While visiting my mom during the holidays she shared a story about a winter road trip where she barely made it to her grandmother’s funeral.  I questioned why she drove instead of flying.  She replied “it was too expensive then”.

Her response really made me think.  What do I take for granted in my daily life that was prohibitively expensive a short time ago?  I came up with this list.

Eating Out

Growing up we went to restaurants infrequently.  My parents did indulge their kids in fast food, but not more often than once a month. The lack of dining out wasn’t because my working mom wouldn’t have liked to have a night off in the kitchen.

It was too expensive to take out a family of six frequently.  I think there is a wider range of restaurant price points today plus more opportunities to save with coupons, daily deal sites and promotions.  Plus most families are smaller today which lowers the costs for many budget categories (food, clothing, medical, etc.).

Making Long Distance Calls

Although many blame the demise of letter-writing on email, cheaper long distance rates are also responsible.  Twenty years ago if we wanted to communicate with anyone out of the local calling, it meant writing a letter or sending a post card.

Even as a young mother, I went weeks in between calls home due to the high cost. Now, there’s no limit to the amount of time I can chat with family long distance – as long as we use the same cell phone carrier.

Cruise Vacations

I didn’t know anyone who had been on a cruise until my 30’s.  Until then it was a vacation for the retired or rich.  Or at least that was my perception.

There were far fewer cruise ships making the price higher due to scarcity.  There are dozens of cruise ships and you can easily find a cruise for less than $100 per person per night; sometimes half that!  We spend less on cruises than on land vacations.

Air Travel

Mom is right; air travel used to be more expensive.  Even though fares seem to be increasing right now due to higher fuel costs they are still a bargain.

I remember taking my kids to mom’s for Thanksgiving 20 years ago for $15 more per ticket than the price today.  You know there’s been inflation so effectively it’s much cheaper.

Although prices go up, sometimes the true cost goes down.  What can you afford now that was too expensive previously? 

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Do you currently work in an office as a low-level employee? Do you ever have dreams of rising up the ranks and becoming a Vice President someday? Maybe you have your sites set on the CEO. Whatever the case may be, if you’d like to rise to the top in a hurry, here’s some valuable tips that I have learned along the way.

1) If You’re New, Don’t Try to Change Their Process in Your First Week

There are quite a few young professionals that think they’re going to move to the top of the company within 4 years, so right out of the gate they begin to question the process and make an effort to change the system that has been in place for over 20 years.

It’s good to be young and ambitious, but it’s not okay to challenge the operation of the entire company in your first week. Unless you are instructed to evaluate their process and give your input, just make an effort to learn your position  in the first 6 months. Once you have your duties down-pat, then you can start asking your boss if you could take a deeper look into the process and perhaps give a report of your findings. You’ll be much more respected if you take this route.

2) Offer Your Assistance to Everyone

At my place of employment, I am considered to be extremely knowledgeable in Excel. I often have employees come up to me and ask how the can write a function or fix a problem they’ve been having with the formatting. I honestly don’t care who it is that’s asking me the question – I am going to make sure that I answer their it to the best of my abilities. First of all, I do this because it’s for the ultimate good of the company; second, there’s nothing wrong with being labeled the office “Excel Guru”; and third, I really am just a genuinely good guy that likes to help (hopefully you are too).

People talk, and the more good they have to say about you the better. If you are promoted in the future, it’s best to have people agree with the change (because you’re an all-around great employee) rather than grumble about it because you’ve made their life at the office a living hell.

3) Seek Out a Mentor

If you are currently employed as a Financial Analyst, but you’d really like to be the Director of Merchandising someday, then seek out a mentor in merchandising (preferably at the Director level or higher). Let them know that you’re interested in what they do, and that you aspire to work in their field someday.

Mentorship doesn’t have to be difficult. Set up a meeting once a month and let them know what your future goals are and why. Generally, people love to help, and an extra 30 minutes a month really doesn’t amount to much for them, but for you, it could mean a few more rungs in that ladder!

4) Work Yourself Out of the Job

Most people spend all of their time trying to make themselves irreplaceable. They refuse to make work instructions for their job, and they often boast that no one else knows how to do what they do. These people are going nowhere in life. What you want to do is work yourself out of a job.

I know, it sounds counter-intuitive doesn’t it. I mean, if you work yourself out of a job, then you have no job anymore right? Wrong. If you spend your time to stream-line the process and make it so efficient that you’re no longer needed, you won’t be thrown to the curb, you’ll be embraced and rewarded with a new position. Anyone that can save the company money and can increase efficiency will be kept around for a long time.

Have you instituted any of these tips? What additional tips would you give for those that wish to move up in the company?

photo by degreezero2000

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A constant complaint in Southern California is that there isn’t a good public transportation system.  It’s not that we don’t have public transportation.  There are buses, trains and trolleys.  It’s clean, timely and affordable, but there  just isn’t enough.

Not enough routes and not frequent enough.

Challenges

Density. There’s a good reason for the lack of coverage in Southern California.  According to Wikipedia, Los Angeles has a population density of 8,092 people per square mile as compared to New York City’s 26,402 people in the same area.  The city of San Diego is less than half the density of Los Angeles with 3,515 people per square mile.

Those are just the facts the transportation companies have to deal with.  It’s hard to pay for an expensive public transportation system when the number of people that would benefit and use it is so low.

Access.  I live in  a part of the county that does not have a train or trolley serving the area.  To take a bus downtown, only 25 miles away, would take 90 minutes.  Of course to get to the bus I would need to drive or walk two miles to the transit center.  I can drive there and back in the same time! Depending on where I was going, I would need to transfer to another train or trolley.

When we lived on the coast we would take the train downtown and enjoyed the scenic ride very much.  It was there in about the same time or better than driving. We did have to drive 5 miles to get to the station.

Behavior.  I don’t know if people can be convinced to give up their cars and take public transportation.  Even when gas was over $4 a gallon last year I didn’t see many carpools.  It would take a significant amount of pain for people to made the switch to buses and trains.

Summary

Most Southern Californians would be sacrificing too much time to use public transportation regularly.  We envy our fellow Californians in San Francisco who have BART and dream of the day we too can catch a convenient train to work.  Until then, see you on the freeway!

Do you have access to good public transportation?

photo by: prayitno

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There are two major sporting events today.  The men’s final at the Australian Open (tennis)and the Pro Bowl (football).  One was epic and  broke a record for the longest grand slam singles final.  We watched it in awe and amazement while downing coffee and croissants.

This afternoon, it’ll be time for the NFL Pro Bowl where you won’t see great play, but millions of us will watch anyway. It’s football!

Recommended Reading

Len Penzo Dot Com shares 10 More Old Wives’ Tales Masquerading as Financial Rules of Thumb.  How many of these do you believe?

What My Son Taught Me About Life is a tear jerker by So Over Debt.

Consumerism Commentary also hit my emotions with The Lonesome, Pet-Free Life.

Congratulations to Fat Guy, Skinny Wallet  who has Lots Of Energy, More Loose Clothing, And My Week 10 Weigh In and is 25 lbs lighter!

Budgeting in the Fun Stuff was Hanging with Blogging Buddies last week and it was a fun time!  She makes a mean grilled cheese sandwich.

Carnivals & Round-ups

Giveaways

Don’t miss out on my giveaway for a Tempur-Pedic travel pillow.  You’ll be helping me declutter.  Really.

You have More than You Think is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card with amazingly simple entry.  Enter by midnight Tuesday.

You can win an early invite to ImpluseSave at The Jenny Pincher.  Enter by February 10th.

NetWorthProtect has $30 cash for one lucky winner.  This one ends Super Bowl Sunday.

Could you use a $100 Lowe’s Gift Card?  Enter at The Centsible Life by February 1st.

Frugal Beautiful is giving away a $25 credit for a pet food delivery service.  Enter no later than February 2nd.

Do you need to do some personal finance reading?  Well The Amateur Financier has a box of 10 books for one winner.  Enter by January 31st.

20′s Finance is giving away two Amazon gift cards totally $75.  Enter by February 22nd.

Photo by soham_pablo

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Remember that declutter challenge I told you about recently. I have a lot of great items I received at BlogHer just taking up closet space. I’ve decided to start giving away one item a week here at Bucksome Boomer until i run out! Believe me that will take a while.

It’s a win-win. I get closet space and add to my decluttering total and each week’s winner gets a quality product for free!  Let’s start off with something from one of my favorite brands, Tempur-Pedic.

Tempur-Pedic Travel Pillow Giveaway

Let me make this clear, I’m only giving this one away because I already have another one I’ve been using. This all-purpose travel pillow is still in the original reusable carry case.

The unique shape means you can use as a neck roll, lumbar cushion leg spacer and more. The cover is removable and washable and it has a convenient carrying strap. Of course, the pillow is made with the proprietary pressure-relieving material, TEMPUR, that’s in my great mattress!

If you would like this, just use the rafflecopter form below. Sorry to my foreign friends, but shipping is limited to US mailing addresses. One random entry will be drawn and entries close Friday at midnight Eastern.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Using the medical flexible spending account (FSA) is one way we stretch our budget every year.  Each December, I carefully consider the expenses we will  have (prescriptions, doctor visits, dental cleanings, etc.) and then add some extra for unknown.

It’s a tightrope balance between selecting too much and risk losing the money or not enough.  This year I fell off the tightrope already!

An Unplanned Expense

During my quarterly cleaning appointment earlier this month, my dentist decided to call in a specialist for one troublesome area.  He sent me to a periodontist for help with a problem around one tooth which is a dental implant.

Next week I’ll be having  gum surgery including getting a bone graft. The cost is large; I could have gotten dentures three times over for the money that has been spent on this one tooth over the years for a root canal, crown, implant, new crown and now this surgery.

My goal is to keep my teeth throughout my lifetime so this procedure was the only option.

Insurance Fortune

If I had known about the surgery last month, I would have allotted the maximum amount for my FSA.  Instead, it’ll be gone next week and I’ll be paying all other out of pocket medical expenses with after tax dollars.

But there is one bright spot.  My dental plan pays $1,500 in benefits per year which this will use completely. That’s not the good part.

The good news is that this year my employer is changing insurance carriers February 1st so I get another $1,500 for the year.

Emergency Funds Work

The remaining several hundred dollar balance after FSA and insurance will come out of our emergency fund.  You know that account with money in it just waiting for life to throw a wrench in your plans.

If you don’t have one of those accounts, before you start sending every extra penny to pay off debt or buy a new shiny toy start saving!  You really need at least three months income set aside at a minimum.

We can’t control every expense or plan for every problem in life.  What we can do is be ready for it!

Do you have an emergency fund?  When have you needed to use it?

photo by: Old Sarge

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Valentine’s Day is 3 weeks from now, a period when we spend billions of $ to “prove” our love. For me personally, I would rather not have a lot of money spent on meaningless gifts.  Over the years, my husband has tried getting me the dozen roses or expensive jewelry, but has now come to realize that I value the simple things when done with genuine thought and feeling.

There are plenty of frugal date ideas to make Valentine’s Day special without tearing your wallet to shreds. But for me, the recipe that hits the heart every time has three simple ingredients – Appreciation, Care and Respect.

Show your appreciation

DH gets up early that day and makes me my favorite breakfast and a hot chocolate which is all ready by the time I wake up.  We have a relaxed breakfast in the patio just enjoying each other’s company.

While he gets ready for work, I cook some of his favorite dishes and add a note to his lunch bag saying how much he means to me.

Sometime during the day he sends me an email with all the things he appreciated about me the past year and what our being together means to him.

We both get off work early (and if you know my husband you will realize what a significant event this is, for him to leave work at a sane hour).  He usually brings home a bouquet of flowers and my favorite brand of chocolate.

We then spend time cooking a delicious meal together which we then have at home in candlelight with some wine.

The point I’m trying to make is that we both spend time trying to appreciate each other and express that rather than buying expensive gifts.  From my point of view, the effort DH puts in to prepare breakfast for me, send me a note expressing his love and generally showing me how much I’m appreciated is better than any gift.  We all lead busy lives and it is very difficult to appreciate our partners every single day (and honestly, sometimes, I don’t feel very appreciative of him ).

Show that you care

If there is anything that is bothering your spouse, set some time aside to talk about it. We try to gloss over the problem by buying flowers or some other stuff. Show that you care about how he/she feels. After a few years, we get very comfortable with each other and take the other person for granted. This would be a good time to ask yourself how much your spouse means to you. Take some time to think about how he/she has made your life better and the happiness that they bring you. Do not take your spouse for granted.

If you are giving a gift, make it thoughtful rather than flashy. Give something that you make or even write a note about how much your spouse means to you.

Show your respect

We might be in a relationship, but each of us is a unique individual.  Your way of doing things might be different than your spouse’s. Accept that; cherish them for who they are.

Showing someone that you love, respect and care for them will go a very long way. Use Valentine’s Day as a day to renew your appreciation of one another and show your spouse what he/she means to you rather than as another day to burn a hole in your pocketbook.

What is your plan for the Valentine’s Day?

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Were you disappointed when Mark McGuire admitted he used steroids?  It tarnished his records and entire career and turned many fans away.  That’s how I felt recently about a personal finance guru.

Not only did Suze Orman pitch a questionable pre-paid debit card but what took the cake for me was the way she handled criticism.  She resorted to insults and name-calling when personal finance bloggers called her out on the endorsement.  Girlfriend, I will miss you.

Recommended Reading

This week’s recommended reading includes a round-up of posts about the Suze Orman brouhaha from Sweating in the Big Stuff.  Other favorites include:

2012 Looks Like a Good Year for the Stock Market @ Hope to Prosper

Top 5 Reasons Why Baby Boomers are Screwed @ Yes, I am Cheap

How to Save Money on Dieting @ Frugal Confessions

How to Find Unlisted Jobs and Win Every Salary Negotiation @ Wise Bread

Carnivals and Roundups

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Have you ever seen those commercials for a certain law firm that exclaim, “It’s my money, and I want it now!!” This pretty much sums up our nation today. We are all scrounging for the next materialistic item, and we don’t want to wait for it. We want it now!

Credit cards are in the wallet of nearly every citizen (including children) – many of them with a balance. And, much of the furniture, televisions, and appliances are technically owned by a bank somewhere. Why is it that we buy things that we cannot afford, but we assume we’ll easily pay them off later? Mainly, it’s because the message of instant gratification surrounds us everywhere we go.

Instant gratification plagues us from televisions, billboards, web pages, on buses, and sometimes, the message is even wrapped on cars and SUVs! The advertisements may be for different products, but they all say the same thing – “Look at me! If you had me right now, your life would be happier. Don’t worry, you can buy me with 0% interest for 36 months!”

Instant Gratification

Credit has made it incredibly easy to get the things we want, but often times it becomes the ball and chain of our financial future. If we allow ourselves to purchase items on credit, our payments increase, which obviously causes our cash flow to decrease. And, with a reducing cash flow, we can easily get trapped in our debts with no way of escape except for making those many future payments.

Once we pay off the debts, the furniture, appliances, and electronics that we bought on credit are now worn out and need replacement. But, since our cash flow was down, we were unable to save money. So guess what? We need to go back into debt in order to make that next purchase, and then the cycle continues. In the end, you’re left with very little money in your investments (if any), hardly any savings, and you have a houseful of old stuff that might still have some future payments scheduled. In my opinion, this is not the way to live.

Delayed Gratification

What if we took a drastically different approach? What if, instead of purchasing our furniture over the course of 36 months at a low interest rate, why not save up some money for 2 or 3 months and buy something a little less expensive? Then, once the furniture is purchased, there is still a positive cash flow for something else – maybe even some investments!

By delaying your gratification and not buying things on credit, your future could be noticeably different. Everything in your house will be paid for, you’ll have money in the bank, you’ll have investments that are increasing exponentially, and you might even have some passive income that earns money while you sleep!

So, the next time you’re tempted with a purchase (big or small), remember to think twice about it and consider what it might do to your future. Chances are, if you delay the purchase, your future will be much better off.

Have you ever made a purchase on credit that you regretted later? Do you live your life with the delayed gratification approach?

photo by  jbhthescots

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A week ago my jury service ended when our group of 12 citizens delivered verdicts to the court and all involved.  It had been a full and interesting three days.

It’s in my nature to reflect upon new experiences and came up with this list of observations.

It’s a Small World

After years of watching Law & Order, I expected a large, grand courtroom.  Although the courthouse is fairly new and in great shape, the room itself is pretty small.

There was room for only 40 observers and the witness box is about 4-5 feet from the closest juror.  Even worse, the court reporter’s box was right in the front of the witness box.

The building holds about 30 courtrooms so it is a better use of space and more efficient than using a large room for every three day trial.

Jury Demographics

Most of the people reporting for jury service were college students, retirees or middle-aged.  We probably had way more college students than normal because it was still the break.

My jury panel was comprised of 6 people in their 20s, 5 in their 50s/60s and 1 in her 30s.  That last group probably can’t serve as often due to family obligations.

The only thing we all had in common is residence in the same county.

Age Adds Perspective

I noted during the votes and deliberations that took place the older group (including myself) seemed to believe that nothing is clear cut when it comes to people.  Just because the defendant made mistakes doesn’t automatically mean he/she was guilty of the charges.

The youngsters didn’t seem to see the greys in life; it was black and white to them.  I found this very interesting and I hope they did as well.

The Process Works

The group of 12 strangers heard testimony, saw evidence and came to a consensus on three separate counts.  It wasn’t without several hours of deliberation and many re-votes.

The jury instructions were extremely helpful in guiding us on how to interpret the law.  They laid out what conditions must have been proven “beyond a reasonable doubt” in order to find the defendant guilty.

In California, I’m now excused from service for three years.  Many people try to avoid jury service, but it is a great way to give back to the community.  Even Axl Rose served last week!

Every citizen should experience the process once.  It will restore or strengthen your faith in the system.  If you have served on a jury, what do you think of the experience?

photo by uberzombie

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