financial zen

Well, by perusing some wordpress plug-ins from pro-blogger (a must read if you blog) I came across the answer to sites that unscrupulously steal your feeds (also called scraping).

Add a copyright message to your RSS feed! All with this plug-in - Angsuman’s Copyrighter Plugin. Really, I consider this plugin a must-have, especially once you start getting traffic and the “referrers” start coming in the form of “blah had a great post, here’s his content, and a link back. By the way, click on all my ads surrounding his entry to make me money.”

I recognize that feed-scrapers that do have link-backs aren’t necessarily evil- they aren’t phishing or stealing outright they’re just trying to make a quick buck off someone else’s writing spirit and soul. I liken them to pyramid schemes and Ponzi-artists - worthless, taking up bandwidth of the internet that would be better suited to a number of amiable bloggers out there.

Enough for my ranting - to my fellow bloggers fighting the scrapers, copyright your feeds!

As an aside, I’ve got some planned entries coming. Being a full-time father/worker/student/husband takes a toll, and it’s writing that suffers so that none of the others do!

I’ve been receiving a number of track-backs from other sites that scrape my site for content.

Essentially, they’re pulling in the first x amount of words and posting it as “blah blah had a great post: _insert_my_content_ read more here _link to my site_”

Now, should I be mad at this? There are two ways to look at this.

1. They are stealing my content - but sometimes they ARE linking back to me - and without any filtering rel tags.
2. They’re making money off of me - they have ads plastered all over their site, which essentially means they’re aiming at the suckers who click through on their ads instead of checking out the article (potentially getting *my* advertising money).

To be totally honest, I’m not sure whether I should lay the proverbial smack down on them - filing DMCA takedown notices (technically, some of them are citing me, and linking to me). What I see on a MAJORITY of blogs nowadays are just that - citations and links. Full of the occasional opinion posts - but even more full of “here’s my links of what other people wrote about Personal Finance” and in turn, those links tend to have people linking back and forth - and usually to the same article.
I guess the trade off from a scraper is I’ve got that many more links pointing at me - as long as I’m not the one setting up the spam sites to begin with. Anyone have any experience with scrapers? What have you done (or not done)?

I’m digging this post by J.D. at Get Rich Slowly - the Perfect Enemy of the Good.

Just to sum it up - we often waste time to make our experiences “the way we want them to be” instead of focusing on doing the actual experience.

We make tiny excuses to avoid items - like J.D. and his quest for his favorite shirt to wear for a jog - we look for little excuses to hold us up. I want to wear those shoes, I want to wear the hat I can’t find, should I wear my running shoes or some casual shoes? What’s the weather like? Hey honey, do you want to come, even though you said you were goign to take a nap? Where’s the dog? - we delay and cut back on what we should be doing instead of DOING it.

I did the same thing for years - in school, with work, with responsibilities. There was always something else I could come up with as an excuse. NO MORE! It’s been my vow to quit this behavior, and so far - I’ve succeeded.

Budgets are worked on, tightened up. My classes are going smoothly (being a full-time student, employee, and husband is a tough act to maintain, on top of writing!). Work is… work, but I’m salary and putting as much effort forward as I can, even when faced with difficulties!

So, procrastinators of the world, stand up, shape up, and GET IT DONE!

MSN Money has a great article showcasing people that conquer huge debts quickly - and it makes ours look like a small pittance!

A couple paid off a $150,000 mortgage in five years, another knocked out $8,000 (of $49,000) of her credit card debt in nine months!

The stories themselves focus on a couple key components of most frugal living/personal finance topics: grads getting a house, unexpected job loss with debts out of control, or my favorite, a desired life-style change to spend more time learning and loving your family.

The key factors they really show us, are something you’ve no debt read (and will continue to read about, until everyone out there thinks of it as common-sense!) is:

Live like a college student! Just because you graduated and are ‘making the big bucks’ doesn’t mean you need to start splurging. Sure, buy yourself something nice - but save, scrimp, and pay off! It’ll be in your best interests in the long run - I know quite a few people in their thirties who tell me they wish they buckled in and paid off their debts earlier, and not delaying them and spreading them out as long as possible, to the point that after marriage and kids, it’s still an issue.

The last story, one of post-divorce, had a great list of tips (but I think they needed some help, emphasis mine):
* Opts for basic TV service — no premium channels. Why cable at all? Free TV still lives!
* Chooses a dial-up Internet connection ($9.95 a month) over high-speed service. I agree - only get High Speed if you really need it
* Buys food in bulk to last for months. Canned goods and non-perishables all the way!
* Takes his lunch to work. I skip lunch at work most days so I can eat with my wife after work - I’m a little more hungry, but it’s nice to sit with my wife.
* Makes a budget for the holidays, birthdays, etc., and sticks to it. This applies to all social events - budget, and stick to it. And do you really need a million-dollar party?
* Applies “extra” paychecks to debt (a biweekly pay schedule had provided a third check two months a year). I love the three paycheck weeks. That is debt pay-down time.
* Applies any bonuses toward his debt. Bonuses, rebates, tax refunds - all of it to your debt!
* Sets the thermostat in winter to 63 degrees. Wear warm clothes, socks, sweaters or get a space heater - preferably one with a built-in thermostat and sensor!
* Sets the air conditioner to 79. If it’s summer, be naked. The environment will thank you.
* Buys compact fluorescent light bulbs to reduce electric bills. We’re in the process of this now! Save money in the long run.
* Takes out $25 in “walking around” cash each week. When it’s gone, he doesn’t spend more. I don’t think I even hit $25 with my current budget. It’s a nice idea, though.
* Keeps the credit cards at home. I love how it’s plural. Leave them at home, frozen. With no balances.
* Shops with a list and buys only what’s on the list, and avoids looking at anything else, including sale items. When my wife and I started doing this, we noticed a drop in 50% of our grocery bill.
* Keeps his car tuned up to avoid bigger expenses. This is important to prevent that “little problem” from becoming “the big problem.”
* Doesn’t keep up with the Joneses. He says he doesn’t care what they drive, where they vacation or what they wear. I love the Joneses. They give me a model to avoid, because I don’t envy their American Express bill.
* Avoids buying coffee or food “on the go” but instead eats at home whenever possible. The little expenses add up.
* Stays away from vending machines at work. Vending machines are trap doors to fatty fat and brokey broke.
* Doesn’t play the lottery. Gambling is gambling. If you want to throw money at something, throw it to me.
* Buys broken bags of mulch and fertilizer at deep discounts. This goes for many items - always check for a discount on used/dinged goods. Cosmetic defects are just that - cosmetic.
* When shopping for appliances, buys last year’s model. Buy last years, and check out for places that have close-out deals.
* Budgets vacations and looks for coupons wherever possible. This is what we’re doing - setting a goal and time frame, and slowly budgeting towards it. When we reach it - we’re taking a vacation. Not before.

A ton of useful tips for a grad, a divorcee, or anyone looking for a lifestyle change. They mention taking a second job, which I recommend (and have done before) but remember not to stress yourself out! You need to budget your time so your loved ones don’t suffer!

The Consumerist posted about advice for post graduates written by JLP of AllFinancialMatters.

Plain and simple, I can’t agree more - and even more so than the link The Consumerist provides about Bad Resume Snafus.

I think I’ll have to contact an HR friend for tips on mine now…

Anyone have any Resume Blunders they’ve made (or almost made)?

I know someone that sent in a cover letter mentioning the wonderful attached Resume - without attaching it.

It’s surprising how many people don’t realize what will cut your rates.

For my wife and I, we got our rates cut by a few factors:

1. We shopped around. Luckily, we’ve got a great agency we work with that ran the numbers and factors and scored us a payment that lowered our insurance by $100.
2. We increased our deductible. Both cars have $500 deductibles, and unfortunately we still need two cars (I’m researching the bus system - I’m being moved to a different building much closer to our home, but out of my wife’s way to work).
3. Having our renter’s and car insurance (and then our Home Owner’s Insurance) with the same company, we’re getting a discount.
4. Our credit scores are very good (well, mine is V.G. Hers is Excellent).
5. We’re getting miscellaneous discounts:
   *Being a paramedic, my wife has taken defensive driving courses - that equals a reduction in insurance!
   *My wife’s wreck from three years ago is going off her record = reduced rate for her!
   *I need to ask about AAA and being a good student - but I’m not sure if that will apply since it’s *my* insurance and not under my parents.

Thanks to this site I found this check list:

When you comparison shop, inquire about discounts for the following:*

[ ] $500 deductible
[ ] $1,000 deductible
[ ] More than 1 car
[ ] No Accidents in 3 Years
[ ] No Moving Violations in 3 Years
[ ] Driver Training Courses
[ ] Defensive Driving Courses
[ ] Anti-Theft Devices
[ ] Low Annual Mileage
[ ] Air Bags
[ ] Anti-Lock Brakes
[ ] Daytime Running Lights
[ ] Student Drivers with Good Grades
[ ] Auto and Homeowners Coverage with the Same Company
[ ] College Students away from Home
[ ] Long-Time Customer
[ ] Other Discounts

The key to savings is not the discounts, but the final price. A company that offers few discounts may still have a lower overall price.

*The discounts listed may not be available in all states or from all insurance companies.

For more information, call the National Insurance Consumer Helpline (NICH) at 1-800-942-4242

And naturally, after I do this, I stumble on these gems from the Consumerist:
10 Insurances You Don’t Need
DIY Title Search
Save On Insurance By Calling Around. Duh.
Pay Your Health Insurance Way Before It’s Due, A Cautionary Tale
HOWTO: Appeal Denial of Care

Yes, I’m a college student. Still. Despite a myriad of classes and major changes, I have yet to attain that magical piece of paper that gives you credit in the real world… a degree!

What have I majored in you ask? Well sit right down and I’ll tell you a tale…
*Graphic Design at a Tech School (until the B.A. program they ‘offered’ disappeared my second quarter)
*Graphic Design at a Community College (it became a general Associate of Arts to Transfer to The University)
*Visual Communication at The University
Associate of Science with a focus on Finance at the local Community College to transfer to The University in about three or four quarters.

Now why am I not in the University, you ask?

MONEY! Let me explain something - I receive tuition reimbursement for all my classes - so they are paid for as long as I pass. So why not throw that “free” money to the well-known University? Because I can use more of the tuition reimbursement taking more (and cheaper) classes at the community college! I can drop two-thousand dollars (plus!) on a University education in one quarter, or I can drop one-thousand dollars on a quarter’s worth of community college classes - and yes, Virginia, they do transfer!

This is akin to investing - would you buy expensive because it’s expensive, or would you buy cheap because it’s comparable? When I graduate with a Bachelor’s in Finance, what will my paper say? “The University” - not “Transfered classes from this college to the University.”

For people looking at the big name education - this is really the way to go. Even better, for all you high-schoolers out there:
Post Secondary Option. I got started late on this because my counselor neglected to mention this to me, but dropped hints to other kids - so I jumped on that boat a little late and still managed to get a few classes taken care of in high school.

Free Education = Awesome Education. Cheaper Education = Better Investment. Transferring to a University to get that Bachelor’s after spending little to no money? Priceless.

Tricia (@ Blogging Away Debt) has a great article talking about MSN’s “Money trouble? It’s your own fault!”

She’s right, it reads like tough love - but one thing I think most people need to understand is that is what they (and their debt need) - a good ole’ kick to the head.

Placing blame won’t do anything except delay the inevitable. As I once read:
A young man will blame the world for his troubles, a smart man blames himself, a wise man blames no one.

People get too hung up on placing blame - on others, on themselves that they miss the whole issue - their is debt to resolve!

I once blamed the credit card lenders for preying on my ignorance - I realized it was my fault, and knocked my debt down and focused. Now, the majority of my debt is from a wedding, a honeymoon, and an emergency. It’s under control - and my wife and I are knocking away our debt like crazy. I’m looking forward to post our state of “monetary affairs” at the end of the month so we can better come to grip with our finances - we’re all ready aware we’ve got a fast-food problem!

I read a lot about the Latte factor - that all those Lattes you buy can add up to big bucks!

Take this post from Free Money finance - he shows four examples about your daily habit, and how it adds up… over 40 years.

I agree, little factors add up. But *anything* adds up over $40 years. Let’s talk car payments - lose that car! Walk to work (or bike)! Insurance and maintenance add up, too. Don’t have kids. Live on Ramen and multi-vitamins. There are so many ways to save money if you look.

Of course, this comes in your interpretation of… The Latte Factor! If you really want to save money, those are really legitimate ways - lose the car and take the bus or move closer to work (I know a guy that bikes to work year round, another person that carpools). You don’t need to eat out everyday for lunch (do you really need to Never Eat Alone?).

The idea is - do you really need that cup of joe in the morning? Or, if you really need that coffee - do you really need it to be Starbucks brand? Do you need the $5 flavors when a $1 cup of coffee with free cream and splenda will do?

The idea is to cut out those small expenditures that we take for granted - and to cut out the ones that will cost us in the long run (smokers, I’m looking at you, same thing with Mickey D’s addicts). I don’t drink coffee in the morning (usually). If I do, it’s a $1 a cup at the little deli place downstairs - Starbucks is across the street, so if I really wanted it, I’d get it there - but I don’t. I’ve maybe been in Starbucks one dozen times, if that many. I dig the atmosphere, the whole “watch me type my novel” crap that goes on - but I don’t dig the prices.

Dong (@ AskDong.com) also points out that when you’re considering cutting lattes - you should really look at your budget and see if it’s that huge of an expense - his example shows that Dining/Going out was a huge expense over his lattes. This is an excellent example of realizing what the Latte factor is about - realizing where you are burning money - not necessarily in lattes and coffee, but in the things we do every month that we take for granted.

I’m not saying we need to go the ultimate route - No Impact Man is all about reducing his environmental foot print - and in essence, is being incredibly frugal. Borderline hippie-commune frugal. I love it. I’d love to follow in his steps, but I’m not quite at that point yet. Subway is too easy a choice when I’m studying for four hours after an eight hour day of work, and my pregnant wife is half awake. Maybe someday, but today!

Anyone else do the latte factor? Have you seen that it’s not your lattes but something else eating your money?

No doubt, everyone has been at that point where they want to start credit (responsibly, of course!) and have no idea where to begin.

Do you need credit? Only if you want to buy a house or car down the road without insane interest rates. Or get more credit cards. Or even get a job.

These are just examples, mind you. No Credit is really Needed if you are the cash carrying kind of person. I’m just not, yet, anyways.

I started my journey into financial slavery at the tender age of eighteen - the legal age to get credit. The easiest thing to do is to get a department store card. If you’re in college, you may qualify for a special credit card. Some of them have *great* intro rates and offers. But remember - just because they may give you a limit of $5000 does not mean that you should use it.

So what’s the point, then?

Starting your credit history, is the point! If you get a credit card, look at it like you’re taking money from your older sibling. Or Grandma. She’s got a nasty right hook, and she likes to be paid when you said you’d pay her. Get it? If you’re late on paying your card - you will be hurting (financially, and your credit score will suffer)!

Use your card for the basics and treat it like cash - you’ve got $50 in your checking? Then think of your credit card as like $50 of loaned money. Fill up your tank ($20-25 if you drive a gas-friendly car) and buy a water ($1.50). Turn around and check out your balance online, and keep an eye on it. Pay it off, don’t carry a balance.

Why?

If I gave you $20 and you said you would pay me in a month, but didn’t, would you give me at least ten dollars and promise I’d have the twenty by the next month?

No?

Well, do you think your credit card is going to take that as an answer? When they call for their money (remember, it is not your money), they’ll be asking for some of it back. And tell you you will be charged more for being late. And no, if your mommy and daddy call, they can’t convince them to forgive you for being dumb.

So, boys and girls looking to start credit - especially if you’re in college - go slow. Like you told your parents when they gave you a copy of their card, use it only for *real* emergencies, like being stranded on the bad side of town with no gas, having only water and bread in your apartment, or getting out of a Mexican prison (if they take Visa, that is).

PBS gave some great info if you’re curious about what can happen to you (even if you’re good with your credit). Check out the blogs on the right - they’re also a great source of personal finance. You may be starting - just make sure you take the smart path.