Step by Step Finance » Uncategorized

New Look

1step — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:05:31 +0000

Trying a new theme here, let me know your thoughts. Logo upcoming

Great reads around the PF blogworld

1step — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:46:40 +0000

I would like to share some great links to my fellow Yakezie Challenge team. They all provide great information and would be useful for anyone. Click here to see the list.

Negotiating a better offer

1step — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:55:37 +0000

I have a story to share with you today about my experience with getting internet service. I am currently in the process of moving and in need of internet at the next place. I looked at the first place I thought would give me the best deal, online.

I found a few packages that seemed to meet my needs, and I had a price in mind when I called to order. Finally, after about 30 minutes of bouncing around (resources are scarce due to a strike at the unmentioned company ) I was able to talk with someone. I knew the deal I wanted, but I didn’t act like I did. I asked many questions and acted unsure about what to get. I also asked for any discounts, and if these are the only packages available. I waffled around for about 15 minutes, when out of the blue the service rep said may i put you on hold for a minute and see what I can do?.. Ok..

5 minutes later. “Sir, I can offer you $40 dollars off the service + $5 more for having your wireless account with us. Bringing your total to $74.99 (triple play), on top of that it’s for the higher connection speed internet package” … Deal! I not only received a deal that was not posted, but I got the higher connection speed package thrown in, which was what I wanted anyway. Hooray!

Now if I can only get a firm date on installation. Due to the strike they put a tentative date of December for installation and they will call me before to schedule it.

Things I’ve learned from this experience:

a little questioning can make someone feel like they are loosing the battle to sell you a product
always be nice on the phone
and try to get HBO thrown in for free next time :0

Yakezie Challenge

1step — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 19:13:45 +0000

I just joined the Yakezie Challenge today.. i guess quite late to the party Either way, seem like a fun community and can’t wait to contribute.

-1step

Don’t do what you want..

1step — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:50:16 +0000

I often run into the issue where what I want to do is not what I should be doing. This happens in the form of watching countless hours of TV, I especially spend a lot of time on Hulu. At least I’m saving some money by not getting a DVR to record the shows, but I am wasting time that I could be spending on other projects or improving my overall situation.

It all comes down to motivation and making a conscious decision to turn the TV off. Why is it so hard then? I think, at least for me, I just need an escape from day to day “stuff” and TV is one way I can go into another world. This isn’t all bad, we all need some time for relaxation; it’s when this becomes an obsession and you spend way too much time when there are other more important things you should be spending your time on. So how to control it?

I wish I could say I can control this habit I’ve formed.. but it’s hard. I could go on and say that I set time limits for myself and then I can just stop and then do other things. Unfortunately this is not the case. So I’m making my intention known on the web that this is something that I want to control and I’m setting a time limit of 1 hr/day of TV. There’s no way that I know of to automate this goal or it would be easy, but hopefully putting this goal out there again will help. Last time I tried to go cold-turkey with no TV, but I think I started to go nuts and get depressed. I need some TV to relax

Remove Distractions and Clutter – Useless Email

1step — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:47:33 +0000

I love to get deals online! Unfortunately sometimes I get overwhelmed by all of the emails and the clutter. So, I’ve decided to “deal” with the problem

In my gmail account, I’ve created filters for all of my deal creating sites so they get automatically archived and labeled as “deal” so that I can later peruse at my leisure.

This is such a huge timesaver, allowing me to focus on my important emails, while still giving me access to deals whenever I please to do so. I’ve seen others that implemented this system by creating another email address just for this purpose, but I’m just too lazy!

Food and Dining Budgets

1step — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:52:34 +0000

I mentioned that I wanted to post every week what my food and dining budget was and it seems like I’m already 1 week overdo. It’s been crazy at work, but mostly I haven’t been that organized. Thankfully, I have Mint.com to put everything together for me, and it does not look good. I’ve already spent $478 out of the $700 budget I had set. I put below a graph from Mint of what the breakdown was. It should actually be a lot more, but I haven’t been as good at categorizing the cash spend

It looks like I’ll have to reign in my going out habit, it will be tough though as there a few people leaving the country for jobs and they’re having going away parties..
We shall see by month’s end I guess. Another update to follow next week.

Cutting Out Time Wasters

1step — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:30:58 +0000

We all find ourselves at some point in time stressed for time. Often that is due to overloading your schedule, having too many priorities, or as is often the case.. wasting time on things that are not that important.

One of the things that I waste much of my time on is TV and Hulu. Even though I only have basic cable, Hulu more than makes up for all the shows I missed. I’m addicted to TV you might say. I just love the feeling of sitting on my couch, dinner in hand, and watching a show. That being said, I often go beyond what one would consider normal. I watch TV and watch TV and watch some more.. In the end I neglect the important priorities in my life such as sleep, school, exercise, and friendships, just by watching TV. It is a huge waste of time, and starting today, I’ve decided to remove TV and Hulu from my life for a month. It’s already hard and it hasn’t been a day. However, I believe I can do this, and I’m putting it out there to keep myself in check.

I hope to see more time to actually do things that have priority and a significant improvement in my exercise plan. I’ll keep updating on the status of this new adventure.