Libraries Rock! Free Books, Movies, and Entertainement For All

Posted by Debt Destroyer on March 18, 2009

Have you been to a library lately?

For those of you who were scared off by the Dewey Decimal System, it’s time for a visit. You might not recognize the place.

The card catalog is long gone, it’s been replaced with banks of computers. The scary looking reference section has been transformed into the video section. The hard wooden tables and chairs have been replaced with soft comfy furniture.

It’s a whole new world.

I have to admit I missed the transformation. It wasn’t until I had kids that I decided to see what the library had to offer me. And boy am I ever glad I did.

It started one Saturday when my wife was shooting a wedding. She had the van, and I was cooped up with two little kids. It was a nice enough day out so we decided to pile into the stroller and go for a walk. Luckily for us our local library is only 2 blocks away (living “downtown” has some advantages).

We headed straight downstairs to the children’s section and I don’t think we’ve ever left.

My kids went right to the puzzles and toys, but I headed right to the movie section. Movies are big in our house (no cable) and I think we were all starting to go insane from watching the same ones over, and over, and over…Now I’d be able to check out 5 videos for 2 weeks. Hallelujah!

We also get 10 books. Which now made reading stories before bed a little less monotonous as well.

Going to the library quickly became our favorite part of Saturday (after cartoons of course). But then it got even better when we found out about…

Story Time!

Every Tuesday night the library hosts story time. This is where they read a couple of stories, then make something in craft time, and watch a short video. Each week has it’s own theme. So now we routinely go to the library twice a week. I don’t know how’d we function without it.

But the library is not all about kids.

At ours they have various book clubs and writing groups that meet monthly. I’ve always been tempted to join these but my plate is pretty full now (going back to school and all), but someday…

A couple of summers ago when my tennis game needed a boost, I made a trip to the library and before I knew it I was reading about doubles strategies and having Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith give me private lessons in my living room.

I’ve gone on long enough now professing my love for libraries. How about you share some of your favorite things about them.

Until next time,

-DD

» Filed Under Children and Money, Giving, Money Savers

Christmas Came Early for the Debt Destroyer Household

Posted by Debt Destroyer on December 21, 2008

Did you have a merry Christmas? What, it’s not Christmas yet?

Whoops my bad.

You see we’ve already been given so much that I got confused for a moment. In the course of a week we received a new couch ( a hand me down) and some insulated curtains.

curtains-sofa

The curtains were an early Christmas present from my wife’s parents and I have to say they are one of the best gifts we’ve ever received. Not only are they somewhat stylish (dark purple) but they do an excellent job of keeping the drafts to a minimum.

Since we’ve put them up we haven’t had to adjust out heat up once this year. And seeing how we’re in the middle of a long stretch of sub zero temps that is a pretty big deal.

You gotta love gifts that help save you money!

Our new couch is about 20 years old, but it was still an improvement over our last one. It’s a sectional, so it doesn’t quite fit our house as good as our couch and love seat did. But other than a little wasted space, I really like our new setup. Now I can actually stretch out when laying on the couch.

We’re not fans of the flowery print, but we learned a long time ago to not look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, thats why they make couch covers, right?

We donated our old couch and loveseat to the Salvation Army. So hopefully somebody finds good use for it (I hope they pay a pretty penny for it too).

In addition to all the great stuff we’ve been getting, it just feels like Christmas around here.

Which is odd, because normally it doesn’t feel like Christmas at the DD house until we watch some holiday movies(Christmas Vacation, It’s a Wonderful Life, Scrooged, Family Man, Die Hard).

But let me tell you, it doesn’t get much more Christmasy than last Saturday. The day started with my daughter’s preschool holiday concert. One word describes that…CUTE !!!

But that was only the beginning after that we…

Baked christmas cookies
Made a mixed CD of Christmas tunes (4th in a series I’m working on)
Drove around and looked at lights (while it was snowing)
Had hot chocolate (daughter’s first time as a “big girl”)
Watched “Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas” (rented from library)
Read Christmas stories before bedtime

I know next week I get to enjoy the real thing, but I don’t think it will measure up to last Saturday. But how could it? Eating ham with a bunch of old people just doesn’t scream Christmas to me. But it’s tradition, so we’ll smile and act like we’re having fun.

But the traditions that I want my family to have are listed above.

Well…There is one thing I want to do on Christmas that isn’t on the list. After we get back in town from having Lunch with my extended family I want to have dinner that night at a Chinese Restaurant ala The Christmas Story Family.

bowlingsmovie1

We don’t have anything as nice as the Chop Suey Palace in town, but there’s a nice buffet a few blocks away.

So how about you? Have you been feeling the Holiday Spirit this season? What gets you in the yuletide mood? Or would you rather just say “Ba Humbug” and be left alone?

Until next time,

-DD

» Filed Under About The Debt Defier, Giving, Holiday Wishes

Gift Cards Are Bad Gifts And A Waste Of Money

Posted by The Happy Rock on December 18, 2008

Harsh? I don’t think so. An estimated $97 billion dollars were spent on gift cards in 2007 and companies were able to keep almost $8 billion dollars in breakage, fees or unused money. It is one of the first things they teach you when opening a business, sell gift cards. Any unused money is pure profit and even if they use it they are forced to use you service or store. Brilliant business, but not good personal finance.

The real brilliance in the gift card business came when they were able to convince us that the gift of cash was taboo. We all cringe at giving cash. It is too insensitive and effortless, right? So instead we trade hard earned flexible cash that can be spent anywhere on anything for an inflexible form of currency that can ‘break’. You can lose it, only spend part of it, or get a card for something you won’t use. Yet, we keep on giving them.

My solution is to either admit that the gift is just formality and decide not to have two people swap cash for a much less worthwhile form of currency, or just give cash. If that sounds to socially unacceptable, then you probably want to go a step further and examine why you are giving the gift in the first place.

For those that do get stuck with cards you could consider selling them on eBay or on sites like Plastic Jungle. The fees usually end up eating 10% or more, but its a better option than wasting it. On the flip side you can get great deals when buying cards if you decide you still want to go that route.

So, skip the cards! What do you think?

» Filed Under Cash, Giving, Money Savers, Spending

DD’s Time Magazine Giveaway

Posted by Debt Destroyer on November 28, 2008

Happy Rock’s recent post with all the free stuff motivated me to add one to the list.

Seeing how I’m plastered all over the pages of Time Magazine (My family’s picture with President-Elect Obama is now also in the Special Commemorative Edition, full-page spread baby!) I figured I’d share the love by offering the gift of weekly news delivered to your mailbox.

That’s right folks a year of Time magazine can be yours!

All you have to do is send The Happy Rock an email and a lucky reader will be randomly selected. Use the contact button on the top toolbar to be entered. The winner will be picked on Dec 3rd(12-3-08), but be sure to allow several weeks for the magazine to start coming.

My conscious wants you to know that my generosity is not only motivated by THR’s post, but also by a postcard I just received from TIME telling me that I can give a free gift subscription when I renew my subscription.

There is also a free mystery gift involved. But I’ll be keeping that.

Until Next time,

-DD

» Filed Under Giving

Financial Thanksgiving List

Posted by The Happy Rock on November 27, 2008

In the spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving I wanted to list all of the financial related blessings of the last year.

Another year debt free, except for the mortgage
The ability to provide for two wonderful children
Second adoption paid for with cash
$11,000 adoption tax credit
$2,000 adoption assistance from my employer
Two flexible, solid, well paying jobs
$5/hour raise for The Happy Rockette
Income and symbiotic relationships from The Happy Rock and other projects
Top %1 standard of living in the world – Check yours at Global Rich List
Warm, comfortable, home in a good neighborhood
The means to give to multiple different people, family, and organizations

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

» Filed Under Financial Succes, Giving

Cashback Bonus = Christmas Budget

Posted by Debt Destroyer on October 27, 2008

I know it seems early to be bringing up Christmas (especially with the economy possibly crumbling around us), but the displays are going up in stores, so I guess it’s never too early to starting thinking about it.

For the last few years we here at the Debt Defier household have been funding our Christmas shopping with our Cashback rewards from our credit cards. We both have a Discover Card and until we recently decided to start paying for a lot of items with cash, the cards were how we bought everything.

One good thing about buying everything using plastic, is that you build up a pretty decent cashback reward in no time. Of course if you don’t pay off the balance in full each month, the interest you end up paying will more than wipe out any reward you earn. So be careful.

Back in the good old days when Discover would let you turn $20 of your cashback in to a $40 giftcard this made shopping a breeze. My brother and sister would always end up with something from Borders. And my folks would get a Red Lobster certificate. And I’d be a big hit, feeling like I didn’t spend a dime.

Then I got married.

Not only did my network of people I had to buy presents for increase greatly but Mrs. Debt Defier wasn’t all that keen on giving gift cards as presents. This led to her doing most of the shopping our first couple of years as a couple. But that ended after she busted our budget on presents…BIG TIME (Like doubled it)!!

Soon she saw the light on my “Cashback Christmas” system.

By this time though Discover wasn’t nearly as generous as they used to be. Now $20 Cashback could only be turned into a $25 card. Still not a bad deal if that card is for a store you’d actually shop in, but they spoiled me with their more generous offer so now I usually just request a check and we start from there.

We also time our Target purchases so that we receive a 10% off coupon in time for the holiday season. This can be a little tricky, but it’s rather easy if you pay attention (We’ll miss out on this added benefit this year, due to our Cash experiment).

This year it looks like we’ll have $400+ to blow on crap. We’ll stretch this by giving homemade gifts to a few people, and we also usually re-gift something that we received before but never used (Yes I’ll admit it, I’m a re-gifter).

I think I’ll cut this off here before I turn this into a post asking whether or not commercialism has ruined Christmas. But I promise to revisit this idea again as we get closer to the holidays. I really just wanted to present my “Cashback Christmas” budget system to all the fine Happy Rock readers.

Of course if we stick to the cash plan, this will be the last year that we’ll have any decent amount of dough to work with. But if the economy doesn’t turn around, we’ll probably have to scale back anyways. You know what that means…

Homemade gifts for everyone!!!

So now that I’ve shown you mine, you should show me yours…holiday budget system that is. Whether you use an envelope system, buying clubs, do your shopping in July, or go crazy on the 24th, let me know how you deal with the frenzy that is Christmas Shopping?

Until next time,

-DD

» Filed Under Frugality, Giving

Christmas, Debt, and Spending – Our Example

Posted by The Happy Rock on December 19, 2007

In the last post I asked some questions about the nature of Christmas spending and what we could do to change. I wanted to share some of the changes that my family has undergone in the last for years to fight the consumerism onslaught and then a few lessons learned.

The Happy Rockette’s Family

To set the stage, my wife is one a five sisters. Four of them are married, and we have 8 nieces and nephews(ages 1-6) between us. We do Christmas morning with at the Rockette’s parent’s house, and everyone was buying gifts for each other and the children. I remember walking into the gift room and not even being able to sit down, because of the huge collection of gifts. I think we spent well over a thousand dollars that year in gifts.

Things had to change. We started some conversations about doing a name exchange between the adults, and a year later we did it. There was a $50-75 range for each person, each person could get quality over quantity. The following year, the children still went home with a truckload of toys. This year, we also did a name exchange between the children with a $20 cap. We will see how it works out, but it is another step in the right direction.

The Happy Rock’s Family

For my side of the family, we also went through a similar progression. A few years back we moved from buying smaller gifts for everyone to a $50 name exchange. My Grandmother still buys for everyone, but I think that is just the way grandparent’s are! This year we are not actually giving gifts to one another, but we will pool our money together to buy an animal for a deserving family in need. Click here for the Hiefer Project catalog, if you want to learn more about what they do. I think it is a solid organization with a great philosophy.

In all, we have more than halved our Christmas expenses(and stress), and we feel more fulfilled.

Tips For Changing Christmas Spending.

Here are a couple of key observations that I gained while we changed our family traditions:

Changes, especially changes to deep rooted traditions take time. Focus on the direction of the ship more than the destination. Life is a journey.
Real people are involved. Sometimes relationships are messy. People can get frustrated, upset, and offended. We need to approach each other in love, courage, honesty, and patience. You may need to spill the beans about your debt struggles, or walk your family through the exact reasons you can’t do gifts. You may even need to reassure them that this doesn’t change how you feel about them. Those type of conversations will probably deepen the relationship more than gifts ever would.
People who naturally show love through gifts will be more affected than those like me who are on the cheap miser end of the spectrum and show love in other ways. This underscores again the need for patience and love.
Shifting your focus onto those that are more needy through donations of money or services can really help change perspectives. Activities like doing Angel Tree gifts as a family really bring people together.

That is how Christmas has been changing around here, what about you?

» Filed Under About Me, Giving, Holiday Wishes, Materialism

Play A Game And Help End Global Hunger

Posted by The Happy Rock on November 20, 2007

“About 25,000 people die each day from hunger or hunger-related causes, most of them children.”

“The United Nations estimates that the cost to end world hunger completely, along with diseases related to hunger and poverty, is about $195 billion a year.”

This is post is about shedding some light on poverty around the world. It is so easy to get wrapped up in our small world and own finances without giving as much as a thought to those who have much less around the world.

The quotes above were provided by an innovative new new site called FreeRice.com(click the banner to check out the site). The site promises to donate grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) for each question correctly answered in a vocabulary game. The non-profit business model will use the money from advertising to buy the grains of rice that are earned by the players. Players get 10 grains of rice for each question that is answered correctly. Yesterday, 170,885,620 grains of rice were earned by the community of players.

I am not sure that the business model is sustainable in its current form or if the statistics are very accurate, but I love the sentiment. Create a site that has intrinsic value for the users by providing fun and learning, increase the conversation about global poverty, and attempt to do something to help. The site is a brainchild of poverty.com‘s private owner John Breen. Kudos!

One other intersting note is that “twenty-two developed countries below have pledged to work towards each giving 0.7% (a little less than 1%) of their national income in international aid, which would raise the $195 billion.” The US is one of them. Click here to see a full list and the progress that has been made.

I achieve level 35-40 in the vocab game, if any one is interested. It takes a fair amount of guessing correctly to get that my score that high though.

» Filed Under Food, Giving, Serving Others