Wellcultured - Well Cultured is a men’s online magazine with advice and reviews on fashion, dating, finances, health, music, movies and many other topics, as well as a robust message board and the Well Cultured Guide, a freely editable community wiki.

2009 is going to be a different year. For most of us in the West, the economy has gone to hell in a handbasket- leaving many of us without jobs or fighting for those we have. Socially, the world is changing- especially in the US, where the entire government has been handed over to the opposite party and subcultures are growing and growing. This year, seemingly moreso than 2009, is going to be a year about recovery and optimization- making ourselves more better than we were before to weather any kind of economic or social situation.

Frankly, there is very little room for error in the West anymore. Where a few years ago one may be able to survive (to some degree) without a job and with a lot of room for error schooling-wise, we are no longer going to have such freedom. Many college graduates are very quickly learning that there simply aren’t that many jobs anymore- and many budding entrepreneurs are learning there isn’t the money to hire anyone anyway.

In a world like this, the strongest and the most savvy will survive- and when it comes to this sort of competition, being a well cultured individual will save you every time. Knowing how to look professional, dress well, handle yourself in a pleasant way and how to excel at your job is crucial- and here are ten new years resolutions you should follow to do just that.

10- Clean your life “history” now.

Few people really realize how much information can be found out via the Internet, especially by employers. Personally, a variety of information can be found out about me- from my school to even some of my political affiliations, people I’ve worked for, old friends, and embarrassing overweight pictures of myself. The worst thing is, a savvy individual can find some horrible stuff on me- namely, some posts about me from an old stalker, and an accusation of me being a mentally deranged homosexual. These constitute what I call a life “history” online- and just like your internet browser history, they can be fairly normal or very embarrassing, depending on what you do and how much you make public.

If you can, “optimize” your history. Get rid of old forum accounts. Delete old blogs. Remove (or untag yourself from) old photos on Facebook. Make sure no-one is talking about you, if you can help it. There’s nothing wrong with having accounts on websites, just realize that if they connect with your real name, they can harm you- which is why people often joke your name on the internet is a “Power Word”.

Worst case scenario, there are “cleanup” companies that specialize in fixing issues like unsatisfactory posts and the like. Employ them if you must.

9- Build connections everywhere.

Connections are how most people become rich, not by pure savvy. Sure, having intelligence is important- but knowing the right people who can help you (and who you can help in return) is incredibly important.

One of the easiest ways you can build a connection is to make yourself an address book- be it online, written out, or even on your cell phone. Websites like Linkedin and Facebook help, but not everyone in the world is on there- find a somewhat neutral way of cateloging who you know, from where, and their contact info. Store business cards, if you have to.

Remember, though, you have to reciprocate the help you get. Be willing to help out friends- use your skills for their benefit. Really good business connections are made on mutual need, not necessarily on your ability to exploit the other person into getting you what you need.

8- Date more.

I’m very serious. This will help you.

Dating is marketing yourself, no matter what others may say- just, instead of asking the other person to hire you and give you money, you are asking the other person to like you. Dating lets you refine the skill of marketing yourself- both in the sense of getting to know others conversationally (understanding how to be social with near-strangers), but also understanding yourself a bit better- and how to explain yourself to others. You’ll also find yourself less nervous about interviews and other kinds of meetings- if you know how to woo women correctly, you shouldn’t be too worried about being causally friends with men.

As well, the bonus is you could always find an awesome girl- there’s nothing wrong with finding a girlfriend for 2009.

7- Optimize your computer to get things done.

This is the fun geeky part of the resolutions.

Optimize your computer for work. Sure, we all absolutely love to optimize our computers for play- cleaning up our harddrives and buying new parts for faster gaming- but there’s also a benefit to optimization to get things done.

First off, provide yourself simplified ways to manage your e-mail and calendar. Google provides a lot of these tools for free and in high quality- both Gmail and Google Calendar are excellent tools for management. Google Calendar, my personal favorite, allows you to not only make your own calendar, but share them with other users- synchronizing youself with everything from school schedules to football games.

As well, organize and back up your work. For both schoolwork and literal work, make an organization system that will allow you to store  your files safely and in a way where you will know where they are. I personally find that my best method is to have a separate hard drive in my PC devoted entirely to bulk storage- allowing me to reformat and play around on my main hard drive without worrying about where my other files are. This also often saves my rear when I destroy Windows in some way or other.

Oh yes, and if you do decide to optimize your computer, as one geek to another, keep or rollback to Windows XP if at all humanly possible. Despite recent advertisements, Vista is not a productivity system whatsoever. Worst case scenario, if you cannot find XP drivers for your system, consider some flavor of Linux.

6- Go to school- or get certificates for what you already know.

Unless you have already gone, if you are not currently in a form of College/University, you need to apply pronto. As I have often mentioned, High School educations simply do not cut it anymore for jobs- you need to specialize and be smarter. Some people can certainly find jobs after highschool because of their skill- but for the average joe, that sort of luck rarely comes. Get a degree in something- and study your ass off for a good GPA. There are many companies now that do not even briefly consider potential hires unless they have the minimum of a Bachelor’s degree.

Some people are surprised at the ridiculous amounts of accrediation you can get for very little work. Many certifications- computer certifications such as the A+ Certification, various personal trainer certifications, and other similar certificates can be had for relatively cheap. These boost a resume for virtually any job, and always provide an extremely good way to make extra cash on the side.

5- Make more money- put your skills to work.

As I mentioned above, easy skills can be a great cash crop. Personally, I have found that basic tech support and design work provide me a steady stream of extra money for clothes, dates, and other kinds of frivolities- as well as a great way to augment rent if I need to.

Your “skill” doesn’t even have to be something incredibly complex- there are many party planning companies and restaurants that sometimes need extra hosts. If you have the looks for it (or the lack of self-respect to do horrible fetish photography), modeling is a very reasonable way to make cash.

What I will say, though, is to be careful. From the work I’ve done, as well as hearing stories from friends, there are many scams that exist for temps- not paying the right amount, expecting more than they listed, and that sort of thing. Always have something in writing- even an e-mail or two confirming the job and the pay- to back yourself up.

4- Eat healthier- no more junk food, period.

There have been countless articles posted online and published in newspapers/magazines about junk food and it’s bad effects, yet it still is purchased by the proverbial truckload by the average family. This is ridiculous. While sweets and chips are fine in moderation, you may not really realize how many calories, grams of fat and grams of sugar you are ingesting every day from a casual snack- and how much effect it has on your system.

Eating poorly makes you sluggish, irritable, sleepy (but often makes it harder to actually fall asleep), sexually weak, and it can give you horrible skin. Worst of all, it makes you fat. Why eat it?

Eat junk food in moderation. There’s nothing wrong with having a bag of chips or a soda every now and then- just don’t go overboard. If you eat a lot of junk food (say, during a Christmas party), exercise it off- don’t consider it a lost cause. Sometimes, the best way to ensure you don’t eat it is to simply not buy it- and, in the long run, it will save you money, too.

3- Dress better- buy clothes that are eternally stylish.

Of course, this being a fashion website, we always love talking about new fashions and how to wear them- it’s our “thing”. The problem is, with the economy going to hell, it’s hard to buy good fashions that are actually affordable.

The answer to this is twofold. First off, go for sales. With the economy as bad as it is, many clotheirs are cutting back their prices and holding sales like crazy- take advantage of them. I’ve seen $300 jackets go for $50 this Christmas- a bad thing for retailers but a good thing for you.

The second part of the answer is that you should buy long-lasting, not transient, fashions. Well-made suits, leather shoes, high quality jeans, and nice coats are all the kinds of clothing that will last you years- so buy them well and in fashions that are established, not extremely cutting-edge. Modernize your wardrobe with a few small pieces, but largely keep yourself traditional in fit and style- doing so will allow the clothing to truly last years, rather than look outdated in one or two.

2- Start a weekly exercise routine- preferably three times a week.

The reverse of junk food- exercising makes you look good and feel good. Beyond just being fit, exercising will make you look better (both in clothing and naked), it will give you more energy, allow you to focus more, and in general will make you a better person overall.

Of course, don’t get into a “rut” by focusing exclusively on weight lifting or running- branch out and make your routine encompass a little bit of everything. Fundamentally, you should try working on a little bit of the “big three”- strength, stamina, and flexibility- by finding activities and exercises to promote all three, rather than one or two. If you exclusively weight lift, try to build in some cardio as well- you’ll find it beneficial both to your weight lifting stamina and to help slim fat off your body- and if you do nothing but cardio, try weight lifting to blast away pudginess and show lean muscle off.

1- Manage your money.

Obviously, I’ve been mentioning money a lot this post, and number one is all about money.

No matter how old you are or what financial situation you are in, it is imperitive that you begin to manage your money closely. Know where your money is coming from and where it is going- and keep it from blasting away on ridiculous expenditures.

One very important thing all people over 18 should work on is building credit. Even if you do not need one, having a credit card (and using it for a small expenditure monthly) is a great way to build up a credit score and prove you can handle small term loans. This will help immensely in the future with larger loans- such as car loans or home loans- which often require you have a demonstrated history of, in colloquial terms, “trustability”.

Arguably the easiest way to manage your finances is to buy cheap and only when you must. Other than things you absolutely must have (groceries, a roof over your head, etc), there are many things you simply do not need to spend so much money on. If you can manage it, avoid paying monthly fees for video games, upper-tier cable channels, personal trainers, and other amenities, especially if you do not use them.

I’ve listed a ridiculous amount of pointers today, but my point is incredibly simple: manage yourself tightly this year. 2009 is going to be a year of tight funds and even tighter employers- so you will have to bend to avoid breaking, if you pardon the metaphor. I can guarantee that even if you pick up one of these resolutions, 2009 will be just a little bit simpler- and hopefully, we’ll all survive just a bit better than the next guy.

I was sitting reading well-cultured when I had realized that one of the most important financial pieces that could ever be included was left out, banking, or more like saving money specifically. Even in our economic string of bad luck (failure) people still manage to function, I still fill my gas tank and buy a hot latte now and again. The reason I do is because I have some assurance that my money is relatively safe. I put my money in a bank just like my parents do, and their parent’s did, so on and so forth…

When I was going to put some money away for whatever the hell I might want to save it for I was thinking that my mattress was a fine idea. Wrong. I later found out that some money was to be made off of this system and I thought I’d let you in on it. At first I was a little critical about the thought of a bunch of Jews handling my money. Then, lending it out to other people, but I got over it rather quickly after I did some interest related math.

Enough about my experiences and on to how to do it.
Firstly, I chose a bank, WaMu (Washington Mutual), based on location and general size of the bank. I think that large banks are just money hungry, but they are a lot more stable than the back-alley bank with a BS 23% APY(Yearly interest). On that note that 23% means the bank is offering a ridiculous rate because it needs/wants a metric fuck-ton more customers. There are banks across the US, UK, G7, and almost anywhere there is a people with money. So just pick one near you.
Before you just go and sign yourself up for a savings account with volcano insurance. Look around at interest rates and features of the account. My account has 1.5% interest rate (lame BTW), an automatic savings plan, and no withdrawal fees. Different accounts and different banks offer similar stuff, but with a different twist. Some banks flaunt their ’super-high’ interest rates without showing a competitor’s rates; they are usually getting their ass kicked by another bank. Some banks just don’t tell you flat out what the rates are, so you have a lot more homework to do.
I have seen a lot of banks have these nifty gimmicks. Some are good ideas and others are stupid, but if you like frills and sparkles on you account go ahead. All I am getting at is the fact that banks will all be different. Find an account or bank you like simply by looking on-line. There is a personal fear of mine when I think of on-line banking. and that is the very thing you are Anonymous and it scares the crap out of me. So now I do all of my banking in person. Thanks.
I use my savings account for a kind of ‘near money’ as in, not quite cash, or a check, but if I wanted a computer I could get it a little later. I keep extra cash in it and make moderately large purchases. You could have just a checking account, but I guarantee that you won’t be saving much money that way. You need to have a generalized financial goal in mind when you start banking, and not just meh I’ll put my change jar in here and pull it all out after a week. It is a little more long-term than that.
A little tidbit for you. My personal favorite way to save money is 5-10% of my paycheck to my savings. I may not end up a bajillionaire but I know that I have some monetary security of a couple thousand to hold me over in case something should happen. Something like me losing my job, a big-ass ticket, getting sued, or wanting a new bad-ass computer. You could just do this until you could afford something as small as a new iPod.
Banks really don’t care if you are poor-as-dirt they will still charge you for a bounced check or an overdrawn account (Pulling more out of savings than you have.) I have a debit card and I overdrew, and had to pay something like $22 for every something I went over. Thank God it was only like $10 overdrawn! Also on that note I have to have a minimum of $5000 in my account to avoid a $15 fee every month. I haven’t yet had $5ooo in my account but I thought I’d warn you now so you weren’t like, “What the hell!?!? A $15 fee?!? That bastard! He never told me ”
Either way you should still do your homework on your bank before you sign up. As it turns out people can do their homework, and a little more. These people now do a ton of banking to make a living. They worked until he had enough money in their accounts to live off. Then, they kept managing their money, and putting more into the accounts as they worked. They can then retire and live solely on the interest generated by these accounts. Cool huh? too bad it takes 30+ years of investing and managing money to do so. Another thing that could be done is save like $100,000 @ 2.5% and add 2500 to your income every year.
In the end you will want to find a banking establishment. Plan out what you want to do with your finances in either the long or short-term. Pick the account type that you want, including all of the ‘gimmicks’ and fringe benefits (frills). Have some sort of savings plan, like a few bucks a week to savings or a thousand a quarter in the bank. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!! I cannot stress this adequately. If you fail at this you could fuck up the whole thing and end up with a pile of fees and owe the bank money for some gay charge you had overlooked, TL;DR, Read the fine print. “The bold giveth, The fine print taketh away.” A savings account can be tooled to your likeing so browse a bit before you sit down and talk about the deal.

Let’s face it, a lot of us are poor. Well, not eat-off-the-floor poor, but the vast majority of us aren’t rolling in cash, and many of us find ourselves in a position where we have to find money- and manage that money well lest we starve. And, as our forums show, many of us are college students with one big issue: Money.

So, in the interest of answering some questions and collecting some ideas, here’s a quick list of habits that will help you survive college life without major debt. Unfortunately, no answer will make your tuition debts completely go away, but… we can imagine.

Basic College Life

• Stay in a school that has what you want: remember, it’s not much different than hiring a service. Don’t get caught up in the concept of sticking at a school because of arbitrary means (such as “I like the name” or something like that). Remember: You are (probably) paying an exorbitant amount of money to attend- work hard for what you want, and if it’s not what you want, go somewhere else.
• Be wary of clubs and organizations. Don’t hide from them by any means, but some groups and organizations on campus (ESPECIALLY Fraternities and Sororities) expect dues to the tune of $1,000 USD or more. Either prepare for it or stay far away.
• Avoid going out to bars. Trust me, even if you like that scene, plenty of parties will have free beer in one form or another, and you don’t need the alcohol THAT badly. Modern bartenders take your credit card hostage and charge like there’s no tomorrow- they do so for their own safety, which is fine, but it also keeps you from realizing how much expensive crap you’ve guzzled down.
• Get good grades and keep out of trouble. You will be eligible for school-sponsored scholarships if you do- stuff that can knock the price off significantly.
• Become a “Scholarship Whore”. Apply to everything you hear about. While it’s taxing, you can do it in your free time. Who knows, you might get something.
• Take the PLSAT/PGMAT/Whatever as much as possible. You may be pleasantly surprised to find out your scores, and it’s a good way to figure out where you stand for both graduate school and some of your college strengths. Expect it to be rough- the PLSAT is roughly the equivelant of mental molestation, and the PGMAT even more so- but you need to take it. Most colleges let you take it for free.
• Stay off of JuicyCampus and other gossip rags. Some colleges have been known to severely punish students for doing such things.
• Avoid excessive spending. You do not need a 50″ plasma screen in a 10′x10′ room. Similarly, you do not need to walk around in the latest fashions driving a Porsche. Most people in college are too busy to care.
• Take advantage of free stuff on campus. Often, colleges will hold various free seminars and functions for students. This can range from being able to hear a famous speaker to getting a 100% free Flu shot. Keep your eyes peeled.
• Network like crazy. Your first job may come from someone you met in college- so don’t dismiss the idea of talking to everyone you can and networking with as many professionals as you can handle. Even taking business cards is a good start.

Class Tricks

• Figure out your Library policy and abuse it. Taking an English class with 20 books and you have no money? The Library will probably have copies- and some older texts can be found online. Similarly, services like JSTOR and LexisNexis are usually free on student networks- abuse them if you can.
• Mass Print in “Fast Draft” mode. If you have it, use this mode for any/all required readings you have to print out. Your printer will thank you when it doesn’t have to chug out 300DPI scans of some stupid report (I know this, I killed a new printer in under 6 months doing this).
• Even if you feel academically confident, still use free tutoring services. If you have the free time, why not? It’s free lessons. Double up the time someone’s instructing you on a subject you are poor at and you have a hell of a lot better chance of passing. On many campuses, it’s free.
• Re-use notebooks or use loose leaf, if you can. Don’t waste the money to buy a huge notebook just to constantly scrabble “This Professor Is An Idiot” all over the first three pages to never use the notebook again.

Food/Drink Tips

• Hungry? Find a party or a gathering and feign interest. The moral nature of doing such a thing is questionable, but crazy political interest nutcases can make a good burger.
• Cut back on the Soda, Red Bull, and Vitamin Water. It’ll make you fat- even Vitamin Water (check the label if you don’t believe me). The worst thing is, that kinda stuff tends to make you jumpy and retarded. From personal experience, studying and drinking nothing but Red Bull (and eating Gummi Worms) for two days straight gives you Kafka-esque hallucinations.
• You can go cheaper than the cafeteria. Most upperclassmen learn this quick: get the minimum meal plan and buy stuff on your own. Cafeteria food gets old, and it obviously is kinda pricy for what you get. Cans of soup, sandwiches, and similar items are equally as tasty and are much cheaper. Hell, if you live off campus, brown-bag it.
• Don’t smoke or drink alcohol if you can avoid it. Yes, it sounds prudish, but that stuff is insanely expensive.

Living

• Living off campus may be cheaper in the long run. Do some searching when such an option is available- as crazy as it sounds, it may be cheaper to share an apartment with some friends (or even go on your own) rather than staying in a dorm.
• Fight for a dorm room you want. Many colleges charge roughly the same for a triple, double, and single dorm room, so fight for the one you want. Raising hell, within reason, can result in nice extras.
• Mooch. If you have roommates, more than likely they will have various other things you may need- such as televisions, new video games, etc.- if you split up the costs in the long run, everyone will have the same enjoyment without the high costs.
• Use the Library for movies and games. Check your library- they may have more interesting things than you think. Many Professors seem to have a love of modern movies (mainly for “teaching”, in the loosest term), so many libraries stock up with the newest films. It’s a lot cheaper than renting.
• Keep the place clean. Damage bills can be ridiculous.
• Make friends with the IT guys, if you can. Please an IT guy sufficiently and you will magically find yourself with more bandwidth and more blind eyes to your browsing habits.
• Carpool. Don’t go off on solo trips if you can. If you live in a dorm, no doubt some friends will need food too- everyone can pitch in for gas and collectively save money.
• Be frugal about laundry. Many articles of clothing can admittedly be worn multiple days- and when you do laundry, avoid using tons of detergent.

General Finance

• Lock your credit cards away. If you play your cards right, there will be few times you will genuinely need a credit card, especially on campus.
• STAY AWAY FROM ON-CAMPUS LENDING GROUPS. If you do decide to utilize them, be CAREFUL. Many of these groups are rather predatory, meaning if you are too loose with your funds they will tear your credit history to shreds before you even graduate.
• Read the terms of the “Campus Cash” (or equivalent) deals. Many colleges allow you to place money on your ID card for miscellaneous purchases, such as for drinks and the like. Some do not allow this money to “roll over” to the next semester/year. If that is the case, either put as little as you can on there, or buy everything in sight right before the year ends.
• Shop around for financing options for your tuition loan. Various states offer different things- even the federal government gets involved on occasion. Shop around.

Getting Extra Cash

• Sign up to be a tech adviser/repairman on campus. Trust me, they don’t need A+ Certified pseudo-geniuses- most campuses hire general “Dorm Techs” to do the basic work (like plugging in Ethernet cables). You can be paid for this.
• Find a job in your major department. This is the ideal- not only do you get money, but you get offhand learning experience AND the opportunity to bond with your Professors.
• Find a job ANYWHERE on campus. Most colleges will hire you and then work around your class schedule, which is amazingly great.
• Do miscellaneous things for students on campus. One of the brightest ideas I’ve heard in a while is that the makeup group Mary Kay is hiring girls on campus to sell to girls on campus. That’s a money machine. While I doubt you can go around hawking makeup, there are many similar things you can do.

Another question from the readers:

Hello, I’m starting to get out on my own, and I’m heading off to college next semester.  One of my co-workers has suggested that I get put on the books so that I can start to establish my own credit history.  Honestly, I don’t know anything about credit, credit scores, or credit history, so I turn to you guys to hopefully steer me in the right direction to manage the meager amount of money I’m going to have as a college student.

Your coworker is actually pretty sharp. Credit histories take some time to build up (properly, at least), so it’s good to have a general game plan when you enter College.

When you enter College, you will probably get an insane amount of credit card applications- even from your college. While it’s something of an ethically questionable practice, many colleges (especially private ones) connect with local banking institutions to provide their students access to credit cards and banking resources. That being said, now is the time to start building up a credit history, it just has to be done carefully.

Here’s what I recommend: Get a credit card and use it only once a month for a meal or something. Credit cards are massive pains (and many argue against their existance as a whole), but you generally need them for various purchases, so it’s important to play the game early and build up a reputation (which is manifest in your credit history). However, as I’m sure you’ll notice in college, you can easily way overcharge crap on your credit card and get into massive debt- and it can ruin your future job opportunities. Too many people graduate from College with huge amounts of debt- debt from credit cards AND tuition.

Long story short, get a credit card to “officially” be using their services, but never use it except once a month (so it stays active) and pay it off immediately. If you need to carry a card with you, carry a debit card- and only when you absolutely must. While you will build up your credit history, you will stay out of debt, and essentially begin earning free services from the credit card company. Naturally, the company will be making SOME money off you (off of the people you buy from, rather), but in the long run, they’ll be giving you a free ride to a solid credit history.

So far as general money management, it isn’t that hard so long as you learn to budget and watch yourself:

1. Drinking in college is expensive and stupid. Nowadays, bartenders will actually expect you to hand them your credit card and let them charge away as you drink away. If you want to drink, go to parties or whatever and grab what’s free. This also applies with food and “major/minor parties”, though professors will get angry at you for that (I know this from experience).
2. Some campuses will be more expensive than others. On some, living on-campus is cheap, others will charge you an arm and a leg to do so. Figure out what’s cheap- if you live off campus close enough to bike, then you can save lots of money- always check prices.
3. Avoid nasty fees. Private universities love to tack on “bad” parking charges and/or food charges to make up what they spend on the football team, so avoid bad practices.
4. Build a budget and stick by it. Let’s face it, all you really need is food, water, clothing, a roof, and, in college, an internet connection. I’m not supposed to really say this, but you can download so much stuff now, it’s useless to buy most entertainment-related things.

So there you have it. I kept it fairly simple, but hopefully it should be straightforward enough to help. Good luck!