That's why...

 So it's been a while and unfortunately our world is in chaos. I too have been feeling it. My world has been changing at a much faster pace then I would like. Houses are being built in my vision in a down economy. That's mind boggling. I don't understand how that can happen but I for one hope for the day home prices crash. 

Anyways that's not the reason for my writing today.

I have an announcement. Not only is my entire family on Medicaid we are also on Food stamps.

Yep. This current disaster has moved my family towards government help. This has not made me feel like a failure rather somewhat vindicated. I may be wrong in others opinions but I also feel a bit of entitlement to these programs. I worked hard and raised my 4 kids without any parental help and very little help from the government when I did qualify. To put it in perspective, I have spent around 4 times more in a single month on food stamps than I have gotten from the government in my first 10 years of marriage. If you calculate my child's recent dentist bill then it would be 20 times.

Now why would I do this. Why after all these years would I finally break and join a government program when I have written extensively that the government and even church should not so freely give? I've proven I don't need help, I can provide for my family in hard times, why then would I want or need a government program? Well it's an extensive answer that does require a little journey back in time. By the way in my perspective I'm taking advantage of a program not joining. In my perspective I'm using it to my advantage to my goals not relying on it.

Ok let's go back to the beginning of this blog again going back to what I was feeling back in 2014 when friends, acquaintances, relatives, ward members, and neighbors just seemed to have it easier than I did. (This is not to say they all did) Every dollar I spent was carefully calculated so I didn't miss a credit card payment or my mortgage. At times after my paycheck on Friday my wife would ask me could we get out of town this weekend, go on an adventure. My answer often was "we can't afford it". Credit cards were maxed out causing financial wounds that would never heal with interest eating up most of my payments. For fun or entertainment we often window shopped at Walmart or went to the dollar store or a thrift store. Finishing our day with a 5 dollar pizza and a short drive. I mean we were making it but not well. We were happy yet I felt we deserved more.

There's a lot that goes along with this story including lessons learned through a broken down car or me having my own personal revelation on how I can better manage my financial situation. I could have an entire book dedicated to just answering this simple question. I don't have the time for it and quite honestly you probably don't want to read it.

So back to around 2013 and 2014. Two of my toughest years financially. I wanted answers and solutions to my question. How and why were people making it better than I was when I know I was making more money than some of my friends and had half the debt others did and what are the solutions to my problems?

So I created a blog. The blog's purpose was my own kind of healing. My journey to find answers to those questions. A place where I could share my feelings and ideas with no one to judge me. To date I believe only one cousin even knows my blog exists. And he's probably forgotten about it by now.

While writing this blog I learned a lot. First of All car loans are horrible! Insurance cost can and should be controlled. Credit cards are great and Dr and dentist bills can always be negotiated. It helps to have good phone skills on that last one.

I also wrote a lot about and learned there is a lot of subsidization EVERYWHERE! I'm talking Dr Dentist grocery stores universities (Heavily subsided) prescription drugs utility bills and even my favorite Disneyland! Indirectly subsidized is Disneyland. Want proof. Simply require all Californians on Any social program (Medicaid food stamps section 8 housing) restrictions on visiting the park. I guarantee attendance will be way down. The reason a lot of Californians can visit the park is because they are subsidized!

Even if you claim to have no government help that does not mean you haven't been subsidized.

I really did not like president Obama but there was something he said that I as a more conservative voter agree with. He once said "you didn't build that" meaning you didn't build that building or company yourself. Now I understand some people pre 2000 did actually work hard and built their companies mostly themselves. What about their kids? Did they not get any family help when they succeeded? I can probably imagine they didn't receive a dime in any social program that doesn't mean they too didn't benefit from a subsidy. A FAMILY SUBSIDY! This too is everywhere and it should be! Families who can provide help even if it's a place to stay in between good and bad times or even in between houses can provide a SUBSIDY at no cost. While writing this I learned 40% of 25-35 year olds live with their parents in the state of California.

The family SUBSIDY is one of the reasons x-friends of ours were able to have some play money while we stayed home on the weekends. They lived rent free while living with parents. Had free utilities. Some of their food cost was covered as well. They also were on WIC which provided free food and formula. Over a thousand dollars was saved monthly. We made around the same income but they were better off because of this magic word SUBSIDY.

I want to share this next story that happened recently that actually influenced my decision to apply for food stamps. I had a conversation with a younger brother of mine recently. Somehow the topic of food stamps came up. Friends of our are on food stamps and because of the cares act they received 500 dollars more in a single month. My younger brother shared his feelings about that. Probably the exact same argument I used to always make. People on food stamps seem to be able to afford some frivolous things. I then brought up a point. I asked him a question are you applying for a FAFSA grant this year? He answered yes. I then told him how great it was my first year when I received 2 grand for free. It provided enough money to cover all books all tuition and housing. I had a blast my first semester of college. I then asked him why is it ok for you to accept one form of "government handout" but someone else who doesn't feel college is worth it accept another including food stamps. He actually answered, "well I'd rather not accept government help"

Well why don't you! You have a choice!

Look. If you want a level playing field when it comes to opportunity or financial help let's level the playing field. If a person 'A' should not accept financial help from the government (according to person 'B') why should person 'B' accept help from a financially sound Family. Both sign an agreement that both will not accept ANY help. Person 'B' should not be making the rules that benefits him/her over person 'A'

So to finally answer the question above. I tried it on my own and I succeeded. I also tried reaching out to family for help when I felt help could improve my situation. My parents basically told me I'm on my own and my brother told me he wasn't going to loan me any money when I wanted to buy a house. (That was actually a blessing in disguise but that's a topic for another day) 

Subsidy is everywhere. My nephew is benefiting from it while being married and staying with my brother. My brother's and sister have both had government grants. My sister and her husband stayed with my mom and dad for a couple of weeks/months. My brother who has strong opinions about food stamps said his first grant was 5000 dollars. My brother's sister and nephew have/will probably benefit from FAFSA grants.

If you attend any BYU Schools your tuition was probably subsidized through tithing. Even my dad told me at the hospital with my last child, he didn't have to pay for my 2 youngest brothers. His hospital bills were covered.

So the question now turns back to you. Why do you think I should not have help when I need help. Why should I have no family help, church help, or government help? 

Again if you think it's unfair that I'm getting free food and free healthcare let's level the playing field. You give up all your subsidies, match our wealth, not support your children and I'll do the same. Well in a perfect world I would have an entire city or town sign the agreement.

That's not going to happen and subsidies in all forms are not going away.

My opinion on government or church help may have softened and my opinions do change. This is not to say I am for or against food stamps. My opinions are broad and require thought and more time to write. That's not going happen

 I can and will individualize examples of other governments helping wealthy individuals that will prove my point of person 'B' trying to make the rules that favor him/her over person 'A'.

Fine tune your finances. Fine tune your happiness

I for over a year off and on drove for both Uber and Lyft. During those times I had my fair share of interesting passengers. One in particular stands out that goes along with today's subject. 

Just north of Hill airforce base South of Ogden east of the I15 freeway and south of the I84 sits a community backed up to an embankment of hills which cast a shadow on this neighborhood  during sunset and probably during most of winter. I picked up a passenger headed to a payday loan place. On the way we started a conversation. She let me know that the reason she was on her way to get a payday loan was because her husband had his old truck he inherited from his dad in the shop for the 3rd time repairing the same problem. They didn't have the money to fix it so she was going to go get a loan to pay the mechanic. Me being a financial guy asked her If the truck was even worth fixing to which she responded that it was his dad's truck that he inherited after his dad died, they were never going to sell it, and we're going to do whatever it takes to get it running.

I get it. We all have our sentimental objects. Most of these objects such as a book, clothing, Grandma's old Jewelry or Grandpa's coin collection don't require upkeep cost at all. We simply keep them safe and show them to others. What this guy inherited was a money pit. Which I'm all for he fixing it. IF HE DOES IT WITH HIS OWN MONEY. Is he really finding happiness by mortgaging his future on a truck that has very little financial value? Is his financial decisions that day going to require him to look elsewhere for help when he can't pay the payday loan or other bills? Are generous people paying into social programs going to eventually subsidize his truck? This is again another reason I hesitate to blindly donate to any social program. 

This last week I pulled out my old laptop that unfortunately stopped working when my wife let my daughter do her school homework on it. I had the intention of fixing it and using it for my financial spreadsheets. After purchasing a power cord I accessed the damage and realized it may need a new hard drive and a new battery. The minimum cost would be around 50 dollars. 

I then asked myself is it worth it. For what I want for this laptop to perform, is it worth it.

First of all I don't need it. I have several phones that can handle my spreadsheets just fine. Secondly I can buy a used Chromebook for less than what it would cost to repair my computer. Sure it wouldn't be as great as my computer but it would perform the task I would need it to do. 

Sometimes we find ourselves so into a project we forget to ask ourselves is it worth it. Too many people get stuck in a money pit continually fixing upgrading and pouring money into their projects not realizing even the very part they buy is worth more than their entire Car, boat, or computer. I myself am guilty of this. I too have poured too much money into projects that did not produce a return on investment not even an investment of happiness.

So take a step back ask yourself is it worth it. Can you afford it with your own DISPOSABLE  income. Fine tune your finances. Make your money work for you. Stop working for your materialistic possessions. 

It's only 14 cents

It's only 14 cents.

The other night my wife and I didn't feel like cooking which lately with our diets is somewhat unusual. When you're dieting there's always plenty of food and plenty of leftovers so going out to eat would be a waste of food and a waste of money not to mention a waste of paying more in sales tax to the government. Anyway we decided on buying McDonald's. With their app I consider their deals quite reasonable. After ordering my family's and my usual (2 cheeseburgers hold the mustered add mayo lettuce and tomato((I call it the mc'imposter)) I proceeded to check out. As I was staring at my checkout screen I was stumped on a simple question. Should I use the credit card on file or should I go find my wallet and use a different credit card that would get me an additional 14 cents cash back.

I mean it's only 14 cents right?

Since 2014-2015 I have been interested in credit card cash back, loans, intro APR's, and credit card purchasing power. Before that I was a Dave Ramsey fan still am by the way. I just use credit cards ALL THE TIME. In fact I rarely use a debit card. My credit cards don't charge me an overdraft fee. They don't charge me interest. (Yes I'm that good) They pay me monthly to use their cards and as a secret I'm only going to say once. I get cashback on my cashback. I don't even need an ATM. My credit cards give me cash out option.

That being said. Throughout the years I have fine tuned my credit card strategy. Originally I had a citi dividend card and a chase Freedom card that provided one percent cash back from every purchase. The citi dividend card had a flaw where it would only give a maximum of 300 dollars per year. I'm not completely sure what my percentage is now but I currently getting between 1 and 20 percent off or cash back on my purchases if I were to estimate I would probably say around 8 percent. That means every 20 dollars I spend I get around 1.33 back in savings or actual cash back.

So back to my story. The two cards I was contemplating using were a 3% restaurant card and a 2% Citi double cash. If I were to use the restaurant card. It would take me an additional 5 minutes to order our food. The difference in cash back was seriously a mere 14 cents but to me that 14 cents represents a lot more than it's worthless value.

I mean seriously, hypothetical question. If you were at a hotel and while checking out the attendant says. Would you like to pay full price or I can take one percent off. You would want the one percent off right? What if your mortgage company or rental office said hey would you like to pay full price or we'll take 14 cents off?. I don't want to pay more than I have to toward a house. I'd take a penny off.

To me this savings of 14 cents is more than 14 cents back for purchasing my sandwich. It's 14 cents off my mortgage, off my credit cards, or 14 cents towards my next vacation. It's 14 cents added to my financial arsenal. This 14 cents is then worth 15.12 cents if you're calculating my 8% average cashback/savings calculation. 

Last thought. Oil companies know how well a fraction of a penny can turn into a goldmine of funds. If you didn't know you pay 9/10ths of a penny on your fuel. That equates to a half a billion dollars extra a year.

So is it worth it to save a few cents?

Absolutely.

Food banks are getting crowded.

Thoughts today while I'm going insane trying to find my social security card.

From lessons I learned from Survivorman Les Stroud: When surviving, think within a circle. First find out what's around yourself. (Inner circle) Your home. Find out how much food you have and go from there. This very inner circle is your own personal responsibility. Your family, your kids YOUR dog come first before anything else. Your family and kids deserve a meal and their needs met before the car payment gets paid or wants are purchased. As a side note, when in a time of emergency such as we are in now sit-down and think for a second. What could I have done better to prepare for this. If this happens again how can I prepare for a future loss of income, disaster, or pandemic so my family doesn't suffer. If you can't even take care of your inner circle, why??

Is your car payment too high? Is your house payment too high? Are you taking too many vacations? Are you going into unnecessary debt?

I asked myself these question along time ago. I really reflected on them when my car broke down. 

If your first circle needs help get help but at the same time find out why. 

If you have excess beyond your first circle you work on your second circle. These would be extended family members neighbors and close friends. Take care of them before your third and  final circle. This is the donation circle. Food banks, church services, charities. If you're reasonably blessed go for it. I've warned before,make sure you know what you are donating to before you donate. As an example, a Father who has a 600 dollar Truck payment, a 300 dollar RV payment, 200 dollar vehicle insurance payment, 10k in credit card debt. A 10k gun collection 2 ATVs 2 newer Snowmobiles a brand new house 3 dogs and 4 kids needs help from his bishop with a mortgage payment and food. I know that's a little exaggerated but how about this one. A young couple one child 2 dogs 2 car payments 200 a month car insurance who took 3 trips last year. All 3 included roundtrip airfare and averaged around around 2500 each need help from the food bank. 

This does happen guys! Irresponsible spending creates a healthy market but as an adverse effect it creates a horrible situation if the market goes down which I and others have been sounding the alarm for years. Have some preparation in place for your future self. Reduce your spending. Realize car payments are a horrible way to buy a car. The only winner is the car dealership, the loan company, and insurance companies. Pets are great companions but when does the responsibility fall on you to feed and take care of them? If you're not able to take care of them in both good and bad markets, consider making your financial life better before getting a pet. Dogs are not human.  Just FYI.

More to come.

The Virus is just the beginning guy's.

There is A- L- O- T on my mind and I mean alot. I too am sick of all this virus talk but since this is my blog I need to give my opinion.

Before this became an emergency situation, my wife told me we should probably just grab some toilet paper and some feminine hygiene products. We actually just bought a Sam's club pack of toilet paper and we're good for a month but she wanted just one extra pack just in case. I ordered one on Amazon and am glad we have that extra pack but as a dirty little secret, I'm not using t.p. at the moment. Nope I have been using a cut up t-shirt. Even my wife doesn't know and I plan on not telling her or using toilet paper until we can easily get some.

So moving on.

Let's real quick talk about the economy. Guys I'm not going to sugar coat this. It's bad. Now remember you can read back on my blog and find one of my biggest complaints about the last economic crash was the fact that NO ONE even remotely tried to prepare. Now this is a generalized "no one." I understand that some people did actually prepare and made it through all right. But a good portion lost their houses their cars and buisnesses relying heavily on the economy not realizing that economies crash sometimes and if your not even remotely prepared you're soon in a handout line living in a million dollar home driving a 75k vehicle. Yeah that makes sense!

So what to do now? Well first don't panic, survive. If you're in any position to invest, you will have opportunities soon. If your not. It's time to hustle. If you're one of those stock market investors who listened to other investors to keep your money in and lost 30%, yeah it's unfortunate that your money was in their best interest, not yours. If you have a car payment, get out of it asap. 500 dollars a month buys alot of basics. 

That's it for now guy's. I think I'll keep my post basic and to the point for now on. 

How to get a half pound burger for less than 2.50

I love food. And it shows. 

Anyway, here is another secret that probably won't gain any traction which is great for me.

How to get a half pound burger for around 2 dollars 40 cents

Me personally have got it down to 2.28.

And yes 12 cents does add up 

Step 1 download the Burger King App.

Step 2 go to a gift card resale sight and buy a Burger King printable gift card for up to 20% off. This may require a slight investment and commitment to future BK purchases. Me personally I love burger king so I'm more than ok purchasing a 5, 10, or 20 gift card at a 20% discount.

Step 3 go to the offers section on the BK app and select the 3 dollar double Whopper. Select restaurant order. 

Step 4 let the register person know you have an app coupon. 

Step 5 pay with the printable gift card.

Here's how the math breaks down. 

Gift card was purchased at a 20% discount. 3 dollars at a 20% savings equals 2.40.

To get a slightly better deal try using a credit card with cashback or cash back bonus. One of my quarterly cash back bonuses was 5% for PayPal. Because one of the discount gift card websites accepted PayPal as Payment I was able to get an additional 5% cash back on an all ready discounted gift card.

Shortest day of the year

I thought for this winter solstice I would write a letter to myself 10 years ago being that it's the end of a decade and I did. Then I deleted it. After writing it I found it did very little to achieve the winter solstice meaning which is to leave the dark of your life. Something that is bothering you and bring in more light which is what starts to happen tomorrow. So for this historical winter solstice being the last one of the decade I am going to TRY to let the past go. Especially the last 10 years. They were some of the hardest financial years I've had. Although I think 2008 was my worst year financially. I learned alot from the last decade. One is to stop being so independent. Another is to be more giving. I'm sorry I'm not "there is no try" kindof guy. I will try as practice and will do later. The next decade is a mystery that I'm excited about.

Brighter days ahead guys. Literally.

Enjoy the shortest day of the year.