I've done those too, Lynn, at least the homemade kind. Even soapy water with a scrub brush and an after rinse is better than doing anything, I think. We don't always spring for organic either, and we eat a fair amount of apples and tomatoes.
Still, it's cool to know the list so we can invest differently in produce when we feel able to do so.
whoops, I didn't mean to turn this into a discussion centered on the finances of having children. My post was only addressing one thing mentioned in the book, and it obviously contains much more information.
I do appreciate the article and am glad you are sharing this with us.
This isn't possible, speaking as a Masters Level Economist, none of this would ever happen, or else there would be massive revolution. Plus, why would we be building a "wall" separating Mexico from the US if we are gonna build this enormous superhighway. Such a joke, LOL.
I don't really have a problem with socialism in general, or capitalism. But as someone pointed out, we've got neither. We got some strange-mixture of the two, and we aren't doing either one very well.
I know there were predatory lenders. We bought in '04, and our house is now worth about 18% less than we paid for it. It really sucks, but we'll continue to pay our 30-year fixed mortgage, and still continue to pay our property taxes on a value of a house somewhere in the middle. Hindsight is 20/20, and we could get a bigger house in a better school district for less than we paid for our 2br, 1ba.
The problem I have is this - I see no problem with helping homeowners - transferring their existing mortgages to a 30-year fixed rate of, say 6% (a very reasonable rate). The problem is, I think, that a LOT of homebuyers cannot afford the 6%. They bought a house with an ARM of 2%, and never thought ahead to reality. And for that, I don't see why they should keep their homes.
We *still* get offers to exchange our mortgage for an ARM at the low rate of 5.75%! (Hello, our rate is 5.625! fixed!)
About a year ago I got an apartment with my friend, and we moved in together got set up in the first night and we got into a fight so i left and went to my aunties and when i came home the next night all my stuff was thrown outside in the hallway she wouldnt even let me in the apartment to get the rest of my stuff, about 4 months later i started receiving calls from a collection agency because i guess she didnt pay rent and she got kicked out, the collection agency would call me at work 2-3 times a day everyday for weeks! They wouldnt leave me alone i had to get people to answer the phone and say i didnt work there because they were harrasing me, i was 17 at the time and im on my own so i didnt know what to do so i ignored them and any mail i received i sent back. The payment is for $800 dollars and it is on both mine and my ex-friends credit. before i started ignoring there calls i asked if i could pay half and have it taken off my credit and the other half is her responsiblity, they refused and said that it has to be paid in full and it will be taken off. I have tried getting a bank loan and of course i get rejected because this is on my credit. I cant afford to pay that on my own, what do i do now, any suggestions?
Seventy two tears of eating virtually everything has probably damaged this frail body and mind beyond repair.
From the early days of using the "flit" spray gun to chase cousin Margie around the garden, to the incredible joys of eating a propane fire blackened brat of dubious genesis, to a one time Tarzan's glut of 24 freshly picked uncooked oysters direct from a bed immediately in front of the Pilgrims Atomic Power Plant in Buzzards Bay, I've poisoned my alimentary system to a degree that inures it from future harm.
Aside... pretty sure that survival came because we Never ate the mussels that everyone know were deadly poisonous. Some things were just too far offside. Used to get $.15/hr for smashing mussel beds from the pier pilings with a sledgehammer.
Yes... fresh picked tar from the metal grates that gave vent to the sewer gasses emanating from the central sewer line that runs down the middle of the road. Road tar, heated to a shiny black consistencey by the sun... globbed on a stick, twisted like spun candy, to be chewed with delight, because bubble gum was not available during the "war".
Vegetables eaten with dirty hands.. radishes, rareripes, potatoes and best of all early peas... most likely made safe by spraying with DDT. Wormy apples, wormier peaches... (Rhode Island)... Rhubarb, cleaned by stripping the thin red "skin"... sometimes (in the early years) indistinguishable from skunk cabbage... 'cept by taste.
In "fruit season"... all fruits in the bin in the back entry... often surrounded by those incredible scientific creatures called fruit flies. No matter... Clean off the apple by rubbing on your shirt, bite into and spit out the wormholes (hoping to not find half a worm). The potatoes stayed in the bottom bin... growing "eyes". At $.03/lb, one never threw away potatoes, and potato skin soup was the main meal at the end of the week before payday.
The fish, heads and all, come courtesy of Fred the Fish man, on Thursday... all lying side by side on the bed of chushed ice in the wood box where the trunk used to be in his 1935 Chrysler Coupe. We picked out pieces of ice, brushed off the scales and enjoyed our ersatz popcicles. Mom could always tell if the fish were fresh. The eyes were still shiny.
Fortunately the milk was ok... it said "homogenized " and we could go to Butterfly Farms where there was a glass enclosed set of stalls where the automatic milkers were attached to the cows... We just assumed that those four cows produced all of the milk for Pawtucket. The "ball topped" bottles froze outside in the early winter mornings and the cream that lifted the cardboard top was our Ice Cream.
Most of us ate hamburg "raw", when we could snitch some, but were very aware that you Never, Never ate Pork that wasn't cooked. Who wanted to get the dreaded "tapeworm"? 'course that didn't apply to bacon, ' because bacon isn't pork.
The concord grapes on the vine behind the garage were ok to eat without being washed, because dad always sprayed them to keep the Japanese beatles away.
Hi I have just been told to come and look at this site as i have got long hair and at the minute it is for sale on Ebay. It only has 16 hours left and now im quit worried that it is not going to sell. It has 1 bid so far so i think i might take it off.
Please help what should i do. It is medium/dark brown and was coloured once about 18months ago. I dont smoke drink or do drugs, I am wanting to keep my hair a little shorter than shoulder length as i couldnt bare to have none as it hasnt been cut in 6 years.
I am selling it in aid of the donna louise children's hosice trust.
The Trust provides family rooms that allow families to be together at a time when, otherwise, they would face enormous emotional and practical upheaval as a child reaches end of life. At the moment the Hospice can only afford to keep open 6 out of their 8 rooms due to its lack of public funding. It costs £150,000 a year to keep just one open. The rooms are also used on a rotational basis - serving as respite facilities for one or two weeks at a time.
There is a waiting list of 200 families. if you would like any more information on treetops go to www.donnalouisetrust.org and click on th treetops link.
Please Help
Manda x
I feel for you, and am truly sorry that you've fallen on hard times, but supporting a personal business is a risk/reward scenario. If it does well, the rewards can be great - set your own hours, your own working environment, etc., but there are also certainly risks involved, such as the unpredictability of income, and it's not the responsibility of the American taxpayer to fix your HELOC problems. I've considered going into business for myself at times, but without amassed capital, and no desire to take out a loan that I might not be able to pay back, not to mention that I need a -predictable- paycheck, I continue in my little cubicle, corporate world. That's my choice, just like starting that business was yours.
That said, I have no problem with taxpayer dollars being used to aid struggling people, so long as there is sufficient, guaranteed collateral to back the deal. (Not that Wall Street seems to know what that is...) But there should not be handouts, and the public's investment should be repaid with interest.
The government should not be in the role of protecting people from risk they knowingly took on. Without consequences, risk-taking spirals completely out of control and the whole world suffers.
I found this article very infomative, however I am running into a stone wall trying to find on line sources for these products. Do you have any suggestions? I am in the process of remodeling a very old, historic register house and now is the opportunity to incorporate these switches.
I actually did a series of posts on the same thing a little while ago! Buying local is another key consideration, as well as minimizing hormones and mercury in products such as meat, dairy and shellfish. http://renaissancetrophywife.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/label-icious/
Me: Dad, I'm hungry (at 9 p.m.)
Dad: That means you're tired. Go to bed.
Me: Dad, why can't we hire a gardner to do this?
Dad: That's why we have kids. Get back to work.
Ha! My Dad is the best. He almost always had two jobs (always an engineer, and now he is an online professor). He still spends his weekends in the mountains partaking in every outdoor activity. He extends a pair of snow gloves' life with duct tape. My mom was the same way (she knows how to make a bar of soap out of leftover oil drippings).
Luckily, that frugalness rubbed off on me (only in recent years). I also married a frugal husband.
We know when to enjoy simple luxuries. We know where we should splurge. We manage our money--we don't just spend it. I think these times will truly teach more people the same.
yeah talk about the online game being rigged! so far this week I have "lost" 210k because of the dice roll thing or if the I roll a 9 they only move me 8 spots! talk about making a girl mad!!
Ralph Nader said something to the effect that we've taken on all the burdens and responsibilities of socialism, but have received none of the benefits. We're spending hundreds of billions of dollars, but we don't yet have easy access to health care. There's no guarantee that if you study hard, you'll be able to attend college, because it's getting expensive.
This is a form of socialism, but it's not the one that the average person wants. We want socialism like we have with the police, firefighters, public libraries, and public parks. These things are all socialist in the way they are funded and administered, and I daresay 90% Americans are okay with it. And when the public system isn't working right, as with public education, there's support for reforms... but not widespread support for vouchers to fund private schools.
If we're having problems with housing and mortgages, maybe the socialist solution would be the way to go.
The socialist solution would be to allow the borrower to default, and then take ownership of the house. The owner could be allowed to rent the house, and also pay a small premium to pay back the bailout -- it would be socialized, public housing. Later, if the resident finds they can afford to buy the house again, they could purchase it.
Hi Kate,
I too had a very wise dad who knew how to stretch a dollar. I remember my (ex)husband complaining because my father would work in the yard until he had blisters instead of buying a new shovel or pair of gloves. He worked two jobs most of his early years just to make ends meet. He also knew how save for the future, both near and distant. He has a scrap metal pile that he saved up to cash in for his "play" money. For his and Mom's later years he invested wisely in real estate. A little here, a little there over the years, which eventually lead them to a comfortable retirement from rental properties. He bought good shoes for work but would pickup the cheaper models for casual wear. I agree that $100 (or more) isn't unreasonable for shoes someone does heavy work in day in, day out, but I'm not convinced spending that kind of money just because they carry a logo or signature is dollar wise!
Our kids love to eat at buffet type restaurants. My favorite part is that the food is ready. With 4 young and impatient kids, it is difficult to get everyone to look at menus, make a choice and wait for the food to come.
My kids are also more willing to try new things at a buffet because they can take a small amount and see if they like it.
"My thinking is that they (the professionals) won't succeed..." nothing like positive thinking to help us all make it through the day.. Sheesh.. let's think a little more optimistically...
I've done those too, Lynn, at least the homemade kind. Even soapy water with a scrub brush and an after rinse is better than doing anything, I think. We don't always spring for organic either, and we eat a fair amount of apples and tomatoes.
Still, it's cool to know the list so we can invest differently in produce when we feel able to do so.
whoops, I didn't mean to turn this into a discussion centered on the finances of having children. My post was only addressing one thing mentioned in the book, and it obviously contains much more information.
I do appreciate the article and am glad you are sharing this with us.
This isn't possible, speaking as a Masters Level Economist, none of this would ever happen, or else there would be massive revolution. Plus, why would we be building a "wall" separating Mexico from the US if we are gonna build this enormous superhighway. Such a joke, LOL.
Unlike gasoline, diesel fuel can be stored safely for a significant length of time.
And diesel can power both your vehicles and a home emergency generator.
A diesel genset is more expensive, but is also more fuel-efficient than a gasoline generator.
As is a diesel-powered vehicle.
After the gas shortages here in the southeast post-Hurricane Ike, my next vehicle will be diesel-fueled.
And I'll have a heating oil tank, but filled with on-road diesel.
probably because it isnt a letter, its a number
I don't really have a problem with socialism in general, or capitalism. But as someone pointed out, we've got neither. We got some strange-mixture of the two, and we aren't doing either one very well.
I know there were predatory lenders. We bought in '04, and our house is now worth about 18% less than we paid for it. It really sucks, but we'll continue to pay our 30-year fixed mortgage, and still continue to pay our property taxes on a value of a house somewhere in the middle. Hindsight is 20/20, and we could get a bigger house in a better school district for less than we paid for our 2br, 1ba.
The problem I have is this - I see no problem with helping homeowners - transferring their existing mortgages to a 30-year fixed rate of, say 6% (a very reasonable rate). The problem is, I think, that a LOT of homebuyers cannot afford the 6%. They bought a house with an ARM of 2%, and never thought ahead to reality. And for that, I don't see why they should keep their homes.
We *still* get offers to exchange our mortgage for an ARM at the low rate of 5.75%! (Hello, our rate is 5.625! fixed!)
About a year ago I got an apartment with my friend, and we moved in together got set up in the first night and we got into a fight so i left and went to my aunties and when i came home the next night all my stuff was thrown outside in the hallway she wouldnt even let me in the apartment to get the rest of my stuff, about 4 months later i started receiving calls from a collection agency because i guess she didnt pay rent and she got kicked out, the collection agency would call me at work 2-3 times a day everyday for weeks! They wouldnt leave me alone i had to get people to answer the phone and say i didnt work there because they were harrasing me, i was 17 at the time and im on my own so i didnt know what to do so i ignored them and any mail i received i sent back. The payment is for $800 dollars and it is on both mine and my ex-friends credit. before i started ignoring there calls i asked if i could pay half and have it taken off my credit and the other half is her responsiblity, they refused and said that it has to be paid in full and it will be taken off. I have tried getting a bank loan and of course i get rejected because this is on my credit. I cant afford to pay that on my own, what do i do now, any suggestions?
Seventy two tears of eating virtually everything has probably damaged this frail body and mind beyond repair.
From the early days of using the "flit" spray gun to chase cousin Margie around the garden, to the incredible joys of eating a propane fire blackened brat of dubious genesis, to a one time Tarzan's glut of 24 freshly picked uncooked oysters direct from a bed immediately in front of the Pilgrims Atomic Power Plant in Buzzards Bay, I've poisoned my alimentary system to a degree that inures it from future harm.
Aside... pretty sure that survival came because we Never ate the mussels that everyone know were deadly poisonous. Some things were just too far offside. Used to get $.15/hr for smashing mussel beds from the pier pilings with a sledgehammer.
Yes... fresh picked tar from the metal grates that gave vent to the sewer gasses emanating from the central sewer line that runs down the middle of the road. Road tar, heated to a shiny black consistencey by the sun... globbed on a stick, twisted like spun candy, to be chewed with delight, because bubble gum was not available during the "war".
Vegetables eaten with dirty hands.. radishes, rareripes, potatoes and best of all early peas... most likely made safe by spraying with DDT. Wormy apples, wormier peaches... (Rhode Island)... Rhubarb, cleaned by stripping the thin red "skin"... sometimes (in the early years) indistinguishable from skunk cabbage... 'cept by taste.
In "fruit season"... all fruits in the bin in the back entry... often surrounded by those incredible scientific creatures called fruit flies. No matter... Clean off the apple by rubbing on your shirt, bite into and spit out the wormholes (hoping to not find half a worm). The potatoes stayed in the bottom bin... growing "eyes". At $.03/lb, one never threw away potatoes, and potato skin soup was the main meal at the end of the week before payday.
The fish, heads and all, come courtesy of Fred the Fish man, on Thursday... all lying side by side on the bed of chushed ice in the wood box where the trunk used to be in his 1935 Chrysler Coupe. We picked out pieces of ice, brushed off the scales and enjoyed our ersatz popcicles. Mom could always tell if the fish were fresh. The eyes were still shiny.
Fortunately the milk was ok... it said "homogenized " and we could go to Butterfly Farms where there was a glass enclosed set of stalls where the automatic milkers were attached to the cows... We just assumed that those four cows produced all of the milk for Pawtucket. The "ball topped" bottles froze outside in the early winter mornings and the cream that lifted the cardboard top was our Ice Cream.
Most of us ate hamburg "raw", when we could snitch some, but were very aware that you Never, Never ate Pork that wasn't cooked. Who wanted to get the dreaded "tapeworm"? 'course that didn't apply to bacon, ' because bacon isn't pork.
The concord grapes on the vine behind the garage were ok to eat without being washed, because dad always sprayed them to keep the Japanese beatles away.
Was there ever anything like "clean dirt"?
How did we ever survive? :-)
my opinion only
Hi I have just been told to come and look at this site as i have got long hair and at the minute it is for sale on Ebay. It only has 16 hours left and now im quit worried that it is not going to sell. It has 1 bid so far so i think i might take it off.
Please help what should i do. It is medium/dark brown and was coloured once about 18months ago. I dont smoke drink or do drugs, I am wanting to keep my hair a little shorter than shoulder length as i couldnt bare to have none as it hasnt been cut in 6 years.
I am selling it in aid of the donna louise children's hosice trust.
The Trust provides family rooms that allow families to be together at a time when, otherwise, they would face enormous emotional and practical upheaval as a child reaches end of life. At the moment the Hospice can only afford to keep open 6 out of their 8 rooms due to its lack of public funding. It costs £150,000 a year to keep just one open. The rooms are also used on a rotational basis - serving as respite facilities for one or two weeks at a time.
There is a waiting list of 200 families. if you would like any more information on treetops go to
www.donnalouisetrust.org and click on th treetops link.
Please Help
Manda x
Looking on the bright side, this crisis has shown us that some people just shouldn't be homeowners.
The only difference is I'd prefer it if people rented publicly as opposed to privately.
What about those "vegetable washes" that claim to clean off the pesticides and residues?
I feel for you, and am truly sorry that you've fallen on hard times, but supporting a personal business is a risk/reward scenario. If it does well, the rewards can be great - set your own hours, your own working environment, etc., but there are also certainly risks involved, such as the unpredictability of income, and it's not the responsibility of the American taxpayer to fix your HELOC problems. I've considered going into business for myself at times, but without amassed capital, and no desire to take out a loan that I might not be able to pay back, not to mention that I need a -predictable- paycheck, I continue in my little cubicle, corporate world. That's my choice, just like starting that business was yours.
That said, I have no problem with taxpayer dollars being used to aid struggling people, so long as there is sufficient, guaranteed collateral to back the deal. (Not that Wall Street seems to know what that is...) But there should not be handouts, and the public's investment should be repaid with interest.
The government should not be in the role of protecting people from risk they knowingly took on. Without consequences, risk-taking spirals completely out of control and the whole world suffers.
I found this article very infomative, however I am running into a stone wall trying to find on line sources for these products. Do you have any suggestions? I am in the process of remodeling a very old, historic register house and now is the opportunity to incorporate these switches.
OMG you can't afford your yuppie food! Whatever shall you do?
Wake up, there's people who can't even afford to eat at all in your country.
I actually did a series of posts on the same thing a little while ago! Buying local is another key consideration, as well as minimizing hormones and mercury in products such as meat, dairy and shellfish.
http://renaissancetrophywife.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/label-icious/
A new country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) law was recently passed requiring certain foods to be labeled-- makes our lives a little easier:
http://renaissancetrophywife.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/cool-nutrition/
wildgift & others who heavily espouse socialism:
Please move somewhere where they embrace socialism.
Socialism is the death of the individual. The only ones who are for it are those that can't make it in a competitive society.
Please move.
As a child:
Me: Dad, the house is cold.
Dad: Put on a coat.
Me: Dad, I'm hungry (at 9 p.m.)
Dad: That means you're tired. Go to bed.
Me: Dad, why can't we hire a gardner to do this?
Dad: That's why we have kids. Get back to work.
Ha! My Dad is the best. He almost always had two jobs (always an engineer, and now he is an online professor). He still spends his weekends in the mountains partaking in every outdoor activity. He extends a pair of snow gloves' life with duct tape. My mom was the same way (she knows how to make a bar of soap out of leftover oil drippings).
Luckily, that frugalness rubbed off on me (only in recent years). I also married a frugal husband.
We know when to enjoy simple luxuries. We know where we should splurge. We manage our money--we don't just spend it. I think these times will truly teach more people the same.
yeah talk about the online game being rigged! so far this week I have "lost" 210k because of the dice roll thing or if the I roll a 9 they only move me 8 spots! talk about making a girl mad!!
Arches I have the arches was hoping I was lucky guess not
Jo
I've just been looking through your blog and thought you might appreciate this:
Our latest video: 'The Credit Crunch Anthem' starring Bush and Brown.
Well, as they say: in times of hardship, your most valuable resource is a sense of humour...
Enjoy,
www.rebelvirals.com
"investment managers will take care of the rest" ?
lol dnt trust thos guys anymore , at this stage ,the sky is really falling down ,and those chicks are more chicking than u ,
take care of urself ,don't count on those chicks to watch your own ass
Ralph Nader said something to the effect that we've taken on all the burdens and responsibilities of socialism, but have received none of the benefits. We're spending hundreds of billions of dollars, but we don't yet have easy access to health care. There's no guarantee that if you study hard, you'll be able to attend college, because it's getting expensive.
This is a form of socialism, but it's not the one that the average person wants. We want socialism like we have with the police, firefighters, public libraries, and public parks. These things are all socialist in the way they are funded and administered, and I daresay 90% Americans are okay with it. And when the public system isn't working right, as with public education, there's support for reforms... but not widespread support for vouchers to fund private schools.
If we're having problems with housing and mortgages, maybe the socialist solution would be the way to go.
The socialist solution would be to allow the borrower to default, and then take ownership of the house. The owner could be allowed to rent the house, and also pay a small premium to pay back the bailout -- it would be socialized, public housing. Later, if the resident finds they can afford to buy the house again, they could purchase it.
Hi Kate,
I too had a very wise dad who knew how to stretch a dollar. I remember my (ex)husband complaining because my father would work in the yard until he had blisters instead of buying a new shovel or pair of gloves. He worked two jobs most of his early years just to make ends meet. He also knew how save for the future, both near and distant. He has a scrap metal pile that he saved up to cash in for his "play" money. For his and Mom's later years he invested wisely in real estate. A little here, a little there over the years, which eventually lead them to a comfortable retirement from rental properties. He bought good shoes for work but would pickup the cheaper models for casual wear. I agree that $100 (or more) isn't unreasonable for shoes someone does heavy work in day in, day out, but I'm not convinced spending that kind of money just because they carry a logo or signature is dollar wise!
Our kids love to eat at buffet type restaurants. My favorite part is that the food is ready. With 4 young and impatient kids, it is difficult to get everyone to look at menus, make a choice and wait for the food to come.
My kids are also more willing to try new things at a buffet because they can take a small amount and see if they like it.
"My thinking is that they (the professionals) won't succeed..." nothing like positive thinking to help us all make it through the day.. Sheesh.. let's think a little more optimistically...