Blog

Blog

Musings on personal finance and more. Not written with AI since 2012.

The only post about World Domination Summit 2014 on the Internet

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  I’m writing this on the morning after the end of the fourth-annual World Domination Summit, my third year of attendance, and my second year of being a volunteer, or “Ambassador”. I still have color powder on my arms from … Read More … Read More

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Shame, or why you don’t do what you know you must

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  If you’ve spent any time with this site—or even if you haven’t—I want to ask you a small favor. I’d like you to trust me enough that you won’t skip this post. It’s pretty short. You can skip the … Read More … Read More

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Your bank statement is not a budget

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  I get pushback from people about budgeting all the time. This is because people mistakenly believe that a budget is something that prevents you from doing things. In actuality, the exact opposite is true: you create it, so determine … Read More … Read More

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Is the Starbucks Rewards program a good deal?

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  Starbucks is one of those chains that people love to hate. Some may scoff entirely, preferring (arguably better) local coffee shops, while others go there five times a week minimum. Sometimes people complain about Starbucks while in line for … Read More … Read More

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The best deals are hidden

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  I landed at Oslo Airport some weeks ago. My destination was the center of town, but Oslo (like most cities) positioned its main airport way on the outskirts of town (over 20 miles away in this case), so I … Read More … Read More

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Is it worth it to purchase lounge access?

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  As mentioned in the discussion of my failed attempt at extending my airline lounge access, I had purchased lounge access for a year, and had enjoyed the experience. But I balked at renewing my membership. It just seemed like … Read More … Read More

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How to shop for a rental car

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  I’m in the middle of a 10-day car rental right now. Total price was a little over $300, including taxes. And this was from a major national chain too. Took me awhile, but I found a good deal. I’ve … Read More … Read More

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Why I don’t care about rental car loyalty

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  I’ve been renting cars for years. Some people are often surprised to know that I rented my first car at the age of 20, five years before the supposed “lowest” age of 25 (and even lower than the “lower … Read More … Read More

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Travel hacking blunders: The lounge

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  Travel hacking is not all about glamour and flying around the world with ease and style. It’s also about trying out schemes and having them totally not work. So continuing on from my post on blowing an opportunity to … Read More … Read More

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Travel hacking blunders: The hotel

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  I’ve talked about how I’ve used travel hacking to allow me to have experiences that I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish any other way. I frequently stay in hotels for free, and have on more than one occasion … Read More … Read More

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