Mmmm…. classes finished, grades are in (three As and a B, thanks!), and it’s time for me to kick back, relax, and take it easy for the summer.

Not.

Meet my list of goals for Summer 2008. Some are financial, some are not. But I want to get them all done before classes start up again on Labor Day (my school is anti-holidays, it would seem).

Goals for the Summer of 2008

• Juggle daily
• Stretch daily
• Read a book a week, at least
• Organize my whole room, including papers
• Pay off my credit card debt
• Save money for textbooks
• Clean out my email inboxes
• Organize and backup the files on my laptop
• Watch all the episodes of Buffy again (I blame this one on Lazy)
• Watch West Wing season 7
• Learn to knit using the Continental Method
• Learn to rollerblade
• Convince my parents to buy a Wii Fit
• Find 20 caches
• Write an ebook

I’m stopping here! Anything more, and I run the risk of not getting very many of them done! So we’ll see how I do with this list over the summer.

There was a time, a little over a year ago, when I loved the layout of this blog. Green! That’s my favorite color! And it’s the color of money! What’s not to love about this theme?

Then I looked at it for a year. And on other monitors, where it burned my eyes. I’m sure there are a lot of you reading this who hate this layout as much as I do. [Side note: if you hate the layout but love the content, you can save your eyes by subscribing to my RSS feed or getting site updates sent right to your email.]

So I’m wondering if anyone out there knows someone who’s really good at designs, and knows Wordpress really well… and works for cheap. I had someone lined up a few months ago, but he got some awesome job and moved away… such is my luck!

That’s right, everyone - I’m back.

No, the strike is not over. And the first person to call me a scab or use the phrase “crossing the picket line” gets hit with a lawn chair. (Just kidding! Or am I?)

Having this blog on strike no longer serves its intended purpose. I set out to bring attention to the WGA strike, and I feel I have done that as much as my personal strike can do. Now it’s time to get back to the keyboard and bring attention the opposite way.

This was not an easy decision, and I consulted a lot of friends for their opinion before making my choice. I felt in my gut that it was time to come back, and after some banter, the unanimous decision from my friends was that they would also like to see me return.

Not to mention, I’ve got to explain that huge drop in my net worth soon, or some of you readers are just going to start freaking out.

I will be doing some strike related articles, in as much as I can tie them to personal finance. So, be ready for things like “How to Help the Writers Without Spending a Dime.”

I have to say… it feels good to be back.

What does this mean?
There will be no new entries on Poorer Than You until the end of the WGA strike. I may respond to the occasional comment on old posts, and I encourage discussion in the comments section of this post. But there will not be any new content.

But Stephanie, you’re not a member of the WGA!
True. This is a showing of solidarity toward my fellow writers. It may seem silly, but due to my connections to the film and television industries, I feel deeply moved to action by all of this. I don’t feel content to sit by and simply be an observer.

You’re not hurting anyone but yourself by doing this.
Perhaps. I am not really sticking it to “the man” by doing this, as I answer only to myself and my readers on this blog. However, I’m hoping to at least raise some awareness of the cause. Also, I feel that because I have advocated (on this very blog) digital and internet formats for watching television, I need to do this. Writers should be fairly compensated when their work is released in any format.

You’re just looking for an excuse not to update.
You might think that, and I don’t blame you. But I’d like to remind you that I do make income from this site, and striking puts my already precarious finances in jeopardy. I am, in fact, putting my money where my mouth is by doing this.

Where can I find out more about the strike?
The Writers Guild of America website
Why We Fight - a video explaining the reasons behind the strike
Support the WGA Stike!
United Hollywood - unofficial blog by a group of strike captains

Please consider visiting these websites and supporting the WGA strike in any way you can. Thank you.

This is a response to Trent’s post The Backlash Against Frugality, which itself is a response to Anya Kamenetz Yahoo Finance article Staying Frugal in the Age of the iPhone. The long and short of it is that Anya wrote an article about frugality, and the comments left on it are very, very divided. Although there was a lot of positive, the negative comments unfortunately stick right out.

What really stuck out for me were all the comments calling Anya’s life “miserable.” Most of the negative comments took offense to the idea of Anya buying second hand clothes, and not having a TV. (Since when, I wonder, is the television the only bringer of happiness?)

My own situation is not all that different from Anya’s. In fact, in some respects, I’m more extreme. I’ve been Compacting since January - that is, not buying anything new except for food and toiletries. So I started thinking about it - am I more or less happy now, as compared to before I started compacting?

Before I get into anything, I would like to say that this is entirely non-scientific. There are a lot of other things that have changed in this time period (my job, my major, this blog, the house I live in…), so it’s nearly impossible to tell. Still, it’s worth musing on.

The Television
I’ve spoken before about my ability to live without a television, and I stand by it. I now often forget that I can flip on the television and watch live broadcasts - I’m no longer used to the idea and it almost never pops into my head as an idea for entertainment, or even as a procrastination tool!

Not watching TV has given me so much more time, and flexibility in my time. The television I do watch, I watch on DVD or on syndicated internet - I choose when I watch it. I believe I am much happier having control over my TV instead of being bound to its time slots.

Yes, you could argue that a Tivo would offer me the same benefit, but think about it. I already HAVE that benefit - why would I need to buy a Tivo and pay a monthly subscription for a benefit that I already have?

Second Hand Clothes
Easily the second biggest beef negative commenters had with Anya’s article. I have to admit, I haven’t actually bought any second hand clothes… ever. Not even since I’ve started Compacting. I have a dresser and a closet full of clothes, so the need for new ones simply hasn’t come up.

I have no problem with the idea of buying and wearing used clothing. I’m not sure why it bothers other people, but I can’t see it affecting your level of happiness. I don’t think it matters at all where clothes come from - what matters is how they look and make you feel. If a sweater falls really well on you, does it matter that it came from Goodwill?

Not Buying… Things
I have a “things” problem. Even now, after having moved house and scoured my possessions, trying to only bring with me things that really mattered… I still have too much stuff. Most of my stuff is still sitting in boxes, waiting for me to get around to organizing my new bedroom.

Even having not purchased any “things” in the last 9 months, I still have an entirely messy room with too much stuff in it. Getting more stuff is simply going to compound the problem.

Buying Experiences Instead
I’ve been to more concerts and amusement parks. I’ve gone out with my friends on hikes and seen places in my neighborhood that I had no idea existed. I hang around on my campus and enjoy the free or cheap entertainment ($1 for two comedians this Saturday - I’m so in!). I hang out with my friends and play wacky card games.

Spending less money on things means having more money to spend on life. A few months ago, I tried to think about the thing that matters to me most. It’s not my computer (although sometimes it may seem that way), and it isn’t my collection of all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It’s my friends and my family.

I love my computer because it’s an easy tool for contacting people. I love my car because it takes me to the places where people are. I love talking about Buffy with people even more than I love watching it. The things I value most in my life are those that help me reach people. I’m happiest just spending time with people. Just last night I had the time of my life… grocery shopping with my friends.

Happiness is not confined to objects for me anymore. I know, it all sounds very cliche. But not spending money hasn’t turned me into an awful miser. I feel much happier having a handle on my money, and I really don’t believe anymore than owning “things” is the road to happiness.

In honor of my 21st birthday in a couple of weeks, I’ve added a little widget to Poorer Than You - if you look to the right of this entry, there’s a little section called “Birthday Special” and an icon imploring you to buy me a beer for my birthday. For those of you who don’t live in the United States, 21 is our legal drinking age - therefore, I’m finally entering adulthood. Unless you want to count 25 (the age at which you can rent a car) as the final milestone…

Anyways, I thought it would be a fun little thing to put up for my birthday. It uses the PayPal donation system, and you can pay as much as you like. The suggested price is $3.00, but any amount is appreciated.

Rest assured, the money donated will only be used for booze. If you wish to donate for any other purpose, please contact me.

If you found my post about the Citibank $100 bonus too late, and found that they had dropped it down to $50, you might be in luck (assuming you didn’t open the account for the $50 bonus). The $100 bonus is back! But who knows for how long?

Open a Citibank Ultimate Savings account and enjoy a 4.75% APY as well as a $100 bonus - read my review of this account if you’re unsure (there are, of course, pros and cons), or check out my post on online savings accounts if you’re confused!

Glorious Part I of Stephanie’s “How To Live Without Television”

I’m sitting in my living room, a cautious eye on the Time Warner guys that have come out to my house to deliver what I refer to as ”the demon signal” (aka cable). I’m not a giant fan of cable to begin with, but Time Warner and I have a torrid past to boot, so I basically loathe the company. But I’m being polite to the install guys, because, hey, it’s not their fault. Also, it wasn’t my idea to put cable in this house.

But the real reason I’m giving you up-to-the-minute updates on my cable installation is to share the details of a rather odd piece of paper that was placed on my dining room table - the work order.

Installation and service fee: $72.80

Whaaaaaaaaaaat? Lame.

Monthly service: $61.56

…

Now, I’m not here to tell you what entertainment you should or should not put your money into. But I’ll run the numbers: if instead of getting cable, my family took that installation fee and invested it, and added that $61.56 every month, and got 8% returns… we’d have $36,849.02 after just 20 years.

I’m just sayin’.

This is a response to the plonkee money competition, which asks…

How does donating to charity improve your well-being, financial and otherwise?

I’m going to make a comparision here, and some people aren’t going to like it: putting money into a charity is just like putting money into your retirement. In both cases, you’re taking money away from yourself to help a stranger that you’ve never met. I, sitting here at age 20, have no idea who 50-year-old or 60-year-old Stephanie will be. I have no idea what she’ll be doing, and what she’ll want to do with her retirement funds. But I hope to give her money, anyways.

And it’s the same with a charity. I have no idea who the breast cancer patients are that I donate to, but I donate to them all the same. And for the same reason as I “donate” to my future self: because that person needs that money, and will be greatful for it. I am trying to create happiness for a stranger.

And they say you can’t buy happiness!

So if contributing to my retirement helps my financial well-being, then contributing to charity does, as well.

Don’t be afraid, this isn’t really my last post! But my friend Sam over at Forest Azuaron put me up to a challenge: write a post as if it was your last. Give one final piece of financial advice.

It’s funny, really, because if I were going to make a final statement, it would be about beginnings. Because that’s really what this is all about. Roth IRAs, interest rates, bank fees, ideas for frugal grocery shopping… none of that really matters, if you never actually start. You can read every personal finance book and blog there is, but if you used all your time to do that, instead of actually looking at your own finances, you wouldn’t actually get anywhere.

Start today. Now. Figure out where you stand: add up everything in your bank accounts and your wallet - count your change! And pull out your latest credit card statements, add up your student loans. Everyone knows, in the back of their minds, what it is they should be doing. Personal finance is common sense. Everyone knows they should be getting rid of their debt, that they should save up for things instead of accumulating more debt, and they should be saving for retirement… these ideas aren’t hidden away in a trunk of knowledge or anything.

People just need that kick in rear to get started on what they’ve been putting off. So, consider this your kick. Go, get out of here, do it right now. Why are you still reading this? Scram!