Category Archives: Smart Money

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The Four-Hour Work Week For the City by John Grisham

I’ve just finished reading For the City, a book co-authored by one of my church’s pastors, Matt Carter.  In it, Carter mentions that he wants to live in such a way that that at the end of his life, he has no doubt that what he accomplished could only be done through God’s power.

“Are you living in a way that requires God’s supernatural power for your calling to be lived out?” he asks.

My answer is a simple, “No.”  How sad is that?  I’m just kind of hanging out.  Coasting.

I’m also reading Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Workweek.  In it, he starts with what seems like another pretty easy question:  “What excites you?”

I had to sit and think for a long time (I’ve been coasting), and I realized that my answers don’t have much to do with working or life goals or self-actualization or anything like that.  I’m excited about friends, creativity, and God saving his Creation.  And, of course, alcohol.

What do those have to do with each other?  I think everything.

Because in the end, this will be the reality of all space and time:

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

I’m excited about the right things, but my actions don’t necessarily reflect that.  But I want them to.   I want to be living in a way that acknowledges that God is for us.  I want to be for my neighbors and co-workers and the Creation all around me.

So, after thinking about current station in life, I set the following goals for myself:

  • Be a great husband.
  • Be a great steward with the “talents” (finances and skills) God has given me.
  • Be creative.
  • Be involved in my town.
  • Be a badass street lawyer.

That sounds like a life worth living.

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Becoming Jason Bourne

My favorite part of any action movie is when someone slips a disposable cell phone into someone’s else’s pocket.  My favorite move, the inevitable Reverse Pickpocket.

How awesome would it be to have a strange, disposable cell phone ring on your pocket?  Whoever is calling you is either some sort of superspy or an international villain with interesting hair and a wool sweater.  The disposable phone is great news.  It means that you are about to be involved in at least 90 minutes of running, a car chase, and two explosions.

In an effort to make my life more action packed, I canned my 2-year cell phone contract in favor of a pay-as-you-go, no contract plan.  1500 minutes/texts for $30.  That is great.  I can switch providers whenever I want, I can communicate for cheap, AND I get a disposable cell phone.  The kind that Liam Neeson would drop in your pocket if he wanted to tell you how to throat chop a fool.


[Liam Neeson, offended by arrogance.]

What features does my Nokia 1661 include?  A flashlight, an FM radio (!), personal information management (phonebook, for nonspies), and something called Snake Xenzia, which is either a game or a nuclear fission project that I’m supposed to infiltrate.  Either way, the Nokia is king.

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EXTREME Holiday Saving

Usually, for financial tips, I like to look at sites like Mint, Christian Personal Finance, Dave Ramsey, Clark Howard, or Consumerist.  This is the holiday season, though, and funds can be extra tight.  For that reason, I have created my own list of tips to make your money last throughout the rest of the year. So, here are my Five EXTREME Saving tips.

  1. Groceries: Sure, you can save money by using coupons and coupon websites.  But you can save even MORE money by hunting local animals such as cricket, crow, and squirrel.  If the thought of hunting furry woodland creatures makes you uncomfortable, just forage for edible weeds and berries.
  2. Vacations: Why go on vacation when you can just pretend to go on vacation?  Turn off your heater, bundle up, and pretend you are on that Alaskan cruise you always wanted to take!
  3. Cable: A lot of people are getting rid of cable in favor of a digital antennae, which lets you receive network shows in high-definition.  I say, don’t bother with an antennae!  You can cut costs even further by standing outside of your neighbor’s window and watching what they’re watching!  It’s also a time to make new friends, and/or work on your cardio as you run from the police!
  4. Gifts: Have you ever seen Ocean’s 11?  Didn’t those cool characters look like they were having fun?  Take a cue from Clooney and Co. and steal something! Make friends, memories, and maybe even date Julia Roberts!
  5. Give Back: Even if you’re po’ folk, you’ve got something to give this holiday season.  So do I.  Let’s give to kids, the troops, or remind ourselves us what Christmas is all about.  After all, it’s the reason for the season.
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The Pursuit of God

Christianaudio.com is great, because each month they offer a free audiobook download.

This month’s offering is A.W. Tozer’s classic, The Pursuit of God.  The book is short, and the audio file is only about three hours long.  You can easily knock that out in a week of commuting, housework, and exercise.

Get to it!

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Supermarket Domination

Working from home has granted me the de facto position of Head Grocery Shopper.  For practical purposes, this means I am the King of Supermarkets.  I know where to get the best  produce deals (Sun Harvest/Sprouts), which stores have the widest aisles (Randall’s), biggest selection (HEB), etc. Although I am the undisputed King, I consider myself more of a pirate.  A man of the people.  Why a pirate?  Simple – treasure hunting.

Every Sunday, the newspaper is fat.  Why?  Advertisements.  Or, as our friends across the pond call them, adverts.  Sales, specials, etc.  It’s all in the Sunday paper.  Also in the Sunday paper – coupons.

Coupons are my third greatest discovery of 2010*.  I like to call them Product Passports, because you carry them around and they grant you access to a whole new world.  It’s like VIP shopping.  Is that frozen entree $3.50?  Not for me it isn’t!  If I buy two boxes of cereal, the third one is free?  I love breakfast!  Sure, sometimes you have to buy a different brand than you are used to.  But that’s what keeps you young.

I won’t mislead you, Product Passport Pirating isn’t easy.  You have to scour the paper with scissors, write out your list before you hit the shelves, and figure out where to stuff all your coupons.  (Front right pocket is the best.) But it pays off.  And you will inspire others.

EXAMPLE:  Today, I bought 18 items at the store. I had 15 coupons.  The girl behind me in the checkout line had this to say:

You, sir, are one savvy consumer.

Thank you, friend with the free range chicken eggs and Yoo-Hoo six pack. Thank you for noticing.

Is it worth the trouble?  Yes.  We save an average of $14 per shopping trip, which adds up to $30-$45 a month.  You can do a lot with that each month, including stuff like:

  • Vacation Fund ($420/year)
  • Charity (Channel the money into a monthly donation)
  • Date night (possibly involving Date Night)
  • Savings
  • Supplies for your LEGO self-portrait.

Try it for a month.

*Runner-up for greatest discovery is the TV show Las Vegas.  It’s the greatest show imaginable.  In fact, TV should be renamed “LV”.  For Las Vegas. Hollywood should just close, because it already peaked.  Best discovery of 2010 – the fact that I can wear anything I want in public because I’m married. A purple button-down shirt with board shorts, loafers, and Ray Bans?  Why, yes, thank you.

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Join me at the ASH Dash

My long-standing policy on running is that one should only do it for good reason, like if someone is chasing you to beat you up.  Another good reason to run is for a good cause.  That’s why I’m participating in the ASH Dash on Sautrday, April  3rd.  Here is Austin State Hospital’s statement on the run:

The 6th annual ASH Dash 5K Bunny Run is a fun, easy way to help adults and children being treated at Austin State Hospital. Organized by the Austin State Hospital Volunteer Services Council (ASH VSC), the ASH Dash is a chip-timed run on a flat, fast, double-looped USATF-certified course that winds through the hospital’s beautiful, tree-shaded grounds.

The course will start in front of the original hospital, which was established in 1857 as the “Texas State Lunatic Asylum.” The run/walk is one or two loops on a flat course lines with trees and rose bushes. Participants are encouraged to tour the first floor of this historic structure, which is still in use today.

State monies do not cover all the needs of ASH patients. Funds raised during this event will be used to provide programs and services to over 4,000 Central Texas adults, adolescents, and children hospitalized for treatment of mental illness.

As a former ASH volunteer attorney, I’m aware of the sad statistic that Texas grossly underfunds its mental health system, and that our biggest mental health provider is the prison system.  That doesn’t have to be the case.  Running in the 5K tangibly helps ASH serve our neighbors and loved ones coping with mental illness.  What a great way to help.

To sign up for the run, click here.  Let me know if you’re participating – we can make a weekend out of it.

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Stick it to The Man with a Sansa

What if I told you that you could buy an MP3 player with 1GB  memory, FM radio, microphone, ear buds, and a USB charger for $15?  Would you be into that?  Of course you would!  That’s why you should check out the Sansa Clip.

After owning several expensive and accident-prone iPods, I finally started browsing for other MP3 players.  I settled on a Sansa because of the price and the features.  An MP3/radio for $15 bucks is pretty good.  When it arrived in the mail, I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality and features.

In my opinion, the Sansa sounds better (less muffled?) than the iPod.  You can also program your favorite FM radio stations into the player, so you can listen to up to 40 channels if you get sick of your current playlists (you can have playlists).  My favorite unexpected feature is the podcast playback speed changer.  Sometimes I speed up playback so I can absorb more information more quickly.  The microphone is also surprisingly high-quality.

The Sansa doesn’t have a terribly beautiful PC interface; it’s basically just dragging and dropping files.  But if you can move a file, you can load your Sansa.

My favorite thing about the Sansa is probably just the realization that you can have cool, functional gadgets that don’t cost hundreds of dollars.  So stick it to the man with a Sansa.