I’d like to take this opportunity on a lazy Sunday (although it’s not so lazy for me – I’ve got a pile of homework to get through!) to pull together some interesting bits of this and that from around the web-o-sphere. Take a look.
Feed the Pig – this little calculator is out to beat the “latte factor.” Or the “anything factor” really. The default example of taking a bagged lunch instead of eating out actually reflects my situation really well. I have to fight to remember to bring food with me to campus instead of succumbing to one of the seven (yes, seven) eateries on campus – but knowing that it could save me $867 over the year might just help.
Feed the Pig also has a Credit Card Payoff calculator if you’re wondering how long it will take to pay off your plastic. (Hint: it’s usually longer than you think.)
VA posted 6 Painless Ways to Save Money on a Tight Budget a few weeks ago and I keep meaning to mention it. I have a VA addiction and I love it even more when she pops through with financial advice.
Got a blog? You might want to enter into the $4,000 blog anniversary prize drawing. This is the longest list of prizes I’ve ever seen in a blog giveaway! I’ve been hoping to redesign PTY with a custom logo and everything one of these days – winning this contest would get the ball rolling on that!
And lastly, I have a question. I’m hoping to find a new way to connect with PTY readers. If anyone would like, they’re free to email me, or send a message to my AIM name, StephaniePTY. But I’m also hoping for more of a group activity: would anyone be interested in an IRC chat, an AIM chat, a Skype chat, a TalkShoe interactive podcast, or just a regular old message board? I want to find a way to get more “internet face time” with you guys!
Thanks Stephanie! I appreciate you mentioning my blog prize draw, and best of luck with it.
In response to one of the points in the VA post…
Have you ever heard of a study being done on spending habits comparing cash and debit/credit? and if so, do you have a link? The only way I can see her claim being true is if some people are delusional and think by using plastic they aren’t spending real money or that you only get 50 or 100 dollar bills and businesses won’t break them when you want to buy something.
While I firmly believe that I do not spend money with a credit card that I would not have spent with cash, I am still interested in how the whole of America (or world) behaves. Personally, I want to get 1 to 5% cash back.
Phillip,
This is an oft cited statistic that isn’t so much “cited” as “thrown around without citation.” I know studies HAVE been done, but they seem awfully hard to track down.
I have a lot of thoughts on this subject – enough to warrant a whole post, I believe. Look for a post on the cash vs. plastic spending debate within the next few days.