So Long, Farewell

I regret to say The Flip Side will be closing down. I've decided to combine my advice blog with my other blog, ROFLCOP. So if you guys still want to follow me, go here:

SPEAKEASY

Thanks and happy readings!

$Mas Time Is Here

The statistics are all over the news but we don't need that to know that the economy's forcing us to tighten our belts a little for the holidays. Here's how you can cut back and still remain fancy as Christmas rolls around.

1. Dec' The Halls- Skip out on the inflatable decorations and animatronics. Instead, go back to a more traditional deco. Lights are cheap and chances are, you'll find them cheaper at thrift shops. Thrift stores do change with the seasons so you're bound to find some Christmas decorations there. When you do install the lights, make it a habit to switch the lights off by 11 or 12 because they can suck up a lot of power. Make yourself a homemade wreathe to put on your door so that when guests come by, you won't say "I got it at K Mart".

2. Tennebaumer- I understand that sometimes, you just can't skimp out on trees. But if you can go for a smaller tree, do it. Try not to buy plastic trees. Frankly, I find them a little tacky and chances are, you won't reuse them. Plus, plastic sucks. In terms of ornaments, if you don't collect ornaments, don't buy the sets. Make your own ornaments with twine, paper clips, Popsicle sticks, and other cool crafty things. If there are kids around, include them. A little less work for you, and if you did a piss poor job with yours, you can say the kids did them. People love kids.

3. Potty Party- Whether it's you or your family, you're going to be involved in one somehow. Go for the potluck this year instead of putting all the burden on one family. People tend to be more satisfied when there's a potluck, and it's always a lot of fun. After the dinner, pull out a board game or rent a movie. Don't go to the theater, the prices are beyond ridiculous now. Feel festive? Go peruse neighborhoods and look at all the pretty decorations.

4. Tis The Season To Give- Skip the Hallmark and make your own cards. They may take a little time/effort but it's 100x more worth it than a $5 card. A little busy this time of year? Do a Secret Santa gift exchange. Saves money and everyone gets something they really want. If you really need to stretch that dollar, consider making your own gifts whether it's by knitting, craft making, baking or cooking. Batches of brownies or cookies are always great. When you do get gifts, remember, NIX ON THE HOLIDAY THEMED GIFTS. No one is going to wear that reindeer sweater year round. And when you wrap gifts, try to avoid plastic glossy wrap. Newspaper and twine is always an excellent way to go; it's got a very pleasing aesthetic to it.

Four little points to have a little grandiose holiday season without the extra expenditures.

photo courtesy of Captured Lights

Black Friday: Survival Guide

Tomorrow's Black Friday and if you aren't prepared by now, you're already behind.

Most Black Friday sales occur at about 5AM tomorrow morning but people generally start lining up about 10 hours before that (i.e Fry's, Best Buy, Walmart). I've been to the Black Friday sale at Fry's for the past two years now and I've learned some things about it. It sucks. The deals are great but you have to risk your life a little bit. Most stores have a pre-Thanksgiving sale so that the crowds won't be so big tomorrow but we all know that the best deals are yet to come. Here are some tips I've compiled for those of you planning on some massive shopping tomorrow.

1. Form A Team- You're going to need people to stay in line, people to bring food, people to check the internet, people to get your items for you, people people people. Last year we tallied up who wanted what and divided the group into teams of two where each team was in charge of getting a specific item for everybody in the group so that everyone didn't have to run around the store.

2. Bookmark BlackFridayInfo as if it's your Bible. You should scour all of the sites for the best deals. Some sites will update their info last minute so it would be wise to have someone on the computer until the deals come up. Print the catalog, and race on over to the store.

3. Skip the turkey- You're probably not going to enjoy a full Thanksgiving meal. That's the sacrifice you're going to have to make for this. Skip the turkey and load yourself with carbs and fruits and guanine to keep your energy up.

4. Bundle Up- It's going to get freaking cold because A. You're not moving in line and B. A storm is passing through. Keep your hands and your head warm with gloves and earmuffs.

5. Are You Gellin'? Uncomfortable shoes will kill you if you're going to do this. Shoes that you find comfortable will get uncomfortable. Get Dr Scholl's in your shoes or wear Aerosoles. Comfortable wear but not light or your feet will get trampled all over. Remember you're going to be standing/running for about 12 hours or more.

6. Save Point - Once you're in the store, have someone sit in the sitting area so that everyone can drop off their stuff with this person. Think of it as a safe zone where you can unload everything and run off again.

7. Is Your Shit Secure? After you buy your stuff, either drop it off at home or cover it with a blanket. The last thing you want is to get your car broken into and have all of your valuable work get stolen. This is for people who intend to hit multiple stores.

8. Get some breakfast. Go through a drive thru or pick up some leftovers at home before going forth. You may not feel hungry but you've got to eat.

9. Swipe Swipe Swipe - If you can, pay by card. It's just faster and a lot easier to track.

10. KEEP ALL RECEIPTS. Most stores give their deals through rebates. If you don't do these rebates, it's as if you're paying full price. Also, Black Friday can be like that one crazy night where you've had too much to drink. The next day you'll wake up thinking, why did I buy that 100 pack of gel pens? Keep the receipts in case.

Well that's all I can think of for now. Happy shopping!

photo courtesy of Matdjj

Wising Up

Every now and then in my life, I often think back to my earlier years and think how stupid I was to spend my money on this or invest in that. I often imagine how much I would have if I had spent my money more wisely.

We will always think about this because we are continuously growing; we do not grow wise and stop at that. At least, I certainly hope not. Instead of looking back with regret, let's reflect on what we have done and how we can help it in the future. If you want to eliminate this regret of displaced spending, there is going to be a need for some major groundbreaking changes. Most notably, you must find/change your philosophy.

What is a "philosophy"? I like the Webster definition: the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group. Our philosophies are always changing, little by little, whether we notice it or not. We are influenced by people, media, politicians, family, religion, etc. so our outlooks and attitudes are always changing. Your philosophy should be the most basic, stripped away, core of your belief in how you want to live your life. Savings could be your philosophy. That no matter how little of a paycheck you get, no matter how small your income is, a certain percent of it has to be saved so that you will always have something to fall back on. Maybe homemaking is your philosophy. The items of most importance is your furniture or house so that if anything happens, at least you've got a solid roof over your head.

How do I "find" my philosophy? While sitting down with a pen and paper is a good way of finding yourself, I argue that more cultural knowledge is needed with something as big as this. I suggest plugging yourself into the news for a while to sort of forecast the future. Read a lot of books whether they be classical literature or modern satires; books will always pull a few scales from your eyes. Maybe you can work with the "if I had a million dollars.." scenario to see where you would go. Pretend you get a check for a million, what will you do with it. Some might put it into savings or pay off debts and mortgages while others may choose to buy a nice car or get into a good school. Different people have different priorities, but no one path is greater than the other. Remember, this cannot be impulse buying. You're given this check and you must decide what you're going to do with it now. You're not going to sit on it and spend little by little.

How will finding my philosophy save me money? I never said it will save you money. I just said that you will have less regrets on what you spend your money on. If what you invest in is the core belief of your life, you should be okay with it further down the road. All the rest will be arbitrary clutter you can break from. If my philosophy is to not compromise school, I might spend the extra cash to buy a book instead of borrowing one. I might save for an esteemed university that I want to get into. I might pay for extra tutoring and specialized tests. How I make up for that extra money is the trick. I may stop going out with friends as much and leave hang-out time for the weekends. I might stop my shoe collection or hold off on the new laptop and instead, use the school computer lab.

You will never have too much money in your life nor will you have too little. Your income will always be just the right amount. If you're living paycheck to paycheck, believe it or not you can actually save money. There are little corners to go around and shortcuts to make that only get brought up when you don't have the money. Save yourself in the future by understanding the present. We live very busy and occupant lives that sometimes we lose ourselves in it or we grow afraid whenever we have a little time off that we immediately fill the void with more busy work. Stop deluding yourself and realize what is most important.

photo courtesy of Grant MacDonald

Movable Type

Are you stuck in a rut? Do you just wish you want to get out of wherever you are? Is life a little dull for you? Do you feel spent and burnt out? Here's a solution that might just work for you.

Move your furniture, get new furniture, rearrange your room.

Start with just imagining all of your furniture moved around your room. Imagine new positions to place them in, different flows into areas, and pack things away.

Search sites like craigslist or the pennysaver for cheap/free furniture to use. Shelves, boards, and desks are quite common and can be painted or altered to fit different situations.

Push yourself to take drastic steps such as painting your walls if that's allowed or just painting your furniture. Your room should emphasize you in your best so decorate accordingly.

photo courtesy of retrodesignfan

Amnesiac

You're an adult now. Really.

We're all adults. This means that our childhood is behind us now.

One of the things I hate the most is forgetting things. This is why I always carry around a moleskine to record down notes and thoughts. This is why I constantly update my calendar at home. This is why I save chat logs. This is why I blog. And now, this is why I'm going to embark on my next project and I'm inviting you to join me.

I'm going to start writing my memoirs from as early as I can remember and try to include every detail. As I grow older, I can update this while looking back and recalling what happened. It's putting your memory into words so you won't forget. If these memories aren't down in any solid format, they are to be lost forever unless by chance someone else remembers the exact same thing. Stop the good times from slipping away and put them all down on paper. Bring up the bad memories as well and expound on them. Get rid of your demons and come face to face with difficult issues you never dealt with. This is a wrap up of your life and it's about time you got a hold of your recollections. Our memory is a tricky thing, warping itself to whatever it wishes, so take a hold of it's reins.

Since you're going to be writing, this gives you a great opportunity to practice your artistic flair in writing. Write a comedy for a chapter, write a thriller for another, and the write a tragedy for one. Use different elements to get your story across the way you want it to. Here's another challenge: Stay true to your memory. All those disturbing or embarrassing spots stay as it is. Do not shape your memory into a lie but rather stick with the truth. This is your red pill/blue pill situation, do what is right.

This project will getting tiring, I'm sure of it. You've got to take your time with this and find a night (I usually think deeper during nighttime) and be prepared to stay up all night because once you start thinking, it'll snowball. Pick up again another time when you've got the thoughts running but be sure not to forget about it. Those old folks' memoirs are bound to be inaccurate at spots frankly because, they're so old. It's better to start fresh and young then let it transcend through the years.

Good luck to all of you, and wish me luck as well.

Photo courtesy of kamerakrazy

It's Uber, Man

For the next few weeks, I will be attempting to adjust into the Uberman sleep system. Wish me luck!