Well it seems the gas prices post from yesterday sure fired up a bunch of you all, which I fully expected. As much fun as it is to discuss “red hot” topics, based on the comments received, it seems most people completely missed my point.
Most everyone who replied flipped out about how they HAVE to have gas to get to work, see the family, etc. These people totally missed the point of my post. Basically, be thankful that you are in good health and can get around on your own, when you want to. Want something to complain about? How about you go a week without driving your car, then get back to me. Gas isn’t vital to sustain life. Food, water, shelter, clothing - those are NECESSARY items. People who don’t drive, for whatever reason, already know that.
How To Save a Bit of Fuel
For those that can’t seem to pocket the extra price of gas, I would suggest a few things to help ease the pain. See if you can pick up some extra hours or overtime at work to help offset the costs. Also, remember that almost everyone has some degree of waste in their budget (do you have a budget?). Cutting back on some other less important expenditures can help when it comes time to pay at the pump.
Try to drive as little as possible. Group errands together and accomplish as many as you can in one outing. Going back and forth from town to home will burn up a lot more fuel.
When you are driving, remember to be easy on the gas pedal. It’s not a race from stoplight to stoplight. People burn up a lot more gas than is necessary simply because they have a lead foot. Just chill and take it easy… you’ll catch that other guy stopped at the next light anyway!
Why drive everywhere by yourself? Car pooling to work or school is a great way to save on gas prices, especially if you have to drive a long distance. You may not like the idea of riding with other people, but your wallet will thank you.
Sell some extra junk on eBay, Craigslist or have a yard sale. Take those funds that you made and put them in a separate account specifically for fuel.
These are just a few ideas that should get your head above water if you really feel you are sinking.
I was over at How I Save Money earlier and ran across this post where LuLuGal is giving away a free gas card in exchange for writing a blog post of your own about how high gas prices have affected you. I figured this would be fun to write about, since my stance on gas prices are totally different than most.
First off, as you may or may not know, I am not able to drive. Does that mean my opinion here doesn’t matter? Quite the opposite really, as I feel my opinion matters even more due to this fact. Hear me out.
Yes, gas prices are at a record high level, that is not breaking news. $4.00+ a gallon does seem like a lot of money compared to what most Americans are used to paying. But really, think about it. Think about what you get for your $4.00… the ability to drive 20 miles or more without effort (pressing the gas pedal isn’t considered effort in my book) in the comforts of your air conditioned / heated vehicle. You don’t have to walk like many people in the world who are less fortunate than most Americans. You simply hop in your car and off you go.
You have the ability to quickly and efficiently get to and from anywhere you want to go, which is essentially unlimited freedom. Imagine being stuck at home day in and day out - the only transportation you have is what is within “walking” distance or when friends visit and offer to take you places. Imagine not being able to get a job because you have no transportation, or not being able to get to the grocery store because again, you have no way to get there. Think of it as being on house arrest without the legality of it.
Suddenly, $4.00 doesn’t seem like that bad of a price to pay for freedom. Welcome to my world, where I would gladly pay $4.00 or more for the opportunity to do any of the above listed things.
Now consider the fact that gas prices are what, $1.50 at most more than they were a few years ago. Does an increase of $1.50 really wreck your budget?! On average, gas is 5.1% of your budget and gas only went up 1% since last year, which averages out to about $40.00 more per month. $40.00 more a month and people are flipping out… yeah, that makes a lot of sense. If you think gas is expensive, check out these other price-per-gallon liquids:
A gallon of Starbucks coffee - $53.00
A gallon of bottled water - $16.00
A gallon of Tabasco sauce - $95.00
A gallon of printer ink - $7,500 - $8,000!
When is the last time you heard someone complain about Starbucks? Most Americans can’t drink that liquid gold fast enough!
The last point I want to talk about is all these silly free or discounted gas promotions. I saw on the news just a few minutes ago that some gas station offered $.99 gas for the day, and before the store even opened, the line was miles long and people were waiting for hours on end. Are you serious? How about, instead of sitting in your car wasting precious time, you go to work and earn some money. Then you can afford gas at any price! Geez…
You can’t turn on the TV these days without being flooded with car commercials offering free or discounted gas if you buy a new vehicle. Things like this drive me absolutely mad! First, you don’t get free unlimited gas for a year or whatever. You receive a gas card with restrictions, based on how many miles the average person drives at a set rate. Usually this is something like 12,000 miles a year. Most people I know drive a lot more than that, so while you will save some money, you won’t get free gas. Also… if you are really hurting for gas THAT bad, why on earth are you buying a brand new vehicle in the first place? That’s just pure stupidity.
The next time you complain about gas prices, I encourage you to give it some thought and think about some of the things discussed here today. And before you say it, yes I do pay money for gas. I am more than willing to give my friends gas money when they help me out around town, etc. because A) I do appreciate their help and B) I appreciate the modern automobile and the luxuries and conveniences that come with its operating costs.
It’s been quite a while since I last bought something for my digital camera (or any new toys for that matter). With Independence Day just around the corner, I wanted to make sure I have the best setup possible for photographing fireworks.
Last year, we arrived in downtown Memphis just moments before the fireworks show started and I had to borrow a tripod from a friend. This year, I have my own tripod, a Quantaray QSX-DigiPro 8500 that I purchased last year. With the tripod, there is really only one other accessory that I wanted to have to use this year, a wireless shutter release remote.
I had thought about buying this Nikon ML-L3 remote before but never really looked into it. I must say, I was pretty surprised to see it only cost $13.20, so I had little apprehension about “pulling the trigger” and making the purchase.
Not only will the remote shutter release eliminate blurry pics from my finger pressing the shutter, it is also necessary if you want to use the BULB setting (keeping the shutter open as long as you want) on your DSLR. This is great for doing star trail photos, which is certainly something I want to experiment with.
Are any of you photo buffs? What sort of equipment do you use and what are some of your favorite types of photography?
As many of you know, I went to Ole Miss for 3 1/2 years in pursuit of a computer science degree, which then changed to a journalism degree. After making the switch and seeing how far behind I was, how much money I already owed in student loans and the fact that I had no plans to actually use the degree, I threw in the towel. I caught a lot of flack for “dropping out”, but that’s fine, it was a choice I made and I am still happy with my decision.
Having said that, I’d like to offer up some suggestions before you head off to college and become normal (aka take on a lot of student loan debt). Consider some of the following advice and options:
Is school right for me?
For me, school wasn’t the right choice. Don’t get me wrong, I think education is very important, but it is not necessary to be successful in life. We still live in a world where “who” you know is often more important than “what” you know. Ask around to friends in the field you are interested in. Odds are, they may know of an opening or position that you wouldn’t otherwise find.
Stockpile money and apply for scholarships / grants.
If you decide that college is something you want to do, there are several steps you can take in preparation. If you have some time before you plan to start, you can begin stockpiling cash now. Work extra hours, pick up a second job, do whatever you can to get some extra bucks coming in.
In the meantime, apply for as many scholarships / grants as you can. Even if you don’t think you will receive it, try try try. The same goes for essay contests and such. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to spend a few months applying to as many of these essays as you physically can. You won’t get all of them, or even most, but the few that you might get can help a lot.
Research and know exactly what you want to do.
Go into your college career with a firm stance on exactly what it is you want to study. The more you change majors, the more money you will spend and the more time you will waste. You will end up taking classes, only to find out that they don’t count towards your new major. Do as much research as you can - meet with counselors, talk with instructors and even students to get an idea of what the program is really like and if it is exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life.
Consider community / junior college.
Pedigree isn’t what it use to be. Companies don’t care nearly as much these days if you went to a fancy, expensive college or a community college, just as long as you have a degree. That means, there really aren’t too many reasons that you should spend bookoos of money at a private or out-of-state school when you can get the same degree for a lot cheaper (granted, the school offers the same degree).
Work during school.
While you are attending classes, keep in mind that you can still work a part time job to help support you living expenses and / or your tuition. There are many people that work and attend classes, so there is no real excuse why you can’t do the same. Sure, you will be busting your tail with classes and work, but in the long run, it will be worth it to not have any student loan debt!
Just remember…
Take it from me, student loan debt is not something you want. Even with government assistance, I still managed to rack up over $22,000 in debt in under four years.
It’s so easy to go to college, take out a ton of student loans with the mindset that you can easily pay them off once you graduate. Welcome to the real world, where things don’t alway work out as you planned. You may not be able to find a job in your field right after graduation If that is the case, you will need to either defer the loans for find another stream of income to pay on them… not to mention the fact you will have a ton of debt and the interest will pile up quick!
Are you planning to go to college, or have you already been there, done that? Did you take out any student loans? Regret it? Do you even use your degree now? I’m curious to see what some of you have to say on this subject…
We just posted our AMD K10 - Phenom Overclocking Guide over on OCIA.net. We have mostly been focusing on product reviews lately, so I thought it would be a nice change of pace to tackle some modern overclocking for a change. We also have an Intel overclocking article in the works, as well as something for you ATi CrossFire guys!
Be sure to check out the article and don’t forget to Digg it!
Seems like I just keep running across new contests to enter lately. The latest one is over at Stephen’s Blog, where he is giving away an iPod Nano! Oh, and he is giving away his beloved Flip Flap! How could he?!!
Surely I will win SOMETHING soon, right? (probably not)
I was reading over at Affiliate Confession and they are also holding a giveaway for some cool Market Leverage gear, very similar to the one John Chow is hosting! Both Marketing Leverage and Vat19 are on board for this giveaway. I was not familiar with Vat19 before this giveaway. They sell a wire array of unique and usual gifts - many of which actually look pretty useful.
Summer has officially arrived, and for me, that means lots of activities over the coming months. Summer is by far my favorite season, so what better time to get out and do something fun?!
Independence day is less than a month away, and I am already looking forward to it. Last year, we hit downtown Memphis for their annual fireworks show. This was my first opportunity to test out my photography skills at shooting fireworks, and I think I got some pretty decent shots. Hopefully we will be doing the same thing this year.
On July 5, we will be heading to Buffalo Wild Wings to check out UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is my favorite UFC fighter. He has some devastating power slams, is also from Memphis and is an absolute trip! He will be defending his title against Forrest Griffin, winner of the very first Ultimate Fighter in the light heavyweight division. Rampage FTW!!
Camping trip… sort of
I was trying to think of something that would be fun to do this year with “the gang” and decided that a camping trip of sorts would be really fun. My original plans were to hit Spring River, Arkansas for a weekend of canoing / rafting. I talked to a few people and everyone was game, but then Keith mentioned that we might be able to use his Aunt’s condo in Hot Springs. The condo is right on a lake, so we could rent a pontoon boat and hang out on the lake for the weekend. He is going to find out about the condo tomorrow. The condo would be awesome because, well we wouldn’t be “roughing it” in tents and such… but really, either way is cool with me and should be a lot of fun. I estimate around 7-8 people for the trip - most certainly the highlight of the summer. We are aiming for sometime mid-late July for this trip.
Fishing
It’s been nearly two years since I last went fishing, which is of course way too long! Our last trip was in September of 2006, when we went out on Sardis Lake with Molly’s dad on their pontoon boat. We caught a ton of fish, took them back, cleaned them and had one heck of a fresh fish meal. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! There are no specific plans for this just yet, but hopefully we can find time to make it happen. I know everyone had a blast last time!
Jet Skiing
Jet skiing is something I have done with Adam the past two years and it is so much fun. I was a bit apprehensive my first time, but after getting out in the water, that all quickly went away. Word of wisdom - don’t drink a lot the night before! Other than that on my first trip, it was really cool. Again, nothing solid is planned yet, but hopefully we can do this again this year.
Moving, Finally!
August 1 can’t get here fast enough! That is the day I will be moving back closer to my hometown. I have been “stuck” an hour away from all of my friends for the past 15 months and am anxious to get back closer to everyone. I already have my new apartment picked out and am just waiting for an opening. I still have plenty of time so I am not worried about it… yet.
Stone Temple Pilots
I heard on the radio a few weeks ago that Stone Temple Pilots were going to be playing at the DeSoto Civic Center on August 3. I am not a huge STP fan, but they do have a dozen or so songs that I really like, so I thought it would be fun to go check out. Unfortunately, it seems that not many of my friends like them, so it seemed I was out of luck.
I was talking to Stephanie the other day and mentioned the concert and she said she was def. going and that it would be cool if I tagged along, sweet! They have access to a suite, even better! I think this will be a really fun concert, and I am looking forward to hanging out with Steph since I haven’t done that much since she moved from Oxford over a year ago.
Birthday
My birthday is August 5, and although I have absolutely no idea what I will be doing, I am sure there will be something or another going on, especially since I will be back closer to everyone. Any ideas??
College Football Season
Ole Miss kicks off the 2008 college football season on August 30 at 5:00 p.m. in Oxford against local rival Memphis. I am a huge Ole Miss football fan and have attended every home game since 2003. I keep a close eye on recruiting, practices and such during the offseason, so by the time the season starts, I am itching for it! My predictions for the year: 7-5 and a bowl game bid!
The Total Money Makeover Live Event
Financial expert Dave Ramsey will be hosting a live Total Money Makeover event Saturday, October 11, 2008 in Birmingham, Alabama. Josh and I will be attending the event and decided it will be a “once in a lifetime” type thing, so we are going “all out” and getting a pair of Platinum Seating Tickets. This gives us access to “Dinner with Dave” before the event with catered food and the opportunity for a meet-and-greet. We also get priority seating at the event (aka front and center), an autographed copy of his latest book as well as several other goodies and access to the platinum break room (the event is five hours long).
CHL Hockey Season
The Mississippi Riverkings hockey season kicks off sometime in mid October (couldn’t find a specific date on their website). Yeah, I know, hockey is about as boring as golf… when you are watching it on TV. Being there in person is a totally different experience and it is so much fun! I only went to one game last year, since I live so far away. But now, I will be about one mile from the Civic Center, so I plan to hit a lot more games with Josh this year.
This looks to be a pretty action-packed summer / fall and I am totally looking forward to it after sitting at home doing nothing all winter! What type of activities do you have planned for this summer?
I was at the store earlier doing some grocery shopping and got to thinking about this 4″ memory foam mattress topper. I had almost purchased it once before but decided to hold off, since it cost $110, ouch!
But, here lately I have noticed that my back has been hurting more and more each morning when I wake up. I have a relatively new, quality mattress (about two years old), and it still feels really nice. Hopefully this memory foam topper will alleviate the back problems.
And speaking of 4″, I measured it once we pulled it out of the box and it is only 2.5″. Hopefully it just needs to air out and fluff up, or else… LIES!
