R.I.P. Gift Cards - "You had so much potential. Now you rot"

Now that's an attention grabbing title! haha...I've been coming across a lot of hooplah lately surrounding the idea of gift cards lately, so I figured i'd drop my own 12 cents. (I don't know why people say "2" cents, i don't think there's any logic to it is there? I'm changing it to "12" cents)

Did you know that billions of dollars go UNUSED by not cashing in these cards? The numbers vary depending on where you're reading, but about 10% of them never make it out alive. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it IS basically throwing cash in the trash. Those poor Washingtons never stood a chance :(

"There is no way a $100 bill would sit in my drawer for a year," said Bob
Butler, founder of Cardavenue, a Web site for buying, selling and swapping gift
cards. "But people will let a $100 card do that. . . ." - blog.cleveland.com

SO TRUE! I don't think i've been that bad in the past, but I've definitely slipped and let a couple expire over the years. I just forget, but at least i'm not the only one ;) When it comes down to it though, "they" say it's better to spend it sooner than later. Especially now a days when a handful of companies are going under (The Sharper Image, Bombay Company, etc) where the plastic is worth as much as a pile of turds.

But what if you can't stand the store? Or it's too far a drive, or you really don't need anything?

Don't like your card? Trade it in!
According to good ol' Butler quoted above, "If you don't want this money, go get other money. ... I think our biggest issue is, people don't realize there are alternatives." I couldn't have said it better there Bob.

I, personally, had not idea there were places online where you can trade them in! And sometimes even for cash! Freakin' genius if you ask me. Here are a few places offering such services, courtesy of the same business blog over at cleveland.com:

Cardavenue.com: Fee: 50 cents plus 3.95% from sellers and traders and shipping.
Leveragecard.com: No fees. Users pay shipping and subject to marketing efforts.
Plasticjungle.com: Fee: 10% for buyers and sellers; 35% to 45% if selling for cash.
Swapagift.com: Fee: $1.99; 30% to 40% of value.

I haven't tried any of them myself, but i'd love to hear if anyone else has!

Don't want to trade it in? Re-gift it (*gasp!*)
I really hate to admit this, and i came close to leaving this part out, but it IS an idea :) If you're not one to buy things just for the sake of it, why not re-gift it? Or even more, what if your budget is tight and you're about to attend 5 weddings?

Well, for the first time ever, I used a gift card last night to buy gifts for someone else. We had $200+ in Bed Bath and Beyond credit, and we really don't need anything else since we got so much from our wedding. The Mrs. has been dying to use it for the handful of weddings we have coming up, so I finally just gave in...and I feel great about it! Our budget is still in tact, and we didn't let the money just dry up.

Yes it would be better to use it on yourself since the giver of it probably wanted you to do so, but if it makes you happier using it for others I say go for it. If the giver ever asks what you picked up on their behalf, just tell them "financial peace of mind". haha...

The point is, you should really just DO SOMETHING with them and not let them rot away (as I so elegantly put it). Someone wanted you to enjoy life a little, and it's about time to make their wishes come true...or at least someone else's ;)

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My Financial Vice is not from Miami...so where, then?

Nickel posed a great question the other day asking "What is your biggest financial vice?" His was eating out 3-4 times a week for lunch, and it seemed the same for many of the other commenters as well. Although my favorite so far is the gambler who lost $20k last year (ouch) - that's definitely a vice alright! But who doesn't love Texas Hold'Em?

So here i am trying to figure out my own biggest vice, and for once in my life i can't place it! I seriously don't spend my money as crazily as i used to. If you were to ask me 6 months ago, I would have no problem coming up with them - TJ Maxx addiction, Eating lunch out 5x week, and lottery tickets to name a few.

The biggest, however, would have been my sporadic splurging! I can't remember all of them, but I'd say i had at LEAST 4 big ones last year. As i mentioned in my ode to splurging article the other week, this included a little bling action & a little electronic action. I'd never take them back (i love those presents to myself!), but i sure as hell haven't splurged this year.

But what about now? Where do my naughty George Washingtons go? Well, if i had to choose one, and you know i do, i'm gonna have to go with Expensive Bananas. That's right buster, you heard me. If I have a strong hankering for one of those delicious beauties, there is no stopping me on how far i'll go to get one.

While they won't ever kill my budget, you'd be surprised at how much they go for in places. Here in DC they range from 75¢ to $1.00, depending on where you get them - a fast food joint, a street vendor, the train station, etc. Unfortunately my craving usually takes place at an airport, where i've been known to drop an entire $1.19 (gasp!).

What about you guys ? Does your financial vice beat mine?

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OMG - Today is actually "National Splurge Day"!

What are the odds? Seriously, i totally made that day up when i posted about it yesterday - how freakin' insane! I literally had no idea whatsoever - it was actually my boy Jonathan over at MyMoneyBlog.com (my all-time FAV pf blogger) who notified me of it. I tip my hat to you good sir.

I followed his advice and googled it, and sure enough it's a *holiday* (or *holidate* as some call it). Here's some interesting info from KOOPERSMITHin' -

NATIONAL SPLURGE DAY ©1994 slated annually for June 18
Celebrating its 15TH Year in 2008

Celebrated 63 Days after Income Tax Day (April 15TH), this HOLIDATE is designed to jumpstart the Economy (as Recessions have been plaguing Societies since Biblical Times). One will instantly recall the terms of “7 Years of Feast followed by 7 Years of Famine, Hardships and Troubled Times.” Abundance vs. Depletion can be classically traced back to Egyptian Days where Shortages were offset by Periods of great Wealth. Some Things don’t change, but merely remain in a Cyclical Balance throughout Time. This is the leading Force to be reckoned with.

They even have e-cards made for it! haha... Man ... this is either one silly a$$ coincidence, or i'm the coolest person ever ;) (I'm not looking for an answer on this one).

So Happy National Splurge Day everyone!!!

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Sometimes splurging is okay to do - it really is!

I'm tired of my poor friend, the word "splurge", getting so many negative reviews all the time - it's really not fair. What's so bad about giving in every now and then? We can't be rock star savers all the time, it's just not natural (plus it's REALLY boring).

So, in honor of this magical word - I hereby proclaim today the - "It's Okay to Splurge" day!

It's not smart to go overboard with it, of course, but you know what? You sure as hell can do it responsibly, and that's really the key here. Splurging can be VERY refreshing, and bring many a joys into your life ;) I mean, the definition itself is freakin' sexy!

Thefreedictionary.com has it right:

Splurge(splûrj) - (v) To indulge in an extravagant expense or luxury.

Ooh la la, sounds fun! "To indulge" in an "extravagant expense". Man, just thinking about it gets me all riled up. haha ... That doesn't mean that you *have to* go blow money on something crazy, it just means that we take a few seconds to reflect on all of the positive effects of splurging:

• You get to feel alive!
• You get to do/buy/go somewhere new!
• You get to do something you're "not supposed to do" - always fun ;)

If there's been something you've REALLY wanted, and think it'll make you feel sexy, I say go get it! It doesn't have to be today, or tomorrow, but you deserve to pick up something you've really been dying for. Just try and not go crazy overboard, ok? And if you need a limit, go with $200.

While I, for once, don't have anything currently on my list to get, here are a handful of items i picked up last year - aka my personal "splurge year". (i'll count the wedding as the only item in '08)

All of these items I wear/use literally every single day:

• Diamond earings - It was about time to replace my cubic zirconias with REAL bling. While i picked them up on a Kohls 60% + 15% + $10 off extra special savings day, i am that much closer to being a baller for real ;) Holler!
  My watch - I wanted a pretty nice one for once, and one that also blings. This time i used a store on eBay and got the hook up with 1/2 off the listed price.
• 62" Tv - What better way to watch reality tv, eh? No need for a flat screen, totally high level for my use, so i got an old school looking "projection screen" type. You know, those bulkier ones that can fit in the corner? Thus, cutting off at LEAST $2k. Oh, and i also applied some giftcards towards it to really knock down the price.

Saving, investing, and budgeting is important for sure, BUT every now and then you have to treat yourself to something you're really excited about - that's what gets you through life baby!

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I just dropped $80 on art supplies

I MEANT to only spend $30-ish dollars, but i get so caught up when i'm looking around and starting an art project. Every now and then an "image" of something i want to do pops into my head, and i have to do it right away before i forget. Or get lazy, which i often do ;)

In this case, it's a blue/reddish painting on canvas that i'm envisioning. It just really sucks that there's no way to put down EXACTLY how you see something in your mind down on paper. Sorta like when you have those awesome dreams, but you can't ever physically "save" them anywhere (except in your brain).

If someone could please invent a Memory Camera, that would be great. thanks. Anyways, so now that I have this vision or whatever, i took a trip to Michaels to pick up some supplies.

Here is what i was SUPPOSED to get:

1. large canvas
2. paint brush
3. 2 colors of paint

And this is what i ACTUALLY got:

1. large canvas
2. 11 brushes, all diff. shapes and sizes
3. 3 colors of acrylic paint
4. a "sample" box of 10+ colors of oil paint
5. palate
6. and a bottle of turpentine (will explain)

Dang, what am i thinking!!! Here's what: Do i need acrylic or oil paints? Which will work better for what i need? What if i need to paint small strokes vs. large strokes? Do i even HAVE enough paint? Will i even get close to my vision? haha....needless to say, i just grabbed a bunch of stuff and will use as needed.

I asked a guy who "looked like he could paint" about the diff. between acrylic and oil, but it's a bit more than i can handle at this point. So i'll prob. end up returning the oil paints and the turpentine needed for cleaning up, and pocket back the $30 (so expensive!). I'm gonna try and paint using just acrylic if it works out right, so we'll see what happens.

It just goes to show that if you're not careful (or good at averting your eyes), you can spend a LOT more money than you mean to. On a side note, this money comes from my Fun Fund ... so i'm allowed to use it anyway i want, no questions asked :)

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Not shopping is HARRRRD.

MAN, this is a lot harder than i originally expected! It's been easy at work so far, but i realize i am so used to going shopping over the weekends as a form of entertainment :) But hey, one more week into the challenge and i'm still getting A's. You should be proud of me as all day Saturday, Sunday, and esp. yesterday w/ the holiday, i came super close to just hopping in the car and checking out my fav. stores.

It's like when you were a teenager and you LOVED going to the mall to meet friends and all. I am still that way today, except that the mall, although v. fun, has been substituted w/ scattered stores across town.

Usually this would include a nice little route covering 3 thrift stores, and 2 discount stores (like TJ Maxx). I never go overboard by any means, but dropping $50-$100 a weekend on stuff (some would call it "junk") would be no problemo. Not to mention i'd enjoy the 3-4 hours of entertainment value.

It's that feeling of being out and about I suppose, except I pay for it while shopping. You know what i ended up doing instead this weekend? I took a nice walk around our lake, watched a cple movies from Comcast On Demand, my newest addiction!, worked on this bloggy blog, and then escorted my lovely fiancée around town to run some errands. Bare in mind, one errand was at DSW and i saw a freakin' awesome to the max pair of shoes that normally cost $100+, was on sale for $79.99, and THEN on another sale at 40% off! That was a pretty hard one to let go, but i did it. Proud of me?

Here's to challenges & frugalness!

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32 more days to not ____.

It's Lent season which means .... it's time to give something up! It actually started last Wednesday, but I didn't have my blog up then so let's must pretend we're back in time a bit shall we? And for those who aren't familiar with Lent, it's basically the 40 day time period before Easter where it's customary to "fast" or what i used to call "give up something small that's not hard to do but you'll technically be in the right!" haha ... that was the old me though. These days I like to play by the rules, both for the church AND for the personal challenge :) And I gotta say, it's definitely rewarding.

LAST YEAR I gave up all Sodas! can you believe that?? AND not only did I last the entire 40 days, i went another 3 or so months after w/out fail. After a while it was really easy and I actually didn't mind at all as my body felt great. I was about to extend the goal to a year, but realized I needed to stop making these random challenges just for the hell of it*, and have since limited myself to drinking it on the weekends only.

THIS YEAR I wanted to do something more financially friendly and decided to put myself to the ultimate challenge: NO BUYING RANDOM CRAP. Also known as "discretionary income". This is *huge* for me as I am the king of all kings on thrift store shopping, Craigslist purchasing, and eBay bidding! Not to mention the weekly shopping trips to Express, Rugged Wearhouse, and Ta Ta Ta TJ MAX. I'm one of those people who shop when their sad/happy/energized/or just plain b-o-r-e-d. And no i'm not a girl (but i do love girls! errr ... my fiancée. I love you honey!) I'm also one of those people marketers love as i am attracted to all things blingy and packaged nice.

I guess I should also clarify those things i'm allowed to spend on, especially so I won't try and wiggle my way out of it in the future.

Things allowed: Mortgages, Utilities, Bills, Food, and anything that improves my wealth or brain (such as mutual funds, finance books, magazines, etc).

Things NOT allowed: Gadgets, Lottery Tickets, Artwork, Decorations (why am i capitalizing all these?), furniture, track jackets as i have wayyyyy too many, t-shirts, and anything on Woot.com, sellout.woot.com, or shirt.woot.com which will be extremely hard!

Okay, that about wraps it up. So far i haven't spent a penny on any of these and my spirits are still high. I think this is exactly what i needed to re-organize my finances and get my budget back on track and alive. Funny enough, i also have wayyyyyy more time on my hands.

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*Once on a flight to Greece a few years back I watched "Supersize Me" and decided to see how long i can go w/out eating McDonalds, my FAV. place at the time...to this day i STILL haven't touched a thing from there! Sure I've been to Wendys a few hundred times, but i still feed like The Man :) As of today it's been 1193 days and my record continues to grow...but who's counting?

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