Wednesday, October 18, 2006
The art of being cheap...
The art of being cheap and getting away with it is a difficult thing to master. I’m here in Border’s White Plains store, and I just polished off 3 Lindor chocolate balls and a bowl of soup. My Snapple remains unfinished. Theoretically, one could call this a waste of money. (The cost was 5 bucks but does not include parking.) On the surface it is, but I have not mentioned that I’m meeting Betsy for dinner, and while I don’t expect to pay for the whole meal, I’m certainly paying for myself. As such, I can fill up for 7 dollars and hold my appetite until I get home. I’ll still buy something at the diner, but just a nosh (as the Jews in Brooklyn would say,) and not a dinner. It’s a useful way to save on a date when your not sure it’s going anywhere without looking bad, but I should mention that’s not why I’m doing it tonight. I was afraid she’d choose an expensive place, although she did not. Ladies, guys do this before dates more often than chicks might think.
I’ve also tried to trim some of my recurring expenses by canceling all the games (that I don’t use and have erased,) on my Sprint account at a savings of around 13 bucks a month, cancelled the video mail for another 5 bucks, and eliminated my monthly donation to my Roth IRA. The Roth was only 100 dollars a month, but I’m better off paying down debt before donating 1200 bucks a year to a savings plan for a house when I plan on buying within 18 months anyway. All of this frugality is fine in and of itself, but begs the question: “Dear God, Brian, what the Hell did you get into this time?” It’s a worthy question.
The answer is technology, or more specifically, that technology begets technology. I’m here on my trusty laptop, and I’m online. I can do this at Border’s because my computer has an integrated wi-fi card and antenna which uses the T-Mobile Internet service. Theoretically, I could also access the ‘Net the same way at my apartment, assuming I could find a signal. Generally, I cannot. Even when I can, I’m technically breaking the law as the violation “theft of services”. I could access the Web with my phone line, but the line has never worked properly since I moved into the apartment and doesn’t even work on this computer. The old Pentium 2 would work, but only at 26Kbps. This has never really been a problem (mostly because I don’t mind piggybacking on someone’s signal), but my father and Alex were in town for 2 weeks and the kid LOVES to hop online. I understand, as I would have been the same way at 14 if the ‘Net was around back then. I can only imagine how large my porn collection would be if that was the case.
Moreover, Alex does not like to just surf; he plays World of Warcraft (WoW). The bandwidth needed to play is rather large, and needs a stable signal. I started to play as well, and I enjoy the game. Now I suddenly needed a connection to the Internet from my home. I couldn’t use my home phone, and I couldn’t use the wi-fi either. As such, I finally broke down and bought the Sprint wireless Web card. The device is essentially a stripped down cell phone, complete with a phone number, which “calls” the Internet service, and you then access the Web. The speed is variable; I can get essentially DSL speeds at home or all over Southern Westchester. In other areas I get double a 56K modem. The price is high: 60 dollars a month. I also signed up for WoW’s monthly service at $15 per. Thus, some expenses needed culling. Keep in mind I won’t be saving any money for a few months anyway; the card was $109 and the game was 20 and 40 (my mistake…) so any savings will have to wait.
I was tempted to eliminate one bill, but couldn’t pull the plug. My land phone line has been useless since I paid $250 to have it installed, and I almost never use it. More rational people would have gotten rid of it in short order, but I cannot fathom not having a regular telephone line. The line is even more useless than I’m letting on. I also cannot receive incoming calls, as the line signal is so weak it is unable to trigger the ringer on my phone. I actually don’t mind this, as people or organizations, etc. that only have my home number are people I don’t want to talk to anyway. They can’t say I’m avoiding them; the number is legit, just unusable. There’s security as well. Cell service can be knocked out, but land lines seem to be made of sterner stuff. This way I have an outlet to contact emergency services, etc.
There is a flip side to all this techno-buying: I no longer need to go to Starbucks or Border’s to use the ‘Net, and that should save me money in the long run. I’m realizing, though, that I don’t really go to these places to surf the ‘Net. There’s a social aspect as well. This is especially true in Yorktown, as I get to enjoy the company of beautiful women who wouldn’t date me if I were the last man on Earth. They are cute to look at, and I can talk about college and financial aid, so I least get to practice talking to hot chicks. Oh well… I also need to get out of the house, and some days I do not want to go home. Again, I really need to develop self-discipline more than I need new technology. Don’t even get me started on the RAM upgrade.
There is some good news on the horizon from an unexpected source: I have a new job at the college. No, I have not been transferred or promoted (or demoted). I was asked to drive a group of students to SUNY Albany, as I was listed as a potential driver of the college van. I did try to sign up as a driver when I first started, but we’ll say the reaction to my driving record was something between abject horror and hysterical laughter. Obviously, I didn’t make it. When I was asked recently, I figured there was little to lose. My driving record is clean, so I’ll take the safety course (it’s a BIG van) and a test drive. Assuming I pass, I will then be able to drive clubs and teams to and fro. Furthermore, I do get paid for this. Thus begins a cottage industry of sorts, and I can use my otherwise non-descript vacation days to make extra cash. Word has spread; I was called by Jewish Club today with the request that I drive them to Philly for a weekend in November. If I get 15 per hour for the whole weekend, I’ll earn 720. I’m expecting more along the lines of $500 for the weekend and $100 or so for the trip to Albany. I’m actually not sure what the pay rate is, but who cares. As things progress, I’ll be recording them here on my blog whether people read this site or not.
I’ve also tried to trim some of my recurring expenses by canceling all the games (that I don’t use and have erased,) on my Sprint account at a savings of around 13 bucks a month, cancelled the video mail for another 5 bucks, and eliminated my monthly donation to my Roth IRA. The Roth was only 100 dollars a month, but I’m better off paying down debt before donating 1200 bucks a year to a savings plan for a house when I plan on buying within 18 months anyway. All of this frugality is fine in and of itself, but begs the question: “Dear God, Brian, what the Hell did you get into this time?” It’s a worthy question.
The answer is technology, or more specifically, that technology begets technology. I’m here on my trusty laptop, and I’m online. I can do this at Border’s because my computer has an integrated wi-fi card and antenna which uses the T-Mobile Internet service. Theoretically, I could also access the ‘Net the same way at my apartment, assuming I could find a signal. Generally, I cannot. Even when I can, I’m technically breaking the law as the violation “theft of services”. I could access the Web with my phone line, but the line has never worked properly since I moved into the apartment and doesn’t even work on this computer. The old Pentium 2 would work, but only at 26Kbps. This has never really been a problem (mostly because I don’t mind piggybacking on someone’s signal), but my father and Alex were in town for 2 weeks and the kid LOVES to hop online. I understand, as I would have been the same way at 14 if the ‘Net was around back then. I can only imagine how large my porn collection would be if that was the case.
Moreover, Alex does not like to just surf; he plays World of Warcraft (WoW). The bandwidth needed to play is rather large, and needs a stable signal. I started to play as well, and I enjoy the game. Now I suddenly needed a connection to the Internet from my home. I couldn’t use my home phone, and I couldn’t use the wi-fi either. As such, I finally broke down and bought the Sprint wireless Web card. The device is essentially a stripped down cell phone, complete with a phone number, which “calls” the Internet service, and you then access the Web. The speed is variable; I can get essentially DSL speeds at home or all over Southern Westchester. In other areas I get double a 56K modem. The price is high: 60 dollars a month. I also signed up for WoW’s monthly service at $15 per. Thus, some expenses needed culling. Keep in mind I won’t be saving any money for a few months anyway; the card was $109 and the game was 20 and 40 (my mistake…) so any savings will have to wait.
I was tempted to eliminate one bill, but couldn’t pull the plug. My land phone line has been useless since I paid $250 to have it installed, and I almost never use it. More rational people would have gotten rid of it in short order, but I cannot fathom not having a regular telephone line. The line is even more useless than I’m letting on. I also cannot receive incoming calls, as the line signal is so weak it is unable to trigger the ringer on my phone. I actually don’t mind this, as people or organizations, etc. that only have my home number are people I don’t want to talk to anyway. They can’t say I’m avoiding them; the number is legit, just unusable. There’s security as well. Cell service can be knocked out, but land lines seem to be made of sterner stuff. This way I have an outlet to contact emergency services, etc.
There is a flip side to all this techno-buying: I no longer need to go to Starbucks or Border’s to use the ‘Net, and that should save me money in the long run. I’m realizing, though, that I don’t really go to these places to surf the ‘Net. There’s a social aspect as well. This is especially true in Yorktown, as I get to enjoy the company of beautiful women who wouldn’t date me if I were the last man on Earth. They are cute to look at, and I can talk about college and financial aid, so I least get to practice talking to hot chicks. Oh well… I also need to get out of the house, and some days I do not want to go home. Again, I really need to develop self-discipline more than I need new technology. Don’t even get me started on the RAM upgrade.
There is some good news on the horizon from an unexpected source: I have a new job at the college. No, I have not been transferred or promoted (or demoted). I was asked to drive a group of students to SUNY Albany, as I was listed as a potential driver of the college van. I did try to sign up as a driver when I first started, but we’ll say the reaction to my driving record was something between abject horror and hysterical laughter. Obviously, I didn’t make it. When I was asked recently, I figured there was little to lose. My driving record is clean, so I’ll take the safety course (it’s a BIG van) and a test drive. Assuming I pass, I will then be able to drive clubs and teams to and fro. Furthermore, I do get paid for this. Thus begins a cottage industry of sorts, and I can use my otherwise non-descript vacation days to make extra cash. Word has spread; I was called by Jewish Club today with the request that I drive them to Philly for a weekend in November. If I get 15 per hour for the whole weekend, I’ll earn 720. I’m expecting more along the lines of $500 for the weekend and $100 or so for the trip to Albany. I’m actually not sure what the pay rate is, but who cares. As things progress, I’ll be recording them here on my blog whether people read this site or not.
