Ben’s Road Trip

Fun to drive.  Takes lotsa gas, not easy on the pocketbook.  It was nice to be able to see out of the car, the traffic in front of in front of in front of the car in front of me.  I really wanted to drive over a bunch of curbs, berms and off road obstacles but lack of opportunity prevailed.  Definitely have one again as a rental, not sure I would own one personally.  Did not have an mp3 player input.

OK, ok.  I’m waaaay behind in my car reviews.  Bleh!  I was really sick a couple weeks ago and as a result, uninspired.  I had an Impala that week.  For a big boxy sedan, I kinda like the Impala.  I probably would not own one myself, however, I enjoy them more than most of what Hertz sees fit to inflict upon me.  Good pickup, cab forward, plenty of room if you gotz passengerz.  Did not seem to consume a horrible amount of fuel and it cornered very well.  If they give me one again, I won’t ask for another car and add it to my “I won’t drive this” list.

Last week’s car was the Toyota Prius.  I had high hopes since my mom drives a hybrib and raves about it.  I’ve even driven her car and it was pretty cool.  I did not enjoy driving the Prius.  And the gas mileage was not so stellar.  The onboard monitoring system had the average at around 37 mph.  Come on – a Honda Civic was getting this 20 years ago and it’s more fun to drive.  Sorry, but I can’t dignify this review with a picture.

So, I’m spending another weekend in NYC.  I call it taking rest, yet it is counterintuitive to me.  I’m watching the Democratic debate while I chill and get ready to go out.  How can this be restful?

I came in last night, as after a crazy work week.  As disappointed as I am in myself for staying in last night – it was the right thing to do.  I slept in this morning – and I deserved it. Today has been awesome, and it ain’t over yet.

A bunch of people have recommended that I take the ferry ride to Staten Island for the view of the city – today I made it. No fireworks, nothing special, but the view are nice.  I don’t know that I need to go to the Statue of Liberty, or Ellis Island, but we passed by them and I had a great view of NYC.  Today I caught up with a friend that I have not seen in a while, and look forward to seeing again soon.  In a few minutes I’m going to hop on the subway to meet a friend’s brother, and go see a show.  Tomorrow I’m going running in Central Park.  Is this restful?  Perhaps not, then again, it’s a deviation from the norm which is invigorating in itself.

Another interesting note from today – my friend I saw earlier asked me “how do you keep up a social life when you travel as much as you do?”  Quite serendipitous timing as I’ve been pondering this question myself lately.  Perhaps it is more strange than a “normal” social life.  What do I do?  I’ve been at my house a handful of days this year, maybe I’ll get a few more.  Friends have moved all over, and I’m all over.  My “life” has become distributed.  It ranges from 7 hours ahead of me to 3 hours behind me.  The people I care about are in time zones spanning almost half of a day, and I choose to run long days on my own.  How do I keep in touch?  If I’m always in different places how can I have a physical connection with the people I care about when they are distributed around the globe?  I DON’T KNOW!  But I am trying

I’ve always been a fan of the Ford Mustang, I guess this goes with the territory of having one as your first car.  The late model versions maintain a lot of the original charm I remember from my 1965 model.  You can hear the motor growl from the driver’s seat, the shape of the hood from the driver’s seat is familiar, glint’s of chrome reflect light from the outside of the round gauges, and it gets up to “crusin speed” quickly.  Other features retained are perhaps not so great, it has little creaks (which remind me of the 1965 version, the doors are still bulky and rattle when they close, the back end is still very light, and the car is noisy.

I have not completed an official “ratings scale” at the moment so bear with me as I gin one up.  For the Mustang, I think I’d have to say it’s fun to drive, easy on the eyes but I do not think I’d own one.

Driving all night, Josh, Kyle, David and I woke to this!

- Posted by MobiBlogr from mobile phone.

- Posted by MobiBlogr from mobile phone.

Well – the original plan was to get up to Winter Park to mix it up in the mountian bike race.  It appears that the rest of me (this includes all those parts that need to get out of bed) had other plans.  I think this is for the greater good.  I’ve taken on a little extra work for the next couple weeks, and I’m sure if I needed the rest it’s best that I get it now cuz starting tomorrow it’s go time.  On the upside, most of my little projects are getting rounded out to full circle, which translates to more time for riding!  I still can’t quite believe it is July, and travel is only a twinkle in my eye at this point.  So cheer on the fact that I managed a day off, and have the time to get the “squeeks and creaks” out of the bicycles.  Peace out -

The essence of a WHAT?!?!?  Did you just miss something, or are am I giving you another name for a budget?  Yep I said it, spending plan.  What it does for you is help you find the money you keep telling yourself you don’t have by allocating your spending to what is important first.  What happens if my spending totals more than my income you ask?  Then it is time for some difficult questions, about what is important and frivilous, and how is it that you think it is OK to spend more than you make.  Well, for everyone who isn’t upset, disgusted, or just think they know better, I’ll explain below.

The basic premise, is to look at your income, divide into appropriate amounts, and use that money to pay the corresponding categories.  We know we should be saving at least 10% towards retirement, 10% unexpected expenses, 10% long term savings & future goals, and 10% reward/fun money.  A quick bit of math shows that this is leaving 60% of our income covering our commited expenses.  An internet search for The 60% solution will take you to Richard Jenkins concept. 

I think this is a good philosophy, but it challenges the fact that most people are using much more than their 60% for commited expenses.  What suffers is not the fun money, but retirement savings, future goals savings, and unexpected/emergency savings.  This is where the hard questions come in, starting with the two largest expenses most people have, home and car.  Can you really afford the mortgage/rent that is more than 30% of your income, and is your car payment reasonable?

So how can you work out a spending plan?  Start with your income ideally, and allocate percentages as described above for the various categories.  If there is not enough income, consider downsizing those components, or figure out a way to increase your income (I know, both are easier said than done).  Look at this example:

$3000 of take home pay monthly:

• save $300 towards retirement
• save $300 for emergencies (until you have 3-6 months savings set aside)
• save $300 for long term goals and opportunities
• give yourself $300 in spending cash – deduct savings for big ticket special treats for yourself from this category
• the remaining $1800 should cover your fixed expenses, housing, car, utilities etc.

One thing I like to do, is pay these categories, as I get the money.  As I’m paid (weekly) my montly savings amounts divided by four are accounted for the appropriate categories.  This keeps all my savings “on time” and as an added bonus gives me four additional paychecks per year.  Bi-weekly people will get two bonuses/year, unfortunately this deal doesn’t do the same for folks on montly pay.  This way, I truly do pay myself first, all my bills get paid too, and I’m well in touch with whether or not the money is there for a purchase I might be considering.  I have all this automated with my ING DIRECT account (see link below), then I get a little extra since it is an interest bearing savings account.

The Orange Savings Account. Great rates, no fees, no minimums.