Saving Money on Sushi

I love eating sushi. I didn't always. I didn't take my first bite of sushi until I was 24. But somewhere along the way I grew to love it. The problem with Sushi is that it is very expensive. Almost anywhere you go, sushi is going to run you about $5-$8 for two sushi pieces. This makes it prohibitive to eat very much of it very often.

I went to eat sushi for lunch today. I spent $23 for three orders of sushi (Tuna, Yellowtail, and Salmon) and a roll. This is probably pretty standard. However there is a place in Seattle called Sushi Land. I miss it. I traditionally go to the one in Redmond, and it is great. The service isn't always the best, and they tend to be pretty inefficient when it comes to cleaning tables and seating people, but you can't beat the overall experience.

For the exact same meal I just got at this other restaurant, I would have spent $6.50. That's about 70% cheaper! Each of the sushi pieces would have cost me $1.50. The roll would have also cost me $1.50 (I would have had to get two roll orders at Sushi Land to equal the one I got at today's restaurant). And here is the kicker. The sushi at Sushi Land would have actually been better. It isn't the best sushi I have ever had, but it is definitely better than average. And for the price you can't beat it. I can get a meal there cheaper than I can at most fast food restaurants.

Add the fact that because it is a conveyor belt system, and you can just pick your sushi off the belt without having to ask for it, and you have a great situation. You can come in and eat in a matter of about 5 minutes or less. So it's better, cheaper, and faster than you can get at almost any other dining experience. I've introduced a few of my friends to this place and before I left, we use to go all the time. Rick is one of those individuals. If you really want to pay him back for developing Paint.NET, just buy him a couple of plates of the spicy tuna roll. Then again, he probably would be happier if you just donated the money.

If I could use the money for this experiment to buy a franchise, and I was at all interested in running a restaurant, I would. Then again, I might eat away all my profits :)

Cuban Cigars Suck

Despite the fact I stated I never smoke, I was coincidently talked into smoking a Cuban cigar last night. I figured you don't often get the chance to smoke one in the United States, so I might as well take advantage of the situation while I could. So I sat down with some friends and a few Cubans and a nice eighteen year old scotch.

Now while I don't actually think the cigar sucked, I really don't get what was so great about it. Maybe it is because I'm a non-smoker, but I really just don't get the appeal of this. I honestly tried to enjoy it, but I just couldn't. I don't think it was particularly flavorful or anything like that. It just felt like I was inhaling some smoke. Now granted, I have nothing to compare it to. Maybe it is so wise to start out with the very best. But this will be the last cigar I probably ever smoke.

What do you think? Have you smoked a Cuban Cigar before? What did you think?

Have No Conscience When Buying Stocks

I was going to respond to the comment that Stephen left in my post about smoking being good for you but decided that a full post would be better served. Full disclosure. I don't smoke. I hate smoking. I hate being around smokers. I generally won't go to a place if they allow smoking. That being said, I have no problem buying shares of the largest tobacco producer around.

One of the things you can't do when you are trying to pick stocks, especially in the short term, is worry too much about the social impact of what you are doing. When people tell me that they have a problem buying a certain stock this is what I tell them. Buy the stock, and when you make a lot of money, support a charity that tries to address the issue. So if you don't like smoking, fund lung cancer research. If you don't like alcohol stocks, fund a charity like MADD.  Stocks are just pieces of paper.  Buying the stock doesn't actually help the issuing company.  A stock trade is between you and some other third party, the original company does not directly benefit from your purchase (they do indirectly but that would be a whole other post)

That being said, there are literally thousands of stocks you can buy. So if you really feel that strongly about it, just try to find a similar stock with a similar thesis. If you don't want to buy a stock like Altria, look at other consumer staples like Coke or Kellogg (I don't recommend these like I do Altria by the way).

Morning Trade - GameStop

GameStop (GME) is set to announce guidance tomorrow. The stock has been killed the last few days on relatively no news. It has been down with the rest of the market as people are fleeing almost anything retail and connected to the consumer. However, I strongly believe that GameStop had a fantastic holiday and their guidance will look good. This should provide great stock price movement tomorrow. Be warned, if Gamestop comes out with bad news, this stock is going to come down. I just think you have more upside than downside at this point. If I can get in before the announcement, which is doubtful considering when I get up in the morning, I'll look at getting in. It closed at $55.11 today, and I think you might have $7 or $8 of upside, maybe $4 of downside right here.

Smoking is Good for You ...

If you want to make money in the stock market right now.

I bought 65 shares of Altria at 76.07 when I recommended it in my post about shorting the market. I know that it is unlikely that this stock will double in the next year, but I also do not want my money sitting idle. Right now, nothing is working but defensive names in the market. I'm not sure when this market will turnaround. The fact that we are more than 10% off the highs of the market is a good sign that we might have corrected and now may move up, but I am still weary of the market right now. I think Altria along with other defensive names like JNJ are the way to go. They won't get you the fast money, but they will keep you safe for now.

By the way,my stock picks from that post are doing quite nicely. In two days, the QID is up 6% SDS is up 3.5%, MO is up 3.5% and JNJ is up about 1.5%. This compared to the market being down almost 4% isn't a bad showing.

The Etrade Bounce Trade

Etrade was down another 20% today.  This stock is ugly.  I got out of it not too long ago, cutting my already significant losses.  But, if I could watch this stock like a hawk tomorrow, I would consider trying to buy up a few shares and then day trade it.  I still think it will sink down to around $2, but at some point very soon, the shorts are going to cover and you should be able to eek out a 5% gain or so.  Again, you would have to have a very tight stop-loss on this stock, because it still has a ways down.  That said, I won't do this.  I don't have the time nor inclination to day trade.  But it will be interesting tomorrow to check out the chart and see if it does indeed bounce.

For all other people thinking about getting in now and trying to pick a bottom, FORGET IT.  Do not go long this stock.  I promise you, it will go down more from here.  I honestly think this sell off is overdone, and that Etrade is worth more than this, just for the fact it still has quite a few customers (myself included).  If you have money that can sit dead for about two years, and don't mind waiting it out, than maybe just maybe you can get in.  For everyone else, the risk of bankruptcy probably doesn't outweigh the potential gains.  Don't fight the stock at this point.

How Much Should I Spend On an Apartment?

So right now, the big question mark in my life is where am I going to live. I've spent most of my free time the last few weeks looking at apartment listings or going to go see places. One of the things I'm struggling with is figuring out exactly what I want. For me, I have a few requirements for the place I want to live and it is making it hard for me to find a place. These are

1. They must take cats - I've joked with friends that I would give my cat up to find a place, but in reality there is no way I would do this. This eliminates a lot of places that just won't take pets.


2. Must have a dishwasher - I don't do dishes. My girlfriend doesn't either.


3. Must have a washer/dryer IN UNIT - I won't rent a place that I have to share a laundry facility. I'm lazy with my laundry, and don't want to be checking on it all the time


4. I have to be able to get two parking spots - and I would rather they both be included in the price of the apartment.


5. Roomy - Got to have enough room for the TV I'm going to buy.


6. Clean and relatively new- I'm probably past the point where I can really compromise on this. When I walk into a place, I want to feel like it is bright and clean and that the appliances are in good condition.


7. Budget - This is the most flexible component for me but perhaps the hardest for me to adjust. I'm just not use to spending money on rent. I keep debating like MoneyNing did not too long ago, how much should I improve my standard of living?


8. In Pasadena - This is the closest place to my new job where I'm willing to live. I've lived there before

The first four are not negotiable. The fifth one is somewhat subjective as is the sixth one. My budget is pretty flexible. Before moving down, I thought I would be right in the $1800 mark but having looked at quite a few places, I think the number is closer to $2000. A question for me is if I want to go up to $2300. If I go up that high, I can probably easily get what I want. I can afford it, it is just a matter of if I want to. The last one I may adjust. I greatly prefer to live in Pasadena, but right now I'm not finding what I want in the area I want.

So what do you think I should do? Do you think I should just spend the extra money and get exactly what I want, or should I scale back my expectations a little bit and compromise somewhere else?