Mixing Morals and Debt Management

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Getting your debt under control isn’t something that comes easily or quickly.  It’s a long, arduous process, not unlike a diet, that requires constant attention and focus.  For many, it’s the same process that starts and stops each year, a declining goal once the initial excitement has worn off.  But if there’s ever been a year to shore up your finances, 2009 is it.  So to make sure there’s no backsliding, we’ve mixed some time honored morals into the process to help you stay abreast of your financial objectives this year.  Keep reading for four fundamental values and how they should tie directly into your debt management goals.

1.  Discipline

You must constantly keep yourself consistent on monthly payments.  Just like that one slice of pie can throw off your new year’s weight loss resolution, so can one missed student loan payment throw off your debt repay schedule — and mentality.  You’ll make it that much easier for yourself to miss a payment in the future.  The best way to curtail this is to sign up for automated payments.  Don’t give yourself the option of cheating.

2.  Honesty

Being honest with yourself is extremely important not only when paying off debt, but with your personal finances in general.  When I was throwing back payments on my credit card and student loans, I would get a little too optimistic about what I could really afford to chuck at my debt each month.  And in those cases, I would find myself almost penniless at the close of the next pay period because I wasn’t honest with myself about what I could realistically afford to put towards my debt.  It was all done with good intentions, but when those instances occurred, I found myself borrowing $20 or $30 from my savings or overdraft accounts to cover the days remaining til I got my paycheck.

3.  Moderation

You can’t have your cake and eat it too.  If you’re really serious about being in good financial health, you have to make sacrifices.  And with sacrifices comes moderation.  Growing up in a time when a good majority of us were given whatever we wanted, this can seem like a painful cutback.  But it’s worth it.  I cannot count how many times I’ve gone out to lunch and along with a salad or sandwich, have picked up something extra like a brownie or a candy bar — something that pulled an extra couple of dollars out of my wallet just because I thought I may want it later.  It’s not necessary, and those small daily expenses really add up over the long haul.

4.  Dignity

Being financially aware and responsible is something to be proud of.  Rather than hoard worthless material trinkets to feed your pride, focusing on productive and worthwhile goals will give you a higher sort of accomplishment and self worth.  Practicing the art of self-discipline and frugality is difficult enough, but strengthening personal growth endeavors will bring you an unobjectionable sense of pride and accomplishment when you succeed in paying off your debt and reaching your financial goals.

Calling all Vintage Comic Nerds: Housing Works Bookstore Sale

Housing Works (the AIDS Foundation/ thrift store people) also have a thriving used bookstore on Crosby Street.  This Saturday and Sunday (January 31st and February 1st) they will be having their Annual Basement Sale featuring boxes of vintage comics, records, and paperback books 5 for $1.  That’s right — .20 each. Read more

Don’t Get Scammed! (Like I Did)

With all of the bank mergers and acquisitions taking place right now, many people are getting tons of updates from their banking and credit card companies regarding the transitions to other companies and new policies and procedures.  Read more

How To Avoid Putting On The Recession Pounds

Do yourself a favor: Run over to the mirror, strip to your skivvies, and give yourself a thorough once over. Notice anything different? While the vast majority of us would like to fantasize that the reflection would dazzle us with tight buns, abs of steel, and killer pecs, chances are that you’ve gained a pound–or ten. And in this economic climate, it’s totally expected.

Reuters reports that as Americans tighten their wallets, they’re substituting nutritious (but expensive) grub from the likes of the simply godly Whole Foods for gutter meals from fast food joints such as McDonalds–a place that has near recession-proof patronage courtesy of a low-cost dollar menu. A dollar menu chock full of fatty, empty calories that offers very little nutritional value and will have you looking to nosh in no time. Dominos is proving to be just as enticing, as it’s running a “3 or more medium 1-topping pizzas for $5.55 each” promotion. Three pizzas for under $20? That’s enough to keep you fed for a few days, and is cheaper than taking a trip to DiFara’s. But worth it in the long run?  Nuh uh.  Just as we have to make the conscientious decision to spend less money and live within our means, we’ve also got to make the conscientious decision to eat right and stay healthy during these wallet tightening times.

• Develop a work out plan. You can burn some cals without spending a dime, but if you like the company of others to act as motivation, check out alumni gym memberships at several of NYC’s colleges.

• Eat In. Whip up some tasty meals yourself, picked from ingredients that you’ve culled together to create a filling and healthy meal. Wrap some of the left overs for lunch the next day and save some chedda.

• Sacrifice to afford the good stuff. We won’t even try to pretend that we’re not Whole Foods junkies. Sure, it’s more expensive than the food in your local A&P, but fresh deliciousness fills its aisles. If you adopt some of our recommended free recession-proof activities instead of buying DVDs, videogames, and clothing on a regular basis, you should have some extra cash on hand to feast on scrumptiousness.

Four Fancy, But Frugal, Recipes

Entertaining friends with a low-key, intimate dinner at home can be pricey.  But we’ve gathered everything you need to move those after work dinners from the restaurant and into your kitchen — and at about a quarter of the cost.  You can downsize your supermarket bill without losing out on taste or presentation with these simple recipes for fabulously frugal meals.

Curried Rice
With only some cooking oil, white rice, vegetables and curry powder you can make a satisfying rice dish for only a few bucks.  First heat up some cooking oil (olive or vegetable) in a deep saucepan.  Add a tablespoon or so of curry and distribute it evenly in the pot let it heat up until it begins to bubble.  Stir in a cup or two of white rice evenly coating the rice with the curry and shake some salt over the colored rice.  After that add in some water, just enough to cover it.  Toss in some chopped onions and  a can of mixed vegetables.  Let it cook until the rice is done (about 20-25 min) and serve.  To beef it up a bit, saute and threw in some sausage along with the mixed vegetables for an even heartier dish.

Lemon Spaghetti
Begin by boiling a box of spaghetti in salted water.  Pour a cup of olive oil into a mixing bowl.  Zest a medium lemon into the olive oil and squeeze the juice of half the lemon into the mixture as well.  Stir in a cup of grated Parmesan cheese to create a cheesy olive oil sauce and set aside.  Once the spaghetti is al dente, stop boiling, reserve a cup or two of the pasta water and drain the rest.  Slowly add the sauce to the pasta and carefully add a bit of the pasta water as you desire to thin it out.  Season with black pepper and chopped fresh basil or sprinkle in some dried basil to taste.  The measurements are flexible so before serving, taste it and you can add more zest, lemon juice, pepper or basil as you like.

Salmon Croquettes
Empty a 10 oz. can of Pink Salmon into a bowl.  Stir in an egg, chopped onions and season with black pepper.  Drop in a couple scoops of flour and mix well.  Start heating up some oil in a frying pan.  Make medium sized patties with the fish mixture.  (If you’re having a hard time keeping the patties together, then that means you need to add more flour.)  Once you have some well formed patties, place them into the oil and fry until brown on both sides.  I’d suggest pairing with veggies and/or rice.

Beef Rice Pilaf
In a skillet, brown 2 cups of rice and some chopped onions or scallions in oil.  At the same time, have a cup or so of vegetable or beef broth simmering on low in a saucepan on the side.   Brown the onions and rice until onions are soft.  Add the rice to the broth and stir.  (You may need to level the the saucepan out with some water.)  In the skillet brown some ground beef and season with salt and pepper.  ( If your broth is salted be careful with how much salt you add to the beef if any.)  Once the ground beef is cooked add it to the rice along with some corn and chopped or sliced green and/or red bell peppers.  Add water if necessary and bring to a boil.  Sprinkle in some nutmeg for a spicy flavor and cook until rice is completely done.

Since beverages shouldn’t be neglected try these simple concoctions:

Cucumber Water
Slice a small cucumber (skin and all) and add it to a pitcher of water.  The cucumber will give the water a crisp and unexpected strong flavor.  You may drink more water with this simple trick and that’s always a good thing.

Tinto de Verano
A popular summertime drink in Spain, use this beverage to stretch out a bottle of red wine.  Just mix 1 part red wine with 1 part lemon soda or Sprite and you’ll have a tasty bubbly cocktail that is sure to prove popular with your guests.

MSI Offers Free Netbooks to Lovers This Valentine’s Day

Sure Don Juans of days past attempted to woo fair maidens with treats of chocolates, sweet smelling bouquets, and sweet nothings whispered in the ear, but modern ladies who are just as geeky as their boyfriends require zeros and ones, instead of saccharine-soaked Hallmark cards. Read more

Recession-Proof Activities: Part II

The recession continues. In these tough financial times, penny-pinching is essential, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live it up. We’ve once again rounded up some of our favorite low-cost activities (you can find our original recession-proof list here) that are sure to bring a few smiles while keeping the debit card in pocket.

1. Chuckle It Up at UCB Theatre: The recession is taking its toll on Americans pretty hard, so why not get out for a few giggles? UCB Theatre, a staple of New York’s comedy scene, hosts “School Night” where those in dire needs of laughs can take in new, experimental improv, sketch comedy, and stand up for absolutely zero dollars. That’s right, zero, zilch, nada. The one caveat is that it tales place at 11PM on a Wednesday night, but hey, many of us aren’t waking up for work on Thursday morning anyway.

2. Get Your Game-On With Gametap: Thanks to the breakthrough success of the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii, gaming has expanded its scope beyond basement-dwellers to bring joy to the mainstream. With so many new gamers on the scene, we suggest checking out some of the classics courtesy of Gametap (compatible with both Mac and PCs). Although the meat of the Gametap’s library reserves are available only to subscribers, there are awesome freebies like Bubble Bobble, Final Fight, King of the Fighters ‘96, Metal Slug 2, Neo Turf Masters, and Street Fighter II: Champion Edition. Please note: some of the free titles are siphoned into Gametap’s premium area, so the content may vary from month to month.

3. Watch Public Domain Movies: Remember those old, campy black ‘n white monster double features that you used to watch on weekends as a kid? Many of them have fallen into public domain and are available as free downloads from moviesfoundonline.com. There you’ll find cult classics like Carnival of Souls, Attack of the Giant Leeches, House on Haunted Hill, Hercules vs. The Moon Men, and more. Take that, iTunes!

4. Read Some Books…Google Books, That Is: When Google Books Search fist launched a few years ago, it came under heavy fire from publishers who didn’t want their content available online for free. Fast forward to the present, and Google and the various publishers are working hand in hand to deliver loads of good reading to you for free. There are many sample chapters of books currently on the market so you can try before you buy (or hit up your local library). One of the best aspects of Google Book Search is the deep back catalog of magazines: you can read full issues of Baseball Digest, Jet, Prevention, and other ‘zines that have a few years age on ‘em.

5. Join the Secret Science Club: The Secret Science Club is a free science lecture and arts series, that’s open to the public. The high-end geek gathering meets the first Wednesday of every month in the basement of Union Hall in Park Slope, Brooklyn.  Their website has a long list of interesting past speakers like Leslie Vosshall, Neuroscientist at Rockefeller University and Paleoanthropologist, William Jungers.

6. Sit In On Barnes & Noble’s Author Readings: Every month B&N has authors that come in to promote their newest books by holding readings, Q&A sessions, and signings — all for free.  For instance, John Grisham will be promoting his latest novel “The Associate” on January 27th at 7pm at the Union Square Barnes and Noble.  You can check out your hood’s calendar here.

Live Presidential Inauguration Broadcast at BAM (FREE!)

Anyone interested in seeing Barack Obama’s Inauguration speech on the big screen should head over to Brooklyn’s BAM cinema around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, January 20th.  BAM will host close to 500 people in two of their theaters.  The broadcast will begin at 11:30 a.m. and tickets will be available on a first-come, first-serve. Read more

How To Train Like “The Wrestler”

Being a die hard fan of Micky Rourke (I’ve been down with The Mickster since Angel Heart, one of the most criminally under rated films ever produced), I recently popped into the movie theaters to see his latest flick, Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler”.  Read more

Is Going Back to School in the Recession a Good Idea?

Recent attendance numbers at local universities have shown an increasing number of new graduates (and even past graduates) enrolling back into school for advanced degrees or specialty training. Most of this comes from the lack of jobs for new grads, and it seems to be a good way to pass the time during our economic downturn. But is this really a smart way to spend a period of low employment? Read more

Next Page »