frugal bugle vol. 1

So, the road to getting a grip on my finances is annoyingly rocky and inconsistent. I haven’t followed through with some of my intentions, and so, in addition to feeling poor and out of control, I feel guilty. I am hoping that taking on a car loan will kick me in my atrophied ass — I’ll be in such debt that it will be imperative to saddle up and get back on that dreary, dreary road to financial freedom. Flawed thinker=yours truly

I try to warn the general public from time to time: please don’t look to me as any kind of role model. There is a reason I’m childless and poor. However, my own search for money role models has uncovered some interesting, thrifty living-oriented nuggets that have enlightened and freaked me out in equal measures.

Violent Acres is not a blog for the easily-offended — her tagline might tip you off (“I’m just like you, only I’m interesting and my life isn’t devoid of meaning”.) However, I can’t stop reading about her tough-love approach to whipping her own monetary ass into shape. A sample paragraph:

Is anything that you own worth living paycheck to paycheck for? Is the extra square footage and the swimming pool and the new car worth it knowing that something as little as a traffic ticket can screw you up for the month? Is a playroom full of toys for the kids necessary when all you’re doing is teaching them that mindless consumer excess is not only normal, but the key to happiness?

That’s good stuff right there. I bow down to the size of her cojones, witnessing the drastic measures she went to, ending her plastic addiction and murdering her debt.

The Credit Card Quagmire is so incredibly bad and gluey and yet seductive. I wish there would have been a way for the warnings to penetrate 24-year-old Becky’s ears before she got into some bad, bad habits that continue to today. Here’s an interesting quickie on how to consolidate your credit cards. I myself went to a credit counselor and had them talk to the bullies (Chase Visa & Bank of America Visa) on my behalf. The Cutting of the Cards has yet to happen, because I am wussified.

25 Gadgets That Actually Save Money is such elegant and sensible article. Just the way I imagine the perfect father to be. I really feel that if I buy all the listed products, that somehow I’ll be saved from financial ruin. Setting up unreasonable expectations: another father trait!

I haven’t had a chance to check out the rest of the Simple Dollar site, but it looks promising. There’s another so-sensible-it’s-scary feature, 31 Days to Fix Your Finances. Yikes! It’s starting to become clear that getting a grip means doing painful amounts of self-assessment and homework.

Consumer Reports is awesome, though I don’t really use it as much as I should. I am grateful to ex-friend JF for guiding me to the CR Car Buying Guide, which is an invaluable resource, especially when buying used. (Thanks, JF — even though you were one of the most annoying humans I ever met.) Also, check out CR’s vintage testing photos. This is the kind of stuff I can look at all day.

I was pretty obsessed with David Horowitz in my teenage years. I looked at him less as an object of desire and more as a superhero, who battled big businesses for the little guy. It is with great glee that I discovered that his consumer rights show, Fight Back, is still active in web and radio form.

Consumerist — Shoppers Bite Back. I’ve mentioned them before. This site has become a consumer rights juggernaut, embarrassing crooked businesses left and right. They also spot rebates, discounts, and deals all over the place, and it’s all done in a snarky, hipsterish internet style that I like am used to.

Cosmetics diet: This New York Times article has gotten a lot of press lately. In a nutshell: there appears to be a “back to basics” trend among dermatologists, who recommend that really, only a one-two duo of simple cleanser and sunscreen/moisturizer will do for most of us. None of that $400 youth elixir made from virgin puppy plasma. Actually, my dermatologists have always recommended inexpensive potions to me — I don’t think it’s anything new that doctors don’t get sucked into too-good-to-be-true health cure-alls. And I always go the cheapie route, anyway; I may just try the two items recommended in the article: a Cetaphil cleanser and Anthelios SX sunscreen with moisturizer.

Special offer to Bay Areans: it doesn’t appear that Anthelios SX sunscreen with moisturizer is sold in your neck of the woods. But it is in Ventura (?!huh?!). So, if you like, I can buy you some and bring it up north in February. C’mon people — it’s recommended by the New York Friggin Times!

Can my dreams of being financially secure actually come true? And can I be put in a light coma while the rehab is happening?

Update: the awesome Evany hands me a verrrry good article about how to replace your flamingly expensive cosmetic with a frugal (and nearly identical) product!

Those links again:

photo: eat now, pay later by flickruser inkynobaka. thanks for letting me use it!

2 Comments

  1. ANDREW on January 17, 2007 at 3:36 pm

    Bleagh.
    This post reminded me to pay my bills online today. Thankyou (sans irony), I only had one more day to make one without penalty. I’m pinned-down real good on this end. Sigh.



  2. Carol on January 24, 2007 at 7:17 pm

    Ugh, you got me guilt-ridden now. I was surfing Chicos, New-Port News, and the like thinking I “needed” new clothes. You brought me back to the “need” or “want” thing.. Damn and I loved that sweater. The quote from Violet Acres brought me back to reality and when I’m shivering cold in my so-so not-as-cute-as-the-one-I-saw sweater I will think of you. You know something has always perplexed me – the experts always tell us to “pay ourselves first because we worked for it” – never quite figured that one out except for the fact I have an appointment with myself tomorrow to ask for a big fat raise. I’ll let you know how it goes, I sense doom.