Mon 30 Apr 2007 – 10.49
I am constantly in awe of how much food costs, even at the grocery stores. Every week, when I drop close to $40 on food, I wonder “is there a cheaper way”. Yes, it seems there is.
The couple behind the blog Protoshell have put themselves in the middle of an experiment to see if they could cut there food spend to $20/month. Unfortunately, their cure is nearly as painful as the sickness — who wants to go back to eating Ramen and plain rice? Desperate times and all, but cmon, that’s not really surviving if one’s liver is fighting a constant battle against your salty-and-starch diet.
posted by Scott in health & fitness, personal finance.
Fri 27 Apr 2007 – 9.00
Somehow I didn’t notice, but this site looks awful! Did anyone notice that half the text is off in the margin and nothing is aligned properly. Why did no one tell me?
If you’re reading this in some sort of RSS reader, there will be no problems. Also, it displays fine in Safari, which is why I never noticed. And of course your iTunes podcast feed will be unaffected.
Bear with me, folks.
And don’t worry, this weekend I’ve got lots of blogging to catch up on.
Update:
I’ve solved the problem, it had to do with the post of that YouTube video on “How to Break Up With Your Girlfriend”. No idea why the video wouldn’t embed in the first place, but the link made things double sticky. Enjoy.
posted by Scott in this website.
Mon 23 Apr 2007 – 10.46
From SingleGraincomes a cheeky list of ways that Prison is similar to the workplace. I think the main difference, not mentioned, is that you get to go home at the end of the work day!
I remember recently seeing something comparing prison life to dorm life. That has more parallels because you live in that little box. In grad school, we called our rooms “cells”, although that was a dual reference to monks, as well as inmates.
posted by Scott in careers, life.
10 Tips for Being a Better Office Worker
Thu 19 Apr 2007 – 23.08
I figure, if you gotta work, might as well be good at it. Here are a series of tips for maintaining office peace, both internally and outwardly. Here’s a sample:
3. Be honest with your coworkers, but not too honest.
Read the List Here
posted by Scott in careers.
How Much Does it Cost to Lose 30lbs?
Wed 18 Apr 2007 – 22.43
On twentyhood, the subject of health and fitness hasn’t really been talked about in great detail. But for all of you trying to slim down a bit for the pending summer (ie, all of us), here’s a bit of numerical fancy from our friends at The Consumerist.
Weight Watchers turned out to be the cheapest, but still with a hefty price tag. I won’t ruin the rest for you.
posted by Scott in health & fitness, personal finance.
Mon 16 Apr 2007 – 13.36
Finally, brains are the most important feature for attracting a mate. At least according to the new-and-growing group of urbanites who are sick of the conventional dating scene which has become a bit Discover Channel as of late.
From the Washington Post comes the story of how more and more singles are giving up the club scene to hang out that Library or museums for intellectual romps and possible romance:
In New York and other northeastern urban centers, including Washington and Boston, gray matter is the new black of the hip social scene. Thousands of young singles and couples are eschewing the perfunctory dinner and a movie for a growing circuit of late-night museum prowls, Oxford-style debates with pre-feud cocktail parties and book readings with cash bars and after-hour bands. In New York, even spelling bee nights have popped up as a romantic twist for the chic, unmarried and grammatically gifted.
Ok, how can I join?
posted by Scott in education, relationships.
Saving for Retirement? Me Neither.
Fri 13 Apr 2007 – 22.30
Yes, I know it’s a good idea, but it’s just so hard to put away that cash when things like groceries stare you in the face every week.
From CNN Money comes the tale of how most people have less than $25,000 in savings — the key figure for retiring. This article has a lot of numbers in it, including some online calculation devices. Never too early to start thinking about eightyhood, or something.
Predictably, the youngest workers (ages 25-34) dominate this group - 68 percent of them have less than $25,000 earmarked for their later years. But so do half of workers age 35 to 44 and a third of workers age 45 to 55 and over.
Yea, we at twentyhood are defilly in the category. Here’s an even scarier reality:
All but the lowest earning men should have accumulated in a nest egg 12 times their income by the time they retire, EBRI estimates. That’s $900,000 for a man earning $75,000. A woman, because of a higher life expectancy, should have 14 times her income.
If you have the stomach, check out the article here
posted by Scott in life, personal finance.
Thu 12 Apr 2007 – 13.31
From The New York Times comes a cool little web-based calculator to determine whether it’s better economically to rent or to buy. Most people would say it’s a no brainer - buy, but depending on the rates and the growth and all that, it may not be the case. There was an article a while back in the Times saying how real estate in New York and San Fran was in fact overpriced and it was mathematically better to rent.
Unfortunately, the sad truth is that most New Yorkers can’t afford to buy so they don’t have a choice.
posted by Scott in personal finance, real estate.
Sat 07 Apr 2007 – 16.23
Following the most recent episode comes this article from Newsweek about the cottage industry of productivity consultants.
There’s no single statistic that illustrates the increased focus on productivity, but lots of anecdotal data points. Attendance at time-management seminars is rising.
Are they worth the cost if they can boost your output? Is this business consulting run amok?
Read the article to find out.
posted by Scott in careers.
Is iTunes changing the way 20-somethings watch TV?
Thu 05 Apr 2007 – 8.33
Short answer, yes.
“At home my parents have Tivo,” says Mark, also at Illinois. “We kind of use iTunes as a Tivo substitute here, we all put in money towards a season, and then we watch the shows together when we get a chance.”
posted by Scott in movies & media.