Jana Says

The $20 “I almost made it to my Facebook goal” giveaway

August 2, 2012 by Jana 16 Comments

Around mid-July, I embarked on a mission to gather 100 individual Facebook likes for Daily Money Shot by July 31st. I said that if I did, I’d give away $25. Well, I didn’t achieve the goal but I came pretty close (I got to 93) so I figured it’d be pretty crappy of me to let that go unnoticed. So, I’m doing a giveaway anyway but it’s for $20 rather than $25. It’s better than nothing, right?

To gain entry into the giveaway, just follow the directions below. If you already follow me on Twitter or like DMS on Facebook, make sure to let me know so I can somehow work that fact into the entries. I don’t want anyone to miss out on all their chances to win $20 via Paypal (cash) or to Amazon.

The giveaway will be open from today through August 9th so make sure to get your entries in! I’ll be selecting the winner using Rafflecopter and will make the announcement on Saturday, August 11th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Why do we care so much about Chick-Fil-A?

August 1, 2012 by Jana 13 Comments

Caution: This is a really sensitive topic, one that brings out very strong opinions. If you’re going to comment, please do so in a polite, respectful manner. I don’t want to have to disable commenting on this post because a few people choose to act like assholes.

Let me be clear right from the start: I 100%, completely, undoubtedly support gay marriage. If two people love each other enough to want to commit themselves to one another for the rest of their lives, I think they should be able to do just that. I don’t care if that’s two women, two men, one man and one woman who used to be a man, or a man and a woman. It makes absolutely no difference to me who someone happens to want to marry. Because when it all comes down to it, their marriage has absolutely no bearing on my marriage. At all. Ever. In any way.

A nontraditional marriage doesn’t nullify my wedding vows or make them any less sacred. You know what does that? Cheating. Abuse. Lying. Stealing money. The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and all the other reality shows that make a mockery out of dating and marriage. Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears and all the other celebrities who treat marriage as if it’s the latest red carpet accessory. Not two people of the same sex wanted to be able to legally declare each other as spouses and be afforded all the same benefits as a straight couple.

Okay, with that out of the way, I now need to say this: The whole Chick-Fil-A/Gay marriage controversy is absolutely fucking ridiculous. Who gives a shit that the president of a privately held, fast food chicken company (who has never once kept their beliefs a secret) doesn’t support gay marriage? I certainly don’t. His opinion isn’t going to change my mind anymore than my boycotting his restaurants is going to change his.

Why do we care so much? Why isn’t he allowed to believe what he wants to believe just like those of us who support gay marriage? Is his statement really going to have that much influence over legislation in states that have already approved it (or their placating ilk, civil unions)? No. And what really burns me up is that before this controversy emerged, North Carolina voters passed a damn Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Why wasn’t there more of an uproar or news coverage over that? Why didn’t the Muppets (who I absolutely adore) stop selling their products in that entire state or refuse to allow showing of any future movies? Why weren’t people going ballistic on Facebook over that? Where were the snarky statements and rants and calls for boycotts of North Carolina tourism? Where were state and local representatives calling out North Carolina voters for their stupidity?

I couldn’t find them. (Note: I realize that the previous paragraph was filled with a lot of questions. They’re mainly rhetorical but if you have a good answer, please feel free to share).

What is it about chicken that is making people go crazy this time? I don’t have the answer and quite frankly, I’ve stopped trying to come up with one. To me, all it illustrates is how messed up our country’s thinking is that the owner of a chicken company has more clout than a state constitution. The fact that one or two statements from a man with antiquated views who’s made his money (and not even his money, really. It’s his father’s company) off of waffle fries and fried chicken can incite this kind of riot is absolutely asinine. And despite boycotts and organized protests and other tactics people are using to express their frustration (or support) with this man, it boils down to this: this is his opinion and he is entitled to it. He’s clearly proud of his stance and doesn’t seem bothered by the fact that his company’s bottom line may suffer. He doesn’t seem put off enough that his views are ostracizing customers. In fact, he’s been very quiet since this whole controversy began. But is he at home, contemplating what he said and rethinking his position to help boost his company’s sinking reputation?

I highly doubt it. Because in his mind, he didn’t say anything wrong. He was asked a question and he answered it. I don’t think he predicted this kind of uproar and honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s happy with all the publicity that’s ensued as a result. Good or bad, Chick-Fil-A is now a household name, even in parts of the country that don’t have one of their restaurants.

It’s just a shame that it’s over something that shouldn’t even be an issue anymore.

Money Tune Tuesday: Comedy edition

July 31, 2012 by Jana Leave a Comment

I LOVE stand-up comedy. Seriously, ridiculously love it. When I was a kid, Saturday nights were the best because after I got home or while I was staying up late at a sleep-over, we would watch comedy specials on HBO or Comic Strip Live (or course this was watched in conjunction with Headbanger’s Ball. I’m eclectic). And I still love it. In fact, stand-up comedy is one of the few interests that I have in common with my husband.

I’ve been fortunate to see some of the greatest comics of all time including George Carlin and Bill Cosby. But one comic I haven’t seen that I am absolutely longing to is Louis CK. He’s freaking hilarious (and completely inventive? Remember what he did a few months ago by selling his stand-up special on his website rather than traditional methods? Remember how much money he made? Remember what he did with it? Yeah. My respect for him increased exponentially after that). I cannot watch him without laughing. Since this is a money site, I figured I’d share one of his funniest bits about being broke. I’m sure that most of us can relate to this (warning: language is completely, utterly, and totally not appropriate for work):

So that’s probably my favorite comedy set about money, next to the SNL skit with Steve Martin and Chris Parnell’s “Don’t Buy Stuff You Can’t Afford”. What’s yours?

3 things that made me unhappy (and 2 that didn’t)

July 30, 2012 by Jana 7 Comments

happy sad — Image found on http://cultivating-consciousness.blogspot.com

You know how the theme song to the Facts of Life starts with “You take the good, you take the bad”? It seems completely cliché, but sometimes it’s completely true.

Like this past weekend.

I try not to do spending recaps or anything like that because quite frankly, I’m not a fan of them and my spending is so boring most of your eyes would glaze over and you’d think “why in the world is she telling us this? Does she really have nothing else to say?” To which I’d reply, “well, most likely”. But in this case, I want to share with you not so much what I spent money on but some financial things that happened that made me both happy and angry.

Let’s start with the angry. There are three of them.

Comcast. As many of you already know, my BFF Andrea from So Over This (formerly So Over Debt) loathes Comcast for a host of reasons that are completely reasonable. I’ve never had the service problems that she has but we do battle them at least 3 times a year over their price increases that seemingly come out of nowhere. My husband had to walk into the battle arena on Saturday, just before we left for a birthday party because we received a “courtesy call” that our DVR and HD rates were going up by $16. According to this lovely company, we had a promotional rate (we did not) and it was set to expire, causing our bill to increase. Now, given the fact that we had just reupped our subscription to HBO (which we had canceled 2 years ago due to price), we now need to cancel that in order to offset this new, unplanned and unexpected increase (since DVR and HD are more important to us). Having all of those puts us substantially over the limit we have for our bundled Comcast service and I’m pissed.

Boo to you, Comcast. I think you suck.

[Read more…]

Infidelity is NOT entertainment

July 27, 2012 by Jana 7 Comments

This is the inaugural Sidebar Shots post. Please enjoy responsibly.

072612-kstew-rpatz-bonnie-ftr120726173538 — In happier times. Although neither one looks especially happy.

Confession: I have never read a Twilight book, seen a Twilight movie, and I don’t which one is Jacob or Edward and which one is a vampire or a werewolf and why it matters who Bella marries (yes, I do know their names. If you’ve had a child in the last 5 years, those names are impossible to escape). And quite frankly, I don’t care. The appeal of the Twilight phenomenon is lost on me (as is the whole Fifty Shades of Gray, but that’s another post). I don’t get why the media is obsessed with someone as bland as Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattinson. And all of the grown women fawning over Taylor Lautner’s abs is actually kind of gross. Isn’t he about 12?

But I do read the news. As a result, I’m well aware of the cheating scandal that is rocking the Twilight world. The headlines and the pictures are nearly impossible to escape as they plaster the front page of every freaking tabloid and news site (and this blog. Just to prove a point). Because, you know, there’s nothing else going on in the world.

And it pisses me off. A lot.

Why?

It’s pisses me off because infidelity is not entertainment. Let me say that again. Infidelity is NOT entertainment. And for those of you who think it is entertainment, and there for your amusement, let me assure that it is not. So you’re clear, let me tell you what infidelity really is. It is hell. It violates everything you think you know about relationships and trust. It’s frightening and emotional and terrible and quite possible one of the worst things a person can go through. It’s ugly. It bring sleeplessness, depression, and paranoia. It makes you doubt yourself, everything you’ve ever believed, and makes you hate everyone.

And that’s just what those of us who deal with in private go through.

Add to it the constant barrage of blog posts, scrutiny in the public eye, complete with scummy paparazzi snapping pictures and selling them to the highest bidder for a profit. Never mind having to do it with those disgusting magazines splashing those pictures all over the place to improve their bottom line. And never mind having to make public statements and issue press releases on a continual basis about your feelings over the situation.

That’s a special kind of hell I’m glad I never had to go through. Especially during the worst time in my life.

This is something that needs to be dealt with, in private, without the media spotlight shining on the situation or turning it into public discourse. It is an issue to be handled between the parties involved and their families. That’s it. We, as a public, need to start turning a blind eye to these kinds of things. We need to allow these people to grieve and work through their pain without saying cruel and awful things about the cheater (which they deserve. Completely. But those things need to be said by those who have been hurt and his or her loved ones, not random bloggers and journalists and various internet people)

and the significant others who may choose to stay with them. Not everyone chooses to walk out of a relationship due to infidelity. That’s fine, too. And don’t judge those people until you’ve walked in their shoes. Speaking as a survivor of infidelity, it’s not always so cut and dry as to walk away, even if you think it is).

So please. Do me and all the others who have dealt with infidelity firsthand and just stop. Just stop caring. Stop using these people’s misery to feel better or give yourself something to talk about. Let them deal with what they need to deal with.

Because if we stop caring about who cheated on who, then the media will stop plastering it all over the place.

And that? Would be wonderful.