I think people would be well served to do more renting-- if you don't use an expensive item, vehicle, or tool regularly, you should be renting it as you need it.
I don't have a car but use City CarShare when I need one. For long distances, I rent. I don't have to deal with the expense (or hassle) of insurance, parking, maintenance... And because I'm charged for every trip, I'm forced to think first whether driving to my destination is really necessary or if can get there using public transportation or biking.
You could write a whole entry just on substituting. The hard part is just noticing what alternates exist. For example, I just heard (in a comment to Self-Reliance) that you can use a scythe to mow a lawn. I never would have thought of it on my own. Advantages include that it doesn't need gas and it takes up less space to store than a lawn mower. Looks scary, though.
Here are some substitutions I've actually made (at least sometimes):
* certificates of deposit instead of savings accounts
* then online high-interest savings accounts instead of CDs
* buying durable instead of new but flimsy (cars, clothes)
* manual things instead of electric (can opener, pencil sharpener)
* interesting necklaces instead of interesting shirts
* walking instead of driving
* auditing classes instead of taking them for credit
* reusable things instead of one-use things (plastic containers instead of baggies, handkerchief instead of tissues, cloth bags instead of plastic, rechargeable batteries)
* toaster oven and hot plate instead of oven (while our oven was broken--would also work during a remodel)
I'd like to hear about more creative examples than mine!
Did you know that the Splenda(Or Aspartame & Sucrulose) you added in your coffee can cause your body to treat it like real sugar and increase your chance of insulin resistance? Not to mention MS or IBS and most digestive tract problems? Change your sugar substitutes to polyalcohol sugars like xylitol, mannitol, although these human manufactured sweets can also cause some degree of digestive tract upsets like bloating and diarrhea or passing gas!
I would suggest using the herb Stevia for sweetening your coffee or tea or even your Apple Cider Vinegar drink to lower your blood glucose levels. After a meal, sip 2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar in 16 oz of filtered water. I said SIP! Not Gulp!
And DON'T eat big meals! Small satisfying meals(Chew, Chew, Chew!) every 3 to 4 hours. Going without eating will certainly make you develop insulin resistance. And find out the Glycemic Value (GI) in your food and aim to eat most of the lower GI Valued foods and cut out the highest GI value foods totally or eat them only after they have marinated in red wine vinegar.
Not only is doing without great for your pocketbook, it works wonders for your creativity and ingenuity! Instead of cable TV, DVD rentals, and new books, CDs, or DVDs, you find yourself rediscovering the lost art of conversation, storytelling, and diarying. All excellent trade-offs, if you ask me! ; )
Thanks for stopping by! You will understand why it is called "filling" once you eat it for dinner! I hope you'll let me know if you like it! Give a toast to big Jim for me!
For the record, I do not own a home right now but did in the past. Due to an out of state move, we ended up renting until we were certain we planned to remain in the area.
Thanks for the congrats on the writing gig. Like you I didn't imagine that I would become a career writer as my background is in the entertainment industry. But completely agreed that it is rewarding and a lot of fun! Glad you stopped by.
Louis Kestenbaum is a very wise businessman. It's a shame that people who are jealous must feel the need to tarnish his name by posting false information about him. Louis Kestenbaum and Joel Kestenbaum have done quite well for themselves, and continue to do so, even in this economy...
There will be preservatives in the peaches, which can cause issues. If you are doing it for flavour, wait till you distil once, then drain and lightly rinse the peaches, slightly mash then and put them in the shine/vodka. Let them steep for a few weeks to exchange the flavours. Strain them out and eat the peaches,,,that does sound good. Then you can use the vodka and add distilled water to it and distill again. Use some of the peach flavoured juice in the thumper for flavour as well. There is nothing like fresh peaches, but this is still ok.
Wow, I've never heard this called "filling" before, only "stuffing" and "dressing." A recipe like this is better than store-bought because you can make adjustments such as using whole-grain breads or adjusting the sodium (with low-sodium broth and bread).
I think you hit the nail on the head. Back to the peak is just a dream and if it does happen it will be some years away. The end of recession means it is at the end of the worst, but even so the worst may not be over for individuals well past this point.
I have to ask: Since you are "cash-only" do you own a home (mortgage) or do you rent?
I prefer debit cards to cash. Why? I can track what I buy (or at least where I go, and I have a good memory). In addition there are certain auto-pay items that don't take cash: my tollway tag and my universal insurance policy.
Congratulations on becoming a writer. I've been one for the past twenty-one years (technical) and find it rewarding, even though my career and my college degrees don't match up (BS in Business and an MBA).
When a household gets itself into a completely untenable situation, where household income can't possibly cover the household's financial obligations, bankruptcy can solve the problem--for that individual household. However, it turns out that it doesn't solve larger problem for the economy when households as a group no longer have enough disposable income that they can afford to take on an ever increasing debt load.
I lay out the reasons in my post on peak debt that I linked to above (and of course the math is worked out in detail in Ron Laszewski's peak debt paper). But, briefly, the problems with bankruptcy as a solution for the economy are:
The bankrupt's benefit is the creditor's loss, so there's no net gain to the economy. Yes, the former debter is more likely to spend than the creditor, so there's some net gain in realized purchasing power, but it's just not big enough to matter.
The former bankrupt's credit rating takes a hit (along with, very possibly, his willingness to climb back on the debt treadmill), so even after the household's cost structures are bought back in line with household income, the household doesn't reliably resume taking on debt at an accelerating rate.
As you say, the changes to the bankruptcy code make things worse, but it's a bigger problem than that: no foreseeable bankruptcy scheme, even in combination with more extreme practices like debt holidays or large-scale debt forgiveness programs, turn out to solve the problem.
I think that was a little disingenuous, to blame this recession on rising credit card debt and overextension of consumers. That was a factor, but I think almost everyone agrees it was the collapse of the CDO market, and through extension, the mortgage market, including variable rate mortgages.
And, btw, there use to be a time honored way for consumers to quickly eliminate credit card debt. It was called bankruptcy. Thanks to Bush and the Republicans, that option is not nearly as available. That'll have a lengthening effect on this recession for sure.
Thanks a million! I'm extremely busy, and just needed a filler with an item I was buying for my niece's baby. I felt under pressure, since I'd be shipping to her brother's address, and she'll only be in the country for a few weeks yet. Yada yada. This article was so useful to me!
Ehem...due to the whimsical general user changes...true information found on Wiki is not easily found. Perhaps reading to understand rather than reading to get through it might bring to light the meaning of the article.
By raising the interest rate, The Federal Reserve kicked up the variable rate mortgages which forced the the crisis as people were now overextended. Notice that the primary shareholders of the Federal Reserve just happen to be the same banks that not only weathered the storm, but profited immensely (eg. JP Morgan CHASE).
Don't forget that the Fed is NOT a government owned institution, but a privately held bank. This crisis has been engineered, executed and collected on by The Fed.
Great post!
I think people would be well served to do more renting-- if you don't use an expensive item, vehicle, or tool regularly, you should be renting it as you need it.
I don't have a car but use City CarShare when I need one. For long distances, I rent. I don't have to deal with the expense (or hassle) of insurance, parking, maintenance... And because I'm charged for every trip, I'm forced to think first whether driving to my destination is really necessary or if can get there using public transportation or biking.
You could write a whole entry just on substituting. The hard part is just noticing what alternates exist. For example, I just heard (in a comment to Self-Reliance) that you can use a scythe to mow a lawn. I never would have thought of it on my own. Advantages include that it doesn't need gas and it takes up less space to store than a lawn mower. Looks scary, though.
Here are some substitutions I've actually made (at least sometimes):
* certificates of deposit instead of savings accounts
* then online high-interest savings accounts instead of CDs
* buying durable instead of new but flimsy (cars, clothes)
* manual things instead of electric (can opener, pencil sharpener)
* interesting necklaces instead of interesting shirts
* walking instead of driving
* auditing classes instead of taking them for credit
* reusable things instead of one-use things (plastic containers instead of baggies, handkerchief instead of tissues, cloth bags instead of plastic, rechargeable batteries)
* toaster oven and hot plate instead of oven (while our oven was broken--would also work during a remodel)
I'd like to hear about more creative examples than mine!
Did you know that the Splenda(Or Aspartame & Sucrulose) you added in your coffee can cause your body to treat it like real sugar and increase your chance of insulin resistance? Not to mention MS or IBS and most digestive tract problems? Change your sugar substitutes to polyalcohol sugars like xylitol, mannitol, although these human manufactured sweets can also cause some degree of digestive tract upsets like bloating and diarrhea or passing gas!
I would suggest using the herb Stevia for sweetening your coffee or tea or even your Apple Cider Vinegar drink to lower your blood glucose levels. After a meal, sip 2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar in 16 oz of filtered water. I said SIP! Not Gulp!
And DON'T eat big meals! Small satisfying meals(Chew, Chew, Chew!) every 3 to 4 hours. Going without eating will certainly make you develop insulin resistance. And find out the Glycemic Value (GI) in your food and aim to eat most of the lower GI Valued foods and cut out the highest GI value foods totally or eat them only after they have marinated in red wine vinegar.
Not only is doing without great for your pocketbook, it works wonders for your creativity and ingenuity! Instead of cable TV, DVD rentals, and new books, CDs, or DVDs, you find yourself rediscovering the lost art of conversation, storytelling, and diarying. All excellent trade-offs, if you ask me! ; )
This is great when applied to college textbooks. Many books can be borrowed, done without, or even rented!
Thanks,
Nate
Thanks for stopping by! You will understand why it is called "filling" once you eat it for dinner! I hope you'll let me know if you like it! Give a toast to big Jim for me!
Thanks for the comments!
For the record, I do not own a home right now but did in the past. Due to an out of state move, we ended up renting until we were certain we planned to remain in the area.
Thanks for the congrats on the writing gig. Like you I didn't imagine that I would become a career writer as my background is in the entertainment industry. But completely agreed that it is rewarding and a lot of fun! Glad you stopped by.
I would be thrilled to terabytes to WIN this book! Thank you for the review!
Louis Kestenbaum is a very wise businessman. It's a shame that people who are jealous must feel the need to tarnish his name by posting false information about him. Louis Kestenbaum and Joel Kestenbaum have done quite well for themselves, and continue to do so, even in this economy...
-John S
Personally, I love the disclaimer at the bottom. That just about made my day. :)
There will be preservatives in the peaches, which can cause issues. If you are doing it for flavour, wait till you distil once, then drain and lightly rinse the peaches, slightly mash then and put them in the shine/vodka. Let them steep for a few weeks to exchange the flavours. Strain them out and eat the peaches,,,that does sound good. Then you can use the vodka and add distilled water to it and distill again. Use some of the peach flavoured juice in the thumper for flavour as well. There is nothing like fresh peaches, but this is still ok.
Wow, I've never heard this called "filling" before, only "stuffing" and "dressing." A recipe like this is better than store-bought because you can make adjustments such as using whole-grain breads or adjusting the sodium (with low-sodium broth and bread).
I think you hit the nail on the head. Back to the peak is just a dream and if it does happen it will be some years away. The end of recession means it is at the end of the worst, but even so the worst may not be over for individuals well past this point.
I have to ask: Since you are "cash-only" do you own a home (mortgage) or do you rent?
I prefer debit cards to cash. Why? I can track what I buy (or at least where I go, and I have a good memory). In addition there are certain auto-pay items that don't take cash: my tollway tag and my universal insurance policy.
Congratulations on becoming a writer. I've been one for the past twenty-one years (technical) and find it rewarding, even though my career and my college degrees don't match up (BS in Business and an MBA).
@Descolada:
When a household gets itself into a completely untenable situation, where household income can't possibly cover the household's financial obligations, bankruptcy can solve the problem--for that individual household. However, it turns out that it doesn't solve larger problem for the economy when households as a group no longer have enough disposable income that they can afford to take on an ever increasing debt load.
I lay out the reasons in my post on peak debt that I linked to above (and of course the math is worked out in detail in Ron Laszewski's peak debt paper). But, briefly, the problems with bankruptcy as a solution for the economy are:
As you say, the changes to the bankruptcy code make things worse, but it's a bigger problem than that: no foreseeable bankruptcy scheme, even in combination with more extreme practices like debt holidays or large-scale debt forgiveness programs, turn out to solve the problem.
Awesome pr campaign thats amazing, what a genius
embracing frugality does not mean being one dimensional, boring or exclusive -- I got what you were saying and I'm a suburban geezer -- don't stop!
I think that was a little disingenuous, to blame this recession on rising credit card debt and overextension of consumers. That was a factor, but I think almost everyone agrees it was the collapse of the CDO market, and through extension, the mortgage market, including variable rate mortgages.
And, btw, there use to be a time honored way for consumers to quickly eliminate credit card debt. It was called bankruptcy. Thanks to Bush and the Republicans, that option is not nearly as available. That'll have a lengthening effect on this recession for sure.
Never really thought it could be that fun!! It is such an amazing exercise!
Cheers,
Zakry
Thanks a million! I'm extremely busy, and just needed a filler with an item I was buying for my niece's baby. I felt under pressure, since I'd be shipping to her brother's address, and she'll only be in the country for a few weeks yet. Yada yada. This article was so useful to me!
Ha, Yeah cause citing Ben "Everything is fine all the banks have enough liquidity" Bernanke as a credible source does wonders for your article.
I'd say we're a good 1.5 to 2 years from the end of things getting worse.
Ehem...due to the whimsical general user changes...true information found on Wiki is not easily found. Perhaps reading to understand rather than reading to get through it might bring to light the meaning of the article.
Thanks for the tip! It's very valuable information.
By raising the interest rate, The Federal Reserve kicked up the variable rate mortgages which forced the the crisis as people were now overextended. Notice that the primary shareholders of the Federal Reserve just happen to be the same banks that not only weathered the storm, but profited immensely (eg. JP Morgan CHASE).
Don't forget that the Fed is NOT a government owned institution, but a privately held bank. This crisis has been engineered, executed and collected on by The Fed.