Christmas thoughts

So it’s been an interesting year. For me it sure has had its up and downs. Thankfully as far as finances and trips, this year was quite the better year. Car problems although heavy at the beginning of the year have not been bad (knock on wood) I haven’t had a car in my garage since May and I’d like to keep it that way.

My main point in writing this is to combine my two yearly Christmas messages into one. I’m a bit late doing this but here it goes.

For years I have been writing on how it’s ok to have a poor Christmas. My main message that even a Great Christmas can be obtained through the cheapest of all places,the dollar store. Having feelings of optimism that things will get better can increase your holiday spirit. 

Then I thought to myself, what was the reasons my wife and I experienced, not necessarily a bad Christmas but a Christmas we would not like to re live. Was it really lack of funds or was it something else?

Going back to what I consider my worst Christmas ever, Christmas of 2012, there were events that were not of our control and there were some we could. Unfortunately I got really sick Christmas Eve and my wife was 2 months post partum. I retired to bed early hoping my wife would understand that I wasn’t feeling well, she didn’t. Her exact words to me were “sometimes you have to be a parent when your not feeling well.” I got up and on the verge of throwing up and having a bad head ache I helped wrap gifts. I don’t think my wife grasped how sick I was till I threw up all night long.

Christmas Day was good for the kids but not for us. My wife later told me she hadn’t had a good Christmas in a while. 

Was it money though? 

After many successful christmas’s since then I can say it’s not.

I’m going to focus on the 3 things I’ve noticed make Christmas so much better.

1.Remove disappointment and replace it with optimism. Stop over expecting. Sometimes things don’t go as planned sometimes even weather can throw a wrench in your plans. 2 years ago a snow storm and a bad alternator prevented us from going to my parents for a Christmas Eve get together. We made the best of it by ourselves. Yeah we were disappointed but we replaced that with Joy and our own Christmas Eve activities.

Have a Christmas plan and budget. I recommend starting this in September. Yep I said it, September! Why? Because we are always running out of time come Christmas. Having a plan before the holidays start gives you more freedom and more time. You may be low on funds and having more time can plan ways to save for Christmas or get extra income for Christmas. Having a budget gives you the freedom to spend and it forces you to find better deals. My budget this year is 250. Had I bought my wife an expensive ear buds she would only get 2 gifts. I was able to get her 8 gifts some of which were heavily discounted.

Last, lower your expectations and create and share your Christmas wish list with your partner.

Ladies, men are not mind readers. You cannot expect them to give you the perfect gift. Give them a list. One particular Christmas my wife went into a clothing store with me, pointed to each item she wanted, and went into the car. I went back in, bought all those items, and those were her gifts. Now I have gotten better as the years go on and I do challenge myself to surprise her but that list is so helpful.

Men, buy your wife’s stocking stuffers and stuff her stocking. Wrap her presents too! Not knowing how is a crappy excuse. I didn’t know until this year that apparently that is a thing. Woman are wrapping their own gifts and preparing their own stockings. That’s just sad. 

Lastly let me leave you with this and I’ll say it again. 

Replace disappointment with Optimism and wondering awe. Life will get better.

Have a merry Christmas.

Annual Turkey bag Rant

It’s time again for my annual Turkey bag complaint.

Quick recap if you’re new here

 (which is everyone who accidentally clicks on this)

Almost 10 years ago I brought up a very important subject that no one is talking about.

Why are Turkey bags so expensive??

They are polyethylene and Nylon bags! Not expensive material at all!

One good thing is that within the last 10 years, Turkey bags have not increased in price. Why should they? They shouldn’t have been expensive 10 years ago! 

The big player here is Reynolds. Reynolds is my enemy when it comes to Turkey bags.

Without adding pictures to justify my argument, right now you can get Reynolds Turkey bags (which probably cost them 5 cents to make) at.

2.79 Target

3.29 Kroger

4.99 Ace Hardware 

Or if you want it shipped you can go as high as 12.99!

Thankfully I have beat the Turkey bag companies through the dollar tree (formerly the dollar store which they completely lost that title when they raised their prices.)

For a $1.25 you can get 2 bags and not support the overpriced Reynolds brand. This is actually cheaper then the$1.38 price I mentioned in my first Turkey bag Rant. I will be buying one package every single year until I’m good for 20 years. Then I can finally say, I beat you  Reynolds! I won’t be buying your turkey bags ever again! Hahahahaha.

Choice hotels, You just done pissed me off.

 So I’m into travel hacking as my hobby lately. Not that I’m traveling as much as I want or will be in the near future. Traveling on the cheap just fascinates me. I mean honestly I would be the guy who puts a bed in the back of my mini van and would do an entire road-trip using our van as our sleeping quarters. Unfortunately my wife would not be on board at all so I have to go to plan B which is to get reasonable clean, good reviews, lodging at a decent price. Thus comes in travel hacking where you use credit card points and miles to get hotels at a decent price.

I mean for example, I’m used to paying about 135 for a hotel. Well for that same hotel using points you can get it at and equivalent exchange rate at around 80 bucks a night. At times it can even be lower at around 65 bucks a night. At the extreme if you want a no frills experience you can get a hotel at equivalent 40 bucks a night

THEN

I find out about choice hotels. I am just fascinated that for 40 dollar equivalent in points I can get a decent room. In fact! I can get a room at a raddison that has multiple floors and a full kitchenette for 40 bucks equivalent!

Ok if you are confused I’ll break it down for you

Citi credit card pays me 2% cash back.

I earn 40 dollars in cash back. 

Still with me?

I can transfer 40 dollars from citi to choice and receive 8000 points.

8000 points used to pay for a decent hotel room.

But now choice has just done pissed me off!

They have devalued their points so much they are beginning to look like pesos! Actually I thinks pesos are more valuable!

 

What used to be 8000 for a decent hotel night went up to 10000 and now is up to 12 or even 16K!

What’s worst is those same rooms are priced lower on the cash end!

12000 point rooms are priced at 42 dollars!

Let’s take this example.

This room is priced at 12000 points.

The cash price is 40 bucks (45.65 with taxes and fees)

So let’s say I have 60 dollars cash back through my citi card. Why would I pay 60 bucks for 12000 points to purchase this room when I can cash out that 60 bucks, use my citi custom cash to book the room and receive and additional 5% cash back?! I mean it doesn’t make sense.

Let’s do another example.

This hotel just 2 months ago was advertised at 8000 points. It’s now DOUBLE!

Unfortunately this hotel is not allowing bookings through points at this time so I wasn’t able to prove my point. And actually the points would have been cheaper than the cash price. 

The main point being. Check both but still the question remains. Why are choice points being so devalued?

My last example is the Radisson I mentioned above. Again just a few months ago you could get a room here with 2 floors at 8000 points.

Now it’s 25000 points! Now the room price is 143 so if your doing the math like I am buying points to book this room would be a better option. But then again I’m still asking. Why are the points so devalued?

Take this room at the same Radisson

Ok, 25000 points or $125 dollars worth of points.

Check out the cash price.

Great job Choice hotels. If your mission was to devalue choice points, you have done well. 

I regret using my citi points to purchase points. I did that when the illusion was I could get a decent hotel at 8000 points.

Then choice devalued them.

Last example. Idaho falls Idaho. 

I have been eying this particular place for a while and again just 3 months ago it was 8000 points.

1 month ago it was 10000

Now it’s 12000

Now I will say. The points price is still lower than the cash price at 93.06 (cash to points price being 60)

But still they are really devaluing there point program which hurts loyal point earners

Lastly I want to mention there is one reason the points program really helps. I have never had to buy a hotel due to demand going up last minute but there are areas that experience demand and demand causes prices to inflate to unreasonable levels. For example there was this Stupid pumpkin festival in my town. The first ever! That weekend the hotel prices shot up 300 percent! A clarion inn which normally goes for 98 bucks wanted over $325. One of the worst rated hotels wanted that same price! But the points to book the hotel remained the same. A quality inn was 16000 and a clarion was 20000 so buying points would have been between 80-100 bucks while others were paying 3 times the price.

So Clarion gets a an F RATING in my book. For devaluing there points so quickly.

Last thoughts: I would always check the cash price vs the points price and choose the cheaper one. I’m seeing it go both ways.

To Choice hotels, add more options for 8000 point nights. Hell even Hyatt still has hotels for 3500 points. 

You can’t add a clarion or a quality inn here and there for 8000 points?

Come on!

It's time to start Christmas.

 

It is time!

To start thinking about Christmas! I know I know. It's not even October and of course there are those who don't even let Christmas thoughts enter into their minds until the Turkey goes cold. 

Think about it though,

Have you ever wished you had more time before Christmas?

Was there activities or places you wish you could have done or visited but they were booked up?

What about a particular gift that was out of stock?

Items such as sleds or tubes?

What about gifts that take a long time to make such as a blanket, quilt or even furniture?

There are so many reasons to start thinking about Christmas! Gifts are not sold out right now, hotels and flights are not fully booked!

It is my argument that society today is overindulging and not thinking about the near future. They wait till the last moment to continue to satisfy their quick fixes of dopamine or to fill their social media pages with adventures that are overpriced and racked up on credit cards. Those that are reading this know the secret. Now's the time!

The other reason to start now is because there may be items you want now that can be Christmas gifts if you can hold off. For those who don't have a huge budget for Christmas, like myself holding off can provide more presents to open on Christmas. For example. I want a bar of shave soap and an under seat bag that will pass frontier and spirit airlines. Can I wait 3 months to get that? Yes. 

There's also gifts from Chinese companies that may take a while to get here. Sure I am a shop local kind of guy but here's the problem. A local shops sell Chinese goods and B I need at least another 20 k salary a year to say I can even afford local! So sorry. I'm cutting out the middle man to save a few bucks! (Plus my town is too populated)

So what's on my agenda this year? Well I've talked about the Tabernacle Christmas concert. I will be booking a hotel near the Tabernacle. Yeah tickets haven't even posted yet but I'm being prepared!

My second idea I may put into action. A Quilt for my wife. We have wanted one for years. Maybe this year is the year!

Last thoughts, Remember that Christmas is about giving and enjoying the holidays. I will tell you flat out as long as I have my family, a good meal, and Christmas goodies, I could care less how nany presents I got or where they came from. I have written a lot about a dollar store Christmas. If that's all you can afford, keep your head high. Focus on the experience and memories made. Don't envy what others have.

Why it may make sense to go Electric.

When I was a teenager, I liked to go hunting and hiking. One day after a very long hike and no luck bagging any Deer, i was very tired and just wanted to get to my Grandma's house and rest. Unfortunately I had a good 3 mile hike back to her house. I was not looking forward to that. On my way back I noticed a 4 wheeler coming up the road. It was my cousin coming up to find me. Man was I glad to see him. In stead of taking another hour to get back I was able to get a ride and be back in 10 minutes. He didn't come with his big diesel truck. He came up with a small Yamaha Blaster that had enough power to carry both of us down the hill. Even though at points we had to get off the machine to push it through snow, we got home and I was grateful for being able to use what resources we had to get there.

I tell that story because I feel like as Americans we do consume way to much energy to get us from point a to point b. I am not a green energy guy either. I really do think that climate change is a scam and the earth is self healing. Gods in control, we are not. That being said let's get back to my reasoning I am switching to electric on some of my gas powered machines.

I can't afford an electric car but I need a weed eater for my lawn. Last month I went out and bought a combo kit that included a leaf blower for 80 bucks and I love it.

It's not super powerful. It's not commercial grade and it's made out of plastic but yet It's going to save me money and its so convenient to use. Let me share all the reasons why this is a better choice than the gas powered option.

1st is fuel. Gas is overpriced! It's overpriced because we consume way too much of it! There are so many gas gussling trucks and SUVS carrying one or two people not giving much in return. Gas demand causes prices to increase. Fuel also tends to spill. I can't tell you how many times I have went out to shed to find half my gas gone from my tank leaking. With an electric battery powered unit, there is no fuel leaks!

2. Fuel delivery and availability. 

I did a calculation what it would cost to go to the gas station and back to get fuel for my old weed eater. My car gets an average of 22.8 miles right now because I do alot of city driving. Gas where I am at is 4.15 a gallon that means a mile cost 18 cents. My gas station is 1.8 miles round trip. The cost to go get and bring the gas home is 32 cents. Oh but wait there's more. Assuming I have 2 cycle oil at home, at a 50 to 1 ratio that small gas engines will need 2 cycle oil bringing that gas up to 4.74 a gallon. Again this can be more expensive depending on your ability to find a decent price on 2 cycle oil. Then the weed eater takes 18 oz of fluid. At .074 an oz the gas machine cost a 1.33 to fill up plus that 32 cents to go get the gas had to be factored in.

Now here is where the numbers get a little hectic. I've never ran a weed eater non stop on gas but for this experiment I am going to pretend that a gas powered unit can run 3 times as long as my battery powered unit heck we'll go 5 times as long because it is more powerful. The cost to charge my batteries, from my house, not having to go to the gas station is less than 3 cent's. Yep. Fuel for my crappy weed Wacker that gets the job done is 3 cent's. At 5 times the cost that is 15 cents!

3rd and final. Durability and run time.

So far the gas has the battery powered beat. In power it does too but I point you to my story above. Really, how much power do you need? I do have two batteries to my unit due to buying a chainsaw 2 years ago. My weed Wacker did die about 20 minutes into its run time. But here's the thing. I had other things to do. It was simple for me to plug it in, finish my other yardwork, and return to finish the job. Plus I had double the run time because I was charging two batteries. The money alone and not giving money to the oil companies is more than enough to convince me I made the right decision.

So there it is guys there's my argument for why you should at least consider adding electric to your everyday tools.