I can't begin to tell you how great these past six months have been, participating in this contest. I know it sounds cheesy and obligatory, but I think all four of my competitors completely deserved to win.

I unfortunately did not get a couple videos I wanted to get up on time, but hopefully I'll be done soon to post them on my own personal blog. If you'd like to keep up with me it'd be an honor.

You can find me at ABluesICanWhistle.blogspot.com. It's just a site where I post things that are on my mind or art that I'm enjoying.

You can also keep up with us in Moscow at RhodesToMoscow.blogspot.com.

Thank you for keeping up and voting. I consider it an privilege to have even been involved in all of this. I'm not one of those people who wins (or becomes finalists) in contests (although I may already be a winner in the Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes...... overdone??).

Thank you so much for the fun. I've learned a great deal about finances and have grown so much from the wisdom of the other finalists. Beth and I hope to continue our spending habits and further implement the advice and encouragement we have received.

THANKS AGAIN!

When Beth and I got married, we (especially myself) were still very new in the area of finances. I had a checking account since beginning college, but I didn't know much more than that. Even then most of my time using that checking account involved soaking it up until I was as close to overdrawing as possible (sometimes going a little too far) and then deposit my next check. It wasn't a great cycle to be in, but that's how I made it through college.

Looking back, I feel like there are a few books that would have done a great job at introducing me to the financial world, if not helped me keep a little more dough in my account.

Beth and I received The Wall Street Journal; Complete Personal Finance Guidebook by Jeff D. Opdyke as a wedding gift. This was an incredible introduction to personal finances. Aside from blenders and grillers and etc., this was one of the best gifts we could have received in the long run. We still refer to this book often. The book gives basic understandings of insurance, stocks, different investment options, and so on. This book is perfect for the college student/newlywed who needs a basic course on all things money! It's nothing especially in-depth, but a perfect primer.

The second book, Easy Money by Liz Pulliam-Weston, is another great read on differeint tips and tricks to simplifying your finances (as mentioned on the book cover). Phil's review has more detail, but it's an excellent book. She covers the gamut of finances as well, all showing very simple and doable things to save money. Her advice is incredibly timely.

Are there any financial books you'd recommend?

Thanks for the link!

Back when we were submitting our six month goal for this contest, I naively conjured up a number. I had a decent idea of what we could do, but with my rough budget I had made and some wrong ideas, I anxiously and hurriedly entered $6,000. The very next day, after sitting down and making a more complete and detailed budget with Beth, I got a little nervous. Scrach that, very nervous.

Upon looking at our actual budget, it not only showed that our current spending habits would make it difficult to reach $6,000 in six months-- it showed that it would be pretty much impossible. We seriously had to address our areas of spending that were not completely necessary.

But somehow, we made it. We cut some areas tremendously and we struggled in others (*cough* eating out *cough*). We loved every minute of it, and really expect our savings adventure to continue. Especially at our current economic status, it couldn't have come at a better time.

We are nearing the end of the contest-- this is the last week of posting. I'll try to have at least a few more posts up before all is said and done.

Good Job!

Good point!

You know you can't announce

So while brainstorming different video ideas at the beginning of this contest, there have been a few that never ended up happening. One video idea involved me going to random stores and trying to pay with board game money. Of course it would have been a joke and would have only served as an example of what not to do. But guess what-- it worked!!

Not on me, at least, but there's a woman in Denmark who tried this very thing at a bank and was successful!

According to The Local:

A woman in Denmark played a high stakes game last week when she successfully convinced a bank to exchange bills worth two thousand "kronor" in Swedish Monopoly money for a quantity of real Danish money.

But the 61-year-old may be left needing a "get out of jail" card after a second attempt to exchange the toy cash backfired.

The fraud attempt began on Thursday, when the woman entered a branch of the Nordea bank in Svendborg and handed over two fake bills. When the teller failed to spot that the Swedish bills were far from authentic, the woman walked away from the counter with a cool 1,400 Danish kroner ($240), local newspaper Fyns Amts Avis reports.

Branch manager Ulrik Feveile Nielsen told the newspaper that an inexperienced staff member had been manning the cash desk at the time.

"As long as humans are involved, mistakes will happen," he said.

But rather than quitting while she was ahead, the woman had another roll of the dice and returned to the bank the following day with a further eight thousand "kronor" in Monopoly money.

This time staff were wise to her ways and immediately reported the matter to the police.

When placed under arrest, the woman claimed that a third party had forced her into the fraudulent exchange attempts.

-----------------------------

I especially love the part about the staff member being "inexperienced."

How inexperienced do you have to be to miss this??:

As you can see, the similarities are slightly lacking.

The moral of this story is this: Don't try to pass of your board game money as the real thing. Unless you're in Denmark. Or if McDonald's has their Monopoly contest. It's always worth a shot.

While training for Russia, I've been finding ways of subtly letting people know about my involvement. I definitely tell people that I know, but I've been creative about getting the word out there. Here are a couple white boards I've been hijacking-- one outside an auditorium and one outside a cafeteria:

I promise I had nothing to do with that joke.

No, you didn't read that incorrectly. I was interviewed for an article in the New York Times.

In an article entitled Days of Wine and Roses Are Over This Valentine’s by Jennifer 8. Lee, there's a little blurb provided by yours truly. And although it's small, it was incredibly fun to be a part of. Where I'm currently living my cell phone reception is spotty at best, so you can bet that I was carefully guarding my phone in anticipation of the call.

It was a fun interview and was very conversational. Needless to say I was sweating bullets during the interview and had to change my pants after it all. But it went incredibly well.

Valentine's Day always sneaks up on me. Always. I'm still recovering from Christmas!

I have to admit that in the past I tend to take the easy route when it comes to gift giving-- I send flowers to Beth's work, take her out to eat, get her something really girly. It's a system that is sold to you. It's the way Valentines Day works according to advertising companies.

But over the past year or so, Beth and I have been doing things a little differently. Last year we were forced to be different. At that time I was working second shift, so we didn't have much of a chance to do anything. We got each other some creative gifts (Beth got me the Die Hard trilogy!!! How awesome is that?? Pretty manly of a gift if you ask me).

This year we have set out to be more creative and more personal. For instance, Beth always loves it when I get her something personal that she doesn't realize I knew about. It always surprises her. For instance, I'm planning on getting her something Russian-related (like boots or a coat).

Here are some other things that I've done in the past that are really frugal but meaningful to do:

Make a Mix Tape! - Phil's financial blog mentions this. I don't mean to steal it, but it's something I've always done. When we first started dating I did it almost every few weeks--just because I enjoyed it so much. You can make them incredibly personal and meaningful. They are a blast to make too! Let me know some of your favorite "love" songs. :-)

Home Cooking - Now this is definitely not my strong suit, but part of that makes it all the more meaningful. Beth know's I stink at cooking, but it means a lot to her when I make attempts to. Most of the time they end in failure (like this picture of stew I tried to make), but I still get an A for effort.

Make Your Own Card - How much is construction paper, markers, and glue? Have you and your significant other make your very own Valentines Day cards. It's fun and adds a huge personal touch. Beth used to make me some really neat notes back while we were dating, and I have a few that I still look at to this day.

Go To Wal-Mart and Set a Limit - Beth and I have done this in the past. Go to Wal-Mart (or Target) and set a shopping allowance (we usually did 5 dollars). Both set out to find something for each other. This is fun-- especially if you have a time limit and know what the other person needs. When we got our used car Beth bought some handy car gadgets.

This is a rather short and lame list. I hope you have a great Valentines Day, married, dating, single, it's complicated, or whatever. Don't let the materialism get in the way of showing love to the people in your life. And don't limit showing your love to only one day.

But most importantly: Beware the Ides of February, it's good practice.

I’m really glad that tap water is cool again.

Do you remember that time, back in the day, when some companies thought up this really grand idea of selling water in bottles alongside soft drinks? They thought of this incredible scheme of bottling water, maybe from a spring (to make it sound more natural), maybe not, and treating it like a better alternative to your very own tap water. And would you believe-- it worked!

Now I think we’re finally seeing the waste that bottled water can be (both environmentally and financially). Unfortunately, it took an economic recession to open our eyes.

I was never a fan of bottled water. Initially it was simply because I’m a cheapskate. Why spend $1.00 on a bottle of water.? Throughout my years renting an apartment and living in a home with my wife, our average water bill was around $15 - $20. Gallons upon gallons of water used to wash dishes, clothes, teeth, bodies, etc. etc. was only $20 a month.

But that hasn't stopped people from buying bottled water. Sales have tripled in the past ten years and make up a four billion dollar a year industry. People spend 240 to 10,000 times more per gallon for bottled water than for tap. And why, exactly?

Common Misconceptions of Bottled Water Vs. Tap Water:
- Bottled Water Tastes Better: This is something I’ve personally heard, and I’m just not convinced. There have been studies that have gone both ways but I just don't think there's that big of a difference. I Perhaps it’s our own mind playing tricks on us—a placebo effect. Our brains make it taste better to us because we picture these pristine springs in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, or the Andes Mountains, or Fiji. Or somewhere that sounds really nice and pretty.
- Cleaner and More Healthy Than Tap Water: Not true—at least here in America. Sadly there are many countries (much of the world in fact) where it is recommended to use bottled water over tap water for health and sanitation reasons. It’s heartbreaking to hear that millions of people die every year just because of unhealthy water. We are blessed to not have to worry about death every time we take a drink of water from our tap.

On the same note, and something more shocking, bottled water may not necessarily be healthier than tap, and many times it isn’t. According to a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council 60-70 percent of bottled water is exempt of the FDA’s strict guidelines if the bottled water is packaged and sold within the same state. Check out the article and you’ll be surprised by what you see. It is very clear that our own tap water requires a stricter inspection and health regimen than bottled water.

Ultimately, either way you go is okay. I do think it’s more fiscally and environmentally responsible to go with tap water, but I do not think of anybody to be more selfish or materialistic just because they do purchase bottled water. But I do think that if you’re doing it purely for reasons of sanitation, the evidence just isn’t there that bottled water is better. I personally believe that tap water with a filter is as good as or better than bottled water any day. Of course there are exceptions to everything, but I believe overall you’ll be fine whichever way you go.

Beth's wedding dress was gorgeous. Absolutely incredible. I can't believe how amazing it was. I was surprised to hear Beth ask me one day back in November if I wanted to go to the mall with her to meet someone who wants to buy her dress.

I guess it makes sense; Beth isn't going to use it anymore, and we could pass it on to our kids but by that time it will probably be pretty ridiculous looking (fashion has a weird way of doing that). So Beth pretty much decided that it's just taking up space in her closet, and the sooner we sold it the more money we could make.

But I was surprised--Beth had decided to do this all on her own, and even though it was a practical thing to do, I felt like she was making such a sacrifice for us.

That's just one of the many things we've sold in this whole packing/moving process. Here are some other proud moments!

* I sold my iMac! This was definitely a help-- after I got the macbook pro I was in some serious need of dough. We were able to earn most of what we spent back. I missed seeing her go, but it was something that needed to be done. And I sold it to a co-worker, which made things so much easier.
* I sold my Jetta! It was definitely a last-minute thing, but we were able to sell it the day before we left Atlanta! And boy was that a blessing. That was definitely something that worried us a lot. (You may see my percentage spike a little-- it's because of this :-) ).
* We sold various boxes of books at "Books For Less." We probably only earned about $30, but everything helps.
* On Craigslist we were able to sell old vhs tapes, records, and so on!

All in all it's been very worthwhile. And if you or anybody you know is in need of a gray loveseat, let me know!

wedding dress.

Thanks!

Good job, Tim & Beth!

Things have been more than hectic around here--I've been meaning to post a note about it for the past couple weeks now. Beth and I have been given the opportunity to work in Moscow for the next two years. We're both very excited (and a little stressed) for the opportunity. We didn't expect it to come quite so soon, but have been wanting to for some time now.

On January 26th we will travel to Richmond, VA to train for 2 months (language, etc.) and we should be in Moscow by April 9th or 10th.

The good news is that this job change will not affect the contest in any way. Except hopefully you'll see my percentage go up faster soon!

Since quitting we've been packing, moving things, figuring out where things are going to stay for the next two years, trying to sell a car (but fixing it first), and so on. It's been a whirlwind, but everything is working out. We've been able to make (and save) some money through it all--mostly little things, but it all adds up. In the near future I'll share some of those times where we've earned some money.

Awesome!

news