preliminary month end stuff

In looking over spending and debt totals for the month, it initially appears that thinks went quite well. Overall spending seems to be down. Income was great than spending, which is always a really good thing. A lot of categories in the budget were under but there were a few (food namely) that went over. Still finding the way but it seems to be getting closer and closer on track. I'll be looking into it a little more closely tomorrow.

Want a comfy fuf chair? me too!

Over at The Beef Jerky Blog they are giving away two fuf chairs for their comfort contest. These chairs look uber comfy and all you have to do to win one is write up a post like this one.

The contest goes through November 30th and the winners are chosen on December 1st.

Check it out if you are interested in a free comfy chair. I know I am!

NetBank no more

I mentioned not too long ago that I was making the transition over to Electric Orange because I was tired of getting screwed by my bank. Now I see why they were screwing me. Apparently they needed the cash as my bank is/was NetBank. Grrr.

In case you haven't heard, regulators have shut down NetBank and ING is taking over the accounts. That is kinda funny since I was already transitioning over to them. I found out about this not from NetBank but from MyMoneyBlog this morning. Nice to see that NetBank kept up the screwing till the end, eh?

So, I guess now I really need to step up my account transitioning over to Electric Orange. I think I have stopped all of the auto debits. Now I just need to do things like change my PayPal info and such. What a pain. But I need to wait on doing all that till after I pay rent next week.

Gap may have lost your SSN if you applied for a job there

Apparently GAP is the latest place to lose a laptop that contains people's social security numbers. Way to go guys!

Is it just me or should these companies stop putting data like that on laptops. I mean, people are more likely to steal a lightweight laptop than a desktop computer. For starters having to untangle all of those cords in the back is probably enough to stop people.

Just saying...

Eating at home really does save a fortune

After reading Trent's comparison of homemade burgers vs McDonald's burgers earlier in the week I have been having a burger craving. Reading everyone comment's on that post on how to make great burgers at home is what really did it.

Now, two weeks ago we went to a restaurant here because I had a $10 coupon and we got burgers and fries and the total with tip was $16 and some change.

Last night I couldn't take the burger craving anymore and went to the store for ingredients. Here is what we got:

• a bag of crinkle fries because I didn't want to take the time to cut up potatoes ($2.99)
  
• 2.5 pounds of ground chuck ($4.98)
  
• a head of iceburg lettuce ($0.99)
  
• 3 tomatoes ($0.85)
  
• a 8-pack of wheat buns ($2.59)

For a total of $12.40 spent.

Clearly that was cheaper than going to the restaurant with a $10 coupon. But the funny part is what we made with the food.

• two burgers and fries and salad for dinner last night
• took the rest of the meat and made a meatloaf at the same time for dinner tonight (should be 3 meals for 2 people)

And there are leftover buns, tomatoes, lettuce and french fries. So, at a minimum that is 4 meals for less than the cost of one at a restaurant.

Granted, we already has swiss cheese and mushrooms at home for the burgers. And we already had the meatloaf ingredients. But I still doubt we spent over the $16. And since we made it we know what is in it, so no extra calories were snuck in like at restaurants.

And did I mention that the burger was way tastier than what I've had at the restaurant?

For the burgers we added a little A1 steak sauce, a little pepper and a little garlic powder to the meat before making the patties.

For the meatloaf we took the rest of the ground chuck (about 2 pounds) and added some oats and some cracker crumbs (instead of bread crumbs), 1 medium chopped onion, 1 egg and a little A1 steak sauce. We cooked it on 350 for 30 minutes. Then we took it out and drained the grease. Before putting it back in the oven we put some A1 steak sauce on top and cooked it for an additional 10 minutes. And that will be dinner tonight! (If you follow this recipe you may need to adjust your cooking time as my oven seems to be hotter than most and takes less time that previous ovens I have used)

ah gas prices

Don't you just hate having to fill up your car with gas prices these days? Late last week as I was late for an appointment I noticed that gas prices were down to $2.66. I needed gas but did not have time to stop. On my way back through 45 minutes later the price has changed to $2.99.

Drats.

So that made me mad and I decided I was only going to get 3 gallons of gas at a time until it went back down below $2.70. Two days ago it was $2.75 but I waited. This morning it was $2.69!

So, I filled up my tank.

Isn't is sad that I think anything below $2.70 is cheap now for gas?

millionaires in the making

I saw an interesting story on CNN Money about millionaires in the making. (I wish that was me!) Apparently this is an ongoing series as there are links to previous "millionaires in the making" on the right side of the page. It's kind of funny, but in an odd way, because clearly the people do not realize that they are on the right track here. It looks like maybe they just have a bit of the 'keeping up with the joneses' fever.

great list of personal finance links

I was lucky enough to be included under the blog section of a big list of personal finance links today. Most of the other blogs listed are already on my reading list, but I did find some new ones. There was also a new spending tracking website I found from the list called Money Tracking. If you haven't seen the list, check it out here. And I'm certain we'll see it in the Carnival of personal Finance next week too.

Circuit city - why?

I have had a Circuit City gift card for some time now and have had nothing that I have really wanted. So, not too long ago the new KT Tunstall album was released, which I wanted, but it was $13.99 the day that it came out. Everywhere was charging this price. I really wanted it but I knew it would get down to $9.99 at some point.

And it did.

In the ad for Circuit City for this week the album is listed at $9.99. Score! So this afternoon I drove to Circuity City to pick up the album with the gift card. Or so I thought. They have loads of copies of the deluxe version that is around $30, but not a single copy of the regular $9.99 version. Coincidence? Probably not.

I walked around the store for a little bit seeing if there was anything there that interested me as I did have the gift card and I did travel to the store. I did not want the trip to be for nothing.

Wow, they are so freaking overpriced on just about everything. And I mean everything. Sigh.

I can order the CD on their website at the sale price, but after paying for shipping I am back to the original price. No thanks.

So, I did some looking around and Buy.com has it for $9.98. Google Checkout new customers save $10 on a $10 purchase. Drats - $0.02 away from that.

I ended up finding an import album that I have been wanting that is normally $18 for $13.98. So, in the end I got both CDs for a total of $16.82 after shipping and tax. yay me.

35 minutes to riches?

Money magazine has a list of things that you can do in 35 minutes to be on track for riches.

1. Find out your credit score
2. Raise your credit score
3. Triple the return on savings
4. Stop junk mail
5. Freeze your credit
6. Haggle down your credit rate
7. Upgrade to a better card
8. Add to your 401(k)
9. Manage like a pro
10. Buy a forever portfolio
11. Find promising funds
12. Track your returns
13. Find out if you're paid enough
14. Run a retirement plan
15. Estimate your life insurance
16. Learn your tax bracket
17. Escape late fees
18. Write bounce-proof checks
19. Pay less in auto insurance
20. Double-check your taxes
21. Keep more of your paycheck
22. Get a tax break for day care
23. Pay less for your cell
24. Cut drug costs
25. No more waiting rooms
26. Burn more calories
27. Be like Buffett
28. Save for college
29. Automate your savings
30. Get credit, even in a crunch
31. Read your mortgage
32. Stop overpaying on your mortgage
33. Create an insurance record
34. Curb impulse buys
35. Spend consciously
36. Slash recurring charges
37. Boost your mileage
38. Find it cheaper online
39. Demand a lower cable bill
40. Save on drinking water
41. Say no to a new store credit card.
42. Check yes to reinvesting your dividends.
43. Say no to an extended warranty.
44. Fill your tank with regular.
45. Swipe your debit rather than credit card.
46. Delete any e-mail asking for account information or your social security number.

What happens when you hate your job

I saw an article on Yahoo Finance today on What to Do When You Hate Your Job.

I say fire your job!

They say that there are things you can do to make your job better for you and thus you end up liking it.

You can get extra help if you are overwhelmed. You can start an online professional group if you're having some complex problems you cannot solve. And if you have a wanker for a boss you can ask them what you can do better to try to end their crankiness.

I say life is too short to stick around somewhere that you are not happy with being at. You usually end up spending more time with the people that you work with than your family, so being happy at work is pretty darn important.

Ebay promo ending Sept 30th

Just got an email in regards to the current promo going on over at eBay where if you use the gallery feature there are no listing fees for things under $9.99 and things over the $9.99 are discounted.

Well, sadly, that promo is apparently set to end at the end of the month with September 30th being the last day for it.

That means I need to get those auctions up that I have not yet gotten up so that I can take advantage of the promo before it ends.

Does it ever go as planned?

You know what I hate? Thinking that this time, this month, there is going to be a whole lotta extra cash and it is all going to be available for paying off debt.

Then something happens.

Or a few somethings.

New tires need.

Brakes squeeling, those need fixed too.

Alignment, that is also needed.

Surprise, more doctor bills you didn't know you had.

That library book that you renewed online? Well it didn't take or something and now it's overdue and there are some fines for that.

And remember that person in the UK that bought your eBay auction item? They decided to tell PayPal that the item didn't arrive, and you have no tracking number cause it was an international item. Now you're out the item and the cash.

And so on and so on.

part-time jobs with benefits

I have been wondering for some time now if there are any part-time jobs that offered benefits such as medical insurance. I have wondered this because my job is through a staffing agency and I do not get benefits, which is a bad thing.

There was a story on AOL this morning on part-time jobs with benefits. It even gives a list of places that offer benefits to part-timers!

Here are the places that were listed in the story:

1. Target offers its part-time employees healthcare, a 401(k) plan, paid vacation time and discounts on merchandise.
2. Lowe's offers part-timers the opportunity to participate in a limited benefit health plan, a dental plan, term life insurance and short-term disability. A year of employment qualifies workers for 40 hours of paid vacation time.
3. Wegmans offers its part-time employees healthcare, a 401(k) plan, paid vacation time and discounts on merchandise.
4. Circuit City offers its part-time employees healthcare, a 401(k) plan, paid vacation time and discounts on merchandise.
5. JCPenney invites associates who work less than 35 hours per week to participate in a dependent care spending account, medical, dental, vision and term life coverage, and paid time off, as well as a discount on merchandise.
6. Trader Joe's offers its part-time employees healthcare, a 401(k) plan, paid vacation time and discounts on merchandise.
7. Whole Foods team members are eligible for paid training, paid time off, health insurance, retirement savings and a discount to the natural foods store.
8. IKEA offers its part-time employees healthcare, a 401(k) plan, paid vacation time and discounts on merchandise.
9. After one year, part-time employees at Nike can qualify for health coverage. Other benefits include in-store discounts, discounts on auto and homeowners insurance and scholarships for their children.
10. In addition to a benefits package that include medical insurance, a retirement package and stock options, each "partner" who works 20 or more hours per week at Starbucks receives a pound of free coffee each week.
11. All REI employees have access to flexible scheduling, gear discounts and free rentals, tuition reimbursement, a performance-based incentive program and gear grants to support any outdoor adventure challenges they may participate in.
12. Barnes & Noble offers part-time workers a significant discount on store merchandise in addition to a healthcare plan and a 401(k).
13. Nordstrom employees' benefits fall into one of three categories: work/life balance, savings and protection. Benefits such as paid time off and bereavement leave fall under work/life balance; a merchandise discount, 401(k) plan and profit sharing are part of savings; and short- and long-term disability and life insurance are among its protection benefits.
14. In addition to healthcare and retirement plans, merchandise discounts and paid time off, Lands' End offers its employees access to a company-owned recreation center, discount tickets to theme parks and movie theatres, and an invitation to the annual company picnic. Bonus: UW-Platteville students get to take advantage of a complementary busing system to help them get to the company's Dodgeville facility.
15. In addition to medical coverage, life insurance and a 401(k), Cost Plus World Market's benefit package for eligible part-time employees includes flexible spending, vacation and floating holidays.

Looks like any of these places would be a great place to look for a second job!

and I thought I had a lot of debt...

From now on when I start thinking about my debt and how it is a large number all I need to do is think about the federal government's debt. It seems that they have a debt ceiling and they are fast approaching it.

What is it?

The current debt limit is $8.965 trillion for the US government.

C'mon, say it with me.... WOW.

Apparently the government is so close reaching that debt limit that Congress will be asked to lift the limit. Seems it needs to be lifted so that the government can keep operating and pay it's debt obligations.

Wow. That is, um, I can't even form a thought on this. The economy is in the crapper, they lowered the interest rate and the dollar hit an all time low against the Euro and now they are in danger of not being able to pay debt obligations and even keep operating.

Someone needs to get the US government on a debt diet. Where is Dave Ramsey when you need him?

All I can say is that I cannot wait until we get someone new in office. I mean, geesh, check this out...

The Senate Finance Committee earlier this month approved increasing the limit on the national debt to $9.82 trillion. That boost of $850 billion would be the fifth increase in the government's borrowing limit since President Bush took office in 2001.

Wow.

I'd really like to be able to move out of this country with a quickness. The way things are going here...I dunno, it's going to take a lot to get everything fixed.

Electric Orange here I come

Just last week when I wrote about Bank of America raising their ATM fees I said how I think banks are evil. It's true. I have thought that for some time now.

My favorite evil thing that banks do is post checks and what not before posting credits on your account. And it doesn't seem to matter if you made the deposit at 4 in the afternoon. Come midnight they will post all the checks that came in and then post the deposit.

I have been thinking for some time now that my bank is actually hold deposits that I make from PayPal or from my ING account and not posting them until they get a chance to hit me with an NSF fee. I say this because the time it used to take for these things to show up has now gotten twice as long and sometimes takes even longer. And when this happens there is no holiday or weekend that can explain it away.

It happened to me on Friday. Well, it won't happen again, I tell you that now. I was super mad when I saw the NSF fee on my account so I looked into the Electric Orange account. I totally could have used that $30 for something else.

It only took maybe a minute or two to sign up for Electric Orange checking since I already had a savings with ING. And now all I have to do it wait for the debit cards to arrive. Then I have to work on transitioning everything over to the Electric Orange account. And once that happens...

The other account gets closed. Oh yeah.

Unfortunately I think it will take a month or two for me to get all auto debits and whatnot transitioned over to the new account.

I really should have done this sooner.

4 hour work week

I just finished reading The 4-Hour Work Week over the weekend.

It was a pretty interesting book. The part in the middle about outsourcing everything you can to India was the slow point of the book for me. I am not really interested in letting someone in another country take care of making up with my significant other like was illustrated in the book.

I think a lot of the info in the book is really not applicable to the common person though. However there were some things in the book that would be of value to someone looking into starting a business them self.

There was info on wholesalers and such that would be great info if you were starting a business like that.

There was also some cool info on moving and working abroad, which is of great interest to me. I wrote down all of the websites that were listed in the book on the subject but have not yet looked them up. I was only aware of a few of them prior to reading the book.

While I do not work in a job where I could talk them into letting me work from home and what not the book was somewhat inspiring. It had me thinking of ways I could spend weeks or months at a time in another country.

Of course, that could be dangerous thinking for someone in debt like ;)

whoa $1,000 football helmet

While I am all about safety and preventative measures and what not I think this is ridiculous...

The $1,000 football helmet.

I have an idea for a cheaper alternative.

Don't play football.

I know, it's not exactly revolutionary, but it's true.

Bank of America is evil

Bank of America is raising their ATM fees to $3. Talk about insanity! Hello! I love how you have to pay fees to have easy access to your money. It's ridiculous. I mean, think about it. Most workplaces these days do not even give you the option of getting a paper check. You either get a direct deposit or you get one of those debit cards with your paycheck loaded onto it. So, either way you have to get your cash from some place else. Personally I would rather run into a CVS and buy a pack of gum and get cash back with my debit card than pay ATM fees. I will actually do that and buy something I do not need just so that I get something for the money.

I hate banks. They are evil.

wow - jobless claims rise

I love how I keep reading that Bush and other people are saying that the economy is strong yet jobless claims rose by 4,000 last week. Hrm, that doesn't exactly shout out "strong economy" to me. Instead it makes me think, yikes, I need to start savings cash like a fiend so that I am prepared when this recession starts.

Upon reading about our flailing economy I decided to check out the currency exchange rates. Before I even got a chance to do that though I saw that the dollar hit an all time low against the Euro yesterday. Sure makes me wish I was working overseas and getting paid in Euros :)

Calorie count not required in NYC now

Not exactly personal finance related, but I can't believe that the judge in NYC ruled that fast food restaurants don't have to let people know how many calories are in the food that they are eating. I mean, do they really think it will hurt their bottom line that much? I suspect that is why they fought against it so hardcore.

But I think for the most part that people that eat at fast food chains don't really care how many calories are in the food. It's junk and they love it. Seeing how many calories are in it is not going to change them. If it was that simple then Super Size Me would have put them all out of business.

Top 100 make money online blogs

I came across a great post on 45n5 on the Top 100 Make Money Online Blogs. As someone trying to get outta debt this is a superb resource.

I have only looked at the first 50 links so far but have found some great resources that I have added to my reader. I also noticed that number #50 is a personal finance blog that I have been reading for about a month, My Debt Free Goal. Amy at My Debt Free Goal is making some awesome money each month! From the looks of things it is mostly affiliate income, but it is still impressive.

Suze Orman show

Last night I was channel hopping and ended up in CNBC where the Suze Orman show was on. Oddly enough I do not think I have ever actually watched it until last night. When I turned it on they were talking about student loans and how people are graduating with loads of debt and therefore not able to reach their potential because they spend all of their time worrying about debt or focusing on paying down debt.

There was a woman on the show, and I did not get to hear where she was from as I came into it midway, that had around $120,000 in school loan debt. That was not the most shocking part.

It started out as only $40,000.

And it was for a 12- month culinary school program!

Her monthly student loan payments are around $700.

She was currently working as a pastry chef - making $7.00 per hour!

Whoa. And I thought the student loan debt that we have was bad - at least ours is for a total of 3 degrees. Yikes.

I have to wonder if this woman had any clue how much she would be making as a pastry chef once she finished school? Because $7.00 per hour is less than $15,000 per year - and the schooling was $40,000. It is not hard to see that maybe that is not a great choice.

Now I feel somewhat lucky to be making what seems like a fortune compared to this poor woman.

5 ways to save on tuition plus one more

On the front page of MSN is a link to the article on the 5 ways to beat big tuition and they totally left out an obvious one. According to the article, here are 5 ways to save on tuition costs:

1. Look for alternative programs
2. Look for credit transfer agreements so you can start out at a community college
3. Try to do a tuition free program (duh!)
4. Go to school out of the country
5. Opt for distance learning

Um, what about getting an employer that offers tuition assistance. That seems like a really easy way to pay for school and it was not even mentioned. At all. And the last tip - distance learning - it usually costs more than actually going to campus for class. At least in my experiences.

Holiday shopping on the mind

Before you know it Halloween will be here, and after that it will be Thanksgiving before you know it and then – the day after Thanksgiving sales! Or as it is better know, black friday. That's when all the great sales are, but the only downer about it all is the whole having to be at the mall at the crack of dawn so you can wait in line for those awesome deals! That is really not my idea of fun.

Luckily a lot of those places that have awesome deals in their stores also have them on their websites, which means no standing outside of a Best Buy at 5 am. Instead you can sit in your pjs in front of your computer! Of course, you also have to get the ads so you know where the best deals are, but that can be done online too!

Black-friday.net is a website I have just recently become aware of where you can sign up for an email shout out when they get the info on the black friday sales. And as is that is not convenient enough, they also have links to all of the stores right on their site. It is like a black friday shopping portal. I will be anxiously awaiting for word on the Best Buy ad this black friday.

Smart Car price not too smart

I noticed on CNN Money that the price for the Smart Car in the US has been announced. Can we say waaaaay too expensive for a wee little bit of a car?

I admit, they are interesting looking. I saw a few when I was overseas a few years ago. Back when they first announced that they would sell them here I thought it would be a great cheap car. I was thinking it would probably be around $8,000 or so brand new.

Apparently I am delusional. Heh. $11,590 for a Smart Car! No way! That is total insanity. Not that I would buy a new car anyway. But I still think that it costs too much.

Speaking of European cars, I'd love to have a Mini Cooper someday but no time soon. I need to pay off my car and then sell it and get something cheaper. I'd really like to not have to have a car at all. Life would be so much cheaper that way. Unfortunately there is like zero public transportation where I live. You do good just finding a sidewalk here. It sucks.

mother is a suspect in Madeline kidnapping

Not really personal finance related but I came across this on BBC News. Apparently the investigation of the little British girl that disappeared a while back has a new lead. They are questioning her mother as a suspect. Odd! Of course I always thought the situation was kinds of weird. And their alibi was very convenient. And so many high profile people gave money to the parents. I can't wait to see how this all turns out.

5 great money books for young adults

Came across a post on Kiplingers about the top 5 money books for young adults. After looking over their list I noticed that an awesome book was left off, at least in my opinion. I think Your Money or Your Life should be on every list of 'must have' personal finance books. Out of the five books that they listed I have only read one so far - The Wealthy Barber. And I hated it. The way that it was written was so simple and, I dunno, just on too low of a level I guess. The info was good but I might have actually enjoyed it if I had felt that it wasn't written on a 2nd grade level.

Get nekkid - save money

Another post that caught my eye today was over at Saving Advice and says that Nudism Can Save You Money. Say what? After my initial laughter I was ready to actually read the post in its entirety.

Here's how being a nudist saves you cash:

• spend less doing laundry
• your clothes last longer so you don't buy clothes as often
• you don't have to crank the AC cause you're not wearing clothes!
• you get some sun and Vitamin D so you save on health costs
• you don't have as much stuff, I guess cause you don't have pockets for it! heh
• you don't grow up to be a social disaster cause you are not "materially oriented"
• you have less stress that others, which leads to better health

While it is funny to think about, there are actually some pretty valid points in the article. But I don't expect I'll start taking up the nudist way of life anytime soon. Or ever really. But I suppose it is nice to see that if all else fails, you can save money by going naked. :)

Proof that nickels & dimes do add up!

I came across this great article on how a man making $20,000 per year has a stock portfolio worth $500,000. That is insanity! And it makes me feel like a real schmuck! Of course it is also pretty impressive. Wonder how frugally he was living? I mean, it says he is in Baltimore.

If someone making only $20,000 a year can do that I am so behind schedule. Nothing like reading how someone else can accomplish the unthinkable to really get you motivated. And it looks like he started just over 25 years ago since he got his first stock in 1981. Wow.

Robbery attempt at Warren Buffett's house

I saw on CNNMoney that there was a robbery attempt at Warren Buffett's home yesterday. The most shocking part of the story is that the person made it to the front door where his wife saw the guy. I'm not surprised that someone would target Buffett since he is so uber rich, but what were they thinking?

Did they think that he kept all of his cash under his mattress? Clearly the robber did not know a whole lot about Mr. Buffett and that he is known for his investments, as opposed to keeping cash under a mattress.

I often wonder what has to be going through someone's mind to do something like that when they know people will be there. It's sad.

More jobs lost in housing & mortgage fiasco

Yahoo news is reporting that 900 more people are losing their jobs at Countrywide Financial Corp. And that is after the last time they cut some jobs, which were around 500 at that time. That is really horrible. I would hate to be working for them or one of the other companies feeling the housing slump effects. I wonder if they will be getting any kind of severance package? Or maybe it will be something along the lines of 'you were lucky we could pay you this long" instead.

Of course they may be able to get jobs in the microwave popcorn sector helping to remove the lung harming chemical from all the microwave popcorn. After reading this:

ConAgra spokeswoman Stephanie Childs said the change will not affect its popular stovetop popcorn, Jiffy Pop, because it contains natural butter instead of the threatening chemical.

I think, 'note to self, but Jiffy Pop as it has real butter instead of lung deteriorating butter flavored chemicals."

Add everyone in the UK to the DNA database?

Since I am hoping to be able to move overseas at some point in the future I try to keep current with what is going on abroad. On the BBC News page today I found a story about a judge that thinks that all citizens and visitors of the UK should be in the DNA database. Apparently the DNA database in the UK is already the largest one in the world because they keep DNA information for everyone that they get samples from. Once you are in the database there is no getting out.

The judge thinks everyone in the country and anyone that visits the country should have their DNA in the database because the database as it is now has a disproportionate number of ethnicities in it due to racial profiling. Here is the way it is broken down now:

• 5.2% of UK population
• Nearly 40% of black men
• 13% of Asian men
• 9% of white men

The judge thinks that by having everyone's DNA in the system that the database would be fairer to everyone.

I think this is not so great of an idea. Why should the government be able to have everyone's DNA on file? It seems like it would actually be less fair because innocent people would be forced to have to go through the process of giving DNA to get into the database. And wouldn't that clog the system?

Scotland seems to be more on the right track.

In Scotland, DNA samples taken when people are arrested must be destroyed if the individual is not charged or convicted.

My thoughts on this seem to fall in line with the final quote in the article:

Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights organisation Liberty, said a database for every man, woman and child in the country was "a chilling proposal, ripe for indignity, error and abuse".

10 best careers based on starting salaries

Now that I am older and wiser I really wish I had paid more attention to lists like Today's Best Entry Level Salaries. In looking over the list at the bottom of the article at the top 10 starting salaries by college major I am a bit shocked to see that there are no health care related positions in the list. I am not shocked to see finance and accounting on the list though. I also like that they gave you some idea of the types of positions someone would have that had those majors.

Here is the list of top 10 starting salaries by major from the article:

Chemical Engineering - $59,361
Chemical engineering grads have the option of working in either the government or private sector in the areas of research and development, design or product development.

Computer Engineering - $56,201
Computer engineers may choose from a variety of career paths from creating new products and services as design engineers to improving existing products as development engineers.

Electrical Engineering - $55,292
Because nearly every industry works with electricity or electrical devices, electrical engineers can work in nearly every type of business, doing everything from designing and building medical equipment to working for the military or department of defense.

Mechanical Engineering - $54,128
Mechanical engineers may work on electric generators, internal combustion engines and other power-generating machines for businesses like equipment manufacturers, aerospace companies, material processing plants, transportation companies or petroleum companies.

Computer Science - $53,396
Computer science majors may go on to work in artificial intelligence, computer design and engineering, architecture, information technology or software applications, doing everything from developing computers that simulate human learning to designing computer software.

Civil Engineering - $48,483
Civil engineering majors go on to work all over the country, and some may spend their entire careers traveling and working on different projects. They may work for traditional engineering firms as well as telecommunication businesses, consulting firms, or even toy and athletic equipment manufacturers.

Economics - $48,483
Economics majors can do everything from private consulting for businesses to working for one of many government agencies.

Management of Information Systems - $47,648
Information systems managers work for organizations to ensure the availability, continuity and security of data and information technology services within an organization; yet, they may also work as business analysts.

Finance - $47,239
Career options for finance majors range from investment banking, helping investors trade securities or manage financial assets, to money management to financial planning for anyone from big businesses to smaller firms.

Accounting - $46,718
Accounting majors often go into auditing and tax services, rising to become controllers, treasurers, financial vice presidents, chief financial officers or even corporation presidents.

crazy job interview questions

I hate going to job interviews because I get tired of answering the same questions over and over again. If you have gone to a few job interviews then you know what I mean. Questions like "Tell me about your weaknesses" and any questions that start with "Tell me about a time when..." and my fave "Where do you see your self in 10 years?"

Luckily, I have never been hit with any brain teasers as interview questions. An article I found on CNNMoney lists some of the following brainteaser interview questions:

How many golf balls can fit in a school bus?

About 500,000, assuming the bus is 50 balls high, 50 balls wide, and 200 balls long

You're shrunk and trapped in a blender that will turn on in 60 seconds. What do you do?

Some options:

1. Use the measurement marks to climb out

2. Try to unscrew the glass

3. Risk riding out the air current

How much should you charge to wash all the windows in Seattle?

Assuming 10,000 city blocks, 600 windows per block, five minutes per window, and a rate of $20 per hour, about $10 million

event tickets sold!

I mentioned yesterday that I had some event tickets that I had bought in a moment of weakness, even though I knew I did not need to buying them.

Well, I put them up on eBay yesterday and put a "Buy it now" price on the auction and they ended up selling last night! Hooray! That means that I do not have to spend money on a trip out of town next weekend and I got my money back on the tickets since I was able to sell them. So, once that money gets into my account I can put it back towards the credit card I had used.

Debt round up #7

Thanks to me putting some event tickets on my AMEX I have increased my credit card debt for the month. Other debt looks like it might have decreased though.

As of 8/31/07, here is where I stand:

• Car loan = $12,773.61
• Credit cards = $30,743.88
• School loans = $153,909.70

And now we say "ouch." On top of buying event tickets that I did not really need I had a crapload of birthdays in August that I had to buy gifts for and travel to parties to, which meant more gas money.

In looking at my spending tracking spreadsheet though celebrations are in order for food spending. We only spent $61 dining out in August, down from about $100 last month and over $150 the month before. Compared with two months ago overall food expenditures (grocery and dining out) is down by a little over $200. Hooray!

Alternative income update for August

I was hoping to make $2400 in alternative income in August. Unfortunately that is not so easy to do when you are having to work a day job. :)

I did however do a little better than last month. In August I ended up making a little over $1400. And I have some stuff on eBay right now that has bids on it, so I will be making that - provided the winning bidder pays. I also have some other things that I need to sell on eBay or Craigslist here soon. Hopefully that will help to drive up the amount of alternative income for next month. I am still shooting for that $2400 in one month. If I could get up to that it would be like having a second full time job. Except without having to work an extra 40 hours a week!

Keep your car forever?

A new article from Consumer Reports says Driving Your Car to Death Saves $31,000. This is an awesome idea if you have a vehicle that can survive for a long time. For instance, my dad bought a 1991 GMC truck brand new and he is still driving it around today. It's had to have to repairs of course, but for the most part it's still a decent vehicle. And he has certainly saved at least $31,000 by not needing a new vehicle. And I think it has over 300,000 miles on it too! I wish I had used that kind of discipline in the past.

Here are their worst and best bets for cars that will last for the long haul:

Consumer Reports' "Good bets" for making 200,000 miles: Honda Civic, Honda CR-V, Honda Element, Lexus ES, Lexus LS, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Prius, Toyota RAV4

Consumer Reports' "Bad bets" for making 200,000 miles: BMW 7-series, Infiniti QX56, Jaguar X-type, V8-powered Mercedes-Benz M-class, Mercedes-Benz SL, Nissan Armada, Nissan Titan, Volkswagen Touareg, V6-powered Volvo XC90.

College worth the debt

I found an interesting article on Yahoo Finance "Is College Worth the Cost." There were some interesting tidbits in the article. Like only 28 percent of jobs in this country require a 4 year college degree. And of the top 10 fastest growing occupations only one requires a 4 year college degree. Of course associate's degrees are what is required by most of them. And I liked the advice of not paying top dollar for a private school that no one has heard of. I think that people get confused though when a local private college is well know in their area. Sometimes people think that it is well known everywhere but really it's just in the local area.

And this was a paragraph I think they should show all high school students about how much to limit their borrowing based on their major:

The highest-earning BAs are engineering and computer science students, who pulled down starting salaries of around $50,000 in 2006. According to my calculations, applying the affordability benchmarks used by the PIRGs in their study, these lucky ones can afford to borrow up to $45,000 a year in federal student loans. Liberal arts grads, by contrast, earn just over $30,000 in the first year out of school. If that's your bent, it would be prudent to borrow no more than $16,000.