jasonhaines - Tumblr blog

[jasonhaines]

I Have a Confession to Make

The Red Bar Of Shame

So there I was, minding my own business, browsing my monthly budget on Mint when I notice the big red bar of shame in the sporting goods category. The red bar of shame is Mint’s fancy way of letting me know I’m a loser and I went over on my budget.

I see the red bar of shame fairly often but in most cases I’m just a few dollars over on one or two budget categories. This time there was no denying my failure. I had spent four times the allotted amount for that category, ouch! This made my fast food slip up look petty.

My New Addiction

A few months ago I was outside chatting with my friend and he was showing me his latest pocket knife purchase. He told me that he carries one everyday and how useful it is. The knife he showed me was beautiful, it had a blade style that is unique to that brand and carbon fiber grips. He handed it to me and I started to mess around with it, trying to flick it open. The knife was the perfect size to carry in your pocket. It was small enough to wear comfortably and large enough to be useful when it was needed for some real work.

I was so impressed with the craftsmanship and look of the knife I had to have one of my own. My friend recommended I check out bladehq.com if I wanted to buy a knife. I spent the next week looking for the perfect folding knife that I could carry everyday. I figured I would buy a quality knife for my first purchase as I didn’t want a junker right out of the gate. Fast forward a month and I’m the proud owner of not one but four shiny new pocket knives!

I Was Warned This Would Happen

When I first became interested in knives my friend warned me that his knife collecting habit had become rather expensive. I was also warned by the fine folks over at /r/knifeclub on Reddit. I started following that sub to get an idea of what knives I would like and to read opinions on them. I would comment on a post and they would reply with comments like, “say goodbye to your hard earned cash.” and “this is just the beginning, it gets worse.” I really should have taken their words seriously.

What I Learned From This

I lack self control when it comes to buying items that really interest me, I become almost obsessed over them.

Impulse buying is rarely satisfying. I could have saved the money on the impulse buys and got the knife I really wanted rather than three low quality knifes that are only mildly satisfying.

I don’t really “need” it. Although I really love the knives I purchased I would get by just fine without them.

Budgets are in place for a reason. I could have and should have purchased one quality knife and spent the rest of that money paying down my debt.

What Are Your Impulse Buys?

If you are anything like me you have a weakness, a kryptonite that wreaks havoc on your budget. I’ve shared mine and now it’s time for you to share yours in the comments section below.

P.S. Stay up to date on my latest posts and weekly P.F. blogger interviews. Join the newsletter and never miss a thing.

[jasonhaines]

Announcing jhonenv‘s cover for Invader Zim #1, available in comic stores July 8th!

[jasonhaines]

So excited!

4 PAGE PREVIEW of INVADER ZIM ISSUE #1.

So people are already yanking these off the IGN interview page where these were featured, so I figured I’d do it myself!

I wrote the first two issues, art is by Aaron Alexovich, Inks by Megan Lawton, and color by Simon Trousselier and J.R Goldberg!

ORDER THIS ISSUE HERE!

[jasonhaines]

I'm now on Level 24 on Tab for a Cause! http://www.tabforacause.org/?r=11052496

[jasonhaines]

My name’s Jackie Beck. I’m a 47-year-old mom of one grown-up son, and I live in Arizona with my husband and our puppy. I love travel, travel, and travel. My absolute favorite place on earth – so far at least – is Antarctica. It’s the definition of awesome! Just amazing. And the penguins are...

[jasonhaines]

A story from my childhood that taught me an important lesson about money.

I’ve made some bonehead mistakes in my life and I made one of my biggest when I was an early teen. I was really into baseball cards in the early 90′s and there was a great little store my brother and I would visit to get new packs of Topps baseball cards. I might have been more excited about the...

[jasonhaines]

My squeedly spooch! -Zim

You can now pre-order Invader Zim #1! Tell your local comic shop you want code MAY151468 to place your order.

[jasonhaines]

Fear not! I have some great interviews coming from outside our circle.

My name is Nick, I’m in my mid-twenties and l live in the northeast United States. I graduated from college in 2012 and started working right after graduation as a business analyst. It’s nothing too exciting but basically I work in between the technical and the business people,…

[jasonhaines]

Had a dream the old trusty Saturn didn’t start. Happy it did.

[jasonhaines]

Anxiety has had a grip on my life and well-being since I had my daughter 7 years ago. I’ve come a long way since my first panic attack and almost never experience anxiety anymore, here’s how: First I did six months of cognitive therapy by researching online and reading books-close to free and...

[jasonhaines]

Sometime back in 2008 I was 40 lbs. overweight and decided to go on a low carb. and low sugar diet. I lost twenty pounds in two weeks and was feeling amazing. I was doing so well that I started to add light carbs. and sugars back into my diet. Several weeks later I had gained all 20 lbs. back and...

[jasonhaines]

You Better Ask Somebody

Seriously though, you should call your cable, satellite and internet service providers and ask them if they have any promotions going on.

My kick-ass fiance just called our ISP the other day and they were having a promotion. Not only did our monthly price go down by about $20 but they also upgraded our speed from 6Mbps to 45Mbps. Aww Yiss!

NOTE: Most promotions require you to agree to a contract for one or two years. Only accept the promotion if you know you can keep your end of the deal. Early termination fees can be costly.

ONE LAST NOTE: Mark your calendar for when the contract expires and make sure to call them again to see about new promotions.

Have you saved recently by finding new promotions? Take the extra money and put it towards your debt. Let me know how much you are saving.

Like what you’re reading? Follow Me!

[jasonhaines]

My favorite game as a kid is now on Android and iOS! Yay!

[jasonhaines]

Debt is the slavery of the free

I want freedom from debt, freedom from living paycheck-to-paycheck and freedom from the stress that debt brings. If you are reading this I’m guessing you feel the same. The average american owes $15,611 in credit card debt and $32,264 in students loans. If...

[jasonhaines]

I did touristy stuff in Seattle.

[jasonhaines]

Breakfast in Bellevue. Doing some travel for work.

[jasonhaines]

Come join the conversation at /r/debtfree on Reddit.