Minty Green

Today is the first day of better managing my money. I just set up my account on Mint.com. Thanks to my bro, Jeremy Pope, for introducing me to the site.

The service is free and easy to use--you simply link up all your bank and investment accounts, credit cards, student loans, etc. to begin using the service. I have to admit there were a couple of glitches in establishing my profile on the site, for instance, one of my accounts says that I entered the incorrect login and password, although I know this is not the case. This is a bit annoying and I still have not managed resolve the issue.

Theoretically, having access to all of my financial information in one place will allow me to keep tabs on what's going on with my finances much more easily. With Mint.com, you can set financial goals and budgets, and the program monitors your spending to keep you on track and offers you helpful tips and tools along the way to save you money.

Mint.com also has iPhone and Android applications, so if you are smart phone user, you can manage your money on the go.

In a short amount of time, Mint.com has already gotten to know me well. It is acting like the spouse that I do not have and keeps offering me unsolicited advice on how I can spend less money on food, entertainment, and shopping. Come on Mint, I already know that (I am a single girl in the city, what else am I going to spend my money on?), stop riding my back! Perhaps I should spend less time shopping online and more time on Mint.com (refer back to Distracted by Discounts)!

My boyfriend scared me a bit about giving all this information to a third party, but I am apparently very trusting, and am more concerned about someone sifting through my mail in the trash than I am about having my information hacked through this site. Millions of people use the Mint.com and it has received a lot of press and backing from reputable sources. Mint.com uses bank-level data security. Also, you are anonymous on the site; you don’t share your name, address, social security number or account numbers.

If you are looking for some help in the budgeting department, I think Mint.com is worthwhile, but of course it depends on how comfortable you are with their online security. I also think that the more you use the tool, the more you will get out of it. At this time, I haven't yet established my budget or goals, but I plan to ASAP. The first step was to establish an account, you've got to start somewhere, right?!

Navigating by Bike

My new, vintage three-speed Schwinn Collegiate has changed my city-dwelling life. I've lived in New York for seven years, and never thought that I wanted a bike because I was scared of city riding. I recently threw caution to the wind when I purchased my new wheels (and helmet).

Now I pretty much go everywhere on my bike, with a little help from my friend, Google bike maps, which I can rely upon to find the safest riding route.

This worked quite well for my trip from Clinton Hill to Williamsburg yesterday, but I realize I should have also noted the reverse directions since it's not quite as simple as reversing your route, especially with limited bike lanes, many one-way streets, and crappy road conditions that are pretty common throughout Brooklyn.

I wish that I could have Google bike directions sent to my phone via text. I didn't see this as an option, however if you have a smartphone you can e-mail the directions to yourself, which would've come in handy.

Happy cycling!

Just Another Dumb Phone

A couple of weeks ago I found my phone in the bottom of my kitchen trash in a pool of old pineapple and banana scraps. I solicited advice on Facebook on how to revive a phone after incurring water damage. The prevailing wisdom is to take it apart and let it sit in a bowl of uncooked rice to soak up the water. I let it soak in a bowl of dry quinoa (I didn't have any rice), and my phone did come back to life temporarily, with all this quinoa stuck in the nooks and crannies (I would recommend a larger grain, although quinoa is super delicious and healthy), but it eventually died about a week later.

I'm not the type of person who gets excited about buying a new phone. I wasn't ready to make the leap to a smart phone. I don't want the additional expense of having to add a data package onto my monthly bill. Also, I am accustomed to using my phone the old-fashioned way, to call people and text. I don't "need" all the bells and whistles, although I am sure if I had them I would probably like it.

My new phone is working just fine for me. I ended up going with T-Mobile's Samsung Gravity 3 phone. It has more features than I will probably ever use, and it is an upgrade for me since I didn't even have a keyboard on my last phone.

If I were to buy a smartphone, I would want the iPhone--it seems more fun and has more utility than a Blackberry, despite all the hoopla around the iPhone 4, which I have been following pretty closely because I recently wrote a paper about "antenna gate" for class. This video pretty much summarizes the iPhone 4 debacle in a genius song. I pretty much agree with this guy on all points. Check it out!
Maybe in the future I will step it up to the iPhone, but for now I am locked in for another two years with my T-Mobile contract.

Love Letter to a Printer Icon

Dear Printer Icon,

I miss you. I used to be able to find an article online and click on you to easily print the page. I realize printing is not the "greenest" option, however sometimes I don't have time in the middle of my day to read an article in its entirety. I have an hour long commute on the subway, which is a perfect time to read what I cannot get to during the day.

Nowadays, when I find an article that I want to read online, generally my options are to share it on numerous social bookmarking and social networking sites. I don't want to share it, I just want to read it. Since you abandoned me, I have resorted to copying the text into a word document, blank e-mail, or text file. What a pain!

Did you disappear because you thought e-readers and smart phones have taken over? Think again my friend. Some of us old-fashioned types still prefer to read something on good ole paper. I get so excited when I see you, but it's few and far between. Come back to me, I appreciate you and still need you.

Love, Erin