Money Wasters

Last Monday, Trent did a post entitled Ten More Giant Money Wasters. It was a follow up post to a CNN Money post listing the ten biggest money wasters(in their opinion).

On Trent's list was electronics and he had this to say

Electronics Does that piece of electronic equipment that you have your eye on do something distinctly different from the equipment you already have? Does it really provide you with anything new? If it doesn’t, it’s an unnecessary expense.

From the time I read this I thought about how I want an ipad. Then I compared it to my laptop(which I am using right now).

What can an ipad do that is distinctly different from what my fairly new laptop is doing now?

Besides being more portable it doesn't do anything that I can think of that my laptop can't do and not only would my laptop be able to do it but it would most likely outshine the ipad.

I wasn't planning on getting an ipad anytime soon to be honest(not with a cost of about $1500), I was just hoping that I could get one with wishful planning. If I did have the spare money I can honestly say that I would have bought one without much thought.

Reading Trent's post brought with it the realization that I don't want one. I did want one before and I did put a little thought into justifying it but now when I sit down and really put it into perspective, I don't. When I think about it, I would use it, but never enough to justify the cost.

It's a good thing I don't have a chunk of spare money or I would just waste a lot of it. I thought I was pass the impulse buying already but I guess it was only limited because I don't have the money to spend. I also don't want to go into debt for stuff like that either. I still have quite a bit of growing to do, especially as my assets increase or I will be making lots of slip ups.

Here is a the complete list of twenty items at a glance.

1. ATM fees
2. Lottery tickets
3. Gourmet coffee
4. Cigarettes
5. Infomercial impulse buys
6. Brand-name groceries
7. Eating out
8. Unused gym membership
9. Daily internet deals
10. Bundled cable or phone services
11. Credit card(and other debt) interest
12. Electronics
13. New name-brand clothing
14. Bottled water
15. Entertainment programming
16. New cars
17. Association memberships
18. Excessively large homes
19. Processed foods
20. Convenience store shops

Trent had this to say about the list and I think he is absolutely right

almost everyone will look at an item or two on this list and think that specific item is not a money waster. You’ll see something that you yourself do and immediately think of it as a good use of money.

Here’s the truth. That list is a personal challenge to you, particularly the items you have a reaction to. If you strongly feel that something on this list isn’t a waste of money, then you’ve found a particular item that’s worth some careful consideration in your own life. The time you spend considering that item is almost always well worth it.

That being said. Some of these items bring people true joy, for example cable televisoin. If you can recognize an item that brings you true joy then their is no reason to cut it out from your life. What you can do is look for ways to decrease the cost of it.

Just take some time and really study the list, you may be surprised at the realization you come to, the links at the top go into detail a bit further for each item. Use that to help channel your thoughts.

Spending Recap - Last Week May

Week runs from Sunday - Saturday
Any days missing are days no money was spent

Monday May 23
$25 gas
$3.40 bread

Tuesday May 24
$5.35 misc

Wednesday May 25
$19.71 Supermarket

Friday May 27
$110 gas/gift
$2 give away
$2.25 Soda
$7 Shave
$2 bus fare
$22.30 food
$3.90 misc

Saturday May 26
$75 meeting
$30 gas
$27.28 misc/entertainment

Total: $335.19

Things were going quite swimmingly until Friday & Saturday and to justify it short and sweet ignoring that $110 in gas... I went out.

Turns out my aunt's birthday was on Friday and of course I forgot and was in no way prepared for it(this happened a heck of a lot this month) so since she lent me her car to get to and from work this week and it was running low Friday morning when I got home I decided the gift of gas was in order. I didn't tell her I filled it up but she had to have noticed by now. This is a very close aunt who has done a lot for me and still does when she can so I think it was worth it even if it was unprepared gift and expense. I thought it was a little thoughtless but it's the best I could have done.

This is also going to be my last spending recap for a while, who knows how long. I mostly just did the tracking this month to see how it stacks up to the semi budget I use to use in my head. Minus all the huge unplanned expenses and outings I had this month, my basic idea of my spending is right on track so my plan to spend less than I earn is working out good.

I will be replacing these post with Weekly Money Check-ups compliments My Pretty Pennies. I stumbled upon these post and I quite like the idea behind them. You can look forward to these starting in the first week of June.

 Hope everyone has a great week.

Taking A Short Break

This is generally going to be my mood towards blogging and anything other than what I must do(go to work) for the rest of the week. Sorry. I'm on graveyard shift(11pm-7am) so that really messes with how I operate.

I know I should have scheduled post for times like this but I don't and I really wish I did. Anyways, this is only until the weekend when I can really sit down and organize myself. I also want to take some time and organize my thoughts and such so I will use this time for that and if I get chance write some post for next week so I can get back on track with a running start.

Hope everyone is having a great week. Will be back in action by Sunday the latest. See you then.

I'm Going on the Hunt

I found myself at work this week thinking about where I am heading next in my life, more so career related. I've said it once or twice but I'm going to say it again. I like my job. I don't love it and I know it isn't my passion, the actual problem though is that I don't know what my passion is.

While at work I've been thinking a lot about my current situation and where I want it to go. I can't see myself doing this same job in the next 5 years, I'll average I can keep going happy for about another year or two. After that I'll get bored and miserable and start to complain a lot.

I really don't know where to go next but I've formulated a plan of sorts so let me break it down.

Since I really don't know what my calling is I would like if I can find my next position within my current company, They are quite a few departments within my current company so they are things I can try but the problem is availability. The reasons I would like to remain within my company are:

• I would have better job stability the longer I stay(I am now reaching my 1st year with 1 company)
• My company has some awesome benefits
• I like the people I work with
• They already send my money where I want them too
• Awesome benefits
• By nature I am a loyal person so I feel like I owe them(I'm not stupid though, I draw a line)

My tentative plan right now is, within the next 3 weeks to meet with our human resources manager and ask her if they are any positions available that I can try my hand at or if they are any future positions that she could consider me for. Depending on how that goes I will make my next decision.

If it doesn't go in a way I like I'm going to start sending out applications to a couple banks and a couple schools and also any businesses that peek my interest before August 2012. I will be very selective in who I am sending my applications to as I am not in desperate need for a job, I just know I don't necessarily want to be in my same position for 5+ years and I would like to see what offers are on the market.

Another problem with my current position is there isn't really a ladder to move up. From where I stand now the next position is supervisor and all of our current supervisors are quite young in age and some have not even been in the position two years going. Same thing with our management staff. So for all I know, the people in those positions now can choose to head to retirement in those positions leaving me waiting for 20+ years. I am not even joking, we have some people, actually quite a few who have 10+ years with our company and are still in the same position, the very position I have now. I have no idea how they did it. Granted they make quite a bit more than me but I just can't stand to think that if I choose to remain with this company, I could be stuck where I am unless I get a lucky break. I don't know about most people but I prefer a career with a ladder, one where I can set goals and pave my way upwards and see my achievements. I don't view getting a raise as an achievement.

I mentioned August 2012 specifically because that is when I will be enrolled in the last awesome benefit the company offers(that I know of). That benefit is the company's pension plan. I don't want to get enrolled and then end up jumping ship that same month or a few months later with a scrap invested into the plan. If August comes and I am still there I think I will give it another year before I start looking again if just to get a small investment in. Also, P is graduating from school next year and we will start planning our future together. I would like to be off of shift work and doing something more stable like a 9-5 so I can spend my nights sleeping next to her knowing she is safe when we move in together.

Forgot to mention earlier but during my interview for this current job they asked me if I had this job and another job offer on the table(one related to my I.T degree) which I would take. I told them I would take the first one to give me and chance among other reasons. The reason I told them the first person to give me a chance is because with my age and no job experience fresh out of school I was finding it hard to get a job(not even going to mention the economy). Anyways after I got the job I promised myself that I would give them at least a year before I even considered moving to another job.

That year is coming up next month and I have kept my promise, so much so that directly after I got the job I chose to turn down another position that I was successful in getting(they called a few days too late). I also turned down an interview at one bank that called about a week or two after I got this job(I actually think I made a mistake on this one as I should have kept my options open).

Like I said,  the year is coming up next month so that's probably why I am feeling this way. Also I am dead scared to end up a settler. I don't want to end up getting settled in a job for years just because it pays. I know way too many people who do that.

I welcome your comments, critique or agree as much as you like.

Toodaloo.

Spending Recap - Third Week May

Week runs from Sunday - Saturday
Any days missing are days no money was spent.

Sunday May 15

$10 lunch

$2.59 drink

$2.25 soda

$10 gas

Monday May 16

$6 bus fare

$12.30 Ice cream

Tuesday May 17

$4 bus far

$2 donation

$2.50 chocolate

Wednesday May 18

$7 soda

$2 Ice cream

$6 bus fare

$12.03 misc

Thursday May 19

$300 dentist

$17.50 drink mix

$17.50 dvd rental

$10 food

Friday May 20

$117.52 bill

$4 bus fare

$5.10 snacks

Saturday May 21

$75 meeting
$43.51 supermarket
$6 bus fare

Total: $674.80


I picked a bad month to track my spending. Trust me. $675 in one freaking week! The bulk of it was planned but it still was spent anyways and it hurts. At first I was considering not including the planned spending but that would feel like cheating just because I want the number to look better. I can justify most of frivolous spending but I almost don't want too.

Stuff like my sister's birthday sneaking up on me caught me off guard so the least I could do was get her some ice cream Monday.

P made brownies Tuesday hence the chocolate

Misc spending on Wednesday was deodorant and I stuff for P as she wasn't feeling well

I finally got some form of drink mix on Thursday so you shouldn't be seeing much more sodas if any at all finally. I've been slacking off from going to the supermarket so I had nothing to drink in the house(not a big fan of water)

We didn't get to see Pirates of the Caribbean(yet) but we went to the video store and rented some dvds for the weekend

My cell bill sneaked up on me as well, I knew it due but time flies so fast

Lastly I also forgot I had that meeting to pay for,(seems like I forgot all my planned expenses but I blame that on the bliss of my vacation from work) and I finally made it to the supermarket.

All in all it wasn't a bad week because if I subtract the planned expenses I would be down to $180.28 which isn't bad, still a bit high but not bad. One more week in the month. Let's see how it looks. I'm betting it's going to be a pretty low key week though. Hope everyone has a great week.

Link Love - First Car Edition

I happened across these great stories yesterday about some PF bloggers and their first cars, I have yet to get my own yet but I hope to have great stories but with less problems. I've had some car adventures but the car was never my own. Anyways, hope you enjoy.

Minting Nickels car is a hooptie?

Digging Out From Our Mess bought a stick shift she couldn't drive

Debt Free By Thirty bought a rabbit which the repairs multiplied like a couple of rabbits

Little Lamb's first and second car's were blue, one loud, one kept her cold


Can't wait to see what adventures my first car will bring, just hoping to not have much on the repairs side. Hope you enjoy reading these, they may bring back good memories for some. If you know of anymore more of these stories feel free to leave a note in the comments and I will add them.

Banking & Accounts

So on Tuesday this week Frugal Forties posted her banking and accounts system. I like to see how other people's system stack up to mine and so I figured if I like to see other's, then they would also like to see mine so it would be selfish not to share. So thanks to Frugal Forties I will be sharing my own today. I'll try to make it a mirror post.

Checking Accounts

• Internet Shopping Account - This account is probably the worst account I have and the least used one. When I got my first job, I was required to open an account with First Caribbean International Bank(FCIB). This is that account and it sucks. It gets no interest and if I go to a teller I have pay a fee($5 or some crap like that). The reason I haven't closed this account is because late last year FCIB became the first and only bank to offer a visa debit card on the island. I can't get a credit card as yet so I decided to get the visa debit card and keep the account. If I want to purchase something online, I just go and deposit the required amount and use the card. There is never any significant amount of money on this account, usually just left over change which I plan to start donating to online charities.

Savings Accounts

I have, let's see..... 1, 2, 3, 4..... Yip Four (4) savings accounts. These are spread across 2 banks so lets go into the details. I'll start with the least important first.

1. RBC Savings Account - This is my first account I opened as an adult. I opened this account on receipt of my first cheqfrom my internship doing my associate degree. I don't remember if I had a specific reason for choosing RBC at the time but I did(probably the building design and location. I have had this account for a number of years and it was my main account but I never really use to manage my money before and I didn't exactly have an income until my first job which was making me use FCIB. I still use to deposit money every once in a while but it use to disappear quite fast and since there is a minimum amount needed to be in the account to receive interest I have never received a cent as long as I had the account. I hope to change this soon. I still throw money at this account every now and again and I plan to use it as a secondary emergency fund of sorts. Also it's a good account to hide money from P in just in case I want to purchase a gift without her noticing right away ;)
2. Scotiabank Buffer Savings Account - Like it's name this is basically a buffer in case my main account sinks to low or if I want to make a frivilous purchase like a game for my xbox once it has enough piled up. I transfer $30 to this each week.
3. Scotiabank Joint Emergency Fund - This is a joint savings account that I opened with P. It functions mostly as our emergency fund but I don't ever plan to stop contributing to it so we may end up using some of it as part of a house down payment or something. I transfer $20 to this one every week. P also deposits to this as well.
4. Scotiabank Main Account - My main account which I use as a checking of sorts is supposedly a high interest savings account(interest rate is .25% higher than regular). I got it because of all the benefits(No fees, discounts, etc). My salary is deposited to this account and I make a withdrawal once a week from here. I use to make withdrawals as I needed but me and Scotia had a fall out of sorts a while back and they messed up my much loved account. Luckily as I had it before the change they said I can keep it that way so I just try to make less withdrawals in case they decide to change me over as I am technically operating it as a checkings accounts.

Investment & Retirement Accounts

I don't have much in terms of retiring or investing but let's go.
BPWCCU - Barbados Workers' Union Co-operative Credit Union Limited(long freaking name)
RRSP - Registered Retirement Savings Plan

• BPWCCU Primary Shares Account - I needed have a minimum of $120 in this account to be a member of the credit union and it makes me a part owner. It also pays dividends but I have not placed more than the minimum here as of yet because I am really only interested in the my RRSP. I also found out on Wednesday when I was inquiring about a loan that I need to have money in this account to secure any loans I might want so I will soon be throwing money here in small bits.
• BPWCCU RRSP - This is the reason why I signed up with the credit union. To set up my RRSP with them. I will detail my RRSP in a future post but I have $25 sent here every week from my gross salary.

Miscellaneous Accounts

None.

So that's my current system basically. I don't see a need for a separate account for everything like how people keep travel funds, Christmas funds and the like. I'm pretty discipline and it is way to much trouble to set up a new account for every little fund I invent. Plus I feel richer seeing a bigger number in one account than multiple accounts with small numbers. If we had a system like ING where I can just do it myself I would but every time I need an account I would have to go into the bank and create one by signing documents and crap, plus almost all of the accounts these days have maintenance fees. All of mine for now are maintenance free, mostly because they are savings accounts.

I don't have a need for an official checking account nor can I figure out what is the use for one. I don't write checks and most of the smaller places on the island still have a cash policy so even if I had a credit card I would still need to withdraw money. If I do need a check I would pay for a certified check from the bank.

Happy Friday Everyone. Hope you have a good weekend. My week's vacation is over. Have to report to work Sunday night. It was an awesome week. Felt so good waking up and not having to think about work.

Getting To Know Me

I stole this from ND Chic's Cents who stole this from Homeowner by 30.
*Update* Found two more over at Girl Makes Cents & Shaking the Money Tree

Decided to mix it up and post the ABC's of me...

• Age: 20
• Bed Size: Double
• Chore You Hate: Flossing
• Dogs: None
• Essential start of your day: Urinating & breakfast
• Favorite color: black/blue/green.... it changes
• Gold or Silver : Silver
• Height: 5 feet 11 inches(last recorded 2008)
• Instruments I play: None(want to take up one in the future)
• Job Title: Trainee Press Operator
• Kids: Not yet
• Live: Barbados
• Mom's Name: Mummy(that's what I call her)
• Nickname: none
• Overnight hospital stays: none
• Pet Peeve: drivers not using their indicator lights
• Quote from a movie: "you can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. Honestly, it's the honest ones you want to watch out for." Pirates of the Caribbean
• Right of left handed: Right
• Siblings: 1 brother, 1 sister
• Time you wake up: Changes with my work shift
• Underwear: Yes???? Don't quite get what this one means though
• Vegetables you dislike: All
• What makes you run late: public transport
• X-rays you've had done: at the dentist
• Yummy food you make: none, can't cook
• Zoo animal: Gorilla

Tuesday like it was a great day for posting. Got another post idea that I stole coming tomorrow.

Houston.... We Have A Problem

And a major one at that. Two days ago. Monday to be exact. I discovered that..........

I do not like spending money.


Now this may seem like a good thing but I am not sure it entirely is. Time for some back story.

So Monday, P and I went into town, not really for any specific reason but she had a CV to drop off and since I live closer to town than her instead of just coming over by me she decided to go into town and I figured why not tag along and go window shopping of sorts. Well we walked around for a bit but then it was time to eat. That is where the problem started.

Before I even left home I had in my mind we would get a two person meal from KFC for lunch for only $15(which really is a deal here in Barbados) but that was not to be, she didn't want KFC but no matter where we went I could not let go of the cheapness of the KFC meal(quite honestly I am not KFC fan, I got tired of it a while ago but the $15 meal is a new meal that is quite nice).

After a while P started to get frustrated(she's cranky when she is hungry) but she decided to go with the KFC just because of me. Right before we got there I also remembered that my mom had food in the fridge from Sunday that I didn't get to eat because I went to work so I really didn't want to spend money now, not even the $15 special. Since I wouldn't be getting home till late anyways we still went into KFC. When we got there the meal I wanted was not ready so I ended up getting nothing and P just bought something even though she didn't want it and on top of that, the one person meal cost her $18. No need to say I felt horrible.

Something else regarding spending money happened that day. At one point P wanted to get a brownie(the girl loves food, has to be a female thing. No disrespect) and I was against it. Anyways she still went ahead and got it and before she bought it she asked if I wanted anything and I said no. She still offered me a bite of her brownie and I took it. It was like a blessing from the heavens. I can't really remember the last time I indulged in such goodness. I really haven't be spending much money since she was gone.

Anyways these two experiences the brownie especially made me realize that I don't like spending money and it was crossing a grave line. I think I am crossing the line where I am letting it keep me from the goodness of brownies and not only that. It would have been ok if it was just me but it was affecting P and that is the last thing I want to happen. It's ok if I miss out on a few joys but my not wanting to spend should never rub off to the point that it affects other people. If i am miserable I should be miserable alone.

I'm really wondering if I have crossed the line. It's one thing to be frugal, it's another thing to be cheap. I don't think I am cheap... at least not yet, I still spend money on stuff. In fact we are going to see Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 tonight and no need to say I am a big Fan. I LOVED the first trilogy.

I just don't want my spending habits to affect others negatively, and not just others, P especially. I've got a lot of contemplating to do and probably some adjusting as well. I shouldn't be fussing over spending money on a one off trip to town. It's not like it's a habit. I have spent a crap load of money already for the month but I also didn't spend much in the previous month's before. I also knew I would be spending a little more as P is home for summer and I am out of my house more so I am probably making too big a deal. I just have to readjust I guess and stick to my main guns. So long as I spend less than I earn everything is A OK.

Sorry P. I'll be better next time.

Link Love - Third Monday in May

Hey Hey Hey, straight into the love.

Paying for your children's college tuition, this is always a question parents face. I have my own view on this but it can become a full post so I just might post my view on sometime in the future. I may be a good ways from parenthood but I still think about these kind of things.

Great visual aid idea for tracking debt or savings and quite easy and fun.

Is your household prepared for emergencies? Niki here put together a very good list that everyone can use as a starter. She even included a small axe in in the tool box which I assume is for the zombie apocalypse. Found this one through The Whole Guacamole's link love.

Do you still go out partying and drinking or shopping for clothes every day? It's amazing how much life changes for us PF heads.

It’s your job, but is it your passion? I am still looking for my passion but right now I have a job that I like and I just go to it and save as much money as possible for when that passion comes. Hopefully I won't have to sacrifice that because of the money.


Had to go to work yesterday, supervisor said he wanted some help so vacation officially starts today. WoooHooo. Hopefully it will be a very light spending week excluding the dentist and maybe a major supermarket trip in preparation for next week when work starts back.

Spending Recap - Second Week May

Week runs from Sunday - Saturday
Any days missing are days no money was spent.


Sunday May 08
$10 gas
$4 bus fare
$2.50 Misc


Monday May 09
$2.45 bread
$10.93 Supermarket
$4 bus fare


Tuesday May 10
$17 lunch
$20 gas
$4 bus fare
$90 car rental
$16.50 dinner for P
$2.25 drink


Wednesday May 11
$4 bus fare
$2 soda


Thursday May 12
$4 bus fare
$2.25 Soda
$1 snack


Friday May 13
$2 bus fare
$1.10 snack
$2.50 bread
$4.50 Soda
$0.50 supermarket


Saturday May 14
$1.25 dumb spending
$25 gas


Total: - $233.73


HOLY COW! Two weeks in a row I kick the $200 mark(and now also a pending $500 charge for not wearing my seatbelt). Trust me folks, I do not spend money like this unless I go see the dentist which is this week coming. Sigh. Anyways, this week was the John Legend concert so the transport category going be kinda high, Thankfully my mom foot part of the bill for that single night reducing it by $60. I can't help but repeat this is not my usual spending. I can't wait till it is back to normal.


The dumb spending is when I give one of the block dudes in my neighborhood the change in my pocket. I knew him when I was little and we don't really talk except for the once in a while shout as we pass each other, anyways he called out to me and ask me for bus fare, I not sure if he was telling the truth but I gave him the change in my pocket. I should have said no. I feel much better giving my money to homeless people.


Lastly I found that this week I have picked back up a bad habit I had broken a while ago and I was doing quite well for the past couple months until this week. That habit is buying soda's and snacks. It will just be a one week relapse though cause I am off that now. I mean it. Once a week indulgence is ok but I went overboard this week.


Can't wait to get back to my normal spending schedule, seems I picked a bad month to track my spending but I won't hide it. I will continue to post these at least until the end of the month or maybe until June so I can finalize the budget I am working on.

Things We Do Or Can Do Together For Fun That Are Cheap/Free

Today Being Friday and all I want to keep the post light. I love Fridays and I love this one even more because I am getting the entire week home for vacation next week. So vacation officially starts tonight at 11pm when I finish work. YipYip.

P and I like to be in each others company and even more so now that she has taken up studying abroad and is only home for the summer. She is more of an outside person than I but we enjoy snuggling on a couch or lying in bed and watching movies. We usually go to the video shop and rent a few dvds to watch together most weekends. We are suppose to have a regular Sunday movie evening but it doesn't always work out.

We are about to engage in board games. We are now in the testing phases as this is new for us but it is a fun. I've played games like ludo, monopoly and such and had a blast. We would generally be looking for games for two players but more wouldn't be a problem as we have or can find company quite often. It would also be nice if the setup wasn't as extravagant as monopoly or the game of life if you have ever played that, simple is better. If you have any suggestions please offer. An amazon link would be super as well.

I'm also going to see if I can get her to play the xbox more but games other than guitar hero. I'm really not a fan of that but she loves it. It's cool but not my style. I'm actually thinking of ordering lego star wars as my next game so we can play together. I am not ordering this because she is a girl who can't play hardcore games. I actually want to play this myself. It looks funny.

Since P has been away studying we haven't been able to do much together other than skype. One day she mentioned she wanted to try playing an mmo game(Massive Multiplayer Online) more directly a role playing one. I've played quite a few of them before and most of the free ones are grinding festivals(repetitive slaying of enemies to level with no real story or interaction) but I started looking into it. After a while I found Lord of the Rings Online affectionately know as LOTRO. I did my background research and found out it use to be a subscription based game before it went free so my first thought was it had to be better than the ones that are generally free and being focused on Lord of the Rings can only make it better as it would have an engaging story. Long story short I was right. It has been great fun playing with her and even better because since we have to do the long distance relationship thing it gives us something to do together even when we are so far apart. I would recommend trying an mmo game if you ever have to be in a long distance relationship. It doesn't even have to be like Lotro. It can be games like the ones found here on spogg.com.

I'm open to suggestions on what we can do based on stuff those of you who are in relationships do or have done. We do also have options like going to the beach. We live on an island and both of us live quite close to a beach. We also go out to the theater and go for ice cream and such but those are more expensive. We also want to go driving around with a map like a tourist and really learn our little home country Barbados but neither of us own a vehicle and let's not mention gas prices.

Anyways have a great weekend everyone. Mine should be a blast. One last time. P is home. YAY!

CiviliNation

Today I'm going to pledge my support for CiviliNation.

CiviliNation is a global, 501(c)(3) non-profit education, advocacy and research organization focused on advancing the full capability of individuals to communicate and engage in cyberspace in a responsible and accountable way. (Taken from their about page)

A little while ago on The Simple Dollar, Trent shared that he receives personal threats and or what would be considered a disturbing message at least two or three times a week. He said he has received insults and photoshopped pictures of his own children(I can't begin to imagine how I would handle something like that). He said at one point in time it use to bother him, enough that he closed down his first successful blog.

Lots of other bloggers have similar fears. A lot of us remain anonymous for reasons such as this. Every once in a while, more often than not, I read a post where the blogger was hesitant to post something because they were afraid of the comments/judgement they would receive. A lot of us bloggers have to bother with mean comments or emails from readers.

Nothing is wrong with sharing an opinion, but we as humans need to remember to do it in a civil, discourse, respectful and caring way. People have feelings, some people are easily offended, some people are hurt very easily. These are things we have to remember when critiquing others even if we do it with the intention to help.

Us bloggers also have to remember when we post something that it can offend people as well and we should bear that in mind before we let loose our thoughts on the internet. All of us also should remember sorry can go a long way. We may say something that offends someone, even if it is just 1 person out of 1000, we should still apologize and just state this is our opinion/belief and we will stand by it. We shouldn't be starting arguments on twitter throwing insults back and forth and especially not personal insults. I love a good debate but there is a big difference between a debate and a fight. I love to see two people defending their beliefs with a burning passion, stating their side of the argument but still remembering to be respectful and even after all that heat, they can go sit down, have a laugh and share a drink.

Basically CiviliNation aims to make this a reality. Their mission is to foster an online culture where individuals can fully engage and contribute without fear or threat of abuse. They have various ways of going about to achieve this but I am not going to copy and paste their entire website. You can go check it out yourself if you are interested. Here are some links to get some information if you so desire:

http://civilinationnews.org/ is a good summary of everything they encompass all on way page.

http://civilination.org/ is their primary website.

And here is an article written by the founder and one of the directors that I found quite interesting.

CiviliNation, though a global movement will generally be focused around America for now, I hope it can grow much bigger and expand as the future comes. The good folks their reached out to me and asked me to help stop online hostility by raising awareness. I must admit I was a little hesitant at first mostly because I am a fairly new blogger and I was wondering why they would target me, reasons like I am not an american and my blog doesn't have much traffic had me wondering. I even wondered if they were trying to get my assistance in a scam unknowingly to me since their was an option to donate. I did a couple back and forth emails and did my own research and even though a small doubt still lingers in my mind, I will jump on their ship and give my full support however I can. Even if it did turn out to be a scam, what they are trying to accomplish is something I believe in. No one should feel threatened to share their ideas or beliefs no matter what once in it is done in a civil way.

I'm a blogger and I wouldn't like to be threatened. I also would love to have a good *constructive*, civil debate with anyone who shares a different view to what I have. If CiviliNation can raise awareness and help bring this about I am all for it. I may not make a super difference with my little blog but if I can help raise awareness of one person, I have done enough. One step can change the world. One person can start a revolution.

John Legend

HE WAS AWESOME!




Sadly actually stupidly, I got busted by the police for not wearing my seat belt. Looking at a $500 fine and my first criminal offence. Sigh. I deserve it though. Like my mom says, I'm hard-ears.

Choosing Professionalism Over Saving Money

Today I caught myself in a moral dilemma of sorts and today isn't the kind of day I wanted anything to be worrying me as I am going to see John Legend perform tonight and he is one of my few artist on my list of favorites that I would love to see perform live at least once in my life.

For the past week, my mom was trying to hook us up to rent a car for the show tonight, she and my little sis are also attending the show so she was willing to foot half the bill for a rental and this would not only allow comfort but it would save me some money as P lives a good ways from me and to take a taxi would have come to the same cost or a bit more as a one day rental and the bus is not totally reliable and really not comfortable.

So my mom's contact to rent the car fell through Sunday night and left me in a pickle. Yesterday morning I decided to give my uncle a call and see if he can get me a last minute rental from anyone he knew. He came through and I got in contact with someone who doesn't do one day rentals but would do it as a favor since my uncle asked.

Here comes the dilemma, 25 mins before I was to go collect the car my dad calls and says I can use his car, I was of the opinion he would be using it tonight as him and my step-mom are also attending the concert. I hadn't collected the car yet nor made any kind of payment so I could have cancelled. Using my dad's car would have saved me even more money as I would only have to pay for gas.

My problem is that cancelling last minute on someone who was doing me a favor would have looked bad and unprofessional. On top of that, it would have made my uncle look bad for he was the person who hooked me up. I didn't know if I stopped the guy from renting his vehicle to someone else because I asked for it and I had only finalized the deal this morning. I know I made last minute arrangements so I didn't want to do a last minute cancellation. On the other hand I could gladly save some money as my this show alone has cost me quite a lot.

In the end I chose to be professional as I am not in a dire situation to save money and you never know if I may need a favor again from someone. I think keeping a positive image is more important than saving money though and I had always planned to rent a vehicle from the get go so it shouldn't be that big a deal. I just really really wanted to save some money cause I really want my own car among other stuff. I also don't like people breaking agreements on me so I try at all times to never do that to them.

Anyways what would you have chosen? Save some money or be professional and stick to your agreement?

Time to go get ready for the concert. YAY! Just enough time to get this post out before I go as I figured it was a good question. Would you believe my electricity went while typing this post. How unlucky am I? Guess a cold bath is in order if it doesn't come back soon. This post might get out late also because I have no connection..... Later.

Link Love - Second Monday in May

Let me share some of the good stuff that is out there:

My Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. I found this blog through FB's blogroll. It's not personal finance but I guarantee you a smile or I don't know what to offer. You have to smile. I'm telling you.

Why Having A Beautiful Home Is Important To Me. I found this one through Little Miss Moneybags's linkfest. I see nothing wrong with her justification and I 100% agree with her. I want a beautiful home too. In the manly sense though.....

Trent held an Online Personal Finance Seminar. Awesome Stuff. Awesome Stuff.

My Shovel Is A Spoon And That's OK. You need some inspiration. Look no further. I recently found these two sister's blog. One of the best. The stories are so touching and so real and they are so strong. Definitely a journey you want to follow.

Mother's Day was yesterday but like any occasion it can have a love-hate effect. Try only to focus on the positives.

Some updates on what's going on with me.

P is home. YAY!
We are attending a John Legend concert tomorrow night. YAY!
I'm getting a week off for vacation next week. More time with P. YAY!
I've been doing a good job tracking my spending. Think Summer is going to be expensive but o well.

Can't think of anything else that is super exciting to mention and nothing bad is happening so have a great week everyone.

Spending Recap - First Week May

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there.

Week runs from Sunday - Saturday
Any days missing are days no money was spent.

Tuesday May 03
$6 lunch

Thursday May 05
$126 gift
$26 transport
$3.70 bread

Saturday May 07
$28.60 Misc
$22 transport

Total :  - $212.30

Misc spending included things that I won't generally spend on or categorize. These were things like parking at the airport, my haircut, chipped in for my sister to get food, etc. I tracked it but I didn't necessarily detail exactly what it was but at least I tracked it.

Ok. so there you have it, my first week of tracking. Mother's day caught me off guard believe it or not. Was more excited that P was coming home but I sent her money to help with a gift for both our moms. Lucky break but unplanned and expensive.

P is Coming Home

I haven't mentioned this at any point up until now but my Princess is coming home from Jamaica tomorrow night after 4 months of studying. I've missed her so much but technology and blogging(I only picked up blogging since she left but it has been a great help in so many ways) has made it a little easier. She's going to be home for the entire summer period so I will be spending tonnes of time with her and my expenses will probably go up a bit but I don't mind.

I won't be abandoning the blog but I probably will be throttling back on the posts depending on how our schedules collide. She will be working and I already have a job so we will have to wait and see.

Worst case scenario is I will be taking a page from Fabulously Broke and doing 3 posts a week. I promise you no less but if the time arises I will be posting at my usual rate or injecting a post if I find I have some free time. I won't slow down on visiting all my favorite bloggers though so no worries there.

Anyways... P is coming home so YAY!

Enjoy your weekend everyone. Come tomorrow night, my weekend and my summer is going to be awesome.

Work Over School

O.K. So after I got my associate degree in computer studies from our community college I chose to take the path of work over going to university. They are so many reasons why I did this and sometimes I swear I create new ones but let me start with a list in no specific order.

• I began to realise I didn't like computers as much.
• I didn't want to be a broke university student. I knew I wanted stuff like a cutting edge computer and cell phone and stuff(this was before my PF incursion). I think I wanted to keep up with the jones to be honest. I didn't want to have the crappy phone.
• I didn't and still do not know what my true passion is.
• It would have been hard on my parents, my mom specifically if she had to continue to support me fully throughout school. (we don't have a credit system here like the american system. For example, there is almost a 0% chance you can get a credit card before you have had a job for at least close to two years. We don't have co signing and such and you generally would only be eligible for the student loan if you were going overseas to study. (Life here is a bit different)
• I wanted my own money. I wanted to be able to go out on a weekend with friends and not have to ask my parents for money or not say I broke.
• I don't like the whole school system. I was one of those students that skipped a lot of classes, mostly the ones I wasn't getting or I just didn't like. Turned around and bite me in the butt, had to pay to do over some classes during the summer.
• University here isn't the go off and live on your own for the first time experience

I find though that I liked short courses. A couple nights or days a week work well with me. Firstly because those classes are more focused. Secondly I don't have to spend an entire day in a school environment. It was also advisible by not only tutors at my college but also various Information Technology people that I do certification courses(CompTIA, MCSE, Cisco)

Basically after college I kinda knew what I wanted and I kinda knew what I didn't want and I had a plan. My plan was to get a job and do short courses, IT certification courses and I started with CompTIA Network+ and at that time I landed my first job(horrible job I might add but that's another post). It was working for me and I am still technically on that plan. I got another job since then, my current job and I like it much more but I haven't done any kind of courses since then. I realize I really wasn't into the whole computer thing anymore. What's funny though is that since I picked up blogging, it perked my interest in webpage design, something I had the option to study while in college but I went with the hardware option instead. I've turned around now and signed up for a 3 month Saturday Class tentatively starting in August.

From here on out, I want to continue working and saving some money while I explore different paths and hopefully find that one thing that I am really passionate about. That job where I get up every morning and want to go do it. That job where I won't care about the money. That job where when I leave I feel satisfied everyday. That job where every day is another great story.

I don't know what life has in store for me but I am going to continue exploring and even if I never find that passion, I am certain the journey will be worth it. Plus I've already found that special someone who lights up my day just thinking about her. If anything, I will live a very satisfying life even if I don't find that passion. I will be just as happy spending the rest of my days with P.

Work Over School - Prelude

I want to blog about my decision to work rather than continuing my education and obtaining a degree. So as not to create any confusion and to give you a little more insight to understanding my choice, I think it is best I explain our education system here in Barbados at a glance.

From around 3 - 11 years of age we attend primary school. Around the age of 11, give or take depending on when you were born, you set an exam which determines which school you will go to next.

From around 11- 16 years of age, give or take. We attend what is called secondary school in which at the end we set various exams depending on your subjects of choosing which are known as CXC(caribbean examination council) exams. These are what Universities and/or Colleges use to select you . They are recognised world wide but I think they hold more value over in Europe.

Here on the island, your choices are pretty much limited after secondary school once you choose to stay on the island(which is the option for most given the cost to continue to study overseas). You have the options of trade schools where you can learn through hands on experience various trades like carpentry or plumbing.

You have what is known as 6th form which is spending an extra year or more going to secondary school to aquire some advance level certificates known as CAPE(Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations).

We have one community college on the island(which was the choice I made after secondary shool) which mostly focuses on Asscoiate Degrees(suppose to be the first two years of a four year degree but it doesn't seem to work like that here) and is really the the half step in between secondary school and university.

Lastly we have one sole University on the island. The UWI(University of the West Indies). This is the real deal when it comes to getting your degrees if you choose to do so on the island. I want to add that the university experience for us here is quite different from the american system and most systems worldwide. For starters, once you live here locally, no one stays on campus, it makes no sense actually since you can literally get to any part of the island in an hour. Saves a tonne of money.

Other than that you would have to leave the island to attend university and to give you an example of how expensive it is, if you chose to go to another UWI campus in the Caribbean, it can put you 30k in the hole with student loans, and this is even with our government subsidizing the cost. And to make clear, 30K in our local currency is only about 15K US currency so it wouldn't help much with overseas tuition.

Anyways, like the title says this is just a prelude to give a little insight for my post for tomorrow. Stay tuned if you actually have the slightest bit interest in why I would choose to work over going to university. I would love to hear your decision as well and why you made it.

The Meeting- An All In One Financial Vehicle

It's something quite popular here on the island, can't tell where it originated or anything but what we call it is a meeting. It's difficult to classify it as it can be a loan(interest free) or a savings plan or a quick boost to get money for a specific date depending on how well it is planned or it can even be looked at as an investment vehicle. I'm not good with explanations so I will try it with a senario.

It's the beginning of May and I have a dentist appointment on the last saturday of the month for the sum of $400. I need to come up with that $400 by the appointment date. An easy way to do this would be each Saturday I put aside $100 for this dental appointment.
A meeting can work similar to this.
Now say I have 4 friends, I can ask them if they could use a quick $400, probably one of them has to buy some tires for their car and they don't want to wait an entire month to save it. I can say to them, for the next 4 weeks let's each pool in $100 every Saturday and each Saturday one of us takes that entire pool of $400. Since I know my dentist appointment is the last Saturday of the month I would opt to take my turn for my share of the pool on that last Saturday(this is called a meeting turn).
If it were 5 friends it would go on one more Saturday so the last person would take the last pool the Saturday after my dentist appointment.

I just think I should add this in case it isn't clear, even after your turn you have to keep paying until everyone gets a turn. Basically in the example above, it was 4 friends for 4 weeks at $100 a week. At the end of 4 weeks I pay out $400 and I also gain back $400. The first person gains $400 the first week and for the next three weeks he pays out $100 which means he gained $400 the first week and at the end of 4 weeks he paid out $400.

Basically, everyone pools the same amount each round and each round everyone gets a turn to take the pool. It is highly flexible as you can do it daily, monthly or even yearly but it is much better as a short term vehicle. People here in Barbados generally do them around Christmas as Christmas is a very popular season to want money but you can find them going on throughout the year. The only real risk is finding trust worthy people to do the meeting with. Like I said it is highly flexible because you can choose how often, and what amount is needed as the pool donation.

You don't gain more than you put in and you don't lose either, it is really equivilent to saving at home. All you really need is a trust worthy group and someone and somewhere to meet (think I found out where the name originated) and pool the money. After that it is just choosing the amount you will be pooling and everyone settling on which turn they want. Here are a few tips/benefits:

• It is interest free. You gain exactly what you invest.
• It can be very very flexible. In a really big group you can have more than one person taking a share of the pool each pool day, there by reducing the amount of time it takes to finish.
• You can speed up your savings if you need a large amount of money sooner rather than later.
• You can save the money knowing full well you won't be getting it until your turn is coming up.  This is better than keeping it at home in a jar or in your bank where it is still easily accessible
• It is very good for the short term if you have a good circle. You can get a big amount of money for a small donation every week or month depending on how you schedule it.
• A single person can take more than one turn, this just means that if they wanted three turns, every time it is time to pool, they would pay triple the amount, the equivalent to three people paying.

I used this to get the money for my laptop faster hence that technical liability I mentioned in my last net worth update. Also this is where the extra $400 dollars came from. I took more than one turn. I also still have a few weeks left to keep paying which is why I say it is a technical liability. I have enough to pay it off but there is no reason to pay it all off at one time since someone takes a turn every week. (hope this clears it up for you ND Chic)

A good tip for using it(one I came up with myself) if you don't have any reason to enter into one is like this.
Say you know a group of trusted friends who will be starting one and it is going to last 10 weeks and the amount needed for the pool is $10 . This means 10 people will be contributing $10 on a saturday and each saturday one person will be collecting $100. What you can do is enter it, counting yourself as one of the 10 and ask for the first turn. Take that $100 and deposit into your account to gain interest. For the next 10 weeks you will have $100 just gaining interest. What I like about this method is that even if something happens to your cash flow after you take that first turn. You can still continue to pay back the full amount just by withdrawing $10 each week from that $100 you deposited at first. You can't always get first turn but you can shoot for an early turn. Basically with this method you are being paid to borrow money.

Don't know if I have explained it good enough so if they are any questions, feel free to ask. Just remember this can be quite risky especially with people who are irresponsible with their finances, you don't want that one week someone can't pay as this would mean the group is getting short. Especially if this person had their turn already. When you are setting up one you should have some sort of action plan for this kind of situation, maybe you might have to have a situation where the organizer has to foot the bill if someone shorts out. It would be a risk on the organzier and very unfair to everyone.

I've never organized one myself and here on the island we don't enter into a signed contract or anything, it is just trusted people getting together. My mom and her collegues at work do this quite often and my mom gives me the option on if I want to enter. If you work for a company and you have a ring of trusted friends, you all get paid on the same day so you could organize a meeting with the pay day as the pool day. This can minimize some of the risk of someone not paying.

All in all, I think this is a great vehicle if used properly. Best of all it is interest free.

Link Love - First Monday in May

Electricity was off this morning so I used that time to give my room a clean out. I got a little more space. I have also sorted my wardrobe recently, I threw away a lot of old clothes. I gave away some to a friend and I have some to donate. I also have some books to give away or donate, have to check and see if our library takes second hand books even though some of them I have never used so are practically new. Anyways heres some linklove:

The ING Cafe. ING is one reason why I would love to live in America or Canada. I think it is such an awesome bank. (@ Two Degrees of Unemployment)

The best blogging advice ever. Never mind it is titled  how to make money blogging. This is just very good advice and tips about blogging in general. Every blogger should read this. (@ Fabulously Broke in the City)

Being Thankful. A humbling post and a good reminder for all of us. (@ Counting All My Stars And Saving It)

Are you faking your no spend challenge? I loved the aggressiveness of this post. She just went in on people who are playing with the numbers to post a no spend week. I don't know if it goes out to the no spend day as well but my thing is for example. If you go to the supermarket at the beginning of the month and you did shopping for the entire month in that one go, you should have a no spend on groceries for the entire month, if you have to buy something from the supermarket then you fail at the no spend. I don't know the general rules but I just loved how this post was written. (@ Frugal In My Forties)

Lastly I just wanted to share this blogger comparison. I can't remember where I saw it so I am sorry that I can't give credit. It's just mostly graphs showing how bloggers compare. I like comparisons. (@ Ari Herzog)

Net Worth: April 2011

KaPOW. I doubled actually a bit more than doubled my net worth in a month and I am not even too sure how that happened. Let's jump right into the listing.

Assets
Liquid Cash - $1690.34

RRSP - $425.00

Stock Fund - $480.00

Misc. Shares - $120.02

Liabilities

I technically don't have any but if you are actually interested in getting the correct numbers I added $375 here.


Explanations

• Liquid Cash - This includes all my money that I can access. Savings, Emergency Funds, etc.
• RRSP -  Registered Retirement Savings Plan. This Speaks for itself
• Stock Fund -  Money I set aside with my employer to purchase shares in our parent company.
• Misc. Shares - I was required to purchase shares in the institution that I use for my RRSP

Monthly Progress Update

Like I said, I literally doubled my net worth this month and I am not even sure how. I have a general idea though, I know I cashed in 8 hours of overtime at time and a half (1.5x the normal hourly rate) and I received $400 from a savings vehicle I have been paying towards to.

To counter that, I had some unplanned expenses again this month.

The first one should have been planned for but I just let it slip by not paying much attention. It was an appointment with my dentist for a cleaning that was scheduled since last year but I just forgot about it. I had the money so I still went through with it. Total of $115.

The second one was money for school for P. Total of $200.

My major problem is that I don't track my spending. I have a general idea what I spend where and I just go with that and my savings are automatic so I don't worry about that either. I tracked my spending once before, I spent a couple days, probably a week writing down every single thing I spent my money on, this lead to the realization that I spend a lot of money on sodas while at work. Since then I have cut down on the amounts of soda I buy because I got myself a bottle and just mix koolaid or mauby and take to work. Overall I just live by my general rule. Spend Less Than I Earn. Once I do that, I don't hurt my head about what's happening with my money.

Lastly, last week I spoke about trying a new budget system of withdrawing $500 for the entire month, I am going to scrap that for now and I think I will use this month and next month to actually track my spending and come up with some sort of proper budget to give me a clearer idea where and what on I spend my money. I would love to create a professional looking spending chart ala Krystal.

That's all folks.

Toodaloo.