Frugaling

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The New Cadillac ELR Commercial: A Corporate Dream Of Consumerism (Video)

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Bill Maher is known for his polarizing opinions and uncensored diatribes about right-wing politicians. He’s an amalgamation of environmentalist, socialist, philanthropist, talk-show host, and comedian. While I seldom agree with his polemics, I feel like his opinions help me become a more well-rounded, critical-consumer of news.

Each week he films Real Time with Bill Maher, brings on about 4-5 guests, and does a brief standup routine. In one of his segments this week, he targets the car company, Cadillac. The brand is known for luxury vehicles and generally appeals to a higher-income bracket.

This commercial was too funny, disgusting, and wrong to avoid sharing it. While humorously filmed and brilliantly acted, the commercial suggests that Americans are special because we take less time off than other countries, work harder than everyone else, and get “bored” with scientific accomplishments.

The company and actor propagate a dream of consumerism that is your reward for all this “hard work.” Instead of enjoying more time with your family, taking a vacation, helping a charity, or saving for an early retirement, the dream is the all-new Cadillac ELR.

Hopefully your family, time, and life are worth more than this new car:

The Joy Of Reciprocity

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waitress bar flickr photo
Photo: flickr/prayitno

Saturday, I spent the night out on the town with two of my good friends. As we hopped around our little college town – from bar to bar – we soaked in this momentary distraction from the stress of graduate school. That night, like many before, we started treating for each others’ drinks. I’d buy a round, then one of my friends would. After each drink, we’d say, “thanks for treating.”

Many times, this pattern starts, and it actually makes the entire time more enjoyable for us all. There’s no pressure to treat, and no set expectation to purchase a certain number of drinks. Instead of buying our own drinks, one by one, we benefit and soak up the joy of reciprocity.

The joy of reciprocity is similar to the Starbucks drive-thru treat effect. Every now and then, you may enter the drive thru and be surprised to find your bill already paid. What’s happened is that the car ahead has treated for the drink, and hopes you’ll treat for the person behind you. In purchasing drinks for the next vehicle, it’s a gift that pays dividends for the future and immediate moment.

Research shows that giving to charities and helping others creates happiness in more ways than self-centered purchases could ever give. By engaging in these moments to treat, which also include a reciprocal component, there’s a shared happiness – the best kind of energy. But it takes a spark: someone needs to treat first.

That first person must pay it forward and treat for others, which takes a risk. The reciprocal, circle-like giving may never be returned; in fact, as I mentioned, that unknown portion creates the fun. If I treat first, my friends may forget or never return the favor, and that’s okay. If the cycle continues, that wonderful energy gets shared, creating a giving environment.

Taking a risk and treating for a round of drinks may not seem frugal. In reality, nearly every time I do this, my friends treat, too. People want to participate and enjoy this process. Many times, I’m not actually paying for more than one round, and the reciprocity continues throughout the night.

There’s an individualism and isolating effect to only paying for your own bill, and this creates a different dynamic. The alternative is not only equally frugal, it pays dividends psychologically. By the end of the night, we are more connected, energetic, and positive than we ever could’ve been by simply treating for our own drinks.

The question that remains is how you can incorporate this joy of reciprocity into your everyday life. What moments can you reach out to help, treat, and/or offer something to others? What times can you do these things, without any expectation for reciprocity – just letting it naturally occur? What holds you back from doing it more often?

Use your free-time/weekends to enjoy those you care about and make room to share. The energy and positivity that this reciprocity contains can help boost your stamina to be frugal. You need that fuel for a frugal week ahead!

Your Obligations May Actually Be Choices

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Wedding obligations bride costs money choice
Here comes the bride… And the obligations.

This is a guest article from Stefanie! She’s trying to find ways to stretch her budget in one of the most expensive cities out there, New York City. A graduate of New York University’s drama and psychology programs at the height of the financial crisis, Stefanie discovered the world of financial planning out of necessity. Thanks for sharing your insight!

Almost everything you spend money on is by choice. Yes, you have needs, but you choose those needs. Yes, there are expectations, but you choose which expectations you care to meet.

With the exception of taxes (and health insurance), you don’t have to spend money on anything. Yet, people say it all the time, “…but I have to buy…” But no one is forcing you to buy something. See, you have to recognize that you are the one choosing your spending priorities.

I hear a lot of the “I have to” justification of spending when it comes to social, cultural, and familial obligations. These obligations are typically a duty or commitment to which you feel bound, not something to which you are bound. This is an important distinction.

I know that my personal feelings of obligation and commitment fall on a spectrum. For instance, when invited to a friend’s birthday party, I don’t feel that I really have to attend, but it would be nice. With a wedding, I’ll start to feel more of that sense of obligation. The sliding spectrum continues, and if it’s my sister’s wedding, I feel completely tied, obliged to the occasion. But no matter how I feel about those events, I can’t unquestioningly commit to attending until I’ve assessed the monetary reality.

Let’s say my best friend asked me to be a bridesmaid. I would feel a strong sense of commitment, but not be able to accept until I understood the full financial implications. Would I be expected to purchase a dress? Accessories? Attend other bridal events? What would be the total cost? Now, if I were to assume an average, which according to weddingchannel.com is $1,695 to be a bridesmaid, I would have to decline regardless of my sense of obligation. Unfortunately, that’s a choice many people fail to see, and it impacts their future financial success. Their sense of obligation overtakes everything else. If you can afford it, fantastic! If you can’t, that could be downright dangerous.

The environment, society, and larger culture that you are a part of may harbor even stronger expectations. I’m going to continue to use the wedding industry as an example. It’s a relatable illustration of how we allow the sense of obligation to justify extraordinary overspending.

If I ever get married, there’d be a host of expectations surrounding the big day; especially, as I am part of a strong cultural group with deep rooted traditions. But as strongly as I, my parents, friends, and community feel about those things, the thought of spending $28,400 (the cost of the average wedding in 2013) on one day feels exceptionally wasteful. The funny thing is, a lot of people would agree that the number seems insane, but when they get down to the actual planning and fulfilling the requests of mom, dad, grandma, the girlfriends, the church, etc., suddenly the spending seems justified. Meeting expectations of others, regardless of how impractical, overtakes sound financial decisions.

My challenge to everyone, and to myself, is to never use the phrase “I have to” when it comes to spending my money. At times, I may feel a strong sense of commitment to myself and others – feeling obligated, but at the end of the day, the things I spend on are my choice. If we all accept that truth, perhaps we’ll all be a bit wiser about weighing our financial reality against our sense of obligation in the future.

Have you ever felt obligated to participate (a potluck, wedding, etc.)? How have you dealt with it? When do you feel you can choose something?

Warby Parker Prescription Glasses Review: Frugal And Fashionable? (Updated!)

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Warby Parker Prescription Glasses
Should you buy a pair of Warby Parker prescription glasses?

Ugh, I’ve been delaying the inevitable: I need new prescription glasses. My old ones are scratched, beat up, and my eyes have changed over the last few years. I can’t wait any longer, but I’ve had a difficult time finding a frugal and fashionable pair of prescription glasses.

80% of the market is owned by one company

If you venture into any LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Target Optical, and/or Sears, you’ll find a curious coincidence: The brands and price structure are the same. An Italian-based company, Luxottica, is behind most of the prescription glasses you’ll find at those stores. With a crushing grip on production and sales, the company dominates the margins and swarms consumers. In fact, they own 80% of world’s major eyewear brands.

Over the years, I’ve supported this company – whether I wanted to or not. They own brands like Oakley, Ray-Ban, and Oliver Peoples, while making co-branded products for Burberry, Coach, and many other companies. Chances are, you’ve helped the company’s bottom line.

Warby parker prescription glasses review logoSay hello to Warby Parker

While I wanted something frugal and fashionable, I thought I’d have to sacrifice and buy a no-name, standard frame. Fortunately, I found a growing company that’s mixing up the glasses market: Warby Parker.

The founders of Warby Parker realized the aforementioned fact – that one company has near-complete pricing power – and decided to throw a wrench in the system. They used their Wharton Business School education to analyze the supply chain and found a Chinese glasses manufacturer (the same one as Luxxotica) to make their frames. Now, the company is run like a tech titan and has even received a variety of angel investments and seed money.

Their business model is reminiscent of Zappos.com. Customers can purchase frames online, upload a copy of their vision prescription, and in a few days the frames are yours. Likewise, their customer service handled all my questions in a respectable and timely manner. But there’s more that makes Warby Parker unique.

Free, at-home try on and returns

Warby Parker Prescription Glasses At-Home Try on
This is what my Warby Parker at-home try on kit looked like!

Without vision insurance benefits for a new pair of glasses or lenses, I wasn’t able to find much in my price range before Warby Parker. Unlike Luxxotica’s exotic pricing, most WP frames are about $95, ship free, and include premium lenses (anti-reflective and scratch resistant).

What about trying them on before you spend the money? All you have to do is browse through their website, pick up to 5 frames, and they’ll ship them to you to try on.

When I received my package about four days later, I immediately tried them all on and picked a pair that worked for me. I packed the container, with the five frames, and shipped it back via UPS, hopped online to their website and purchased the exact one I wanted.

The process could not be more convenient – you get prescription frames direct to your doorstep! I’m exceptionally happy about the experience and will purchase again.

Do you know of any other places you can get frugal and fashionable prescription glasses?

Update: Just received my brand new pair of Warby Parker prescription glasses! The entire experience was flawless and the glasses are awesome. I will definitely be choosing this frugal option again!

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