It’s also finally allowing us to focus not only on those who have just recently started to feel the burden of increasing costs, but recognizing those that have been facing tough times for much longer than the current jump in costs. I have some ideas on how we can tackle the rising costs of everything, just like probably everyone else, in the meantime though, I hope everyone comes out a little better in the end.

It was never my intention to do that, but I did. I just lost interest in so many things, and unfortunately, blogging was one of them.

One of the bloggers I feel most sadden not having really kept in touch with is LAMoneyguy at It’s Just Money. He recently got married, and I’d like to congratulate him! It even makes me feel even worse that I missed this post written over a year ago. There’s not much I can do or say to make up for all the time that was lost, but I hope eventually you can forgive me.

It’s not just the blogging world that I alienated during this time. It’s funny how blogging resembles life in so many ways, friends made, friends lost, constantly growing, constantly changing. This blog has definitely been personal in so many ways that I didn’t even realize it would.

Video linked from: http://www.monday9am.tv/

The first is kiva.org, where you can support entrepeneur’s all over the world, generally in places where starting your own business would be a little harder without some extra help.  I’m a little skeptical, but it seems like a good idea.

The second is donorschoose.org, where you can find schools in lower income areas that need funds for a particular project.

Some pretty neat ideas in my opinion.

Financially, I was bringing in income that I had made while working in college…definitely, low enough to categorize me pretty close to the bottom tier on the national income meter.  But to be honest, I just did not care.  I still don’t really.  But I’ve found that my fundamental money habits helped me save and grow my current income regardless of my fairly whatever attitude about my savings.  I didn’t go on binge spending runs.  I didn’t place my money in reckless investments.  I just did the samethings I used to do when I did care, pay my bills, put money in more conservative investment vehicles, sell stocks since my tax rates would be lower.  I just didn’t look at my net worth…And to be honest, it feels kind of good.  Not caring…not caring about money. 

But I want to get out of this funk.  The enthusiasm I had for life just a few years ago is gone, and I don’t know why.  Mid life crisis?  Doubtful.  Medical depression?  Meh, possible, but my belief is there’s something more.  Why can’t I excite myself like before?  I’m not interested in things like technology, blogging, or finances, and I can’t figure out why.  I’m very confused about life in general, and I really don’t know why.  I have no idea why I feel the way I do, and I have no idea how I will figure it out.

This is not a call for help in anyway, because I’m still living my life.  And here’s the weird part, it’s not like I’m completely undriven to do anything, I still work.  I still do daily things.  I just don’t care about anything that’s not a necessity.  It’s as if I’m living my life with the gas tank at E…but the car just won’t run out of gas.  In someways I guess that’s nice today since gas is so damn expensive.  I’m going to survive.  There are a lot of people in worse positions than I am.  Enough ranting for me today…So how are you doing?

Gets equivalent of 100MPG, costs approx. $27k for the all electric version.  Looks like a tadpole.

Let me just present this simple, logical argument:

Is it true that the US Administration did not find the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that they had expected?  This being one, if not the only, MAIN argument for going to war against Iraq.

If NO, then someone should be held accountable–regardless if the information was not accurate or clear on WMDs to begin with.

Everything in life has accountability.  If the information was wrong, and the administration made a mistake in going to war, then the administration should reassess, and make it very clear where, how and why there was this mistake..

Lives have been lost while the economy is collapsing.  There’s enough blame to go around two fold, but I still don’t see anyone in the Bush administration except for McClellan standing up and saying, “I was wrong.”

The first applies to all that have traveled abroad from 1996 - 2006 and used their credit cards to buy stuff. You can get up to 3% back on all your purchases! Most will probably opt for the $25.00 because it’s easy…you just need a credit card…I’m not sure if it needs to be a credit card used at that time…I have to do more research.

Here’s the link: http://www.ccfsettlement.com/

The second applies to anyone who’s purchased diamonds from 1994 - 2006.

Here’s the link: https://diamondsclassaction.com/

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Anyway, hope you all have a great Holiday Season.

-Freedumb & Brownie

Consider, in this war, we’ve lost over 4000 soldiers (pdf file link), spent billions, and possibly prevented a terrorist attack.  Or we could have invested that money in infrastructure, and possibly problems like the NYC pipes and the MN bridge collapse would never have happened.

Do you think US dollars are being spent wisely?

Yes, I’m still alive…and yeah, this isn’t really a personal financial post…but I don’t really feel like writing about finances in recent days…I have been reading comments and trust me, the last few has made me think quite a bit.

Regards,

Freedumb & Brownie

• How people can spend over $30 on a damn haircut.  Applies to males only. Females you can kind of understand. Hmmm, why is that? I think it’s because they have more hair?! :S
• Why are people not complaining about gas prices like the first time it went sky high (over $3.00).
• Why is the stock market continuing to increase so damn quickly.
• Why people buy things that are WAAAY to expensive.
• How people can be concerned about pennies, yet at the same time make millions.
• Why do some people actually think our country is headed in the right direction?
• Why does the media print nothing but sad news?  Well mostly sad, depressing news anyway. It seems like something that would so easily change the morale of America…by showing more happy things on the front page.
• Why it’s so hard to find a job I’m happy with.
• Why are the g’damn tip jars still by the cash registers?!?!?

That is all.  Please return to your normal activities.  Sorry for taking up 2 mins of your time, but thanks for reading…

I’ll admit there have been many periods during the recent months where I’ve felt like getting more into stocks, but I keep telling myself to wait. I hope I’m doing the right thing.

Hope you are all making tons of money out there!  If not, don’t worry, the markets will dip, and there will be another opportunity to invest.  Has this market treated you well?

Well, as a small business, obviously we don’t have the bankroll that large corporations do, so every penny is important. In my recent studies, I’ve found that since EDI is so new, there’s a HUGE variation in cost for the service, even for the SAME service.

Here are some examples:

COMPANY 1
Setup - $499.00
Monthly Fee - Starts @ $69.00 (75 EDI transaction limit) up to $169.00 (300 EDI transaction limit)

COMPANY 2
Setup - $2,500.00 (They emphasize ONE TIME fee)
Monthly Fee - $2.50 - $5.00 per transaction depending on volume

COMPANY 3
Setup - $0.00
Monthly Fee - $45.00 (includes 5 transaction, 6-50 $1.50/transaction, 51-100 $1.25/transaction…)

WOW! To be honest, I can’t believe how expensive this stuff is.

Now imagine a small business trying to decide whether to do this or not…Each invoice (or transaction) is ~$200-300…it adds up! Imagine if each transaction is smaller, $20.00. Which it can be, because we’re talking every single invoice and PO is a single transaction. Does EDI make sense? For big companies it does, because they no longer need paper and all the EDI costs are absorped by their in house EDI investment.

This leads me to another problem…Wal-Mart is nicer to small business is than an the US Goverment…because Wal-Mart doesn’t require EDI. How odd is that? Or is it not odd at all…

I don’t think debt is enslaving, after all you control the keys to getting out of debt. Debt is a good thing, if managed properly. It’s sort of like the argument on diet…moderation is the key. Properly used, debt can boost your bottom line. What do you think?

And I thought to myself, “Jeez, I wonder what happens to my cash.” It’s kind of complicated. Overly so, I think.  Anyway, I decided to map my “cash flow,” not in the traditional sense.

START HERE

1. Paycheck will either get deposited into: a) credit union or b) regular old checkings account.
- Credit Union: Used for free online bill payment and general savings account. Also, good for shared branching purposes and other credit union benefits, like free traveler’s checks.
- Regular old checkings account: ATM. Oh and free checks.

TO

2. From here, I’m really not sure. Reassuring huh? lol. But seriously, it depends. Generally funds have been going to GMAC, but not always. Like this past month, HSBC was offering 6% interest on “new money.” So that’s where my money has been going.
- GMAC: GMAC is my main “transfer account.” Why? Because they don’t put your money in some void while it waits to move between banks…basically, it’s not losing interest.
- ING: I don’t know why I still have this account opened.  Granted ING has a pretty quick transfer system too, they just don’t have competitive rates…I’d rather have my money sit somewhere else.
- HSBC: Since the 6% interest promo ended, all the cash here will go to my GMAC account.

TO

3.  My cash then either sits in step 2, or goes to investment accounts.
- Scottrade:  I have been using them for awhile.  I should take a 2nd look at my investment account to see if another makes more sense.  I want to be able to invest in portions, like how Sharebuilder works.  For example, I would like invest $xx every month in a set of stocks.
- Various banks:  CDs at the highest interest rates.

TO

4.  Millions and millions and millions of dollars.  That’s the hope…but looks like my cash has a long journey ahead of itself.

I’ll have to re-evaluate my system…I yearn for a sleek, simple 3 step system.

I’m slowly going through my blogroll trying to figure out who’s still here, who’s gone away, what’s happened to people. At the sametime, I’ve got to do some housekeeping on the blog. I’m going
to
slowly find
my way back
into this.I’m going to slowly find my way back into this. You like that fancy quote block work? I thought it was pretty nifty.

Hey, it’s like I heard when I was leaving for college, “Home will always be home. You can always come back, and it’ll always be here.” Same can apply to blogging in a way…my blog will always be my blog, and it’ll always be here…unless I forget to pay the hosting bills :/.

This time around, I don’t think I’m going to over-blog. Besides, since I’m not in front of the computer for most of the day anymore, it’s not going to be as easy to blog.

To everyone who’s been stopping by every so often, sending me emails, leaving comments…Thank you.

So the journey begins…again.

Lo and behold: Dow hits record high!

Irrational exuberance part two?

I don’t know for sure, but if the general rule of thumb is buy low, sell high.  I really don’t understand the money coming into the stock market at the moment. So who’s investing?

“Big institutions — not mom and pop investors — have driven the rally. Money has flowed out of U.S. stock mutual funds five consecutive weeks, says Jeffrey Kleintop, chief market strategist at LPL Financial Services. “Dow 13,000 may trigger individuals to finally start buying stocks,” he says. reference

Ya, sounds, uhh…interesting. Individuals will finally start buying? Woohoo! Sounds like fun. *Pulls out the checkbook*

We’re seeing that the market continues to be driven by the earnings, which have been good,” Skrainka added. He said that investors should be able to absorb any expected slowdown in earnings growth in 2007, as it follows 3-1/2 years of double-digit percentage growth. reference

Interesting…Then I read this:

“Corporate America’s ability to top low-ball first-quarter profit estimates issued by analysts worried about a slowing economy and real estate bust.” reference

Draw what conclusion you may…but beating a
low-ball
estimate doesn’t
indicate strengthbeating a low-ball estimate doesn’t indicate strength to me. Sure, we did better than expected, but if the housing fallout is just starting, then I really don’t feel so confident.

I don’t know if the stock market will continue it’s climb…
I don’t know if the housing market will fall further…faster…
But I do know this, with an income of $100,000 and a decent down payment, most people still can’t afford a decent house in Hawaii…*Puts the checkbook back* I’m still not ready to invest in this economy, and I’m definitely not giddy or exuberant.

• I left my job;
• I attempted to start blogging, stopped, and am trying to start again;
• I entered a funk…and haven’t got out; and,
• I lost a finger.

Okay, I made the last one up…or did I.  Didn’t someone find a finger in chili some place? ;)  But seriously, it’s been a rough ride in recent months.  There have been some positives to come out of it all, despite the funk I’ve been in.

• My net worth hasn’t gone down, surprisingly;
• I’ve had a chance to re-exam my life; and,
• I’m still alive!

I am really surprised by my recent financial analysis, because I was expecting flat to negative.  I’ve recently paid out more than what seems to be coming in, specifically:

• Approximately $3,200 in federal and state taxes;
• Car insurance renewal $550; and,
• Doggie fees, approx. $1000;

So why the increase?  It has to do with recent stock market performance, interest earnings, decreased entertainment expenses (aka “freedumb’s super thrifty mode”), and a couple bumps from my ex-employer (last minute stock options exercised and a bonus check).

I still have a lot in cash…granted a large % of my net worth has not been getting max returns, I’m not about to throw my cash into the stock market at it’s peak.  I still have enough invested in stocks, directly or indirectly, to benefit from the recent bull market.

Taking a look at the increase of my net worth by month, it turns out to be an increase of about $3,712.00 per month.  It’s too bad I didn’t analyze my worth in January, February, and March.

Super thrifty mode has got me making my purchases with cash a lot more than with my credit card…odd.  I’ve found that spending cash has given me a lot more control over my expenses.  Sure I still use my card where I get maximized point returns but everything else is CASH.  I know immediately how much and quickly I’ve spent the cash since I last withdrew.

YES!  Two posts in one month.  I’m not saying anything about my return to blogging because obviously the last time I did that things didn’t work out very well at all.  Woof woof.

The past few months since leaving my job has been rather uneventful. What’s even worse, life being such a bore seems to be pulling me down a dark, deep abyss. Unmotivated to do much else than get through the day.

I’m not use to this, and I’m not sure what to do.

Usually, I feel like changing my life…pursuing new adventures…seeking out new things to do. It ain’t happening this time. Am I deperessed? Am I just going through a phase? Beats the heck out of me.

I do know that since leaving my last job, I feel like every penny is that much more valuable. Do I feel like I regret leaving my job to pursue new things? Yes. What’s done is done though. Life goes on.

What has leaving my old job taught me? Maybe you put up with certain things you may not enjoy to make a living. Maybe the “job I love” is really just a myth and doesn’t exist–work is work. Bah.

At the moment, I’m helping out where I can with the family business.

Stayed tuned…I hope to find the motivation to blog someday in the future…hopefully the near future. Most likely with a different perspective on finances.

At least the PF Universe is thriving…many of my old pf friends are still blogging away. Blog on…blog on.

I need to take my own advice.

Let’s take a combo from the burger joint called, HAHDSASHDHSADK. Their regular sized alpha combo is $3.99, and it includes all the standards, cheeseburger, “medium” drink, and “medium” fries (since small no longer exists in some places). Right next to that price is an upgrade offer to the CAPITAL combo…For just $0.99 more!

Let’s break down the cost of the regular combo:

Patty - $0.40
Bun - $0.30
Cheese - $0.30
Lettuce - $0.02
Tomato - $0.02
Ketchup/Mayo - $0.01
Drink - $0.25
Cup - $0.25 (left this separate since cups always seem to get their own charges…i.e. cup of water)
Fries - $0.40
Misc - $0.90 (burger wrap, fry packaging, prep/cooking, bag, napkins, extra condiments)

Total Cost for a “regular” combo: $2.85

Now let’s consider the cost for a “large” combo that costs $0.99 more:

Patty - $0.40
Bun - $0.30
Cheese - $0.30
Lettuce - $0.02
Tomato - $0.02
Ketchup/Mayo - $0.01
Drink - $0.30
Cup - $0.25
Fries - $0.50
Misc - $0.95 (burger wrap, fry packaging, prep/cooking, bag, napkins, extra condiments)

Total Cost for a “large” combo: $3.05

“Regular” combo profit: ~30%
“Large” combo profit: ~40%

Not a bad increase in profit! Alright so I made all the numbers up…maybe the number may not be accurate, but I bet the profit margins are…Anyone can confirm?

But back to the main point of this post…this whole just a few more cents attitude makes the average consumer poorer. I mean take a look around…car washes…bigger combo’s…coffee…people are always looking for a good deal, but really, it’s not the consumer’s who are winning. Well, maybe it’s a win-win situation…if you really need more, but the vast majority, I’m guessing, could’ve been just fine with the “regular” combo…including me.

Well, like the title of this post says, I feel like I’m “entitled” to unemployment. I feel like I should be able to benefit from this if I were to quit, after all my tax money went into it didn’t it? But, at the same time, I see a problem with the idea that I should get unemployment benefits for leaving under my own choice.

I’m wrong. I should not feel entitled to this benefit. I know this. All I’m doing it bringing up the idea that unemployment benefits should be given to all who leave their jobs. Consider, being fired gets you unemployment. Unless I’m wrong on this…maybe you don’t get unemployment for being fired. But if you do, how fair is that? I mean, someone who gets fired because they are doing a crappy job can get unemployment, but one that leaves on his/her own choice can’t?

Seems odd…what do you think?

The term “living paycheck to paycheck” definitely has a different meaning depending on who you are and whether you’re looking at it from above (making more) or below (making less). For me, it means being able to survive on the money you bring in every week. No luxuries, just necessities. Apparently to some, it means spending up to how much you make each week…hmph.

So here I am reading this post, and I realize, “Wow, last week I was looking at it from above, and now this week, I could be looking at it from below…sort of.” Granted, I do not consider myself living paycheck to paycheck, however I could easily get into this mode as if I were…just to save. Hey my incomes been cut by almost 90%…the upcoming months will be the real test to see if I can manage my expenses.

What’s your definition of living paycheck to paycheck? Are you a Schuett or a Gonzalez?

I skipped my November net worth analysis, and I am just catching up with my December one. So the % increase is really skewed because it’s a comparison of 2 months ago vs today. It’s pretty cool that I can declare my net worth is a “quarter million dollars.”

The future is questionable, can I sustain a positive net worth growth? I know I won’t be able to hit 5 digit monthly increases, or even possibly, 4 digit monthly increases. Trust me, the thought of that hurts, but the fact that I can put my daily grind of my hated job behind me over weighs the financial considerations.

No matter how many times the realization that I won’t be making as much money as before hurts, I always fall back on the thought that I no longer have to deal with the crap making that money brought me. In the end, I would not be able to put up with it for much longer even if I decided to try.

So on that note, my December net worth hit $250k, and it feels, eh the same as before I hit it, honestly. I’m not sure what the future holds, but once I can recapture that drive and motivation I so sorely miss, I believe I can get back on track financially.

I do know that tracking my expenses and knowing my financial path is now even more critical since my income has just taken a big decrease. Interesting times I tell ya. I do look forward to catching up and trying to get my life back in order.

So, to leave my money in my company’s 401k or roll it over. I believe there isn’t one “best choice.” It’s different depending on your company’s 401k offerings and your personal taste for managing your own money.

In my situation, I don’t want to “actively manage” my money too much. I thought about it…I really don’t have the expertise or the motivation to manage almost $90k of my own money. You can probably tell where I’m heading in terms of whether I rolled over or not.

But on the flip side, having so much control over my money is also alluring. I want to buy 100,000 shares of that penny stock…Sure why not! Uhhh yeah, My ex-employer’s 401k offerings are not bad…So I’ve decided to leave it there. The options afforded to me are not all that bad, easy access via a website to manage it, and ultimately, it’s much more simple.

Item number 1, Leaving My Money, CHECK. What do you think? Roll it over or leave it.

BTW, I want to thank everyone that’s posted comments or sent me emails…I’m going to try my best to sift through all those comments and respond.

With warmest regards,
Freedumb & Brownie

I know I’m looking forward to the new year…Are you?

Lifes been interesting the past couple of months, and I want to thank all those who have commented and wrote to me. I appreciate it a lot.

I wanted to let you all know that I will be taking a brief hiatus from blogging. I plan to refocus on blogging at the end of this year. I have so many “Drafts” saved up, but no time or motivation to continue at the moment.

I may still post on occassion, but it will be infrequent, so I apologize in advanced.

I wish you all the best! And may Thanksgiving be spent with family and friends…

Regards,
FF&B

PS Brownie has been doing very well! He graduated from “Advanced class” and is now enjoying his “winterbreak” haha. Take care until the next time.

My investments in non-retirement grew almost 10%, thanks in part to the performance of my company’s stock. I have others as well, but my non-retirement investments is over 60% company stock, ~$20,000. Don’t worry my retirement is greatly diversified compared to my non-retirement investments.

No large expenses this month, none planned in November either. Christmas shopping, but I’m going to see if I can use points and other nifty things I’ve saved up through the year to fund Christmas, plus I got that brunch planned with friends.

Is there any advice now that you could give yourself a few weeks/months ago when you started trying to get fired?

No, I am not trying to get fired. I’m just frustrated and sick and tired of the work I’m doing. So to preserve some sense of myself, I have to put up a wall, and this wall prevents me from getting burnt out. Unfortunately, even that didn’t help this past month.

To be honest, I’m feeling better. Still on edge, but doing much better. I have some things to discuss about work, but I want to make it clear to everyone that I’m not trying to get fired. In fact, I still do my work, it’s just I have to limit myself. The sage advice from my readers on the fire me post I wrote up is priceless, like this one:

Never pick up and quit if you don’t have something lined up. But BE HONEST about what you need at work with your management. Give them a chance to make things better. After that, look for a job that will make you happy and leave your current job on a good note.

Don’t screw them over by looking to get fired. That’s a very bad idea.

So very true. I’ll write more about what’s been going on at work, but I can tell you this, I did turn in my notice. Interestingly, things have changed quite a bit since then.

Oh the winners are:

D with 29 comments, then Maria with 20, and mapgirl with 13!

I’ll be sending an email shortly to each of you to confirm the email address is correct. Once that is done, I’ll send you the certificates.

I hope you enjoyed it…I look forward to doing more in the future, next time on a good month I hope.

When I was asked by JLP if I was interested in covering a chapter for his October Project, I was a little hesitant because I didn’t know if I could really finish the book and write a review. Well, I was right. I didn’t finish it, but I got really close, and I plan to continue reading the rest of it shortly. It’s just been a crazy month, but hey I finished my chapter…and quite a few more.

On to the review.

Let me start by saying that this book really surprised me. It wasn’t too technical, but it had a lot of details and examples. On top of that, it had a unique feel to it…almost like it was written by a fellow blogger. It ju