No, your eyes are not deceiving you; I am publishing on a Thursday. Some weeks information or news happens that I want to share with you. That’s the reason for this first Thursday Tidbits.

So, what inspired me this week? Two things really.

The first is that yours truly was interviewed by Lydia @ Money Hacker’s Network.  She’s been highlighting personal finance bloggers that belong to the Money Hackers network the past weeks and I was happy to be included.  Check them out and you might find some new favorites!

An offer came to me this week that I couldn’t wait to pass on to you. Lending Club is offering $64.62  to new members to invest.  You don’t have to put any of your own money into it.  I took advantage of a $50 offer a few months ago and here is my current return on that money: 

Net Annualized Return

10.27%

To take advantage of this offer, use Bucksome as the “referred by” code.  You have no risk by taking advantage and money to gain.  It’s a no-brainer.

P.S.  The unusual amount of $64.62 signifies the $6.462 billion in profits by banks last quarter. 

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009. All Rights Reserved.

Tomorrow is a national holiday to honor people that have served our country  in one of the U.S. military branches.  Serving in the military runs in my family since the American Revolution. 

In recent history my grandfather, father, mother, two sons, stepson and yours truly have served in either the Navy, Army, or Air Force.  My dad and stepson served in two different branches and that same stepson is currently in Afghanistan.

As you can imagine this holiday is meaningful to me.  I appreciate that our government didn’t detract from the day by moving it to the 2nd Monday in November so everyone can have a three day weekend like other holidays.  I wish more private employers would recognize the day and give employees the day off to participate in memorials.

Americans go through phases in remembering veterans and for many years it was only noted for retailers to have another sale.  I’m happy to see that has changed since 9/11. 

Although not expected by veterans a thank you is greatly appreciated.  This year many retailers are stepping up and thanking Veterans with meals and gifts in addition to words. Call ahead to make sure it’ll be honored at your local store and take proof of service.  Check Military Avenue for more offers.

1. Department of the Interior.  All National Parks, Forests and monuments are free to Veteran’s on Wednesday. 

  2. Outback.  Get a free beverage and blooming onion on the house at Outback Steakhouse.

3. Applebee’s.  Applebee’s is offering a choice of six meals to veterans all day long.

4. Krispy Kreme. Veteran’s get a free doughnut of their choice at Krispy Kreme tomorrow.

5. Sam’s Club.  Veteran’s with mobility issues can get a free Hugo folding cane at Sam’s Club.  Quantities are limited so call ahead.

6. Knotts Berry Farm.  Get free admission for a veteran and 1 guest all month through November 26th. 

Thank you all these retailers for recognizing the service and sacrifice given by Veterans.  To my fellow veterans,  I am honored to be one of you.

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/krossbow/ / CC BY 2.0

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009. All Rights Reserved.

Since I work in the technology field, I naturally am attracted to electronics with the newest features. Of course, I don’t want the newest for bragging rights. It has to make my life easier or enhances a current use.

Last year, I wanted a GPS. Mr. Boomer thought we didn’t need it as printing maps from mapquest or google maps would meet our needs. It made sense to get one especially for business trips so I took advantage of a Black Friday sale. 

One year later we are both glad to own this handy device.  I’ve used it on business and personal trips and Mr. Boomer just used it last week while visiting his kids in Arkansas.  Conversely, I wanted a Wii last year and bought that.  It didn’t get as much use as I envisioned (okay, I only used it a few times) so I sold the games and system.  

Well, I’m lusting after three hot electronics this year.  We’ll see if I end up owning any before the New Year.

1. IPhone.  I didn’t buy into the hype regarding this phone and until a couple of months ago didn’t want one.  Many of my co-workers own them and find the apps feature to be incredibly useful. I would love being able to keep up with email, twitter, facebook all without being tied down to a desk.  Add in the additional features of tracking spending and food choices and it’s a winner.  Right now, the price is keeping me at bay but a strong rumor is that a 8 GB version of the 3Gs will be out soon.

2. Netbook.Having an iPhone might take the edge off my “needing” a netbook.  I have a laptop at work and at home.  My work laptop is 4 years old and very heavy.  My home laptop is about 18 months old and much lighter.  However, it has a 17 inch screen.  Both of these are not optimal for traveling because of their weight and/or size.  Again, some of my coworkers have netbooks and I see how they are truly mobile.  Can you meet this need with an iPhone?  Not sure.

3. Kindle.  Mr. Boomer and I love to read.  We take 6-10 books with us on every vacation.  Having said that this item is in the least likely to buy category primarily because you can read e-books on both the Iphone and Netbook.  The Kindle cost is high for a device that only does one thing.  One cool thing it does is allow annotations so you can write your own notes without writing all over a book (which is sacriligous to me!).

My strategy is to hold off buying until I see a deal too good to ignore OR the lust diminishes (or is more likely replaced by some other new gadget).  If you have any of these items, are they worth it?

Photo by  Marius Røstad/Mobilen.no Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009. All Rights Reserved.

 Mr. Boomer is on a mini-vacation visiting his kids the past few days.  Handling his household duties has given me new-found appreciation for all he does.  It’s good to have time apart once in a while to remind us not to take our partners for granted.    An additional benefit is that I get to make all the decisions on how to spend the weekend.  I bet I just do the same old, same old.

It’s time to share my favorite posts with you from this past week.  There’s some good reading!

Editor’s Picks

 1. Eliminate Expenses That Are Not Relevant. This article by Mbhunter @ Mighty Bargain Hunter discusses how cutting expenses that are not meaningful any longer can make an impact on your savings.  One of his examples brought to mind a Project Management group membership I renewed earlier in the year and yet I haven’t been to one of the events in about 5 months and I don’t read the monthly journal.  Guess what I won’t be renewing in 2010!

2. Go Big and Go Broke. Keeping in the same theme, Shawanda Greene @ You Have More than You Think! advises not to jump into major expenses without making sure it will be used.  Be sure to read the entire post to see real-life Craig’s List postings of newish items that people bought and did not use.

3. Top 100 Female Personal Finance Bloggers 2009.Yes, I know this post wasn’t published in the last week, but I just read it for the first time last week so that counts, right? This list of female personal finance bloggers @ Her Every Cent Counts is too good not to share with you. I encourage you to visit the sites listed and find some new favorites.  And no, I’m not on it….yet.

4. Splitting The Check Evenly = Tipping Evenly?. You go out to lunch with a friend or group and agree to split the tab evenly. J. Money @ Budgets are Sexy asks if that includes the tip. I thought there was an obvious answer, but by the comments could see it wasn’t so clear cut.

5. How to Keep a Customer Happy.Steve @ Brip Blap boils how to keep customers down to one skill…listening. Read the article to understand how that differs from hearing.

Carnivals

 Baby Boomers Blog Carnival Eleventh Edition @ Baby Boomers U.S. (The Blog)
Money Hacks Carnival #88 – Economic Recovery Edition @ Amateur Asset Allocator
Festival of Frugality #201 – Life Stages & Home Ownership Lesson @ Gather Little by Little

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009. All Rights Reserved.

Halloween is the end of this week and I’m making plans for my costume.  No, I’m not going out to any parties, but we have a costume contest at work most years and I’m planning to dress up  this year.  I don’t ever win because I don’t put that much effort into it, but it is fun to participate and enjoy the goodies afterwards! 

While you’re planning your costume and activities enjoy some of my favorite articles in the blogosphere this week.

Editor’s Picks

 1. Living Will. I thought this article from Ray @ Financial Highway was a nice follow on to my living will story. Learn why it’s important, who should have one and how to get it.

2.  25 Frugal Halloween Costumes.My planned costume is on this list by Jill @ Moolanomy Personal Finance. You should find something that will work for you from this list.

3.  I’m Being the Match. Mrs. Micah writes about her upcoming donation as a result of a match via the National Marrow Donor Program. She has an inspiring tale and information about becoming registered as a potential donor.

4.  Working With Computer Nerds. Loved this post by Mr. Cheap @ Four Pillars since my day job is at a technology company and I’m surrounded by nerds (and have been accused of being one).  It’s a fun, tongue-in-cheek article with more than a grain of truth in the observations.

5. 9 Steps to Winter Water Saving.We’re in a drought in California and have assigned watering days in many cities. This post from Go Frugal Blog @ Freeshipping.org has some good tips. I plan to insulate our water heater this year.

Carnivals

Money Hacks Carnival 87 @ Green Panda Treehouse
Festial of Frugality #200: The Fireworks Night Edition @ Miss Thrifty

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009. All Rights Reserved.

My job calls for travel throughout North America about once a month or so.  Last week as I prepared for a week away I wrote about the hidden costs of business travel.  So you don’t get the impression it is all bad, lets take a look at business travel benefits.

1. Career.  Sometimes there is no replacement for face-to-face contact with a customer.  Since my role involves non-sales account management meeting the client is very valuable to building and sustaining a relationship and creating stickiness for the company.  Two recent studiesreported a clear coorelation between business travel and profits. 

2. Sight-seeing.  Travel away from home presents opportunities to see new cities and their sights.  On a business trip to Honolulu years ago I went to a luau for the first time after a full day of work.  It was so enjoyable that I took Mr. Boomer to the same venue on vacation.  On another trip I visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which is a must-see for baby boomers with a love of music.  Would I ever venture to Cleveland as a vacation destination? Probably not.

Yes I’ve endured some less thrilling destinations that our customers call home, but it is still an opportunity to see the beauty and variety of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. It also is always nice to return home to the city with the best weather.

3. Travel Rewards.  Throughout the years I’ve used an average of 1-2 airline mileage awards for personal travel.  Without this benefit it would be hard to not go postal after dealing with the lack of comfort and amenities with airline travel today.  Mr. Boomer is visiting his kids later this month with a “free” award airline ticket.  

Unfortunately, it took me 15 years to finally get a free hotel night with points from hotel loyalty programs.  I used this last month during the girls trip with my mom and sisters.  Some of this is due to the fact that my business stays are directed by the customer instead of personal preference.  

4. Personal Budget.  Assuming not too much is spent on sight-seeing, you can save on personal budget categories when traveling for work.  When away from home food, gasoline and electricity being used is paid for by my employer or customer.  We have probably all met road warriors that are out every week for 4-5 days.  Although I think the personal sacrifice is to great for this type of work, the budget savings is nice!

The first reason is the benefit that matters to employers.  It’s nice to realize there are personal rewards also for the time away from home, friends and family.  Do you travel for business?  What is your favorite benefit?

 Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/39197234@N00/ / CC BY-SA 2.0 

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009. All rights reserved.

This week I’m away from home on business.  My current position  requires out of town travel 2-3 times a quarter although previous roles at the same employer required travel up to 2 weeks a month. 

When I interviewed many years ago, I thought traveling for business would be fun, adventurous and maybe even a little sophisticated.  And it was all of these for a while.  But as with most things as the novelty wore off, reality is a little different. 

Unless you are one of those that travels other than in coach it’s not sophisticated at all.  Business travel is still at times fun, but not generally.  It also can be an adventure still, but sometimes not in a good way!  Although there are direct personal monetary costs, there are other costs associated with business travel.

1. Loss of Family Time.  Mr. Boomer had to pick up my share of household duties and chores when I’m out of town.  In addition to this inconvenience, he has to spend his evenings alone without human companionship.  I also miss out on family time with Mr. Boomer, our grown children and extended family. 

2. Health.  Although it is possible to eat right and exercise on the road, it is more difficult.  You can not control the menu, ingredients or food preparation.  I often feel like I deserve to eat higher calorie foods than normal as a “reward” for being away from home.  Many of my meals are at the client’s discretion so even if I wanted to eat healthy, the options just aren’t there.

As if the food situation isn’t difficult enough, finding a way to exercise is a challenge.  Although the situation has steadily improved over the years, many hotels still have substandard exercise facilities.  I pack my athletic shoes and clothing with the idea that if I can fit in some exercise at least once that is better than nothing.

3. Personal Activities.  It is difficult to commit to activities requiring regular attendance when employment requires inconsistent business travel.  I had a volunteer position for the local chapter of PMI (Project Management Institute) which required attendance at a Wednesday evening monthly event.  It became laughable how often I had to skip this meeting because of business or personal travel which resulted in my resignation.  I’m starting a long course at church next week, but it meets weekly so I won’t feel bad about missing the occasional class.

4. Pre/Post Work.  Ever notice how you work like mad before a trip, work during the trip (day and evening with email) and then work extra afterwards to catchup?  It doesn’t seem right, does it.   Mr. Boomer couldn’t count the number of times I’m at the office late the last day before and the first day after a trip.  This results in more stress and less of the other three areas: family time, exercise and personal activities.

Please don’t think I am against business travel.  It’s invaluable at times to have that face-to-face connection with customers and I enjoy my work immensely.  It is important to realize there are greater costs to business travel than just the financial ones.

What do you think about costs associated with work travel?   

Photo by Florencio Briones 

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009.

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