Wednesday, October 20, 2010

C-Nut's Axe


In the past 18 months, I lost a boatload (or two) of money shorting this insane stock market rally.

However, we moved in with my MIL last May and reduced our living expenses, PLUS my wife landed a raise in coming back to work out of NYC.

So we're doing alright financially for the moment.

But we are in New York now where everything is outrageously expensive - like $36 per hour pre-school drama classes!

Last month I was hit by a crazy $180 ticket for answering my cordless cell phone in my car, in front of an unmarked cruiser.

For a while I thought about fighting it with the goal of, perhaps, getting it halved. Ultimately, I determined that spending two hours(?) in court for a *chance* at saving $90 would never be worth it.

While technically *I* paid the ticket, more accurately it was paid by others.

There were two occasions recently in honor of which we would normally send gifts BUT I instructed my wife to pass this time on both of them.

And I just received the annual plea from my private high school asking for money. For years I've sent them $100 each fall....but, not this year. As I told my wife, "Someone has to pay for my ticket!"

Earning 70 basis points on my cash, $3 a gallon gasoline, 8.625% sales tax, subway and train fare hikes, higher taxes and fees, etc....these days I've got to find some budget cuts - we all do.

I thought, for a second, about using this picture....but my female readership is too high now.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

how do u know the gender of your readership? is it MIL.

what is your trading style...do u trade often. what % of your wealth do u invest in stock market. just trying to understand your risk/trading profile.

CaptiousNut said...

Ever since I changed my avatar to a pic of my midriff....female readership has soared.

I don't trade often anymore. I have a bunch of losing shorts that I am trying to ride out.

I invest 0% of my money in *the stock market*.

I swing a big bat when trading out of profits. See 1.5 years ago.

When in the sewer, I hunker down as its my money.

JReality said...

"In the past 18 months, I lost a boatload (or two) of money shorting this insane stock market rally"

It takes nerves of steel to short this crazy market. Most of the bears are either shaken out by the time it finally corrects, or they get killed from slippage or time decay.

I thought the bear market was back this summer and we would continue to head lower, and reality was finally asserting itself, but that turned out to be another headfake. Ouch!

Can I sue the Fed and the PPT for my big losses from shorting?! LOL