Personal Finance Master Class

I am really good at managing my money. The best case scenario would, of course, be that I had more money to manage, but I make do with what I have.

I've actually been reworking this lately.
Every time that I get my paycheck, I'm going to try and split up where it is directly deposited by percentages. A certain amount goes into a dedicated checking account for monthly expenses, and another amount goes into an account dedicated to paying my student loans.

There are a lot of different kinds of accounts, but the ones that I have are pretty much dedicated to spending. I have a pretty nonexistent retirement fund right now, so I should also try to find enough money this year to drop the limit into my Roth IRA.

This was initially posted on Bubblews.com at the following address: http://www.bubblews.com/news/9766519-personal-finance-master-class

I need new socks

I've been using the same pair of socks for the past month or so.
Since it's now the new year, I think that I should avail myself of some gift cards and get a new bag of them.

I have a lot of clothes, and they usually allow me to wear them only occasionally. That said, there is a problem with having only one pair of socks: it can start to smell if I'm not careful.

Hopefully they are all on sale, and I can get a zillion pairs of socks!
Just kidding, I think that I only want six pairs. That should be more than enough for me.

This post was initially published on Bubblews.com, at the following address: http://www.bubblews.com/news/9766567-i-need-new-socks

Clear and Cold

It's really cold today. I didn't realize that there was such a temperature out, it's about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and the winds are strong.

I will have to bundle up pretty well if I want to be out and about.

Anyway, it seems like there is always going to be something that would otherwise keep me from doing what I want to do, whether it is cold temperature, insecurity, fear, or unease.
I'll just do it, and deal with the consequences. Out the door I go, next stop (hopefully) a nice place that I haven't seen before.

This post was originally posted on Bubblews.com at the following address: http://www.bubblews.com/news/9766592-clear-and-cold

A Strange Intersection of Anonymity and Vanity

I've been more and more in tune to the ways that people seem to motivate themselves to do things online.

Lately there has been a trend for people to reveal deeply personal and controversial things about themselves, but without revealing their identities.

When you think it over, it seems silly to make a confession anonymously, and even sillier to do it in a public forum for open discussion.

I think that the base cause of these types of things may lie in a fundamental difference between all of these temporarily anonymous people posting with "throwaway" user profiles, and myself, a steadfastly anonymous person that maintains a stable, anonymous identity.

I'm not vain, and they are.
These people do things that they don't really agree with, and seek confirmation from others without the coloration of acquaintanceship or familiarity.

This was originally published on Bubblews.com at:

http://www.bubblews.com/news/9766612-a-strange-intersection-of-anonymity-and-vanity

Brilliant Earth Jewelers

Do you like jewelry?
I like jewelry.
I actually have a bit of an understanding of the geology and gemology that underlies the trade of jewelry making, and as a youngster I wanted to be a lapidary, a jewel cutter and polisher, one of the legion that is responsible for turning worthless mineral substances into valuable trinkets through the clever use of facets and band saws.

I recently found out about a new company, that offers silver and gold alloys inlaid with conflict free diamonds.

It's a solid company, and the trinkets are at market rates.
I'd buy from them, if I was in the market for a thing.

This post was originally published on Bubblews.com at the following address:

http://www.bubblews.com/news/9766638-brilliant-earth

Glitches in Cyberspace: This Year's Y2K

The international dateline, in combination with the spread of time zones and the variability in web hosting from server to server and site to site, means that every year, web based businesses and services face a mountain of glitches and errors.

On the lower levels, our emails may be lost or arrive late. As you go higher though, things get more serious. Bank transfers either don't go through or end up sitting too long, transactions go unpaid, merchants lose access to necessary operating funds, and international loans, administered by the IMF and UN, may sit in escrow for an unscheduled day.

It reminds one of the debacle that preceded and followed the year 2000, when all the software needed to be rewritten for dates with 4 digits instead of 2.

This was originally written and published on Bubblews.com at http://www.bubblews.com/news/9766654-glitches-in-cyberspace-this-years-y2k

Getting "Nerfed" On Swagbucks

Are you familiar with this term?
Before I started in on the forums, the closest thing that I ever guessed that it could mean was being hit with a soft plastic dart or baton.

In modern parlance, getting nerfed is used to refer to a program or profitable opportunity or offering becoming crippled by design, in order to prevent potential harm for users or reduce liability on the part of manufacturers or service providers.

Over the past couple of days, I've come to the realization that I'm getting nerfed on Swagbucks, as the mobile apps are freezing up multiple times in a given 10 minute period as opposed to running without interruption for hours at a time.

It's to the point where I'm not guaranteed to earn a full nickel before the app conks out, as compared to the summer of 2014 when I could easily earn 2 dollars without tapping on the screen or resetting the programs more than 3 times in a day.

Still, it's a free dollar every day. I'll jump through a few hoops for a dollar a day. Not many, but then again, I'm only moving one hand.

I originally posted this as content to Bubblews.com at this address: http://www.bubblews.com/news/9769349-getting-quotnerfedquot-on-swagbucks