Wrapping Up 2008 And Plans For 2009

I want to do two things on this post, wrap up 2008 and share my blog plans for 2009.

FrugalNYC 2008

I started blogging regularly in 2008. Much of my motivation had to do with changes in my perspectives and inspiration found from other blogs. I've made two changes to my FrugalNYC blog layout in 2008. The first time on August 19, 2008 and the current format took place on November 12, 2008. I've also joined Twitter, after some hesistation, I joined and have found it very useful (and also time consuming - as I thought). I added an additional blog, FrugalTech, to hold content for all tech related posts I write about.

I've found that the more I write about something the more I understand it. It's like teaching, the more you teach the more you will learn. I will continue to be a student of life and learn from every aspect of my life. I will share lessons I've learned on this blog. I've learned numerous lessons since I started blogging. I have gained a fair amount of readership on my blog along the way, Thank You!. I hope you will continue to spread word of FrugalNYC and what I write about. For an archival record, the most viewed FrugalNYC posts in 2008 are below.

FrugalNYC's Top 10 Popular Posts For 2008

1. Souvenir From The Big Apple
2. How to talk yourself out of any Purchase
3. 10 Free Blackberry Games
4. 10 Free Places To Visit In NYC Today
5. Our Visit To The Queens Zoo
6. Governor's Island
7. Symptoms Of Cold and Flu Season
8. Mandarin Radio
9. Life Lessons Learned From Digging Out A Car
10. Six Random Things About Me

FrugalNYC in 2009

Some of my goals for 2009 for this blog are listed below. Above all else, I want to make sure I provide content that you and my future audience will enjoy. Please continue to spread word about FrugalNYC and please continue to provide me great feedback for improvements and for what you would like to see. My goals for 2009 are:

1. Keep my posts short and to the point - focus on Simplicity.
2. Better utilize Twitter to spread word of FrugalNYC. Please Tweet about FrugalNYC!
   
3. Provide useful content on productivity, motivation, frugality, frugal living in NYC, frugal activities in NYC, and other interest to myself and my audience.
   
4. Continue writing and improve my Central Park Series posts, among other series I will be working on. Possible series include NYC libraries, zoos, NYC shops, restaurants and more.
5. Last but not least, turn pro, and make this income producing - so I can dedicate myself to providing you all with more interesting and helpful tips!
   

I have a lot of work ahead of me, thank you for coming along for the ride and for spreading word of my blog. For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way (guest posts, articles, ideas, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else), feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add this to your RSS reader.

Frugal Friday Tip! Save $2 per call to 411 by using 1800-FREE411 for directory assistance. It will also give you MaqQuest directions to anywhere in the US for free. You just have to listen to a short 12 second ad.

Photo courtesy of ronnie44052

Should You Pursue An MBA In 2009?

Photo courtesy of lumaxart

Pursuing an MBA may be what most people do not want to do right now.  If you are a contrarian, then you know it's the best time to do so!  When everyone is running from something, a contrarian will take the opportunity and use it to their advantage.   It's pretty tough for the average MBA graduate these days.  Those who are still pursuing an MBA degree must feel a good degree of pressure.  With the number of jobs shrinking and debt rising, anyone in the situation could feel like atlas, with the burden of the world on their shoulders.

Why am I writing about this today?  It's the end of 2008 and many people are making long term decisions and resolutions for the New Year!  I think many people may be heading back to school due to the employment climate.  If you can afford to head back to school, it's probably a great opportunity to do so.  Once you receive your degree, the employment opportunity should be better than it is today.  This decision, in my opinion, is both frugal and wise - for long term planning.  Am I thinking about pursuing this?  What do you think?

Before you do pursue an MBA or any other post graduate degree, you may want to ask youself some questions and figure out why you want to do this.  Knowing why you are doing something is the most important step in any long term decision that will affect you and your family.

Asking yourself why you want to pursue an MBA degree before you begin, and finding "Your Right Answer" should be the first step before you start.  Whatever the reason is, whether you want to earn more money, you want to become an entrepreneur, to meet like minded people or any other personal reasons; knowing the answer to why you want to do something is the most important step you need to take.

There are no guarantees in life, that just makes life that much more exciting.  I want to wish everyone good luck and great success in 2009!  Thanks for your continued readership!  I would love to hear your thoughts on this, especially those pursuing an MBA and those who already do.  Follow me on Twitter for additional links to Frugal tips and tricks. If you would like to contribute to Frugal NYC in any way, articles, ideas, posts, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else, feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add this to your RSS reader.

Life Lessons Learned From Digging Out A Car

Photo courtesy of Simon Davison

What did I learn over the weekend when I found myself digging out my car from under a frozen mix of snow and rain? I knew digging out was going to be hard, and almost gave up right at the start. To make things harder, I had my four year old daughter with me and had to make sure she didn't wander into the streets while we tried to get the car door open - she had fun though. So what did I learn from this you ask? Read on and you'll find out.

Begin With A Goal

I started out with a goal in mind, dig out my car without breaking anything. I could dig out the car and end up destroying the windows or side mirrors or doing any number of other damages that can render a car a road hazard. So keeping my goal in mind is the first step. This doesn't mean much, for such a small problem as digging out a car. However, think about a larger problem, such as increasing traffic to your blog or website, and you may realize that it is very important to have this goal in mind at all times. What really helps me to reach my goals is to have a reason to for reaching that goal. In this case, I wanted to drive my wife and daughter to a piano recital a friend was holding later on this day.


Start Small

It's often important to have milestones when tackling big problems. We can even apply this milestone concept to my current situation. My first milestone is to get into the car and keep my daughter out of the cold. I had to chip the ice out of the keyhole, I did this within a few minutes. Then I had to work on the seams around the doorway, I banged on the door a bit to help loosen the ice. It would have been easier if I had a remote starter to heat up the car, so I could attack the problem from both inside and outside, but I did not. So I continued my quest from the outside only. Once I opened the car door and put my daughter into the car, I had reached my first milestone. It was time to celebrate, I smiled to myself and my daughter and asked her to get inside the car to help.


Attack The Problem From Multiple Angles

Now that my car was started and being heated from the inside, I can work twice as fast. My rear defroster is on and helping me melt the ice in the rear windows. The front of the car was being warmed up by the engine. Like all problems we face in real life, having more resources and properly directing those resources to work at its best can make large problems small. Without the heat coming from inside the car, it would probably have taken me over an hour to reach my goal, rather than the 40 minutes. Likewise, provided we have 2 people tackling a problem, the ideal result is to reach the goal in half the time. In the real-world, ideal results are what we shoot for, but often times the final result may not be ideal and we make compromises along the way.


Big Rocks First

Tackling the big rocks first! First ask yourself, what is the big rock in this situation? Tackling the problems using the 80/20 rule, or Pareto's principle is a concept that most people have been taught in school. If you are an entrepreneur, this is probably the most important concept you need to keep in mind. Using the 80/20 rule will make the best and most efficient use of your time and other resources. To apply this principle to my current problem means I should remove the ice that is preventing me from driving the car. The fastest way to do this is not necessarily to remove the biggest chunks of ice first. The biggest chunks of ice would be, the big sheet of ice on top of my car. Removing this ice does nothing to help me get my car moving on the road. Understanding the problem and then tackling it is more important than mindlessly getting into doing the work. So my best bet is to clear up the ice on all the windows that help me navigate. So before you tackle any problem, figure out the answer to the question "What are the big rocks for this problem?" and tackle them first!


Tread Carefully - Don't Waste Your Effort.

In many situations, we get so engrossed in getting to our goal that we forget that some of the minute details are more important than supposedly big chunks of work. Again, this comes back to defining what the big rocks are. In my situation, if I was not careful and just kept banging on the windows to try and clear out the ice as fast as possible, I may break a window. All my efforts would have been for nothing. This also goes for the mirrors, if I broke one of the side mirrors, it would make my car much less drivable and a lot more dangerous to be on the road. So how does this relate to other problems in life and business? If you are tackling a problem and are pounding away at it trying to get to your goal, it's wise to take a break when you are tired. Take a few steps back and look at the big picture. Doing so will help you resolve the problem faster and more efficiently.


Don't Forget Your Environment

Once I cleared all the ice that needed to be cleared, it was time to celebrate. I was glad I didn't give up. I was so happy I had reached my goal, as small as this may be. However, the side mirrors were not totally cleared, I figured, they will clear up as I drive. I drove half a city block and decided it was not a good idea to continue driving. I pulled over and started to clear the side mirrors. I needed to see other cars around me, especially in the icy roads. In business and life, you need to be able to see all your surroundings. If you don't watch your surroundings, you are prone to hit an obstacle or let another obstacle hit you. The music industry faced such a problem when mp3 distribution hit a tipping point. Even now the music industry giants are still falling and stumbling along. Lesson learned, make sure you can see everything coming at you and only then can you prepare for it. It's safer to know what obstacles you are facing than to try and face those obstacles blindly. Once you do know what your obstacles are, it is time to take action. Waiting will only make things worse, especially when it comes to all those "what if" questions.

So what life lesson did I learn? It's a lesson faced by everyone, and it's not limited to digging out a car from over a half foot of frozen rain and snow. If it was, my post would have been called How to dig out of the snow in 5 easy steps. What I learned is how to tackle a problem. Tackling a problem in small steps will make a mountain of a problem into an ant hill, which can be moved one grain at a time. What recent problems have you faced? What lessons have you learned from such an experience? I hope you have enjoyed this post. Thanks for visiting. Follow me on Twitter for additional links to Frugal tips and tricks. If you would like to contribute to Frugal NYC in any way, articles, ideas, posts, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else, feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add this to your RSS reader.

How to talk yourself out of any Purchase

Photo courtesy of Tracy Olson

Several days ago I saw an online ad from Discover Card about the United States being a nation of consumers. The funny thing was, the ad said this was not a problem. When your bills come in, you know this is obviously becoming more of a problem. When you go shopping and you find something great you want to buy, whether it's that new gadget, dress, toy or whatever knick knack, you want it right away right? It is very tempting to buy it right there, so how do you usually respond? Do you buy or do you talk yourself out of it? If you buy it and if this is a problem for you, there is a way to talk yourself out of that purchase.

Why we buy

Most people living in any developed city, not just the US and Europe, are bombarded with advertisements throughout our waking hours. These ads prompt you to buy, buy, buy. I'm sure advertising firms are working on getting these messages into our dreams as we speak. One way to stop these messages is to cut yourself off from the media. The problem is, this is nearly impossible in the information age. After-all, Google built its profit engine on advertising. So what alternatives do we have that can bring you and me to stop the impulsive buying?

Questions to Ask

Below are some general questions you should think about before buying anything. It is far from a complete list, but its something to get you started.

• Is this something you will use everyday?
• If not how often will you use it?
• If you will only use it occasionally or very rarely, maybe its better to share it.
• Do I need it right now or can I buy it later?
• If it's replacing something, what will I do with the thing its replacing?
• What will you do with it once you use it?
• Do I have room at home for it?
• Where will I store it?
• Will it cost me money to store it?
• Can you resell it?
• Will it increase in value?
• How will depreciation affect resale price?
• Can I afford it now?
• Can I afford to pay for it in cash now?
• Will I charge it to a credit card?
• If I am charging it, can I pay the credit card in full?
• Can I lease or rent it at a better price?
• How long are you expecting this to last? If for a lifetime, factor in the price.

I'm not saying you should think about all these questions with every purchase. You should decide what questions are appropriate to ask and when. Once you get into the habit of asking these questions, you may find yourself buying fewer items or at least making better purchasing decisions.

Lack Of Funds Can Help You

We buy because we have the money, or think we have the money, to buy something. Consumer credit has made it easy to make purchases. We've bought cars, homes, clothes and some would argue - new friends. However, as we are seeing from the economic changes, this is all coming to a screeching halt for the majority of people. Banks have halted lending and the governments have stepped in to help prevent a global economic meltdown. The easiest way for us to stop buying is to make money less convenient. That's why you see so many "financial gurus" say, "buy with cash". Yes, that is one answer, but I believe it is only a temporary answer. Most people have formed that bad habit of buying whatever they want, because credit is so easy. Using cash would limit that "easy going attitude".

Make It A New Habit

The best thing you can do for yourself and the economy is be more responsible in your purchases. Ask yourself questions whether you really "need" the item or "just want it", whenever you find yourself opening up that wallet. If limiting your purchases with cash only purchases works for you, do this for the short term. Once you get into the habit of asking yourself if you should buy something, before you plunk that cash down, you will be going in the right direction. Once you form your new habit, it can make your life and finances more fruitful in the long run. You will soon ask the same questions when purchasing using credit. As for what questions you should ask yourself, that all depends on your current needs and wants.

I've fallen victim to the easy purchase problem from time to time. I'm usually very good at not buying things right away. Usually asking if I need it right now or can I buy the item later. What about you? Have you changed your buying habits lately? Do you use less credit and more cash? Follow me on Twitter for additional links to tips and tricks. If you would like to contribute to Frugal NYC in any way, articles, ideas, posts, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else, feel free to contact me via email.

I'll be taking a break from posting to both Frugal NYC and FrugalTech for the Thanksgiving holiday and resume posts on December 1 for Frugal NYC and December 2 for FrugalTech. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Chinese Proverb About Money

A friend recently sent me a chain letter called Chinese Proverb. Personally, I think email chain letters are a waste of resources. This one however felt inspirational and instead of forwarding it on to everyone, I figured I can share it with my blog readers instead. So here it is.

ABOUT MONEY

• With money you can buy a house, but not a home.
• With money you can buy a clock, but not time.
• With money you can buy a bed, but not sleep.
• With money you can buy a book, but not knowledge.
• With money you can buy a doctor, but not good health.
• With money you can buy a position, but not respect.
• With money you can buy blood, but not life.
• With money you can buy sex, but not love.

I hope you have found this to be inspirational and motivating. We all need a reminder about what is really important from time to time. In our busy modern day lives, we tend to lose focus.

Pay it Forward

I read a very motivating post by Leo from Zen Habits about helping other people which ends up helping yourself in the long run. For anyone not familiar with Zen Habits, I highly recommend a visit. In this recent post, Leo not only talks the talk, but walks the walk by turning his post into a Pay It Forward message.

I find this kind of thinking and action especially motivating in the world we live in today. Considering the US economy is melting down as a result of a greedy few, or so we are told. I will write my opinion of this mess in a follow-up post to anyone interested. Getting back to Leo's post, his motivation is everyone's benefit. Being a techie, who communicates well (or so I'm told), I will be doing the following in the next couple of weeks and will put up specific directions for those in the NYC area.

• Free basic Computer training in a small group environment
• Free hour of technical support to all personal pcs. I cannot do this for Business pcs for numerous reasons I won't go into here.
• Free classes in PC troubleshooting. Teaching someone to fish is better than giving them one free meal. If you are thinking of going into the pc tech field, I will offer my advice and mentor you in any way I can.

I may add other items, so check back on this post if you are interested. As I commented on Leo's post, I will do all I can to help others in his call to arms (I don't think Leo will like this expression).

If you are interested in my offers, leave me a comment and I'll get back to you ASAP. I hope you are motivated to help others in your own way as well. I hope you will all Pay It Forward.