Are the Japanese going extinct?

There are a lot of stories across the web over the past few years potentially attributing a loss of population to the small towns in Japan, and there are a lot of people choosing to delay or to go without children.

A recent picture by Journeyman Pictures shed light on this issue, with some personal stories that highlight the challenges that face the Japanese population in the modern age. The economic environment is such that the places with jobs are usually less amenable to raising a family, and the small towns and villages are losing population quickly.

There are fewer children now than there were in the past, and the economics of Japan don't provide significant financial incentives to parents to enable women to take time away from work to raise their children or men to take time away to raise their families.

Here is the piece from Journeyman Pictures, feel free to judge for yourself.

Looking to Save Money on Haircuts? Consider doing them at home and pocketing an extra $250 annually.

I cut my own hair, and I've been doing it for years.

If you go for a haircut every three weeks and pay $15 a cut, you can end up spending 15-30 dollars each month or $270 a year on haircuts. As long as you're willing and able to take the time to learn to cut your hair and actually cut it at home, you can save nearly all of that money for the price of a set of equipment, some electricity, and your time.

I and my trusty set of clippers have likely saved well over $1000 in haircuts since In left home, and my father likely saved a similar amount on my haircuts by cutting my hair himself when I was a lad.

If you're not sure how to get started, I recently came across a great site for buzzing your own hair called Buzzcut Guide that offers a great illustrated reference for four classic home hairstyles and a rationale for the use of clippers at home.

According to the site authors, even if you don't want to cut your hair at home all the time, if you can maintain a cut and stave off going to the salon for twice as long without sacrificing your looks, you can realize savings of 50% over the standard of barbering.

So, if you're at all interested, I suggest taking a look and seeing what clippers you can find in your area.

You might be happier with a simple cut and a lower barbershop bill!

Jerry's Next Guest is Jim Carrey on Comedians in Cars getting coffee

Are you a fan of luxury cars?



What about existential conversations about the presence or absence of pulp in orange juice, or the true nature of comedy and distraction?



You can see all of that and more on the newest episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, hosted by Jerry Seinfeld on Crackle.

New Video from PBS News Hour discusses food waste and food insecurity: Why does almost half of America’s food go to waste?

As a relatively solvent inhabitant of the United States, I have an uneasy knowledge of the waste that is inherent in our society. That said, it is clear that there is a fundamental flaw when 40% of the food that is produced in this country is not consumed, and in fact goes to waste.



PBS recently released a compelling short video about this problem, with testimonial statements from some agricultural heavy hitters in the valleys of California, executives from a grocery store, and administrators and staff from a waste facility.







I've linked the video to this post, but my question is why more people aren't working to solve this problem!



I'm sure that I, and most people that I know, would be happy to buy the imperfect produce at a slightly lower than average price.



I'd probably be more inclined to purchase it than the flagship products, as I love good nutrition and saving money equally.



In fact, I'm not the only one who has been inspired to talk things over by this video.



There have been active discussions on Reddit and Youtube that really show a different perspective on this issue.



What do you think?

Can you really save money by moving to a state with no income tax?

Here in the United States,, tax time has a very unique set of challenges. Everyone shares the trials of filing for the federal tax returns, but then there is an added level of difficulty when filing for state income tax returns. Every year, in most states of the union there is an ongoing struggle to determine what is owed, what wa collected, and if there is a return due.

But it's possible to escape the state tax return process entirely, just by moving to a state that doesn't impose an income tax!

Here in the United States, nine states collect no income taxes from residents, an effective raise of anywhere from 1 to 15 percent.

Those states are Florida, Alaska, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wyoming, Tennessee and New Hampshire. One of the most glaring things you might notice about these states is that the cost of living is relatively low, outside of New Hampshire, and the quality of life is pretty high.

These states offer great opportunities to save money and live better, with lower than average unemployment and great opportunities for cheap housing.

When you add in the effective raise of a zero percent income tax, it makes them look like great places to relocate!

A New Credit Card Program is Saving People Money on Uber!

There have been a lot of disruptive changes in the financial business lately, from high interest online banking to the rise of the independent IRA over the 401K as the investment of choice, but there are more developments in the pipeline.

Major credit card issuer Capital One has already been offering 1-2 percent cash back with their Quicksilver line of credit cards, but now they are offering a full 20% cash back reward with their Quicksilver cards on purchases of services from Uber until April 30th, 2016.

That is a sharp departure from the norm, where up to 5% was all that consumers could expect in a special category for reimbursement purposes.

This is also unique in that it is one of the first promotions in credit company history that is targeted at Millenials that aren't necessarily in college. By focusing on Uber users, they are likely to appeal more to the demographic that hasn't invested in a car but still has a need for transportation that has supported the boom in consumer-client relationships like Uber and Lyft.

So, do you think that this is just smart marketing, or a sign of a shift in the way that credit companies are thinking about millenials?

Do you have a chimney in your house? Now's the Time to Get it Cleaned!

Here one can see an adult chimney sweep from Frankfurt, Germany, in 1959

Having your chimney swept regularly is an important step to take to improve the safety and livability of your home. An unattended chimney can accumulate deposits of soot along the entire length of the flue, and this can contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals that aren't the best to keep around. A little preventative maintenance can help to improve the longevity of your chimney and keep your home healthy.

In the old days, chimney sweeping was often performed by children, but these days they are usually bonded professionals that normally demand relatively high amounts for their work, up to $100 per flue.

Having a chimney swept can be pretty pricey though, especially in the winter time when sweepers charge high prices for an in-demand service.

If you think ahead, and make a call in the summertime to prepare for the colder season, you can save quite a bit on having your chimney cleaned out. Sometimes the rates can be half those charged in the wintertime, and you can save as much as $50 per flue on a cleaning.

I'd assume that your chimney sweep won't be named Homer Simpson. He or she probably also enjoys the job.

The best part is, you'll be supporting a local business professional when the market is poor, so it's a win win situation.

And for a final bonus, you can likely have the work done whenever you want, since the sweeper will be unoccupied most of the time.

Getting a summer sweep likely will leave you with more money in your pocket and your chimney sweep happy to have the work!

Make the Most of your Meals: Batch Cook and Save Time and Money

I may have mentioned batch cooking before, but it bears repeating.

Cooking food in larger than necessary allows you to drastically reduce the amount of time spent preparing food and at the same time take advantage of economies of scale when purchasing your ingredients.

It's entirely possible to take 15-20 dollars worth of ingredients and prepare a week's worth of lunches and dinners within the space of a few hours, just with some creativity and larger than normal portions while cooking.

I personally cook most of my meals as batches, and I have a pleasant variety of foods to choose from to last me through each week, and the comfort of knowing that I have a refrigerator well stocked with delicious meals waiting for me at home.

For example, I purchased some fresh zucchini, eggplant, and peppers last week at the grocery store. Instead of buying for single portions, I bought pounds of each of them, and instead of taking time every day to clean, chop, prep a pan, and cook them, I roasted all three types of vegetable at once in the oven.

I cooked a batch of rice on the stove at the same time, and made a crock pot full of a meaty, beany stew.

Now I have a protein rich stew, a starchy base, and three different vegetables to combine to make a variety of healthy lunches and dinners to enjoy this week, and I only had to spend one afternoon preparing them!

Cooking in batches helps to avoid the false economy of buying a smaller package at a higher unit price, because it permits bachelors like myself to obtain goods at a lower unit price and actually consume them before they go bad.

Do you cook ahead of time?

What are your favorite make-ahead recipes?

On this, National Donut Day, a Frugal Note

Today, June 5th, is apparently National Donut day, and many different businesses are offering a free donut either with no strings attached or along with the purchase of a cheap beverage.

This is a good thing, and I congratulate those of you who were able to take advantage of a promotion through Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme, or another location, but it is important to point out that getting a 60 cent donut for free doesn't justify a trip out just to get it.

I wouldn't leave my house and drive to a donut shop to save 60 cents, and neither should you.