Budgets are Sexy

When Stock Prices Crash, Where Does the Money Go?

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:45:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Rob Bennett

It's a question you always hear after a stock crash. It's usually asked in apologetic tones, as if it were a dumb question. It's not. It's a question that most of the big-name experts don't fully grasp the answer to. Understand this one and you go to the head of class in Investing School.

When stock prices crash, where does the money go? It goes "Poof!"

That's the truth. People think of stock investing as a serious business played by serious people. So they assume that there must be a complicated answer to this question. There must be some mysterious process by which the trillions of dollars of wealth that are lost in a stock crash disappear.

Nope. We can bid stock prices up to any level we want. We can all vote ourselves raises if we like. The only penalty is that, when we bid them up too high, they must crash back down in the following years. What is made from nothing must eventually return to nothing. It always happens that way. It always will happen that way. Now you know.

The strategy takeaway? Don't invest too heavily in stocks when prices are high. Someone has to pay the bill for those times when we bid prices up too high. It doesn't have to be you.

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Rob Bennett is author of the A Rich Life blog and recently wrote a Google Knol entitled "Why Buy-and-Hold Investing Can Never Work." (J: I don't necessarily agree or disagree with "buy and hold," (although I usually hold way more than sell) but I do find this topic interesting.)

Whatcha Know About ING & Their Sub-Accounts?

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:48:00 +0000

How many of you guys use ING? I have an account myself, but I still have yet to play with their sub-accounts.They sound freakin' awesome though! I kinda remember hearing about them before I started blogging (and if you google it all your favorite bloggers show up at the top), but the idea that you can save in "categories" like that is brilliant. And I'm not getting paid to say that ;)

I truly think other banks should perk up and steal this cuz it's budgeting genius (ya hear that, USAA?). I would absolutely love to have different sub-accounts set up to stash all my funds in - I just don't use ING for the bulk of my savings.

But it seems so many of you guys do! Here's just one of a handful of comments left on my $200 cash giveaway post last week (which, btw, is still open so go and enter if you haven't already!!!):

"One of the main things that has helped my family is to open an ING account and create 4 different accounts for separate things. Right now I have 1) Christmas 2010, 2) Paying our Taxes 2010, 3) Paying back a family member, and 4) Our Fun Money account for a Disney vacation

I love that "Christmas 2010" fund :) It's so smart to save in chunks like this so you can a) save a little every month over time, and b) SEE that grand prize at the end! When it all mixes up and goes into one "pot," it's a lot harder to mentally figure out what goes where. We still do it because that's what we're used to (including myself), but if you have the option to create these sub-accounts you should def. give it a shot. Here are a few referral links if you ever wanna open one up:

~~Referral #1 - ING Orange Savings Account - $25 bonus for you, $20 for me.~~
Referral #2 - ING Orange Savings Account - $25 bonus for you, $20 for me.
Referral #3 - ING Orange Savings Account - $25 bonus for you, $20 for me.
Referral #4 - ING Orange Savings Account - $25 bonus for you, $20 for me.
Referral #5 - ING Orange Savings Account - $25 bonus for you, $20 for me.

Do NOT think you have to get one though just for the bonus. If you're happy with your current bank GREAT! Stick with 'em :) I only share these for those who want a change or have been lazy setting one up. Happy Savings!

The 20 Best Money Websites

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:06:00 +0000

Money Mag recently came out with their list of best money websites, so I thought I'd share 'em around and see what you all think. Along with my own two pennies, of course.

You would have thought that after 2 months of heavy research they'd have at least mentioned the all-time BEST site in it though (BudgetsAreSexy - duh!) but I suppose they must have overlooked it ;) Whatever, I'll continue reading your silly little financial mag...you've already got me hooked!

The 20 Best Money Websites:

Basic.esplanner.com - If you're wondering if you need to save more for retirement. (?)
Morningstar.com - If you're wondering if you have the right mix of investments. (popular one)
Portfoliomonkey.com - If you're wondering if your portfolio is too risky. Love the name :)
Finance.Google.com - If you're looking to find your next stock pick. Google is everywhere!
Nerdwallet.com - If you're wondering if it's time to dump your rewards card. What a site name! I'd visit just based on that...who isn't a nerd reading this right now?
Mint.com - If you're wondering how to cut spending and save more. Mad respect for the Mint team! They have one of the best budgeting platforms around...and noticed I said "platforms" here. We all know who has the best budgeting spreadsheets ;))
Credit.com - If you're wondering how good your credit is. They're also one of my sponsors :)
Billshrink.com - If you're looking for a better-paying savings account. Another place I've partnered up with before! Those guys are rrazy funny too - check out their blog --> Shrinkage Is Good
Neighborhoodscout.com - If you're wondering which neighborhood you should live in. (Sounds kinda creepy to me... like someone's peeking through your windows or someting! haha...)
Trulia.com - If you're looking for sellers ready to deal. Have heard great things about this site.
Diyornot.com - If you're wondering if you should hire a contractor or not. If your name is J. Money, then YES. Always.
Vitals.com - If you're looking for the best doctors in your network (I think I'm too lazy for this)
Healthgrades.com - If you're wondering which hospital you should go to. Or if you're a guy - the closest one ;)
Linkedin.com - If you're looking to find your next job. Also: Twitter, Facebook, Craigslist, blogs.
iTunes U - If you're wondering how to keep your skills sharp. As in, iTunes, iTunes.
Truecar.com - If you're wondering what the best price you can get on a car. (What about KBB?)
Pricegrabber.com - If you're looking for the best price on electronics. And I agree. Definitely NOT Best Buy, although it still doesn't stop me from walking in there ;)
Coupons.com - If you're wondering how to pay less for everyday stuff. (It seems that the best places also have the best (and most generic) site names too, eh?)
Kayak.com - If you're wondering how you can save on your flight. Which is funny considering what would happen if you actually tried to fly in one!
Charitynavigator.org - If you're wondering if you should give to a specific charity. I agree with this one 100%! GREAT site that I'm glad is around to ward off all those hacks.

They also listed their 4 favorite iPhone apps:

ATM HUNTER - For finding the nearest ATM that won't cost an arm and a leg.
REALTOR.COM - For finding out how much houses go for. (I use this every other day!)
REDLASER - If you're wondering if that price you're looking at in the store is a good deal. (Just downloaded after reading! Haven't tried it out yet, but I'm excited to.)
IXPENSEIT - If you need to hold on to your receipts but you always lose them.

What do you guys think? They leave any great sites or apps out? It'll be interesting to see what pops up on their list next time. So many awesome and creative sites show up every year - it's so cool we're a part of this online information age!

Credit Card Changes Are in Effect, Baby!

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:26:00 +0000

Just got our "house" credit card bill this morning, and noticed a VERY sexy box full of information on there ;) Which is funny considering we now have some credit card debt as I mentioned last week (I blame you Europe).

I'm not sure how many of you were reading this blog last year, but I had gushed all about these new c/c rules and got slammed pretty hard for it. There may be one or two that I'm not *as* excited about as I was initially (the over 21 rule specifically), but for the most part I stick by my HELL YEAH! attitude :) Of course we're gonna get slapped with nasty late fees/returned checks/etc if we don't pay attention, but you can't deny this sweet picture I'm about to show you! HOW COULD THIS BE BAD???:

(A snapshot of my actual credit card statement from USAA, minus the awesome doodles)

I mean come on, look at those sexy statistics! You think people are going to just overlook that and not think twice? Maybe the first few months, but overtime it will sink in and at LEAST shave off 5%+ their spending (I'm making that up, but I bet some economist will prove it!). I have absolutely no problem with these new additions here and I REALLY REALLY hope this gets people to wake the F up.

Shopping is fun & exhilarating, I get that - but guess what, so is financial freedom. I stick with you, dear credit card changes. Let's rock this together.

Smiles Are Free.

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:08:00 +0000

I don't know if McDonald's does this anymore, but they used to have these signs on their drive-thrus that said "Smiles Are Free." I always liked that. Especially as a troublemaker trying to force the employees to give them to us ;)

I was reminded of this because my sister just sent our family one of the sweetest, and most wonderful, emails I've ever seen! She wants all of us to mail her pictures of us smiling, and then she'll be converting them into mini-paintings to give to our dear grandmother :) She hasn't been doing so hot in her hospital/living quarters recently, and the idea is to mail her one smile a day until she's recouped! Doesn't that just want to make you cry?

As sappy as it sounds, it reminds me of just how little money can affect happiness at times. Having a lot gives us options, of course, and I'll continue pimping it out forever, but when you're 80 and alone and not feeling that well, all the benjamins in the world aren't gonna do it for ya. You can't buy friends or family members! (at least not the good kind ;)) And this is something I personally need to remember more. I get so caught up in my own stuff that I tend to forget about what's truly important in life - you human beings!

So today, I leave you with one big *smile*, right from the heart. It goes out to each and every one of you, and it's priceless. You can't buy THESE off the internet, baby!

// end sappiness

Weekly Roundup: John Stewart, Scarlett Johansson & Clarks

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:02:00 +0000

Giving away $100 in cash in today's newsletter :) This is in addition to yesterday's giveaway here on the blog too! Sign up, and then thank Prosper for hooking us up like that...

Favorite articles (and carnivals) from the week:

March Money Madness Round 2 - J battles it out! @ Free Money Finance - My $100 Lottery post made it to round 2 ;) If you liked it & wanna vote, click & drop "Lottery" in the comments.
Jon Stewart sums up everything that is wrong with America in under 4 mins (video) @ Gawker
The curse of making too much money and not pursuing your dreams @ Financial Samurai
"I Had $14,000 in Credit Card Debt. I Paid Off 6K. Now What Do I Do!?" @ Lemon Drop
Scarlett Johansson's home for sale at $2mil loss @ Consumerism Commentary
The Clarks, An American story of wealth, scandal and mystery @ MSN
Empty Spaces (and Moving Past Loneliness) @ Life After College
Best of Money Carnival @ Budget Pulse
Festival of Frugality @ Miss Thrifty
International Personal Finance Carnival #1 @ PT Money - Yours truly represents the U.S ;)

How are you currently saving money? (comment to win $200!)

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:52:00 +0000

Today, Prosper & Budgets Are Sexy team up and celebrate the season of Lent! (Didn't see that coming, did ya?). If you've ever heard of "peer-to-peer lending" before, you're probably already aware of Prosper.com - one of the biggies in the industry. The site's based on the premise that consumers should be able to help each other financially by borrowing & lending from one another, instead of through banks. Some people lend money out, and some pick money up! Pretty cool concept really, except for that fact I can't participate cuz I live in Maryland! Boooo...

So yeah, back to Lent. As a Catholic, I give something up every year for 40 days until Easter hits. Sometimes I give up Soda, sometimes complaining (and I charge myself a dollar per complaint!), and most recently SHOPPING! You could probably guess which is more financially rewarding ;) I reckon I've saved at *least* $300 a month since I first gave this up 2 years ago, and it's been awesome ever since (I still shop btw, just not every single weekend like I used to! I'm much better with my habits now).

But enough about Prosper and I, we want to hear from you! How do YOU currently saving money? Share with us and be entered to win a $200 check!!! Here's what to do:

Drop a comment letting us know what you're currently doing to save money, AND how much you'll have saved up by Easter! (even if you don't celebrate Lent)
Then, leave me a way to contact you (email, twitter, blog, etc)

That's it! We'll leave this up for a week, and one lucky bastard will be rewarded with $200. It doesn't get much better than that my frugal friends. Be extra nice to Random.org this week, okay? ;) Mad thanks again to Prosper for hookin' us up! NOW START COMMENTING.

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PS: And if you want *another* chance to win, be sure to sign up to my V.I.P. Newsletter! We'll be giving out a separate $100 check on top of this one come Friday!
PPS: How cool is it that people give us money to give away?
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*UPDATE* Make SURE to leave your contact info! You can go anonymous all you'd like, but if I can't tell you that you've won you're going to be mad at me ;)
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*UPDATE 2* Blogger is only showing 200-something comments, but I AM getting them all! So don't worry if it doesn't show up here, you're still on the list :) Picking winner tonight (Thursday, 3-11)

Top 6 Mindless Money Wasters

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:55:00 +0000

Do you want to guess what these money wasters are before reading? You probably fall for at least half of them, I know I do :) Found these over at Free Money Finance, who found them over at Yahoo, and couldn't help but chime in here. Y'all know I love this stuff.

Someone's list of the Top 6 Mindless Money Wasters:

Convenience Stores - I am a SUCKER for these. I don't know what it is about 7-Elevens and gas stations, but I cannot go in there and avoid spending money! It's like they rounded up the best of the goodies and put them all in one spot - Slurpees, beef jerkies, coffees, lottos - LOVE! Very hard to resist (which is why you should avoid 'em like the H1N1 (remember that?)).
Cell Phone Plans - Got me again! Damn iPhone and its damn convenience ;) But as I've mentioned before, the extra $30-$40/mo is totally worth it to me. Don't wanna cut this out.
Soft Drinks - Success! I've been doing pretty well in this category ever since giving it up for Lent 3 years ago. Only drink it on the weekends, and we get a super-duper pack from the grocery store whenever they go on sale - it lasts months now.
Unnecessary Bank Fees - Oh hell no. I don't do bank fees very well...not to say I never mess up, cuz I do!, but just that I have no qualms calling up good ol' USAA and getting it worked out ;) When you have a decent record you can get away with a bit more.
Magazines - Hmm....yeah, I probably pay my fair share here. I'm signed up to 5 that cost around $75 a year (Money, Kiplingers, Smart Money, Fortune, and This Old House). Well worth it for the information, and keen on my eyes during daily work commutes.
Annual Credit Card Fees - Neverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I don't see the point in these unless you run some company that saves you a lot more in return (although that Black Card is pretty sexy).

So yeah, nothing too shocking with these money wasters, but it's always cool to check in and see if there's room for improvement. Or rather, if you DESIRE to make any improvements I should say ;) How do you guys fare with these?

Net Worth Update - February: Someone's got c/c debt!

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:22:00 +0000

Yup, for the first time in two years we've got credit card debt again.

But as you can probably guess, there is a reason for such silliness - I finally booked EUROTRIP! And I didn't want to dip into our cash savings ;)

Financially it's not that smart because we'll now be accruing a few dollars in interest fees, but I'm totally cool with that. I know myself well enough that if I just xfer cash from one spot to another I won't work as hard to get that money back. But if it's on our credit cards for all to see, you better BELIEVE we'll be focused to get rid of it ASAP! :) I don't recommend this for those who have trouble managing their cards, but for us it works. I know it's temporary and that it will be cleared away in 2-3 months, if not sooner.

That's the biggest difference in Feb's net worth update. The rest has to do with me throwing 90% of my paychecks into 401(k) and just waiting for it to hit. It's kinda off-balance right now and makes us look all spendy-spendy, but I assure you that's definitely NOT the case ;)

Net Worth break down: February, 2010

CASH SAVINGS (-$1,984.48): Still getting my $75 paychecks until I max out my 401(k) for the year! When your company matches 100% up to 100% of your contributions (up to the legal match), it tends to change the way you invest ;)

EMERGENCY FUND ($0.00): Same $10,000 this month as it was last month, and the month before, and the month before that. I think we're rolling on 2 years of having this $10k fund, haha... The good thing about reaching your goal here is that you can then concentrate on all the others you've got brewing!

ROTH & TRADITIONAL IRAs ($373.40): Just the market doing its job here, we haven't increased any extra funding this year yet. We'll do that once the 401(k) is maxed out.

401(k)s ($2,624.50): Nice to see it up again! And one day soon it'll be even BIGGER once all my deposits hit (I can barely contain myself!). It's so crazy to me, though, that you can do absolutely nothing and your investments can ear $2.5k just like that. Of course, last month it lost $5k "just like that" but you get what I'm saying. Your money is out there working for you even while you sleep :)

AUTOS WORTH (kbb) (-$75.00): A little more off the ol' car values, but nothing unexpected. MUCH better than back in the day when my SUV was losing $900 a month! Bleh... Here's where our car values stand right now:

Pimp Daddy Caddy: $2,995.00
Gas Ticklin' Toyota: $8,885.00

HOME VALUE (Realtor) ($0.00): This will remain @ $300k (the price our realtor set it at) until I hit him up later for another review. He's the master in our particular neighborhood, and has been selling (and living) in this area for 20+ years. I keep an eye on Zillow & Redfin.com as well, but they fluctuate so much that I never can tell what's real and what's hype.

CREDIT CARDS(-$2,480.20) : No longer at zero! But one day soon ;) As I mentioned in my summary up at the top, we put our 10-day Eurotrip package on our credit card instead of paying in all cash. We lose a little with the interest charges, but it'll motivate me a lot more knowing it's up there for everyone to see. (don't try this at home, kiddies...)

MORTGAGES (-$4.48): We stopped paying off principal to deal w/ the above, and have already paid $400 of it off! It doesn't bode well for this section of our net worth, but we'll be back to chip away at it soon enough. As for refinancing, we're still pretty much screwed on it. Here's the breakdown:

Mortgage #1: $286,818.64 - 30 year fixed, interest-only @ 6.875%.
Mortgage #2: $62,554.62 - Maxed out HELOC w/ 2.8% interest.

On to March! I feel like good things are brewing too :) Should be a nice power month for everyone. You all do okay this last month? Anyone working on something juicy? Holla at your boy.

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*My budget has now been updated.
**And so have my sidebars. And my excitement for Zoolander II

What if the unemployed worked for their unemployment checks?

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:28:00 +0000

I have no idea how crazy this is going to sound (esp. since I'm no economist), but I found this question posed by the Huffington Post extremely fascinating. What if the unemployed worked for the checks they're receiving?

Here's a quote from one of the guys interviewed - Glen Blackburn - who's been unemployed for 18 months:

"Put me to work digging ditches or helping build roads. Anything is preferable to sitting on my butt. This would give those of us on unemployment back our pride and actually accomplish something with the money being spent. There is a work force of a million people just sitting idle waiting for something to do. That is a massive amount of lost labor that could be fixing America's infrastructure. Instead of unemployment, hire me to do that."

That makes me smile on many levels :) First, because there are so many people EAGER and ready to get out there and do something productive. Not *everyone* of course (like the scammers and others who are taking their sweet time on purpose) but a lot really are ready to start working again. Everyone knows it's hell out there so why not give this out as an option? Give it your all and collect for a few months, and if nothing works out try out a job that helps the community?

I'd go insane being rejected all day long at home and would totally take up this offer myself. Put me out there doing construction or patching up all those potholes in DC. Or bet yet, throw me in with all the gov't bloggers and journalists, eh? ;) I guess that would be one of the things to straighten out - HOW, and where, to place people. Do you do it by occupation and location? Age? By the order of project importance? And what about training? Lots and lots of logistics to consider. Although it could quite possibly open up doors to so many NEW opportunities you didn't even know you could do or like!

But what I like most about this idea is that it offers a SOLUTION. It may be crazy and never see the light of day, but at least people are thinking about it. The craziest things can come out of adversity, and the more we challenge ourselves and really think about how we fit into this world the better. I salute you Glenn Blackburn and all the others willing to work for their unemployment checks - way to be creative!

Would You Pay For Extra Sleep?

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:08:00 +0000

I've been getting jack for sleep this week, and I'm starting to realize how valuable it is. I can't think straight and all my days are mushing together like some sort of cracked-out dream (and not in a good way). Coffee doesn't even work on me any more :)

The one and only thing I need right now is SLEEP. It's just not for sale, and that makes me sad. Sure I could manage my time better and stop doing the things that are sucking away my attention, but sometimes it just doesn't work. At least not for me - I enjoy life! I'd stay up all night if I could.

Unfortunately our bodies need rest though, and we need to give it to them. But what if we could BUY sleep? Like, at some hourly rate? (There's an App for that!) Would you grab some? I would. Not a lot - say, 2 or 3 hours? - but it would be nice to have as an option. Of course, that would also depends on how MUCH these hours would go for.

I think I'd pay $20 or $30 for an extra hour, how about you? Maybe even $50 for 100% PURE REM-type sleep ;) The varieties could be endless in this Dream World. In fact, I bet the higher the amount, the more likely I'd be forced to get my act together! Haha... Dropping $50 every now and then is one thing, but every other day? Shoooooot....no way mang. I'd just have to buck up.

Weekly Roundup: Millionaires, Bloggers & Foolish Spending

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:02:00 +0000

Giving away another Starbucks coffee pack today :) The V.I.P. crew will get their very own giveaway similar to all the rest we've done so far (and we start back w/ the iPods next week!!!) Get signed up to be a part of it all, baby. Lots o' goodies on the way.

Some of my favorite articles this week:

Vote for your fave financial bloggers & products! @ Plutus Awards
Why paying the minimum on credit cards won't work (infographic) @ Cracked.com
To improve performance: Spend time, not money @ Well-heeled
Ten Things Millionaires Won't Tell You @ Free Money Finance
I'm tired of buying and spending @ Clever Dude
Being Frugal is Foolish @ Bargaineering
12 Personal Finance Bloggers Answer: New or Used Car? @ You Have More Than You Think
Carnival of Debt Reduction @ "Can The Federal Gov't Cut Its Debt?" @ Ask Mr. Credit Card
Festival of Frugality #218 - "America Saves Week" @ Think Your Way To Wealth
Money Hacks Carnival #105 - "All Government, All the time" @ Live Real, Now

It's Free Starbucks Day!

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:08:00 +0000

At least here on BudgetsAreSexy ;) It's not *exactly* personal finance related but it does mean FREE coffee for some of you. And actually, YOU guys will be the frugal rock stars today since you'll have to drop your coffee-saving tips to win!

Everyone knows Starbucks so I'm not gonna pimp what they do, but I will say they expanded their packaged coffee portfolio they sell in grocery stores. So for people who want to try a new blend but don't want to commit to a larger size, they're now rockin' 5-ounce sizes for ya. And they've still got their 20 oz'ers around too (as you can see in that pic) which according to their stats means you're getting each cup for only 25 cents! Not bad if you're good at making it at home (I'm surprisingly getting better at this... although we did have that incident).

Okay, so what can you win? A Starbucks V.I.P. Package!

A coffee mug! Simple, yet sleek (I use mine all the time)
One 20 oz bag of coffee. Which would last 2 days in our household ;)
THREE 5 oz bags of coffee. Great for snacks! haha... j/k, you're set for 2+ months here.

To win all this coffee goodness:

Share a way YOU save on coffee (or tea? beer? water?) in the comments below.
Leave a way for me to holler at ya. Email, blog, twitter, cell # (just kidding)

TWO lucky winners will win their very own V.I.P. Starbucks package, drawn by none other than Random.org, and ending @ Midnight this Saturday - Feb, 27th. Now tell us all your secrets! (and when you're ready to hire me Starbucks, you just let me know)

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*GIVEAWAY OVER* The lucky winners are Kevin and Miss Information! Congrats guys :)

The Plutus Awards are Here!

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:38:00 +0000

Celebrating the best in personal finance! Flexo from Consumerism Commentary devised up these Plutus Awards, and they encompass everything from the best savings account to the best personal finance blog around. And many of you nominated Budgets Are Sexy for 7 incredible categories!!! Un-fing-believable (you can't see me right now, but I'm tipping my hat and paying you some major respect).

Here are a few of the categories we're up for: "Best Personal Finance Blog for Generation Y or X," "Best Multi-Part Series" (for the blogger showdowns), "Best Micro-Blog" (@BudgetsAreSexy), "Best Designed Personal Finance Blog," and "Blog of the Year!"

Thank you guys so much, it means a lot :) You can check them out and vote here, but regardless I'm totally honored to be in the mix with these guys. My congrats to Enemy of Debt, My Next Buck, Man vs. Debt, The Centsible Life, Squawkfox, Good Financial Cents, Well-Heeled, Financial Samurai, the infamous Punch Debt in The Face, Bargaineering and all others who've also been nominated. Cheers!

How do you measure the power of money?

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:32:00 +0000

I had this friend who measured time in cigarettes. Whenever I asked him how far something was, he'd always come back with the number of cigarettes he could smoke in the time it would take to get there :) So if we were hitting up this bar down the street, say 10 blocks away, instead of just saying so he'd tell me it was "2 cigs" away. Haha...I guess for him this just made more sense.

The same can go for understanding amounts of money too. I like to measure smaller amounts in the number of lottery tickets it could buy ;) To me, that's a great way to spend $1 and it's easy for me to comprehend (in high school, it was double cheeseburgers off the $1 menu!). For larger amounts - $100 and up - I tend to use Air Jordans or whatever else I'm interested in at the time. It doesn't matter what you use really, just that it puts things into better perspective for you - we're all going to differ.

Knowing what $XX can buy is very important - money is some powerful stuff! If you don't think about what it's really "worth," you could blow through it a helluva lot faster (like all those times we drop $10 or $20 bucks on God knows what). And you know what? It helps with motivation too! Similar to my "I can't afford that" post yesterday, knowing that you can buy X or Y or even Z all with $10 is a very cool thing. The dollar is almighty!

Appreciate the power of money, and keep those valuations of yours on tap . The more we understand how far the dollar can go, the easier it will be to make decisions and stick to our goals :) I don't turn down all those cab rides for nothing, baby! For every 6 I pass on, I can get a whole share of Berkshire Hathaway's Class B stock! Haha...and that's freakin' awesome.

No More "I Can't Afford That"

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:02:00 +0000

If there's one phrase I hate more than douchebag (although it's a close call) it would have to be - "I can't afford that." It drives me bonkers! Most people CAN afford "that," they just choose not to (right Evan?). It's a big difference if you think about it.

Saying you can't afford something gives all the power to a magical object out there looking to tease you. It knows you want it, but guess what - You can't have it! "Hah!" it laughs to itself. Little do they know how wrong they are. Sure, some things really are off limits (mansions, private jets, playboy bunnies) but the majority of stuff IS attainable - we just don't desire 'em enough to trade our money for the other things we could do with it. We've got houses to save for and debt to pay off, ya know?

We are the ones who decide where our money goes and how to prioritize it, not some $50 tee or 60" flat screen. So tell those jackals to back off. They're not in control of us, WE are. We may secretly lust after them, but we're not about to wreck our financial goals for the quick high... at least not today ;) And even if we did that would still be okay because it would be OUR choice - not theirs. We're the empowered ones here, it's important to remember that.

But before you nix it from your vocabulary (because I know you will now, right? RIGHT?), let's get these objects out in the open for everyone to see! We're not afraid of them - we just prioritize our money! We like money, and we like having options. So pray tell, what is something YOU can afford but choose not to? Here are some of the answers my V.I.P. Crew holler'd with:

New cars, mountain bikes, Louboutins, flat screens, computers, $300 jeans, soda makers (what the?), canoes, golf clubs, fishing boats, blenders, sewing machines, furniture, Wiis, hair cuts, and on and on and on...

There's nothing wrong with prioritizing our money guys. It's time to empower ourselves and acknowledge we hold a lot more buying power than we let on! We're rock stars, and we're proud to spend intelligently ;)

Carnival of Personal Finance #245 - "Dollar Doodles" edition.

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:12:00 +0000

Happy Carnival of Personal Finance! The two hundredth & forty-fifth to be exact, hosted by yours truly: J to the Dollar Doodle Money! Only I wish I were 1/2 as creative as some of these artists ;)

But dollar bills aside (as magnificent as these beauties are), we've also highlighted some of the finest personal finance posts from from the week today. Everything from cutting back debt, to investing and smarter financial management. We couldn't include all the posts as with all carnivals, but I did my best to pick the ones I thought were informative and worthy of our eyeballs. So sit back, grab yourself a coffee (and Kit Kat bar?), and enjoy some financial loving!

Editor's Picks:

#1) Magical Penny: Financial Lessons of a Cheese Pedlar. Cheese & finance?! AWESOME! :) If you frequent Subway a bit, and like keeping your money, this is a must read. Well done Adam!

#2) Mighty Bargain Hunter: Would you out a friend's spending patterns on Facebook? Haha...wow. I could never do this myself (unless I knew for sure it would help my friend!), but I'm sure plenty of others would! Would you?

#3) Len Penzo dot Com: Taste-Test Experiment: Bottled Waters vs. Filtered Tap. As someone who once spent $40 on a bottle of water (BlingH20), and currently drinks at least 1 bottle of water a day, this was pretty interesting to read. The BEST part is the actual rundown of his 14 testers! haha...well put together for sure.

#4) Amateur Asset Allocator: Does Money Prevent Happiness? If any of you read that article last week about the millionaire giving away his entire $5.3 million estate, you will enjoy reading this :) Money & happiness is always an interesting topic.

#5) Money Beagle: Did The Banks Force You To Sign Your Mortgage?. The "walk vs. stay" debate is still alive, baby! Really really enjoy reading about this stuff, especially as an under water homeowner myself. So many great arguments to both sides.

Money Management:

Gather Little By Little presents 9 Ways to Multiply Your Sources of Income and Pay off Your Debts.
Think Your Way To Wealth presents Occam's Razor, Simplicity, and Personal Finance.
Live Real, Now presents Avoiding the Downside of Saving.
Sweating The Big Stuff presents Personal Finance 101.
Modern Gal presents Curbing Spending Binges.
The Oblivious Investor presents How Much Income Will You Need in Retirement?
Free Money Finance presents Deadly Mistakes on the FAFSA Could Cost You Thousands of Dollars in Financial Aid.

Budgeting:

Financial Uproar presents You're A Sucker To...Have a Budget.
Living On a Budget presents What Budgeting Can learn From Dieting.
The Wisdom Journal presents Monitoring Your Money Isn't the Same As Budgeting Your Money.
You Have More Than You Think presents Friends Don't Make Friends Overspend: Wedding Edition.

Debt:

Debt Reduction Formula presents American Credit Card Debt - Is It Crushing Us?
Single Guy Money presents Instant Gratification and the MacBook Pro.
Balance Junkie presents RRSP vs. Paying Down Debt.

Taxes:

No Debt Plan presents Why Doing Your Own Taxes is Beneficial.
Free From Broke presents Who Should I Pick To Do My Taxes?
One Money Design presents Income Tax Refund: Is it Good or Bad?
Money Smart Life presents The 2010 Federal Tax Brackets and How They Work.

Frugality:

Eliminate The Muda! presents The Value Of DIY Is Greater Than Just Savings.
Don't Quit Your Day Job... presents Attempting the Secret Ripoff.
Gen Y Wealth presents Optimizing Vs. Minimizing Food Costs.
My Dollar Plan presents 9 Tips to Stretch the Life of Common Household Items.

Investing:

Money Help For Christians presents 5 Steps to Retirement Planning for Young Adults.
Christian Finances presents Should you convert to a Roth IRA in 2010?
Steadfast Finances presents Can Google's 'Insights for Search' Make You a Better Investor?
Intelligent Speculator presents Greece… the next Lehman??... what to do next?
Personal Finance Ninja presents Roth IRA's: Why Twenty-Somethings Don't Have an Excuse for Retirement Investing.

General Finance:

Good Financial Cents presents Warning Signs You Need to Fire Your Financial Advisor.
Foreigner's Finances presents Lease or Buy? What to Know Before Your First Car Purchase.
The Smarter Wallet presents How To Improve Your Credit Score In 3 Easy Steps.
Bargaineering presents How to Avoid Credit Card Minimum Annual Purchases Fees.
The Financial Blogger presents Becoming a Ninja of Happiness.
MintLife presents The Future of Mobile Finance.
PT Money presents Make Extra Money Blogging.
20s Money presents Josh's Ten Year Financial Plan.
The Digerati Life presents How To Create A Blog For Fun Or Profit.
Four Pillars presents 8 Reasons why you should use a real estate agent.
Wealth Pilgrim presents Immediate Annuities Stink. Never Buy One. Here's Why.
Money Crashers presents Becoming Wealthy Is Like Becoming An Olympic Athlete.
Fiscal Geek presents What is a Good Credit Score? Should you Care?
Darwin's Finance presents Top 10 Degrees By Starting Salary 2010.
Frugal Babe presents Wills And Other Unpleasant Topics.
Doughroller presents Are Discount Health Plans a Scam?
Redeeming Riches presents What is Your Motivation in Giving?
Pop Economics presents How who you are affects what you make.
Family Balance Sheet presents How Long Should You Keep Your Financial Records?

Thanks for all the great submissions everyone! Hope you readers found some interesting links today :) Next week's Carnival of Personal Finance will be hosted by Taking Charge, so keep your eyes out for it. And we'll be back to more budgety sex love tomorrow.

Stay classy,

Budgets Are Sexy Turns 2! (holler)

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:22:00 +0000

I cannot freakin' believe it. It seems like just the other day I was buggin' Clever Dude & Mapgirl for some blogging tips at over drinks ;) I even remember my very first commenter - Chicky from Chicky Finance! (remember her?). Two years of writing almost every single day, crazy man.

And I'm still just as excited today as I was 2 years ago. A bit more busier (like, 10x more!), but it's been completely worth it. Every single day. All your comments, tweets, emails, guest posts - everything continues to inspire me and keep me on track, esp. financially. You think twice about spending crazily when you know you'll be blogging about it later!

So this achievement is more about you guys than me, because without you I'd have been long gone by now ;) No one likes talking to the wall! haha...and while I may or may not blog full-time down the road, I can honestly say I'm 100% happy with what we've accomplished up to this point. Everything forward is just gravy. Here are some interesting stats over the years:

Budgets Are Sexy has over 765 posts.
Gathering over 5,000 comments!
We've had one site redesign.
And recently hit 1/2 Million page views! (Damn)
Been featured on the front page of MSN, on Consumerist, LA Times & even a magazine!
Even better, our net worth has more than doubled from $58,000 to $138,000.
Courtesy of wiping out all debt (except mortgages), and maxing out 401(k).
And I've somehow kept my anonymity?!
And more importantly, my job ;)

Who knows what will happen over the next 2 years, but from our very first post to today's, it's been an incredible journey and I can't wait to keep on going! You all are brilliant and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. THANK YOU thank you THANK YOU!

God Bless,

Who Wants an iPod Shuffle?

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:02:00 +0000

Giving away another iPod today :) Courtesy of my awesome partnership w/ USAA! Check the info in today's newsletter that goes out - all the info will be in there. Gotta be signed up to win though yo!

And then come back and read some of these awesome articles I found over the week:

Spend money on the stuff you love. @ Untemplater (written by ME :) )
Should you bring your own snacks to movies? @ Well-Heeled (Yes!!!)
I lived 80 years and all they gave me was this lousy box of stuff @ My Next Buck (hah!)
Millionaire gives away fortune which made him miserable @ Telegraph UK (wow)
Debt free news from a debt free reader @Enemy of Debt (I get interviewed)
How to get audited by the IRS @ Consumerism Commentary (this scares me)
7 Rules for Job Seekers @ Mike Landman.com (#7 is KEY)
Carnival of Money Stories - "Just the facts" @ Centsible Life
Money Hacks Carnival #104 - "Have you ever?" @ Rabbit Funds
Carnival of Personal Finance - "Fiscally irresponsible TV characters ed." @ Len Penzo

Life in Grad School Doesn't Have to Suck...All Your Money

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:33:00 +0000

Guest post by Mrs. BudgetsAreSexy ;)

Life as a graduate student is notoriously tough. Generally, you're operating on a slim-to-nonexistent source of income, yet with the workload of a full time job and the expenses to go along with it.

I consider myself very fortunate to be a married grad student. It's great to know that I am not forced to work out housing and other living expenses all on my own; however, even with this "safety net" of sorts, I still strive to maintain my own expenses as much as possible. My husband may be "Mr. Money" on this blog, but I try not to call him that at home - wouldn't want to crouch his fiscal style if I can avoid it! ;)

Many of you may be aware of how we generally operate financially as a married couple. Typically, we get our paychecks deposited into our separate personal accounts, and we each deposit a certain amount of these into a "common account" for home-related items like the mortgage, groceries, etc. This worked out great when I was working with a full-time job, but as a student, my tiny TA stipend just isn't enough to cover the same monthly needs. Thanks to personal savings, some financial help from family/selling off some inherited stocks, I was able to put together a good chunk of money to pay off my "share" of the common expenses for most of the first year or so of my being in school (much of which is noted in the "cash savings" area of J's net worth updates).

As with any savings, however, they start to dwindle when you actually need to use the money! Thus, I have made a tremendous effort during my grad-student days to continue to build up my portion of the "home fund" for the duration of my schooling. Below are a few of my favorite frugal-living tips on a grad student (or any kind of student) basis:

Save, save, save. It's the same tip that everyone tells you, and there's a good reason for that: It's just hands-down the most important. Since my portion of our "shared" expenses comes out of the stockpile of cash I accrued before starting school, the rest of my salary (a whopping $12K annually), almost entirely goes directly into my savings account. If I have an immediate personal expense, I pay for it out of this money, but otherwise, it's all stuffed into my own "home fund in waiting" account.
Conserve your travel expenses. If you're a commuting student, trying to condense your class schedule into 2 or 3 days a week can save a ton on daily commuting costs.
Keep an eye out for extra work opportunities. If you can find some good RA or TA jobs on campus, even the pittance that these jobs pay can definitely add up in the end - I think I added a solid $3K to my salary last year based on RA jobs alone. (Just remember not to take on more work than you can handle!)
NEVER buy your textbooks at full price. EVER. Go through Amazon, Half.com, or any other online textbook source - or if you don't need to keep your books, get them from your campus library! Take the extra time to shop around for good book deals; it def. pays off in the long run.
Avoid falling into the campus Starbucks/fast food/vending machine traps. Pack snacks, drinks, and a lunch from home as often as possible.
Alcohol can be a major drain on expenses when you're in college. Though this would apply more to most undergraduate than graduate students, my advice would be to A) drink less, B) drink cheaper stuff, or C) drink at home or at a friend's house. If you must go out on the town, options A or B can at least keep the cost at a more manageable level!
Become well-versed in the art of window shopping. And if you're shopping online, make use of the "save for later" option instead of buying things on impulse. You'd be surprised how waiting a couple of days can give you the necessary perspective on whether or not you "really need" a certain item.

All in all, life as a grad student doesn't have to be a total sacrifice - besides, so much of your time is spent on schoolwork that you tend not to worry about a ton of frivolous spending anyway! Just stay focused, save as much as possible and remember that light at the end of the tunnel. Now back to the paper-writing cave I go...

The 15 Minutes a Day Idea.

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:17:00 +0000

I'm reading this killer book by Leo Babauta called The Power of Less, and in it he suggests to spend 15 mins. a day on a new habit to work on. It's brilliant! Just enough to get you to take action, but not enough to wear you out. I actually look forward to this "work on me" time!

I've been using it to declutter our house more (and subsequently my brain), but you can surely apply it to anything in life - even finance. It's been about 12 days now and I'm still going strong, baby! Incredible. And perfect for us A.D.D. folk ;)

What I love the most about this concept is that it gets you to STOP all the craziness of your day - whether it's in the morning, day, night, whatever - and helps you to FOCUS on a simple task. Whatever you choose it to be. It's fascinating because you'd think out of 24 hours each day that 15 minutes wouldn't mean jack, but sometimes we just go and go and go w/out ever stopping and consciously prioritizing our time and wants in life. Like everything's one big "swoosh," ya know?

15 minutes doesn't seem a lot of time (power of less, eh?) but it can do wonders if spent wisely. Think about it - what would you do with an extra 15 mins every day? If a genie stopped time and said GO! Do whatever you want for 15 mins and then we'll start the day up again! Would you use it to better your lifestyle?

I encourage you to take a few minutes right now and really think about what goal you'd love to achieve this month. It could be the smallest, or simplest one out there - it doesn't matter. What's important is that it's a habit that makes you happy. A habit that gets you towards a healthier YOU.

Here are some ideas if it helps. Some are financial, and others not:

Declutter your house. In these past 12 days I've cleaned out my closet, drawers, cabinets under the sink, kitchen cupboards, and just last night my file cabinets! (although that took 3 hours - but the point is I would have never started had it not been for this new mindset)
Review a bill each night. I guarantee you'll find places you're overspending.
Run/walk around the block. Much easier to do knowing it's only 15 minutes, right?
Do art.Pick up a brush, sharpie, block of clay, whatev. Just go for it!
Eat healthier. Prepare 1 meal ahead of time each day so you know you're eating well.
Clip/download coupons. Buy the same stuff every week? Spend a few mins finding deals!
Review your cash flow. Jot down what went out, and what came in for the day.
Read before bed. If you're a slacker like me, this will really get you in the habit of reading more :) Plus, I find it's a great way to let your mind release that day's stresses before zonking out.

The list goes on and on my friends! I asked my newsletter subscribers this very same question and the results were outstanding (some of which are listed above). I may be in the "new & shiny" excitement phase right now, but I honestly couldn't be happier. And I want YOU to be happy too! So again I ask - how could 15 minutes improve YOUR life today?

Blogger Showdown #10: MB Hunter vs. PT Money

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:23:00 +0000

PF Blogger Showdown #10: MB Hunter vs. PT Money! The battle of the abbreviations :) We got John from Mighty Bargain Hunter in one corner, and Phil from Prime Time Money in the other - a close battle today!

I've been fortunate to know these guys for a while now (even met John in "real life" - very sincere guy!) and I'm incredibly proud to be in the niche with them. What makes blogging awesome are all the varying perspectives we bring - and these two certainly have their own style. Enjoy!


John "MB Hunter" 3,169 Readers Mighty Bargain Hunter @mbhunter	Phil "PT" Taylor 2,665 Readers PT Money @ptmoney
How long have you been blogging for?
I've been blogging since May 2005. I had a few articles up on the site before that, but that was before I discovered the wonders of Wordpress. Those first couple dozen article pages were hand-coded HTML.	Since you were in high school, J Money. :) Seriously though, I've been blogging about personal finance at PT Money since early 2007. I also dabbled with a personal blog on blogger back in 2002 (pre-Google), but it wasn't much to speak of. So, I've got a bit of old school cred. ;)
Got any other projects/sites going on?
So glad you asked! My newest addition is Cash Commons for all kinds of money questions and answers. The Carnival of Debt Reduction has been going on for over four years. Then there's my on-again, off-again attempt at a weight loss blog, Deflabbify. No Credit Needed and I are egging each other on to shed pounds.	Does my 11 month old daughter count? She's keeping me pretty busy these days. I barely have time for PT Money. I do occasionally start up a side project, but nothing too serious. Oh, I did just start up a new blog carnival. It's called the International Personal Finance Carnival. Check it out.
What are the first 3 sites you check in the morning?
These three are the first tabs that come up when I start Firefox: Bible Gateway, my new baby Cash Commons because it needs care and feeding, and Google News. There are others, but you only asked for three. ;)	Gmail, various forums, and Drudge Report (I'm a sucker for the political)
Are you a fan of using Credit Cards?
Absolutely, as long as the balance is paid in full, on time, each month. There's almost no downside to using credit cards for convenience only: free use of the issuer's money for a few weeks, purchase protection, fraud protection, convenience, and even discounts on purchases in the form of cash-back rewards.	Hmm. A fan? Not necessarily. But I have to use one for my job (expensive overseas travel), so I make the most of having one. I always pay it off each month, and I get as many rewards points as I can. I cashed out a nice $250 cash reward check at the end of 2009.
What's better - money in the bank, or a fulfilling job?
Well, one's the chicken and the other's the egg. A fulfilling job is probably more important, but how do you arrive there? Do something you love, and hope the money will follow? Or do something that you don't necessarily love but something that pays well, and build enough money in the bank to pursue the lower-paying but fulfilling job?	Money in the bank. You can find fulfillment on the side. It doesn't have to come at the sake of providing a solid foundation for yourself and those you are responsible for.
Have you ever tried a payday loan or cash4gold scheme?
Nope, neither. Pawn shops will usually give you more money for gold than cash-for-gold places, which doesn't say an awful lot. And payday loan places are basically pawn shops , minus all of the cool stuff.	There may have been one time shortly after college where I did a payday loan. I knew it was stupid. But I was a poor money manager and I was desperate. Never done any cash4gold stuff. I know you must think I walk around with bling on all the time, but the truth is I don't wear or own any kind of jewelry beyond the wedding ring. That just took me down a few notches in your eyes, didn't it J. Money? Sorry.
What's the best deal you've ever gotten?
A stack (a couple of feet high) of old car repair manuals someone brought to the Salvation Army. It was "dime book" day so I paid about $5 for the whole stack. I sold one manual out of that lot for $35. I've made a couple hundred dollars off of those manuals, and still have some left.	When we built our first home back in 2007 I got it in my head that I wasn't going to pay the builder price to have wood floors installed. I found a nice price at a major hardware chain, slapped on a nice 25% off coupon, and installed the floors myself. They look great and I spent maybe a fourth of the cost of the builder flooring.
What about the worst?
One of our vans we got used for $3,700, drove for only a few months, and ended up having someone pay us $80 to tow it away because it had hidden transmission problems. Estimate to "possibly" fix the problems: $2,500. Forget it.	That's a tough one. I'd say our "all-inclusive" trip to the Dominican Republic last year. The package deal was supposed to make things easier and more affordable, but we really got what we paid for: a not very unique or comfortable stay.
On a scale from 1-10, how awesome are budgets?
At least a seven, because I'm starting to see the repercussions of budgeting by The Force. It's awfully nice to have historical spending data, and we just don't have that. But, thankfully, it's the beginning of a new year.	I'd say an 8. I like budgets. They're good in the short term to help create a focus on your finances and to help you learn to spend more consciously. We should look to move on past budgeting though, and create systems that pay us first. These days, I try to focus on taking care of the big things first: retirement and short-term savings. Then, I'm free to spend the rest how I please. No restrictions.
Do you have an all-time favorite book/blog?
"Winning Scratch-Off Lottery Strategies" by J. Money. It's a quick read. But seriously, no, there are so many books and blogs that I've gotten something out of, I couldn't start to pick favorites.	Financially speaking I'd have to give props to David Bach's Automatic Millionaire. He got me fired up about saving more money for retirement. And he appealed to the geek in me by challenging me to have it done automatically. He got me truly saving more and I haven't looked back.
BONUS What's sexier - Big breasts or a Big financial brain? ;)
You don't really want me to ruin the family atmosphere of this site by answering that question, do you?	You dog!! I'll leave that one for you to answer. My wife reads your blog.


Time to crown your winner! Will it be the almighty bargain hunter? Or the pimp-with-no-bling Money man? It's all in your hands my friends. Vote for the one you like the most, the one you read more, or the one you felt had better answers. There's not right or wrong here (or winner vs. loser, really), just another fun way to spread the financial love :) Thanks John & Phil! --------------- Want more juiciness? Showdown #9: Clever Dude vs. Frugal Dad Showdown #8: Madame X vs. Generation X Showdown #7: Liz Weston vs. Kathy Kristof Showdown #6: Fabulously Broke vs. Krystal at Work Showdown #5: Matt Jabs vs. Adam Baker Showdown #4: Flexo vs. Jim Wang Showdown #3: Lazy Man vs. Silicon Valley Blogger Showdown #2: Stephanie vs. Squawkfox Showdown #1: J.D. Roth vs. Trent Hamm

Why do schools teach about the stock market?

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:52:00 +0000

Stocks are great to know about, yes, but even BETTER would be basic financial management. Who gets right out of high school and starts investing before landing their first job/credit card/own apartment? I know people do it, I just don't see the logic (although I'd admit it does seem more fun).

Check out this comment by girlwithredballoon on an older post of mine:

"You know, I took Personal Finance in high school, but they didn't teach anything about credit cards, compounding interest, different types of student loans - none of that! They taught us how to write checks, and then we had to play a stock market game where we chose companies to invest in. I know investing is important but knowing the dangers of credit cards ahead of time may have helped me to avoid them in college!"

Exactly! I learned how to write checks and balance a checkbook in Senior year too, but that was about it. There was no mention of 401k, IRAs (were they around in the 90's?), credit cards, or just plain saving. But of course we had to play those stock investing games! God forbid we leave school without doubling up our FAKE money.

Maybe I'm naive, but I just don't see how investing in individual stocks should come before the main pillars of personal finance. Think about it. Say a student triples his/her money in the "fake" market and then thinks he/she can make it big in real life and tries to out game it all? The odds are against them, especially if they think they can do it again in the 3-4 months allotted like in class. They then lose a chunk of their money and end up walking away thinking investing isn't for them.

Only INVESTING isn't about just individual stocks! It can be a main ingredient, but there's plenty of other places you can put your money - CDs, bonds, mutual funds, target-date funds, treasury bills, etc etc. Stocks can do wonders for your portfolio (I love 'em to death!) but you should have a grasp on the rest of the areas before jumping in and playing.

You teach a kid how to save 10% of all their income, or pay their debt off on-time, and it's a whole new ball game! Not as fun to teach I'm sure, but it'll stick with them MUCH longer than some crazy stock game. Am I right? Am I missing something here?

LOVE Everyday: Free e-book!

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:07:00 +0000

Happy Valentines Day! This is my present to you - the free LOVEveryday eBook :) But only read if you're in an awesomely loving mood! haha...that's your warning V-Day haters.

But seriously, 25+ of us bloggers joined together to create it and I really think it came out well. It hits up all facets of "the relationship" (caring for each other, time management, finances, living together, etc etc) and you can't help but feel GREAT afterward! Major congrats to all participants:

The Generous Husband, 48 Days, Make Mine Happen, The Simple Marriage, My Super-Charged Life, Marriage Prep 101, Love Talk, Project Happily Ever After, DamienRiley.com, Smart Passive Income Blog, The Generous Wife, Mama Notes, Organizing Your Way, Enemy of Debt, Life Gems, It Might Be Love, Project M, Feeling Flirty, Practical Manliness, Budgets Are Sexy (me - woohoo!), The Marry Blogger, Change Therapy, Zen Family Habits, Serene Journey, Affair Care, Engaged Marriage, One Extraordinary Marriage, She Just Got Married

Enjoy! Download (PDF): LOVEveryday: Thoughts On Loving Amidst The Chaos Of Life

The Top 10 Ways to Woo on Budget (or perhaps ever?)

j@budgetsaresexy.com (J. Money) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:12:00 +0000

Every year I put out a "10 Ways to Woo" post around this time (although once I did it in October?), but it seems like I've already given out most of my romantic secrets already.

So this year, I thought I'd round up some of my all-time favorites, and then sprinkle in a few new ones to give you the best of the best. I doubt most of you have seen what I brew in the WOO department anyways ;) So if you're scrounging around this Valentine's day, be sure to give one of these some thought! Here we go...

The Top 10 Ways to Woo on Budget:

Set up camp in your living room! This is one of my favorite ideas cuz you get the best of both worlds :) Pop up a tent, gather a few sleeping bags and blankets, and enjoy some peace and quiet in the comfort of your own home. Could probably even do s'mores depending on your stove.
Replace the Hershey Kiss tag thingies w/ your own words.** Cut up some small paper strips, pick up a bag of Hersheys, and swap out the tags w/ your own creative ones!
Make her/him a mixed CD! This is a classic all the way from high school my friends ;) And you KNOW chicks love it. You don't necessarily have to go w/ all romantic songs either - hook it up with those that remind you of each other, or just your favorites.
Pick up two matching goldfish, and name them after yourselves. Cutest/cheeziest thing I've ever written, but def. a fave.
Put some naughty into your board games. Like Jenga? Try out "lovers" Jenga by writing down some punishments on each of the blocks. That way, EVERY turn is fun!
Hook your other half up w/ a massage!** And a decent one too, not your 2 min. quicky she's probably used to ;) (sorry, the Mrs. made me put that...guess she's trying to tell me something)
Get all lovey by putting a "Just Married" poster on your car. You'll have to drive around for a bit to get the effect, but it's still cute.
Place Post-It notes all over the place.** As the link suggests, I've actually done this one before ;) And it wasn't even on Valentine's Day! (Awwwww). That's the beauty of this one - you can rock it any day. Just jot down some lovely memos and then plop 'em throughout your home. On doors, closets, mirrors, cabinets, tv's, anywhere.
Cook dinner WITH each other. Find a good recipe, go shopping together, and spend some good quality time together. Whip out the fancy silverware and never-opened candles if you want! Anyone can PAY for a fancy dinner, but making it yourself is sometimes better.
And my all-time favorite....the whipped cream birthday suit! A la Varsity Blues (sfw, but barely). I swear, you pull this one off ladies and it's a done deal.

Whatcha think? Got any better ones to add? We'll be rocking the "make your own dinner" deal ourselves, and then maybe a dabble of #6 and a I-totally-wish-but-it'll-never-happen #10 ;) But as long as we spend it together, it doesn't really matter what we end up doing.

----------------
Previous Woo'age: 2008, 2009
** These are fail-proof, baby!