New Low Cost Alternative To Flying - Kind Of
It’s been a while since I’ve road a bus somewhere. From what I recall, the experience wasn’t that great. The tickets were a bit pricey and I arrived at my destination about 30 minutes late. If I have to go anywhere more than 5 hours away these days, I typically fly. This may soon change.
A new bus service has just started offering low cost travel between a few major cities on the east coast. Boltbus, a division of Greyhound, is now selling low-cost tickets in an interesting auction-like format. The tickets will range in price from $1 to $25 dollars. The price you pay depends on how early you get the tickets before your trip. Unlike typical bus service, these buses don’t leave from a station. They leave from a predetermined location in each city. The buses even sound quite nice. All buses will have power outlets and Wi-Fi access, and some buses will be equipped with leather seats.
Currently the buses travel between New York City, Washington, DC and Philadelphia. Starting in April, that list will expand to include Boston.
Would you consider taking a bus on your next trip if the round trip cost was a mere $2?
Beer Prices On The Rise
I like beer!
Though I may be drinking a bit less in the coming months. I stopped at the beer store this afternoon and found that the price of most 6 packs has increased about $1. Other micro brews - in larger bottles - have also increased in price.
This all comes on the heels of ethanol production. The price paid for both corn and wheat has increased. Thus, more farmers have switched their crops over to either corn or wheat. I can’t say I blame them since the cost of fuel has increased and is now cutting into their profits.
In the meantime, production of hops is down and the cost to acquire it has gone up. This is putting a squeeze on all brewers - even the larger ones.
Perhaps it’s time to acquire a taste for cheaper beer. Lets hope that grape growers don’t uproot their vines to grow corn or wheat.
Cleaning Out The Mailbox, Saving Companies Money and Reducing Waste
Who sold my information?
That’s a question my wife and I often ask each other. Several times a week, or so it seems, we receive a new catalog from some company — JCrew, LL Bean, a random home furnishings store we’ve never heard of. It’s always fun to look through them and pick out what we would buy if we were trying to get back into debt.
The point is, we don’t need all these catalogs we never requested. And so we’ve tried to put a stop to them by calling some of the companies and requesting that we be taken off the mailing lists. Yeah, right - it couldn’t be that easy. Catalogs still flood our mailbox.
Being amateurs of the “remove our names from your mailing lists game,” we failed to get the results we expected. So it appears that we’ll have to enlist the help of a professional. In this case, that professional is Catalog Choice, a free service that helps you get your name removed from mailing lists. The process seems simple: sign up, find the catalogs you no longer want to receive and sit back and see (or in this case, you won’t see) the results. As a bonus, if you continue receiving unwanted catalogs after you use the service, they will follow up with the merchant.
So I’m off to sign up for Catalog Choice.
In a follow up post, I will review the process and the effectiveness of this service. Wish us luck!
Disdain For The Federal Reserve Interest Rate Cuts
How can so many people be excited about the latest fed cut? You know, the one that lowered the federal funds rate 0.75 percent? Sure, this helps banks borrow money at a cheaper rate. It allows banks, if they choose, to pass on the savings in the form of lower interest loans. But it does nothing for me, the person trying to save money for a home.
While my money sits in a high-yield savings account, the interest I make on it keeps going down. If this trend continues, I’m not sure the account will qualify as so-called “high yield” if there’s another rate cut. Everywhere I turn for news, I read that people are worried about inflation–which, to me, seems to be a legitimate worry. The cost of gas, utilities and food continues to rise — there’s no doubt about that. And in turn people are reeling in their discretionary spending and focusing on putting gas in their cars and food on their tables. Yet the Fed continues to cut rates and increase the money supply.
I understand what the Fed is trying to achieve by lowering the federal funds rate, but I don’t necessarily agree with it. These actions seem to encourage companies to continue the risky behavior that got them in this mess in the first place. I believe it sends an entirely wrong message: “Go ahead and do what you want — we’ll bail you out again.”
I’m most peeved that the government seems to have turned their backs on those that have been responsible with their money. Why should I have to pay for the foolish decisions made by others? I think the economic landscape will get a lot worse before it gets better. My guess is that the credit card industry is next in line for problems, i.e. more people will begin using credit cards to make monthly payments just to keep their heads above water for a little while longer.
Why You Shouldn’t Depend On Someone Else To Make Your Investing Decisions
You should always do your own research when you invest in the market. Never trust a TV personality to tell you what you should do with your money.
Delayed Forms, Procrastination And Taxes
Tax preparation isn’t a whole lot of fun, but I don’t have to tell you that. In years past, I’ve been able to pull things together in a fairly short amount of time. This year, for whatever reason, has been a completely different story. I guess a combination of late forms and procrastination has delayed the entire process.
At last - I can finally say they’re ready to be shipped off to the CPA.
The whole process has put the spotlight on my less than stellar business record-keeping. I’ve been meaning to get everything that pertains to the business imported and categorized in Quicken. Doing that will allow me to easily get the information together that my CPA needs. It would also allow me to track my business expenses a little more closely.
I have a complete and efficient system for my personal expenses and accounts. The business accounts need the same thing. I guess I know what I’ll be working on next week - or maybe the following week.
Anybody have tips on getting started with a proper system for the business?
ING Lowers Orange Savings Account Interest Rate Again
Once again, ING has lowered the interest rate if its Orange Savings Account. The rate has changed to 3.10% APY. This is a 0.3% reduction from the previous 3.40% APY. Though it seems unlikely, the interest rate for the Orange Savings account could move lower if the fed decides to reduce the benchmark rate at their March 18th meeting.
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About
Just Squeaking By is a blog about my personal finances and my quest to get them in order. Read more about Just Squeaking By
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