I think what you ultimately DO with your excess "stuff" is important, too... my family composts tea bags and coffee filters, and we bring any extra napkins from fast-food home to use. Granted, we don't grab 50 napkins to start with - but still, I won't throw a napkin away just because I grabbed too many.
I go to a lot of meetings where they print on one side only - that paper gets flipped over and reused in my personal printer. Way to go, Barbara's office! Glad to hear some people are taking recycling to the corporate level - wish every company/person would be this resourceful.
I work for a small company, and one of our focuses is to re-use or avoid waste as much as possible. Those 20 sheets printed out for a client meeting? Turned over and put back in our printers to print out proofs, drafts, etc. Then they go in the recycle bins. We use french presses for coffee so we're not using filters, and those little tea "bullets" to brew our tea, not bags that have to be thrown away. You get the idea. It's a practice that we try to instill in our clients too, and it seems to be working some.
But I'll admit, grabbing extra napkins? Yeah, I'm guilty of that because I like having a stash in the car. They come in so handy sometimes!
"The Dow Jones Industrial average dropped 486 points the day after the US presidential election, proving once again that Wall Street is not in the tank for Barack Obama."
Or maybe investors are concerned that George W Bush still has almost eleven weeks to continue fouling up the economy.
Can anyone tell me the code for Sony RDR-VX515. This is a DVD/Video Cassette Recorder. I Checked the list and they indicated they didn't have the code for this model.
Thank you
I started a forum post on wisebread about how people reuse paper. Got s couple of creative ideas from it. I totally agree with this post. Even our dining habits can be cut back so much. The usual dinner meal from a local restaurant can feed 2 instead of one. Most people over purchase and eat more than necessary for a meal.
Even better; small dogs *in* the bed and under the covers. Our one dog simply insists on burrowing and in the winter, he's a welcome source of heat. Between him, the flannel sheets (started using those years ago) and the feather comforter, we're never cold at night, no matter the temp. I keep the thermostat between 60 and 62 through the day and overnight. It's a bit tough in the mornings but the bathroom has a heater in the ceiling. Sometimes I'll bump it up to 65 for a few hours after we get home from work but before bed.
I'm surprised that so many fast food companies still allow people to just grab excess condiments like that. When I was managing fast food (10 years ago), we kept it behind the counter and only gave it out when asked. We had a rule that it was one packet per item, unless they specifically asked for more. Same with napkins -- I never see napkin dispensers on guest tables anymore. We did it because it saved so much money. Just makes sense.
I'm mexican too, I know we have a rich culture, I also know that spanish f... up us with theyr religion and "culture" as well, but you need to go over what peopple say on TV my friend, no ofense, but the reason why we went into that 12 group and why we signed the NAFTA, was because of the 3 ceros taken off from our currency, remember?
before we used thousands now we use pesitos, do you know the diference between buying a car (lets say vochito because of the timeframe "1990´s"), for 60 000 000 pesos, to 60 000 pesos from one day to another.
know we are talking, we droop down prices for 1000%
to compare with those economies, but we are not even half of that (except for mexico city, guadalajara and monterrey witch economies are now "urbanizadas").
My apologies for spelling, but I´m a spanish speaking person.
How much is a coke in the States?
How much is it in México?
How much is it in Canada?
Please just answer, if you are interested in knowing economics.
By the way I apologize if my spelling is not as good as I'll like, but I'm a spanish speaking person, from UNAM, in the "Facultad de economia" school,
yeah in México!
We go to Taco bell a lot for our Fourth-meal cravings, and whenever we get drive thru and ask for sauce, they give us way too much. We save them and keep them in a drawer, and use them as condiments; sometimes we have so much we actually tell them to not give us any, and we'll just use the ones at home.
I haven't bought a bottle of ketchup in forever, either!
As Sarah said, all libraries are not created equal. My nearest one is not only rarely open on the weekend/evenings, but also seems to comprise largely of old books on sewing and new books on how to use Windows.
That said, here's what I think is a great alternative to bookswim: I buy my books off used booksellers on half.com and then when I've amassed a bunch, I either give them to friends, local used booksellers, or the LIBRARY, thus improving their collection for future generations to come!
The books on half.com are super cheap, as low as $3.00 apiece and if you buy a bunch from the same seller you can combine shipping. Also if you're like me and tend to read four books one month and then no books for the next two, this works out much better in the long run, with no guilt when you're too busy to read and you know you're paying anyway.
About health care, if you are working and have insurance, many insurance policies cover annual physical. You just have to come up with the copay. For women, most policies consider annual exams with a gyne covered as well, so don't pass that up.
Also, this time of year is annual enrollment. Many companies are having health fairs where you can get free screenings for blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol. Sometimes they offer free flu shots for you as well as dependents.
Finding a local grocery store that delivers (like Safeway or Albertsons) or a grocery delivery service (like Amazon Fresh or Spud.com) is a great way to save money and avoid the transportation costs associated with shopping. You can buy most anything you need for the house (cleaning supplies, toothpaste) along with food, and there's zero temptation to buy junk food. It's also a thousand times easier to make a healthy and affordable meal plan when you're sitting at your computer than when you're at the store - you can immediately see which foods are cheapest and look up their nutrition information.
I use RetailMeNot.com to find free delivery coupon codes, so I only have to pay for maybe one out of every four deliveries - and it's only $6 when I do have to pay, which comes out to $1.50 per trip.
Thank you for a really great post. You've covered the waterfront with a comprehensive and well thought out approach. In particular, I would recommend that readers utilize your links, as the detailed info about budgets etc, will make any planning easier.
Zero based budgeting is certainly the way to attack cost reductions. Hunting and pecking around the perimeter of overspending misses too much.
Having lived in the aftermath of the Great Depression, many of your suggestions really hit home, especially the part about working together with others. Trading goods and services is not common today, but it was a major part of survival when things were really bad. Hopefully belt tightening doesn't mean "doubling up", but it could be necessary. Our extended family shared meals, lodging, transportation and common repair projects as a matter of course. At times, "stone soup" was less a religious based ritual than a necessity.
The last part of belt tightening, is to "put it down on paper". Hardship or potential hardship, is accompanied by strong emotions and deep worry. Having a goal with realistic expectations will go a long way toward offsetting that free floating anxiety that comes from fear and depression.
"This too shall pass".... No matter a recession or a depression, we will all come out of this. Jobs will come back, and the economy will rebound. The important thing is to stay positive, and work towards the future.
Hey, great article. I live in Denver also and see these signs everywhere. It was funny, well sad, but funny. My brother and I were eating lunch at a restaurant and there was a small house across the street. The owner had a "use only what you need" sign staked in his yard. The owner then came out and proceeded to water his yard for 10-15 minutes. WAY more water than his small yard needed. We got a good laugh, but it is a shame that even people who support and promote the message still don't get it.
What would be even more refreshing would be for books that reinforce gender stereotypes by using quack science, to fade away and disappear.
(message from a female whose "extreme male" brain prefers pointing out the obvious rather than building rapport)
I think what you ultimately DO with your excess "stuff" is important, too... my family composts tea bags and coffee filters, and we bring any extra napkins from fast-food home to use. Granted, we don't grab 50 napkins to start with - but still, I won't throw a napkin away just because I grabbed too many.
I go to a lot of meetings where they print on one side only - that paper gets flipped over and reused in my personal printer. Way to go, Barbara's office! Glad to hear some people are taking recycling to the corporate level - wish every company/person would be this resourceful.
Thanks, everyone, for the kind words and useful suggestions!
I work for a small company, and one of our focuses is to re-use or avoid waste as much as possible. Those 20 sheets printed out for a client meeting? Turned over and put back in our printers to print out proofs, drafts, etc. Then they go in the recycle bins. We use french presses for coffee so we're not using filters, and those little tea "bullets" to brew our tea, not bags that have to be thrown away. You get the idea. It's a practice that we try to instill in our clients too, and it seems to be working some.
But I'll admit, grabbing extra napkins? Yeah, I'm guilty of that because I like having a stash in the car. They come in so handy sometimes!
"The Dow Jones Industrial average dropped 486 points the day after the US presidential election, proving once again that Wall Street is not in the tank for Barack Obama."
Or maybe investors are concerned that George W Bush still has almost eleven weeks to continue fouling up the economy.
Can anyone tell me the code for Sony RDR-VX515. This is a DVD/Video Cassette Recorder. I Checked the list and they indicated they didn't have the code for this model.
Thank you
Great list, will have to save this post.
I started a forum post on wisebread about how people reuse paper. Got s couple of creative ideas from it. I totally agree with this post. Even our dining habits can be cut back so much. The usual dinner meal from a local restaurant can feed 2 instead of one. Most people over purchase and eat more than necessary for a meal.
You covered pretty much everything necessary. How about a spreadsheet zeroed out ready for everyone to use :)
Even better; small dogs *in* the bed and under the covers. Our one dog simply insists on burrowing and in the winter, he's a welcome source of heat. Between him, the flannel sheets (started using those years ago) and the feather comforter, we're never cold at night, no matter the temp. I keep the thermostat between 60 and 62 through the day and overnight. It's a bit tough in the mornings but the bathroom has a heater in the ceiling. Sometimes I'll bump it up to 65 for a few hours after we get home from work but before bed.
I'm surprised that so many fast food companies still allow people to just grab excess condiments like that. When I was managing fast food (10 years ago), we kept it behind the counter and only gave it out when asked. We had a rule that it was one packet per item, unless they specifically asked for more. Same with napkins -- I never see napkin dispensers on guest tables anymore. We did it because it saved so much money. Just makes sense.
Good article, Paul!
Linsey Knerl
Glad that it worked out well for you, Michelle! I know that for a teacher, this would be a great resource (especially for homeschoolers.)
Thanks for sharing!
Linsey Knerl
I'm mexican too, I know we have a rich culture, I also know that spanish f... up us with theyr religion and "culture" as well, but you need to go over what peopple say on TV my friend, no ofense, but the reason why we went into that 12 group and why we signed the NAFTA, was because of the 3 ceros taken off from our currency, remember?
before we used thousands now we use pesitos, do you know the diference between buying a car (lets say vochito because of the timeframe "1990´s"), for 60 000 000 pesos, to 60 000 pesos from one day to another.
know we are talking, we droop down prices for 1000%
to compare with those economies, but we are not even half of that (except for mexico city, guadalajara and monterrey witch economies are now "urbanizadas").
My apologies for spelling, but I´m a spanish speaking person.
Saludos a todos!!!!!
How much is a coke in the States?
How much is it in México?
How much is it in Canada?
Please just answer, if you are interested in knowing economics.
By the way I apologize if my spelling is not as good as I'll like, but I'm a spanish speaking person, from UNAM, in the "Facultad de economia" school,
yeah in México!
This was an entertaining movie as well... along the same lines... a bit dumber.. but passed the time for me.
We go to Taco bell a lot for our Fourth-meal cravings, and whenever we get drive thru and ask for sauce, they give us way too much. We save them and keep them in a drawer, and use them as condiments; sometimes we have so much we actually tell them to not give us any, and we'll just use the ones at home.
I haven't bought a bottle of ketchup in forever, either!
As Sarah said, all libraries are not created equal. My nearest one is not only rarely open on the weekend/evenings, but also seems to comprise largely of old books on sewing and new books on how to use Windows.
That said, here's what I think is a great alternative to bookswim: I buy my books off used booksellers on half.com and then when I've amassed a bunch, I either give them to friends, local used booksellers, or the LIBRARY, thus improving their collection for future generations to come!
The books on half.com are super cheap, as low as $3.00 apiece and if you buy a bunch from the same seller you can combine shipping. Also if you're like me and tend to read four books one month and then no books for the next two, this works out much better in the long run, with no guilt when you're too busy to read and you know you're paying anyway.
About health care, if you are working and have insurance, many insurance policies cover annual physical. You just have to come up with the copay. For women, most policies consider annual exams with a gyne covered as well, so don't pass that up.
Also, this time of year is annual enrollment. Many companies are having health fairs where you can get free screenings for blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol. Sometimes they offer free flu shots for you as well as dependents.
I like to take extra ketchup and napkins all the time.
I take them home and use them. :)
Finding a local grocery store that delivers (like Safeway or Albertsons) or a grocery delivery service (like Amazon Fresh or Spud.com) is a great way to save money and avoid the transportation costs associated with shopping. You can buy most anything you need for the house (cleaning supplies, toothpaste) along with food, and there's zero temptation to buy junk food. It's also a thousand times easier to make a healthy and affordable meal plan when you're sitting at your computer than when you're at the store - you can immediately see which foods are cheapest and look up their nutrition information.
I use RetailMeNot.com to find free delivery coupon codes, so I only have to pay for maybe one out of every four deliveries - and it's only $6 when I do have to pay, which comes out to $1.50 per trip.
Thank you for a really great post. You've covered the waterfront with a comprehensive and well thought out approach. In particular, I would recommend that readers utilize your links, as the detailed info about budgets etc, will make any planning easier.
Zero based budgeting is certainly the way to attack cost reductions. Hunting and pecking around the perimeter of overspending misses too much.
Having lived in the aftermath of the Great Depression, many of your suggestions really hit home, especially the part about working together with others. Trading goods and services is not common today, but it was a major part of survival when things were really bad. Hopefully belt tightening doesn't mean "doubling up", but it could be necessary. Our extended family shared meals, lodging, transportation and common repair projects as a matter of course. At times, "stone soup" was less a religious based ritual than a necessity.
The last part of belt tightening, is to "put it down on paper". Hardship or potential hardship, is accompanied by strong emotions and deep worry. Having a goal with realistic expectations will go a long way toward offsetting that free floating anxiety that comes from fear and depression.
"This too shall pass".... No matter a recession or a depression, we will all come out of this. Jobs will come back, and the economy will rebound. The important thing is to stay positive, and work towards the future.
my opinion only
And you are so right - I'm often amazed at how much I can cut our budget with a little effort. Thanks for the suggestions!
I certainly think this is a worthwhile slogan. We are spoiled rotten Americans here and don't even recognize waste anymore. Time to pay attention.
Japanese Zen question: Suppose they gave an election and nobody came?
Paul,
Hey, great article. I live in Denver also and see these signs everywhere. It was funny, well sad, but funny. My brother and I were eating lunch at a restaurant and there was a small house across the street. The owner had a "use only what you need" sign staked in his yard. The owner then came out and proceeded to water his yard for 10-15 minutes. WAY more water than his small yard needed. We got a good laugh, but it is a shame that even people who support and promote the message still don't get it.
- Jack Rugile
Simple Sapien