...that we take so many things for granted, that we no longer really appreciate them, and that we are not even aware of the impact our use has on other things like the environment.
I've been asking myself lately just how long I can continue to color my hair before people start to snicker when I walk by. I am 55 and luckily have aged well up to this point. My mother did also and often had folks tell her she couldn't be as old as she told them she was. Although, that being said, she colored long after she should have stopped and it looked painfully silly.
I started having it done by my hair dresser's, but I disliked the time I had to spend there...........I don't enjoy the "social time". I had better things to do. I do it now at home and it makes me feel better mentally, even though I still resent the time involved. I am starting to show my age more and have been contemplating how and when I need to grow old gracefully. I'm still on the fence.
I also always read that older women shouldn't have long hair because it ages them, but I am letting mine grow out for awhile. I don't look good in short hair and believe it or not, my hair is easier to take care of when it's long. I want easy so eventually I may stop coloring, but I'm just not there yet.
As a middle-aged woman, I either hear, or hear implied, this statement very often. It always feels to me, when I hear this, that I'm talking to someone that's, well, OLD. Isn't this what old people say? Would you ever hear a child say this?
To be "not the sort of person who..." is limiting oneself to an ever-narrowing range of possibilities. It applies to so much more than frugality. This is "I've never been artsy", "I like to walk outdoors, but I'd never go backpacking because I couldn't bathe", "I couldn't possibly put together a web page", "I'm math-challenged", and so on.
The most interesting people I've ever met are those that continually redefine themselves. I strive to be one of those people, so that leaves the topical phrase off my list of things to say.
Well, living in one of those countries that everyone agrees is corrupt top to bottom, I have too much real world experience in this.
When corruption gets really bad, it starts at the top and spreads down. The kind that starts at the bottom doesn't usually become so broad, as the top keeps it somewhat under control. But when the top is involved, it goes throughout.
I understand Phillip's scale of "what I can see" corruption, but would argue that it is not the real problem. In Kenya, traffic cops shake down commuters, not a big problem. However, when senior gov. officials use their power to dictate who can buy and sell grain, driving the price of flour up over 100% and emptying the shelves of stores, the poor can not eat.
Finally, as another well off white guy, I shall his experience of not being asked for too (loosely defined) many bribes. My black wife, moving in the same world I do, has a much worse time of it. Also, I can handle the price of bread going up, but my nanny can not. How bad corruption is depends a lot on who you are and how society treats you.
On a lighter note, I once paid a bribe, but did not realize I was doing so! I actually thought that the cop was serious when he told me I could leave a deposit and pick it up later...
I am a two year employee of a papa murphys, if you just wanna whine like little girl about waiting a few minutes for your pizza order go through pizza hut or something they even bake it for you!!!!!. You have no idea how much bullcrap we deal with as employees, all you fat people come in at the same time and order four pizzas each. some pizzas are easier and faster to make so they get out quicker and some are premakes which were made earlier that why some people get theirs sooner. if youd think and have common sense youd figure that one out.
I tend to take showers once a week or once every other week. When I do, I have a lot of shaving to do, but other than that washing my hair (i have dreadlocks) and body are very quick. I usually turn the shower off to shave, and then turn it back on to rinse.
I think the largest real benefit of tracking your spending and using a budget is that it provides you the income and expense data that lets you more accurately and project forward into the future the consequences of your current money patterns.
In an age of credit cards, where (up to now) it is possible to outspend your income for a considerable period of time before being brought up short, that kind of information is practically necessary if you are going to maximize the utility of your money. In the "olden days" you could just monitor your bank balances. Now I feel that I need the spending data and budget to to maximize the effectiveness of my earnings. And it's simple enough to do that it seems silly to go without the data.
I know! Before the chickens, I had no idea! Now if I had no one to feed them to, I think I'd boil the scraps and peels into a soup stock (assuming they are clean and not spoiled) or use the icky ends for garden mulch. There are ways to use this stuff, you just have to be clever, I think.
I have the same situation as you. I started growing premature gray hairs in high school, and, at almost 29 next month, I have patches of noticeable gray hair. I inherited it from my dad's side. It's good to know that I'm not alone! =) I plan on having kids in the future, and one of the rules is that I can't dye my hair for the first 3 months of pregnancy. Ouch. That is almost 2" of gray roots. I'll be wearing lots of hats! Or snipping away a strand or two a day.
On a more positive note, my hairdresser told me that people with premature gray hair tend to have the shimmering white hair when they're older, as opposed to the "muddy gray" that most people transition into.
Your article gave me a lot of insight into waste. I never really thought of vegetable odds and ends as so much money, but they are! If something cost $2 a pound, and there's a half pound of vegetable scraps... that's a dollar of waste. What a shocker.
But gets spent on a number of things. Usually, it just goes towards unexpected expenses (car trouble, house repair) that my emergency savings wouldn't cover. Sometimes we put it toward an opportunity to get something at a very low cost (fabulous sale on insulation, for example). Or we just throw a little extra into the charity bucket or the kids' college fund. It really depends on the timing.
How about eating the fruit straight from the can? I have enjoyed many a canned fruit lounging around. Saves on water and you've made space on the cupboard.
We could all do with a spell in a country like India where homeless people live in traffic islands in the road or sleep at the railway station. It would make us realise how you can live without so many things. We are greedy and spoiled!
I do the one minute shower during most months, although because I'm miserly with my climate control, I just can't bring myself to take "navy" showers in the winter. Some mornings, the only thing that gets me out of my nice warm bed into the chilly room is knowing that a warm shower (with water running for the whole three to five minutes) is waiting. But, otherwise, I'm pretty conscious about using as little as possible, recycling, saving, etc.
We have a toddler who loves her fruit so we have tons of canned fruit (mostly peaches, pears, and mixed fruit). I make fruit pancakes buy mixing my normal batter, dumping the canned fruit in my pan, adding a little butter, alot of cinnamon and/or nutmeg. I let the fruit cook until the liquid turns into a thick syrup. I spread the fruit around in pan so it will be evenly distributed. Next I pour my batter onto the fruit and make my pancakes as normal. You can also make the pancakes and fruit syrup individually and top the pancakes after cooking.
I hate to see the perpetual welfare abusers...generation after generation on the dole (though that's gotten better with some reform). And I don't have a problem with welfare per se - I think it's a very useful tool for families that are down on their luck - sickness, job loss, fire, flood, whatever.
As long as we all realize that the goal is to be off of it.
To bring up another topic on the single women...I can't believe I'm writing this, but I (the working mom feminist atheist) have to agree with Dr. Laura on this one: it's not about you, it's about the child. What does each child deserve more than anything? Two parents.
Now she would say also they the child deserves a parent at home. In that case, the fact that welfaremom moved in with her mom during infanthood and toddlerdom was the right thing to do. But welfare? I dunno. Then again, clearly I don't agree with the Dr. on everything, as mentioned above.
clearly welfaremom is a better use of our dollars than some, but again, it's not where I personally would draw my line.
My friend's mother came up with this. It's awesome!
Leftover Thanksgiving Day Casserole
Oil and oblong glass baking dish. Spread a layer of mashed potatoes on the bottom, add a layer of turkey (great use for the turkey bits and scraps), add a layer of bread stuffing. Last, pour the left over gravy all over the top. Bake a 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Yum!
My mom uses a standard plastic tub in the sink to collect rinse water and also serve as a soaking spot for dishes. I've started doing the same, and am amazed at how quickly the tub fills up even when doing small tasks like rinsing utensils.
Oh man, the water thing. After we had to deal with that and septic issues last winter, we got sick of the bucket brigade as well. The dunking for rinsing or trickle techniques really are biggies. People don't think they are. But if you've just had to lug it all (which you have, as have I) you realize pretty quick just how much you are using. Glad you're coming down the home stretch. I know what a drag it is, Linsey.
...that we take so many things for granted, that we no longer really appreciate them, and that we are not even aware of the impact our use has on other things like the environment.
I've been asking myself lately just how long I can continue to color my hair before people start to snicker when I walk by. I am 55 and luckily have aged well up to this point. My mother did also and often had folks tell her she couldn't be as old as she told them she was. Although, that being said, she colored long after she should have stopped and it looked painfully silly.
I started having it done by my hair dresser's, but I disliked the time I had to spend there...........I don't enjoy the "social time". I had better things to do. I do it now at home and it makes me feel better mentally, even though I still resent the time involved. I am starting to show my age more and have been contemplating how and when I need to grow old gracefully. I'm still on the fence.
I also always read that older women shouldn't have long hair because it ages them, but I am letting mine grow out for awhile. I don't look good in short hair and believe it or not, my hair is easier to take care of when it's long. I want easy so eventually I may stop coloring, but I'm just not there yet.
As a middle-aged woman, I either hear, or hear implied, this statement very often. It always feels to me, when I hear this, that I'm talking to someone that's, well, OLD. Isn't this what old people say? Would you ever hear a child say this?
To be "not the sort of person who..." is limiting oneself to an ever-narrowing range of possibilities. It applies to so much more than frugality. This is "I've never been artsy", "I like to walk outdoors, but I'd never go backpacking because I couldn't bathe", "I couldn't possibly put together a web page", "I'm math-challenged", and so on.
The most interesting people I've ever met are those that continually redefine themselves. I strive to be one of those people, so that leaves the topical phrase off my list of things to say.
Thanks for another great article, Mr. Brewer.
Well, living in one of those countries that everyone agrees is corrupt top to bottom, I have too much real world experience in this.
When corruption gets really bad, it starts at the top and spreads down. The kind that starts at the bottom doesn't usually become so broad, as the top keeps it somewhat under control. But when the top is involved, it goes throughout.
I understand Phillip's scale of "what I can see" corruption, but would argue that it is not the real problem. In Kenya, traffic cops shake down commuters, not a big problem. However, when senior gov. officials use their power to dictate who can buy and sell grain, driving the price of flour up over 100% and emptying the shelves of stores, the poor can not eat.
Finally, as another well off white guy, I shall his experience of not being asked for too (loosely defined) many bribes. My black wife, moving in the same world I do, has a much worse time of it. Also, I can handle the price of bread going up, but my nanny can not. How bad corruption is depends a lot on who you are and how society treats you.
On a lighter note, I once paid a bribe, but did not realize I was doing so! I actually thought that the cop was serious when he told me I could leave a deposit and pick it up later...
I am a two year employee of a papa murphys, if you just wanna whine like little girl about waiting a few minutes for your pizza order go through pizza hut or something they even bake it for you!!!!!. You have no idea how much bullcrap we deal with as employees, all you fat people come in at the same time and order four pizzas each. some pizzas are easier and faster to make so they get out quicker and some are premakes which were made earlier that why some people get theirs sooner. if youd think and have common sense youd figure that one out.
I tend to take showers once a week or once every other week. When I do, I have a lot of shaving to do, but other than that washing my hair (i have dreadlocks) and body are very quick. I usually turn the shower off to shave, and then turn it back on to rinse.
I think the largest real benefit of tracking your spending and using a budget is that it provides you the income and expense data that lets you more accurately and project forward into the future the consequences of your current money patterns.
In an age of credit cards, where (up to now) it is possible to outspend your income for a considerable period of time before being brought up short, that kind of information is practically necessary if you are going to maximize the utility of your money. In the "olden days" you could just monitor your bank balances. Now I feel that I need the spending data and budget to to maximize the effectiveness of my earnings. And it's simple enough to do that it seems silly to go without the data.
I know! Before the chickens, I had no idea! Now if I had no one to feed them to, I think I'd boil the scraps and peels into a soup stock (assuming they are clean and not spoiled) or use the icky ends for garden mulch. There are ways to use this stuff, you just have to be clever, I think.
Linsey Knerl
I have the same situation as you. I started growing premature gray hairs in high school, and, at almost 29 next month, I have patches of noticeable gray hair. I inherited it from my dad's side. It's good to know that I'm not alone! =) I plan on having kids in the future, and one of the rules is that I can't dye my hair for the first 3 months of pregnancy. Ouch. That is almost 2" of gray roots. I'll be wearing lots of hats! Or snipping away a strand or two a day.
On a more positive note, my hairdresser told me that people with premature gray hair tend to have the shimmering white hair when they're older, as opposed to the "muddy gray" that most people transition into.
Your article gave me a lot of insight into waste. I never really thought of vegetable odds and ends as so much money, but they are! If something cost $2 a pound, and there's a half pound of vegetable scraps... that's a dollar of waste. What a shocker.
I WANT TO MAKE MY OELN MOONSAND RIGHT NOW.
But gets spent on a number of things. Usually, it just goes towards unexpected expenses (car trouble, house repair) that my emergency savings wouldn't cover. Sometimes we put it toward an opportunity to get something at a very low cost (fabulous sale on insulation, for example). Or we just throw a little extra into the charity bucket or the kids' college fund. It really depends on the timing.
Good questions!
Linsey Knerl
How about eating the fruit straight from the can? I have enjoyed many a canned fruit lounging around. Saves on water and you've made space on the cupboard.
I've seen many good articles on saving money. I have to ask, what do you do with the savings?
Is it to help making ends meet? Do you spend the money saved on what you consider "luxuries"?
What do you put all your hard earned savings into?
I tend to linger a bit in the hot shower when the woodstove gets behind. One of the few times I "indulge" in much of anything!
Linsey Knerl
We could all do with a spell in a country like India where homeless people live in traffic islands in the road or sleep at the railway station. It would make us realise how you can live without so many things. We are greedy and spoiled!
I do the one minute shower during most months, although because I'm miserly with my climate control, I just can't bring myself to take "navy" showers in the winter. Some mornings, the only thing that gets me out of my nice warm bed into the chilly room is knowing that a warm shower (with water running for the whole three to five minutes) is waiting. But, otherwise, I'm pretty conscious about using as little as possible, recycling, saving, etc.
That is really cool, Erika. Thanks!
Linsey Knerl
We have a toddler who loves her fruit so we have tons of canned fruit (mostly peaches, pears, and mixed fruit). I make fruit pancakes buy mixing my normal batter, dumping the canned fruit in my pan, adding a little butter, alot of cinnamon and/or nutmeg. I let the fruit cook until the liquid turns into a thick syrup. I spread the fruit around in pan so it will be evenly distributed. Next I pour my batter onto the fruit and make my pancakes as normal. You can also make the pancakes and fruit syrup individually and top the pancakes after cooking.
I hate to see the perpetual welfare abusers...generation after generation on the dole (though that's gotten better with some reform). And I don't have a problem with welfare per se - I think it's a very useful tool for families that are down on their luck - sickness, job loss, fire, flood, whatever.
As long as we all realize that the goal is to be off of it.
To bring up another topic on the single women...I can't believe I'm writing this, but I (the working mom feminist atheist) have to agree with Dr. Laura on this one: it's not about you, it's about the child. What does each child deserve more than anything? Two parents.
Now she would say also they the child deserves a parent at home. In that case, the fact that welfaremom moved in with her mom during infanthood and toddlerdom was the right thing to do. But welfare? I dunno. Then again, clearly I don't agree with the Dr. on everything, as mentioned above.
clearly welfaremom is a better use of our dollars than some, but again, it's not where I personally would draw my line.
If these basic economic principles don't line up with your political preference, I have an idea...don't come back to this sight.
I was laughing so hard lol
My friend's mother came up with this. It's awesome!
Leftover Thanksgiving Day Casserole
Oil and oblong glass baking dish. Spread a layer of mashed potatoes on the bottom, add a layer of turkey (great use for the turkey bits and scraps), add a layer of bread stuffing. Last, pour the left over gravy all over the top. Bake a 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Yum!
My mom uses a standard plastic tub in the sink to collect rinse water and also serve as a soaking spot for dishes. I've started doing the same, and am amazed at how quickly the tub fills up even when doing small tasks like rinsing utensils.
Great tips, thanks!
Oh man, the water thing. After we had to deal with that and septic issues last winter, we got sick of the bucket brigade as well. The dunking for rinsing or trickle techniques really are biggies. People don't think they are. But if you've just had to lug it all (which you have, as have I) you realize pretty quick just how much you are using. Glad you're coming down the home stretch. I know what a drag it is, Linsey.