No reason to go postal

May 11th marks the rise of the postage stamp (per 1 ounce mailing, in case you were wondering). Having failed to stock up on the Forever stamps*, I am now stuck with having to plunk down 44 cents per normal letter I write. We've come a long way since the 2 cent days of 1885, but here is a rundown since 1975, taken from the website of a way too diligent citizen.

September 14, 1975.....10¢
December 31, 1975.....13¢
May 29, 1978.....15¢
March 22, 1981.....18¢
November 1, 1981.....20¢
February 17, 1985.....22¢
April 3, 1988.....25¢
February 3, 1991.....29¢
January 1, 1995.....32¢
January 10, 1999.....33¢
January 7, 2001.....34¢
June 30, 2002.....37¢
January 8, 2006.....39¢
May 14, 2007.....41¢
May 12, 2008.....42¢
May 11, 2009.....44¢

*For those of you stuck in the digital world: the Forever stamp allows you to buy the stamp at the current 1st class price - but it can be used any time despite postal increases. To me, a brilliant idea so you don't have to cobble together a billion old stamps to meet the current price. Or you could run in the opposite direction and place a ton of small value stamps in a pattern to comprise your postal needs (love this idea. Both idea and picture found on Oh So Beautiful Paper, a blog I will probably become obsessed with).

Sweet Charity

Trying to rack up some good karma points? Giving a little bit goes a long way in my book. Beyond just writing out a check or pledging time, here are some other ideas:

Dining Out for Life - April 30th (TODAY!)
Eat at a restaurant and pay the bill (as you normally would...I hope), but 25-100% of the bill gets diverted to raising money for AIDS charities. You get a night on the town and a little bit o' satisfaction for your do-good-ness. Check out participating restaurants in your city.

eBay Giving Works
No idea this was even possible until Daniel posted an item on eBay and designated the proceeds to go to the Humane Society. If you are selling off all your belongings on eBay just to have rent, then probably not the way to go...unless you start a non-profit for yourself and divert all the eBay auctions to your new non-profit, you evil genius (this is illegal, by the way). If you have random items that will bring in more money in an online forum than the local thrift store then I think this is the way to max out your giving.

Local food bank donation
Food bank services are in high demand right now and are struggling to keep up. Check out to see what your local foodbank needs (my momma always likes to give pasta and jarred sauce, tuna, mac and cheese). Also lots of organizations (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, other do-gooders) run drives that will pick up the food on a set day from your porch. The National Association of Letter Carriers (a.k.a your mailman or woman - so you know they are going to be in your neck of the woods) is set to pick up goods on May 9th if left next to your mailbox.

Linked list: 10 Things We're Still Buying

You see so many articles listing what we aren't buying as a nation, but Forbes.com took a look at what we are still buying and it is quite interesting. The category that was most surprising to me was "toy building blocks" - interesting, very interesting. Note to self: Buy Lego stock.

Linked list: 12 days of Christmas

I am really hoping the song gets stuck in your head.

1. Partridge in a pear tree
2. Two turtle does
3. Three French hens
4. Four calling birds
5. FIVE GOLD-EN RINGS (the fun part)
6. Six geese a-laying
7. Seven swans a-swimming
8. Eight maids a-milking
9. Nine ladies dancing
10. Ten lords a-leaping
11. Eleven pipers piping
12. Twelve drummers drumming

How much does it all cost? This year the cost is reportedly $21,080 (£14,071) or $31,956.62 if bought online. Check out this article from the Guardian for a quick look at where the money goes.

Creative gift giving

Around this time of year my attention turns to getting Christmas gifts for everyone on my list. My goal is to always have at least one gift I really look forward to giving, because it is the perfect fit. Some people on my little list are so easy to buy for and get excited about while others fall into a category of either "already has everything" or "picky" and most likely the two are synonymous. The people in this hard-to-buy-for camp take a little bit more of a creative approach and as I brainstorm I find some of the ideas I am pulling from also come when gift giving on the cheap was key.

• Coupon book - The coupon book was a perennial favorite when I was a kid. Christmas gift for mom and dad? Coupon book. Mom's birthday? Coupon book. Mother's day? Father's day? Coupon book. You get the point. Anyway, I still like the concept and have practiced the "certificate" version of this in recent past (trip to Meramac Caverns, Riverboat cruise trip, etc).
  Pros: Easy to create on a small budget or at the last minute.
  Cons: The coupon book and the certificate have the same pitfall, which is executing the promises made.
  
• Personalized stationery - A few years ago for Christmas my sister gave me personalized stationery that she created from colored paper, but it was cool and not like an elementary craft project (not that there's anything wrong with elementary craft projects). Anyway, the envelopes were also pre-addressed to her temporary address in Nicaragua as she was embarking on a 7 month adventure in Central America the following week. The gift belied the shoestring budget she was working with because it was so well thought-out.
  Pros: Can easily be done on a small budget. You get to channel your inner Martha (this may also be a con).
  Cons: This only works if the person is a letter writer or has an upcoming event that requires thank you cards. I tried to implement a version of this at a bridesmaids party for my sister and realized that one "thank you" stamp is not enough. Now she has several thank you cards with a fly-swatter stamped on them and random grommets.
  
• Family pictures - I have a big extended family (my mom is the youngest of 9) and old family photos are a hot commodity amongst the cousins. We don't exchange gifts outside of our immediate families, but one project I really want to work on is to scan the family photos and post online for everyone to download or print as they see fit. For something tangible, I may take the photos to a photo center and print out the best pictures to give to some of the family members that we spend time with during the holidays.
  Pros: The pictures can be printed multiple times and are digitized for long-time archiving.
  Cons: The gift is limited to those with online access.
  
• Exploit your talents - Akin to the coupon book idea, this builds on the idea of "I do something for you" and makes it proactive - like doing a project or service that builds on your talents or profession. This is easy for hair-dressers, carpenters and jewel thieves because they have something to offer that just about everyone wants or needs. This also works for anything you are suited to - like helping get a wireless network set up or getting an iPod loaded with music if you have the know-how.
  Pros: This can be a very inexpensive way to give a gift the user really wants and this can definitely be the best approach for the person who has it all.
  Cons: Executing the project is the gift, but getting it scheduled might be harder.


• Add to their collection - Adding to your loved ones twine or stein collection can be exactly what they want and it narrows the focus on what to look for.
  Pros: As long as the collection isn't Lladro figurines or expensive jewelry, this can be a thoughtful and inexpensive gift. Also some collections are annual series and need to be purchased or become expensive to procure after the fact.
  Cons: If that is all they ever get from you then it could be less exciting and borders on thoughtless.

Something for nothing

File this one under "Why didn't I think of that first?" Whether you appreciate or hate cyberbegging, you have to hand it (preferably bills, not coins) to those that ain't to proud to beg. Listed below are some notable cyberbegging websites where individuals have begged, traded and sold for supplemental income in novel ways.

Save Karyn
When I first heard about this site a few years back I was disgusted (okay, I still am). The short story is Karyn finds herself $20,000 in credit card debt and suddenly without a job. Most people toil away and slowly pay off the credit card debt; Karyn starts a website and asks people to donate to the cause. Brilliant - and somehow revolting. Karyn came early to the game and got a ridiculous amount of press, spawning the concept of cyberbegging. Thanks, Karyn, people gave you $20,000 and you gave us web panhandling.

The Million Dollar Homepage
Prepare to be devastated when you click on this link. Going to this website will make you sick to your stomach - but in a "I could have made a million dollars..." (as if you had been kicking this idea around and just never executed it). The premise is to sell a homepage of 1 million pixels to advertisers for $1 each. The site promises to stay up for at least 5 years and with the novelty of the idea, people will go visit it. Anyone who thinks this is less than absolute genius is an idiot.

Wants for Sale
This money-making scheme is quite clever: two artists have wants, they paint the wants on canvas and you pay the amount of the want for said picture. You get original art and they get what they want. The art below, titled "Drinks on us" cost the art collector $500 and the Wants for Sale artists had a night on the town or a round at the bar. The artwork on the website ranges from free to $1,000,000.

one red paperclip
The short version: "My name is Kyle MacDonald and I traded one red paperclip for a house. I started with one red paperclip on July 12 2005 and 14 trades later, on July 12, 2006 I
traded with the Town of Kipling Saskatchewan for a house ..."

Apparently this guy is either ridiculously lucky or a world-class trader. Either way he has traded his story for a book deal and now a career. That little red paperclip is a little piece of metal that just keeps on giving.

The list goes on and on...but the concepts aren't as novel. Cyberbegging websites have popped up encouraging people to beg for their schooling, breast implants, debt relief, etc. One thing I find interesting is real-life begging relies heavily on the in-person contact. You can't just walk up to a person asking for money, find out their life story and then opt whether or not to give without guilt like you can on a website - so the question is what drives people to give online?

A Serious Case of Affluenza

The only thing better than fabulously rich people are the fabulously rich and dumb. Today while watching a tv show, I heard one woman talk about the plights of the rich stating they must be aware of the affects of "affluenza" on their kids. This sounds like a very serious virus and I am all for more research to find a cure. But in my zeal to find out how one is stricken I came across some very interesting gift ideas to send the afflicted... (countdown to the most ridiculous)

6) Gold Flake Chopsticks
These are simple wooden disposable chopsticks that you would find at the bottom of your sushi takeout bag, but with a little bling. Tucked in between the two chopsticks are flakes of gold that sprinkle down on your food (or lap if you aren't paying attention, I guess) to make the experience magical. Reports state the gold is technically 94.4% gold, 4.9% silver, and 0.6% copper and cost $40 for two five-packs.

5) Silver Straws
The luxury company Christofle has really taken straws to the next level. Forget the loop-de-loop straw you used to have as a kid, these silver straws are replete with a preformed bend and for only $115 you get two in a little carrying case. Only $57 per straw?!?! Count me in.

4) Gold Flake Facial

Unlike an ordinary facial where some concoction of mud or chemicals is applied to the face, the Japanese have upped the ante with a 24K golden facial. Not sure exactly how it works but the phrase "cool water droplets seven times smaller than a normal steamer...helps the gold penetrate the skin" seems to give enough technical detail. You too can be plied in gold - apparently the technology has come to America and one session will cost you $400.

3) Golden iPod

In case you don't scratch up your piddly regular iPod enough, you can get a gold covered (18K) iPod shuffle for $19,000. For the rich/dumb combo we talked about the cost also comes with an unlimited 24/7 concierge service for assistance on using the purchased product. If $19,000 is out of your price range - as in too low - you can step up to an iPod nano or video.

2) Gold Flake Pills
Quite possibly the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of are these gold flake pills. They serve no other purpose than for the outer capsule to break down once ingested and allow your bowel movements to sprinkle with beautiful 24K gold. That's hot. $425 worth of hot.

1) Platinum Keychain by Mercedes
I am sure there is a good reason for needing a platinum keychain...probably several good reasons, but I just can't think of one right now. For a mere $19,900 you can buy a Toyota Corolla (as in the whole car) - or a Mercedes Benz .90 brushed platinum keychain. Do your thing, playa.