I got tagged by the what’s in your wallet meme by Prime Time Money. Must resist. Can’t resist. So here’s a picture of my wallet.

Pretty crappy, eh? DW tells me that if I ever go for an interview I have to get another wallet. Actually I do have another wallet. However, it is too big to fit in my back pocket. Besides this one still works and it is perfectly conformed to my butt. I got it (the wallet, not my butt) as a birthday present from my aunt and uncle when I was 17 or 18. The white netting was sewn in (thanks mom!) when the plastic cover for the ID card failed. I got it recycling the net garlics are sold in. I’m not going to show you pictures of the inside since I fear that that along with modern search technology would out me right there and I prefer a modicum of privacy, but I will give you a list.

• Debit card for my checking account.
• Debit card for our joint checking account.
• Credit card from Capital One.
• Credit card from Men’s Wearhouse + Perfect Fit card. I use these to get what is effectively a 15% running discount.
• Green card. Yes, I am an alien. And no, the card is not actually green even though many aliens are.
• Employee ID card.
• Health insurance + Dental insurance card.
• A list of 13 points on how to perform CPR.
• Two dollars in cash (hockey money).
• A lifetime membership card from the American Association of Individual Investors.
• Safeway card. I don’t know why I carry this around. DW does 99% of the shopping.
• A band aid. For life threatening papers cuts, you know.
• California ID card. I don’t have a CA driving license. I never bothered to get a US license. This leaves me in the peculiar situation that I can legally drive anywhere in the world except the US.

So now you know. If you ever steal my wallet, this is what you’ll get.

And now for something completely different. A man that plays Staying Alive with his hands

Lately I have been thinking of ways to monetize my blog by getting sponsors and selling a bit of advertising. Therefore I have looked into what it would take to get on the right side of the law. It turns I live in a city that positively hates small businesses. Here’s what I would need to get: Approval from my employer to engage in outside business, approval from the zoning board, approval from landlord, approval from the city, getting a DBA followed by advertising in the local newspaper, approval from the county, approval from a licensing board, and finally a tax id from the state itself. Each of these are fairly painless but it could easily take two months just to shuffle the paperwork back and forth which is simply not worth it to me.

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This week I participated in the following carnivals

• Festival of Frugality #111 – Personal Finance Bowl – Introducing Team Frugal. I recommend Raw Food is Easier on the Budget. Raw food is something I have been experimenting with lately. I’ll report on it once I collect more data 🙂 Another thing saves a ton of money and a ton of environmental damage is to not buy anything new for a year. I have come close to this not buying more than a couple of new books in a year. Beyond that I didn’t buy anything but food.
• The Carnival of Financial Goals III included an article from Brooke that’s getting killed by electricity. We only get slightly zapped. Last month electrictywas $23.
• Here’s Your Team for The Superbowl of Personal Finance! (Carnival #138) . Another superbowl team. I liked the 8 reasons why small houses are better than big ones. I am still eyeing the tumbleweed houses. I just need to find the time and place to build one.
• Carnival of everything finance #12th edition contained a lot of recession talk, but I particularly liked Free yourself from American consumerism – another personal story.