The Digerati Life

Despite all the tough economic stuff we’ve been dealing with lately, what say we take a moment to think about what makes America special to us?

I’m a first generation immigrant turned naturalized American who came to this country almost 25 years ago to get an advanced education in the field I wanted to specialize in. I had planned to return to my home country soon after finishing my studies, but that didn’t pan out. I ended up staying in the United States because of the job opportunity I was soon afforded and the financial benefits I received by staying here. I’ve often wondered how my life would have turned out if I had stuck to my original plans. Do you ever wonder what your alternative life could have been like?

All I can say is that America has been a wonderful, incredible place to live in. I went through some pretty big adjustments to get settled here, but it was all worth it. Thanks to America I can:

• Drive by myself. The stereotype is true (not elaborating), I’m not a good driver and it was impossible for me to learn how to drive anywhere else.
• Drink water from the tap.
• Stop worrying about mosquitoes.
• Have a fast internet connection.
• Work at home.
• Use Tivo. I haven’t quite warmed up to online television.
• Invest in the stock market without having as much fear of being wiped out.
• Have a solid chance at success even while starting from scratch (or nothing). I guess that’s why they call it “The American Dream“.
• Start a business without paying lots of random fees that don’t have anything to do with the business.
• Do many things without having to pay anyone off first.
• Hole up at home and never EVER get bored!

I could go on and on… but I’ll spare you the details.

What I don’t like about this place so much? Sometimes things get too politically correct for my tastes… and we don’t have these available to the masses.

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This is part of our series on “scary money tips and stories”.

I’ve read in some places that the cost of looking good can run as high as $200 a month for some people. By buying only top-notch beauty products and visiting the cosmetics and salons on a regular basis, you can easily set yourself back by over $2,000 a year or more. For those who are serious about keeping up their appearances, that’s around $60,000 over a lifetime of primping which would have probably really boosted retirement savings by a hefty bit if this money were ever redirected to a tax deferred account. How does an extra $245,000 at the end of 30 years sound? [that's $2,000 a year allowed to grow at a rate of 8% a year for 30 years!]

If this kind of savings sounds good, then you may be inspired by certain stories of truly serious savings in the beauty front. For instance if I ask: what do you think is the cheapest way to maintain your hair? The extreme saver’s answer would be: Do Nothing!

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Not all bloggers want to make money, but many do. If blogging for money is part of your financial plan, or if you just want a chuckle, then you may appreciate this cartoon which I encountered at My Two Dollars. It was just too adorable to pass up. Thanks David, I hope you don’t mind my reprinting your find here! With enthusiastic permission, republished from Internet Duct Tape:

On this note, for the blogging hobbyist, what could be more exciting than turning one’s skills, creativity and ideas into a full time pro-blogging stint?

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