Start the school year Right

In today's economy or any economy the more you save the better off you are. the less you spend the more capital you will have to do the things that you want to do like travel, go to school and become financially secure. My aunt Rosie used to say, if you make a dollar a week save fifty cents. Twenty to twenty five percent of your salary should be saved every pay check.
You might ask how does one do this? The question is, how does one not do this? It is almost a rule of survival all of the time not just when the economy is bad or good. Frankly the economy is as much an individual endeavor as it is national or international . All investors know this. If your accounts are fluid and you expenses limited you can weather any economic storm. They only way this can be done is to cut back on expenses and increase savings.
By my own design, I have 25% deducted from my pay every pay period, that is not enough so this year, I am deducting another 20%. I know 45% sounds extreme now but it is important to give myself more economic stability. It is not that I need the money and I guess that is the point save it when you don't need it not when you do.
The next part of this stability is to cut back on expenses. The best way to do this is to look at all of your expenses and eliminate duplication of services. If you have a Netflix account you do not need all of the premium cable channels because Netflix delivers first run movies at the same rate as cable. I am not saying get rid of them all but choose between HBO,Showtime, Cinamax, Encore etc. One cell phone will do customize it with different rings to distinguish business calls from personal calls and increase the number of minutes. Also go to each of the companies that you use tell each that you are going to drop one or the other depending on which gives you the better deal.
Eat out less eat in more, avoid the theaters except for matinees and then limit movie going to once a month. do not worry about those movies that you missed because either they will be on Netflix or cable 3 months after they are in the theater .
Clothes make use of consignment shops the clothes there are a fraction of the costs of new clothes and they are environmentally sound because the energy used to produce new clothes is not needed for used.
Transportation.
Pay off your car early and keep it for ten years, it may not be as up to date as a new car but the money you save can be used on airline tickets to interesting places instead of driving town in your new car. After you car is paid off, save for a new car and send in at least half of the car's total value with your first car payment.
Get rid of what I call nuisance accounts. Those that have a balance of $500 or less. Each month pay off one of these accounts and keep this payment going into another account for a year.
Finally limit you spending to 20% of your income and stick to this save for the future, do not spend for the present.

New Tech Find

Once again another tech find. This time it is not merchandise per Se but a service that provides everything in tech. These of you in the Dinkytown area of Minneapolis on the campus of the University of Minnesota may have used this service before. It is called Computer Mega Mall And it owner Syed Mia can meet all of your tech needs . From repairs to sales the mega mall has it all. I went over there today in search of a monitor for my laptop and I was not disappointed Syed produced two color monitors one 19inch and one 17inch he recommended the 17 inch because of more versatility.
While Syed was preparing my purchase I perused the shop and found several great buys including a Mac duo desktop G-5 with a WiFi card and two monitors for only $900 .There was also a uni-body aluminum Macbook for the same price.
In addition to sales the Mega Mall also offer service and tech support . What out found out from talking to him is that the Mega Mall offers repairs and service for a fraction of the cost and all prices are negotiable.
I only brought a monitor today ( by the way it was $100 including cords) but I will be back for other merchandise and services. I think I have found what all techies are looking for reliable service and good prices . Is that too much to ask ?

Best Kept Secret in Used Cars

I know there has been a great deal of hype over the last few days concerning the Cash for Clunkers program but in the final analysis in this trying economy making a major purchase may not be the best thing for the old bank account. Even with the $4500 rebate one still has to come up with the rest of the money to purchase a new car and to my recollections most are over $20,000 . To save yourself from becoming deeper in debt, may I suggest purchasing a used care about 4 to 5 years old with many of the desirable features of a new car yet the low price of a used car.
The car that I have in mind is the 2005 Pontiac Aztek. The Aztek was developed in the early 2000s as a crossover vehicle and received many complaints in the early years of the vehicle but like many GM cars those complaints were answered and corrected . By 2005 the last year the Aztek was produced it made a great deal of changes like installing side-curtain airbags as standard equipment and reinforcing the doors with steel beams .
The GM engine that also received a number of complaints was replaced by a smoother more efficient Honda engine . So all purposes the Aztek is a Honda with a GM price tag.
For those who like outdoor adventure the Aztek has many features including all-wheel drive, water repellent seats and a compressed air pump in the rear to inflate bicycle tires. Set on a minivan frame this car has lots of room, rear seats that are completely removable for heftier loads. It also has an optional tent that can be attached to the back of the car for spontaneous camping.
Considering the high costs of fuel the mileage on the Aztek is sweet 19 in the city and over 25 on the highway. In addition to all of these fine features the sound system is also sweet and depending on the model can include an XM radio, mp3 cd player or single cd player.
So instead of paying $15-$20,000 for a new car a 2005 Pontiac can be yours for between $7500 and $10,500. So forget about Cash for Clunkers and pay cash for a good inexpensive car that will last a few more year until the economy is on an upswing.

Labor Day Travel

The last weekend of the summer if you have not gone anywhere all summer maybe next weekend is the time for you to take a short economical vacation, next weekend would be even better. I do not think that one should not always run with the pack except for the Labor Day weekend. Why labor day because it is one of the few holidays that celebrates working men and women. So what better way to praise our fellow worker than to take the long weekend off.
Where should we go ? There are a few options one is the economically popular stay cation. This type of vacation allows one to sleep in a nice hotel but stay close to home. My favorite spot for a stay cation is the Radisson across from the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. What I like about this hotel is that it is fabulous, It is centered around an indoor water park the rooms are comfortable yet luxurious . The king suites have families in mind because in addition to having a king size bed in the room there is also a couch and a bunk bed for the kids. The hotel's restaurant the Split Rock Grill has excellent food. Try the walleye fingers they are superb . They also have a breakfast buffet on weekends. For the Stay cation, I highly recommend the Radisson.
If you would like to leave town Duluth is always a good choice, it is not too far away and most of the hotels have a view of lake Superior. My suggestion for accommodations would be the Edge water hotel the price is reasonable ( rooms start at $69), there is an indoor water park ( not as elaborate as the Radisson but it will do) It is also approximately 20 minutes from the Superior's North Shore, the hotel also has a beautiful view of the lake and free bicycles to ride on the paths.
Chicago is my next suggestion for next weekend. Every Labor Day weekend, the city of Chicago hosts a free jazz festival in Grant Park. If you make reservations early enough you may have the opportunity to get a hotel within walking distance of the park I would suggest the Hilton Garden Inn on Grand avenue in the heart of the magnificent mile. They are one of the only downtown hotel that truly honor the AAA discount and make it worth your while. So if it is booked this weekend, try it on another weekend when there is not a major event taking place.
For this weekend, I would suggest something north of the city and either drive down or take the train into the city. There is also a Hilton Garden Inn in Oakbrook Terrace (home of the MacDonalds Corp.best MacDonalds in the country is located there) The room rates are reasonable and if you want to leave the city early grab a bite to eat, watch a movie or catch a show this hotel is located near it all and the Internet is free.
So instead of watching a TV series marathon or take a trip to the state fair get in your car van or wagon and enjoy this Labor Day on the road.

Ted Kennedy's Passing

Last night a man who over the years has meant a great deal to me Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy died last night. As a lifelong Democrat whose father once said that there are only two races in the world the people who have to work for money and the people who have money work for them, I have been a livelong follower of Senator Ted Kennedy, who has been a champion of working men and women all of his political life. From his support of civil rights and great society programs in the 1960's to his support of health care, a living wage and the presidency of Barrack Obama, Senator Kennedy has been my champion.
When I worked in Washington at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Youth Policy Institute, I had the opportunity to meet many of the Kennedy family including Senator Kennedy and I was impressed by his patience and ability to listen to the young people who worked at Youth Policy listening to our ideas and giving respect and credence to them.
The best tribute that I can give to Senator Kennedy is to support the issue that he has spent most of his political career working on Health Care.
Chris Matthews said this morning on NBC's Today Show that now that Senator Kennedy is gone that President Obama must be the quarterback. I do not think that the president was ever the quarter back, for what I know of football, he was the coach and he gave the ball to Congress to play it out.
So I am saying to members of Congress regardless of your politics pass health care reform for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a tireless fighter for the uplifting of working and poor people. Work out the details with subsequent bills but get something passed this fall. Do it for Senator Kennedy, do it for the American people.

Start the School Right with the Right Computer

Desktop vs laptop? That is the question. It think it is a question of mobility or stability. If you are more stable and sit at your desk to do most of your work in one place and or not in college, graduate school, law or medical school, a desktop is the thing for you.
Most people who regularly use desktops do their work in one place print it out and send it out. They usually have in-home offices and transfer data from their at-work office to their in-home office and use by flash drive or portable hard drive. Stability is the the goal of desktop users.
Now laptop users are a different breed. They are people who are always on the go and need a computer wherever they are . Laptop users would use their laptops in the shower if they could. The people who fall into this category are usually students of all ages, travelers who need to bring their homes and offices with them. They have a desire to check their email, make online purchases and find out a little bit or a great deal about where they are. Laptops have become the filofax, Franklin planner, reference library and personal assistant all rolled into one.
Students use laptops to take notes, do research, download music and movies and it is a must for success in college. I has replaced the calculator, encyclopedia and numerous trips to the library. Since most universities have online access to the library, students can research and write papers without leaving their dorm rooms.
Now that we have established who uses what type of computer and why, we must answer another question, MAC or PC?
That is a matter of preference. The official line is that macs are for the artist, writer ,designer, musician and the PC is for the accountant, scientist and engineer.
Those descriptions are not fair to either computer. There are people from all disciplines who use both Macs and PC's but I will admit that you find more musician, film makers and artists who use a Mac and many scientists who use PC's . It usually comes down to costs .
For a long time many students used PC's because the price was affordable for them. When Apple dropped the price of their laptops and desktops and created the ibook and now the under $1,000 Macbook plus the $100 student discounts you see more Macbooks in the hands of students at all universities. More students are now purchasing Macbook for another reason most schools also use a majority of Macs . This encouraged students to also use Macs as well.
But as Macs have gotten cheaper so have PCs . One can purchase a PC laptop for as little as $200 so as you probably realized they are more PC users that Mac users.
So what is the answer to the question, PC or Mac? The answer, whatever.

Summer Fun Summer Food

If you live in the Twin Cities area you should try to get to Sea Salt in Minneapolis. Located on the Hiawatha parkway and at the main park pavilion. Sea Salt is one of the most unique seafood restaurants in the Twin Cities. You can sample a variety of seafood prepared with love and care . From Po boys made from catfish, oysters, craw fish or shrimp or some of the best calamari I have Had the pleasure to taste or fried or grilled fish platters . If you are lucky a band may be playing in the band shell and you can have music with your dinner. If you have not dropped by this fine establishment do it soon because it closes in October.

Workout music

I workout every day because I have to. I am at the point now that I am used to working out and it is a part of my daily routine. What makes the hour that I put into my daily workout pleasurable is to do things that keep up the pace and change up the routine.
One of the things that does this is choosing different music for each workout. When you have an Ipod with over 11,000 songs that is not hard to do.
I have found that certain music is better for certain workouts:
Yoga is best done listening to Ravi Shakiur, Tony Scott and maybe a little classical or Kenny G. Weight lifting or fast aerobics is best done while listening to Rock: The Stones, ZZ Top, Van Halen or Lenny Kravitz. If you want to get your heart rate up listening to squeeze box is the way to do it.
The cooldown should always be accompanied by Isley Brothers slow songs or world meditation music.
I workout seven days a week riding over 60 miles a week on the exercise bike and lifting over 3,000 pounds per week to prolong life, spirit and attitude.

The Mannings are the Men

When I was in the 7th grade in Jackson Mississippi, the greatest football player that I knew was Archie Manning, not be cause he was the establishment's football player but because he was a nice guy who loved the sport and took superficial things like race and politics out of it. Archie was the real deal.
Sports writers tried to get him to expose on whether Ole Miss should or should not play against teams with black players. Archie did not see football players as black or white just players opponents and team mates . He saw the game as a game and players as players.
Archie was never pretentious never verbose . I remember being at music camp ( not football camp) at Ole Miss and Archie came by to visit friends of his who worked at the camp. We all got to meet him he was kind and cordial to us all black or white male or female. Archie was kind and made us all proud that he played for Mississippi, not just the University but the state for us all not just half of the state. A few years later when I was a student at Ole Miss, the school had changed since Archie played there many of the players were black and many of the students thought like Archie with a since of fairness and a concern for the future of Mississippi and the nation.
I often judge people by there children and Archie is no exception, his sons Peyton and Eli are fine examples of what young athletes should be positive in their public image always giving back to the community of humankind. When Katrina hit the Manning boys were the first on the scene along with Archie to do whatever they could to help their city.
I think Archie was an all-American and the name not only applied to his football playing ability but to his overall manner. I am proud to be from the same state as Archie and will never forget what he did for the state and the nation.

Back to the Turnpike

Heading toward Maine, I passed Toledo the home of Tony Paco's Hungarian hot dogs and I could not go there because it was off the turnpike. Not being on the turnpike creates many problems for businesses because most drivers are trying to get there. You might ask, where is there? There is the destination that you would like to reach before the sun goes down . There is where you plan to stay for a couple of days. There is why you are on the trip in the first place. The turnpike also does not allow you to ride past anything because all of the sites are off the turnpike.

East Coast Travel : Keep the Change!!!!!!!

Two weeks ago, I went on a trip to the east coast to Maine and New Hampshire. During that trip I encountered what many of us in the mid west are not familiar with the dreaded toll roads . Not the kind that you encounter going to Chicago From Minnesota that usually run no more than 5 dollars but the mother of all toll roads I-90 From Indiana to Maine I paid fee after fee to stay on this road as little as $5.00 to as much as $30 . I did not mind the payments I just wish that the payments were more organized. For instance if it is the same highway why must one pay a different fee for Pennsylvania than for New York . Why must all the hotels be off the toll road and why is it that all of the good restaurants are off the tool road?
These and many other questions will be answered in my next blog