Make It Rain

Show me the money! The love/hate relationship I have with big time spending (think rap video on a yacht) is a mystery that transcends man's earliest origins. Why do I shudder at the thought of buying living room decorations one minute, but lovingly embrace purchasing overpriced AC/DC tickets the next? (If such a priceless experience could ever be described as overpriced)

After a certain point, why don’t I care about living in college bachelor pad 2.0? One great friend of mine just dropped $32,000 in cash (hundies... strapped to his thigh on the plane flight) on a Dodge Viper, but is still a renter; why not put that down on a house? I could list examples for days...

In my opinion (famous last words), the over-arching issue here is personal happiness, moreover, and, in technical terms I whimsically invent, a "core importance".

At our cores, we’re built a certain way that makes us appreciate things in a certain light. I love seeing one of my favorite rock bands of all time, cousin Wes has an unwavering dedication to his Minnesota Twins, and roommate Marcos can't get enough good food in his belly.

You often hear the old adage "I work to live, not live to work," meaning, “I have a job to support the lifestyle I have made for myself, which is tailored around my happiness.”

Where’s the break-even point?

That depends on your budget (which, if you’re above the age of 18, you should definitely have). Do you have any business buying Houston Texans season tickets, at $1,000 a piece, with $4,000 already on the Visa card and a monthly income of $3,000? Doubtful; everyone’s financial situation is different. Some of us have $2,000 extra on hand at the end of the month, while some of us only have about $50, and many of us are on self-imposed debt payment plans to pay off last month’s big vacation.

A healthy splurge on yourself, including the occasional skydive, fancy spa visit, or nice dinner, is always good for the blood pressure and the soul. Never neglect obligations to yourself (think zero debt and a healthy retirement) in exchange for the paltry pleasures that do more to line someone else’s pockets with your cash than anything else.

Cables: An Inconvenient Truth

You’re getting screwed. For all the money (or “dinero” in my native tongue) my parents spent on my education, I can’t think of a better way to describe the obscene prices big name electronics retailers charge for simple audio and video accessories, in particular, HDMI cables.

An HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cable is the preferred connection used to connect HD TVs and sound systems to HD programming sources such as cable boxes and blu-ray players.

As these cables have become almost a necessity, large retailers seem to have found their goldmine, marking up prices to solicit profits anywhere between 400 to 1000%! What’s most upsetting is the thought of my unsuspecting friends, parents, or even grandparents walking into one of these stores and getting fleeced!

Are big electronic retailers villains? No; as a huge proponent of capitalism, I’m a large fan of everyone competing on an equal playing field in the free-market. I just want you to know what the playing field looks like.

Be smart! A great website I love to use when shopping for anything electronics (iPod accessories, cables, yada yada yada) is http://www.monoprice.com/. 6 ft HDMI cables on this site can be purchased for approximately $6, a drastic difference from what you’ll find at your neighborhood electronics retailer, where they start at $29.99!

Additionally, http://www.slickdeals.com/ and http://www.bensbargains.net/ are daily deal sites that often have these accessories on sale as well.

Be an educated consumer and know what things cost, don’t just go for what’s convenient. Save the colorful spending for Vegas, not cables.

Skinny Jeans

There’s definitely something to be said about staying classy. No, I’m not referring to the Will Ferrell movie, Anchorman, to which I give much credit to who I am today, in case anyone’s wondering. I’m talking about the way people carry themselves from the day to day in the present.

As made obvious by the incredible advances in today’s various technologies, times are always changing. Out with the old, in with the new, and in this rat race of continually outpacing what’s “trendy”, you’re destined to fall behind someday.

For some (like my friend Chinae, or all those hipsters I’m intimidated by), this only occurs once or twice in life, by picking out an off color pair of shoes on a fuzzy Monday morning. For others, it might occur right after hitting 31, when your mortgage, family, and investments take life’s center stage, as opposed to which color paisley tie looks best with that suit.

For me, it wasn’t long ago I realized the classics never go out of style. It’s hard to argue that, even by today’s standards, Frank Sinatra in his signature, dark, two-piece suit, doesn’t look good.

Diet-wise, when have eating lean meats, fresh vegetables, and getting more exercise ever done anyone harm? You can keep your 17 day prune juice and spaghetti miracle diet.

Don’t get me wrong, society is propelled by the new and improved. Who’d rather watch Monday Night Football on an old black and white set as opposed to the HD LCD sitting in my living room?

As far as fashion goes, I’ll see you at the next wedding in my two-piece Hugo Boss suit, probably having grilled chicken and vegetables, waiting for the Cupid Shuffle to come on.

An observation on coupons

Coupons are interesting. They offer a supposed "win-win" situation. Coupons drum up revenue for a business by getting consumers in the door where they might not have done so otherwise. At the same time, they give the consumer a discount on a full ticket item, which leads to the illusion of saving money.

The question is, would you have spent that money, or broken your diet to eat that burrito if that coupon didn't exist (It was a Freebirds coupon that started all this anyhow)? If the answer is yes, then the coupon is a deal. If the answer's no, well that's just Bad News Bears for your waistline and your wallet.

I know this is mostly common knowledge to everyone, but this post is just my brain puking up random thoughts (and don't get me wrong, I looooove coupons, and have been especially excited with my Costco coupon mailers as of late).