Spending...

This blog is about finance as most of you know and why I have 712 views, because you find it important to learn more about money. One aspect of finance is spending habits. Today I am going to make a little twist on that.

SPENDING.... Time with family.

Recently my grandmother was taken to the hospital. This is now her 6th day in ICU at Good Samaritan. She's been up and down. It seems when her breathing improves her kidneys get worse. When her kidneys get better, her heart rate races. They can't seem to find the best combination of medications for her so that all things get better.

This has been a tough couple of days, both on my grandmother and on my family. At the same time, it is the first time we've all been able to get together, uncles, aunts, cousins and so forth, in year. Normally there are too many different family things for us all to have a time to be in one place at one time.

She is such a loved person however, she brought all of us together, on multiple days. She even brought my dad down to the hospital and I am guessing they hadn't seen each other in 7+ years at the most recent. She is so loved that they were taking chairs from other rooms so most (not even all) of her guests could sit down comfortably. She is so loved that even know we had very little hope she was going to wake up and talk to us, we just wanted to be by her side while she rested for hours. She is so loved that her family has driven more than a combined 2,500 miles to sit by her silent side.

The lesson I have learned is that spending time with family is really one of the most important spending habits you can have. We've certainly laughed, cried and run the gamut of emotions in between. There's no one I would rather do that with than my family. In your daily life, practice responsible finance, in the big picture, remember family is always there... Until they're not.

Rachel is breathing better on her own, but has many toxins in her blood and the next step appears to be dialysis. Anyone that has even said a brief prayer for my grandmother, my family and I greatly appreciate it as we feel it is helping her fight on.

Like all other lessons that I have learned and am trying to pass along, I felt this was necessary as well.

I should be getting back to my old ways and financial tips next week.

This weeks lead pipe locks:

Since my grandma is from North Carolina, I will take the Panthers to cover by 7 and over 43 combined.

Prayers and thoughts appreciated.

Black Friday/Cyber Monday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are JUST AROUND THE CORNER. Now most of you know what Black Friday is, but are you aware of Cyber Monday?

Many people have started speeches with "Webster defines...", BUT, in spirit of discussing Cyber Monday, I will take a different route.

Wikipedia defines Cyber Monday as "...a marketing term for the Monday after Black Friday, the Friday following Thanksgiving in the United States, the term "Cyber Monday" was created by marketing companies to persuade people to shop online. The term made its debut on November 28, 2005 in a Shop.org press release entitled "'Cyber Monday Quickly Becoming One of the Biggest Online Shopping Days of the Year".

But the real question is, ARE YOU TAKING ADVANTAGE OF IT?

There are a few reasons I believe in Cyber Monday over Black Friday.
1.) Most places offer free shipping.
      ***So it saves me money on gas.
2.) I don't have to deal with crowds.
      ***See "Violence" on the Black Friday Wikipedia page.
3.) I save a lot of my time.
      ***Showering, getting dressed, warming up the car, driving the car, waiting in line to get in, waiting in line to pay, traffic along the way.
4.) In my experience, the deals have been fairly comparable.
     ***I will be charting the price of different items from now until New Year's Day though to get an accurate assessment on this. 

If you must get that thrill of Black Friday shopping, here are some tips I've stumbled across:

1.) Make a list. You don't need to check it twice to find out who's naughty or nice, but you do need to make a list. 

2.) Determine the "Hot Items" on that list. If you main objective is to get a $200 flat screen, I would suggest that you avoid the crowds at Toys 'R Us in the morning and instead hit up Best Buy or Wal-Mart.

3.) Physically map out your driving. If you need to go to Toys 'R Us, Bed Bath and Beyond, Wal-Mart and the Apple Store, there's a right and wrong way to go about getting to all those places. "Previous Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance".

4.) If you have a smartphone, download apps that will help you save money. Here are a few that may help:
BuyVia, RedLaser, Amazon Price Check, ShopSavvy, Google Shopper, Smoopa
Some let you earn cash-back rewards, some let you buy directly from the app, some give you directions to better local deals.

5.) Fill up your gas tank. Gas stations aren't stupid, they know that there will be A LOT of people on the road this day. Which means a lot of miles driven, which means a lot of gas used. Fill up a few days before, or even have an extra gallon or two of gas in a can. Don't forget, when filling up with gas, use GasBuddy. It's a great, simple app that can save you hundreds of $'s.

If you are like me and would rather save time, aggravation and effort, here are some Cyber Monday tips:

1.) Open up a PayPal account for online retailers that only offer PayPal as payment for goods. It's simple, it's safe and can save you money.

2.) Know your credit card limits!!! As previously mentioned, you do NOT want to go above 35% balance to limit on any credit cards. If you're planning on spending $1,000+ in one day, make sure you use a card that has at least a $3,000 balance. GOOD DEALS ARE NOT WORTH MESSING UP CREDIT!

3.) Give your credit card issuer a quick call up and let them know your spending habits will not be the same in the coming days. A lot of online purchases in one small time frame looks fishy. You don't want to be shopping and find a great deal only to be sidetracked by calling up Chase with all others (that don't read this blog) that have a hold placed on their card for "fraudulent activity".

4.) BE CAREFUL OF PUBLIC WI-FI NETWORKS! It may seem like a good and convenient idea when you're taking a break for lunch after some early morning shopping. These networks are unsecured (which is how you can access them). That also means, anyone else can and it doesn't take Julian Assange to steal your information from a Panera Bread wifi site.


Whichever route you decide, make sure you make logical decisions to avoid wasting money, time, stress or even injury.


The items I mentioned I would be following for the next 11 weeks are listed with prices after tax for zip code 45377.
1.) 40" Samsung LED - UN40EH5300F
   Best Buy - $471.82
   Amazon -  $424.24
   Wal-Mart - $474.05

2.) 13.3" Apple MacBook Air MD761LL/A
     Best Buy - $1,318.36
   Amazon -   $1,247.73
   Wal-Mart - N/A
   Apple -      $1,393.18

3.) 11.6" Samsung Chromebook XE303C12-A01US
     Best Buy - $266.43
   Amazon -   $258.72
   Wal-Mart - $265.36

4.) 60" Vizio LED - M601d-A3R
    Best Buy - $1,542.84
    Amazon -   $1,374.16
    Wal-Mart - $1,547.58


I'm not am Amazon Sales Rep or anything, but I must say, Amazon really is:
.

Also, here's a little trivia bonus, did you know the Amazon logo is intended to show you that they have everything from A to Z?


As always, I encourage you to contact me for a free personal financial analysis. Email me at davids@eqfin.com for information.

My lead pipe locks for the week are: Carolina to cover their 6 point spread against Tampa.
SF and JAC to go OVER their 41 point spread.
Record so far = 3-0

Simple Savings - Winter Utility Bills

It has been autumn for over two weeks and I still can't tell if it feels more like Spring (with this abhorrent rain), Summer (with this random Vegas heat) or Fall (with the gold medley of leaves changing and fluttering to the ground). Regardless of what it feels like, winter is just around the corner. What does winter mean for homeowner's and renter's alike? That if you're not prepared, money is going to be seeping out of the leaks in your windows and doors faster than gas out of grandpa.

It is to be expected that your gas or electric (whichever your residence uses for heating) bill will go up from October through February. When you're budgeting, keep this in mind. Your bills go up, but that doesn't mean your income goes up. And the 3 ways to have more money:
1.) Make more
2.) Spend less
3.) Pay less taxes

This is a good example where spending less could come into play.

1.) CEILING
Did you know that the ceiling is one of the most common places for heat to escape from a home? Have you ever noticed when you have snow on your roof, there are areas where there is no snow? That's not from the sun picking and choosing where it wants to melt the snow, that's a weakness in your insulation in the ceiling. Quick Fix - Pinpoint the area, examine it from the inside, insulate accordingly. If this doesn't fix the issue moving forward, there may be an issue with the lining under your shingles. This fix will also help in the summer with keeping cool air inside, although it is much harder to diagnose in the summer.

2.) Plumbing
Most people aren't even aware of the type of energy that is lost in their plumbing. The winter is another good time to diagnose this issue. If you notice a "sweating" or beady moisture on the outside of your pipes, you may be losing energy, which is the same as losing money. The condensation is caused by a large difference in the temperature between the inside (liquid traveling through the pipe) and outside (air) of the pipe. This is similar to the effect of warm cocoa on a cold winter day and the steam you see. The difference is the pipe contains the steam and it leaks through to cause an outside moisture. Quick Fix - Examine your exposed plumbing, dry it off, measure the pipe, purchase a pipe insulator and attach accordingly. ***I say exposed plumbing because I DO NOT suggest you start breaking down drywall to try and save a few bucks, through energy lost on pipes.

3.) Windows
Windows are one of the biggest expenses in your home and rightfully so. They are decorative, keep heat in during winter, heat out during summer and allow a nice breeze to flow through during spring and fall. I know someone that has a 1,600 square foot home, with pretty standard windows that cost around $15,000 to replace them all. If you own your home, this may not be a bad idea, chances are if you're renting, it would NOT be a good investment. If you are renting, buy a window insulation kit from Wal-Mart or Target. They run about $16 for a 62" by 210" covering that is VERY easy to install. Another good window investment are thick, dark curtains. They are both decorative and efficient. During winter time you will want to keep them open during the day to let in natural sunlight while closing them at night to keep in the heat you've generated.

4.) Blankets
This is a good time to invest in some super soft blankets. Instead of GOING to a movie, spending $10/ticket, $10 on popcorn, $20 on soda pops, rent a movie from RedBox and stay home. Save Money, Get some Family Time and cuddling is the cheapest way to keep warm!

It looks like we're at 457 views so thanks again everybody and I hope these tips are helping you out.

This weeks lead pipe lock is Dallas covering the 5.5 point spread. Also, you'll want to bet the over in the New England/New Orleans game.

Don't forget, if you want a free financial analysis of your current situation, email me at davids@eqfin.com. I will identify your weak points, where you can save more and everything is COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL.

See you all next week!