Thanksgiving in Washington, DC on the Cheap

Hello again,
This is Frugal Frank OTBS back from a great trip to DC during the Thanksgiving holidays. First of all, I have to tell you that my wife and I were looking for a break from our dysfunctional extended families. You know the type, they can never seem to get their....it together. I mean once you turn 18 years old you have to lose the baggage and make a success of your life. I have sympathy for children but none for as my mother used to say "grown folks".

So back to the story. New York was too expensive to do Macy's this year . We needed a drive within 4 hours and the hotel had to have a pool because my girls are fish. For those of you of the frugal mind, you can stay in nice hotels if you shop right. Our favorite pick is Embassy Suites. Yes Paris Hilton's family has the hotel business down and will get my business. Now these hotels are normally expensive during the week but you can get a room for around $99 bucks on weekends and holidays. Now you might think this is expensive, but factor in free buffet(made to cook breakfast) for 4 each day and free cocktails every evening and that $99 will be like $59.00.

I went on the internet and snared the Convention Center Embassy Suites. Brand new, walking distance to the Capital, National Archives, Museums and Eateries. Hotel parking is expensive at $26.00 a night but the hotel is across the street from a public parking lot and plenty of meter spaces. The meters are free on the weekend and from 6:30 pm to 7 am so I juggled a little and put money in the meter during my morning jog and saved some change.

Hey, another thing, if you are frugal, you have to stay in good health. I jog and eat healthy--lowers medical expenses.

Back to the Hotel:

Great rooms, spacious, 2 televisions with one being a flat LCD TV. kids can sleep on pull out in one room and adults in king bed, microwave, safe, frig nice decor,etc

Pool is open from 8am to 11pm
Super Workout room with fruit, news papers, magazines, free bottle water

There are even washers and dryers in the basement if you need to wash a load.

Well, I am tired, have to go to bed..... I will continue the rest later.


Frugal Frank OTBS

I am an Advocate for Public Schools

As a father of 2 I cannot send my girls to private school with conviction. Why would I, as a Frugal Man spend $8,000 a year for 12 years preparing to send my child to college for 4. At that rate I would have exhausted the money for Harvard. If I instead invested $8000 a year for 12 years then I could pay for undergraduate and grad school with no debt left over.

My other issue with private schools is that the majority were started either around the time of Brown v. The Board of Education or 1965 when integration was being mandated. Get the picture.

I also think private primary school numbers are inflated. If you only take the prime kids with deep pocket, involved, middle class, families then your scores are going to be better regardless of the schools curriculum. And also if private primary schools were the answer then the world would be run by private school honor roll kids.

Besides, if every family who could, would write a check for $1000.00 each year to their school for extras then every school could excel. Then our children could stay and learn in an environment that resembles the real world.

Besides when I look at private school cost, I can supplement my daughters with educational camps, Kumon and historical trips and still not spend $8000 or more a year so even though I do applaud the parents who do private school, I have reverence for those who do public education which is the backbone of this country.

Peace Out,
Frugal Frank from the Blackside

COMMENTS ON THE HIP HOP MUSICIANS

As a Frugal Black man, I guess I have to insert my two cents into this issue. I am old enough to remember seeing "Crush Groove" at the theaters for the first time and hearing, then blasting "It's Like a Jungle" by Grandmaster Flash in my college dorm room. In college we didn't just blab about Black History, we studied it intensely. I remember reading Carter G. Woodson's book, "The Miseducation of the Negro" and thinking how relevant is was then and still is today.

So, now we come to today's Hip Hop/Rap and I am tired of hearing Russell Simmons defend the degrading aspects of it as though it was art. Yes these young men are being exploited but it is because they have let themselves be used. Every time I hear these guys, I think of the Stepin Fetchits of our history. I can defend these men because of the period they lived in and the limited opportunities available to them. But, I am like Mr. Stanley Crouch, not these "clowns".

The real fact of the matter is that the record business is in trouble. Sales of CD's are down and they are leaving a bad taste in peoples mouth due to the fact that they are suing their fan base because of illegal downloads. How stupid can they get? Hip Hop will take the greatest hit because they have a smaller overall market. Most of these guys have to do concerts to make money. They are into the record companies so deep everything they have is on lease. The market is being held up mainly by white kids who at the moment love the 50 Cents, Snoop Dogg and Gangsta Rap. As a frugal man I like to spend my dollars on something of lasting quality and so because the bad rap culture has alienated the black community by wasting dollars, we will not be there to cushion their fall. See I will still buy some Kurtis Blow's old hits and Smokey Robinson's releases.

The thing about this whole situation is that the guys like Russell have made their money. The guys rapping this trash will be broke and back in the hood in five years. Where are their benefit packages, retirement, golden parachutes. I guarantee you there are none. Most of them don't have the advisors to watch out for them and leverage their talent. At least the pro athletes get
better representation. I will at least give Master P some credit. He has done a great job with his son and has grown and developed personally with his success. Like my Mom used to say " When you know better you try to do better"


Peace Out for Now

Frugal Frank from the Blackside

Our Greatest Legacy

I hope that everyone had a good summer. The coming of cool weather this past weekend reminded me of the fast approaching holidays and how fast a year goes by. I had taken my girls to Maple View Dairy, which is about 20 miles down the road from my home,on the old Subaru.

Maple View is a place that has some of the freshest homemade ice cream around. It is a dairy farm that produces fresh milk stored in glass bottles and ice cream. It has a country store on site where we get ice cream in homemade waffle cones and rock the day away. As we licked our cones while sitting in the wooden rocking chairs on the store's front porch I had time for reflection. My oldest brother died 2 years ago right after retirement. There was a twenty year gap between us but we were close even though we were at odds sometimes. One of his biggest regrets that he shared with me before he got sick was that he gave too many things priority ahead of his kids. There were few photos of him and the kids because he was always too busy for them. He told me this before he passed as advice of what not to do. He and his wife had divorced and he had relegated the responsibility of raising the kids to her. He missed the important ball games and school programs and took trips with his buddies instead of with the kids. I did not share with him that we(siblings) all knew of his future regrets before he but at the time he would not have listened. He was a good man but kept the ones close to him at arms length.

That day of reflection got me to thinking how most of us work all our lives putting in long hours to provide our families with necessities and wants. Along the way, the job makes us believe how invaluable we are to the company so, we spend more time on the job and less at home. Our kids grow so fast; one minute just learning to walk and the next walking across the college graduation stage. Through the years we move up the corporate ladder and hear things like "Tom, I don't know what this company would do without you." This makes us feel good when we think about the games that we never saw Junior or Susan play in over the years. Then one day after 25 or 30 years you retire and get that gold watch. After 3 years of retirement you go by the old job and run into new faces who have no idea you ever treaded those halls. In 10 or 15 years your name will not even register in the personnel files. Your Legacy is gone and you wonder, will anyone ever know 50 years from now that you were here and your life mattered. As you rummage through photo albums looking back over your life hopefully you will find pictures of the Legacy you created with your children for it is they and theirs who will carry it on through stories and tales for generations to come. I know for myself as I sat on that porch, I thanked God for the blessings of my kids and the wisdom to know that they are blessings in my life. I remember when the first one was born I held her in my arms overwhelmed with joy. I looked at my wife and child and they made me want to be a better man. That day I made a promise that when I died my girls would never wonder if or how much I loved them because they would by my actions each and every day. So as the time of season for families and friends swiftly approaches, slow down a weekend or two and drive down an old country road in no particular hurry, and get your own ice cream cone so that you may have your own time for reflection.

Stay Out the Deep Water if You Can't Swim

"Stay out the deep water if you can't swim" takes me back to summer camp. Those were the instructions or orders from the Boy Scout Camp lifeguard. People could have used this advice during the internet bubble and certainly during this sub-prime bubble.

Most people tend to get caught up in the moment. They see everyone running with the bulls and figure that they must be going somewhere. They fail to realize as with real events, some people like the thrill of running with the bulls. Those who get trampled return the next year for the same.

I, like most of the frugal few, will never run with the bulls and so will suffer sleepy peaceful nights never worrying about interest only loans, ARM's, and balloon payments. The frugal few remembered the lifeguard's warnings or other sayings like, "Sooner or later you have to pay the piper". The Frugal Black Masses will suffer the scorn of living in homes that we can afford, driving used cars, and "oh my God!", wearing gently used clothes. We will retire debt free in good health and only have to work because we want to. Please have pity on us.

I don't like to get preachy here. Those who are in the sub-prime messes have already beat themselves up enough and those who didn't, don't need the preaching, and so I will move on.

I finally purchased my first I-pod nano last week. My very best buddy and my tech guru finally convinced me. I normally jog 2 to 3 times a week and that free Time magazine small radio was not cutting it anymore. My favorite shows like NPR's Cartalk and Fresh Air kept fading in and out and I also needed some upbeat music to jog to.

My buddy had been trying to convince me for the last few years to get one. My reservations about the first I-pod were that it was too expensive and I would crack the hard drive. I couldn't keep from dropping my cell phone so I knew the I-pod would not cut it. Then along came the first Nano with flash drive, it was nice, but the cover smudged and scratched. Then low and behold finally the 2nd generation Nano came along, scratch proof cover, but $150-200 was still too much for a frugal brother like me. I was just about ready to break down and get a Sansa when my buddy bet me that  he could find mea Nano for under $100 with 2 gig of memory.

Well, he found it and I purchased it on tax free weekend for our state. The total was $99.00 including free shipping. I loaded it up with my music (SamCooke, Smokey, Luther, Grandmaster, and MJ) and can't wait for my jog on Tuesday.


Frugal Frank from the Blackside

Humble Beginnings of a Frugal Brother

I really wanted to go see Beyonce and Robin Thicke but when I found out what the tickets cost I realized how cheap I was. I mean the last time I spent considerable money on a concert was back in 1987 when I went to a Luther Vandross concert. I think the tickets were $22 bucks a piece. My wife was going to take me for my birthday this summer but when she told me that the tickets were going for $75-$125, I knew my pop concert days were over. I will save that money for my flat screen. Of course you know I will buy it at Walmart. Boy, I hate that they stopped the layaway plan. I would have had it paid out by Christmas with no finance fees. I know that the Blings will be rushing to buy the Sony's and other high-end expensive Plasma's and LCD's, but not this guy. I am waiting on a cheap model from Korea at Walmart. Now for my post, I classify the Blings as the people who like to wear their assets on you guessed it their.... 

 So for starters, how did I get to be so cheap, I mean frugal? I inherited it from my mother who was tight and creative with the budget in raising 6 kids after my father died. She never made more than minimum wage but she had simple principles. 1. Each generation should do better than the last 2. You should have your house paid for before age 45 3. Never loan money you can't afford to loose 4. All money earned goes into the same pot 5. Always chose quality over name. 

I paid more attention to her than my older brothers did. When I was 9, they used to borrow money I had in my dime piggy bank. I should have been a loan shark because I made them pay me back double what they borrowed with half in dollar bills and half in yep dimes. My mom would have whipped me and my brothers if she had checked that bank and only found pennies. Did I say that when I was nine, my brothers were in their twenties. I always wondered why they were borrowing from a kid. I rarely spent the money and ended up with a lot of piggy banks until my mom opened a bank account for me. I had saved enough so that I paid cash for my first used car when I turned 16. Too bad I purchased a 1976 Chevrolet Monza 4-cylinder that sounded like a lawn mower. It did last me half way through college though. This was back when the US car companies could not make a quiet 4-cylinder or mix up a color like silver that wouldn't peel. From then on, my frugality led to graduating from college with close to zero debt, an MBA paid for with no loans and my wife's Ivy League Masters paid for at graduation. I have held a series 7 and 66 securities license as well as insurance licenses, so I know about investments.Even though my knowledge is great, I don't consult on this blog. There are plenty of Financial Advisors out there willing to let you pay them for advice. I am good, don’t need the business. Well, time is running out and I need some shut-eye. I 'll talk later about buying plasma's, lcd's,HDTV and the sort. Frugal Frank from the Blackside

Let Me Introduce Myself

I am a frugal black man that lives life to the fullest. I am a strong brother with a lovely wife and two beautiful kids. My goal here is to create a movement of black people, who like being at the opposite end of the bling bling society. This group will get thrills from not purchasing a new Coach bag at retail with their Platinum card, but from getting a gently used pair of Cole Hanns for $15.00 at a consignment store and by having people guess how you are living. You will take the journey with me as I help raise a 3 year old and 8 year old (girls) responsibly and frugally. They already know the code words for Goodwill and how to say "My grandmother bought this in a specialty shop in Atlanta."

Now, don't get me wrong. My wife and I have masters degrees from prestigious private universities and live in a golf club community, but I can squeeze water from a rock.

I never buy cars that cost more than $10,000 and they have to have at least 100,000 miles on them.
I will share my thought process on this later along with my mother's old wisdom sayings like,
"It's not how much you make, It's what you do with what you make."

Sorry but I have to get some shut eye.

Frugal Frank from the Blackside