For some strange reason, I become an angry angry driver during the holiday season – along with the rest of Southern California.

Maybe it was the 2 hour traffic hit at 11 pm on Christmas Eve that made me snap, or maybe the rush-rush world we live in just amplifies during the holiday season.

I’m not really sure, but all I know is… if I get cut off one more time, I’m going to ram into the sucker that does it.

So I’m rather happy about 2005 ending, since I’m thinking my road rage will go away along with it.

I wish I have something more profound to say before the year ends, but I don’t.

Ah 2005… thanks a bunch. See you… er, never again.

I was visiting my friend one day, and while my buddy was away in the outhouse, I decided to poke around his room. Being the nosey bastard that I am, I immediately spotted the nail polisher on his desk.

When my dismay looking friend (caught me snooping) explained to me what the nail polisher was for, I was blown away by his ingenious idea.

My buddy, like me, has this bad habit of biting his nail; and apparently nail polishers are bitter tasting. So he applies the nail polisher, and whenever he begins biting his nail, he’ll be reminded not to by the bitter taste!

Wow! Simply amazing!

What? You’ve heard of this idea already?

Whatever, I’ve just patented this. I’m going to call it the “Nasty Bad Habit Removal Kit.”

Only $59.95.

…

What got me really thinking though, is the fact that unlike me, my friend is actually taking actions to do something about his bad habit. I’ve honestly never heard of this nail polish idea before, but it sounded like a pretty good one.

The thing about bad habits, and they can be all sorts of things – spending, eating, sleeping; is that they can generally be prevented or changed – if you make the effort to do so.

Habits are often unconscious patterns of behavior that are generally formed through frequent repetition. The key thing to breaking a bad habit, or the formation of one, is breaking that very chain of repetition.

I asked my buddy how well the nail polish is working out, and he was pretty straight up about it. There are times where he continues to bite his nail even though the taste is bitter, but the majority of the time, it’s stopping his habit.

This blog, in some sense, is the nail polish to my crazy spending habits. It’s not super effective, but like my friend’s nail polish, it works most of the time. I remember one instance where I didn’t buy the “Hitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy” DVD, simply because I reminded myself of my blog’s name (plus it was a mediocre movie).

Now to create a blog for every bad habit that I have… coming up next, www.StopSleepingLate.com

If only it was that easy.

The thing about correcting a bad habit, is that it takes time and effort; and like many things in life, the results you get are what you put into it.

Just a friendly reminder, ’s all.

Ever got ripped off by an auto repair shop?

No?

Okay, ever felt like you got rip off?

According to some survey that I’m making up, the auto repair industry has some of the lowest customer satisfaction rating. The next lowest rating would be the bakery industry, whereas consumers complain that there aren’t enough bakeries located in the US.

Finding a trustworthy auto repair shop is difficult, but not impossible!

When the brake booster in my sister’s car failed, it took numerous trip to different repair shop for me to realized that most shops in my area are run by shady people. Most of the shops couldn’t diagnose the problem properly, even though the symptoms were clear. (Hissing noise from vacuum leak around booster area, no press from brake pedal, etc.)

So I went to AAA’s website and searched for some AAA approved auto repair shop in the area. To narrow the list down some more, I selected those that are ASE certified for brake repair, and those that have had high customer satisfaction rating. This is another reason why AAA membership is worth it for me. Plus I got 10% off the repair cost!

I eventually found Herman’s Expert Automotive, located in Anaheim, California. They diganoised and fixed the problem without an issue – and at a fair price.

What I really like about their website is that it contains 10 very helpful tips on how to avoid auto repair rip offs.

Here are a couple that I think are important:

2. Preventive maintenance. Know and be responsible for the recommended maintenance guidelines for your car or truck (most cars and trucks require changing the oil and filter every six months or 5000 miles, whichever comes first, and lubrication once a year, or 10,000 miles–but check your car’s manual to be sure). The more you know about your car, the harder it will be to cheat you. Even basics can be helpful. We had one young woman client who pulled her Volkswagen Bug into a gas station repair shop. When the attendant asked her to pull up the hood, she knew she was in the wrong place! (in case you haven’t owned a Bug, the engine is in the back of the car, not under the hood).

3. Always bring your car in for a general inspection before going on a road trip. Don’t let yourself get into a situation where you can be taken advantage of. We had one customer’s car break down while crossing the desert in Needles, California. He was told his block was cracked, and that he should leave the car there to be junked. He towed it to us instead, and the repairs were under $200.

4. When in doubt, get a second opinion. We’ll say it again: When in doubt, get a second opinion. It will be worth the extra time in the long run, especially with a new mechanic. Call other garages for estimates before authorizing repairs. If your car is disabled and you don’t trust the diagnosis or estimate, it’s worth the extra hassle to tow it to another shop if need be.

7. Never say, “Do whatever you think it needs.” If you are bringing your car in for a 50,000 mile service, for example, read your car’s owners manual and make a list of exactly what needs to be done.

Once again, don’t forget to check out the entire list of 10 tips!

You know, I really think I have a problem.

I’ve been looking at the “Woops, Bought Crap” category… and it looks like I’m transitioning from buying material goods to consumable food products.

Sometimes I justify it by thinking, hey I’m eating it, so it’s not a waste of money at all!

Yeah right.

So anyway, after a visit to a new supermarket in the area, I noticed a brand spanking new bakery shop next door. Let me tell you, I was giddy like a little kid in a candy store.

For the past few weeks, every time I get out of class, I’ll head over and spend about $3-5 in baked goods. Of course, I had plenty of food back at home.

I’m glad school’s over, because now I can try to shake off the addiction.

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Image stolen from “meet me at the corner of third and fairfax.”

This blog’s been pretty boring lately. I’m done with finals, winter break is kicking in… and I’m bored outta my mind.

I went to the library and grabbed a butt load of books. Two of which that I recommend are The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and The Informed Investor by Frank Armstrong.

The only real financial goal I have before the year end is to try and not spend too much money (yeah really high standards there). It’s really tough though when you have a lot of free time and a wallet full of credit cards (just kidding, majority of my cards are sock-drawered).

I’m going snowboarding this Sunday, and in my attempt to save money, I’m borrowing various gears from different people. Shouldn’t matter much since I never tried snowboarding before. Yeah, I’m prepared for a world of hurt and humiliation.

Track your FICO scores easily buy using Score Watch from myFICO.com!

• Number of accounts opened: 7
• Inquiries: 3
• Total revolving balances: $19,300
• Total available credit: $50,000

Scores took another deep dive during the months of October to November. Changes? Maxing out the Citi card for 0% balance transfer. (Took out another $5,300). That’s the only major change in that time period. Refer to Part #2 for more info.

Scores in December or January should bump up a bit, because I just paid off a $7,800 BT on my Bank of America VISA.

Free Annual Credit Report.

I got an email from TransUnion a few days ago, reminding me that it has already been one year since I’ve requested a free credit report from them, due to that spiffy federal law from awhile back.

Anyhow it’s only a year for those of us in the west coast states, since if I remember it right, the benefit didn’t kick in till middle of the year for the rest of the country.

If you’ve already requested a free credit report, you should just go to each of the credit reporting agency’s respective site and access your account and request your report from there, it’ll make things easier.

I think I’ll hold off on the credit report as the last ones I’ve seen are about 4-5 months ago, I have a pretty good idea of where I’m standing right now.