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VLOG 3:  Giving Unsolicited Advice

Check out my new vlog on giving unsolicited advice.

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VLOG 2:  The 3 Things I Learned in College

Check out my second vlog where I talk about the three things I learned in college.

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10 Ways to Save Money

Managing personal finances is one of the life skills I’ve been lucky enough to develop.  You might be thinking, is this just a fancy way of saying you’re cheap?  Well, sort of, but not entirely.  I believe that when we spend money, whether it’s on physical things or experiences, those purchases should be creating some level of value for us.

However, we often spend money on things that create little value for us.  So I generally try to avoid purchasing things that I don’t plan on using a lot.  For example, a few years ago I was paying $80/month for a gym membership.  The gym was phenomenal, outfitted with huge windows, sauna, steam room, tons of classes, and I can’t forget about the spa-like showers with sugar scrub, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner.  It was dope!  And the best part about it was I got a great deal on my membership -- it’s usually about $100/mo.

However, after being a member there for a couple years, I realized I wasn’t going very often (only about once a month) because I was riding my bike a lot instead.  I thought to myself,  even if I paid the $25/visit fee for non-members, I’d still be paying less than $80/mo membership, given the frequency I was going.  So one day I went in there and canceled my membership.  Those two minutes saved me nearly $1,000/year ($960 to be exact).

The 10 tips below are some good places to start looking for savings.  Again, think about value when reading these tips.  For example, does the premium you pay for a name brand create enough additional value (if any) to justify the higher price?

    1.  Switch Phone Carriers

These days if you have a smartphone, you could be paying as much as $100/month or more if you have a “premium” carrier, such as AT&T or Verizon.  However, there are plenty of less expensive options out there.  Here are a few:

Republic Wireless - $10/mo (unlimited talk/text) or $25/mo (unlimited talk/text + 1GB data)

Google Fi - $20/mo (unlimited talk/text/international text + $10 per GB of data + refund for unused data)

TPO Mobile - $25/mo (unlimited talk/text + 2GB data)

PureTalk - $29/mo (unlimited talk/text + 1GB data)

Family Mobile - $29.88/mo (unlimited talk/text/2G data + 1GB 4G LTE data)

Page Plus - $29.95/mo (1500 minutes + unlimited text/int’l text/2G data + 1GB 4G data + uses Verizon towers)

Go Smart - $30/mo w/ autopay (unlimited talk/text/2G data + 4GB 3G data)

Boost Mobile - $30/mo w/ autopay (unlimited talk/text/2G data/streaming music + 2-5GB 4G data)

Simple Mobile - $50/mo w/ autopay (unlimited talk/text/int’l text + 10GB 4G LTE data + international calling to 60+ countries)

If you could reduce your cell phone bill by $50/mo, that would be $600/year savings.  Wouldn’t an extra $3,000 in your pocket 5 years from now be nice?

    2.  Bring Your Lunch

At a former job, I used to keep a loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter in my desk drawer and some jam in the office fridge.  Everyday I made myself a PB&J sandwich for lunch.  I liked it because it was cheap and efficient.  If I had a busy day at work, I could be done with lunch in 15 minutes.  Other guys from the office would have to go down the elevator, walk to a restaurant, and then wait in line before they even had their food in their hand.

And when their sandwich cost $7 and mine cost only $0.50, you can see how the savings could add up.  That’s $32.50 a week.  Think about it, just bringing your lunch one week a month could pay your phone bill (if you use one of the carriers in I suggest in Tip #1 above).  And if you bring your lunch to work everyday (using the figures above), that’s $1,560/year in savings, not counting weekends and assuming 4 weeks of holidays/vacation.

    3.  Drink Tap Water

Whether I’m eating out or at home, I always go for the tap.  And I do this not only because it’s free, but also because it’s much healthier than a sugary beverage, such as soda or sweet tea.  I carry a refillable water bottle with me everywhere I go.  I know some of you are avid bottled water drinkers, but I promise, if you live in the developed world, the tap is usually ok.  If you’re really scared of the tap though, there are ways out there to test the water source in your home.

For many countries in the developing world, the tap is still fine as long as you bring your water to a boil.  However, some cities, such as Shanghai, the water source is too polluted to drink.

    4.  Shop at Dollar Tree

Dollar Tree is the only big dollar chain left that still sells everything for a dollar (or less).  And while some items at Dollar Tree are only a buck due to a smaller quantity of the item (such as selling ⅓ of a normal $3 box of cereal for $1), there are in fact some serious deals at this store.

For instance, their frozen fruit section is amazing.  The blueberries taste just as good as the ones I’ve eaten from other stores (which cost around $5 for the same size bag).  And while some of their frozen fruit is not as good quality as some other grocery stores, it’s hard to justify paying 3 to 5 times more elsewhere.  Their greeting cards are also a really good value, at $0.50 per card.

    5.  Switch Laundry Detergent & Use Less

When I was studying business at UVA, my class block worked on a project for P&G, the company that makes Tide, Crest, Charmin, and many other household brands.  An executive from the company explained how they put scents on the outside of Tide bottles to attract customers to their product in stores.

Premium detergents, such as Tide, can cost $10 or more. And while these detergents might smell really good, much of the price markup is just marketing, not actually how well the detergent can clean your clothes.  However, you can easily get detergent for just $1-3 per container, which is what I pay.  A couple brands I use in that price range are Xtra and Sun, although there are others out there.  You can usually find these brands at Walmart or your local big box pharmacy (CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens).  Also, Dollar Tree has Sun and other dry detergents for just $1 (and that’s “tree,” which sells everything for $1 or less, not “family” or “general”).

Also, we tend to use way more detergent than is needed to properly clean our clothes.  If you’re filling the cap to the top, you’re using too much.  To determine the correct amount of detergent to use, you need to figure out if your city has hard water or soft water.  If you don’t know if the water is hard or soft in your area, just do a quick web search using a phrase like “[your city, state] soft water hard water.”  If your water is hard, use 2 tablespoons of detergent; if it’s soft, use 1 tablespoon.  For heavily soiled loads, you may need a little more.

    6.  Get A Library Card

I’ve saved a ton of money over the years using my library card.  And these days, you can do a lot more with a library card than just check out books.  Many libraries also have CDs, DVDs, ebooks, audiobooks, and some even have streaming video now.  And the DVD selection doesn’t just include movies.  You can check out TV series too.

And if your favorite title isn’t available, some libraries allow you to submit a request for the library to order your title.  Bonus tip:  The library can be a really long hold line for newly released DVDs.  If you can’t wait, check out Redbox.  DVDs are only $1.50/night to rent, and you can usually find a code online for a free one-night rental.  Just search “redbox free rental” in your favorite web browser.

    7.  Buy Glasses Online

Glasses are an elastic good, meaning that no matter how high they are priced, people will still buy them.  You can’t really put a price being able to see, right?  Because of this, companies have been getting away with charging $300-$400 per pair for years.  Well fortunately, you don’t have to pay that much anymore.  Online stores, like Goggles4u and MarvelOptics, offer prescription glasses for as little as $9.90 (including shipping).  Just make sure you have your eye prescription and your PD.

    8.  Use Generic Brands

Whether you’re buying food, household, or healthy & beauty items, buying generics over name brands can save a lot of money (see table below).  While it’s true that some generics aren’t as good as the name brands, from my experience, most generics uphold to the same quality.

However, I did stick by a name brand of cotton swabs for a while.  When I tried out generic cotton swabs,  I always found that there wasn’t enough cotton on the ends.  They were scratching the inside of my ears more than they were cleaning them.  A buddy of mine who worked for Walmart at the time swore by the Walmart brand generic for cotton swabs.  After a good amount of back-and-forth with him, I finally decided to give them a try.  And I’m glad I did because they were just as good as the name brand.

The take away is, if you’re scared of generics, just start by trying one out.  And if the first one you try is no good, don’t give up.  Try a second one.

table { font-family: arial, sans-serif; border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; } td, th { border: 1px solid #dddddd; text-align: center; padding: 8px; }

ITEM GENERIC NAME BRAND % SAVINGS Oatmeal (20 ct) $2.98 $4.88 39% Peanut Butter (28 oz) $3.32 $4.18 21% Dandruff Shampoo (13.5 oz) $2.84 $4.97 43% Cotton Swabs (1,000 ct) $3.68 $5.59 34%

Note:  Prices used in above table are from Walmart.com.

    9.  Save On Meds

Walmart Pharmacy has an array of generic prescription drugs for only $4.  For someone like myself who doesn’t have insurance, this is a godsend.  If they don’t have your drug for $4, check out GoodRx.  At GoodRx, you can print coupons for your drug, which you can use when picking up your prescription at the pharmacy.  I used a coupon from the site once and got a prescription that was normally $180 for just $35.

    10.  Use A Free Office Suite

The latest version of Microsoft Office costs $150 (with the professional version costing as much as $400).  Fortunately, there are less-expensive alternatives.  And by less expensive, I mean free.

Google Docs - Google Docs is a great free alternative to Microsoft Office.  The suite has four programs:  Docs (word processing), Sheets (spreadsheet), Slides (presentation), and Forms (surveys).  All documents created in Google Docs can be saved with Microsoft Office file extensions  (.doc, .xls, etc).  To use Google Docs, all you need is a Google account.  So if you already have Gmail, you can just use the same login for Google Docs.  Google Docs can also be accessed and saved through Google Drive.  One great feature of Google Docs is the ability for multiple people to work on a single document simultaneously.  Also, your document is always saved to the cloud in real time.  So if you’re computer were to crash suddenly, you wouldn’t lose a thing (other than your computer, that is).

WPS Office - I love this software.  It looks exactly like the newer versions of Microsoft Office, and all files save with Microsoft file extensions (.docx, .xlsx, etc).  The free version comes with alternatives to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  If you’re used to using Microsoft Office, you shouldn’t have any trouble making the switch to WPS Office.

OpenOffice - While this program has a little more of an old-school, Windows 2000 feel, it has a much larger suite than the other two programs.  In addition to alternatives to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, OpenOffice also has programs similar to Access (Base) and Publisher (Draw).  It also contains a mathematical equation program called Math.

Bonus tip:  Check out Download.com for other free software.

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VLOG 1:  The Water Moccasin

Check out my first vlog where I tell the story of my childhood encounter with a water moccasin.

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New Music Video "Found"

Yesterday I released my new single and music video "Found." In the song, I talk about my imperfections and falling short of the person I strive so much to be. When I wrote Found, I had just left an office job in DC where I had worked the last three and a half years. While I had a lot of good experiences at that job, I noticed that the bad parts of working there had rubbed off on me more than I had realized. The projects I worked on ranged from busy and moderately interesting, to extremely intense and very demanding. But that didn't matter to me much. Intense is ok as long as the people around you are also working hard and being supportive. And after already being under pressure and trying your best to make both your boss and client happy, the last thing anyone needs is someone standing over them yelling. Several times, I had co-workers send me rude emails or cuss me out, and why? The bad part about it is that it was usually over a minor mistake or something I didn't even do. After a few years of this, I noticed myself occasionally yelling at my girlfriend for some perceived mistake she made. I was beginning to exhibit the negative behavior of the people I wanted so much not to be. This is just a small snippet of what Found is all about. It's about being angry but wanting to be peaceful. It's caring about people in desperate need but not doing enough to help them. It's being imperfect but striving for perfection. Because we're all imperfect, and we all need to be found.

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Who Am I?

I grew up in Richmond, Virginia.  My parents separated when I was about four.  After the divorce, my mom gained custody of me, and I saw my dad when I could.  Me and my mom moved around a lot, and when I was eight, we moved into the house she'd live in the next ten years.  My dad continued to move often, not living in a place more than a couple years, and some as few as a couple months.

Between both parents, I got to experience neighborhoods ranging from inner-city ghettos and run-down hotels to relatively safe, middle-class suburbs.  The cool thing about this is that I got to meet a lot of different types of people, which allowed me to see life through many eyes.  But whether I lived in a bad neighborhood or good neighborhood mattered very little to me.  What mattered most was my relationship with the people around me.

I really loved my friends growing up.  We had a lot of fun sharing common interests, playing outside, creating adventures for ourselves.  I trusted my friends more than my own family and felt closer to them than my family.  My mom was very strict and always seemed to inhibit all my freedoms.  My dad was hardly around.  And the rest of my family looked at me as "the bad kid."

I started freestyling with my friends when I was eleven, and as I grew older, music became more and more important to me.  I consumed hip hop music to my core.  By the time I was 15, I had nearly every hip hop album out.  I identified with some artists more with than others.  But I listened to them all.

Of all the artists I listened to, 2pac  had the most influence on me as a person.  When I was going through something or just wanted to escape, I would throw on some Pac and enter a completely different world.  The thing I appreciated most about 2pac was his heartfelt lyrics and radiating passion.  I analyzed and absorbed every single lyric, so much so, that my lifestyle began to reflect the music I listened to.

I've always had a desire to make a genuine connection with the people who listen to my music -- the same way 2pac's music connected with me.  I want you to listen to my lyrics, hear my heart for you, and know that even if I don't know you, I care.  I care about what you're going through right now, and I wish I could be there with you in person to walk with you through it.

Over time I realized how influential music can be on people, especially young people.  I've been at parties that were completely peaceful until the DJ played a fight song, and an altercation erupted.  And because of this, I know it is my duty as an artist and an influencer (as we all are), to carefully craft lyrics that will uplift and not tear down.  Lyrics that will tear down the fabricated barriers between us, and allow us to relate to and show love to one another.

So this is me.  This is what I'm about.  And this is my mission as an artist.

-Shadower