I like to visit http://www.shorpy.com/ every day. When you see photos of 6-8 year old newsies, the pre-teen who lost his arm in the mine, the family of migrant workers who heard that there were jobs, you know that in general we have things pretty good.
The good news is if you don't care for your kids well, yes, someone is going to call Child Protection Services. The bad news is that it's hard to say what their limits are, and I suspect it depends on time of day, the day of the week, the phase of the moon, etc.
I can't find a link to a recent Macleans article discussing Ireland's definition of poverty. If I remember right, not being able to have a waterproof overcoat, two pairs of sturdy shoes, a roast joint once a week, meat or a vegetarian alternative every other day, etc. indicated poverty. I liked the notion, because they are culturally relevant, dependent upon the environment and seasons, and were appropriate to the country. The United States and Canada are quite a bit larger and more diverse, so any such indicators would have to be regional. And yes - our idea of poverty doesn't begin to touch the reality of millions in other countries. It is all about perspective.
The one trend out of all of those that I would absolutely encourage people to follow is the infant formula with DHA added. If you are going to forego breastfeeding, PLEASE get a formula with DHA. The last few years are the first time ever that a formula company has added this vital nutrient to their products and it is a necessary nutrient for infant brain development. This is a front-end investment that will pay dividends in better mental and emotional health for your child later.
The rest of 'em, I can take or leave. Especially the "digestive health" yogurt. Hello, regular yogurt is good for digestive health too!
Since most of the victims are either really young or really old, I think this is a great thing! There is usually nowhere to turn to if you are a victim (or even approached to become a victim), so even if all this does is annoy the scammers, I'm behind it all the way!
Which you've neatly outlined with the words: I was amused that the suggestions Catherine saw for people trying to get by on $100,000 a year included "Drive cheaper cars," but apparently nobody suggested driving fewer cars or driving no cars.
I'm one of those who don't drive a car at all, not just for saving cash but also because I'm a bit of a eco-freak... And I always get berated by others for NOT driving, and if I suggest it, they scoff at me like I'm nuts for suggesting to drive less or not to drive at all, and take half an hour longer by taking the subway.
It's all about setting priorities of what you consider a decent standard of living (low commute? big house? prestigious neighbours?). It's all about your attitude towards what you have, not what you want/desire. I desire/want a lot of things and am envious of others, and it takes a long time (still working on it), to change my attitude.
I teach a World Poverty section in my class and I take a bit to go through all of the different things we as Americans buy that we deem necessary and compare it to people who are living below the $2 a day poverty line. There's both a stark realization that they don't need most of what they buy and a sudden tendency to get defensive about their buying habits that can take some time to defuse. They get upset and feel like you're picking on them for something that their whole society is doing.
I think automobiles are perhaps what get people the angriest. Suggesting that they don't need one while they're in college will prompt a lot of discussion.
That said, my wife and I are trying to slim down to one car and I'll admit that it's harder to accept the lack of utter freedom to get in your car when you wish. But anymore it's becoming apparent that that rare freedom we use costs us around $425 a month, which could easily pay for vacations and trips that we actually want.
I thought it was funny that, according to the commentary, I was both living beyond my means and doing just fine. In fact, one person suggested that I should be able to relax and spend more. None of them were sitting down with my personal income and budget figures in front of them, and, interestingly, nobody showed much actual curiosity about what our actual spending was on particular budget items. Ultimately, it's impossible to compare actual numbers. There's too much variation in cost of living, as well as where you're going or where you're coming from. The closest comparison for my family is probably the family living right across the street from us.
I think there's this iconic "middle class" standard of living that most middle income families can't afford. I think the reason we are not more aware of it is that most people are living on debt. A lot of those material goods have been paid for with credit, which has been consolidated using home equity loans. Almost nobody pays cash for a new car. You can now get a seven year loan for a car! I wouldn't say that all credit and lending is bad, but if everyone had to pay cash for everything, I think we'd be seeing a lot of lifestyles that look like 1950's middle class instead of 2000's "middle class"--aka one car, smaller homes, fewer toys, etc.
I think there is a lot of social pressure as to what is considered "normal" or a decent standard of living, which isn't really being decided by individuals but instead, corporations or media. That may sound a little conspiratorial for some, but the more I think about it, it's true. The messages filter down through advertising and soon, other people are lightly goading their peers into getting some new product. This past weekend I was convinced that an eHarmony universal remote would make my life better (I just bought one). Because I'm too lazy to handle four remotes?
The media also filters a lot of scary messages like the danger of urban neighborhoods (crime) and all kinds of exposes on hazards surrounding us, but not the right ones, because they aren't as sensational.
For instance I just read in the Economist an article on one study suggesting that SUVs seat belts actually do not make driving safer, because with larger cars and seat belts people think they're immune to danger and therefore drive more aggressively. Imagine that.
I would not be at all surprised to learn that living in an "urban" environment where there is supposedly more street crime, might be a wash compared to living 30 miles away from work and driving on a freeway.
Anyhow, getting back to your post - I think if we as individuals sat down and really, objectively looked at all the crap in our homes and thought about how much we use on a regular basis and really "need" - I'd say the majority of it could go, easily. Probably more.
As a broke college student, I had probably 10% of what I have now, and I actually was much more productive and I dare say, as happy then as I am now.
I see your point and I agree. My husband and I were raised in the same standard and hoped to raise our children in similar comfort. With prices rising, doing so in our hometown was an impossibility for us at present. We chose instead to move out to a less expensive and more rural location. We also scaled down (items, clutter, extras) and shopped smart. And now we're able to live better than our parents had at the time, on less and in a beautiful environment. Options for middle class families are really boundless in creativity if you are willing to research and stick to.
This country is divided in so many ways now that drawing a hard line at any standard, especially wealth, is near impossible. I liked this article though I thought the conclusion best. I can only suggest that the word 'decent' might put some people off. But I think I understood the concept.
Rather, the first part of the run will be very high in alcohol. As the run continues, water will form a higher and higher percentage of what condenses, until eventually you're just getting water (at which point you're done).
So, if you want a higher alcohol percentage, you'd want to keep just the first part of the run.
Of course, there's perfectly good moonshine in the second part of the run as well.
It really can be an exhausting process. We try to get bags that can do as much double duty as possible, but sometimes certain situations require slightly different bags.
Thanks for providing a starting point for folks. And amen on the padded waist / hip support. Us old folks with aging backs need that.
I agree with you 100%! Many people think our family is "poor." We have 19 year old car, the teenagers are not given a car and do not have a car until they turn 18 and buy their own. The kids carry their own lunch to school. And on and on. Let them think we're poor! I'm as happy as can be and trying to get rid of more and more stuff. And in the meantime, our savings account is growing and growing. People would be astounded to know what our wealth really is!!
The Green Bay, Wisconsin area has the worst bus service! The city leaders created a bus system that sends every bus downtown to a bus terminal.
A ride from a suburb to another suburb that is right next to each other is routed downtown making an 1 1/2 hour ride one way. If the buses overlapped the ride would be 15 minutes.
So we have 15 busses overlapping streets in downtown running 1/3 full that serve 50% of the metro area. I even tried writing the Bus Authority. They took it under advisement (ignore the crackpot).
I would love to use public transportation but cannot afford 3 hours out of my day to get to and from work.
"The main bag must qualify as a carry-on and the backpack as a personal item (because I hate lost luggage, but I hate waiting at baggage carousels more)."
.... is people who bring huge carry on, and expect it to fit in the overhead compartments. Or expect others to move their stuff (which is the correct size) to under their seats so their huge carry on can be put in the overhead.
Oddly enough, I've only ever seen it on flights internal to the US. No such a big problem in Europe, South East Asia or around the Pacific (NZ, Aus).
Of course, I've never had lost luggage in any of those places (14 flights from NZ to UK via Asia and Europe - nothing lost), but they always go missing when I travel in the US (4 flights from UK to Colorado - luggage delayed IN and OUT of the US).
Maybe something in the US system needs fixing - currently, it's badly broken.
Personally, I carry the least I can onboard - small bag with a sweetshirt, headphones/ipod and maybe a book, laptop, and id. Thats it. Why not encourage people to travel lighter in general, and not to take so much as carry on, for the benefit of everyone on the plane.
My wife and I can go from the UK to Colorado - for _two_ weeks, in winter - with a bag each which are about the size of your carry on shown above. We saw people comeing out of 2 days at COMDEX with 2-3x that.
My phone has an internal antenna with no external antenna jack. Is there a way to locate where the internal antenna is at and just use one of these methods as close to it on the phone as possible? Thanks for any advice.
My phone has an internal antenna with no external antenna jack. Is there a way to locate where the internal antenna is at and just use one of these methods as close to it on the phone as possible? Thanks for any advice.
The three-ring binder is used to house all of your debt info and organize your files. Says so right here: "Take a trip to your local stationary store and buy a three ring binder and some file folders with labels........"
Lived there for 18 years before retiring and moving to sw Idaho. My main reason for relocating? The older one gets, the less you appreciate having to shovel snow! Before a southern Californian or even someone from the SF Bay Area makes a move to Plumas County, I would suggest you consider buying a snow blower on your arrival or keep a good chiropractor on retainer from November through March. Other than that, you could not find a more peaceful place to live. And I must admit a 5 1/2' snowfall overnight is an awesome sight as long as you don't have to get out in it!
Plus in Quincy, California, at least you will find those of Hispanic, African-American and Chinese - all of whom have been there for years and many of whom are regarded as pillars of the community. For me, it's a lovely place to live from April through September. The rest of the year, I'll take sw Idaho.
I like to visit http://www.shorpy.com/ every day. When you see photos of 6-8 year old newsies, the pre-teen who lost his arm in the mine, the family of migrant workers who heard that there were jobs, you know that in general we have things pretty good.
The good news is if you don't care for your kids well, yes, someone is going to call Child Protection Services. The bad news is that it's hard to say what their limits are, and I suspect it depends on time of day, the day of the week, the phase of the moon, etc.
I can't find a link to a recent Macleans article discussing Ireland's definition of poverty. If I remember right, not being able to have a waterproof overcoat, two pairs of sturdy shoes, a roast joint once a week, meat or a vegetarian alternative every other day, etc. indicated poverty. I liked the notion, because they are culturally relevant, dependent upon the environment and seasons, and were appropriate to the country. The United States and Canada are quite a bit larger and more diverse, so any such indicators would have to be regional. And yes - our idea of poverty doesn't begin to touch the reality of millions in other countries. It is all about perspective.
The one trend out of all of those that I would absolutely encourage people to follow is the infant formula with DHA added. If you are going to forego breastfeeding, PLEASE get a formula with DHA. The last few years are the first time ever that a formula company has added this vital nutrient to their products and it is a necessary nutrient for infant brain development. This is a front-end investment that will pay dividends in better mental and emotional health for your child later.
The rest of 'em, I can take or leave. Especially the "digestive health" yogurt. Hello, regular yogurt is good for digestive health too!
Since most of the victims are either really young or really old, I think this is a great thing! There is usually nowhere to turn to if you are a victim (or even approached to become a victim), so even if all this does is annoy the scammers, I'm behind it all the way!
Which you've neatly outlined with the words: I was amused that the suggestions Catherine saw for people trying to get by on $100,000 a year included "Drive cheaper cars," but apparently nobody suggested driving fewer cars or driving no cars.
I'm one of those who don't drive a car at all, not just for saving cash but also because I'm a bit of a eco-freak... And I always get berated by others for NOT driving, and if I suggest it, they scoff at me like I'm nuts for suggesting to drive less or not to drive at all, and take half an hour longer by taking the subway.
It's all about setting priorities of what you consider a decent standard of living (low commute? big house? prestigious neighbours?). It's all about your attitude towards what you have, not what you want/desire. I desire/want a lot of things and am envious of others, and it takes a long time (still working on it), to change my attitude.
Great post.
How long will judgments, liens and collections stay on your credit report?
Does Georgia's statue of limitations us oral or written?
I teach a World Poverty section in my class and I take a bit to go through all of the different things we as Americans buy that we deem necessary and compare it to people who are living below the $2 a day poverty line. There's both a stark realization that they don't need most of what they buy and a sudden tendency to get defensive about their buying habits that can take some time to defuse. They get upset and feel like you're picking on them for something that their whole society is doing.
I think automobiles are perhaps what get people the angriest. Suggesting that they don't need one while they're in college will prompt a lot of discussion.
That said, my wife and I are trying to slim down to one car and I'll admit that it's harder to accept the lack of utter freedom to get in your car when you wish. But anymore it's becoming apparent that that rare freedom we use costs us around $425 a month, which could easily pay for vacations and trips that we actually want.
Great article and insights, Philip.
I thought it was funny that, according to the commentary, I was both living beyond my means and doing just fine. In fact, one person suggested that I should be able to relax and spend more. None of them were sitting down with my personal income and budget figures in front of them, and, interestingly, nobody showed much actual curiosity about what our actual spending was on particular budget items. Ultimately, it's impossible to compare actual numbers. There's too much variation in cost of living, as well as where you're going or where you're coming from. The closest comparison for my family is probably the family living right across the street from us.
I think there's this iconic "middle class" standard of living that most middle income families can't afford. I think the reason we are not more aware of it is that most people are living on debt. A lot of those material goods have been paid for with credit, which has been consolidated using home equity loans. Almost nobody pays cash for a new car. You can now get a seven year loan for a car! I wouldn't say that all credit and lending is bad, but if everyone had to pay cash for everything, I think we'd be seeing a lot of lifestyles that look like 1950's middle class instead of 2000's "middle class"--aka one car, smaller homes, fewer toys, etc.
Catherine Shaffer
Wise Bread Contributor
Yes, I agree completely. I used to live on $3000 a month and think I was too poor to eat well. Now I live on $1000 and think my life quite luxurious.
As well as choice, it's attitude towards life, completely.
Cheers,
Alex
I think there is a lot of social pressure as to what is considered "normal" or a decent standard of living, which isn't really being decided by individuals but instead, corporations or media. That may sound a little conspiratorial for some, but the more I think about it, it's true. The messages filter down through advertising and soon, other people are lightly goading their peers into getting some new product. This past weekend I was convinced that an eHarmony universal remote would make my life better (I just bought one). Because I'm too lazy to handle four remotes?
The media also filters a lot of scary messages like the danger of urban neighborhoods (crime) and all kinds of exposes on hazards surrounding us, but not the right ones, because they aren't as sensational.
For instance I just read in the Economist an article on one study suggesting that SUVs seat belts actually do not make driving safer, because with larger cars and seat belts people think they're immune to danger and therefore drive more aggressively. Imagine that.
I would not be at all surprised to learn that living in an "urban" environment where there is supposedly more street crime, might be a wash compared to living 30 miles away from work and driving on a freeway.
Anyhow, getting back to your post - I think if we as individuals sat down and really, objectively looked at all the crap in our homes and thought about how much we use on a regular basis and really "need" - I'd say the majority of it could go, easily. Probably more.
As a broke college student, I had probably 10% of what I have now, and I actually was much more productive and I dare say, as happy then as I am now.
I see your point and I agree. My husband and I were raised in the same standard and hoped to raise our children in similar comfort. With prices rising, doing so in our hometown was an impossibility for us at present. We chose instead to move out to a less expensive and more rural location. We also scaled down (items, clutter, extras) and shopped smart. And now we're able to live better than our parents had at the time, on less and in a beautiful environment. Options for middle class families are really boundless in creativity if you are willing to research and stick to.
This country is divided in so many ways now that drawing a hard line at any standard, especially wealth, is near impossible. I liked this article though I thought the conclusion best. I can only suggest that the word 'decent' might put some people off. But I think I understood the concept.
Rather, the first part of the run will be very high in alcohol. As the run continues, water will form a higher and higher percentage of what condenses, until eventually you're just getting water (at which point you're done).
So, if you want a higher alcohol percentage, you'd want to keep just the first part of the run.
Of course, there's perfectly good moonshine in the second part of the run as well.
It really can be an exhausting process. We try to get bags that can do as much double duty as possible, but sometimes certain situations require slightly different bags.
Thanks for providing a starting point for folks. And amen on the padded waist / hip support. Us old folks with aging backs need that.
I agree with you 100%! Many people think our family is "poor." We have 19 year old car, the teenagers are not given a car and do not have a car until they turn 18 and buy their own. The kids carry their own lunch to school. And on and on. Let them think we're poor! I'm as happy as can be and trying to get rid of more and more stuff. And in the meantime, our savings account is growing and growing. People would be astounded to know what our wealth really is!!
The link is broke. Here is the address. http://gettingaheadinlife.blogspot.com/2008/01/grocery-shopping-202-buying-in-bulk.html
I wrote 3 articles on grocery stores and how they seperate you and your money.
I used to work for a grocery wholesale and distribution company. They have many ploys to get you to spend more.
Here is the last article. From there you can get to the first two.
The Green Bay, Wisconsin area has the worst bus service! The city leaders created a bus system that sends every bus downtown to a bus terminal.
A ride from a suburb to another suburb that is right next to each other is routed downtown making an 1 1/2 hour ride one way. If the buses overlapped the ride would be 15 minutes.
So we have 15 busses overlapping streets in downtown running 1/3 full that serve 50% of the metro area. I even tried writing the Bus Authority. They took it under advisement (ignore the crackpot).
I would love to use public transportation but cannot afford 3 hours out of my day to get to and from work.
"The main bag must qualify as a carry-on and the backpack as a personal item (because I hate lost luggage, but I hate waiting at baggage carousels more)."
.... is people who bring huge carry on, and expect it to fit in the overhead compartments. Or expect others to move their stuff (which is the correct size) to under their seats so their huge carry on can be put in the overhead.
Oddly enough, I've only ever seen it on flights internal to the US. No such a big problem in Europe, South East Asia or around the Pacific (NZ, Aus).
Of course, I've never had lost luggage in any of those places (14 flights from NZ to UK via Asia and Europe - nothing lost), but they always go missing when I travel in the US (4 flights from UK to Colorado - luggage delayed IN and OUT of the US).
Maybe something in the US system needs fixing - currently, it's badly broken.
Personally, I carry the least I can onboard - small bag with a sweetshirt, headphones/ipod and maybe a book, laptop, and id. Thats it. Why not encourage people to travel lighter in general, and not to take so much as carry on, for the benefit of everyone on the plane.
My wife and I can go from the UK to Colorado - for _two_ weeks, in winter - with a bag each which are about the size of your carry on shown above. We saw people comeing out of 2 days at COMDEX with 2-3x that.
My phone has an internal antenna with no external antenna jack. Is there a way to locate where the internal antenna is at and just use one of these methods as close to it on the phone as possible? Thanks for any advice.
My phone has an internal antenna with no external antenna jack. Is there a way to locate where the internal antenna is at and just use one of these methods as close to it on the phone as possible? Thanks for any advice.
Hello Lydia,
The three-ring binder is used to house all of your debt info and organize your files. Says so right here: "Take a trip to your local stationary store and buy a three ring binder and some file folders with labels........"
Jabulani Leffall
Monetary Gadfly, Common Currency
00000 Broke Blvd. Kitchenette #68 & 1/2
Lowcash, CA 90000-0000
check these out.. airboss or skytrain..
http://www.redoxx.com/catalog/cat_airline-carry-on-luggage.html
We moved here in the middle of winter! I've seen the snow so long I no longer notice it LOL. It's fun though. Margaret Garcia-Couoh
Lived there for 18 years before retiring and moving to sw Idaho. My main reason for relocating? The older one gets, the less you appreciate having to shovel snow! Before a southern Californian or even someone from the SF Bay Area makes a move to Plumas County, I would suggest you consider buying a snow blower on your arrival or keep a good chiropractor on retainer from November through March. Other than that, you could not find a more peaceful place to live. And I must admit a 5 1/2' snowfall overnight is an awesome sight as long as you don't have to get out in it!
Plus in Quincy, California, at least you will find those of Hispanic, African-American and Chinese - all of whom have been there for years and many of whom are regarded as pillars of the community. For me, it's a lovely place to live from April through September. The rest of the year, I'll take sw Idaho.
Just out of curiosity, if you were to use baker's yeast, could you repeatedly distill the solution for a higher alcohol content per run?