Paul Van Slembrouck » money http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/blog Wed, 09 Jun 2010 05:05:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Low Car Diet: Part 2 – Day to Day http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/blog/2009/low-car-diet-part-2-day-to-day/ http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/blog/2009/low-car-diet-part-2-day-to-day/#comments Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:32:01 +0000 admin http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/blog/?p=402 ZipCar is proving to be quite awesome. We are constantly bombarded with useless new products and services, but here is one that actually adds value to my life. Imagine that.

This past two weeks, I’ve used:

  • a Prius to get groceries and dinner
  • a Civic to check out an apartment in SF
  • a 328i to check out an apartment in SF and visit Golden Gate Park
  • a Nissan Versa to get groceries and go up to Mount Diablo to check for some of this week’s meteor shower action
  • a Honda Odyssey to move from Berkeley to a new apartment in SF
  • a Mini to get back over to Oakland for a Saturday homebrew BBQ


There are two ZipCar lots within two blocks from my new location in the city. The credit card style swipe is ingenious. I’ve called customer service twice and was able to talk to real human beings right away.

I can roughly quantify the opportunity to save money that I’ve created by switching from my car to ZipCar.

My Saab
Loan Payment: $299
Insurance: $50
Registration: $11
Fuel: $60
Maintenance: $80
Total Monthly: $500 		         ZipCar
Membership: $0 w/ Extra Value Plans

 
 
 
50 Hours @ $10 per Hour

Assuming an average hourly cost of $10 (including SF 9.5% tax and the 10% EVP discount), I’ll save money in any month that I use ZipCar fewer than 50 hours. That seems like more than enough driving for me. The potential savings could be much higher with other people. I had access to cheap loans and cheap insurance, and I did repair work myself, so car ownership was relatively affordable for me. ZipCar is better though, because of the flexibility and simplicity I now enjoy.

]]> http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/blog/2009/low-car-diet-part-2-day-to-day/feed/ 0 Funds Deployed in 2008 Financial Crisis http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/blog/2008/funds-deployed-in-2008-financial-crisis/ http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/blog/2008/funds-deployed-in-2008-financial-crisis/#comments Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:50:11 +0000 admin http://www.sketchflow.com/?p=154 An iterative attempt to show, broadly, where the money is going. This doesn’t include additional trillions implied by guarantees of deposits, debt, and gift cards (really?). Still searching for an estimate of the amount involved in the first Fannie/Freddie bailout passed with the Government Sponsored Enterprise Credit Facility bill of July, 2008.

(click)

]]> http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/blog/2008/funds-deployed-in-2008-financial-crisis/feed/ 0 Radio Program Explains the U.S. Financial Crisis http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/blog/2008/radio-program-explains-the-us-financial-crisis-2/ http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/blog/2008/radio-program-explains-the-us-financial-crisis-2/#comments Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:48:43 +0000 admin http://www.sketchflow.com/?p=23 From This American Life, presenting the crisis in plain English, these two pieces are immensely popular and helpful. The guys who reported these stories (Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson) also have a new podcast series and blog called Planet Money.

This American Life Episode 355Episode 355: The Giant Pool of Money

This American Life Episode 365Episode 365: Another Frightening Show about the Economy

]]> http://www.paulvanslembrouck.com/blog/2008/radio-program-explains-the-us-financial-crisis-2/feed/ 0