Friday, August 5, 2011
CLARK HOWARD/ CNN ... "Living LARGE in Lean time's" ... Tip's on financial Urban Survival ... w/ Flying Lizards doing "Money"
CNN TRAVEL: Crash course with a Priceline newbie ... this is an update to this posting with a new article released this morning Sat. 06 August 2011, on tip's for hotel shopping too. And it appear's that even none of these room price's their talking are anywhere near $500 or even $300 for that matter ... so there must be a Hell of a gap in pricing at these joint's and how one shop's.
First of all I want to recommend Clark Howard as far as getting tip's on what I see as essential to what I call financial "Urban Survival" in these time's of current, because what this man write's and say's are importante more than ever right now. Forget Washington especially and Wall St for a moment, or you'll end up like them, chasing your goddamn tail trying to catch it like a dog ... Hell, they cant even get their own shit together.
But what also inspire's this is some small chat with my daughter who I live with the other day as well, as far as how we live and spend. I sure as Hell am not trying to tell her or anyone how to live ... I am just saying it cant do no harm to look more closely at how and where you spend is all. I am a street kid basically, and came up in life as that and in the working classes, had my debt struggle in the 1980's and 1990's, where I just charged too much and got caught in a cycle of debt that took me over a decade to get out of ... I mean ... even back only 5 to 10 year's ago, I found myself at time's taking gun's, jewelry, electronic's or whatever to the pawn shop to borrow some cash till my next check, then of course, payback with a lil interest to get them back ... so like many other's, I had to learn the harder way on much.
My daughter is a marketing specialist/ coordinator, who like so many other young urban pro's stay's on the move, alwayz hustling, etc ... and many time's these folk's dont really look at their expenses too closely ... I mean ... their busy and hustling, and have alot on their mind's, deadline's, etc. Her job require's some travel for instance, which mean's car rental's, hotel's, eating out alot, etc. I myself am the kind of guy that goes to restaraunt's where I eat for $10/ $15 buck's or so top's, when on the road, I find reasonable room's/ motel's around $40 buck's a night to get some sleep, and their modest ... but clean. Out of curiosity the other day in some small chat I asked her how much a nice hotel room cost's for the night, etc ... she was talking stuff like in the range of $400/ $500 a night for a hotel room ... I told her ... "Geeezz Sweetheart ... I would hope they give sex with that!" ... she said ... "Are you kiddin Dad ... I'd be lucky with some to get a decent bottle of wine ..." ... or her talking about a meal costing $75/ $80 buck's or so, etc. Of course they get their expenses reimbersed by the company she's with, etc ... but also look at these expenses to your companies as well is my point, then you have your flight's, car rental's, etc. But too, I dont travel these dayz, so I dont know much about these cost's ... my travel would be more like driving around to Texas cities or to Mexico or such and staying in small town motel's off freewayz/ Interstate's or similar.
In lean time's ... we all need to adjust and think too, since we should be concerned with lay- off's, solid employment figure's, etc, too ... we have gotten into the habit as well like Clark talk's about of waiting for someone else like Washington to think for us and rescue us ... as I said ... they can barely keep their own bloody house in order, and have a terrible addiction to waste spending at that ... and I'm not talking about any entitlement's either! But listen to Clark ... this guy has tip's out the ass to share that are really on time, believe me. I'm not saying to be a cheapskate ... I'm just saying that you can still live decent without being too large is all. And congrat's also to my daughter who will start next week with her new company who made her a nice offer she couldnt refuse, same type business, but a pretty decent advancement in her career.
I also recommend SUZE ORMAN Here ... Listen to this woman for a dose of REALITY ...
***** CNN: "Living Large in lean Times", Anderson cooper and Clark Howard ... (video)
For a lil music video to add for this posting I chose the Barrett Strong 1959 classic here, done by an exceptional group that actually done this cover on a really tight budget at first of an equivalent to U.S. Dollar's of about $10 buck's, and yet made a small fortune off it, and what an outstanding crew of musician's I may add ... the "Flying Lizards" , in this 1979 remake they done called "Money (That's what I want) ... Thanx to AZETATO ... Enjoy! :) **** this will also be included in the "RCJ MUSIC/ ARTS HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY"
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2 comments:
Howdy RC. Much of what you say I learned a long time ago. When I was on the road a decent room cost $50 and a meal was around $12. But I used to travel with a footlocker with hotplate, slow cooker and all just to save a buck. I remember when a Motel 6 actually was 6 bucks. Unfortunately not any more. You'd be lucky to catch a dive for 40 bucks and unless you like McDonalds every night your food tab runs quite a bit too.
It's unfortunate that your daughter only sees the good times and not what may happen in the future. Clark by the way got many of his ideas from Charles Givens another Atlanta native who knew the ins and outs of banking and survival techniques. His program was simple. Save 10% of what you take home. When that amount hits a couple of grand put it in a CD or market account. Pay more than minimum on the credit cards. Simple advice but when it becomes a habit the debt gets paid off and the money starts to accumulate.
Hey Demeur! (4:40am Dallas)
I'm not sure when and where your travel's were here that you comment, but I noticed when I was up in PDX (Portland) the price's were higher than Texas, for room's and food ... but not significantly, but noticeable to where you get quite a bit more for your buck down here. BUT ... here's the catch, the wage's down here on general job's is also lower, so it kind of balance's out in a way. For professional's down here, the wage's are generally compatible with the rest of the nation on much, so therefore, those who "have" or do well paywise here, considering real estate price's, etc ... you get a Hell of alot more bang for your buck. Right now in 2011 I can still get a decent chain motel room, as a matter of fact, newly built on many, clean and cable tele for under $50 buck's, averaging around $40/ $45. As far as restaraunte's ... this state has to be about the most plentiful, and lowest cost's to eat out in the nation, one of the first thing's I noticed in the Pacific Northwest, and this state is literally saturated with buffet's, like Vegas for that matter ... I can walk to place's from Tex/ Mex to Thai, to barbeque/ steak, salad place's, Carribean, etc right in my neighborhood for instance and eat all I can even for under $15, I shit you not, and the competition is fierce ... there was nothing like that in sight up there. And the more further in rural area's of Texas, it's even cheaper to eat out at that, in your smaller cities here, this of course also contibute's to the obesity issue's in this state, which has one of the worst record's in the country. Even real estate here, enormously different from say California, my other daughter's home for instance in suburbia Dallas, say around $300K and bought it newly built, you couldnt find for at least under $1/ $1.2 million in California as example, but now even Cali price's are dropping due to this housing market crisis end.
Those I think that are younger pro's like my daughter I dont think feel the price's, only because maybe they dont have to actually pay the expenses, but that's my issue, because if there is say a couple million only with good paying job's/ profession's in our nation (just example, I'm sure more) doing this, it must somewhat put a strain on company budget's as far as expenses, although also many of those expenses are company tax write off's too ... SO ... who is catching the cost's? is my question in the longhaul. Really a complex situation when it come's to finance's/ cost's and how it's gotten in this nation Demeur. If some folk's had to actually pay out of pocket for a $500 a night room, I think they would change their mind and downgrade a tad, I think ths contribute's to lay- off's too, etc. I too remember and stayed at plenty of Motel 6's back in the early 1970's around the nation that were $6 to $8 buck's a night myself. Never even heard that I recall of Charles Givens either, but too, my reading is very limited and selective. Thanx for your input here Guy ....
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