Pseudo-advice. . .

I am naturally drawn to those '10 best. . .' or '20 best. . .' of whatever, whether it be '10 best places to retire' or '5 best cities to find a job', or what-have-you. I'm not sure why I love them so much but they catch my eye and my mouse click at the same time.

Here, though, is the most idiotic 'best of' list I think I've ever seen: 100 Best Money Moves.

The vast majority of these "money moves" involve some form of consumerism, whether it's purchasing the 'best' video camera, obtaining the 'best' rewards credit card, or buying a $350 thermostat to 'save' money on heating and cooling. It's absolutely maddening that marketers are basically advertising to us by pretending to give us money advice!

Here's some advice, and it's free: Save more money. Pay down debt. Avoid ridiculous consumerist 'best of' lists.

Frugal consumerism. . . .

We're constantly bombarded with advertising and enticements to purchase consumers goods. On my commute to work, I must pass at least fifteen billboards hawking everything from new cars to furniture to garden ornaments. I get off the lightrail in the middle of downtown, and walk past Borders Books, Saks Fifth Avenue, and J.Jill before I ever get to the bus stop that will take me to campus.

I'm getting better at controlling my urge to shop---when I do shop these days, I'm paying cash, rather than using my trusty credit card. I'm also learning to be a more discerning shopper, considering not just whether those new boots will look good with my new jeans, but also whether the item will truly add value to my life.

I recently found a website called The New American Dream, which forwards the idea of conscious living and responsible purchasing. The site has a nifty little wallet-card that can help consumers snap out of a consumption-driven frenzy, by asking themselves the following questions:

• Is this something I need?
• Do I already own something that could serve the same purpose?
• Can I borrow one, find one used, or make one instead of buying new?
• Was it made locally?
• Was it made with environmentally preferable materials?
• Was it made with fair labor practices?
• Will it serve more than one purpose?
• Is it made well enough to last a useful ength of time?
• Will it be easy and cost-effective to maintain?
• Will using it require excessive energy?
• Does it come in excessive packaging?
• Can I recycle or compost it when I’m done with it?
• If I’m still not sure, can I wait a month before deciding to buy it?

I'm starting to ask myself these questions at the grocery store (is that packaging recyclable? Is there an option in the bulk section? Are those coffee beans organic, fair trade?), at Target (do I really need another white t-shirt? Aren't my 'old' towels working just fine?), and at the many othe stores I either visit or pass in the course of a day. Asking myself questions such as these on a daily basis creates a new consumer habit for myself, and ultimately results in fewer purchases that I'll regret later.

The new epidemic: Affluenza. . . .

I've been waiting for literally three months for a PBS documentary called Affluenza to become available at my local library. I think when I placed my hold on it, there were 46 people ahead of me! Needless to say, I had totally forgotten about it when I read a post on WiseBread with a link to the documentary on YouTube!

The piece is about 10 years old, which isn't really a problem because the comments about American consumerism still hold true today. Note that in one of the segments, gas is shown at $1.28 a gallon!!! Wow. The most disturbing part, I think, is a segment in which a Disney marketing guru talks about 'owning' and 'branding' children----so they'll buy Disney products rather than some other company's plastic, throwaway toy. Basically, this documentary is a commentary on the U.S. 'earn and spend' mentality, how we got here, and what the consequences will be for our economy and our environment. I also own the book, which I promise to review at some point in the near-ish future.

The documentary has been divided into six parts on the YouTube site, probably because the entire video would have been too long to post. I've created links to each of the six parts:

Affluenza: Part 1 of 6
Affluenza: Part 2 of 6
Affluenza: Part 3 of 6
Affluenza: Part 4 of 6
Affluenza: Part 5 of 6
Affluenza: Part 6 of 6

Snarky note: Ted Haggard, of the New Life Church in Colorado is also briefly featured, talking about how to have a successful marriage/family life: he's the big-time pastor who was accused of homosexual relations with a gay man.

This is what I'm up against. . . . .

This Saks Fifth Avenue window, seen above, is right across from the light rail stop I often use. Luckily, I'm smart enough (and poor enough) that I've never stepped foot in the store. The salespeople would take one look at my Old Navy/Banana Republic wardrobe and my old Timbuk2 bag and immediately divine the knowledge that I can't afford a $200 dress (on sale!) Even during my days of wanton credit-card use, I went for quantity over quality (not that a $100 Juicy Couture t-shirt is made in a "better" Thai sweatshop than a $40 Gap blouse. . . .)

With this kind of advertising, though, is it any wonder Americans are over-extended and under-satisfied? You might 'want' that yummy orange handbag the mannequin is holding, but how long will that (probably $500) purchase satisfy you? How long until you're on the search for the next 'must have' bag, or belt, or pair of shoes? I have a friend who is constantly on the search for the bag/shoes/thing she has to have; once she knows her target, she spends hours online searching it out, weeks tracking it down, until finally she pounces----and these things are never cheap.

She's visiting me for the weekend, so I'm curious to see what her latest 'need' is. As for myself, I'm going to try to view the inevitable shopping excursions from the perspective of an anthropologist or sociologist, rather than getting swept up in my own need for more stuff.

Tomorrow, I'll post about Affluenza, a PBS documentary about the reasons behind and the consequences of Americans' need for STUFF. Soon, I'll also write a brief review of the book, which is one of the few I actually purchased last year.

I just saved $14.99 on my wireless plan. . . .!

My Verizon contract is (finally) up for renewal in May---a mere two months from now! I've been paying $34.99 for 300 Anytime minutes, of which I use on average 30 minutes a month (I'm not a huge cellphone talker, as you can see). I've been planning to downgrade to a Pay-As-You-Go plan (probably Virgin Mobile), which should save me $20 a month.

Just for fun, I called Verizon today to see if they have any lower-priced plans that will work better with my needs. Turns out, they have a 50 Anytime minute plan (not advertised on their website, of course) which will cost $20/month---a savings of $14.99 per month! And the beauty of it is, I don't have to sign on for another two year contract! I simply save money for the next two months, as I research phones and plans---or, I could choose to stay with Verizon if number portability isn't going to be an option with a new provider.

Now, WHY didn't I call and ask about this months (years!) ago???? Why did I wait? This is just a reminder to me that a contract is never written in stone, and especially when the contract is almost expired, it seems there is almost infinite flexibility!

Dumb stuff I haven't spent money on. . . .

In researching (ahem) interesting personal finance items to include in this blog (I can't spill my guts every day, you know) I came across a hilarious site called: SkyMall Madness. This website supposedly compiles the lamest, most useless items that can be found in the SkyMall magazine, that thing you read on the airplane when your i-pod battery is dead and the movie sucks. Now, I went to the SkyMall website and didn't find some of the items shown on SkyMall Madness, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of this site----sure is funny, though!

Here are some of my favorites:

The Giant Lighter: $29.99

Actual text purported to be from the SkyMall catalog: Imagine the looks on your friends' faces as you casually pull out your Giant Lighter to light their cigarette. I have one sitting on the coffee table and it never fails to illicit a response (note from Finally Frugal: I'm pretty sure SkyMag editors would have spelled the word 'elicit' correctly). People simply have to know where they can get one.

The Slumber Sleeve: $19.95

Actual text purported to be from the SkyMall catalog: The SlumberSleeve sleeve pillow is a first of its kind comfort device designed to prevent that numbness or achy feeling and enhance circulation. Since our sleeve pillow is worn over your arm, wrist, leg or ankle, it moves with you and you can change sleep positions naturally - and sleep like a kid again.

And of course:

The Day of the Week Clock: $39.98

Actual text purported to be from the SkyMall catalog: Do you have little trouble keeping track of the hour and even the date, but the day of the week eludes you? The DayClock is uniquely designed to help you keep track of weekly events like your golf day, card night, movie night, and so much more. Not only a great conversation piece, it's a fun gift.

Ah, so many ways to waste my money!

Grocery "deals". . . .

I'm trying to be better about checking the weekly supermarket ads for good deals (those things coupon experts are always calling "loss leaders"), before shopping.

Yesterday I saw a deal at a local store (QFC, I believe) for 10 cans of Nalley chili (which I love, especially with cheddar cheese) for $10! "What a great deal", I thought to myself, "but do I really need ten cans of chili"? There were several other advertisements at the same store of the 'buy ten, pay $10' variety, so I'm sure I could have mixed and matched.

I always start my grocery shopping at the least expensive stores, and work my way up to average or high priced stores, in the hope that most of my groceries will already have been purchased at a lower cost store by the time I get to, say, Safeway.

Today, at the second store I visited (which does NO advertising), my eye was caught by a giant display of stacked cans of Nalley chili-----at .73 per can. Luckily, I hadn't made it to store number three for the "great deal" at $1 a can! I took home five cans, for $3.65, or $1.35 less than I would have paid at QFC!

Note to self: those "great deals" may not be as great if I take the time to do a little research and keep my eyeballs peeled for even BETTER deals. . . . .