After foolishing cutting a variety of peppers using a knife and *bare* hands, my hands burned agonizingly. By the next day I washed my hands many times, tried soaking in milk, etc. but still they burned. I finally came across a comment online about using Dawn to remove the pepper oils. Fortunately we had Dawn in the kitchen at work - I tried it and it worked!
Also, a note about the boo boo ice packs - we use restaurant ketchup packs. The katchup won't freeze solid and they're small enough for little hands to hold easily (and they're free).
DivaJean >> I aspire to be the same type of parent that you seem to be. I do my 40 hours/week at work, with the occasional need to work late. I also am trying to get a business going so someday I can work for myself.
But I also make sure there are a few hours each weekday for my wife and baby boy (just turned 7 months today!). Saturdays we spend with my wife's family and try to go out and do something together, even if its as simple as wandering around the mall, or going out for coffee. And Sundays are family day, which means my cell phone is turned off, my wife's cell phone is turned off, and we spend time together.
In the end, I may not be pulling in as much money as the next guy. I may not have as big a house or as big a yard, or tv, or whatever other "shiny object" is out there that everyone has. But I have my time with my family, we have our memories, our inside jokes... and that's something that won't need replacing (like the TVs and cars out there do).
DivaJean, keep up the good job you're doing with your family, and I hope when my kid (or kids in the future) are older, I can say I've spent the quality time with my family it seems you have with your family.
It should also be noted that Dawn, being petroleum based, is the leading cause of "gunk" buildup in your drains. Have slow running kitchen drains? It could be years of dish detergent buildup. Using commonly available chemical drain cleaners will alleviate this.
Keeping real with what you can afford and not caring about what the others have.
It's very hard to do though! Especially when the kidlets start in on "but so & so has a Wii" "So & so go to Disney World 4 times a year."
I always point out to them what they DO have- one stay at home mom always available to them- and me- always minus 40 hours/week. So & so's parents take him to Disney to make up for times they haven't had in the day to day-- meanwhile, we've spent real time together knowing each other and learning from one another. But the kids, being young, just see fun they've missed out. In the long run, we know we'll have done the best we could by them, rather than paying them off for complacency as many parents do.
I decided last year to make some of my Christmas gifts instead of buying them -- and people liked it so much that I'm making everyone custom photo albums/scrap books this year. It's so much more personal and meaningful than some gift card they'll forget about and never use.
Just as an aside (and also wondering if anyone else feels this way), I find I don't care as much what other people have . . . stopped caring about that years ago. But I do find the times when I have the most difficulty not slipping into judgement is when people who are buying the better crap yet clearly can't afford it try to offer me financial advice. I think Andrea touched on this briefly in a recent post. Then, when you politely do your verbal tap dance around the comment to not hurt their feelins, and they keep going like they think you've basically given validity to their argument, it's even harder to keep your mouth shut. At least that's been my experience. I hate being judgemental. I put a great deal of effort into not ever going there. But I have difficulty in these situations . . . anyone?
love it when something simple and cheap works so much better than the expensive stuff? Not that I mind paying for quality, but when i don't have to, it makes me feel like I've "figured out the game" a little bit. Great post, Linsey.
Some poor folks may have better cr*p than I but they also have more debt than I. I think I'm long past caring what other people have. All that matters is I'm living the lifestyle that suits me and is well within my means.
When I first moved out of my folks' I moved into an apartment complex that was low income. I had no idea is was HUD housing, I thought my neighbors were all doing very well judging from the glimpses I occasionally got into their living rooms. As I got to know my neighbors I learned their secret: RENT TO OWN! *shudder*
Rob! You took the words right out of my brain (because although I've always thought this, I've never been able to utter it as succinctly as that!).
Nora - great article and I agree wholeheartedly. Funny, though. I noticed something peeved me, that was the typical order of growing up, as in: leave HS, go to college, acquire kitchen & household stuff along the way, get a career, move up in that career, then get married and have kids, house and massive cars. Boy did I do all that the wrong way around! I'm annoyed at myself for having done it all in the wrong order (and now here I am at 40, single parent, bottom rung of boring office jobs, financially strapped - but out of debt - hoping to go to college to fill in all the other stuff I thought I was too good for in my 20s!!).
Wow - this is cheaper than therapy :-)
I think especially since I'm not the typical American success story, I get such a kick out of the wisebread articles. Thanks for highlighting alternate ways of living/thinking.
I used to clean commercial kitchens & original Dawn is where it's at! Heavy duty commercial degreasers were far more expensive and the ingredients were often questionable. Dawn is cheap and an amazing cleaning product. Glad to see some other uses for it as well.
Whenever I see someone with nicer stuff than me, I remind myself that there is no point in keeping up with the Joneses since they're f-ing broke. Whenever I see someone with a BMW I think it's most likey leased and that the driver is maxing out credit cards to live large (my apologies to those who can actually afford their BMWs).
I agree with Rob. Live simply, spend less today, retire early and you own your time, not your employer. If you earn $20k a year, every $100 you spend today is costing you 3 days of your life after you retire, when those days are most precious because you don't have as many available to you.
Good for you for honoring the contributions and provisions you make. Just because they may not be in the form of a large check, doesn't mean they are not valid. In fact, lots of time I feel that my non check contributions are even more valuable because the size of a check I could write would not be of the same amount of value of what I could provide through expertise, advise, logistical and meal support, etc. I love the fact that you included time in your list of provisions. Keep up the good providing!
Last night, I was quite a bit upset to find out that my family qualifies for Christmas Bureau charity. Tnis is where toys, clothing, goods, and food are given to families in need based on finances. As I have repeatedly said- we are a family of 6 living on one income- MINE. I started to feel like maybe I'm NOT providing the best for my family and started rethinking the whole income/thrift equation.
It's more than a matter of pride for me. I DO provide for my family- in ways of time, attention, and thrift. I am teaching them how to manage money- not expect a handout at the holidays. As a matter of fact, we tend to be the biggest givers when the holiday giving tree goes up at our church.
We have learned to make do and rework just about anything as needed. We are far richer than imaginable.
I think that you simply have to look at your container to check to see where it was made, unless we think that the manufacturers are lying about that and the FDA is supporting them in that lie as well. I just started trying the Berkeley and Jensen brand of formula from BJ's Wholesale Club (this would be their generic brand of Enfamil Lipil), and my healthy on-his-way-to-16-pounds 13-week-old son has been doing well. The B&J product is made in Vermont - at least that's what the possibly lying manufacturers say on the can's label.
I will admit that the first couple of days I held my breath waiting to see if he would turn purple and start puking, or refuse his bottle, but he hasn't done so yet - we're going on a week now. Maybe future studies will show that generic formula slows infant development, but we videotaped him grabbing and holding on to a rattle - for the first time - two days after we started using generic.
As to the other topic that was raised in this discussion - I too was unable to breastfeed - my story is too long to share here, but suffice it to say that I tried for a month after my baby was born without success, AND I even got a couple of lactation consultants to admit, grudgingly, that yes, there are women who are unable to breastfeed. Many thanks to the previous commenter who tried to point out that many women who aren't breastfeeding aren't simply lazy, horrible mothers who want to produce sub-par children.
My theory is that wealth can be measured in terms of units of time, as in those people with the most amount of time available are those that are the wealthiest. As time is the most finite resource on earth. Everyone comes with a fixed amount of livable units of time, and we determine how we want to use them.
In other words, if you spend every waking moment chasing material and worldly possessions that don't really fulfill you, then you are 'poor'. But to those who spend as much of their time doing things that are meaningful and important to them are the wealthiest.
I recently shattered my ankle at a an establishment and have already attained $25,000 of bills. I am aware that my hospital has charity care, but I was told that I am not covered because it happened at a restaurant with a private owner. I was told my only option was to sue the restaurant, which I have decided against doing because it was in no way their fault. Do you know if there is anything else that I am able to do to be offered at least some charity care?
see article at americanjourneydotblogspot regarding amero
After foolishing cutting a variety of peppers using a knife and *bare* hands, my hands burned agonizingly. By the next day I washed my hands many times, tried soaking in milk, etc. but still they burned. I finally came across a comment online about using Dawn to remove the pepper oils. Fortunately we had Dawn in the kitchen at work - I tried it and it worked!
Also, a note about the boo boo ice packs - we use restaurant ketchup packs. The katchup won't freeze solid and they're small enough for little hands to hold easily (and they're free).
DivaJean >> I aspire to be the same type of parent that you seem to be. I do my 40 hours/week at work, with the occasional need to work late. I also am trying to get a business going so someday I can work for myself.
But I also make sure there are a few hours each weekday for my wife and baby boy (just turned 7 months today!). Saturdays we spend with my wife's family and try to go out and do something together, even if its as simple as wandering around the mall, or going out for coffee. And Sundays are family day, which means my cell phone is turned off, my wife's cell phone is turned off, and we spend time together.
In the end, I may not be pulling in as much money as the next guy. I may not have as big a house or as big a yard, or tv, or whatever other "shiny object" is out there that everyone has. But I have my time with my family, we have our memories, our inside jokes... and that's something that won't need replacing (like the TVs and cars out there do).
DivaJean, keep up the good job you're doing with your family, and I hope when my kid (or kids in the future) are older, I can say I've spent the quality time with my family it seems you have with your family.
It should also be noted that Dawn, being petroleum based, is the leading cause of "gunk" buildup in your drains. Have slow running kitchen drains? It could be years of dish detergent buildup. Using commonly available chemical drain cleaners will alleviate this.
We bathe our dog in Dawn - the blue kind. It allegedly helps prevent fleas (seems to work), and it leaves his fur really soft.
Keeping real with what you can afford and not caring about what the others have.
It's very hard to do though! Especially when the kidlets start in on "but so & so has a Wii" "So & so go to Disney World 4 times a year."
I always point out to them what they DO have- one stay at home mom always available to them- and me- always minus 40 hours/week. So & so's parents take him to Disney to make up for times they haven't had in the day to day-- meanwhile, we've spent real time together knowing each other and learning from one another. But the kids, being young, just see fun they've missed out. In the long run, we know we'll have done the best we could by them, rather than paying them off for complacency as many parents do.
I decided last year to make some of my Christmas gifts instead of buying them -- and people liked it so much that I'm making everyone custom photo albums/scrap books this year. It's so much more personal and meaningful than some gift card they'll forget about and never use.
I just love your attitude- Thanks for writing.
Just as an aside (and also wondering if anyone else feels this way), I find I don't care as much what other people have . . . stopped caring about that years ago. But I do find the times when I have the most difficulty not slipping into judgement is when people who are buying the better crap yet clearly can't afford it try to offer me financial advice. I think Andrea touched on this briefly in a recent post. Then, when you politely do your verbal tap dance around the comment to not hurt their feelins, and they keep going like they think you've basically given validity to their argument, it's even harder to keep your mouth shut. At least that's been my experience. I hate being judgemental. I put a great deal of effort into not ever going there. But I have difficulty in these situations . . . anyone?
love it when something simple and cheap works so much better than the expensive stuff? Not that I mind paying for quality, but when i don't have to, it makes me feel like I've "figured out the game" a little bit. Great post, Linsey.
Some poor folks may have better cr*p than I but they also have more debt than I. I think I'm long past caring what other people have. All that matters is I'm living the lifestyle that suits me and is well within my means.
When I first moved out of my folks' I moved into an apartment complex that was low income. I had no idea is was HUD housing, I thought my neighbors were all doing very well judging from the glimpses I occasionally got into their living rooms. As I got to know my neighbors I learned their secret: RENT TO OWN!
*shudder*
The newsletter also mentioned using it to tackle soap scum. I haven't tried it yet, so it's good to hear that it works!
Rob! You took the words right out of my brain (because although I've always thought this, I've never been able to utter it as succinctly as that!).
Nora - great article and I agree wholeheartedly. Funny, though. I noticed something peeved me, that was the typical order of growing up, as in: leave HS, go to college, acquire kitchen & household stuff along the way, get a career, move up in that career, then get married and have kids, house and massive cars. Boy did I do all that the wrong way around! I'm annoyed at myself for having done it all in the wrong order (and now here I am at 40, single parent, bottom rung of boring office jobs, financially strapped - but out of debt - hoping to go to college to fill in all the other stuff I thought I was too good for in my 20s!!).
Wow - this is cheaper than therapy :-)
I think especially since I'm not the typical American success story, I get such a kick out of the wisebread articles. Thanks for highlighting alternate ways of living/thinking.
I used to clean commercial kitchens & original Dawn is where it's at! Heavy duty commercial degreasers were far more expensive and the ingredients were often questionable. Dawn is cheap and an amazing cleaning product. Glad to see some other uses for it as well.
Cool! I've heard of this with a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water, but never with the soap. Who knew?
Whenever I see someone with nicer stuff than me, I remind myself that there is no point in keeping up with the Joneses since they're f-ing broke. Whenever I see someone with a BMW I think it's most likey leased and that the driver is maxing out credit cards to live large (my apologies to those who can actually afford their BMWs).
I agree with Rob. Live simply, spend less today, retire early and you own your time, not your employer. If you earn $20k a year, every $100 you spend today is costing you 3 days of your life after you retire, when those days are most precious because you don't have as many available to you.
It's Austin! Love the picture... very fitting for a city dealing with the issue of homelessness.
Good for you for honoring the contributions and provisions you make. Just because they may not be in the form of a large check, doesn't mean they are not valid. In fact, lots of time I feel that my non check contributions are even more valuable because the size of a check I could write would not be of the same amount of value of what I could provide through expertise, advise, logistical and meal support, etc. I love the fact that you included time in your list of provisions. Keep up the good providing!
Last night, I was quite a bit upset to find out that my family qualifies for Christmas Bureau charity. Tnis is where toys, clothing, goods, and food are given to families in need based on finances. As I have repeatedly said- we are a family of 6 living on one income- MINE. I started to feel like maybe I'm NOT providing the best for my family and started rethinking the whole income/thrift equation.
It's more than a matter of pride for me. I DO provide for my family- in ways of time, attention, and thrift. I am teaching them how to manage money- not expect a handout at the holidays. As a matter of fact, we tend to be the biggest givers when the holiday giving tree goes up at our church.
We have learned to make do and rework just about anything as needed. We are far richer than imaginable.
I think that you simply have to look at your container to check to see where it was made, unless we think that the manufacturers are lying about that and the FDA is supporting them in that lie as well. I just started trying the Berkeley and Jensen brand of formula from BJ's Wholesale Club (this would be their generic brand of Enfamil Lipil), and my healthy on-his-way-to-16-pounds 13-week-old son has been doing well. The B&J product is made in Vermont - at least that's what the possibly lying manufacturers say on the can's label.
I will admit that the first couple of days I held my breath waiting to see if he would turn purple and start puking, or refuse his bottle, but he hasn't done so yet - we're going on a week now. Maybe future studies will show that generic formula slows infant development, but we videotaped him grabbing and holding on to a rattle - for the first time - two days after we started using generic.
As to the other topic that was raised in this discussion - I too was unable to breastfeed - my story is too long to share here, but suffice it to say that I tried for a month after my baby was born without success, AND I even got a couple of lactation consultants to admit, grudgingly, that yes, there are women who are unable to breastfeed. Many thanks to the previous commenter who tried to point out that many women who aren't breastfeeding aren't simply lazy, horrible mothers who want to produce sub-par children.
My theory is that wealth can be measured in terms of units of time, as in those people with the most amount of time available are those that are the wealthiest. As time is the most finite resource on earth. Everyone comes with a fixed amount of livable units of time, and we determine how we want to use them.
In other words, if you spend every waking moment chasing material and worldly possessions that don't really fulfill you, then you are 'poor'. But to those who spend as much of their time doing things that are meaningful and important to them are the wealthiest.
Why would you want your first house to be your "dream home?" You don't even know, at that stage, what dreams you have.
I recently shattered my ankle at a an establishment and have already attained $25,000 of bills. I am aware that my hospital has charity care, but I was told that I am not covered because it happened at a restaurant with a private owner. I was told my only option was to sue the restaurant, which I have decided against doing because it was in no way their fault. Do you know if there is anything else that I am able to do to be offered at least some charity care?
Thank you for any help.