by money on August 30, 2010
Of all the dumb things someone can do to be buckraked, smoking has to be at the top of the list. Even a 2 year old can tell you that sucking in hot smoke and ash is stupid. But let’s focus for a second on the financial consequences for those who smoke.
First of all, how much does the average smoker pay for cigarettes in his or her life? The average cost of a pack of cigarettes is $5.51 as of 2009. Using the assumption that the average smoker smokes 1 pack of cigarettes a day, in one year he or she would spend $2,011, the cost in five years is $10,056, and the cost during one’s life is $122,680.
Oh yeah, we should mention the obvious that smokers die earlier by an average of 14 years compared to non-smokers. So we will need to factor in the “savings” of $28,154 the smoker will enjoy by croaking early. So you really are only looking at a savings of $94,524.
Although there are plenty of other things that will cost you dearly including selling a stinky car, losing a rental deposit for a stinky apartment, and losing chicks due stinky breath and nasty-ass teeth, we really need to factor in the cost of health insurance. It costs a smoker $462 more for health insurance per year than a non-smoker. That means we are going to have to tack on another $21,714. Ouch, this buck can hurt!
So follow Obama’s good example and drop smoking, and the Buck will guarantee that you will be happier with the extra $116,238.
by money on August 14, 2010
Aliens and humans love their home phones. Don’t believe me? Just ask E.T. A few years ago I moved into a new home and I got a call on my cell phone from my parents who asked when I was getting a home phone number. ”Isn’t the number you are calling me on good enough?”, I replied sarcastically. A short pause told me this wasn’t something they ever considered. ”Well what if someone you know is trying to find you in the white pages?” I kind of laughed thinking that was the last thing I wanted or cared about.
Fast forward a few years to the darkest deepest moments of the great recession. My parent’s had lost most of their retirement fund and were going into a state of depression and fear. I went to visit and got out a spreadsheet and looked for ways to cut back spending. Wham! $45/mo on a home phone! Are you kidding me? I have been without one of those for years. My cell phone bill is big enough by itself. My parents aren’t alone in getting buckraked on a home phone service.
Prices for such services start around $10 per month, but it is more common to get “deals” from places like Comcast around $40 per month. That is $480 per year, $2,400 in 5 years, and $29,280 for life. No thank you.
There are much better options if you insist on having an extra phone number to confuse your friends. One option is Ooma. The service is free for life after being buck raked for their expensive device. Don’t worry, this will pay for itself after a few months if you were using some Comcast, AT&T or other pointless service that put you in a white pages allowing call center spammers and recorded voices of Arnold Swartzenager to bother you at 6pm every night.
My advice – drop the home phone altogether unless you are a die hard E.T. fan.
