Recently, Squirrelers was nominated by Everyday Tips and Thoughts to take part in the “7 Links Project“. This initiative involves highlighting 7 previous posts, based on 7 specific questions. These posts are generally intended to be a cross-section of key posts that are meaningful to the blog owner, in the context of the 7 questions.
With that in mind, I’ll address each of the 7 questions below. Hopefully, this will give a chance for you to discover (or revist) and enjoy some of these Squirrelers posts, including those that are some older, “vintage” articles.
Your Most Beautiful Post
This was the first question, and quite an interesting one to ponder! After thinking about this, and going through prior posts, I rediscovered an old post I enjoyed writing. It was from late 2010, titled Lessons Learned from a 7-Year old and a 97-Year old. This post included a story about how my then 7-year old daughter got a gift of money from her 97-year old great grandmother, yet felt guilty upon receiving it and felt that she should be sending money to help an old person instead. It was beautiful to me in that it reflected love that spanned generations within a family and was rooted in mutual generosity.
Your Most Popular Post
Many readers seem to enjoy the Squirreling Gone Wild series, which as of this writing has had 27 editions to date. There have been several in particular which seemed to resonate with readers, all based on the crazy and wacky ways that people try to save money in those stories. Considering that I have to pick one, I’d go with Squirreling Gone Wild #16: The Crafty Waitress. This story was about how I encountered a waitress that tried to avoid giving me change in order to keep an inordinate percentage tip for herself. She was clever!
Your Most Controversial Post
There were a few others, but the one that comes to mind first is actually a post that was done fairly recently. It was about doctors and customer service. My take was that doctors are in effect service providers, and as such should provide a basic, reasonable level of customer service. Too many doctors dismiss patients quickly, don’t answer their questions, and do other things that most service providers wouldn’t get away with. Clearly, some people agreed with me but some others definitely saw it another way, with the premise that it’s understandably different with doctors. There were good discussions back and forth.
Your Most Helpful Post
Hopefully there have been a number of posts that have helped readers think more about personal finance. That’s part of the reason I’m doing this, after all! I like to learn from experience and share those learnings with others. Along those lines, I’ll say that my post on 6 Key Personal Finance Lessons was one where I hoped to concisely share some lessons learned with everyone. Another helpful post, one that I think helps frame up how we look at expenses, was Time is Money – How Many Hours Did You Work to Buy That.
A Post Whose Success Surprised You
One post that surprised me in its response was the one I published on the importance of sleep for wealth creation. I didn’t know whether anybody would view sleeping proper amounts of time to be linked to wealth generation as I did. Rather, I thought some people might be puzzled by the notion that burning the midnight oil can be harmful and just relaxing and getting a great night sleep instead is a better idea. Happily, and a bit surprisingly, this seemed to resonate quite well.
A Post You Feel Didn’t Get the Attention it Deserved
When my blog was launched back in March, 2010, the readership was very small. I mean, there was just a fraction of the readers that the blog has today. A few very early posts went very quiet, despite being work that I was proud of at the time. That happens when nobody knows your blog even exists:) One of those posts was about considering the cost of time when trying to be frugal. It didn’t get much attention at that point in time, with the blog still new. Today, I’m sure a number of people would have an opinion on this topic:)
The Post That You Are the Most Proud Of
While most of my posts are about money stories, lessons, and tips – I enjoy analytical looks at different personal finance issues from time to time. I’ve done several posts in which I’ve decided to find and dive into some data to come up with (hopefully) meaningful, thought-provoking insight. One that jumps out is the post where I introduced my thoughts on a looming silver bubble. Within 2 weeks of that post, the price of silver dropped from over $47 USD per ounce to around $34 USD per ounce. It’s gratifying to know that the asessment was right on, and hopefully the discussion got some readers to reconsider silver at that time, and either sell or avoid buying then.
In Conclusion
It was enjoyable to answer those questions about which 7 to include in this post. I’ve published over 275 posts here to date, and a lot work went into them, so it was fun to go back and revisit many. Hopefully a few of them will catch your eye, and you might get some interesting reading out of them!
Also, I’m supposed to nominate 5 other blogs to participate. Here are my 5:
Hello everyone! I’m happy to announce that I’m hosting a giveaway this month, to show appreciation for readers of Squirrelers. The blog continues to grow, and is as fun as ever to run, so I thought it would be a good time to give back this month with a giveaway.
There will be 2 prizes in the giveaway, both Amazon gift cards:
- First Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card
- Second Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card
Here’s how to enter:
Mandatory: Fill out Entry Form below – 1 entry
- Follow Squirrelers on Twitter – 2 entries
- Retweet this post – 2 entries
- Subscribe to Squirrelers via email – 5 entries
Thus, you can earn a possible of 10 total entries for the giveaway!
Please note the following:
- Entry form must be filled out before any other entries qualify
- Each person (and household) can earn a maximum of 10 entries in total for the giveaway
- Entries must be received and qualified by 10:00pm EST on Tuesday, August 23, 2011.
- Winners will be selected at random, through Random.org
- Each winner will be notified via email, and will have 3 days (72 hours) from the time of the email to accept the prize
- If the winner doesn’t accept the prize within the time frame specified above, or turns down the prize, a new winner will be randomly selected with the same process and notification/acceptance rules.
Again, thank you for being a reader and follower of Squirrelers. I appreciate your participation in the blog, and helping it grow this year!
Update: Just a reminder, entering the giveaway is done in the entry form below, not the comment box (there have been some folks commenting multiple times for multiple entries). The entry form needs to be filled out only once, as the additional entries are earned as noted above. Thanks! Second Update: I closed the comment box:)
GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!
Workplace perks are great! Who doesn’t like employee-friendly perks? At least those of us that are employees, anyway.
Well, they’re wonderful, but slowly disappearing. Going the way of the dinosaurs, on the way to extinction in some cases:) A recent article in U.S. News highlighted 21 workplace benefits that are fading away. Some of them are essential, some seem more like wants rather than needs.
Here’s the list of benefits they say are fading away, with my comments following.
- Traditional Pension Plans
- Retiree Health Coverage
- Long-term Care Insurance
- HMOs
- Paid Family Leave
- Adoption Assistance
- Professional Development Opportunities
- Life Insurance for Dependents
- Incentive Bonus Plans
- Contraceptive Coverage
- Casual Dress Day
- Legal Assistance
- Sports Team Coverage
- Executive Club Memberships
- Relocation Benefits
- Help Purchasing a Home
- Travel Perks
- The Company Picnic
- Rewards
- Company-Sponsored Tickets
- Take Your Child To Work Day
Personally, the ones that jump out at me as being essential are 1, 2, 3, 5, and 9. These are the ones that I think are most directly related to one’s financial needs in my view. Number 5 in particular strikes me as being crazy – there are some things we should be able to get as employees.
The rest of these…well, maybe I take a contrarian view. They may be nice, but I don’t see them as truly being necessary for an employer to provide. Casual dress day is simply not high priority in the grand scheme of things. Take your child to work day may be nice, but it’s not a necessary perk. I’ve taken my child to work, and don’t think a formal day was a priority compared to many other benefits. I’ll take more money in exchange for a take your child to work day! The company picnic is in no way important. I’ve seen people in prior jobs get really worked up over how some of these perks were eliminated or curtailed. Totally indignant in a couple of cases, in fact! I guess I never cared; they don’t impact the bottom line, so why get worked up. Rather, just view changes are signals of the direction in which the company may be going.
Back to the five benefits that I mentioned, however. The reality that these are diminishing really speaks to the need of people to take individual responsibility for retirement and financial needs. There won’t be the “system” or “they” or “them” to take care of any of us in retirement. It will be us as individuals who have to take care of ourselves.
The pensions being eliminated speaks to it strongest. The cash flow we’ll be getting in retirement will be generated directly from cash we have earned and actually saved. I don’t want to count on social security, and don’t factor it in any calculations. As for health insurance and long-term care – can we really count on that in the long-term future? Who knows. Maybe it’s best to just save and make extra money. Best to be self-sufficient if possible!
And don’t sweat the loss of sports team memberships or company-sponsored tickets:)
My Questions For You
What do you think of this list?
Which of these benefits strike you as being essential?
Have you noticed any changes in workplace benefits in recent years?
The following is a guest post from Nathan Richardson of ComplexSearch
Many people believe that credit cards and frugal living are mutually exclusive. After all, one of the tenets of frugal living is to avoid debt by living below your means. However, the frugal living need not ignore credit cards. Remember: You can use credit cards without getting into debt. Just having a credit card doesn’t mean that you will end up buried beneath a mountain of debt. Plenty of financially successfully people live debt free, even though they have credit cards. The key is to have a plan for your money, and use your credit cards within that plan.
Credit Card Rewards: The Essence of Frugal Living
What is more frugal than free? Nothing. This is why credit card rewards can be an integral part of frugal living. With the right credit card rewards program, you can get free cash, you can get gift cards for free, or you can get free travel to help you take frugal vacations. Once you start looking at the credit card rewards, it becomes apparent that you have options to help you with your frugal living goals. But you do have to be careful.
When you have a plan for your money, you can use your credit cards for the rewards, and avoid piling up debt. The first thing to do is remember that a credit card does not get rid of the need for a budget. Stick to your frugal budget. Instead of using your debit card, or cash, for purchases, use your rewards credit cards. Think about how quickly cash back or reward points will add up if you use your credit card every time you go grocery shopping or fill up the gas tank. Some spending categories will even help you get extra rewards, such as 3% or 5% cash back instead of 1% cash back for other purchases.
Make a Plan
Make sure to track your spending, and keep within your budget. Then, when it is time to make your credit card payment, you can pay off the card all at once with the money that has been sitting in your bank account. You can improve the system by using an interest bearing account to keep your money in all month. You may not earn a great deal, but you will earn a little bit more. And when you are serious about frugal living, every little bit helps. Keep your money in a high yield savings account connected to a checking account. When it’s time to make your credit card payment, move the money from your savings into checking, and then pay your bill. Your money will work for you all month – and you’ll earn rewards without paying high credit card interest.
If you thought that a credit card was incompatible with frugal living, perhaps it’s time to think again. When used responsibly, and as part of a plan, credit cards can actually enhance your ability to live frugally by providing you with free stuff, and a chance to earn a little more interest each month.
Editor’s Comments: I use credit cards and am cool with them, as long as A) the balance is paid off in full each month, and B) they don’t cause you to buy any more than you otherwise would. If truly a substitute for what you would otherwise do with cash, they can offer benefit of convenience, rewards, and building credit history. Just be careful!
Use them or lose them! Gift cards, that is.
That’s a lesson that I learned painfully a few years back. I had obtained a “reward” card – essentially a debit card – at work, which was given to me with value added to it. Basically, it was almost like a repository for spot incentives or gifts, which were fairly infrequently given out but slowly accumulated over time nonetheless. Kind of like a gift card that kept slowly increasing in value.
At one point, the total was several hundred dollars. Again, this was a result of smaller awards, typically for a little extra money given around the holidays or things like that. The total dollar amount wasn’t massive, but hey – a few hundred dollars is a few hundred dollars, right? Besides, what was great about it is that it was stashed away, kind of like a little slush fund of sorts. I like the idea of diversifying, so this was a small amount that I had squirreled away and consciously forgot about but knew in the back of my mind that I had it available somewhere.
Anyway, the time eventually came where I decided that I’ll dip into the slush fund and use that old debit card, with those accumulated gifts from work. Time to get something, and feel great about the idea that didn’t have to pay for it!
Before I went out to the store, I called the number on the card to find out the balance. No problem, right?
Uh, wrong. Big Problem. They had no record of the card or number.
Long story short: the card had expired, and I was out luck, after numerous calls and attempts to recover it. Ouch!
I learned a lesson there, which goes counter against my tendency of stashing things away for a rainy day well into the future. The lesson was that with gift cards, you should try to use them as soon as you can, in case they lose their value or the company goes out of business.
Fast forward to this week. News came out that Borders, the book retailer, was going to be going out of business. The first thing I thought of was that I thought I had a gift card to Borders. I recalled a $25 gift card that was sitting around for well over a year. Remembering my past experience, I thought I had better apply the prior lesson learned and go use that gift card. I also noticed a post by Everyday Tips and Thoughts that introduced the topic of gift cards and Borders.
The next day, I made sure to stop at a Borders and use the $25 gift card before it’s value plummeted. Not that I knew for sure what might eventually happen and when it would happen, but my guess what that this gift card’s value would hold for only a short period of time. Just couldn’t bear to see my squirreling ways burn me again, instead of helping as they normally would in other cases.
It’s good to learn lessons and apply them in the future, no matter how small the outcome might seem to be. In this case, the loss of several hundred dollars due to my own stowing away of the prior gift card had taught me a lesson that I needed to apply, before making the same mistake once. It’s like spending money on ATM fees – you don’t do it on purpose, but due to poor planning!
Happy to report I made the right choice this time!
Bottom Line: Keep this in mind when you get a gift card: Use it. Soon.
My Question for You:
- Do you use gift cards right away:
- Or, do you procrastinate I as I had previously done?
It’s no secret that a big part of our financial engine is the type of career we have. Some offer more compensation, others not as much. Within each career track, there are different job opportunities that can pay more than others.
It just makes sense to consider these factors when looking at our ability to earn and save money. That being said, does it make sense to strongly consider our daily commute as well?
Personally, I think it does. Speaking from my own experience, the length of one’s commute to work in terms of time and distance can play a significant role in the ability to move our finances forward.
I’ve had commutes of varying degrees over the years. The shortest commute I’ve had was 5 minutes each way. That was many years ago, and actually that was the case with 2 jobs I had. Funny, I really took it for granted back then and didn’t realize how nice that was. On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve driven as much as 1.5 hours each way, and had the commute become a big part of my day. Having experienced both extremes, as well as points in between, it’s clear that there are significant costs involved.
Let’s take two examples that are a little bit less extreme than my commutes, and assess the costs.
Commute #1: 10 mile/15 minute commute each way
Commute #2: 40 mile/60 minute commute each way
Also, let’s assume that your car gets 25mpg on average, the cost of gas is $3.50 per gallon, and you’re working 22 days per month at 8 hours per day.
Gas Expenses
In terms of gas costs, your monthly/annual costs are as follows:
Commute #1: $62 per month, $739 annually
Commute #2: $246 per month, $2,957 annually
Clearly, that longer commute takes away from the amount of money one could save per year. The difference between the two is about $2,218 per year. Think about what you could do with that $2,217. If you chose to spend it, that would make one heck of a vacation! Or, if you choose to save it, that would be a nice addition to your retirement savings. When compounded over time, this can result in even more money.
Car Expenses
While somewhat less direct or quantifiable, there is a cost associated with wear and tear on our cars. To illustrate this, let’s assume that our car is a $20,000 vehicle that we expect to drive all the way to 200,000 miles. Taking these assumptions into account, the amount of value that we’re losing from our vehicles will be as follows:
Commute #1: $44 per month, $528 annually
Commute #2: $176 per month, $2,112 annually
The difference between the two is about $1,584 per year. Now, this is using straight-line depreciation based on mileage – excluding any minimal salvage value. This calculation does have a number of assumptions built-in and doesn’t reflect direct cash expenditures, but it’s clear that a longer commute wears out a car quicker – which accelerates our future spending on our next car.
Time Expenses
Let’s consider this from an opportunity cost perspective. If we’re in the car trying to get to a job, it’s time that’s job-related and not personal. It takes away time that we could spend doing other things if not commuting. Time with family, housework/errands, and exercise are activities that first come to mind, among others. There’s value there, even if it’s hard to quantify.
Well, let’s give it a try anyway, even if it’s not an exact science. For sake of example, let’s assume someone with a basic, annual salary of $50,000. That person’s time has value, as evidenced by the salary. Factoring in the earlier assumptions about hours and days worked (22 days per month, 8 hours per day), this person’s hourly wage comes out to $23.67 per hour. Going with this figure, the opportunity cost of the commute is as follows:
Commute #1: $260 per month, $3,125 annually
Commute #2: $1,250 per month, $9,375 annually.
Ok, I know that some folks won’t share my views on opportunity cost of time, but our time is valuable. If you do want to attempt to quantify it, it becomes clear that there’s value that’s being expended during our commutes to work. In this case, the difference between the two is about $9,375 per year.
Overall Assessment
At the very least, we can directly quantify the cost of gas with a longer commute. In that case, this “typical” example of short (15 min) vs. long (60 min) commute indicates a:
- $2,218 difference between short and long commutes based on gas costs.
- $13,176 difference between short and long commutes, when adding in the indirect costs of car wear and tear, and the opportunity costs of time.
Bottom Line: Clearly, no matter how many layers of costs we want to include in such analysis, it’s clear that there’s an impact of commuting that might be more than meets the eye. So, when evaluating your current job or a future job opportunity, it’s worth taking a very close look at the overall commuting costs.
My Questions for You:
- If you’re working (or have a spouse that is), what’s the total commute like? How does this play a role in the quality of your life?
- Do you ever think about the costs of a job commute, and the impact is has on your finances?
The following is a sponsored guest post by Big Yellow Self-Storage
No joke. In the UK, it’s estimated that around six households in every ten could be around £400 better off every month by renting out a spare room. That’s $650 for most of you reading this. What’s more, the only thing preventing these potential landlords from getting their hands on this cash was junk. Or clutter. In other words, stuff that could be sold, given away, trashed or put into long-term storage.
‘But I don’t want a lodger!’ I hear you say. Fair enough, but the there’s still a great case for getting ruthless and reclaiming that extra room at home.
You could set up in business.
Think about it. In terms of cost, the combination of a home office and a self storage unit to store stock, literature, tools or business archives beats shelling out for expensive commercial office space or warehousing hands down.
It really is that simple: self storage is cheaper than office space.
And with the right self storage facility, it’s also a lot easier to negotiate and totally hassle-free to live with. In the UK, for example, a sole trader making a living from buying and selling, gets a massive choice of unit size (10 – 5000 sq ft) and can store stuff for as little as seven days if necessary, availing themselves of the free use of pallet trucks and trolleys. Forklifts are available too. And there are no long term commitments, no complex leasing agreements for lawyers to pore over, no penalties for increasing or decreasing the space and – even better – no VAT, the UK equivalent of sales tax*.
In other words, it’s a no brainer. No wonder, then, that more and more self employed people are getting richer with self storage.
* UK sole trader example based on rental terms and options available at Big Yellow Self Storage
The following is a guest post by Buck Inspire, who’s living a fulfilled life within his means while delving into personal finance sprinkled with dining, entertainment, pop culture, technology, and travel.
Since Squirrelers broke down a player potentially giving up money for a shot at an NBA championship in another post, I figure he’ll enjoy my take on another celebrity’s money adventures. Justin Bieber made waves recently when he vacationed in Hawaii with his girlfriend Selena Gomez. I don’t know about you, but at 17, I had a minimum wage job so $10,000 would be closer to a year’s salary than accommodations for one night!
Bieber Stimulus Package
From another angle, he is stimulating the economy. The beautiful ocean front luxury hotel provides tons of jobs for Maui. Hawaii’s primary industry is tourism and without big whales coming through, five star hotels like the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea could collapse under all its expenses.
It’s All Relative
According to Forbes magazine, the Biebs raked in 53 million dollars. Using simple math, the Biebs makes about 1000 times more than the average US household. Taking his hotel rate $10,000 and dividing it by 1000, his vacation getaway translates to us mere mortals as $10/night. Don’t average Americans spend more than $10/night for vacations? After the year he had, Justin deserves some rest and relaxation. Mind boggling as it may be, he was actually being cheap!
Relationship Expense
Selena Gomez is no slouch either. Since both of them are young Hollywood, if he didn’t spend at least that much, wouldn’t he risk losing her because he wasn’t cool and too frugal? Too frugal, not cool?!? Ah, to be young and in love. Who wants to think about retirement plans, buying a home, and controlling debt? Actually, with all that money, he really doesn’t have to worry. So why not spend $10/night, by his standards, frolicking on the beach with his girlfriend?
Final Thoughts
Who knows, money changes everything. I’m still gunning to be a Guru Gladiator. But since I am only a personal finance blogger with average income, I would max out my IRA, save for a house down payment, or fatten my emergency fund with that $10,000, thank you very much. Maui is a beautiful place, but not for $10,000/night. I would stash that cash on myself. It’s too bad I didn’t take more singing and dance lessons!
If you strike it rich, would you upgrade your accommodations? Why or why not?
Stay Inspired!
Buck
Editor’s Comments: $53 million in one year, at that age? Kudos to the kid. With that start, retirement before college is possible. How about that!
The following is a guest post by Odysseas Papadimitriou, founder and CEO of Card Hub. Card Hub is a marketplace for no fee credit cards.
I just took a trip overseas, and let me tell you first hand, it’s expensive. This isn’t only because of the extremely unfavorable exchange rate between the dollar and currencies like the Euro, Swiss Frank and English Pound either. Nor is it simply because of costly airfare, the high-end stores that reside in many vacation destinations, or the fact that nearly everything – even water and public restrooms – comes with a cost overseas. These reasons are all certainly relevant to your trip’s tab, but a few other, far-less-obvious factors can cause damage as well. These factors are the foreign transaction fees that 90.2% of bank-issued debit and credit cards have and the dynamic currency conversion tactics that some foreign merchants employ. Both can inflate your post-trip bill, and both can be avoided.
Foreign Transaction Fees
As I mentioned, 90.2% of the plastic you get from banks have fees for foreign transactions. These fees are 3% of each transaction, and – interestingly enough – don’t only kick in when you’re physically out of the country. Rather, they are added to the cost of any purchase processed out of the country, such as might be the case with foreign-based airlines, railway companies and hotels.
Luckily, avoiding them is as simple as opening a no foreign transaction fee credit card or debit card. As their name suggests, these are merely credit and debit cards without fees for overseas use. Capital One essentially cornered the market on such cards and has made no foreign fees a standard feature on all of its cards, but other issuers – like Citi, Chase and American Express – have all gotten into the fray in recent years with a limited number of offers. As the availability of these cards continues to grow, consumers will surely continue to benefit.
Dynamic Currency Conversion
A lot’s different when you’re traveling outside of the country. As a result, you might jump at the simplicity and taste of home provided by a merchant’s offer to charge you in the all-familiar U.S. dollar rather than the local currency. However, retailers often implement high exchange rates for this supposed customer service, meaning you really get increased costs when you think you’re getting added convenience. To prevent this only sign for purchases expressed in the local currency.
Final Thoughts
Money is inextricably linked to any trip overseas. Airfare is expensive. Lodging and food are expensive. As the little costs – whether they are the fees for using an ATM or paying for internet access in airports – add up, they become expensive as well. Using a credit card doesn’t have to fit that bill. So avoid both foreign transaction fees and dynamic currency conversion, take advantage of the fact that Visa and MasterCard automatically provide some of the best exchange rates available, and keep your bank account as full as possible on your next trip overseas.
There are a few different ways that visitors can reach a blog. Some come from links on other blogs, some from bookmarks, and others type in the blog’s url into their browser. Yet others come from “organic search” where they use a search engine (vast majority of the time it’s Google) and type in keywords to find what they’re looking for.
These keywords are often straightforward and logical. However, they’re often surprising and make you wonder how they led someone to your blog when you look at your site’s analytics. Other times, they’re just downright wacky!
Along those lines, back in March is published a post called “Crazy Keywords”.
Well, I once again scanned Google Analytics to see how people found my site in organic search. This time, I looked at keywords from March, April, and May. In these last 3 months, there were some wacky ways people found Squirrelers. Here are some that caught my eye, and got me thinking…..
- “3 siblings inherit 1 car” – Sounds like a tricky situation! Hint: carving it in 3 equal parts won’t help any!
- “Discover Card Death Policy” - YIKES! I’ll be sure not to miss a payment in that case!
- “How much per gal of gas 20 years ago” - Does this mean you’re looking for a nice gal made of gas, one who has gas, or what? Yeah, I know it means gallon, but apparently a part of my brain is stuck in 8th grade:)
- “1000 windfall what class am I?” - Well, that’s a nice windfall but it doesn’t make you wealthy..and exactly how did that get someone to this site?
- “airline tickets squirrel” - Perhaps you’re searching for a flying squirrel…there really is such a creature, after all!
- “apple vs. potato chip nutrition” – I’ll go out on a limb here and give the nod to apples
- “ban soda freedom” – I hope the sodas don’t have a revolution
- “bmw good enough for teenager” – if it’s not good enough, then get the kid a Rolls Royce…or read the Squirrelers article on What Kind of a Car Should a Teenager by Driving to get some good advice from readers
- “bubble gum machine squirrel” – I never knew squirrels had such talents
- “can an alligator kill a human being” – Call me crazy, but I think so….but if you need to search the web just to make sure, feel free!
- “can a grandma give money to his grandchildren” – Grandma giving to HIS grandchildren….I won’t ask
- “can beefaroni expire” – Scary question for some reason
- “can you think of another possible lurking variable that might affect the costs of subway fare or of a slice of pizza” – Seriously? People do search for the most unusual things, don’t they?
- “centenarian avoids responsibilities” – just what responsibilities does someone over 100 years old need to have, anyway?
- “how to live like a cheapskate” – you’re coming to the right place
- “how not to live like a cheapskate” – you may not be coming to the right place
- “my non mr fix it husband” – is someone bitter?
- “oldcouple gone extreme wild” – I don’t want to know about these people
- “sadistic lady owns you” – That sounds terrible! How did that get someone here, again?
- “saving money like a squirrel” – Welcome to the site you’re looking for!
- “stupid grandma”- Now that doesn’t sound very nice!
- “tooth fairy actually wild” – Who knew!
- “waitress wrote a happy face on my check” - I can help here: she isn’t into you at all, she just wants to get you to leave more money when tipping
- “why do we have a haircut” – why, why, WHY?
- “wild mad grandma” – watch out!
Which of these struck you as the silliest?
If you’re a blogger, have you checked on keywords – and if so, have you found any funny ones lately?
