First and foremost, don’t forget to VOTE tomorrow!

Now, back to business.

Ah the age old question… To rent, to share, or to lease?? For decades philosophers and mathematicians alike have pondered this query, and each time the debate is waged, the answer always sounds the same… “it depends.”

At this point, many of our friends have “grown up” and now own or lease a car, while my husband and I are still pushing a rental Sonata because it makes more sense for us… Or does it?
For all of you other city folk who keep meaning to do a cost benefit analysis on leasing vs. renting vs. using your city’s car share program (Zipcar, Mint etc.), Excel Rain Man has done the work for you. All you need to do is plug in some inputs (days you would rent a car, avg rates for lease/car rentals/car share, cost of parking, and so forth), and this simple workbook will show you the best place for you to spend your precious coins on an hourly, daily and monthly basis.

Quite unfortunately… It seems that for the foreseeable future, we will be waiting in line at the Avis counter, duking it out for the last Chevy Impala with XM Satellite Radio. The Car Calculator also provides hourly and daily cost analysis to further drill down the costs for the infrequent renter.

To get the skinny on what car plan works best for you, download the FREE Excel Rain Man Car Calculator in the Tips & Tricks Section of ExcelRainMan.com.

As always, Excel Rain Man encourages travel via Public Transportation, your tootsies (feet), a pedi cab or a hybrid.
*please note that the Excel Rain Man Car Calculator does not account for the cost of replacing the goods that you leave in your rental cars (sorry Jess). If you need us to spreadsheet this for you just Submit a Request.

If you are similar to us and your car use depends heavily on factors such as weather, holidays, seasons, etc. please Submit a Request and we will bang out a car calculating analysis that best suits you!

Video Tutorials

Excel Rain Man Video Tutorials are dropping knowledge for Mac 2008 and PC 2007 Excel users everywhere. Just g

o to the Video Tutorials page of www.ExcelRainMan.com. Click on the name of the tutorial for details and then click “Buy Now” to purchase. Tutorials are $5 each, but for the next week if
you enter the code XLS20CC at checkout you will get 20% off any Video Tutorial and all Tips & Tricks for sale.

Still don’t feel like paying? Ask your boss to pony up the corporate card on Tutorials for the whole office! Just Submit a Request and inquire about group rates (available for groups of 10 or more).

Visual Basic tutorials are coming soon.

Small Biz Spotlight

I consider myself to be someone who knows a thing or 2 about presents. My husband especially does as he shamelessly promotes his birthday and we spend much of our time talking about what presents we want… to receive that is! Thus when we renew our vows (how often can you do that?), we are definitely registering at www.NewlyWish.com. This is an NYC-based online gift registry service, providing a network of the City’s best shops, all in one place… you know what that means?!? Small business lovin’ everywhere!

NewlyWish also solves my biggest pet peeve about wedding gifts. You do not have to merely upgrade your pots and pans just because that is the only thing available at Crate & Barrel or Williams Sonoma. NewlyWish offers a variety of gifts, from kitchen equipment, bed and bath, to spas and fitness centers, dancing lessons, museum memberships, cultural events, and more… Some of my favorites include:

– Fishs Eddy and Bowery Kitchen for the standard stuff
– I must admit that I love Michael Aram’s stuff, though the bowl we registered for is sitting in my husband’s cubicle and is filled with goo goo clusters and welch’s fruit snacks
– 5 Class Package for Physique 57
– Gift Certificate to Cut the Clutter (no explanation necessary)
– Cooking Classes for 2 or for your bachelorette party (can I cash in on one of those now?)
– Tickets to the US Open 2011 @ Pebble Beach (mom are you reading this?)

So I have clearly made my Chrismukkah list a little early. You can also register for facials, wine tastings, dance classes, you name it.

The NewlyWish Holiday Shop is now OPEN! Shop top-of-the-line kitchen equipment and feast your eyes on all of the entertaining essentials you’ll need for the holidays.
All I am saying is that Amanda Allen, founder of NewlyWish, is just a genius!!! Visit to get started on your registry… and you will never have to re-gift again!

As always, if you want Excel Rain Man to simply do your work for you… Submit a Request and we will take that drab Excel work off your desk!
Don’t forget to become a fan of Excel Rain Man on facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Until next time,
Jen Portland

The Excel Rain Diva 🙂