I had an interesting encounter with a Starbucks barista this morning. I'm riding the metro doing my aloof thing when all of a sudden I hear this "Hey! Grande hazelnut coffee, right?". At first I was like "Awesome, someone else is a fan!" and went back to la-la land (aka playing Yahtzee on the iPhone. haha...) Then I realized the chick was staring directly at me!

It turns out she used to be one the baristas that hooked me up back near our old office. And since she's always been pretty friendly, I figured I'd tell her about my dreams of working there one day :) For all who don't know, I have this list of 5 places I'd like to work at someday, although I'm not sure I blogged about that before?

Anyways, I started picking her brain about what it's like to work there in hopes of getting the "inside scoop." I can't remember the entire convo (even after just 15 mins! aye..), but here's more or less what she told me below. And probably tweaked more to the pros considering she REALLY loves her job:

Working at Starbucks: The Pros

• You meet a lot of cool people! You're surrounded by energetic and entertaining co-workers, as well as mostly fun customers. People love their coffee and are generally in a good mood when they get to you - especially in the mornings before any craziness occurs that day.
• Starbucks has great health benefits. I didn't have enough time to ask specifics, but she said it was really good and she has no complaints.
• You can relocate without a problem! Want to move to California? Easy peasy! How about Texas? Fine by them! You've got Starbucks scattered across the entire world that are always looking to fill a position or two. In fact, this particular barista told me she's now at her 3rd state in 4 years @ Starbucks so far :) Although she did say that moving overseas isn't *as* easy as xfering in the States, but she's heard it's doable as they'd rather higher someone who already knows the ins and the outs over a noob. Either way, this is a job perk I could get used to.
• Job security is pretty good. Unless you do something stupid, you can spend quite a few years with Starbucks. Since there ARE so many shops around the world, you really don'teven have to worry about your particular shop being closed down - you just move right down to the next one or two. And in DC, it's like literally moving a block ;) A friend of mine has FOUR fo them within a 5 block radius. It's crazy. (crazy good!)
• There are stock benefits. Unfortunately my new friend doesn't participate in this program (and believe me I REALLY wanted to shake her good), but she did say most of her co-workers do. One of them recently cashed out all his stocks and used the money for a down payment on a house! I again didn't have too much time to pick her brain on it, but it definitely piqued my interest. I also wonder how long her friend worked at Starbucks, and how much, exactly, he invested in this plan.
• There is/was a great 401k plan. We didn't actually talk about this today, but I've heard that Starbucks has a great one - or at least used to before this economy went to crap. If any of you know what it's like, or works there, drop a note and let us know!
• Time goes by really fast - at least during rush hours. When you're helping one customer after another, time flies like a mother.

Working at Starbucks: The Cons

• A small % of the customers are dicks. They see you as low lifes working a job that pays pennies, and they treat you like you're their bitch. Most of the customers are pretty cool, but these are the people that ruin your day and make you wish you weren't doing what you do. Sometimes, however, it's satisfying to watch them get thrown out if they start getting abusive (all according to this chick, anyways). It's alot like retail in that regard, except at Starbucks they bitch about something that costs $4 instead of $40.
• You have to clean a lot. She doesn't hate this all the way as it keeps her busy and has to get done anyways, but it's not the funnest thing to do in the world. Apparently this is what goes on between the morning and afternoon rushes.

That's about all of it. I wish I had more time to pick her brain, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see what's it's like when I actually work there one day ;) Pretty interesting how much you can learn from a quick 7 minute metro ride though! Especially when it catches you off guard like that. Who knew I'd be pondering the ins and the outs of Starbucks all morning?

Labels: in the real world, starbucks, work

This is part 2 of 2 in the confessions of an online poker player series by a friend of mine who goes by the name of "NNNobodYYY" in the online poker world. Enjoy!

The life of a poker player can range from really boring to really exciting, depending on what you make of it. For me, when it gets too exciting (volatile), I make it more boring with changes to my playing system. When it gets too boring, you can make it more exciting, but if you want to succeed you have to be persistent and put in the hours at the table.

For the last week, my life has shifted from a very monotonous, grind it out poker system to one of the most exciting weeks in my poker career. This happens every time a championship series rolls around, but I usually end up miserable and full of regret. This Sunday I won the FTOPS VIII Heads Up Holdem Event for $72,000. That is more than I earned all year grinding it out! It makes the most sense that I'd win that event, rather than any other in the 27 Event online poker championship series, because I am a Heads Up ( 1 on 1 Poker) specialist.

Heads Up Freeze Outs

On a standard day, I play heads up freeze out (freeze out is a poker term for a game that is played until one player has all the chips and the other player(s) are eliminated) matches, $100-$200 per match and I play 30-50 matches each day. It is a very simple system; if you play for $100 a match the winner wins $100 from their opponent. If you can manage to win 60% of your matches, that's $1000 a day in a 50 match day, minus the $250 that will go to the poker site in rake, which would total to $750/day.

It's not nearly as easy as it sounds. Heads up poker requires complete focus to maintain optimum play so it is almost impossible to play more than 20 games in a row and maintain the discipline and focus to play your absolute best. You cannot play as many tables at once and it is much more mentally draining. The reason I chose this system is because I struggle with the swings, this system mitigates swings because it has the lowest standard deviation for returns. You could do the same thing playing 9 person sit and go tournaments, but the swings would increase because you aren't going to win as often against 8 other opponents as against 1 opponent, but when you win, you will obviously win a lot more. I feel it is necessary to split up daily sessions with hour or longer breaks between every ten games. During the prime hours 10PM-2AM, I will play 20 consecutive matches.

My Work Day

My work day is pretty flexible, but I do have some rules. It's not necessary to play during the day, but I try to play a couple hours during it just to get a ten game session out of the way - generally between 2PM and 6PM. It's not a great time to play, but it's not bad either. I wouldn't recommend playing before 2PM. The best time to play is between 10PM and 2AM (I think 6PM to 10PM is fine too, but that's usually my time off). I force myself to play these hours almost every night, sometimes starting at 11.

I used to treat the weekends like anyone else and took a break from playing poker, but since I bought my house a month ago I've been playing both Friday and Saturday Nights. This experiment in a really crappy life (in order to rebuild my reserves after the big down payment) has made me realize how necessary it actually IS to play on Friday nights. Friday nights are the most profitable because you have a lot of bad amateur players coming home from the bars (*cough * cough* J. Money). But for some reason Saturday nights are NOT as good, and I'm not really sure why.

During Championship Series

During Championship Series I change my whole schedule around to a much more brutal workload. I tend to work 12-16 hour days playing satellites into major events, winning a lot of event entries and never doing much in them. A satellite is a smaller buy-in tournament that awards a certain number of seats into a major event. Satellite poker is played slightly different because you're trying to survive 'till 20 or whatever number of players are left, rather than trying to win the entire tournament. Satellites are easy to win and a good way of playing the major events without having to front $200-$1000 entry fees (but they do require a lot of time). The actual events are much more difficult because they have massive fields that pay out about 10% of the field, and the payouts are very top-heavy so you have to be making final tables to be profitable playing tournament poker.

Even in the Heads Up event, which is my expertise, winning is still close to impossible. You have to win 10 consecutive matches to win the tournament, 3 to make the money, which is more reasonable. All I can say is Sunday was my day, and things HAVE TO go your way to win a tournament. I think to the 6pm event where I got eliminated ALL IN on with 1 card coming with AA on a 7 high 3 club board, holding the ace of clubs vs a guy holding two tens without a club. He had one out in the entire deck and it came, a 44-1 shot.

That is tournament poker and that is why it is generally miserable. Now I figure, normally I win that hand double through with 2000 players remaining, maybe make the money, but likely something else happens long before the final 100 players, and I'm eliminated. I guess you never know, though. I was only all-in as a statistical underdog once in my ten matches and it was the second match. I pushed in with Q8 on a 976 board on a semi bluff, was insta-called by J9 and hit running diamonds to double through. If I didn't get lucky there, the following 8 matches wouldn't have occurred and I wouldn't have won that $72,000. In fact, I wouldn't have thought twice about it.

Since I did win the event, though, I had to press on and fight for the top slot on the tournament leaderboard. Just one significant win in another event could have been enough to score it, which would then have given me free entries into all of the FTOPS IV events, not to mention serious prestige. I know better than to play the hold'em events with massive fields and bad structure - those are not my events and I generally do poorly in them. I came super close in a $300 shootout event (each 9 person table is played down to 1 winner and then those winners get reseated and have to win another table) on Tuesday, losing heads up with a chip lead to a bad player.

Then I lost a $530 Horse event on terrible luck - Horse is a fixed limit event, I've had a lot of success with it in the past, but if you can't win any hands you don't have a chance. Today, I ran my chipstack (not to be confused with chapstick) up to $20,000 in a Pot Limit Omaha event, before taking a few bad beats and losing on a foolish play.

Tomorrow is the end of the road for me, with the Pot Limit Omaha heads up event. It's heads up which is good, but I actually don't think Omaha is a game that fits well with Heads up tournament style freeze outs. Pot limit Omaha is a drawing and money odds math game, so most freeze-outs end on essential coin flips between made hands and great drawing hands, unless you're lucky enough to play someone horrible :)

Moment of Clarity

Over the past week, every waking hour was in front of my computer playing poker. I ordered 2 large pizzas from Papa John's on Sunday and been eating leftovers, since. Naturally, I got sick from such an unhealthy lifestyle. I had the same problems when I'd go to Vegas and Atlantic City for major events too - eating unhealthy foods and buffets all the time, being up all hours of the night.

I finally had a moment of clarity and introspection to write this after 5 days of nonstop play. The life of a poker player is always going to be more stressful than pretty much any other job, but you can choose how stressful you make it. My day to day life is pretty normal (compared to other poker players) and requires about 5-6 hours of work a day for a steady solid income. I choose to bump up my days during major events for a shot at a big win and when you get it, it feels great.

In the end, I am happy with my big win, a little disappointed I couldn't do better in the other events, and very much looking forward to taking a week off and things going back to normal.

I hope everyone enjoyed the read,
- NNNobodYYY

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This Series in the news:
- MSN Smart Spending: Secrets of an online poker player
- 2+2 Poker Forums: Confessions of an online poker player

(Part 1, in case you missed it: Confessions of an online poker player)

Labels: awesomely awesome, guest post, work

Guest post by Nicole Ouellette

Having your own business isn't all rainbows and unicorns but I personally wouldn't have it any other way.

When I quit my full-time job with health insurance a few weeks ago, more than one person thought I was insane. Of course they never actually said that: "Wow, you're gutsy! I'll give you that!" - "How is un ... I mean self - employment going?" - "Your father is probably rolling over in his grave..." (To be fair, Mom followed up that comment with lots of support. Still I know she's right; my father would've never approved of this.)

Then there are the people who think I sit around all day eating bonbons and flitting around my apartment in a bathrobe. Man, if someone would pay me to do that, that would rock! (Aside: It's hard to flit in 220 square feet of space shared with a dog.)

I'm here to tell you the truth, friends. The truth of quitting your job and going it alone.

1. Plan like hell.

No matter what, you still will not have planned enough but plan as much as you can. Who are your clients? How much do you have to charge to pay your life? In my case, not every hour I spend is billable so I planned 15 to 20 billable hours a week when I calculated my prices. Make a business plan (which you will probably hate doing), but in the end, it may save your butt.

2. Have some money to back it up.

I have been saving money and living frugally for almost 2 years. In addition, my father died and left me some money, which gives me more of a cushion than the average 28-year-old has the luxury of having. (For the record, I would give up this entire business in about 1 millisecond to have him alive again. (J: of course, that is so sad!))

So start saving now and with your business plan and nest egg, you can probably get yourself a small business loan, whether it be from people you know or a bank. I'm getting my stuff ready in case I want to do this at the end of the summer.

Also be prepared to transition, moneywise if need be. Right now, I'm working a part time job this summer to keep paying my rent and food as I ramp up my full time workload. My savings are only to be used if completely utterly necessary.

3. I won't lie, it does rock in a lot of ways.

On a roll at 5 o'clock? Sometimes I work until 11 at night. Lunch with a friend? It can happen. A flexible schedule is fantastic and something I've always wanted.

4. But I've never been so worried in my life.

I am a super laid back lady (to the point of almost being annoying) but lately, I've been having nightmares, worrying, and crying way more than normal. Doing this is scary because there is no guarantees that it's going to work. And while I will try not to take failure personally, I'm sure I will on some level if it comes down to that.

5. Oh and I'm totally operating in the negative.

I did some math last week and freaked out. I know there is bound to be some ebbs and flows in the business but I guess naively, I thought I'd be different. Good news is those two years I lived below the federal poverty line awhile back may have been some good training for me for the months to come.

6. If you don't believe in it, no one else will.

Is it hard to get up every morning and be ready to sell sell sell? Is it weird to do something my now-dead father (whom I held in very high esteem) would completely hate? It sure is. But I will tell you that the only person who needs to believe it in their heart of hearts is you. If you can believe it, it will translate. (You know, unless you have mental delusions or something.)

So before you quit your job, really dig down deep and ask yourself "Can I really do this?" The answer may be more obvious than you think. It's you who will have to work 12 hours a day or make personal sacrifices to free up business cash. No one is going to hold your hand or make you get up at 7 every morning. It's all you, for better or for worse.

Know thyself. Know thy customer. And know that no matter what, you can reinvent yourself whenever you want with a little planning and a lot of hard work.

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Nicole has been a personal finance blogger since 2007, and helping bloggers and business owners since 2008. She recently quit her newspaper job in May to take her company Breaking Even Communications full time. Nicole would love it if you read her blog Breaking Even and love it even more if you subscribed to it via RSS or email.

Labels: advice, guest post, in the real world, work

This is a guest post from an Anonymous Professional Poker Player (sexy!). Update: Part 2 is now live.

There is an old saying, "Poker is the hardest way to make an easy living." After playing full-time poker for 4 years, I can't think of a better statement to describe it. There are obvious benefits to poker: You set your own schedule, you work when you want to work, and your performance is relatively proportional to your income. If you play on the internet, you can work from practically anywhere. Unfortunately, every one of these have a catch.

You can set your own schedule, but over time you'll realize certain times of day are much more profitable than others. Playing from 10PM to 5am on Friday nights, and 12AM to 5AM on Saturday nights is as profitable as playing 8 hours a day Mon-Thursday. If you want to be successful as a poker player you can set your own schedule, but the hours you want to play won't necessarily be the hours you want to work.

Poker is difficult, psychologically.

In the long-run when you play well and put in your hours, you will make more money. The actual income that comes out of poker comes in violent swings, though. There are many different systems you can play to try to maximize your return. Note: it is important to devise a system, you cannot play professionally and wander from game to game at various limits-IT DOESN'T WORK. I try to play a system that minimizes swings, but I will get into my own play in my next post (J: this will feature a "day in the life of a poker player" - stay tuned!).

The most miserable feeling in the world is to put in an 8 to 10 hour day working as hard as you possibly can, and then have a week's worth of salary taken away from you. This makes it hard to relate poker to the real world. At the same time, it is necessary to make this connection on other levels. Anyone who chooses to play professionally will experience $1000+ daily swings, even if you are more of a grinder trying to make $50,000-$100,000 a year. $100 is nothing at the poker table, but when you return to the real world, $100 should be the same to you as anyone else making $50,000-$100,000 annual income. This is hard to relate after a $5,000 up day or even a $5,000 down day because what's $100 more?

Cash Game players

Online, you can be a cash game player, a sit and go tournament player (SNG player), or a multi-table tournament player (MTT player). I think playing cash games is the best way to make a living as a poker player. Although it's psychologically tougher than playing tournament style freeze-outs, you can always find a cash game running and it is easy to slowly move up in limits.

Sit and Go players (SNG)

SNG players will eventually find that there isn't a lot of action at the higher limits, and you can find yourself waiting and competing with other pros for a limited amount of bad players to show up. Often times SNG pros will make the move to cash games after a few years - this is not a bad career path. The toughest thing about being a no limit cash game player is the reality that you can always lose your entire days work in 1 hand. Your money is on the table and you cannot be afraid to put it in. SNG players don't have this issue because all you can lose at one time is the initial "buy in" for the tournament.

Multi-Table Tournament players (MTT)

The most popular and most fun system is playing multi-table tournaments (MTT), but there is a lot you need to know before embarking on such a life. My first 6 months as a poker player I was a multi-table tournament player. The big draw of MTTs is the chance to win $10,000 - $1,000,000+ in one tournament. There is also prestige surrounding the MTT world. The online poker community tracks tournament players closely (there are tournament leader boards on poker sites themselves, and tournament player rankings on poker blog sites). You can get sponsorships for major events like the World Series of Poker just from making a name for yourself as a top online tournament player! A cash game player who is twice as successful could go completely unnoticed.

The biggest difference between a MTT player and a cash game or SNG player is that while the cash game player is steadily making money, sometimes with down days and down weeks (or even down months), the multi-table tournament player is steadily losing money with huge spikes at random times. A multi-table tourney player is likely to make more than his average annual income in one tournament at some point. You never know when it will come, though. If you look at the graphs of top MTT players, they make all their annual income over the course of a handful of tournaments, an amount that makes for less than 0.5% of the total tournaments that they play.

You can go months, slowly losing money as an MTT player and be playing flawless poker. This can affect your sanity: when poker becomes your sole source of income and you go months without making any income, you start to question if you can succeed. This is the nature of tournament poker, they have massive fields and you are not going to make any real money if you aren't finishing in the top 3 (very rare for any player). The biggest problem I had as a MTT player was the schedule. All the tournaments overlapped, so the day was very long. MTT poker takes less focus on an individual table than any other form, so you want to be playing a bare minimum of 6 tournaments at once. Really, with an ideal dual monitor setup, you should keep joining tournaments with optimal structure and maintain 12 tables at a time. This sounds difficult, but MTT poker is actually less stressful and more fun because you never lose a lot at once and you come in expecting to lose so all the big swings are upswings.

The problem is 6 hour days turn into 14 hour or even 20 hour days, without breaks for meals or even using the bathroom, without taking a laptop with you. MTTs take a minimum of 4 hours to get to the end, if you end up lasting that long, but it is foolish to only sit 1 table at a time so you never hit the end of your day until you make the decision to stop joining more tournaments. Cash game players can sit out whenever they want and not lose out as a result; this allows for a better lifestyle. I try to exercise every day and eat healthy meals., but as a MTT player this is almost impossible. You'd have to pre-make your meals and get everything done before you start playing each day because you just never know when you'll finish.

Most everyone who decides to play poker full-time has ambitions of winning a World Series Bracelet and making a million dollars. I, myself, normally go to Vegas in June-July for the WSOP events. I bring about $10,000 and lose it every year, then go back home and get to work online again; even with my lack of success I enjoy the vacation and the break from monotonous online play.

Poker can become a grind.

This year I skipped the WSOP and bought a house. The grind becomes so boring after a while, that it's easy to forget why I am even doing it. Moving up in limits, shots at the Series or World Poker Tour events--that is the fun part of the job. The chance of winning big is the fun of poker; otherwise it becomes the same grind of any other job, without the guaranteed income and health insurance. Not all poker players feel this way. I know a live cash game pro who never has any desire to take a shot at anything and only moves up in limits when it is mathematically sensible. This type of mentality is built to succeed as a poker player, but usually the type of person with that kind of mindset is not the person who aspires to play poker in the first place.

I also know people that are taking so many shots with their money, they waste all their income trying to get on TV or win the big tournament and sometimes they do win it, but then they put all that money on the line again, going for the even bigger shot. That type of mindset will kill you.

Poker gives you freedom

What you get as a poker player is total freedom. Freedom to gamble, to take your shots, to work from anywhere, and to not work when you don't feel like working. If you don't have discipline though, you'll fail - plain and simple. You also need to recognize when you're tired at the table, when your mind isn't focused right and get up and quit, even if you don't want to. You can't show up to work tired and hung over and half-ass it in poker, it will cost you.

Poker can be very rewarding, but if you are thinking of playing professionally you have to know it is a job, it has to be taken seriously, and it will stop being fun (J: perhaps like blogging full-time?). My favorite part of the job is waking up when I naturally wake up in the morning (afternoon), having no commute, and not having to answer to anyone else.

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J: I know this was pretty long, but I hope you enjoyed it! As a guy, the thought of playing poker full-time is incredibly fascinating (and is one of my top 5 dream jobs!). Stay tuned for part 2 when we learn the "day in the life of" a professional poker player. That's when we'll *really* see what it's like!

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This Series in the news:
- MSN Smart Spending: Secrets of an online poker player
- 2+2 Poker Forums: Confessions of an online poker player

Labels: guest post, in the real world, work

Wow it's been a long time since I've done a "would you rather". I feel like we need one of these to get our brains in think-mode today. After all, it's Feisty Friday! So here's the question - give it some thought and drop a line w/ your answer. You never know when it just might come true ;)

"Would you rather be rich with a crap job, or poor with a job you love?"

I'll admit it's not the most creative question ever asked, but it's something we talk about whether we realize it or not. Remember all those times we bitch & complain about our jobs? If we're not doing it for the money, then why? ;) (on a side note I actually DO happen to love my job, but not after sorting through the other dirt holes first) In interest of this question though, I feel like I'd choose rich over poor. You can do a lot of good w/ money both for yourself AND others. As long as the job didn't suck up all my time, I'm pretty sure I could deal with it in order to grab the benefits. Although, if I really hated it that much I guess it would mean that it DID take up my time, eh?

On the other hand, spending your valuable time @ a place that makes you happy can go a loooong way! Easier to wake up to, get back from vacation to, and just overall a better quality of life. Minus the money part, of course. But that alone is enough to drive a man crazy. As I mentioned, I couldn't ask for a better job right now, but if the pay was a half or a third of what I currently make there's no WAY I could live the lifestyle I do - and that's saying something considering I live pretty low key as it is.

None of these questions ever have correct answers, but it's still interesting to think about. I'm a huge "what if" kinda guy, for better or for worse (usually for worse if you ask any of my previous gf's). But if you find yourself leaning towards the "poor with an incredible job" side of things, ask yourself this: what's stopping you? If money isn't as important deep down, why not get out there and start looking for it? It's worth a few minutes of your time considering it at the very least.

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Check out some others:
- Would you...politically & publicly sell out for $10,000?
- Would you rather... Be ugly & rich, or hot with less?
- Would you...take a 10% pay cut if it saved co-worker?

Labels: work, would you rather

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This is a guest post from video blogger Vik Tantry. He runs the personal finance site Kanjoh.com, and has some pretty wicked videos uploaded there - I highly recommend checking them out. A fun (and different) way to learn!
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It is fascinating how our tastes change. Back in college, I used to happily eat cereal and Ramen Noodles three meals a day. Once I graduated, I was actually able to afford real meals at fancy restaurants. I was earning more, and my spending had increased substantially. This is lifestyle inflation: when your spending starts to catch up with your income.

Lifestyle inflation is dangerous because it can decimate our savings, and it is encouraged by our consumer-driven society. Saving isn't sexy, but it is always exciting to buy the next fancy gadget. When our income goes up, it is very easy to spend it all quickly on things that "we've wanted for a long time but never could afford." Lifestyle inflation often creeps into our lives slowly and steadily. We start eating out a little more, and spending more on clothes. We take fancier vacations and buy more expensive cars and furniture. Before you know it, our increase in income isn't covering our increased costs!

After a few months of working, I realized that I was not saving nearly as much as I would have liked. I also realized that my "improved lifestyle" did not make me substantially happier than when I was in college. I tallied up my expenses and identified several areas of spending that I could do without. I realized that I didn't need to buy new clothes and shoes so often, and I could go out to dinner a little less. After all, I didn't need these things back in college, so why would I need them now?

When faced with lifestyle inflation, take a few days to adjust. Consider your increase in income first and foremost as an opportunity to save more. Then, take a few hours to sit down and prioritize. Make a list of things you've wanted and figure out which ones really mean the most to you. Once you have defined your priorities, stick to them. This way, you can save and invest while still spending money on the things that are truly important.

Controlling lifestyle inflation is more about having the right values than anything else. However, its important to not take it to the other extreme. A balanced approach to saving and spending will maximize both your happiness and your financial stability.

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Editor's Note: One of the best ways to avoid falling in this trap is to up your 401(k) or savings whenever you get a raise or promotion! Getting in this habit will not only help you save more over time, but you'll never miss any of it because you'll never see it ;)

Labels: guest post, inflation, life, money management, work

This is a guest post from my dear brother. Many of you expressed a great interest in his return after his earlier post - debt is like kissing your sister - so hopefully you'll find this one just as witty!

In fact, do any of you remember one of my earliest posts about how he borrowed money from me and actually paid me back months ahead of time? It's truly wonderful how his financial management skills have improved over the years - I'm so proud! *tear* So here it is, my bro's 2nd post: And just so you know, I didn't pay him to say such loving things about me ;)

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I am immensely proud of my brother. You know how Frank Stallone feels about Sylvester? How Casey Affleck feels about big bro Ben? Multiply that by a million, and that's how I feel about J. Money. If J was a sports star, I'd collect all of his cards, wear his jersey, attend his games with an obnoxious foam finger and have a kick-ass Fat Boy of him on my bedroom wall. Oh, yeah.

This abundance of pride stems from a couple of things. Aside from the fact that he's the only male left in the family with a full head of hair, J's found a real niche with this budget blog. He's building a community and planting a flag in the soil of cyberspace. What's more, he's tending to this project the same way an illegal alien tends to a rose garden - with precision, affection and ignorance of random pricks. J has found what fuels his passion, and he's pouring his heart into it. And you know what? It's paying dividends in the form of jolly readers, innovative ideas and a forum of financially savvy folk ... which brings me to my point.

When you invest your time, energy and resources into something you truly love, it no longer becomes work. It becomes a love affair with possibility fueled by endless opportunities. Don't we all want to find something we love doing and have it push us toward greatness? Sure, we work to make money, and money is important (after all, what else is going to fuel that Slurpee addiction of yours?). All I'm saying is it's important to not lose sight of what should really drive us, and that's happiness. And if you can get by doing something you love, you're all the better for it.

A long time ago, I read a quote about money that really stuck with me. It said something along these lines: Don't worry about money because you'll get it when you least expect it, and you'll lose it when you least expect it. I couldn't agree more with that statement. Worrying about money is like a rocking chair; it'll keep you busy, but it won't take you anywhere. The entire purpose of life is to be happy, right? To fill your daily grind with gumdrops and puppy dogs? So do it. Today. Because when you do something you love, you'll find it provides you with the means to live a full, fun and profitable life.

I'll leave you with this really cool approach to life I learned awhile back: We all have 24 hours in a day. Typically, we spend eight hours sleeping, eight hours working and eight hours _____. What do YOU do with those final eight hours? Think about it. I hope your answer puts a smile on that baby face of yours!

Labels: advice, guest post, life, work

I was recently asked this by a dear blogger friend of mine, Wide Open Wallet, and realized that it was a helluva good question! And one w/ a helluva lot of good answers as well ;) Every job is different, but many of the principles behind great places are similar.

When it comes down to it, you have to value your people. The more we feel valued, the more passionate we become about our job and the more successful we get. I'm not saying we have to be pat on the back every other day, but we do have to feel a part of the "bigger picture".

Here's a list of all my favorite qualities & perks in a job, in no particular order. Not every place is going to have the same size or culture to pull some of these off, but even allowing 50% of them would greatly increase productivity (and overall employee happiness!):

IN GENERAL:

• Don't micromanage - If someone gives me a project and responsibilities, I assume they trust me enough to do a good job so it's nice to be left "alone" and allow me to get it done. I hate when people track my every move and hover over me while I'm trying to do something - if that's what they wanted, why not just do it themselves ya know?
• Keep your (the boss') door open - Literally and figuratively. It's nice knowing I can just walk into our CEO's room and ask a question or give a suggestion at anytime of the day, and without hassle. My ideas may not always get implemented, but at least I'm being heard.
• Have regular scheduled all-hands meetings- It doesn't have to be long, maybe like a 15-30 min one, but getting all together and talking about new stuff going around the company is awesome. Sure not every department *needs* to know all the details (and only the basics should be covered), but an overall informed employee will only help your biz succeed more. Most people can agree that communication is certainly key.
• Allow your employees to explore new areas - I get bored doing one thing over and over again, every day of the week. Sometimes I ask to work on something different to learn more (as long as it helps the company of course), and it's always rewarding even just KNOWING this is available to me.
• Move on after a mistake has happened - I already feel bad about messing up, but if you as a boss can accept it and understand it's a 1 time thing, moving on and leaving it alone is crazy helpful. It's the worst when it gets brought up months or years down the road when you know it's already been dealt with (as long as it HAS been dealt with, of course)

GREAT PERKS:

• Flexible schedule - We don't have to be in until 10am. Some people, like me, enjoy coming in early and getting a good start though, so I can come in at 9 and leave an hour earlier, and others (like tech people) can come in later and then stay later. Some people work better at different times of the day. Iif possible, giving them the opportunity work in their prime can only help them succeed better in the long run.
• Free coffee - It doesn't have to be Starbucks (although that helps!) but it's one of the smallest & cheapest perks that go a loooooooong way. Plus, it helps everyone focus and stay awake ;)
• Company happy hours or lunches - Not every week, but every now and then just to hang out and mingle as friends, and not only co-workers. It really helps with the company's overall morale.
• Relaxed paid time off - We have a "take it as you need it" approach at my job. This obviously won't work at all places, but being able to take off without a lot of hassle is HUGE in keeping me motivated. It's still smart to track days off to curb abuse of course, but you'd be surprised how much less people actually take off when there's no set amount given out. Trust and fairness go a long way here.
• Casual attire - If you work behind a computer all day and don't interact w/ customers face to face, then allowing people to come in with jeans and tee shirt make them feel more comfortable and "free" at work. That doesn't mean board shorts & flipflops, but it also doesn't mean suits & ties all the time. (between me and you, I'd be screwed if I ever go corporate again ;))

I could probably go on and on (we have a slew of other goodies that are industry-related), but these are the main reasons I enjoy coming to work every day - besides, of course, what my actual job entails. As you can tell, most are pretty simple in theory, but you'd be surprised how often they're passed over.

If you're a manager/business owner yourself, it's well worth the time evaluating your perks & principles every now and then to make sure you're creating the best atmosphere for your workers. And if you're not sure you're on the right track? Just ask! Employees love telling each other what they really want in a company. You lock in 2-3 of their biggest requests, and you're totally golden.

Labels: work

Yup, so I pay a bit more now for health insurance - oh well! When it comes down to it, I still have a job. And a mighty sexy one too at that :)

Who needs 100% company-paid health insurance anyways?! There's no way we could have continued doing that in today's environment (as hot as it was!) So I'll suck this one up just as I did the other benefit cuts and just never go to the doctors or dentist again! Haha, nah...it's not THAT bad.

Our CEO & Management handled this situation pretty damn well. Our company's premiums went up around 40% and they were forced to come up with a change that would best benefit all parties involved. But after they did that, they called an all-hands meeting and presented everything very thoroughly and explained their reasoning behind their final decision. EXCELLENT! That goes a long way in any company, but esp. those small ones like ours.

Here were some of the options they had to sort through:

• Keep our current plan, and pass the extra expenses onto us. This would have allowed us to hold on to our rock star plan as-is ($10 copays, $50 ER visits, no deductibles, etc.), but we'd then have to contribute about $300-$400 A MONTH each! ouch. That's a far cry from paying $0.00 each month.
• Change up the CoPays and Deductibles. This would mean our insurance is still paid for 100% through our company (no auto. deductions every paycheck for it), and our coverage would be the same, but we'd now have to pay a bit more every time we took a visit. If you go a lot, then you'd be more affected than those who rarely ever go (like myself).
• Lower coverage and pickup a limited plan. This would also drastically cut costs, but then our coverage goes to $hit and we'd have to be extra careful where we go to do what, and how. I'm CRAZY glad they didn't go w/ this one for obvious reasons.

They went with Option #2, which I agree was a great choice. We get to keep our awesome coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, and we don't have any $ auto. deducted from our paychecks every 2 weeks!!! I love it. Some of us NEVER go to the dr's so we wouldn't even notice the change until we do. Which would probably suck cuz that means something is *really* wrong w/us ;) haha....but either way, I'd say 99% of us were pretty happy w/ the outcome. If I had to pay $400 a month i'd be pretty pissed. I'd still do it cuz I love my job, but I'd fill out that complaint jar to the brim on that day!

Here are the biggest changes to our plan now:

• CoPays go up from $10/visit to $20/visit. This one stings a little, but again you only pay it when you hit up the Dr's. And it's a lot less than a) $30 like a few of my friends have, and b) having no insurance! (yikes)
• We now have deductibles! I believe they are now at $300 per incident, up to a max of $7,000 total you can pay throughout a given year? Something like that (I don't have them in front of me at the moment). This is the biggest change as we never had them before - most things were totally taken care of, unless you had a unique situation that required you to go out of network.
• Network vs Non-Network spread increased. I never go out of network so I kind of dozed off here, but I know that it costs a lot more now going out of network than it previously did. I can never understand why anyone would really do this anyways...

So yeah, looks like our company is still dealing with the changes going around town. We were told this was the last of the "big items" being looked at now too, so that's def. good to hear! And that means our awesome 401k matches are still on the docket - woohoo :) Who knows what next month will bring, but for now I'll still continue working along happily and doing my thang over here. Can't get bent out of shape when the unemployment rate keeps skyrocketing..

--------
PS: I still have to report on the final cost of the Gallbladder Removal last year! I haven't forgotten, just too lazy to compile all the amounts and get it all together. More to come on who got the closest estimate.

Labels: crazy economy, insurance, work

Yeah, for sure! It may not override the ugly situation out there, but they do exist - they always do, it's just a matter of finding them sometimes ;)

The Public Insight Network shoots me a poll every now and then asking for some input, and this time I had something to say! And since they fit in nicely w/ the bloggy blog here, I thought i'd share them with y'all.

And maybe you've figured out how to make the economy work for YOU even better? I know we got some smart a$$ people out there taking full advantage :) Here are the 3 questions they threw over to me, along w/ my answers:

How has the financial crisis affected you?
Mainly, it's just gotten me more nervous about my job security - the first time in the 3+ years I've been here. Working for a start-up is naturally a bit unstable anways, but these days it's a little more crazier than normal out there. Other than that, my house value continues to plummet (at least I'm pretty sure it is!) and considering we bought it at close to peak, it's definitely no fun.

Has the financial crisis prompted you to follow your dreams or rexamine your priorities?
Yup! More so my priorities than my dreams as I'm pretty much doing my dream job right now ;) BUT, if that should ever fall though, I have a list of other fun jobs I'm interested in pursuing - graphic design, starbucks, and even banks! As for reexamining my priorities, I'm really just learning how to save even MORE than before....like by not shopping as much and making do with what i already have. Great for me, not so great for the economy.

Have you found a silver lining to the financial crisis?
Oh, most definitely! The interest rates have gone down an incredible amount, literally knocking hundreds of dollars off our 2nd Mortgage! We have a maxed out HELOC at Prime - .45%, and within the last year alone it's dropped from around 6% all the way down to 2.8%! It's really incredible. Now, if I can just figure out how to refinance my 1st mortgage w/out much cost, it' s home sweet sailing baby!

Labels: crazy economy, helocs, work

And you thought today was gonna be boring ;) This all started the other day when my girl Money Mate Kate posted up some crazy-a$$ jobs she's taken in the past (Italian Icee Truck Driver, Bone Counter, Substitute mommy?) - I was dying!

And once I began to compose myself, it got me thinking...I've done some pretty whacked out stuff too! But as I started writing out this post, another thing occurred to me: If shes' a frugal person with a frugal blog, and I'M a frugal person w/ a frugal blog, wouldn't it make sense that OTHER personal finance bloggers would have similar experiences too?

So I reached out to my PF friends & readers on email, twitter, & the Money Blog Network Forum (a *great* resource btw) and hit 'em up for their weirdest jobs they've ever done - and HOLY did i get some whammys! I'm not gonna lie - I KNEW some of us frugal ba$tards will get down and dirty to make a few pennies, but what I didn't know was how far they'd go :) We're talking Pea Inspecting, Tick Removing, Chuck E. Cheeze Dressing up'ing - jobs you couldn't make up if you tried.

So grab a coffee, close your office door, and get ready to enjoy some crazy awesomeness:

I'll start:

:: Campground Timeshare Tour Guide | $700-$1400/per sale | You know those tours you "have to take" in order to claim your *free* prizes or weekend getaways? Whelp, I was one of those people who gave them and then tried convincing you to buy one at the end ;) And in this particular case, you'd get your very own campground lot forever and ever! (oooohhhh ahhhh)

:: Wrecked Car washer | $10.00/hr (plus anything you'd find!) | Two of us guys with a van full of water and a generator, listening to headphones and washing the crap out of these things in the hot sun. Apparently smashed cars that are washed bring in $500 more at auction than do dirty/bloody ones (don't ask). And since it only cost about $5 per car to hook it up, the company raked in the money!

:: Stamp Maker/Package'r | $12.00/hr | Packaging and making stamps (those 42¢ ones) on an assembly line. 12 hour shifts, 4 days a week, one 15 mins break every 2 hours. The craziest part was that we couldn't wear any clothes w/ pockets, nor bring any bags that weren't see-through! You know, so we wouldn't be tempted to steal and sell them on the black market ;) haha...it felt like prison.

And now, jobs from around the blogosphere!

:: Bone Counter | $5.00/hr (age 20) | Temp job in the shipping/receiving department of a company that took cadaver bones (which arrived semi-butchered and frozen) and chopped them up into usable bits for transplant purposes. I was the only temp they didn't gross the hell out of. - Money Mate Kate

:: Tongue Boy | $0.05 per tongue | Cut the tongues out of codfish. - Money Grubbing Lawyer

:: Meat Packer (I think?) | minimum wage | For 8 hours, I manually flipped one half of figure-8 hamburger patties so they landed on top of the other half, concealing a slice of cheese in the middle to make a "pizza" hamburger. - Financial Reflections

:: Utility Study Researcher (nicknames: Space Cadet, Space Police) | minimum wage | Walking around my college campus, poking my head into classrooms, and counting the number of students in the room - much to the confusion of students and professors. - Stephanie @ Poorer Than You

:: Stock Boy @ Victoria's Secret | $10.00/hr | See title, lol! - My Journey To Millions

:: Bug Book Stippler | $2.00/hr (in 1967!) | "Stippled" (added dots) to illustrations of bugs in a book being written by a college entomology professor. - Mr. ToughMoneyLove

:: Dirt Sifter | $0.50 more than minimum wage | I would scoop dirt onto a screen, then shake the screen so fine dirt would come out of the bottom - Trent @ The Simple Dollar

:: Promotional Rep for Altoids Mints | $12.00/hr | I had to hand out free samples of mints to people in movie theatres, and before each movie, had to use a microphone to interact and play trivia games with the audience. I had no boss. The company just shipped me out 14 MASSIVE BOXES of Altoid mints and promotional material and told me to work until I had no more inventory. I made my own hours, got to watch all the free movies I wanted with my friends, and got a free megaphone out of the deal. Score! :) - Krystal @ Give Me Back My Five Bucks

:: Class Note-Taker in College | $5.00/week | I did it for 1 semester thinking I'd be a better student. nope! - mauliesmalls

:: Timeshare Telemarketer | $10.00/hr | Selling timeshares in Williamsburg, VA....to people living in Williamsburg Virginia! The call list we had from another account and 1/3-1/2 of the numbers were locals. It had easy 4 hour shifts. I hated the work and left shortly afterwards. - Green Panda Treehouse

:: Pea Inspector | ??? | I've never done any crazy jobs but... I knew one guy who was a pea inspector. lol. He inspected peas in a pea factory! haha - Ashley @ Wide Open Wallet

:: Engineering Intern for Metro | $12.50/hr (summer job) | Performed QA/QC on the construction of a Metro Line by visiting different construction sites and verifying that the work was being correctly executed. I had absolutely zero qualifications for this job and I have no idea why Metro hired engineering students for these positions - Budget Save Buy

:: Donation Soliciter | NOTHING! | (Salary was based on donations solicited, and I'm not a very good sales person) I had to go door to door to solicit donations for CALPIRG. (I didn't even know what CALPIRG was!) - Lynnae @ Being Frugal

:: Direct Marketing Rep | $200/week | Convince people in malls and train stations to sign up for a credit card (for real). Worst. Job. Ever. - Mr. Stokes @ Brizzle Bound

:: Cutco Knife Salesman | NADA. (Never made it out of training, couldn't bring myself to sell to friends and family.) | Selling cutco knives to friends and family. It was a MLM scheme. - Living Almost Large

:: Dog's Tick Remover | 1 penny per tick | Remove Ticks from dogs with tweezers. We can almost hear you saying "Ugh!..." but as kids we loved the job since it relieved the dogs from the pests :) - FIRE Finance

:: Dishroom Girl In a Dorm Cafeteria | $6.00/hr | Hairnet, long plastic apron, gigantic sprayer and garbage disposal, washing ridiculous quantities of wasted food down the drain, filthy sopping mess by the end of my shift. - Frugal Babe

:: Electrical-Environmental Systems Specialist, USAF | Enlisted pay grade E-2 through E-5 | Aircraft mechanic - worked in 30+ countries in temperatures ranging from -20F to 135F (not including windchill or heat index). - Patrick @ Cash Money Life

:: Cubicle Farmer | Too good to quit. | Ever seen Office Space? - Patrick @ Cash Money Life

:: Chinese Drive-Thru Window Fast Food Worker | $6.00/hr | Took orders for chinese food in an old Burger King, packed up food, and re-boiled dumplings in the same water for a week. Only lasted a month ;) - Jonathan @ My Money Blog

:: Library Organizer | $10.00/hr (with a max of 20 hours a week) | The mission: Working with a local organization, I was to start a local French lending library in one year with no budget (and by no budget, I mean no money available to me besides my salary, not no budget spend whatever you want). Some asides: Believe it or not, I lived on that salary for a whole year. It involved having a roommate and never going anywhere but I did it. And knowing I could live way below the federal poverty line gives me the confidence to stay on my relatively generous budget now. Oh and in the end I had over 10,000 books all on their shelves in Dewey Decimal categories, and 100 multimedia resources (movies and music mostly) that a purchased from a grant I got. I even opened a month early. And the old people said I couldn't do it! ;^) - Nicole @ Breaking Even

:: Model For Drug Treatment Center Brochure | $150.00 (1 time fee) | A friend from our church was doing some literature for Hazelden, drug treatment center to the stars. He needed someone to do a before and after picture for the brochure. On the before picture I was a sad, drug-addled youth, and in the after I was a happy, well adjusted young man. It was pretty funny sitting there making sad faces pretending to be on drugs :) - Pete @ Bible Money Matters

:: Farm Hand on a Blueberry Farm | minimum wage (at 14 y/o) | While this job sounds fun, it actually entails riding on a massive blueberry harvester, at wide open speed, through fields infested with wasps, bees, and fire ants, in the 100 degree heat of July. - No Credit Needed

:: Chuck E. Cheese Dresser-Upper | minimum wage | Entertain customers, kids, and mainly myself in the sweltering heat of Hot-lanta dressed as Chuck E. Cheese. - Alan Corey, Author of "A Million Bucks by 30"

:: Watermelon Thrower | $10.00/hr | I worked in a watermelon patch the summer after my senior year of high school. As a thrower, we would pick up watermelons from the field and thrown them into a trailer with a 6' wall, where a "catcher" was waiting with open arms. It was the hardest work I've ever done. I only lasted a week. The money I earned that week helped me with a down payment on my car for college. - Prime Time Money

:: Calf Catcher | Nothing | Wrangle a calf with bare hands and try to gently push it through a cattle squeeze. Try not to get kicked. (I'm a city girl, so moving to a ranch was a rude awakening on how weird jobs can be.) - Squawk Fox

Whew! So did i tell ya, or did i tell ya? We frugal ones sure know how to party :) haha...For all who participated - THANK YOU (esp you Kate)! And for all who still wants to, go ahead and re-live your job all over again by dropping a comment...we'd all love ya for it!

Till next time...God bless ya and keep "the sexy" alive,

Labels: awesomely awesome, work

I just got out of a company meeting, and I'm flying high baby! My 2 weeks away from the office was a nice break for sure, but the economy was putting some doubt in the ol' job security department :( That meeting turned my frown upside down though!

Our CEO assured us that our company is staying strong, and that things are looking up for '09!! And not only that, but that cutting people is the last option on his mind! We'll still lose a few benefits here and there for sure (i can probably kiss my 100% matching 401k away), but at this point I'll TAKE IT! haha...I really don't feel like looking around for another dream job right now.

Before this meeting, however, I was playing a rousing game of "would you rather" with a few co-workers of mine, and we came up with a really interesting side question. And since it's one of my all-time favorite games to play, I thought I'd drop it on ya:

"Would you be willing to cut your salary by 10% if it meant saving another employee? And what if there was a randomized chance that the employee in question could be YOU?"

TOUGH one, right?! 10% is a lot no matter how much you make. And if you're not a great rainy day saver or budget'er like some are, this could def. knock ya on your feet. Plus, is it even worth the risk? Would you be more comfortable losing 10% than 100% if you were the unlucky employee? Even morally - could you stand by and watch your cube-mate walk out the door all because you couldn't chip in a little? Definitely no right or wrong answer here though...we all have our stuff going on.

And since I asked it, I shall now answer it. While the frugal side of would get up and bitch-slap me, I'd 100% bite the bullet and take my pay cut. For one thing, i'm too much a panzy to risk losing my dream job no matter what the odds are ;) That, and everyone knows each other pretty well since we're a small company. I certainly wouldn't miss one or two of them, but I doubt they'd ever get fired anyways. So that would leave ME, along w/ the rest of my closest co-workers to get the boot.

I'd gladly give away $8k for total peace of mind. Okay, well not *gladly*, but I'd still do it. Who knows, maybe that good kharma would turn around and we'd all get rewarded down the road?!

How about you all? Would you tell the employee to F off, or would/could you pull out the get-out-of-jail-free card?

Labels: crazy economy, work, would you rather

Hello my fellow budgets-are-sexy readers! I've been getting a handful of emails lately w/ the economy being as it is these days, but rarely do i get one from actual business owners.

But as luck would have it, i was blessed with a comment from one of them this week and clung on for dear life! haha....A brother has questions, ya know?

And boy was i lucky! The business owners agreed to my very first interview, and i pumped them for all i could :) After all, employers and "Big Business" are usually made out to be the bad guys, right? They couldn't be nice *gasp!*, could they? Well my friends, today we get to hear THEIR side of the story. Please to enjoy:

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1. What sort of company do you own?
A 15.5 acre RV Sales, Service, Parts, and Restaurant company with over 275 RVs in stock at multiple locations. We employ anywhere from 80 to 125 people, and are one of the largest RV dealerships around.

2. When did you notice you’d have to make changes?
Like everyone, we have watched 2008 steadily deteriorate starting this early Spring. Winter was long, lasting well into spring, and chocked off the early part of our selling season. By mid-summer we saw our sales numbers not reaching previous years highs, then gas prices went out of control hitting RV sales hard. Presidential election years are always "iffy" too. People don’t like the unknown and are nervous. By mid-to late-summer, along with everyone else, we watched the stock and financial markets self-destruct, with the media fanning the flames.

3. What were some of the benefits you had to cut?
Watching the above unfold, we knew that we’d have to cut wherever possible to survive the company.

• We slashed our own salaries first - We only took enough for monthly expenses, that's it.
  
• Stopped Christmas Bonuses this year - By Sep-Oct we generated a letter to everyone explaining in detail what we believe was happening with the markets (all of us see the real life results – few customers in the doors) and explained why, for the first time in 20 years, we would have no Christmas bonuses this year. [our Christmas parties have always been extravagant – bonuses from $100 to $5000, gifts in value from $50-150 chosen, wrapped by me throughout the year for every single employee; an excellent hotel Christmas dinner; hotel rooms subsidized by us for those who want to stay and play and those who should NOT be driving!]
• Stopped Matching portion of 401(k)s - Our next step was to send out another letter to each employee notifying them that we were stopping our matching portion of our 401Ks temporarily, but that employees could continue to fund their 401Ks with pre-tax dollars as usual. We will notify them when we can again start matching.
• Increased annual lay-offs - We have annual lay-offs normally (ours is a very seasonal business) so this year we have just included more staff. We are rotating staff in various departments and sending them into lay-off with a company letter stating to unemployment office that we want this person back by xx date.

4. How did you bring it up to employees? Was it crazy hard?
We notified our folks early because even though every year we say "now please don’t count on these bonuses because each year is different, these are a gift of thanks, not a promise;" we know folks count on the cash anyway (who wouldn’t, especially at Christmas!) So when we knew it was going to be a dangerously ugly year, we sat down and composed a letter to go to each person saying exactly what was happening, why we have to conserve every nickel for maybe a long time, etc etc. Then we held a company-wide meeting so we could reiterate the company’s situation. We asked for everyone’s understanding and help, right down to "turn the light off when you’re out of the room." Communication is everything!

5. Did anyone go nuts when you told them?
Well, this is the interesting part of being an owner… you hear things from managers and employees about "somebody said this or that" but they NEVER name names! Human nature being what it is, there most certainly are a very few people we’ll lose over this. There are many others who fuss and talk behind our backs (not knowing we started like most folks – with NOTHING. All they see now is this big giant business and think we’re loaded! We’re not, but the banks are!) And then there are some who make it possible for owners to get up each day and face the battle over and over. The ones who support us and say, "good call, a tough one for tough times, but a good one, we support you" and "I’d rather have my job than a bonus if that’s what it comes to."

6. Do you have any lifelines you’re holding onto in case 2009 is even worse?
A hope and a prayer! We have also secured a home equity line of credit as a last resort measure to fund the company until we’re back on track. This is nothing we like to tell employees because it scares them a little bit. While we want everyone to pitch in to get through the lean years, we don’t want to lose good people.

My husband expects Spring to be easier as gas prices are far better, the election is over, and our annual RV show starts in January. I expect a lean year because this is a recession and our fearless leaders (BOTH sides of the isles) are idiots. So… our home equity line of credit will be our last resort after some small savings we have set aside. We will negotiate heavily with our bank on flooring rates and even refinancing loans if needed.

We are both very financially conservative (sweet words for a Budget Guy?!) and we have gone to great lengths to pay off business building and equipment. We owe nothing on our huge custom paint booth, zero on our expensive Italian RV lifts in the shop, Zero on our new Clubhouse cafe we build this year. All we pay on are the initial loans for the ground which will be paid off in seven years, and now this year, the purchase price for our second location, but it pays its own way (so far).

7. Do you have any advice for those of us who have our own companies?
Stay the course, stay confident, smiling, and uplifting no matter how difficult. You MUST cut costs wherever you can. Negotiate hard with your bank; shop for a second "backup" bank just in case. Be honest and open with any employees who are afraid or worried. Answer their questions honestly and fully. (Fear of the unknown is the worst!) Those good people who understand will stay with you, those who don’t usually end up leaving anyway.

8. Do you find budgets sexy? ;)
Thanks to years of planning and BUDGETING, we grew this business from one ratty old building with a dozen people to a new, state-of-the-art facility with 80-125 employees and 1700 foot freeway frontage, 250+ RVs in stock, and the BEST STAFF on the PLANET! Yeah! Budgets are sexy!
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And there you have it, my very first big boy interview - whew! Gotta give mad thanks to my RV owners out there for taking the time to share with us, and more importantly being so open and honest :) I'd proudly work for you all anytime!

Labels: crazy economy, interview, work

Well my damn if today just keeps getting better ;) First Budgetsaresesexy gets on MSN's Smart Spending, and now our Xmas bonuses just popped outta thin air! Have i been doing extra good deeds that i'm not aware of?

I must admit it's starting to restore my confidence in our employment, that's for sure!This new info means that a) our company has money (yayy!!!!!), and b) the ol' boss appreciates all our hard work this year. If that doesn't boost company morale, i don't know what will.

How much did we all get? $1,500.00 a piece! No special considerations, no scale, no b.s. - just an equal "thank you" for every one of us :)

So what does that mean in terms of take-home pay? Well, it'll probably go a little something like this: $1,500 (original) - $750 (est. taxes) = an extra $750.00 in the pocket! You can't see me, but i'm doing the happy chicken dance right here in my chair.

And naturally i already have a plan for this money - $610 of it will go towards my Holiday Gift Budget (as previously alluded to), and then the remaining $140.00 will go towards Mrs. Budgetsaresexy's Bday presents since she's a December baby like me :) And *then* if anything survives this massive shopping extravaganza, the rest will get applied to my outstanding credit card/auto loan balance. Always gotta have a plan baby!

So THANK YOU boss-man, you have made one little boy's Xmas as merry as it can be this year! And to show my thanks, i shall now get back to doing actual work and stop stealing company time ;) God bless each and every one of you, and may this stream of good news hit you all too!

Labels: fast cash, money management, work

Yup, i was wondering when that was gonna happen... but you know what? I'd MUCH rather *know* what's going on that be in the dark the whole time - that's the worst. It doesn't even matter if the news is good or bad either, i just always have to know. (it also gets me in trouble :) )

So the GOOD news here is that so far our 401(k) is still in tact!!! I'm still a bit worried about our match going bye-bye in '09, but i guess i'll just have to wait and see on that one. I'm pretty sure the bad cuts are actually gonna happen at the start of the new year, so i guess you can think of these below ones as a practice run.

And so far we still have our free unlimited starbucks too! In fact, that's the one benefit our boss seems to make SURE we have every week...i think he knows what will happen to productivity if it goes away! haha....how sad is that? like we NEED our coffee to work. i mean, suuuuure we can buy it ourselves, but that free $3-$4 bucks every day sure gets us excited!

Okay, so on to the items that are being cut so far (in order of importance to me):

1. Our huge, over-the-top crazy a$$ holiday party! And this ain't your ordinary One my friends, we're talkin' about fancy pants dinners (think $100/person), stretch limmo, bar hopping, and our fav. to cap the night off - bottles of Crystal! haha....seriously, i sometimes wonder if we're running an underground hip-hop label or something - i love it :) or *loved* it i should say...
   
   With all due respect, we can go w/out some of these extravagances here anyways. I'd gladly lose this one night out to keep a job i love, and the rest of the benefits....plus, i'm sure my body will love me for not pulling the ol' college night out!
2. Sports tickets. We used to have a lot of tickets so we can woo clients and all, but these are steadily disappearing. We're still able to pick some up here and there, but i'm sure overtime they'll just go extinct....or at least only be used for true "business-y" events instead of semi-kinda-sorta business-like stuff ;)
3. Gym benefits. This doesn't affect me all that much - mainly because i'm a slacker and haven't worked out in a good 1.5 years - but it does suck for those hardcore workers around here :( Esp. since it hooked them up at a great gym. But, such is life....again, there's nothing wrong with us paying for this stuff ourselves, ya know?

So yeah, that's about it for now on the work front. Again, these aren't the most horrible things to deal with by any means. All i truly care about is a job, and a salary - you let me keep those, and i'll keep rockin' it out :)

How about you all? Starting to notice anything around your neck of the woods?

Labels: work

You KNOW how much i love my 401(k), would you really do this to me? We've fallen in love, and could not bear such a tragedy :( I promise to behave, really. Whatever you wish, i shall do - just name it!

What? You want me to do what? Stop blogging @ work? errr......

Haha, yes, i am all hocked up on coffee and cold medication ;) Seriously though, it's like my brain work a lot better when i'm in a total state of loopiness.....the words just flow out like butter! warm butter, that is. it's the only up-side to possibly getting sick...but i digress..

So WHY, exactly, would companies start getting rid of their 401(k) matchings? The Economy - plain and simple. Here's a clip from a recent CNNMoney article i just read:

"[In a slowing economy] it's reasonable to assume that some employers will reduce or even eliminate the 401(k) match," said Frank Boucher, of Boucher Financial Planning Services in Reston, Va.

Any well-drafted 401(k) plan allows the employer discretion to change the company's matching policy at any time, Boucher said.

It's all about weathering the storms i suppose. And I have a sinking feeling our company could be next...i don't have anything to back that up, but i'm pretty sure changes are coming in '09, and that seems to be a favorite to cut.

I know not everyone cares, or even particpates, in their retirement funds (naughty, naughty!) but when you're getting matched 100% of 100% of your contributions, it's a big deal! That $15,000 i threw in so far this year has rewarded me handsomely with an extra FREE $15,000!It's seriously insane.

All that being said, what'll happen will happen no matter what my feelings are on it. After all, if it's between firing a couple of us OR losing our generous benefits, then by all means slash away! The money is nice - okay, HOT DIGGITY nice - but my employment is better. I like it here and i don't wanna go anywhere :(

Labels: 401k, crazy economy, work

Cuz i gotta tell you - it feels AWESOME! and not because it's payday, which is nice, but you can actually see *how much* money you're earning in the purest form. It's an incredible feeling!

I usually just deposit it right away, but w/ some of the weirdness going on here at work lately, I figured better to be safe than sorry this round.

It's not that i don't trust our company, cuz i really do, but it's just annoying having to worry about your check bouncing every now and then. For once i wanted to know 100% that i have the money and it's safe and sound. Plus, i was up for the adventure ;)

So, i followed a fellow co-worker to the bank where the check was issued from (that way it clears %100 and you get cash right away), paid my $5 fee for doing so (i hate banks), and out we walked full of greenbacks!

It was the first time i clearly saw my paycheck - and i was mesmerized. I couldn't believe i brought in THAT much every 2 weeks!

We all know how much we make, but there's a HUGE difference seeing it electronically over piles of cash. A slew of feelings took me over, and it went something like this (in order):

• WOW, $1802.00 in pure cash sitting right in front of me!
• I'm so proud of myself, that's a lot of money!
• I wonder how many $50's are actually in there? (36)
• Man, imagine all of the stuff i can buy with this! (i daydream for a bit...)
• $hit, every last bit has already been budgeted for...
• I can't believe i go through ALL THIS every 2 weeks.
• How the hell do other people survive on much less?
• I REALLY need to figure out a way to keep more of this.
• How cool would it be to go 100% cash from now on and F the computer age?
• I really hate seeing this...it'll all be gone in no time.
• Damn, i hope no one jacks me on the way home!

My emotions really were all over the place, it's just so CRAZY how the mind interprets the money this way. I mean, it's still the SAME $1802.00, right? How can seeing it in actual dollars be that much different than seing the # up there on the screen?

I don't have the answers for you, but what i DO know is that it was quite majestic :) A feeling that has since come and gone, but a beautiful one all the same. I'm not sure if i'll try it again anytime soon - losing $5 each time and then carrying around all that money before re-depositing is pretty insane - but i'm willing to bet i'd find ways to keep more of that cash around!

Have any of you tried this? Or maybe get paid this way in your line of work ;) bow chicka, wha wha!

Labels: cash, paychecks, work

I LOVE my job, don't get me wrong, but every now and then i have to sit down and remember all of the reasons WHY i work where i do.

And these days, it's more the "now" part, than the "then" ;) After a while we all start forgetting the perks of the office, and start focusing on the annoyances here and there. But the second you're out of a job, allllllll those niceties you took for granted start flooding your brain!

So, today, i'm going to list every single positive thing i can think of @ my company. Some of the stuff might come out as bragging - but i swear to you it's not the reason for all this. The point of it all is to keep me grounded and have a list that i can reflect upon the second i think of spouting my "F You's" to everyone circa Half Baked! haha....remember that? "F you, F you, you're cool, and fuck you, I'm out!" That's brilliant.

Of course, no one in their right mind would ever go down such a path, but this list will certainly make sure of that :) So here it is - All of the things (in no particular order) that get me up in the morning and excited for work:

• The paycheck: $75,000. a HUGE incentive.
• The bonuses: $2,000 per quarter (although currently frozen)
• The dresscode: Dress as you wish, as long as it's not offensive. Some wear business casual, while others (cough cough..me) show up in jeans and a t-shirt every day...w/ a little bling hear and there.
• The atmosphere: A bit like google in that we work hard, and play even harder!
• The coffee: Free unlimited starbucks on the house.
• The fridge: Always stocked with drinks, yogurts, snacks, and BEER! mmm.....
• The 401k: 100% matching, up to the legal amount. So if you put in say $10k this year, our company will match that $10k this year - fully vested! This is one of my all-time favorite perks.
• The work itself: Absolutely fantastic. My position fluctuates depending on the projects at hand, but i'd say it's broken down into 3 specific areas: Managing customer service, Projects, and Graphic Design. All of which i enjoy doing 100%....even, and especially, the customer service part. it seems insane, but being an advocate for the consumer is very rewarding!
• The people: Fairly young - half in their twenties, and the other half in their thirties.
• The health insurance: Excellent, as far as i've used it! (we'll see what happens after the gallbladder fiasco though) 100% fully covered by our company for now. It'll probably raise this next year, but nothing too substantial.
• The communication: Everyone's doors are open for talks - literally, we all keep them open :) that's not to say that ideas, advice, etc will be accepted all the time, but at least you're heard no matter your rank.
• The downtime: Changes on a day to day basis, but let's just say there's enough time to check your email, facebook, myspace, blogs, etc.

I think that's pretty much it. There are a few other things here and there that are freakin' rad as hell, but i'm afraid they're to specific to mention...in fact, i probably said too much already. It's all good though, better for someone to call me out on positive stuff than negative, eh? Oooooh, that would actually be an excellent part II post - "The reasons why my job SUCKS post!" haha.... maybe when i'm long gone.

I have to say, i'm feeling better already! I'm telling you, writing all of this stuff down REALLY gets your mind right, you should really try it. Start by leaving a comment with your own favorite perk or two on here :) It'll be one happy a$$ list of good stuff to read. Gotta love that!

Labels: life, work

I seriously just don't get how people can treat other people so horribly?!

What is wrong w/ this world? I'm sorry to say, but this is probably not gonna be the happiest of posts today - just keeping things honest up in here ;)

It's not accurate if i only post all the happy happy,joy joy stuff right? This is life, and it's crazy sometimes...i'm also selfishly hoping to feel better when i finish here.

Order #1 on the docket - That d-bag of a photographer wrote back after 4 weeks with another sob story and demanding us to stop contacting him as his life sucks. He said he'll send the Proofs (no raw images, prints, nothing - just the proofs) by end of December. Are you on crack, son? I'll agree with him that he sucks @ life, but sorry buddy, i've lost all patience and respect for you. You do not have the right to ask for a thing anymore.

I left him the following note on facebook (his preferred method apparently), email, voicemail, and text:

"D-head (edited),

Our condolences for your losses. December is not going to work. We will give you until next Friday, November 14th, to simply mail us the RAW images and you will not be bothered again. If we do not receive these RAW images by Friday, November 14th, we will see you in court. Apparently filing a BBB complaint was not enough.

Mr. and Mrs. Rockstar (edited)"

Needless to say, i've basically lost my $hit now w/ this turdbucket. But fingers crossed.

****************
*UPDATE: Got the following back within 30 mins (pretty good for someone who has no access to any communication, huh? "As stated. I will not be able to make that deadline." I basically told him that if he does not meet the deadline, the court will decide further action. HAH! F'er.
****************

Order #2 on the docket: My paycheck just bounced, and i am not scared this economy has finally affected us. There's a whole back story here, but unfortunately i cannot risk saying anything more for fear of blowing my anonymous cover. That, and i actually LOVE my job despite all of this - so i'd rather not depart prematurely. Still aggravating as hell. UPDATE: Will be getting a wire transfer within 24 hours...crisis averted.

Order #3 on the docket: The Mrs. is sick :( Made 3-4 trips to dr's, hospitals, you name it. We're going on 3 days now, and no diagnosis has been found - which is both good and bad really. This has nothing to do with personal finance, unless i talk about how i saved $18 remembering to bring my insurance card this time for the drugs!, but it still upsets me :( this is a rant on life moreso than against a particular person. UPDATE: Wifey still sick, seeing doctor in one hour! UPDATE #2: Wifey went back into E.R., and is now staying over night! yikesy mama - prob. have to take her gallbladder out, but we'll know more in the mornin'. time to go join her and have a "fun" sleep!

Okay, that is all. I'm not feeling 100% better now, but it def. helped! Thanks for listening, and PLEASE please PLEASE holler back with some happy stuff if you've got anything. Some of you have to be having a blessed day, right?!

Labels: crazy economy, rant, wedding, work

Yup, it's offical! They are frozen for a "while". I can't say it's all too surprising though - the last one we've received was back in February! haha....I'm just hoping it'll pick up as the economy does, but who really knows.

While i'd like to bitch and moan about it, i really can't without coming off as a spoiled employee ;) I've been getting a free $2,000 every 3 months which sure ain't part of the job, ya know? Now, if i were in sales that would be one thing, but we're a small start up and it's more about sharing ownership in the company than direct performance.

Still, it's what....$8k a year that i was sorta-kinda-but-not-really counting on ;) Luckily it's not part of my budget at all, which is something my dad once taught me growing up - they're called a "bonus" for a reason. It will, however, delay a few yearly goals:

1. It Decreases the odds of hitting my $100k Net Worth goal.
   Not that the market hasn't killed this already, right? Unfortunately these are all things outside of my control, so while my goals may not get met, at least i can't blam myself or any of it ;) Guess it's just the way life works out sometimes.
2. It Decreases Kills the odds of topping off my Emergency Fund.
   I still have a good $4,000 in it, partially filled from the 1 bonus we did get this year + the stimulus check, but i was hoping to max it out this year with another $1,200 directly from the other bonus'...oops.
3. It Decreases Kills the odds of paying off the credit card by end of year.
   This was more of a new goal for myself when i slapped my car purchase on it, but i guess it'll have to be done the old fashioned way - paying $400 steady each month (the same amt. as my old SUV payment).
4. It Knocks my millionaire plan off by a bit.
   I planned on investing/saving all the rest after tidying up the above 2 goals. i'll have to recalculate this if the freeze goes to "frozen 4 ever" mode.

Oh how i shall miss you, Bonus! It just goes to show that you can't ever count on anything these days, no matter how stable your job may be. That, and being financially responsible is always in your best interest!

There's talk that they will resume during Xmas time, and possibly with even retro-pay, but i'm not counting on it...that's like my Redskins winning the Superbowl ;)

Labels: crazy economy, goals, work

If not, an even $200k certainly would do it. What about for you? I have to give a big shout out to Living Almost Large as she posted something similar the other day and it really got me thinking.

She adds a huge political twist on it, but i'd totally recommend it if you find this topic interesting - at least for the pretty passionate comments being thrown around on it! (you say one thing about Obama or McCain that someone doesn't like and they are allllllll over it..haha)

But what type of salary or other income would it take for YOU to feel "rich"? Have you ever thought about it? I have the tendency to consider one's net worth to determine that, so it was pretty cool to think a bit differently here. I think for me, I'd have to bring home somewhere in the $150-$200k range if i really didn't wanna have to worry about money again.

But to be honest, i really don't think a set salary determines whether you're wealthy or not. It's HOW you spend it, or not spend it, that's the determining factor.

There are plenty of people blowing through $200k-$300k a year on their lavish lifestyles, yet barely saving a few pennies. I wouldn't consider them rich, even though they may look it (The Millionaire Next Door anyone?). At the same time, there are a select few making $500k+ and saving 90% of it while living comfortably and in peaceful bliss. Your salary/other income definitely plays a big role, but you have to account for where it goes to.

Then we have those crazy frugal bastards (meant in the most loving and sincere way possible) who make $60k and invest 20-30% into their already heavily fortified nest egg! So while they may not be rich at the present time, I guarantee they'll make it faster than those a lot of those non-saving fools making twice that.

As LAL also mentioned, $250k will go a lot farther in places like Smallville, USA than New York City or LA. So that has to be considered as well. I can tell you that splitting a bachelor pad in NYC with 5 people cost me more way more than my old abode in Fairfax, VA which i only split with one person. The nightlife was totally different, but so was the fatness of my wallet ;)

Does all of this really matter though? not really....unless someone's about to pay us our "ideal" amount anytime soon, you can go ahead and file it away in your "good to have on hand, just in case" folder. And I'm still gonna have to base my views on the rich depending on what their net worth is since it shows whether someone's saving/investing or just spending it all away.

Definitely leave a comment with your magic # though, as ya never know who'll be reading it! Plus i hear that if you concentrate on it long enough, you can force it to happen circa "The Secret" kinda stuff. But you can think what you want ;)

Labels: net worth, work

I am also a liar. It tasted just the same, except this time my wallet hurt. For the first time in a long while, i actually paid for it with my own dollars today! Imagine that ;) It sounds silly, but it really sucked.

As many of you know, our company is pretty bad a$$ and pays for our addictions through a refillable Starbucks gift card that we can all use FOR FREE! (to help boost productivity and company morale...and it works!)

So every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we all get our specialty drinks on the company's dime. Not a bad perk, right?!

Well today's card was out of dollars, and so it was either wait for it be filled up, or continue along with our daily routine....i chose the latter, and am now $4 bucks lighter. And the suckiest part? Those f'ers didn't hook me up with those sexy discounts like they usually do!!! Sure i used a credit card instead of a gift card to pay, but still - they know me pretty freakin' well over there...but i digress.

All I can tell you is that shelling out my own hard earned money REALLY gets you to stop and think about a few things. Like the first being, Damn we're f'ing lucky! How on earth did we, or I should really say I, convince our CEO to allow this? All i know is, time to stop complaining about things like bounced pay checks...unless it becomes a habit ;) Paying for this addiction myself gives me a better appreciation of this perk.

And secondly, Damn Starbucks is expensive! haha...I could have sworn i used to pay like $2 bucks for it back in the day. Although, i have started getting a latte instead of just straight coffee w/ hazelnut syrup in it. $4 bucks though??? W-O-W, they are good.

So yeah, today's experience was a pretty good eye opener of a place where I could easily blow a good $100/month without even realizing it. Now if only i could convince my boss to start treating for lunch every day ;) Holler.

(For more info on the discounts and savings over at Starbucks, check out my declared love for them)

Labels: randomness 3000, starbucks, work

Seriously, sometimes you have to just step up to the plate and ask for what you want. It might not be easy, but the only person looking out for #1, is you.

Want that raise you've been working hard for? Want that date with the chick you've been stalking eyeing lately? Ask for it! No one else will for you.

Personally, i had been waiting for some missing 401k deposits to hit my account. My patience was growing ten-fold, but my sanity wasn't going to last any longer. It really isn't easy for me to have money floating out there in "la la land", and i wanted it to finally come home where it belongs.

I wish i could explain all the twists and turns over the past year regarding it, but it's way too complicated this early in the morning. Plus, i really don't want to bore you to death ;) Let's just say it had been going on for way too long, and something needed to finally be done about it.

That's what today's post is about - asking your way to the solution.

When things go wrong, it's easy to point fingers. But flashing them everywhere seldom gets you answers, so let the other's flash! If the issue affects you, then what you need to do is find a way to get what you want. This usually takes a lot of questioning.

So, when i first realized these 401k deposits went missing, I started throwing questions (not fingers). I talked with a few co-workers first, then the 401k firm, and then HR. All of whom answered my questions, but didn't resolve the issue at hand - plopping my money into my account.

A few months went by (i just thought they'd "magically" appear after a while), but still nothing. At this point i realized that either:

a) I'm out my money, or
b) I have to bring it to the master of the domain - my CEO.

I ran with b), which isn't an easy thing mind you. We get handsomely rewarded here, like WAYYY more than others in our industry, and i'd continue to work here regardless of getting that money back (aka I love it here). So when you're basically telling the head honcho that he "owes you money", you gotta be careful, especially if you're lower management. But i HAD to ask - we're talking about $4,000 here.

And asked I did. I set up a quick meeting, explained the situaton in detail, and showed him the respective statements. And can you guess what happened? He gave me the money!!!

Well, not yet actually, but very very soon. The point is, i got what i asked for cuz i ASKED for it. Sure it was already owed to me, and was legally enforcable anyways, but had i not asked I'd still be stewing here in my seat wondering where the hell it's been all my life. and that's no fun for anyone.

Truth be told, my CEO hadn't even realized they were missing, so it was a problem that could have been resolved months ago! Lesson learned. I'll throw that little nugget in my pocket for later ;)

Labels: 401k, advice, retirement, speaking up, work

********************************************************************************************************************
Guest Post: M from My Money Adventure. M has been a frequent commenter here at Budgets are Sexy, and is still going strong after launching his blog only a couple months ago (congrats!). Here is part 2 of his original "My Side Income Story". Enjoy!
********************************************************************************************************************
As I mentioned earlier, I've been reaching out to my readers for tips on how to generate side income, as my current employer does not allow me to work on patents that aren't part of the firm. This got me thinking, but let me lay out some background information:

1. I have to meet a yearly quota of money billed, i.e. x amount of dollars per year billed to the client.
2. How I meet that quota is up to me, as in how efficient I work, i.e. if I work more efficient, the less time I have to actually work.
3. Any money billed past the quota starts generating bonuses for myself.

So that brings me to the question: Where should I draw the line between work and personal time?

Sure I could keep working longer hours to get past my quota to get into the "bonus territory", but how do I figure out when too much time spent on work starts effecting my personal life? It seems that the amount of bonuses I can earn is infinite, as I can always keep working and getting extra money, but where do I stop at?

This question can apply to any person as any person can always pick up a second job to make more money. But how do they determine when they have crossed that line? When there debt is paid off? When they save x amount of dollars per month? x amount of dollars saved overall? A certain net worth is obtained?

Readers, how do you determine that "line"?

********************************************************************************************************************
Yours truly is honeymooning in the Caribbean and wishes you a very sexy day.

Labels: guest post, work

UPDATE: just uploaded some pics!

Whew, i'm back in action and now ready to dish the dirt :) Would you like to know a few secrets from the Vegas adventure? (If not, click here for a not-so-randomly generated older post to keep you busy instead)

I thought about just giving you a rough idea of the trip, but since Vegas is all about money, as well as this blog, I decided to share it all. While I have my reservations, like someone at work finding out, or coming across as a bragger :(, i also want to remain 100% honest w/ my postings and financials. Not only that, but it also opened up my eyes t0 a high-end lifestyle that DOES exist out there. So, although i personally wouldn't consider/promote it, it def. makes for good discussion.

With that said, here are the events posted line by line (as to not ramble). Keep in mind most of this was comped by our hotel, and then the rest by our company. (I love you boss-man! not that he knows this is my site, and who "my" refers too, but still, credit is due). Also, I left out all the work-stuff...no one wants to hear about that.

So here we go, in order of events:
- FIRST CLASS flight roundtrip! lots of legroom and feel-goodness. (est. cost = $1,700)
- Picked up by limo @ airport :) the BEST part was the guy holding a sign w/ my name on it when i arrived! haha... so bad a$$ (est. cost = $100)
- Handed a packet of money. this was to cover all food, transportation, drinks, and more importantly....gambling! haha...i sure didn't see THAT one coming. ($600)
- Hotel for 2 nights - very sexy & comfy. i'd guestimate it at around $300/night
- Concierge breakfast(s) - eggs, bacon, the works! $35 a piece
- Partied at Rain Nightclub - couple hours here, so-so.
- Partied at the Kingpin Suite at the Palms - awesomest part of the trip - personal bowling lanes, a bar, AND a pool table all in your very own suite! how sick is that?
- VIP table @ the Playboy Club! Crystal champagne, music, and overall great vibe. est. cost =$6,000
- Cabana by the pool! was perfect for what we needed (NEEDED? i was already getting sucked in!), our own section to sweat off the alcohol and get some sun. tack on another $600.
- Fancy pants dinner - 1st time trying Kobe beef. crazy diff. than normal steak as it literally melts in your mouth! weird, but cool to try out for a 1 time thing :) that ran $400 a plate.

I think that's pretty much it. What a trip, right? I'm not one to splurge (at all) on this sort of thing, so i must admit it was very VERY strange keeping this up for the few days while there.

It was actually pretty crazy... at the end i caught myself using my money extremely loose! i bought a few souvenirs for $70 w/out even THINKING of it, and then was tipping people like mad. no wonder Vegas leaves many a men crying when they go home....all the lights, drinks, clubs, they're all set up to squeeze the money out of you.

Oops, almost forgot about the gambling. Here's how that played out:
- Blackjack: Down $20 at the end.
- Texas Hold 'em: Walked away up $5
- Pai Gow Poker: Down $75.
- Texas Hold 'em casino table: Up $60!
- Slot machines: Down $14.50
- Total damage: - $44.50ish

So there you have it kiddies, my Vegas trip all wrapped up in a nice post. This will be good for me to remember later, as my gold fish mind tends to forget the details. All in all, the trip cost about $10,000 for ME alone!!! Some of the things included others like the VIP table and the Cabana, but you get the idea. 100% C-R-A-Z-I-N-E-S-S, and surely not expected.

Now, interestingly enough, i'm off to Atlantic City for a night out with the boys! (we had planned this weeks before my knowledge of the work trip) I can guarantee that the only thing that will be on par with the above is the "down $44.50" part. haha...

Labels: travel, work

That's right kiddies, the work is sending me to the City of Spending ;) And not only that, but word on the street is that we'll be treated like rock stars when we're there! it's along story, but basically my boss got mistaken for a big roller a cple years back, and has since proved it to be true. haha... works for me!

But while i'm as excited as a little boy on Christmas, i'm also nervous as hell! There's a number of reasons for this, but the budgety ones are topping the list for sure. Here's a list of things for me NOT to do while gone. Since i can't write them on my hand like i'd normally do, you better believe i'm printing this out and keeping it on me 24/7:

1) Not to forget how sexy budgets are!
2) Not to forget to pack Mr. Frugal in my suitcase.
3) Not to spend over $200.*
4) Not to forget i'm actually NOT a rock star ;) ....sadly.
5) And most importantly, not to get wasted and make a fool of myself w/ colleagues!

I'm sure there are a billion other items not to forget, but as long as i follow the above i should make it out w/ my money (and my job) still in tact. And to be even MORE on top of the game, i'm gonna bring my own book/magazines from home as to not waste so much on airport prices. I just picked up a copy of "The Automatic Millionaire" after hearing so much about it, so that should keep me in the frugal spirit!

All i know is, i gotta get my game face on and do my best to fit in as a Frugal'er in a high roller's suit. It's sure gonna be hard, but you know what? I can do this. As long as i don't get dropped off at a Texas Hold'em table all night, i'll be fine. (poker's my one weak spot, i can't help it!!!)

As you can imagine, i won't be able to spend a huge amount of time posting and reading all my fav. pf blogs, BUT you know i'll do my best to post at least once a day :) I can't leave everyone hanging, right? I'm thinking I'll write a little this afternoon, and then post them over the next cple days. Of course, if i have my own internet access in the hotel, i might even be able to share a little directly from Vegas! Perhaps some pictures and stories meant to "stay in Vegas"? haha...we shall see.

Before i go now, i want to give some last shout outs to those i will be sure to miss this week. The first, of course, is Mrs Budgetsaresexy! She's my partner in crime, and i will miss her dearly. The rest is my online family! Without all you personal finance bloggers and readers, i might just find myself crying and broke on the plane ride home :)

So with that, i bid you all adieu. May your net worth increase, and your hearts be happy!

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*This is my max amount i'm allowing myself to blow from gambling, souvenirs, etc. LUCKILY all housing/food expenditures will be taken care of by work.

Labels: travel, work

As i'm sure i've mentioned before, i have a pretty unique workplace. Not only is the work itself freakin' awesome, but our benefits are simply incredible. One of the *best* ones are what i like to call the "good mood bonus!"

Good Mood Bonus: (n.) A sizable chunk of money your boss hands out to each and everyone at the company when he's in a helluva good mood! Bonus not to reflect profits, project completion, nor work performance... simply random.

How BAD A$$ is that? I was given a cool $1k for just "being" :) This isn't the first time my widened eyes have seen this, but it IS the first time i've sensed the evil lurking of Uncle Sam around so quickly. It's funny how every time i get my hands on some dollah dollah bills, that good for nothing beast snatches a handful of it before my very own eyes. I honestly believe the gov't enjoys being Debbie Downer. He's like our money shadow...wherever your money goes, he goes!

Although i'm not exactly sure how our accounting handles these extra "lump sums" of money, i am fairly certain they treat them as simply that. Extra "lump sums" on top of our regularly salary. Instead of the $3125 (gross) bi-weekly check i'd normally get, it magically turns into $4125 (gross) for that paycheck only; the next check turns back to $3125. So although this extra $ is still taxed, i'm thinking it's taxed as "salary money" instead of "bonus money"? At least that's how it was sorta-kinda explained to me by a senior here.

At any rate, that evil uncle took out a chunk of my $1k, and spit the rest back at me. I'm not totally complaining here, don't get me wrong. FREE money is FREE money, no matter how you slice it up. I just find the whole experience a bit interesting when it comes to the tax side of things ;)

So, out of the original $1k, how much do you think i got back from it after all taxes, ss, 401k withdrawals, etc? A chunkity chunk of $467.47! haha...all i have to say is, MAN that guy is good.

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i forgot to mention what i'll be doing w/ this extra money: straiiiiiiiiiiight into my Emergency Fund!

Labels: paychecks, taxes, work

I was checking out Cal Girl Finance yesterday and really enjoyed it. She brings up an awesome topic on salary and the taboo on sharing it with others. I commented that i'm pretty much okay w/ talking about it w/ family, and even a best friend or so, but that's about it. Then the more i thought about it, the more i wanted to say!

First off, there's absolutely no way i'm sharing it w/ co-workers, nor do i even WANT to know theirs. The last thing i need is to get a little jealous, over-confident, or just straight up confused :) There's a reason it's kept super duty quiet i the work place.

The same thing goes w/ friends in my book (although not for BEST friends). I don't believe someone should be looked up or down upon based on their salary alone. I've made the mistake of sharing this twice.

Once when i was bringing in pennies and literally got laughed at, not to mention sarcastically asked how i survive. And the second when i brought in more than a friend, and was openly talking about salaries in the DC area w/ him. It wasn't bad at first, but after a few weeks, and even to this day, i get ridiculed whenever i don't wanna go out partying or to a sports event so i can save money. According to him, "i make plenty enough and shouldnt' even think about it". That was the last time i decided to share...

Until today :) Since this IS a personal finance blog and we're all pretty much anonymous here, i say it's time to unload and set ourselves free! So, without further adieu, here are my juicy details:
I have a base salary of $75k + quarterly bonus' of about 2k a piece, bringing the current total to roughly $83k.

Get this though, i am nowhere CLOSE to being the only one jumping on this openness train! Cal Girl linked to a post where over 240 commenters have givin' up theirs as well!!! Seriously, you HAVE to check it out. An absolutely great post from My Open Wallet.

It's just so crazy! You get this crazy mixture of intimacy, gossip, and taboo-ness (is that a word?) all mixed in one. I mean, we are in the personal finance genre here, but still ... it's all just so oddly alluring.

Labels: randomness 3000, work