Page 2 August 23, 2012 Finance A Student’s Perspective How to Save on Back-to-School Shopping Don’t Steal My Bike! By Jason Alderman garage sales, thrift and consignment stores, By Glen Abalyan, Torrance High to-school shopping right above getting a flu • Find out how much extracurricular is also to blame because of the fact that aSchool Studentand sites like Craig’s List.On the fun-o-meter, I’d probably rank back- shot and preparing income taxes. Never mind activities (athletics, music, art, etc.) cost. According to Wired.com, cycling is simple chain is the only object preventing the hassle of figuring out what our kids need Account for uniforms, membership dues, approaching another golden age. With the a thief from stealing a bike. Unfortunately, for the coming school year and dragging them private lessons, field trips, snacks, etc. increase in the number of high quality most of the chains used by cyclists can be to the mall, it’s just so expensive. • Compare the cost, convenience and bikes for affordable prices, more people are easily broken by a determined individual For example, our son insists that we replace nutritional value of school lunches and snacks choosing to use cycling as their favored form with a pair of $15 wire cutters. his baseball glove and bat as he enters 7th versus food you prepare yourself. of transportation. But as the number of bikes But cyclists are now retaliating against grade. (He’s right – his four-year-old mitt • Learn your school’s policy on on the road increases, so does the audacity bike thieves. A video posted on August 14 has seen better days.) Also, our daughter is immunizations and see what’s covered by your of potential bike thieves. Compared to the on YouTube showed how far a man can go starting soccer and needs cleats – good ones insurance – or which ones you can access petty bike thieves of yesteryear, today’s thieves retrieve his stolen bicycle. The owner of aren’t cheap and footwear is one area where free at health fairs or community clinics. form criminal networks to plan heists, rob the bicycle, a user by the name of “Simon we refuse to scrimp. • Factor in public transportation, school homes and steal thousands of dollars worth of Jackson,” posted a video of how he travelled Many years ago my wife and I learned our bus or carpool expenses. bicycles. The theft of bicycles from individuals 160 miles to catch the person responsible for lesson and started setting aside money each • Although shopping online can save money, and dealerships needs to be stopped in order stealing his bicycle. Jackson even organized month for the inevitable – and unexpected time and gas, don’t forget shipping and return to prevent it from hindering the growth of his own sting when he asked the thief where – expenses that crop up each fall. By trial costs, which could undo any net savings. If cycling’s popularity and discouraging potential he got the bike and showed him evidence and error – and sound advice from fellow your kids are old enough, put them in charge cyclists from reaping its many benefits. that he did in fact steal the bicycle. Law parents – we’ve developed a back-to-school of online comparison shopping. A popular subcategory on a site named enforcement has also decided to catch bike budgeting checklist: • Clip newspaper and online coupons. Many Reddit briefly summarizes this view. In its thieves at their own game by strapping GPS First, calculate how much you can afford stores will match competitors’ prices even if bicycling subcategory (otherwise known as devices on trap bikes and arrest anyone to spend on school-related expenses without their own items aren’t on sale. Plus, many a “subreddit”), the front page is filled with attempting to run away with the trap bike. blowing your overall budget or racking up consolidation websites post downloadable users submitting photos of renovated bikes, Ordinary citizens are also doing their part in debt. Scoring bargains won’t help your coupons and sale codes for online retailers. state-of-the art cycles and videos of their preventing bike theft by educating cyclists bottom line if you end up paying interest • Mobile shopping apps let in-store daily commute. The user-submitted content through classes and videos and keeping an on unpaid balances. smartphone and mobile browser users scan of the front page shows the brighter side of eye out for thieves. But even with all the Next, make a comprehensive list of product barcodes and make on-the-spot price cycling and cements the fact that cycling added support cyclists are receiving through anticipated expenses for each child and build comparisons, read reviews, download coupons, is approaching another golden age. But outside sources, they should not be dependent in a cushion for unexpected costs. Try these buy products and more. the subreddit also shows the darker side of on these sources and still focus on keeping strategies: Some parents wrestle over whether or not cycling, as it is littered with photos of recently their bike protected at all costs. • Examine previous years’ bills and compare to take their kids on shopping trips. I think stolen bikes, the lamentations of theft victims With the introduction of quicker and more notes with other, more experienced parents. it’s worth the effort so they can hear and and news reports of entire dealerships being effective ways to steal a bike, cyclists must • Ask the school which supplies they absorb your decision-making process and robbed of thousands of dollars worth of cycles. rely on more than just a bike lock to protect expect you to buy. Pool resources with understand what’s available to spend. My An example of such an event happened in his bicycle. Unfortunately, a pair of $15 wire other families to take advantage of volume kids are probably sick of hearing me say, August when thieves robbed over a hundred cutters can easily break simple chains and discounts and sales. “I’m going to buy this brand of underwear thousand dollars worth of bicycles. locks. To add another level of protection, • Spread clothing purchases throughout the because it’s cheaper, which will give us more The August 11 edition of the Canberra cyclists should invest in a “U-Lock,” or a year so your kids won’t outgrow everything money to buy a better-quality jacket.” Times shows how lucrative today’s bike chain from the same company. A good rule at once; plus you can take advantage of off- Bottom line: Back-to-school shopping can thieves are. The article reported a story of of thumb is to spend 20 percent of your season sales. be tedious, but if you plan carefully, you can how 26 high-end Trek bicycles were stolen bike’s worth in keeping it protected. It is • Review school dress codes so you don’t save time, money and aggravation. from a locked trailer near the Trek offices also advisable for cyclists to lock their bike waste money on inappropriate clothing. Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial in Fyshwick, Australia. The bicycles stolen along its frame instead of its spokes whenever • Before buying new clothing or accessories, education programs. To Follow Jason were top-of-the-line Trek racing bicycles possible because thieves can easily detach the look for “gently used” items in the closets Alderman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ each costing over $10,000. In less than two wheel and steal the more expensive frame. It of your older kids, friends and neighbors, at PracticalMoney. • hours, the thieves managed to steal one is much easier to replace a stolen wheel than hundred $183,000 worth of bikes, devastating the entire rear end of the bicycle. Simon Thompson, the company’s marketing In the case of a theft, cyclists should have manager. The daring raid of the famous bicycle pictures of their bike beforehand along with distributor cannot have been achieved by just registering its serial number. The serial number one man and showed bike thefts’ evolution is usually located under the bike’s crank. from a simple job to something straight out It is important to document a bike’s serial of Ocean’s Eleven. number so that the owner has feasible proof Bike thieves are even resorting to home that the bike is his. It is also advisable to robbery to get what they want. In a May 8 attach a GPS to the bike to easily retrieve it article of the Los Angeles Times, bike thieves if the bicycle gets stolen. Newer versions of robbed Jet Tanner’s home and went away with GPS technology can fit under the bike’s seat his daughter’s custom-made bicycle worth or reflector and can send a text if it senses over $5,000. According to police, bike thieves movement. Taking these precautions prevents are now using sites such as Craigslist and bike theft and makes a thief dedicate more Facebook to acquire more thousand-dollar time to steal it, and thus blows his cover. bicycles. The thieves who were arrested With the increased demand for bicycles, so knowingly used fake aliases to contact the grows the amount of thieves trying to make owner and obtain the owner’s home address. a quick buck. The accessibility of bicycles The rise in bike sales and popularity is in and their owners’ lack of protection make direct correlation to the increase in bike thefts. bicycles one of the fastest growing objects Compared to robbing items of equal value, in underground markets. It is the cyclist’s such as jewelry or small cars, bicycles are the responsibility to be properly educated in easiest object to steal. The average bike thief keeping their bike safe from the greedy would only need a minute to break a bike hands of thieves. lock and only needs a few days to sell it on With the ever-evolving methods of stealing the Internet or flea markets. Compare this to bicycles, cyclists should always stay one step jewelry, which requires an intricate plan, or ahead of their malevolent counterparts and cars, which are relatively simple to track. The educate others from becoming victims of lack of a proper location to place a bicycle this selfish crime. • “High achievement requires an emotional investment. Unfortunately, ther are scores of people who do not make the investment - who do not feel strongly about anything ~ Theodore Isaac Rubin
Lawndale 8.23.12
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