@Craig Ford - In that case I think your spending rules invalidate your comparison on whether you spend more using cash or credit. For a "true" comparison on whether you spend more using CC or cash, you'd have to be using them for the same types of purchases in the same places. For example: over the course of one month, use only cash to buy groceries - then over the course of the next month, use only credit to buy groceries. Something of that nature.
Another good thing about rollerblading is that people aren't trying to knock you down as a part of the regimen.
I enjoy swimming quite a bit myself, but I enjoy it when I get to jump into a lake and splash around - it's less thrilling when I get into a pool and have to go back and forth. I also used to run a lot when I was younger, but after I developed asthma, it made that kind of continuous exercise really difficult. Now that I'm older and my asthma is less severe, I am trying to get back into it, especially trail running, because the variance is nice and I love taking my dog for a run (he actually smiles at me when we start running, I swear). :)
Andrea, I love this article. Sometimes I feel odd because I actually enjoy things like running, swimming, and cycling, which many people find boring. But fitness can be and should be an experience that is enjoyable, so finding the right thing for your tastes is a great recommendation.
A couple more: hiking and rollerblading (like roller derby but doable outside on multi-use trails, or so I've noticed).
I used to practice yoga quite frequently and during this time I also found myself sitting at a desk for long periods of time. One little bit of exercise I used to do was to hold the armrests of the chair with my hands and balance using my abdominal muscles to get my butt out of the chair. Doing short intervals of these really helped break out of the rut working at a computer can bring.
@Slug - yes, I guess the float would make a little difference, but with these numbers and low interest rates I'm guessing it wouldn't pay off.
@NCN - We don't actually buy most things with credit. Anytime we go to the store we shop with cash. I think that does help limit overspending with credit.
@Matt - yes that is exactly what I meant. We have family credit card spending guidelines. We only use the cc for previously agreed purchases over $100. Thus, when we eat out or dine out we typically pay cash.
Thanks for the kind words! I didn't even think of trapeze - that sounds like a blast! I remember seeing a Groupon a while ago for a trapeze class, but I never thought of it as a consistent workout.
I actually started rock climbing a few months ago, and I highly recommend it. I did it to overcome a fear of heights that I had unwittingly developed during my 20s. It helped, and has really helped me tone my arms and lose a bunch of weight!
It can be frustrating, but it's also really exhilarating. Also, if really tall rocks freak you out, you can concentrate on bouldering... although technically bouldering is more dangerous because you don't have a harness, you don't climb as high. It's a very intense workout.
hi. i have an interview with the publishing director of Pearson for a job as an editor in 4 days, & it'd be great of any of you could provide me with some frequently asked questions for this job position. this is my first job interview & i am nervous as hell. haha.
also, how do i tell the interviewer that "i'm actually searching for a place to do a 1-month internship as part of the required credits for the Master's programme i'm currently pursuing, & that if i'm hired, i'd like to do my internship here"?
So you only spent $583 on "visits to the grocery store, dining out, and other miscellaneous spending?" That seems a bit hard to believe. If that's not what you meant then please clarify...
In our situation, we live on a budget w/ fixed amounts for categories. It would not matter if we used credit cards or cash, we would spend the same. That said, if we were not disciplined, and used credit cards as fall-back for when cash was limited, we might be tempted to overspend w/ either or both.
Try this experiment - Put your credit cards away for a month, withdraw a fixed amount of cash for specific purchases, and use only cash for a month's worth of daily expenses. If - and ONLY if - the credit option is totally done away with will you know for sure if you spend more or less w/ cash. LIMITING the options forces one to be very very careful about spending.
Thank you, thank you for a thoughtful articulation of why spending using your credit cards can be a meaningfully positive personal finance choice! Nice job. I would also point out that you made money on float on your bank account from the free 30-60 day loan the credit card gave you every month before you paid your balance in full.
I'm in Nebraska and haven't used my furnace yet this year. So far, the lowest temperature that I've seen on my thermostat was 50 F, and that was just a couple days ago. Living in a 600sf apartment, this isn't a huge challenge because some heat transfers from my neighbors through the walls, ceiling, and floor. I imagine the building would get quite cold otherwise. So, partly at my neighbors expense, I've been paying about $25 a month for electricity this winter.
Love this article! I'm yearning to try rock climbing, but haven't worked up the nerve yet. Also, I've never tried it, but a lot of women at my company are really into trapeze. They swear by it, both for fun and exercise. I'd like to give that a try, too, some day!
One of my parents neighbors has a snow plow attached to her truck and she regularly removes snow for people at much lower costs than they would pay a professional service. My dad is also sort of a hero with a snowplow - he more or less plows the entire block, because he's cool like that. It's a good way to spread goodwill, too.
Yowza! That's expensive. It has been so long since I took tae kwon do lessons, and I don't actually remember how much it cost. I did used to go three or four times a week, though, so I'm sure whatever I paid seemed worth it.
A number of years ago, I did martial arts (tae kwon do) and love it. Unfortunately, to re-join the academy I was at, it's $135 per month which is just way out of my budget for the foreseeable future. Lots of great suggestions here, though. In fact, there's a number of people who have started doing yoga a couple of times a week here at the office during lunch. Originally I sort of laughed about it, but it may be worth checking out the more that I think about it.
There is also a larger cost implication to not removing snow off your roof....the weight can cause leaks to seep thru the shingles and into your house. Bad in the short-term, and worse for the long term. Eventually the weight will damage the roof and cause expensive replacement.
Since I'm 47 and still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, then SURE I'd move for a great job. (Just in case my boss is reading this, I have to say that I already have a great job.) Seriously, if it was six months from now when both kids have moved out of my house and I'm debt free except for my mortgage, I'd definitely move for the right opportunity. It would be hard to leave my co-workers who are supportive and the reason the term "team players" was first coined. But if the job was in Italy, how could I refuse?
ARGH! My Verizon rebate card is a pain in the *!*%. There's a phone number that I can supposedly text, and they will send my balance by return text. Well, it worked once. After that, it's up to me to write my new balance on the card with my Sharpie.
every time I go to samsclub I splurge lol
Starbucks, and bed sheets. Nothing better than a cozy bed after a long day
I splurge on locally-grown certified organic groceries. I don't make much money but I think a good diet and good health are of most importance.
Massage. A total splurge, but necessary for the soul.
@Craig Ford - In that case I think your spending rules invalidate your comparison on whether you spend more using cash or credit. For a "true" comparison on whether you spend more using CC or cash, you'd have to be using them for the same types of purchases in the same places. For example: over the course of one month, use only cash to buy groceries - then over the course of the next month, use only credit to buy groceries. Something of that nature.
Another good thing about rollerblading is that people aren't trying to knock you down as a part of the regimen.
I enjoy swimming quite a bit myself, but I enjoy it when I get to jump into a lake and splash around - it's less thrilling when I get into a pool and have to go back and forth. I also used to run a lot when I was younger, but after I developed asthma, it made that kind of continuous exercise really difficult. Now that I'm older and my asthma is less severe, I am trying to get back into it, especially trail running, because the variance is nice and I love taking my dog for a run (he actually smiles at me when we start running, I swear). :)
Andrea, I love this article. Sometimes I feel odd because I actually enjoy things like running, swimming, and cycling, which many people find boring. But fitness can be and should be an experience that is enjoyable, so finding the right thing for your tastes is a great recommendation.
A couple more: hiking and rollerblading (like roller derby but doable outside on multi-use trails, or so I've noticed).
I used to practice yoga quite frequently and during this time I also found myself sitting at a desk for long periods of time. One little bit of exercise I used to do was to hold the armrests of the chair with my hands and balance using my abdominal muscles to get my butt out of the chair. Doing short intervals of these really helped break out of the rut working at a computer can bring.
@Slug - yes, I guess the float would make a little difference, but with these numbers and low interest rates I'm guessing it wouldn't pay off.
@NCN - We don't actually buy most things with credit. Anytime we go to the store we shop with cash. I think that does help limit overspending with credit.
@Matt - yes that is exactly what I meant. We have family credit card spending guidelines. We only use the cc for previously agreed purchases over $100. Thus, when we eat out or dine out we typically pay cash.
Thanks for the kind words! I didn't even think of trapeze - that sounds like a blast! I remember seeing a Groupon a while ago for a trapeze class, but I never thought of it as a consistent workout.
I actually started rock climbing a few months ago, and I highly recommend it. I did it to overcome a fear of heights that I had unwittingly developed during my 20s. It helped, and has really helped me tone my arms and lose a bunch of weight!
It can be frustrating, but it's also really exhilarating. Also, if really tall rocks freak you out, you can concentrate on bouldering... although technically bouldering is more dangerous because you don't have a harness, you don't climb as high. It's a very intense workout.
hi. i have an interview with the publishing director of Pearson for a job as an editor in 4 days, & it'd be great of any of you could provide me with some frequently asked questions for this job position. this is my first job interview & i am nervous as hell. haha.
also, how do i tell the interviewer that "i'm actually searching for a place to do a 1-month internship as part of the required credits for the Master's programme i'm currently pursuing, & that if i'm hired, i'd like to do my internship here"?
thank you for your ideas!
So you only spent $583 on "visits to the grocery store, dining out, and other miscellaneous spending?" That seems a bit hard to believe. If that's not what you meant then please clarify...
In our situation, we live on a budget w/ fixed amounts for categories. It would not matter if we used credit cards or cash, we would spend the same. That said, if we were not disciplined, and used credit cards as fall-back for when cash was limited, we might be tempted to overspend w/ either or both.
Try this experiment - Put your credit cards away for a month, withdraw a fixed amount of cash for specific purchases, and use only cash for a month's worth of daily expenses. If - and ONLY if - the credit option is totally done away with will you know for sure if you spend more or less w/ cash. LIMITING the options forces one to be very very careful about spending.
This is really more of a "budgeting" issue.
Thank you, thank you for a thoughtful articulation of why spending using your credit cards can be a meaningfully positive personal finance choice! Nice job. I would also point out that you made money on float on your bank account from the free 30-60 day loan the credit card gave you every month before you paid your balance in full.
Oh, man, if I had twenty four months to live and a couple million to blow, you can bet I'd collect the heck out of that money. Hello, Tahiti!
I'm in Nebraska and haven't used my furnace yet this year. So far, the lowest temperature that I've seen on my thermostat was 50 F, and that was just a couple days ago. Living in a 600sf apartment, this isn't a huge challenge because some heat transfers from my neighbors through the walls, ceiling, and floor. I imagine the building would get quite cold otherwise. So, partly at my neighbors expense, I've been paying about $25 a month for electricity this winter.
Love this article! I'm yearning to try rock climbing, but haven't worked up the nerve yet. Also, I've never tried it, but a lot of women at my company are really into trapeze. They swear by it, both for fun and exercise. I'd like to give that a try, too, some day!
One of my parents neighbors has a snow plow attached to her truck and she regularly removes snow for people at much lower costs than they would pay a professional service. My dad is also sort of a hero with a snowplow - he more or less plows the entire block, because he's cool like that. It's a good way to spread goodwill, too.
Yowza! That's expensive. It has been so long since I took tae kwon do lessons, and I don't actually remember how much it cost. I did used to go three or four times a week, though, so I'm sure whatever I paid seemed worth it.
A number of years ago, I did martial arts (tae kwon do) and love it. Unfortunately, to re-join the academy I was at, it's $135 per month which is just way out of my budget for the foreseeable future. Lots of great suggestions here, though. In fact, there's a number of people who have started doing yoga a couple of times a week here at the office during lunch. Originally I sort of laughed about it, but it may be worth checking out the more that I think about it.
Every year a friend of mine puts on a dinner fundraiser called "The Feast of the Superb Owl" 7 course all gluten free meal in Columbus Ohio.
Yum.
Haha. Of course I will, Ruby. "Look at your life. Look at your choices." Love it!
There is also a larger cost implication to not removing snow off your roof....the weight can cause leaks to seep thru the shingles and into your house. Bad in the short-term, and worse for the long term. Eventually the weight will damage the roof and cause expensive replacement.
Since I'm 47 and still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, then SURE I'd move for a great job. (Just in case my boss is reading this, I have to say that I already have a great job.) Seriously, if it was six months from now when both kids have moved out of my house and I'm debt free except for my mortgage, I'd definitely move for the right opportunity. It would be hard to leave my co-workers who are supportive and the reason the term "team players" was first coined. But if the job was in Italy, how could I refuse?
ARGH! My Verizon rebate card is a pain in the *!*%. There's a phone number that I can supposedly text, and they will send my balance by return text. Well, it worked once. After that, it's up to me to write my new balance on the card with my Sharpie.