Jana Says

Living life from cover to cover

Money quotes, movie quotes

by Jana 2 Comments

I’m not feeling so hot today. I think it’s the fact that it’s been raining for 3 straight days. Something I like to do when I’m not feeling well and I’m stuck in the house is watch movies.

I love movies. I love to quote movies. In fact, I suffer from what some call Movie Tourette’s. I will randomly spout movie lines, and I can usually find one for every situation (I find this to be a better, less cacophonous syndrome than my mother’s Song Lyric Tourette’s, which usually involved her singing a song for every situation). Since I write about money, I thought I’d share some of my favorite money quotes from movies (they’re mostly from 80s and 90s movies because, for some reason, today my brain is failing to recall anything made in this decade.):

“Sorry, Vern. I guess a more experienced shopper could have gotten more for your seven cents.” –Gordy
from Stand By Me

“Mr. Mayor! Mr. Mayor, I’m looking for a frog who can sing and dance!” –Gonzo
“If he can balance the budget, I’ll hire him!” –Mayor Ed Koch
from The Muppets Take Manhattan
“This is pure snow! Do you have any idea what the street value of this mountain is?” –Charles De Mar
from Better Off Dead

“You’re paying for advertising”–Stan Rothenstein
from My Cousin Vinny

“There’s not a lot of money in revenge.” –Inigo Montoya
from The Princess Bride

“Listen! We’re not just doing this for the money! We’re doing this for a SHITLOAD of money!” – Lone Starr
from Spaceballs (my personal favorite from this movie is “Spaceballs, the flame thrower”)

“We’ll put your sandwich on layaway. Each day you come in with your $.06 and at the end of the week, you get your burger”–Chuck
from Good Will Hunting

“Look at him, crop dusting across your open house. It’s a disgrace”–Sydney Fife
from I Love You Man (this one is not directly about money. But it’s still funny)

What are some of your favorite movie quotes about money?

Money Tune Tuesday: Dreaming

by Jana 1 Comment

So, I love the song “Dreaming” by Blondie. Here’s the video:

Here’s a sampling of the lyrics:

When I met you in the restaurant

You could tell I was no debutante
You asked me what’s my pleasure
A movie or a measure?
I’ll have a cup of tea and tell you of my dreaming
Dreaming is free
I don’t want to live on charity
Pleasure’s real or is it fantasy?
Reel to reel is living rarity
People stop and stare at me We just walk on by – we just keep on dreaming
Feet feet, walking a two mile
Meet meet, meet me at the turnstile
I never met him, I’ll never forget him

Dream dream, even for a little while

Dream dream, filling up an idle hour
Fade away, radiate 
This isn’t exactly a money song but it makes a great point: dreaming is free. When you feel like you’ve lost everything, when you can spend another day living frugally, when your life seems like nothing is going right, it doesn’t cost anything to dream. Lose yourself in the music (shout out to Eminem) or in your dreams. Remind yourself of what’s keeping you going. Because it’s free.
Here are some of my dreams: 
  • I dream of being a published author. Of books. That people read!
  • I dream of living at the beach where I write the books that people read.
  • I dream of having a paid for house at the beach where I write the books that people read.
  • I dream of travelling anywhere I want because I have a paid for house at the beach where I write the books that people read. 
I have got to stop reading The House That Jack Built.
What are some of your dreams?

Money Tune Tuesday: Absolutely Still

by Jana 3 Comments

This week’s installment of Money Tune Tuesday is a bit different. Rather than a song about money, it’s a song that represents perhaps one of the best concerts I have ever seen. Ever. Oh, and it was free.

Last Friday, I saw Better Than Ezra for free at Baltimore’s Power Plant Live. Sure, it was hotter than the sun and I had to pay for a hotel room and my Jeremiah Weed crush got warm before I could finish it but it didn’t matter because I got to see BTE. I had been wanting to see them for more years than I can count and when I saw that they were playing for free in my favorite city, there was no way I was not going. I called my parents, got them to babysit and off I went.

I wish there was a word for how infinitely amazing this show was. It was perfect. And I can’t believe it was free. A show that good should not be free. I am over the moon that it was, in fact, free but I would have gladly paid money to go. It was so good I forgot that I was melting into my flip flops (I only remembered that later, back at the hotel).

So, in honor of this unbelievable show, and it’s homage to the frugal, today’s money tune is Better Than Ezra’s “Absolutely Still”. I chose this instead of their more well known songs like “Good”, “Desperately Wanting” or “Breathless” (apparently this one has been covered by Taylor Swift) because, well, it’s incredible and lots of people need to hear it:

Roseanne: Domestic goddess, financial mentor.

by Jana 17 Comments

I’ll start with a confession: I watch a lot of television.  It’s a flaw that I’ve come to accept and embrace.

I tend to gravitate towards shows that feature “regular” people—Friday Night Lights, The Office, Parks and Recreation. Not only are these shows just awesome, they often depict people in realistic financial situations.  But for me, no show has painted a greater picture of financial reality than Roseanne.

Watching the show in reruns as an adult has given me a whole new perspective. It was pioneering in the way it portrayed a working family. From the cleanliness of her house to her relationship with her family to her struggles with her weight, there was nothing about Roseanne that I cannot relate to now. Most importantly, the show depicted money in a way that has never been duplicated.
photo from carseywerner.net

Here’s what Roseanne taught me about money:

1.     It’s OK, and often necessary, to be working mom. The reality for a lot of women, me included, is that having a full-time job is necessary. Roseanne worked at numerous jobs in order to help provide for her family. She never once expressed guilt or remorse for having to do it; she knew her family needed the money to take care of their kids and their expenses. So she did it. And sometimes she got in trouble for needing to put her family first. But she accepted the consequences because family comes first.
2.     Discussing finances with your spouse is a must. Many episodes focused on Roseanne and Dan discussing their financial difficulties, including how they were going to pay their bills. These dialogues showed that it was perfectly acceptable for a married couple to sit down at their kitchen table and discuss money (pre-lottery winning season. Let’s just forget about that).  They showed that even if you argue sometimes, even if you splurge on little items, it’s still important to do be open and honest about your household budget.
3.     Being a savvy grocery shopper is a way of life. Who could forget the trip to the supermarket with Darlene’s home economics class? Her pantry was often stocked with generics, she paid cash, clipped coupons and her meals were never anything fancy. But the Conners had dinner together every night and everyone was fed. She also valued the specialness of a dishwasher and eating in a restaurant. There are a lot of lessons in that.
4.     Don’t quit on your dreams. From Dan’s drywall business to the motorcycle shop to flipping houses to Roseanne’s restaurant, they were never afraid to pursue their dreams in order to make a living. They borrowed money, employed family and friends. They put in long hours, hard work and often struggled and failed. Eventually, they were able to profit from The Lunch Box, proving that with hard work comes success. It also shows that if you have a dream, go for it. Because you’ll regret it if you don’t try.
5.     Fix what you have before you run out and buy something new. They spent a lot of time fixing what they owned, performing general housework as well as doing their own construction and home repair. If something is broken, you try to fix it before you spend your money on something new. Sure, Dan was a contractor and a general handyman, which made it easier for them to DIY but the point is that you take care of what you own.
While some of the story lines were not at all plausible, many of them were. Roseanne demonstrated the values of work ethic, family, and humor but the realistic portrayal of one family’s finances really hits home.
Are there any TV shows that you feel portray finances in a realistic manner?

Money Tune Tuesday: If I Had $1,000,000

by Jana Leave a Comment

Last week, Sandy at Yes, I Am Cheap posed the question “What would you do if you received $1,000,000?” I gave my answer and so did lots of other great bloggers including the Single Saver, Bucksome Boomer, No Debt MBA, and Baking the Budget.

But what would the Barenaked Ladies do? Here’s their musically inspired answer (though this is totally not how I’d spend my money. To each his own):

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