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By Katheryn Rivas
So perhaps you’ve been in the same line of work for several years, and you’re craving something different. While throughout most of the 20th century, it was considered perfectly normal to stay the course with a specific company or career path, now, job mobility and flexibility is standard.
Changing careers has become much more accepted, so the only thing holding you back is probably self-imposed thinking that dictates you can’t change tracks. But if you play your cards right, you can indeed make a complete jump into something different.
Online education has grown exponentially in the past few years precisely because it meets the needs of today’s mobile and flexible workforce. It’s generally less expensive and it teaches key skills that align with whatever field you wish to enter. And what’s the best part about it all? An online degree can be completed in the comfort of your own home.
Continue reading Consider an Online Degree For a Change of Career →
By Kevin M
A few months ago a friend of mine was tooling around on our home computers and made a discovery that stunned me.
“Someone else is using your connection” he said, almost casually.
I of course, was anything but casual at the news. “Who would be doing that?” I asked, trying to sound intelligent, but failing miserably.
“Just about anybody with a laptop computer within a couple hundred feet of the house” he answered. “Someone with a laptop in their car parked on the street near the house could do it.”
I have heard this can even be tapped into with a T1 internet connection in some cases.
Have you ever heard news that was so shocking that logic failed you? This was one of those moments for me. I couldn’t think of a series of questions that would glean the information that would put my mind at ease. The implications of what had been revealed that day were so far reaching that I did what humans have been doing for thousands of years upon hearing disturbing news: I put it out of my mind.
Now if you’ve ever read any of my previous posts, you know that I’m a self declared techno-idiot, and I’m not joking about that. The average high school student knows more about computer related matters than I do, so if I make any comments that seem ridiculous, or pose questions where the answer is obvious, just consider the source!
Continue reading How Do You Stop Others From Using Your Wireless Internet? →
By Kevin M
Last Saturday night, we decided to go see Avatar, a highly acclaimed movie that lived up to its billing. It was the first time we’d been to the movies this year, and I’m almost embarrassed to admit that the reason we decided to go at all was that our daughter was at a weekend sleepover, which meant that only my wife, my son and myself would go, saving us money on the fare (OK, she wasn’t really excited about seeing the movie anyway).
Now we live in the Atlanta area, which is a region nearly famous for having a very reasonable cost of living. Despite this, here’s the run down of what it costs to take in a movie in these parts:
Movie ticket: $10.50 per person (seems to go up a dollar every year)
Medium popcorn: $7
Medium soft drink: $5
Box of candy: $5
I can only imagine what it costs to go to the movies in “high cost” areas.
If each person in the family goes for the “full package”—movie, popcorn, drink and candy, the cost is an astonishing $27.50 per person, or $110 for a family of four (a 12 year old is an “adult” at the ticket window)! And we haven’t even added dinner!
Continue reading How to Save Money At The Movies →
The Local Watering Hole as a Financial Bottomless Pit
Kevin M
At the risk of personal safety I’m going to take aim today at an “expense” that may be sacrosanct for some, but that’s exactly why it needs to be discussed.
Jimmy Buffet’s 1977 sentimental favorite Margaritaville tells a tale of a carefree life lived on a warm beach in a perpetual state of inebriation. As appealing as that can be at times, when it’s romanticized into a regular activity at a local bar, the costs can be steep, and we aren’t just talking about money.
For the purpose of full disclosure, I’m a light drinker. I’ll indulge in an occasional beer or glass of wine (or two or three), most frequently with dinner guests, but consumption of alcohol has never been a priority in my life. I can go for months without drinking or sit in a bar for three or four hours nursing soft drinks, surrounded by people drinking the hard stuff. I don’t know if that status disqualifies me or gives me the vantage point of an objective outsider, or if it even matters.
Continue reading Wasting (Money) Away Again in Margaritaville →
By Kevin M
Redeeming Riches has been running a truly good series, 10 Money-Saving Tips to Help You Stash $10,000!, which includes tips in each post on how to accumulate such a pile of cash, one expense at a time. The initial post in the series ran back on February 22nd, and took aim at cutting back on going out to eat as the first tip in the quest.
It’s almost standard fare on the personal finance blogging circuit to take aim at eating out as a rich source of savings, either to build up a bigger bank balance, or to reign in a runaway budget. But how much money can we save by cutting back on this expense?
Running the numbers on eating out
Let’s do some quick calculations to illustrate just how much money we’re talking about.
It costs about $25 for a family of four to buy a meal at a typical fast food restaurant. Averaging just two trips per week totals $50; continuing the pattern each week over the course of a full year comes to $2600.
Continue reading How Much Money Can You Save by NOT Eating Out? →
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General: Any information in regard to money, credit, personal finance, or in regard to any other monetary topic, provided or shared on OutOfYourRut.com is presented for information and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. It is intended to provide general information only and does not constitute personal financial advice in regard to your specific circumstances...MORE-->
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