Sour Strawberries and Recession 'taste' about the same!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Sour Strawberries and Recession 'taste' about the same!

Here's what my great grand-daughter seems to be 'thinking' as she tastes her first strawberry. Well, wait until she tastes her first recession!

Google finally got things fixed so we can now upload our photos again - hooray!

On the side-bar you'll find some links I like - the
one on MONEY THOUGHTS is terrific. This guy lives in Cincinnati - he's
written me, and said while he might not always have the answer to a question, he
just might have some valuable links! Now - how nice is
that.....http://moneyplusthoughts.blogspot.com/
I think I'll have to ask my daughter to take him some SWEET strawberries; they don't live that far from each other.....

Another helpful link I just discovered - February 24, 2009

I started this blog almost 12 months ago; I pretty much posted just about all the ideas I personally had to add, and leave it here - in 'cyberspace' for those who might benefit from practices I've used for 48 years.

I rarely find anything 'new' that I haven't tried, and on the side-bar (down below) you'll find other helpful bloggers and web-sites that give you additional information to help you with your budget-planning.

So, today I felt pretty lucky to find a new web-site/blog, that really is well thought out; truly a person who is also interested in helping people find their way through a 'time and trial' that has worsened since I started this blog early in 2008.

Give it a look - here's an example of his ideas; other links and web-sites he's discovered, and be sure to check out not only his blog but other archived information he has to offer.

http://www.billshrink.com/blog/2008/12/

And what about a vacation during 'money-crunch' times?

We just got back after 2 great trips to the Grand Canyon; Flagstaff, Page and Sedona (all in Arizona).

After we got back from there, we visited one of our children and their family in Palm Desert.

As we talked about the family reunion in August, I reminded the kids about how we've saved money as we make many trips in the R.V.

Yes, the cost of gas has to be weighed against the distance and accommodations.

What we've done is have other r.v. people 'join us' by renting a hotel - we all use the facilities; shower, and take turns sleeping in the room while the rest of us camp out or sleep in our r.v.'s.

Instead of having each and every person shell out
$100/night (compared to the $22/night for the r.v. spot), the 10 families all
chip in $10 towards that ONE hotel room. There are two queen beds, so families
can 'bunk in' in all cases - there are just the two of us, so we have 'luxury'
when our turn comes to sleep 'inside'.

We all take our own food in our r.v. (saves tons of money on eating out). We all cook; share the 'stew' or the 'post-roast' and soup. We can buy 'in bulk' - we all chip in; it saves.

Most of us take our own personal car; saves money on
driving around - and we 'car-pool' for those photo-shoots.
We consider the cost of the r.v. site @ $22/night - add $10/night for our share of the hotel room = $32/night total for each family/r.v. group.

We limit our travel to no more than 500 miles from our
homes - anything more than that, and you have to weigh the gasoline charges; the
wear and tear on the r.v. or motor-home, and the length of time you're
staying.

Because we drive up to cooler temperatures (we are in the triple digits in the desert during the summer), we're able to set our thermostat to 92 degrees (yes that's very warm, but we always return late at night so it has cooled a bit, then we put the thermostat to 78 degrees and start getting cooled down shortly after we climb into that bed we've missed for 2 or 3 months).

We save about $150/month for 3 months, on the cost of
electricity (all electric home). We save about $60 on water for each month which
adds a total of $210/month saved. We save on trash at $40/month so that adds up
to $250/month saved. As you can see, this pays for about 7.8 nights which we
deduct from the total of 30 nights each month in the r.v. park (including the
hotel-room sharing fee of $10 each)

When we take this 3-month long vacation, we take the money from our regular savings deposit which is about 33% of our total monthly savings deposit.

Yes, it is an 'added cost', but we have such fun so we
allow for this each year. It's hard to vacation for $710 a month in a hotel room
(that's about $24/night - can't find that rate easily I'm sure). We don't
calculate the cost of insurance or tags on the r.v. because we use it 'locally'
as well.

True, there's an added gas cost to get 'to and from' the location - as well as the cost to drive our car 'to and from' the location. Because we don't eat meals out in a restaurant but once a week (as we do at home), we don't increase (substantially) our 'meals out' as most people have to allow for when they fly on an airplane; live in a hotel room, and are almost 'forced' to find a restaurant a good deal of the time.

When we do stay in a hotel room, we shop the deli'
section of the super-market; this saves money too. We also eat 'fresh' (I'm a
vegetarian), so we can simply buy our 'normal food', and there's no cooking
required (most hotel rooms we stay in have micro-waves anyway).

We don't buy expensive coffee at a coffee shop; hotels offer coffee - sometimes continental breakfasts; that saves as well, so look for those benefits when you book a hotel.

When we share with our r.v. friends (our group is
usually no less than 10 families - or more), we reduce redundancy by
'car-pooling' to sites we all want to visit, but we don't all take separate
cars, we save even more! This can easily save you $40 each time you 'head out'
for a journey of about 200 miles 'round-trip. If you take only one a week for 12
weeks, that's $480 you've saved by jumping into that neighbor's car and
capturing a great photo for your album.

We share our lap-tops with those that don't have access; or when some 'die' on us while we're on vacation, and driving to the library is more costly than just asking your neighbor who's got one working, then you can see we get pretty creative with all our 'toys'. No one has to repair a computer, or shell out for a new lap-top while on vacation.

We share cameras; photos - we e-mail or put them up on blogs so they can be 'captured'; copied, and pasted where the reader wants to store them. No one is interested in the 'tourist traps' - and if you want to see Donald Duck or Goofy, dress up like one of those cartoon characters and hug your buddy...much cheaper!

We share minutes on our cellular phones; some have
better plans, and when we don't use all our minutes, we give them away to our
neighbors - saves money and makes great friends. If you run over on minutes,
you're looking at another $30/month if you're gabby like I am.

We share the same newspaper - pass it around; it's stuck in someone's 'bumper' or wheel-well or fancy tire rim...just put it back. Why should 10 people pay $1.00/day for a newspaper ($30/month) - one will do; and that means for every 10 families, it's 10 cents a day for that newspaper (do that when you get home as well).
If someone wants to clip coupons, we can all buy those
specific items 'on sale' or with those coupons, and each saves a few dollars a
month that way (another thing to do when you get home).

Of course we share ideas on how we all save money. Any 'professionals' in the crowd? Well they give us a hand with information we might have to pay for - we all give out for free, information that might cost someone else if they made 'an appointment' to gather that data.

Yes, our plate reads: RVFUNVR - says it all...RVFRUGALANDLOVINGIT doesn't fit on a license plate!

My great grand-daughter likes the music; doesn't like the strawberry or many of these photos...

It takes about 15 minutes to see these pictures (slide-show). As I watched the montage, I played a game - something you can too.

How many photos show the effects of 'commercialism'?

How many photos show the effects of eating bad or fast foods and other 'stuff', we put into our unsuspecting bodies?

How many of these things are important to you in your life?

How much time would you spend documenting your 'day' - or your year, if you had the resources to do so? Resources you say?

Yes, we take digital cameras for granted in many cases...

We take having adequate memory cards for those photos, for granted - in many cases.

We assume everyone has a computer...

We assume everyone can afford the I-net services...

Wow, with our assumptions, do you see the costs involved here?

Well if you've come this far, then do yourself a favor and play my 'little game' - it might shock you as it did me, to realize someone out there finds the time; money and expends the effort to focus on what provides 'photogenic' qualities worthy of creating such a montage.

I do hope the person was being 'facetious' .... or since there were no comments about the purpose of this project, possibly trying to 'tell me the story' that I heard inside my head as my jaw 'dropped' on a few. A revelation - to me, no; but in this condensed state, it just became more apparent what is seriously wrong with our way of buying - eating, and 'thinking'....

Perhaps this person really did want me to react the way I did (negatively in many instances).

Perhaps this person is just too 'cautious' to speak out - perhaps....

Anyway - it's yours to form your own opinion.

http://flickr.com/photos/asv/sets/72157602859214151/show/

A LITTLE LESSON ON THE MEANING OF WORDS - AND THE 'EXPERIENCE'...

Recession - the meaning of. Depresssion - the meaning of. Deprivation - the meaning of. Starvation - the meaning of.

Do you know the meaning of these words? Do you know the meaning of the experience? Have you done any or all of the above?

As a 'busy blogger', I've also started one that focuses on world hunger and starvation - I hope you check out this site as well:

http://sweetcharityplease.blogspot.com

At the bottom of this blog, meet my 'adopted children' - where my Christmas gift money now goes.....

http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/25867/news.htm

The inventor of the Web, CERN, a Swiss organisation, is laying bricks for the next-age communication with the Grid. The Grid is supposed to be 10,000 times faster than the current connections.

On the lines of the Web, the Grid will first connect leading research and academic institutions. But eventually, it will reach homes as well.

However, home user may not be 'directly' hooked to the Grid, but service telecom providers, ISVs will take some advantage of these technologies.

Some have already started using dynamic switching which creates a dedicated channel for Internet users thus increases data transfer rate manifold.

The Grid has already connected Cern with 11 centres in the United States, Canada, the Far East, Europe and around the world.

Today as I left my 'post' on another blog, I realized it did belong here as well.

Diane Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation. May 3rd, 2008 at 10:14 am

Enjoyed all of it - and the readers’ comments too.

We used laundry detergent boxes because we never had cold cereal (too expensive).

My dad had a wood lathe because he used his small work-shop to make toys and things for us since we had little money, and he’d make extra money by selling toys to the people in town.

Dad would take all the wood scraps; form them with a knife - then we’d all chip in and ’sand them into ’shapes’. We’d stain the bare wood with food coloring so we could recognize ‘our pieces’.

We’d think up the game; crayons were usually what we’d mark the colors with; dad used an old black glass-marking pencil for the lay-out.

We’d also fill up the glasses and fruit jars with different levels of WATER; then we’d create music with the sounds - what fun we had as we would choose different-sized spoons to strike the glasses with, and notice the different sounds we'd create.

Dad would get out some of the pots and pans; the spoons - now we had a ‘band’……..

We’d get out the dictionary; we’d look up a word - the rest had to guess the word after we’d read the meaning - how we learned from that game, and had fun too.

We made a target out of a cereal box; used rubber bands, and used paper-wads from the old newspapers we’d pick up after the market put them out as trash.

We played pick-up-stick; jacks; only 10 cents for each game ‘back then’.

We had an old piano with sticky keys, but it was good enough for all of us to learn on; sing to, and make music (I’m never without music playing or playing it myself).

I guess I could add to my one blog about dealing with the recession -some of these ideas, but in many cases, it seemed as if I might be suggesting things that simply weren’t viable enough in saving a significant amount of money for any one (and possibly they’d sound way too boring).

For me because it was the ‘atmosphere’ - the ‘time’ back in the 1940’s, that made it not ‘frugal’, but simply a smart way to cope with the lack of having much in the way of material things.

To me, frugal is being smart - to others, it’s ‘going without’……

Anyway, I enjoyed my read; linked to it from Merchants - enjoy her blog as well.

Posted by HAPPY IN NEVADA at 9:16 AM Links to this post

Why I've disabled comments as of May 8, 2008.

HEY, THANK YOU FOR THE E-MAILS; THEY'RE A LOT EASIER FOR ME THAN CHECKING COMMENTS.

I like the e-mails; more personal, and your comments aren't viewed by other people (a bit more secure). Each person who e-mailed me said if they leave a comment, they often wind up getting junk mail - or comments that are argumentative, and they don't need that in their life.

So, considering the pros and cons, e-mail it is!

Talk to me privately: Diane - kcir114112@cmaaccess.com

Now only you and I will 'share' your thinking. If you want to add something valuable to this blog, by all means send an e-mail with what you think will be beneficial, and I'll 'copy and paste' - giving credit to you (unless you want to remain anonymous).

An idea that's worked for me; saving money on CD's!

I have over 3,000 songs on 33 different play-lists. I've 'custom-designed' each list; classical - jazz; rock & roll...meditation music, etc.

Calculate this: Cost to get each and every song I want to hear (personal choice & selection); try to find it ALL on a CD. Nope, won't happen. So, we can't even assign an accurate dollar to that scenario.

Calculate this: Cost to get about 6 hours of non-stop music; no radio-station 'static' - no commercial interruptions; no DJ 'yammering' in your ear.

Calculate this: At $1.00 a song like many pay for the I-pod, this would total up to be over $3,000.

Think of this: You don't have to search your CD library; you don't have to run every 45 minutes to change the CD. You don't wear out your CD player for the times you want to enjoy those extraordinary speakers - that $3,000 (or more) sound-system you put together.

You don't have to have a place to put all the speakers; the CD player, and no cords to trip over!

You can create blogs; add those lists like I did, and bounce from 'blog to blog' - changing the channels; reading what you want to read (or make a journal entry), and have the joy of music any time you want it.

You can think of more things - these were enough for me!

Take a look at my list, and decide for yourself: http://www.playlist.com/user/20509435/view

Referring to my 1898 'Little Masters' book - 'REWARD'...excerpts by Thomas Carlye

A poetic interest of human free-will against material necessity, which every man's life, by the mere circumstance that the man continues alive, will more or less victoriously exhibit - is that which above all else, or rather inclusive of all else, calls the sympathy of mortal hearts into action.

Of these millions of living men, each individual is a mirror to us; a mirror both scientific and poetic...

Think of this: The Vatican is great; yet poor to Chimborazo or the Peak of Teneriffe; its dome is but a foolish Big-endian or Little-endian chip of an egg-shell, compared with that starfretted Dome where Arcturus and Orion glance forever...

....wonder and to worship in the little toy-box of a temple built by our like...

...the most foolish man in the earth is now indubitably living and breathing and did this morning or lately, eat breakfast, and is even now digesting the same...

...man, every bolt that locks up an esthetic mystery - nevertheless in his crabbed one-sided way, he sometimes hits masses of the truth.

We endeavor to translate faithfully, and trust the reader will find it worth serious perusal...

All works, each in their degree, are a making of madness sane; truly enough a religious operation which cannot be carried on without religion.

You have not work otherwise you have eye-service; greedy grasping of wages, swift and ever swifter manufacture of semblances to get hold of wages.

Instead of better felt-hats to cover your head, you have bigger lath-and-plaster hats set traveling the streets on wheels.

Instead of heavenly and earthy guidance for the souls of men, you have black or white surplice, controversies, stuffed hair-and-leather Popes; terrestrial law-wards, lords and law-bringers organizing labor in these years, by passing corn-laws!

NO man has worked, or can work, except religiously; not even the poor day-laborer, the weaver of your coat, the sewer of your shoes.

Industrial work, still under bondage to Mammon, the rational soul of it is not yet awakened, is a tragic spectacle.

Labor is ever an imprisoned god, writing unconsciously or consciously to escape out of Mammonism!

Show me a people energetically busy; heaving, struggling, all shoulders at the wheel; their heart pulsing - every muscle swelling, with man's energy and will, and I show you a people of whom great good is already predictable!

This is not a man I would kill and strangle by corn-laws and shot-belts to the devil - try to help this man!

I would teach this man by noble precept and law-precept, by noble example most of all, that Mammonism was not the essence of his or of my station in God's universe, but the gross, terrene, godless embodiment of it!

Epic of this world is not now ARMS AND THE MAN - how much less; SHIRT-FRILLS AND THE MAN - not it is now - TOOLS AND THE MAN, henceforth to all time is now our epic, and you first of all others I think are wise to take note of that!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Written more than 110 years ago - don't you see, certain similarities in what is still true as it pertains to showing your strength; your determination, and your willingness to 'do what it takes', to not only survive, but potentially thrive when adversity strikes?

As they say: Sweet are the virtues of adversity, for they shall make you strong.

Diane

..AND THEN SOMEONE SAID: "WAR IS GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY" - another one?

Asia Times Online :: Middle East News, Iraq, Iran current affairs
This year, Iran finally becomes a natural gas-exporting country. The framework for the $7.6 billion Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline, also known as the "peace" pipeline, is a go. Both these key South Asian US allies are ignoring Bush administration desires and rapidly bolstering their economic, political, cultural, and - crucially - geostrategic connections with Iran. An attack on Iran would now inevitably be viewed as an attack against Asia.

HERE YOU GO...FROM: www.alternet.org!

If we refused to cash our checks, the value of the dollars in our pockets would go up by more than the face value of the stimulus refund.
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I'll explain two reasons why you should not spend your economic stimulus check: the first applies to people who work regular jobs for wages, the second applies to people who work in investment banks for bonuses.

If you work for wages (or live on a pension), consider this: if every American said, "No thank you" to Bush's stimulus check and refused to cash them, the value of the dollars in your pocket right now, in terms of their purchasing power would go up by a factor greater than the face value ($600) of the stimulus check. In other words, if you didn't spend these checks, you'd be the richer for it.

The reason being that America does not have a hard-money economy, it's a debt-based fiat currency economy. All the money in circulation in America has been borrowed and then re-lent. So borrowing more money ($168 billion for the stimulus package) and then re-lending it to Americans, as Bush is doing, only increases the debt load and debases the value of the currency outstanding (against a backdrop of stagnant wages and minuscule interest rates for savers).

If an American was planning to spend $40K this year on food, clothing, shelter, health and various other expenses and they were hoping to defray some of that cost thanks to Bush's stimulus check understand that by simply adding another $168 billion of debt (the cost of the stimulus package) on top of America's current multi-trillion debt load will continue the Bush-Paulson-Benanke trend of debasing the purchasing power of your money and, therefore, raise the price of goods and services by more than the $600 'gift' (without a commensurate rise in wages or increase in interest paid on savings).

This is why America's debt problems won't go away. Every dollar spent adds debt and spawns more fiat currency issuance which has the effect of decreasing the purchasing power of the U.S. dollars in your pocket.

Bush tries to make up the difference by borrowing even more; borrowing 340 million a day to fund the war and close to 3 billion a day to cover U.S. operating expenses, not to mention Wall Street borrowing over $30 billion a day to keep their Ponzi scheme going. All this borrowing keeps alive the vicious financial spiral trending lower towards permanent currency debasement and possible sovereignty loss.

Now, if you work in investment banking, the opposite is true. Bigger money supply growth means bigger fees and bonuses. You may lose more than $600 in purchasing power with that $600 stimulus check, but the fees and bonuses you make processing all that debt (read: dollars) is greater still. In other words, the more the government increases the debt load (money supply), the more you make -- even discounting for the lost purchasing power caused by the inflationary impact of higher money supply growth.

But listen bankers, resist the temptation to spend your stimulus check even though by doing so you are increasing America's indebtedness and, therefore, your fees and bonuses.
In a year or so, after 99.999% of America has cashed their stimulus check, any checks that have not been cashed will accrue value as collector's items.

As such, the value of these checks as un-cashed mementos of the failed Bush presidency should appreciate at the inflation rate plus a collector's item premium rate for years to come.
As a matter of fact, an enterprising soul might make a pretty penny by setting up a website to buy people's un-cashed stimulus checks at the face value plus a small premium.

Five to six years from now, you might be able to re-auction and sell these un -cashed checks on eBay for double or triple the price you paid to Asian and European collectors buying these up like visitors to the Berlin Wall who buy chunks of concrete left over after the collapse of East Berlin.

..AND AS MY FRIEND 'CAJUN' WOULD SAY....'and so it goes...'

By PETER S. GOODMAN and MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
Published: May 3, 2008
The American economy lost 20,000 jobs in April, the fourth consecutive month of decline, in what many economists took as powerful evidence that the United States is almost certainly
But the number of jobs reported lost by the Labor Department on Friday was significantly smaller than most analysts had predicted, and the unemployment rate nudged down to 5 percent, raising hopes that the economy may not suffer as severely as once feared.

“It strongly argues that this downturn will be mild and short- lived,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com. “As long as businesses hold the line on their layoffs, the economy will weaken, but it won’t unravel.”

On Wall Street, investors bought into that thinking, bidding stocks up sharply in morning trading before pulling back in the afternoon, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average up 0.4 percent for the day, to close at 13,058.40, a new high for 2008.

But economists emphasized that a substantial pullback in consumer spending could yet force American companies to lay off hundreds of thousands of workers in coming months if business prospects do not improve swiftly.

The Federal Reserve increased its direct lending to financial institutions on Friday, in an effort to overcome the banks’ reluctance to lend money.

Despite the comparatively modest number of jobs lost last month, economists found clear signs of widening distress for millions of American workers.

Companies are cutting working hours, even as many avoid layoffs. The number of people working part time because of slack business or because they could not find full-time work swelled to 5.2 million in April from 4.9 million in March. In percentage terms, employees working part time involuntarily were the most since 1995.

The average weekly pay for rank-and-file workers — about 80 percent of the American work force — has risen by a mere 3 percent over the last year, to $602.56. But that increase has failed to keep pace with the rise in the cost of living, driven primarily by the soaring costs of food and energy. In inflation-adjusted terms, these weekly wages have slipped by 1.3 percent since late 2006.

“The punch line is that you don’t have to lose your job to get pinched in a recession,” said Jared Bernstein, senior economist at the labor-oriented Economic Policy Institute in Washington. “Understandably we focus on layoffs and job losses, but most people keep their jobs in a recession. People who held their jobs are losing ground both in terms of hours and hourly wages.”

The number of people on non-farm payrolls was lower in April than six months earlier. Over the last half-century, every time employment has dipped in such fashion, the economy has proved to be either in a recession or just emerging from one.

A private research organization, the National Bureau of Economic Research, determines whether a downturn qualifies as a recession, which it defines as a “significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months.”

Several economists predicted the organization would eventually conclude that the nation entered a recession late last year or early this year, though the Commerce Department has reported overall economic activity has remained slightly positive.

“It’s kind of tough when you’ve got to tell your family that a lot of things are going to change and the things we’re used to are basically going to stop,” said Howard Dempsey, a worker at a Freightliner truck factory in Cleveland, N.C., who recently learned that he would lose his job next month, along with 1,500 other people — nearly half the work force.

“It’s hard to understand how all this happened so fast, when one day we’re building 200 trucks a day and the next day we’re down to 100,” he said.

Mr. Dempsey has worked at the plant for almost a decade and is paid $22.30 an hour, plus health insurance and other benefits. Those wages allowed him to buy a house, and plan for college for his two teenage daughters, both well-accustomed to shopping as a pastime.

“Now it’s going to be window- shopping,” Mr. Dempsey said.

“We’ve got to rethink college and see how we’re going to pay for that.”

Let's punch out a few things right here....

After spending hours looking for 'profound' ideas, I was a bit disappointed to find so little that was truly helpful....

Tons of suggestions about using coupons - but of course, the coupons have to be relevant to your REAL purchase needs!

Driving here and there to get 'free samples' - how I laughed; the cost of gasoline to run to 8 different stores - and for 'freebies' that are used in a flash....

So many suggesting you BUY their BOOK - that helps the author in the recession; does it help you?

Others using complicated 'soft-ware'; heck, an old fashioned 2 column piece of ledger paper; a calculator and a few pencils or pens gets the job done - 'software' doesn't teach you anything; the 'hard-ware' of your brain working, does!

Tons of 'be sure to set aside 3 to 6 months of living expenses' statements - sure, and what about the fact, you're already in the 'hole'...no money for savings - what next?

How about 'bartering and exchanging services'! The neighbor fixes his car; you fix his computer - he tunes your vehicle - no charge for services (parts only).

Babysitting; house-sitting - pet-sitting...exchange 'time' - no charge.

Cut each other's hair? Sure - most of those hair-styles I see now, look like people slept standing on their heads, or stood in a strong wind that stood each hair on their head 'straight up'!

Baggy pants; sloppy shirts - why pay for new 'slop and bag'; just buy at the used clothing store, and make sure it's 3 sizes 'too large'.....

In big trouble with your mortgage payment? Can you rent to someone who will sign a 2-year lease; discount the last 2 months for that extended period - get the paper-work in place, and RENT...until it 'blows over'. Try not to give up your equity; not to file bankruptcy - do all you can, to maintain your credit and your ownership!

Is your house big enough to 'share rooms'? Have you looked to 'family' - are you all 'spread all over'; each paying for lights - phone; redundant 'expenses', plus a total of 6 or 8 cars running here and there. Okay, 'buckle down' - bunk in - become a 'family again', and start trimming out just as a corporation does!

Talk 'real dollars' - don't nickel-dime yourself to death trying to 'pinch' - instead, PUNCH it in the gut; make changes that show up on the bottom line of your 'net balance' and cash on hand in your checking account!

Let's be real: The Minority RICH control the 'Majority-of-the-not-so-rich..."

There are about 30,000 to 40,000 HIGH-PAID LOBBYISTS in our government; it is their demands that allow them to even control the highest officials in this country.

There are about 500+ ELECTED OFFICIALS - of these individuals, NOT ONE OF THEM IS READING THIS LOWLY BLOG; they don't need to - they're also all 'very wealthy' and flush with cash and assets!

Some have estimated there are 250,000 lobbyists - it's hard to nail down the figure; however, the hundreds of millions dollars that they 'leverage', means money truly talks - and we have to 'quietly' work it out for ourselves.

35 years ago, I read the book: THE RICH AND THE SUPER-RICH - I still have it; like it or not, it is 'real' - we only survive when we not only deal with reality, but embrace it and still be grateful for what we have rather than complaining about what we don't have.

Wear your integrity; show off your honesty - sport your decency - this is your suit of honor, and it will look better on you than any designer outfit you could ever want to own.

My drink coaster from THE OUTBACK reads...

"LET US KNOW IF YOU VALET PARKED - WE DON'T HAVE VALET PARKING..."

I laughed - heck, we never use VALET PARKING, but then again - I started to think:

#1 - Those people who do park your car - they don't earn much; remember to tip them; if you've got the cash to go out and enjoy yourself, make sure you have the cash to fairly tip a person who might not even own a car....

#2 - Valet parking for the handicapped; disabled - isn't it great that we have someone who'll be willing to make it easier for you to enter a building; to accomplish what you have to get done, and then be 'right at the door' so you can get about more easily? Okay, again - carry some cash for that working person.

Is this about recession help? Yes - and no. Yes, if you can walk; don't bother with the valet services if you're trying to cut on expenses.

No - not if you've got the $$ to afford valet service; then again - yes, when you're tipping because that individual is coping with he rising costs and the lack of funds probably more than you are.....

Worried about a 'balanced diet' when you cut costs? Here's the 'experts' suggestions...

Focus on fruits. Eat a variety of fruits—whether fresh, frozen, canned, or dried—rather than fruit juice for most of your fruit choices.

For a 2,000-calorie diet, you will need 2 cups of fruit each day (for example, 1 small banana, 1 large orange, and 1/4 cup of dried apricots or peaches).

Vary your veggies.

Eat more dark green veggies, such as broccoli, kale, and other dark leafy greens; orange veggies, such as carrots, sweet-potatoes, pumpkin, and winter squash; and beans and peas, such as pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, split peas, and lentils.

Make half your grains whole.

Eat at least 3 ounces of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta every day.

One ounce is about 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of breakfast cereal, or 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta.

Look to see that grains such as wheat, rice, oats, or corn are referred to as "whole" in the list of ingredients.

Get your calcium-rich foods. Get 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk—or an equivalent amount of low-fat yogurt and/or low-fat cheese (11/2 ounces of cheese equals 1 cup of milk)—every day.

For kids aged 2 to 8, it’s 2 cups of milk. If you don’t or can’t consume milk, choose lactose-free milk products and/or calcium-fortified foods and beverages.

Go lean with protein.

Choose lean meats and poultry. Bake it, broil it, or grill it.

And vary your protein choices—with more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds.

IN A RECESSION, BUSINESS-OWNERS CAN REMEMBER THIS:

Define your 'niche-market' and know your goals; objectives, and stick to them.

Remember that your clients & customers want cheaper solutions. If you've built a strong relationship with them - 'endeared yourself', they will stick with you longer, than if you've treated them more like a customer, and less like a FRIEND!

Think of this as a time when those who really don't have what it takes, will be 'weeded out'.

If you're determined to 'survive'; have your 'act' together, it's an opportunity for you!

If your reputation and 'name' are gold, it is that golden chance to actually forge ahead. You can secure your relationships NOW....

You'll grow when others are failing because they were living off the surplus and wealth,
rather than their
fine service, excellent product, and 'savvy' another word (as I use it) for honesty; integrity, and commitment.

These words belong to my friend in Delaware - they remind me; will they remind you?

This mountaintop will never see a new shopping strip.

Some still manage to make a living selling Christmas trees.

Most are descendents of former inhabitants who continue to farm the rich soil watered by the many natural spring water streams that flow from the top of the mountains.

More recently new homes are built by retirees to the area, who have discovered and appreciate the gentle beauty of the mountains.

There are no fast food restaurants in these mountains.

You won’t find a gas station because there are no through roads. We did find a general store run by the Whitson family.

I took more 35 mm pictures, and John took more VCR pictures with our bulky VCR camera.

The next day we would again meet with Uncle Aster.

I swiped some of the words of a friend - I love his web-site; I love his appreciation for what is real and genuine; these words he wrote are music to my ears indeed.

My mother sent this article to me on 10/10/07...

The older ones among us still remember doing household chores without the plethora of modern gadgets that are now common in every home.

In the eary days of my marriage, we did not have a dishwasher, and after every party in our house my wife and I would stay up and do the dishes before we went to bed. That often lasted an hour, but I remember it fondly as a time to talk and catch up.

Eventually microwave ovens, dishwashers, dryers, washing machines, vacuum cleans and the like, took over our household.

When my daughter was born in 1966, we lived in Freiburg, Germany. There was no such things as diaper service. No washing machine - we went to the laundromat.

As I remember those days, I think my daughter never sufficiently thanked us for what we did for her in her first year on this earth. She'll never know the long hours of my wife and I cleaning those diapers first, in the toilet bowl.......

Now my daughter thinks she has to have diaper service - it costs a lot; she has the money for it I guess.

I remember my parents' day; household work was even harder. We had to bang the area rugs - we couldn't afford carpet.

Washing the bed linen was difficult because we didn't have a washing machine; just the scrub-board. We could only change the linen once a month because of the task in cleaning the sheets.

Four times a year, we'd boil the laundry; to make it white and pure, as my mother said.

Each summer and fall, we would can our jars of fruits and vegetables that grew in our garden. All the work tilling the garden; keeping it healthy and free from 'bugs' - then comes the canning.

There were no ready-to-heat packages of food. We went shopping on foot, and carried the groceries home in a variety of shopping bags that we made from pillow slips and burlap bags.

Children had chores to do; we learned early how to work hard. We walked to school in many cases (I did).

Those were the good old days - yes, I still say 'yes' they were. As I read of a recession ahead, I can only think that there's no real recession, just the fact some people will finally have to return to doing the things I did without thinking twice about it. To me, it will level this playing field...

Diether Haenicke, President Emeritus of WMU.

Some of the things I remember - and some things I do to 'cut costs'...

I remember to shop locally; patronize the individual business-person. It's much harder for the small business-owner to make adjustments in a recession when his local patrons are 'cutting back' - that means cutting out non-essentials of course.

I remember to check through unwanted or un-needed items; take them to my neighbors - forget the garage sale (unless I'm really going to let the things go for super cheap); more often, I just give those items away so those that are in short-supply, can save their money as I'm doing.

I make my own cleaner - recession or not. I mix white vinegar; ammonia, and rubbing alcohol in equal parts; it goes in a spray bottle, and while it cleans it deodorizes the room as well. This means no 'Febreze' - no 'Mr. Clean' - no 'spray foam' for the bathroom - no can of toilet-bowl cleaner is needed in our house. I cut out about 4 to 7 aerosol cans or spray bottled cleaners for the price of $1.47 for each spray bottle I make myself. Figuring the price of 4 cans @ $2 to $3 each, I save at least $6 just on quickly making this 'mix' myself.

I use fabric softener sheets not only to soften my clothes, but to keep my shoes smelling nice when I stuff those used sheets into my walking shoes.

I buy in bulk; divide into portions - put those portions either in zip bags, or in small jars I've saved from the times I bought fruit in those canning jars.

I do use my microwave because it saves on electricity and time. I keep covered dishes that are just for the microwave very handy - I don't waste money on 'steamer bags' that are costly, and have to be tossed.

I buy Viva towels because they're so sturdy, I can 'dry' them over the faucet, and re-use again.

I keep a sponge inside one of those canning jars - fill it with my cleaning mixture; wipe up easily - no fancy boxes of 'wipes' are needed for my kitchen or bathroom.

I treat the toilet bowl with inexpensive bleach - once a week, I fill it up - swish around, and it's whiter than those foams or gels. The bleach is about 50 cents a treatment; this might be a bit more than the gel or foam, but it does the best job for me.

I use newspaper to wrap gifts with - looks great when I tie with some strips of burlap that I buy at a low cost at the remnant aisle of my fabric store.

I love the 'fun' and the challenge of cutting costs; I make a game of it - it's all in how you perceive it, I think.

I've added a few more thoughts on a blog I started earlier - I've given that link for the rest of you to check out - I'll add to this list as I get a bit more time.

Some of the 'quotes' and sayings I've enjoyed too...

Every man has 2 vocations; his own, and philosophy.What we call 'folk wisdom', is often no more than a kind of expedient stupidity.In my case, saving the world is only a hobby.No man is wise enough to be another man's master. Each man's as good as the next--if not a damn-sight better!A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.Grown men do not need leaders!Society is like a stew - if you don't keep it stirred up you'll get a lot of scum on top!Civiliation is like an airplane in flight - it only survives if it keeps going forward.A genius is always on duty even if his dreams are tax-deductible.There is a kind of poetry in simple fact.The mind is everything - true, yes - if you're dead from the neck down...

Lucky me - I grew up very poor!

How I got to practice 'saving money' was never having any to save to start with! So, what did I save - memories of the good times we had 'coping'...

We froze powdered drink-mix; no 5 cent popscicles; we got the equivalent of 6 for a 5 cent package of that drink mom stirred up, and put into ice-cube trays.

We grew our own pop-corn; tough getting the kernels off, but oh so good, and ever so inexpensive.

When we baked a cake, it was cut in tiny squares - we didn't get rotten teeth, or gain weight from eating too many 'sweets'.

When we cut that pie, it wasn't in 6 slices; it was in 12 - we continued to stay 'thin' and free from 'zits'...

Of course mom sewed; we also bought clothes at the church rummage sales - a few good clothes 'for good', but if we were going to run around 'wrecking' our clothes as we tumbled on the ground, why not buy them already 'slightly' used.

We didn't pay big money to have 'holes in our blue-jeans'; nope, no designer jeans that cost big dollars for each pair, and you only get about 2/3 of the material that should have been there, if they didn't think 'holes' were fashionable.

We didn't have t.v. - nowadays, it would be better for many kids if they didn't have it either; very little worth watching - and too many commercials catering to the children to 'beg' for something from the store.

When my dad was on unemployment for a year; then still not working, we kids went to work baby-sitting; mowing yards - cleaning houses, running errands - hooray, we were all 'practiced up', for handling life as adults when we had to do the same thing!

It's going to take a great will and lots of conviction to undo the influence of this 'easy society', with your children (particularly if they are in their teen years). You'll have to make it a 'sport' - something they can be proud of accomplishing, and when we all 'pull up and out' of this down-turn, there will be time for celebration and reward, and a new-found strength in your household and life.

Speaking of that house-hold and something all of you can do together. You can start changing that grocery list - replace 'comparable' foods with less-costly items. Here are a few I use when I have to cut that budget of mine that is 'threatened' when I have unexpected expenses hit me:

Breakfast foods:

Hot oatmeal or grits - get rid of the expensive dried cereals. ()

Buy house-brand coffee; not the fancy gourmet type. ()

Even better, buy black tea - house brand; it's cheaper than low-cost coffee. ()

Buy a frozen lemonade canister; blend it with water - then add your favorite orange juice (yes, that's costly), but you make it go twice as far as a 'juice-punch'.

Mix one container of frozen grape juice with one container of lemonade - tasty; cheaper - take a Vitamin "C" tablet to supplement your need for 'C'. ()

Scramble the eggs; they go 'further' - and eggs remain reasonably priced. ()

You don't need a breakfast meat - expensive; eat 1/2 cup of cottage cheese or yogurt; saves a bit here. ()

If you have a place that serves a low-cost breakfast - maybe cheaper than you can make it, patronize that place so they remain in business. ()

Add some lettuce to a peanut butter and banana sandwich for lunch - yummy and low-cost. A handful of grapes; a few low-cost carrots (not the fancy baby ones - cut your own) will fill you up much less expensively. ()

Do not buy one 'snack' - nothing that goes 'crunch'...except fresh carrots; fresh celery, and dip those into an french-onion dip that you once used for those high-calorie snacks; you'll really notice a decrease in the food bill just in this area. ()

Get rid of all soda pops; they're not good for you - even those that are diet, are not good for your system because of the ingredient they use to replace sugar. ()

Honey is good for you; in 'bulk' size, it's not expensive - drizzle a bit of that onto some peanut-butter (or mix it in to extend the peanut-butter), and get a house-brand of soda crackers; a dab will do you if you put this on a few crackers, and call it a 'snack' that lasts for a good 3 hours. ()

Cut out all dessert foods - replace with those soda crackers & peanut-butter; and plenty of low cost vegetables such as carrots and celery. ()

Apples aren't expensive; however, if you slice them 'thin' - dip those into that french-onion dip, or spread with a bit of peanut butter, you'll save money and calories as well. ()

All those fancy salads are expensive to make. Just get the shredded carrots ($1.27 a bag); add a bag of shredded cabbage ($1.57 a bag) - toss in some raisins (I get 4 ounces for $1.00) - then use a coleslaw dressing to barely 'moisten' the mixture...a bit of celery seed and pepper to season it a bit, and this salad will last you much longer - cost you much less, and the calories aren't as high as some of those salad where you pile on loads of dressing 'by mistake'.....()

Give up trying to cook a 'gourmet' meal for dinner. Stop watching those t.v. shows where they show you all that great stuff to eat, but never tell you just how much you'll end up spending as you try to make up that expensive recipe. ()

Salmon - expensive; replace it with chicken breasts.
Steak - expensive; replace it with a pork loin - ever so tasty when you roast a loin about 30 minutes for every pound, and add some great red potatoes; carrots, a sliced onion - and 1/2 cabbage to the roasting pan.

Use an italian sausage 'ring' to make up a pot-full of good stuff.

Once you've browned the sausage with sliced red onion, and sliced GREEN pepper (no yellow or red - they cost 3 times as much); you can add some sauerkraut (low in cost and calories); 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of applesauce...yummy.

Serve this on top a thick-slice of bread that's been toasted....carrots and celery sticks on the side - add a bowl of sliced pickled-beets (they're inexpensive and good for you).

All those left-overs make a great soup; get creative and save money for that Thursday meal - I suggest Thursday because that's when you're normally running 'low' on food items in your house.

Toast up all that stale bread; let it 'dry' (no butter) - then cut it up in big squares; float those in your soup.

Slice up a banana with an apple - toss a tiny bit of your lemonade-based juice, to keep the fruit from turning 'brown' - eat promptly as a desert with that soup.

Forget trying to have a gourmet 'spice cabinet'; most of our parents got along on salt and pepper most of the time. Any other 'spice' is now very costly; it's come into vogue because of the television shows that flood our daily lives, with ideas that simply are great for those with surplus cash.....

I always buy house brands in canned goods; I found such a little different in quality in the name-brands, and the reduction in that aspect of reducing my food budget, gave me about $8 more a week for 'fresh foods' that I felt I couldn't afford - now I can pick up a few more as a result of just making that change.

Remember the same in the toilet-goods department; I worked for a major supplier of these goods, and they actually make the same product under a private-label program, that allows that 'private-label' to either be the 'house-brand', or a brand that 'appears' to be cheaper.

It was told to me they wanted to sell 'all the shampoo', but the SEC won't allow a monopoly, so they simply supply the same shampoo to the 'private-label' firm, and often they ended up putting that same shampoo into the bottles that the company supplied to them - sounds crazy maybe, but not if you think about it a bit.

Buy house-brand vitamins and medications; the FDA requires certain criteria be met; regardless of how much it costs, so remember that as you make your choice.

One month - just for fun; to prove my 'idea', I bought 100% of my groceries using 'brand-names'; etc. The next month I used the 'house-brands', and I wound up saving $37 each and every week (or more) - that means you save about $150/month by making these few changes.

I made my own 'spice-mix'; no more of that fancy ready-made 'spice' for me - saved about $8/month on that one.

I make my own 'A-1' sauce. Get some prune juice; mix it with catsup - a bit of lemon juice; a bit of garlic powder, and splash in some Worcestershire sauce; a tiny bit of honey, and it's super....makes up a nice batch, and you can also use it as a marinade as well.

Buy the lower-cost beers; we love Steel Reserve - it's about 1/2 the cost of other beers (and buy your beer in the quart or 40 ounce size .. save money this way).

We buy all our wine at Trader Joe's - they have the lowest prices for the quality.

We don't drink wine at dinner every day any more - that saves another $40/month.

We buy disposable items at the FAMILY DOLLAR - or DOLLAR-TREE...so many good items to select from; that saved us another $60/month - wow, were we surprised.

We shop at SMART AND FINAL - if you don't have one in your area, find a place that sells in 'bulk' items if possibly; there are grocery warehouses that offer terrific deals.

Learn to compare costs - don't 'buy blind'....you'll find more money in your pocket at the end of the week.

Obviously, if you smoke - give it up....lots of reasons to do so.

Install a reverse-osmosis system as we did (it's a portable one that we can move, so it was only $80, and it will last us for 2 years).

This means you save money on bottled water (we were spending about $30/month for bottled water - now with this system, a month's supply of 'clear water', costs us $3.33/month).

I don't use my dish-washer; never did (it came with our condo') - I use inexpensive dish detergent, and enjoy doing my own dishes. I put a large round pan in my sink ($1.00 at the dollar store); I 'soak' the breakfast dishes - wash them with the lunch dishes.

The high cost of dishwasher liquid or powder was something I simply wasn't going to put up with; while the savings might be minimal, I know I'll never have to replace the dish-washer at the high cost of the installation and replacement costs of the appliance.

Get a small freezer; save running to the store - the high cost of gas makes it viable; and the wear and tear on your car makes it sensible.

As I also said before:

Get rid of those rentals for movies unless you're going to race out and put money into the pockets of the near-by theatre.

Stop 'ordering' by phone - those orders sneak in on you; pizzas will destroy your figure and your food dollar.

One of the songs I picked for this 'blog', is called TEEN-AGE WASTELAND...don't do that to your children - wind down on the t.v. time; get them off the computer for hours a day, and spend some quality time with them as you teach them some of these same 'trick's - one day they'll have to pay for their housing and food as well.

Again, in the words of Gibran:

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

There are about 30 people in the picture below....

$100 - and all had gifts; food, and fun!
Where did you get that $100 dollars? Maybe you saved it with some of the
ideas you found right here.....

All I do is put $10/month away for this group of
people; I send $20 to the administrator who sets up the program; it requires he
and his wife's time and cost, so this defrays their costs - gives them a few
dollars as well.

In the Philippines, the average income is
$150/month - the low-income families make $60/month....think about it, and
rejoice that you might only be in a 'recession' - this is 'depression' and
deprivation' - 2 words that start with 'd'...learn the meaning of these words,
and hope you neve have to apply them to your life.

USE THE BLOG SYSTEM EFFECTIVELY - NOT JUST IN RECESSIVE TIMES...

A Home-owner's association set up their 'blog' to discuss, and review each and every situation that was either bothering them; or suiting them.

They had a real 'beef' with their Board of Directors. They were sick and tired of the high cost of phone calls; the deluge of e-mails, and the cost of sending thick booklets via the postal system.

Instead, they had rotating volunteers to enter all the data - with 350 owners, it was virtually 1 day a year, that a person sat for 8 to 10 hours going through the mail; their files, to keep current with each and every home-owner.

They also chose to set up a net-work of people who would watch their home; pets, or children on this same blog.

They had a choice of allowing only certain individuals to view the 'blog'; however, they wanted it 'wide open', so others could implement this very idea.

Even in your own life, you can set up a blog that can provide information that saves you time with a barrage of e-mails to your friends and family.

You can save countless hours of sending photos - put up a blog of nothing but photos; use no names, and let your family and friends have the link - they can grab that photo off the blog for their file, and save it to their computer. You up-load your photos, and remove a pile of memory from your own computer.

Put your thinking cap on - think of the myriad of ways to utilize the 'blog' - and it's all free from Google.

I personally have met such interesting people acquired a wealth of ideas, just from being part of the 'blogging' community.

Bloggers are the evangelists. Bloggers are those who take time to 'share' ideas. Bloggers feel for their community; their state - country, and world...

Bloggers know how to network - they compile; they are eager each day to avoid the commercial news on television; they avoid being 'trapped' in a routine that involves just 'sitting' and letting others do their decision-making. Bloggers are independent thinkers - and doers...

Larry the Cable Guy is probably our hero; we 'gitter done'!

Two things I failed to do; try not to make the same error.

While I chose divorce to resolve 'family issues', I was touched by others who'd stuck it out...

"Hey, I never got that divorce; we had some hard times, but we worked it out -- 28 years now..."

"Well, you know your father and I had some pretty bad times, but deep down I knew we loved each other, so we made it work..."

"You know, we didn't think it would work, but now we're retired; he's so sweet now that he's not working such long hours, and he's the true blessing in my life as I see it now..."

What does this have to do with a recession? Well, it's times like these, that can bring a family closer; you become a team to
overcome the difficulties - you just might restore that marriage that seemed to
be in trouble.

There are more - but these real remarks are sufficient for the point...

....a little rock - and a lotta Roll With The Recession!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008