastically reduce your overall debt. Even if you’re not a very good negotiator, it is still very possible to lower your rates — all that’s required from you is a little research and then a couple of phone calls (too yellow? Then ask a friend, who actually has a pair, to make the call for you. Then get down on yourself for being such a chicken-s#$t [just kidding. Or am I?]). Continued

“The Week in Review: Money Issues” is my weekly blog research on financial topics that define us as Americans, and shape the way we should do business.

What’s going on people/friends/readers/potential readers?

Did you guys plan some fun stuff to do for the weekend, which is about to start in 4 hours, and 17 minutes by my analog, voice-controlled, old Braun desk clock (but who’s counting, right?)? I hope so! As for me, I’m getting out of here at 4 o’clock on the nose today, because I’ve found a faster way to get to work, which has shaved off about 15 minutes from my traffic-laden, daily drive time. This has lead to my coming in that much earlier for each of the last four workdays (15 + 4 = 1 solid hour, for those not good at math). So my weekend will be that much longer now! Woo Hoo …

Well, here go the goods: Continued