This week has been amazing. Since removing World of Warcraft from my computer (and making a couple of other similar changes in my life), I’ve been tackling my responsibilities with a fervor. It’s almost like I’m a grown-up! I’ve been exercising, eating right (mostly), and, best of all, I’ve been writing all day, every day. It’s fantastic.
Sometimes the best way to do the right thing is to actually choose the right thing.
While I’m slaving away on future articles for Get Rich Slowly, here are some interesting stories from around the web:
First, how sad is it that I have to discover a fine thread from the Get Rich Slowly forums via another web site? I was getting caught up at Pocketmint, when I read Karawynn’s post about the conflict between parental generosity and financial limits. Turns out she was inspired to share her story because of this GRS forum thread filled with similar anecdotes.
Flexo at Consumerism Commentary has considered quitting his day job to blog full time, but he’s worried about how to deal with unpredictable income. This was one of my big worries, too. My solution was to focus on frugality, build my emergency fund, and expect the low end of the monthly income fluctuations. (That way a good month is like a bonus instead of a bad month being a disaster.)
At Business Week, Roben Farzad complains that American savers have drawn the short straw. The author notes that by doing everything you were supposed to do, the economy has rewarded you with low savings yields, high inflation, and other woe. Unfortunately, Farzad doesn’t have any solutions, and neither do I. I just cling to the belief that sensible money management will pay off in the long term, and the knowledge that non-savers are struggling even more in this economy.
Finally, Trent at The Simple Dollar has some advice about finding an auto mechanic that you trust. I always take my car to the dealership. I’ve never been too unhappy, but I wouldn’t say I trust them. Kris, on the other hand, has been using the same mechanic for a decade. Hmmm…maybe I should switch.
This article is about Spare Change
This is regarding unpredictable income from blogging. I don’t think it will be an issue at all. Majority of the bloggers who quit 9 – 5 and living a Dot Com Life seem to be doing quite well. Here is an article I wrote about living a Dot Com Life – which got heavy attention and generated huge traffic: Do Not Quit Your Job Right After Reading This Article – http://adawnjournal.com/2008/05/25/do-not-quit-your-job-right-after-reading-this-article/
Cheers.
A Dawn
http://www.adawnjournal.com
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You are taking your car to the dealer? Cars should only go to the dealer when they are in warranty. Once out of warranty, you should find a reliable shop that you trust. I am in the car business and can say with authority that taking your car to a dealer once out of warranty is an invitation to getting fleeced. Dealers thrive on selling up and figuring that you will accept their advice because they are the dealer. Good independent shops will do the work that you need at a reasonable price. That said, the car business in general is full of sharks, so watch out!
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I definitely agree with going to a local independent shop, ONCE YOU FIND ONE you can trust. Good ones do exist, but finding a good one can take some time.
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Now that I’ve started contracting, I’m depositing my paycheck into savings (at ING) and using automatic transfers to “pay” myself. I gave myself a bit of a raise, but the rest will stay in savings to build up my emergency fund.
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I think it’s a good sign that GRS is spreading beyond your influence! Congratulations!
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Dealerships generally charge a fixed price per repair. Your alternator is bad so its X. Your halfshaft is bad it costs Y. In my car removing the halfshaft gives better access to the alternator but do they charge less because it took less time? Nope. I was not happy about that. I don’t go to dealers now. Try and find a good mechanic who charges actual time and materials. Good luck! Love your blog.
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I love your comment about budgeting when your income is irregular: expect the low end of the monthly income fluctuations, so that way a good month is like a bonus instead of a bad month being a disaster. I only wish there was a way to predict when that good month will come.
And congratulations on kicking your addiction to gaming. It made me realize how much time I have wasted playing Solitaire or some other card game when I could have (read should have) been doing more financial housekeeping and planning.
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I had a similar experience with Wii. Only thing is that I didn’t stop playing it completely.
I just started selling my old games on Ebay so that I have fewer games to distract me and make a few bucks in the bargain. So far it has worked out pretty well for me.
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removing world of warcraft from your computer isn’t the adult thing to do, it’s the herculean thing to do. you’re a better man than i, mr. getrichslowly.org/blog.
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I found a FANTASTIC mechanic via Car Talk’s Mechanics Files: http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/ It’s a site where people can recommend (or warn against) mechanics in their area.
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