Today was the first time since January 2008 that I went to the gym before going in to work. No, this wasn’t the end result of a well-laid plan to begin waking up earlier and getting my workouts in during the AM hours instead of when I get back from work each evening. I just happened to wake up early this morning and felt like going to the gym would be a good use of my time. And, as always, this trip provided some interesting observations on my gym.
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Motley Fool’s Unhealthy Obsession With Sirius XM
Over and over again I’ve said on this blog that I am both a consumer of and a shareholder in Sirius XM
Yet, whenever I check what the online financial media is saying about Sirius XM
The latest article was posted up on MSNBC’s website and it talked about how Sirius XM
Satellite-radio competes for my ears with my Apple iPod and its dedicated car jack, my custom-burned CDs, and with a host of new mobile applications, including Ford and Microsoft’s Sync. And with other automakers experimenting with putting routers in their cars that could stream free Internet radio, Sirius’ competition for luxury dollars is increasing.
And satellite radio is very much a luxury. A past subscriber myself, I found my use waning in the months following a cross-country trip. As use fell, I found defending the monthly cost difficult — and that was before the economy cratered, when luxury spending was easier to justify.
First, just because your ears have multiple listening options, that doesn’t apply to everyone. I’m glad that you can afford a car with a dedicated jack for your iPod. I – and a great deal of Americans who are struggling in the current economy – cannot afford this luxury. Second, I’m glad that your new, expensive car has either a router or Ford/Microsoft’s Sync program. The 2000 Civic that my Mom just gave me doesn’t have those options. Neither did the 1999 Chevy Blazer that I donate to charity at the beginning of the month. Maybe the next used car that I buy will have a fancy feature or two, but again – the vast majority of Americans can’t afford these cars with all of these bells and whistles that you apparently can afford.
Need proof? Isn’t the domestic car industry in the crapper? Exactly.
It’s a shame that this writer’s cross-country trip is used as one of the driving factors in his purchase of Sirius XM
For me, Sirius XM
However, as a shareholder I have a serious problem with Motley Fool publishing around 10 negative articles on Sirius XM
If this company dies, it will be in no small part thanks to the one-sided, arrogant comments by online groups like Motley Fool.
Top 5 Ways to Spend Less During the Holidays
Christmas and Hanukkah are rapidly approaching and there are thousands of shoppers who plan on invading the stores over the next ten days to go shopping for the folks on their gift lists. If you’re one of the unfortunate few who have hours of hectic holiday shopping ahead of them, you may want to keep the following money-saving tips in mind as you search for the perfect gift. Bear in mind that these suggestions are in no particular order and that any of these suggestions may rank higher on your personal list.
- Shop Earlier! By far, the best thing that you can do to lower your expenses during the holidays is to shop earlier. Yes, there are Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday deals, but if you want to save the big bucks, then you need to start shopping extra early. How early? Try the days following Christmas! After the holiday has come and gone, most retailers slash their prices up to 75% (and sometimes more) on holiday items. This is the perfect time to pick up next year’s holiday cards and decorations at bargain basement prices. You can even stock up on some smaller, generic items like gift tags and bows. If done right, you can spend a few bucks at the local Wal-Mart and come home with enough of these minor items to last a few years – eliminating these costs for the foreseeable future.
- Shop Smart. We are blessed to live in the age of the internet – so use it to your advantage! While it is unnecessary to make all of your holiday purchases online, doing so might save you some cash. The real money-saving lure of the internet, though, is the ability to “shop around” from the comfort of your own home. Use the internet to create a shopping strategy and to compare prices. Check to see if the electronics super store can beat the wholesale club or the big box discount store for the digital camera that your brother wants. Once you’ve found the lowest prices on all of your gift list items, map out a strategy for your shopping day. Remember, saving money also means eliminating redundancy in your traveling. There’s no reason to spend more on gasoline because you didn’t pre-map your shopping excursion.
- Make a list. And check it twice! One of the textbook strategies to reduce your expenses at the store is to make a list of what you want to pick up at the store and stick to it. If you are going to a store to buy a specific video game or DVD set, then retrieve the item, pay for it, and move on to the next store. The longer you stay in one store, the more likely you are to pick up an extra few items. As an additional point on lists – be sure to ask those who are on your gift list what they want the most this holiday season. There’s no use in buying Mom a new set of lamps for the living room when she really wants a new luxurious bathrobe and spa set from JC Penney.
- Re-gift. I should have named this point “have no shame in your game” since that’s the core point. Remember the under the kitchen cabinet combination CD player and radio that you won at the office party? Since you’ll never have a use for such an item you may as well wrap it up and send it off to Aunt Tillie. The point here is that if you have unopened, unused items that you really don’t want and are worthy of being given as a gift, then you can save considerable amounts of money by using the art of re-gifting. Be careful, though. You need to keep your re-gifting worlds separate. Take items that you receive from co-workers and give them to family members and then use items from family members as gifts to friends, etc. When re-gifting, always be sure to maintain a separation between your various social groups.
- Pay in cash. While the economy continues tying itself into knots, the major financial institutions are becoming more restrictive with their credit card policies. Some people are waking up and finding that their interest rate has jumped while their credit limit has been decreased. If you are paying for your gifts in cash or with a debit card, then you do not run the risk of having to pay an increased interest rate over the next few months while the market figures itself out. Part of being aware of which items you can pay for in cash is understanding that you may need to restrict your spending this holiday season. In these uncertain economic times, it is important to keep your financial house in order. Sometimes, to keep your own house in order you need to restrict your spending – even during the holiday season. If there is a silver lining in restricting your spending this year it is that there is a strong chance that the people who are buying you gifts are doing the same thing.
These are just a few of the many ways that you can save some money this holiday season. When all else fails, though, remember that this season really isn’t about fancy gifts or expensive trinkets. Family, friends, fellowship, and faith – those are the only things that most people need to enjoy the holiday season. And we’re in luck because they all come free of charge!
The Howard Stern Vacation Schedule
Sometimes I really wish that I was told that Howard Stern and his crew of miscreants would be taking off most of the summer before I purchased my Sirius Satellite Radio
Bear in mind they also took off the first two weeks of July. Ummm…that’s four full weeks off in the summer months. I know that Howard’s brainwashed fans will say that he’s earned the break, but there are many millions more of us who are just fans of the show and feel like they’ve been sold a bill of goods with the Howard Stern gang. We were told about commercial-free radio before he made the jump – we now get frequent 15-minute, non-live content breaks in the middle of his shows.
We were told that the show would be in the studio on the occasional Friday to surprise the audience. Bullshit on that! He spent a few Fridays in the studio when he started Sirius – more than two and a half years ago now.
Then we were told about all of the great content that we’d get after Sirius XM
Before he made the jump, Stern sold us on something like 33 cents per day or 45 cents per day to hear him on Sirius. Okay – then let me pay just the 45 cents on each day that he’s in the building. In August, I would have paid $3.60 to hear Howard and his crew.
I can’t tell you how happy I am that the merger went through. I really do like satellite radio and I really do enjoy listening to the Howard Stern Show. But paying the $14 that I pay each month (tax included) is not worth what I’m getting in terms of service. I hear that with the merger there will be an option to get 50 channels of your choice and pay $6.99 per month. Let’s get that figured out and in motion already!
Exclusive Interview with Jamie Varner
Eddie T and Justin Travis of TBLWrestling.com and XHeadlines.com, respectively, have snagged another big interview. This time they are talking with “Showtime” Jamie Varner – the reigning WEC Lightweight Champion, and one hell of a fighter (he just successfully defended that title over the past weekend).
This is a great interview and one that fans of mixed martial arts will definitely appreciate. Click here if you want to listen to the interview, but bear in mind that this page takes a minute or two to load and once it loads it will begin playing immediately (you can then pause it after it starts).
Enjoy!
