That Time Someone Ran Over My Scooter

Didn't I ever tell you about that time someone ran over my scooter with an SUV? No? Well, it happened about a year ago, in a parking lot. I was doing some errands and scooted on over to Target to pick up the basics: deodorant, some makeup for my wife (don't judge), and a package of toilet paper that I'd have to tie down with bungee cords. I'm always nervous about our scooter getting hit in parking lots, since it kind of hides in a parking space. When going down an aisle, it initially seems like the parking space that our scooter is in is empty, so I can see how a driver might pull halfway into the spot before realizing there's a scooter in there. So I parked in a spot far away from the entrance, and without  a car on either side.

Renters, Utilities, and Moral Hazard

We live in an old house. It was built in 1950, back when cement block was the material of choice here in the Phoenix valley. The little details, like the low pitch roof and the long, skinny windows that wrap around the corner of each bedroom, made us fall in love with the place. We put in our offer the first day we saw it...and then waited over nine months, through a short sale and a foreclosure, to finally close on the house. Those cute little details, unfortunately, are also what keep our energy usage so high.

Rashard Mendenhall is My Hero

I stumbled across an interesting article on ESPN today: Rashard Mendenhall, former running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals, is retiring. The interesting bit is that Mendenhall is only twenty six years old: right in the prime of the typical NFL player's career. The main reaction from sports outlets seems to ask, "Why?" While Mendenhall is not a premier running back, it's likely some team would have wanted the former first round pick to join their stable of backs. Considering the financial consequences of the decision, it's hard to imagine why he would leave this lucrative career. Even role players and bench-warmers make extremely good money: NFL players with six years of experience earn at least the minimum salary of $715,000, not including any signing bonuses. It's possible Mendenhall could have made a good deal more than that: last season he earned $2.5M with the Cardinals.

Rent to Own

Mrs. Done by Forty and I were driving home from a date night earlier this week, when we passed an Aaron's. Aaron's is a rent to own business, like Rent-A-Center, that leases everything from furniture to big screen televisions. I said to her, "We need to close that place down."

"Why?"

"They take advantage of poor people. Rent-to-own places are just like payday lenders: they make their money by exploiting the fact that poor people don't have money available right now."

"Is it that different than what any money lender does?" Mrs. Done by Forty asked.

"Um, no."

Relative Costs

Hi, Done by Forty readers. Work has picked up lately, so I am recycling a post from back in February 2013. The blog got about one reader a day back then, and I am pretty sure that reader was my wife, most days. Sweet as she is, she wouldn't admit it, letting me think at least someone outside the walls of our home was reading my words. But the bottom line is that, hopefully, the post will be new to you. I'll be back with original articles soon.

From madmarv00 at Flickr Creative Commons

I'm writing to you from the island of Oahu, as my wife is attending a conference here and we decided to make a vacation of it. We've hiked a lot, up to Manoa Falls and Diamondhead and along the North Shore, watched the surfers take on ridiculous waves at the Pipeline, rode "Da Bus" everywhere for a surprisingly affordable $2.50 (which apparently includes unlimited transfers), and are trying to get our money's worth out of the snorkels we bought at Target back home. It's been a great time and we still have a few more days to enjoy it all.

The Psychology of a Tax Return

Yesterday morning we got our federal tax refund deposited into our checking account. And at almost $700, it felt great. We used a free e-file program that gave us a pretty accurate estimate of what to expect to get back so it wasn't a huge surprise.  Mrs. Done by Forty and I started talking about some of the fun things we could do with this money: we could put it towards an upcoming vacation, or maybe spruce up the house with a DIY project. But after a while, I had to catch myself and ask: why am I getting excited about our tax return? Isn't it a bit odd? We give the government money that we earned, all year. And then when we get a little of our own money back, it's like we won something: like it's some prize we're lucky to receive. Like Teddy KGB says in Rounders: it's a f-ing joke, anyway. Uncle Sam is paying me with my money.

President Obama Emailed Me About the Minimum Wage

The blog must be getting pretty popular, because recently I started getting emails from President Obama. Pretty cool, right? The economy must be still recovering though, because he's always asking me for money. Dude makes $400,000 a year, but mismanages his pay so badly that he has to ask me to send him money every week. Every time I send him five bucks, I think, man, this is the last time, Barack. But I've got a soft spot for him. I sent him a link to Mr. Money Mustache the other day, but I get the feeling he isn't going to start biking around D.C. or hanging his laundry out to dry on the front lawn of the White House.

BLS Consumer Statistics: What Do They Tell Us?

I stumbled across some Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) numbers the other day, outlining the average amount American household's spending on everything from clothing, to transportation, food, and housing. This is a treasure trove of data for a personal finance nerd like me. As I dug into the statistics though, I found myself getting a little discouraged by the whole thing. Somewhat surprisingly, it looks like the average "Consumer Unit" (what the BLS calls various groups of people living together) is making pretty good money: nearly $66k before taxes. But, unsurprisingly, we Americans are spending almost all of our income. Let's dig into the numbers:

Anchoring My Expectations

Anchoring?

Our time in Hawaii had to come to an end sometime, so yesterday we stepped onto a 767 and woke up back in Arizona. We snorkeled in a sea of fish, hiked on lava rock paths, saw waterfalls and petroglyphs and even an active volcano, and we ate way, way too much. I won't go into all the nitty gritty details of our trip, but if you find yourself hungry in Kona, I highly recommend visiting Broke Da Mouth Grindz (try the Garlic Furikake Chicken...just $9 and enough to feed two people) and Da Poke Shack (and try anything, because all the raw fish is delicious).

Now that I'm back, the next big thing coming down the road is my annual review. This will be my first performance review with my new employer, and I'm not entirely sure what to expect. Normally I would let my mind run wild, day-dreaming of raises and fancy promotions. But after hearing about a friend's recent experience, I am taking a different tactic and throwing an anchor on my expectations. Let me explain: