AC Problems

So after the drama of our plumbing mess, we thought all of our problems with our home was over with. Not so, now our AC is freezing up and not cooling the house. Our house is really, really old, so we have window units. Well this unit is pretty much new, around 5 yrs old. We have another unit that came with the house and is probably 100 yrs old and runs perfectly. I guess they don't make AC's like they used to. Anyway we need to figure out if this is a problem that can be fixed or if we just need to purchase another unit. Looks like we will be having to dish out some more money.

Getting Back To Basics

Well I think it is time to get back to the basics. We have been spending more than we should be and have been coming in short by the end of the month. We have been spending a lot of money on eating out and buying a lot of little things, that we don't really need. It's time for us to start cutting some of these things out. It's funny how fast small purchases add up. I also need to start working on our emergency fund again. I have been slacking on saving money in our emergency fund and had to bust out a credit card to pay for a unforeseen plumbing problem. So we are now back in credit card debt. Not that the amount is major, but now we have a debt that we didn't have before to pay off. Anyway I will be working on a new budget and hopefully we will be able to stick to it.

Four Ways To Becoming A Better Investor

Marshall Loeb on Market Watch has some advice one four ways to become a better investor.

1) Invest in businesses, not stocks - Invest in companies you know about and think will stand the test of time.

2) Don't go outside your comfort zone - Stick to what you know and companies that you feel comfortable in.

3) Go against the grain - Don't follow what everyone else is doing, do your own thing. By not following the pack, you may do better than the rest.

4) Don't be afraid to do nothing - sit on your stock for a couple of years, don't trade in and out of your stocks, it could lead to losses.

This advice is pretty good, seeing that the market is down. Instead of getting out and losing money, stick with the companies that you have some kind of knowledge of and wait for the turn around.

Walmart Rocks

About a month ago I purchased a blu ray disc at Walmart (Disturbia). Any way it turns out that the disc would not play. So a month later with no receipt I took my DVD to Walmart's customer service department, expecting to get rejected because one- I didn't have a receipt and two-the disc was opened, which violated both of Walmarts policies. No movie returns with out a receipt and no open movies. So expecting to be told to take a hike, I asked if I could exchange the disk and was surprised that they said yes. They didn't even give me a hassle for breaking their rules. So this is why I think that Walmart Rocks. I will continue to give them my business and will continue buying DVDs from them.

Plumbing Drama

We've recently had a plumbing problem. Since I have not been putting money in our emergency fund, I had to bust out a credit card to make the payment. This really sucks because we have all of our credit cards paid off and now we have a credit card balance. So now I have to start putting money into our emergency fund and I have to pay off another credit card. Kind of a bummer but at least we were able to get the plumbing fixed.

Starbucks Closing Stores

Starbucks will be closing 600 of its least earning stores. Displacing about 12,000 employees. It seems like you couldn't turn a corner without seeing a Starbucks. Now many of the Starbucks, built close to each other, may be closing down. Most of the closures will be stores that are considered unprofitable. Starbucks believes that the closures will help other stores profits. What a drag, hopefully none of the stores that I frequent will be shut down. It seems that our economic outlook is going down.

8 Mistakes At Work

Yahoo has a good article on the 8 biggest mistakes that you could be making at work.

1) Talking about politics - you can offend other office workers and their ideals.
2) Quietly absorbing the price of gas - with gas rates rising, it might be a good idea to ask for a raise to help cover the cost of your daily commute.
3) Writing modest self-appraisals - Don't sell yourself short, make sure your boss knows about all of your accomplishments.
4) Spending to little time listening - Listen to the people around you. A good listener can stand out in the office.
5) Down playing your mistakes - By down playing your mistakes you could be sending the message to your boss that you don't think you mistake was a big deal or that you don't care about it.
6) Not using your vacation time - Your vacation time is there for a reason. To keep you from going crazy. Not using your vacation time is not going to impress anyone.
7) Talking yourself out of dreaming - Don't ever give up your dreams or goals. They give you something to look foward to.
8) Blindly accepting a new position - You may be placing yourself in a dead end job.

Definately check out the article. It has a lot of good ideas. Hit the title to go to the original article.

Oil Hits An All Time High

Oil prices have hit an all time high today. Oil is now $143 per barrel, which probably means that gas prices will be on the rise again. The national average is 4.08 per gallon. Stocks are also down, with investors worried that our economy is going down the toilet. My stocks have dropped big time. All I can do now is wait for the market to change and for me to be able to re-coop my money. So great news for a Monday morning.