Archive for the 'Online' Category
November 2 2008: eBay Experiment: The First Week
Filed under Money & Online with 7 Comments
The first batch of items I put up on eBay for auction have just ended. My total gross profit is just under $350AUD, and after subtracting my expenditures (item costs, seller fees, etc.) my net profit is just under $100AUD.
Not bad for three hours worth of ‘work’ in taking photos of the items and listing them up (with distractions like MSN, blogs, email, etc, so it’s more like one hours worth of work). It’s certainly more than the $19.11AUD an hour I earn working in the shop, and the $20AUD an hour I earn babysitting. At this early stage, it seems as though there’s definite potential in turning this into a money-making side venture, though I’m obviously not going to give up my job anytime soon to pursue this full-time.
At this point, I think my eBay earnings will be enough to cover my petrol costs each week, as well as a dinner out with friends every now and again. Can’t complain about that.
November 1 2008: Fresh Baked Misogynist
Filed under Men & Online with 10 Comments
I frequent a number of blogs focused on being frugal and saving money through a variety of different methods. I get new ideas from them, but more importantly I think, is the sense of unity I get when I read what they write. There’s people like me. There are loud and proud cheapskates out there!
In any case, one of the blogs I’m subscribed to is Money Saving Mom. I was disgusted however, by her response to a question one of her readers recently posed:
I just read your Baking Day entries. I have a question that I hope you can answer. I see where you are baking things to last for a couple of weeks and was wondering if you have any suggestions about how to save time when someone like me has a very picky husband and 15-year-old son who only like fresh stuff (pancakes, muffins, etc.)?
Do you have any suggestions on how to make my “fresh baked” things any more time-saving? Would the pancake batter or muffin batter still taste the same if I refrigerated it the night before and just put it in the oven the next morning at 4:30 a.m. (my husband leaves for work at 5:30 a.m.)?
The proper answer should have been: “Your husband is an inconsiderate douchebag, and you’re an idiot for having put up with this selfish behaviour for as long as you have. Shame on you for doing so, and shame on you for having aided the development of similar behaviour in your fifteen-year-old son. Don’t cook for them. Just don’t cook or bake anything at all for a week. They’ll be happy to eat day-old baked goods after a week of deprivation.”
The answer shouldn’t have been to give new recipe ideas, and to tell her to compromise in a way that still gives the upper hand to her husband. Instead, you tell her to grow a backbone. You tell her to tell her husband to bake his own muffins if he wants fresh muffins at 4.30 in the morning. And you tell her to stop taking shit from someone who is clearly a misogynist who thinks that a woman’s place is in the kitchen. There’s a line between being supportive of one’s partner, and simply being a doormat. This is a situation that fits in the latter category.
October 21 2008: Link Dump no.3
Filed under Online with 3 Comments
Some interesting political, racial, social, articles and websites (in my biased opinion) for your perusal.
- Stephen Matchett: There’s Life After Downfall Great article about how one shouldn’t simply look down on popular culture as being unworthy of one who is truly artistic. It has its value too.
- CVT: On Kids And Race Interesting discussion of self-segregation in schools and workplaces, the reasons behind it, and why it isn’t simply racism, but a sort of security blanket.
- Peter Tapsell: Are we getting the best? You don’t need bigger, you don’t need better, and you don’t need the newest in cutting-edge technology. All you really need is to sit back and smell the roses. Watch the clouds drift by. Wait for the grass to grow. Enjoy yourself.
- Robert Merkel: Abortion is now legal in Victoria I’m glad that I finally have a legal avenue (as opposed to an illegal, but commonplace and widespread) open to me, should I ever require it.
- Sheryl Gay Stolberg: In Final Months in Office, Bush Is Burdened but Still Confident “Mr. Bush has been telling people privately that it’s a good thing he’s in charge.” Lol, wut? Is the man blind or something?
- Ghaith Abdul-Ahad: In the shadows of splendour Thriving slave trade in India, hidden from Western eyes. Where they earn less in a month than I do in a day. Why does this still happen?
- Barack Obama’s Blueprint For The Change We Need For Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Really interesting points and potential policies aimed at what is an extreme minority in America, with low percentages of registered voters. Interestingly however, other studies have shown that Asian Americans could be the ones to decide the election if it ends up being a close race, so this focus of Obama’s on these key constituents is a good tactical political move.
- Times Higher Education: The Top 200 World Universities My university comes in at number 47. I’ve been lied to - I’m not getting a “first-rate” education, I’ve been getting a “forty-seventh-rate” education.
- The Simple Dollar: 18 Things a New Homeowner Should Do Immediately to Save Money Excellent article and resource for all potential first home owner’s. I’m personally going to be referring back to this once I’m at the stage where I’m ready to invest in my first home!
- Nora Dunn: Asset Allocation for All Markets
I’m going to end up being a prudent investor (cash and property only), but for other less cautious and more willing to accept risk peoples, this is an excellent guide to what type of investment suits you best.