So I still have not found a place to call my very own. Since my last entry, I did make an offer on a foreclosure. It was in a very desirable location right in the heart of the city. That must be why my offer was not accepted. Apparently there were a fair amount of offers on the house and mine was not high enough. I have found another house that looks great but it is a short sale. I know I had said I would stay away from short sales, but this home has pretty much everything I am looking for. So here's hoping it doesn't take 3 months for a response like the last home did.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30231602//

I just read that article. Definitely some food for thought. I can't believe that guy saved $400 bucks on a washer/dryer at Best Buy. I'll try haggling for a thing or two in the next week and let you know how it goes.

So I am continuing the housing theme in my blogs for the time being. I promise I'll throw some other stuff in there too from time to time. But, I was wondering how our listeners look for their perfect home. Do you just rely on your Realtor to do the digging for you or do you take the reigns? Clark has mentioned Trulia.com on the show a lot, and I've been using that with some success. I actually find just as many houses as my real estate agent does. It is really helpful because I can see exactly where the property is and see if it is located in the neighborhood I'm interested in. If you haven't given that website a whirl and you're looking for a home, it is a must use website.

I'm hoping that we can learn from each other though. This is my first home purchase so I'm learning as I go. What tips do you listeners have for people trying to buy a home? What are your out of the box ideas?

I am writing this entry in response to one of the comments on my last blog entry. The house I put an offer on more than two months ago happened to be a short sale. Some of the best deals currently are on short sales; however, it could take you months and months to get into the short sale that you put an offer on. We had a caller recently who had been working with a bank for 6 months on a short sale and had not moved in yet. In my case, I have not even heard back yet and it has been two months.

Short sales are in excess right now and the best deals do seem to be on short sales. The question is, do you want to wait? I am in a position right now where I can wait a few months to try and get an awesome deal. I will tell you that I did think I was a pretty patient guy, but after waiting on a silly bank to respond to my offer for two months, I sure don't feel very patient.

Let me know if you've gotten a deal on a house and what worked best for you.

So it has unfortunately been far too long since I have posted a blog. I'm back though baby and better than ever. My first set of blog entries will be about buying a home. I'm in the process of making an offer right now on my first home and I have some things that you have to check out if you're in the same boat.

Oftentimes we are not creative enough or flexible enough to really save money when we could. I know that can be true of me at times.

I'm flying out to the Pacific Northwest for a little vacation and I was looking for good prices on tickets. It turns out there weren't any from Atlanta to Portland. I could fly to Seattle and take a train down. I could also fly from somewhere else. Southwest flies out of Birmingham and I was able to find a ticket for about $100 less from Birmingham to Portland.

I bought it not knowing how I would get to Birmingham to fly out. I have friends from there and one of my friends has decided to give me a ride and he can see his mom at the same time.

So, I have a flight now but it took some flexibility to save the cash. I have to fly out of a different city. Oh, and I also have to stop in two cities on the way. Not the most relaxing flight out but I'll have 100 bucks in my wallet that I wouldn't have otherwise. Also, I have family in Tacoma and want to see them. I'm planning on finding a Craigslist rideshare to get up to Tacoma. Just another way to save some money.

I would love to hear what lengths you take to save money and if you think my ideas are crazy or not.

My favorite website ever will change your life. If you are not ready for an experience that could alter your existence from this day forth put down the blog right now and walk away.

Ok, so this is my most un-Clarksmart move ever I think. I've been trying to think back and see which of my other blunders could have come close to my latest episode of spendthriftiness.

I went to see the Steve Miller Band the other night at a new venue around town. I fortunately got some free tickets from my good friend Deb (she has a blog too). I took a lady friend and when we got there a beer sounded really good. We went to the beer tent and I was hoping to not have to forego 1 year of retirement for each beer. However, I was not that lucky. It turns out at this new venue they charge $10 for a beer. 10 WHOLE BUCKS!! I think I hyperventilated a bit when I saw the sign. I tried to work my magic for a discount on the luscious drinks but my powers were of no use.

Now normally, If i was by myself or with a friend, buying a beer that costs more than open heart surgery wouldn't have entered into my mind. But, when you're on a date, its one of those things. So.....I bit the bullet. 20 bucks for two. The concert was free though, and it was great. I still am planning on writing the people who own the venue to let them know that I am not a fan of their price gouging techniques. Oh, and if you're reading this.....don't tell Clark.

On the flip side, I've been really getting into a show called Arrested Development. It used to be on Fox until it got canned after 3 seasons (BIG mistake Fox). It really is one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. A lot of people get into TV shows and buy or rent the DVD's. Want to watch them for free though? Hulu.com has been a lifesaver for me. They have all 3 seasons of my show as well as countless other shows. They also have a library of movies you can watch for free.

So maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better, but I would like to think that my Arrested Development addiction being fed for free cancels out my $20 beer blunder. I think it does, but I'm still pretty incensed about it.

Clark and I had a great visit with our affiliate in Appleton, Wisconsin this past week. We want to say thanks to everyone that came out to the book signing and to Clark's speech. Everyone was so kind to us there. And guess what? It was around 70 degrees the whole time. This was my first visit with Clark to the cheese state but every previous visit from what I am told he braved blizzards. I must bring good luck.

At the rental counter we had a few choices of cars. We could either get a Chrysler, a Chrysler, a Mustang, or a Chrysler. Since Clark and I are pretty manly, I said that the Mustang was the right choice. We toured America's dairyland in a bright blue Stang. He wasn't too fond of it but I think that secretly by the end of the trip he had bonded with it.

Everyone who has listened to the show for a while knows that Clark refuses to pay for parking ever. There was a parking lot right next to our hotel that cost $1 to park. Not 10 or 5 but ONE dollar. I'm cheap too. I don't like to pay for parking. Its $1 though. But since he is Clark Howard he decides to park a 1/2 mile down the road across the railroad tracks. In the morning he gets to the car and there was a ticket on it. A $25 parking ticket. He tried his best to fight the ticket but there is an ordinance that doesn't allow parking from 2-5am in the whole city of Appleton. No dice. He has to pay, plus an extra $1 processing fee. I'm sure he still doesn't find this that funny, but it made me chuckle a bit.

A new study shows that Generation X is pretty apathetic when it comes to retirement income. Lots of people pretty close to my age range don't think that they will ever be able to retire. Social security, at least in my opinion (oh, and that of most economists) will be a distant memory by the time I'm hitting the beach longterm.

So, how am I going to be able to stop working? How can I hit that beach worry free knowing I won't have to become a Wal Mart greeter to make ends meet when I hit 82? It is up to me. If I want to retire and if Gen X wants to retire before hip replacement surgery becomes necessary then they have to put away dough throughout their working life.

21% of Gen X'ers haven't saved a dime. That is the problem. Diagnosis complete. Spend a little less, save a little more. If you want to retire, EVER, it is up to you.