I really enjoyed this article. It touched home for me because I'm new to writing (at least for public consumption) and I'm struggling with how much to share. I'm still feeling out how much about myself and my fmaily will make the cut, and I've yet to share it with anyone that knows me, outside of my wife. This is a really interesting perspective to add to what I've already been thinking about.
Excellent article! Just wanted to add one more consideration:
This won't apply to everyone, but if you have to go gluten-free, it can be a little easier when you shop online. And I haven't found much of a price difference. That is, while I haven't save much money, it has saved me quite a lot of time and that has made it worthwhile, especially in difficult winter months.
While most supermarkets carry some specifically marked gluten-free foods now, in my supermarket they are not together, they are all over the place. And for products not marked gluten-free, I have to read all the ingredients to see if it probably would be okay for me.
So, with the online shopping, it's easy to click and get all the gluten-free marked products listed, and then for other products I can click to get the blown-up ingredient listing that is MUCH easier to read online than trying to struggle with it in the store.
Another important thing to learn from this would be not to leave a bunch of stuff in your car. Cars with valuable looking things inside are a much more attractive target to thieves than ones with nothing inside. It's likely the thieves would have left it alone if there wasn't anything inside.
@Fairy Dust - Ah...but maybe putting yourself out there (despite fear of embarrassment) WON'T be embarrassing after all! You never know until you try... :-)
@GT0 - Getting into those "messy" ideas with others is a fundamental principle of communication, which at times can be awkward and uncomfortable. How often do we choose not to say something because we're afraid of another person's reaction? But when we face that fear and say what we need to say (from a place of honesty and love), things generally turn out for the best - whatever that means.
@Randy - That's an especially powerful example, as most testosterone-heavy environments like football teams generally spurn displays of emotion as being weak or "girly". Thanks for the story!
We actually know someone who does these things...house is done with mis-matched paneling, appliances, furniture,etc. Sits at the LOCAL restaurant and drinks coffee all morning long, waits for them to give him breakfast. Sold land that he bought super cheap to families wanting to build/live/drop a well (it was once a toxic dump). Made/saved millions...all while screwing his neighbors/family.
There will always be people who take frugality too far at the expense of others...just another form of narcissism.
You couldn't be more correct about #3. The police rarely tak anything seriously. I had a neighbor steal checks from my mail and write checks all over the neighborhood. It was easily proven and a simple case. The police wouldn't do anything about it. Police contribute to overall safety, just don't expect any help with theft or fraud.
You've used a word incorrectly. "Peal" means to ring recurrently (as in the pealing of the bells), while "peel" is to strip the skin off (as in your garlic cloves).
My list would consist of three items... first is to retire at 55 with a good retirement amount. Second is to get my pilot's license and have my own plane (I have flown once and I loved it). Third is to just travel around the world to various places of interest.
Aw shucks Dude 4 Food, thanks! This is probably the nicest comment I've had in a while. Glad you liked the piece and its style. Really like your cranberry and thin slicing tips, too. Thanks for stopping by.
We had a vehicle stolen several years ago (from a bank parking lot and facing the entrance of a Catholic church). No one saw a thing. For about three years afterward, the local police department would sent us a notice a couple of times a year asking if we had located our vehicle. I usually sent their notice back to them with a note saying, "No, we haven't located our vehicle. Have you?" Eventually, they quit sending the notices. . . I'm assuming since they hadn't found it and neither had we.
I remember seeing John Cleese in an interview, and the comment he made that stuck with me is that so many people seem to spend their entire lives striving not to be embarrassed. And what's the fun in that! I admit, I'm one of those people - I hate feeling embarrassed. The thing is, I'm not entirely convinced that putting myself out there and getting embarrassed (probably a lot) would make me feel a lot better or like I'm suddenly having more fun - LOL!
Thanks for the comment, Guest. I see your point, but I don't necessarily agree. I think it depends on what you're buying and when you're buying it. That's the whole point of a sale, right? To get people into your store instead of another store. Online grocers often have sales - and coupon codes - that can save shoppers a good amount of money. Compare that to regular store costs plus the added bonus of the convenient and I think it's an economical alternative. Consider too that I never said online shopping was outright cheaper, just that deals are available for those who look for them which can make the bills comparable along with other methods that lessen the bill, i.e. not buying items you don't need because you're not directly faced with the temptation.
Some friends and I have recently been trying to encourage each other to "embraced the awkward". And I think the basic principal is fairly similar (haven't had a chance to watch the TED talk yet). The idea being that life is messy, but it's better to own up to that messiness, talk about, jump right in and deal with it, do the awkward things and have the awkward conversations rather than to try to shy away from those things or play it safe. It's not easy. It's often scary. But the fact that we're in it together and have given each other "permission" to admit when we're scared or having a hard time, has made a big difference. And we're seeing some interesting things in each other's lives.
I've never had a vehicle stolen, but I have had one broken into. A couple of years ago my old, beat up, exceptionally average truck had a brick thrown through the window. Of course this happened the night before I was scheduled to hop on a plane and leave town for a couple of days. Luckily I had nothing of value in the truck, but the hassle and stress of trying to make a flight and deal with vandalism like this was enormous.
I couldn't image how much more stressful having a car full of your personal items stolen must be. Kudos to you for having personal property insurance. That is something I've always held when I was renting. Luckily I never had to use it, but stories like this show just how important insurance can be.
I can totally empathize...we had a house robbery last December and everything you describe is exactly what we experienced, including how the police reacted. Here we're in mid January and I'm still dealing with things pertaining what was stolen.
I haven't written a "bucket list", but one of my main goals is to spend six months to a year living in various countries and soaking up different cultures.
Just this week here in Dallas, Roger Staubach, Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboy quarterback who played for coach Tom Landry, known to be quite stoic - said in a radio interview that when coach Landry finally showed his emotions to the entire team, it changed everything for the team. The team had struggled up to that moment, but coach Landry spoke from the heart, showed emotions and the team began to play better than ever.
I am sorry, I have to say that I completely disagree with the idea that one can realize substantial savings with online shopping. I regularly cost compare and find that the online stores almost without exception are always higher in cost per unit for the items that we buy regularly. There is no doubt that it can be more convenient and thus THAT may represent a savings to people but in terms of pricing alone, I can do far FAR better shopping locally.
I recenlty became self-employed, and I have to say, as much I dread the burden of taking out my own taxes, I am surprisingly amazed at all the things that actually qualify for a write off. Now let's hope that army of IRS employees that you point out don't come calling...
I really enjoyed this article. It touched home for me because I'm new to writing (at least for public consumption) and I'm struggling with how much to share. I'm still feeling out how much about myself and my fmaily will make the cut, and I've yet to share it with anyone that knows me, outside of my wife. This is a really interesting perspective to add to what I've already been thinking about.
thanks, PF
Excellent article! Just wanted to add one more consideration:
This won't apply to everyone, but if you have to go gluten-free, it can be a little easier when you shop online. And I haven't found much of a price difference. That is, while I haven't save much money, it has saved me quite a lot of time and that has made it worthwhile, especially in difficult winter months.
While most supermarkets carry some specifically marked gluten-free foods now, in my supermarket they are not together, they are all over the place. And for products not marked gluten-free, I have to read all the ingredients to see if it probably would be okay for me.
So, with the online shopping, it's easy to click and get all the gluten-free marked products listed, and then for other products I can click to get the blown-up ingredient listing that is MUCH easier to read online than trying to struggle with it in the store.
Another important thing to learn from this would be not to leave a bunch of stuff in your car. Cars with valuable looking things inside are a much more attractive target to thieves than ones with nothing inside. It's likely the thieves would have left it alone if there wasn't anything inside.
@Fairy Dust - Ah...but maybe putting yourself out there (despite fear of embarrassment) WON'T be embarrassing after all! You never know until you try... :-)
@GT0 - Getting into those "messy" ideas with others is a fundamental principle of communication, which at times can be awkward and uncomfortable. How often do we choose not to say something because we're afraid of another person's reaction? But when we face that fear and say what we need to say (from a place of honesty and love), things generally turn out for the best - whatever that means.
@Randy - That's an especially powerful example, as most testosterone-heavy environments like football teams generally spurn displays of emotion as being weak or "girly". Thanks for the story!
We actually know someone who does these things...house is done with mis-matched paneling, appliances, furniture,etc. Sits at the LOCAL restaurant and drinks coffee all morning long, waits for them to give him breakfast. Sold land that he bought super cheap to families wanting to build/live/drop a well (it was once a toxic dump). Made/saved millions...all while screwing his neighbors/family.
There will always be people who take frugality too far at the expense of others...just another form of narcissism.
You couldn't be more correct about #3. The police rarely tak anything seriously. I had a neighbor steal checks from my mail and write checks all over the neighborhood. It was easily proven and a simple case. The police wouldn't do anything about it. Police contribute to overall safety, just don't expect any help with theft or fraud.
As a fellow redhead, I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. Half of the article talks about my freckles.
You've used a word incorrectly. "Peal" means to ring recurrently (as in the pealing of the bells), while "peel" is to strip the skin off (as in your garlic cloves).
My list would consist of three items... first is to retire at 55 with a good retirement amount. Second is to get my pilot's license and have my own plane (I have flown once and I loved it). Third is to just travel around the world to various places of interest.
Aw shucks Dude 4 Food, thanks! This is probably the nicest comment I've had in a while. Glad you liked the piece and its style. Really like your cranberry and thin slicing tips, too. Thanks for stopping by.
I love this idea!!! So yummy. Thanks, Carole.
We had a vehicle stolen several years ago (from a bank parking lot and facing the entrance of a Catholic church). No one saw a thing. For about three years afterward, the local police department would sent us a notice a couple of times a year asking if we had located our vehicle. I usually sent their notice back to them with a note saying, "No, we haven't located our vehicle. Have you?" Eventually, they quit sending the notices. . . I'm assuming since they hadn't found it and neither had we.
I remember seeing John Cleese in an interview, and the comment he made that stuck with me is that so many people seem to spend their entire lives striving not to be embarrassed. And what's the fun in that! I admit, I'm one of those people - I hate feeling embarrassed. The thing is, I'm not entirely convinced that putting myself out there and getting embarrassed (probably a lot) would make me feel a lot better or like I'm suddenly having more fun - LOL!
Thanks for the comment, Guest. I see your point, but I don't necessarily agree. I think it depends on what you're buying and when you're buying it. That's the whole point of a sale, right? To get people into your store instead of another store. Online grocers often have sales - and coupon codes - that can save shoppers a good amount of money. Compare that to regular store costs plus the added bonus of the convenient and I think it's an economical alternative. Consider too that I never said online shopping was outright cheaper, just that deals are available for those who look for them which can make the bills comparable along with other methods that lessen the bill, i.e. not buying items you don't need because you're not directly faced with the temptation.
Some friends and I have recently been trying to encourage each other to "embraced the awkward". And I think the basic principal is fairly similar (haven't had a chance to watch the TED talk yet). The idea being that life is messy, but it's better to own up to that messiness, talk about, jump right in and deal with it, do the awkward things and have the awkward conversations rather than to try to shy away from those things or play it safe. It's not easy. It's often scary. But the fact that we're in it together and have given each other "permission" to admit when we're scared or having a hard time, has made a big difference. And we're seeing some interesting things in each other's lives.
I've never had a vehicle stolen, but I have had one broken into. A couple of years ago my old, beat up, exceptionally average truck had a brick thrown through the window. Of course this happened the night before I was scheduled to hop on a plane and leave town for a couple of days. Luckily I had nothing of value in the truck, but the hassle and stress of trying to make a flight and deal with vandalism like this was enormous.
I couldn't image how much more stressful having a car full of your personal items stolen must be. Kudos to you for having personal property insurance. That is something I've always held when I was renting. Luckily I never had to use it, but stories like this show just how important insurance can be.
I can totally empathize...we had a house robbery last December and everything you describe is exactly what we experienced, including how the police reacted. Here we're in mid January and I'm still dealing with things pertaining what was stolen.
I haven't written a "bucket list", but one of my main goals is to spend six months to a year living in various countries and soaking up different cultures.
Just this week here in Dallas, Roger Staubach, Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboy quarterback who played for coach Tom Landry, known to be quite stoic - said in a radio interview that when coach Landry finally showed his emotions to the entire team, it changed everything for the team. The team had struggled up to that moment, but coach Landry spoke from the heart, showed emotions and the team began to play better than ever.
I am sorry, I have to say that I completely disagree with the idea that one can realize substantial savings with online shopping. I regularly cost compare and find that the online stores almost without exception are always higher in cost per unit for the items that we buy regularly. There is no doubt that it can be more convenient and thus THAT may represent a savings to people but in terms of pricing alone, I can do far FAR better shopping locally.
i have a dvd soniq recorder and i don't how to change it to dvd free region so it can play all regions can anybody help me please
thanks Eva
I recenlty became self-employed, and I have to say, as much I dread the burden of taking out my own taxes, I am surprisingly amazed at all the things that actually qualify for a write off. Now let's hope that army of IRS employees that you point out don't come calling...
The top thing on my bucket list is traveling to Scotland. Its been a dream for over 20 years. One day! ~ Pattie F.