Self Expression - A Costly Proposition?

Don't get me wrong, I am all for self expression, but what does Self Expression get you? Yes you want people to think of you as an "unique" individual. In the end it is more about an outwardly expression than internal. Yes it makes you feel good as well but more importantly you want acceptance from people in your immediate surrounding. My question to you is, is it worth it for you in the long run?

It starts at an early age, we want something similar to someone kid in our class but we don't want the same exact thing because we don't want to be called a copycat. Soon there are more wants as we grow older. We get ideas from magazines and get bombarded with television ads. We are told what is in fashion today and what is not. To be "cool" everyone is wearing this or doing this to their hair etc etc.

Eventually when we start making our own money we are told that for half of our paycheck we can get the latest and greatest BMW or Mercedes Benz (Sorry BMW, Mercedes Benz). Soon we fall in the debt traps and we swipe our credit cards and finance more and more. All in the name of being "unique". As parents we should encourage self expression without breaking the banks. Promote less known brands and although their individuality is important to you and your child there is a limit. Once you supply them with their demands the demands will only increase to bigger and more expensive items. I am by no means an expert at parenting but I do know I was a kid once and I wanted the latest and greatest and my parents couldn't afford it and I eventually came to the realization few years later that they just couldn't afford it.

In Conclusion, if you are a parent or going to be a parent continue to promote self expression but rein in the limits. Just because the latest Vans are "cool" or someone at school has those does not make it okay to pull out your credit card to meet your kids needs. What are you thoughts? What have you done to rein in your expenses when it comes to your kids?

Ask the Readers: Do You Use Groupon? | Wise Bread

Ask the Readers: Do You Use Groupon? | Wise Bread

Wisebread asks if I use Groupon? Heck Yes I do! I am on their site daily along with LivingSocial. But the best site I found so far is Dealery.com. This site doesn't deals with merchants rather it just combines deals available on multiple sites (including some I didn't know existed) on their own site. This makes it easier to view all the deals available in your area without having to go to different websites daily. Check it out and let me know what you think of the site?

Get Rich Slowly - Personal Finance That Makes Cents

Get Rich Slowly - Personal Finance That Makes Cents

This article gave me an idea. It might be a silly idea but just like Alcoholics Anonymous and various other support groups which help us get past our addictions why not create a support group for people seeking financial help. Yes there are plenty of online venues and even TV shows to deal with this issue but the amount of accountability is not there.

Accountability is important for any change to take place. First you need someone who will hold you accountable. It can be tough in a household made of spenders. Outside intervention can help but trust is key. People usually fall in debt traps when they fail to analyze the difference between Need and Want.

A group of people that are in a similar predicament could be more helpful. Teaching each other key ways to combat debt addiction. What are you thoughts? Does that sound like a good place to start?

Ideas on How To Make Money With Photography

Ideas on How To Make Money With Photography

These are excellent tips on monetizing photography. Although photography can be an expensive hobby. From buying expensive cameras and lenses it can be a pricey compromise. However, if your photography business does take off it can easily become a great way to add an additional income stream. I would love to divulge into the photography business, I am just scared of making such a commitment only to lose interest (which happens a lot). Do you do photography on the side? Can photography become an excellent side income stream?

Delegate or die: the self-employed trap. | Derek Sivers

Delegate or die: the self-employed trap. | Derek Sivers

Truly a great read for anyone who is self employed or a business owner.

I Love My Microsoft Kinect For Xbox 360

So my family got the Kinect this past weekend. We couldn't take the torture any more. After watching plenty of ads on TV as well as youtube videos of people playing Kinect at home. Here are my first impressions:

Definitely get a Microsoft Kinect if you have no medical condition especially a weak heart. The Kinect definitely gets your heart pumping especially with the full interaction it requires. We have the Kinect Adventures! game (came with the Kinect) and we also decided to buy Dance Central. We saw plenty of commercials with people dancing along with their game and had to try it out at least. I have a confession to make, I suck at dancing and Dance Central for me is a hard game to play even on Easy level. But, the benefit of dancing is that you burn off a lot of calories! The game has an achievement for burning 1000 calories while playing the game continuously. So if you are having trouble finding the motivation to venture out in the cold then you should consider getting the Microsoft Kinect. I played Dance Central for over one hour without realizing how fun it is. I would've never worked out for over an hour and enjoyed it as much as I did with the Kinect. Although it is a great workout to dance you can only play as long as your body will let you go. If your body can't go you might not play the game again for another day or two.

The most important things you need to play with the Kinect are an Xbox 360, plenty of space in front of your TV and comfortable shoes (if you have hardwood or tiles for flooring). You need comfortable shoes because you will be doing a lot of jumping and moving around.

The only things that concerned me with the Kinect is that the games selection are a little dull, more games do need to come out especially first person shooter games. Also I just thought about this but Kinect is most likely not suitable for anyone with a disability as it requires a full range of motions to be able to play the game successfully. So do you have a Kinect? What do you think of it? What are your favorite games for the Kinect?

McMansion to McCottage: Why Smaller Houses Are Smarter | Wise Bread

McMansion to McCottage: Why Smaller Houses Are Smarter | Wise Bread

Living within your means is a very good concept to have, but most of us fail to do so. We always think "bigger is better" and the same is true when it comes to homes. Although it does not only apply to homes it also applies to cars and much more.

With bigger homes, cars comes more things to maintain, more to clean and up keep which add to the overhead cost of the item. I.e. carpeting a 5 bedroom home costs significantly more than the 2 or 3 bedroom home. Plus the time spent vacuuming and up keeping these rooms alone is a waste especially if they are not being occupied on a full time basis.

Of course to fill these rooms with decorative art pieces also costs money and in the end it is all just fluff. What are you thoughts on this article?