The Captain Is Out to LunchThe Captain Is Out to LunchOne Man's Personal Finance Blog About Being Young and Broke in New York City Articles
I have been sick as a dog.
2008-04-03 04:46:00 So my bad for not giving my blog the love it deserves. I swear, I'll be stumbling out of this Sudafed haze any day now. In the meantime, here's a funny finance video from our friends at CurrentTV. More About: Sick
Marie Claire Blogs 401k Action
2008-03-24 14:55:00 One of Marie Claire 's bloggers, Sarah Wexler, posted about signing up for her company's 401k program last night.I felt like a financial superhero just by agreeing to squirrel away 6% of my income. Yes, it would be a hit to my paycheck, but I’d be a noble, PB&J-eating, strong-ass woman, never to be reliant on some lame Sugar Daddy. Empowering? Hell yes. Despite the wildly fluctuating financial markets, it felt great to sign up, like pampering my finances with a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc and a bubble bath.Way to lead by example! Though I probably would've crafted a more tough guy metaphor, like "As I signed up for my company's 401k, I felt like John McClain and my financial future was one big, towering Nakatomi Plaza, filled to the brim with Eastern European terrorists. My retirement was my estranged wife, Holly. And that 401k? You guessed it. A pistol, cleverly duct-taped to my back. Yippee-kay-yay, Captain Finance."linkPreviously: Marie Claire 's Investment Diaries More About: Action , Blogs
Debtsy Beta On The Way!
2008-03-12 00:03:00 As some reader's already know, I've been hard at work on a new personal finance project. Well it's time to do a partial unveiling...*drumroll please*Debtsy.com is a personal finance community. Many readers have contacted me in the brief time that I've been a PF blogger to tell me how much they would like to get started doing a PF blog of their own, but they weren't exactly sure how to get started with a blog, especially setting up all the bells and whistles like progress bars and net worth tracking (you know the fun stuff that you can obsess over and tinker with constantly). At Debtsy, we take care of that for you. In a matter of minutes, you can set up a profile and start blogging, tracking your finances and, most importantly, start interacting with other users. Debtsy allows you to connect with users who have similar goals. Maybe you're trying to pay down credit card debt, live on a budget, pay off student loans or learn to invest--at Debtsy, you'll find communities springi... More About: Beta
Using Your Tax Return Wisely
2008-03-09 18:33:00 The Washington Post has some tips for how to use your tax return wisely, using a number of example scenarios to illustrate the point. Definitely worth checking out.Which reminds me... time to do those taxes, huh?link [thanks Sarah!] More About: Return
I Removed All the Ads
2008-03-08 04:27:00 Just to let everyone know what's going on, I decided to get rid of all the Adsense ads. It seemed like every time I looked at my blog, I was advertising something that was in direct conflict with what I'm trying to promote here.For the record, payday loans are a bad idea.
Welcome New Readers!
2008-03-08 03:50:00 I've been doing a little tidying up around here and I noticed that there's been quite a few new people stopping by. If you're new to my blog, here's some posts you might want to check out...A Little Bit of Luck [Lottery]Her Life is in Your Hands Dude, Her Life is in Your Hands [Overdraft Fees]Bill Figures Out What's Up With Our E*Trade Savings Accounts [E*Trade Savings Tips]I'm Kicking Around an Idea [Student Loans and Credit Cards]Of course, there is plenty more. While you're at it, don't forget to subscribe to my feed! More About: Readers
My Quarter-Life Crisis
2008-03-08 03:45:00 I have gotten way out of shape. My good friend Michael emailed me a picture of myself from about 4 years ago the other day. The difference is quite, um, dramatic. Four years ago, I was buff. Now, I'm doing the Truffle Shuffle.Now, granted, I had a completely different lifestyle back then. I was in college, so it didn't cost me anything extra to go to the gym. And I was only working part-time, so it was really easy for me to schedule a visit to the gym around work and classes.But seriously, folks, that is no excuse.This is basically how I wound up shlepping a 40lb set of dumbells through Times Square the other day to the subway at Bryant Park. It's amazing how tough you can pretend you are when you want to convince everyone on the crowded sidewalk surrounding you that you're not sweating it, huh?I realized that there is absolutely no way I can afford a gym membership. It's just not happening. So I'm going to make an effort to watch what I eat and do a little lifting at home. I... More About: Life , Crisis , Quarter
Tips for Handling Your Student Loans
2008-03-06 04:24:00 CNN's Right on Your Money series featured an article on how to handle your student loan debt today.If your money problems are more long-term -- say your career path doesn't pay well -- there are some alternate payment plans that you can explore. An extended repayment plan could lower your payments while increasing the life of your loan up to 30 years. Just remember that stretching out your payments will increase the total amount you repay over the life of the loan.It looks like there is some good tips in there for anyone facing some financial set backs, or if you're just getting on your feet. Me, I'm knocking on wood. And bookmarking this one.link More About: Student , Loans , Tips , Student Loans
Yahoo! Live how-to in Mac|Life
2008-03-05 00:36:00 I wrote a how-to article for using Yahoo ! Live for Mac|Life magazine. It was posted to their site today.link More About: Yahoo!
I'm selling my iBook.
2008-03-03 02:36:00 My iBook G4 was my primary computer up until a couple days ago. I love this thing. I managed to get a good deal on an upgrade, so we're going to have to part ways. If anyone is in the market, here's the link to the auction. More About: Selling
Yahoo Live
2008-02-29 03:46:00 I'm experimenting with Yahoo Live for an article I'm writing. If anyone would like to join my little internet cocktail party, I should be on between 10pm and 11pm EST tonight.live.yahoo.com/erikprice[UPDATE] I'll be messing around with this tonight (Friday) and sporadically throughout the weekend if anyone wants to swing by and give me an internet high-five! More About: Yahoo!
A Little Bit of Luck
2008-02-28 19:19:00 Few things depress me quite like the lottery. Over the years, I've worked a number of crap jobs. As a frequent peddler of man's many vices, I've worked in tobacco shops, beer distributors and a couple of gas stations. One thing all those places had in common was a lottery machine. The physical act of running the lottery machine repulsed me. I've run lottery machines in Pennsylvania and Florida and they were all the same. The same unsatisfying, soft-bottoming-out of the machine's keypad (I don't know what psychopath designed that thing. Anyone who has spent a minute at the helm of one of these beasts knows the sheer inhumanity of removing the satisfying click from a button-pusher's job. It's diabolical.) The incessant scream-click, scream-click, scream-click of tickets being printed. It is horrible.But that is nothing compared to what the lottery does to my soul.Growing up, my dad would often take me along for his Friday after-work trip to the beer distributor. We'd walk to ... More About: Luck
Once you pop, you just can't stop.
2008-02-28 18:39:00 This is totally unrelated to personal finance, but the other morning, as I was walking from the subway to the building where I work, I saw this seven-foot guy walking down the center of 8th Avenue, wearing a muscle shirt and jogging pants and totally housing a can of sour cream and onion Pringles. I mean, straight-up, dumping them into his face, Cookie Monster-style, while cars were all beeping their horns and swerving around him. I couldn't help but think, "now there's a guy who's livin' life." More About: Stop
Attention High School Seniors: Tell Your Parents to Start Working Under the
2008-02-26 18:48:00 The Times reported today that Brown is dropping tuition for students whose parents earn less than $60,000 a year.Brown University is eliminating tuition for students whose parents earn less than $60,000, after decisions by fellow Ivy League universities to bolster financial aid as their endowments grow. The university, in Providence, R.I., said on Saturday that it also planned to substitute grants for student loans in the financial aid packages of students whose families earned less than $100,000 a year. The new program cuts reliance on loans for all students regardless of family income, the university said in a statement posted on its Web site.This immediately makes me think a few things:I got shafted, hard.Good Will Hunting is going to appear far less compelling without all those odds for Matt Damon to be up against.My future offspring won't be able to blame me for not being able to go to an Ivy League school. Take that, future resentful children! Now leave me alone! Daddy'... More About: School , High School , Start , Parents , High
When Credit Cards Put You in Jeopardy (Always)
2008-02-24 04:00:00 CNN had an interesting little feature in their "Right on Your Money" section the other day titled When Credit Cards Put You in Jeopardy . I thought the article had some interesting trivia about those little plastic beasties lurking in your wallet. The overall credit card debt grew by 315 percent from 1989 to 2006, according to public policy research firm Demos.To compound the problem, fewer people are paying their credit cards bills on time. The percentage of people delinquent on their credit cards is the highest it's been in three years, according to CardTrack.com. andThe principle is not the only problem, it's also the interest you're accruing. If you have a $2,000 balance at a 14 percent interest rate -- and make just the minimum payments -- it will take you more than 14 years to pay off that debt plus the interest.Snap!I hate my credit cards.
Her life is in your hands, Dude. Her life is in your hands.
2008-02-21 23:18:00 It seems like about once a year I do something stupid that results in an avalanche of overdraft fees on my checking account. This week got my 2008 obligation out of the way. Apparently because of the holiday, a whole bunch of charges cleared on Tuesday morning, which nudged me just into the negative digits. Did I notice? Of course not! So there I was, buying bagels and coffee in our cashless cafeteria all week, RACKING UP A $35 CHARGE EVERY TIME.So, of course, after realizing that I spent a quarter of my rent on coffee and bagels this week, I started to panic. I called the customer service number for my bank a few times today and after a few people promised to call me back (and of course never did) I finally got someone on the phone who agreed to refund half my charges. And then they told me that this was the last time they could "do me a favor."Are you joking, HSBC employee? You're doing me a favor? Is your name HSBC? Are you loaning me this money right out of your piggy bank?Th... More About: Life , Dude , Hands
Building a Life From $25
2008-02-15 18:44:00 Adam Shephard is the most recent American writer to join the time-honored tradition of rich white people pretending not to be rich white people and writing about the adventure. Shephard, a college graduate from North Carolina left all of his comforts behind for the untamed wilderness of a South Carolina homeless shelter with nothing but $25 to get him started.During his first 70 days in Charleston, Shepard lived in a shelter and received food stamps. He also made new friends, finding work as a day laborer, which led to a steady job with a moving company. Ten months into the experiment, he decided to quit after learning of an illness in his family. But by then he had moved into an apartment, bought a pickup truck, and had saved close to $5,000. He goes on to explain that he was inspired by Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed, a book that was all the rage back when I was in college. Back then, I found the book fairly repulsive. ... More About: Building , Life
The rain on my car is a baptism. The new me. Ice Man. Power Erik. My assaul
2008-02-15 17:08:00 Did everyone have a lovely Valentine's Day? I certainly hope so. I hope you were all up to your ears in chocolates, flowers and naughty presents from Spencer Gifts.Last night, after I opened the Valentine's Day card that arrived in the mail from my mother, I was sitting alone on the couch with a reheated bowl of chicken fried rice in my lap and I got to thinking about my finances. In particular, how much I've been letting things slide. I've been buying a lot of lunches in the cafeteria. I've been going to expensive bars on the weekends.All of this must stop.I'll be updating my net worth tomorrow and though I haven't started crunching any numbers, I'm expecting a blood bath.I'm planning to do some shopping at Trader Joe's this weekend and to meticulously plan out next week's meals. It's the food that always gets me. Saving money would be so much easier if I was a robot. More About: Power , Rain , Baptism , Erik
Crappy Weather, Assscat!
2008-02-13 19:01:00 [Amy Poehler @ Assscatt! - Image via brandon king's Flickr stream]I'll make this complaining brief, but jeez, this weather sucks. Last week it was warm enough to wear a sweatshirt on my morning commute and this week the city is coated in one big dirt-flavored slurpee. Show me some love, New York. I don't have any water-tight shoes.My cash flow is still at a steady trickle. I don't have any freelance work lined up at the moment, which means my margin of error is slightly smaller every month. Hopefully this will improve sooner than later.Our DSL has been restored, along with my will to live.I finally got a chance to check out one of the best free shows in the city on Sunday night. My friend Billy and I went to the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater to check out Assscat!, a weekly improv show that tends to attract some rather big names. The 9:30 performance is free each week if you can handle standing in line outside. Luckily, Billy knew one of the performers so we got to sk... More About: Weather
College Students Deal With a Lifetime of Debt
2008-02-12 22:04:00 The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a story today about college graduates facing a lifetime of student loan debt.More than twice as many recent college graduates reported that their greatest fear was being unable to pay college debt than those who listed terrorism in a 2005 Partnership for Public Service survey."There is a psychological effect to carrying loans on your shoulders as you exit college," said Robert Shireman, executive director of the Project on Student Debt , a program of the nonprofit Institute for College Access and Success, based in Berkeley, Calif. "In today's generation, a lot more college students are graduating with debt and they have more debt."A large debt load can affect the type of job that a student might be interested in. There's particular concern about willingness to go into low-paying teaching or public service careers, said Mr. Shireman, as well as whether students are willing to take the risks to become entrepreneurs.Students are also much less likely to... More About: Deal , Lifetime
Free Sunday Afternoon Fun: Watch Some TV for Free
2008-02-10 19:33:00 I've been ranting and raving about HBO's new show, In Treatment. It airs five nights a week and the idea is that you're sitting in on someone's therapy session once a week. You cycle through a group of characters every week (so every Monday has the same character, every Tuesday, etc.).ANYWAY the show is downloadable as a free podcast from the iTunes store. They put a week's worth of episodes up every Sunday . I have a tendency to watch them all straight through in one sitting, so I've been jonesing for the latest installments for 7 days now. Hopefully they won't toss me out of the coffee shop before I'm done downloading them all.In Treatment at HBO.comReviews of In Treatment at Metacritic.com More About: Watch , Free , Afternoon
Our DSL got turned off. EVERYBODY PANIC
2008-02-10 19:10:00 On Thursday night, our DSL was turned off. There's been a ton of confusion regarding how to handle our home internet situation. The previous tenants left the DSL active, so we've been using that. I know what you're thinking--that's really stupid. I agree. The problem is, they never had the service shut off, so when we called to have our own DSL installed, we couldn't because there was already an active line going into our unit. So we've been using it for the past 6 months and the free ride is finally over. Apparently the account is past due, which seems to be a different problem altogether. As long as the account is past due, we can't have the line activated under our own account.So now what the heck are we supposed to do? Cable? We live in a building that "isn't exactly zoned for residential use," so I don't know if we can even get cable installed. In the meantime, I've been roaming my neighborhood like a nomad looking for free wireless. I'm in a coffee shop r... More About: Panic
Why Sadness Can Blow Your Budget
2008-02-08 21:32:00 I've touched on this subject a number of times in my own struggles to control spending. Now a university study shows why you might end up doing that sad Charlie Brown walk right into the poorhouse."This is a phenomenon that occurs without awareness," Jennifer Lerner, a Harvard professor who studies emotion and decision making, said in a phone interview. "This is really different from the idea of retail therapy, where people are feeling negative and want to cheer themselves up by shopping. People have no idea this is going on."The researchers concluded sadness can trigger a chain of emotions leading to extravagant tendencies. Sadness leads people to become more focused on themselves, causing the person to feel that they and their possessions are worth little. That feeling increases willingness to pay more -- presumably to feel better about themselves.Yeesh!link More About: Budget
Calling All Friends of the Blog!
2008-02-08 19:15:00 You've probably noticed that I've been a bit of an absentee blogger recently. The reason is that along with a good friend of mine, I've been hard at work on a new personal finance-related project for the web.Are you a blogger who enjoys the community you've found in writing about personal finance? Have you been reading personal finance blogs thinking you might want to start your own? Have you been thinking about getting started on your retirement plan or learning how to invest?We're looking to build a core group of beta testers, so if this sounds interesting to you, email me ASAP for more info (and a way-less vague explanation). More About: Friends , Blog , Calling
Primaries, Emergency Fund, Saving the Day and Buster Poindexter
2008-02-06 03:57:00 Who else is watching the primaries? Holla!I had some languishing stocks in my brokerage account that just seemed to be making less and less sense to hold on to so I sold them and moved the funds over to my Emergency Fund . I am dead serious about prioritizing that thing. For real, for real.So this is finance related...It's my job to take all of our freelancers' timesheets to the cashier's office in our building every Tuesday. Around 12:30, someone from the temp agency swings by to pick them up. If the timesheets aren't in the cashier's office in time, then they won't make it back to the temp agency until the following week, which means everyone has to wait to get paid.Right, lots of pressure.So of course I came back from lunch today and realized that I completely forgot to take the sheets down to the office. I called the temp agency and told them my story and they said that if I could get them to their office within a few minutes, everything would be fine.So I took off li... More About: Buster , Saving , Primaries |
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