Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance.

Now that Matthew is 16, he’ll be heading to the DMV this coming Monday to get his driver’s permit, which explains why he’s busy cramming for his upcoming exam.

You know, the last time I ever saw my son study for a big test was, well … never.

This weekend, the Honeybee and I are celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary.

I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. We didn’t waste a lot of time after getting married to start our family.

The Way-Back Machine: Past Posts Of Mine You May Have Missed

From February 2009:

What Girl Scout Cookies Can Teach Us About Mortgages – We all have our priorities in life. Unfortunately, some people end up paying the price because they misplace them.

And Here’s Some Other Posts You Might Enjoy …

Gold Diggers & Deadbeat Dads – Mind Your (Family) Business

Budgets are Sexy – I’m a Human Guinea Pig

Hope to Prosper – Seeing Opportunity in the Future

Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance – Easy Ways to Save Money

Don’t Quit Your Day Job – Why Everyone Should Care About the IRS Targeting Conservative Groups

Credits and Debits

Debit: It’s been a rough month for the food industry in the American Northeast. Last week, a Massachusetts woman found herself in a pickle after she allegedly punched a restaurant worker in the face for having the gall to put too many gherkins on her steak sandwich. Talk about a sourpuss.

Debit: Meanwhile, a surly senior citizen was charged with robbery after he allegedly tried to use an expired coupon at a Long Island ice cream shoppe. When told he had to pay $3.50 for his cone, the cold curmudgeon allegedly popped the soda jerk in the face and left without paying.

Debit: Not to be outdone, a Connecticut man was arrested on the same day for allegedly stealing $10,000 worth of chicken wings from a local meat company. No, I don’t know if he tried to use an expired coupon. But at least he didn’t punch anybody in the kisser.

Credit: You’d think that kind of desperate behavior would be rare, considering the booming US economy. After all, the stock market is continuing to set all-time highs with each passing week. All three major indices are up about 16% so far this year — and it’s only May.

Credit: Why would anyone bother clipping expired coupons for free ice cream cones when stocks are so hot that they’ve become a gambler’s paradise? This month the S&P 500 has finished higher 77% of the time. For the year, the S&P is almost as impressive, with up days occurring nearly 65% of the time.

Debit: Let’s face it; the markets have become completely detached from reality, as they rise regardless of whether the US macro-economic data is good, or bad. The only thing that appears to matter now is whether the Fed will continue pumping $85 billion per month into the economy.

Debit: Truth be told, the Fed can’t take the punch bowl away without massive consequences now. If they do, the economy will quickly collapse on itself.

Debit: When the markets consistently find any excuse to rise — even in the face of dour news and economic indicators that should, rationally, result in a pullback — that’s the sign of a classic blow-off top. Does that mean a crash is imminent? Maybe not; blow-off tops can remain on an upward trajectory for months before finally crashing.

Credit: With that in mind, it’s times like these that can really test people’s convictions. After all, everyone is looking for a little “easy money.” That being said, the stock market — and our “recovering” economy — is an illusion, supported on the rickety foundation of Central Bank manipulation.

Credit: As Franklin Sanders points out, the folks who insist all is well — and ask us to believe that the Fed really can print its way to prosperity — are essentially trying to convince us that water runs uphill.

Debit: Yes, it’s tempting to ride the current stock market wave, but once the panic selling starts, it’s nearly impossible to get out in time. As a result, a lot of players are going to get caught with their swim trunks down — so be careful out there.

Debit: More bad news on Obamacare: Insurers are now predicting that the new regulations will cause health insurance premiums to rise between 100% and 400%. More proof the so-called “Affordable Healthcare Act” is going to be anything but for the majority of Americans who had insurance before this monstrosity became the law of the land. Just sayin’.

Debit: Well, it could be worse; we could be living in Argentina where we would face the prospect of jail time if we refused to “invest” our cash in government bonds with a 4% return. That’s what Argentina’s socialist government is now considering anyway. Never mind that their annual inflation rate is currently 25% — and climbing.

Debit: The value of the Argentine peso is falling so fast now that the citizens are buying luxury automobiles as an inflation hedge. It’s surreal, but that’s what happens when an economy starts to disintegrate — as it is in Argentina for the second time in a little more than a decade.

Credit: Argentina’s troubles are nothing compared to Venezuela. In that workers’ paradise, the annual inflation rate is 30% and there are widespread shortages of milk, butter, cornmeal, and coffee. This week, Venezuelan consumers are making a stink about the paucity of paper. Specifically, toilet paper.

Credit: Of course, the legendary queues for TP in the old Soviet Union, and the recent toilet tissue troubles in Cuba remind us that socialism and toilet paper shortages go together like salt and pepper or, more appropriately, Beavis and Butthead.

Credit: Then again, back in 1973, the United States experienced a toilet paper shortage of its own after a monologue joke by Tonight Show host Johnny Carson unintentionally sparked a real run on bathroom tissue. Thankfully, the shortage was, er, wiped out within a few weeks.

Credit: Go ahead. You can pooh-pooh the Johnny Carson story all you want, but it’s true. Trust me. I’ve already, um, flushed out the facts.

The Question of the Week

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

By the Numbers

Speaking of toilet paper, here are several enlightening statistics regarding how people actually choose to use — or, um, not use — the Charmin. Continue at your own risk:

5.9 The average number of toilet paper sheets used per visit to the bathroom.

1  Sheets of TP that singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow claims she normally uses per trip. (I know.)

42 Percentage of folks who fold their toilet paper before using it.

33 Percentage of people who crumple it.

8 Percentage who fold and then crumple it.

6 Percentage who wrap it around their hands.

0 Likelihood that Sheryl Crow folds, crumples, or wraps her toilet paper before using it.

8 Percentage of people who admitted to using their bare hand at least once.

50 Percentage of people who have used leaves.

60 Percentage of people who look at the paper after they wipe. (Hey, I warned ya!)

Sources: Bay Paper Company, The Guardian

Other Useless News

Here are the top — and bottom — five Canadian provinces and territories in terms of the average number of pages viewed per visit here at Len Penzo dot Com over the past 30 days:

1. New Brunswick (3.47 pages/visit)
2. Prince Edward Island (2.79)
3. Saskatchewan (2.11)
4. Nova Scotia (1.94)
5. Alberta (1.84)

9. British Columbia (1.53)
10. Yukon Territory (1.25)
11. Newfoundland (1.20)
12. Northwest Territories (1.00)
13. Nunavut (1.00)

Whether you happen to enjoy what you’re reading (like the crazy canucks in the New Brunswick, eh) — or not (you hosers living on the frozen Nunavut tundra) — please don’t forget to:

1. Click on that “Like” button in the sidebar to your right and become a fan of Len Penzo dot Com on Facebook!

2. Make sure you follow me on Twitter! And last, but not least…

3. Don’t forget to subscribe to my RSS feed too! Thank you.

Letters, I Get Letters

Every week I feature the most interesting question or comment – assuming I get one, that is. And folks who are lucky enough to have the only question in the mailbag get their letter highlighted here whether it’s interesting or not! You can reach me at: Len@LenPenzo.com

Leslie asked about Sabado Domingo, who occasionally contributes guest posts for me:

Is Sabado Domingo his/her real name? I’m asking because that means “Saturday Sunday” in Spanish.

Good catch, Linda; that’s a pen name. Sabado tells me his real name is Enero Febrero.

I’m Len Penzo and I approved this message.Related Articles:

• Black Coffee: When Bad Is Good, Down Is Up, and Black Is White
• Black Coffee: Your Easter Break Drinking and Driving Edition
• Black Coffee: Why 100-Trillion Zimbabwe Dollars Doesn’t Go as Far as It Used To
• When It’s Time to Cut and Run
• Black Coffee: It’s All Good. Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain.

The solution is to reverse the equation: Instead of spending more than you earn, start earning more than you spend. Put the difference against your debt regularly and soon it will be gone; continue stashing away the difference and soon you’ll have considerable savings on which you could retire and ‘live happily ever after.’

Who said there is no direct link between maths and happiness!

This would have been a really short article if I didn’t have a bit of a problem with simple arithmetic. But here is my problem: Arithmetic, just like any description, is very useful in telling us about the ‘what.’ What is the current state? What is to be done? However, most action, and change, also needs the ‘how.’ In other words, to get out of debt we need to figure out:

How do we stop spending more than we earn?

My answer to this is: By changing the habits that shape the way in which we manage our money.

Most aspects of our lives, including our finances, are habitual; in other words, most of the time we do what we usually do. Habits are what makes our lives possible; sometimes, however, these can become obsolete and hinder our existence rather than enhance our lives.

Being in debt is usually a signal that our money habits have become obsolete and it is time to revisit them. I believe there are four basic habits that keep us in debt; these are: ignorance, lack of balance, bad judgement and lack action.

Ignorance

‘Ignorance is bliss’ the saying goes. Don’t believe it!

Ignorance, in any area of life, is an affliction that needs to be remedied as speedily and efficiently as possible. This has never been truer than in the case of financial management and wealth building. Ignorance keeps us in debt in four different ways:

• Ignorance about our personal financial situation prevents us from acting.
• Ignorance about money and money management deprives us of choice.
• Ignorance of broader economic developments makes it impossible to place our personal financial situation in context, understand and change it.
• Ignorance can limit our earning capacity and keep us in low earning occupations.

You see? Tell me again that ‘ignorance is bliss.’

The remedy?

Albert Einstein once said the only thing that interfered with his learning was his education. I modestly agree. So…

To deal with the habit of ignorance start learning; and remember — learning is not a one off act; it happens in all kinds of settings. Get educated:

• Check these financial statements, use technology to link and manage your personal bank accounts (including the ones about your debt), and work out your numbers (income, spending, net-worth).
• Educate yourself about the fundamentals of money management and develop the personal habits that underpin responsible financial behavior.
• Follow what is happening with the economy (in your country and the global one). Remember that the economy is very sensitive to politics.
• Work out what competencies and skills will help you get a higher paid job and get educated for these.

Change this habit of ignorance and start now! But remember two things:

• Education is about what you know and can do; ‘degree’ is about certification. Go for education!
• Don’t make assumptions about the education that will bring the highest financial returns. Suffice it to mention that top accounting firms rarely recruit people with degrees in accounting; many of their recruits have degrees in classics, history and philosophy.

Lack of balance

A very long time ago the Greek philosopher Socrates said that the way to happiness is to observe moderation in all things. In this case ‘moderation’ was not about deprivation but about knowing ‘the norm’ and having the discipline to observe it; or in other words, to observe a certain balance.

In personal finance, just like in life, the path to financial health is a matter of balance. Achieving financial health is not likely without working out ‘our norm’ or what our ‘enough’ is. Working this out provides an anchor for balancing our decisions and actions.

Observing any balance is a precarious exercise and we can often fall into one or other extreme. For instance, losing our balance with food leads to obesity or malnourishment; losing our balance with possessions leads to clutter or scarcity. Losing our balance with money can send and keep us into debt.

The remedy?

Work out where is your ‘enough’ by deciding what is the kind of life you want and what do you want in your life. Remember that:

• Money doesn’t make much sense if it doesn’t nourish your life; and
• For a different future you should plan from where you want to be, not from where you are now.

Bad judgement

Many believe that we make decisions on the basis of facts; they are wrong. All our decisions are based on interpretations of fact, or on judgement. You don’t believe me? You’re welcome to a mental experiment: Think about the last time you heard a ‘fact’ and remember your response. It was a judgement, wasn’t it?

To make matters worse, we humans have almost unlimited capacity for self-delusion; which only means that many of our judgements are really bad. Regarding debt this can be: ‘Oh, I am in debt but I can pay it off at any time’ or ‘I’ll buy this [insert a useless object of your choice]. ‘I’m in debt but it is so large that whether I spend a bit doesn’t really matter.’

One of my all time favorites is: ‘I’ll deal with my debt when I get a raise (get my bonus, inheritance etc.)’; or waiting for ‘big bucks.’

I have news for you: it doesn’t work like that. People start paying their debt off when they have decided (judged) that they’ve had enough. After that, even the smallest amount put against it helps: We had $160,000 worth of debt and after paying it all off I noticed that the smallest payment was about $6.

How to change the habit of bad judgement?

Become mindful of your assumptions and change them when and if necessary. Experiment rather than assume.

Lack of action

There isn’t much to be said about this except that most people’s lives consist of selected intentions. How do I know? Well, I was there! And things started changing only after I started acting.

The remedy is also deceptively easy: start doing!

Finally

Ignorance, lack of balance, bad judgement and lack of action are habits that bar our way to financial health and keep us in debt. Changing these habits is hard but it is so worth it; in all senses of the word!

About the Author

Maria is the blogger behind The Money Principle: a personal finance blog that will ‘make your head hurt and your wallet sing.’ You can catch up with her on Twitter or FB.

Photo Credit: Stock Monkeys

Related Articles:

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• 100 Words On: Why Excessive Debt Leads to Indentured Servitude

So I knew something was wrong when I walked through the door and the Honeybee greeted me with a big kiss.

Needless to say, I cut right to the chase: “OK, what happened?”

“I got a parking ticket.”

“How much?”

“Thirty-five bucks. But I’m innocent!”

“Uh huh. That’s what all you scofflaws say. Where did you get it?”

“In front of Patti’s house.”

Patti lives just around the corner from us. It turns out that the Honeybee had the misfortune of visiting her on a day when the city sweeper made its bi-monthly run. Of course, a rascally meter maid took the opportunity to cite her for being illegally parked along the curb.

Cities Are Exploiting Curb Taxes

Supposedly, my city’s street sweeping enforcement program was launched in response to citizen complaints, although I strongly suspect the only citizens that actually, um, “complained” were the mayor and his five city councilmen.

In reality, cash-strapped cities are using parking fines to fill their coffers like never before. A retired New York City meter maid copped to writing 227 tickets during a 5-hour shift. And last year, the meter maids in Washington DC cranked out parking tickets at the astonishing rate of one every eight seconds, writing nearly 2 million tickets that generated $92 million in revenue.

How to Fight a Parking Ticket

I fought the Honeybee’s parking ticket and got it dismissed — so despite the conventional wisdom, you can fight City Hall.

Best of all, you don’t have to be Clarence Darrow. However, it does help to follow these simple rules:

Stay calm. When you first see that pitiful pink ticket on your windshield, don’t rip it up in a fit of rage and vow never to pay it. Failure to pay parking fines can result in additional penalties and even the impounding of your car.

Gather evidence. Before you drive away, note any evidence or facts that could help you beat the rap. Take pictures of anything that might exonerate you; for example, how and where you were parked, or any missing or misleading regulatory signs. This was critical in how I got the Honeybee’s ticket overturned.

Look for an easy out. Carefully examine the ticket. Any incorrect information, whether it’s required or not, is grounds for dismissal — that includes the date, time, location, vehicle code violation, and make or model of your car. There were no mistakes on the Honeybee’s parking ticket, so I had to dig deeper.

Educate yourself. Information is power. That’s why it is absolutely crucial that you do a little research on the Internet. If I was going to beat the Honeybee’s ticket, I had to prove that my city was somehow in violation of the state vehicle code. The Honeybee’s citation referenced California Vehicle Code section 22507.6, which states in part:

Local authorities may, by ordinance or resolution, prohibit or restrict the parking or standing of vehicles on designated streets or highways, or portions thereof, for the purpose of street sweeping.

That section also includes this little nugget:

No such ordinance shall be effective until the street has been sign-posted in a conspicuous place at each entrance to the street with lettering setting forth the day or days and hours parking is prohibited.

So you can imagine my joy when I discovered, after retracing the Honeybee’s route, that the street she had parked on was not properly marked. In fact, the only no-parking sign in the entire neighborhood was two blocks away from where she had parked. So the ticket was bogus!

Don’t take “no” for an answer. My city refers all appeals directly to a private company that processes the tickets. So I sent a letter to them explaining why the ticket should be dismissed. I also included pictures and a street map showing the site of the alleged violation and far-off location of the lone no-parking sign. Ten days later I received the verdict: appeal denied. At this point, I think most people would have given up. Not me; I requested a court hearing.

Vigorously defend yourself. Don’t be timid when making your case, but always show respect to the judge. On the day of my hearing I presented the same map and pictures, along with a copy of the applicable section of the vehicle code. The judge tried to poke holes in my arguments — but I never wavered. The case was dismissed in less than five minutes.

The Bottom Line

In all, I reckon I spent six hours researching, gathering evidence, writing letters and preparing for court. For many folks, the time and effort involved to fight a parking ticket isn’t worth it. But I fought for principle’s sake; the ticket was unjust.

By the way,I brought my kids to court too, as a civics lesson to show them how our justice system works. They loved it!

So the next time you get a ticket, don’t get mad. Fight back!

Remember, the law works for the benefit of everyone — not just the meter maids who write the tickets.

Photo Credit: Elvert Barnes

Related Articles:

• How Much Will a Ticket Raise Your Insurance Rates? It Depends!
• I Finally Broke Down and Bought a New Car. Yes, New.
• The Ethics of Found Money: How and Where Do You Draw the Line?
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• How to Experience New York City on a Budget

Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance.

Hey … Happy Mother’s Day all you mothers!

(You know, maybe I should have rephrased that.)

Oh well, that’s now water under the dam bridge, so let’s get right to it.

The Way-Back Machine: Past Posts Of Mine You May Have Missed

From July 2012:

The World’s Greatest Chicken Marinade Recipe – I know. This post isn’t very old at all, but with the barbecue season here, I thought I’d share this again anyway. If you’re brave enough to give the recipe a try, let me know how you like it.

And Here’s Some Other Posts You Might Enjoy …

Control Your Cash – Nothing Is Your Fault Or, Student Loans Are Killing Our Economy

Retire By 40 - Is the Disability Program Your Ticket to Early Retirement?

The Chicago Financial Planner – Stock Market Highs and Your Retirement

Cash Cow Couple – What Is Financial Freedom?

We Only Do This Once – Drive Your Old Car and Shut Up

Credits and Debits

Debit: A realtor in the Big Apple is offering a 15% pay raise to any of his employees who are willing to tattoo the company logo on their body. So far, 40 employees have already taken him up on his offer. I know.

Credit: I bet none of those 40 employees currently have a “Mom” tattoo emblazoned somewhere on their body — but I bet they’d all get one in a New York minute if she offered them a couple of bucks for the honor.

Debit: Incredibly, the realtor got the idea from one of his employees who supposedly did it for free, solely out of loyalty to the company. And you thought California was the land of fruit and nuts.

Credit: Speaking of money-grubbing real estate agents, almost everywhere you look somebody is touting the amazing housing recovery that is taking place in the US. Things are supposedly so hot in many parts of California that terms like “wild” and “bubble” have crept back into the local real estate vernacular.

Credit: The improving market is one reason why US home improvement stores are reporting their strongest same-store sales figures in almost a decade. Sales are also up for companies that provide lumber and other goods needed for new home construction.

Credit: Heck, the market is so hot right now, even Las Vegas — which was hit harder than any other American city after the housing bubble popped in 2008 — is seeing sharply higher home prices and year-over-year sales increases of 65%.

Debit: Then again, since last October, the Fed has been purchasing $40 billion worth of mortgage-backed securities each month — and that’s clearly boosting the current housing rally. Unfortunately, it may be the only thing driving the rally in light of all the other negative economic indicators.

Debit: In fact, an artificial housing recovery may help explain why the US home ownership rate is now at its lowest level since 1995. It may also explain why data from Bank of America shows that home renovation spending has plunged over the past six months to the lowest levels since 2010.

Debit: Of course, the Fed’s loose monetary policy has gone on for so long now that true price discovery is nearly impossible, so it’s no wonder that the markets end up misallocating capital. A prime example of this can be seen in Las Vegas, where new construction permits are up 50%, even though nearly 1 in 10 homes sitting vacant.

Debit: So, with the U6 unemployment rate rising last month to 13.9%, 1 in 5 Americans on food stamps, and a record 10.9 million now receiving federal disability payments, who the heck can afford to buy up all these new and existing homes?

Debit: Many will point to speculators, hedge funds and private equity firms, many of whom end up buying distressed properties and then rent them to their former owners — which is why there are more than few folks out there who believe the latest housing “recovery” is actually a myth.

Debit: Foreigners are fueling the market too; it’s no secret that Chinese citizens have been buying up lots of American real estate for the last couple of years now. Yes, even in Detroit. Hey, why not? Especially after you consider some homes in Motown can now be bought for as little as $100.

Credit: On second thought, never mind. A hundred bucks for a house in Detroit is probably still too much.

By the Numbers

Everything you wanted — or didn’t want — to know about Mother’s Day, but were afraid to ask:

1914 First year Mother’s Day was officially celebrated in the United States.

43 Countries that now celebrate Mother’s Day.

$152.52 Amount of money the average American spent on Mom in 2012.

45 Percentage of mom’s who say household appliances are the worst gift you could ever give them.

13 Percentage of mom’s who don’t ever want to get a cookbook for Mother’s Day. (That’s right. Ever.)

$3.4 billion Money Americans spend annually taking Mom to brunch or dinner on Mother’s Day.

69 The record for most number of children borne to a single woman. (Thankfully, not all at once.)

9 Month (September) that consistently has the highest number of births in the United States.

80 Percentage of mom’s who say they’re open to having sex on Mother’s Day.

100 Percentage of dad’s who are open to having sex on Mother’s Day.

Source: The Free Financial Advisor

The Question of the Week

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Other Useless News

Here are the top — and bottom — five states in terms of the average number of pages viewed per visit here at Len Penzo dot Com over the past 30 days:

1. Arkansas (2.43 pages/visit)
2. Maine (2.21)
3. West Virginia (2.20)
4. New Mexico (1.98)
5. Montana (1.92)

46. Oklahoma (1.52)
47. New York (1.51)
48. South Carolina (1.50)
49. Mississippi (1.46)
50. Nebraska (1.39)

Whether you happen to enjoy what you’re reading (like my friends in Arkansas) — or not (ahem, Nebraska) — please don’t forget to:

1. Click on that “Like” button in the sidebar to your right and become a fan of Len Penzo dot Com on Facebook!

2. Make sure you follow me on Twitter!

And last, but not least…

3. Don’t forget to subscribe to my RSS feed too! Thank you.

Letters, I Get Letters

Every week I feature the most interesting question or comment – assuming I get one, that is. And folks who are lucky enough to have the only question in the mailbag get their letter highlighted here whether it’s interesting or not! You can reach out to me at: Len@LenPenzo.com

Ted wrote in to tell me he’s had enough of my weekly complaining about the economy:

I’m wasting my time telling you this because people like you never think you’re wrong.  

Hold on, Ted; that’s more than a bit unfair. When I finally get something wrong, I promise I’ll admit to it.  

I’m Len Penzo and I approved this message.Related Articles:

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• When It’s Time to Cut and Run
• Black Coffee: Birthday Boys, Bloviating Blowhards & Mother’s Day Mothers
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• Black Coffee: Gas, Bad Breath & Frugal Tips for a Romantic Valentine’s Day

I don’t think I know a single person who couldn’t put their hands up and say, “I’d like a bit more money in my life.” Except maybe Oprah, but she’s living the dream so she doesn’t have to hold her hands up and say that. I mean, heck, she could probably buy two new hands and hire someone else to hold them up if she wanted to. (Why she would ever do that is a mystery though, so let’s not get too hung up figuring out the logistics of that scenario.)

If you’re thinking about going away, accommodation costs are, for most people, the biggest money-eater of any trip, but there are definitely ways to save; generally, it depends on the type of trip you’re taking.

Yes, it would be great if we could all just fashion portable enclosures made out of old food packaging. But that’s a foolish pipe dream so we need to come up with something practical.

Firstly, how much you pay depends on where you’re going. A city break might end up costing you more than a weekend in the country, for example, but it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

You can find great, last minute deals online. And don’t assume a room will be sold for the same price from every company. Absolutely not, my friend. Some sites will sell a hotel room for as much as half the cost of others. Isn’t that crazy?

Also, don’t base everything on the star system. Those little points are awarded for services offered, not the quality of the room available.

Comparison sites such as cheaphotels.com are a great way to get a good deal and it’s definitely advisable to use them, but also check the hotel’s own price as they often run special deals of their own. Just be aware that certain sites leave out the fact that hotels might charge a daily room tax. It doesn’t happen everywhere, but some countries will add it on, so make sure you check to avoid being slapped with an extra charge when you arrive.

As an alternative, you could also look into different types of accommodation –- it’s not all about hotels, so let’s not get carried away! I feel like hostels take a bad rap in the holiday accommodation stakes, when really they’re just as good as hotels and often far less expensive. You can get single or double rooms, so don’t be paranoid about staying in a dorm — just plan ahead and you’ll be right as rain!

Photo Credit: Nestor Lacle

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Who wants to work ’til they’re 75? Not me. That’s why I’m constantly thinking of ways to make a little more or spend a little less in order to save more for the future.

If you have the same priority there is one change that you can make in order to quit your day job five years earlier than you had planned. The secret involves the second biggest expense in your life: your car.

So here’s the scoop: The way to change those retirement fortunes is to either keep a brand new car for at least 10 years, or to keep your used car for at least five years. That is it. The secret is out.

According to Edmunds.com your car depreciates 11% the first second it is in your possession. Ouch! The only way to combat the rapidly depreciating value of your brand new car purchase is to hold onto it for a longer period of time.

By the fifth year of ownership your car is worth only 37% of the price you paid when you purchased it new. If you bail out now, you’ve locked in your losses. So hold onto that car for five extra years and you’ll finally start to get your money’s worth.

The second five years are where your fortune turns and fate smiles on you. Since depreciation is actually your largest expense, keep your new car for at least ten years. You’ll get to enjoy a payment-free life for awhile, and that depreciation free fall won’t hit you square in the jaw.

If you decide you are going to be savvy and buy a used car (good move), look for one that has already taken that depreciation hit and hold onto it for at least five years. This game plan will save you thousands of dollars a year over the average car owner. And while you might be wondering about factors such as gas, repairs, and insurance rest assured that an older car balances things out. You might pay more in repair bills but you will also pay less in taxes and insurance.

Let’s do some math. Obviously every car purchase is different and the sticker price for different models vary greatly. Let’s take the average cost of a new car these days though — $31,000. If you spent that on your new ride and hold onto it for five years it would now be worth just over $11,000. That’s a nearly $20,000 hit to the pocketbook.

I am kind of extreme but take a look at my last vehicle purchase. I bought my 2000 Altima just over five years ago for $3,200. It’s now worth about $2,100. In the same five years I have lost only $1,100 in depreciation even though it has finally cracked 200,000 miles on the odometer. That feels awesome! Spending less on my vehicle ensures that I can sock a LOT more away for the future.

The massive money savings you accrue from making smarter choices about what you drive can do some great work for you in your retirement account. Think about socking an extra $25,000 or more away every decade. Doing that will drastically change your financial future and could easily allow you to retire five years earlier than you had previously planned.

So do the math before your next car purchase. Would you rather have a bit more comfort now, or the ultimate freedom that comes with not having to punch the clock when your peers still are?

Photo Credit: Tax Credits

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For example, consider the pattern on the back of this cat:

I know. I can’t believe it either.

I’ll never forget the time I came across an eggplant at my local grocery store that looked exactly like Richard Milhous Nixon. I’m not kidding.

OK, on second thought, the eggplant didn’t look exactly like America’s 37th president — but the resemblance was definitely uncanny.

Not too long ago I came across something in my change that always made me scratch my head: a red quarter.

In fact, it looked very similar to the one in this photo:

I remember occasionally finding painted red quarters in my change ever since I was a kid — and I’ve always wondered about their significance. How about you?

The truth is, red quarters are more common than you might think, and there are several good explanations floating around the infallible Internet explaining exactly how those scarlet-colored coins entered into circulation over the years.

Here are a few of the more plausible answers:

They’re old test coins. In the past, repairmen used them to check out the coin-operated pay phones, vending machines, and laundromat washers they were fixing in order to avoid being accused of stealing. That sounds plausible to me.

They were “house” money. Red quarters are sometimes used by business owners as perks; they give them to their preferred customers for free plays on the coin-operated pool tables, pinball machines and video games. Red quarters were also used by waitresses to “prime” otherwise quiet jukeboxes in order to encourage other patrons to add their own quarters and keep the music coming.

Somebody painted it as a sign of defiance. According to Answers.com, there was a campaign in the 1970s to protest New Jersey officials’ decision to increase the toll on the Garden State Parkway from 15 cents to a quarter.

They were once used for free laundry.  For some apartment managers, free laundry is apparently a fringe benefit. Landlords will often give their building supervisors red quarters for use in the apartment laundromats. The managers would get their quarters back when the owner or laundromat vendor removed the cash from the machines.

So there you have it. The next time you come across an old quarter that has the remnants of red paint or a little bit of scarlet nail polish on it, you won’t have to wonder anymore.

Now if I could only figure out how to explain that darned eggplant.

Photo Credit: picshag

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Let me tell you, sometimes this working-for-a-living thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been in one of those high-pressure do-or-die phases that requires me to be at the office from six in the morning to six at night. Sometimes even longer.

I’ve been away from home so much lately, the long hours have really started to take a toll on me.

Last Thursday, I came home after a particularly long and grueling day, only to be caught off-guard by the sight of a stranger who was sitting at my kitchen table, scarfing down a bowl of ice cream. Although the young man before me looked vaguely familiar, I couldn’t quite place his face. “Hi there. Have we met before?” I asked.

“Uh, it’s me, Dad — your son. Matthew. Remember?”

Apparently my teenage son had gone through puberty while I was away. “Of course, I do, son. I’m just really tired.” (Note to self: Next time out, remember to buy Matthew a razor.)

Needless to say, this past weekend I figured it would be wise to leave the office behind for a few hours and take the family out to see a movie at our local theater.

So I got online to see what was playing, and couldn’t help but wince at the prices: It was going to cost me more than $40 just to get my family of four through the door. Throw in some popcorn, drinks, and the Raisinets — I’m sorry, but a movie isn’t a movie without the Raisinets — and before you know it the price for two hours in the theater is somewhere north of $70.

After thinking about it, I ultimately decided to find something else to do, if only because a trip to the movie theater would undoubtedly end up giving us significantly more than we bargained for. For example:

Babies with an acute case of colic. Look, I realize babysitters are expensive, but it’s not as if there aren’t reasonable alternatives out there. For example, what’s wrong with picking up a couple of $1 movie rentals from the local Redbox kiosk, ordering a pizza for home delivery, and enjoying a picture from the comfort of your own home?

Blocked views. I’ve been told that only 5% of the American population is taller than 6′-2″. Even so, someone taller than that sits in front of me at the theater 95% of the time.

Endless trailers. The last time I was at the theater, I was “treated” to 20 minutes of trailers. It got so bad that, after approximately 18 minutes, the crowd actually started getting a little bit hostile. A few people even started throwing popcorn at the screen. I’m not kidding.

Blaring movie sound. Although I can’t prove it, I’m certain that movie theaters think that they can make any crappy movie better by simply raising the volume. Then again, maybe that’s not such a bad idea when setting the volume knob to 11 helps drown out the sound of:

Loud eaters. I’m not sure how my dog does it, but even when he eats something as innocuous a single potato chip — never mind a bowl of Alpo — everyone within a ten-foot radius is immediately immersed in a gluttonous cacophony of gastronomical sounds: biting, crunching, lip smacking, chomping, slurping, slobbering, and moaning. Theater-goers eat their popcorn the same way. At least when they’re not throwing it at the movie screen — or the backs of tall people blocking their views.

Cell phones addicts. Come on, folks. Are you really so important that you can’t become inaccessible to the world for two hours? Turn your phone off — I promise the world will still be here when the movie is over. (The next theater owner who makes his place impervious to cell phone signals will become an instant billionaire. Trust me.)

Chair kickers. I realize this is anecdotal evidence, but I’ve found that chair kickers only seem to show up for Disney and Pixar pictures. So I’ve written both companies to request they start producing more R-rated movies.

Tardy folk. After twenty-plus minutes of trailers, how is it that people still manage to come in late to a movie? The unavoidable distraction of a large group of temporally challenged oafs fumbling through the dark and trying to locate adjoining seats in a hopelessly-crowded theater is excruciatingly annoying.

Advertisements. I can overlook the blatant product placements within the movies themselves, but after paying a small fortune to get into the theater, why should we be subjected to an endless stream of commercials before the film even starts? Maybe all those fashionably-late movie goers are smarter than I thought.

Anyway, for essentially the same amount of money I would have spent at the movie theater, I ended up taking the family out for a bite to eat and then back home to watch The Adjustment Bureau on pay per view. I’d love to give you a quick movie review but, to tell you the truth, I fell asleep midway through the film.

Here’s hoping I won’t be so tired next weekend.

Photo Credit: Joelk75

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