There are chicks actually doing this - can you believe it? Selling your virginity for money?! Oh man, talk about entrepreneurs ;)

But let me ask you this. Honestly, if you could take it back - knowing what you do now about it all - would YOU give up yours for a large amount of money? And if you say no, which I'm guessing 85% of you will (you know we'll have some guys raise their hands on this one), is there a price point that would change your mind?

It's funny. Whenever I hear about this stuff the first thing that crosses my mind is "What the f*ck?" WHO would do that? But then as I read their stories it gets less offensive for some reason. They need the money to go to college, or they need a new house, etc etc. I'm not saying I agree with it or that I'd do it myself (I wouldn't - I'm a good little Catholic boy) but I find it extremely interesting that others would. I mean, they're not only doing something so out of normalcy here, but they're doing it publicly!!! For everyone to see - knowing they're gonna get slammed for it! (no pun intended) It's absolutely stunning.

And if you think about it, you KNOW it's going to be the safest sex ever. The winner/highest bidder will get checked out like none other to make sure he's (she's?) clean as a whistle, and there will be bodyguards everywhere making sure the guy's not a psychopath. Which, lets be honest, would be hard not to come across as.

Unless, perhaps, the person "buying her" does it in order for her NOT to give it up! It's a long shot, but anything's possible right? If you had a billion dollars and were totally against this nonsense, would you jump in and save her? I sure as hell would. If I were clever enough to think of it first ;) Can you imagine the press I'd get for Budgets Are Sexy doing that!! Or even working on BUDGETING that in? haha...oh man, good times.

But enough about me, what do you guys think? And what do you *honestly* think, not the answer you know we want to hear ;) Is there a price that you just couldn't turn down? Say, $2 million dollars? Or are there just some things that are strictly off the table?

Labels: blown money, cockamamy indeed, in the real world

I know this economy ain't the greatest, but pushing 79.9% interest rates? Come on now, that's just f*cked up. Would YOU sign up to such an asinine credit card? Would you hand one out to your kids or own mother? I doubt it. Whether people are falling for it or not, you can't feel good taking advantage of people like that. I'll send some prayers your way, you're gonna need 'em...
----
Thanks for the tip James....unbelievable indeed.

Labels: banking, cockamamy indeed, crazy economy, credit cards

That's what the owner of this used book store told me this weekend.

What the hell? What did finance ever do to you? I guess you don't read personal finance blogs ;) Here's how the conversation went down (if you could call it that):

Me: "Hey how's it going man, do you know where I can find your economics or finance section?"
Book Store Owner: "Hah! We don't have that here ... (walks away & starts mumbling) ... All financial books from the past 10 years should be burned."

Ummmm...thanks? I guess you're just gonna walk away and not help me, okay I gotcha. Initially I just brushed it off and went about my business looking for other books instead, but the more I thought about it, the more curiosity got a hold of me. Was he just talking out of his ass? Did he say it cuz it was the "trendy" thing to do? Did he *ever* carry these books? Unfortunately he was long gone by the time these questions started to bubble up.

Instead, I am left posting about it and coming to my own assumptions. Here's what I think. I think Mr. Store Owner got burned by the economy in some form or another, and he's now bringing in much less than he used to. He probably also meant to say that all investing books should be thrown out of the window, not financial ones. How could books promoting savings and proper money management possibly harm anyone? I can't imagine anyone getting rid of The Richest Man in Babylon or The Millionaire Next Door on grounds of horrible advice.

Obviously, I think he made a bad choice of words. The average person may not have picked up on it (or cared for that matter), but I take it as an insult. You run a book store where people go to LEARN and give you money, not to hear you spout out conspiracy theories. The next time someone's interested in buying a book from you, try helping them, not patronizing them.

Labels: cockamamy indeed, crazy economy, education, rant

Well, I survived New Orleans! And I must say, Las Vegas has nothing on them. Never have I seen so much beauty and filth all packed into the same town, it was awesome. And now, 48 hours after all that beer and sight seeing and music and voodoo and bonding, it's back to good ol' reality. And it's a good thing too cuz my body can't take it any more ;)

But before we close out this chapter, allow me to share an interesting concept with you all. We were divvying up our dinner bill Saturday night when a friend said something about playing "Credit Card Roulette". Come again? Were my boys about to talk finance for once? Well, not exactly, but it was still pretty exciting to learn about. Urban Dictionary has it a bit differently, but according to my friends it goes a little something like this:

Credit Card Roulette: A game to see who's going to pay the bill. You take everyone's credit cards, put 'em under a napkin, and then mix them all up so you can't tell whose is whose. Then, someone (usually the waiter) randomly selects one of them and pulls it out to declare the "winner". Except in this case, you do NOT want to win, because the "winner" is the chosen one to pay the entire bill!

So why on earth would you participate in such a thing? Well, for one the odds of getting a free meal are totally in your favor. If there's a total of 6 of you playing (as we did), you only have a 17% chance of taking the fall and paying up! Not too shabby odds if you ask me. Of course, the more people you have playing the bigger the bill ;) And in our case Saturday night, it was a hefty $240 ticket without even taking on the tip yet. It's definitely not for the faint of heart...nor apparently us since we all politely declined.

I must admit, though, I was pretty tempted. I wonder what would happen if I bring this up at our next PF Happy Hour? Haha...so what about you all? Am I the only one who's never heard of this before? Drop me a line and let me know. In the meantime, I have to get back to replenishing my body with massive amounts of water & vegetables before I keel over...this body ain't the same as it used to be.

Labels: cockamamy indeed, credit cards, travel

WTF? How could you sell this girl? Boy, just when you thought you've seen it all. Apparently this has been in the news all week long, but for whatever reason I'm just now coming across it.

The whole thing makes me want to vomit. I mean, look how happy that girl looks! How incredible she must feel after being part of such a HUGE freakin' movie, only to be pawned off by your dad in a flip of a switch! Horrible. Here's what went down according to News of The World,

In a bid to escape India's real-life slums, Rafiq Qureshi put angel-faced darling of the Oscars Rubina [Ali] up for adoption, demanding millions of rupees worth £200,000.

As he offered the shocking deal to the News of the World's undercover fake sheik this week, Rafiq declared: "I have to consider what's best for me, my family and Rubina's future."

I get how people are desperate for money, esp if your daughter didn't get jack from being in an Oscar winning movie (wtf again? Is this true?) but that's still inhumane no matter how you slice it. LUCKILY, you'll be happy to know that the girl did NOT, in fact, get sold. Her mother is praising News of The World for exposing this plan before it got carried out (thank goodness!).

How does one even go about CALCULATING someone's total "worth"? It's obvious that stardom comes into play here, although you'd think your odds of getting caught are MUCH higher so you wouldn't even dare it, but what else? If you were 10 would you be worth more because you can do more? If you were a boy, would you get more?

Obviously, those traits don't even matter because it's immoral as hell, but it's still crazy to think about. Not being poor is wonderful, but trading life for it is just plain wrong. Unfortunately I'm sure $hit like this happens a lot more times than we're lead to believe...let's just pray the poor kids make it out okay.

Labels: cockamamy indeed, in the real world, morality

Just got this text via CNN Breaking news. One word: WTF?!

"AIG Paid 73 employees bonuses of $1 million or more; 11 of whom are no longer there, according to NY Atty. Gen. Cuomo."

Labels: cockamamy indeed, crazy economy

Too much? Sorry, feeling a bit feisty today ;) You know how us guys are. Seriously though, Wal-Mart is HUGE!!!! I just got this email forwarded over to me by my father who LOVES sending over this sorta stuff (do you find that yours does the same?) and I thought it was pretty interesting if it's indeed true. It not be *accurate* but it's still awesome.

Regardless, companies like Wal-Mart and the like interest me like crazy. The logistics to run such a place is insane! I can barely run myself, and that's on a good day ;) And to bring in SO MUCH freakin' money every single day? Whew - that's one helluva juggernaut. Business-wise I think they're pretty incredible.

But I'll still continue to do my shopping at Target (or Tarjay as we like to call it). I think Wal-Mart has some incredible offers & sales going on, but I always prefer to shop in cleanliness & at a place where everyone smiles and actually seems like they WANT to help you. I'd happily pay a few extra dollars to shop in a visually appealing, stress-free, atmosphere any day. $hit, sometimes I run into Target for something simple & end up enjoying myself for an extra 30-40 minutes! But I digress...

Labels: cockamamy indeed, financial forwards, randomness 3000

I don't know, but I sure would like to try it! According to my good friend Kim Kardashian though, it works like a charm ;) Any of you remember that whole hoop-lah about her saying she takes showers w/ her BF to save water?

For whatever reason i'm only now coming across these articles, but it's freakin' hilarious. What a helluva PR stunt though, eh? And HOW did i miss it? Man...

But in all seriousness, I don't think it would do the trick. Here's what I gots ta say on it:

• When 2 people get in the shower together, it usually isn't to "save water". (it's to talk)
• It still takes you the same amount of time to wash all your body parts. Only now there's the two of you in there, so it'll still take doublish the time. Esp. with all that talking going on!
• Logistically, it's a nightmare. Unless, of course, you have double-sided shower heads!
• The average person doesn't try to take quick showers in order to save money. You might believe so before jumping in there, but usually at that point it's so refreshing you try and enjoy it as long as possible.
• All that "talking" could result in a baby. And babies cost money! And then you'd have to shower with 3 people to save even MORE money! haha....

And to help back up my no-fact hypothesis, here's what FOXNews.com says about it:

"The Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey & Water Science for Schools found that the average American uses two gallons of water per minute while showering, so obviously cutting that in half is helpful. But some experts argue that sharing the faucet with someone you're pretty fond of could lead to activities that prolong the time spent in the shower, therefore doing even more damage."

Of course, I'm always up for the challenge! Ya hear that Mrs. Budgetsaresexy? Wanna do a month-long test case? haha...unfortunately I already know the answer to that and it's not a Yes. I've been told that I need to buy her a shower with TWO shower heads in it (1 for each wall) before we can satisfy this dream of mine...something about getting "too cold" in there? Must be a girl thing ;)

Labels: celebrity finance, cockamamy indeed, saving

This is a serious, real-live, commercial that one of my co-workers saw the other night. I like to think i'm pretty liberal over here, but this is pretty bad. Would you ever even consider using a company like this? *shiver*

Labels: cockamamy indeed

A friend shot this over to me today - How INSANE is that?! You can click the image to view the original source, but really those 2 sentences say it all. I know there's more than meets the eyes here, but I still can't believe our judicial system can pull this stuff. I really feel bad for that guy :(

Labels: cockamamy indeed

Oh how i love me some reader mail! This one comes from a fellow budgets lover who just wanted to know that she's not the only crazy out there.

Her email was too colorful to take a part, so i'll just copy and paste it here and then give my response :) Plus, it's hella fun to read! It's not every day you get some animation out of people like this...Please to enjoy:

In early 2007 my fiance and I noticed that the market here in (edited) was dropping really fast, so our lease was up and we bought a new house, paid about $50k less then what they where asking, it is a 1500 sqft home, hardwood floors, built in 06, beautiful kitchen etc etc. We bought it for $180,000. Great Deal!!!! We do everything right, every month we have a budget, we always stick to it, we have a little over $11,000.00 in our savings, I have maxed out my 401k, and he invests in the states pension plan. We have nice cars that we can afford and both of us have one credit card that we keep a maximum of $1000.00 on just to keep our credit looking good.

My problems is now I couldn't even sell my house for $120,000!!!!! I'm furious, and to top it all off, my cousin who is a complete snob (she is 18, got married has never worked a day in her life and never wants to) she and her husband have no savings, no 401k, nothing. Now she is pregnant and they just bought a semi decent house for $95,000!!!!!WTF, her mortgage is only $500.00, she doesn't have to work and they blow their money away!!!!!! My point is, this really isn't fair, I am seriously thinking of going out, buying a Mercedes, freeze my contributions to my 401k, and drain my savings at Macy's!!!!!!!!!! Why is it that the smart, frugal, responsible ones are getting fisted up the (bleep!), while everyone else gets a free ride because of this economy!!!!!!!!!!! I want my break dammit!!!!!!!!!! Please give me the encouragement to not be bitter and jealous towards her and to keep being financially sexy!!!!!!!

Whew, that was a load full! But ya gotta appreciate the honesty :) And it really sparked my insides a bit. Not so much because her situation sucks so much, but because we really are all in this TOGETHER. Below is my attempt to help cheer her up...or at least back her up!

You know what i think about your little situation over there? $HITTY to the max! I'm with ya girl, life is just plain weird like that sometimes. I really don't get it - we're doing all that we can to better our financial situation (esp you, my damn you guys are onfire!) and yet others get things handed to them. I truly believe things come around in due time though, so maybe it's just not our time?

And you know what? At least we're all in it together :) We bought our place for $355k (instead of $360k which we thought was a steal at the time) 1 1/2 years ago right when things *looked* like they were about to get better and instead came crashing down. That, and 2 other places in our neighborhood has since filed for bankrupty and are reportedly going for $200-$250. So yeah -WTF indeed.

All that being said though, it's 100% totally & completely out of our hands right now. That's what you have to focus on. The only things we can do is KEEP saving our money, keep budgeting, keep maxing out our retirement funds, and stay away from all other debt out there. Yes it sucks, and yes people get lucky with timing (or NOT so lucky as in our case). But you know what? We are ROCKSTARS and we are killing this financial stuff :) Sure we can go out there and start blowing our money, but then we'll turn into the big idiots!

I'd much rather be a financial bad a$$ than an immature possesion monger, so this side of the situation is just fine with me. We are learning about stuff, applying it, and it'll all come around full circle - i can promise you that. So just keep doing your thing, and do your best to try and block out other people's experiences....the only thing we can work on is our own.

Ya diggin' me? You still wanna punch someone in the face? haha...I hope not. That's all i really got for ya ;) Good luck with it all and be sure to keep us updated!

Labels: cockamamy indeed, crazy economy, life, money management, reader mail

...if he knew what people were doing to him! Oh man, you have to read this.

My girl PJ over at Broke in The Suburb posted about her days as a bank teller, and let me tell you, it puts a whole 'nother perspective on things! I won't give it away, but let's just say some bodily fluids are discussed. *shiver*....check it out, if you dare ;)

Labels: banking, cockamamy indeed, link lovin

Yessir! Mr. D-head made contact within 48 hours of our blog launch ;)

How interesting, huh? It turns out people respond a lot faster when you market their name all over the internet ;) And it's a good thing too as we were slowly running out of options!

But our hard work paid off, and it's one less thing to worry about now. In fact, i might even miss all this drama! haha ... nahhhh, scratch that. For all enquiring minds, here are a few fun facts about the anti-blog...who woulda thunk it?:

• Within 2 days we receive 300+ hits!
• Dozens of comments and emails fly all over Facebook & Myspace.
• An old friend offers his skills to get d-head's name to the top of Google! (we decline, but keep this card in our pocket just in case)
• A DIFFERENT photographer offers to do a whole shoot of the Mrs. in her wedding dress for FREE!!! She hates when people give their industry a bad rap.
• Angry clients come out of the woodwork for this guy, and post their own reviews!
• Within 48 hours we receive the pics online, and a week & a half later the physical images.

So for a measly $9.99 (for the domain name) and a few hours of hard work, Operation Wedding Pictures was a sucess! I still can't believe we had to go through this whole thing, but at least it ends happily and we can now move on.

And you know I have to give you all guys mad love too! Your support and encouragement kept us sane throughout the whole thing, and we thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the comments...esp. the not-so-PC ones ;) It was definitely therapeutic using this blog to bitch, so THANK YOU times a million!

And just for $hits and giggles, i figured i'd post a recap of everything that's transpired. On last crazy story to wrap things up! Here it is, from start to finish:

• Feb 6 - We sign contract and PRE-PAY for all photography.
• May 31 - We get married!
• Jul 15 - Day our printed proofs are due, per contract.
• Jul 30 - Day our online previews are due, per contract.
• Aug 6 - We check on status. D-head says ready in 1 week.
• Sep 1 - We check on status. D-head says he'll call in 1 week.
• Sep 18 - D-head starts using our photos to advertise his company!
• Sep 22 - We check on status. D-head schedules time to meet.
• Sep 28 - D-head fails to show up at our house.
• Sep 30 - D-head says our proofs were repossessed with his car.
• Oct 9 - D-head says pics coming soon...moves across the country.
• Oct 12 - D-Head comes up with even MORE excuses...
• Oct 17 - We file a B.B.B Complaint.
• Nov 5 - D-head tells us to just "stop calling".
• Nov 6 - We threaten to take him to court.
• Nov 19 - We launch blog and market the hell out of it!
• Nov 21 - Pictures are uploaded online!!!
• Dec 3 - Pictures are securely in our hands :)

So there you have it, the past 2 months of craziness all rolled up nicely into 1 happy ending :) I'm not sure *why* exactly we were put to this test, but i do know things happen for a reason. Perhaps this guy has learned his lesson?

Thank you all so very much, and God bless the Internets!

Labels: cockamamy indeed, updates, wedding

Remember the time i made a boo-boo and bought that bling water for $40.00? Well, that same company - Bling H20 - is at it again! I just got an email from them trying to pursuade my fragile little mind to pick up another bottle, although this time for a wopping $2,500! WOWZERS.

It's called the "Dubai Collection" and states (i kid you not) "because sipping pure prestige is the ultimate extravagance." hahahhaa....i love it. But you know what's crazy? People are actually buying this stuff! I mean, i fell for it once ;) But unlike the last time, you better believe i learned my lesson.


But that wasn't the only email begging me for money, oh no. Within 24 hours i had a slew of others in there just shaking with excitement! I don't know why it's that much of a suprise to me - i get them all the time - but i guess i'm just so used to them that it's hard to separate "real" mail with "junk/spam/ads" sometimes.

Here were some of the others:

• Bed, Bath and Beyond - As if i needed any MORE 20% off coupons! I swear, we literally have over 50 of them jamming up one of our kitchen drawers. They're great when you need them (and somehow always hard to find?) but enough w/ the emails...sheesh.
• Snapfish - "20 holiday cards for just 1¢!". so yeah, this one i fell for ;)...but you see, it wasn't the 1 cent that got in my way, it was all the other stuff i picked up before checking out. I made it out pretty unscathed with only adding $15 to the purchase, but it wasn't easy!
• Ebay seller - Asking if i wanted to pick up an additional warranty for the batteries i just picked up for the Mrs.' cell phone. (her's also likes to drain for no reason...but this time i knew how to fix it cheaply!). I think the 1 year already on them will suffice - especially considering the carriers can't promise they'll work after that anyways! arghh.....
• *new* Kohls - I literally JUST got this as i went to publish this post! Amazing...this one was to alert me of a "sneak peek" for this friday's sales - and to remind us that we could get $10 back in Kohl's cash for every $50 we spend. Okay, so yeah - GREAT deal if you'd already planned to shop there, but if not it's surely got you thinkin' now...

So i fell for 1 of the 5 ads this go around - not that bad. It could have been worse, i could be out $2,500 had i gone for the Dubai special! But still, isn't it crazy the amount of ads we get every day? I bet if you checked right now there's be at least one or two just sneaking in trying to grab your attention...it's always okay to look, but be sure YOU'RE the one in control here, not them ;)

Labels: cockamamy indeed, mail bag

Now THAT's what i call getting creative! And these days, i don't blame him - it sure is one way to sell a house (you hear that stupid foreclosure neighbor?!). Imagine, owning a 6,000 square foot 6 bedroom 4.5 bath house for a crisp $50 bill - AMAZING. Here's a clip from the article i found on MSNBC:

"After more than a year of making major improvements on the home, Walters has been hit doubly hard. He's in the mortgage business, and as his property value plummets, his paycheck is also shrinking....Walters has to donate a portion of the ticket sales to charity, so he calculates that he must sell 31,000 tickets by the end of the year to meet his goal. He's already more than a third of the way there, with 10,000 tickets sold."

So is it really worth the shot? Man, i dunno...the gambler in me REALLY wants to play, but the smart-financial side of me says hooooooooooooold up - your odds of winning are slim to none buster.

While this is true, the odds are MUCH better than winning the lottery! Here you have a 1 in 31,000 chance of winning (possibly even less if he can't reach this desired #), whereas you have like a 1 in 175,000,000 chance of hitting the megamillions. True you're also blowing through 50 $1 bills instead of just 1, AND your prize is much smaller, but still - SOMEONE has to win it!

But then again, let's just say for the fun of it you DO win. Now you're a proud owner of a whole bunch of taxes, upkeep, etc...esp if you already own a home (and i'm willing to guess most people playing don't actually NEED this home). So what if someone wins who can't afford to maintain and keep it all up like some neighbors are afraid of? Well, then you just sell it! But now, if you sell it, the neighbors get SUPER pissed! Esp. if you, let's say, unload it for half it's value - $500k. Now it lowers all the other property values in the neighborhood, right? Boy....what a crazy situation! Wanna play yet? Here's some more on it:



So yeah, I'm still considering getting in on the action (visit fiftydollarhouse.com to play), but i'm more likely to chalk it up to a "good idea" and then forget about it tomorrow ;)

Labels: bargains, cockamamy indeed, home ownership, lottery

Here in DC, there are ads all over the place for this. Seriously, it's starting to get insane and it's still what, TWO months away?

Some people are renting out their place for $2,000, $4,000, even $10,000! For 4-5 days! Daaaaaaaaaaaang son. There are over 450+ posts on craigslist yesterday alone for this.

This is one of those times i wished i still lived around here cuz i gotta say, i'd be all OVER that! I used to live right off of Wisconsin in upper Georgetown area (which is a pretty good location, esp for partying ;) and older/richer people....being safe and all), and although it was just a studio apartment, it would get the job done for a weekend or so! I'm thinking i could have probably rented it out for let's say, umm.....$1,000 for the weekend?

Although, it might get pretty sticky if you're actually renting it yourself ;) So would probably be best if you owned your place, but maybe it really wouldn't matter, i dunno i'm no expert. The point is, that's a LOOOOOT of money you can earn super quickly, and for basically nothing.

Here are all the pros and cons i could conjure up in a case like this:

The Pros of Being a House P.I.M.P.
For you: $1,000-$10,000 in cash! perhaps some new scenery for a bit?
For renter: their own cozy place! own living room, dining room (presumably), bedroom(s), a whole freakin' place. Plus, no more worrying about hotels all sold out and/or crazies keeping you up all night there.

The Cons of Being a House P.I.M.P.
For you: You'd have to find somewhere else to live for a bit (Hello, Mom?). You'd also be opening up your whole life to strangers! Think: stealing, trashing, etc.
For renter: Could be more expensive to rent out a house/condo than a hotel, esp. the closer the time gets to booking it. Possibly no access to gym/pool/concierge, etc.

This whole thing is pretty insane if you ask me, but that's the beauty of this country - we can do whatever we wish :) I'm gonna keep my eye on this and see how much higher these prices get as time goes on. I guarantee they just get crazier and crazier! Would you do it?

Labels: cockamamy indeed, fast cash, politics

That's right my friends, Mr. Nice Guy has left the building! It's been 3 weeks since F-Face (aka our wedding photographer) last contacted us, and we've decided to take action now.

For all the new folds reading, you can click here, here, here, or here for an update of your choice....although, sadly, it amounts to a pile of lies on the bridge to nowhere.

So why the sudden urge to do something about it NOW? Well i'll tell you:

1) I've completely lost my patience. We've been more than nice & understanding throughout this whole debacle, and it's obviously not getting us anywhere.
2) YOU GUYS have been telling me to do this from the start! And after trying it MY way for the past 30 days, it's about time i try out YOURS ;)
3) I just found out this D-Head did this same thing to one of his best friends!!! WTF?

Yes, it looks like this guy has been up to a mess of jerkness for the past cple years. This old best friend i speak of was found on Facebook by the Mrs. who knew she had used him for her own wedding. And it turns out, the closer you are to him, the worst he treats you. I know this because the Mrs. hit her up and asked about her situation.

The more i heard about it, the more furious i got! This poor girl got married in Sep '07, and promised the proofs and online pics by Nov. She didn't get ANYTHING until June of '08!!! 9 F'ing months??? They used to talk a few times every single day, so not only did she get f'd over w/ the pics (she never got the actual photos, ONLY the proofs) but she lost one of her best friends :(

Lastly, before i tell you what we're doing now, here are a few of the excuses he threw out to her:

• His mom accidently spilled paint all over her proofs the day he was to deliver them!
• Then there was a "billing issue" w/ the company re-printing them.
• And then there were problems with his cell phone not receiving texts/calls. (sound familiar?)

Pulling the same $hit all over town? What a D-head! There's no way in hell i'm letting this drag on any longer. It's time to take action as many of you have mentioned in the past - no more games.

You'll be happy to know that 2 Fridays ago we filed a BBB complaint! That's right, we gathered all of our notes and dates, and put it all together into a perfect little case. And i gotta tell you, it was damn easy to file! I highly suggest it if you ever go through a mess w/ any company .

The BBB says they'll have an update within 30 days, good or bad, at which point we'll take the appropiate action (aka Court). In the meantime we'll be researching the best & quickest way to file this in small claims. It'll suck, but it's all about the principal now. As soon as i have those bad boys in hand - originals and all - i'll be smearing his company's name all over the net...i've had it.

Labels: cockamamy indeed, rant, wedding

Every week there's some other lame a$$ excuse holding up our pics. First it was having to sue someone and then moving out of state, then it was losing the proofs when his mother's car got repo'd, then came the apology and promise to make right, and now it's back to the lies and piss poor communication again.

It's been 9 days since my last post on this, and what i SHOULD be writing about right now is how happy we are viewing all of our pictures on collages.net, and even how sexier they are printed out in our proof album! but noooooooooo...instead, i have to (yet again) bitch about how this whole thing is a colossal regret, and how i'm about to turn into an extremely annoying client (think calling every single hour, on the hour, until we get a response).

Is it time to take "other actions" now? I don't know. He really does have all the power here considering he holds our once-in-a-lifetime pictures. One bad move on our end can send them right down the toilet...if they haven't been trashed already.

The sad part is that a couple we know who JUST had their wedding 3 weeks ago, has already gotten their pictures back!!! I'll leave you with our latest correspondence for now, and then pray the next post about this will be something POSITIVE for once. All this negativity just blows :(

• October 2nd: Part of his email to us:

  "Didn't get all the photos uploaded yesterday because I kept losing my internet connection. Working on that more today."

• October 6th: Mrs. Budgetsaresexy's email:

  "D-head (edited),
  
  Will the online pictures be available soon?
  
  Thanks."

• October 8th: Mrs. Budgetsaresexy's email:

  "?? Any response is helpful."

• October 9th: He emails back:

  "Sorry for the delayed response. I'm in la-la land (edited) helping my mom so no phone reception. I'm still organizing the images online. It didn't take the categories I sent it in. Which I know means nothing to you, it's just I have to re-do everything in terms of organizing the images. I should hopefully have all that up and organized by tomorrow at the latest.
  
  Thanks.
  (edited)"

• October 10th (in the pm): Mrs Budgetsaresexy's email:

  "How are we looking on this front?"

• October 11th: The Mrs. send over a pretty detailed and punishing email...if it weren't so long, i'd post it, but it's pretty long :) You can imagine what was inside of it though.
• October 12th: I call a few times, no answer. I call from a different phone #, no answer. i leave a message stating simply, "What the hell is going on dude?". No answer, yet.
• UPDATE: October 13th: left another voicemail, email, text message, facebook msg (which got deleted asap - shocker!) and 2 blog "comments"...i know those will get deleted too, but at least he knows we're not f'ing around anymore.
• UPDATE: October 14th: Starting to file a BBB report now, and then it's on to warn him one last time before we file for small claims court. (THANKS everyone for your encouragement!!!) Will keep you updated...

So another week, another bunch of nothing. But thanks for letting me vent! I promise to hold it all in until the next week or so when we have more solid news :) HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY everyone!

Labels: cockamamy indeed, rant, wedding

Man, this thing just keeps on going! If this is your first time reading about it, here's the part when our photographer started dissing us, and then here's the part when he said the pics were "stolen". Now onto part 3...

He responded within 24 hours of his last email! This is great on two accounts: The first being that he now knows just how pissed off we are, and the second being that he's starting to understand how important communication is with us.

I'm not sure if it was my first email to him (the one where i *sorta* threatened further action), or the second one (where i kinda apologized for being harsh, and asked if the pics were okay), but in any case things are looking up!

Here's the last response we got:

"Most awesome blogger ever (edited),

No worries. You have more than every right to be upset and I'm embarrassed. I went ahead and ordered another set of proofs. Should be about a week. I put a rush on it so you can get your proofs ASAP. All of my original images are backed-up in 3 places. My external hard drive that stays with me, my server farm out in la-la land (edited) and on disc in my storage unit. It's been my backup policy to have everything backed up in triplicate ever since I went digital.

Didn't get all the photos uploaded yesterday because I kept losing my internet connection. Working on that more today.

If you're looking for a refund, and I would understand, let me know and we'll see what can be worked out. Getting a refurbished phone today so I should be able to call you soon.

That's my update as of right now.

Better Communicator (edited)"

Not bad, right?! I don't believe his story 100%, but i AM keeping an open mind and hoping for the best. I just want him to get through whatever's messing up his life so he can get back to taking freakin' awesome pics! That, and so others don't have to put up with this ish...

And we're not gonna accept any sort of refund at this point. We're just gonna keep pushing until we have the physical pics in our hands, and go from there. Maybe we'll get some courtesy pics or something, but i'm not too worried about. Just gimme those pictures!

-------
*Will update in a week or two once the proofs are supposedly due to come in. (or if anything else f'd up hops on the plate - which would really push me over!)

Labels: cockamamy indeed, rant, wedding

It's one of "those" days around here.

I'm groggy as hell, hyped up on Bux coffee, eating a banana (of course), and just all kinds of disheveled.

So, figured it would be best to just spew out my thoughts instead of formulating a coherent message today. Plus, as you will soon see, none of these deserve their own post anyway. I start with the most interesting ones first...

Topic #1. Auctioning off your Virginity
That's right, there's a young lady out there reportedly putting her virginity up for sale! And I already checked eBay and it's not on there ;) Apparantly they turned her down and the auction will be held at some brothel. There's been plenty of press about it lately, but since i'm a bit slow it's just now coming around to me. There's plenty of posts if you want more info or if you want to bid (hah!), all you have to do is google the following quote from her,

"I don't think auctioning my virginity will solve all my problems, but it will create some financial stability...We live in a capitalist society. Why shouldn't I be allowed to capitalize on my virginity?"

Topic #2. I was asked to buy doughnuts for $6 on my way to work.
They were a 6-pack of krispy kremes trying to be unloaded for some fund raiser or charity. Probably for a local college's sports team as the group was decked out in the usual freshmen gear - running shorts, hoodie, flip-flops, and lanyards. I came close to giving in, but in the end i threw out a "not today, thank you" just like my man PT mentioned on my earlier post about getting asked for money. Go me!

Topic #3. I'm flying American Airlines tomorrow, and wonder if i'll be forced to pay for having bags, eating, drinking, sleeping, and breathing.
If i have to, i have to. At least i got hooked up pretty cheaply through expedia! I'm gonna forecast an extra $25 somewhere in the mix just in case. It just sux that you get hit up for fees no matter where you go these days.

Topic #4. Bananas are selling for 90¢ at Starbucks.
That is all. I just found it interesting.

And there you have it - 4 random bits of goodness for you. I'm off to do some actual work now, and then St. Louis here i come! I won't have much access to email, so don't fret if you don't hear from me for a few days. OOH, but i DO have an update on our wedding pic situation!!! Get ready :)

I wonder if i'll come across Baily picking up pennies @ the airport? i'm gonna scatter some around for him! haha.... (OOOh, or better yet - hide some and then make him find 'em like a scavenger hunt!)

Labels: charity, cockamamy indeed, randomness 3000

The wedding pics debacle continues....

"The last 3 days have been a nightmare-and-a-half. My car was stolen while I was in my photo shoot on Sunday in downtown (edited) -- or at least I thought it was stolen; thankfully I had my equipment with me. My cell phone is in the car too since I didn't want it ringing during my job."

The email gets a little crazier after that, and goes onto say that it was actually repossessed (not stolen) because of bad paperwork, and that he's working on reproducing the prints now, as well as uploading them online so we can at least SEE them.

But it really didn't matter what the next 4 paragraphs actually said, because all i could think at that point was, "$hit, our pictures are lost".

I feel for the guy, i really do, but it's starting to get out of hand regardless if he's telling us the truth or not. Because if he is, his life sucks (his previous email mentioned being out of thousands and thousands of dollars because a client renigged, and thus having to move across country to "live".). And if he isn't, then something's mentally wrong with that kid....which would be a complete 180 as the guy is pretty freakin' smart, not to mention GREAT at what he does - taking pictures.

Either way, i followed up with the following,

"first off, thank you for responding. if you could please do so every day, even if it's a "nothing is new" that will help as we're both extremely close to losing it. in fact, we're even considering other options should this not be resolved in the very near future, which we'd really hate to do.

we have been very happy with your services the entire point up until now, and of course we wish the best for you no matter what is happening. that being said, however, i can't say that i really care anymore what the reasons are, or if i believe them for that matter.

all i know is that our pictures have been due for months now, per the contract, and our patience is dwindling. if there if there is even the slightest possibility that our proofs/raw images do not exist anymore, please give it to us straight so that we can go from there.

again, we sincerely hope things do get better for you, but please keep us updated no matter what.
-(edited)

ps: and just so i understand correctly, are you saying that our proof album is in the car that you cannot get back? because i have to tell you, it seems odd being that your cell phone that was left in there is seemingly turning on and off while it is "lost". And as you know, you certainly have the ability to check your voicemails from anywhere in the world."

And that's where we're at kiddies. The whole thing just blows, and now we are at the mercy of his future responses until we see, or don't see, the pictures online. Once that happens, we'll know what we're dealing with. Happy Wednesday?

--------------------
UPDATE: Oct 1st, evening: The Mrs. and i couldn't sleep, and felt that i may have been a little harsh on him because it's very possible he's not doing so good in life right now. If these pics are low on his priority list, then i'm afraid to ask what's high on it. Anyways, we felt bad and sent him this email before going to bed. At the very least we feel better about it, even if we are being "too nice".

"Hey (edited),

I just wanted to say i'm sorry if i came across a bit harsh on that last email. I hope you could understand where our frustration is coming from. If you could please just confirm that the originals are okay, and that we will definitely get them, it would be really helpful for us in remaining patient.

We have you in our thoughts, and sincerely hope your situation gets worked out.
-(edited)-"

I'll keep ya posted...
--------------------
UPDATE: Oct 2nd, morning: He emails back saying they aren't lost! In fact, he backs them up in 3 different places :)

Labels: cockamamy indeed, rant, wedding

Can you believe that? FOUR months and nothing, not even our proofs. I've been hoping to resolve this for a few weeks now, but sadly it looks like it's finally gotten to me. What makes it worse is that we had finally gotten a hopeful response last week, but then THAT failed as well.

Is it that hard to ask for something you've paid for a YEAR in advance?

Seriously, we're not talking about anything genius here. They're pictures. You take them, develop them, and then give them to the exuberant bride or groom. Here's the dilly so far:

• Mid-June: Back from our honeymoon, we ask how long it may take. His response? 6-8 weeks.
• Mid-August: "It's taken a bit longer to develop the black & white images. A cple more weeks go go" First off, i'm fairly certain it doesn't take that much longer (if at all) to develop B&W over color, and ESPECIALLY not for the 4x5 proofs! I asked my sister who works for a photographer doing weddings herself, and they didn't buy it.
• Early Sep: "I'll call you this week so we can meet up and go over it all". Nothing that week. nor the next. nor the next.

*This is the point at which i jump in and start getting irrated. The guy is an old high school friend of the Mrs., so we cut him some slack thinking all would be dandy. A couple of weeks ago she was done with him, so i got to play bad cop ;) which is perfectly fine as i get it all day long @ work anyways being a customer service manager.

• Sep 11th - I call and leave a calm but important message on his cell phone. no response.
• Sep 13th - Text him "What's the deal, bro?" hoping to get anything at all back. nothing.
• Sep 16th - The Mrs. calls him and leaves a message. nothing again.
• Sep 18th - The Mrs. emails him:

  "D-head (edited),
  
  What's going on? You haven't returned our phone calls/voicemails to you and I haven't heard from you since Sept.1 when you indicated you'd be calling me that week.
  
  We'd really just like to see our proofs. I've been asking for them for months now and have received numerous indications from you that they would be forthcoming, but we have still not received them.
  
  The only thing we've seen at all so far has been a few pictures on Facebook. Though we enjoyed seeing those, we waited until 3 months after our wedding to catch a glimpse of 13 pictures, whereas the other wedding you posted had taken place one day prior and they had 3 times as many pictures up. Clearly, we are not a priority for you right now but this is becoming increasingly frustrating--and disappointing. Our wedding pictures are important to us and we'd really like to see how they turned out.
  
  I would really appreciate the courtesy of receiving some communication from you as to what's going on regarding our proofs, and when we can expect to receive them. We're approaching 4 months from our wedding date at this point.
  
  Mrs. Budgetsaresexy (edited)"

• Sep 25th - Success! An email into Facebook AND gmail. AWESOME! And as much as i'd LOVE to post his sad story of a response, there's too many details that would give up who it is :( I did think about it though ;) He did, however, say he'll be in town for a few days (he said he moved), and will stop by early Sunday morning to review it together.
• Sep 28th, Sunday - No show. We call him at 1pm and he calls back, clearly aggitated, stating he'll drop it off during the day, even if we're not at home. And surprise, surprise, he didn't.
• Sep 28th, evening - The mrs. leaves a voicemail asking for an update. nothing. i text him a "still stopping by?" text as well, but nothing again.
• Sep 29th, evening - I repeatedly try calling him from 7pm-10pm but phone appears turned off - i didn't leave a message...and that's where we are today.
• UPDATE: Sep 30th, morning - The Mrs. emails him again,

  "D-head (edited),
  
  Your phone has either been not working or turned off for the last 2 days, and again, we've left a number a messages. You never showed up on Sunday. Can we please get a status update on the proofs???"

• UPDATE: Sep 30th, evening - I call him every hour, on the hour, for 4 hours straight. just rings and rings and then hits vmail (better than just going straigth there i suppose). I leave one message stating that i basically just want him to drop them off before leaving town, and that i can care less about the reasoning behind it. I also say a call/email/text/facebook/myspace message or whatever is fine. Just make contact.
• UPDATE: Oct 1st, morning - Nothing yet...will wait until tomorrow, and then it's on.
• UPDATE: Oct 1st, afternoon - He emailed us back! but it's not good...

So, now not only has he pissed us off for months on end, but he has crushed our remaining hope of getting this resolved asap. And keep in mind, after getting these proofs, we STILL have to order the freakin' pictures from him!! arghhhhhhhh...what a dick. (sorry, but it's called for here.)

I think the worst of it all, though, is that i'm starting to wonder if something's just wrong with the pics? Like, perhaps they came out horribly? Or maybe his team accidently erased them or something? I'm sure they were all digital, so who knows what's possible.

Whew, that felt good! Thanks for listening, and/or skimming ;) All in all it's not the worst thing going on these days (bailout anyone?), but it certainly is at the top of my $hit list. And if we never get them? Well, at least we've got plenty of other pics from our friends and family that portray the beautiful day! We're certainly not going to let it "ruin" the wedding.

I'll keep ya posted...

Labels: cockamamy indeed, rant, wedding

I like to think i'm a pretty positive person here, but i do believe i have just peed myself. Time to get back to my book of accomplishments! (if you're into torture, you can check out the story here.)

********
update: Now that i'm home and out of work/commuting hell, i've rethunk my negativity here and now looking forward to a sexy come back 2morrow! Can i get a wha wha?

Labels: cockamamy indeed, stock market

Do i have a sign on me saying, "i hate money"? I know i just wrote about how i'll be donating $25 every month now, but it seems like people are coming out of the woodwork thinking i'm some sort of p.i.m.p. now. And to clarify, i'm not...yet ;)

But for the second morning in a row now, i have literally been stopped in my tracks and asked for money by two different homeless people. I've given crazy amounts in the past to them (like $10 even), but it really depends on my mood and the manner in which i get approached that determines the outcome. And these 2 possible phonies (i really don't think they were homeless) were pretty freakin' abrasive.

And then we have the 3rd time at the grocery store - Safeway to be exact. Now this is totally different than people coming off the street asking you for change, but it's STILL someone asking for money. And even more important to remember, is that it has occured every single visit for the past 8-9 months now.

It usually goes something like this:

• Cashier: "Hello! Would you like to help out the Children blah blah blah Cause by donating a $1.00 to your total?" (Pleeeeeease! i act like i don't care, but i REALLY want you to say yes)
• Me: "Yeah, sure" (whew, there's like 5 people behind us listening to our answer! we HAVE to say yes, or God forbid we're looked down upon, right? i mean, i live around all these people.)
• Cashier: "Thanks, you're awesome!" (YES, one more dollar to help me beat out all the others and win that extra bonus/time off/small tv)
• Me: "I know." haha... nah, i actually just smile in agreeance.

This repeats each weekly visit. Do you ever think like this? Like you HAVE to say yes because of everyone around you? haha....i'd say i give in about 3 out of the 4 times a month we go - all depending on my mood, which usually is pretty good because i'm about to go home and eat some awesome food i just purchased and then watch some Prison Break, House, Fringe, Entourage, you get the point ;)

Well, in all honesty i'm 0 for 3 during all of this. I'd like to say that i gave in at least once and helped someone out, but sadly i just got more irked as the day progressed. Isn't that interesting though? Like, had they hit me up on wednesday or friday the odds would have been a good 80% better than i'd have given in to a majority of them!

Oh well, I'm still feeling pretty good about my new $25 donation budget, so it's all good. I guarantee i'll be asked at least 4 more times this week anways, so i could always make up for it if it really bothers me. Those f'ers ;)

Labels: charity, cockamamy indeed

Every now and then i come across something pretty damn funny that reminds me of my former self.

I usually then pat myself on the back and wonder if i'm as funny/cool/interesting as I was back when that "something" happened. But today, i didn't know whether to punch myself in the face, or nervously laugh it off.

There's no doubt about it - before '08, i was RETARDED when it came to money. Well, maybe not that bad, but i sure did like to splurge on non-necessities! Check this email i sent to my girl a year and a half ago:

"Lastly, before i go, if you are sitting there wondering to yourself, "do i REALLY want to spend $40 frivolously today?", then i have JUST the thing for you: BlingH20 water! it's the new rage in hollywood, everyone who's anyone is drinking it. and, in case you're wondering - yes, i will be drinking it too...in approx. 2-5 business days. (OH MY!)"

I charged $40.00 to my credit card for a fancy bottle of WATER! hahaah...oh man, talk about a marketers dream, eh? There's about a 5% chance i'd ever do something like that again - say if i win the lottery, get a huge a$$ bonus, or perhaps if i get a little drizzunk in front of a computer ;)

And the most interesting part of it all, is that i still haven't drank the dang thing! It's literally sitting on my desk right this very moment smiling at me. I think at this point i'm just holding onto it in case it's ever worth anything...the thought of drinking it all down, dollar after dollar, isn't as sexy as I'd originally imagined ;) Although perhaps it's filled with miracles?!?!

The point of all this, though, is just that we all have the ability to change, especially when it comes to our spending habits. And sometimes it happens naturally, like when you get married, or when you buy a house, or even if you lose your job. Life happens, and it changes us.

The trick of it all is to remind yourself that you're gonna make some pretty bozo transactions here and there, but to REMEMBER them so you don't fall for it again. And even if you do, who cares - you're alive and you're TRYING ;)

Labels: blown money, cockamamy indeed, money management

You can't really do anything with this, but it sure does give you a quick scope of how dreary this week's major crisis was! I saw this on Consumerist, who saw it on CNBC, and you can now see it on here ;) Again, i post it just for shock value...unfortunately i don't have a way to spin this one positively:

The Top 10 Biggest Bankruptcy Cases in the History of the US:

10) United Airlines - Assets: $25.2 billion (Date Filed: Dec. 9, 2002)
9) Pacific Gas and Electric - Assets: $29.8 billion (Date Filed: April 6, 2001)
8) Global Crossing - Assets: $30.2 billion (Date Filed: Jan. 28, 2002)
7) Refco - Assets: $33.3 billion (Date Filed: Oct. 17, 2005)
6) Financial Corp. of America - Assets: $33.9 billion (Date Filed: Sept. 9, 1988)
5) Texaco - Assets: $35.9 billion (Date Filed: April 12, 1987)
4) Conseco - Assets: $61.4 billion (Date Filed: Dec. 18, 2002)
3) Enron - Assets: $63.4 billion (Date Filed: Dec. 2, 2001)
2) Worldcom - Assets: $103.9 billion (Date Filed: July 21, 2002)
1) Lehman Brothers - Pre-Bankruptcy Assets: $639 billion (Date Filed: Sept. 15, 2008)

CRAZY, right? I mean, look at that difference between #1 and #2, that is seriously insane! I know that inflation occurs over time and that these #'s would look different back in 1988, but that is definitely a huge fall. Let's just hope the #1 stays #1 for decades to come.

Labels: bankruptcy, cockamamy indeed, one of my lists

Have you ever heard this before? I seriously couldn't believe i was hearing 2 "adults" talk about this during this morning's commute. I haven't been around this earth nearly as long as they have, but I can tell you flat out that it's a stupid idea - i won't even sugar coat it.

What i find funniest though, is that i was literally reading the pros and cons about taking out a 401k loan in this month's Money Mag while these 2 boneheads were discussing it! haha...If i had bigger balls, and weren't in the quiet car, i SO would have slapped them upside their heads and forced them to read the article. but i didn't. and now here i am typing my thoughts away in hopes it will find it's way towards them one day!

Now, before i continue, there ARE times when someone might need to access these 401k funds, but (a HUGE but), it's generally not a good idea. Obviously if you were in a serious jam and needed money no matter where it came from, then Yes it is an option, but I'd pretend it's not there unless absolutely necessary.

Everyone has their own idea of an Emergency Fund, but in theory it's a holding place for liquid funds that can be accessed ASAP in case anything you deem as an emergency comes up.

So the concept of using your 401k here is already shot down considering it would take at least 2 weeks to get your hands on the money anyway...unless it was a SUPER big emergency that you were planning for ahead of time, which really makes no sense. unless you're a fortune teller, in which case bravo ;)

So why am i, and many others, so against it? Well, to start you get taxed BIG TIME whenever you cash out: You get the privilege of paying the regular income tax, PLUS a 10% penalty on top of it if you're under 59 1/2. Then, of course, the money is out of your retirement account and will be much harder to build back up as time goes on. Add on that today's economy and the fact that you'd be pulling the money at the absolute worst time (bear market), and you've got yourself a sticky little situation my friend.

Now, the other option it to take a loan out from your 401k. In this case, you'd pay it back on a scheduled timeframe, and all the interest (usually prime + 1%) would go back to yourself too as you're essentially borrowing from yourself here. A much better option than the above, but still not the best in my opinion. Sure you'd be paying yourself back, and losing possibly only a little over time all depending on the amount you take out and the market of course, but it's pretty damn risky. The main reason? If you terminate your job (or get terminated), you usually have to pay back the entire amount borrowed within 60-90 days!!! OUCH that would hurt.

So yes, as you can tell i'm not a fan of taking out your 401k money at any point. But again, that's just me talking about living a financially perfect life :) We all know $hit happens, and sometimes you're forced to do things to remain afloat. All i ask is that if you find yourself in one of these sticky situations, make sure you do some good research first and come up with a solid game plan.

And for the love of money, PLEASE set up a side account for your Emergency Fund so contemplating it won't ever occur! I swear you'll sleep happier at night.

---------
Here are some good links if you'd like to read more:
- CNN Money: Money101 Lesson23: 401(k)s
- BankRate: Don't be dumb -- don't cash out your 401(k)
- BudgetsAreSexy: Some of my other 401k posts :)

Labels: 401k, cockamamy indeed, emergency funds

This is what crossed my mind as i waited in line for lunch yesterday. (How else would i spend 10 minutes of boredom?)

I was in a Chipotle/McDonalds combo place here in DC, and I noticed there was only one bathroom. ONE bathroom, per sex, to share between hundreds of guests!

I then thought about how to limit it's use during the rush hour eating times, and the idea of charging for it popped into my head.

If you have to actually PAY to use it, how many people would drop out? If any? I then flashbacked to a restaurant I once visited in Korea (aww yeahhh, me a traveling man), and I remembered I had to pay once to use them! I can't recall the actual amount, but I wanna say it was around 25-35 cents in US dollars.

The problem here wasn't so much that i had to pay to use it though, it was that i didn't have any change on me!!! can you imagine? Standing in an empty row of 10+ toilets and having to go soooooo badly! Believe me, it sucked.

This is why I'd rather see toilets charging $1.00 over 25¢ - the odds you'll have a $1 bill are much higher in my opinion. Not many people have pockets full of quarters, unless perhaps later in the day after you've had a chance to purchase things. But in the morning? Good luck...

So how many people would NOT pay to play a rousing game of toilet? i'd guess around 40%. here's my take on it:

40% would either skip it because it's a rip off, or because they were out of change/dollars.
30% would cough it up because they REALLY have to go...esp. after eating and drinking.
20% would give in because they really don't care, and they're too lazy to go elsewhere.
10% would give in because they're not near work or home, and thus don't have anywhere else to go.

If i were a business man, this is exactly how I'd pitch it too. Just think how clean and empty the bathrooms would be! That alone is a perk. Now, throw in all that money from 60% of the people paying, and you got yourself an extra stream of income! (that's a free business tip for you American Airlines)

Lucky for us, I don't see toilets costing anything soon. And since i don't plan on being a business man in the near future, we're all safe ;) But hey, it was an interesting way to pass the time!

Labels: cockamamy indeed

How insane is that? I can't even fathom $1 million, nevermind $14, and it's apparently the most expensive celebrity pictures ever sold. W-O-W, I guess that's pop culture for you - it's not like i'd turn it down ;) What's pretty bad a$$, though, is that they're donating the $ to a foundation they created that focuses on helping children around the world. I tip my hat to you good sir and madam.

Labels: celebrity finance, charity, cockamamy indeed

One hundred and twenty - three dollars, can you believe that?!

And the sad part is, we could have EASILY avoided it altogether! arghh....just thinking of it gives me the heebie jeebies.

Oh well, as soon as I get it out of my system here I'll lock it up in the old "stop thinking about me" department ;)


The whole thing started when we were invited to a combined bachelor/bachelorette party up in Philly at a Dave and Busters bowling alley. It seemed pretty fun all in all, but it also came with a hefty $50/person price tag. While we could have easily, and politely, declined, we were the ONLY friends from the DC area that were left on the list who hadn't bailed. So we RSVP'd w/ a yes, and we started working our frugal magic!

We convinced a friend who lived in the city to let us crash there, even though he would be out of town that night. So that saved us a good $100-$150 from the start! We then decided to just drive the 3 hours up there that night, crash, and then scurry outta there the next morning before any temptation to stay and play came about. Not bad, right?

Had all gone as planned, the whole night woulda cost us $172. That consisted of the two $50 tickets, $40 for gas, $22 for parking, $10 for some pre-party beverages, and zero for the "hotel". Annoying, but do-able. Well, as you have already gathered from my bitterness, it didn't go as plan and we ended up with a $295 bill instead. BOOOOOOO.

Once we got there, here's how the night played out:

• We down our pre-party beverages to get a head start on the night (it's the cheapest way to go!), and walk out into a sea of cabs - Awesome!
• We cab it 3 miles to the downtown D&B, tip the cabby $4 bucks on a $6 ride (I was in a good mood..probably from the drinks!), and got out.
• We walk in and there's a $5 cover JUST TO GET IN! No way jose, we explained we were w/ a party here, and they said we could just go ahead w/ out paying. nice.
• We walk in, can't find the bowling alley, and ask someone to direct us. this is where it gets bad...
• She states, "Oh, there's no bowling alley here. You must be thinking of the D&B outside of town". Come again? there's more than 1 D&B around here? Uh-oh, the fear sinks in, especially considering we're already 20 mins late...
• Turns out the D&B we needed was a good 15 miles away!!! So after blowing $10 on the original cab ride, we now have to grab another and go even further out!
• We flag down another, jump in, and the cabbie explains it'll be around $45 EACH WAY. Now, we had two options here: Continue on our un-merry way, or go back to our friend's place, pick up the car, and drive there our selves. Logic told us to go the latter route, but momentum was telling us to keep going. so we did :( it was a quick decision to make, and since we already had 2 drinks a piece inside us, was it really worth the risk of driving?
• It cost us $48, including tip, to get there.
• Then, because we were pretty pissed, we spent another $15 on drinks while there to help get us in the spirit of things. Luckily, we're both pretty good at keeping it inside ;)
• We bowl a bit, eat some food, talk some talk, and 2 hours later leave.
• It cost us $50, including tip, on the way back.

When it comes down to it all, we just didn't do our homework. We were so focused on cutting costs the whole time, that we didn't even think to google map the address! One simple mistake that cost us $113 dollars. On the plus side, at least we were able to celebrate with the happy couple. Let's just hope they *remember* us being there! haha...

PS: And that's an actual picture from the night too. At least we have that!

Labels: blown money, cockamamy indeed, rant

This whole splitting the bill business is really starting to get to me. It seems to be happening all the freakin' time!

I know it's easier and quicker to pay this way, but in most cases it's never fair for all parties involved. And do you ever notice that the person who brings it up, is usually the one who ordered more than everyon else?! HAH. In case you aren't in the mood to read about last night's adventure, and i wouldn't blame you, I'll start by blabbing the moral of the story:

Always ask for separate checks. That's it.

Many of the frugal-minded may already know this, and i *thought* i did too, but it turns out my actions don't always correlate w/ my brain. Here's a breakdown of how the events played out last night:

Pre-Dinner Planning
Mrs Budgetsaresexy gets an email from Doris (made-up name) asking us to meet up for dinner w/ her husband (Bob) and another couple. We say it sounds fun, and will stop by for drinks only, as we're trying to save money w/ Grad school coming up. According to Doris, though, this is "silly" and we shoud "just eat w/ everyone" as it's not that expensive.

Well true, but only depending on your definition of expensive. If you're comparing a home-made meal at $7 total vs. $15 plates, without drinks, tips, and taxes - it's expensive. To avoid the argument though, we brush it off and say we'll play it by ear.

On the Way to Dinner
Turns out we were STARVING by the time we left work, and we realized that even if we DID hold in our hunger and go for the 2-drink idea, we'd still blow through $20 between the two of us ($5/drink x 4). So we agreed to find the cheapest, but still enjoyable, meals as well as a side of free water ;)

The Dinner
The meals were lovely, the water quenching, and we had a nice evening out for what we thought was $21 plus a little tax and tip. We were wrong.

The Check
The check comes and Bob (Doris' spouse), who had a beer AND a $15 plate brings up the famous "let's split it evenly" deal. All i could think was "$hit! We forgot to get the separate check". I know he didn't any harm by it, the guy's pretty cool, but it's like COME ON!

1. We consumed 2 meals for the price of yours alone.
2. We told you we were trying to save money!
3. And....I dunno... but it's really not nice.

I stood my ground, at first, and said nah I think we'll just pay for our portion. Only problem was i had two $20, and wanted to only lay down $27 thinking i could just get change or something. Again, that didn't fly - at least from the look on Bob's face. The other couple didn't seem to care one way or the other, so it was 4 faces towards me waiting for an answer.

I lost the battle.
F it. I'm not gonna cause a scene over a few bucks, ya know? I wasn't in the mood for any more awkward moments, and i certainly didn't want to explain WHY exactly i didn't think it was fair to split it "evenly". So we paid our $31.00, which was $4 more than we had signed up for, and said our goodbyes. Then, once in the car and far away from anyone, we relieved ourselves of our bitter thoughts and got it out in the air to each other ;) You gotta cope somehow!

The moral here? Again, ask for separate checks when you first arrive. It might be hard to remember at first, but I think if we can start getting used to it we'll be happy in the long run. I'm tired of letting these lazy, not-frugal, people get away with my George Washingtons. Those guys belong in one spot, and one spot only - My pockets ;)

Labels: advice, cockamamy indeed, rant

Chairs "on sale" for $479? Each? I love my posterior, but not THAT much! haha... that's seriously a lot of dough. I'd ask if anyone disagrees with me, but it's probably pointless on a blog dedicated to personal finance. It really does amaze me, though, that there's a market for this stuff. And even worse, this is probably on the lower side of high-end furniture. Can you imagine dishing out a couple thousand for a single chair? *shiver*

It reminds me of those loonies who pay $10,000 for a balled up piece of gum once chewed by Britney Spears. Well okay, maybe not, that's kinda cool depending on how you look at it ;) But do you think they actually believe it'll make them happier, or are they just feeding another vice like the rest of us?

Either way, I'll just pretend they spend their waking hours promoting peace, and saving future generations from starvation and disease. And in that case, by all means spend away!

(but seriously, if you ever catch me buying this stuff go ahead and punch me in the face.)

Labels: cockamamy indeed

Please refrain from selling off your investments every time a dirty piece of bad news hits the stands. You are causing a lot of pain and torture to us patient ones. Unless you are elderly and/or about to retire, i do not like you.

Thank you kindly,
J. "My 401K keeps going down the tubes" Savings.

ps: i'm not bitter ;)

Labels: cockamamy indeed, rant, stock market

OMG, can you imagine?! According to the last page in June's SmartMoney mag., even funeral homes are now dishing out coffee! And you wanna know the sad part? I can't even tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing. haha...and that's coming from ME - the kind of caffeine hemself!

It surely can't beat out a Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts, but boy does that sound convenient. And even if it IS a bit freaky, you know it'll make the place smell better! (sorry, i couldn't resist). I dunno, it really doesn't surprise me when i stop to think about it.

It goes on to say:

"It doesn't take an anthropogist to explain what's up: Americans are busy and would eat breakfast at the DMV if it were convenient"

OH MY GOSHHH - now that's funny! And SO true. You know I'd be the first in line. I mean, you have to get there like at 6am to freakin' stand in line and wait for it to open anyways, so why not down a hearty breakfast while you wait? $hit, my body would actually applaud me for it - beats out my usual yogurt anytime ;)

It actually reminds me of an old college idea i had: An "all you can eat" cereal bar! It's basically just this place where you'd pay a general membership (sorta like a gym), and you can eat and go as you please.

Want a quick snack on our way to work? Bingo! Feeling lazy and don't want to cook dinner? Stop on by! It would be open 24x7 and fully stocked with every kind of cereal and milk you can find. That's all it would serve. Well, that and coffee of course.

Okay, so i'm way off topic now. But the point is, if you know of a person who'd pick up a coffee at some weirdo spot, you can bet there's 1,000 others out there ready to do the same. I say bring it on! Isn't that why we love America anyways?

Labels: cockamamy indeed

This has been all over the news lately, but it wasn't until i saw DINK's post that i put two and two together, and realized how this fits in to personal finance (yes, i'm a little slow). You can check out his post for the gritty details - i just wanted to offer one piece of advice:

Labels: advice, cockamamy indeed, taxes

You heard that right ladies and gents, my boy just bought some EYE CREAM for $45 greenbacks! And NO this is not some sort of sponsor post in any way. haha....I just find it really silly for a number of reasons :)

I won't go off on him for a) being a DUDE, and b) spending that much money, but instead throw out the facts and let you decide for yourself if this stuff is worth it. I applaud him for telling me, though, that takes some huge cajones!

The cream is called Teamine Eye Complex, and according to their website, it's the "ONLY ingredient proven to reduce dark circles!". It then goes on to say:

"Years of research have indicated that using Teamine Eye Complex will result in
four major benefits, correcting and generating younger-looking, healthier skin.
Most patients will see and feel immediate improvement in their skin's
smoothness, with noticeable reduction in dark circles..."

Now, according to my friend, it DOES work...and fast! I wanna say he's been using it for a good 3-4 weeks so far (i can't remember), but if that's true then I guess the price is worth it eh? I guess it would be good to know how long it would actually last though. I mean, if you have to apply it constantly to keep it working, then it'll drain your pockets fast. If, on the other hand, it's lasts for months or even years, holy moly!

I'm not sure if you can only buy it online or not, but i SWEAR i'm seeing "eye wrinkle" cream everywhere now! You know when you have something on your mind, and then you start seeing it everywhere? it's like that. except, i wish it wasn't.

Why couldn't he have told me about some sexy $45 bra he bought for his gf? Now THAT is totally worth it. No matter what it looks like ;)

Labels: cockamamy indeed