January 25, 2011

Penguins, Blobs, Tobago, and a big question for YOU!!

As surprised as a penguin in a hot tub.


My guess is that is about how my darling wife will feel when she realizes what has happened. That’s right Em, I’m making my virgin voyage into Bloggerville. Okay, so this isn’t actually my first ever blog post, my family used to have a blog that we would all post on while Dim & Twah (my younger brother and sister) were on their missions. My grandma referred to it as our “blob” and always wanted us to do more blobbing. Well Grandma Marler, this Blob’s for You!


Although this isn’t my first ever blob post, it’s my first post as a married man. I’m quite confident that my blobbing will now be much more insightful, articulate and sophisticated now that I have such a remarkable wife who has helped me mature leaps and bounds in the last 18 months.


Let me say just a brief word about the inspiration for tonight’s blob. I was reading a book on my subway ride home that talked about how our minds have the potential to atrophy once we graduate from school. He talked about how we sometimes tend to focus only on learning subjects associated with our jobs and we neglect to expand our minds through reading and writing about subjects outside the realm of our current career endeavors.


I thought it about it for a while and just when the thinking started to become painful, I realized that since I graduated from school I have gained two belt loops and lost two hat sizes. Okay, so neither of those may be true, but I decided that I needed to write something more than a scathing email to a co-worker or a snide text message to a friend.


The subject of tonight’s blob: Money


It’s not what you think. I don’t want to talk about the evils of money and camels squeezing through eyes of needles. This isn't a clever way to introduce you all to my stupendous new exotic zebra oil MLM product that cures cancer, licks drooling problems, and donates all proceeds to Siberian orphanages while placing you all in my perpetual downline. I don't even want to ask if you've done your taxes and donated to your Roth IRA (which you all should do by the way). I want to talk about decisions that come with money.


On the same subway ride that inspired this blog post, I saw an advertisement for a vacation to Tobago. In case you don’t know what Tobago is, it’s pictured below.





Here’s my question. What’s the best way to spend money? Now before I say this, let me assure that I don’t pose this question because we have an excess of the green stuff and we just can’t decide how to spend it. That couldn't be further from the truth. I pose the question because after completing the 8 minute walk of frozen shame from my office to the subway, I saw the picture and thought how nice it would be to be lying on a beach in Tobago (wherever in the world that is). But then I thought about how much that would cost and how it probably wouldn't be practical.

So I pose the following question: Let’s say you just found $5,000 in cash on the subway (that hasn’t happened to me yet, but I always open check unattended packages in public places just in case), or in the street, or in your bank account, bottom line, you’ve got 5 grand, what do you do with it and why?


Are you going to Tobago or some other awesome vacation spot you’ve always wanted to visit? Are you putting it away for a down payment on your house? Are you investing it in American Express or some other hot stock just waiting to take off? Are you putting it toward that luxury sports car you’ve had your peepers on? Are you putting it in your bank account and spending it on JBC’s, groceries, and trips to Redbox over the next few months? For the purpose of this exercise, let’s assume that you have no debt whatsoever, so an option is not paying down your debt.


So let’s hear it, what are you doing with the cash and why? This blob appears to have comment functionality so let’s hear what y’all have to say. I already have my answer tucked away in my size 5 7/8 head. I’ll put pen to paper or…….key to screen in my next post.

9 comments:

  1. What a great posting Kyle. You have hit a home run on this one. Sure love you two.

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  2. Me and my husband just had this conversation...what we like to spend money on. We are both savers and hate spending money, but we both also like certain things and like to spend money on those things...I am interested to read your next post :) Tell Em hi for me!

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  3. Too bad getting rid of debt isn't an option, but then again in this "pretend" scenario, I don't have to worry about it ;) but if I did have a spare 5 grand, I would put some in an emergency saving account and some in my sons account and budget some into the everyday living account and of course use some for a nice fun fancy dinner for the husband and I. That's what I would do, but now I'm going to wake up from this nice dream.
    Say hello to Emily for me and maybe someday I'll get to meet the lucky man that was able to sweep her away (that would be you) ;)

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  4. I would check out the travels deals and book an inexpensive yet awesome trip to someone in Central America for my upcoming birthday. Then, I'd go buy some of that yogurt that I'm craving at the grocery store (and I'd donate a good, I don't know 10% for starters)and with my other $4000 - I'd put $2500 in savings, and $1500 towards a humanitarian aid trip in the summer. Wow...I could do so much with that!

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  5. Ha - I knew my sister and I would think alike. My first thought was - TRIP! $5000 would easily get me to Turkey or New Zealand or India. $5000 would even get me a 21 day trip around the coast of South America (with a stop in Antarctica).

    And then my second thought was...dang, I'm trying to move to a new city and buy a new house, so $5000 would be good towards a down payment.

    But let's face it, I would still choose the trip. I already save lots of my income (20%), I don't have any debt, so if I found five thousand tax-free dollars - it would definitely be a trip.

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  6. PS - Kyle, Tobago is in the Caribbean. :) I bet you could actually vacation there for a fairly reasonable price. You should do it! Aren't you sick of all that SNOW?

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  7. I hope to someday be at the point where I could even be tempted by using the spare money for something fun. For now, and the next 10 years it will all go to paying back student loans.

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  8. Enjoyed your post thoroughly. Melissa and I actually found 5K on the subway (it was on a B train) when we went to visit the EKP. (Em and Kyle) We decided to spend it on a trip to Europe/Russia. Definitely the best way to spend 5K.

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