Posted: July 31st, 2008 | Author: Joe | Filed under: Saving, spending | Tags: Bottled Water, money, Saving, spending, Wasting Money | 3 Comments »
I wrote about this in 12 Costly Necessities That Aren’t. It seems I’m not alone in thinking bottled water is a waste.
“With a day’s worth of bottled water – the recommended 64 ounces – costing hundreds to thousands of dollars a year depending on the brand, more people are opting to slurp water that comes straight from the sink.”
AMEN!
“Measured in 700-milliliter bottles of Poland Spring, a daily intake of water would cost $4.41, based on prices at a CVS drugstore in New York. Or $6.36 in 20-ounce bottles of Dasani. By half-liters of Evian, that’ll be $6.76, please. Which adds up to thousands a year.”
Yikes! I can’t imagine spending thousands a year on water. Of course, that’s based on the recommended daily intake of water. I’d wager that the majority of people don’t drink anywhere near that much water anyway, but it still adds up.
“Even a 24-pack of half-liter bottles at Costco Wholesale Corp., a bargain at $6.97, would be consumed by one person in six days. That’s more than $400 a year.”
Ouch. You know, there are two times in my life when I regularly drink bottled water: At work (it’s free from the water cooler) and camping. We buy in bulk when camping, and I don’t mind it so much because it’s kind of, well, essential to living. 
“But water from the tap? A little less than 0.14 cent for a day’s worth of water, based on averages from an American Water Works Association survey – just about 51 cents a year.”
Add to that about $6 a month for a water filter, and we’re good to go!
Photo by Trinitas Imaging / Ooodit
Technorati Tags: Wasting Money, Money, Saving, Spending
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Posted: July 30th, 2008 | Author: Joe | Filed under: Sponsored | 1 Comment »
I write a lot about cutting costs, budgeting and saving, but these subjects all focus on making the most of what you have. This is the expense side of the financial equation. Today, I’d like to focus a little on the income side.
One of the best ways you can boost your income for the long haul is through education and training. I’m a software Engineer by day, and I can tell you that the technology field is still a hot and growing job sector.
In the tech industry, 3 things matter when it comes to success (and income):
- Experience.
- Formal education.
- Continuing education.
Experience is a big factor in determining your income regardless of the field you enter. Formal education may or may not be, but I can attest to the importance of having a degree in the tech field. Continuing education is a must in a field that changes almost daily, as the technology industry does.
One way to accomplish the continuing education piece of the puzzle is through certification. In many specialized segments of the tech field, being certified can even make up for a lack of college degree when it comes to earning a good salary.
Networking is a huge growth segment of the technology industry.
As more and more computers and websites come online, and more people adopt Internet phone (VOIP) technologies like those offered by Vonage and Time Warner, there will be a big need for qualified and certified network engineers to implement and maintain these networks.
Another growth segment is network security. Corporations spend billions on securing their networks and data, and with access to information growing daily this segment will continue to grow.
So where do you start?
If you’re known to your fiends as being a geek, and you love learning how things like wireless networking and the Internet work, then you should look into a Cisco certification.
Cisco is synonymous with networks. They offer 23 different certificates from entry level all the way through specialist in the following career paths:
- Routing & Switching
- Design
- Security
- Service Provider
- Storage Networking
- Voice
- Wireless
Not just for career hoppers.
While certification is a great way to gain an entry level job in this hot market for those looking to change careers, it’s doesn’t stop there. Higher level certification is a great way to continue to learn new skills and focus your career. It’s also a great way to stay fresh and relevant, thus increasing your appeal in the job market.
I have seen certificate programs like these literally change people’s lives. I’m not saying that it’s easy and anyone can do it – you have to have an interest and put the effort into it – but if you do, you will reap the rewards. One of the finest professionals I have had the pleasure to work with in the past 5 years was a truck driver just 3 years before I met him. He went through numerous certificate programs and put many of our college recruits to shame.
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Posted: July 29th, 2008 | Author: Joe | Filed under: Debt, Real Estate | Tags: Extreme Makeover, Financial Literacy, foreclosure, Harper Family, Harper Family Extreme Makeover, money, Money Mistakes, news, Real Estate | 3 Comments »
Three short years ago ABC’s “Extreme Makeover” reality TV show demolished the Harper Family’s old home to make way for a new, 4 bedroom Mc Mansion. Flash forward to today, and the Harper’s are one of the latest families to face foreclosure.
My first thought when I read this story was, “How can this be possible? Don’t the families receive their homes mortgage free?” That got me thinking about what kind of money mistakes the Harper family made.
Apparently they used the home as collateral when taking out a $450,000 loan. Yikes!
As if that wasn’t bad enough, they then used the proceeds of that loan to start up a construction business that has since failed.
To me, this just proves the necessity of financial literacy and learning good money management skills. Giving this family an asset like this at a time when the housing bubble was just taking off is like giving a fully loaded howitzer with a hair trigger to someone who’s never even seen a handgun before.
The article states:
“ABC said in a statement that it advises each family to consult a financial planner after they get their new home. “Ultimately, financial matters are personal, and we work to respect the privacy of the families,” the network said.”
Which is indeed the saddest part of this, to have to sit idly by and watch someone not take heed of the advice they are given and knowing the eventual outcome won’t be pretty.
“”It’s aggravating. It just makes you mad. You do that much work, and they just squander it,” Lake City Mayor Willie Oswalt, who helped vault a massive beam into place in the Harper’s living room, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “
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Posted: July 27th, 2008 | Author: Joe | Filed under: Sponsored | 1 Comment »
A restaurant can be a great business. But they take a heck of a lot of work and sacrifice. My wife is a graduation of the Culinary Institute of America, so she’s told me many stories of kitchen hell. Beyond sacrifice and hard work, it takes luck. And,like any entrepreneurial endeavor, it also takes Capital.
Sometimes you may find yourself a little short on cash when the refrigeration unit up and dies.
As many readers of this blog know, I am a big proponent of having an emergency fund for life’s little Murphy’s Law moments. But when you’re starting a new business, that’s not always possible. That’s where companies like Advance Restaurant Financing (ARF) come in to help.
Advance Restaurant Financing offers financial help to fill any short term restaurant equipment and supply problems a fledgling food service business might have.
ARF provides financial solutions, loans and lines of credit for small businesses and restaurants. The loans are unsecured so there’s no need for collateral, but the rate will be higher than, say a HELOC loan. But in cases where collateral to secure the loan is unavailable, then this type of loan might not be so bad since you can also claim the interest on the loan as tax-deductible.
Read more about it here.
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