Sharades Anyone?

I do not entirely condone this, but who hasn't wanted to test drive a car or two that may be slightly out of their financial league?!

You’re a special snowflake. Your parents always told you so, and you believed them, and it turned out to be true. You’re such a special snowflake that you deserve to drive cars for free, to enjoy them at no cost and without any interference. But how can this be accomplished? Read on to find out, as I share my car sales and joyriding experience with you. Since the fateful day when the State of Ohio made the mistake of handing me a drivers’ license, nearly twenty years ago, I’ve driven everything from Sentras to Spykers, often without having a dollar in my pocket. You can do it too; follow along as I show you how.

Test Drive Anything Guide

Do it Yourself?

New Year's is often a time to figure out what you did right last year and what didn't go so well. What you want to change and what you want to keep up... Maybe you're looking to find a little more time in your life... is the answer DIY or DIFM?!

DIY is pretty popular these days... I haven't seen figures but I'm willing to claim that TLC and HGTV viewership have probably nearly tripled over the last 5 years thanks mostly to DIY-type programs like Trading Places, Flip This House, and The Block.

In the last couple of years, however, a new trend is emerging deemed DIFM or Do It For Me. The principal being that in today's world with overworked urbanites trying to get everything done that their busy lives demand time isn't available to do those chores that need doing. Thus the emergence of concierge services for the common person beyond house cleaning and yard work. Today one can get a part-time assistant to do pretty much anything from buying that perfect gift for your child's teacher, booking that appointment with your dentist, having your cars oil changed, to purchasing your weekly groceries.

There's plenty of services out there in your neighbourhood just throw what your looking for into Google and you'll probably be surprised how many results are returned.

For more reading on the subject click here.

Pre-Fab Revolution

All the talk these days about environmentally friendly, green choices, sustainability, etc. has sparked a bit of a revolution in the pre-fabricated housing market. Pre-fab homes come in specific size multiples helping to reduce building waste and many of their builders focus on using sustainable building materials such as cork and bamboo lending to their greenness. Traditional ideas of pre-fab housing spark admittedly politically incorrect notions of trailer trash living in double wides. But in the time since those stereotypes were established the industry has grown up considerably resulting in a wide range of manufactured homes that look nothing like a Kid Rock video.

Some of the most exciting developments in pre-fab housing has been the introduction of many new and varied modern takes on the construction method. Pre-fab can lend itself well to the modern home by exploiting the typical boxy frame using them to configure endless possibilities. There have been all sorts of modern pre-fab designs making splashes in main-stream media and home shoes from miniature rustic-modern cabins to full-fledged suburban family homes.

Right here in British Columbia, inHabit modern dwellings, a North Vancouver company has just sprouted building reasonably priced modern bungalows starting at just over $10,000 for a 10' by 10' secure Gear Garage and only $12,500 for the Studio 1.0 which includes double glass doors, one opening window, ceder siding, and 4' by 10' covered deck. Other models are available depending on your needs and budget.

Some other pre-fab favourites include: weeHouse, glide house, and small house. A great source for more info and even more manufactures can be found at fabprefab.com.



On a slightly related note... Modern Cabin by Michelle Kodis looks like a great book showcasing some of the most unique modern cabins gracing some of those great getaway locations in the world.

Saving for Retirement

Or maybe you're still putting the saving part off, but you do think about retirement ever so often despite being in the very early stages of your career. Retirement is one of those words that is bound to spark your imagination. Where's the daydream taking you? Has it kept you inside that 3 bedroom, 2 bath bungalow that you're going to raise your 2.5 kids and a dog in or have you been transported to an untouched white sand beach in the Caribbean? Well it's time to start researching and planning for that.

Many studies have shown that abruptly moving to a new retirement destination can be very hard on the retirees and I imagine on their families as well. So one must plan well in advance and ensure they thoroughly think about any and all retirement decisions.

With that in mind there are many attractive retirement destinations both within the United States and Canada and in more exotic locales. Within North America Atlanta, GA, Portland, OR and Victoria, BC have been noted as prime destinations, especially given their favourable tax climates and moderately priced real estate. EscapeArtist.com recently rated Ecuador as one of the top places to retire in the entire world. The country is quite favourable to ex-patriots, has reasonable real estate prices, no income tax, and a moderately warm climate.

Money Wasting, Money Wasting

If you haven't taken the time to keep a detailed account of your daily expenditures for a month (or a week at least) you really should do it as it may really open up your eyes to where all that money goes that you supposedly receive from those twice-monthly cheques. And as I'm sure you're well aware, it's not the monthly rent, car payment, cell phone bill, etc. that get ya (although they certainly do their part), it's the little things that really add up to suck the savings out from under you.

It's been called many things but most notably in recent years it's been trademarked as The Latte Factor by David Bach author of many best-selling financial literacy books. I would highly recommend you read at least one, my wife and I read Smart Couples Finish Rich. The title sounds rather petty and materialistic but one of the foundations of his financial planning approach is to view your choices based on your values.

Today I read an article outlining what various 'normal' expenditures can add up to including unused memberships, interest on credit cards, and daily lunches out during the work week. Here's a couple examples (Note figures are based on U.S. prices... add 20% for CDN):

1. Coffee -- According to the National Coffee Association, the average price for brewed coffee is $1.38. There are roughly 260 weekdays per year, so buying one coffee every weekday morning costs almost $360 per year.

4. Bottled water from convenience stores -- A 20-ounce bottle of Aquafina bottled water costs about $1. One bottle of water per day costs $365 per year. It costs the environment plenty, too.

5. Manicures -- The Day Spa Magazine Price Survey of 2004 found that the average cost of a manicure is $20.53. A weekly manicure sets you back about $1,068 per year.

7. Weekday lunches out -- $9 will generally cover a decent lunch most work days. If you buy rather than pack a lunch five days a week for one year, you shell out about $2,350 a year.

9. Interest charges on credit card bills -- According to a survey released at the end of May 2007, the median amount of credit card debt carried by Americans is $6,600. Rate tables on Bankrate.com indicate that fixed interest rates on a standard card average 13.44 percent. Making the minimum payment each month, it will take 250 months (almost 21 years) to pay off the debt and cost $4,868 in interest. Ouch!

The rest of the Top 10 Money Drains.