Starling Flight

37Signals has a video up of the flight of 10 million starlings. They seem to fly as if they were one entity. It’s incredible!

http://37signals.com/svn/posts/2441-millions-of-starlings-swarm-over-rome

Consumer Research – Part 1

When I have made up my mind that I’m going to spend money on a “big ticket” item, here’s what I do to decide which one I’ll get.

I. Identify the issue I want to fix.
I know that doesn’t sound much like decision-making, but it is crucial.

Here’s what I mean: Let’s say I am going to buy a car. I ask myself some questions to figure out my focus.

1. How will this item be used? If I’m just going to work and home, then I want fuel-efficient and nothing fancy. If I want to be able to carry 7 people and pull a trailer, then an SUV meets my needs better. If I want to carry trash to the dump, I can make do with an old pickup truck.
2. What problem will this item fix? If my car is unreliable, then I want to be sure to get one of higher quality. If my car is uncomfortable, then comfort should be high on my list. This point is especially important because when you’re tempted to buy something that is a status symbol but doesn’t solve the problem, this will be the deciding vote. Don’t forget the original purpose for the purchase!
3. How urgent is the need for this item? One time I went somewhere to get the oil changed in my car and found out I had a potentially harmful tire issue. It had to be replaced- no research or thought needed. But if you don’t like something because it’s ugly or “so last year”, then the urgency to replace it isn’t high.
4. Have I thought of all possible solutions? If I need to haul a bunch of stuff but only a couple times a year, should I just rent a box truck or borrow one from a friend? If I buy one for myself, would I be able to rent it out to others to keep it moving? If I get a trailer instead, where would I store it?
5. Do I know anyone who has a similar problem that they have fixed with some item? Can I try their solution?

What I’m trying to accomplish with this exercise is to identify the priorities- in order of importance. Salesmen are often most interested in priorities that are lower on my list (see #2 above), so I have to keep reminding myself that Product X, while neat and shiny, does not satisfy my top priority and thus it is worthless.

Really? Worthless? Isn’t that a bit harsh? Why yes, dear reader, it is harsh. But my purpose isn’t to waste my money. I’m trying to spend a dollar in order to get a dollar’s worth of product or service. So yes, in that purpose the product is worthless. And don’t you forget it.

Should the mortgage be included in budget planning?

My wife and I have a goal to keep our expenses flat for as long as possible. We realize that some day (like when college comes) we will have to stretch our plans to cover costs outside the normal list. But for now, we’re trying to keep a flat budget for the next several years. Allow me to explain:

Let’s pretend I net $1000 per month and that we spend $300 on housing, $400 on expenses, and the other $300 on tithing, savings, and discretionary spending. We’re pretty much maxed out and I’m okay with that. Now, let’s say I get promoted at work and net $2000. It’s our goal to continue to “live” on $1000 per month and bank the other $1000. We’d like to get to the point where we can pay for cars with cash, pay off our mortgage early, have an emergency savings fund, and maybe even invest in the future (we have 5 kids- we’ll need all the help we can get).

So here’s the question: If a promotion comes and I have the increase in net pay, should housing count in the flat budget? Should we be able to purchase a home that increases our housing costs to $600 (double)? We’d still be able to pack away $700 each month in savings ($1000 - $300 for the increased housing cost). That seems to be in line with our goal. But then we run the risk of being tempted to spend $1300 on housing, thus swallowing all of the increase. The budget stayed flat, it was the housing piece that went crazy. I’m not worried about going stupid- we are frugal people, so we’ll only allow ourselves to be moderate in our housing budget.

What I’m talking about here is the concept. Should YOU include housing in your budget? If you want a better house, do you feel like you have to cut costs somewhere else? Or do you let it encroach on your savings? What works for you and your family?

Nature vs. Nurture

ShayCarl has some thoughts regarding the Nature vs. Nurture question and I agree with pretty much everything he says. I’d like to add a thought or two.

Firstly, let’s eschew some obfuscation by defining the issue. The Nature vs. Nurture question explores the differences between a person’s nature (what they’re like innately) and what effect their environment has had on them (nurture).

I agree with the idea that we are in great degree a product of the world around us. I am interested in being the best Dad I can because I’m surrounded by my kids. I decided for myself to have a bunch of kids because I feel strongly that family is very important, which was probably influenced at least in part by my church membership. So, I do believe firmly in the power of Nurture.

But I also believe (as ShayCarl states) that it is possible for each of us to overcome Nature, overcome Nurture, and begin a new influence. We are shaped by who we are intrinsically and by the community around us, but we are also free to progress- especially in the Land of Opportunity.

And what’s even cooler (IMHO) is that in today’s world of constant sharing and community effort, we can become who we want to be for free. If I want to become an expert on video editing, I can use Youtube as a playground. If I want to report the news, I can use Twitter or a blog to publish whatever I want, whenever I want. It doesn’t matter how long it takes us to gain proficiency. What matters is that we start NOW.

31 for 2

My French-Canadian family is well-known for playing games (mostly card games). One of their favorites is Cribbage. The way some of them count the points really cracks me up. I can still hear my (great) Uncle Joe counting:
15-2 and that will do
15-4 and the rest don't score
As they're "pegging" around the board and get to 31, there's always the "31 for 2" if anyone can make it.

I turned 31 this year and that phrase pops into my mind every time I think about my age.

This isn't my first blog (it's more like my 5th) and I'm not "just getting into" the interwebs, and most importantly I am not making some kind of silly resolution to blog all the time or anything useless like that. Really, I'm just trying to "unify my web presence".

My name is Rob(ert) Bailey and I have an extremely vanilla name, so I've had to work hard to choose a name with which I can distinguish myself. I made a valiant attempt at claiming "baileyrt" and have succeeded in many areas. But I believe I'm losing that battle. So, I'll try "FamilyCIO" for a while and see where that gets me.

If there are any other families out there that are looking to outsource their CIO tasks, please don't farm them off on me. I can barely keep up with my own family. ;-)