Spending Money Left, Right and Center
Wow, wasn’t the inaugeration great? What an exciting end to a historic election! I’m so proud that I live in a country where it’s possible for a black man, a woman and an angry hamster to run for president. Other than the inauguration, yesterday really sucked. I thought I was doing great with the challenge. [...]
The Hateful House
Q: Why is it that your house never looks as good as it does when it goes on the market? At this point I might as well call this my 110k Savings Challenge because if I spend $10,000 repainting my house, tearing down the rotting garage and replacing the broken hot water heater, I’ll consider [...]
Please Don’t Tell My Mother
I learned at an early age that I cannot have a sane conversation with my mother about money. In 1990, while still in college, I purchased an espresso maker. It cost $40. Other people’s parents would judge that as a prudent purchase since it allowed me to skip buying $4 mochachinos every day like my [...]
Why 100k?
A: It’s my favorite candy bar. B: Doesn’t it sound flashier and more exciting than trying to save $10k? C: I’m not sure if “100 large” means $100,000 or $1,000,000 and that extra zero is important. D: It’ll be fun. I love New Year’s. It’s my second favorite holiday after Thanksgiving. I don’t care about [...]
Hollywood Ending
It’s New Years’ Eve and I can’t find anyone to be nice to. No one is around. Even the homeless people I want to give my recycling to are not hanging out at their usual spot by the dumpsters in back of the corner liquor store. Mr. Foxypants and I will be ringing in the [...]
The Umbrellas of East LA
She looked miserable. Selling fruit as a curbside vendor in this city has to be a terrible job to begin with. All day long you face the rejection of hostile LA drivers, car exhaust, and a multitude of other annoyances that come with using a traffic median strip as your workplace. I drove past the [...]
Cinnamon: The Niceness Project, Now With Vegan Menu Choices!
I found a random rubber stamp in the garage that says “cinnamon.” Where did this come from and why do I have this? Today I walked it down to my local vegan restaurant, which just happens to be called CINNAMON, and gave the stamp to the very startled counter girl.
