Valentine's Day

Today is one of those "Hallmark" holidays that I particularly dislike. It is definitely an "America Only" holiday which is just an excuse to jack up prices at restaurants, buy expensive candy, flowers, and cards, and just spend too much in general for no real reason at all. I call these types of holidays "corporate marketing" holidays as they are the only real ones who benefit form them.

Rant aside, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to curtail the financial damage from days such as these. Firstly I stay far, far away from the pre fixe menus at restaurants. They are always a horrible deal and the quality is mediocre at best. Second I wait until after Feb. 14th for flowers and candy. They will be 50% or more cheaper and just as nice. Akin to buying wrapping paper after Christmas is over.

I also select my restaurant based on if I would go there normally. This year we went to Planet Bombay which is a great (and reasonably priced) Indian place in Atlanta. As an added bonus they are part of miles for dining where I get extra United miles based on the dollar amount I spend. We had a very good meal with leftovers for lunch the next day. Now that is a frugal-ish holiday!

Holidays in general make me quite grumpy but this year wasn't so bad. I just have to stick to my beliefs and budget and move on.

Christmas is over!

I can finally stop the financial bleeding. No more gifts to buy, expensive holiday travel to worry about, or other unexpected expenses to pay out. December 26th is my favorite day of my least favorite month of the year.

I can now regroup and get things lined up for 2012. Time to look at taxes, see how I did overall this year, and set goals. There is still a lot to do in the next 4 days!

Can Christmas be over yet?

It is no secret amongst my friends that December has to be my least favorite month of the year. It is expensive, stressful, and I always seem to get large, unexpected bills in December. This year is no exception.

Work has been crazy lately but is finally starting to let up now. I am still trying to figure out my Christmas gifts (and I despise Christmas shopping!) for a couple of people. I got some medical and other bills that are also helping to wipe out some more money which annoys me.

I am ready for 2012. Three more weeks to go and it is over with. I like seeing my family over Christmas but all the other crap seems to cast a shadow over it. At least I have some awesome food to look forward too!

Frugal Labor Day Weekend

We have a long weekend here in America starting today. Monday is Labor Day when most of us don't have to work. I welcome the extra day off as we have been slammed at work for the past 2 months. I still have to travel again next week!

I have no real plans to speak of for the weekend except that I don't want to spend a lot of money. In fact I am making it a goal to not eat out at all this weekend unless it costs less than $5. I have had to reduce my "fun" budget by 25% since losing my roommate. I will be hanging out with friends, grilling out, watching some football, and having a few beers. I also have plenty of other stuff to catch up on at the house.

With only 2 months to go before going to Asia I am trying to save all I can for the trip. I will have a couple of unpaid days off so if I can scrape together another $100 or two to fill the gap it will help. Since I will be visiting some more expensive places this time around I am trying to hit my savings target for the trip also. You realizes the sacrifices you make now to afford the trip are more than worth it once you get there!

I am also toying with an idea for saving some money on food while being a little bit healthier. Starting Sunday I want to try to eat food only bought from the farmer's market. I will be traveling Thursday/Friday next week but I can still make it work. Cooking with fresh ingredients tastes better anyway! I think I can pull it off and will give a shot and see what happens!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today is considered a "drinking holiday" in the USA with everyone wearing green, drinking green beer, and packing full all of the Irish pubs nationwide. Today I am wearing a green shirt and will certainly be at an Irish drinking establishment after work today.

Have fun everyone and be safe!

"Everyone is Irish on March 17th!"

My Take on Christmas/Holidays: Travel & Financial

Being the frugal person that I am I always try my best to minimize my expenses around the holidays. I do this partially by continuing my tradition of traveling to a less expensive country overseas. For the Christmas holiday I visit family. This can get expensive as holiday travel always comes with higher prices.

Most years I drive back home for Christmas. The airfares are usually too high so even though I have to buy 3 tanks of gas I still come out way ahead. It also makes it easier to transport gifts. I like having my car for getting around back home (a small town). I always check airfares for great deals but they tend to be rare. They were all too high for me this year so I am driving!

For gifts I make it a point to get something practical that I know the recipient will use. Nothing is worse than getting "more junk" that you have to sell or donate (or worse more clutter). I really dislike when others buy me clothes as they are rarely what I want. I find that about 90% of the clothes that are gifted to me get donated with the tags still on. This is why I give practical gifts. I believe if it is just going to sit on the shelf it can do that just fine at the store without me having to buy it!

Over the years I have greatly reduced the gifts that I give. I make it clear to almost everyone that I do not buy gifts and expect none in return. December is usually a rough financial month for me and this is how I combat it. I offer to do dinner or drinks instead of gifts as I enjoy the time with the person more. This also is part of my anti-consumerist streak showing. We don't have to exchange gifts to prove we are friends.

I normally am happy once December 26 comes around. The shopping headaches are over, I can visit with family and friends without stress, and I can look forward to the new year. I admit that Christmas is one of my least favorite holidays and to me is another financial battle to get through. I have to remind myself that it is about family and friends and not money. This is difficult as money seems to fly out of my hand at the same time. Traditions can be expensive!

Work Travel: Memphis, TN!

I have to work on Labor Day but I get to add a new place to my list. Memphis, TN! I have never been there and am passively interested in the place. If time permits I plan to go to Graceland (Elvis!), Beale Street, and of course have some Tennessee BBQ. I will be there Sept 6-7 for work purposes but if all goes well I should end up with free time.

We have had a bit of last minute work travel as of late. This works out for me as I have better shots at first class upgrades, earn more miles via expenses, and best of all get out of the office for a couple days. This time I am setting up a demo for a large potential customer so I have to be on my "A" game!

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend!

Happy Independence Weekend!

I am taking the day off blogging as I will be out of town visiting family this weekend.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am writing to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving back home in the USA. I am currently on Koh Phangan, a wonderful island, in the Gulf of Thailand. I plan to spend the day on the beach and eating some fried rice for my Thanksgiving dinner.

Hope everyone has a great holiday and weekend!

Happy Labor Day!

Today I am moving into my new house. It is half finished remodeling and is livable. The ending of my lease forced me and it makes money sense to move now.

Hope everyone has a great holiday!