Thanks Sam

Didn’t quite use it to stimulate the economy though…

Filed under: America, Credit, Credit Cards, Dave Ramsey, Debt, Economic Stimulus Check, Economics, Economy, Government, Money, Recession, Spending, Uncle Sam

Random Links

I usually like to save up random links for a post such as this. Most of the time others blog on the topics before I get a chance to gather enough to make a full post. Some times I just get bored of the topic. Today, however, was a rare instance where I landed on enough cool random links in a single day that I just couldn’t pass it up. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

The Chris Farley Show — The Chris Farley Show is the official, authorized biography of the late actor and comedian Chris Farley. Fans knew Chris as Saturday Night Live’s sweaty, swaggering, motivational speaker; as the irresistible Chippendales stripper; and as Tommy Callahan, the underdog hero of Tommy Boy. His family knew him as sensitive and passionate, deeply religious, and devoted to bringing laughter into others’ lives.

How I Spent My Stimulus — In January, Congress approved $152 billion in economic stimulus checks for millions of American households, intended to boost the economy and avert a recession. Just how this money will be spent remains to be seen. We hope this website helps shed some light on where the stimulus money is going.

Free Dunkin Donuts Coffee — Dunkin’ Donuts is celebrating Free Iced Coffee Day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. next Thursday, May 15. Customers can walk into any participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant throughout the country and receive a free 16 oz. cup of Dunkin’ Donuts’ premium regular, Berry Berry Iced Coffee, which combines the seasonal tastes of blueberry and raspberry with Dunkin’ Donuts’ award-winning coffee, or many other delicious flavors.

First Look at Oliver Stones ‘W’ — Entertainment Weekly goes inside the director’s dark, comic, and already controversial movie about George W. Bush’s rise to power, starring Josh Brolin.

Britain’s War On Chewing Gum — Every year, 935 million packs of gum are chewed by 28 million Britons, leaving millions of sticky, inconvenient lumps in their wake. The globs can only be removed with high pressure steam hoses, expensive freezing machines, or corrosive, environmentally unfriendly chemicals, costing taxpayers £150 ($300) million per year. The desperate state of affairs has attracted millions of dollars of research into non-stick chewing gum, but the country is desperate for a quicker solution.

Barack Obama Podcast — Barack’s greatest hits and most significant policy speeches on iTunes in both video and audio-only formats.

23-6 — 236.com is a co-production between the gigantic, vaguely Death Star-like IAC, and The Huffington Post, a progressive news hub where outraged people go in order to get more outraged before going to have dinner at Nobu.

Marblehead Blog — Marblehead, a marketing and design company that my buddy works for, created this blog to show off their work, share their opinions, and pass on industry news.

Filed under: Barack Obama, Blogs, Britain, Chris Farley, Design, Dunkin Donuts, George W. Bush, Government, Gum, Humor, iTunes, Links, News, Oliver Stone, Randomness, Spending

Economic Stimulus Checks

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

That’s what they always say, but honestly I don’t even know what that means. I hate sayings that I don’t know the meaning behind.

This isn’t meant to be a gift-horse-mouth-viewing post, but it is meant to encourage people to be wise with these economic stimulus checks the government is about to be sending out.

1. Don’t Spend The Checks. Crazy I know, but the fact that we spend so frivolously is what got us into this problem in the first place. The thought that they are only encouraging this behavior to “stimulate” the economy is just poor vision. So don’t go buy a new big screen TV with these checks. Don’t put a down payment on a new (or even used) car with these checks. Take this check and pay off debt. If you’re lucky enough to be without debt, take this money and invest it wisely. Let’s be smarter than our government with this money.

2. These Aren’t Free. Most people are unaware that these checks are actually an advance on our next years returns. I’ve found very little information available online about exactly how this will work. It’s possible the tax code will be altered to adjust for this check, making it indeed a wash. But the way I’m reading it, if we were meant to get a $2000 refund next year on our taxes, we’ll only receive $500. With so many people I know counting on their tax returns every year, I think this is something worth looking into. Ask your accountant for an explanation of exactly how this will effect you next year.

With all that said, my check can’t come fast enough. Tonia and I have started an aggressive plan to rid ourselves of our student loan nooses, and these will surely help!

Filed under: Debt, Economics, Etymology, Government, Investing, Spending, Taxes