Entry bubble Need a Vacation? Consider a Cruise

By: Jim | April 09, 2008 | Category: Travel

I caught the cruise bug a few years ago. And no, I don’t mean the norovirus. Some friends talked me into joining them on an all-inclusive Caribbean cruise. It didn’t take much arm-twisting since the idea of seeing a nearly-new cruise ship capable of holding nearly 5,000 passengers and crew sounded interesting. So did the chance to take a vacation where the hardest decision of the day was whether to wear SPF 30 or 45.

cruise shipCruiseCritic.com has a lot of good information for beginners. Like me at first, some of your questions might be: What about my claustrophobia? Try an overnight cruise to nowhere for a test run. What if I get sick while at sea? There’s a ship’s doctor. Will I be the youngest one on board? Only if you book the wrong theme cruise. You also can visit USA.gov’s FAQ for cruise ship and other helpful information. If you’re worried about catching the norovirus, you can check out your ship’s sanitation inspection record with the CDC.

You can do just about all your research and make arrangements online, but I still like to check in with my travel agent for personal questions. One time I needed help on some travel insurance questions, something you may consider for yourself. Depending on terms of purchase, cruise deposits and airline tickets generally are nonrefundable. I had some schedule concerns, so I knew I wanted cancellation coverage if I couldn’t go due to an emergency. Travel insurance also has an option to handle medical expenses, too, which can be a little steep if the ship doctor provides them.

USA.gov’s International Travel page is a good place to learn about passports and foreign travel requirements. I just learned a hard lesson. Some countries and airlines require that your passport’s expiration date must be at least 6 months beyond the travel date. Big uh-oh! Luckily my new one arrived really fast. I paid the extra fee for expedited passport renewal processing because I didn’t want to risk having to cancel my plans. Foreign travel requirements are evolving, so it’s a good idea to check out the page periodically.

Finally, don’t forget the Dramamine! Take it from me, no matter how big and stable the ship is—you just can’t be too prepared.

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Entry bubble Confessions of a Coupon Clipper

By: Jim | March 24, 2008 | Category: Money

When I was a smart aleck teenager back in Akron, Ohio I’d tease my mom about some of her frugal habits by calling her “Queen of the Margarine Tubs.” Her retort, “Who needs Tupperware?!” I swore she had enough tubs stashed in the kitchen cupboards to pack away leftovers from a 12-person Thanksgiving dinner. And then some. Now, guess who’s saying, “Ain’t it funny how the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree?”

Even with Mom’s encouragement, my thrifty tendencies didn't take root until I came to work for FCIC nearly 12 years ago. Part of my job involves getting publications from government agencies to Pueblo, Colorado for distribution. One day I glanced through a copy of our publication 66 Ways to Save Money, and somehow I got the saving message.

scissors cutting coupon

Nowadays, I plop myself down on the couch with scissors and my one large, strong cup of coffee to peruse the Washington Post’s Sunday coupons. Hey, don’t laugh! Coupon clipping is respectable – September is National Coupon Month. Even Reader’s Digest offers coupon clipping tips. One tip is to clip only what you know you’ll use and leave the rest. Get Rich Slowly offers a great glimpse into the dangers of overbuying because you were tempted by a good deal.

So what do I do with my unused coupons? I bring them to the office on Monday to trade with fellow FCIC blogger Nancy as we lunch on leftovers.

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Entry bubble March is Women's History Month

By: Jim | February 29, 2008 | Category: General

suffragettes in front of Cleveland headquarters office

Hi, everybody. I’m Jim, the newest – and oldest – member of the blog team.

Some of you out there are wondering why a guy would be writing about Women’s History Month. Let’s just say I try to be a bit non-conformist. Back at San Diego State, the idea of taking a year of “western civ” and similar classes to meet my graduation requirements wasn’t appealing. I enrolled in classes that I hoped would be interesting and unusual. Women in American History was one of those classes. On looking back at my working class Ohio upbringing, I bet my parents thought I was becoming some sort of radical.

It turns out that I really enjoyed the class because we weren’t simply memorizing lists of dates and events. The class was more interesting because some of the ideas we discussed in the classroom were borne from women’s first-hand accounts of everyday life and its challenges—like a pioneer woman’s diary entry about how she had to sift the worms out of the flour to make the day’s bread. I was surprised to learn that that in 1851, my home town Akron, Ohio was the site of a women’s rights convention, the one in which escaped slave Sojourner Truth made her noteworthy “Ain’t I Woman” speech.

Speaking of surprises, I got one while I was on USA.gov’s History, Arts, and Culture page looking for some additional Women’s History Month information. There’s actually a Women’s Rights National Park. The National Register of Historic Places has a travel itinerary of places where women made history. Sounds like a road trip is my future.

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