Big Things in Little Boxes

You know the old adage – big things come in little boxes.  Perhaps it’s the key to your new car.  Or maybe a folded up $100 bill.  Or maybe it’s a diamond ring promising big things in the lifetime ahead.

That’s all great.  But today we’re going to flip that idea just a little.  If you’ve used a budget form before, you know there are usually little boxes next to each expense category and you fill in what you spend.  Some times you just know it’s going to be a large amount, like a house payment, medical bill, or car repair.  Other times it’s just a little thing that goes into those boxes.

Or is it?

The Seinfeld of Blog Posts – All About Nothing

I got nothing.  Today is my assigned blogging day for the week.  I’ve known it was coming.  I’ve had other stuff to do, but the blog has been in the back of my mind.  Usually I have at least an idea of what I’m going to write about.  But today I’m blank.  Empty.  I’ve even put everything off to the side to solely focus on my blog; I’ve really given it some thought.   And yet here I sit, writing to you about how I don’t have anything to write about.

So, I guess…..let’s pull the old Jerry Seinfeld and do a blog about nothing and maybe talk about money while we do it.  Ready?  Here we go. 

Cardiac and Hernia in the Same Week

That’s right, it was Cardiac and Hernia in the same week…. and I LOVED IT!  No, it wasn’t health issues, although it certainly could have led there were I not in at least the middling shape that I am.  No, Cardiac and Hernia are two particular hiking trails at our local Boy Scout Camp.  Covering about ¼ mile distance, they also cover 200 feet of elevation change.  And my son and I covered it up to 4 times a day as a part of the Webelos Camp that we attended together.

Have you looked at the cost of attending camp lately?  For the two of us to attend a three-night camp was $170 plus time off, gas to get there and back, meals along the way, and of course ice cream after one particularly brutal day of activity.  Perhaps that cost is where the cardiac and hernia come in.  But the frugal person (miser) that I am, I don’t feel bad at all about the cost of the camp.  It all comes down to opportunity cost.

Food – Gotta Have It. Or Do You?

Food.  It’s a need.  In all of the classes I have done in which I ask what a need is, food ALWAYS comes up.  There’s never been any debate that food is a need.  Unfortunately, defining a need isn’t always that easy.  Can you live on ramen noodles?  Do you need meat?  Canned or fresh veggies?  Just easier to go out or order in?  We have a lot more choices to make than food just being a need or want.

This week, in two separate classes, I had two different comments from clients that I thought worth sharing.  

The Secret to Saving Money

What’s probably the top goal that I hear from people?  They want to “save money”.  Great….. so what does that mean?  Spend less?  Get better deals?  Oh, no.  They want more money in their savings account.  I suppose you could say they want to be money hoarders.  Now I’m not against having more money in savings, but I think, in most cases, they have the cart before the horse if you will.

So, what’s the one key thing to saving more money?  The real lynch-pin?  The keystone that holds it all up and together?

Spending.

What You Are Really Paying For

Pop.  Soda.  Fizzy caffeinated goodness.  Whatever you call it, we go through a lot of it.  Have you ever paid attention to the cost of it?  More importantly, have you ever thought about why you pay so much extra for that one quick bottle?

The Reality of What Credit Counseling Really Is

I’m often asked exactly what we do when people come in for credit counseling.  Unfortunately, few enough people have been to a credit counselor that it is a very legitimate question.  So here’s the answer: we dig through all of your history (business, personal, and otherwise), point out every mistake that you’ve made, belittle you for those mistakes, paint a pretty hopeless picture for your future, and then lecture your children on how they should never turn out like you because of what you have done financially.

Sound like fun?  Now that we have all of those misconceptions out of the way, let’s talk about what credit counseling is really like…..

On the Consumerism of Christmas and How We Can Use It Well (part 1)

I have to admit, I threw a bit of a fit the other day when I walked into the office. There, hanging around the LSS logo on the wall, were several snowflakes and a Christmas stocking. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? Let the turkey have his day and let’s get through Thanksgiving first! Now, in all fairness, the decorations were only up for a photo shoot and have since come down (I think, I threatened to not even look that direction if they were still up).

As much as we Thanksgiving-loyalists dislike it, you don’t have to look very far at all to see the impending invasion of red and green glitz and gaudiness. It’s coming. We can’t change it. It just bothers me that, much like the presidential campaigning, it all seems to be happening earlier and earlier every time it comes around.

Have Your Fair-Food and Save Money Too

I’m not going to lie.  I love fair-food.  The Indian tacos, fried cheese curds, elephant ears, fresh-squeezed lemonade, cotton candy, anything else deep-fried, and other tasty items I can’t even recall until I’m there to see the glittery advertising calling my name.  It’s so greasy, salty, sugary, and generally unhealthy.  I LOVE IT and I can’t wait to get there and eat my fill….. on something like a $100 budget if I were to get everything I wanted. 

100 Degree Christmas

Originally published 7/2014, we decided this is a good one to bring back today.  Enjoy!

According to the weather reports, today is supposed to have a heat index of over 100 degrees. Perhaps you like this ridiculously hot weather, but it is not for me. As for the summer, I love highs in the upper 70’s, maybe breaking 80 on the hot days. Days like today just make me want to sing. No, not sing for joy. Today you just might hear me singing “I’m dreaming…..of a white…..Christmas”. There might even be a little Bing Crosby flavor in there. But that’s usually the point my wife rolls her eyes at me.