Tag: stuff
There are 2 entries that are tagged stuff. Now displaying reults 1 - 2.
Page: 1
How To Afford Anything - Personal Finance Lessons From Ken Rockwell
Posted on January 23, 2008 by Him
If you're a camera buff, especially a Nikon camera buff, you've probably heard of Ken Rockwell. He provides reviews of camera stuff I want
His style of writing is similar to personal finance type gurus - you take it or leave it, and you either love him or hate him. He has a strong opinion of things, and while they may not make the most sense, he doesn't give a damn about what anyone else thinks. He does tend to give the bottom line with his camera reviews, especially for those who can't stand sharpness tests or MTF charts.
When I was cruising his website the other day, I saw an article on how to afford anything. It reads like a years worth of personal finance blogger's posts stuck together; it is probably just as lengthy. Personally, I love it when I find personal finance articles in places I wouldn't expect to find them.
Here's the article in bullet points:
Don't:
- Don't buy a new car (he drives a used Mercedes)
- Don't drove to work (he only had jobs that were within walking/biking distance from his home)
- Don't eat out (food, you perverts)
- Don't buy a big house
- Don't buy on credit or take out loans
- Don't rent
- Don't worry about what you own (keepin' up with the Joneses)
- Don't be afraid to ask for a deal
- Don't buy extended warranties (or any sort of insurance for any loss you could cover out-of pocket)
- Don't buy cheap; you'll end up paying for it twice
- Don't have kids (they are the root cause of all pollution and environmental destruction)
- Don't become a photographer
Do:
- Order from the dollar menu, get water
- Go dutch all the time (he admits not very popular with the ladies)
- Live at home
- Read and understand the fine print (especially with mortgages, namely ARMs)
- Return what you don't want or need
- Know the difference between investments and expenditures (with a Kiyosaki-like view much like the asset vs. liabilities debate of a house)
- Only buy from stores that give full cash refunds
- Use coupons
- Avoid addiction: caffeine (with the obligatory latte factor reference), nicotiene, television
- Tip big
- Marry smart (with some questionable misogyny peppered in there...)
- Go to college and get a real job
- Go to college, go yachting, and get a job as a captain
My favorite line? "It takes the guts to be a cheapskate." Yep, sure does.
So what has all of this gotten him? How about every Nikon camera and lens from the last 10 or so years. Or a couple of (used) Mercedes. And a lot of smugness.
If there's something in his writing, it is passion. He's willing to focus his finances to get exactly what he wants in life. There's definitely a few lessons I can learn from him.
Saved My Watch, Saved Some Money
Posted on October 02, 2006 by Him
A few years ago my parents became empty nesters - then decided to embark on a European vacation to celebrate. During their travels they stopped at the home of Swatch in Switzerland, and bought me a watch. When they gave it to me, I was excited to be the proud owner of a Swatch watch directly from Europe...except that the watch isn't anything that you can't get in the USA. You can even buy it from the Swatch website. Anyway, my parents haven't been known for their gift giving so getting a nice watch from them is kind of a big deal.
I tend to really beat up the things that I own, and the crystal (the plastic/glass that covers the face of the watch) was littered with scratches and other gouges. A few days ago the bracelet (note: if the watch band is leather, it's a strap; if it is metal, it is a bracelet) of my watch broke, leaving the watch to fall off right into the litter box that I was cleaning at the time. Yuck. I was bummed because the watch was really nice, and I didn't really want to spend money on a new watch.
Fortunately for me, I happen to work with a watch connoisseur. He suggested that I check out a store which is not too far from our work.
When I arrived at the store I showed them my watch and they knew exactly what needed to be done. They had about half a dozen replacement bracelets for my watch - which they replaced and sized for me. They told me to hold on to the extra links, because if I had the old bracelet links I could have just used one link from that - good to know. Also, since the crystal of my watch is plastic and NOT glass, they buffed out all of the scratches and gouges from the crystal - for free. The people told me that it was normal wear and tear, and that I can come in anytime to have it rebuffed. When everything was finished, my watch looked brand new and all I had to pay for was the replacement bracelet - a reasonable $20. Not bad.
Page: 1
