Since starting this blog eons ago, my general personal finance philosophy has been this:

If you can really afford it, spend it.

But there are those moments where I’ll just cringe and think to myself: “God, what an ass.”

My first encounter with status symbol was many years ago, back in elementary school. For a period of time, my sister and I had reduced price on lunch due to family income eligibility. (Thinking about it now, it might have been free lunch for a month or so, then it changed to reduced price and eventually the benefit went away as our family household income increased). I remember standing in line, giving the coupon/vouchers to the lunch lady, and I was none-the-wiser that my family was any different than my classmates.

Ah, to be a naive kid again.

I eventually got around to asking my mom about why we were getting free/reduced price lunch and found out that while my family was not exactly dirt poor, we were certainly not rolling in money either.

What really opened my eyes though was what happened a few days later. While after school, I noticed a fellow classmate that’s also using the reduced lunch voucher getting picked up by his parent — in their brand new Mercedes. Needless to say, I was really confused.

Soon, I learned that the family in question was not necessarily cheating the welfare system, but was using what little money they had just to buy/lease (or however they got) the Mercedes.

Growing up in Southern California, this type of status symbol display quickly became the norm in life. You’ll quickly hear how so and so just bought a brand new car. Or a luxury watch. Or a luxury bag. Or high-end kicks. All this before I even graduated from high school (and I graduated from a lower-middle class high school).

So although there was a time when I was really car crazy (SoCal culture after all) — these days I really despise the car as a status symbol. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with buying a nice car. Who wouldn’t want a sweet bimmer that can do 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds? But when you can’t afford it and you straddle yourself with a tens of thousands of dollars in debt just to look good in other people’s eyes… you’re kind of a tool in my book.

Till this day, I still get the occasionally online inquiry from a random high school classmate: “Hey man, are you still driving that Honda Civic?”

What an ass.

What type of status symbols annoys you the most? Feel free to share in the comments below. And yes, I still drive my “old” 2001 Honda Civic :)

This post "Which Status Symbols Piss You Off the Most?" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

Maybe I just don’t get it.

Maybe I just couldn’t understand why a pair of jeans made in Thailand may be better than another pair of jeans made in Thailand.  (To be fair, Diesel jeans are made only in Italy, Tunisia, or Morocco — with the most being produced in Italy).

The thing is, although I may think of it as a waste of money, it really is a sense of perspective and value.

There are MANY denim fans out there.  They value a well made pair of denim, that’s well-designed, fashionable, long lasting; and well, many other factors that I probably wouldn’t be able to list.

I took a shot of this pair of jeans earlier this spring while in Rome (during the whole volcano-making-Europeans-life-miserable moment), and I was slightly giddy with excitement as I envision the post I’ll write up, trashing the ridiculously priced jeans and the satisfaction I’ll get when my readers confirm my perspective, and we all pat ourselves on the back and think about how wise we are with our spending.

The thing is, how we spend our money is a very personal and subjective thing.  Though I’m a fairly frugal guy, I’ll often do incredibly unpractical things (such as impromptu travel with airfare that makes me spit blood).  And in these moments where the spending makes absolutely no sense to another person, it’ll make perfect sense to me.

Although I’ll probably never understand the concept of a pair of jeans that cost more than $20 (and I still hope someone can explain it to me), what I do understand is that I’m still a firm believer in spending whatever the hell you want — as long as you’re not bankrupting yourself or your future.

Related Post:

• $200+ Jeans

This post "Explain to Me the Concept of a $166 Pair of Jeans" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

As you’re about to book your flight, you stare at the computer screen, wondering what’s the best choice.

You quickly searched Southwest, but the time table and seats available just didn’t match up to the meeting’s schedule.

You could fly American, as you actually managed to store up some mileage through the years.  Despite the fact that you prefer other airlines, you’ve stuck with American, because loyalty’s gotta mean something, right?

With a quick check, those mileage are currently meaningless as there are no reward seats available to claim.

The problem is that you’re now running on a much tighter budget.  Ever since the recession, business hasn’t been going so well, and you can barely afford this trip out to the mid-west.  But you have to get to Indianapolis, as sealing this deal ensures your business’ survival, and the 6 life-long employees that your business employs.

So despite your better judgement, you booked the American Airline flight.

Accompanying your power point presentation slide on your laptop is your rather large luggage full of equipment and samples. You usually prefer to travel light, but in this situation you have little choice.  Not a very compelling way to wow the clients when you’re only relying on PowerPoint.

You’ve managed to somehow fit everything in two luggage. A check-in and a carry-on.  You thought about American Airline’s first checked bag fee of $25 and decided that there’s no other choice but to eat the fee.  At the very least you don’t have to pay for the second checked bag fee of $35.

But wait, all those samples can be quite heavy… is the luggage overweight?  If the luggage is between 51-70 lbs, you’ll have to pay an additional $50 for the checked-bag, if it’s over 100 lbs, it’ll be $100.  On international route, the fees can be even higher.  Thank goodness the clients are in the states.

After distributing the samples between your clothes and carry-on, you were able to keep the checked bag underweight.

Hmm. Better make sure I now have room for my carry-on, you thought to yourself.  Being a frequent flyer, you know that certain seats will be able to board the flight before the other seating groups, thereby ensuring a better chance for you to have room for your carry-on luggage on a full flight.

As you select your seat, you’re slightly thankful that you don’t have to pay the extra $10-$25 other airlines may charge for ‘premium’ economy seats.

But then you saw the early boarding fee option.  You can pay an additional $10 if you want to board early.  Hmm, this could be the solution I need, you thought again to yourself.  So you paid for the extra $10 on the outbound flight to Indianapolis.

While at the gate, you quickly realized that your early boarding fee was slightly pointless, as your particular flight had many American Airline’s elite status members, and they have priority boarding before you.  Following them are those that may need extra time and special needs, and your flight was surprisingly filled with many parents and children, so you soon board after them too.

Luckily, you were able to secure a bin for your carry-on luggage, albeit it was eight rows behind your seat.

The flight to Indianapolis was uneventful, but you were glad that the flight was only delayed for about an hour. Any later and you’ll miss your connecting flight in Dallas, or you’ll check into your hotel too late, which would have made flying out the day before the meeting pointless.

Your hotel room is like any other mid-level hotels scattered through the country.  The fridge/mini bar is stuffed with candy, snacks, and drinks that are marked up 300%.  At this particular hotel chain, a bottle of water will cost a cool $4.00.

Slightly thanking the divine that there’s no additional charge on a flight for your carry-on laptop bag, you prop the bag open and decided to do some last minute, pre-meeting work.

“High speed internet access is conveniently available for a price of $9.95 per day” — says the friendly placard on the table.

You scratch your head and often wonder why low-cost motels can offer free WiFi, while many middle-to-high-end hotels still charges for wired internet access.

The notice placard was brushed aside as you make room on the desk. Not an issue. You were prepared.  Situations like this is why you’ve purchased a smartphone.

Ah. Your smartphone.

The trusty latest device that lets you text, surf, record videos, take photos, battle aliens, and much more. It also supposedly makes phone calls.

The phone sets you back $200 even though it was subsidized by a 2-year contract locked with the cell phone carrier. Your monthly plan sets you back another $60, and the data plan for your smartphone cost an additional $30 a month.

Though you were initially happy with your phone when you first got it, you quickly felt duped that you had to pay an additional $25 a month to tether your phone to your laptop in order to use your phone’s data service on your laptop.

My clients in Europe can use the same exact phone to tether their device with no extra cost and no additional needs to download some “special” software, you exclaimed to the cell phone company representative.

“But with our mobile broadband smartphone connect package,” explained the rep, “you will have additional support and peace of mind when you need access to data.”

You sat there in the hotel room, wondering why you’re paying for the same data service, from the same provider, three times. One for your home. One for your cell phone. And one for your laptop.

Brushing all these negative thoughts out of your head, you get to work on your laptop.

But the wireless data network from your cell phone company is down.

“We apologize for the inconvenience as we’re currently experiencing heavy usage in your current region,” says the telephone support representative. “Service is expected to resume to normal within 1-2 business days.”

So you pay for the hotel’s $9.95 internet service.

And you sit there.  Waiting.

Because the “high-speed” internet is no faster than your non-working smartphone.

This post "Welcome to the Age of Nickel and Dimed" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

Uranium Ore – $29.95

Always handy to have around, just in case you’re all out of juice in your Delorean-based time machine.  Of course, in actuality this radioactive sample of uranium ore is meant to be used in science labs, for testing Geiger counters and uh, other sciency-thingies (it’s been awhile since I’ve been in a lab-based course).

Amazon review of note:

3 out of 5 star.  Great product, poor packaging.

I purchased this product 4.47 billion years ago and when I opened it today, it was half empty.

UFO-01 Detector – $149.95

When the tinfoil hats just aren’t enough to deter and preempt UFO invasions, you’ll need, the 01 detector!  Made of overpriced hardware found at Radio Shack, this cutting-edge detector will not only emit a flashing LED but will also beep when electromagnetic and magnetic disturbances are detected.  With a low price of $149.95, what more can you ask for?  (Tinfoil hats and probing prevention plugs not included).

Amazon review of note:

1 out of 5 stars. Been abducted twice!!

After my first abduction I sought out to arm myself with something that would prevent this from happening to me again. Alas, the UFO Detector.

Since then my microwave, TV, radio, and cellphone have been causing the device to alarm several times, sending me in a state of panic where I’d hide under my bed for days. Next time it went off it was no false alarm. And I was, again, on board an alien vessle with probes hanging from every opening of my body.

I’d guess that for this “Detector” to work you’d need to be in an environment free from all electrical interferences. Above all, I DO NOT recommend this product.

Energy Drink Blood Energy Potion $5.23

Get real blood nutrients without that real blood taste!  The fruit punch flavor packs 4 hours of energy along with iron, protein, and electrolytes.  Because drinking regular fruit punch is so 1992.  Also available in packs of 3.  Supposedly taste like crap. But you know, it’s cool.  Or something.

Amazon review of note:

3 out of 5 stars. Kinda smells funny.

The product doesn’t taste great but I was buying it as more of a novelty. It smells like cherry yogurt and while I like cherry yogurt, I don’t like my drinks to smell like it :)

Bottom line, this is a fun product to share with friends during a vampire movie marathon. If you need energy, get a Red Bull…

Wheelmate Steering Wheel Desk Tray $24.23

Instant ergonomic desk, store easily under or behind car seat, measures about 9 x 15 inches, this is the ultimate “before I die in a horrible car crash, I’d like to have breakfast” tool.  Check out corresponding “customer images” for relevant usage aftermath scenarios.

Amazon review of note:

4 out of 5 stars.  These worked great in the cockpit for our transcontinental flights!

My copilot and I both used these during our “daily grind” transcontinental flights from San Diego to Minneapolis. We had to modify them a bit to fit snug against the instrument panels (when we bought them we didn’t realize the planes we fly don’t have steering wheels!), but in the end it did the job. With our laptops firmly in place we were able to focus our attention on what really mattered, participating in raids with our WoW clan. During our last flight we were so immersed in trying to take down Eranikus that we overshot Minneapolis by a full hour and a half before some annoying flight attendant interrupted us, babbling something about “FAA and F16 fighters.”

We’ll definitely use this product again at our next gig, whatever and whenever that happens to be…

Highly recommended!

One-Pound Fat Replica – $33.30

Because real fat isn’t gross enough, you can purchase and enjoy a similar gross experience with this 1 lb. replica of fat.  Made of pliable, long-lasting vinyl plastic. Show it to a patient after liposuction!  Grasp it in your hand as you scream at a McDonalds employee: “look what you’ve made me become!”  The possibilities are endless.

Amazon review of note:

2 out of 5 stars. Not as impressed as I’d thought I’d be.

I purchased a one-pound fat replica AND a one-pound muscle replica. I truly thought that the differences in the sizing would be more pronounced. I gotta tell you, I really don’t see that much of a difference. Theoretically, if you formed the fat into the same shape as the muscle, I’m even less impressed. Maybe these items would be good for someone in the medical field, but I just purchased them for a weight loss motivational factor – gotta tell ya – not a real motivator. I wouldn’t purchase again.

Wolf Urine, 32 oz – $31.95

Use the 100 percent urine lures to create the illusion predators are present in the area you wish. Great for photographers, gardeners, hunters and wildlife enthusiasts. Unfortunately if you live in California, you wouldn’t be able to purchase this awesome bucket of uh, wolf urine. Due to changes in shipping regulations or some sort.  Damn government, always preventing us from buying our wolf urines.

Amazon review of note:

4 out of 5 stars. One for the cellar.

One is immediately drawn to this vintage by the colour, which is an elegant, pale straw hue with an appealing peachy fruit on the nose. It has an incredibly effervescent bead — the whole glass teams with bubbles — culminating in a frothy layer at the head.

The palate has panache, with a firm, mineral acidity that cuts through a rather elegantly styled, poised meaty presence. As with most Chateau Deerbuster products, this has the signature leafy-fresh character, which softens into a slight rancid feel towards the end.

Even though it has a rather short and crisply defined finish, I still believe this has the composition and acidity to age well in the cellar of any self-respecting urine connoisseur.

Fred and Friends Air Fork One – $10.00

Now you can have the accompanied imagery as you tried to shove food down your child’s throat.  This particular utensil probably can’t be classed as “weird crap” though… as $10 is probably a cheap price to pay for peace and quiet at the dinner table or for those particularly fussy eaters that needs more of a nudge.

Amazon review of note:

My most beautiful friend Amy C. gave this to me today after seeing my link to this from FB indicating that “I WANT THIS.” Isn’t that great? I assumed that you had to insert your own fork, but there’s a full-sized fork inside already. The silicone rubber plane is soft and the wings and tail are pliable. It’s so cute and I’m about to eat lunch with it right now!

Inflatable Toast – $2.99

Toast is great, but its hard to keep in your pocket. So what do you do when you crave the warm comfort of toast but dont want to deal with the crumbs? You pull out your Inflatable Toast, blow it up and admire its realistic toasty goodness! Each soft vinyl slice of toast is 6 inches tall and has a standard inflation valve.

Amazon review of note:

5 out of 5 stars. Best inflatable toast on the market today.

I have used many different types of inflatable toast an I can say without question that this is the best inflatable toast out there. The toast inflates quickly and with ease..this is important when I am pressed for time and need inflatable toast at a moments notice. If you are like me and can’t be without a high quality inflatable toast, THIS is the one for you!

JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser/Tank – $19,999.95

You’ve probably seen this before, but the Badonkadonk is still chugging away on Amazon.com, for a low price of 20K.  It features the capability of carrying cargo or crew of up to five (more like 5 people of little people stature); 6hp tecumseh gasoline engine to propel you at the top speed of 40 mph (which may take about 5 hours to reach top speed); and you get a 400 watt premium sound with PA system with “plush interior” — because let’s face it, if you can’t travel with comfort in a homemade tank, why bother?

Amazon review of note:

1 out of 5 stars. Easily blown to kingdom come.

I am an acquisitions officer for an artillery unit in the Russian Army. Since mafia hooligans stole all of our equipment to sell to Kyrgyzstani rebels, we have been looking for a low-cost alternative to the T-80 Main Battle Tank. After successful trials at a facility in Moscow, this so-called “Badonkadonk” was approved for use in the Chechen theatre. Initial reports were favorable, but then somebody noticed that the tank lacked a cannon, treads, and armor, and possessed the engine of an electric bicycle. It did, however, have an excellent audio system, but this failed to compensate for its disappointing 100% mortality rate. Recommended only for use against Lithuanians.

This post "9 Weird Crap You Can Buy on Amazon.com" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

Or in this case, a butcher knife.

I swear to Xenu, lord and dictator of the Galactic Confederacy, that if I ever encounter another packaging that requires stabbing motion to open, I’m going to send Tom Cruise and his Scientology pals after the person responsible.

In all seriousness, from today forward, I’m genuinely going to make a conscious effort to avoid purchasing poorly-designed packaging that’s hard to open.

And don’t even get me started about the cost of printer ink.

This post "Crap: Hard to Open Packaging That Requires a Chainsaw" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

This is a guest post from Peyton Farving, who is a deal hunter and contributing writer with the shopping community led by a little robot — Dealzon.com.  If you like staying on top of all the latest can’t-miss deals, consider checking Dealzon out.

 
As I’m scouring the web for great deals on computers, HDTVs, video games, etc. (I’m usually looking for stuff at least $20 less than the next best price on comparison sites like PriceGrabber but I sometimes find up to $100 off or more) I also run across some pretty ridiculous products and “deals” that I wouldn’t encourage Dealzon’s friends to buy. But they’re good for a few laughs and an always welcome reminder to “stop buying crap.” Here are five funny deals I saw last week.

Boxing Gloves for Nintendo Wii

Boxing Gloves for Nintendo Wii $11 shipped from Buy.com

I don’t care how cheap these are. Do you really need gloves on your hands for protection when you’re not actually striking anything during Wii boxing? Do you really need them for looks? I always thought boxers looked tougher without the gloves on anyway. If the ol’ bare knuckles are good enough for the G.O.A.T, they’re good enough for you.

Forza 3 Racing Gaming Seat (Limited Edition)

Limited Edition Forza 3 Racing Seat $350 shipped from Amazon

What! A! Deal! Pay just one easy monster payment of THREE HUNDRED FIFTY bucks for this car seat for infant adults (diapers not included) and they’ll throw in the game, which sells for $52 by itself. Alright, so you’re down to $300 and it doesn’t even come with a steering wheel or pedals. So good luck using it for driving, let alone racing.

MP3 Player (FREE) with a HeartStart Home Defibrillator

Free Philips GoGear MP3 Video Player (when you buy a Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator) $1,265 shipped from Amazon

Now, shifting gears…(oh, I guess it didn’t include a shifter either)…This Amazon special sounds like it belongs on QVC or a late night infomercial. Free MP3 player when you buy a heart defibrillator. Go ahead, show me someone who might need a defibrillator who would even have a prayer of operating an MP3 player (and a non-iPod at that). You know this killer deal has gotta be the brainchild of someone at Amazon saying Well the senior market segment is a growing one, and we really should promote healthy lifestyles, so… Now where was the wise old man when you need him? Honey, if I’m going to spend $1200 on anything, it better play music on its own.

The Latest Apple iPod Shuffle

Apple iPod Shuffle (4th generation) $55 shipped from Amazon

I was shocked when I saw this one. Apple’s little stick of music surprise has the LOWEST CUSTOMER REVIEW RATING – 2.5 out of 5 stars – OF AMAZON’S TOP 100 ELECTRONICS BESTSELLERS.

Wow. With customer review headlines like Headphones suck! and Worst Apple product ever and Just Say No, I’d walk away from the shuffle and pick up a 1GB or 2GB mp3 shuffler from a “lesser” brand for $20 or less.

Kanye West “Imma Let You Finish” T-shirt

Kanye West “Imma Let You Finish” T-shirt $20 from BustedTees

Sticking with music (you gotta love my transition puns!), there was no joke this year more fun to use again and again than Kanye’s plug for Beyonce during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech. There’s a Tumblr blog collecting all the Kanye interruption spoofs, and there’s even an app to generate a Kanye overlay of your website, but a T-shirt? It might be okay if they shortened the joke so someone could actually get it without having to stare at you to read the whole thing. Don’t buy that. You could make a better one yourself.

That concludes this edition of Crappy Deals of the Week — not that I don’t have more…just need to save material for next time! Next time you need something decent, go to DEALZON.com for the best HDTV deals, cheap laptops, and more.

This post "Crappy Deals of the Week: Heart-Pounding Edition" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

Just came back from the grocery store and saw this silly thing at the checkout counter.

Nicely done, California State Lottery, nicely done.

Why buy gift cards for Christmas when you can buy a lottery ticket!?

Urgh.

This post "Stop Buying Crap #22 – Lottery Tickets as Christmas Gift" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

Mmm… it’s almost Black Friday, and you know what that means — it’s make or break time for retailers. With news of consumer spending dropping a full 1% in October, consumers should more than ever be out at the retail stores, saving the economy from the brinks of utter collapse.

Unfortunately for my local retailers, I’ll be doing what I’ve always been doing for the past few years on Black Friday: staying at home, eating leftovers, and sleeping in. Super sweet.

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Blasted Cap. Always a cheap ass and never a generous spender. The economy could be falling apart and Cap will be at home, wrapped in a blanket while eating Cap’n Crunch cereal (it’s getting chilly in Southern California, temperature hitting low 60s).

It’s not my fault, honest.

I mean, I would love to go out there, make my dollars work and save Circuity City from the sorrowing abyss of pink sheets hell; but alas, I have no one to buy gifts for.

As much as I like to tout about friends and family in recent days, truth be told, I’ve done enough damage through the years and have driven away many people.

And there you have it, Cap’s secret sauce to keeping spending in check during the holidays: piss off your friends and loved ones so you don’t have to buy gifts for any of them.

Haha. I’m just kidding.

…or am I?

top photo credit: J. McPherson

This post "Cap’s Secret Sauce to Foiling Black Friday & Holiday Spending" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

Ruining My Life and Productivity Due to an Online Game? Pft.

It’s been well over a year since there’s an addition to the “Stop Buying Crap” series. What a shame. Ya’ll must be terribly sad (alright probably not).

Joining the list of “crap” today will be every massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) that’s currently active with a thriving online user base.  This includes recent popular ones such as Warhammer Online and Age of Conan.  Heck, for good measures, lets throw in some upcoming ones such as Star Wars: The Old Republic and Stargate Worlds.  And of course, let’s not forget the big daddy of them all, with over 11 million subscribers across the globe: World of Warcraft.

For those that have been fortunate enough to not have a MMORPG intersect into their life (whether directly or indirectly), you may be a little bit confused right now.  Basically, a MMORPG is a genre of role-playing games, where a large number of players interact with one or another in a virtual, persistent world.

In short, you’ll be chilling in a virtual game world with your best pals, family, and new-found online friends — kicking virtual baddies ass and taking names.  Sounds harmless right?

Not quite.

Addiction, Lost of Sleep, and Inability to Quit. Oh My!

According to a now famous research conducted by Nick Yee, 50% of surveyed MMORPG gamers considered themselves addicted to MMORPGs. A majority of the gamers (60%+) have played a game for 10 hours continuously or more, while in another question, over 40% of male gamers claimed that they’ve often lost sleep due to game playing habits.  To make matters worse, 30% of the respondents in the 12 to 17 age group tried to quit the game but was unsuccessful in doing so.

To be blunt, MMORPGs, like many type of things we come across in life, can drive and cause addiction — and a costly addiction at that.  Imagine failing school, losing your job, and ruining your relationship due to excessive game playing.  To add insult to injury, you may be paying a monthly fee on top of it all.

Thus in conclusion, avoid MMORPGs, never buy a MMORPG, and if your kid or someone you know plays a MMORPG, strip them of all access to it and tie them to a chair to start the withdrawal process.

The end.

Alright, Actually It’s Not That Bad.

That was a bit extreme and in all honesty, lame and unfair.

This post was going to be a sarcastic, flame-ridden post, highlighting all and any negative stereotypes to playing MMORPGs, with plenty of jabs to all those people neglecting their real world responsibilities, whether it be their school work, career, or significant other.

In truth, the numbers highlighted above is definitely a cause for concern, but they were also acquired from a select group of gamers that may have been slightly skewed and biased.  Are the numbers of MMORPG gamers these days reflective of the ones surveyed by Nick Yee? Perhaps, perhaps not.

Regardless of what a current survey result will show, a healthy dose of perspective check will always do more good than harm when it comes to an avid gamer of MMORPGs.

MMORPGs Are Just Like Credit Cards. Seriously!

Let’s put this into a financial context so that the post will align a little bit more to the supposed theme of a “personal finance blog.” When you really think about it, MMORPGs are just like credit cards.

How so?

Credit cards are a financial tool for convenience or cash-flow management, while a MMORPG is a tool for entertainment or socializing.  Both are a double-edged sword where mismanagement and lack of balance can cause serious harm to the end user.

If you use a credit card irresponsibly, you have the potential to hurt your credit history, drive up debt, and cause serious harm and stress to yourself or loved ones.  The same applies for playing a MMORPG irresponsibly: you have the potential to neglect real life responsibilities and cause serious harm and stress to yourself or loved ones.

Unfortunately, unlike a credit card, addiction to a MMORPG is harder to break than irresponsible credit card usage. If you seriously suspect someone you know may be addicted to an MMORPG to the point where it affects their livelihood — an intervention may be required, whether its a simple talk or seeking of professional help (may sound extreme but there are real cases of addictions).

Some minor online tips on breaking MMORPG addictions:

• How to Overcome a MMORPG addiction
• How to Break a World of Warcraft addiction

An Open-Minded and Balanced Approach

This post would have been more entertaining had it just contained flames and jabs at the crazy world of MMORPG — after all, there’s plenty of materials (online weddings, to name one) — but taking such an extreme stance would have been a bit irresponsible.

Like credit cards, it would have been easy to join certain financial gurus and completely swear off credit card usage. It would also be just as easy to take the extreme stance and claim that MMOs are a new form of crack cocaine. But when you take such a stance without looking at it with a middle ground perspective, you’ll be doing yourself a disservice.

That isn’t to say that MMORPGs aren’t ripe for abuse in usage (remember, it’s a double-edged sword). The point is that as with many things in the world of personal finance (oh hell, and everything else in life) — you will usually be better off when you look at a situation in question with an open-minded perspective and an attempt to find a balanced approach.

If you want to read more on Nick Yee’s research and learn more about MMORPG psychology and addiction, you can visit The Daedalus Gateway: The Psychology of MMORPGs for some insightful reading.

If you have tips on breaking an addiction to MMORPGs, tips on avoiding unhealthy usage of MMORPGs, or if you have crazy stories on how MMORPGs have affected someone you know, please share in the comments.

This post "Stop Buying Crap #21 – Massively Multiplayer Online RPGs" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

As Admiral Ackbar so eloquently said, it’s a trap!

This post "Apply for Credit Card & Get a Free Bottle of Soda? Hell Yes!?" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

The problem with staying up into the wee hours of the night is that you’ll be hit with various types of television ads with incredibly annoying jingles — FreeCreditReport.com is one such type of ad.

Now, as a quasi-marketer, I appreciate the fact that The Martin Agency was able to come up with such catchy/annoying jingles, but the deceptively named service makes me wish Experian would have found a crappier marketing agency instead.

It has been two years since Experian, the company that owns FreeCreditReport.com, took obvious advantage of the government mandated Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act to promote their ‘free’ credit report service.

A lawsuit from the FTC, an inquiry by the Florida Attorney General, and thousands of consumer complaints later… FreeCreditReport.com continues to operate, and the catchy/annoying jingles continues to interrupt my favorite episodes of Kim Possible (just kidding, the ads aren’t placed into animation time slots).

The gist is simple: back before the complaints and lawsuit, Experian pitched FCR as a source to get “free” credit reports. What many consumer missed are the fine prints that states the requirement to enroll to Experian’s “Triple Advantage” program in order to receive a free credit report. The charges for the enrollment vary, from $79 per year to $12.95 per month to the current $14.95 per month.  In either case, canceling became a hassle, and many people either forgot or were unable to cancel within the trial period.

The current websites’ disclaimer and fine print is a bit clearer, but the color scheme and design obviously wants you to avert your eyes away from the notice of trial period (currently only 7 days) and monthly membership fee (currently $14.95).

Now, if you’re fully aware of the type of service FCR offers and still want in, then more power to you (FCR does offer unlimited Experian credit score and report along with credit monitoring), but you’re probably better off with other sources for your check needs:

Better, Cheaper, and Free Alternatives

• For your truly FREE annual credit report that’s provided by FACTA, head to AnnualCreditReport.com. No credit card information is required.
• For a credit score with more weight and use, head to myFICO.com and purchase a single score from a credit reporting agency of your choice (the link gives a 20% discount, which brings the cost for a single score and report to $12.76).
• For a credit monitoring service, consider Score Watch, also from myFICO. This service has a 30-day trial period option, otherwise it’ll cost $99.95 per year, or $9.95 per month with 3 months minimum required

This post "Crap: FreeCreditReport.com = Scam-a-licious" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

While in the outhouse reading the latest issue of Forbes (free subscription from now defunct airline miles), I spotted an article highlighting the fast rising “multi-level marketing” company, MonaVie.

As a former moron who got suckered into a pyramid scheme back at the naive age of 18 (more on this in future post), my first impulse was to rip the pages apart and ignore the article, but the fear of paper cuts and lack of entertainment in the outhouse kept me reading.

I quickly realized that the authors of the Forbes article shared a similar view with me on MonaVie — if it smells like a pyramid scheme, looks like a pyramid scheme, sells like pyramid scheme — it’s a freaking pyramid scheme.

Based in Salt Lake City, Utah (the capital of multi-level marketing companies, where laws are more favorable to MLMs), MonaVie pitches $39 juices that “blends unequaled nutritional power with unparalleled business opportunity.” As a MonaVie indepdent distributor, you are required to purchase or sell at least four of these bottle per month ($130 before shipping and taxes) before to being able to earn commissions.

Sounds freaking wonderful.

If you or anyone you know are ever in a situation where you are presented with a business opportunity to sell some mystical product, consider the following tips below.

Eight tips from the FTC on evaluating a multi-level marketing program:

1. Avoid any plan that includes commissions for recruiting additional distributors. It may be an illegal pyramid.
2. Beware of plans that ask new distributors to purchase expensive products and marketing materials. These plans may be pyramids in disguise.
3. Be cautious of plans that claim you will make money through continued growth of your downline, that is, the number of distributors you recruit.
4. Beware of plans that claim to sell miracle products or promise enormous earnings. Ask the promoter to substantiate claims.
5. Beware of shills – “decoy” references paid by a plan’s promoter to lie about their earnings through the plan.
6. Don’t pay or sign any contracts in an “opportunity meeting” or any other pressure-filled situation. Insist on taking your time to think over your decision. Talk it over with a family member, friend, accountant or lawyer.
7. Do your homework! Check with your local Better Business Bureau and state Attorney General about any plan you’re considering – especially when the claims about the product or your potential earnings seem too good to be true.
8. Remember that no matter how good a product and how solid a multilevel marketing plan may be, you’ll need to invest sweat equity as well as dollars for your investment to pay off.

Four additional tips from yours truly on spotting pyramid schemes:

1. If a “business program” recruiters dismisses your questions because they were “negative” or “unhelpful,” wave the red flag and prepare to run. Fast.
2. If the program and compensation plan is so confusing that the recruiter/promoter has trouble explain it clearly, you may be looking at a plan that’s trying very hard to skirt pyramid scheme laws.
3. If the product has fanatic distributors who embrace the program’s product and marketing material as if it was the second coming of Christ, be wary.
4. Ask yourself this: if whatever products they’re pitching is so wonderful that it justified the higher price tag, why are they being distributed through a multi-level marketing method? If it can “change lives;” “empower your health; and “raise your energy level;” why aren’t they sold through regular retail channel? Why “share” the profit and “dreams” for other independent distributors? Because these people have an underlying good heart to share wealth? Or is it because without a potential distributor and thousands of others, the products can’t be competitive in a real market? If the only ones buying and using the product are the distributors and “downlines,” you’re looking at a pyramid scheme.

Not all multi-level marketing programs are outright pyramid schemes where the business model is unsustainable. There are a few out there with competitive and reasonably priced products. But as the FTC tip said, even if the program is solid and the products are good — as with all worthwhile things in life — you’ll need to invest hard work and time.

This post "12 Tips to Avoiding Pyramid Schemes & Scams like MonaVie" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

This is a guest post from Jim of Blueprint for Financial Prosperity, who has the honor of being the first (and most likely only) guest post on StopbuyingCrap.com. Blueprint for Financial Prosperity is a daily blog with solid info on personal finance. If you like Jim’s content, please subscribe to his blog so he won’t beat me up (personal finance bloggers are a violent bunch).

Every once and a while my wife and I will head over to the local mall to walk around and shop. I kid to her about how I like watching capitalism in action, all the people milling about the corridors, popping in and out of shops, spending money, etc. Well lately, the motion of capitalism has slowed down a bit. There are still people milling around the corridors but more and more of them are there for the free AC than the shopping, but you still see the occasional shopping bag full of crap.

So, in celebration of capitalisms stoicism in the face of the slowdown and its resilience, I’ve decided to add to Cap’s growing list of things that are crap by offering up my four things that are crap.

Fancy Wine Openers

I’ve received many a fancy wine opener as a gift and I’ve broken them all. I’m hardly an Incredible Hulk but for whatever reason, fancy corkscrews always get jacked up and break on me. Funny thing is that the little freebie manual corkscrew has never broken, was totally free, and reliable opened every single bottle of wine it’s tried to open. And, to top it all off, it has a bottle opened on the other side so I can crack open a beer after the hard work of opening a bottle of wine!

Ridiculously Awesome HD Televisions

I like good picture quality and excellent crisp 7.1 Dolby Digital sound as much as the next guy, but I like a comfortable retirement just as much. The kicker is that retirement is something I’ll enjoy for many many years whereas home electronics will likely burn out or grow painfully obsolete within a few years. What do I get instead? I get decent electronics that was top of the line a year ago. I let the early adopters buy the stuff early and then sell it to me when they want the latest and greatest.

Cutting Edge Cell Phones

This iPhone mania is insane. People lining up for hours to get a cell phone? I’ve seen them, they are very nice, but the minimum total cost of owning one for the two year required period is nearly two thousand dollars. Sure you can surf the web, watching videos, and do all sorts of touch screen coolness… but two grand? That’s a sizable down payment on a car, you know, one of those machines that gets you from point A to point B by burning old dinosaur bones? That’s also a brand new top of the line laptop. Heck, that’s a Ridiculously Awesome HD Television!

Anything at Brookstone…

… or was at Sharper Image. Do I really need a spinning clock that shows the time in the air? No. Do I really need a coin sorter or a foot massager? No and no. Those stores are bright beacons of consumerism in our economic turmoil and a few months ago one beacons was extinguished. Why? Because they’re full of crap you shouldn’t be buying and people ran out of credit to buy it with. I don’t need a singing egg light, I don’t need a pocket Texas Hold ‘Em game, and I certainly don’t need a two thousand dollar massaging chair.

What do you think? Worthy of being called crap or was I too harsh?

This post "Guest Post: Four Things That Are Crap" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

From the issue where Bane broke Batman’s back, to the kick-ass Batmobile toy from Batman Returns, and finally to the Batman mug that I broke due to pouring cold milk into a mug full of hot chocolate (oh how I miss you, Batman mug) — my crap of Batman collectibles spells one clear thing: I’m a fairly big Batman fanboy.

But $150 per ticket for The Dark Knight?

Uh, no thanks.

According to an article on wcbstv.com, Craiglist was flooded Friday with ads for buyers and sellers of weekend Batman tickets. Most are willing to dish out $50 per ticket, but one hardcore fan is willing to shell out $150 per ticket:

Of course, Jafri says there’s some other motivation involved as well. “I’ve never seen anything you can text a girl that’ll get her to respond with a ‘YES!’ to meeting up more promptly than, ‘Dark Knight IMAX tonight. You in?’” he says.

I don’t want to be an ass, but if an IMAX movie is the fastest “yes” you’ve gotten for a date — maybe it’s time to cut back a little on the Batman love (says the super-senior-college- student-fellow-hobbyist-who-still-doesn’t-have-a-day-job).

Anyway, maybe it’s a Manhattan thing.

From [wcbstv.com] (Thanks Jim!)

This post "Wasteful? $150 for The Dark Knight (Batman) Tickets" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

The problem with buying lots of crap for your kids is that you may be unintentionally giving your children a sense of entitlement. Being a former brat, I know how it is to annoy surrounding adults with the wanting, whining, and complaining.

From my experiences, the quickest way to raise a bratty child is to buy them lots of crap to appease them, and what better way than a gigantic TV in the car, with a full collection of Sponge Bob DVD?

Here’s a list of five things I’ll never buy for my future kids:

1) TV in the family car.

I’m not about to spoil my kids with hours of entertainment as we drive cross-country to visit grandma (because daddy was too ‘frugal’ to waste money on plane tickets). What my kids will get are important stories on life and personal development. “Why, just a decade ago, daddy had to wake up midmorning, walk all the way to his home office, and slave away on blogs and other web projects…”

2) $20,000 playhouse.

If daddy didn’t get one, you don’t get one too.

[From The Digerati Life].

3) Massively Multilayer Online Role-Playing Games

Are you kidding me? Just look at uncle James, who’s been playing World of Warcraft since 2004 and you’ll see why.

4) A brand new car.

Now, daddy’s not a cheap bastard like mommy’s new boyfriend. See here, a 1985 Toyota Corolla — Japanese engineering at its finest!

5) 6th Generation iPhone

My kid’s phone will be able to do three things: 1) Call mom. 2) Call dad. 3) Call 911.

This post "Five Things I’ll Never Buy for My Future Kids" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

Long time readers that have forgotten to unsubscribe would know that I have a certain unhealthy fetish for Cap’n Crunch cereal — enough so that I’d find numerous attempt to work the cereal into various post on a “personal finance” blog (and even taken screencaps of said cereal when it appears on TV).

Although I love to crunch away in the morning, afternoon, and evening… my love and loyalty for Cap’n Crunch came into an abrupt halt back in 2005, when I switched brand (gasp) and tried another cheaper alternative.

Was I crazy that fateful night in Wal-Mart? Did my years of loyalty vanish due to competitive pricing? Yes to the first and double-oh-yes to the second.

My post detailing the switch can be a bit exaggerating (and lame); but at the end, I bought Cap’n Crunch for years because I thought it was the only choice available — a pretty silly mindset for an easily reproduced preprocessed food such as cereal — but that’s the power of marketing, and the power of a brand.

Being a savvy consumer is about going beyond such mindsets, to be able to distinguish between hype and value, and be able to get the most out of your purchasing dollars. Here are some things a consumer should always keep in mind:

1. Everyone will always have a favorite brand.
   Apple products lover. Starbucks addicts. Crunch Berries enthusiasts. Name the company or brand, and you’ll have a following. There is nothing wrong with having a preferred brand for certain products, but if you always limit your choices to the tried-and-true, you may be doing yourself a disservice to discovering, cheaper, or even better alternatives.
2. Not all brands are created equal.
   The big names do well because they deliver great products at consistent quality. You generally know what to expect when you buy a Honda and the shipping time is fairly consistent when you order a book from Amazon. That’s the problem with trying something different, you might end up with a crappy result. But with the help of the Internet and a little comparative shopping, a savvy consumer can always find actual differences between choices. And it’s not always about the cheaper but just-as-good choices too, sometimes, you’ll simply find better stuff for higher prices.
3. Understand the marketing and identity shaped behind a brand.
   Marketers poke brains to find image and terms you can relate to. Apple iPod commercials are hip and cool. AARP TV spots are slow and soft spoken. If you’ve ever seen the other side of the fence, you’ll see that the companies may label you as “easy going,” “price conscious,” “value oriented,” “image conscious,” “early adopter,” and “trend follower.” You may think you want or need a certain widget and you may think you have the best widget for your needs, but understand that there are other forces at work, constantly influencing your purchasing decisions. Being able to see through the layers and truly differentiate products is the hallmark of a savvy consumer. And of course, the Internet made all of this much easier. Search “### review” or “### sucks” to get opinions that can help you narrow your choices.
4. Challenge these identity and make them earn and keep your loyalty.
   Dell may have treated you right for years. Fidelity may have never screwed you over. If you deal with a company for years because you trust them, make them constantly earn and keep your business — especially if they screw up. This isn’t about being a hard-ass customer, it’s about reminding the companies that there are always other alternatives out there. Any businesses worth their salt knows this, and any company that’s respectable would want to take that extra small step to help win you over or keep your business. In a world where different choices are clicks away, there is nothing wrong with expecting companies to fight over each other for your business.

There is nothing wrong with having a preferred brand for certain products. It’s okay to trust a big brand over some unknown generic, but you should always challenge these notions and thoughts.

No one sane needs to research intensively over a breakfast cereal, but just because your car has treated you right for years doesn’t mean there aren’t better rides out there. Just because your financial institution fits your current need doesn’t mean there aren’t more personalized banking solutions out there.

At the end, we’re the driving force behind the share prices, the earning reports, and the executive compensations. Never stop challenging them to earn and keep your loyalty.

Related Post:

• Brand Conscious Buying #3 – Gasoline
• Brand Conscious Buying #2 – Toilet Papers
• Brand Conscious Buying #1 – Cap’n Crunch

This post "Brand Conscious Buying #4: Challenge Your Brand Loyalty" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

With about 7.8 million units sold in the U.S. as of January 2008, it appears that I’m a tad bit wrong on Wii’s potential downfall (FYI: iPod sales to date ~ 140 million).

“How can you call this a next generation console?” I asked aloud (to no one in particular) back in 2006. “Where’s the 20 core CPU? The steel melting GPU? And what is this crazy wannabe remote controller?”

None of these questions stopped my extended families from purchasing the $250 video game console unit, nor did it stopped me from joining in on the Wii fun during family gatherings.

During one such recent gathering, my younger cousin asked me if I was the one who declared Wii to be lame and “craptastic.” I promptly told him to eat his cookie and shut up.

Kids these days. No respect for their elders.

Crap or not? You can vote below or vote on the top left of the blog (for RSS readers).

Poll Result:

Related Post:

• Crap or Not #7 – Digital Cameras
• Crap or Not #6 – First & Business Class
• Crap or Not #5 – Gym Membership
• Crap or Not #4 – TMX Elmo
• Crap or Not #3 – Tempur-Pedic Mattresses
• Crap or Not #2 – AAA Membership
• Crap or Not #1 – Ionic Breeze Air Purifiers

This post "Crap or Not #8 – [Nintendo] Wii" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

Buy Me Please Because Moderation and Arithmetic is Difficult

When I came across the 100 calorie goods two years ago, I thought it was some stupid trend for people without abbacus, but as it turns out, I was dead wrong.

I remember reading somewhere recently that 100 calorie aisle may start appearing in a supermarket near you, which got me so infuriated, I tore the newspaper into atom-size pieces.

Please people; for the sake of the sanity of an online-stranger-you-don’t-know, please start using ziplock bags and a knife.

Or hey, maybe even your fingers. They’re really good at breaking processed food, especially the bar type. There’s also this thing called the mouth, which you can close when you’ve consumed a sensible amount of Cheetos.

If the mouth method is too difficult to do (and I’ll admit I fail in this almost 90% of the time), you can utilize the last line of defense and revisit what I’ve already mentioned — use this thing called THE BRAIN, and count the portions you want and throw them into a ziplock bag!

Non-rant Related Resources:

• In Small Packages, Few Calories, and More Profit – NY Times
• 100 calorie packs review – taquitos.net

This post "Stop Buying Crap #20 – 100 Calorie Snack Packs" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

1. Pen or pencil.
2. “Wireless” Notebook.

Done.

Any other sites (especially those gadget sites) giving you a huge list of must-buys — costing over thousands of dollars — can kiss my meat-less ass.

This post "Stop Buying Crap’s Back to School Shopping List" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.

Demitri Martin:

I like digital cameras… because they enable you to reminisce immediately.

Just like *click* — look at us, we were so young.

Standing right there. Wow, where does the minute go?

Digital cameras almost made it on the Stop Buying Crap #20 edition, but after a careful deliberation of twenty-eight seconds while using the outhouse, I have decided that this is best put to a vote. After all, without my trusty DSC-P7 (circa 2002), I would have lacked a proper means to record pictures of people I admire as I stalk them hang out with them. Plus, this blog would have gone without spectacular pictures of burnt popcorn, toilet papers, and cereal boxes.

Regardless, digital cameras are a bit iffy. The mega-pixel capability steadily increases to ridiculous rates (does the average consumer really need 7 megapixel?), prices for “mid range” models continues to loom around $250, and units with prices beyond $300 are of the norm.

Poll Result:

Related Post:

• Crap or Not #6 – First & Business Class
• Crap or Not #5 – Gym Membership
• Crap or Not #4 – TMX Elmo
• Crap or Not #3 – Tempur-Pedic Mattresses
• Crap or Not #2 – AAA Membership
• Crap or Not #1 – Ionic Breeze Air Purifiers

This post "Crap or Not? #7 [Mainstream] Digital Cameras" is from StopBuyingCrap.com.