Gasonline is Cheap – Graphical Cost Of Liquids

Posted by The Happy Rock on June 28, 2008

The source was Amazon for the most part so the prices could be location independent. Some of the prices are for bulk and may be more expensive at your local grocery store. Discuss!

Source :

Oley Eye Cream
Loctite Super Glue
HP Black Printer Ink
Lovely(Sarah Jessica Parker) Perfume
Bertoli Olive Oil
Red Bull
Tide Detergent
Water, Milk, and Gasoline are local South New Jersey prices.

» Filed Under Food, Frugality, Psychology of Spending

Unexpected Expenses Derail The Debt Reduction Train

Posted by The Happy Rock on June 26, 2008

Not much can kill your debt reduction momentum like a $500 dollar expense that you haven’t planned for. Without some savings set aside we often are forced to go into debt to pay of the bill and that destroys the plan and demoralizes our already fragile money psyche.

When just starting out on your debt reduction journey it is quite easy to budget and plan for your normal monthly bills like credit card payments, rent/mortgage, utilities, etc, but the type of expenses that derail the train are not the monthly expenses. There are the irregular bills, the ones due every six month or a year and the ones that you can’t predict ahead of time. Some examples of expenses that often get overlooked are:

Car insurance
Auto repairs/home repairs
New purchases like a needed couch or lawnmower
Vacations
Taxes
Christmas spending
Birthday, graduation, and wedding type presents
Anything else that pops up without warning. Feel free to add to the list in the comments.

Now what that you have some idea that these things are coming, what do you do next. First, realize that even experienced budgeters and planners are going to forget things. This means that you must plan for unexpected expenses. This is exactly why the emergency fund was invented. For those that don’t know, often the first step in a good debt reduction plan is to save $500, $1000, $2000 or more depending on your risk of unexpected expenses. For most $1000 is a nice amount. So before you pay any significant amount on your debt, keep paying the minimum payments and shove the extra money into a savings or money market account that is not so easy to get to that you will spend it. Having just that little buffer really helps inspire some confidence that you can succeed and that you can handle most of the unexpected situations that WILL come your way.

Starting an emergency fund isn’t the only thing you should do. Next you should sit down and list any irregular or unexpected expenses that you might have(use the list above as a starting point). Once they are on paper they aren’t unexpected and you can plan for them. The $1200 auto insurance bill due in October requires that you save $300 a month(x 4 months) in order to not go into debt when it comes time to pay. Yes that also means setting a Christmas spending budget now and saving for it, so you can avoid the Christmas credit card hangover and regret. Continue the process with the rest of the list, and then use the rest of your income each month to pay on your highest priority debt. If you don’t feel like you have enough money after you plan for all your upcoming expenses, then you need to revisit different ways to cut some of those costs.

» Filed Under Debt Elimination, Financial Succes, Psychology of Debt

More Convenient Price Protectr Toolbar Released For FireFox

Posted by The Happy Rock on June 24, 2008

I have mentioned Price Protectr before and how it nicely notifies you when the price of a recently purchased item drops after you buy it, so that you can email the online merchant and receive a post purchase refund. The biggest problem with the whole Price Protectr system is remembering to add your recently purchased items to the list. Now, the process is a lot less intrusive.

The best way to remind yourself was to use their browser toolbar for the best web browser on the net, FireFox 3:

The only problem was that there were an extra set of options always visible while you are surfing and most of the time they weren’t applicable. Now, with the new toolbar the Price Protectr options only appear when you surf to a site that has a price protection policy. Brilliant! I love this upgrade. It is a nice visual reminder to protect your purchase and start saving money. Click here to view the download page.

I have had a some really great experiences with Price Protectr. Give it a try, I don’t think you will regret it.

» Filed Under Frugality, Personal Finance Systems

How Expensive is Tent Camping?

Posted by The Happy Rock on June 23, 2008

Item/Service	Cost
Gas (~250 miles @ 23 MPG)	$43
Campsite (2 nights)	$44
Firewood	$10
Food	$70
Total	$157

Our family, The Rock Garden, spent the weekend at Hickory Run State Park in eastern Pennsylvania. I wanted to chronicle our expenses so that you could get a first had look at how inexpensive car/tent camping can be. The $157 total for the whole trip covers all the costs from Friday afternoon to Sunday night. Admittedly, the trip was a little short, but that didn’t stop it from being a blast.

For our little trip we are looking at $62 a day for everything. There aren’t many other vacations that you can accomplish for anywhere near this price, unless you stay with friends or family. As a percentage, the gas cost will become smaller with each day that you stay. Realistically, $60-70 dollars a day is a good estimate assuming you already have the essentials: cooler, tent, sleeping bags/air bed, stove, and lantern.

Now a little bit more on the trip. My wife, two sons(2 1/2 and 5 months), and my mom left Friday afternoon and arrived about 7:30 to heavy thunderstorms that were supposed to pass quickly. If quickly means three more thunderstorm cells ending at almost 11:00, I agree. We ate at Arby’s and then moved to Denny’s to wait out the storms. We finally got to the campsite and decided to sleep in the car. Not as bad as it sounds since we have a Murano, but definitely better than setting up a tent at midnight on wet ground. Over the next day and a half we enjoyed the customary camping activities: hiking, napping, relaxing in nature, eating, having a campfire, and cooking smores. On Sunday we found a great little waterfall to eat lunch under while we watched rafters and kayakers float down the Lehigh river(picture above). It did thunderstorm as we tried to pack up which makes the tent quite a mess, but that couldn’t put a damper on a great trip. We will make sure the next trip is a few days longer! If you think it sounds like too much hassle, I would just say that is part of camping’s appeal. The perspective and mental shift that comes from making due with whatever you have and whatever comes your way is a large part of the draw of camping. Sleeping in your car because of the rain isn’t a hassle, it is part of the story, part of the bonding, and eventually the nostalgia of a great trip.

» Filed Under Money Savers, Vacation

Different Cash and Credit Prices At Gas Station Dissected

Posted by The Happy Rock on June 20, 2008

Just recently my favorite Sunoco gas station in Mount Laurel New Jersey started charging different prices for buying gas with cash and credit. Effectively, they are trying to pass along savings to consumers by charging less for cash. My station is charging $0.10 cheaper per gallon on $4.00 gasoline which comes out to a 2.5% discount. I have always said there are benefits to paying cash, but this wasn’t the way I was expecting to see them realized.

At first I was really frustrated as it seemed they have effectively crushed all but the best cash back credit card rewards. I still get 3 percent back on all gas purchases, so I still come out 0.5% ahead. That drops my cash back from $108 dollars a year to just $18. It’s still better than paying cash, for now.

It also helped to realize that they didn’t raise the price of gas for credit card users, since they are still competitive with other stations. Before this companies already priced in credit card fees so that they could keep a uniform price. Now lawmakers and consumers want the cheapest price possible.

Usually businesses went to help people spend using credit cards since people are willing to by more when using plastic, so this may actually work out for consumers. I suspect it won’t do much though since the demand for gas doesn’t change much with high prices. People will continue to charge away.

» Filed Under About Me

The Vending Machine 2 for 1 – Frugality or Stealing?

Posted by The Happy Rock on June 19, 2008

We have all walked up to a vending machine and spotted a candy bar hanging on by a thread. If it is something you like whatever, you feel like you hit the lottery! The cheapskate in me even considers buying something that I didn’t want just so I could get a two for one deal. Occasionally, you can even shake it free without putting money in. For those that are afraid to shake the machines, just remember that they aren’t pinball machines, they won’t tilt. You can really give them a shake.

Come on, you know you have had similar experiences.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I stopped to consider that it might be stealing. Before you get too defensive let’s look at the definition of stealing.

stealing - to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, esp. secretly or by force

I would say taking an item that someone else purchased without their permission from a vending machine would fits the definition of stealing. There is a case to be made that it isn’t stealing, so I would love to hear your justifications. The reason I think people often overlook that it might be stealing, is because there isn’t a clear cut course of action other than ignoring the situation which probably just means the next person will take it.

If you hadn’t though about it in this light before, then I accomplished my mission.

If you don’t care, put yourself in the shows of the person who spent there last dollar only to see the item get stuck .

If you agree that it is stealing, the next big question is who should we handle the situation?

» Filed Under Frugality, Principles In Action

Sometimes You Just Don’t Feel Like Saving Money

Posted by The Happy Rock on June 17, 2008

Blasphemy, I know…but it is true. I am not talking about some calculation that I do in me head that says doing X isn’t worth the time for the money, but about blatant laziness or avoidance. Sometimes when certain moods strike I am just unwilling to put in a little extra effort to save another dollar or two.

Three incidents stand out in my mind from the last week or two :

I can remember about a week ago realizing that I had not been charged the sale price on ice cream. I was already in the car with the groceries and my son and I didn’t feel like going back in for the $1.50.
I was at a flea market with my brother-in-law, who currently makes his living off eBay, and I just did not feel like haggling. I was just buying a small toy for The Pebble and I knew I could get it probably %50 or more cheaper than I did. I just paid full price.
Price Protectr had emailed that the price on a recently purchased book had dropped about a dollar, but I avoided sending a quick email multiple times until I finally let it go.

I know the money involved in these three examples is minor, but the same thing occasionally happens with larger money returns and other random finance activities. The bigger the purchase, like a car, the more detrimental the behavior. I am usually not hard on myself, because I know that my energy for such activities was invested into other areas of life that are more important. With that said I do see an oppurtunity for growth. The oppurtunity to just summon a little extra strength when I see a similar lackadaisical situation developing. Even reaching deep within myself to overcome my shyness and make the extra call or haggle that I sometimes avoid because of my personality foible. Now that I have made a public declaration my weakness, I will be more strengthened to tackle the problem in upcoming siutations.

Does anyone else every feel the same way? Got any examples?

» Filed Under About Me, Cars, Frugality, Productivity(Financial)

Free Workout Program – 100 Push Up Challenge

Posted by The Happy Rock on June 15, 2008

We have talked about some free workout ideas before, and now it’s time that I take advantage of one of them. Sitting behind a computer all day really destroys flexibility, muscle tone, and strength. Even sitting on an exercise ball at work doesn’t replace the benefits of strength training.

Along comes J.D. at Get Fit Slowly who is starting the 100 push up challenge on Monday. Here is the his post on the issue and here is a little taste of the call to duty from the 100 Push Challenge website :

Think there’s no way you could do this? I think you can! All you need is a good plan, plenty of discipline and about 30 minutes a week to achieve this goal!

I quickly scanned the site and program and I was in. Push ups = free strength training that can be done almost anywhere at anytime. Plus I only have to commit ten minutes a day three times a week…I can do that. I don’t have the time or motivation at this point to get enough benefit out of a gym membership, but this is perfect. This work out is completely free and requires a brief time commitment. Add in the personal competition factor and some friends do it also and I really get motivated.

The response to J.D. post was amazing as about 40-50 people said they are going to do it also. I also was able to recruit a few more people at work. The Rockette and fellow bloggers Flexo and L_buckets are also in. This weekend I will do the initial test, and Monday I will start the 100 push program for week 1.

Anyone else care to join in on the fun?

*Update – I have been at it a few weeks now, you can view my log here to see how it has been going.

» Filed Under Fitness, Money Savers

Tipping The Personal Finance Scales In Your Favor

Posted by The Happy Rock on June 12, 2008

I wrote earlier about the moment/idea that marked that turned around our financial journey. Today, I wanted to talk about the moment when the momentum for positive change became unstoppable.

This is the moment when I felt like our plan finally came together. Where all the hard work finally culminated in an unburdened, energized, free to pursue my dreams fist pumping YESSSSS! type feeling.

What was the moment? It was about 4 and half years from when we decided to get out of debt when we finally had 6 months expenses locked away in an ING direct account. We had gotten to that limit before, but we had to tap into some emergency funds because we needed to cover adoption expenses when our second son came sooner than expected. This time we had made it for good.

The point when we sent in our last payment on the last of our debt(besides a mortgage) was a great feeling and made us feel like we accomplished something monumental, but all we had to show for it was nothing. We had spent 4 years paying back money we had already spent. It wasn’t until we had $12,000 in cash that we could tangibly visualize the effects of all our efforts.

With that tangible reminder of all the hard work in the form of an emergency fund came a host of other benefits.

Hundreds of dollars a year in interest. Our money was working for us rather than against us!
A peace that came from knowing that we could handle almost every situation, even job loss.
A motivating freedom that made all our dreams in life seem possible. I know it sounds a little Hallmark, but it really is true. I don’t feel like there are any barriers to hold us back. We have accomplished so much already by 30 that we really need to sit down and repopulate or life goals list.
Cash Flow. As it stands now, only 50% of our income needs to go towards actual expenses. We have complete freedom over they other 50% of our income. What does that mean? One example is that I think it is quite possible to save close to 20% for a new house down payment in just a year. That sounds like freedom to me.

If that isn’t a motivating list, I don’t know what is. I really am not exaggerating for effects of the culmination of 5 years of hard work either. I would have thought that once we reached a milestone like that we would have ‘slacked off’, but getting over that mountain opened a world of new possibilities that is spurring us to even greater heights. Having no debt expect for a mortgage and six months of expenses stockpiles for emergencies really does feel as good as it sounds.

» Filed Under Chasing Dreams, Debt Elimination, Motivation

Last Chance To Enter The $50 SmartyPig Gift Card Give Away

Posted by The Happy Rock on June 12, 2008

One day left to enter for a chance to win a free fifty dollars. Contest ends Friday 11:59 PM EST on Friday.

Click here for details on how to enter. There have been 14 entries so far, so that next person that signs up will have a 6.6% chance of winning. Not sure you will get those kind of odds to win a contest very often.

» Filed Under Misc.

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