I saw this article linked on Consumerist and had to comment. I just bought a new MacBook Pro through the university I attended. They have special pricing through Apple and are able to extend the discount to alumni. I was able to save about $350 over the best price I found elsewhere after shopping around. The only downside is that I had to wait about 10 days for shipping, but it's due to arrive today and I'm excited!
Perhaps I am reading your response wrong, but I'd like to assert myself and request that you do not assume anything about my level of personal responsibility. I have plenty. And I work hard just as you do.
Not for one second do I believe that I have a "right to live without problems." I am not an idiot.
The difference between you and I is that I see government as a tool, given the fact they're my Elected Body of Officials. We put them in a position to make hard decisions for the rest of us because if we left all decisions up to the individual, NOTHING would ever be accomplished. And instead of fearing the government, I stay active. I vote in ALL levels of elections and have done so since the age of 18. I am consistently writing to my elected officals and educating myself on the policies, from all angles. I make sure I understand who I am voting for and to what extent. I get that it's not a perfect system, but to expect perfection is a never-ending expectation.
I am not afraid of my government.
As for healthcare, it is better for all of society if we take care of each other. It is our civic duty to pay taxes and if paying a little bit more in taxes means myself or my neighbors can go to the doctor without fear of financial ruin, then I'm all for it. Granted, I'm less for the public option and more for single payer, but it's all baby steps. Regardless, the system right now is seriously flawed and capitalism won't fix it.
Surprised you missed this one. It's been around since 2005 and has an inventory of over 4 million books. Excellent "customer" service and the Web site has a great user interface. They also do some terrific charity work. The ne plus ultra of book swap sites, IMNSHO.
It sounds silly (and gross) but I have been getting lazy about flossing every day, so my goal is to get back into that habit. On another note, I am also going to work to control my temper and try not to take work stress out on family.
Soon enough, you may also be able to drive your eco friendly car on ethanol fuel from recycled jeans.
No, really! I'm not making this up. :)
Have you heard of professor Mohammad Taherzadeh?
He is a brilliant scientist at University of Boras, Sweden, who has come up with a way to recycle jeans and turn them into ethanol fuel, using an eco friendly biological process.
Check him out :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsgmwcGWPY0
I have several resolutions that are alredy under way. One is to lose 15 pounds and the other is to quit smoking.
However, I don't like to put the tag on them of "New Years" resolutions. To me, it allows you to put off starting them and there's the added pressure of maintaining it.
If you have something you want to accomplish to improve your health--start now!
Why wait till Jan. 1?
Also, with the New Years tag on it, if you fail, I think there is a built-in notion that you can't go back to it till next year, or your mind has the notion that if you give up, you can't re-start it.
Health improvements and changes in lifestyle are difficult enough as it is, why put the added pressure of doing it on Jan. 1?
If we listen to every alarmist warning out there, we will all want to be trapped in a biodome with piped-in HEPA filtered air, grow our own food in said biodome, and manufacture whatever else we needed with what we have on hand, never to mix with the outside world again.
Are there chemicals in things? Yes. Do we need to panic? Probably not. Looking at the research that I've found for these toys, which, by the way, I've never seen and don't plan to buy, you would have to EAT the whole toy, and sometimes several of these toys to make it hazardous. It is probably more hazardous to be near the path of a spritz of Windex. Scaring people into choices is no more responsible than not giving them the tools they need to make an informed decision.
I'll be adding an additional day of exercise to my week to jumpstart my fitness goals for 2009. Sigh. But I guess I won't be sighing when I reach my goal (30 lbs here I come!).
My life is full of healthy habits, but one thing I lack (like most people) is proper sleep. One of my goals is to get 8 hours of sleep at least 5 nights per week. I love this goal because it doesn't involve sacrificing anything - it's actually kind of indulgent. Plus, it satisfies the three criteria of an effective goal - specific, measurable, and attainable.
I was just sitting here thinking I am stuck. So I decided to search for solutions and came across this blog. Yes, it's late, but I found it and that's all that matters. Thanks
Now that my knees are back in reasonable working order, I'm planning to talk to the trainers at the gym about setting up a strength training workout that's more about functional strength and less about knee rehab.
I grew up eating gravy on bread, beans and puffed wheat cereal. That cereal usually came in big plastic bags. Once in a blue moon, I was fed puffed rice cereal.
We never ate out. When we visted relatives up north, my parents would stop at the local butcher shop and usually bought sausage to bring to their homes.
My mom would only buy clothes off the clearance rack. When I grew out of my clothes, she would mail them to my cousins up north on a farm.
We always had a garden and my parents always canned or froze food. If I was hungry between meal, I was told to have crackers or bread with butter.
I still can't stand the sight of puffed wheat cereal. My kids wanted that sugar bear cereal that looks like puffed wheat cereal. I wouldn't buy it no matter how much it was on sale. I won't let that nasty stuff anywhere near my house.
Sometimes we would go to a drive in movie and my parents always brought their own popcorn.
I think my mother's most extreme behavior was saving the wine left on the table after the Passover seder, to cook with. But only from family members, not guests. I wrote up her 20 most extreme frugal behaviors and will post first thing Thursday. (I post recipes on Wednesday and haven't gotten one up yet.)
"In fact, the reason one shouldn't drink "wood alcohol" or methanol, is because when your liver tries to break it down like good alcohol (ethanol), it turns it into formaldehyde instead. Narsty."
1) Diet Pepsi is worse than moonshine! It contains ASPARTAME which:
*turns into "wood alcohol" then embalming fluid (as you mention)
*2 teaspoons of aspartame is the lethal adult dose
*it IS a neurotoxin created for chemical warfare!(similar to sarin gas)
*The liver has nothing to do with the harmful effects of Methanol
(So enjoy that diet soda...you weren't using that part of your brain anyhow)
2) The cure for METHANOL "Wood Alcohol" poisoning IS ETHANOL!
*both apple & orange juice have more methanol than moonshine
*it takes 200 teaspoons for a lethal dose
*it's made by distilling wood (or pectin) thus the name
*it vaporizes at a lower temperature so it's the first to distill
*the 1st bit distilled is usually thrown out
*even if it was kept, it would be both too diluted to cause harm and neutralized by the ethanol
3) The liver has little to do with the harm from Methanol
*it first attacks the optic nerves causing blindness (in low doses)
*then it causes neurological symptoms
*finally death, usually from respiratory failure
We're a lot more like Britain than Mexico, economically speaking. We don't have rural villages where people finish school in the 8th grade, and don't really read. We're not undergoing a massive shift from farm life to city living. We've already urbanized.
That said, our healthcare system certainly seems reminiscent of Mexico's, where the private system is expensive but generally functional, and the public system is underfunded and considered inferior, and there are long, long waits.
I've been to America's public health system, which is designed to provide service to the poor and uninsured. It's okay, but the waits are terrible. The quality varies by clinic, and one might be good, and another might be bad. The system seems underfunded - and they do all the tricks private hospitals use to overbill and over-test. They have to fight for their piece of the budget.
The good part of American public health care is that they generally put health first. The buildings are spartan, but functional. The materials are photocopied rather than offset 4-color. If you need a treatment, they'll tell you, and if you can't afford it, it seems to be covered in different ways, depending on eligibility. Of course... the paradox is that nobody receiving care is paying into this system. In a "socialist" system, they would be paying something.
If the so-called public option were really a kind of public health, operated by nonprofits and universities, I'd drop my private insurance and sign up in a second. Too bad that's not exactly what it is, and it's not available to everyone -- but i still support it, because it's the first step down that path. I'll take anything at this point.
Thanks for your reply so I can clarify what I meant. I wasn't making fun of anyone, nor criticizing parents who have to get by in that way.
Some people like catsup sandwiches. There all kinds of reasons to serve catsup sandwiches. But serving them just for the sake of saving money would not be one of them. I don't believe many parents would serve catsup sandwiches, as a main course, on a regular basis, *if they had a choice.*
There is a difference between making a frugal choice on principle, so as not to waste things, and not being able to afford a meal with protein. I would like to think that most parents want basic nutrition for their kids and make it a priority according to their means. It doesn't mean never serving mayonnaise, butter or bacon fat.
Frugality can be an ideal. Eating like some people did during the depression is not.
> I should add that we ate a lot of "clean out the fridge or freezer" meals.
I still do this. I eat like a dog in a dumpster. Whatever's oldest in the fridge, I eat it. If there's any food at all in the fridge -- I'm talking ANY food... a bag of flour, old beans, aging canned food... -- I'll mix up something out of that rather than go shopping. If I lived alone, I'd eat like that until I literally ran out of food.
Also giving up sugar (except maybe very small amounts of chocolate :)
I saw this article linked on Consumerist and had to comment. I just bought a new MacBook Pro through the university I attended. They have special pricing through Apple and are able to extend the discount to alumni. I was able to save about $350 over the best price I found elsewhere after shopping around. The only downside is that I had to wait about 10 days for shipping, but it's due to arrive today and I'm excited!
Please don't let your god affect my personal choices.
Perhaps I am reading your response wrong, but I'd like to assert myself and request that you do not assume anything about my level of personal responsibility. I have plenty. And I work hard just as you do.
Not for one second do I believe that I have a "right to live without problems." I am not an idiot.
The difference between you and I is that I see government as a tool, given the fact they're my Elected Body of Officials. We put them in a position to make hard decisions for the rest of us because if we left all decisions up to the individual, NOTHING would ever be accomplished. And instead of fearing the government, I stay active. I vote in ALL levels of elections and have done so since the age of 18. I am consistently writing to my elected officals and educating myself on the policies, from all angles. I make sure I understand who I am voting for and to what extent. I get that it's not a perfect system, but to expect perfection is a never-ending expectation.
I am not afraid of my government.
As for healthcare, it is better for all of society if we take care of each other. It is our civic duty to pay taxes and if paying a little bit more in taxes means myself or my neighbors can go to the doctor without fear of financial ruin, then I'm all for it. Granted, I'm less for the public option and more for single payer, but it's all baby steps. Regardless, the system right now is seriously flawed and capitalism won't fix it.
Surprised you missed this one. It's been around since 2005 and has an inventory of over 4 million books. Excellent "customer" service and the Web site has a great user interface. They also do some terrific charity work. The ne plus ultra of book swap sites, IMNSHO.
The "barbecue sauce sandwich" - one of my favorites.
Or, Arby's Soup - Made with packets of Arby's sauce and hot water.
It sounds silly (and gross) but I have been getting lazy about flossing every day, so my goal is to get back into that habit. On another note, I am also going to work to control my temper and try not to take work stress out on family.
Hiya!
Soon enough, you may also be able to drive your eco friendly car on ethanol fuel from recycled jeans.
No, really! I'm not making this up. :)
Have you heard of professor Mohammad Taherzadeh?
He is a brilliant scientist at University of Boras, Sweden, who has come up with a way to recycle jeans and turn them into ethanol fuel, using an eco friendly biological process.
Check him out :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsgmwcGWPY0
I have several resolutions that are alredy under way. One is to lose 15 pounds and the other is to quit smoking.
However, I don't like to put the tag on them of "New Years" resolutions. To me, it allows you to put off starting them and there's the added pressure of maintaining it.
If you have something you want to accomplish to improve your health--start now!
Why wait till Jan. 1?
Also, with the New Years tag on it, if you fail, I think there is a built-in notion that you can't go back to it till next year, or your mind has the notion that if you give up, you can't re-start it.
Health improvements and changes in lifestyle are difficult enough as it is, why put the added pressure of doing it on Jan. 1?
Good luck to all who start them though!
If we listen to every alarmist warning out there, we will all want to be trapped in a biodome with piped-in HEPA filtered air, grow our own food in said biodome, and manufacture whatever else we needed with what we have on hand, never to mix with the outside world again.
Are there chemicals in things? Yes. Do we need to panic? Probably not. Looking at the research that I've found for these toys, which, by the way, I've never seen and don't plan to buy, you would have to EAT the whole toy, and sometimes several of these toys to make it hazardous. It is probably more hazardous to be near the path of a spritz of Windex. Scaring people into choices is no more responsible than not giving them the tools they need to make an informed decision.
Cat food comes in a can? Who knew.
I'll be adding an additional day of exercise to my week to jumpstart my fitness goals for 2009. Sigh. But I guess I won't be sighing when I reach my goal (30 lbs here I come!).
Buy stuff that lasts.Great tip. SO many people buy in buld but stuff that goes bad quickly- a bug waste of money!
My life is full of healthy habits, but one thing I lack (like most people) is proper sleep. One of my goals is to get 8 hours of sleep at least 5 nights per week. I love this goal because it doesn't involve sacrificing anything - it's actually kind of indulgent. Plus, it satisfies the three criteria of an effective goal - specific, measurable, and attainable.
I was just sitting here thinking I am stuck. So I decided to search for solutions and came across this blog. Yes, it's late, but I found it and that's all that matters. Thanks
I plan on trying a yoga class. Would start now, but just recently had foot surgery.
Now that my knees are back in reasonable working order, I'm planning to talk to the trainers at the gym about setting up a strength training workout that's more about functional strength and less about knee rehab.
I grew up eating gravy on bread, beans and puffed wheat cereal. That cereal usually came in big plastic bags. Once in a blue moon, I was fed puffed rice cereal.
We never ate out. When we visted relatives up north, my parents would stop at the local butcher shop and usually bought sausage to bring to their homes.
My mom would only buy clothes off the clearance rack. When I grew out of my clothes, she would mail them to my cousins up north on a farm.
We always had a garden and my parents always canned or froze food. If I was hungry between meal, I was told to have crackers or bread with butter.
I still can't stand the sight of puffed wheat cereal. My kids wanted that sugar bear cereal that looks like puffed wheat cereal. I wouldn't buy it no matter how much it was on sale. I won't let that nasty stuff anywhere near my house.
Sometimes we would go to a drive in movie and my parents always brought their own popcorn.
retweeted! this is a great article
I think my mother's most extreme behavior was saving the wine left on the table after the Passover seder, to cook with. But only from family members, not guests. I wrote up her 20 most extreme frugal behaviors and will post first thing Thursday. (I post recipes on Wednesday and haven't gotten one up yet.)
Some guest wrote:
"In fact, the reason one shouldn't drink "wood alcohol" or methanol, is because when your liver tries to break it down like good alcohol (ethanol), it turns it into formaldehyde instead. Narsty."
1) Diet Pepsi is worse than moonshine! It contains ASPARTAME which:
*turns into "wood alcohol" then embalming fluid (as you mention)
*2 teaspoons of aspartame is the lethal adult dose
*it IS a neurotoxin created for chemical warfare!(similar to sarin gas)
*The liver has nothing to do with the harmful effects of Methanol
(So enjoy that diet soda...you weren't using that part of your brain anyhow)
2) The cure for METHANOL "Wood Alcohol" poisoning IS ETHANOL!
*both apple & orange juice have more methanol than moonshine
*it takes 200 teaspoons for a lethal dose
*it's made by distilling wood (or pectin) thus the name
*it vaporizes at a lower temperature so it's the first to distill
*the 1st bit distilled is usually thrown out
*even if it was kept, it would be both too diluted to cause harm and neutralized by the ethanol
3) The liver has little to do with the harm from Methanol
*it first attacks the optic nerves causing blindness (in low doses)
*then it causes neurological symptoms
*finally death, usually from respiratory failure
We're a lot more like Britain than Mexico, economically speaking. We don't have rural villages where people finish school in the 8th grade, and don't really read. We're not undergoing a massive shift from farm life to city living. We've already urbanized.
That said, our healthcare system certainly seems reminiscent of Mexico's, where the private system is expensive but generally functional, and the public system is underfunded and considered inferior, and there are long, long waits.
I've been to America's public health system, which is designed to provide service to the poor and uninsured. It's okay, but the waits are terrible. The quality varies by clinic, and one might be good, and another might be bad. The system seems underfunded - and they do all the tricks private hospitals use to overbill and over-test. They have to fight for their piece of the budget.
The good part of American public health care is that they generally put health first. The buildings are spartan, but functional. The materials are photocopied rather than offset 4-color. If you need a treatment, they'll tell you, and if you can't afford it, it seems to be covered in different ways, depending on eligibility. Of course... the paradox is that nobody receiving care is paying into this system. In a "socialist" system, they would be paying something.
If the so-called public option were really a kind of public health, operated by nonprofits and universities, I'd drop my private insurance and sign up in a second. Too bad that's not exactly what it is, and it's not available to everyone -- but i still support it, because it's the first step down that path. I'll take anything at this point.
Thanks for your reply so I can clarify what I meant. I wasn't making fun of anyone, nor criticizing parents who have to get by in that way.
Some people like catsup sandwiches. There all kinds of reasons to serve catsup sandwiches. But serving them just for the sake of saving money would not be one of them. I don't believe many parents would serve catsup sandwiches, as a main course, on a regular basis, *if they had a choice.*
There is a difference between making a frugal choice on principle, so as not to waste things, and not being able to afford a meal with protein. I would like to think that most parents want basic nutrition for their kids and make it a priority according to their means. It doesn't mean never serving mayonnaise, butter or bacon fat.
Frugality can be an ideal. Eating like some people did during the depression is not.
Just going to keep doing what I'm already doing... logging my food, exercising, and taking care of myself.
> I should add that we ate a lot of "clean out the fridge or freezer" meals.
I still do this. I eat like a dog in a dumpster. Whatever's oldest in the fridge, I eat it. If there's any food at all in the fridge -- I'm talking ANY food... a bag of flour, old beans, aging canned food... -- I'll mix up something out of that rather than go shopping. If I lived alone, I'd eat like that until I literally ran out of food.