This weekend flew by quickly with three three days of watching the Boston Red Sox games in Oakland after having my sister-in-law and her boyfriend stay with us. That leads me into the first of 7 quick hit thoughts I had this week. As always, not all of them are financially related.
- I think my sister-in-law pulled off some frugal moves in her stay. By staying with relatives, she cut down on hotel bills. They shopped at grocery stores and cooked dinner instead of going out. A lot of their trips involved things that didn’t cost a lot of money, like going to Yosemiti National Park and a Disney museum in San Francisco.
- I think that most people aren’t into regional-specific deals, but I’m very happy with my local grocery chain, Safeway, and their new soda line – Refreshe. To promote the drink it was on-sale for 50 cents for a 2-liter… and $3.49 for 24-cans. It looks like the non-sale price is going to be 99 cents for a 2 liter (meh), and $1.25 for a 6-pack (a great everyday price in my opinion).
- I think that Ben Bridge has been airing radio commercials that I can only describe as obnoxious. It starts with a gentleman calling his first promotion and how he celebrated by buying his first Rolex. Then he says that he protects his “investment” (my quotes) by always taking it to Ben Bridge. The commercial closes with the gentleman reflecting on how he’s had quite a few Rolexes, but none of them mean as much to him as that first one.
- I think I’m starting to get excited about football season starting back up. The biggest news this week, as a Patriots’ fan, is that team-hero Wes Welker may be practicing with full-contact like a normal player. He severely injured his knee last year and many experts said he’d miss much of this season.
- I think that the new computer I got recently, has been nothing short of amazing. I have intentionally tried to kill it with over a hundred Firefox tabs, multiple spreadsheets, and by leaving programs that I rarely use open all the time. I haven’t been able to slow it down.
- I think I had the best Saturday… living up to my pen name. My wife and I did absolutely nothing of substance. The closest we came to doing anything was take a 3-mile walk with our dog and watch the movie Bolt. Maybe I’m a child at heart or just a sucker for anything with a dog in it, but I liked the movie quite a bit.
- I think Fresh Choice, a local restaurant chain, that bills itself as being healthy, falls short of its goal. It is all you can eat and I’ve never seen anyone exhibit any kind of portion control there. A lot of the food is pasta and bread-based. I was fine with that, until today, when I realized their “frozen dessert” is not the ice cream or frozen yogurt that I thought it was. The first two ingredients are sugar and corn syrup. The only dairy product was mentioned in the “less than 2%” section. I suppose that’s good for people with no tolerance for lactose.
And here are the personal finance links:
Money Writers:
- Brip Blap focuses on wealth and intelligence.
- Digerati Life talks about developing multiple streams of income.
- Frugal Dad writes saving America’s middle class ““ the return of frugality.
- Generation X Finance offers up a freebie this week. Download his free eBook: Invest Like a Pro.
- Million Dollar Journey explains three types of insurance in deciphering the insurance puzzle ““ II (universal life, disability, critical illness).
- Money Smart Life asks how much house can you afford?
- My Dollar Plan wonders about the effects of the recession on American’s personal finances: how long will they last?
- The Sun’s Financial Diary says to practice contentment to save cash.
Top PF Posts:
- Free Money Finance shares three ways my parents put me on the road to fame and fortune.
- The Smarter Wallet looks into kid summer camps: the cheap and not so cheap.
- Managing Money God’s Way asks how do you know if you are rich?
- One Frugal Girl with too obsessed with money.
- Darwin’s Finance discusses charitable contributions ““ avoid being ripped off.
- Saving to Invest wonders am I saving enough money for retirement and how much you should be putting away.
- Fine-Tuned Finances gives a few debt solutions for severe debt problems.
- Financial Samurai asks should I refinance now? Does a bear poop in the woods?
- Money Smarts blogs on the siren’s call of passive income.
I too am looking forward to football season, but as a Rams fan (still bitter over Super Bowl XXXVI), I am more anxious to see if our rookie QB will have to play this year.
Thanks for the mention…great list.
Greg, I think Bradford will get plenty of playing time this year. I think the experience will be good for him. I’ve heard that the Rams are going to get Terrel Owens… if true, that will make Bradford’s life easier… at least until he explodes and destroys the team like he always does.
99 cents for a 2-liter = 1.46 cents per ounce
1.25 for six-pack (of 12 oz cans) = 1.73 cents per ounce
The six-pack is more expensive, yet you consider its price a “great” deal and the 2-liter price “meh.”
:)
With Bulger gone, I think the door is pretty wide open for Bradford.
My wife’s a Rams fan, so I feel your pain.
At this exact moment, I’m in the city where Kurt Warner played his high school ball.
Dee,
The six pack performs a different purpose… it is travel size.
Also, it is relative… Wal-mart’s Sam’s Choice is 67 cents a 2-liter… another local grocery store is 83 cents a 2-liter.
The $1.25 price for a six pack is slightly better than Wal-Mart’s price which is the best price I’ve seen other than the local military commissary (which isn’t open to everyone).
I’m sure one could make a good case for a reusable cup. If anyone has a suggestion on a good one that keeps soda fresh for traveling… comment with a link.
Or you can be like me, and not mind if the pop is flat or warm. Yesterday I jumped in the car and chugged some Pepsi that had been sitting there all day. That was a bit too warm (HOT) for my taste, though.
National (and even state) parks are an overlooked source of entertainment value. Several years ago, I spent about a week in the Rocky Mountain National Park area. The cost of the actual park pass was peanuts compared to other expense for the trip.
Thanks for the link. As a Bills fan, I’m not sure if I should be looking forward to the season or not!
Mike
No you shouldn’t be looking forward to next season. ;-)