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Weekly Roundup: Bad Car Luck Edition

If you’ve been following me for a while you know that I am nearly finished paying off our family vehicle.  As luck would have it, my old van died again today in the work parking lot, so it looks like my final push toward car loan freedom may be in jeopardy.

Of course, I’m also nearing the point where I wonder how many more usable months the old van has in it. At twenty years old, some of the parts are beginning to look pretty bad and there are parts of the exterior are nearly rusted through.

This presents a dilemma - without a fully funded “car fund” I can’t buy anything else with cash. On the other hand, as repairs become more frequent, I’m paying nearly enough for a new (used) vehicle in accumulated repairs.  My mind is made up though; I refuse to borrow money for another car.  So it looks like I’ll either be repairing the van again, hitching a ride, or commuting by bicycle.

The Fab Five

Amish Finances.  I’ve always been intrigued by the Amish culture, particularly their frugality. This is a great piece from someone with first-hand experience living and working closely by the Amish community in Lancaster County, PA. (@Houston Chronicle)

Best Places to Retire Cheap. I am not a world traveler. In fact, I’ve only been out of the country once, and that was to Canada. Though I don’t personally aspire to see the world (I’d still like to explore my own backyard), I recognize that there are some incredibly beautiful places to live on the cheap (in US dollars).  (@The Digerati Life)

Create a Financial Mission Statement to Stay Focused. It’s funny; we often suggest people create a written list of goals to accomplish a given task, but how many of us think to put our financial mission down on paper? (@Money Relationship)

Don’t Wait for Things to Get Back to Normal Because Normal May Never Return.  People will argue the future success of the markets, and the broader economy, but I like the overall tone of this post.  Don’t sit around for things to “get back to normal” to get on with your life - get on with it now! (@Generation X Finance)

Is There A Downside to Gazelle Intensity?  Short answer, yes. I think there is a downside with to being too intense chasing any goal. It often involves sacrificing a natural balance in your life required for some level of happiness. I tend to get really gazelle intense when within striking distance of paying off a debt (i.e. our car payment), and then back off a bit while continuing to move steadily towards my goal. (@Being Frugal)

Best of the Rest

• Credit Card Tips for College Graduates
• Save Money with Yard Sales
• Debt free
• Readers Share Lending Club Returns
• A Brief History of General Motors
• 8 Ways to Keep Your Kids Busy this Summer Without Going Broke

Site of the Week

Ten Practical Uses for Your Credit Card. This was an amusing post over at Scavenging, a site I recently discovered. I’ve heard there is a new card out that is supposedly safe for landfills, which sounds like a pretty good place for them.

Post from: Frugal Dad

Tags: Amish Community, Amish Culture, Bad Car, Beautiful Places, Best Places, Car Loan, Dilemma, Fab Five, Final Push, Frugality, Hand Experience, Hitching A Ride, Houston Chronicle, Jeopardy, Lancaster County Pa, Own Backyard, Paper Money, Parking Lot, Roundup, World Traveler

Help Save Zoo Funding

I recently received the following message from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). I wanted to share this information with my audience. I signed the petition several months ago and hope there is something we can all do to help.

An Urgent Message From Tiki Barber

Dear Friend:

As someone who cares about the environment, conservation, education, and economic development in New York City, I urge you to send a message to Mayor Bloomberg and the New York City Council to restore city funding to the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium.

As a parent of two young children and a regular visitor to the Zoo, I know from first-hand experience that the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium educate and inspire thousands of children and teachers and are essential to the cultural fabric of our city. These beloved institutions are an integral part of their communities and stabilize the city’s economy by providing well paying jobs and supporting local businesses. They work jointly with schools and area community groups to provide free or affordable access and programming for the most vulnerable citizens.

According to a 2008 national public opinion survey, 79 percent of Americans believe that zoos and aquariums are good for their local economy, and an impressive 80 percent believe that zoos and aquariums are important enough to local communities to be supported by government funding. But you don’t need a survey to tell you that. All you need to do is go there, as I do with my boys, and see the children’s faces light up. That tells you all you need to know.

New York City is great because of its great cultural institutions. Please join me in asking City Hall to recognize the important and unique role of cultural institutions like the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium.

I hope you can do your part in support of this cause. Have you visited the NYC Zoos lately?

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Photo courtesy of law_keven

Tags: Aquariums, Bronx Zoo, Conservation Education, Education And Economic Development, Environment Conservation, Frugal Tips, Government Funding, Hand Experience, Mayor Bloomberg, New York Aquarium, New York City Council, Opinion Survey, Tiki Barber, Twitter, Urgent Message, Vulnerable Citizens, Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Conservation Society Wcs, York City Council, Zoos