Our Date @ Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A doesn't just sell fried-chicken, they sell an experience.  It is one of the few fast food restaurants that offer a unique dining experience, with decent quality food and very friendly/attentive staff members.  Some argue the "cult-like" following is due to the peanut oil, others prefer the cleanliness, and die hard fans just recognize the importance of tradiiton, with the franchise being closed on Sundays; it doesn't matter, from the friendly staff members that clean tables to the mints that are provided upon exit, Chick-fil-A is the golden standard in the fast food industry.  Jess and I are avid Chick-fil-A fans and since we have been on "no-meat" diets since Mardi-Gras, we have missed Chick-fil-A quite a bit.  Next week, we will turn our "no-meat" diet into a "low-meat" diet by returning to Chick-fil-A on June 4 for a their new Spicy Chicken Sandwich.  Although perhaps not the most romantic date we've been on, it will rid us of our Chick-fil-A "void" and we will get a discounted meal as well.

No matter which way you slice it, the reservation only free spicy chicken sandwich makes for a great marketing campaign.  Make your reservation @ http://www.getspicychicken.com/

Finally, the experience brought by Chick-fil-A doesn't just promote Jess and I as avid fans, but an entire "following".  YouTube videos such as the one below are just a small indication.

KING Tyson

For as long as Frank can remember, Jess wanted a Boston Terrier.  After moving in together 3 years ago, we agreed that it was best to get settled and situated to our new environment and the Boston Terrier would eventually come.  Additionally, we agreed that it would be best for Jess to get started on her MBA before we got to comfortable with ourselves.  So we made a deal... when Jess was accepted to B-School, we would welcome a new boston terrier to our family.  Thorough research connected us with a great breeder just outside of Balitmore MD.  We quickly sent in a deposit, and the puppy was born March 18, 2010.  We named our new puppy "Tyson", and are excited to bring him home next week.

Were our degrees really worth what they cost?

Perhaps there were many ways for both Jess and I to reach the a similar level of financial independence that we currently have. Growing up in blue collar families, there were several opportunities to take over small family owned businesses, work in an hourly job and put in overtime hours, live at home to save on housing/food costs.

However, going to college was not for pure financial reasons. We do not measure costs as a function of financial gain/loss or even opportunity gain/loss. We have in the past and will continue in the future to measure the gain as a quality of life. There were much more than just a degree and a job offer at the end of 4 years that we looked forward to. It was quality of life, leaving the area we grew up, and exploring the rest of the world, expanding our knowledge base, and getting out. For sure we could have been as well off financially as we are now if we went to work right out of high school, but it is extremely difficult to fathom the opportunities we have come across and the white collar life that we now life today. We have explored parts of the globe many people double our age have not seen, we have met people in high places and a lot of power, we have expanded our social networks beyond just a small town in New Jersey, and perhaps most importantly, we have given ourselves a better quality of life than we ever thought possible.

This infographic does a fair job putting a college education/degree in terms of financial and opportunity costs. However, there is much more to life than that!


Research by Online Degrees.org