HOW TO PREPARE FOR 2009

We all can agree that 2009 is going to be a repair year.

Stocks are in the trash, gas is going to be on the rise again, and the layoffs keep on coming in all areas. I just paid $11 for a hamburger and fries. I didn't even get the drink. It cost almost as much to see a movie in the theater as it does to buy the dvd.

Here are some tips for you in 2009:

1. STOP BUYING DVDS/Books/CDs: Go to your DVD/CD/Book collection and tell me how many you have that are still haven't been watched or read. CDs, DVDS and Blu Rays days are numbered. It's all going to be streamed or saved as computer files in the very near future if not already. Apple TV, Blockbuster and Netflix are all streaming movies in HD. Do the math. Your not going to watch these DVDs/CDs or read these books again. Trust me. Commit for a year and see if your missing out.

2. STOP EATING OUT: This is the first thing people cut, because it's easy to get rid of. So get rid of going out to eat. Soda in a restaurant is now around $2.50. That's insane. Burgers are no less than $8 for a combo in a restaurant. Steaks are off the chart at $20 and up. Appetizers are no less that $8 each. Sure, you can move from restaurant to fast food, but who wants to? Start cooking at home. It taste better, is quality time with your family and saves tons of money.

3. STOP FEELING LIKE YOU NEED TO GO AWAY ON VACATION: I can guarantee there are hundreds of things around where you live that you have not tried or done. I lived my whole life in Orange County and have never been to the Science Museum. Vacations are ridiculous. 90% of the time you do things you can do at home. Eat out, watch movies, go on hikes, drink alcohol, fish, ski, shopping. Save money on gas, airfare, car rental, and hotel stay. Take all that money and use it locally and you'll not have to travel home when your vacation is over.

4. STOP BUYING NEW CARS: buy year old cars and save $10,000 at least. I have bought four cars from Enterprise and they give me bumper to bumper coverage. The cars are the top of their line and they replace everything before selling, belts, fluids, tires, brakes. It's only got about 27,000 miles on it.

5. START READING THE SUNDAY ADS: People waste so much money on technology items. Read the sunday ads and get your laptops, jump drives, and video games on sale. Also don't buy new video games. If you buy your games 6 months old, you will save at least $25 on each game. Video games are $59 new. They will drop to $19.99 - $29.99 in about six months. I just bought "Resistance" for $20. "Resistance 2" just came out for $59. Once I am done with the first one, the second one should be on sale.

6. LEARN TO HAVE FUN FOR FREE: When was the last time you and your friends played a board game, or played cards, or dominoes, or went to the local park and did raquet ball or tennis or frisbee golf. The problem with America is that we are fat, including me. We are also lazy and selfish, but that's another post altogether. Take a moment and think of things to do that don't cost money. Stop spending to entertain yourself.

These are just a few areas to save money as America heals in 2009. What other things can you add to this post that I may have missed. Click on comments below and add your ideas.

HOME SWEET HOME

My favorite part of going on vacation is the last two days. You seem to have this renewed energy to get back home and take on the world.

I have gone to Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and Lake Havasu. We always stay in a four star resort, with great accommodations.

This trip though, gave me a new found appreciation for home. Let me tell you how.

Anyone who knows me, knows I complain about living in California. They know I crave a place in the country next to a lake. I hate traffic, people bumping into me, and having to wait in long lines everywhere I go.

I am currently on vacation in Sedona, AZ. Our resort sits up against a golf course and the golf course sits against a huge mountainous area with red rocks. That's what is so beautiful about Sedona. We are surrounded by tons of red rock structures.

I have been asleep for about an hour. Thankful I got to sleep before my wife, so I didn't have to hear her snoring. I have our bedroom window curtains wide open and from my bed I can see more stars than I have ever seen in my entire life.

Then it happened. This blood curdling whining. At first I thought it was a dog from some of the houses up on the hillside. Then it got louder and more powerful and by the hundreds. You could hear the cries of this howling whining noise from outside the resort and in the distance you could hear the replies of more howls. They may be wolves or they may be hyenas. I don't know, but it was almost like tortured babies crying.

I look out the window into total darkness and yet I could feel them running in a pack by my bedroom window. I could feel that there was a presence outside that I could not see or really relate to.

Then my mind took off. My son is downstairs in his room and his room has a sliding glass door that is locked and goes directly to the outside. I can't even type the details of what I was thinking, but I said a prayer and that thought went away.

The darkenss outside is thick. When I went out to the balcolny all I could do was hear this communication between these animals. They didn't even take turns. Without the ability to see, my hearing became even stronger giving the impression that I was right up on these crying beasts. The fact that it is 18 degress outside doesn't help. Knowing that they are probably cold hungry carnivorous creatures in the dark. Ouch!

Now, anytime I have trouble sleeping and this seems to be one of those nights, I get out of bed and do things that make me happy. Watch a comedy, eat a snack, or just blog on my creepy experience.

I am realizing how much I may not want the country. Back home, I like going outside, walking the suburbs of "The OC" and getting myself a icee at the local 7-Eleven. I like looking outside and seeing tons of street lights and the Los Alamitos Race track lighting up the sky like the second coming. I like Taco Bells that are open all night, friends that are always up hanging out at Starbucks, and cars booming music all the way down my street.

These things are familiar to me. I have grown up with these sounds all around me. I am not used to total darkness as far as the eye can't see with howling in the near distance.

I need to rethink my dream home location. I need to ask myself if the country is what I truly want. Will it be more of a cultural shock that I can handle. I have plenty of time to think about it. I won't be heading back to bed for at least another hour.

Hey, I wonder if Sportcenter is on.

Which do you prefer? Living in the country or living in the city?

GOODBYE CIRCUIT CITY, YAHOO, & AMERICAN CARS

Last Sunday I was looking at the ads in the Orange County Register newspaper. I wanted to see what is on sale for the holidays. I came to the Circuit City ad and for the first time ever I passed on looking at it. I threw it in the trash.

Yesterday, I was asking my wife to reconsider getting a Mega Cab Dodge Ram next year. I told her I had no interest in ever buying an American car, again.

This morning I was going through my TechCrunch newsletter. I saw a mention that Yahoo was working on some new technology/features. I passed right by the posting and didn't even care what Yahoo had developed.

At that moment, I realized how quickly I shut down a product, company, or service due to bad press. I probably will stay away from the above companies for at least the next decade, due to the fact that they are all on the deadpool list. They are there due to poor business practices or just plain greed.

I am really getting worse with age. I still haven't bought a Major League Baseball product since the players strike. Because of their greed we missed the first World Series in the history of baseball. I haven't bought a ticket to the LA Angels, an Angels hat, bumper sticker, or anything related to MLB.

I am surprised how quickly I will write off a company and never give them another thought. It's almost instantaneously. I don't believe 20 years ago people were as quick to boycott as their are today. Probably because they didn't have the internet to immediately spread the bad business practices, like we do today. It probably took a while to find out bad news.

Have you noticed that your like me? Do you boycott anyone? Who do you boycott? Will you ever go back, and if so what would it take to bring you back???

PREDICTIONS FOR 2009

I have a few predictions for 2009. Here are some of them. Not all positive. We will check back at the end of the year to see if any came true.

1. I predict the American Gov't will try to impose an internet tax. I know they have failed in the past, but I believe they will use the bad economy and the bank bailout of $700 million to justify imposing this on all internet sales.

2. I predict that housing will bounce back a little by June 2009 and start climbing.

3. I predict Britney Spears new album "Circus" is going to be album of the year.

4. I predict that gas will go back up to over $4 a gallon by Memorial Day Weekend. If not, sooner.

5. I predict that by the end of 2009 Netflix will have been bought by either Apple, TIVO, or Microsoft.

6. I predict that the Apple iPhone will have video capability by March of 2009.

7. I predict that Google is going to do huge things in wifi and WiMax for all cities.

8. I predict that Obama isn't going to do much of anything for the first six months in office.

9. I predict that Circuit City, Kmart, Sears, Blockbuster, and Radio Shack won't see the end of 2009.

10. I predict that the penny will no longer be manufactured.

11. I predict that The Simpsons will announce that 2010 will be their last season.

12. I predict that Ghost Whisperer, CSI NY, Bones, Fringe, and Smallville will go under in 2009.

13. Twitter will do something to kill itself, like integrate ads into our tweeting.

14. Yahoo and Sirius/XM radio will be bought out.

15. There will be a big decline in DVD and blu-ray sales and rentals.

16. AppleTV will finally be announced with some good features making it the next apple product to have for 2009.

Wow. Let's see how close I get. What are your predictions?????

BACK ON TRACK

I feel like I have been gone a long time.

Most of you know that I have four blogs:

All that bugs blog
Blog and Cookies
Cooking With Jack
Need Prayer Now

I have been so distracted by my other jobs that I haven't kept up on the blogs too much. I have just finished producing a movie, filming cooking videos, trying to set up my church to broadcast live on the internet, and been on Twitter like a crazy man.

BTW, my twitter id is jakatak4 if you want to follow me. I will in turn follow you, too.

I have also had time to re-evaluate my blogs and decide if they are all needed. I have decided to keep them all. YEAH!!!!

Okay now let me bring you up to date on what I plan to do with each one.

All that bugs blog: not a healthy blog since I am trying to stop complaining as much. I will still keep it up there so I can inform people about things that bug me. I will just be more selective, like for example, did you know if you have a mattress from Sit n' Sleep here in LA and you somehow (don't ask me how) get a stain on the mattress, your warranty is no longer good. These are the type of complaints I want to do. Not as often, but much healthier complaining.

Blog and Cookies: This blog is about info that you need to know about that is positive. Like Pownce getting taken over by Six Apart. I am not complaining, but it's a hot topic.

Cooking with Jack: This blog will have more cooking tips. I will be producing a cooking video each week and posting it up there. I will give great tip like: before refrigerating your package of bacon, be sure to roll it up and put a rubber band around it. This way when you unroll it to cook it, each slice will be separate from the rest. It helps separate the bacon so you don't tear each piece.

Need Prayer Now: This blog is going to stay up for anyone who needs a pray. I also will be giving some insight to my thoughts about my faith and things I learn during my spiritual growth. Things like: did you know that "knowledge" is what you know and "wisdom" is how you use how you use what you know.

All my blogs will be shorter and to the point. Sometimes I ramble on and on and on and ..... well, you get it.

I am glad to be back. It's hard keeping up with your family life, work life, Twitter, facebook, emails, texts, etc. Feel free to subscribe to my newsletter in the upper right corner of this page.

Take care and we will be taking soon.