Category Archives: Life

Understanding Car Costs and When to Drive

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In America, driving is one of the most popular ways of getting around. After trying out my local public transportation system recently, I realized that my car provides a ton of value in convenience and comfort. Often times though, we forget the costs of a car and how different factors impact the cost. We pay for gas and maintenance separate from each trip so it can be difficult to associate the two. I’ll try to provide a simple overview of the costs of driving so that you can make better decisions on when to drive and when to fly or even skip a trip.

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iPhone 3GS Screen Protector Review – ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD

I love the utility of the iPhone 3GS, but am often scared the shiny screen won’t last. I decided to try out a state of the art screen protector to protect my state of the art device. The ZAGG invisibleSHIELD is a highly marketed screen protector for the iPhone and other similar gadgets. In the over-supplied world of iPhone accessories – and particularly screen protectors – the ZAGG invisibleSHIELD tries to distinguish itself by claiming to be the “gold standard” of screen protectors. The dilemma I decided to tackle was to find out if the high price ($24.95 retail) was worth it.

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How to Live Beyond Time and Money

This past week I took a short break from blogging to reflect on everything else in life. As wonderful of a hobby as blogging has been for me, I always like to take some time to reflect on my life and make sure I’m heading in a good direction. Although I enjoy looking at great ways to save time and money, the past week of reflection have helped me remember the important things in life. So if you’re ever stuck in a time when money or time or some other personal worry is overwhelming you, I hope you come back and think about these ideas on living beyond money.

Time is Limited and Money is only a Tool

I always like focusing on finding time and saving money because they are two things that are very useful.

  • Time is our greatest commodity and most limited resource. We all have the same amount per day and will make some decision on how we use it.
  • Money is the great medium of exchange. It allows people to serve others indirectly in a way that has helped millions.

But while useful, optimizing your time and money can be a distraction.

  • If you spend too much time worrying about your time, then you won’t have any time left to worry about.
  • It’s not worth it to save up millions while giving up great opportunities. Money is a tool that should be used wisely.

Take a Break and Serve Others

If you find yourself in a phase where all you worry about is time and money, then take a break to serve others. Sometimes thinking about money and time gets me so caught up on myself that I need a way to look outward. Here are some ways to impact others.

  • Buy some friends dinner. This helps build relationships and reminds you that treating your friends is a lot more fun than treating yourself.
  • Support a cause with Time. It’s easy to write a check to help someone, but take the next step and spend a day building a Habitat house, working at a homeless shelter, or aiding someone with a handicap. This will greatly impact your heart and remind you that you are blessed to have as much time as you have.
  • Reflect on your priorities.  Taking time to step back and think about what your priorities are versus what you are actually doing should help figure out what’s out of line.

Don’t Be Mastered by Time or Money

In the end, time and money shouldn’t control you. They are two things that if used well can make your life great or destroy it if used poorly. Whenever you realize that your life is being run by a constant need for more time or money, just step back and think about what you are really living for.

Thanks for your time. What are your thoughts about living beyond time and money? Leave a comment or send this to a friend.

Find the Perfect Job by Starting a Hobby

I started this blog a few months ago after critically thinking about how I could best tie what I enjoy doing in life with how to best provide value to those I come into contact with everyday. By day, I’m a Business Analyst helping my company run more efficiently, offer better value to our customers, and make more money, but by night (and weekend), I enjoy over-analyzing how I spend my time, what I’m getting out of my money, and whether I’ve forgotten to have fun with all my great friends along the way (hence the tagline Find Time. Save Money. Have Fun.).

After thinking about the things that truly entice me, I decided a great hobby would be writing about all the things I over-analyze and using it to help people. Looking back now, it has all made me think about the difference between this hobby I work on at night and the job I go to every day.

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Save Valentine’s Day and Your Budget

Alright men, next Sunday is when restaurants, card makers, jewelers, flower growers, etc. expect you to save them from a struggling economy and spend your past month’s worth of income on your girlfriend/spouse/date… This may sound like an overwhelming task, but you may be able to earn a few brownie points from the lady with some creative yet low cost ideas. Here are some ideas provided by women I asked about surviving Valentine’s Day without breaking the bank. Feel free to share your own creative ideas in the comments below.

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Ways to Have Fun on a Budget: Dining Table Ping-Pong

Do you love the game of ping-pong, but you are too cheap or don’t have room for a table? Do all your friends play beer-pong but you don’t like cleaning up afterwards or spreading swine flu? The next best game to hit the market since Pro Thumb Wrestling is Dining Table Ping-Pong and it’s the latest cheap activity in our Activity CLUB

What Exactly is Dining Table Ping-Pong

Dining Table Ping-Pong (DTPP) is what every bachelor pad owner, apartment dweller, and dorm room needs. Just like the world famous Table Tennis, DTPP offers a competitive activity that is playable for all skill levels. All you do is whip out the adjustable net and tie it to some chairs, put on the hard core sweatbands, and start pinging and ponging until you crash on a nearby couch.

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