To my loyal followers (all six of you - and you know who you are) -
You might have noticed that this site is undergoing a little bit of construction.
I'm trying to make it a bit easier on the eyes and more accessible.
Suggestions in the form of comments are always welcome, or you can email comments@thriftyexpat.com.
I hope to settle on a theme and a coherent flow to the site very soon. I'm also hopeful that we'll see a more professional look to the site in the coming weeks.
Thanks
Dylan
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
There's a New Card in Town
I just found a very interesting article in the New York Times about being a Frugal Traveler.
This guy thought it was novel to make arrangements before planning a big trip overseas.
This is my life.
He had some interesting points, and many that those of us who live overseas have already figured out how to navigate on our own. But do check out the article at the above link.
But the best thing I took away was that Charles Schwab Bank has a Visa credit card that will allow you to make purchases overseas without that dreaded foreign currency transaction fee.
Go to their website or click here for details about the card.
This is a Visa that will let you charge all you want overseas without paying transaction fees, and it will deposit 2% of your total purchases into a Schwab One® brokerage account. I assume that you could make deposits into the brokerage account and withdraw as needed - but on the other hand - Maybe it's a good idea to have a little slush fund that's gaining interest (like a money market account). It's not like you're using your cash back credit card as your major source of income - I'm guessing that you probably won't ever miss it.
I think I will check it out. Maybe not right now since I've still got 7 credit checks on my credit reports from buying my motorcycle, but within a few months. This would be what I need to justify cutting up my Capital One credit card. The only other card that doesn't charge a foreign currency transaction fee...
This guy thought it was novel to make arrangements before planning a big trip overseas.
This is my life.
He had some interesting points, and many that those of us who live overseas have already figured out how to navigate on our own. But do check out the article at the above link.
But the best thing I took away was that Charles Schwab Bank has a Visa credit card that will allow you to make purchases overseas without that dreaded foreign currency transaction fee.
Go to their website or click here for details about the card.
This is a Visa that will let you charge all you want overseas without paying transaction fees, and it will deposit 2% of your total purchases into a Schwab One® brokerage account. I assume that you could make deposits into the brokerage account and withdraw as needed - but on the other hand - Maybe it's a good idea to have a little slush fund that's gaining interest (like a money market account). It's not like you're using your cash back credit card as your major source of income - I'm guessing that you probably won't ever miss it.
I think I will check it out. Maybe not right now since I've still got 7 credit checks on my credit reports from buying my motorcycle, but within a few months. This would be what I need to justify cutting up my Capital One credit card. The only other card that doesn't charge a foreign currency transaction fee...
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Duh - Get the iPod fixed here!
My daughter's iPod stopped working. We're ten months into the one-year warranty. I thought for sure that I'd have to send it back to the States, let them look at it and then send it back to me. My only hope was that the thing would get back to whatever service center it had to go to - before the warranty expires.
It turns out that less than 2 miles from the Embassy (on my way home no less) there is an authorized Apple Service Center. It's unassuming and you'd never know it, but you see the Apple trademark and the Serwis sign as you enter the building. The address is ul. Mangalia 4 and it's just off of Sobieskiego. There is more info listed on the Apple website under the Service tab - or by clicking here.
And the best part - they're completely linked up to the master Apple database. Since we bought that iPod through the Apple Store online, all the lady needed to do to verify the warranty, was type in the serial number. She took the iPod, gave me a receipt and said they would call me when its ready.
Of course nothing's perfect - she did drop large hints that the damage might not be covered by warranty (in which case I'll end up mailing it back to Apple after all) but if you have a MacBook, a Mac Computer or any other Apple Product that is still in its warranty period that needs serviced - check them out. It really was pretty easy.
And ultimately my review of them will completely depend on whether or not they fix my daughter's iPod or not...
UPDATE: - 29 January
Today I got a call from the Serwis Center here in Warsaw. They told me my iPod was ready.
Turns out they just replaced the iPod completely. Good in that my daughter has a working iPod Touch again. Bad in the sense that the engraved personalization that was on the iPod is gone. I suppose we could get it tricked out if we wanted - but I think we'll just live with having a new iPod instead.
Because we had such an easy experience - I don't image that we'll be buying any any other mp3 players other than an iPod for as long as we're in Poland. I was always a bit leery of the Apple customer service, but this has been a really positive experience.
It turns out that less than 2 miles from the Embassy (on my way home no less) there is an authorized Apple Service Center. It's unassuming and you'd never know it, but you see the Apple trademark and the Serwis sign as you enter the building. The address is ul. Mangalia 4 and it's just off of Sobieskiego. There is more info listed on the Apple website under the Service tab - or by clicking here.
And the best part - they're completely linked up to the master Apple database. Since we bought that iPod through the Apple Store online, all the lady needed to do to verify the warranty, was type in the serial number. She took the iPod, gave me a receipt and said they would call me when its ready.
Of course nothing's perfect - she did drop large hints that the damage might not be covered by warranty (in which case I'll end up mailing it back to Apple after all) but if you have a MacBook, a Mac Computer or any other Apple Product that is still in its warranty period that needs serviced - check them out. It really was pretty easy.
And ultimately my review of them will completely depend on whether or not they fix my daughter's iPod or not...
UPDATE: - 29 January
Today I got a call from the Serwis Center here in Warsaw. They told me my iPod was ready.
Turns out they just replaced the iPod completely. Good in that my daughter has a working iPod Touch again. Bad in the sense that the engraved personalization that was on the iPod is gone. I suppose we could get it tricked out if we wanted - but I think we'll just live with having a new iPod instead.
Because we had such an easy experience - I don't image that we'll be buying any any other mp3 players other than an iPod for as long as we're in Poland. I was always a bit leery of the Apple customer service, but this has been a really positive experience.
Are Interest Rates Getting Better?
Is it just me, or are credit card interest rates getting better?
I admit, I don't keep constant tabs on the interest rates on my credit cards (at least not before now), but about every six months I try to take a look and make sure that I know what the rates are and what the maximum limits on my cards are. If I have to carry a balance (like in the post-holiday season), I carry it only on the lowest card.
But this time around I did notice that my interest rates (on most cards) have gone down. Out of 12 credit cards, my average rate is 9.78%. I haven't been keeping close track, but that's at least 1% to 2% less than the last time I did this.
Of course this is very unscientific. My Old Navy card is still at 21% and one MasterCard is bottomed 4%. Everything else is in between.
Also - every card of course is different. Some are a fixed rate, some are tied to the prime interest rate, and I swear that some are in tune with the lunar cycle of the third moon of Saturn.
Best I can tell, the current prime interest rate is 3.25%. If you've got a bank that uses a fixed rate (like 19% for example) might be time to find a new bank - especially if you carry a balance.
Oh - and that 4% on the MasterCard is better than any other deal on the market, but I think that's a special rate for long-term customers. If you have a bank that you've dealt with a long time - try asking them if they'll lower the rate. Seriously, what could it hurt?
A colleague told me that he called his bank recently and the guy mentioned to him that they could reduce his interest rate... If my colleague asked them to. But he had to ask. So my colleague said "Can I have a lower interest rate?" and the guy on the other end said "Of course, we're happy to lower that for you!" He was a good customer, but their policy is the customer has to ask. I don't remember what bank he had - but I'd assume all of them are like that...
I admit, I don't keep constant tabs on the interest rates on my credit cards (at least not before now), but about every six months I try to take a look and make sure that I know what the rates are and what the maximum limits on my cards are. If I have to carry a balance (like in the post-holiday season), I carry it only on the lowest card.
But this time around I did notice that my interest rates (on most cards) have gone down. Out of 12 credit cards, my average rate is 9.78%. I haven't been keeping close track, but that's at least 1% to 2% less than the last time I did this.
Of course this is very unscientific. My Old Navy card is still at 21% and one MasterCard is bottomed 4%. Everything else is in between.
Also - every card of course is different. Some are a fixed rate, some are tied to the prime interest rate, and I swear that some are in tune with the lunar cycle of the third moon of Saturn.
Best I can tell, the current prime interest rate is 3.25%. If you've got a bank that uses a fixed rate (like 19% for example) might be time to find a new bank - especially if you carry a balance.
Oh - and that 4% on the MasterCard is better than any other deal on the market, but I think that's a special rate for long-term customers. If you have a bank that you've dealt with a long time - try asking them if they'll lower the rate. Seriously, what could it hurt?
A colleague told me that he called his bank recently and the guy mentioned to him that they could reduce his interest rate... If my colleague asked them to. But he had to ask. So my colleague said "Can I have a lower interest rate?" and the guy on the other end said "Of course, we're happy to lower that for you!" He was a good customer, but their policy is the customer has to ask. I don't remember what bank he had - but I'd assume all of them are like that...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
How Far Does The Guarantee Go?
I showed up in Poland with a brand new 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan. It had 8 miles on it and I didn't see it until the day they delivered it from the port. That was about 15 months ago.
It's had a few more problems than I care to admit, but the latest one drove me nuts. There was a short in the factory radio that constantly drained the battery and left me stranded in the car-wash line in front of Sadyba Mall not too long ago.
After a jump from a kind friend that didn't live too far away, I took it to a Dodge Dealer who did fix the problem in the factory radio.
The problem is that he said the 36 month/36,000 mile warranty that came with the car is invalid and would not be honored. I thought that was a little cheesy because after all - the problem was clearly a manufacturer's defect in the installed factory radio. He said he felt me - but I still had to pay 127 zlotys.
Technically I think he's right, but in the Middle of West Africa I was able to get the Ford Dealer to honor the new-car warranty for a Ford Explorer. And that was Africa!
On the other hand, the Harley Davidson Dealer here in Warsaw says they are happy to honor my 2-year, unlimited mileage warranty on the new bike. No questions asked.
So if you have a car - and it's under the US warranty period - Ask! It can't hurt. And if that fails (and the problem looks bigger than a small short in the radio) try a different dealer. It just might work.
It's had a few more problems than I care to admit, but the latest one drove me nuts. There was a short in the factory radio that constantly drained the battery and left me stranded in the car-wash line in front of Sadyba Mall not too long ago.
After a jump from a kind friend that didn't live too far away, I took it to a Dodge Dealer who did fix the problem in the factory radio.
The problem is that he said the 36 month/36,000 mile warranty that came with the car is invalid and would not be honored. I thought that was a little cheesy because after all - the problem was clearly a manufacturer's defect in the installed factory radio. He said he felt me - but I still had to pay 127 zlotys.
Technically I think he's right, but in the Middle of West Africa I was able to get the Ford Dealer to honor the new-car warranty for a Ford Explorer. And that was Africa!
On the other hand, the Harley Davidson Dealer here in Warsaw says they are happy to honor my 2-year, unlimited mileage warranty on the new bike. No questions asked.
So if you have a car - and it's under the US warranty period - Ask! It can't hurt. And if that fails (and the problem looks bigger than a small short in the radio) try a different dealer. It just might work.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Oh yeah - Dell Too
In keeping with the theme of getting stuff fixed under warranty - I bought a Computer though the mail from Dell when I lived in Africa. Six months later I moved to Poland with a computer that had a broken piece on the motherboard (not related to the move).
I thought for sure I had to find a way to mail this back -
Turns out through the web site and a customer service technician, I was able to get Dell to honor the two-year warranty here in Poland.
The guy even came to the house to change out the Mother Board. Took less than 20 minutes and was completely free of charge. It was just too easy.
The only contact I have for these guys is a phone number (22-579-57-00) but I can confirm that if you do end up in Poland with a Dell and a warranty bought in a different country they will help you. At the very least this works if you bought the Dell in the U.S. originally.
And in case you're wondering - I usually just keep asking for someone to speak English - they almost always have someone who speaks Polish if you don't.
I thought for sure I had to find a way to mail this back -
Turns out through the web site and a customer service technician, I was able to get Dell to honor the two-year warranty here in Poland.
The guy even came to the house to change out the Mother Board. Took less than 20 minutes and was completely free of charge. It was just too easy.
The only contact I have for these guys is a phone number (22-579-57-00) but I can confirm that if you do end up in Poland with a Dell and a warranty bought in a different country they will help you. At the very least this works if you bought the Dell in the U.S. originally.
And in case you're wondering - I usually just keep asking for someone to speak English - they almost always have someone who speaks Polish if you don't.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Soooooo Close
Okay, I got really excited there for a while.
I thought I found a site that would allow me to (essentially) convert money from my own living room without extra fees and charges. Allowing me to never have to make another trip to my Polish Bank to deposit Polish Zloty.
The site I found is actually an off-shoot of probably the most popular currency converter on Google (http://www.xe.com/fx/) and it has a pretty good set-up that will allow you to buy and sell currency for decent rates.
Previously I had avoided sites like this for a number of reasons - Mostly because it has been cheaper and easier for me to walk into a Polish Bank, use the ATM to get money from my American Bank account, and then deposit it into my Polish Bank Account (mostly for paying for preschool bills and the phone bills).
Well today I came across the site above and thought - this is perfect. I even used the the demo version to transfer money from a U.S. Dollar account to a Canadian Dollar account and it really seems like this would make my life easier. I can monitor the exchange rates and when it hits a point that I'm comfortable with - I can just hit the execute button. No extra fees, and the exchange rate seems to be consistently better than anything else I'd get.
A no-brainier right? All you need is a USD bank account and a local currency bank account - and I have both!
Yeah - Not so much. Turns out Polish Zloty is an "exotic" currency. So there are fees and costs associated with dealing in zloty.
Sooo close. If I'm ever lucky enough to be stationed in one of the 28 other countries on their list I'm coming back here. I like the concept and it fits in perfectly with how I bank in another country.
I thought I found a site that would allow me to (essentially) convert money from my own living room without extra fees and charges. Allowing me to never have to make another trip to my Polish Bank to deposit Polish Zloty.
The site I found is actually an off-shoot of probably the most popular currency converter on Google (http://www.xe.com/fx/) and it has a pretty good set-up that will allow you to buy and sell currency for decent rates.
Previously I had avoided sites like this for a number of reasons - Mostly because it has been cheaper and easier for me to walk into a Polish Bank, use the ATM to get money from my American Bank account, and then deposit it into my Polish Bank Account (mostly for paying for preschool bills and the phone bills).
Well today I came across the site above and thought - this is perfect. I even used the the demo version to transfer money from a U.S. Dollar account to a Canadian Dollar account and it really seems like this would make my life easier. I can monitor the exchange rates and when it hits a point that I'm comfortable with - I can just hit the execute button. No extra fees, and the exchange rate seems to be consistently better than anything else I'd get.
A no-brainier right? All you need is a USD bank account and a local currency bank account - and I have both!
Yeah - Not so much. Turns out Polish Zloty is an "exotic" currency. So there are fees and costs associated with dealing in zloty.
Sooo close. If I'm ever lucky enough to be stationed in one of the 28 other countries on their list I'm coming back here. I like the concept and it fits in perfectly with how I bank in another country.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I'm Back - Kind of
Okay - that was bad netiquette to drop off the face of the earth without posting anything saying that I was going away.
I hope no one was worried.
I didn't disappear - but I was clearly a victim of the holiday season. Like a whirlwind it swept me away and occupied my every moment - Then I went back to Texas for a couple of weeks.
So now you know that I'm dead broke since I just got back from a two and a half week jaunt to the States and of course it was Christmas and I am guilty of what everyone else is guilty of this year - overindulgence.
So aside from running and sitting on committees, publishing my little newsletter articles, keeping up with my online classes, chasing (or being chased by) four kids and trying to keep my sanity - this blog has fallen behind - But my intent is still the same - to pass on secrets to living on the cheap.
In the coming weeks I'm going to stick very close to the moniker "Thrifty Expat". After all this excess, the wife and I have decided to live very modestly here in Warsaw for a month. Not to the extreme that other popular bloggers have done where they vow to live on $5 a day - or something like that - But we do plan to make extreme cutbacks for a month/plus and see how we keep our sanity. Stay tuned for that.
In the mean time - Stay well - and stay Cheap - and thanks for checking in.
I hope no one was worried.
I didn't disappear - but I was clearly a victim of the holiday season. Like a whirlwind it swept me away and occupied my every moment - Then I went back to Texas for a couple of weeks.
So now you know that I'm dead broke since I just got back from a two and a half week jaunt to the States and of course it was Christmas and I am guilty of what everyone else is guilty of this year - overindulgence.
So aside from running and sitting on committees, publishing my little newsletter articles, keeping up with my online classes, chasing (or being chased by) four kids and trying to keep my sanity - this blog has fallen behind - But my intent is still the same - to pass on secrets to living on the cheap.
In the coming weeks I'm going to stick very close to the moniker "Thrifty Expat". After all this excess, the wife and I have decided to live very modestly here in Warsaw for a month. Not to the extreme that other popular bloggers have done where they vow to live on $5 a day - or something like that - But we do plan to make extreme cutbacks for a month/plus and see how we keep our sanity. Stay tuned for that.
In the mean time - Stay well - and stay Cheap - and thanks for checking in.
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