This Article from the NY Post makes me want to hurt people. US Airways has offered the passengers of Flight 1549 “Chairman’s Preferred” status for one year.

“You’re going to crash me into the water, and you’re going to tell me all I get is an upgrade?” asked Antonio Sales, 20, who was traveling with the University of South Carolina’s track team. “That’s more of an ‘OK, you’re not dead, I’ll give you something to hold on to.’ It’s not enough at all.”

Bitch, you’re alive. That’s ALL you deserve. For the records, pending investigation on the cause of the crash, US Airways has already given them $5,000 to compensate for their luggage while the passengers maintain their right to claim more expenses later.

If the investigation proves that there was a mechanic failure that could have been prevented THEN you start demanding someone’s head on a platter. In the meantime, you ask for reimbursement of any medical bills and lost wages from injury and STFU. Or sue the geese, since thus far they’re at fault.

Remember this:

The jackass who didn’t attach the hitch properly to his car was ruled totally at fault. I could have sued his pants off and then some. But I didn’t.

I took reimbursement for my medical bills plus what little they offered me in pain and suffering to cover my lost income (they offered, I didn’t even ask) because I’m alive and well. I escaped with my life and my health and that’s all I can really reasonably ask for. If I had been seriously injured and couldn’t work, I would have sued for lost wages. But I wasn’t. Pain and suffering settlements are bullshit and vindictive, IMHO, unless the other party has been negligent repeatedly and you’re going after their wallet to try and force a policy change.

For example, the McDonald’s case where the lady essentially burned her crotch off. McDonalds had repeatedly served coffee that was beyond ‘too hot’ into the realm of totally unsafe (3rd degree burns unsafe) and was facing multiple lawsuits. They were going after the money because money is the only thing that these corporations listen to and a big, public lawsuit would force McDs to change their food regulatoins. In the end, she received roughly ~$250,000 because of the appeals and because she was ruled partially at fault (she didn’t spill the coffee in her lap, afterall) and McDonalds serves SLIGHTLY less boiling coffee. But only slightly, I have so very many scars I have from the coffee machine when I worked there. (How do people drink that without burning your lips off?)

What are these shitheads going to change about air travel? Are we going to exterminate all the geese so bird strike can’t happen? An ‘act of God’ is a completely random, uncontrollable happening. Yea, it sucks, but suing someone isn’t to help. And frankly, if money makes your ‘mental anguish’ go away, you’re a sad, shallow person.

God, I hate people sometimes.

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A guest on Frugal Dad wrote an interesting post on Stretching Your College Fund today, and it got me thinking about a problem a lot of young professionals face. How can you afford to go back to school if you’re just barely making ends meet?

Mr. and I have been trying to send me back to school for almost two years now. While I’m fortunate that I’m only eyeing an A.A.S. from our local community college to supplement my B.A., it’s still a pretty big stretch for our budget at this point in our lives.  So how do you scrape together enough to get that degree?

1. Check out programs at work. Sometimes you can get a little help from your employer if you’re getting a degree that will give you skills they need, so you may get a hand for your M.B.A.  Mr.’s job will even help subsidize a law degree.
2. FAFSA and State Aid. Yes, you can fill out the same forms as the snot nosed freshmen and be assessed for federal and state money. Graduate students can also obtain the Federal Grad PLUS Loan in addition to the loans available to undergrads.
3. Grants and Scholarships. There are a ton of scholarships for adult learners. Check with your alumni association (especially if you’re going to your alma mater.) Ask the financial aid desk at your school. Check with your local community centers. Go online and run a search.
4. Graduate Assistantships. If you’re a graduate student, you can apply for one and get tuition, stipend and sometimes even benefits.  This usually requires 20+ hours in addition to a full-time student status. You’re essentially the low man on the totem pole, so you’ll be doing a lot of grunt work and other drudgery.
5. Go to a local, public university. Lower tuition for residents, plus public school are almost always less expensive.
6. Look into part-time programs. You can work full-time and school part-time if you think the work load won’t be overload. Just remember to make sure any scholarships or grants you apply for will cover part-time students.
7. Consider a certificate program. Make sure you require a M.A. or PhD before you jump in and pay for one. If you’re just looking for a promotion at work, you may only need a certificate program for specific skill sets.

If you’ve gone back to school, how did you pay for it?

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It’s a little weird to write this article now since I’m still freezing from shovelling my driveway. (Well, sweeping since we forgot to buy a shovel.) But it’s a problem for quite a few people.

If you’re thinking ‘Why would it be too hot?’, you’ve obviously never lived in an ancient apartment building or one that was converted from an industrial or commercial building. Often, these just have radiators that blast hot, dry heat at inferno temperatures, with the added bonus that they rarely come with thermostats in the apartment.

1. Talk to your neighbors. One person complaining to the landlord about the temperature might not do anything, but a whole floor might.
2. Buy a humidifier. Since it’s dry heat, you’re doing to want to put some moisture back in the air. This will help you feel better since your nose and throat won’t be as irritated and you won’t have alligator skin.
3. Keep the air moving. The same principle that works in the summer, works in the winter. If you keep the air moving, it will help your feel cooler (and distribute the moisture from the humidifier.) Turn on the ceiling fans if you have them and take those floor and box fans out of storage.
4. Be careful when cracking open the window. Otherwise perfectly normal roommates have been known to go batshit over windows. Make sure you have the air circulating so you don’t have one toasty side of the room and one that’s full of freezing cold, drafty, horribleness. Keep the doors to whatever room has the open window open and put a fan nearby.
5. Have a luau themed party. You might as well enjoy the heat. Tell your friends to wear their best summer gear. Wear leis. Serve a pork loin or pulled pork and have leftovers for weeks.

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Sadly, I’ll be missing my family’s annual Super Bowl Party this year and we lack cable so no Super Bowl here, either. I’ll be living vicariously through you all, so make it good.

First off, when  you’re planning a Super Bowl party, you have to think of who is coming. If this is a ladies only Super Bowl, you may be able to get away with dainty delicacies. If it will be a sausage fest, so to speak, you’ll probably want to have some more hearty dishes.

The traditional main dish at our Super Bowl Party was always pizza. Real, New York, Independent Pizzeria Pizza. Not this Papa John’s crap. Blech. Darn you Virginia and your crappy pizza. But I digress.

Anyway, if pizza is on the menu and you’ve got guests who don’t enjoy watching the game, set them to work making homemade pizza. This is especially good if you’re dealing with bored children. You don’t need all the fancy equipment that Sur La Table would lead you to believe. I’ve had excellent results with Pillsbury Thin Crust (coupon in this weeks newspaper, BTW) and a regular dark baking sheet. You could make your own dough too, if you’ve got a food processor or bread machine.

Pizza or no, the real stars of the Super Bowl are the munchies. My personal favorite munchie is hummus on pita triangles. And since the last time I talked about how much I love hummus, I figured out three more variations for you to try:

For Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, lighten up on the lemon juice and add a few strips of roasted red pepper to the food processor (if they were packed in oil, make sure to drain them). If you’re serving olives as finger food, you can throw a few green ones in the mix as well.

For Olive Hummus, roughly chop about a quarter to half cup each of black (Kalamata are awesome, just drain them if they’re in oil) and green olives. Split your hummus in two and stir one kind of olive into each half. The rest of the olives can be used in 7 Layer Dip.

For Spinach and Artichoke Hummus, lighten up on the lemon juice in your basic recipe and go a little stronger with the garlic. Roughly chop half a cup of artichoke hearts and a handful of thawed, frozen spinach and add to the finished hummus. You can try the rest of the artichoke/spinach on pizza or good ol’ Spinach and Artichoke Dip.

I’m also a big, big fan of chili with tortilla chips for football viewing parties. A pound of ground beef and a can or two of beans go a long, long way. There are so many chili recipes from so many different parts of the country, that I won’t bore you with mine, but here are the Food Network’s.

If you don’t want to serve hot chili (or you’ve got vegetarians), but want something cheap and filling, you can try the traditional 7-layer dip. It’s stupidly simple and so many people love it. Generally speaking, it goes… Refried Beans, Cream Cheese/Sour Cream, Salsa, Tomato/Pepper, Lettuce, Cheese, Olives. I tend to make it a 5-layer dip because the tomato/lettuce gets watery.

You might also want to put out some vegetable crudites for vegetarians or friends watching their wasteline. No need to make another dip though, they’re fantastic in hummus. Just remember to buy the whole veggie and cut it up yourself (or make early guests do it). Pre-cut platters are stupidly expensive for what they are. To keep the veggies fresh if you prepare them ahead of time keep them in cold water.

And finally, the libations. I’ll be totally honest here. I like making people BYOB and just serving filtered water and soda. People always want to bring something to Super Bowl parties and the last thing you need is another tray of chips and dip. So have them bring some Miller Lite and you save everyone a lot of effort.

(If you’re looking for a way to distinguish glasses and no one gave you a pack of those tacky glass charms for X-mas, you can always try the ‘masking tape and Sharpie’ or ‘plastic cups and Sharpie’ variations. Super Bowl parties are not exactly swanky events.)

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A few weeks ago we decided to take the plunge and ordered weekend delivery of the Washington Post. To be honest, I don’t even read it (I get my news online), but it comes in  handy for craft projects and for those lovely coupons.

Even with my very casual use of coupons, I’m still saving ~$15-20 every bi-weekly shopping trip. That may not seem like much, but it turns out to be roughly ~$360 a year for minimal work. I think that once I get the hang of sniffing out sales and remembering to bring the coupons for non-food items I’ll save even more.

But so far here are the tips that have helped me most:

1. Clip it even if you’re not sure you will  use it. Don’t go too crazy with items you know you will never, ever buy, but if you’re a little unsure about an item, clip the coupon anyway.  The worst thing that happens is you throw the coupon out later and its better to have it than wish you had it.
2. Plan your menus out and separate out relevant coupons. This way you remember to buy the items that match your coupons.
3. Bring your whole stash of coupons anyway. While it may not be on  your menu, if you find a common pantry item is a loss leader and you’ve got a coupon, it’s time to stock up. For example, this week I found Hunt’s tomato products at 4 for $1 and then I had a coupon on top of that. Pasta it is next week.
4. Find an organizational system that works for you. There are all these fancy pants organizers out there, but I find I can keep track of things with just two envelopes. One is my big stash, and the other is that shopping trip’s coupons. I write my grocery list on the outside of the single trip envelope and we’re good to go
5. Find a store that does double or triple coupons!
6. Stop being self-conscious. No one cares if you’re using coupons. I see people handing the cashier coupons like they’re utterly mortified to be a savvy consumer. You’re not admitting you crapped your pants, you’re just saving money.
7. Remember to give the cashier your coupons. My dad’s famous for this one. If you tend to be a little flighty, hand over the coupons as soon as you reach the register or otherwise indicate you have them so the cashier knows they’re there.

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Several people upon hearing that I live so close to DC asked me if I’m going to the inaugeration.

I couldn’t think of anything I’d like to do less.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I voted for Obama. I’d love to watch the inaugeration.

But I don’t want to deal with all those @#$%ing tourists who don’t know how to cross the street or drive. The public transportation will not be an option. There’s no real place to sit. There’s no real place to pee. The prices on everything will be jacked up like crazy on the off-chance you can find someplace to eat. Not to mention that at the highest, the temperature may hit 30, not including the nasty windchill.

No thank you. I’ll be watching on CNN.com with the rest the world that turned off their cable.

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You know you lead an interesting life when “Mr., have you seen my Death Ray?” is a perfectly reasonable thing to ask.

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Friday evening, Mr. came home to find a door hanger on our front door. On this hanger was a lovely message that we needed to cough up $201.84 or our sewage would be cut off in 24 hours.

There were several things fishy about this.

1. We’ve never received a bill before and we have from the other utility companies. Thanks to the foreclosure, we have no idea who was handling this bill before. This notice had no account info on it, just our address.
2. The business hours were 9am-5pm on weekdays. How would we pay a bill they had to expect we’d receive after business hours going into the weekend?
3. They didn’t give us the option of coming in and paying in person. We had to pay by credit card over the phone.
4. One of the numbers they listed was disconnected. The other one rang out with no answering service.

There are two conclusions here:

• It’s a legitimate bill and our sewage company is inept. We will be driving down the street to the grocery store if we need to use the bathroom this weekend.
• It’s someone scamming us, hoping that we’d panic because we only had a few hours to pay the bill.

So today we’re tasked with trying to figure out who the hell handles our sewage and whether or not they have sent us a bill. Unfortunately our HOA people are apparently just as useless and can’t be reached, so we don’t know if the whole neighborhood has one service. We’re going to drive down to the address on the hanger to see if it’s a legit place (we have errands to run in Arlington, so we’ll be out most of the day.)

Just one more fun aspect of being a homeowner, I guess.

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I know, I know. Roommates are one of those things that you only have in college. Now that you’re a ‘grown adult’ having a roommate is childish and an invasion of your privacy.

But how much money could you save on your rent/mortgage with a roommate? That money could go into your emergency fund, towards paying down your debt, towards  a down payment on house/car…

I’m not saying roommates are for everyone. If you’re crammed into a tiny studio or one bedroom apartment, a roommate isn’t for you. If you have privacy issues,  a roommate isn’t for you. If you are totally OCD on how things must be done around your home, a roommate is not for you.

When Mr. and I bought our house, we weren’t planning on having a housemate. Our mortgage payment was doable on just one of our incomes, so we knew we could handle it if something happened, like a car accident, so we didn’t need to worry about extra income. But then one of our good friend’s wives royally screwed him over, leaving him high and dry with a rent payment of $1,600 a month for an apartment he didn’t want. We started to think it over.

Fortunately for us, we have a 4 bedroom 2.5 bathroom house.  For two people it’s way too big (we’re planning on expanding the family soon though) but three fit nicely with two bedrooms left over. The bedrooms are on opposite ends of the house so we don’t hear each other (Mr. and I are still pretty much newlyweds) and there’s plenty of space if we decide we don’t feel like dealing with people. He pays $500 for his own bedroom and bathroom, plus 1/4 of the utilites and 1/3 of the food budget (I cook).

It works out well for us, mostly because we did lots of advanced planning. If you’re thinking about letting a roommate in, you need to ponder these essentials.

1. How is the rent split? Is it straight up the middle? Do you pay one month and they the next? Does someone pay the whole thing and is repaid by the other for their half?
2. What about utilities? Are you frugal/green? Does your proposed roommate share the same ideals? Is one of you going to run up the bill? Does one of you insist on high speed/long distance/extra cable?
3. What about food? Will you go shopping together? Will you make a pool for common foods (milk/bread/etc.)? Will you eat dinner/supper together? Who will cook?
4. Who does the cleaning? Will you alternate cleaning duties? Set up a chore chart? Who pays for the cleaning supplies? What happens if one of you shirks your duties?
5. What about guests? Will you set a limit on how long someone can stay? What about parties? Do you need to agree to every guest brought over? What if they bring over someone you can’t stand? What about entertaining dates/boyfriend/girlfriend?
6. What about pets? If your apartment allows them, will you allow them? Only caged/aquarium pets? What if Fido eats your couch?
7. Smells and Issues? Are you allergic to tons of perfume/air freshener/smokers?
8. Hogging the Bathroom? Are you going to have set bathroom time in the morning?
9. Resolving Problems. How will you resolve problems? Majority rules? Compromise. Passive-Aggressive Notes?

If you’ve had roommates, what are some of the things you wish you’d thought of before hand?

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So this may seem a little counter intuitive at first. If you do your laundry more often, you’ll be using more water, detergent, gas, etc., right? If you think about it, you will be using the same amount of resources just over a longer period of time instead of all at once. The only thing that you’ll be using a bit more of is your time, and you can always use the time between switching the load to do something else.

So how does this save you money? Well, first off, you need less clothing if you do a load every few days instead of waiting until the last possible moment. Do you own a bunch of the same blouses? Is it because you just love them or because you need four of them to last you the three weeks between laundry days? I fully admit to owning about 60 pairs of underpants during college, because it was about two months between trips home where I could bring my gigantic laundry bag. I even admit that I would occasionally buy more just so I wouldn’t have to do the laundry. Alas, most of us don’t have that kind of disposable income anymore.

Let’s say that you do 2 loads of laundry every 3-4 days (one light, one dark), you could very easily cut your wardrobe down to around 7 of each type of outfit per season (work, casual) plus a fancy dress or two, a cardigan, and some grubby clothes and pjs. If you’re thinking “only 7 outfits?”, remember that any good shopper can find pieces that mix and match so those 7 become 14 or more.

The clothes that you have will last longer and look nicer. But washing items makes them fade, you say? Not if you properly sort and wash them, and if you aren’t trying to cram 3 loads of laundry into one machine you’ll be more likely to do that.  You will also be able to see things like frayed cuffs, loose buttons and other easily repairable problems if you’re not dealing with a mountain of dirty shirts.  If you catch these things before they become the button gets lost or the cuff is totally ruined, you can fix them.

Not to mention that the faster you treat a stain, the more likely it is to come out. If you leave that tomato stain on the baby pink shirt to set for a few weeks, you’re going to have to replace the shirt.

And as a bonus: You’ll get to enjoy what you have. When we moved, I donated an entire bag of clothes I actually forgot I had purchased and now that I’ve pared down my wardrobe by at least half (and I’ve still got a few more bags to go) I get to wear my favorite stff more often because it’s a) clean and b) not buried in the closet.

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