Back in the 1980's growing up in Chicago I remember a late night radio show called the Big Bill Collins Show.
The show played Blues and had many late night commercials. While I doubt by the commercials that I was the target market for his advertisers I remember one ad in particular for "The Brother John Money Orb".
The tagline for the Brother John Money Orb was "Money attract money".
While I can find links to excerpts from the show and the history of Big Bill and the show I haven't been able to find anything about the Money Orb.
The premise was if you bought this plastic orb with a shredded large denomination of money you would have the start of a large amount of money that attracts more money. Real money supposedly.
The premise that money attracts money is actually pretty accurate. Just not fake money or an orb with shredded money. Only people with very little money believe that fake money will bring them wealth. If it worked that way every person with a Monopoly Game would be rich.
But, money in a 401k or in a Real Estate Investment among other things will actually "attract" more money.
People I know with large net worths or successful businesses are almost always being called with deals or offers to make them more money. If someone is asking you for 20, 30 or even 10,000 dollars, the odds are good that the only person whose going to make money is the person asking.
There is a reason that there are more folks in their 50's with money than people in their 20's. It takes most people a long time to accumulate assets. It takes being able to see that instead of spending $50 on beer a week that if you don't you will accumulate enough to put a down payment on a house. That if you put $20 a week into a 401k that it might be worth a couple hundred thousand dollars in 20 years.
Do you really need that new car, iPhone or 500 channels of satellite TV?
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Saturday, February 28, 2015
UBER Wants passengers as well.
If you are not familiar with UBER you should be. Uber matches drivers with passengers is almost every major metropolitan city in the U.S. and around the world.
If you have ever wanted a cab but been unable to get one because it's rush hour or you weren't near the city center now you can. No phone numbers to remember. You don't even need to know your address.
Uber uses your smartphone as a way to get a ride and at prices of up to 50% less than most taxi's.
To get you to try Uber they are offering up to $20 off on your first ride.
All it takes to try it is follow this link. https://www.lyft.com/drivers/BILL429421
That will take you to everything you need to learn about using Uber.
Don't need a ride now. That's OK Just have the App ready to go on your phone for when you do.
No need to wait out in the rain. The App tells you how many minutes the car is from you and it also tells you when it arrives.
Don't know where your going. Don't worry. The driver inputs your destination and the app tells her how to get there.
Need a car that holds 7 people. No problem. The smallest car hold up to 4 passengers.
Don't risk that DUI. Just going down the street. UberX has such low minimum pricing you'd be crazy risking your license. Even a 20 mile ride can be as low as $20 in many cities.
Want to find out how much before you commit. The app does that too.
If you have ever wanted a cab but been unable to get one because it's rush hour or you weren't near the city center now you can. No phone numbers to remember. You don't even need to know your address.
To get you to try Uber they are offering up to $20 off on your first ride.
All it takes to try it is follow this link. https://www.lyft.com/drivers/BILL429421
That will take you to everything you need to learn about using Uber.
Don't need a ride now. That's OK Just have the App ready to go on your phone for when you do.
No need to wait out in the rain. The App tells you how many minutes the car is from you and it also tells you when it arrives.
Don't know where your going. Don't worry. The driver inputs your destination and the app tells her how to get there.
Need a car that holds 7 people. No problem. The smallest car hold up to 4 passengers.
Don't risk that DUI. Just going down the street. UberX has such low minimum pricing you'd be crazy risking your license. Even a 20 mile ride can be as low as $20 in many cities.
Want to find out how much before you commit. The app does that too.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Uber wants You. Really Bad actually.
Uber is trying to crush the competition. So much so that if you have never applied to Uber before they are willing to pay you $100. They are also willing to pay me $100 for sending you their way.
The catch is that you use my referral code. That's right, if you apply on your own, no $100 bonus, for you or me. If you apply on your own they won't give you more because you saved them money. They figure that you didn't know about the bonus. I didn't. So I didn't get the $100 and neither did anybody else.
So here's the link you need for both of us to get that money.
https://partners.uber.com/drive/?invite_code+z4jri
They want drivers that have worked for the competition so bad that they are willing to pay $500
Drive for Uber and start making cash ASAP
$500 FOR REFERRING
The catch is that you use my referral code. That's right, if you apply on your own, no $100 bonus, for you or me. If you apply on your own they won't give you more because you saved them money. They figure that you didn't know about the bonus. I didn't. So I didn't get the $100 and neither did anybody else.
So here's the link you need for both of us to get that money.
https://partners.uber.com/drive/?invite_code+z4jri
They want drivers that have worked for the competition so bad that they are willing to pay $500
Drive for Uber and start making cash ASAP
$500 FOR REFERRING
A RIDESHARE DRIVER
SHARE THIS LINK WITH RIDESHARE DRIVERS
1
Find friends who were already driving for other ridesharing services before 1/8/15
2
Share your special referral link with as many people as you want
3
Get $500 after they take their first trip!
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
My New 2015 Mazda 6
I love my new Mazda6. This car rocks. I was all set to buy a Nissan Leaf when I drove it for a night and got range anxiety. I still want to own an electric car and think that once they either get the range up, the price down and or the charging infrastructure built out Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) will be the only cars built in the future.
Anyway, what is it I love about my Mazda6.
For the cars in its's class you get far more car for the buck. The competition according to the competition are the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Focus and Nissan Altima among the Big 4.
Apparently even Car and Driver recognized the Mazda 6 as the best in class. Link to their review here.
When I walked into the Mazda Dealer, I was looking for a quote on my Mazda Miata to use as a bargaining chip with the Nissan Dealer. Since I doubted that they would give me the best quote knowing that I was going to use it elsewhere as leverage I asked to look at one of their cars. Well, actually I asked Gary Potter at More Mazda in Tempe, AZ, the salesman and dealer where I bought my Miata, 3 years before to look at the Mazda 3, a car about the same size as the Leaf.He told me that with the current promotion that the Mazda 6 was the same price as a 3. He was right. Not the stripped 6 or 3 but I didn't want the stripped car.
He also told me that for the money the top of the line was over priced for what you got. He was right. For Fog Lights, Real Leather and Adaptive Cruise Control it would be over $3000 dollars more. I do wish I had the ADC but the fake leather this car is really nice. There are a few other things but not important at all.
Out the door without my trade the car was $25k.
This car get an average 30MPG. That's real world. The way I drive it. Even pure city driving I get 24 MPG. On the highway I've seen 40 plus MPG.
While the engine is small, only a 2.5L and slow if you compare it to an the BMW 3.5 Turbo engine, twice it as fast, it does a respectable 0-60 in 8.8 seconds. For half the price.
That's plenty of power for your average person and still fun to drive if your not Danicka Patrick.
If your looking for a Midsize Family Sedan then drive this car before you buy another brand. If you live near Phoenix, AZ see Garry Potter at More Mazda and tell him I told you how great it is. Gary beat the Truecar deal by a lot.
You won't regret your Mazda 6 Purchase like my best friend who leased a Honda Accord 3 weeks before I bought it. Actually he's glad he leased his Accord. If he had it to do over again he would have bought the Mazda. Mine has far more options for the same price and it's more fun to drive. In three years he will have another chance.
Just so you don't think I have something against Honda's. Gary lost a deal to Honda from me last summer. We tried the Honda CX-9 and bought the Honda Pilot instead. While the CX-9 is a great car as well, the Honda worked better for us. But I have to say the MPG on the Honda is terrible. The way we drive it the thing only gets about 18 MPG.
I like the Mazda 6 more than I like the BMW 325i. Really, you can buy two Mazda's for the price of one BMW and if you drive the BMW like most people use their cars you will like the Mazda better as well. If you can't pay cash for the BMW you can't really afford it. And just wait till it's out of warranty. BMW maintenance is outrageous.
New update on Feb 26-2015
Edmunds.com has just named the Mazda 6 Best Midsize Car with the lowest 5 year ownership cost.
New update on Mar 17-2015
I decided I really wanted Adaptive Cruise Control and Back Up Sensors.
The car has Blind Spot Sensors and these are great. Just the other day I was changing lanes to my right on a 3 lane roadway. I looked right and it was clear. I put on my right turn signal and started to change lanes when halfway over the warning sounded. I stopped my movement to the right and looked to see the person that was in the far right lane about to run into me. I immediately went back into my lane while she stopped her movement to the center and then retreated to her lane and then sped up and then changed lanes. Since I was already doing the speed limit she must have been in a big hurry.
From the looks of he car (The whole left side was dented and the side mirror was hanging down) I would guess that the last time this happened to her she wasn't as lucky or the other car didn't have the technology I had.
So, I made an appointment to have the A.D.C. and Back Up Sensors installed. It is in the shop having them installed now and Gary made sure I had a loaner car. A Mazda CX-5. It's taking 2 days since they had to paint the sensors to match my car.
While the back up camera is very good it's not enough. You can't always be looking at the screen while backing up. Every once in a while you have to look out in front of the car to make sure you don't hit something or someone when you swing the front around backing up.
At my sons school they want you to back into the parking spots. It's amazing how people just walk around a moving car thinking you will see them and stop.
One other great feature the car came with, cross traffic alert. I am always parking at strip malls where for some reason the people driving by never have the courtesy to let a person backing out of a space go first. They just zoom by like you can see them coming. The sensors have tipped me off to approaching idiots many times.
So why is the adaptive cruise so great? I find myself driving in traffic all the time where there is too much traffic to keep a set speed without correcting often. ADC corrects speed as needed to keep a set distance from the car ahead of you.
Cost to install the two items. $648 Not much more than my collision deductible.
Keep Moving Forward.
What do I mean by keep moving forward.
Every once in a while opportunity knocks but most of the time you have to go looking for it.
PawnStars wouldn't be Pawn Stars if Rick hadn't kept trying to convince someone it would be a hit for years. He would just be a bald guy buying and selling gold. And Chumlee? There's a guy who was in the right place at the right time. I'm sure you can think of a few people who's success depends on yours.
How many burrito shops are there in your town. How did Chipotle hit the jackpot? It wasn't by stopping at one store.
If your happy being where you are then more power to you. If your not then keep moving.
At my last job I was surrounded by lots of folks just like myself. All doing the same job but all looking to move up. One day I got a job offer at a better company. Many of the folks around me asked how I got so lucky. I asked them if they were trying to get hired by the company I got hired by. They weren't.
Talk to people. Meet more people. Do more things. Even things that are totally unrelated to what you think you want.
If all you do is watch TV or surf the internet the odds are pretty good your only opportunities are spending your money. When was the last time you saw a commercial that wasn't trying to sell you something. When was the last time you saw an internet add that wasn't trying to sell you something.
All those late night TV adds promising to make you rich. How many of you bought what they were selling and are now better off because of it. I took the bait more than once. So far not one of them has made me a dime.
I now understand that in order to get something you actually have to do some work or invest real money. Not a hundred bucks or two.
About 10 years ago I met a guy who was selling dog food at a home show. It turns out he wasn't really selling dog food but looking for someone to sell his food in my town. Out of the 100 plus people who showed interest I was the only one willing to invest the 10K and do the work to build the business. Today he has 40 plus people around the Country that sell his food directly to customers deliver to their homes and businesses and I have bought two properties because of it. One that houses the business and another that a customer sold to me and now rents. That and the business, while not making me rich has supported itself for many years.
And the two properties, they have appreciated more than many people make in a few years.
There is one other common denominator in this scenario. Saving money instead of spending it so when opportunity knocks you can take advantage.
If you spend all your hard earned cash on things you think you need (want) instead of on things that you really need you will never have the money to take advantage of the few opportunities that will come along in your life.
If you are 18 or if your kid is 18 and you buy them a new car they won't learn how to work for it. If they work and buy big wheels or monster shocks and a big stereo they might never have the opportunity to invest that money in a business instead of a job. I always tell my son that he needs to learn how to produce instead of learning what the TV tells him. Being a consumer and getting something on sale that you don't needs not a good idea.
The other day he asked me if he could save his money and buy Real Estate with it. He's only 11 and he only had $50 but he's starting to get the idea. Maybe it's because he has so many Lego's now that he doesn't even open the box if he gets them for a gift.
Anyway, here is a link to a guy who explains it far better than I do.
http://livingstingy.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-royal-scam-revisited.html
Every once in a while opportunity knocks but most of the time you have to go looking for it.
PawnStars wouldn't be Pawn Stars if Rick hadn't kept trying to convince someone it would be a hit for years. He would just be a bald guy buying and selling gold. And Chumlee? There's a guy who was in the right place at the right time. I'm sure you can think of a few people who's success depends on yours.
How many burrito shops are there in your town. How did Chipotle hit the jackpot? It wasn't by stopping at one store.
If your happy being where you are then more power to you. If your not then keep moving.
At my last job I was surrounded by lots of folks just like myself. All doing the same job but all looking to move up. One day I got a job offer at a better company. Many of the folks around me asked how I got so lucky. I asked them if they were trying to get hired by the company I got hired by. They weren't.
Talk to people. Meet more people. Do more things. Even things that are totally unrelated to what you think you want.
If all you do is watch TV or surf the internet the odds are pretty good your only opportunities are spending your money. When was the last time you saw a commercial that wasn't trying to sell you something. When was the last time you saw an internet add that wasn't trying to sell you something.
All those late night TV adds promising to make you rich. How many of you bought what they were selling and are now better off because of it. I took the bait more than once. So far not one of them has made me a dime.
I now understand that in order to get something you actually have to do some work or invest real money. Not a hundred bucks or two.
About 10 years ago I met a guy who was selling dog food at a home show. It turns out he wasn't really selling dog food but looking for someone to sell his food in my town. Out of the 100 plus people who showed interest I was the only one willing to invest the 10K and do the work to build the business. Today he has 40 plus people around the Country that sell his food directly to customers deliver to their homes and businesses and I have bought two properties because of it. One that houses the business and another that a customer sold to me and now rents. That and the business, while not making me rich has supported itself for many years.
And the two properties, they have appreciated more than many people make in a few years.
There is one other common denominator in this scenario. Saving money instead of spending it so when opportunity knocks you can take advantage.
If you spend all your hard earned cash on things you think you need (want) instead of on things that you really need you will never have the money to take advantage of the few opportunities that will come along in your life.
If you are 18 or if your kid is 18 and you buy them a new car they won't learn how to work for it. If they work and buy big wheels or monster shocks and a big stereo they might never have the opportunity to invest that money in a business instead of a job. I always tell my son that he needs to learn how to produce instead of learning what the TV tells him. Being a consumer and getting something on sale that you don't needs not a good idea.
The other day he asked me if he could save his money and buy Real Estate with it. He's only 11 and he only had $50 but he's starting to get the idea. Maybe it's because he has so many Lego's now that he doesn't even open the box if he gets them for a gift.
Anyway, here is a link to a guy who explains it far better than I do.
http://livingstingy.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-royal-scam-revisited.html
Why would I work for $7 an hour. Or, why you should love or hate Uber.
 |
| Uber Partner Signup |
Well, why would I work for $7 an hour? I could also ask, why should I make the owners of Uber so wealthy for so little in return?
If after you read this post you want to be an Uber driver go to my Facebook Page or Click Here to go directly to Uber and sign Up.
When you join I will send you an invitation to drive for Uber.
After you get approved and start driving plus a couple other qualification that you should easily be able to make you get $100 and I get $100. If you join without the invitation they won't give you the extra $100 so you not only don't get the $100 but they save $200 and don't pass any of that on to you.
For those of you that don't know what Uber is. It is a car service that is way cheaper than cabs. Uber operates in most large U.S. Metro areas. For a clean car with a nice driver the cost per mile is on average almost 30-50% less than a cab.
Most of the drivers are not what you would consider a professional driver. Most do not do it full time or as their main source of income. Many are Teachers, Housewives and College Students. Professional Drivers and Cab Companies should be very worried. More on that in another post.
The bar to entry for an Uber Partner as they call them is pretty low. You need a 2005 or newer car that seats 5, meaning the driver, front seat passenger and 3 seat belts in the back. There are some
Now am I really only making $6 an hour. Well yes and no. Unlike most Uber drivers I am including maintenance and depreciation.
Many of the driver I've talked to, since they are only working part time only look at how much they earn an hour. Uber guarantees that you will make $16-$26 an hour. Many driver are making far more than that once they learn how to maximize their time and paid miles.
But, and it's a big but. So far doing this for 3 days my average earnings are $7.62 per hour. Why?
Well, Uber gets 20% of your take. You pay for your own gas and maintenance. But what most people don't account for is that every mile you put on you car reduces the value of your car. I figure that cost is 25cents per mile. And that is every mile I drive whether I'm making money or not.
You drive to the store for milk. You can add 25 cents for every mile you drive there and back. Going out for dinner. The drive can cost as much as the tip depending on where you eat. While Uber is paying me 90 cents or more per mile I am not getting paid for every mile I drive. So far I have only been paid for 44% of the miles I have driven. I'm sure given more experience I can raise that to at least 50% or more.
But just like when you drive to work, odds are really good your not getting paid for the drive time or the miles. The IRS won't even let you deduct that as an expense against your income.
Which by the way is a great segway into why I am driving for $7 per hour.
My car is now a business expense. I have turned it from a liability or cost into an asset or a way to generate income. Much of the cost of my car is now deductible. I'm not giving tax advice here. For that you need to see a tax professional.
So now that $25k car that I drive to my (day) job produces the money to pay for itself. Yes I have to drive it but instead of costing about $500 a month it now makes that $500 and is now tax deductible.
My cell phone. Same thing. Now it's a deductible business expense. Many of those things you use every day now become deductible business expenses. That's why even you should consider working for $7 an hour.
Now you might earn $50 an hour and think your time is worth more than that. Well if you can work as many hours as you want for that then maybe you are right. Maybe not though.
As an example I get paid $227 per hour. That's right. It's not a typo and I didn't add an extra number on there. Just so you know I didn't enter that wrong once again it's $227 per hour.
There is only one problem with that number. I am limited in the number of hours I can earn that much money per hour. I do a job that limits me to the number of hours I can work each month. And since I work for a company very little of my income is tax deductible. Probably just like like you. Now days most employers limit your hours to part time. That way they don't have to pay benefits or provide insurance. Yet they demand you be available when they want you. They might even tell you that we might need you Thursday but we are not sure yet. So how do you work another job that has the same demands.
Well, this is where Uber is great. Last Saturday I had the day off from my (day) job and my wife and son were out of town. I could have stayed home, watched some TV, surfed the internet and done nothing but waste time. Instead I opened the Uber App on my iPhone and started taking people for rides.
For the first 20 minutes I never even left my house. For the next 8 hours a took assorted people from place to place. You can turn the App on or off anytime at will. You are your own boss, you decide when you want to work or if you want to work.
I you are a teacher then just drive weekends or during the summer. If like me you are on call 4 days a week, either work on your days of or while you are on call. Just the other day I had to take my sister to the airport at 10AM. When I dropped her off I opened my Uber App and told them I was ready to work. For the next 5 hours I picked up $65 and quite when I had to pick up my son from school.
I also got a call from work that they needed me to come to work that night at 7PM. So now while I write this I am sitting in a hotel room getting paid close to 3k for 3 days of work. I could just be watching TV and surfing the internet but instead I am writing this. If just one person reads this and decides to be an Uber driver and allows me to invite them I will get $100. Or, maybe I just wrote it for myself.
But there is one thing I know for sure. If you want to get ahead in this world you have to keep moving. And the best way to keep moving is to do it with other people. My day job keeps people moving, my side job keeps people moving and if you join me we can move forward together.
Don't just lean forward as they say on MSNBC or yearn for the past as they do on FOX News.
Keep moving ahead.
No that you have read this post it's read this post it's time to sign up as an Uber Partner. Go to my Facebook Page or Click Here to go directly to Uber and sign Up.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Carmax or Craigslist, where should I sell my car?
For those of you who are following my posts on car buying here is one on selling a car outright without purchasing another one from a car dealer.
If you don't like dealing with all the people who will call you and don't like negotiating or hassle Carmax, hands down. They pay off your loan if you have one that is less than your car is worth and cut you a check for the difference. If you don't owe anything they just cut you a check for the price they offer. Easy peeza.
Now we have Craigslist. or Cars.com or any other website. Actually Cars.com is actually better for cars with less than 100k miles or less than 5 years old, but Craigslist gets more local views.
On both sites you will not only get seriously people but you will also get independent car wholesalers and even worse curbside car dealers who will want you to leave the title open so they can sell it to the next guy pretending to be something they are not.
When you sell a car to anybody get a copy of their drivers license and fill the title out with their name on it. Do not leave it blank. Once again in case you weren't listening, DO NOT LEAVE IT BLANK.
If the car you are selling is for less than $2000 get cash. If you are selling an expensive car go to their bank and have their bank cut you a check. It's even better if their bank is your bank. Do the deal at a bank. Normal people aren't afraid of banks.
The person buying the car should have a drivers license that matches an insurance card that matches another piece of ID.
My Astro Van was a cash Craigslist Deal. The guy wanted me to leave the title open. I told him no way. He said he wanted to put it in his mothers name. He did not want it in his name. In the end we put it in his fathers name who came with him. I gave him a bill of sale. You can get one off the internet. Make sure it says AS IS, No Warranty Express or Implied. I told him the defects known to me. I also put them in my add along with AS IS. He got the car and the title and I got cash. $1200 more than Carmax.
In the past I also sold a $5000 car to a private party. It was to a mother and daughter. I had clear title which is always best. That way you can just go to their bank and the teller hands you money and you give them the title and get it notorized on the spot.
The laws in your state maybe different from mine. The laws in my state might be different from what I have posted here as well. I am not giving legal advice. Before you do anything get legal advice. My advice is really just my opinion. I have found that honesty is really the best policy.
Buying or selling a used car is always a gamble. Know that going in. Minimize your risks. Buying or Selling.
Most of the time buying or selling a used car is best done between private parties. Just do your research and take your time. Maybe watch an episode or two of Judge Judy.
If you don't like dealing with all the people who will call you and don't like negotiating or hassle Carmax, hands down. They pay off your loan if you have one that is less than your car is worth and cut you a check for the difference. If you don't owe anything they just cut you a check for the price they offer. Easy peeza.
Now we have Craigslist. or Cars.com or any other website. Actually Cars.com is actually better for cars with less than 100k miles or less than 5 years old, but Craigslist gets more local views.
On both sites you will not only get seriously people but you will also get independent car wholesalers and even worse curbside car dealers who will want you to leave the title open so they can sell it to the next guy pretending to be something they are not.
When you sell a car to anybody get a copy of their drivers license and fill the title out with their name on it. Do not leave it blank. Once again in case you weren't listening, DO NOT LEAVE IT BLANK.
If the car you are selling is for less than $2000 get cash. If you are selling an expensive car go to their bank and have their bank cut you a check. It's even better if their bank is your bank. Do the deal at a bank. Normal people aren't afraid of banks.
The person buying the car should have a drivers license that matches an insurance card that matches another piece of ID.
My Astro Van was a cash Craigslist Deal. The guy wanted me to leave the title open. I told him no way. He said he wanted to put it in his mothers name. He did not want it in his name. In the end we put it in his fathers name who came with him. I gave him a bill of sale. You can get one off the internet. Make sure it says AS IS, No Warranty Express or Implied. I told him the defects known to me. I also put them in my add along with AS IS. He got the car and the title and I got cash. $1200 more than Carmax.
In the past I also sold a $5000 car to a private party. It was to a mother and daughter. I had clear title which is always best. That way you can just go to their bank and the teller hands you money and you give them the title and get it notorized on the spot.
The laws in your state maybe different from mine. The laws in my state might be different from what I have posted here as well. I am not giving legal advice. Before you do anything get legal advice. My advice is really just my opinion. I have found that honesty is really the best policy.
Buying or selling a used car is always a gamble. Know that going in. Minimize your risks. Buying or Selling.
Most of the time buying or selling a used car is best done between private parties. Just do your research and take your time. Maybe watch an episode or two of Judge Judy.
How to buy a new car when you have a trade in.
So you want to buy a new car but you have to trade in your old one to help pay for it.
There are a few concerns with trade ins.
Do you still owe money on it? If you do, do you owe more than the car is worth?
Has it ever been in an accident or does it have a negative mark against the title if someone runs a Carfax.
For now lets just find out what your car is worth on the wholesale market.
Take your car to Carmax. They will ask you a few questions about your car. The big ones. Has it ever been in a major accident? Have you ever used it for or has it ever been used as a Taxi or Livery Car? Have you made any major modifications to the car? Do you know of any major problems with it? Do you have two Remotes and Keys? Remotes now days are expensive.
So lets say you can answer no to all the questions except the key question. Odds are pretty good that Carmax will be the highest bidder for your car.
In the last 2 months I have had Carmax give me a quote on 3 cars. They were the highest initial quote on all three of them out of many dealers. Hands down, had I chosen to just outright sell the cars and not wanted to deal with Craigslist or the hassle of titles and cash or checks then it would have been the way to go. Carmax will cut you a check on the spot. If you really want to sell it make sure you bring a ride home. You might also want to see if Carmax has a car you are interested in. While not the cheapest deal around they are not unfair by any means.
In the last month I told one of my friends to go to Carmax for a quote on his car that he no longer needed and he did sell it to them. It was worth $5500 dollars on it's best day selling it to a private party but it had a known defect that would cost $1000 to fix. Carmax paid him $4000 for the car. So do you think he got a pretty good deal? I do. No need to fix it or try to explain to a buyer that for $1000 he could save $500-$1000 fixing it instead of buying it from a dealer. Take the money and go home happy. That's just what he did.
Another one of the cars, my 2002 Chevy Astro Van with 274,000 miles on it, they offered me $500 dollars on it. Actually that was about $250 dollars more than I thought they would offer. But not enough for me to sell it to them. The KBB.Com site valued it in perfect shape at $5200. Now it was not in perfect shape at all. But, it did have a brand new set of tires, ball joints, shocks and power steering pump and complete brake job including drums, rotors, calipers, pads and wheel cylinders, just to name a few things I had done in the last 6 months. I did them myself so the cost wasn't astrovanomical but it wasn't cheap either. I almost forgot. I had to buy a new battery two days before I sold it.
What it also needed though was a power steering gear, two pitman arms, two tie rods and a rear axle seal. So I was done. Or I should say my wife was done driving or even riding in it. This was a car I was looking to sell outright and not replace.
So why did I take it to Carmax at all instead of selling it outright. I wanted a free Carfax. They run one on every car they quote to buy or sell and they will give you a copy, for free.
More on how I sold this car on Craigslist in another post.
So now you are armed with your Carmax offer. It's good for 7 days.
So if you have read my other post on how to negotiate the best price for the car you want it's now time to let them know you need to trade in your current car to make the deal.
Odds are really good they will offer you at least 10% less than Carmax. In my case on the car my mother was trading in Carmax had offered $3000. The dealer offered $2000. Big difference. I told them I wanted $4000. They asked me where I got that number. I had access to what that car was selling for at one of the largest dealer auctions. Now I took the highest price and had no idea the condition but it was a valid number on a like car.
They came back with $3000 and I came back with $3500. In the end we settled on $3300 for the car. In many states including mine that number also reduces the amount of sales tax you pay, so it was worth an extra 8% tax savings by trading it instead of selling it outright to Carmax.
On another car, my Miata, Carmax offered $13,000. Two other dealers offered $11,000 - $11,500. At the end of the day one dealer offered $13,200 and the one I sold it to, only because I bought their car, $13,000. In this case the car being sold for the same price Carmax offered I got the sales tax savings of another 8% by selling it to the dealer I bought the car from.
If you owe more on the car than it's worth you are either going to have to come out of pocket for the difference or get the dealer to add the excess amount to your new loan. Not a good position to be in. You should be buying less car or taking out shorter loans.
There are a few concerns with trade ins.
Do you still owe money on it? If you do, do you owe more than the car is worth?
Has it ever been in an accident or does it have a negative mark against the title if someone runs a Carfax.
For now lets just find out what your car is worth on the wholesale market.
Take your car to Carmax. They will ask you a few questions about your car. The big ones. Has it ever been in a major accident? Have you ever used it for or has it ever been used as a Taxi or Livery Car? Have you made any major modifications to the car? Do you know of any major problems with it? Do you have two Remotes and Keys? Remotes now days are expensive.
So lets say you can answer no to all the questions except the key question. Odds are pretty good that Carmax will be the highest bidder for your car.
In the last 2 months I have had Carmax give me a quote on 3 cars. They were the highest initial quote on all three of them out of many dealers. Hands down, had I chosen to just outright sell the cars and not wanted to deal with Craigslist or the hassle of titles and cash or checks then it would have been the way to go. Carmax will cut you a check on the spot. If you really want to sell it make sure you bring a ride home. You might also want to see if Carmax has a car you are interested in. While not the cheapest deal around they are not unfair by any means.
In the last month I told one of my friends to go to Carmax for a quote on his car that he no longer needed and he did sell it to them. It was worth $5500 dollars on it's best day selling it to a private party but it had a known defect that would cost $1000 to fix. Carmax paid him $4000 for the car. So do you think he got a pretty good deal? I do. No need to fix it or try to explain to a buyer that for $1000 he could save $500-$1000 fixing it instead of buying it from a dealer. Take the money and go home happy. That's just what he did.
Another one of the cars, my 2002 Chevy Astro Van with 274,000 miles on it, they offered me $500 dollars on it. Actually that was about $250 dollars more than I thought they would offer. But not enough for me to sell it to them. The KBB.Com site valued it in perfect shape at $5200. Now it was not in perfect shape at all. But, it did have a brand new set of tires, ball joints, shocks and power steering pump and complete brake job including drums, rotors, calipers, pads and wheel cylinders, just to name a few things I had done in the last 6 months. I did them myself so the cost wasn't astrovanomical but it wasn't cheap either. I almost forgot. I had to buy a new battery two days before I sold it.
What it also needed though was a power steering gear, two pitman arms, two tie rods and a rear axle seal. So I was done. Or I should say my wife was done driving or even riding in it. This was a car I was looking to sell outright and not replace.
So why did I take it to Carmax at all instead of selling it outright. I wanted a free Carfax. They run one on every car they quote to buy or sell and they will give you a copy, for free.
More on how I sold this car on Craigslist in another post.
So now you are armed with your Carmax offer. It's good for 7 days.
So if you have read my other post on how to negotiate the best price for the car you want it's now time to let them know you need to trade in your current car to make the deal.
Odds are really good they will offer you at least 10% less than Carmax. In my case on the car my mother was trading in Carmax had offered $3000. The dealer offered $2000. Big difference. I told them I wanted $4000. They asked me where I got that number. I had access to what that car was selling for at one of the largest dealer auctions. Now I took the highest price and had no idea the condition but it was a valid number on a like car.
They came back with $3000 and I came back with $3500. In the end we settled on $3300 for the car. In many states including mine that number also reduces the amount of sales tax you pay, so it was worth an extra 8% tax savings by trading it instead of selling it outright to Carmax.
On another car, my Miata, Carmax offered $13,000. Two other dealers offered $11,000 - $11,500. At the end of the day one dealer offered $13,200 and the one I sold it to, only because I bought their car, $13,000. In this case the car being sold for the same price Carmax offered I got the sales tax savings of another 8% by selling it to the dealer I bought the car from.
If you owe more on the car than it's worth you are either going to have to come out of pocket for the difference or get the dealer to add the excess amount to your new loan. Not a good position to be in. You should be buying less car or taking out shorter loans.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Buying a New Car when you don't have a trade in.
I have bought 2 new cars in the last 6 months. One for my family and one for my mother.
Never buy the first car you see. Dealers will do everything they can to not let you out the door once you walk in. Well, not all dealers but the one who sell the most cars won't. 97% of the people who leave without buying buy their car somewhere else.
Do a lot of research on what cars will do the job you want it for. Not everybody needs a big SUV or Pickup Truck every day let alone more than a day or two a month. Maybe you want one and can afford one. When gas prices go back up you might regret it. For you Hummer owners out there, now is a good time to sell it. Before gas prices go back up.
We bought a Honda Pilot. But first we looked at a Mazda CX9 and Toyota Highlander. We drove them all. Put them side by side as well. The dealers were all within a block of each other.
We also looked at a few others but they didn't fit the mission. Be able to carry 3 people, two dogs and enough clothes and gear to live somewhere almost 2000 miles away for the summer. The CX5, CR-V and Rav4 didn't cut it.
While the CX9 has more listed cargo space than the Pilot it's not really usable unless you are filling the vehicle with sand or water. All those sexy looks of the CX9 make the space less usable.
We also picked those 3 vehicles because they have really good reliability records. We also asked friends and Facebook Friends what they thought of them. Many of them had the Pilot and loved it. They would all buy another one.
Another cost is cost of ownership. The Honda gets and average 18MPG the way we use it most of the time. If we only needed the extra seats and cargo room 2 weeks a year we would have bought the
CR-V. The CR-V gets almost 30MPG. The reason we didn't get it is to rent a Minivan or Pilot size car in the summer is about $1000 per week. We need this car for about 6 weeks. Do the math.
On this car we didn't have a trade. That removes one way a dealer makes more money on you than you think. I will cover how to best deal with a trade in on how and why we bought the car we did for my mother.
Then I looked at TrueCar.com and other sites to see what the invoice price was and what others were paying. Since it was a 2015, the first 2015 the dealer had sold I had to go off the 2014 prices for reference.
They were giving a $1000 dollar incentive for buying a 2014, but $1000 to buy last years model is not enough. Mazda was giving $2,500 dollars of to buy last years model. That's almost enough to buy an older model but we chose the car for the job, not the price. there is nothing you will regret more than buying a car that doesn't do the job no matter how much cheaper it is.
The 2015 ended up costing only $500 dollars more than the 2014 with the $1000 end of year discount would have been.
O.K., so now you have the best deal on the car. Not so fast. You have to make it past the Finance guy. This is where dealers make all the money. They have lots of things to sell you. All of them are based on fear.
Extended Warranties, Paint Protection, Key and Tire Insurance. Don't but it. Any of it. If you really need an extended warranty look online before you buy. You can buy them form any dealer and many sell it for hundreds less than the one that has you locked in their office.
The paint protection costs more than getting your car waxed twice a year. Keys are covered under your motor club at least part of the cost. AAA is a good deal. Don't lose your keys.
Financing. You should know before you walk into the dealership what you can get financed for outside the dealer. When you have those numbers the dealer will either match or beat it.
If your buying a car that needs an extended warranty buy a different brand or buy a cheaper car. If you can't afford a repair out of warranty you probably can't afford the car your buying.
Out of all the cars I've owned they have all outlasted the warranty period. That's probably because I actually change the oil and fluids with Amsoil.
At the first oil change I put in Amsoil engine oil and extended life filter. Then I change it once a year or every 15,000 miles. While it's more expensive initially it's cheaper than changing oil every 6 months or buying an extended warranty.
My Astro Van has 274,000 miles on it. The first owner changed the transmission at 89,000 miles. That's about 14,000 miles past any extended warranty. I put Amsoil in the trans when I bought it at 139,000 miles and changed it again at 240,000 miles. I have gotten more miles, almost double, out of the rebuilt transmission than the original owner got out of the factory new transmission. It also has the original engine and rear differential. Buy Amsoil, not extended warranties. Use that money to do the regular scheduled maintenance.
Ask most owners of the reliable brands and most if not 98% have never used that extended warranty for more than they paid for it. My mother just traded in her 2000 Toyota 4Runner. In the whole time she had it she never had anything replaced that the extended warranty would have covered.
So do the research, pay for the Consumer Reports website, use TrueCar.com, Cars.com and or Edmunds.com among other websites. Drive many cars that fit the job and then and only then should you set foot in the dealer to buy a car. If you don't know how to negotiate then you should hire someone like me to do it for you or follow the online advice of how to buy using nothing but email.
One other thing about sites like TruCar. Most dealers probably don't have the exact car you want. They will give you a price for that car but the dealers will send you quotes on cars they have on their lot.
Some will look really cheap or be within $100-$200 of all the other dealer. But read the small print and they have something called Dealer Installed Options. These are where they make more cash again. Some have $300 in options and some have $2000 in options. Most of these you don't need and many can even be removed from the car before you buy it. And then some let you keep them but take them off the price. Why? They are almost pure profit.
Once you have your new car make sure you follow all the maintenance recommendations. Here is a free website that lets you keep track and even sends you reminders. My Garage.
Enjoy your new car.
Never buy the first car you see. Dealers will do everything they can to not let you out the door once you walk in. Well, not all dealers but the one who sell the most cars won't. 97% of the people who leave without buying buy their car somewhere else.
Do a lot of research on what cars will do the job you want it for. Not everybody needs a big SUV or Pickup Truck every day let alone more than a day or two a month. Maybe you want one and can afford one. When gas prices go back up you might regret it. For you Hummer owners out there, now is a good time to sell it. Before gas prices go back up.
We bought a Honda Pilot. But first we looked at a Mazda CX9 and Toyota Highlander. We drove them all. Put them side by side as well. The dealers were all within a block of each other.
We also looked at a few others but they didn't fit the mission. Be able to carry 3 people, two dogs and enough clothes and gear to live somewhere almost 2000 miles away for the summer. The CX5, CR-V and Rav4 didn't cut it.
While the CX9 has more listed cargo space than the Pilot it's not really usable unless you are filling the vehicle with sand or water. All those sexy looks of the CX9 make the space less usable.
We also picked those 3 vehicles because they have really good reliability records. We also asked friends and Facebook Friends what they thought of them. Many of them had the Pilot and loved it. They would all buy another one.
Another cost is cost of ownership. The Honda gets and average 18MPG the way we use it most of the time. If we only needed the extra seats and cargo room 2 weeks a year we would have bought the
CR-V. The CR-V gets almost 30MPG. The reason we didn't get it is to rent a Minivan or Pilot size car in the summer is about $1000 per week. We need this car for about 6 weeks. Do the math.
On this car we didn't have a trade. That removes one way a dealer makes more money on you than you think. I will cover how to best deal with a trade in on how and why we bought the car we did for my mother.
Then I looked at TrueCar.com and other sites to see what the invoice price was and what others were paying. Since it was a 2015, the first 2015 the dealer had sold I had to go off the 2014 prices for reference.
They were giving a $1000 dollar incentive for buying a 2014, but $1000 to buy last years model is not enough. Mazda was giving $2,500 dollars of to buy last years model. That's almost enough to buy an older model but we chose the car for the job, not the price. there is nothing you will regret more than buying a car that doesn't do the job no matter how much cheaper it is.
The 2015 ended up costing only $500 dollars more than the 2014 with the $1000 end of year discount would have been.
O.K., so now you have the best deal on the car. Not so fast. You have to make it past the Finance guy. This is where dealers make all the money. They have lots of things to sell you. All of them are based on fear.
Extended Warranties, Paint Protection, Key and Tire Insurance. Don't but it. Any of it. If you really need an extended warranty look online before you buy. You can buy them form any dealer and many sell it for hundreds less than the one that has you locked in their office.
The paint protection costs more than getting your car waxed twice a year. Keys are covered under your motor club at least part of the cost. AAA is a good deal. Don't lose your keys.
Financing. You should know before you walk into the dealership what you can get financed for outside the dealer. When you have those numbers the dealer will either match or beat it.
If your buying a car that needs an extended warranty buy a different brand or buy a cheaper car. If you can't afford a repair out of warranty you probably can't afford the car your buying.
Out of all the cars I've owned they have all outlasted the warranty period. That's probably because I actually change the oil and fluids with Amsoil.
At the first oil change I put in Amsoil engine oil and extended life filter. Then I change it once a year or every 15,000 miles. While it's more expensive initially it's cheaper than changing oil every 6 months or buying an extended warranty.
My Astro Van has 274,000 miles on it. The first owner changed the transmission at 89,000 miles. That's about 14,000 miles past any extended warranty. I put Amsoil in the trans when I bought it at 139,000 miles and changed it again at 240,000 miles. I have gotten more miles, almost double, out of the rebuilt transmission than the original owner got out of the factory new transmission. It also has the original engine and rear differential. Buy Amsoil, not extended warranties. Use that money to do the regular scheduled maintenance.
Ask most owners of the reliable brands and most if not 98% have never used that extended warranty for more than they paid for it. My mother just traded in her 2000 Toyota 4Runner. In the whole time she had it she never had anything replaced that the extended warranty would have covered.
So do the research, pay for the Consumer Reports website, use TrueCar.com, Cars.com and or Edmunds.com among other websites. Drive many cars that fit the job and then and only then should you set foot in the dealer to buy a car. If you don't know how to negotiate then you should hire someone like me to do it for you or follow the online advice of how to buy using nothing but email.
One other thing about sites like TruCar. Most dealers probably don't have the exact car you want. They will give you a price for that car but the dealers will send you quotes on cars they have on their lot.
Some will look really cheap or be within $100-$200 of all the other dealer. But read the small print and they have something called Dealer Installed Options. These are where they make more cash again. Some have $300 in options and some have $2000 in options. Most of these you don't need and many can even be removed from the car before you buy it. And then some let you keep them but take them off the price. Why? They are almost pure profit.
Once you have your new car make sure you follow all the maintenance recommendations. Here is a free website that lets you keep track and even sends you reminders. My Garage.
Enjoy your new car.
Why Doctors and Hospitals are Worse than Car Dealers
Lately I've been doing a lot of research on Doctors and Cars.
In the last year I have bought two cars. One for my mother and one for myself.
I have also had to decide on which health insurance I wanted to buy from my work.
By far the choice of insurance was far harder and has far more unknowns.
I had a choice between three plans. Insurance that is. Well, I really only had a choice between two plans. One of the three had way to much risk and no savings in premiums over one of the other two. It was only in there because the company offered a plan to part time employees. The same cost but way higher deductibles than the cheapest plan for full time employees.
Now why is this worse than buying a car.
First let me tell you a bit about my old plan the company decided they no longer wanted to pay for.
The cost to the employee was only $200 a month with specific copays and very low deductibles and low or no coinsurance.
Prescriptions were also covered for $10 a month. New cost for the same drugs, $30 a month.
$10 copay for primary care doctors.
$25 for a specialist visit.
Urgent Care $50
Hospital ER $100
If you needed surgery you had a 10% copay up to your maximum deductible of $1000 per person.
There were also many things that were free. For example I was having allergy shots 1-2 times a week.
Now heres my issue with the new insurance.
Most of the time when you need a doctor you are sick or injured, you don't have time to shop around. Even if you could shop around doctors don't publish their rates. And if they did they have more prices than a car dealer.
They have a price for people who call in with no insurance. Usually the highest price they charge. Hospitals are almost as bad. They know in an emergency they have to treat you so they handle it a bit differently. They treat you, send you the bill and then give you a discount if you pay in 30 days or less. If not you pay retail on some payment plan.
What might be a $10,000 dollar bill they will tell you it is only $7000 if you pay now. If you have insurance it might only be $5000 ,but, if you have a really aggressive insurance company the bill might get knocked down to $2000.
Then you get bills from the doctors who worked on you separately. Once again the prices could be all over the map. You don't have time to shop or any real power to negotiate. Most doctors or hospitals will just tell you to take a hike if you don't like what they charge.
Now back to my insurance.
If I want to see a specialist I now have to pay the whole bill up to my $800 per person deductible and after that I have to pay 20% of the billed amount up to my $3000 max out of pocket.
Another issue I have is that all my 20% cost sharing is based on rates that the insurance company negotiated. It could be higher than the cheapest price that doctor has said they are willing to take from someone else.
At least when you walk into a car dealer they have their labor rates posted on a wall. You also have time to shop around for the best rate.
Next time you go to the doctor ask them for their price list.
Last week I went into my allergy doc to get my weekly shot. When I was done I asked them how much I owed them if anything. Remember, up until now the shots have been covered 100%. I knew this because it was on my insurance companies website.
My new coverage. Nothing, nada, could't find anything about allergy shots. Are they covered 100%, do I have a 20% copay? Do I pay 100% till I meet my deductible? If I pay do I pay more or less than my last insurance company paid? They paid $5 a shot. Or since I have a new company I don't know.
The receptionist didn't know either. She said she just sent it to the billing people. It's been almost two weeks and I still don't know. The billing department must be way behind. Either that or the insurance company is way behind.
Until I know I'm not going back.
I'm also avoiding specialists. Which wouldn't be so bad if I could get an appointment with my Primary Care Doctor in less than 2 weeks. Urgent Care is now more expensive to visit as well. Which is pretty screwed up since there are several Urgent Cares in the are that let you "join" for a fee and get discount prices. Cheaper prices than I get with insurance. My insurance company is just a middle man siphoning off 20% or more of what I pay. One other side to the equation, what's their incentive to get me the best price when they get a cost plus deal.
I don't blame any of this on the Affordable Care Act. The system has been broken for a very long time. And my plan used to be cheap and cover more because of a collective bargaining agreement. That's right, I belong to a union. The company has been dying to get out from under that health insurance plan for 5 years and finally decided to pay us more so they could. Yet this year they are on track to make multi billions in profit. The CEO will make about 80 million or more this year. I don't think he has to worry about medical bills coating him a new car or his 401k.
So you can hate car dealers all you want but at least there are multiple sources of what a car costs them and now even more sources that will negotiate the price of the care for you.
Costco and Sam's Club, TruCar.Com, Consumers Reports. If you pay too much for a car it's your fault.
Where are these services for Medical Expenses. Why can't I go to the doctor and show my Costco card and get the lowest price possible and then use my insurance to pay their share.
I'd say the system is broken and impossible to fix but it's not. It just requires a change in the way we do business.
My Mother who is 84 has probably the best insurance around. She goes to the doctor, any doctor and pays nothing. Zip, nada, zero.
She pays about $200 a month to a AARP medigap policy. That and her Medicare covers everything.
I know Doctors complain about how much medicare pays. They also complain about all the people they need to pay to keep track of their billing and all those different deals they make with insurance companies.
As I said before I belong to a union. We negotiate a contract every 7-10 years. Almost everyday we complain we are getting paid to little. That we deserve more. We can't come to work one day and just raise our prices.
Well Doc. you might think you have your own business, but you don't. You have expenses and overhead and you have to manage your office and employees but you really work for the insurance companies. Just like my boss tells me that there is now money to pay me more, so does yours. The insurance company.
Actually many doctors are realizing this. They are selling their practices to hospitals and large groups and becoming employees of those groups or retiring. The savings is in hiring fewer people to do the billing among other things.
And don't let Hospitals, Insurance companies tell you the lies they have been. They are getting bigger. A lot bigger. Building more buildings buying more practices and paying CEO's high salaries and bonuses while complain how tough life is.
The medical business is far worse than the auto industry.
In the last year I have bought two cars. One for my mother and one for myself.
I have also had to decide on which health insurance I wanted to buy from my work.
By far the choice of insurance was far harder and has far more unknowns.
I had a choice between three plans. Insurance that is. Well, I really only had a choice between two plans. One of the three had way to much risk and no savings in premiums over one of the other two. It was only in there because the company offered a plan to part time employees. The same cost but way higher deductibles than the cheapest plan for full time employees.
Now why is this worse than buying a car.
First let me tell you a bit about my old plan the company decided they no longer wanted to pay for.
The cost to the employee was only $200 a month with specific copays and very low deductibles and low or no coinsurance.
Prescriptions were also covered for $10 a month. New cost for the same drugs, $30 a month.
$10 copay for primary care doctors.
$25 for a specialist visit.
Urgent Care $50
Hospital ER $100
If you needed surgery you had a 10% copay up to your maximum deductible of $1000 per person.
There were also many things that were free. For example I was having allergy shots 1-2 times a week.
Now heres my issue with the new insurance.
Most of the time when you need a doctor you are sick or injured, you don't have time to shop around. Even if you could shop around doctors don't publish their rates. And if they did they have more prices than a car dealer.
They have a price for people who call in with no insurance. Usually the highest price they charge. Hospitals are almost as bad. They know in an emergency they have to treat you so they handle it a bit differently. They treat you, send you the bill and then give you a discount if you pay in 30 days or less. If not you pay retail on some payment plan.
What might be a $10,000 dollar bill they will tell you it is only $7000 if you pay now. If you have insurance it might only be $5000 ,but, if you have a really aggressive insurance company the bill might get knocked down to $2000.
Then you get bills from the doctors who worked on you separately. Once again the prices could be all over the map. You don't have time to shop or any real power to negotiate. Most doctors or hospitals will just tell you to take a hike if you don't like what they charge.
Now back to my insurance.
If I want to see a specialist I now have to pay the whole bill up to my $800 per person deductible and after that I have to pay 20% of the billed amount up to my $3000 max out of pocket.
Another issue I have is that all my 20% cost sharing is based on rates that the insurance company negotiated. It could be higher than the cheapest price that doctor has said they are willing to take from someone else.
At least when you walk into a car dealer they have their labor rates posted on a wall. You also have time to shop around for the best rate.
Next time you go to the doctor ask them for their price list.
Last week I went into my allergy doc to get my weekly shot. When I was done I asked them how much I owed them if anything. Remember, up until now the shots have been covered 100%. I knew this because it was on my insurance companies website.
My new coverage. Nothing, nada, could't find anything about allergy shots. Are they covered 100%, do I have a 20% copay? Do I pay 100% till I meet my deductible? If I pay do I pay more or less than my last insurance company paid? They paid $5 a shot. Or since I have a new company I don't know.
The receptionist didn't know either. She said she just sent it to the billing people. It's been almost two weeks and I still don't know. The billing department must be way behind. Either that or the insurance company is way behind.
Until I know I'm not going back.
I'm also avoiding specialists. Which wouldn't be so bad if I could get an appointment with my Primary Care Doctor in less than 2 weeks. Urgent Care is now more expensive to visit as well. Which is pretty screwed up since there are several Urgent Cares in the are that let you "join" for a fee and get discount prices. Cheaper prices than I get with insurance. My insurance company is just a middle man siphoning off 20% or more of what I pay. One other side to the equation, what's their incentive to get me the best price when they get a cost plus deal.
I don't blame any of this on the Affordable Care Act. The system has been broken for a very long time. And my plan used to be cheap and cover more because of a collective bargaining agreement. That's right, I belong to a union. The company has been dying to get out from under that health insurance plan for 5 years and finally decided to pay us more so they could. Yet this year they are on track to make multi billions in profit. The CEO will make about 80 million or more this year. I don't think he has to worry about medical bills coating him a new car or his 401k.
So you can hate car dealers all you want but at least there are multiple sources of what a car costs them and now even more sources that will negotiate the price of the care for you.
Costco and Sam's Club, TruCar.Com, Consumers Reports. If you pay too much for a car it's your fault.
Where are these services for Medical Expenses. Why can't I go to the doctor and show my Costco card and get the lowest price possible and then use my insurance to pay their share.
I'd say the system is broken and impossible to fix but it's not. It just requires a change in the way we do business.
My Mother who is 84 has probably the best insurance around. She goes to the doctor, any doctor and pays nothing. Zip, nada, zero.
She pays about $200 a month to a AARP medigap policy. That and her Medicare covers everything.
I know Doctors complain about how much medicare pays. They also complain about all the people they need to pay to keep track of their billing and all those different deals they make with insurance companies.
As I said before I belong to a union. We negotiate a contract every 7-10 years. Almost everyday we complain we are getting paid to little. That we deserve more. We can't come to work one day and just raise our prices.
Well Doc. you might think you have your own business, but you don't. You have expenses and overhead and you have to manage your office and employees but you really work for the insurance companies. Just like my boss tells me that there is now money to pay me more, so does yours. The insurance company.
Actually many doctors are realizing this. They are selling their practices to hospitals and large groups and becoming employees of those groups or retiring. The savings is in hiring fewer people to do the billing among other things.
And don't let Hospitals, Insurance companies tell you the lies they have been. They are getting bigger. A lot bigger. Building more buildings buying more practices and paying CEO's high salaries and bonuses while complain how tough life is.
The medical business is far worse than the auto industry.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Wayne-Dalton Garage Doors or at least the reason why you should not buy one with Torquemaster Springs.
This is my latest experience with a home repair.
In our current house we have a Wayne-Dalton garage door. In our last house we had a Wayne-Dalton Garage door. What did these houses have in common other than a WD garage door? They were built by tract home builders.
There is another thing these doors had in common. I only know what kind of door they had because I have had to replace the springs on both of them.
Who is the first person you call when you need to replace garage door springs? Usually the company that has their phone number on the door. Usually that's the installer. or in my case, Wayne Dalton.
So why should you care or why do I care enough to write about it.
Well on this recent occasion I had a reason to question what the guy from Wayne Dalton told me.
Usually when my garage door springs break, they come out and fix them in one visit. The cost if I remember correctly is a bit less than $300.
Not this time. This time when the single spring broke (not a Wayne Dalton Torquemaster spring), the door strength was compromised. The garage door opener, instead of pulling the door up started to pull it in. About a foot before the Genie Door Opener stopped and reversed. Being that the door was the original door, installed in 1996, you could no longer buy a single panel to replace it. The diagnosis by the technician. The whole door would be need to be replaced. And by the way, so will the opener. Your opener has a stripped gear and while it working now it may be a day or a year but it will fail. And since that opener is as old as your door you can no longer buy the part needed to fix it. I will have the sales department call you on Monday and give you a quote.
So Monday morning I get a call from Sean at Wayne-Dalton and we negotiate a price. New door, new opener installed for about $1400. But, do to unfortunate circumstances we can't install it till next Monday.
So in the interim I was telling one of my friends the story when he asked me if I had a Home Warranty? Well, it just so happens that I do. The reason why I will cover in another post. So, I look at my contract and low and behold, it covers not only the opener but springs as well.
So I file a claim online and within an hour I get a call from the warranty company. I should also add it was around 8PM so that was pretty good.
The next day a women from Legends Garage Door in Phoenix calls me. She tells me she can get a person out the next day (Friday) and he will either fix or give me a quote on the door.
While I have her on the phone I ask her how much it will cost if she needs to replace the door and or the opener. Her price is about $150 more than Wayne-Dalton. But is it? Melissa gave me a lot of advice as well. She said if you do buy their door don't get the Wayne Dalton springs. She also told me not to get the Genie Garage door opener. In Sean's defense he also tried to sell me the Liftmaster opener. It was me who wanted the Genie because the other door is a Genie.
I call Sean back and get a quote for the WD Door and Liftmaster opener. Still cheaper than Legends but only $100. Sean also said I could get regular door springs for no extra cost.
Now it's Friday and Dean from Legends shows up as promised. He looks at the door and says that for $100 he can put on two steel braces that will fix the rigidity of the top panel. The springs, covered by the home warranty.
Less than an hour after he showed up my door was fixed and worked even better than it did before the spring broke. No more sagging door like before. He also changed the angle of the bracket that pulls the door open so it starts by pulling up instead of out. The original install was not done properly.
So now on to the opener. We still had the gear problem. The opener is covered by the warranty as well. Turns out that you can no longer get the part so they replaced the opener as well. I did pay for the upgrade that includes a belt drive, internet gateway and some other cool stuff. The Liftmaster 8550. Total Cost with the door supports, opener upgrade and warranty deductible, $366.22. Not the $1400 or so dollars that Wayne-Dalton wanted.
So not the usual quick fix and business as usual that I'm used to. If not for this sequence of events I would still be as happy and ignorant as usual.
But what does all this have to do with Torquemaster Springs? Well, in the opinion of more than a few people they are junk. I told another friend this story and he told me about his door spring ordeal. Once again Wayne-Dalton springs, another door repair company and his replacement of WD Springs.
He then started noticing garage door repair trucks in his neighborhood often. WD springs are like printer ink. Sell the doors to builders really cheap and have a reliable source of income replacing springs every 3 or 4 years. It cost my friend $500 to replace his springs because he converted them but now they should last about 10 years, the average lifespan of normal door springs.
In our current house we have a Wayne-Dalton garage door. In our last house we had a Wayne-Dalton Garage door. What did these houses have in common other than a WD garage door? They were built by tract home builders.
There is another thing these doors had in common. I only know what kind of door they had because I have had to replace the springs on both of them.
Who is the first person you call when you need to replace garage door springs? Usually the company that has their phone number on the door. Usually that's the installer. or in my case, Wayne Dalton.
So why should you care or why do I care enough to write about it.
Well on this recent occasion I had a reason to question what the guy from Wayne Dalton told me.
Usually when my garage door springs break, they come out and fix them in one visit. The cost if I remember correctly is a bit less than $300.
Not this time. This time when the single spring broke (not a Wayne Dalton Torquemaster spring), the door strength was compromised. The garage door opener, instead of pulling the door up started to pull it in. About a foot before the Genie Door Opener stopped and reversed. Being that the door was the original door, installed in 1996, you could no longer buy a single panel to replace it. The diagnosis by the technician. The whole door would be need to be replaced. And by the way, so will the opener. Your opener has a stripped gear and while it working now it may be a day or a year but it will fail. And since that opener is as old as your door you can no longer buy the part needed to fix it. I will have the sales department call you on Monday and give you a quote.
So Monday morning I get a call from Sean at Wayne-Dalton and we negotiate a price. New door, new opener installed for about $1400. But, do to unfortunate circumstances we can't install it till next Monday.
So in the interim I was telling one of my friends the story when he asked me if I had a Home Warranty? Well, it just so happens that I do. The reason why I will cover in another post. So, I look at my contract and low and behold, it covers not only the opener but springs as well.
So I file a claim online and within an hour I get a call from the warranty company. I should also add it was around 8PM so that was pretty good.
The next day a women from Legends Garage Door in Phoenix calls me. She tells me she can get a person out the next day (Friday) and he will either fix or give me a quote on the door.
While I have her on the phone I ask her how much it will cost if she needs to replace the door and or the opener. Her price is about $150 more than Wayne-Dalton. But is it? Melissa gave me a lot of advice as well. She said if you do buy their door don't get the Wayne Dalton springs. She also told me not to get the Genie Garage door opener. In Sean's defense he also tried to sell me the Liftmaster opener. It was me who wanted the Genie because the other door is a Genie.
I call Sean back and get a quote for the WD Door and Liftmaster opener. Still cheaper than Legends but only $100. Sean also said I could get regular door springs for no extra cost.
Now it's Friday and Dean from Legends shows up as promised. He looks at the door and says that for $100 he can put on two steel braces that will fix the rigidity of the top panel. The springs, covered by the home warranty.
Less than an hour after he showed up my door was fixed and worked even better than it did before the spring broke. No more sagging door like before. He also changed the angle of the bracket that pulls the door open so it starts by pulling up instead of out. The original install was not done properly.
So now on to the opener. We still had the gear problem. The opener is covered by the warranty as well. Turns out that you can no longer get the part so they replaced the opener as well. I did pay for the upgrade that includes a belt drive, internet gateway and some other cool stuff. The Liftmaster 8550. Total Cost with the door supports, opener upgrade and warranty deductible, $366.22. Not the $1400 or so dollars that Wayne-Dalton wanted.
So not the usual quick fix and business as usual that I'm used to. If not for this sequence of events I would still be as happy and ignorant as usual.
But what does all this have to do with Torquemaster Springs? Well, in the opinion of more than a few people they are junk. I told another friend this story and he told me about his door spring ordeal. Once again Wayne-Dalton springs, another door repair company and his replacement of WD Springs.
He then started noticing garage door repair trucks in his neighborhood often. WD springs are like printer ink. Sell the doors to builders really cheap and have a reliable source of income replacing springs every 3 or 4 years. It cost my friend $500 to replace his springs because he converted them but now they should last about 10 years, the average lifespan of normal door springs.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Why you should use a Double Edge Razor instead of one of those Super Speedy Multi Blades
In an earlier post I talked about how my wife bought me a starter shave kit from Art of Shaving. Fortunately she did not by me one of their $100 plus razors. While they sell a few different types of razors, since they are owned by Proctor and Gamble the razor they push is one of their Mach Disposable Razor Handles. Not only do they charge big bucks for the handle but they get close to $2 per blade cartridge.
So I did a bit of research and found a whole big world of "Wet Shaving" on the internet. Wet Shaving is not really what it sounds like. After all, if you're not using an electric razor aren't you wet shaving?
Well, in the world of wet shaving you aren't. Most people use a can of shave cream that is filled with a bunch of chemicals that dry out your face and skin and then run a multi-blade cartridge or disposable razor over their face. You know, what of those high tech blades where the first blade pulls the hair and the next 1-5 blades cut the hair off below the skin.
Well, as it turns out while this sounds great it's not really good for you. Cutting the hair below the skin can cause ingrown hairs. If you get red bumps and irritation after you shave that's probably why.
In the world of Wet Shaving one uses a brush, usually made of Badger and some type of single razor blade, either single or double edge (D.E.) a.k.a Badger and Blade. Just like your father or grandfather did prior to 1980. That's around the time companies in the U.S. stopped making the DE Safety Razor. Just like drug companies when a patent runs out there's little money to be made from your product.
King Gilette is the best known as the first person to mass market the safety razor. He was one of the first people to use the business model where the big money is made by selling consumables for a proprietary product. Think HP Printers and Ink. Sell the printer cheap and charge a lot for the ink.
Well, that concept is alive and well in the razor and blade world. One exception being Dollar Shave Club. Well, not really. They give you a fairly cheap handle and sell you some pretty cheap blades (compared to Gillette) on a subscription basis. They must be making a pretty big impact because Gillette now has their own version of the subscription model. The blades are closer to $2 each instead of $2 dollars a month but even that $2 a month is way more than you need to spend if you use "Badger and Blade".
So why is B&B shaving so much better than any of those super duper high tech scientifically marketed to all of us gullible folks for the last 50 years?
Many reasons. So lets list a few now.
It's cheaper. Or at least it can be. A good new D.E. Safety Razor made in England or Germany can be had for about $50. You can find cheaper one made in China or India but unless you are really strapped for can I wouldn't recommend it. There is a definite difference and a well made razor can last a lifetime or two if it's cared for. There are many razors made prior to 1980 and even as far back as the early 1900's still out there. If you can find one it could be worth lots of money to a collector.
The blades. Most people, myself included try to get one of those expensive cartridges to last far longer than it should. Most blades last 3-5 shaves on average and when you are spending $2 a piece most people use them far longer than they should. This causes more irritation as well. The duller the blade the harder you tend to press. The harder you press and drag your not so much cutting the hair but ripping it out of your face. I'm sure you have noticed that the best shaves come from the newest blades. D.E. razor blades can be had for as little as $.05 to $.10 cents a piece if bought in bulk.
Picking the right razor is pretty easy. Picking the right blade not so much. There are many blade manufactures out there and there are big differences in the sharpness of the blade. Sharper is not always better.
I was lucky. I bought two sampler packs of many different blades for $40 and right out of the gate the first blade I picked has worked great for me. I chose a Gillette. I chose that one first because I had been using a Gillette Disposable Razor from Costco. You know, the ones you buy in the 100 pack. Blade and handle all in one. I have some Bic blades in my sampler pack but since the Bic Disposable has always ripped my face to shreds when I have used them I did not start with the Bic. If you like the Bic then that might be the blade for you. Everybody's face and beard is different so blades are a very individual preference. I have almost 20 different types of blades to try but since the Gillette has worked so well I'm afraid to try and others.
So now we need something to keep that really sharp blade cutting your beard and not your face. You can choose either cream or soap. They make both for shaving. I'm not talking about the stuff that comes out of a can. That stuff is expensive, even the cheap brands aren't really cheap. At around $3 a can and it only lasts a month or two if you shave every day that's a lot of money not to mention a lot of cans filling up a landfill or recycle bin.
You can buy Shaving cream or soap from that will last a month for $2 or some high end really luxurious brands for $15 and up that will last 6 months or more.
Now the best way to apply that cream or soap is with a nice Badger Brush. Do you really need one? No, but it does help and it makes for a really nice experience every time you shave. Which is something I do most every day now when I used to avoid shaving as much as possible. You can get a good brush for around $30 and if you want can spends $100's.
So let's recap. Less expensive. More enjoyable. Less waste so better for the environment. Better for your face. Less irritation and few ingrown hairs. And the best part, surveys show that men with a smooth clean-shaven face get laid more often. What's stopping you now?
Maybe you need some suggestions to get you started. Be careful though. Wet shaving can quickly lead to SAD. Shaving Acquisition Disorder. In just one month since I started I have 2 Razors. Two Brushes and many soaps and cremes not to mention a few other items to compliment my daily shave ritual.
So I did a bit of research and found a whole big world of "Wet Shaving" on the internet. Wet Shaving is not really what it sounds like. After all, if you're not using an electric razor aren't you wet shaving?
Well, in the world of wet shaving you aren't. Most people use a can of shave cream that is filled with a bunch of chemicals that dry out your face and skin and then run a multi-blade cartridge or disposable razor over their face. You know, what of those high tech blades where the first blade pulls the hair and the next 1-5 blades cut the hair off below the skin.
Well, as it turns out while this sounds great it's not really good for you. Cutting the hair below the skin can cause ingrown hairs. If you get red bumps and irritation after you shave that's probably why.
In the world of Wet Shaving one uses a brush, usually made of Badger and some type of single razor blade, either single or double edge (D.E.) a.k.a Badger and Blade. Just like your father or grandfather did prior to 1980. That's around the time companies in the U.S. stopped making the DE Safety Razor. Just like drug companies when a patent runs out there's little money to be made from your product.
King Gilette is the best known as the first person to mass market the safety razor. He was one of the first people to use the business model where the big money is made by selling consumables for a proprietary product. Think HP Printers and Ink. Sell the printer cheap and charge a lot for the ink.
Well, that concept is alive and well in the razor and blade world. One exception being Dollar Shave Club. Well, not really. They give you a fairly cheap handle and sell you some pretty cheap blades (compared to Gillette) on a subscription basis. They must be making a pretty big impact because Gillette now has their own version of the subscription model. The blades are closer to $2 each instead of $2 dollars a month but even that $2 a month is way more than you need to spend if you use "Badger and Blade".
So why is B&B shaving so much better than any of those super duper high tech scientifically marketed to all of us gullible folks for the last 50 years?
Many reasons. So lets list a few now.
It's cheaper. Or at least it can be. A good new D.E. Safety Razor made in England or Germany can be had for about $50. You can find cheaper one made in China or India but unless you are really strapped for can I wouldn't recommend it. There is a definite difference and a well made razor can last a lifetime or two if it's cared for. There are many razors made prior to 1980 and even as far back as the early 1900's still out there. If you can find one it could be worth lots of money to a collector.
The blades. Most people, myself included try to get one of those expensive cartridges to last far longer than it should. Most blades last 3-5 shaves on average and when you are spending $2 a piece most people use them far longer than they should. This causes more irritation as well. The duller the blade the harder you tend to press. The harder you press and drag your not so much cutting the hair but ripping it out of your face. I'm sure you have noticed that the best shaves come from the newest blades. D.E. razor blades can be had for as little as $.05 to $.10 cents a piece if bought in bulk.
Picking the right razor is pretty easy. Picking the right blade not so much. There are many blade manufactures out there and there are big differences in the sharpness of the blade. Sharper is not always better.
I was lucky. I bought two sampler packs of many different blades for $40 and right out of the gate the first blade I picked has worked great for me. I chose a Gillette. I chose that one first because I had been using a Gillette Disposable Razor from Costco. You know, the ones you buy in the 100 pack. Blade and handle all in one. I have some Bic blades in my sampler pack but since the Bic Disposable has always ripped my face to shreds when I have used them I did not start with the Bic. If you like the Bic then that might be the blade for you. Everybody's face and beard is different so blades are a very individual preference. I have almost 20 different types of blades to try but since the Gillette has worked so well I'm afraid to try and others.
So now we need something to keep that really sharp blade cutting your beard and not your face. You can choose either cream or soap. They make both for shaving. I'm not talking about the stuff that comes out of a can. That stuff is expensive, even the cheap brands aren't really cheap. At around $3 a can and it only lasts a month or two if you shave every day that's a lot of money not to mention a lot of cans filling up a landfill or recycle bin.
You can buy Shaving cream or soap from that will last a month for $2 or some high end really luxurious brands for $15 and up that will last 6 months or more.
So let's recap. Less expensive. More enjoyable. Less waste so better for the environment. Better for your face. Less irritation and few ingrown hairs. And the best part, surveys show that men with a smooth clean-shaven face get laid more often. What's stopping you now?
Maybe you need some suggestions to get you started. Be careful though. Wet shaving can quickly lead to SAD. Shaving Acquisition Disorder. In just one month since I started I have 2 Razors. Two Brushes and many soaps and cremes not to mention a few other items to compliment my daily shave ritual.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
It's all about the bass.
I really, really hate this song. How can a song about fish be so stupid. And the most stupid part, we all know it's all about the Tuna, not the bass.
I'm bringing fishy back
Go ahead and tell them skinny fishes, hey
No, I'm just swimming, I know you think you're smelt,
But I'm here to tell you,
Every inch of you is perfect from the dorsal to the pelvic
Yeah, my momma she told me don't worry about your size
She says 'fisherman like a little more fin to hold at night'
You know I won't be no sardine, or baby seal,
So, if that's what's you're into
Then go ahead and move along
Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass
Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass
Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass!!
'Bout that bass, 'bout that bass, hey
I'm bringing fishy back
Go ahead and tell them skinny fishes, hey
No, I'm just swimming, I know you think you're smelt,
But I'm here to tell you,
Every inch of you is perfect from the dorsal to the pelvic
Yeah, my momma she told me don't worry about your size
She says 'fisherman like a little more fin to hold at night'
You know I won't be no sardine, or baby seal,
So, if that's what's you're into
Then go ahead and move along
Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass
Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass
Because you know I'm all about that bass,
'Bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass, no trout
I'm all 'bout that bass, 'bout that bass!!
'Bout that bass, 'bout that bass, hey
Friday, December 5, 2014
Buy that BMW you have always wanted.
The best time to buy a BMW is December.
This is the time of year they run all their sales offers and rebates.
They will either finance it or lease it with an affordable payment.
If they don't have a new one you can afford don't be afraid to buy a used CPO model.
This is the time of year they run all their sales offers and rebates.
They will either finance it or lease it with an affordable payment.
If they don't have a new one you can afford don't be afraid to buy a used CPO model.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
My lessons learned from Chipotle.
My first experience with Chipotle, the restaurant, was watching the guy who started it on one of those contest shows where the winner got backed to open their own fast food style restaurant.
He was one of the biggest Richards around. He would go on and on about how he borrowed 80k from his dad and turned it into such a big success. 80 grand is a lot of money. At least to most people. His father was either really rich or really stupid. Why you ask?
If you have 80k and you are not rich and you give it to your kid, odds are really good you will never see it again. Only in hindsight was that ever a good idea. Most parents who give their kids anything rarely see it again.
But I digress. He is a very savvy marketer. The place is hip and uses only the freshest local ingredients. They are even from well treated animals if we are to believe the hype.
But the kicker. The guacamole is $2 extra. Yep. It's like charging extra for bags at airlines.
Many a time I have made fun of the question that you always get asked when you want Guac on your burrito, "That is $2 extra"? DO you still want it?
Of course my answer and that of most people is, yes. Then you think to yourself, do I look like I can't afford it? Is there something about the way I'm dressed or what.
But then I thought about it. I should be asking why. Why is it an extra $2. I don't really want that big spoon of Guac, I just want enough to get some of the flavor. No more than the cheese or pico or any of the other ingredients.
I bet you that extra 2 bucks is what makes the place so profitable.
Next time they ask you if $2 is OK ask them why it's extra? Start giving Chipotle the inferiority complex.
Tell them no. For two bucks their Guac can rot and turn green for all you care. 2 bucks is too much.
He was one of the biggest Richards around. He would go on and on about how he borrowed 80k from his dad and turned it into such a big success. 80 grand is a lot of money. At least to most people. His father was either really rich or really stupid. Why you ask?
If you have 80k and you are not rich and you give it to your kid, odds are really good you will never see it again. Only in hindsight was that ever a good idea. Most parents who give their kids anything rarely see it again.
But I digress. He is a very savvy marketer. The place is hip and uses only the freshest local ingredients. They are even from well treated animals if we are to believe the hype.
But the kicker. The guacamole is $2 extra. Yep. It's like charging extra for bags at airlines.
Many a time I have made fun of the question that you always get asked when you want Guac on your burrito, "That is $2 extra"? DO you still want it?
Of course my answer and that of most people is, yes. Then you think to yourself, do I look like I can't afford it? Is there something about the way I'm dressed or what.
But then I thought about it. I should be asking why. Why is it an extra $2. I don't really want that big spoon of Guac, I just want enough to get some of the flavor. No more than the cheese or pico or any of the other ingredients.
I bet you that extra 2 bucks is what makes the place so profitable.
Next time they ask you if $2 is OK ask them why it's extra? Start giving Chipotle the inferiority complex.
Tell them no. For two bucks their Guac can rot and turn green for all you care. 2 bucks is too much.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Why we need a military but why we should rarely use it.
Having a military is a good thing but not for the reasons you might think.
It's a good thing to scare potential enemies that it's not a good idea to invade and take what is yours but what many don't see is what good comes out of a military you never use.
The military trains leaders. Not just for battle but for civilian life. How many of our citizens learnd to manage people and resources in the military? Thousands. Many men of the past and now women were trained by our military with skills that can be used in civilian life. From engineers to aircraft mechanics just to name a few.
How many inventions were created came from the need to make weapons or communication systems because they could be used by the military. The Internet for one. GPS. How many more can you think of.
Billions of dollars spent on innovation and human capital that contributes to the betterment of our civilization.
But just like the atom bomb actually using our military can destroy more than it creates. Now that we have seen the destruction that an atom bomb can cause why haven't we learned that the prolonged use of destructive forces will eventually create the downfall of our ability to create our future, but, instead we can destroy our future. If we were to use another atomic weapon I have no doubt the end would be hastened but we have been at war now for more than ten years. That has been just as destructive to our future overtime as an atomic weapon is in seconds.
In these past eleven years our military has not been turning out an abundance of leaders but an abundance of broken men and women. Our money has been spent on research but on munitions, fuel and trying to repair the casualties of those broken men and women who have been forced to kill instead of create. Having flashbacks instead of dreams of future success.
This not only has a long term detrimental effect on the individuals and their families who fight our wars but on the population as a whole. We have less money to spend on education and innovation. We turn out more people who aren't educated enough to fight in a technological future battlefield.
We have fewer people learning to repair the injuries of war. We have fewer people learning to feed a growing population and fight disease.
And worst of all we create a society that thinks that is the way life should be. Always at war, spending money only on destruction and not creation. Spending money on guns while those not part of the military machine go hungry.
There are a few populations that became extinct to due weather or geologic catastrophe. But almost every single population that thought war was the way to riches imploded because of themselves.
If you insist on fighting civilizations that have barely advanced beyond the Stone Age, it won't be long before you join them.
If you want them to like you send them food and medicine. Nobody likes to fight on a full stomach.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Uniforms, Saving Money, Dressing Well.
What do uniforms have to do with living well on less?
In my work life I wear a uniform. It makes it really easy to get dressed very day as I don't have to decide if this shirt goes with those pants or this belt with that tie.
I need 3 shirts, two pairs of pants and 1 jacket. How many of you can say that is all you have in your closet for work?
Prior to this job I couldn't say that either.
Now in this case my company pays for my uniforms so that's a pretty big savings. I buy my own socks, shoes and belt but that's it. We not quite. I do by my own shirts. That's because the company buys the cheapest fitting baggiest shirts they can find. But, the shirts (www.acutaboveuniforms.com) I buy are only $30 each and like I said before, I only need 3.
My son goes to a school that requires uniforms. 3 pairs of pants, 3 shirts. And because it's a uniform nobody knows if he wore the same clothes the day before.
You don't need a lot of clothes to be well dressed.
All you need is 3 of each of something. Yes even socks or underwear. Just do your laundry instead of buying more because you are to lazy to do laundry because Honey Boo Boo is on.
I have been cleaning out my closet and I have a lot of clothes. If you go to places like The Mens Warehouse they sell you three suits. If you wear suits everyday then by all means buy 3 suits.
But where you can really save money is in your personal life. Look in your closet and add up all the money you have spent on things you rarely or never wear.
If you haven't worn it in the last 6 months give it away. there are plenty of people who can use your clothes before they go out of style or rot on the hanger.
If there is something you wear all the time buy 3 of them. I have 3 pairs of jeans. Three pairs of shorts and about 100 T-Shirts. Of which most make me look like crap. They have assorted Chicago or Arizona Sports teams on them. They have car or dog and even beer advertisements. I paid good money to advertise something that doesn't make me a dime.But what I have started to do is wear either Khaki, Black or Blue Shorts with either a Black or Khaki
T-Shirts. Nice ones.
I also have a couple of nice blue or black casual shirts with collars as well. I notice I get far more respect when I dress without the advertising.
I don't look like a slob anymore and all those T-Shirts weren't cheap. Sports team shirts are like $20 each.
Shoes. Who really needs more than 2 or 3 pairs of shoes, wallets, watches or just about anything else you find in your closet or jewelry box.
If you not a collector your a hoarder. If you buy less you can buy nicer things that last longer and look better.
Many things you only need 1 of but rarely do you ever need more than three of anything.
Four and people start looking at you funny. If you don't think so how many cats doest it take to be the crazy lady with all the cats?
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
My First Shave with a Double Edge Razor
In an earlier post I told you about a gift my wife gave me. An Art of Shaving (AoS) Travel Set that includes pre shave oil, shaving cream, after shave balm and a badger hair shaving brush.
I liked the way the shave went so much with a disposable razor I did a little research on the interwebs and ended up buying a Merkur 23C Long Handle Safety Razor (aka 180).
I also bought a couple of blade sampler packs to go with it. I chose to use the Gillette Platinum blade to start. Blades are a very personal choice. What works well for one person my be a face shredder for another.
This blade worked out extremely well for me. I have shaved several times with this type of blade now and not a single nick, cut or irritation. Knock on Sandalwood. aka
Man in a Can. This is the scent my wife got me for my birthday. It is a very popular scent in mens grooming products. On to the process.
I take a nice hot shower to start. Then I use the Art of Shave Pre-Shave Oil to prepare my face. Next I use the AoS Shave Cream. Just one squirt and dab it on my face, then take the Pure Badger Brush and dip it in hot water, then shake off the excess to build a nice lather on my face using circular motions at first to help lift and separate the whiskers followed by a paintbrush motion. Sort of like wax on wax off followed by paint the fence a few times.
Now for the hard part. I have never used a DE Razor before this day. I had seen my father use one some 45 or so years ago. Carefully I place the blade in the razor and put it to my face. I have to
remember not to apply pressure as this can cut or scrape your skin. This is not a cartridge blade. It does not have the same protection I am used to and since I tend to use my blades way past their useful life I tend to press pretty hard.
So I smoothly and carefully rest the razor against my face and let the weight of the razor apply the pressure. I then find the correct angle (about 30 degrees) and pull the razor down my face from my sideburn to my chin. This is called the WTG with the grain pass. You can hear the whiskers being cut. Since it is a double edge I turn the razor around and make a second pass right next to the first like a Zamboni resurfacing the ice at a hockey game. Time to rinse of the blade. All in all it takes about 20 passes on you face like mowing a lawn except you only work in one direction.
I started with about 4 days growth. I wanted to make sure I had more whisker than skin on this first
try. This first pass brought it down to about a five o'clock shadow. Time to re-lather. There is still plenty left on the brush so just a quick rinse of the face with water and I paint on more lather still left on the brush till my face is nice and slick with a nice white frosting. It's amazing how little cream or soap you need to make enough lather to shave 3 or more passes. A bit the size of a pea goes a long way.
Now according to all the shaving gurus, across the grain ATG is how you should shave next. Just like
before let the razor do all the work and listen to the blade make a scratching sound making passes just like the Zamboni except just scraping in one direction.
Since you are not using 2 or more blades at once and tugging the hair past the skin before you chop it off it takes a few passes to get a really close shave. But your face will thank you for taking the time. Just think of it as foreplay.
After both passes my face is pretty smooth but not baby bottom smooth or BBS is shavers jargon.
So, me, not listening to all the experts who say don't go for BBS the first time out, went for the against the grain shave ATG. rinse, repeat. Listen to that wonderful sound of a razor cutting whiskers.
Talk about a wonderful shave without any redness, bumps or irritation from my shirt collar all day long.
After that last pass a rinse with cold water to close the pores and a dab of AoS after shave and man did my face look, feel and smell great.
I have learned since that first shave that even a 2 pass shave once you finish and dab on the after
shave is a very close shave. It's sort of like once you close the pores your face sort of sucks back the whiskers. All the pre shave prep actually hydrates and softens them up making them easier to cut. So once they dry they do shrink a bit.
I write this post almost 3 weeks after my first shave and I have changed some of the products I use a bit and have gotten bit by SAD Shave Acquisition Disorder. I now have many new soaps, creams and something called Skin Food. I especially like the Geo. Trumper Limes.
I might just do a review of some of this newly acquired stuff in a future post.
I liked the way the shave went so much with a disposable razor I did a little research on the interwebs and ended up buying a Merkur 23C Long Handle Safety Razor (aka 180).
I also bought a couple of blade sampler packs to go with it. I chose to use the Gillette Platinum blade to start. Blades are a very personal choice. What works well for one person my be a face shredder for another.
This blade worked out extremely well for me. I have shaved several times with this type of blade now and not a single nick, cut or irritation. Knock on Sandalwood. aka
I take a nice hot shower to start. Then I use the Art of Shave Pre-Shave Oil to prepare my face. Next I use the AoS Shave Cream. Just one squirt and dab it on my face, then take the Pure Badger Brush and dip it in hot water, then shake off the excess to build a nice lather on my face using circular motions at first to help lift and separate the whiskers followed by a paintbrush motion. Sort of like wax on wax off followed by paint the fence a few times.
Now for the hard part. I have never used a DE Razor before this day. I had seen my father use one some 45 or so years ago. Carefully I place the blade in the razor and put it to my face. I have to
So I smoothly and carefully rest the razor against my face and let the weight of the razor apply the pressure. I then find the correct angle (about 30 degrees) and pull the razor down my face from my sideburn to my chin. This is called the WTG with the grain pass. You can hear the whiskers being cut. Since it is a double edge I turn the razor around and make a second pass right next to the first like a Zamboni resurfacing the ice at a hockey game. Time to rinse of the blade. All in all it takes about 20 passes on you face like mowing a lawn except you only work in one direction.
I started with about 4 days growth. I wanted to make sure I had more whisker than skin on this first
Now according to all the shaving gurus, across the grain ATG is how you should shave next. Just like
Since you are not using 2 or more blades at once and tugging the hair past the skin before you chop it off it takes a few passes to get a really close shave. But your face will thank you for taking the time. Just think of it as foreplay.
After both passes my face is pretty smooth but not baby bottom smooth or BBS is shavers jargon.
So, me, not listening to all the experts who say don't go for BBS the first time out, went for the against the grain shave ATG. rinse, repeat. Listen to that wonderful sound of a razor cutting whiskers.
Talk about a wonderful shave without any redness, bumps or irritation from my shirt collar all day long.
After that last pass a rinse with cold water to close the pores and a dab of AoS after shave and man did my face look, feel and smell great.
I have learned since that first shave that even a 2 pass shave once you finish and dab on the after
I write this post almost 3 weeks after my first shave and I have changed some of the products I use a bit and have gotten bit by SAD Shave Acquisition Disorder. I now have many new soaps, creams and something called Skin Food. I especially like the Geo. Trumper Limes.
I might just do a review of some of this newly acquired stuff in a future post.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
The Ultimate Driving Experience a.k.a BMW Uber Test Drive
Once a year in cities around the U.S. BMW USA holds events where you can learn more about their cars and even drive them more than around the block at a dealership.
https://ude.bmwusa.com is the link to find one near you. The locations change as they are scheduled. The one I did was just held in The Los Angeles Area. These events are sponsored by BMW and Area Dealers. They do hope to sell you a car. There are many of the latest and greatest cars to look at and a few to drive.
They have 4 different options to choose from:
Street Drives: Nothing really special here. Just a test drive of the car you choose. Free.
Auto Cross: A two hour class on how to drive a BMW M235i around a closed circuit course that test your skills as a driver. Fun and Free.
Teen Driving Class: A Half day class where any licensed or permitted driver under the age of 21 is taught some defensive driving and why you should text and drive. Accident avoidance is the main focus and I highly recommend that you take your young driver to learn these skills. And it's all free. Will your kid want a BMW when it's over? Maybe, but take them anyway. A program like this costs at least $300 if not more where they are taught/
And I have saved the best for last. Why? $650 Not everyone can afford that much to play hard and drive fast in a BMW M3 and M235i.
You get a full day of professional instruction by real race car drivers and lots of time driving these cars to limits that unless you take your car to a Track Day you would never do with you car willingly.
The day starts with about 1 hour of classroom instruction on proper driving technique. Not what your parents taught you or your High School driving instructor unless your teacher was Danica Patrick.
They teach you to put your hands at 9 and 3, not 10 and 2. When avoiding something like an accident or that car coming at you, don't look at the thing you want to avoid, look where you want to go.
String Theory. Not String Theory from quantum physics but driving string theory. The three ways of changing a cars direction. And you thought that the only way to change direction was using the steering wheel.
Then the real fun begins. They take you out on the track. In this case it was a big parking lot marked of with cones and chalk but for sake of argument we will call it a track.
The instructors will show you how it's done once and then it's your turn.
The first thing they do is teach you how to really use ABS Braking. ABS brakes are meant to be used hard when avoiding an accident. All the way to the floor as hard as you can. If 1 is light pressure and 10 is hard, 10 is how you use them to stop. First you accelerate to 30, hold that and drive to the imaginary line marked by a set of orange cones. Then you get to see how long the car takes to stop. You do this again increasing 10 MPH at a time until you get to 60 MPH. The distance to stop at 60 MPH is not twice that of 30 MPH. It increases exponentially.
Once you have learned how to stop straight they add a turn at the end. A 90 degree turn, with the brakes still on. The ABS on a BMW and most recent cars is not just anti-lock brakes but Alternate Brake and Steering. Now days they can sense if the car is doing what you want it to do. They figure if you turn the wheel you actually want it to turn that way. Anybody who has driven old ABS or cars without ABS that if you are going fast enough and you try to turn the car will just keep going straight.
Not anymore, now when you turn the wheel and slam on the brakes the cars changes the pressure on the brakes at each wheel so the car will do its best to make the turn as well. This is why if you are driving on the street or if you aren't on a track you should never turn off the DSC.
The next exercise is a 40 MPH lane change, no brakes. You accelerate to 40 MPH and change one full lane to the right without taking your foot of the gas and then stop in a box in the other lane just ahead of you. How often do you that?
And the last accidence avoidance maneuver is the box just fell off the truck in front of you exercise. You drive straight ahead towards a cone and when the instructor tells you which direction to avoid it at about 60 MPH you either swerve right or left and get back in your lane and then stop straight ahead.
So far everything above is in the Teen Driving Course.
Lunch Time. A box lunch from a place like Panera or Paradise Bakery. Soft Drinks and water are provided all day.
Now comes the real fun. It's time to put what you learned into action on the Autocross Track. If you are not familiar with Autocross, it's basically a course built in a really large parking lot made by putting up a bunch of cones where you have a bunch of turns with a few short straight aways and one longer straight away. Most cars don't get over 50-60 MPH on the straights and many of the turns are done around 30-40 with at least one turn at the end of a straight where you get to 60 MPH and brake down to 10MPH do a 90 degree turn and then floor it to the next turn. The whole lap takes between 34 and 40 seconds. For the next hour or two you take turns doing 3-4 laps in a M235i.
Time to go back to the practice area and do some skid training. Now for those of you who didn't grow up where there is ice and snow doing donuts in a parking lot around the light posts this next event is for you. They have these sleeves they put on the back tires so that the car skids at about 10 MPH. You get to do skids in figure eights and ovals around cones. Even if you did this kind of thing as a kid it's not easy.
Back to the Autocross Track to compete for best time against the other folks in your class. There were 14 in mine. A very good number because there were 12 instructors. They divided the class into two groups so the teams competed for best team and best individual overall.
We did a relay style race where you did one lap around the track and had to stop in a designated box. Stop with a wheel anywhere outside the box and you add five seconds to your time. Knock over a cone anywhere on the track, add two seconds to your time. Since the best times were 100ths of a second apart one cone knocked over could set you back 4 places. Stop outside the box and it could put you dead last.
The times were individual for First Place and cumulative for Best Team. Since it was a relay how fast you changed drivers counted as well. Team time was from the start of the first driver to last driver stopped in the box. Watching 6 others in your team driving around the track was very exciting. You also got to watch the other team.
Once the final race was done we headed back to the clubhouse and got right to the awards.
I found out my team lost by less than 1 second. I also found out I had the best time on my team but was 3rd overall. I missed 1st by less than 1/2 a second. There were a couple of guys making fun of the clock that kept time to 1000th of a second.
So do I recommend paying $650 bucks to spend the day beating up a new BMW? Absolutely! If you buy or lease a new BMW in the subsequent 60 days you get a code you give to the dealer that gets you $1000 off. Would I buy the car? Well, many of the folks there already drove a BMW. One guy had and M3 that was 10 years old and was debating if he was ready to trade up to a new one. He still loved the one he had and it had less than 45k miles on it.
So am I going to take my coupon and go down to the dealer and buy a new BMW. No. I find the base car really boring. Not a car you want to spend the hour most people drive to work every day. And the cost of the fully loaded Leather lined 24 speaker Harman/Kardon Sound system? 50k for the M235i and almost 80k for a M3. Sorry, I don't find driving the car on the street or even the track any more fun than my Mazda Miata. It's not as fast, and it's not even as technologically advanced but it's as much fun to drive and even brand new, fully loaded half the cost.
In the BMW M3 you can do 80 MPH in like 6 seconds and not even know it. In my Miata I can go 0-60 in seconds and feel like I'm doing 80.
If your interested I have a coupon that can get you $1000 of your next BMW for sale. Make me an offer.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Shaving. The low cost of going old school. Maybe.
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| Travel Set |
When I do shave I do it in the shower with a disposable razor you get by the gross at Costco. As for shaving cream, I just use what ever soap we have in the shower.
Well for my birthday my wife bought me a shaving gift set from The Art of Shaving. I sort of said thanks and was thinking you know I really hate to shave, don't you?
Well she couldn't wait for me to use it. I still had 3 days till I had to go to work but she wanted me to try it out. I made excuses for a couple of days but we were going out for my second bday dinner since the one we had on my birthday was so crappy (see my yelp review).
So I took a shower and proceeded to the sink to shave. Remember, I haven't shaved outside the shower in years. This gift (yuck) required this big ordeal to use. It had a pre shave gel, shaving cream and a brush that you use to put on the shaving cream and an after shave gel for when you finish shaving. The only thing it was missing was a razor. Why? Because the ones she saw in the store were lots of dough. Anywhere from $55 to $300. Yikes!
I now have to read the directions since I have never used any of this stuff before. Wash face with warm water. Put small amount of pre shave gel is hand and rub all over beard. Now get shaving brush wet and put shaving cream on brush and lather. To say it was complicated would be lying. It was actually pretty easy once you did it and followed the directions. It was just not a daily ritual I was used to.
Anyway, I get my face all lathered up per the directions and proceed to shave with my cheap trusty razor. A new one actually. Not one I have used 7 or 8 times till it rips the whiskers out of my face instead of cutting them. Did I forget to mention that I'm cheap and using a .75 cent razor once or twice is like cutting up a dollar bill every couple of days.
So after I shave I use the after shave gel and to my surprise I get a really nice shave. No pain, no cuts, no irritation. This using quality shaving creams and gels might have some thing going for it.
But although I like the shave and think I know everything because that's the way my father did it back in the 60's I say to my wife that you leave the shaving brush wet with the little bit of shave cream left on it in a mug next to the sink.
Well in our house we don't take the other persons word for it. No, we google it till we find evidence to support our case. In walks my wife with her computer and she shows me this:
"It is also important to take care of your brush after the shave. Rinse your brush thoroughly to remove all of the soap or cream and leave it in an open area where it can completely dry, since mildew and soap scum will also deteriorate badger hairs and cause breakage." from a website called Shaving 101.
These guys take shaving really seriously. I have learned a lot from this site just reading a few of the 100's of articles this site has to offer.
The first and most important thing is shaving doesn't have to hurt. It can be something you actually look forward to.
Don't be so cheap that you cut your face and irritate your skin. Use a fresh blade every 3rd or 4th shave.
And the bottom line. Going Old School and using a DE (Double Edge) Razor and disposable blades can save you money.
www.shaving101.com wrote a really good article on the costs of shaving with canned shave creams and disposable plastic razors vs DE Razors and Quality shave products so I am going to link to it here. http://www.shaving101.com/index.php/education/double-edge-shaving/164-money-magazine-got-it-wrong.html
It can also cost you lots of money because you just might make it a new hobby like the guys who write the site.
After reading this I just spent another $200 on shaving supplies. The guy who dreaded shaving and hated spending a buck a week on a new plastic razor.
But if you just spend the minimum to get a good shave after one year (according to the article) you can save $26 the first year and more than $50 very year after that.
Also if you travel like I do you can't carry on your razor blades, they have to go in checked baggage along with your creams and gels over 3 ounces.
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