Bankrate.com: Top 10 Money Drains

Is there something you can do without that might bring extra ka-ching into your pocket by not having it? Bankrate.com states that it’s easy to fritter away money on daily expenses. If you fall into these money traps, learn to avoid them and pocket the savings.

1. Coffee
2. Cigarettes
3. Alcohol
4. Bottled water
5. Manicures
6. Car washes
7. Weekday lunches out
8. Vending machines snacks
9. Interest charges on credit cards
10. Unused memberships

1. Coffee — According to the National Coffee Association, the average price for brewed coffee is $1.38. There are roughly 260 weekdays per year, so buying one coffee every weekday morning costs almost $360 per year.

2. Cigarettes — The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids reports that the average price for a pack of cigarettes in the United States is $4.54. Pack-a-day smokers fork out $1,660 a year. Weekend smoker? Buying a pack once a week adds up, too: $236.

3. Alcohol — Drink prices vary based on the location. But assuming an average of $5 per beer including tip, buying two beers per day adds up to $3,650 per year. Figure twice that for two mixed drinks a day at the local bar. That’s not chump change.

4. Bottled water from convenience stores — A 20-ounce bottle of Aquafina bottled water costs about $1. One bottle of water per day costs $365 per year. It costs the environment plenty, too.

5. Manicures — The Day Spa Magazine Price Survey of 2004 found that the average cost of a manicure is $20.53. A weekly manicure sets you back about $1,068 per year.

6. Car washes — The average cost for a basic auto detailing package is $58, according to Costhelper.com. The tab for getting your car detailed every two months: $348 per year.

7. Weekday lunches out — $9 will generally cover a decent lunch most work days. If you buy rather than pack a lunch five days a week for one year, you shell out about $2,350 a year.

8. Vending machines snacks — The average vending machine snack costs $1. Buy a pack of cookies every afternoon at work and pay $260 per year.

9. Interest charges on credit card bills — According to a survey released at the end of May 2007, the median amount of credit card debt carried by Americans is $6,600. Rate tables on Bankrate.com indicate that fixed interest rates on a standard card average 13.44 percent. Making the minimum payment each month, it will take 250 months (almost 21 years) to pay off the debt and cost $4,868 in interest. Ouch!

10. Unused memberships — Costhelper.com reports that the monthly service fee at gyms averages between $35 and $40. At $40 per month, an unused gym membership runs $480 per year.

Copyrighted, Bankrate.com

The Comfort Zone

Awakenings by Alexander

Tuesday, August 21

The Wednesday before Sunday service about nine years ago I had prayed a prayer to accept Jesus into my life. An associate pastor at the church I was attending, for a reason I still haven’t figured out, called me at work and asked if I would like to pray.

I did not know what it was all about or what was going to happen if I prayed this prayer. I was at first surprised that someone would ask me to do such a thing at work. I was a bit embarrased.

However, the pastor asked if anyone was around and I said no. He said, “then just close your eyes and let’s pray.” I was asked to recognize that I was a sinner. Acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross to forgive all our sins and that He rose from the dead to give us resurrecting power. I prayed to follow His way the rest of my life.

I didn’t know if I prayed that prayer in earnest or not. I was still kind of scared because I was at work. I thought maybe I was supposed to feel something different now, but it didn’t really seem that I did.

My prayer over the phone at work story was told that Sunday by the lead pastor and got some chuckles and laughs from the congregation.

I showed up for Sunday’s service early and the associate pastor I prayed with over the phone greeted me with a handshake and his son-in-law’s Bible, which now was mine. The pastor said, “Welcome to the family” and “This doesn’t mean that life is going to be a rose garden.”

I grabbed my first Bible and sat in a cushy pew with not too many people around. I opened up the book randomely, and there on the first page I looked at were these verses highlighted:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

I quickly flipped through the used Bible that was in good condition and found that it was only one of two selections highlighted in the entire book.

I had been struggling with anxiety for 20 years. Prone to panic attacks in certain situations, I felt hopeless for any kind of resolve. But, here in the Bible, from the book of Phillipians, chapter 4, verses 6 and 7, I found a relief like I had not known before.

I sat in the pew with a warm glow, more comfortable than I had been in a long, long time.

I knew I was in the right place.

CHINA: Buddhist Monks Will Need Government Permission to Reincarnate

Matthew Philips of Newsweek reports that:

In one of history’s more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is “an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation.”

The true motive…

But beyond the irony lies China’s true motive: to cut off the influence of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual and political leader, and to quell the region’s Buddhist religious establishment more than 50 years after China invaded the small Himalayan country. By barring any Buddhist monk living outside China from seeking reincarnation, the law effectively gives Chinese authorities the power to choose the next Dalai Lama, whose soul, by tradition, is reborn as a new human to continue the work of relieving suffering.

And getting more bizarre:

At 72, the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since 1959, is beginning to plan his succession, saying that he refuses to be reborn in Tibet so long as it’s under Chinese control.

Apparently, although we can not choose where we are born, we can choose where we are to come back as a “new human”.

Hmmm, I thought reincarnation was all about coming back as a butterfly…or some sort of thing.

I pray the Dalai Lama comes to Jesus…then his house will be secure!

- Alexander, TheScroogeReport

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