2011 October | Well Heeled Blog

iDine Review & Giveaway: Money Back for Eating Out

Written by WellHeeled on October 31, 2011 · 10 Comments

One of my biggest discretionary spending is eating out. I love trying new places to eat and not cleaning up after a meal, so over the years have funneled thousands of dollars to bistros, cafes, restaurants, and creperies. Imagine my delight when the folks from iDine contacted me and told me about a program where I can earn up to 15% money back on what I spend at restaurants. In exchange for my review, I will receive a $50 American Express gift card and will get a $20 gift card to give away to one lucky (and hopefully hungry!) reader.

What is iDine?

iDine is a rewards network where you can earn money back for eating out at participating restaurants. Once your benefits hit $20, you get an American Express gift card. What sets this network apart from others is that there are no additional cards, coupons, or certificates needed. In fact, the server and dining companions won’t even know you are part of a “discount” program.

How Much Do You Earn?

If you spend $1-$250 in a year, you receive 5% back in the form of an American Express gift card.
For spending between $251-$750, you receive 10% back.
For spending over $750+, you receive 15% back.

For more details, check out the membership chart.

How to get the American Express gift cards:

You have to sign up and opt in to marketing emails from the network.
You also have to put in at least one credit card into the system because that is how iDine track spending. You can add up to 5 credit cards.
iDine has a list of restaurants that participate in the program, of course to receive credit for dining, you need to go to one of the participating establishments.
Finally, you will need to finish a survey within 30 days of your dining out experience.

My experience with iDine

I signed up the Last weekend CB and I went to The Bottle Room in Whittier, CA, after we visited a friend. The restaurant has a cool lounge vibe, and the food (we got a burger and a flatbread pizza) were good as well. This was a restaurant I had wanted to try out.

I was pleasantly surprised at how many restaurants were in nearby neighborhoods, many restaurants we’ve already been to and several more we were thinking of going. We spent around $40 for dinner, which means we would earn $2 in cash back. It doesn’t seem like a big amount, but we probably spend ~$4,000 a year eating out. Even if half of that spending is at iDine restaurants, over the course of a year we would get over $200 back in American Express gift cards.

To enter the $20 American Express iDine giveaway:

Sign up for iDine and leave a comment telling me you’ve done so
Leave a comment telling me what restaurant you’d like to try
Tweet: Win $20 iDine AmEx Gift Card @WellHeeledBlog http://tinyurl.com/3zrw7go

Each entry will be 1 point, so everyone can enter a total of three times. The contest will end at Sunday November 6 at 12pm midnight PST. Good luck!

Economy Improves More Than Expected – Will Your Spending Habits Change?

Written by WellHeeled on October 28, 2011 · 9 Comments

The economy: better than before

The economy grew at an annual rate of 2.5% for the third quarter of 2011. Not a fanstistic growth rate by any means, but it’s high enough to alleviate fears of a double-dip recession. It’s not as bad as we thought it would be! Hence, cause for optimism… or at least, less pessimism. Given that I’ve spent all of my post-college years in a haze of economic gloom, I’ll take whatever glimmer of hope I can get. From the Los Angeles Times:

“We’re inching our way forward,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial.

The new data from the Commerce Department on Thursday showed slow but steady improvement in the economy throughout 2011. The third-quarter data was in line with economists’ projections.

Consumer spending, particularly on automobiles, helped boost growth. Personal consumption increased at an annual rate of 2.4% in the third quarter, compared with just a 0.7% increase in the second quarter.

Will the improving economy change your buying behavior?

So, with the risk of a second recession abading, will this change your buying behavior? Will you be a little looser with the purse strings? Will you make some big-ticket item purchases that you have put off until now? Will you take out new loans for education or business?

I have to say that the news haven’t changed any of my plans, but it makes me feel much better about taking on debt to go to graduate school. The slowly warming economy probably – and unconciously – make me feel better about picking up a new necklace or a book that I might have passed on before.

Should You (Do You) Tip For Bad Service?

Written by WellHeeled on October 27, 2011 · 30 Comments

On the one hand, tipping has become such an ingrained social norm, a part of “the cost of doing business,” if you will, that it would take something egregious to not tip. On the other hand, I don’t believe that tipping should be taken for granted. If good service was not provided, then a tip was not earned. So in what situations would it be appropriate to withhold a tip or to decrease the amount of tip?

Consider these four scenarios:

You call a taxi to take you from the airport to your hotel. The taxi arrives 10 minutes later than the quoted time, and the driver is abrupt and short with you when you get in.
You call a taxi to take you to the airport at 530am. The taxi arrives a few minutes before 6am (despite several frantic calls you’ve made to the dispatcher). When you get in the van, the driver is polite and cordial, but asks you about a gratuity when you hand over your credit card. Incidentally, it’s the same taxi company.
You go to a restaurant. After the host seats you, you are left there waiting for 15 minutes before anyone notices.
You go to a restaurant. Your water glass goes unfilled for 20 minutes even as you repeatedly try to flag down the server. The restuarant is not inordinarily busy. (And would it make a difference if it were?)

In those cases, would you tip? Would you decrease the tips?

In the first case, I still tipped $2 on a $10 fare because I felt put on the spot. In the second case, I told the driver “no gratuity” because I was so peeved that he was 20-plus minutes late and that he had the nerve to ask me about a tip right when I got into the car. In the third case, CB and I just left the restaurant and went to a different place because there’s nothing that sours a restaurant experience faster for me than being ignored. In the fourth case, I think we still tipped 20% even though we both talked about how unresponsive the service was. I chalk it up to social conditioning.

With tips so ubiquotous these days (and many folks dependent on tips as part of their overall compensation), I’m wondering in what situation can you justify not tipping? Fabulously Frugal wrote a post on her feelings about tipping, and I agree on several points. I don’t mind tipping, but if tipping has gotten to the point where it is expected for even mediocre or marginal service, then why not just mark up the cost of the item and call it a day?

Should you (and do you) tip for bad service? At what point would you eliminate the tip completely?

Taking a Breath

Written by WellHeeled on October 25, 2011 · 12 Comments

Normally, I love blogging. But for the past week I just couldn’t even log on to the administration panel. The truth? I was frustrated by personal finance. By emails and blogging and lack of inspiration.

(1) Work has been challenging, and hence the prospects for bonus are dimmer than I had expected.
(2) I have been traveling almost nonstop for the past month, and that means lots of red-eyes, lots of running down terminals, lots of packing and unpacking, and lots of spending. $7 Martha Stewart wedding magazine at Washington Dulles airport? Why, SURE!
(3) The eating out has. not. stopped.
(4) I can’t really figure out what to write when my personal finances seem to be in such a mess. How can I talk about budgeting when, truthfully, I have not really kept track of my spending since 2008?
(5) My adult allowance system is a failure as well. I don’t know how much I’m spending, but I’m pretty sure it’s over $300.
(6) I just bought a pair of Coach peep-toe pumps for $90. Gone were the days when I agonized over a $30 pair of shoes. Hello lifestyle inflation.
(7) Instead of feeling inspired by how fantastically other bloggers are doing, I was getting down on myself for my inability to just rein in the spending / earn more freelance income / accelerate my saving. So I gave myself permission to just take a break from personal finance and the blogging world. Instead, I kicked up my heels and tangoed. I read all those books piled up on my nightstand. I worked on my business school essays.

And now, after taking a breath, I am ready to come back. During one of my business school visits I heard a female corporate executive speak about women, work, and personal life. Her talk really resonated with me. So many times women are raised from youth to be perfectionists, the “A” achievers. But sometimes a “B” will have to be good enough. Sometimes, it’s better to get a “B” or even, gasp, a “C” rather than quitting. There will be periods when I feel like an “A” blogger, and there are periods, like now, when I feel as if I am barely making a “B-”. But I am going to keep on trucking. Because it’s important to stay in the game. Because, despite all the busyness and frustration, I love my corner of the blogosphere.

Note: one of my favorite bloggers, Sense to Dollars, is celebrating her 5th blogging anniversary. What I love most about Sense is that she write for herself. Please head on over and wish her a happy blogoversary.

Do you ever feel just so frustrated by personal finance and blogging? How do you “take a breath” and regroup?

Getting Into Credit Card Points & Miles

Written by WellHeeled on October 17, 2011 · 20 Comments

It’s funny, just a few years ago I was debating whether I should open a second credit card. Now, I am signing up for cards left and right. OK, that sounds just a tad irresponsible. What I mean is, I am signing up for cards that have good terms and great signing bonuses, while making sure I am paying all of my bills on time so I can enjoy the rewards guilt-free. There, much better!

Now, I have 3 current credit cards:

Citi ThankYou Visa: This is my first – and for many years, my only – credit card. I trade all my ThankYou points for gift cards to Sephora or Banana Republic. At 10,000 points to $100 gift card, it’s not the greatest conversion, but it’s not the worst either. No annual fee. I keep this card because it’s my card with the longest credit history.
British Airways Visa (issued by Chase): I got this card a few months ago for the 100,000 miles British Airways miles bonanza it had. It has $95 annual fee, so I may cancel this card in March before I get hit with the fees for the second year. I do feel like I got my money’s worth with the $420 round-trip tickets for CB and me.
Starwood Preferred Guest American Express: This card is a perennial favorite among credit card bloggers and review sites. CB and I both got it for the 25,000 points promotion with a mind to cash in the points when we travel. We need to complete our $5,000 spend by the end of March. The clock is ticking! I just checked the rates at Sheraton Iguazu at Iguazu Falls. Rack rates are $225 per night, but we will be able to get the room free for 12,000 points or 4,800 points plus $90. Either way you look at it, “free” or $90 sounds a whole lot better than $200+.

Credit cards I am considering:

Hyatt Visa Credit Card (issued by Chase): 1 free night at ANY Hyatt property with first purchase, and 2nd night free with $1,000 spend in 3 months. $75 annual fee, not waived for first year. I’d like to apply for this card and have CB get it as well so we can cash in on 4 nights in Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, where rooms go for $500+ a night!
TBD card with a great mileage offer (So bummed we missed the 75,000 points Citi AAdvantage deal!). We are not considering taking an international trip other than the honeymoon, so I am waiting for some good offers to come around. There’s also the minimum spend that I have to make on the credit cards to get the bonuses, but honestly, I am traveling (and spending) so frequently right now that I don’t see a problem making my minimum spend. Plus, more wedding expenses coming up! I am trying to figure out a way that we can get to Turkey – Istanbul and Cappadocia might not be our honeymoon destination any longer, but gosh darn it I am going to find my way to that country come miles or high water.
Hilton American Express: With this card (which has NO annual fee), I can earn up to 62,500 HHonors points. I am a Hilton Silver member – just ONE more stay until Gold status! – so it’s probably beneficial for me to get the card. Also, as a Hilton Amex member I will be eligible for AXON member-only redemption rates that can get me into highly-rated properties for fewer points.

I’ve also pulled two free credit reports and I’m still lookin’ good. With judicious use of credit cards, I know I can take advantage of the great rewards, save money, and stay in nice hotels and go to fun places. The only thing I regret is that I’ve waited THIS LONG to get into miles and points. Seriously! I’ve always appreciated credit cards, but now I really appreciate them. I do have to be careful that I am still spending what I would normally spend. If you know you can use credit cards responsibly and aren’t afraid of (or even find some fun in) finding bonuses, signing up for membership programs, and doing some research on how to maximize your rewards, I think credit card points and miles can be well worth your time.

“I can’t believe they spend money on that…” – Expenses That Are Judged The Most

Written by WellHeeled on October 13, 2011 · 46 Comments

This post has been Consumeristed!

“I can’t believe they spend money on that…”

How many times has that thought crossed your mind? I have to admit that it has certainly crossed mine! Yesterday, Andrea @ So Over Debt wrote about our judgment of other people’s expenses (and vice versa). Inspired by her post, I’ve decided to focus on a list of expenses that always come under the glare of judgment, based on what I’ve read on personal finance blogs and websites.

1. Wedding expenses

If there is one thing sure to get people talking, it’s the cost of weddings. And with the cost of weddings, the cost of wedding dress seems to be fodder for criticism (Sallie’s Niece caught so much flack for her wedding dress). Before I got engaged, I admit that my eyes popped out whenever I heard costs in the $20,000+ ranges. But now that I am planning a wedding, I get it. A traditional wedding costs money, period. If you want a sit-down dinner, dancing, on a Saturday night in a metropolitan area and you have a guest list over 30 and no connections with wedding vendors, it will cost money. Even my small dance-free shindig is costing more than I had expected. Sarah at Paranoid Asteroid had a great post detailing the 10 frugal things she won’t be doing for her wedding.

2. New cars

Do most personal finance bloggers hate new cars or what? I get it, the depreciation hits the instant you drive a car off the lot, etc. etc. But I love well-constructed, reliable new cars that I can drive to death (example: see my hand-me-down-from-Dad 240K miles Honda). Remember when Krystal at Give Me Back My Five Bucks bought a car and the firestorm erupted in her comment section (the comments seem to have gotten lost when she transitioned the blog to WordPress)? If someone as responsible and as on-top of her finances as Krystal can’t escape criticism, who can?

Last July, I talked about considering a new car because one of my concerns is the lack of up-to-date safety features in my car, and a commenter told me to wear a helmet while driving instead and accused me of helmet-head vanity!

Lets say there is a safety component and that’s valid. How do you improve the safety of your car so it’s equal to that of a new honda? Research shows the greatest improvement that can be made to driver and passenger safety would be to make it compulsory for people to wear motorcyle helmets while driving, like seatbelts are now compulsory. That would cost you about $50. The helmet negates the need for airbags because it’s better than an air bag (ever seen a nascar or fomula 1 driver without a helmet and with airbags?) . Now we can go from making an emotional decision about safety to a rational decision about safety.

$50 helmet vs $15000 for a new car so I don’t mess up my hair? Where you just trying to rationalize the purchase of a new car?

3. Lattes

I blame personal finance expert and author David Bach for coining the much-too-marketable phrase Latte Factor. Poor lattes got the blame in this case, but everything viewed in the context of annual expense, then compounded over 30 years at rate of 12% will look completely astronomical.

4. Technology / Entertainment

New iPhones, big-screen TVs, video games are all targets loaded in the “bad spending” column, it seems. But all those things make people happy. Gosh darn it. I get a lot of value out of my smartphone – although it’s definitely nice that right now my work covers my plan costs.

5. Clothes

There is this pervasive image of the free-wheeling, irresponsible young lady who spend her entire paycheck on clothes and shoes. (I think it’s part of the stereotype of women as being less financially savvy, even if they look outwardly successful). The fact is that some people love clothes and some people love something else. A woman who is decked out in stylish garb might be deep in credit card debt, or she might just as well be a millionaire. Or maybe she just doesn’t spend as much money on her cars and TVs and value clothes instead. Kelly at the petite fashion blog Alterations Needed said it best when she said in a comment to my post: ”I eat cheaply, and rarely go on vacations, let alone exotic expensive ones. I sock all that extra money away, and then splurge on what I really love in life…my closet!”

6. Graduate school

Another thing that I’ve realized is that education, specifically higher education, has a lot of criticism aimed at it among personal finance bloggers. I understand, after all, it’s a big decision to leave the workforce and take on significant debt (or both! what fun). I believe most people make a thoughtful choice on whether they want to go back to school. This is close to my heart because I am applying to an MBA program. A graduate degree can lead to a career switch or great job opportunities, plus, there’s what I call the “luxury” factor. Life isn’t just about return on financial investment. I fully recognize that purely financially speaking, it may not make sense for me to go get an MBA(or have kids, or travel the world, or get a dog, etc.). It will certainly take me longer to recoup my costs that it would if I have a lower income right now or am aiming for a higher income post-MBA. But the experience of being in school, furthering my education, increasing my network and making new friends are also worth something to me, as I imagine it’s worth to other folks who decide to go back to school.

The one expense that almost always escape judgment?

Travel! I love travel as much as the next gal (and I blog about it plenty), but come on. Travel can expand one’s horizons and add a valued cultural perspective. Yet honestly, a vacation to Paris or a trip to Turkey can be as much of an luxury item as a pair of Louboutin heels or a Prada purse.

I can’t say that I free from judgment – it’s human nature to judge and compare. Okay, fine, I do judge people who pay $300+ for Hermes flip flops. Just a little.

What expense do you think personal finance bloggers judge the most (am I missing anything on this list?)? What expense do you judge the most?

Tipping Your Hotel Housekeeper / Maid

Written by WellHeeled on October 12, 2011 · 21 Comments

I love staying in hotels. I like the plush bedding, the spotless, well-appointed rooms, the fact that I never have to make my bed. But rarely did I think about the hotel maids who make the nice stays possible. According to travel experts, guests are supposed to tip hotel housekeepers/maids, but most folks don’t. I’ve only heard that guideline a while back, and have only started tipping a few months back.

One thing that struck me was that hotel maids are so invisible that it’s easy to forget them. Unlike a waiter or waitress who’s right in front of you bringing you drinks and food, I’m not in the room when a housekeeper cleans the toilet, changes the sheets, or dusts the TV.

Once I started learning more about hotel maids, I felt guilty about all those years of not tipping. But I also don’t want to start adding $10 in tips to every 3-day trip. Now, to make sure I’m a conscientious guest, I do a couple of things. I hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on my door – I am rarely in a hotel room longer than 2 days, and I just don’t need the room cleaned and the bed remade every single day. When I check out I leave $3 or $4 underneath the pillow (somewhere where the housekeeping is sure to find it).

CNN Money published a good article on hotel tipping:

So when and how much? (Lizzie) Post offered these guidelines:

• Tip every day to ensure your tip gets to the person who actually cleaned your room.
• Leave a note in your room with the money indicating it is for housekeeping.
• Tip $1 or $2 per person, per night in most hotels. In higher end hotels, $3 to $5 per person per night is typical.
• In a motel, tips are generally not necessary for a one-night stay. The $1 or $2 standard is appropriate for multiday stays.

Tipping housekeepers is “a really lovely thing,” said Reneta McCarthy, a Cornell lecturer who started out in the industry as a housekeeping manager with Marriott.

“But generally speaking I would say the majority of people don’t do it. And when you look at it, you know, I hate to say it, but this is not considered a tips position. The housekeepers, unlike the bellmen, are not filling out tip reporting forms,” she said.

The national average hourly wage for bellhops was $11.40 in May 2010, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics wage estimates. The average for housekeepers was $10.17, according to survey data. Survey forms issued by the bureau ask for information on tips, but it’s unclear how reporting varies between housekeepers and bellhops.

Even now, I don’t always remember to tip. Sometimes I will run out of cash. Sometimes I will be running out to catch my flight and simply forget. But most of the time I try to tuck in a few dollars here and there. I guess I figured if restaurant servers are tipped, hotel maids – with an arguably more difficult (and much less visible) job – should be too.

Do you tip your hotel maid? How much do you tip?

Blogging About Personal Finance When You Are Married

Written by WellHeeled on October 10, 2011 · 20 Comments

In 8 months, I’ll be tying the knot. Jumping the broom. Getting hitched. Taking the plunge.

Getting married changes many things. For example, once CB and I get married, I will be able to (1) file taxes jointly, (2) make healthcare decisions for him if he should become incapacitated, and (3) invoke my spousal privilege to prevent CB from testifying against me in court. Aside from these new rights and responsibilities, getting married may also change the way I blog about personal finance. I am debating how to continue talking about personal finances in a meaningful way while respecting my future husband’s privacy and his level of comfort with putting our financial information online.

I’ve been writing WellHeeledBlog.com since 2006 – wow, it HAS been five years already! I have been in a committed relationship all through that period, but as a single gal my money has always been mine. I was only responsible for my own income, expenses, debts, and financial goals. Apparently, now that I am getting married, I cannot think of just myself any longer. It’s going to be our money, our expenses, our debts, our financial goals. Even though we will likely keep our individual accounts, California is a community property state. Thus, everything earned, incurred, and saved during a marriage is divided 50/50, with a few exceptions, no matter what name’s on the account.

So, how will getting married affect my blogging? Here are a few ways I can go about it:

Stop blogging entirely. Now, CB actually thinks it’s pretty cool that I blog (and that I actually make a little bit of money – which then goes into our joint travel funds!). In fact, he has helped me run backups and troubleshoot when I needed it. But I imagine that there must have been spouses of personal finance bloggers -or really, any type of blogger- who are not comfortable with them putting information online. How to respond in this situation? Whose opinion take precedence? Does the person with the stronger opinion get his/her way?
I can go on blogging about only my income, expenses and goals, as I have been doing right now. CB and his finances will remain in the shadows. Pro: I get to keep on blogging as I always have been while respecting CB’s privacy. Con: all the blogging inspiration from our newly created household – wasted! This might be a fair compromise if CB isn’t comfortable with me sharing his finances, but…
Ideally, I’d like to blog about our money as a joint entity. Pro: I would be talking about the full picture of our household, while our individual incomes would remain private. Part of the reason why I blog is to keep myself accountable and keep track of progress towards financial goals, so it makes sense that it should reflect an accounting of our resources and goals. Con: ~~CB becomes so interested in personal finance blogging that he builds a rival site, stops taking me out to eat, and forbids me from buying dresses~~ can’t think of any.

Well, I guess you know what direction I’m leaning towards. We are going to talk about this and hopefully he won’t object to the last and best option.

Other married or bloggers in committed relationships, how did you tackle this topic? Do you blog about your money or do you blog about your combined finances? And here’s the big question: would you stop blogging if your partner asked you to?

Real Simple’s Money Guidelines

Written by WellHeeled on October 7, 2011 · 8 Comments

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A recent issue of Real Simple magazine has an article titled 6 numbers for financial success. This is why Real Simple is one of my favorite magazines – it has fashion, organization, makeup, features, but sweetens with a dose of personal finance. Generally, I think these are good, basic guidelines.

28%: the share of your pretax monthly income that should go toward housing costs

Yes. Our housing cost (rent + utilities + internet) takes up 14%-15% of our pretax income. Rent’s an area that we are doing very well in… but I’m glad Real Simple doesn’t have a guideline for eating out. Because I’m sure we will exceed that!

120 – your age: the maximum percentage of your retirement savings that should be in stocks or stock mutual funds

No. I am 26, so according to the formula I should have more than 90% of my portfolio in stocks. I am not that risk-tolerant! Working has made me realize how much it hurts to watch my hard-earned retirement funds dwindle, so I have approximately 70% of my retirement funds in stocks and 30% in bonds.

5%: the maximum percentage of your take-home pay that you should owe to credit card companies

Yes. Neither CB nor I have credit card debt (unless you count the balance that we pay off each month). Instead, I use credit cards to get rewards such as gift cards or mileage bonuses.

10%: the minimum amount of your pretax income to save for retirement

Yes. Ever since college graduation I have saved 20%-35% of my gross income in retirement funds. If we include the 10% employer’s contribution that CB receives, we are contributing 27% or 28% of our combined income into retirement funds.

1: the number of times a year you should review your retirement portfolio

Yes and No. I look at my portfolio several times a month, but I don’t really make any changes to it other than add more money for Roth IRA or 401K.

10 x your gross income: the minimum amount of life insurance you should buy

No. I have a small life insurance through work. CB has something similar. Neither of us has purchased additional life insurance. After we get married, we probably will add a term life insurance so that if one of us dies, the other one will at least have some money come of it! (OK, that didn’t come out right, but imagine the pain of losing a spouse. It would be nice to have some money so that one can take time off work or school, handle funeral costs, travel to be with family, etc., if an unexpected tragedy occurs).

As you can see, I qualify for most of these guidelines, but I missed a few that I don’t think applies in my situation. How did you do?

Do We Need a Wedding Videographer?

Written by WellHeeled on October 6, 2011 · 53 Comments

A year ago, I didn’t even know that wedding videographers existed. When someone talked about wedding videos, I thought of the wobbly shots captured by Dad or Uncle Bob with a handheld recorder (in my mind, this recorder would be from the mid-90s because I don’t think my family has upgraded our recording arsenal since then).

Shows you how much I knew! Now that I am deeper into the wedding planning ~~madness~~ process, I am starting to wonder if I need a wedding videographer. On the one hand, videographer = lots of dough. I don’t know if we want to ~~stretch~~ blow up our budget. Even a beginner will cost $1,000 or more. Professionals whose clips I’ve loved cost upwards of $3,000.

On the other hand, will I regret not recording at least the ceremony? Wouldn’t it be nice to hear our voices say our vows? More morbid… wouldn’t it be nice to have family’s images and voices captured for posterity, after their passing? A wedding is one of those rare occasions when everyone we love is there and dressed up and happy, and in 10 or 20 or 50 years, will I look back and regret that we did not have wonderful videos of our parents?

The third option, CB suggested, is to have a friend or family member man the camera. Won’t be professional, won’t be artistic, won’t be thousands of dollars. And we’d have those memories preserved on tape.

The internet has not been helpful, because all the answers to my Google query “Do we need a wedding videographer” comes back a fairly resounding “yes.” Most of those links are from wedding videographers. So just a slight bias there.

I’d love to get your feedback.

Did you have a professional wedding photographer? Did you regret your decision either way?

My First Car Accident

Written by WellHeeled on October 5, 2011 · 14 Comments

For the first time since I’ve gotten my license in 2003, I got into a car accident. Worse of all, I was at fault. Chalk it up to a case of stop-and-go traffic, a sudden braking by the cars in front of me, and my look down to change the radio station to country music… and I bumped into the Honda in front of me.

That was a real bummer. Fortunately, as far as accidents go, it was the best kind of accident to have.

I wasn’t hurt, and the driver in the other car wasn’t hurt.
He also drove an older Honda (i.e., no expensive import cars that cost $8,000 for a dent in the bumper).
The damage, at least to my eyes, was minor. There was a dent in the shape of one of the screws that held up my license plate.
My car was completely fine. Not a scratch (and as long as there was no structural damage, I wouldn’t have cared so much about scratches).
He was calm and reasonable when we exchanged information.
A few hours later, he left a message and said he wouldn’t be pursuing the claim.

I called my insurance and reported the accident as required, and apparently, if the other driver really doesn’t pursue a claim, my insurance premiums won’t increase. I am sad, though, that my previously blemish-free record is now one accident deep. In the state of California, an accident will stay on the record for 3 years and adds 1 point. If a driver gets too many points, he/she can be revoked of license. Aside from the immediate financial consequences of an accident – paying for repairs / damages – an accident also has long-term effect on car insurance rates.

Let that be a lesson to all out there… KEEP YOUR DISTANCE from the cars in front. I really wish I would have given myself more room. Eight years of a perfect driving record down the drain! It didn’t feel like I was tailing the car, but traffic can crunch up faster than you realize, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.