by Mike Barclay
Here’s a fantastic little conundrum from the sexy finance ladies over at WellHeeledBlog.com. You’d think this would be an easy decision right? Pay attention, and you’ll find out it’s really not.
Consider this apartment situation:
You are currently living in your …
People may soon be able to live forever.
Ketchup, on the other hand, has to be cut with water for that effect.
Our first contest! Next week, we’ll kick off Lunch Week. From April 12-16, keep a tally of what you eat and how much you’re spending on lunch. The week after: we’ll see who can cut their costs by the most. We’ll have winners in three categories: Cheapest lunch spending overall; most dramatic reduction in lunch spending; highest lunch spending. Winners will get a … limited edition Bundle lunch box? Official rules to follow tomorrow (as soon as Mark and Janet decide what they are).
Image by Apreche.
Wichita is more interesting than you might expect.
It has this chrome horse, for example.
Also, citizens of Wichita spent more money last year than citizens of New York City. Talk about why.
Photo by anyjazz65.
My grandma gave me $20 for my birthday/x-mas. I thought it could be interesting to track the money and see what all it could accomplish for me. So here is a brief image to show you what all I bought with the money.
Full inventory:
$1.75::Medium coffee from McDonalds for the commute to work
$20 - $1.75 = $18.25
$1.25::Bus Fare from Santa Monica Blvd. and Westholme Ave. to Santa Monica Blvd. and Beverly Blvd. (2.5 miles)
$18.25 - $1.25 = $17.00
$7.75::Groceries for the week including:
-Three Navel Oranges
-Four string cheeses
-Two cans of Pringles
-Four Oriental flavored Ramen Noodle packages
Yes I did eat Ramen and cheese and Pringles for five straight days.
$17.00 - $7.75 = $9.25
$1.25::Bus fare from Santa Monica Blvd. and Beverly Blvd. to Santa Monica Blvd. and Westholme Ave. (2.5 miles)
$9.25 - $1.25 = $8.00
$1.10::A small coffee from McDonalds for the morning commute
$8.00 - $1.10 = $6.90
$1.25::Bus fare from Santa Monica Blvd. and Westholme Ave. to Santa Monica Blvd. and Beverly Blvd. (2.5 miles)
$6.90 - $1.25 = $5.65
$.25::A Coca-Cola for a nice mid-day treat
$5.65 - $.25 = $5.40
$.40::Bus fare from Santa Monica Blvd. and Beverly to Santa Monica and Westholme Ave. (2.5 miles) *I gave only $.40 because all I had was a $5 bill and the $.40, and the bus doesn’t take $5s unless you want to give them the whole thing. So in some cases you can get away with just giving them what you have, so I gave them my $.40 and took the ride. Thank you LA Metro
$5.40 - $.40 = $5.00
$1.75::Medium coffee from McDonalds for the morning commute
$5.00 - $1.75 = $3.25
$1.25::Bus fare from Santa Monica Blvd. and Westholme Ave. to Santa Monica Blvd. and Beverly Blvd. (2.5 miles)
$3.25 - $1.25 = $2.00
$.25::Snickers from the vending machine at work
$2.00 - $.25 = $1.75
$1.25::Bus fare from Santa Monica Blvd. and Beverly to Santa Monica Blvd. and Westholme Ave. (2.5 miles)
$1.75 - $1.25 = $.50
$.25::2-for-effing-1 candy from the vending machine. If you’ll notice the pictures, an M&M was stuck somehow on top/beside a Starburst. So, naturally, I went for it! Put my quarter in and lo and behold (L and B) my dreams were made a reality when both of them fell. Really making this $20 stretch.
$.50 - $.25 = $.25
$.25::It’s already gone this far, why not keep pushing it. I got a Squirt with my last $.25.
$.25 - $.25 = $0.00
So there it is. Not only a great picture of what $20 can get you, but a haunting peek into what is my life and more importantly my diet. It’s a wonder my brittle sugar induced legs get me to and from the bus stop each day. But, alas, I’m here to tell you that $20 can last you a week, sufficing for nearly all your needs.
(I hope to set a click through link or something to some sort of presentation/motion picture of the breakdown as well)
Thank you.
If only we all did this with every $20 we spent.
Tally of a day off
I haven’t granted myself a work-free day in many weeks, and to celebrate I went a little swipe-happy:
Baby shower gift at baby store: $28
New York Magazine: $4.99
Birthday gift at bookstore: $14
Lunch at Indian food cart: $10
Prescription pick up: $15
Parking: $6
Coconut gelato cone because it was sunny out: $3
Two movie rentals plus late fees: $9
Bloody Mary: $7
Total damage: $96.99
…which is more than my usual daily take-home. Oops.
