Shiny Coins

A tribute to all those times I've had an unusually shiny coin and a subsequent urge to keep it for the vanity of all things shiny. Some of you might think: "Dante, money is just money. Just spend the darn coin, man!". Do you know what it feels like to have a coin in such pristine condition in your hands, a coin that isn't smeared with dirt or has mould growing on it? Because that's a feeling you won't get from many places these days, one of which includes those few remaining coin display shops.

Return and Earn - Part II

The slightly amusing conclusion to a short two-part comic from last week. With the current conversion rates for this "Return and Earn" program here in Australia, $5 worth of cans is obtained from fifty recyclable cans, which is just above two of those hefty 24-soft-drink-boxes and in turn costs about $24 in a best case scenario.
So is it profitable? Like all get-rich-quick schemes, those who put in the most time and determination to succeed are rewarded proportionally. I mean, the government isn't that stupid to provide a publicly-available subvert-able money-making initiative for the fun of it. At the same time, why not make a few quick bucks out of that rotting pile of cans called your Recycling Bin? It's not like you're genuinely using them, unless you actually are.

Return and Earn - Part I

Last year, the government tried to make recycling cool again with this whole "Return and Earn" scheme. Essentially, you get 10 cents for every can, bottle or carton submitted to selected collection depots. Unsurprisingly, it appeals mostly to students and retirees as far as I know, largely because they have the most expendable time compared to other general social groups.
I remember the first time I was involved with this. I submitted about 10 cans to the guy who verifies your cans, and he looked disappointed. Nonetheless, I wasted that guy's time and effort just to earn $1. Which was perhaps later spent on another can of Mountain Dew.

False Savings

Every darn time, this happens one way or another. The worst times are when you've painstakingly waited for these discounts, only to find out the prices would get slashed anyway. Consequently, you may decide to wait it out but then the discount ends and never returns, leaving you with the empty misery of a missed opportunity.
And with Easter just about to pass you buy, so-called "savings" are as deceptive as ever. And this is why I prefer to buy my Easter peripherals in the middle of winter from discount local stores at dirt-cheap prices. As long as you have low standards, it's practically a win-win for everyone!

Speaking of Easter, I'll be away over the weekend for some social event, so I'm posting today instead of Saturday. Hopefully we can spare a moment to remember the true meaning of Easter... a time of cheap deals on all your favorite things?

Sausage Sandwich

The classic sausage sizzle: Essentially, it's just a barbecue with sausages and onions being cooked, served with some bread for the low price of $2 - $3. And if you haven't already deduced, the sauce is free...most of the time. But when it is free, I like to think it's the green light to go all out, drenching what used to be a sausage in white bread into a warm and soggy mess of red, brown and yellow (for the standard tomato, barbecue and mustard sauces respectively). Yep, it's just old times...

Steam Community Market

The Steam Community Market: A magical place where you can spend real money on pretty pixels, although that literally describes every website that involves paid subscriptions. Nonetheless, it's a place where users who are part of the Steam community can buy and sell in-game items, which with most financial models, brings about people trying to make money through the system.
Personally, if you're looking to make serious money from this, take Barry's advice and get a real job or something. Unless you conveniently have glittery virtual items littered around your immediate surroundings, to which I would still advise caution, as Valve takes some money (about 30% from what I recall) from the sale. And that's not even considering local taxes that may be applied in the process...

Pepper Taker

The first comic of the new series "Paid Days" and already clumps of unfavourable memories come rushing back as I recall all kinds of times where I try to cut corners in the monetary sense or outright make terrible financial decisions. This comic depiction being one of them.
I mean, who wants someone waltzing into your home, and taking all the salt and pepper they can get their hands on? Better question for the culprit in question: Is salt and pepper really that unaffordable? I mean, the stuff isn't even that expensive nor hard to find, so the action of hoarding salt and pepper sort of negates the value it generates anyway.