Happy birthday to my watch

Everyone, please send birthday well-wishes to my Tigger watch, which turns 10 today. It was given to me as a sweet-sixteen present by my at-the-time boyfriend. The boyfriend is no longer with me, but I have kept the watch, which is (as I say) 10 years old today.

Watch-years are like dog-years, so it's actually pretty old now. I don't know how many birthdays it has left. So, while you all get the chance, please wish it a happy birthday.

(A corollary to this post is that I also happen to be 26 today. Birthday wishes to me are optional.)

Grab bag of links

My goodness, it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, no time to waste, then.

1. Making your own homemade oatmeal packets: a visual guide and cost analysis -- an interesting (albeit long), in-depth analysis of whether it makes sense to make your own oatmeal packets or buy the pre-packaged stuff. The verdict: slightly more expensive for the first batch, but less expensive for subsequent batches. Only worthwhile if your family eats a lot of oatmeal.

2. What's so wrong about porn? -- a contrarian article (from a woman) about why porn really isn't all that bad, and why she wouldn't mind if her husband watched it.

3. Personal currencies: new ways of looking at money -- a slightly different take on the question, "how much does that cost?"

4. Lifestyle investing: "compound time" like compound interest? -- Tim Ferris argues that time can be compounded like money, with similar long-term benefits.

5. All of inflation's little parts -- very cool interactive graph from the New York Times, breaking down the average consumer's spending by category and subcategory. Click the link and at least check it out.

6. 8 college courses that will make you rich -- while I don't agree with all his choices, it's always interesting to see what other people think are must-take courses for a well-balanced education.

7. Rent forever, don't buy a home -- another contrarian article, this time presenting a counter-argument to the myth that owning a home is better than renting.

8. Friday pick-me-up -- this is funny. Read it. It'll only take a second, and it'll make you laugh.