Can I Live without Television To Save Money?

The other night, as I was watching my boyfriend watch television, I was reminded again of how television can induce a mind-numb state. He was supposed to be reading up on financial matters or anything to prepare for his up and coming interview at a financial/investments company.

Then, I had an idea that by cutting out television, I would save about 60 dollars each month AND save valuable time for both me and him, forcing us to perform more beneficial tasks, such as reading, working out, etc.

We would still have the DVD player and could get Netflix subscription again (the one DVD turnaround), so we would still have easy entertainment when we choose to.

I turned towards him and proposed my plan...and he looked at me as if I had pulled the rug out from under him. So, the television subscription will continue but I will try again in a couple months, hehe.

Earn Money While You Get Healthy!!!

Healthy Lifestyle Rewards Program - Blue Shield Vs. Kaiser Permanente


There are a couple of incentive programs occurring currently with Kaiser Permanente (HMO) and Blue Shield of California (HMO and PPO) medical insurance companies.

Blue Shield

Has an online, interactive program that has "tools" to help one get fit, lower stress, and/or quit that pesky smoking habit (me..yes, guilty still.)

Basically, the program requires you to sign on to their website (www.blueshieldca.com/hlr) and fill out a "Wellness Assessment". By filling out the assessment, you get $50!!! Sign onto the program and keep checking in and using their resources/tools on the website every week to update your profile with the fitness progress that you're making, you can earn up to $200 in one year. It's still a great incentive for a few minutes of your time and what disadvantages could there be?? You're working towards a healthier you, and we all know that keeping track of your efforts can definitely keep you on the right and LONG-lasting path to a healthier you.

I wish I had Blueshield medical insurance, darn.

Kaiser Permanente

They're cheaper. In terms of their rewards (potential rewards, in this case) and in terms of their service costs and quality of service. I've always been a Kaiser member ever since I got medical insurance because they're cheaper but lately, I've been wondering if I should move to Blue Shield PPO due to me getting older as well as the growing medical problems I seem to be blessed with lately.

Their "incentive" program is that they give you CHANCES to win rewards if you fill out an online "Total Health Assessment". Go to their website and sign up for a kaiser online account with your medical account number (www.my.kp.org/ca/calpers). Click on "Be rewarded for living well". Fill out the form and open the health guide designed to whatever you filled out in the assessment, which will enter you into the drawings.

There are five seperate drawings, so you have five seperate chances to winning multiple rewards.

The rewards are as follows:

* $500 spafinder.com certificate
* $500 (REI, Sportsmart, or Big 5) sports store certificate (This is the only thing i want to win, since I really really want a mountain bike)
* An 80GB color screen iPod

I definitely prefer the Blue Shield's rewards program, because it fits the definition of an incentive program more than Kaiser's, which is just a lottery-type drawing. You're pretty much garanteed to earn $50 by completing the assessment. In addition, Blue Shield's program encourages long-term behavior by giving you continued incentives to keep track of your health progress through out the year and rewarding you monetarily throughout the program's length.

December 27, 2006 Net Worth Update

Oh yeah, a very late and not so promising Net Worth for me.

New Car, Used Car, or Leased Car?

Now that my car has been creaking quite abit (bad suspension), I'm tempted to look into buying another. Thus, three scenarios have presented themselves to me..

* Buying a new car
* Buying a used car
* Leasing a car

New Car Purchase:

This is the ideal choice, of course. Ok, not really the ideal choice financially but emotionally, it might be. Having a nice new car would mean that I would no longer be the target of the following comments; "THIS is what you're driving?", "Were you born before or after your car?", and "You need a NEW car.".

Nowadays, car financing term has become longer than the old two or three year periods. Since our salaries aren't necessarily growing to match the rising car costs, car loans have been dragged out to 60 or 72 months loans to get those "affordable" monthly payments. Generally, the longer the loan period, it is more likely to be attached with a higher interest rate.

Of course, I could put a downpayment down but that would mean that my emergency savings fund would diminish. Also, with a new car, there'll be the higher DMV and insurance fees. My little money pouch will definitely be hurting for the first couple of years.

Leasing a Car

Lower Monthly Payments! This could lead me to believe that I can buy a more expensive car than I can honestly afford. Temptation.. Temptation. In fact, my brother-in-law was infected with that Temptation virus and has just leased a BMW for my sister yesterday.

Also, the only sales tax for a leased car is on the allotted car value over the lease term. This definitely means, there's less money going out of my pockets.

But, I would have to either renew the leasing terms or exchange it out for another car in three years. Also, I'd need to keep to (on average) the allotted 10,000 or 15,000 driven miles per year or I'd have to pay per mile past the allotted miles. Granted, it's only a few cents per mile (ex. $0.16/mile etc.) if I pre-pay but living in Southern California means alot of driving. Even driving to my work each day to and fro means I'm driving a little under 50 miles each day at a minimum. Running errands during lunch time or after work would definitely put me over 50 driven miles/day. Either I don't go out or it'd be impossible to keep to the allotted miles without paying extra.

If I buy a car, I am definitely looking to keep the car alive for at least ten years and not change it out after five years, so after the loan term is paid off, with a new car, my only expenses will be for DMV fees, insurance, gas, and maintenance fees. Leaning toward a new car purchase at this point...

Used Car Purchase

They're usually cheaper since they'll be a couple of years old already. Loan interest rates are usually higher for used car purchases, so it might be more prudent to pay fully with cash for a used car. Maintenance and repair costs might be higher since it'd be an older car. These costs may rise more rapidly with each year.

Thus, it might be the biggest dent in terms of money exiting my savings initially. With no interest/loan to pay for each year, in the long run, this is the cheapest option. It would also mean the death and yet another very eventual re-birth of my emergency savings.

Bright side: I can drive it until it dies on me.

Decision: I'm going to keep driving until my current car putters out and re-read this post again in a year.

I know....
I am cheap.

15% Discount on Verizon Wireless Monthly Plan

After many months of "encouraging" my employer to allow me to be the 25% discount agreement that the employer has with Verizon Wireless, I've finally given up on that idea. Instead, I obtained a general employee discount form and faxed in the 15% employee discount application to Verizon. Two days after I had faxed the two pager, consisting of a front fax cover page that Verizon provides, another page with my employer contact information, and a copy of my employee identification card, I received an email notification that I've been approved and thus, will bee seeing the 15% discount applied to next month's bill.

Of course, the easier route would be to verify your eligibility through Verizon Wireless website and apply on the website your work email address, however, my employer's got an annoying firewall protection, and I wasn't able to get any emails from Verizon to my work email. Faxing wasn't much of a hassle, and the response turn around time was great!

That'll be a total savings of ....get ready.......six bucks a month!!!!
I wish that there's some sarcasm involved in that last statement but I'll be honest, I'm appreciating those six bucks.

So if you have Verizon as your wireless carrier, check out if you're qualified for an employee discount at Verizon and register your cell line.

Cooking on a Budget

I've read alot of other blogs, such as Boston Gal's Openwallet, My Open Wallet, and Dawn's Frugal For Life, where recipes on a budget are often posted.

I have a chicken recipe that I often make to stay within my budget. It's probably already quite commonly known and made around the cooking circle. I find that it is quite stretchable in terms of the number of days it could last while still tasting yummy as well as it being cheap and easy to make.

Ingredients

A Whole Chicken
- I am quite lazy so I buy the whole rotisserie chicken from a major supermarket chain store, like Ralph's or Albertson's. If you buy after 10:30 pm, they sell it at a reduced price.
Cost = $4.99

Mayonnaise
1 small jar
- Always buy the store brand since they tend to be the cheapest.
Cost = $1.99

Yellow Mustard
1 small jar
Cost = $1.99

Capers
1 jar
Cost = $3.99

Black Olives
1 can
Cost = ~$1.00 (I got a can for $0.98)

Green Olives
1 can
Cost = ~$1.00/$0.98
- Add green olives if you wish to add variety.

Total Cost = $14.96

Method

- Slightly warm up the cooked rotisserie chicken, if it is not warm already. Break rotisserie chicken into thin strands or chunks. This is very easy if you use the rotisserie chicken since it falls apart very easily in your hands. If not, boil a whole chicken and add two spoonfuls of chicken stock in the boiling water.

- Add approximately 2 to 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 1 to 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard. Most people might find 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons of mustard to be abit much.

- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of capers. Again, 2 tablespoons should be fine.

- Chop up approximately 1/4 cup of Black and Green Olives each.

- Mix everything together.

You can eat this mixture by itself, over some greens/spinach/corn/beans as a salad, as a spread for sandwiches, or with rice. The remaining unused portions of olies, mayonnaise, mustard and capers should last and make two or three more dishes, so I make sure that they are handled and stored as cleanly as possible.

I find that this lasts me about 4 days, eating it by itself or with a slice of bread or rice for both lunch and dinner.

Not bad for approximately $15.00 for 4 days, with some ingredients left over to make additional batches.

A Play on the Impossible

Last night, at 7 p.m., I bought my first ever lotto ticket, er, actually, ticketS. With five lotto tickets in my hand, a dream in my mind, and a hungry look in my eyes, I sat down in front of sister's computer (I can't afford to replace my stolen computer yet) to check the winning number. Who can say no to a $110 Million possibility?

Someone in South Pasedena didn't and won, while I'm remain here with five pieces of scap paper in a corner.

HSBC Savings Account @ 5.05% Interest Rate

Now that HSBC has raised its interest rate to 5.05% , I need to allocate any future liquid savings to HSBC instead of concentrating in Emigrant Direct. 5.05% is just too good to ignore. I would only be able to save $200/month, if that, for the next three months, due to the recent burglary and a purchase of a pair of new glasses (I'm legally blind), so I won't bee seeing a huge jump in terms of the accrued interest.

However, has anyone noticed how much of a pain accessing HSBC can be at times? Their passwords can be a pain to type in!! I still haven't been able to memorize the passwords. However, especially after the burglary, I appreciate the fact that HSBC creates long numerical passwords as well as an additional password for accessing the external link for transferrable funds (i.e. your checking account, etc.). I guess I can't have both easy accessibility AND safe security for an online savings account.