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Stuff I've Been Reading
Dec. 21st, 2006 09:08 pmI just finished reading Martin Cruz Smith's Polar Star, a bestseller I'd never heard of before. I enjoyed it. It is exciting, and I'm keeping it to read again later.
My favorite thing about it is that the main character answers questions in ways I'd never think of. I am very lucky to live in such a way that if someone asks me a question and I know the answer, I just blurt out the answer. And this does not endanger my life in any way. This character does not have that freedom. So he has learned many question answering skills.
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I always like hearing about the psychological side of financial questions. That's addressed in The Frugal Law Student's On Not Shopping at Walmart. "I think just as important as the weekly specials though, is that not shopping at Wal-Mart makes you a more careful shopper. When you shop at Wal-Mart you shop with the mindset that everything is a bargain (although this is not true). So you are liable to throw more things into your cart that you hadn't planned on buying. But now we carefully plan what we need to get and are not tempted by 5 acres of other goodies."
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If you want to see lots of money saving ideas in one place, I recommend this. Warning: it's Austin-centric, so less ideal for people in the cooler climates or outside the US.
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Personal Finance Advice has an article called Get Passport Now to Get Great 2007 Vacation Deals to let you know that new US passport requirements could catch people off guard, thus reducing demand for vacation services in Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda at the beginning of the year and thus providing an advantage to those who are prepared by already having a passport.
My favorite thing about it is that the main character answers questions in ways I'd never think of. I am very lucky to live in such a way that if someone asks me a question and I know the answer, I just blurt out the answer. And this does not endanger my life in any way. This character does not have that freedom. So he has learned many question answering skills.
**
I always like hearing about the psychological side of financial questions. That's addressed in The Frugal Law Student's On Not Shopping at Walmart. "I think just as important as the weekly specials though, is that not shopping at Wal-Mart makes you a more careful shopper. When you shop at Wal-Mart you shop with the mindset that everything is a bargain (although this is not true). So you are liable to throw more things into your cart that you hadn't planned on buying. But now we carefully plan what we need to get and are not tempted by 5 acres of other goodies."
**
If you want to see lots of money saving ideas in one place, I recommend this. Warning: it's Austin-centric, so less ideal for people in the cooler climates or outside the US.
**
Personal Finance Advice has an article called Get Passport Now to Get Great 2007 Vacation Deals to let you know that new US passport requirements could catch people off guard, thus reducing demand for vacation services in Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda at the beginning of the year and thus providing an advantage to those who are prepared by already having a passport.