Have you heard about this:
Some Christian pastors embrace Scientology
Scientology as a "tool to augment" the Christian faith? If you're not sure what Scientology is about, go here.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
New Poll
OK - I've received two comments in the last week that my posts (specifically those on money) are complicated and very detailed. I don't want to waste your time - so I've put a poll up on the right side of the site. Let me know what you think!
Make Your Money Work For You
One of the primary keys to building wealth is making your money work for you. This is called passive income. When you're out working from 9-5 - that's active income. Passive income is income that you get without having to actively work for it - also called making your money work for you. Some people achieve passive income through rental properties, etc. - but I'm not in a financial position to do that just yet and the market's kind of shaky right now. So - where do I go if I want returns that are higher than a CD or money market account and I want to do something other than just buy a mutual fund?
One thing you might want to consider is peer-to-peer lending. This is a practice where you lend your money to others - just like a bank loan except you're the bank. Prosper.com is a site that facilitates just this kind of thing. Borrowers go to Prosper, post the amount of money they are looking for, tell a bit about their income situation, what they'll use the money for, etc. Prosper ranks the borrowers based on their credit score - so you, as a lender, have full information on who they are, what they're going to be doing with your money, how credit-worthy they are, etc.
Once you sign up as a lender, you can start loaning out money to people at interest rates that are more attractive than anything you could get on a money market or savings account. You can also loan in increments. That means if someone looks good and you want to lend to them, but they're seeking $25,000 and you don't have that much - you could lend them $500 or $1000. You, as a lender, get to specify how much you're willing to lend and what rate you want in return. A recent loan I saw was for $25,000 to open a coffee shop. That loan had 13 lenders contributing to it and the average interest rate was 12.9%. Pretty good returns - and Prosper handles all the repayment, collection, etc. They take a small percentage in return for their services.
Now - there are some pitfalls and things to avoid doing on Prosper, but it's a legit site that was recently written about in the Wall Street Journal. If you're interested in hearing about someone's success, go to this blog and read all about it!
One thing you might want to consider is peer-to-peer lending. This is a practice where you lend your money to others - just like a bank loan except you're the bank. Prosper.com is a site that facilitates just this kind of thing. Borrowers go to Prosper, post the amount of money they are looking for, tell a bit about their income situation, what they'll use the money for, etc. Prosper ranks the borrowers based on their credit score - so you, as a lender, have full information on who they are, what they're going to be doing with your money, how credit-worthy they are, etc.Once you sign up as a lender, you can start loaning out money to people at interest rates that are more attractive than anything you could get on a money market or savings account. You can also loan in increments. That means if someone looks good and you want to lend to them, but they're seeking $25,000 and you don't have that much - you could lend them $500 or $1000. You, as a lender, get to specify how much you're willing to lend and what rate you want in return. A recent loan I saw was for $25,000 to open a coffee shop. That loan had 13 lenders contributing to it and the average interest rate was 12.9%. Pretty good returns - and Prosper handles all the repayment, collection, etc. They take a small percentage in return for their services.
Now - there are some pitfalls and things to avoid doing on Prosper, but it's a legit site that was recently written about in the Wall Street Journal. If you're interested in hearing about someone's success, go to this blog and read all about it!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
How Do They Stay in Business?
This is getting ridiculous. I told you a few weeks ago about how to make money moving your prescriptions around from drug store to drug store using the coupons that come in the paper (or that you buy on Ebay). You can read about that here if you missed it. We've made a good bit of money doing the prescription transfer thing. What we have not done (yet) is shop for groceries at the drug store. That's exactly what people are doing, however, and they're MAKING money doing it.
This takes some dedication and some planning. I'm not sure I'm willing to do it - as I'm not super organized when it comes to coupons. If you are willing to spend about 30 minutes digesting the 'how-to's' and another few minutes each week planning your shopping based on the deals that each store is offering and the coupons you have, you can actually MAKE money shopping for groceries at both CVS and Walgreens.
I will post links to the primers at the bottom of this post, but the basics of how you do it are:
This takes some dedication and some planning. I'm not sure I'm willing to do it - as I'm not super organized when it comes to coupons. If you are willing to spend about 30 minutes digesting the 'how-to's' and another few minutes each week planning your shopping based on the deals that each store is offering and the coupons you have, you can actually MAKE money shopping for groceries at both CVS and Walgreens.
I will post links to the primers at the bottom of this post, but the basics of how you do it are:
- Sign up for the store's customer card (called ExtraCare at CVS and RegisterRewards at Walgreens)
- Pick up each store's monthly savings catalog - here's where you plan your shopping and start looking for the deals
- Clip coupons from the newspaper and other places
- Combine your clipped coupons with the coupons in their savings catalog and add in the 'rewards' you get from using their customer care card
Those are the basics - doing those things alone will save you A LOT of money. If you're willing to strategically buy items based on what's on sale, you can actually make money. I'm talking about walking out of the store with $50 of groceries and $5.00 in your pocket. If you're willing to put the effort in, the opportunity is out there:
My 'Green' Posting for Today - 10/30/2007
Today's green post is not only eco-friendly, it's also extremely helpful because it helps alleviate one of life's major annoyances - junk mail.Junk mail is a $40 BILLION industry. The average household receives 41 pounds of junk mail a year. To produce that much mail, over 100 million trees are cut down each year, over 28 billion gallons of water are consumed, and more than $320 million in local taxes is spent disposing of the junk mail (either spent on recycling or on dumping paper in a landfill). ProQuo is a site that puts you in control and helps you eliminate (at least partially) the stream of junk filling your mail box.
Here's how it works - go to ProQuo and register for an account. You then get to a screen where you can opt out of several direct mail lists such as coupons and weekly circulars (think ValPak) and marketing lists and data brokers. ProQuo even has a 'stop all' button which allows you to opt out of everything! Now - it's not entirely that simple. Some organizations require written notice - but ProQuo helps you there too - helping you print off the letter that you need to mail and prepopulating the letter for you.
The service is completely free (unlike some of the other services out there) and, in return, you agree to allow ProQuo to advertise products to you on their site in case you want to 'opt in' and receive info on them (which you don't). They claim they can reduce up to 90% of the junk mail you receive and you should start seeing results in about 4 weeks.
Making Extra Money - Part 4
What kind of investment return does it take to get your attention? If I told you that there was an easy way to get 10-12%, would you be interested? What if I told you that I could get you 30% (or more) and it was a completely inflation protected investment and was totally tax free? I'm betting I have your attention and I'm betting you're interested. I can get you exactly that and getting those returns is easy. It's called buying in bulk.
Now, I know what you're saying - buying in bulk is a pain, I'll never use that much of product xyz, etc. Those are common complaints about buying in bulk and because people think that way, they forego some serious savings opportunities. And, as I've pointed out before, money saved is money made.
I'm going to link to two different articles that will go over the benefits of buying in bulk and the economics of buying in bulk. Both are easy reads and I don't want to plagiarize their materials:
Bulk Buying Basics
Bulk Buying Economics
I will summarize for you just in case you're too lazy to actually read an article that's going to make you money.
It makes sense to buy the following types of products in bulk:
Household Products & Toiletries - cotton swabs, laundry detergent, feminine products, toothpaste, etc. - stuff you'll use over time and you know won't expire
Favorites & Easily Frozen Items - meats, favorite cereals, jellies, etc.
Staples - oils, sweeteners, flour, seasonings, etc.
If you're not buying this type of stuff in bulk, you should be! The article above on economics of buying in bulk will explain the financial aspects of it. There are, however, additional benefits - things like fewer trips to the grocery (less gas, less impulse buys, etc.), an emergency reserve so you don't have to shop when it snows or some natural disaster hits, and a little bit of freed up cash for you to invest and/or save!
So - head over to Sam's, Costco, or B.J.'s (depending on where you live and what's nearby) and start saving!
Now, I know what you're saying - buying in bulk is a pain, I'll never use that much of product xyz, etc. Those are common complaints about buying in bulk and because people think that way, they forego some serious savings opportunities. And, as I've pointed out before, money saved is money made.
I'm going to link to two different articles that will go over the benefits of buying in bulk and the economics of buying in bulk. Both are easy reads and I don't want to plagiarize their materials:
Bulk Buying Basics
Bulk Buying Economics
I will summarize for you just in case you're too lazy to actually read an article that's going to make you money.
It makes sense to buy the following types of products in bulk:
Household Products & Toiletries - cotton swabs, laundry detergent, feminine products, toothpaste, etc. - stuff you'll use over time and you know won't expire
Favorites & Easily Frozen Items - meats, favorite cereals, jellies, etc.
Staples - oils, sweeteners, flour, seasonings, etc.
If you're not buying this type of stuff in bulk, you should be! The article above on economics of buying in bulk will explain the financial aspects of it. There are, however, additional benefits - things like fewer trips to the grocery (less gas, less impulse buys, etc.), an emergency reserve so you don't have to shop when it snows or some natural disaster hits, and a little bit of freed up cash for you to invest and/or save!
So - head over to Sam's, Costco, or B.J.'s (depending on where you live and what's nearby) and start saving!
Trip Recap...
What a trip. Four flights, two layovers, one flight delay, lots of Advil, several 'what a cute baby', several more annoyed co-passengers. Oh the joys of travelling with a baby.We had a great trip to Arkansas to celebrate Britney's grandfather, Jim McKinnon's 100th birthday. What an accomplishment!! We're all very proud of him and how well he's holding up. He had a great turnout at the party - several people coming from California, Illinois, etc. just to be there with him on this special day. He was born in 1907! At that time, the United States was only 46 states and there were only 144 miles of paved road in the entire US. Only one out of every 200 men reach 100 years of age. We're all hoping to be there with him when he becomes a supercentenarian (110 years old - something that only 1 in 1000 centenarians achieve!).
Jim is a huge Arkansas Razorback fan so to honor his special day, we dressed Bailey in her Razorback cheerleader outfit. She was quite a hit with the crowd at the party and her great granddad loved it. This was her 4th trip to Arkansas, so she's gotten to spend some good time with him this year! 
The rest of our trip was spent with family and friends - getting Bailey some time with Nana and Papa Bill, and her aunts, uncles, and cousins. We also took her to the Pumpkin Patch for a short photo shoot. She didn't really enjoy that part of the trip (see 2nd photo) - but we got some cute pictures! She liked sitting in the hay much more than she liked sitting with actual pumpkins. She also, apparently, does not like wagon rides and has a strong aversion to gourds. I left those pictures out!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
We're on the Move
Sorry for the lack of activity - we're on the move, spending the weekend in Little Rock with Britney's family. We're here to celebrate Britney's grandfather's 100th birthday! As you can see, keeping a 9 month old occupied during flight delays can be a challenge. I hate layovers - but the price to fly direct is almost 3 times more expensive! More posts next week!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
My 'Green' Posting for Today - 10/25/2007
I recently listened to a speech given by former Vice President Al Gore on Global Warming. I'm not going to go into whether or not I agree with the politics of Global Warming or even whether or not I believe that Global Warming is actually happening. That is something that, frankly, I'm not informed enough to have an informed opinion on - so I'll keep my mouth shut. There was, however, one specific part of Gore's speech that I found thought provoking. It was a quote from the late Carl Sagan, a famed American astronomer:Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.
Thought provoking isn't it?
How to Eat Out for Less
With a baby around, Britney & I definitely eat out less than we did before Bailey arrived. Before she was born, we probably ate out at least 3 times per week - probably more. Now we eat out for lunch on Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays and that's about it. If you eat out with any frequency, you know that this is an expensive practice. For two people, you're not going anywhere decent for less than $15.00 - and that's a cheap, fast-food style restaurant. If you go sit down somewhere and have a waiter/waitress, you're out $20-$25 at minimum. There are, however, ways to save money when you eat out and I'm here to tell you about the one I like best.
Let me start by saying that magazines and internet sites run little teaser stories like this all the time. Your standing in line at the grocery store and you see some women's magazine with something on the cover about eating out for pennies. When you read the article, you typically get advice like:
Let me start by saying that magazines and internet sites run little teaser stories like this all the time. Your standing in line at the grocery store and you see some women's magazine with something on the cover about eating out for pennies. When you read the article, you typically get advice like:
- Order appetizers instead of entrees
- Always order water
- Don't order alcohol
- Ask for free bread, get full, and don't order anything at all
I'm not going to give that kind of advice. Frankly, I enjoy eating out and I hate sharing food and/or eating off each others plates and I don't want to drink water every time and I am embarassed to not order something, etc. Those kinds of tips are obvious and, well, lame. The best way I know of to save money eating out is to buy dining certificates at Restaurant.com.
Restaurant.com is a website that sells 'certificates' that have cash value that can be used at restaurants in your area. You go to the site, type in your zip code, and it will list restaurants in your area that participate. Now - these certificates often have stipulations to them - but the price paid/money saved make it worth doing. Here's a sample listing:
Fuel Pizza is a restaurant in Charlotte that we used to frequent. As I said, we don't dine out much anymore - but that's not the point. Look at this certificate. It has a value of $10.00 and it costs you $3.00. To use it, you have to purchase $25.00 worth of food. So - right off the bat, you're getting $25.00 worth of food for $18.00 ($25.00 - $10.00 coupon + $3.00 for the certificate) for a savings of 28%!
Now - you may be saying - 28% - big deal. Think about that though - if you could invest in a savings account that paid you 28%, you'd be in it in a heartbeat. So that kind of savings is nothing to sneeze at when you think of it this way. Furthermore, the story doesn't stop there. Restaurant.com ALWAYS has promotion codes on the internet that you can use on their site to lower the price you're going to pay for the certificates you buy. This month's code is 'TREATS' and it's good for - get this - 70% off! That means that the $3.00 you were going to pay to get that coupon/certificate - it costs 90 cents. That brings your savings to 36%. All you have to do is enter that code in the discount code box when you're ready to check-out. Promotion codes change monthly, but you can always find the latest one by doing a simple Google search - 'Restaurant.com promotion code'. Or, if you're lazy, go here: http://www.edealinfo.com/Coupons/restaurant.shtml
What's the catch to all of this? The catch is that the listing of restaurants is not huge, it usually involves restaurants that are new and/or are trying to drum up business, and your top choice is probably not on there. You're not finding Outback or Chili's on this site. You are, however, saving big money and dining out at some new places - something I'm always up for. Finally - and this is a good tip - you can use these when you travel. Britney and I ate at Commander's Palace in Las Vegas a couple of years ago using one of these certificates and it knocked $60.00 off a $100+ bill. If you're headed to NY, LA, Vegas, etc., do a little planning ahead and you can save some serious money!!
Or - alternatively - always order water and fill up on bread. Bon Apetit!Wednesday, October 24, 2007
My 'Green' Posting for Today
This is scary and ridiculous. Read this article from the San Francisco Chronicle. It relates to one of my postings from last week about the use of plastic bags. Apparently there is something called "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch" and it floats in the rarely travelled waters between San Francisco and Hawaii. It started developing in the 1950's and is composed of 80% plastics. Want to know what's most concerning about this "toxic swamp"? IT'S TWICE THE SIZE OF TEXAS! Texas is the size of New England, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania combined. This garbage heap is twice that size, grows 10% per year, and will cost in the billions to remove. Yikes.
Quick - go here or here and buy some reusable grocery bags!
Quick - go here or here and buy some reusable grocery bags!
Have Miles, Will Travel - Part 2
Yesterday's post dealt with how to maximize the value of your frequent flyer miles. Upon further review, I realized that I probably should've done this post first as it will deal with how to earn miles. There's no point in trying to maximize your miles if you don't have any in the first place!
Most people don't have jobs that require a ton of travel and, as such, probably think that frequent flyer miles are not available to them in any quantity that would allow them to do anything worthwhile. That could not be farther from the truth. There are A LOT of ways to earn frequent flyer miles without flying and if you do a little digging, you can, over time, earn enough for a pretty sweet vacation.
Before I tell you how to earn some points, let me start by saying that you can sign up for any airline's frequent flier program without flying on that airline. I'm a member of Hawaiian's program and have never stepped foot on a Hawaiian Airlines plane. I joined several years ago (prior to the implementation of some of the rules that are in place today) so that I could transfer points from one airline to another. The two airlines weren't connected in any partnership but both were connected to Hawaiian - so I had to run my points through that program. That's neither here nor there - but in case you were wondering why I was a member of a program that I'd never flown on. These programs cost nothing to join and you can do it on the airline's website. If I were getting started collecting miles, I'd join the big domestic carrier programs: United, Delta, Northwest, Continental, and USAirways. Now you're ready to start ringing up some miles in those programs you just joined!
Look Through the Offers - First stop: Free Frequent Flyer Miles. This guy monitors all the goings on in the frequent flyer miles game so that you don't have to. As you'll see on his site, you can get points for doing a LOT of different things - getting a credit card, applying for a home equity loan, changing long distance carriers, shopping online, etc. What you may not have known, however, is that the same airline might publish five or six versions of the same offer. On his site right now, there are SIX different offers for the United Visa Signature card. The best one is for 25,000 miles for signing up. The worst one is for 15,000 miles for signing up. You want to make sure that you're getting the best offer possible - so don't do anything until you've looked through the offers and gotten the best one available!
Take a Survey - Once upon a time, during the dot com boom, there were sites that would give you money, points, prizes, almost anything you could think of for doing things like browsing sites or taking surveys. Almost all of them died in the bust but there are a few that remain and one, in particular, that I use. The site is E-Rewards and here's how it works:
Sign Up for the Promotions - I am sure that we all have to fly at some point for one thing or another even if we don't have a travel job. Britney and I fly to Little Rock at least 3 times per year for family visits, etc. and I'm sure you do the same. I'm also sure that you are probably earning frequent flyer miles for your occasional trips. If you're not, you probably stopped reading this post a while ago because you have no interest in getting something free and spending less money. That's all well and good (getting the miles for your flights) - but if you travel 3 times per year, your miles are growing very slowly. You probably did not even know that airlines run promotions all the time to try and encourage specific behaviors - travel on certain routes or days, heavier use of their website for booking tickets, etc. Next time you are planning travel, before you book the ticket, go to MileMaven.com and enter the route you're flying. This site will show you all the promotions that are in effect for that route (assuming there are some). We're headed to Little Rock this weekend and right now there are 9 promotions for the Charlotte to Little Rock route. We'll be earning 2500 EXTRA miles because I registered for the promotion on the airline we're flying. People - this stuff is easy if you know where to look!!
A Final Note on Credit Cards - I'll be honest with you. Most of my non-flying miles have come from signing up for credit cards. The big point offers are for annual fee cards - so there's a trade off to consider there. There are several good offers out there now for big flyer point rewards and no annual fee for the first year. I love those since I always cancel when the annual fee comes due! One thing to keep in mind about credit cards - signing up for them, cancelling them, etc. all have an impact (albeit a small one) on your credit score. If you're looking to buy a house or a car in the next year, you probably don't want to start flipping credit cards. If, however, you're not planning on any major purchases in the near future, you can ring up miles REALLY fast using credit cards. Check out the details on freefrequentflyermiles.com (the first site I listed in this post). You'll see that some of these cards can be signed up for and cancelled every 2-3 months. Doing this can net you 100,000 miles in one year's time if you time things correctly. He's got the details on his site - how to do it, what cards allow it, etc. If you want a ton of miles and want to go to Europe and don't care about the small dings in your credit score, it's an interesting proposition.
Happy travels!
Most people don't have jobs that require a ton of travel and, as such, probably think that frequent flyer miles are not available to them in any quantity that would allow them to do anything worthwhile. That could not be farther from the truth. There are A LOT of ways to earn frequent flyer miles without flying and if you do a little digging, you can, over time, earn enough for a pretty sweet vacation.
Before I tell you how to earn some points, let me start by saying that you can sign up for any airline's frequent flier program without flying on that airline. I'm a member of Hawaiian's program and have never stepped foot on a Hawaiian Airlines plane. I joined several years ago (prior to the implementation of some of the rules that are in place today) so that I could transfer points from one airline to another. The two airlines weren't connected in any partnership but both were connected to Hawaiian - so I had to run my points through that program. That's neither here nor there - but in case you were wondering why I was a member of a program that I'd never flown on. These programs cost nothing to join and you can do it on the airline's website. If I were getting started collecting miles, I'd join the big domestic carrier programs: United, Delta, Northwest, Continental, and USAirways. Now you're ready to start ringing up some miles in those programs you just joined!
Look Through the Offers - First stop: Free Frequent Flyer Miles. This guy monitors all the goings on in the frequent flyer miles game so that you don't have to. As you'll see on his site, you can get points for doing a LOT of different things - getting a credit card, applying for a home equity loan, changing long distance carriers, shopping online, etc. What you may not have known, however, is that the same airline might publish five or six versions of the same offer. On his site right now, there are SIX different offers for the United Visa Signature card. The best one is for 25,000 miles for signing up. The worst one is for 15,000 miles for signing up. You want to make sure that you're getting the best offer possible - so don't do anything until you've looked through the offers and gotten the best one available!
Take a Survey - Once upon a time, during the dot com boom, there were sites that would give you money, points, prizes, almost anything you could think of for doing things like browsing sites or taking surveys. Almost all of them died in the bust but there are a few that remain and one, in particular, that I use. The site is E-Rewards and here's how it works:- Sign up for an E-Rewards account
- Answer some questions about yourself - your type of work, your interests, etc.
- Get surveys in your email
- Fill out surveys and earn E-Rewards currency
- Once you have $25 in E-Rewards currency, exchange for airline miles
It's a slow way to earn miles - but it takes almost no effort. They even give you credit for surveys that you don't qualify for (you answer the first few questions, they realize you're not the right demographic, etc.). I probably pick up between 3000 and 5000 miles each year using this site. FYI - if you want the most invitations, make sure to indicate that you are the 'Decision Maker' on all questions that they ask about your role in buying decisions, etc. They are interested in getting the opinion of people doing the buying - so that's the key there.
Sign Up for the Promotions - I am sure that we all have to fly at some point for one thing or another even if we don't have a travel job. Britney and I fly to Little Rock at least 3 times per year for family visits, etc. and I'm sure you do the same. I'm also sure that you are probably earning frequent flyer miles for your occasional trips. If you're not, you probably stopped reading this post a while ago because you have no interest in getting something free and spending less money. That's all well and good (getting the miles for your flights) - but if you travel 3 times per year, your miles are growing very slowly. You probably did not even know that airlines run promotions all the time to try and encourage specific behaviors - travel on certain routes or days, heavier use of their website for booking tickets, etc. Next time you are planning travel, before you book the ticket, go to MileMaven.com and enter the route you're flying. This site will show you all the promotions that are in effect for that route (assuming there are some). We're headed to Little Rock this weekend and right now there are 9 promotions for the Charlotte to Little Rock route. We'll be earning 2500 EXTRA miles because I registered for the promotion on the airline we're flying. People - this stuff is easy if you know where to look!!A Final Note on Credit Cards - I'll be honest with you. Most of my non-flying miles have come from signing up for credit cards. The big point offers are for annual fee cards - so there's a trade off to consider there. There are several good offers out there now for big flyer point rewards and no annual fee for the first year. I love those since I always cancel when the annual fee comes due! One thing to keep in mind about credit cards - signing up for them, cancelling them, etc. all have an impact (albeit a small one) on your credit score. If you're looking to buy a house or a car in the next year, you probably don't want to start flipping credit cards. If, however, you're not planning on any major purchases in the near future, you can ring up miles REALLY fast using credit cards. Check out the details on freefrequentflyermiles.com (the first site I listed in this post). You'll see that some of these cards can be signed up for and cancelled every 2-3 months. Doing this can net you 100,000 miles in one year's time if you time things correctly. He's got the details on his site - how to do it, what cards allow it, etc. If you want a ton of miles and want to go to Europe and don't care about the small dings in your credit score, it's an interesting proposition.
Happy travels!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Today's Brush With Death
OK - this might not be all that interesting to you but it scared me half to death so I'm using this blog as my outlet so I don't bottle up my emotions.
I hit my mid-afternoon sleepy period around 2:15 every day and today I decided to go downstairs (I work in a 50+ story building in downtown Charlotte - on the 9th floor) and get a refill on my iced tea. I got on the elevator to go down and strangely the door opened on the 8th floor but nobody got on. That was strange but occasionally happens if somebody presses the wrong button or something. The doors close and the elevator goes into a FREE FALL! The thing is falling so fast that I'm losing my balance in the elevator and almost crashed into the side wall. Then it jerks to a stop and just sits there.
I'm all alone on this elevator wondering what the heck I'm going to do so I decide to press the 'door open' button. The door opens about 1/4 of the way and I see that I'm on the ground floor of the building and the ground where I usually step out is about even with my chest. So...in my work clothes no less, I push the door open to the point that I can climb out of the elevator and narrowly escape a close call with a serious injury! FYI...that whole thing about if you jump at the same time that the elevator reaches the bottom - that doesn't work. It was going so fast there was no time to think of that, much less muster a jump the way that car was shaking.
I hit my mid-afternoon sleepy period around 2:15 every day and today I decided to go downstairs (I work in a 50+ story building in downtown Charlotte - on the 9th floor) and get a refill on my iced tea. I got on the elevator to go down and strangely the door opened on the 8th floor but nobody got on. That was strange but occasionally happens if somebody presses the wrong button or something. The doors close and the elevator goes into a FREE FALL! The thing is falling so fast that I'm losing my balance in the elevator and almost crashed into the side wall. Then it jerks to a stop and just sits there.
I'm all alone on this elevator wondering what the heck I'm going to do so I decide to press the 'door open' button. The door opens about 1/4 of the way and I see that I'm on the ground floor of the building and the ground where I usually step out is about even with my chest. So...in my work clothes no less, I push the door open to the point that I can climb out of the elevator and narrowly escape a close call with a serious injury! FYI...that whole thing about if you jump at the same time that the elevator reaches the bottom - that doesn't work. It was going so fast there was no time to think of that, much less muster a jump the way that car was shaking.
Have Miles, Will Travel
Britney and I love to travel. Having a baby has put a halt to some of the trips we'd LIKE to take - but we'll get around to them eventually. In the meantime, I plan on accumulating as many frequent flier miles as I possibly can so that when the time comes, I'm able to do the trip that I want to do and not have to pay out the ear to do it.
I used to have a job that required a ton of travel. I left my travelling consultant job in 1999 to go back to graduate school but, believe it or not, I've still got miles on US Airways from way back then! Given that I rarely travel on business anymore, I now look for other ways to earn miles without leaving the ground. Just as important, I also look for ways to maximize my miles so that the ones I do have go a little bit farther. Here are some tips that will help you earn AND maximize frequent flyer miles!
Plan Ahead - Planning is the key to using your frequent flyer miles effectively. According to The Economist magazine, frequent flyer miles are the world's main currency - with more than 14 TRILLION frequent flyer miles in circulation worldwide! What does that mean? It means that you're not the only person hoping for the 25,000 mile reward ticket to Las Vegas that doesn't require a red-eye return flight. So...remember this number: 330. Airlines take reservations for frequent flyer seats starting 330 days in advance. If you can plan a year ahead, do it. You'll have a much better shot at getting the seat you want.
Use the Alliance - Several years ago, a couple of airlines decided that if they banded together, they could advertise a 'global network' that could fly you anywhere in the world you wanted to go. The fallout years later is that there are 3 large networks of airlines. What you may not know, however, is that the miles you have on an airline are redeemable for any airline in that carrier's alliance. Here is the landscape:
One World Alliance
American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberian, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malev, Qantas, Royal Jordanian
Not a great alliance for domestic travel - but British Airways has a huge global route system, you have 2 large Asian carriers (Japan & Cathay) in this network, and Qantas is really the best way to go to Australia.
SkyTeam
Continental, Delta, Northwest, Aeroflot, AeroMexico, Air France, KLM, Alitalia, Czech Airlines, Korean Air
Much better domestic options in the SkyTeam network. Air France/KLM is a big player in Europe and has a huge route system. Asian options are limited to Korean Air. Your dream getaway to Siberia or that whirlwind trip to Vladivostok are possibilities on Aeroflot, however!
Be Realistic - Airlines have thought of a lot of ways to get you to spend your miles. A few years back they instituted two flavors of tickets - the 25,000 mile standard ticket that's virtually impossible to get and the 50,000 mile easier to get, much more availability ticket (both domestic tickets by the way). If you are not planning well in advance, you're paying 50,000 miles per ticket for your trip to Las Vegas. That's the bottom line. If you want to go somewhere really popular, you can plan ahead or pay top dollar. A better use of your miles might be on a route that isn't so common. We have good luck on Charlotte to Little Rock for instance. I booked 25,000 mile tickets one day ahead of time last month.
FYI - I refuse to use 50,000 miles on a domestic seat in economy. Unless that's like an $800 ticket (which doesn't exist unless it's Charlotte to Anchorage or somewhere like that), that 50,000 mile ticket is a terrible use of miles.
Tomorrow, I'll continue (this is getting long) on ways to earn more miles without leaving the ground. Safe travels!
I used to have a job that required a ton of travel. I left my travelling consultant job in 1999 to go back to graduate school but, believe it or not, I've still got miles on US Airways from way back then! Given that I rarely travel on business anymore, I now look for other ways to earn miles without leaving the ground. Just as important, I also look for ways to maximize my miles so that the ones I do have go a little bit farther. Here are some tips that will help you earn AND maximize frequent flyer miles!
Plan Ahead - Planning is the key to using your frequent flyer miles effectively. According to The Economist magazine, frequent flyer miles are the world's main currency - with more than 14 TRILLION frequent flyer miles in circulation worldwide! What does that mean? It means that you're not the only person hoping for the 25,000 mile reward ticket to Las Vegas that doesn't require a red-eye return flight. So...remember this number: 330. Airlines take reservations for frequent flyer seats starting 330 days in advance. If you can plan a year ahead, do it. You'll have a much better shot at getting the seat you want.
Use the Alliance - Several years ago, a couple of airlines decided that if they banded together, they could advertise a 'global network' that could fly you anywhere in the world you wanted to go. The fallout years later is that there are 3 large networks of airlines. What you may not know, however, is that the miles you have on an airline are redeemable for any airline in that carrier's alliance. Here is the landscape:
One World Alliance
American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberian, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malev, Qantas, Royal Jordanian Not a great alliance for domestic travel - but British Airways has a huge global route system, you have 2 large Asian carriers (Japan & Cathay) in this network, and Qantas is really the best way to go to Australia.
SkyTeam
Continental, Delta, Northwest, Aeroflot, AeroMexico, Air France, KLM, Alitalia, Czech Airlines, Korean AirMuch better domestic options in the SkyTeam network. Air France/KLM is a big player in Europe and has a huge route system. Asian options are limited to Korean Air. Your dream getaway to Siberia or that whirlwind trip to Vladivostok are possibilities on Aeroflot, however!
Star Alliance
US Airways, United, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana, Austrian, BMI, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, Swiss, TAP Air Portugal, Thai
This is a huge network and, if you live in Charlotte, the one that's most likely to have the routing you want. US Airways and United cover all of the domestic routes, Asia is covered by Asiana, ANA, Singapore Airlines, and Thai, Lufthansa is the national carrier of Germany meaning total European coverage. This, honestly, is the network I like best.
So - what this all means is that if you have miles on one carrier, you can redeem on a bunch of others. All you have to do is call the airline and ask them to check availability across the alliance!Be Realistic - Airlines have thought of a lot of ways to get you to spend your miles. A few years back they instituted two flavors of tickets - the 25,000 mile standard ticket that's virtually impossible to get and the 50,000 mile easier to get, much more availability ticket (both domestic tickets by the way). If you are not planning well in advance, you're paying 50,000 miles per ticket for your trip to Las Vegas. That's the bottom line. If you want to go somewhere really popular, you can plan ahead or pay top dollar. A better use of your miles might be on a route that isn't so common. We have good luck on Charlotte to Little Rock for instance. I booked 25,000 mile tickets one day ahead of time last month.
FYI - I refuse to use 50,000 miles on a domestic seat in economy. Unless that's like an $800 ticket (which doesn't exist unless it's Charlotte to Anchorage or somewhere like that), that 50,000 mile ticket is a terrible use of miles.
Tomorrow, I'll continue (this is getting long) on ways to earn more miles without leaving the ground. Safe travels!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Shocked, Appalled, and Dismayed
Those of you that know me know that I'm not afraid to voice my concerns if & when a customer service problem arises. Some have accused me of voicing my complaints too frequently or too loudly or for reasons that did not warrant a complaint. To those that have accused me of this, all I can say is that you, too, can expect a letter of complaint from me regarding your accusations.
In all seriousness, I have honed my skills in this area over the years and am proud to say that I've gotten pretty good results when it comes to customer service problems. Britney & I have enjoyed four free nights at the Four Seasons in Whistler, BC and in Las Vegas, a free night at a Marriott, a free night at a Hilton, free Baby Einstein DVDs...the list is long. The key to getting the results you want when you voice a legitimate complaint is getting the complaint to the correct person. Here are some tips to help you do just that:
Talk to a person - Sometimes all you want is to talk to a person rather than leaving some comment on a voicemail box or getting stuck in phone menu hell. This site lists the correct ways to navigate the phone menu at a ton of companies so that you can get a live person and not have to listen to forty phone menu options:
Write a good letter - I cannot claim that I perfected my complaint letter writing skills without any instruction. I bought a book on how to write effective complaint letters and it has served me well. It really is a good resource to have because - trust me - you'll continue to have customer service problems as the years go by. The author, Ellen Phillips, points out some key things to include in your complaints - like what you want the resolution to be and who needs to be CC'd on the complaint. It's amazing how much more effective a CC to the US Hotel Commission is than a CC to the Better Business Bureau. That kind of good information is in this book:
Take it to the top - If you've written a good letter, talked to a human being, had someone out to your house three times to fix something and it still is broken, etc. - it's time to stop the child's play and head straight to the top. A voice mail left with the CEO's Executive Assistant or an email sent directly to the CEO him/herself is going to get some response. Usually they forward your email/voicemail to one of their underlings with some kind of "Bob - resolve this ASAP" type of message and, next thing you know, you're the recipient of a courteous phone call from someone at headquarters that wants to hear all about the situation (for fear of another email or call going back to CEO telling him that Bob, too, needs a lesson in customer service). How, you ask, do you find that contact information? It takes a little Googling, but it can be done. Start here:
Executive Customer Service for 36 Companies
If you strike out there, head over to Yahoo Finance. Type in the name of the company you're interested in and go to the 'Profile' page (it's under 'Company' in the left hand navigation bar). On the profile page, you'll find two key pieces of information - the phone number of the company's headquarters and the name of the top executives at the company. Call the phone number, ask for Joe CEO's extension, and you're likely in business.
If all of this fails, it's time for some reverse engineering. Head back over to Yahoo Finance and get the names of the top executives of the company. Then, head to Google and do the following:
In the Google search bar, type "@company.com" (replace company with your target organization). In this example, you can see that I've typed "@cvs.com". The 2nd result here is what I'm looking for! It shows me the format of email addresses used at CVS.com. So - using the list of executives I got at Yahoo Finance and the email format that I've found here, I now know with some certainty what the email address of the CEO is. Write a well worded nastygram and send away!
Final thought - don't abuse the complaint letter. They typically follow the law of diminishing returns where each subsequent letter is less effective than the one before. Complain only if you have a legitimate complaint, be courteous but firm, ask for fair compensation, and you too can get results!
In all seriousness, I have honed my skills in this area over the years and am proud to say that I've gotten pretty good results when it comes to customer service problems. Britney & I have enjoyed four free nights at the Four Seasons in Whistler, BC and in Las Vegas, a free night at a Marriott, a free night at a Hilton, free Baby Einstein DVDs...the list is long. The key to getting the results you want when you voice a legitimate complaint is getting the complaint to the correct person. Here are some tips to help you do just that:
Talk to a person - Sometimes all you want is to talk to a person rather than leaving some comment on a voicemail box or getting stuck in phone menu hell. This site lists the correct ways to navigate the phone menu at a ton of companies so that you can get a live person and not have to listen to forty phone menu options:
Write a good letter - I cannot claim that I perfected my complaint letter writing skills without any instruction. I bought a book on how to write effective complaint letters and it has served me well. It really is a good resource to have because - trust me - you'll continue to have customer service problems as the years go by. The author, Ellen Phillips, points out some key things to include in your complaints - like what you want the resolution to be and who needs to be CC'd on the complaint. It's amazing how much more effective a CC to the US Hotel Commission is than a CC to the Better Business Bureau. That kind of good information is in this book:
Take it to the top - If you've written a good letter, talked to a human being, had someone out to your house three times to fix something and it still is broken, etc. - it's time to stop the child's play and head straight to the top. A voice mail left with the CEO's Executive Assistant or an email sent directly to the CEO him/herself is going to get some response. Usually they forward your email/voicemail to one of their underlings with some kind of "Bob - resolve this ASAP" type of message and, next thing you know, you're the recipient of a courteous phone call from someone at headquarters that wants to hear all about the situation (for fear of another email or call going back to CEO telling him that Bob, too, needs a lesson in customer service). How, you ask, do you find that contact information? It takes a little Googling, but it can be done. Start here:
Executive Customer Service for 36 Companies
If you strike out there, head over to Yahoo Finance. Type in the name of the company you're interested in and go to the 'Profile' page (it's under 'Company' in the left hand navigation bar). On the profile page, you'll find two key pieces of information - the phone number of the company's headquarters and the name of the top executives at the company. Call the phone number, ask for Joe CEO's extension, and you're likely in business.
If all of this fails, it's time for some reverse engineering. Head back over to Yahoo Finance and get the names of the top executives of the company. Then, head to Google and do the following:
In the Google search bar, type "@company.com" (replace company with your target organization). In this example, you can see that I've typed "@cvs.com". The 2nd result here is what I'm looking for! It shows me the format of email addresses used at CVS.com. So - using the list of executives I got at Yahoo Finance and the email format that I've found here, I now know with some certainty what the email address of the CEO is. Write a well worded nastygram and send away!
Final thought - don't abuse the complaint letter. They typically follow the law of diminishing returns where each subsequent letter is less effective than the one before. Complain only if you have a legitimate complaint, be courteous but firm, ask for fair compensation, and you too can get results!
Our Little Trooper
Bailey was quite a trooper this morning. After three or four ear infections over the last 6 weeks, we took her in to have tubes put in her ears. Other than having to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to arrive at the hospital at 5:30 for a 7:30 surgery!? and not being able to eat anything, she did great. She's a little cranky today and is way off her schedule but that's all to be expected. She tried her best to stay happy at the hospital but making an 8 month old wait in a tiny waiting room on an empty stomach is enough to upset anybody! She looked so cute in her little hospital gown and she enjoyed playing with the teddy bear that they gave her. Mom sat IN THE CRIB with her and read her stories to try to keep her occupied. It worked (for the most part)! Here's our little trooper getting ready for her procedure:
Friday, October 19, 2007
He's the Man
I got to spend some time with my family last night watching my nephew Bryson's football game. He's a 9th grader at Sun Valley High School and is a big time contributor to his team. He had a couple of really nice catches last night and, even more impressive, did a lot of little things to help his team win - down field blocking, tackles on special teams, etc. I'm proud of how fast he's progressed - and his coaches must be too. Check this out:
I Win!
OK - just to settle a little family debate, here are the most recent rankings of the local universities in our area (according to US News & World Report, the widely accepted authority on undergraduate program rankings):
8. Duke University
28. UNC - Chapel Hill
30. Wake Forest University
35. Georgia Tech (the people doing these rankings must've gone to Georgia)
59. University of Georgia
67. Clemson University
75. Baylor University (in case you wondered where they fit into this picture)
85. North Carolina State University
112. University of South Carolina
8. Duke University
28. UNC - Chapel Hill
30. Wake Forest University
35. Georgia Tech (the people doing these rankings must've gone to Georgia)
59. University of Georgia
67. Clemson University
75. Baylor University (in case you wondered where they fit into this picture)
85. North Carolina State University
112. University of South Carolina
Stop Spamming Me!
I hate SPAM! Am I talking about the infamous canned meat product made of pork shoulder and ham? Yes I am. I hate that stuff. But I'm also talking about the junk email that clogs your inbox. Apparently I'm related to some person in Nigeria who's trying desperately to reach me so that I can claim my inheritance! I'm also apparently interested in buying a lot of black market Viagra?!The people who send spam do so because it's virtually free to do it (though many countries are passing laws to make it illegal) and because every once in a blue moon, someone will actually click on a link that's in one of those emails. Why someone would even open a spam email, I don't know. Don't be that guy. If you get an email that looks suspicious or is from someone you don't know - don't open it! Also - don't click any 'unsubscribe' links in a spam email. Many times, that simply verifies that your email address is a viable email address and you get even MORE spam. These spammers get your email from a lot of different places - primarily by using tools that scour the internet looking for email addresses. If you've ever signed up for anything online, your email address is out there and is likely accessible if the right tools are used.
Here's what I recommend doing. First of all, if you think that the spam email involves fraudulent or deceptive practices, simply forward it to uce@ftc.gov. That's the Federal Trade Commissions box that they use to monitor what's going on in the cyber world. They'll add your spam to their database and, hopefully, find the home of the sender of the spam and incenerate it. If you get an email from someone in Nigeria asking you to wire them money or something like that so you can claim your inheritance, send it to mailto:419.fcd@usss.treas.gov. That particular type of spam is serious - you may have seen something about it on Dateline. There's a crime ring stealing lots of money from people using that email trick - so the address I just gave you is actually the US Secret Service's box that they're using to track this scam.
Additionally, and this is the real useful part, if you have to sign up for something online - a newsletter, a site that you have to sign up for before you can log in, etc. - don't use your real email address! Either create a free email address at Google or Yahoo and use it for this type of thing - basically make it your spam account or give them a 'disposable' email address.
There are several sites that offer 'disposable' email addresses. Two that I know of and use are:
Mailnator
Tempinbox
The way these work is simple. When you have to sign up for something online, give them a fake email address that looks something like this: youmakethispartup@mailnator.com or anythingyoucanthinkof@tempinbox.com
Then - go to mailnator.com or tempinbox.com, type in the email address that you just used to sign up for something and you can actually access any emails that come to that address without needing a password. Sometimes, when you sign up for something, these sites send you a confirmation email that you have to click on something to verify, etc. - so these disposable email sites allow you to access those verification emails, do whatever you need to do, and then never get another email from the site you signed up for again - since all the email they send you is going to the disposable email account.
I'm probably overexplaining this - check out the two sites I mentioned and you'll see how they work. I use them all the time! Obviously don't use a fake email address if you're buying something online and giving credit card information out. The last thing you want is for your credit card info to be sent to one of these disposable accounts!!
Oh - and by the way - did you know that there are more than 10 varieties of Spam (the canned meat product) including one that has cheese already inserted into the Spam? Holy cow that's disgusting.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Why I Love Amazon.com
I love Amazon.com. I'm not embarassed to admit that fact. I go there multiple times every single day. Primarily because I run my CD business from Amazon - but I think I'd go there even if I didn't run my business there. In addition to being the best place to find music, books, and videos (they have the best selection of new and used items), Amazon sells virtually everything you can think of. If you know how to work the site, you can also get some pretty great deals.Amazon's Price Drop Policy - Did you know that if you buy something from Amazon and they drop their price within 30 days (it happens frequently), they'll give you a refund for the difference? All you have to do is file your claim online and they'll credit you the difference. Even better, if the price drops again, they'll refund you again. You're guaranteed to get the lowest price that they have! There are even sites out there that will track this for you and email you if you become eligible for the refund. Here's the site that I use:
Amazon's Free Shipping Deal - Did you know that anytime you spend $25.00 on Amazon merchandise, you get free shipping? Shipping cost is the biggest reason why I don't do ALL of my shopping online. I can always find a better deal online - but sometimes, if I can't get free shipping, it's more economical to go to my local vendor to buy. There are some tricks to getting free shipping too. If you really want the free shipping but don't quite have enough in your Amazon basket to push you over the $25 threshold, there are sites you can go to that will show you 'fillers'. A 'filler' is an inexpensive item that you can buy on Amazon to reach the $25.00 free shipping minimum. You enter how much you need to get to $25.00 (say you're $0.85 short or whatever) and it will show you a whole list of items you can buy for $0.85 to push you over the threshold. Sometimes the little fillers are even useful! Here's where I go to find fillers:
Amazon Grocery Subscriptions - Did you know you can buy groceries on Amazon? Did you know that you can get a cereal subscription on Amazon? You can! Here's how it works. Amazon will allow you to 'subscribe' to groceries. You can tell them that you want a 4-pack of Cheerios delivered once per month and they'll automatically ship it to you (and, yes, you can cancel at any time). Even better - you can tell them you want it every 2 months, every 3 months, every 6 months! And - on top of all that - if you get a grocery subscription, shipping is always FREE (even if you don't hit $25.00!) AND you get a 15% price break. That, my friends, is a good deal. If you have dry goods that you buy every month over and over, if you need organic or specialty food items (like my brother in law & sister in law who both have gluten issues) - this is the best deal going. Amazon's grocery prices are already better than your local store. When you factor in the price break, the convenience of not having to leave your house, the convenience of not having to remember to buy Cheerios every month - it's a good deal.
Amazon's Prices & Variety - I could go on for a long time about how to find the best deals on Amazon, ways to use their programs to your advantage, etc. The fact of the matter is that they sell a ton of stuff, they have good prices, and stuff goes on sale ALL THE TIME. If you want to browse their sales and don't want to have to navigate their maze of menus to find the item that you're looking for, go to the site below. It has links to every category of merchandise and it has them by % off. So - if you're looking for a sporting goods gift and you want something that's at least 50% off, click the Sports, 50% Off link, etc. Great for finding those hidden deals that aren't on the front page of the site!!
Enjoy!
Anybody Here?
So...Google allows me to track the number of hits on this site. The first few weeks, hits were going up and up and up. One day last week, there were 18 people here! Yesterday - ZERO. Is anybody out there? If you're here, post a comment or send me an email and let me know. It's getting lonely in here!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
How to Find Music on the Internet
If you've read this blog over the last few weeks, you've probably noticed the "What I'm Listening To..." widget that appears in the right hand column of this site. It's a tool provided by Amazon that allows me to display some of the cds I'm enjoying in case somebody wants to go and preview them or decides to buy one based on my recommendation. Somebody recently asked me how I even hear about some of the bands that have been recommended there given the fact that the radio pretty much plays the same 30-40 songs over and over again, there's no M on MTV, etc. Today, I'll share with you a couple of ways that I learn about new music and then I'll let you in on some secrets that you can use to find music to 'sample' on the internet.
There are a number of cool sites popping up all over the internet that allow you to listen to music online, tell the site whether you like the songs or not, and then get recommendations for new music based on what you've indicated. A couple of the sites that I use are:
All of these services work in pretty much the same way. Each streams music to you over the internet and then, based on what you like and don't like, begins making recommendations to you for new music. Definitely try those out.
Now - what do you do if you find some new music that you like but you're not sure you want to go right out and buy the cd? There are several alternatives - some I recommend and others I do not. I know my sister and her family subscribe to Yahoo Music - a service that allows you to download music and put it on your IPod, etc. My problem with that site is that you never 'own' the music. As soon as you stop your subscription, the files stop working. It's essentially like renting the songs. You could go to ITunes and pay $0.99 per song - but that still doesn't address the fact that you're not sure whether or not you really like this new artist or not and you probably don't want to pay for the download until you're sure you do.
So - please keep in mind that my posting here is purely informational in nature - what you do with this information is not my responsibility. That said, there are ways for you to seek other means of obtaining the music. Give it a couple listens, check out a couple more songs, decide whether or not you want to buy the music, and then DELETE the files you're sampling. Here's how to go about finding those files to sample.
Many people on the internet are into music and many people write about it on their blogs. There are now search engines available that will scan the 'blogosphere' looking for MP3 files that people post to their blogs. The best one that I know of is:
Go to Seeqpod, enter an artist or song name, and simply let the engine search for hits. The results look like this:
As you can see, Seeqpod has gone all over and found sites that have Vanessa Carlton songs on them. I can simply click the little 'audio' icon and listen to the songs. Or, if I'd like to 'sample'
them, I can hover over the http address, write it down, and go get the MP3 directly by simply entering that address into my web browser. I prefer Seeqpod for finding songs that I want to listen to online. If I really want the MP3 file, I use Google. Here's what you do. Go to Google
and enter the following:
-inurl:htm -inurl:html intitle:"index of" mp3 "pearl jam"
This command will find open directories with mp3 files with Pearl Jam. Obviously you can change the band name or file type to better define your search.
You could substitute whatever song or artist you're looking for in place of Pearl Jam (keep the quotes). Google goes out and looks for directories on the internet that have Pearl Jam in them with MP3 files in the directory. You'll get a variety of results - I tend to stay away from any of the sites that look foreign (you can tell by looking at the site name - if it ends in .ru or .jp or something like that, don't go to it). Look through the hits you've gotten from Google and start exploring. You may have to look in a couple of different sites to find the specific song you're
seeking. Once you find what you're looking for, right click on the file name, select 'Save Target As', and save the MP3 off to your hard drive. It looks like this:
There you have it - several ways to find new music and several ways to either listen to the music online or 'sample' the music for yourself.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Making Extra Money - Part 3
I got an email the other day that, to my point from yesterday's post, is probably an urban legend. It told the story of a very wealthy man in New York that walked into a bank and told the loan officer that he'd like to take out a loan for $5,000. When asked for collateral, the rich man said he was using his Rolls Royce outside as collateral. The bank took the Rolls Royce, gave the man $5,000, and he left. Two weeks later, the man returned, paid off the $5,000 + $15.00 in interest, and got his car back. When asked about the loan, the man replied "Where else in New York can you park your car for 2 weeks for $15.00?".
I'm sure you've all heard and read about people buying their prescription drugs from Canada. The US Government is concerned about this practice - and rightfully so. Drugs are MUCH cheaper in Canada. Something most people probably don't know is this - many drugs that require a prescription in the US do not require a prescription in Canada. Furthermore, many prescription drugs in the US are available over the counter in GENERIC form in Canada. Take a look at these examples:
Interesting story - probably fake - but it illustrates the point that rich people probably think differently than most of the rest of us. They're always thinking and looking for ways to maximize their money. My post today is about maximizing your spending when it comes to health care products.
I'm sure you've all heard and read about people buying their prescription drugs from Canada. The US Government is concerned about this practice - and rightfully so. Drugs are MUCH cheaper in Canada. Something most people probably don't know is this - many drugs that require a prescription in the US do not require a prescription in Canada. Furthermore, many prescription drugs in the US are available over the counter in GENERIC form in Canada. Take a look at these examples:Zyrtec (allergy medication)
90 tablets - 10 mg
Drugstore.com - $198.41 (prescription required)
CanadaPharmacy.com - $34.00 (over the counter, generic)
My co-pay on this drug is $30.00. That means that even with my health insurance, I'm going to spend $90.00 over 3 months to get 90 pills (30 pills per month). Or, I can buy from Canada and get 90 pills for $34.00.
Here's another example:
Protonix (acid reflux medication)
90 tablets - 40 mg
Walgreens.com - $346.79 (prescription required)
CanadaPharmacy.com - $75.00 (over the counter, generic)
Again - my copay for three months is going to be $90.00. Or I can buy 3 months worth for $75.00 from Canada. This is WITH insurance. If you don't have insurance or your insurance has higher co-pays, you should absolutely not buy another drug until you calculate what you could be saving.
It doesn't just work for prescription drugs either. Many pet products that are really expensive and require a vet prescription are sold over the counter in Canada for a fraction of the cost. You can really save a ton of money and it's legal and easy!
Here are two companies I've used in the past that are reputable and offer good service/prices:
We're Mobile!
Bailey has officially reached 'mobile' status. What I mean by 'mobile' is that if you turn around or look away for more than five seconds, she's likely to be gone. She's very interested in opening drawers, putting her fingers in electrical outlets, and, most of all, putting her face in TJ's food bowl and/or eating his tennis balls. If she wasn't so dang cute, I'd probably get frustrated.
I know I might be biased, but seriously - is she not a cute baby?!
I know I might be biased, but seriously - is she not a cute baby?!
Monday, October 15, 2007
I've Got Good News and Bad News
Folks - I've got some good news and some bad news. First the bad news. I received a heart wrenching email this morning regarding a poor, terminally ill young girl who had her kidney's harvested and resold on the black market after inadvertanly being given a date rape pill while talking on her cell phone to a phone scam artist that was stealing her identity.
Now, the good news. If we can all forward her story to 10 people (more if possible), AOL and Bill Gates will chip in over a million dollars to the American Cancer Society in her honor AND give you a laptop for your child. Likewise, if we don't buy gas at Citgo this Tuesday, we can single handedly bring down the price of oil and we can all contribute to charity using the money we save.
Hmm....here's the deal. Those emails you receive with the latest scare story, government conspiracy, forward to 10 people or your luck will be forever altered thingy - they're all fake and have no merit whatsoever. If you're in doubt or want to know what the real deal is, check for yourself:
Snopes.com
Scambusters.org
Now, the good news. If we can all forward her story to 10 people (more if possible), AOL and Bill Gates will chip in over a million dollars to the American Cancer Society in her honor AND give you a laptop for your child. Likewise, if we don't buy gas at Citgo this Tuesday, we can single handedly bring down the price of oil and we can all contribute to charity using the money we save.
Hmm....here's the deal. Those emails you receive with the latest scare story, government conspiracy, forward to 10 people or your luck will be forever altered thingy - they're all fake and have no merit whatsoever. If you're in doubt or want to know what the real deal is, check for yourself:
Snopes.com
Scambusters.org
I Jumped The Gun
Dangit. My non-characteristic 'Are You Green' post was done too early! Little did I know, but today is Blog Action Day - the day that blog writers across the world unite to publish content about the environment, green issues, etc. Typical - I choose to steer outside my comfort zone, post something that's a little out there for a conservative guy like me, and I do it on the wrong day. Vexing.
So...in the spirit of Blog Action Day, I'm going to post a couple more ideas for you to consider in the name of becoming a pseudo tree hugger. Remember - every little bit helps.
Kill the power - did you know that you're paying a ton of extra money each year just to keep appliances 'ready' in the event that you want to use them. Anything with a big AC adapter (your coffee pot, your printer, your TV, etc.) stays in 'Stand-By' mode if it's left plugged in. That means it's drawing power, you're paying for it, and it's all for nothing. Unplug appliances that you're not using!
Buy local - instead of buying your coffee at Starbucks, buy it at Dilworth Coffee or instead of buying your produce at Harris Teeter, buy it at the produce stand on Providence or Old Monroe. Cheaper prices, better produce, less gasoline used to get it to market - it's a win/win for everyone.
Save your coffee grounds - I typically throw mine out (just being honest) but coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen and are one of the best fertilizers around. Spread them on your plant soil or throw them in your yard. In the event that we ever get rain, it might help.
Stop using anti-bacterial products - the FDA advises that we all stop using this stuff because a) it's no better than regular soap and water and b) we're breeding these super germs that are resistant to almost anything.
Buy the funny looking bulbs - you've seen those weird looking light bulbs that look like soft serve ice cream cones - those are the ones to buy. They cost more up front and we all look at them and say "I'm not paying $6 for two light bulbs". Here's the catch - they last around 10,000 hours - meaning that by the time you factor in the reduced amount of energy they use and the life of the bulb, you've made your money back at 500 hours. For the remaining 9,500 hours, you're saving money (and remember - money saved is money made!).
Buy eco-undies - great undies made from hemp, bamboo - ok forget this one. It's just too much, too soon.
So - there you have it. Save the world one step at a time, feel better about yourself, and save some money in the process.
So...in the spirit of Blog Action Day, I'm going to post a couple more ideas for you to consider in the name of becoming a pseudo tree hugger. Remember - every little bit helps.
Kill the power - did you know that you're paying a ton of extra money each year just to keep appliances 'ready' in the event that you want to use them. Anything with a big AC adapter (your coffee pot, your printer, your TV, etc.) stays in 'Stand-By' mode if it's left plugged in. That means it's drawing power, you're paying for it, and it's all for nothing. Unplug appliances that you're not using!
Buy local - instead of buying your coffee at Starbucks, buy it at Dilworth Coffee or instead of buying your produce at Harris Teeter, buy it at the produce stand on Providence or Old Monroe. Cheaper prices, better produce, less gasoline used to get it to market - it's a win/win for everyone.
Save your coffee grounds - I typically throw mine out (just being honest) but coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen and are one of the best fertilizers around. Spread them on your plant soil or throw them in your yard. In the event that we ever get rain, it might help.
Stop using anti-bacterial products - the FDA advises that we all stop using this stuff because a) it's no better than regular soap and water and b) we're breeding these super germs that are resistant to almost anything.
Buy the funny looking bulbs - you've seen those weird looking light bulbs that look like soft serve ice cream cones - those are the ones to buy. They cost more up front and we all look at them and say "I'm not paying $6 for two light bulbs". Here's the catch - they last around 10,000 hours - meaning that by the time you factor in the reduced amount of energy they use and the life of the bulb, you've made your money back at 500 hours. For the remaining 9,500 hours, you're saving money (and remember - money saved is money made!).
Buy eco-undies - great undies made from hemp, bamboo - ok forget this one. It's just too much, too soon.
So - there you have it. Save the world one step at a time, feel better about yourself, and save some money in the process.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Making Extra Money - Part 2
This post could really be called 'Saving Money' but I figure that money I save is money made, so play along. Did you know that there is a price war going on and it provides you with the opportunity to save a TON of money? I would estimate that Britney and I have saved more than $400 (probably more than that) just this year. What am I talking about? I'm talking about the fight for your business between the major drug stores & pharmacies.
I mentioned this briefly in my post on coupons - but this is a big time opportunity to save a ton of money, so I thought I'd go into it in more detail. Take a look at this picture:
This picture is what's happening in the drugstore industry. Companies are in a fierce battle to get your prescription drug business and they're willing to pay you to get your prescriptions filled. The big three - Walgreens, CVS, and Rite-Aid are all putting out coupons which give you free gift cards for transferring prescriptions to their stores. CVS takes it one step further. They have coupons for free gift cards for transferred and/or NEW prescriptions.
So...how do you get these and what do you do with them? The only ones I find regularly in the Charlotte area are the Rite-Aid ones. They've been coming out in the Rite-Aid ad in the Sunday paper about once per month. I buy the rest of the ones I use on Ebay. They typically sell for about $3.00 for 4 coupons(something in that neighborhood). All you have to do to find them is go to Ebay and type 'CVS Coupon' or 'Walgreens Coupon' in the search field. You'll see tons of them listed.
The next step is easy. If you have a CVS coupon, call the closest CVS and tell them you want to transfer a prescription to them. Give them the information, they'll do the rest and then go pick up your medicine and your gift card (remember to take the coupon with you). Then (and here's the beauty of it), next month, transfer that same prescription to Rite-Aid or Walgreens, take a coupon, get a gift card from them. The following month, transfer it back to CVS, take a coupon, get another gift card. Repeat ad infinitum.
Now - some things to be aware of. Rite-Aid has small print on their coupons saying one per customer per six months. To get around that little issue, I use a different Rite-Aid every time - there are tons around here. They're not connected with each other (at least not to the point where they can tell if you've used a coupon or not) so it works like a charm. Also, pay attention when you're buying these on Ebay. You want ones that have expiration dates out into the future at least a couple of weeks because it takes some time for them to get to you. Finally, some grocery store chains are doing this too. I've seen (and used) at least three Bi-Lo coupons in the last six months. They typically are in the newspaper - but you can find them on Ebay as well.
When we started doing this in January, we dubbed it "Operation Never Pay for Diapers" - it's not been that successful, but pretty close! Enjoy!
I mentioned this briefly in my post on coupons - but this is a big time opportunity to save a ton of money, so I thought I'd go into it in more detail. Take a look at this picture:
This picture is what's happening in the drugstore industry. Companies are in a fierce battle to get your prescription drug business and they're willing to pay you to get your prescriptions filled. The big three - Walgreens, CVS, and Rite-Aid are all putting out coupons which give you free gift cards for transferring prescriptions to their stores. CVS takes it one step further. They have coupons for free gift cards for transferred and/or NEW prescriptions.
So...how do you get these and what do you do with them? The only ones I find regularly in the Charlotte area are the Rite-Aid ones. They've been coming out in the Rite-Aid ad in the Sunday paper about once per month. I buy the rest of the ones I use on Ebay. They typically sell for about $3.00 for 4 coupons(something in that neighborhood). All you have to do to find them is go to Ebay and type 'CVS Coupon' or 'Walgreens Coupon' in the search field. You'll see tons of them listed.
The next step is easy. If you have a CVS coupon, call the closest CVS and tell them you want to transfer a prescription to them. Give them the information, they'll do the rest and then go pick up your medicine and your gift card (remember to take the coupon with you). Then (and here's the beauty of it), next month, transfer that same prescription to Rite-Aid or Walgreens, take a coupon, get a gift card from them. The following month, transfer it back to CVS, take a coupon, get another gift card. Repeat ad infinitum.
Now - some things to be aware of. Rite-Aid has small print on their coupons saying one per customer per six months. To get around that little issue, I use a different Rite-Aid every time - there are tons around here. They're not connected with each other (at least not to the point where they can tell if you've used a coupon or not) so it works like a charm. Also, pay attention when you're buying these on Ebay. You want ones that have expiration dates out into the future at least a couple of weeks because it takes some time for them to get to you. Finally, some grocery store chains are doing this too. I've seen (and used) at least three Bi-Lo coupons in the last six months. They typically are in the newspaper - but you can find them on Ebay as well.
When we started doing this in January, we dubbed it "Operation Never Pay for Diapers" - it's not been that successful, but pretty close! Enjoy!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Are You Green?
I'll be the first person to admit that I'm not (or historically haven't been) what you'd call a 'green' person. By 'green', I mean earth friendly. I have long regarded people that were into earth friendliness as tree hugging, left wing liberals that had no understanding of what it takes to grow an economy and no regard for the beliefs that I hold dear when it comes to things like religion and/or politics. Recently, however, I've been reevaluating my stance.
I was alarmed recently when I read a statistic that said that only 50% of the households in Matthews recycle. Britney and I are faithful recyclers of all our paper, plastic, and cans. Why? Because it's really easy and it's our nod to trying to help out a little. Given that we all have to take our trash out to the street each week anyway, is it really too much to ask to at least segregate your trash and throw the recylables into a different container? Apparently 50% of us in Matthews think it is too much to ask. That's pretty weak.
I also recently heard on NPR that the city of San Francisco is preparing to outlaw plastic grocery bags. Why? Because they are virtually impossible to do anything with. They're so flimsy that they are hard to reuse and they're so 'fly away' that their hard to recycle in any large quantity. Do you know where most of them end up (even IF you throw them in the recycle bin)? They end up being shipped in bulk to third world countries where there are more lax regulations regarding air quality and they end up being burned. Paper bags? Not much better. They're extremely expensive to produce, cause a TON of pollution (50 times more pollutants than plastic bags!), require trees to be cut down, etc.
So...what to do about this mess? I'm not prepared (yet) to start a compost heap in my backyard or stop flushing if it's not a #2 (some recommend this practice - I'm against it). I am, however, willing to do the following:
- Buy some reusable grocery bags (they cost like $2.00) and stop getting paper OR plastic
- Turn off the water while I brush my teeth (saves 3 gallons of water per day)
- Put a plastic quart bottle of water in my toilet tank (45% of the water you use in your home goes down the toilet or shower drain and this reduces the amount flushed by 1/3)
- Use recycled ink cartridges in my printer (it's cheaper AND eco-friendly)
That's just a start. Are you willing to do anything? Do you care? You should! If you want some ideas on how to make minor changes that make a big difference (and don't require you to stop showering and join a hippie commune), check out these sites for ideas:
Ideal Bite - http://www.idealbite.com
EcoJoes - http://www.ecojoes.com
TreeHugger - http://www.treehugger.com
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Mini Me?
Britney keeps telling me that Bailey looks just like me. She calls her mini-Brent. What do you think?
Name Dropping...
Do you watch LA Ink? It's a show about a tattoo shop in Los Angeles and it comes on TLC on Tuesday nights. To make a long story short, I have an old friend that recently appeared on the show. Carlos Whittaker and I went to church together when I moved to Atlanta in high school. We were two of the four members of the well known 'Glory Bound' quartet. OK - it wasn't all that well known, but we did have a quartet and Carlos and I were in it and we did go around singing at all these churches, church picnics, etc. Carlos is now a worship leader/music pastor at a church in Atlanta (though he was working at a church in Los Angeles at the time of the filming). He's a great guy - really funny, crazy, etc. and pretty dedicated to ministry and to God. The fact that he got a tattoo of the conversion of Saul put on his ENTIRE arm speaks to his level of dedication. Take a look...
Subliminal Marketing
Did you know that you're being targeted with marketing messages even when you're not watching TV or listening to the radio? It should be no surprise that companies go to great lengths to get their brand messages out to the market in any way possible. Many of you know that I spent 3 years working at FedEx in Memphis. I loved working there - great company. FedEx has long been recognized as having one of the best corporate logos. One of the primary reasons it's recognized is because of the 'hidden arrow' in the FedEx logo. The arrow was embedded in the logo when it was designed in 1994 to serve as a secondary design element intended to emphasize speed and precision. I can't look at the FedEx logo without seeing it:
FedEx is not alone in this kind of 'hidden messaging'. Amazon has something similar in it's logo:
The yellow arrow has several purposes - to represent a smiling face (customer satisfaction) but also to connect the 'A' and the 'Z' in Amazon - emphasizing their message of selling everything from A to Z.
This kind of stuff is all over and once you start looking for it, it's kind of hard to stop. Here are a couple of other examples:
Pittsburgh Zoo
Northwest Airlines
You may not even consciously be aware of what you're looking at - but trust me, companies are paying big money to ensure that they're sending their message to you whether you realize it or not!!
FedEx is not alone in this kind of 'hidden messaging'. Amazon has something similar in it's logo:
The yellow arrow has several purposes - to represent a smiling face (customer satisfaction) but also to connect the 'A' and the 'Z' in Amazon - emphasizing their message of selling everything from A to Z.
This kind of stuff is all over and once you start looking for it, it's kind of hard to stop. Here are a couple of other examples:
Pittsburgh Zoo
Northwest Airlines
You may not even consciously be aware of what you're looking at - but trust me, companies are paying big money to ensure that they're sending their message to you whether you realize it or not!!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Did You Watch Friday Night Lights?
If you didn't, you should be ashamed of yourself. If this show goes off the air due to lack of viewers, I'm holding each of you responsible.
That said, gotta say that the first episode of season 2 left me a little concerned. I won't spoil it for you in case you haven't watched it on your TiVo yet, but the plot lines they've set up for this year are a departure from what they've done to date. Murder isn't your typical subject matter for a show about high school football in small town Texas. The show was good enough last year that I'll give them the benefit of the doubt - but I'm worried that they're trying too hard. Ratings were good though - they won in their target 18-49 demographic. Tune in this week - Fridays at 9:00 on NBC.
That Was Incredible...
As many of you know, I'm a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan. I've been one all of my life and have stuck with them through good times and bad. This year has been good times thus far. Last night, however, was possibly the most unbelievable Cowboys game I've ever watched. I'm sure hardly anyone stayed up until the very end to see what transpired. Thanks to the plethora of drugs I had in my system (thanks to an ear infection that had me down all weekend), I had trouble sleeping and was awake to see the improbable ending. For those that couldn't stay awake, here's a synopsis. Dallas did everything they possibly could to give the game away to Buffalo (a team with one win this year and so many injuries that they had a wide receiver starting on defense). Tony Romo, Superman up until now, threw a team record FIVE interceptions and also fumbled once for a total of SIX turnovers. On top of having two of those interceptions returned for touchdowns, Dallas also gave up a 103 yard kickoff return for a TD. Amazingly infuriating.
So...we get to about 6 minutes left in the game with Dallas down 8 points. Buffalo is driving for the game icing TD when they finally make a mistake and throw an interception. Dallas returns it all the way to the Buffalo 20 yard line and looks like they're going to score to pull to within 2 points. What happens next? Romo throws an interception of course. Game over. Not so fast. The Dallas defense stiffens, Bills punt, and with 20 seconds left in the game, the Cowboys score to pull it to 24-22. A 2 point conversion and this game is going to Overtime. Not to be. Dallas' superstar, Terrell Owens, drops the game tying conversion.
So...with 20 seconds left, we need an onside kick to try and get the ball back. These things never work. WAIT. This one worked - even after the referees reviewed the tape to make sure it was a fair play. So...Dallas ball on the 50 yard line with 20 seconds (and no timeouts left). After a couple more crazy occurances (like a pass to Owens being caught and then ruled not a catch and the clock having to be reset), Dallas sends their ROOKIE kicker out to try his career long field goal for the win. He MAKES IT! Wait. Buffalo apparently called a timeout right before the snap so the kick doesn't count. So...ROOKIE kicker has to try a 2nd 53 yard, game winning field goal with 1 second left. He lines up...it's GOOD! Game over, Cowboys win.
Un-freakin'-believable. The last time I was this excited about a win was in college watching a Braves playoff game and I jumped off my couch and hit my head on the ceiling. I guess it was a more subdued celebration due to the ear infection - but satisfying nonetheless!!
Friday, October 5, 2007
My Daily Reads
You can spend a lot of time reading blogs. I have several that I read each and every day - sometimes multiple times in a day. I recently figured out how to use Google's reader and it's saving me a ton of time. The reader goes out to all the blogs I direct it to and brings all the posts on each blog to one site. So, I can log into my Google reader and read all the blogs I like in one place without having to navigate around to each one. I used to read 10-12 blogs regularly. The reader saves so much time, I now have more than 70 blogs that I look at every day!
If you're interested in trying it out, here's where you go:
If you're interested in trying it out, here's where you go:
That said, here's my list of top blogs that I read each and every day:
Blueprint for Financial Prosperity - http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/ - good financial advice, money making ideas, etc.
Lifehacker - http://www.lifehacker.com - tips on productivity, software that saves you time, cool gadgets, etc.
Georgia Tech Sports Blog - http://gtsports.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default - opions and news on GT sports
TV Squad - http://www.tvsquad.com - news about shows, spoilers (previews of shows yet to air), news on who's on the late night shows, must see recommendations, etc.
View from the Wing - http://blogs.flyertalk.com/blogs/viewwing/ - keeps me updated on ways to get frequent flyer points, travel deals, etc.
Cowboys Blog - http://cowboys.beloblog.com - all things Cowboys from the Dallas Morning News
What blogs do you like? I'm always looking for a recommendation!
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