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Read It, Love It, Share It

Nov 3rd, 2008 | By Wise Snob | Category: Sustainable Living
Rating 4.00 out of 5

books4 Read It, Love It, Share ItPurchasing books can be an addicting and expensive habit.  Why not swap your books for new ones?  Here’s how you can easily save cash and reduce clutter while expanding great works of literature.

Book Mooch is a free online community where registered users post books they’d like to mail to other members who’d like to receive them.  Each book sent gives you a point, and the points accumulate to allow you to receive books in return.  Just like Ebay, users get get feedback from transactions to help indicate those who are great to work with and those who aren’t as timely.  The only cost is the shipping and the time spent waiting to receive a book.  You even get bonus points if you ship internationally.

Book Crossing is another free swapping site and was founded in 2001 by a couple who found tracking books an interesting hobby.  This idea developed into an online community of over 720,000 members and 5.1 million books that are being shared and tracked over time.  Book Crossing differs from Book Mooch in that it allows you to register books that originated from you so that you can track them as they travel from reader to reader.  This is a nice touch and allows you to see how some of your favorite books are being shared around the world.

So take a look at your library shelf.  How often do you honestly read the books you’ve collected?  Wouldn’t it be great for you to share some of those great tomes with other interested readers?  And wouldn’t it be great if you stumbled upon something you want to read and received it at no virtually cost?  These sites allow you to free your literature to curious minds out there, so register today!

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What to Keep in Your Safe Deposit Box

Oct 29th, 2008 | By Wise Snob | Category: Sustainable Living
Rating 3.00 out of 5

safe4 What to Keep in Your Safe Deposit BoxIt’s normal to be inundated with junk mail, bills, certificates and the like — what’s important is that we distinguish documents that need to be filed away and preferably kept locked away in a safe.  Showing foresight by stowing away valuables and important documents in a secure place can save us a lot of unnecessary hassle should anything happen.  Whether it’s in a secure safe at home or in a safe deposit box at the bank, here are the things you should stash.

Certificates of ownership. If you have a title to a car or a deed to a home, put these documents in a safe, secure place.  It’s very foolish to keep the title to your car in your glove compartment.  If your car was ever stolen, having the title readily available to the car thief means your vehicle could “legally” be transfered with a few forged signatures.

Wills and bequests. People tend to not have wills until they have more assets and/or children, but if you have one, put it in a safe place.  In addition to keeping the files with your lawyer (assuming you used one to help you draft the will in the first place), keeping an updated copy in your safe can help resolve a number of sticky issues.


Identification documents. Put away birth certificates, social security cards, and other legal documents that you don’t want stolen or lost.  You generally will have little use for these documents, so why not keep them protected?  You definitely don’t want these items getting into the wrong hands and losing them is a huge nuisance.  If you’re an infrequent traveler, I’d suggest putting your passport away as well — this way you’ll know where it is when you do need it.

Valuable jewelry (or bars of gold). Many of us don’t have bars of gold to stash away, but don’t overlook expensive jewelry that you only wear for special occasions.  If you don’t wear your expensive diamond engagement ring on a daily basis, stow it away until you wear it.  Yes, it’s possible to purchase insurance for your ring… but something like that has more than just monetary value.

If you don’t have a lot to store, a small standard size safe deposit box at the bank should suit your needs.  They generally cost $40-$50 dollars per year to rent with a one-time $25 deposit for the keys.  A small cost for your peace of mind.

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Stop Being a Spoiled Brat

Oct 22nd, 2008 | By Wise Snob | Category: Sex, Love, Relationships
Rating 4.00 out of 5

spoiled4 Stop Being a Spoiled BratA key element of a conscious snob is the ability to recognize and be educated about our decisions.  What we choose for our lives should enrich our quality of life and help us grow as better people for our family, friends and the community in which we live.  We have all the power to choose our paths and influence those around us, but it’s also this freewheeling ability that compels me to write about being “spoiled.”

There have been more young adults in this generation than any other who have a sense of entitlement in this world.  They feel that they deserve so much — as they should, if they’re alluding to the hope of fulfilling their potential and achieving that American dream — but what I’ve found troublesome is that this air of entitlement is rooted for many youth in material goods and VIP privileges.  It’s been noticed that the new generation of young adults expect certain luxuries in their lives — luxuries that most people in the world do not have.  From a brand new car from mom and dad to fabulous and expensive gifts from their significant other, this new generation is going to realize something: they will be disappointed if materialism is the basis of their contentment.

What does it mean to be spoiled? Being spoiled means having a lot of things go your way emotionally and materially.  When you have people too often doing things for you and buying things for you, there’s a good chance that you start expecting these favors instead of appreciating them.  It’s not a requirement for your boyfriend and parents to get you gifts.  It is a show of love, appreciate it and don’t let it get to your head.

If someone is too spoiled, their quality of life becomes too indulgent on unimportant things and they risk forgetting the importance of things that really matter.  If you become too demanding of material things that you want or feel you deserve, you lose sight of the truly beautiful things that cannot be bought.  It becomes a vicious cycle of buying things to feel better and to fill the void where love, trust and commitment should be, only to feel empty after the shopping “high.”

We start to expect these things rather than really work towards them or even appreciate them.  Despite the recent economic downturn, the young and old still earning a good salary continue to book lavish vacations and their flat screen plasma TVs, because they “deserve it.”  Entitlement is an awful weakness.  If you can only stay in five star hotels or only wear “real” jewelry or scoff at H&M or Target clothes, you are spoiled.  Get a reality check– these things don’t matter.

Are our expectations too high?  Should we rely on being spoiled by these material things as a true definition of happiness and love?  I am absolutely in favor of indulgences, as long as they are controlled.  I also believe in making your own realities come true.  If I want that Hermes bag, I will do what it takes to have it, and now I own three– WITHOUT the help of daddy or a credit card.  I don’t think I deserve these bags.  I just appreciate them, want them in my collection and use them well.

You can be spoiled by someone else, or you can spoil yourself.  Neither of which makes you the better person. In the end, indulgences are okay, like a sweet dessert during a special dinner.  But if you eat sweets all day, you’ll only grow fat and sick.  Indulge when you can, but do not allow yourself to be spoiled.  There may be disagreements from the other end, all is welcomed.

So control your desires. Appreciate what you have.  Don’t obsessively yearn for more and don’t ask for them from others.  The people in your life are there to support and help you grow as a person, not lavish you with gifts so you can shut up.  If you are a person who spoils, then do the recipient a favor and stop.  Gifts are special and for special occasions.  If you have the funds and means to spoil yourself and those around you, consider lavishing your love in other ways.  Just don’t build a habit of always expecting to be spoiled.

What do you think?  Are we more spoiled and is it okay?

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When Best Friends AREN’T

Oct 16th, 2008 | By Wise Snob | Category: Sex, Love, Relationships
Rating 3.00 out of 5

bff4 When Best Friends ARENTOver time, even great friendships fail.  While the initial relationship was great, and you were able to spend every second together with the same bond that blood sisters would have, things have changed.  Or maybe they were never best friends to begin with.  Maybe we have to open our eyes to the true relationships in our lives and quit investing our time to those who do not appreciate it.  Here are ways to realize that this great friend of yours isn’t that great at all, and what to do about it.

She only focuses on herself. True friends share with each other their lives.  It is never a one way road.  Yes, she can vent about her awful day or a break up, but in the end, she also has to put interest in your life and your feelings.  If it is all “me, me, me,” then it will never be “us.”  There are friends out there whom you talk to and all you hear about is their lives and their views.  Those aren’t your best friends.  Best friends would never take all the attention.  Talk to her about how you are feeling and see if there are any changes in the future.  Approach without an attacking tone and really be sincere and not angry.

She neglects the time spent with you. If you two are planning a trip or going for a day out shopping, your best friend would spend the time talking and hanging out, with the activity as the medium for bonding.  When a best friend ditches you to scour sales racks or meets a guy at a bar and shuts you out, then a best friend she is not.  She is just being selfish and inconsiderate of you as a person and lacks respect that you deserve.  If an incident like this occurs too often, mention to her calmly that you feel she is not being a good friend.  Or if you are the culprit and have done this a few times, make sure it’s not repeated, and apologize for the times that it has been done.  Sometimes it may be forgivable, but most of the time it’s heinous.

She doesn’t call. Ever.  Red flag on this one.  If best friends are supposed to share and talk about every great and little thing, then communication is key.  If you are sad, you vent.  If you are happy, you share, but not gloat.  When you are always the one initiating the conversations or put a lot of effort to hunt down your friend who is too busy to put your friendship as a priority, then perhaps you have to re-prioritize your friends as well.

She’s constantly competitive and jealous. Stay away from this one.  Someone who is too self-conscious about herself and try to upshow you or gets jealous when great things happen to you is not a good friend.  A best friend will gush over your new shoes, help you find that perfect dinner to make your boyfriend, and tell you when a dress looks awful on you, because it matters.  People like this need to work on their own character instead of trying to be better than someone else for the sake of proving themselves.  Sure, envy is normal, but it gets out of hand when they glare at your new haircut or takes low jabs on your relationships.

These are only a few big red flags.  In the end, having a best friend should feel great. Yes, there are disagreements and misunderstandings, but great communication, trust and the ability to be generous with your time and emotions are true indicators of a lasting friendship.