I'm not sure why everyone is so negative about cloth diapering. The cloth diapers that exist now are not the same kind that your mother used- no rubber covers or pins required.
I use pocket diapers for both of my kids, and it's not any harder than disposable diapering. Yes, cloth diapering requires that the parent drops the solid wastes in the toilet (which your supposed to to do with disposables also), but really how much effort does it take to throw 8-16 diapers in the wash?
I've been cloth diapering for almost 2 years, and there's no way I'd go back to spending $40-80 a month on diapers for each child.
I understand your annoyance with float, even though I came to love it.
There are people (always people, never corporations) that don't seem to get around to depositing their checks. So, every year or two, I'm stuck tracking a outstanding check for two, three, four months, having to deal with my balance and the bank's balance being different. And there really isn't anything you can do about it, except bug the guy to go ahead and deposit the check. (After six months the guy's bank might turn back the check as being stale-dated—but they don't have to. So you have to assume that any check out there might well clear your bank, even after many months.)
When your bank account is earning rates that are measured in hundredths of a percentage point, float is purely an annoyance. But when interest rates are higher, it's kinda nice—despite the book-keeping hassle.
Personally, I find the cost and time to be insignificant. Yes, the pen I use to write checks cost a couple dollars. But the computer I use to manage my finances on-line cost over $1000. (Yes, I'd own the computer anyway—but then, I'd own the pen anyway too.) Yes, it takes a couple of minutes to write a check. But it can take just as long to pay a bill on-line—I don't need to log into my checkbook to write a check.
The real time and effort goes to making sure that you only pay what you actually owe—and that takes the same whether it's on-line or by paper check.
I write maybe 1 check a month and am absolutely annoyed when I do. 3 reasons: Cost, time, and float.
Cost: If you have to mail the darn thing that's 42 cents. Then there is the cost of the replacement checks, the envelope, always needing a pen, etc. Laugh if you want, but if you are going to cite the tiny little benefits of 'float' interest then these costs add up and the material clutters your life.
Time: Handwriting all those fields, making sure they are all correct and legible. Dropping it off to whoever is receiving it. Compared to a few clicks and you are done, it's definitely not a value-added activity.
Float: I don't like float. I don't like having stuff out there in limbo. When I pay it I want it to be reflected in my bank account as soon as possible because that's how I keep track of things. Yes I plan out my expenses and track my debits but I don't want to track a third variable of 'what's out in limbo'. My budgeting and tracking are almost real time and automatic and I can check it at any time and the only times it's not completely accurate is when I know I have a check out there waiting to be cashed.
I've found in my life that eliminating these little annoyances results in time I can spend in actually keeping track and analyzing my activity. I really don't understand forcing yourself to write checks to impede spending. Budgets are actually fun to stick to if they are tracked and updated automatically! It's 2010! Leverage the beautiful tech we have available to get in, get out, and enjoy more of your day.
Unfortunately, I think you have confused and conflated two problems: gift giving and gift givers. While related, they are not the same. You criticize gift giving, but your critique is actually of gift givers.
You start with the strong statement, "Some traditions are worth keeping. Others almost beg for you to stomp all over them, perhaps none so much as traditional American holiday gifting." So I will start with a strong, counter - you're wrong and frankly I am sorry you grew up in an insensitive gift-giver environment. Let me unpack this.
"Nobody Knows What You Need More Than You. How many times have you had to fake liking a gift? It's painful...." Really, dude???? That's really sad. But the problem here isnt gift giving. It's communications. Do YOU tell your family what you want for the holidays? Do you create a wish list?
I have one friend who never ever tells her family what she wants. And then at the end of it all, like you, she is frustrated with what she receives. Well, d'uh. Part of healthy relationships is communications. Make a wish list, tell people what you want, and you will be amazed at how what you receive matches what you need.
It cuts the other way too, and you are right. Too often the problem is gift givers who do not listen. This is still a communication problem. They see something or think of something and say to themselves, "Oh, I would just love this, I will give it to johnny." Well, does Johnny want this, or is it a reflection of the givers interests. To give REALLY GOOD gifts, we have to listen so well, we give gifts that the receiver doesnt even know they want.
And that is my big disagreement with "Nobody Knows What You Need More Than You." How well do you listen? How well do you observe? I have to say as a father, the number of gifts I have given to my kids that they did not ask for - but just made their eyes light up - is impressive. Can you hear what your family is saying, even without words? That is a sign of a strong relationship.
"Mother Earth will thank you."
Hum. Well first, a well given gift is a big solution - meaning something that will be well used. It might even be a gift like a solar charger or an LED flashlight or a bicycle. So I dont know about that. But your alternatives, such as going to an event - heh, um, having you thought about the carbon footprint of say a basketball game?? I am not sure that is a positive.
"Do you remember what you gave your mother five years ago? Does she?"
Really?? How sad. Do you take pictures during the holidays? We probably take more pictures on Christmas day than any other day. Many of them are at the moment of receiving with eyes lighting up. I hope you have those pictures. If you do, look back through them and see if this is still true. For us, they are moments of joy and frequently the starts of new beginnings: a new bike, a new toy, some really nice cloths, something for a new hobby. Yes we remember.
And think about it. 5 years ago?? You are still young, based on your picture. How OLD WERE you 5 years ago? Would that present mean anything to you today? But did it 5 years ago? When my kids where young, we gave them thomas the tank trains. They loved them and played with them solid for years. Do they think about them now? No. They are too old. Will they think about them in 20 years when they pull them off the shelf and play with them with their own children?? Yip. (I gave my kids my match box cars - that was big).
Again, I think its a communication issue. It has to be gifts the *receiver* (not the giver) would cherish.
Finally, which brings it home:
"Here are a few experience gift ideas that you can discuss with your loved ones: Events: Buy tickets to a play, an athletic event, a concert, movies, or a musical."
Gotta say, that is really not a solution. As far as not being materialistic or nihilistic, none of those really count. Most concerts today are experiences in pure nihilism. As far as carbon footprint, they all probably has significant ones. But most importantly, are you listening to the recipient? Are those things the recipient would enjoy? All of those are passive activities where you go and sit and watch someone else do something. Would the recipient enjoy that? Or would the recipient enjoy a new (or used) bike or hockey skates or a sled that are consistent with active lifestyles.
I gotta say, I am not a spectator; there is no greater wasted gift on me than to buy me tickets where I have to go somewhere and sit on my ass for several hours watching someone else have fun. That is exactly my point. That is a wasted gift because anyone who gave that to me, was not listening to me, and was wasting.
The problem you describe is not gift giving. It is how we communicate and listen. It is indicative of a society where we dont listen to each other and we give gifts for the wrong reason. We can give gifts that empower the recipient and expand their world, or we can give *stuff* (ala george carlin). The holidays is a celebration - and a direct indication - of our relationships. What does your gift giving say about you?
This list is, by and large, foolish. How can you compare luxury items, like housekeeping services and new cars, with diapers and post-it notes? Were you just bored and facing a deadline to get this pile out?
You can increase your % a bit by re-freezing. It can be further refined by freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw many times without separating the ice each time. It will create layers of purer water on top and Jack on bottom. There is a salad spinner on the market that has a spinning strainer for getting rid of water on lettuce, when you clean it. Some cheese cloth to line it, and you can really get the alcohol out of the ice crystals! This is a time where the quality of juice you start with is very important. Kool Aid is ok, but nothing like some fresh fruit juice. 30 gallons is a great party in the making! Northern hemisphere is coming on to winter, good time to use the free cooling to jack some cider, eh? If you can freeze off another 20% of the 30 gallons with ice, you will have a great start to use on the still. It will produce much faster that way.
I collect thin black wooden frames from the thrift store or yard sales. They usually cost about $1 a piece with glass, and accomodate my ever changing display of prints, card art, magazine clippings. The frame color ties all the pieces together. I don't mat them with matboard but use heavy construction paper rubbed with various craypas colors to bring out the print colors and tie the pics together. This allows me to use odd sized frames with odd sized pictures.
I prefer checks because they encourage a conscious spending of money. The physical act of slowing down and writing a check makes you more aware of where your money is going. It's much harder to keep current in our budget with credit card transactions. They become abstract slips of paper stuffed in pockets. We don't always remember to list them. But a check with it's register, nags, "don't forget to subtract it from the budget".
At least not, if the extra TVs are discarded older TVs which you'd otherwise dump. If you hook up a DVD player, media player or free-to-air digital TV box to them you can get a lot of fun out of them.
I love my 70s black and white 11" portable TV in my kitchen and spent $120 to connect a media server to it, so that I can "watch" late night talk shows while I'm cooking or cleaning the kitchen.
I hate comcast.. they are a monopoly in my area too... they tell me one rate.. and then my bill is ALWAYS different. They need to go out of business for their greed. I tell the reps all the time, Comcast is the worst.. Glad to read I'm not alone. and I will never be on auto-pay cause they screw me. -Great read, Thanks
I do more with less by cooking from scratch, buying used, and utilizing resources like the library for books and dvds. I also combine sales with coupons to get the best deals possible!
I have a young one, (6 months) and I'm using cloth, and I do deal with the diapers (and yet am male), but we do have a diaper service. It's still cheaper than disposables, and produces less waste.
I'm not certain how common diaper services are any more (fortunately there's one in our city). I think that's the scam of the disposables: when they put the diaper services out of business, then the cloth does look more problematic.
In the 21st century we just don´t pay attention to our nature and overusing pretty much everything including water as well. There are many ways to save water, but we actually have to do it in order to protect our planet. Any change is always in the doing not in the talking. Great article. Thanks for sharing.
Me and a bunch of friends get together a few times a month for a pot luck dinner. No one has to cook too much at once, but with enough people its a feast! A lot of fun, too!
Hi! My names Tyler, I have been very interested in drifting, like said, the american dream can be kinda boring. Its not like I have a tough life or anything, in fact, I have a great life. But I feel I have no real use for society, I'm kinda not bright. I feel like it would be in my best interest to wander for, hell, maybe ever! I am not sure where to start, I am a junior in high school and have told no one about this dream, so I had better pack up and quick! It will ve tough to just leave everything behind, I'm not sure I am even prepared for this. But ****,my other dream was to be an astronomer, and that can't happen, once again, not that bright. Maybe I will follow the stars in my own way, on my own time living my own life. The one and only, Tyler.
We do with less by shopping sales and using coupons. My husband does the car maintenance. We save energy by turning out thermostat down and use energy saving bulbs, toilets and shower heads.
my ipod touch really made me aware of how much can be done on one tiny thing. and the old stuff really isnt necessary. so in a perfect world one would exist with very little clutter. how amazing it is to live today.
More for less mean having an emergency kit in my car when I travel, and also carrying our own snacks and drinks so that we don't have to make expensive stops.
I'm not sure why everyone is so negative about cloth diapering. The cloth diapers that exist now are not the same kind that your mother used- no rubber covers or pins required.
I use pocket diapers for both of my kids, and it's not any harder than disposable diapering. Yes, cloth diapering requires that the parent drops the solid wastes in the toilet (which your supposed to to do with disposables also), but really how much effort does it take to throw 8-16 diapers in the wash?
I've been cloth diapering for almost 2 years, and there's no way I'd go back to spending $40-80 a month on diapers for each child.
On a money saving blog you should really mention gimp. It's just as powerful as photoshop, but doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It's free/open source.
I understand your annoyance with float, even though I came to love it.
There are people (always people, never corporations) that don't seem to get around to depositing their checks. So, every year or two, I'm stuck tracking a outstanding check for two, three, four months, having to deal with my balance and the bank's balance being different. And there really isn't anything you can do about it, except bug the guy to go ahead and deposit the check. (After six months the guy's bank might turn back the check as being stale-dated—but they don't have to. So you have to assume that any check out there might well clear your bank, even after many months.)
When your bank account is earning rates that are measured in hundredths of a percentage point, float is purely an annoyance. But when interest rates are higher, it's kinda nice—despite the book-keeping hassle.
Personally, I find the cost and time to be insignificant. Yes, the pen I use to write checks cost a couple dollars. But the computer I use to manage my finances on-line cost over $1000. (Yes, I'd own the computer anyway—but then, I'd own the pen anyway too.) Yes, it takes a couple of minutes to write a check. But it can take just as long to pay a bill on-line—I don't need to log into my checkbook to write a check.
The real time and effort goes to making sure that you only pay what you actually owe—and that takes the same whether it's on-line or by paper check.
Thanks for the link and mention Amy!
I write maybe 1 check a month and am absolutely annoyed when I do. 3 reasons: Cost, time, and float.
Cost: If you have to mail the darn thing that's 42 cents. Then there is the cost of the replacement checks, the envelope, always needing a pen, etc. Laugh if you want, but if you are going to cite the tiny little benefits of 'float' interest then these costs add up and the material clutters your life.
Time: Handwriting all those fields, making sure they are all correct and legible. Dropping it off to whoever is receiving it. Compared to a few clicks and you are done, it's definitely not a value-added activity.
Float: I don't like float. I don't like having stuff out there in limbo. When I pay it I want it to be reflected in my bank account as soon as possible because that's how I keep track of things. Yes I plan out my expenses and track my debits but I don't want to track a third variable of 'what's out in limbo'. My budgeting and tracking are almost real time and automatic and I can check it at any time and the only times it's not completely accurate is when I know I have a check out there waiting to be cashed.
I've found in my life that eliminating these little annoyances results in time I can spend in actually keeping track and analyzing my activity. I really don't understand forcing yourself to write checks to impede spending. Budgets are actually fun to stick to if they are tracked and updated automatically! It's 2010! Leverage the beautiful tech we have available to get in, get out, and enjoy more of your day.
Yep. I absolutely refuse to pay people to let me pay them.
I pay $38 a month per phone for my cell phones, one for me and one for my wife. We share a Sprint family plan with multiple friends.
Unfortunately, I think you have confused and conflated two problems: gift giving and gift givers. While related, they are not the same. You criticize gift giving, but your critique is actually of gift givers.
You start with the strong statement, "Some traditions are worth keeping. Others almost beg for you to stomp all over them, perhaps none so much as traditional American holiday gifting." So I will start with a strong, counter - you're wrong and frankly I am sorry you grew up in an insensitive gift-giver environment. Let me unpack this.
"Nobody Knows What You Need More Than You. How many times have you had to fake liking a gift? It's painful...." Really, dude???? That's really sad. But the problem here isnt gift giving. It's communications. Do YOU tell your family what you want for the holidays? Do you create a wish list?
I have one friend who never ever tells her family what she wants. And then at the end of it all, like you, she is frustrated with what she receives. Well, d'uh. Part of healthy relationships is communications. Make a wish list, tell people what you want, and you will be amazed at how what you receive matches what you need.
It cuts the other way too, and you are right. Too often the problem is gift givers who do not listen. This is still a communication problem. They see something or think of something and say to themselves, "Oh, I would just love this, I will give it to johnny." Well, does Johnny want this, or is it a reflection of the givers interests. To give REALLY GOOD gifts, we have to listen so well, we give gifts that the receiver doesnt even know they want.
And that is my big disagreement with "Nobody Knows What You Need More Than You." How well do you listen? How well do you observe? I have to say as a father, the number of gifts I have given to my kids that they did not ask for - but just made their eyes light up - is impressive. Can you hear what your family is saying, even without words? That is a sign of a strong relationship.
"Mother Earth will thank you."
Hum. Well first, a well given gift is a big solution - meaning something that will be well used. It might even be a gift like a solar charger or an LED flashlight or a bicycle. So I dont know about that. But your alternatives, such as going to an event - heh, um, having you thought about the carbon footprint of say a basketball game?? I am not sure that is a positive.
"Do you remember what you gave your mother five years ago? Does she?"
Really?? How sad. Do you take pictures during the holidays? We probably take more pictures on Christmas day than any other day. Many of them are at the moment of receiving with eyes lighting up. I hope you have those pictures. If you do, look back through them and see if this is still true. For us, they are moments of joy and frequently the starts of new beginnings: a new bike, a new toy, some really nice cloths, something for a new hobby. Yes we remember.
And think about it. 5 years ago?? You are still young, based on your picture. How OLD WERE you 5 years ago? Would that present mean anything to you today? But did it 5 years ago? When my kids where young, we gave them thomas the tank trains. They loved them and played with them solid for years. Do they think about them now? No. They are too old. Will they think about them in 20 years when they pull them off the shelf and play with them with their own children?? Yip. (I gave my kids my match box cars - that was big).
Again, I think its a communication issue. It has to be gifts the *receiver* (not the giver) would cherish.
Finally, which brings it home:
"Here are a few experience gift ideas that you can discuss with your loved ones: Events: Buy tickets to a play, an athletic event, a concert, movies, or a musical."
Gotta say, that is really not a solution. As far as not being materialistic or nihilistic, none of those really count. Most concerts today are experiences in pure nihilism. As far as carbon footprint, they all probably has significant ones. But most importantly, are you listening to the recipient? Are those things the recipient would enjoy? All of those are passive activities where you go and sit and watch someone else do something. Would the recipient enjoy that? Or would the recipient enjoy a new (or used) bike or hockey skates or a sled that are consistent with active lifestyles.
I gotta say, I am not a spectator; there is no greater wasted gift on me than to buy me tickets where I have to go somewhere and sit on my ass for several hours watching someone else have fun. That is exactly my point. That is a wasted gift because anyone who gave that to me, was not listening to me, and was wasting.
The problem you describe is not gift giving. It is how we communicate and listen. It is indicative of a society where we dont listen to each other and we give gifts for the wrong reason. We can give gifts that empower the recipient and expand their world, or we can give *stuff* (ala george carlin). The holidays is a celebration - and a direct indication - of our relationships. What does your gift giving say about you?
Loved this! Funny how we are all posting about niche-specific gift lists :) I just shared 10 Gifts for the Kitchen Enthusiast!
I especially like the fitness snacks idea!
This list is, by and large, foolish. How can you compare luxury items, like housekeeping services and new cars, with diapers and post-it notes? Were you just bored and facing a deadline to get this pile out?
Gator,
You can increase your % a bit by re-freezing. It can be further refined by freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw many times without separating the ice each time. It will create layers of purer water on top and Jack on bottom. There is a salad spinner on the market that has a spinning strainer for getting rid of water on lettuce, when you clean it. Some cheese cloth to line it, and you can really get the alcohol out of the ice crystals! This is a time where the quality of juice you start with is very important. Kool Aid is ok, but nothing like some fresh fruit juice. 30 gallons is a great party in the making! Northern hemisphere is coming on to winter, good time to use the free cooling to jack some cider, eh? If you can freeze off another 20% of the 30 gallons with ice, you will have a great start to use on the still. It will produce much faster that way.
Thanks for the bump Willie-Boy :)
Great ideas.
I collect thin black wooden frames from the thrift store or yard sales. They usually cost about $1 a piece with glass, and accomodate my ever changing display of prints, card art, magazine clippings. The frame color ties all the pieces together. I don't mat them with matboard but use heavy construction paper rubbed with various craypas colors to bring out the print colors and tie the pics together. This allows me to use odd sized frames with odd sized pictures.
I prefer checks because they encourage a conscious spending of money. The physical act of slowing down and writing a check makes you more aware of where your money is going. It's much harder to keep current in our budget with credit card transactions. They become abstract slips of paper stuffed in pockets. We don't always remember to list them. But a check with it's register, nags, "don't forget to subtract it from the budget".
Luddites of the world unite!
Don't completely agree with your extra TV idea.
At least not, if the extra TVs are discarded older TVs which you'd otherwise dump. If you hook up a DVD player, media player or free-to-air digital TV box to them you can get a lot of fun out of them.
I love my 70s black and white 11" portable TV in my kitchen and spent $120 to connect a media server to it, so that I can "watch" late night talk shows while I'm cooking or cleaning the kitchen.
I hate comcast.. they are a monopoly in my area too... they tell me one rate.. and then my bill is ALWAYS different. They need to go out of business for their greed. I tell the reps all the time, Comcast is the worst.. Glad to read I'm not alone. and I will never be on auto-pay cause they screw me. -Great read, Thanks
I do more with less by cooking from scratch, buying used, and utilizing resources like the library for books and dvds. I also combine sales with coupons to get the best deals possible!
I have a young one, (6 months) and I'm using cloth, and I do deal with the diapers (and yet am male), but we do have a diaper service. It's still cheaper than disposables, and produces less waste.
I'm not certain how common diaper services are any more (fortunately there's one in our city). I think that's the scam of the disposables: when they put the diaper services out of business, then the cloth does look more problematic.
In the 21st century we just don´t pay attention to our nature and overusing pretty much everything including water as well. There are many ways to save water, but we actually have to do it in order to protect our planet. Any change is always in the doing not in the talking. Great article. Thanks for sharing.
Me and a bunch of friends get together a few times a month for a pot luck dinner. No one has to cook too much at once, but with enough people its a feast! A lot of fun, too!
Hi! My names Tyler, I have been very interested in drifting, like said, the american dream can be kinda boring. Its not like I have a tough life or anything, in fact, I have a great life. But I feel I have no real use for society, I'm kinda not bright. I feel like it would be in my best interest to wander for, hell, maybe ever! I am not sure where to start, I am a junior in high school and have told no one about this dream, so I had better pack up and quick! It will ve tough to just leave everything behind, I'm not sure I am even prepared for this. But ****,my other dream was to be an astronomer, and that can't happen, once again, not that bright. Maybe I will follow the stars in my own way, on my own time living my own life. The one and only, Tyler.
Using lots and lots of coupons!
We do with less by shopping sales and using coupons. My husband does the car maintenance. We save energy by turning out thermostat down and use energy saving bulbs, toilets and shower heads.
Doing more with less could be decorating the christmas tree as a family. More work done in less time, and lots of family time together.
my ipod touch really made me aware of how much can be done on one tiny thing. and the old stuff really isnt necessary. so in a perfect world one would exist with very little clutter. how amazing it is to live today.
More for less mean having an emergency kit in my car when I travel, and also carrying our own snacks and drinks so that we don't have to make expensive stops.