Temptations

One of my subscriptions is to Ramit at I Will Teach You to be Rich. Ramit has a lot of great ideas, some of which replicate my own ideas; in the last few years I have cut out most of the excesses in my spending and don't have a lot of remaining options. For example, he's a firm believer in bringing lunch instead of spending a ton of money. I already bring my lunch. Which is fine.

He does have a lot of other ideas though, including offshoring some of your spending. While I have mixed feelings about it, due to the economy and all the stores that are closing and filing bankruptcy, in some ways it makes sense. I'm very tempted by cheap glasses; I went to the opthamologist last week and I may get new lenses in my current frames, as well as ordering another pair from a company in India. Because I have a fairly strong prescription, my lenses are very expensive, at least if I don't want to have the proverbial Coke Bottles. That's why a cheap pair of glasses seems like a reasonable alternative, especially in a world in which people engage in medical tourism.

Two years ago I worked on a project with someone who had lived in the Middle East and had gotten a bunch of cheap dental work done there. She was planning to go back to visit and talked about getting her dental work done when she went. I don't know whether she did, but it makes more sense if you're going anyway than if it's a special trip.