It's a pleasure having you on board Jeff. Congratulations on publishing the book!
"After all, Will Chin was going to be my new editor-in-boss here at WiseBread.Don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with the Boss Man. Particularly since I was calling Will to reconfirm that he wouldn’t be editing my posts..."
I'm with the poster of post number 21. I think the cycle of poverty, the knowing what prolonged hunger feels like that induces people to want to eat more in times of plenty. I had many days of hunger in my early childhood. And even though those days of barren cupboards are far behind me, the memories of them are not. And so, even though it doesn't seem rational, I still have those feelings of wanting to feast in case there's another famine. It's always a struggle.
When the bank that his dad started became insolvent, Mr. Spangler approached the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond about bailing it out via a loan of $65 million. The FRB should have been providing better oversight of the bank operations and there were some violations of banking regulations that went unchecked. When one of the execs asked Mr. Spangler to tell him why the FRB should help, he responded:
"Well, I wasn't there when Bank of North Carolina got in trouble, but you people were."
So, Mr. Spangler was asking for help and justifying his request because of poor regulatory oversight. I admit to having mixed feelings about government solutions: on the one hand, market forces should fix problems and prevent recurrence through self-regulation; on the other hand, the government has an obligation to protect people, especially the uninformed and uneducated. In this case, the bank paid back the loan from the Fed.
There could be some parallels between this request and the current government bailout. Philip has written some posts on this topic including Fixing the Foreclosure Crisis. Again, I have mixed feelings about government solutions: on the one hand, borrowers may not have been fully informed about the ramifications of their loans; on the other hand, borrowers and banks will never learn to make changes if there are no consequences for their actions.
At the time that I was writing this post, I was still wrestling with what I thought was right and still am actually but this seems like a great time to insert another business lesson: Hold people accountable for their actions.
I guess #5 should be either "pay attention to details" or just "look at the big picture!" You know I have what I used to think of as a bizarre fear of numbering incorrectly, likely caused by multiple edits. There was one item that I was going to include but decided it was too complicated and now can't recall what that was (I'll let you know if I can remember as I discarded my original notes).
As far as construction companies and starting your own bank, I consider developers risk-takers who manage to envision possibilities that other people (like me who tend to think in concrete, no-pun-intended, terms) don't. Not that I think every spot on earth needs to be developed, which seems to be happening where I live, but I am still amazed by the ingenuity of developers.
Barbara, I take your word for the criticism you give since that is the same impression based on the different reviews or summaries of the book I came across and because you actually read it;but, I am glad it focuses on the frugal mentality instead of tips since alot of books do that already.They often focus on tips at the expense of the frugal mentality. Still I feel like it is important to be aware of the frugal mindset because if you are aware of the mindset, you can come up with frugal tips on your own to adopt to your own circumstances. It might not be a bad idea for a book in the future to contain both the mentality and frugal tips. Perhaps one day you or somebody like you can write it.
Silly me! I've been wanting to start my own construction company but didn't know how I was ever going to get the money. All I have to do is start a bank!
I just discovered if everyone that belives this hoax would cram a slotted screwdriver into the base of their cranium and pop off the top of their head they would find within 32 AA cell batteries.....minus the wiring.
I see so many sick children that I feel could be helped if their parents would guide THEM to get enough sleep at night. My neighbor's children have to get up to catch the bus at 6:45 but I see them up and about lots of nights past 10pm and I don't think 8 hours of sleep is enough for kindergarten age kids!
I used to sleep a lot when the weather was cold! Maybe that's why I why I decided on an artic nursery theme for my baby, thinking that would make her sleep more? FWIW, the baby's room is cute filled with penguins, polar bears and baby seals but the sleep part doesn't seem to be working that great.
Method two only worked slightly as only half of the dent came out so now it looks more like two dents.
I suppose this is because the dent is too big or maybe because its cold outside. I'll try again when it gets warmer I suppose.
wife of a man who consistently gives blood every 8 weeks -- and he has for the last 25 years. They have rejected me (cancer history), but it is one more reason I think he is a great guy.
Thanks to everyone who does donate blood. My sister was a Rhesus baby and had needed several whole-body transfusions. Some strangers I don't know helped save her life, something which is precious to me even if we're not currently on speaking terms.
More recently, my daughter was born 15 weeks early. Blood transfusions help a great deal, allowing these very tiny babies to concentrate their energies on growing. My husband was a donor, but was allowed to donate only once a month for her, and she needed more blood than he could provide. So again, a very wonderful stranger has helped save a life which is incredibly precious to me.
It might even have been you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much!
I agree that we have a topsoil concern in this country. However, I think that many of the issues you have brought up have little to do with the wise decision to use a variety of biomass choices as heating sources. No-till practices, windbreaks, and composting are common practices of farming communities that help to keep the topsoil in place. Many farmers are also participating in wetlands restoration programs designed to retain topsoil, encourage the habitat of native wildlife, and provide an investment in our natural resources.
Often it is the government's decision to exercise eminent domain to obtain the farmland for city expansion. Small farms are finding it difficult to compete with larger subsidized farming corporations. Since most farms are simply practicing a rotation of corn/beans or other crops, the need for biofuel doesn't influence their production practices much anyway. If farmers produce a surplus of one grain one year, they are able to sell it to companies such as Cargill to be used for ethanol, sweeteners, animal feed, and plastics.
While we continue to export agricultural product to countries like China, we also continue to import finished product. This is a cycle independent of decisions to use remaining resources (such as unsold grain, silage unfit for livestock consumption, cull lumber, and animal waste) as fuel options.
It is also very simplistic to make the assumption that we would have a food shortage because we choose to burn it instead of eat it. We are already wasteful with our food as an industrialized world. If anything, utilizing biomass allows us to use organic product that would have been wasted anyway and to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
I appreciate your comments. Thanks for the thought-provoking topic!
I'm not a needle lover myself so I refuse to look and the vein site is typically covered. Ignoring needles and blood in the donor room can be tricky but getting to have guilt-free desserts in the canteen is my incentive.
I'd love to give blood, but I'm terrified of needles. So I give on Kiva.org instead. If you'd like to give to someone on Kiva but can't afford to, have a look at this page on my blog. You can request a free Gift Certificate there, and make a loan to someone for Christmas.
It's a pleasure having you on board Jeff. Congratulations on publishing the book!
"After all, Will Chin was going to be my new editor-in-boss here at WiseBread. Don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with the Boss Man. Particularly since I was calling Will to reconfirm that he wouldn’t be editing my posts..."
Ha, like I'm going to fall for that one! As a great philosopher once said.
Cheers,
Will CHEN
although gift cards like this are generally bad, the marketing seems to be intended as humor, given there other ad campaigns
What company is doing mystery shops for Steak n Shake now? It used to be Feedback Plus, but they no longer seem to offer them!
...don’t contribute to the problems by being unpleasant in any way...
Especially if you don't have your receipt. Being nice and calm and pleasant and polite will get you at lot further than b*tching at the CSA. :)
I'm with the poster of post number 21. I think the cycle of poverty, the knowing what prolonged hunger feels like that induces people to want to eat more in times of plenty. I had many days of hunger in my early childhood. And even though those days of barren cupboards are far behind me, the memories of them are not. And so, even though it doesn't seem rational, I still have those feelings of wanting to feast in case there's another famine. It's always a struggle.
what #5 was all about:
When the bank that his dad started became insolvent, Mr. Spangler approached the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond about bailing it out via a loan of $65 million. The FRB should have been providing better oversight of the bank operations and there were some violations of banking regulations that went unchecked. When one of the execs asked Mr. Spangler to tell him why the FRB should help, he responded:
So, Mr. Spangler was asking for help and justifying his request because of poor regulatory oversight. I admit to having mixed feelings about government solutions: on the one hand, market forces should fix problems and prevent recurrence through self-regulation; on the other hand, the government has an obligation to protect people, especially the uninformed and uneducated. In this case, the bank paid back the loan from the Fed.
There could be some parallels between this request and the current government bailout. Philip has written some posts on this topic including Fixing the Foreclosure Crisis. Again, I have mixed feelings about government solutions: on the one hand, borrowers may not have been fully informed about the ramifications of their loans; on the other hand, borrowers and banks will never learn to make changes if there are no consequences for their actions.
At the time that I was writing this post, I was still wrestling with what I thought was right and still am actually but this seems like a great time to insert another business lesson: Hold people accountable for their actions.
I guess #5 should be either "pay attention to details" or just "look at the big picture!" You know I have what I used to think of as a bizarre fear of numbering incorrectly, likely caused by multiple edits. There was one item that I was going to include but decided it was too complicated and now can't recall what that was (I'll let you know if I can remember as I discarded my original notes).
As far as construction companies and starting your own bank, I consider developers risk-takers who manage to envision possibilities that other people (like me who tend to think in concrete, no-pun-intended, terms) don't. Not that I think every spot on earth needs to be developed, which seems to be happening where I live, but I am still amazed by the ingenuity of developers.
The title was supposed to be called about the frugal mentality.
The title was supposed to be called about the frugal mentality.
Barbara, I take your word for the criticism you give since that is the same impression based on the different reviews or summaries of the book I came across and because you actually read it;but, I am glad it focuses on the frugal mentality instead of tips since alot of books do that already.They often focus on tips at the expense of the frugal mentality. Still I feel like it is important to be aware of the frugal mindset because if you are aware of the mindset, you can come up with frugal tips on your own to adopt to your own circumstances. It might not be a bad idea for a book in the future to contain both the mentality and frugal tips. Perhaps one day you or somebody like you can write it.
You're right! Paid value cards have no value. That's why I think cash gifts are a-ok.
It's just a dressed up gift certificate/card. :)
What's number 5?
Silly me! I've been wanting to start my own construction company but didn't know how I was ever going to get the money. All I have to do is start a bank!
I just discovered if everyone that belives this hoax would cram a slotted screwdriver into the base of their cranium and pop off the top of their head they would find within 32 AA cell batteries.....minus the wiring.
Although I don't think i can give (low blood pressure), this sounds like a great idea for my family to do together this week. Thanks for the reminder.
I see so many sick children that I feel could be helped if their parents would guide THEM to get enough sleep at night. My neighbor's children have to get up to catch the bus at 6:45 but I see them up and about lots of nights past 10pm and I don't think 8 hours of sleep is enough for kindergarten age kids!
I used to sleep a lot when the weather was cold! Maybe that's why I why I decided on an artic nursery theme for my baby, thinking that would make her sleep more? FWIW, the baby's room is cute filled with penguins, polar bears and baby seals but the sleep part doesn't seem to be working that great.
Method two only worked slightly as only half of the dent came out so now it looks more like two dents.
I suppose this is because the dent is too big or maybe because its cold outside. I'll try again when it gets warmer I suppose.
wife of a man who consistently gives blood every 8 weeks -- and he has for the last 25 years. They have rejected me (cancer history), but it is one more reason I think he is a great guy.
Hot wings were meant to be eaten among friends with whom you have no pretenses.
We make Buffalo popcorn. Pop popcorn and mix Franks Red Hot with melted butter to pour over the top.
What a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing that sylrayj!
Thanks to everyone who does donate blood. My sister was a Rhesus baby and had needed several whole-body transfusions. Some strangers I don't know helped save her life, something which is precious to me even if we're not currently on speaking terms.
More recently, my daughter was born 15 weeks early. Blood transfusions help a great deal, allowing these very tiny babies to concentrate their energies on growing. My husband was a donor, but was allowed to donate only once a month for her, and she needed more blood than he could provide. So again, a very wonderful stranger has helped save a life which is incredibly precious to me.
It might even have been you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much!
I agree that we have a topsoil concern in this country. However, I think that many of the issues you have brought up have little to do with the wise decision to use a variety of biomass choices as heating sources. No-till practices, windbreaks, and composting are common practices of farming communities that help to keep the topsoil in place. Many farmers are also participating in wetlands restoration programs designed to retain topsoil, encourage the habitat of native wildlife, and provide an investment in our natural resources.
Often it is the government's decision to exercise eminent domain to obtain the farmland for city expansion. Small farms are finding it difficult to compete with larger subsidized farming corporations. Since most farms are simply practicing a rotation of corn/beans or other crops, the need for biofuel doesn't influence their production practices much anyway. If farmers produce a surplus of one grain one year, they are able to sell it to companies such as Cargill to be used for ethanol, sweeteners, animal feed, and plastics.
While we continue to export agricultural product to countries like China, we also continue to import finished product. This is a cycle independent of decisions to use remaining resources (such as unsold grain, silage unfit for livestock consumption, cull lumber, and animal waste) as fuel options.
It is also very simplistic to make the assumption that we would have a food shortage because we choose to burn it instead of eat it. We are already wasteful with our food as an industrialized world. If anything, utilizing biomass allows us to use organic product that would have been wasted anyway and to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
I appreciate your comments. Thanks for the thought-provoking topic!
I'm not a needle lover myself so I refuse to look and the vein site is typically covered. Ignoring needles and blood in the donor room can be tricky but getting to have guilt-free desserts in the canteen is my incentive.
I'd love to give blood, but I'm terrified of needles. So I give on Kiva.org instead. If you'd like to give to someone on Kiva but can't afford to, have a look at this page on my blog. You can request a free Gift Certificate there, and make a loan to someone for Christmas.