Movie: How To Train Your Dragon

If you like action, digital animation, bad guys vs good guys, and think dragons are cool you'll enjoy this movie; it's on DVD now.

It moves pretty quickly, keeps your attention, and has some great animation. It's got humor, tense scenes, and a good lesson. All parts of a good movie.

I'll give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

RottenTomatoes movie watchers rated it at 90% and the critics gave it 98%. Click the link to read more reviews and to see the trailer.

Enjoy!

VCU beats KU to go to the Final 4?!

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!! (that was my other 'appropriate' title option)

If you're wondering who VCU is, you're not alone....and that's why losing to them is all the more ridiculous! (Virginia Commonwealth)

I don't think I've EVER seen a 2 loss team ranked so high look so TERRIBLE. That's one more reason for me to despise KU.

Why all the irritation when I'm a MIZZOU fan??? Before the Florida vs Butler and KU vs VCU games, I'm 2 points down in my pool and am the only one who can earn any more points. If Florida OR KU win, I win the pool. Both teams were favored to win; KU by a good margin. After Florida (#2 seed) lost to Butler (#8 seed) to get into the Final 4 I still thought I had a darn good chance of getting the KU (#1 seed) win over VCU (#11 seed)....did you forget who they were again??? Virginia Commonwealth...it's OK, they weren't in the news until now.

SO, I lost the pool and am still in awe of the game. I watched the whole game and besides the first minute of the game, VCU outplayed KU in EVERY aspect of the game. They made KU look HORRIBLE. VCU was up by 18 at one point and KU was able to come back to within 2 in the second half, but never took the lead and finally lost by about 10.

OH, I forgot to mention that VCU was a play-in team for the tourney which means they had to play one last game and win to even play in the tourney....now they're a Final 4 team. I guess that's why it's called "March Madness". Way to go VCU (that's Virginia Commonwealth). Nice game.

Recipe RAVE! You GOTTA Try This Soup!

I really enjoy trying new recipes. I do cook and enjoy it when I do, but I'll have to give my wife some big brownie points for making some of these recipes I find. (Thanks babe, you ROCK!) OK, here it is! It's one of my favorites and VERY EASY! Let me know what you think.

Tortilla Soup
by: Kelly Siwek

1/2 lb Chicken Tenderloins - bonelesss
1 - 8oz can Tomato Sauce
1 3/4c Water
2tbsp Taco Seasoning Mix
1/4c Onion - chopped
1 - 16oz can Tomatoes - stewed (cut them up more)
1 - 16oz can Pinto Beans - drained

MUST HAVE Garnishes: Sour Cream / Frito Chips / Shredded Cheddar Cheesse

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan, cook chicken & onion until chicken is done.

2. Remove chicken and shred with a fork.

3. Drain/Strain excess water from pan.

4. Add water, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, beans, shredded chicken, cooked onion, and seasoning mix to sauce pan.

5. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 20-30 minutes.

Serves 4 adults. It's a good leftover so I usually double it.

When Your Piggy Bank Don't Jingle (2 of 10)

#2 Find the cheapest gas stations.

Right now I know where 3 of the cheapest gas stations are in town and NO, they aren't 'off-brand' gas stations by any means. They regularly beat the competition by 5-15 cents per gallon and on average I save $1-1.50 for every fill-up; sometimes over $2. I wouldn't recommend going too far out of your way, but a mile or two is still worth it. I got lucky and found three that happen to be spread around town and are right on my regular routes.

That's another tip for saving money; going out of your way for a coupon or sale means you're spending extra gas to save and are probably buying something you wouldn't have bought if you didn't have coupon....BE SMARTER THAN THE RETAILERS!!! For example, I've heard people say they're going to get something they 'need' (that's another rant) because it's on sale or they have a coupon for 10% off (yet another rant) and they drive 20 miles to get there (40 miles round trip). Unless you've got several other errands to run, you just negated your coupon by spending your 'saved money' on gas ($6-8 for 2 gallons) getting to your destination. Oh, and don't forget to add in all that other junk you just bought that you didn't go for in the first place (I'm real guilty of that one when I visit WallyWorld - that place is the worst consumer trap out there if you're not on guard!)

To help you find some cheap stations, you can use an iPhone App that tells you where to find the cheapest gas station in your area OR look it up online; they update prices often.

Here are a couple:
http://www.gasbuddy.com/
http://www.gaspricewatch.com/

I just used the 'gasbuddy' site and looked up one of my 3 cheap stations. The average in my town is $3.35 right now and my station is selling it for only $3.21. That's 14 cents PER GALLON cheaper!!! That's over $2 saved for 15 gallons.

If you need help making this more real to you, from now on when you get gas, go in and give the cashier an extra $2 just for the heck of it (or just chuck it out the window as you pull out of the station).

Sometimes things like gas/hot water/electricity/a drafty window are hard to put into perspective when they seem so intangible or disconnected on the money end each time we pay a bill or fill the tank.

March Maddness! I Can't Take It!

How can you argue that there's a better sporting event than the NCAA Tournament?!

I won't admit to how long I spend analyzing teams, numbers, and match-ups while filling out my bracket, but I really get into it and it's loads of fun to watch. Now I just need to learn how to balance family and the NCAA Tournament....can it be done???

Well, if you love it as much as I do, give me a shout and you can join the pool I started online. I'm hoping to have a good response to the 60-70 invites I sent out today.

Since the tourney hasn't started yet I won't give away any of my picks, but I'll say I'm not as confident in Ohio St. as most folks are for winning the whole thing.

Ok, gotta go keep things in balance and hang out with the family. Happy picking!

A Walk In The Park

So we went to the park for a couple hours before heading to church Saturday night. The weather was just perfect! This is a large park with probably 200+ people there and room for all. As we're watching our kids throw sticks and leaves into the creek, I look up and standing near his family, who is having a picnic under a pavilion, one of their boys (maybe 4yrs old) stands with his pants to his knees peeing out into the grass....yes, and he was facing us.

Is this a Rant or Rave? I don't know, but it's something.

Oh, did I mention that the restroom was less than 30 feet from them?!

Ok, I've made up my mind, this was a Rant. Sheesh...that's ridiculous (and pretty funny)!

Have A Car/Home Loan??? Check This Calculator Tool Out!

I'm sure most of you have heard of mortgage calculators. Here's one that I've found to be pretty easy to use and eye-opening.

Bankrate.com

The cool part about this particular calculator is that just below the normal calculator part is an additional tool that allows you to see how adding extra money (each month, one time, or once each year) to your payment will affect the payoff date of the loan.

EXAMPLE:
Just for kicks, I checked to see what an extra $20 and $100 a month would do to 'my' loan.

$20 EXTRA:
It took almost 2 YEARS off the payoff date.
Total Savings = $17,760 (about $2 every day or $730 per year for 26yrs!)

$100 EXTRA:
It took 7 YEARS off the payoff date.
Total Savings = $56,400 (about $6 every day or $2,190 per year for 26yrs!)

WOW!!! Please tell me I'm not the only one motivated to put an extra bit of money towards my loan each month. Now....where do I find that money???? Eeek!

Do You UPromise???

Here's a GREAT way to save for your child's college OR to help pay down YOUR college debt!

Like many other credit cards, this Bank of America UPromise credit card earns you money back on EVERY purchase. There are literally thousands of participating merchants, restaurants, and grocery products that allow you to earn additional money.

After you've earned the money each month, you've got 3 options: Request a check, Paydown a student loan, or Save & Invest.

Here's an example of how it works (how I use it):
I go about my daily routine, making purchases as normal earning money back along the way. I've got all of my other bar code cards (from the grocery, retailers, pharmacies, etc) registered into my account along with other family members that give me their codes. Each time one of those bar codes is swiped when purchasing a UPromise product OR at a UPromise retailer, I get the credit. Each quarter, all the money that's accumulated in my UPromise account gets dumped into my children's College Savings 529 Plan and invested.

So, how does the idea of investing free money sound???

There's a link in my blog roll to the right or just click here: UPromise

If you want to link your UPromise account up to a 529 Plan as I have and don't have one set up yet, check out the 529 account link to the right as well....ok, or just click here: 529 Plan

DISCLAIMER... If you aren't good with credit cards and don't pay off your bill each month or don't make the minimum payments, it would be wise for you to cut up your cards. Your interest and penalties will WAY out weigh any savings you'll get done with any card. Get control of your spending first.

When your piggy bank don't jingle (1 of 10)

I'll follow this post with 9 others over the next while giving 10 ways to save money when you REALLY don't have any money left in your budget. They are in no particular order.

#1: Really make an effort to buy used when you can (or just use what is available for 'free').

CARS - Everything I've read and experienced says that buying a new car is one of the biggest wastes of money because of the long-term cost. Check out Dave Ramsey's plan for paying cash for cars. How would you feel if you NEVER had a car payment for the rest of your life AND you got to purchase and drive nice 1-2 yr old cars each time you bought? Darn good if you ask me!

BOOKS/MOVIES - Amazon is a great place to start for finding just about any book you want a lot cheaper than buying new. And from my experience, has been pretty safe and trustworthy for the most part. AND don't forget about your local library; you're paying for that through your taxes anyway, right?! My library even has an online reservation system for what seems like 10,000+ movies. I haven't rented a movie (other than $1 RedBox) in a LONG time.

TOOLS - What are neighbors for??? Don't forget to be a neighbor in return. Your time and lending hand are a great free service to others even if you aren't where you want to be financially. Helping others is a great way to welcome blessing in your life.

LANDSCAPING - Try to buy smaller versions of what you want; it will grow over time. Also look for things that you can split in a year or two. This will give you some free plants. Keep in mind that at some point, your neighbors will be looking to thin our their own multiplying plants. Offer to take them off their hands; maybe you could help them out and do the work of splitting them. If you have some to share, offer a trade.

Does this 'green' idea save you green???

What is a rain barrel? It's simply a large barrel placed at the end of your downspout that collects rainwater for the purpose of later use. The idea is that it saves you money, you're conserving water, etc...

I like to be 'green', but I'm not opposed to seeing a little change in my pocket in the end for my effort either.

Here's the math:

Average cost: $100-150.
Capacity around 50 gallons.
Cost per gallon where I live = $0.013

Now let's use $120 and 50gal for our math just for fun to see how long it will take for us to "break even" using the rain barrel.

$120 / $0.013 = 9230.77 / 50gal. = 184.6

184.6 is the number of times you'd have to fill up the rain barrel before you'd get your $$ back from buying the rain barrel. I really hope my math is wrong!

This means that IF you had 15 rains per year that fill up your barrel, it would take just over 12 YEARS recoup your money. Do they even last that long outside????

Another ARTICLE that says it would take 40 years to get your money back on his average of 5-10 fill-ups a year with a 50gal/$100 barrel. YIKES!

My conclusion....if you want a rain barrel, get it for the purpose of going 'green', NOT saving green because you WON'T. In fact, the opposite will almost inevitably occur. However, when and if I make enough money to toss at a rain barrel or two or three.....count me in. We all need to do our part and go beyond reasons related to the 'green' most are worried about.