Thursday, December 13, 2007

December is full of possibilities and a good time to get a start on resolutions

I told you some time back that I rejoined a gym. I'm determined to get my money's worth from the dues I pay. I admit that I got a sweet deal with monthly dues only $24 per month and no initiation fee. Before you ask, no I did not have to sign up for any long term commitment. It has taken a bit of time to get in the swing of things, but this is what I've figured out so far...

If I go three times a week (far under the recommendation of my trainer), it will cost me $2 per visit. That's less than bus fare for one day and equal to two cheeseburgers at McDonald's.

Theoretically, you can loose up to two pounds per week the healthy way, which would equal $3 per pound lost. That's the cost of one weight watchers frozen entree (not on sale.)

I'd also like to go on the record that I learned my lesson some time ago that designer gym wear is a complete waste of money. I am happier with my cheap men's sweat pants and t-shirt. (I choose men's because they are usually $10-$20 cheaper than women's.)

I take my bottled water from home and reuse bottles a few times before recycling them. It's pennies versus $1.25 per visit.

Now you may be asking at this point, "Why doesn't she just get out and walk or bike? It's free." Well, to be honest, some of us need a bit of motivation and I'm willing to pay for that extra push. You may have noticed that I mentioned personal trainer. I'm only paying $10 per session and am only committing to 5 sessions to get me started. The $50 they usually charge is too rich for my blood. The moral of the story? Look for every special and ask if its going to be on special anytime soon!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

I've Been Tagged!

Dawn over at One Woman's Journey has tagged me with a Random Things Meme. I have to admit it's my first meme, so please be patient if I stumble along the way.

Here goes -
1.) I have two cats that I rescued when their original parents ran out of space because of a new baby. I learned very shortly afterwards that I have developed allergies to cats. Go figure. I've had cats all of my life at one time or another. One of them insists on writing my blog with me, but hasn't figured out how to do anything but the hunt and peck method. It takes a bit of time while we argue about whose blog it is.

2.) I asked for my first shares of stock for Christmas when I was 12 years old. My grandfather was really surprised by this, but obliged me and bought 6 shares of Costco at $12 each. (That was a while ago.) Unfortunately, my thirst for personal finance knowledge has been more diligent than my willingness to wait and save.

3.) If I won the lottery (which would be pretty difficult since I rarely play and only in the company pool) I would continue to work. I don't understand people who would "call in rich." Wouldn't you get board?!? I would consider changing jobs.

4.) I wrote my first letter to the editor when I was in the 5th grade. It was to complain about the lack of school funding. Now, I think if only schools had all of the programs they had when I was a kid.

5.) I love taking classes. Photography, belly dancing, wine appreciation, career focused classes, it doesn't matter. I love to learn new things. Unfortunately, people often look to me as a know it all because I'm full of useless bits of information. Just call me Cliff Claven.

6.) Have you ever wondered who chooses school mascots? There are some pretty weird choices out there and many that wouldn't strike fear in a rival opponent on a good day. I've been watching to see who is going to make the bowl games and to be honest I don't get it. It's like if Franklin would have gotten his way and our national bird would have been the turkey. Would that have instilled confidence in our allies during WWII?

7.) Why do prescription medicines have commercials? Most of the time people don't even know what the advertisement is supposed to do for you. Do people really go into their doctor's and say, "I'd like to pay an ungodly amount of money for another prescription so I can brag to my neighbor that I'm taking it."

Bonus random thought for in the PF community. The Feds are lowering the interest rates with the hope of staving off a recession brought on by the sub prime fiasco in the housing market. The mortgage sector is taking advantage of this by offering loans with lower interest rates. Is this really a good decision or are we digging the whole deeper? To really prevent a recession we need to build interest in purchasing domestic products instead of foreign. Let Paris Hilton use her power for the good and start that trend.