Finding Filshurman

I got a housemate.  In one of my first posts (read it here), I talked about the pros and cons (mostly cons) of getting a housemate to help defray costs.  At that time, I decided that having someone move in would be a “worst case scenario” and although I considered it an option, I really wasn’t serious about it.  Too many sacrifices, too much intrusion for too little return.

At Easter, I had some friends over - one of whom was Filsurman, a guy who used to live across the street in a duplex with his younger brother.  His younger brother moved in with his girlfriend and Filsurman moved into an apartment in Alkali Flats next to the light rail station.  Filsurman, it turns out, much prefers the sedate life in midtown proper and was looking to get back to the neighborhood. We tossed around the idea of him moving into my house - into what was going to be a guestroom.

I like Filsurman well enough.  He’s employed, has a wide social network so he’s not home a lot and he has no outwardly annoying habits.  And with my employment, or at least my salary, up in the air, it seemed wise to create a financial cushion.  The cons were obvious:  I would be sharing my house and my stuff with another person for the first time since law school.  I would have to be a little more courteous; a little less of a slob.  I couldn’t dump stuff on the first available surface as I walked in the door after work.  I couldn’t walk around in various stages of undress as I got ready to leave the house each day.

After surprisingly little deliberation, I decided it was a go.  Filsurman moved in the first week of June.

So far it has been fine.  Granted, the honeymoon stage is in full swing.  I’m picking up after myself a little more.  I put my dishes in the dishwasher almost immediately after use.  I’m trying to stay on top of the pet hair.  And Filsurman, for his part, takes out the trash, keeps tally of the beer he and his friends consume and takes the dog for walks when he has time.

With a third furlough day on the horizon, the financial cushion my housemate brings is huge addition to the “pro” column of sharing my digs.  It won’t always be easy, but so far, so good.

I’mmmmmmm baaaaaaackkkkk!

As you may have noticed, I took a little hiatus due to being buried both professionally (furloughs + same case load = less time to blog) and personally, but with the latest budget nonsense, I’ve decided that I just can’t stay away.  This blog does something for me and I’ve missed the catharsis.

It being Friday and all, I’ve decided my first post back should be about some cool free stuff.  Or rather a cool free experience.  So here it is:

Just in time for summer, our National Parks are giving away free weekends.  Yes, that right.  For one weekend in June, July and August, all National Parks will be waiving admission fees.  That’s a significant savings for some of our more spendy National Parks where entrance fees are $25. And who doesn’t love visiting our National Parks where the rangers say “Enjoy YOUR National Park.”  Somehow it makes me feel better about being upside-down on my mortgage when I’m told that I own Yosemite.

So here’s the skinny on the deal.  The free weekend entries are June 20-21, July 18-19, and August 15-16.  If you go to one of YOUR National Parks on those days, the entry fee will be waived.  Sadly, you still have to cough up dough for camping, reservations, and the like.  You can read the press release here.

Get out this summer and get yours.  It’s like government cheese, but for the REI set.

Oh and confidential to Wilbur — I’m sorry about your Woot! habit.  It’s addictive, I know.

Switch to Golden 1….just in case.

When I began my first job with the state at the Office of the State Public Defender in 1998, among state workers, the wounds were fresh from then-governor Wilson’s IOU scheme.  At that time, my boss gave me some very sage advice:  Switch to Golden 1  Credit Union and sign up for direct deposit.  She filled me in the history of the IOU debacle and informed me that Golden 1 stood by their members long after other banking institutions had gotten nervous about the IOUs and the other shady financial instruments the state was trying to pass off as legal tender.

It turns out, she was right.  It was good advice.  Every year since I started working for the state, when there is no budget and the legislature and their staff go without a paycheck, members of the Golden 1 with direct deposit are provided interest free loans to make due until they are paid.

Last year when the Governor threatened to pay state workers minimum wage until a budget was passed, Golden 1 again stepped in and went on record to say it would be there for state workers with either no or low interest loans depending on factors like direct deposit and membership duration.

Since the court ruling came down in the governor’s favor permitting the state to pay its employees minimum in the absence of a budget, Golden 1’s historical support of state workers becomes more relevant.  I was talking with colleagues about the very real possibility of being paid minimum wage or my case, as an FLSA-exempt employee, being paid nothing while the legislature is playing chicken with our lives (i.e. budget negotiations).  Most of my colleagues were satisfied that the current budget, in place until June 2010, would mean that we would not be subjected to  what has become the yearly summer ritual of budget negotiations and trumped-up rhetoric.  Well, I’ll tell you what I told my colleagues - think again.

The current budget hinges on the passing of ballot propositions fancifully named Proposition 1A and Proposition 1B.  The special election is slated for May 19, 2009.  For an objective analysis of the propositions, you can go the California Budget Project’s website. Because the propositions as a whole provide for an extension of some unpopular tax increases, I predict these propositions will fail at the ballot box. For better or worse, we are an instant gratification society and economic sacrifice is a bitter pill to swallow, particularly when people are hurting financially.   So what then?

And what if the projections that the budget rests on come up short?  Conventional wisdom tells us that this budget may not last through June 2010.  If there is a budget shortfall, and if the legislature and the governor have to go back to the table to hammer out a new budget, you can pretty much count on the Governator flexing his newly court-sanctioned muscle.  If that happens, minimum wage checks will be a reality.  And a no or low interest loan will sure sound good.  But Golden 1 only offers those benefits to existing members.

My point is that these economic times have resulted in a lot of people, myself included, saving a for a rainy day, planning for a rainy day and really, expecting a rainy day.  That being the case, I want to make sure that if (and maybe when) the day comes that I get a check for minimum wage (or nothing) that I won’t lose my house or even take a ginormous hit on my FICO score because I’m not able to pay my bills.  For me, that means banking with an institution that has a history of standing by state workers and offering a life-line when the legislature and the governor are playing grab-ass at the Capitol.

And it’s not like the Golden 1 Credit Union is a bad bank or a shady bank.  They are solvent, offer very competitive rates and sponsor frequent (and free!) financial information seminars on a wide range of subjects.  They have convenient ATM’s in many state buildings and they offer the PERS home loan program.  If you are on the fence about switching, ask yourself:  If I’m paid federal minimum wage for a month or more, what bills could I pay and what bills would I have to skip.  If  you fail to pay your mortgage — even for one month — your FICO score will start circling the bowl.  To me, this is a no-brainer.  By choosing Golden 1, I’m opting out of more stress in my life.  And really, come June or July, the last thing I want to worry about is whether my minimum wage check will cover the limes for the margaritas.

Free Friday debuts on the Soup Line

In an effort to bring regularity to this blog, I will be featuring a “Free Friday” post every Friday.  Friday’s post will feature some item or service that is free.  In today’s economy, we are looking to save a dollar or two and the Soup Line is out to prove that sometimes, there is such thing as a free lunch, or a free magazine subscription, or a free sample of coffee, or….

For the inaugural Free Friday post, I’m talking about fishing.  Not phishing - that’s bad.  No, fishing.  Like in reeling in the big one.  In California, like in most states, you must have a fishing license to fish in California streams and lakes.  But for two days, you can fish for free in California.  No license required. This deal applies to every other state - tell your out-of-state relatives to check for the dates of their state’s free fishing days.

Get your calendars out and mark this down.  California’s free fishing days are July 4, 2009 and September 7, 2009.  For more information about what rights and privileges the free one-day pass grants please check this link to the California Department of Fish and Game.

Stymied about what you and your family are going to do on Fourth of July?  Well, if there is no state budget, state workers are going to be paid federal minimum wage and may be looking for a free diversion.  What better way of spending Fourth of July than to be hanging out on the streams and banks of California’s rivers and lakes catching dinner.  All for my favorite price of free.

Oh, and if you do go fishing for free and you enjoy experiencing California’s great outdoors with the fish plentifully stocked in the fresh, non-polluted streams and lakes, thank a state worker.

I’m talkin’ ’bout a Revolution…

No, sadly, not that kind of a revolution.  (But five points for you if you hummed the title of the post!)   Rather, I’m talking about Revolution Money Exchange. Huh?  Right, I know.  You’ve never heard of it.  Well, that should change.  Because it’s an awesome service.  It’s my favorite price of free!  And it has served as a relationship saver of sorts. Let me explain.

You know the scenario all too well.  You and your friends are out to lunch.  You have a nice salad, maybe two of you split an appetizer.  One or two go all in and have a glass of wine (or two!) and then then bill comes.  If it is a group of ladies, nobody has cash.  (Come on, don’t get offended, you know I’m right.)  Everybody is scrambling to get out their credit cards and debit cards and the negotiations begin.

The server, seeing the myriad of cards being whipped out of handbags and anticipating a complex list of instructions, and a marginal tip because of the ensuing confusion about who is paying what, flees to the kitchen to talk trash about your dining party.  The dialogue goes something like this:

Lindsay:  I didn’t have wine and my entree was my $9.95 so I’m going to put $11.00 on my card.

Hillary:  Oh, Lindsay you still owe me $10 for Kelly’s shower gift so you should just add that to what you’re charging and then I’ll just charge the remaining $4.00 that I owe to my card.  (Waitstaff love the $4.00 debit transactions.)

Amanda:  Crap!  I left my wallet in my desk drawer because I was paying bills.  Lindsay, can you spot me, and I’ll write you check when we get back to the office?

Because really, who doesn’t enjoy a time-consuming errand to the bank to cash a $15 dollar check?

Kim: Hillary, I think I still owe you for the shower gift, too, and I don’t see you as often as you see Lindsay, so can I cover your lunch with my card and then you get the money from Lindsay some other time?

Hillary’s brow furrows — Lindsay is a notorious cheapskate and needs constant reminders to pay up for group gifts.  Hillary would really rather get the money from Lindsay this way because it’s so much less of a hassle.  Hmmmmmm…

You get my point.  Amongst our friends and colleagues we engage in small monetary transactions all the time.  We go out to meals with friends, we go to the movies with friends and one person Fandangos the tickets, one person of the group buys a big wedding present.  Sometimes others are slow to the get the cash to payer– not necessarily because they are skinflints but maybe because they don’t see them often.  And let’s face it, writing a small check, mailing that check and cashing that check is a monumental PITA (if you don’t know the acronym - ask your kids if they are over the age of 12).  Wouldn’t it be great if there was something like PayPal for friends?  Where you could request money like a seller does on Ebay and then your friend could just wire the money to your bank account?  And wouldn’t it be amazing if it were free?

Welcome to Revolution Money Exchange.  The Money Exchange works kind of like PayPal.  You register for an account and you link that account to an e-mail address and your checking account.  You have your friends do the same.  Once you all have an account, whenever you go out as a group or make group purchases (like a wedding gift or a hotel room), the person who picks up the tab sends out a request through the Money Exchange for the money.  You fill in the amount you are requesting and a brief note about what is regarding.  This request is sent to the friend(s) who owe(s) you money.  That friend can either accept the amount or suggest a new amount.  Once the amount is set, the payer requests the funds from his or her bank account if he or she does not already have money in the money exchange account and within a few days of requesting the funds, you are square.  Did I mention that this was free?

In my every day life, Money Exchange has worked wonders.  I go on a weekend wine trip every year with my friends.  We all keep track of our expenses and then Money Exchange our amounts at the end of the weekend.  Within one to two weeks after we get back and well before any credit card debts are owed, we are all good with the money.  No hard feelings, no uncomfortable discussions, no delays.

I’ve also used Money Exchange when I was traveling in Egypt for an extended period last fall.  I had some people doing some work on my house and my brother was there.  He couldn’t locate the credit card I had left for him to use to pay the workers.  My friend “Tari” stepped in and paid the workers and then I Money Exchanged her the amount from Egypt.  She was made whole well before her credit card came due and I was able to get the workers paid even though I was on the other side of the world.

Money Exchange would also work well with roommate situations.  Let’s face it.  Checks are obsolete and ever increasingly, we have stopped carrying cash.  When was the last time your roommate handed you exact change in cash of $43.67 for the SMUD bill?  Money Exchange lets you pay bills electronically which is where we are all going anyway.

Anytime I can access a free service that saves me time and saves me drama, I’m going to be on board.  This much I know is true:  People are funny about money.  And asking friends for money, even if they know they owe you and you know they know they owe you, can be uncomfortable.  Money Exchange does it for you.  And it makes it easy.  And it means the death knell for all those piddly checks.

Get on the bus.

I personally ride the bus everyday to work and rack up substantial savings by doing so, but I’ll save that post for another day.  Today, I want to talk about the Money Bus. It sounds promising, no?

The Money Bus Tour is a group of certified financial planners who will be assembling on the west steps of the Capitol on Thursday, March 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m..  These fee-only financial planners will answer questions on financial matters such as credit card debt or mortgage refinancing for the grand price of nothing.  That’s right - my favorite price - free!

No appointment is necessary and participants are encouraged to bring bank statements, credit card statements, insurance policies or anything else they would like a financial planner to review.

Fee-based certified financial planners are in a good position to answer questions because they are not pushing a particular product.  They get paid from their clientele through flat fees - not commissions .

Additional informational sessions will be held inside the Capitol in Room 126 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Bring a bag lunch Soup Liners and see if you can do something about that high interest credit card!

More deals on the little non-negotiables

Back when I first started this blog, I answered the very imminent question of what I was catagorically unwilling to skimp on.  The immediate answer was my pets.  They are, and will continue to be, my little non-negotiables.  That doesn’t mean, however, that I’m not looking for deals where they are concerned.  As loyal Soup Line readers know, I’m always looking for  a deal.  Well here goes…

Spring has sprung!  The days are longer, the flowers are emerging, and that means one thing — flea season!  If you’ve got pets in Sacramento, chances are you are breaking out the Frontline Plus or the Advantix.  And chances are equally good you are not looking forward to the expense.  Well, have I got great news for you, particularly if you have cats or a small dog.  I stumbled across an on-line retailer called No More Fleas Please offering flea control products in bulk so you save money.  They explain the premise here far better then I could, but you can get 40 treatments of Advantage for cats under 9 pounds for $51.99.  And in true Soup Line tradition - free shipping. Just to give you an idea of the savings, 12 doses of the same stuff is $128.00 at the mobile clinic.

The prices are just as good for small and medium sized dogs but the economy of scale does not hold out for the bigger dogs so you have to buy the traditional products for them.  But, alas, the Soup Line has an answer for those of you with the big fellas.  Recently, I purchased six months worth of Frontline Plus for my lab at Amazon for $61.23 — that’s about a $15 savings over the prices charged by the mobile vet clinic offered at Western Feed every Saturday.  And with Amazon, this purchase qualifies for free shipping.

Fleas are a common affliction, particularly in the summer months and flea control products are spendy.  But both of these options will save you enough to savor another little element of the summer season - margaritas!

Fine art movies at starving artist prices.

Research has shown that even in times of economic downturn, people still flock to the movies.  I’m no different.  Prior to the Oscars every year, I try to see all the contenders for Best Picture.  And even during the rest of the year, going to the movies is one of my favorite activities.  The problem is that I could buy a monkey from South America and have it shipped into the U.S. for less money than it costs to see a flick these days.

Well, there are some solutions to this.  The first and most obvious is to go to a matinee.  Matinees will save you about $2-$3 and are generally less crowded.  Sure this is a solution of sorts, but both of the “artsy” movie theaters in town offer great deals if you purchase a bundle of tickets.

Sacramento’s famous Tower Theatre offers the Film Lover Discount Book.  For $27.50, you get five tickets to see movies offered at the Tower.  These tickets can be used two at a time from Sunday to Thursday with no restrictions and Friday and Saturday for any show before 5:00 p.m..  That’s $5.50 a ticket!  Skip the overpriced concessions and plan on having coffee and dessert at the Tower Cafe after your movie.

River City’s other art picture theater is the Crest.  The Crest Theater offers the Crest Movie Discount Card which includes five movie tickets and five coupons for a small popcorn or small drink for the bargain price of $25.00.  The restrictions are the same as the Tower.  For those of you who are math-challenged, that’s $5.00 for admission and a small concession.  Before your movie on Monday-Thursday, check out Happy Hour at Spataro’s Spa Bar.  This makes for a fun, urban, and cheap night out.

Being furloughed doesn’t have to mean that you are exiled from entertainment.  Here are just a few options the Soup Line has cooked up.  If you have any suggestions for inexpensive nights out, drop a comment!

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Or lemon bars as the case may be.  You see, Saturday, I was perusing the free stuff on craigslist and I found Jon in Rancho Cordova who was giving away Meyer lemons.  This was an awesome turn of events as I have a lemon tree which inexplicably gave up no fruit this year.  I e-mailed Jon and after about 20 minutes of picking, I had a stock pile of lemons.

I spent the better part of Sunday squeezing and zesting the lemons.  The juice I froze in ice cube trays and the rind I also put in ice cube trays and then added a little water.

This spring and summer, I will have lemonade, lemon bars, lemon cake, and lemon chicken, all because Jon had a few extra lemons and put the word out.

I’m a big fan of craigslist.  Whether it is to buy secondhand items or get items for free, craigslist is a great resource.  I’ve noticed that especially for things like plants and fruit, craigslist has a lot of gems.  Many times when people landscape, they rip out a lot of plants and shrubs and yet the plants are mature and robust for transplant.

Take some time to browse craigslist, soupliners.  Bargains abound!  And Jon, thanks again for the lemons.

You want fries with that?

Today, the Sac Bee announced the tentative ruling in the Governor’s case against Controller John Chiang regarding the payment of minimum wage to state workers in absence of a budget.  And, drum roll, please…the Governor wins again!  According to Judge Timothy Frawley’s tentative ruling, the State may pay state workers the federal minimum wage during times when no budget is in place.

Ah…what a glorious time to work for the state.  To think, I got a doctorate to make less an hour than the drive-through attendant at Taco Bell.  Except that as an attorney, it gets better.  Attorneys, like other professionals, are exempt from the Federal Labor Standards Act and as such, under the Governor’s plan, we would be be paid nothing.  That’s right - zero.

Now, after a budget is passed, employees would receive back pay, so really, what is the harm?  Let’s cogitate on that one.  Last year, the budget was passed in late September, meaning that it was more than two and a half months late.  Last I checked, Citibank doesn’t take IOUs and neither does Safeway.  I suppose I could put all my expenses on credit cards and then just pay them back when I get paid by the state.  No harm, no foul.  Except, the state doesn’t pay interest.  And I don’t think CitiMortgage would be amused by my attempts to pay my mortgage with my Citibank Visa.  Talk about robbing Peter to pay Paul.

I could use all my vacation and get a full-time job at a place that actually paid some real cash, like, um, Burger King.  Because Burger King is required to pay the California minimum wage, I would be living phat off $8.00 an hour instead of the federal minimum wage which is $6.55 hourly or in my case $0/hour.

Or the California government could get its act together and pay me.  Because I worked the hours, I did the job and I’m worth every penny.