Please note, that the title does not say ‘frugal’ or ‘inexpensive’. I was reading through the August issue of Cosmopolitan (guilty pleasure) when I came across the article ’12 Sexy, Totally Free Dates’. Now, I’m not opposed to something like going to an early matinee and then catching lunch after wards to take advantage of the discounts for early birds, but some of these ‘dates’ were downright embarrassing.

“Head to a grocery that gives out nibblers (Costco, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods). Then his up a wine shop during a tasting night. For dessert, stop by an ice cream parlor and ask to try a bunch of flavors.”

Seriously? If my date asked me to do something like this, the answer would be “No, and never ask me out again.” Aside from the moral issues of demanding samples when you have absolutely no intention of using the samples to determine if you want to buy the product or not, how cheap can you get?

“Check out freehappyhour.com and sign up to receive e-mails alerting you to zero-charge drink specials…You’ll probably be hungry, so next stop by a bar with complimentary snacks.”

One or the other of these would be perfectly reasonable. Having a free drink and ordering an inexpensive munchie is a great idea. So is having an inexpensive drink with a free munchie. But both just screams that you’re a tightwad that isn’t willing to part with their money.

At what point (if any) would you dump a potential suitor for being way too cheap? At what point (if any) would you dump a potential suitor for spending too much on wooing you?

Mr. and I have never been big on expensive dates. In college, he was flat out broke and I wasn’t exactly rolling in it either, so we would only go ‘out’ once a month or so but we didn’t do cheap-ass things like sample trolling. That’s just tacky.

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Just exhausted and mostly brain dead. This baby making thing is hard.

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Is it me or are personal finance blogs getting more and more boring?

I used to have close to 100 blogs in my reader, but now I have 12. I just kept removing blog after blog when I found there were just regurgitating the same stuff over and over again without any personality.

I can only listen to people claim that credit cards are the WORST THING EVER! for teenagers (got mine at 16, I have pristine credit) or that Dave Ramsey’s advice is law (I disagree with him about 60% of the time) for so long. I know everyone is in a panic because of the economy, but sometimes it feels like everyone is afraid to be a little different.

Of course there are still some original blogs out there. I like Punch Debt In the Face, because everyone’s favorite debt ninja has a sense of humor. I read Fabulously Broke In the City because FB gives great advice for young professionals and isn’t afraid to have an opinion. I also read Budgets Are Sexy because J.Money talks about things besides ‘baby emergency funds’ and saving up for college.

Give me a hand here and kindly recommend some awesome blogs with personality.

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… or rather the OB/GYN for my 8 week appointment.  There will either be much rejoicing or, well, not.

In the meantime, here’s a useful video for explaining phishing scams and how to avoid them to the technologically impaired in your life.

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You would think that the title statement would be obvious, but it’s apparently not. I was reading an article on stocks over on Consumerist, and one of the commenters mentioned that he had his 3 month emergency fund in the stock market.

Cue facepalm.

A. Until you’ve got an emergency fund of at least 6 months to a year, you have NO business doing any potentially risky investing.

If the market is kinda busted like it is now, an invested emergency fund is 1) worth less and 2) you can’t get the invested money you lost back if you pull out in a bear market.

B. Your basic emergency fund needs to be liquid and ready to spend within 48 hours.

Ideally, you won’t need to spend your 6 month emergency fund all at once, but I would say at least $3,000-$5,000 should be immediately available (as in one trip to the bank or one check) for emegencies. We generally have about $2,000 in our checking account and the rest in a Money Market account. We get a better rate in the MM account, but there’s restrictions on how much we can take out at once and how many times, etc.  In an desperate emergency we’d just pay the fees, but for little emergencies (repairs, etc.) it’s easier and fee free to pull the money from the checking.

I’d even go so far as to say you should keep $300-$500 hidden in your house or apartment in case of those rare ‘emergencies’ (large scale blackouts so stores can’t do electronic transactions, roadside service that won’t accept credit or super amazing deal at garage sale.)

Sure, you could try to put any emergency on your credit card, but then you could be faced with 1) a credit limit problem immediately 2) credit limit problem later if you normally put household bills on the card and 3) nasty interest rates if you can’t quite access your money to pay it off before the payment cycle restart. Since Mr. and I both have very high limits, we usually put minor emergencies on the credit card and then immediately transfer the money when we get home. If you don’t have that kind of discipline, however, you’re better off using a debit card.

So anyway, keep your emergency fund where you can easily access it, and don’t invest money you can’t afford to wave goodbye to for 5-10 years.

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Normally I’m a big proponent of junking older, unsafe, gas guzzling cars, so quite a few people were surprised to hear me ranting about how much I dislike the Car Allowance Rebate System (otherwise known as Cash For Clunkers).

So yes, I hate the program and here’s why.

• It doesn’t apply to used cars. This is my big reason. Most of us are well aware of how much value is lost from a new car by the simple act of driving it off the lot. I know a few  people in the market for a ‘new’ car who refuse to use the rebate simply because they can buy a 5 year old car with better mileage for $10,000 less than a new one.
• The price limit is way too high. $45,000? That was the cost of my college education. Who the hell can afford that kind of car? And if you can afford that kind of car, you’re probably making enough money that you should pass up the rebate in favor of someone who needs it. How about a limit of $30k. Still more than I would ever pay for a car, but sometimes you have to bump up a luxury level to get all the airbags and safety features.
• Possible $50k/$75k (single/joint) income limit. [Link] No, I’m not jealous that we wouldn’t qualify. I just think that we’re still encouraging people to spend more on a car than we should.  For every smart person buying a barebones Camry at $20k, there’s a moron buying a luxury $45k SUV, which would now represent 90% of their yearly income.

Obviously, my biggest beef is that it’s encouraging people to make stupid car decisions. In the long run, that’s going to do far more damage than positive effects of ‘stimulating’ the economy.

So what do you think? Greatest idea EVER!!!!1!! Dumbest idea in a long time? Something in between?

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I rarely feel like going to individual garage sales unless they’ve advertised something I specifically want because the pickings can be slim. But when you’ve got 20 or more families cleaning out their basements and garages, you can usually find some sweet deals.

My parents community in the Finger Lakes had one two weeks ago and although I couldn’t be there, my mom picked up some stuff for me so I could bring it home when I went last week. Anyway, for less than $50 we snagged:

• Zojirushi Rice Cooker – To replace our roommate’s cooker when he leaves.
• 2lb Bread Maker – I’ve been wanting one and for $15, if I only use it once I won’t be crying over it.
• 2 table lamps – Ugly brass chrome, but we used black spray enamel over the bases so it matches the living room.
• Mini Blender/Food Processor – Just the right size for making baby food.

I also dragged home some stuff that was sitting in my parents’ attic, like a full length mirror (the only mirrors we have are in the bathroom) and some plastic organizational stuff.

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My friends and I got into a debate about this on both the environmental and gross out factors.

I’m on the side of peeing in the shower. I see no problem with it on cleanliness since urine is basically sterile and I’m peeing on the drain, not spraying it all over the walls, and it’s all being washed down anyway. I also think it’s more environmentally friendly since I’m already using the water and am not wasting a flush.

Unfortunately, everyone else disagreed. With arguments running from “OMG EW!” to pointing out that by spending an extra 10 seconds peeing you’re probably wasting more water than flushing, it was clear that I wasn’t going to win the debate.

So what do you think? Do you pee in the shower? Why do you think it is/is not a good idea?

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“But Auntie Urbanite,” you say, “I don’t have any kids!”
Neither do we (yet) but there are still a ton of things you can pick up on the cheap (and even cheaper at the after back-to-school clearance). It’s not just folders and three ring binders on sale, after all, especially near college towns.

Things adults use that you can find at a b-t-s sale:

• Printer Paper
• Printer Ink
• Printers
• Scanners
• Software (Anti-virus, etc.)
• USB Drives

• Pens
• Pencils
• Notepads
• Dry Erase Boards
• Dry Erase Markers
• Staplers
• Staples
• Tape
• Scissors
• Whiteout
• Index Card Holders (great for coupons)
• Looseleaf Binder (great for household organization)

And in the ‘going off to college’ department:

• Plastic storage/organization containers
• Hangers
• Toilet Paper
• Paper Towels
• Computer Desks
• Desk Chairs
• Desk Lamps
• Messenger Bags

Depending on your needs, you may find other things you can use for dirt cheap. I actually stock up on crayons (usually about $.25 a pack this time of year) for entertaining visiting nieces and nephews as well as a distraction at my selling tables so the kids are distracted and mom can shop in relative peace.  I also grab a cheap pack of pens and stick them in drawers, my wallet, the glove compartment, etc. leaving me with some hope of finding one when I need it (usually at the post office or some other place where the pens never work.

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We’re driving the 7 hours back to Virginia today, so I probably won’t get a real post up. We were up here in New York for a mini-family reunion.

All of my generation decided to reproduce at once, producing 10 great-grand kids in 4 years. We’re the only couple that doesn’t have kids yet (cross your fingers for us, my 8 week appointment is on the 12th). Turns out my sister in law is actually 10 weeks along, so hopefully mini-me will have a cousin her age.

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