Dowm comforters work great to keep you warm too. Our bedroom has been around 42-45 degrees this past week & with the down comforters we were completely warm. I got 4 queen size ones last year for $15 apiece at Goody's , which was going out of business. Regular price they were around $100 each.I also had a friend ,who got burned from an electric blanket , which caught on fire & it wasn't an old one.I can't use an electric blanket or I feel sick, totally drained in morning. It has something to do with the electromagnetic field. I also wear a hat in bed. lisa
One of the life principles I receive/reflect light from teaches me that I can be happy only as i let go of building a citadel to self. I find that as I do that one of the promises I can count on is my daily needs are met, my desires remain in their proper perspective and fears of economic insecurities slip away...
My sister and I are two years apart, and have always done everything in opposite ways. I think it's just a matter of birth order that the second child will resent comparisons to her older brother, and find her own way.
I was school-oriented, listened to my parents, followed the letter of the law, and always had all the best and brightest future ahead of me. I always thought we had the perfect childhood. Sure there were tough times, but you did what you had to to make the best of the situation.
She was more creatively bent, and did well in art, but she hung out with people my parents didn't approve of, and was always getting in trouble with money, curfews and relationships. She resented rules, and as soon as she could, dropped out of college to start working. When she talks about our childhood you would think she was abused and neglected.
Looking at our lives now, some might say "ah, yes of course..." Others might see no difference. We're both married with children, both have houses and jobs. She probably makes less than I do, but in the end does it make a difference? We both live in suburbia and fight to get by on what we make. We both love, live, laugh. Our lives mean just as much to the people we care about.
The real problem I see with our separate paths is that she and I don't keep in touch as much as I'd like. We have very different outlooks, memories of our past, and beliefs in what is good. It makes it hard to talk. We live on opposite sides of the country, and the distance is just a physical echo of what has come between us... all because we were compared as children.
As an only child I obviously don't have any siblings to compare myself to or compete with. However, I do have two brothers-in-law and one of them is a middle child who lives for attention and is always "bragging" about himself and his life. But I always tell myself "run your own race". I really don't worry about how much money other people make or how much stuff they own. As long as I have enough to live fairly comfortably I'm good. Money is nice, but health and happiness are by far the most important things in life.
My husband gets caught up in comparing his (our) life with that of his sisters. I think a copy of this book would be very illuminating for him. And I would love to read it too!
This books sounds very interesting. I have not read any of his other books.
I can't compare my life with my brother's. He's married; I'm not. He has been a "house husband" for the past 13 years after he sold off our three-generation family farm because it was leaking money on a permanent basis. I am a late bloomer who got a masters degree in my mid-forties, struggled with demanding, low-paying nonprofit jobs for years, and finally landed a relatively decent-paying corporate job last year. What can I say? Would love to read the book though.
I find it so difficult to not compare with my sister. Who's more successful? Who's happier? Which one of us made the best decisions regarding our degrees, career paths, etc? I think it all really just depends on how you define success and what you want out of life. I wish there was a "turn off" switch for comparison because sibling rivalry and constant comparison suck the joy out of life. We need to learn how to be content with ourselves and our lives, and if we change anything, it should be because we want to, not because we feel like to we don't measure up to our siblings.
I was one of the clear skin teenagers who grew massive zits in my mid to late 20s. I spent substantial amounts of money on every promising system - Murad, ProActiv, expensive boutique brand systems. They usually worked for a couple of weeks and then added other odd problems, like dryness and redness to my existing ones.
I finally went to a dermatologist two years ago. I now wash and moisterize with Cetaphil, a drugstore brand, and use Differin cream, which costs about $15 per month. The most expensive part of my new and completely effective skin care regimen was throwing out all of the $28 bottles of cleansers, toners and moisterizers that didn't work!
Get a referral to a good dermatological doctor. If you can't afford it, see if any local medical schools will let you be a test patient for a supervised medical student.
How washing works is that the soap releases the bond between the dirt and the fabric. Then the water floats the dirt and other stuff off. We don't need hot water for this process to work, we're just kind of addicted to it.
Essentially, washing is a process of dilution, and the rinse cycle gets most but not all of the dirt or whatever off. There will always be some left. Unless you increase the rinse water to a huge amount, and then there is a probabilistic point where there is a decent chance that not even one "dirt" (undesirable) particle would remain.
Unless your clothes have been festering in a vat of e coli bacteria, really you never need hot water. Unless you are trying to *sanitize* clothes, in which case yes, you need water of 130F or so.
i've always found my farmers markers to be so much cheaper. occasionally, its a wash - the price saved in trasport with local items is often made up for the of ability to sell in bulk - but my motives for buying local arent always to save money.
Like some other posters, I have completely stopped using hot water for clotheswashing, and I don't even use a dryer but hang dry all my clothes inside, 12 months of the year. It's easy, it works, and it's free.
Now if I could just get around to hacking the dishwasher and disabling the heating element in it (putting it on a switch) I would be completely satisfied. It also needs to be put on a switch or power strip because it's one of those new ones that's "always on" even when it's off. That's another project for this winter.
Ok, if the water heater is off and you need to have your morning ablutions, put 2 cups of water in the microwave for 5 minutes. Pour it in the sink. Add some cold water so you don't burn yourself, then wash your face and shave (guys).
This costs exactly 2 cents at 24 cents per kw.hr.
If you need a bath, do the same with a quart of water and use it in a plastic tub inside your regular tub for a nice hot sponge bath. If you take a plastic cup in with you you can rinse your hair too.
total cost, 4 cents. Time till hot water: 10 minutes.
I have been doing just the face wash and shave on one day, followed by a shower the next, and I have found that it's just as refreshing in the morning as showering every day. And it saves about 50% on the water heating bill.
Using the stove to heat up water works but uses more energy compared to a microwave. And having hot water going all day seems a bit much to me, but I guess it depends on what you need to accomplish during the day. Since I can get hot water on demand in a few minutes using the microwave, that's how I do it.
don't forget to put all of your appliances and electronic devices on power strips to save the phantom energy. My computer alone sucks about 25W when turned off (including the monitor). So after it is in hibernation, I click off the power strip and now it's using *nothing* while off, which is how it should be in the first place.
My sister tends to leave lights on in all the rooms (her sons do too) and has two large screen TVs, a set-top box, and an Xbox, and Wii for the kids.
And she wonders why her electricity bill is $170!
Seriously, if you change all your bulbs to CFLs, turn them off when you aren't in the room (I use an led flashlight when I'm walking around the house at night, until I get to a place where I'll be staying, then turn the light on in that room only) and turn off your computer when you leave the room (I set mine to hibernate when it is untouched for 10 minutes, or when I press the power button--that way it only takes 20 seconds for it to come back on, plus all my apps are where I left them), you can probably drop that electricity bill to Grandma's $25.
I think the current economy makes clear that it is a really good idea to have 1-2 years worth of mortgage and house insurance payments banked at any given time. Yes, you can prepay that amount, but it doesn't stop the monthly mortgage bill coming and if you lose your income, well....
I don't have a mortgage at this time, but if I did I would be putting extra money aside to serve as a cushiion for that. At this point I think that any amount over 6 months' worth of payments I would have invested in the stock market, as I would be willing to take the risk on it descending further.
This is actually the approach I am taking on a credit card balance transfer loan I have. I am holding $5000 in cash reserves, and the money that I *used* to apply to pay extra payments on the debt is going into equities. That is a reasonable balance between absolute liquidity and potential gain (in equities) for me, and I am willing to lose money on the equities because the $5000 cash reserve is sufficient for me, in combination with the fact that if necessary I can sell equities to raise cash, even if at a loss.
Please enter me, I would like to read this book :)
Dowm comforters work great to keep you warm too. Our bedroom has been around 42-45 degrees this past week & with the down comforters we were completely warm. I got 4 queen size ones last year for $15 apiece at Goody's , which was going out of business. Regular price they were around $100 each.I also had a friend ,who got burned from an electric blanket , which caught on fire & it wasn't an old one.I can't use an electric blanket or I feel sick, totally drained in morning. It has something to do with the electromagnetic field. I also wear a hat in bed. lisa
This sounds like a great thought-provoking book,please enter me.
One of the life principles I receive/reflect light from teaches me that I can be happy only as i let go of building a citadel to self. I find that as I do that one of the promises I can count on is my daily needs are met, my desires remain in their proper perspective and fears of economic insecurities slip away...
I think this will be a mind challenging read. Please enter me . Thanks!
I think this will be a mind challenging read. Please enter me . Thanks!
I think this will be a mind challenging read. Please enter me . Thanks!
My sister and I are two years apart, and have always done everything in opposite ways. I think it's just a matter of birth order that the second child will resent comparisons to her older brother, and find her own way.
I was school-oriented, listened to my parents, followed the letter of the law, and always had all the best and brightest future ahead of me. I always thought we had the perfect childhood. Sure there were tough times, but you did what you had to to make the best of the situation.
She was more creatively bent, and did well in art, but she hung out with people my parents didn't approve of, and was always getting in trouble with money, curfews and relationships. She resented rules, and as soon as she could, dropped out of college to start working. When she talks about our childhood you would think she was abused and neglected.
Looking at our lives now, some might say "ah, yes of course..." Others might see no difference. We're both married with children, both have houses and jobs. She probably makes less than I do, but in the end does it make a difference? We both live in suburbia and fight to get by on what we make. We both love, live, laugh. Our lives mean just as much to the people we care about.
The real problem I see with our separate paths is that she and I don't keep in touch as much as I'd like. We have very different outlooks, memories of our past, and beliefs in what is good. It makes it hard to talk. We live on opposite sides of the country, and the distance is just a physical echo of what has come between us... all because we were compared as children.
As an only child I obviously don't have any siblings to compare myself to or compete with. However, I do have two brothers-in-law and one of them is a middle child who lives for attention and is always "bragging" about himself and his life. But I always tell myself "run your own race". I really don't worry about how much money other people make or how much stuff they own. As long as I have enough to live fairly comfortably I'm good. Money is nice, but health and happiness are by far the most important things in life.
My husband gets caught up in comparing his (our) life with that of his sisters. I think a copy of this book would be very illuminating for him. And I would love to read it too!
Kiyosaki always stirs up some controversy with his writing and I've been meaning to see what the story is about. Thanks for the giveaway!
This books sounds very interesting. I have not read any of his other books.
I can't compare my life with my brother's. He's married; I'm not. He has been a "house husband" for the past 13 years after he sold off our three-generation family farm because it was leaking money on a permanent basis. I am a late bloomer who got a masters degree in my mid-forties, struggled with demanding, low-paying nonprofit jobs for years, and finally landed a relatively decent-paying corporate job last year. What can I say? Would love to read the book though.
I find it so difficult to not compare with my sister. Who's more successful? Who's happier? Which one of us made the best decisions regarding our degrees, career paths, etc? I think it all really just depends on how you define success and what you want out of life. I wish there was a "turn off" switch for comparison because sibling rivalry and constant comparison suck the joy out of life. We need to learn how to be content with ourselves and our lives, and if we change anything, it should be because we want to, not because we feel like to we don't measure up to our siblings.
This sounds wonderful! I had not heard of this book. I would love to be entered.
kayceewilliams AT gmail DOT COM
I wasn't surprised to see that Buddhism has touched Roberts life. Many of his lessons have hints of Buddhism in them.
I was one of the clear skin teenagers who grew massive zits in my mid to late 20s. I spent substantial amounts of money on every promising system - Murad, ProActiv, expensive boutique brand systems. They usually worked for a couple of weeks and then added other odd problems, like dryness and redness to my existing ones.
I finally went to a dermatologist two years ago. I now wash and moisterize with Cetaphil, a drugstore brand, and use Differin cream, which costs about $15 per month. The most expensive part of my new and completely effective skin care regimen was throwing out all of the $28 bottles of cleansers, toners and moisterizers that didn't work!
Get a referral to a good dermatological doctor. If you can't afford it, see if any local medical schools will let you be a test patient for a supervised medical student.
"stinky whites" wash fine in cold water too.
How washing works is that the soap releases the bond between the dirt and the fabric. Then the water floats the dirt and other stuff off. We don't need hot water for this process to work, we're just kind of addicted to it.
Essentially, washing is a process of dilution, and the rinse cycle gets most but not all of the dirt or whatever off. There will always be some left. Unless you increase the rinse water to a huge amount, and then there is a probabilistic point where there is a decent chance that not even one "dirt" (undesirable) particle would remain.
Unless your clothes have been festering in a vat of e coli bacteria, really you never need hot water. Unless you are trying to *sanitize* clothes, in which case yes, you need water of 130F or so.
i've always found my farmers markers to be so much cheaper. occasionally, its a wash - the price saved in trasport with local items is often made up for the of ability to sell in bulk - but my motives for buying local arent always to save money.
Leeb wrote about Peak Oil in The Coming Economic Collapse; at that time I think he was predicting near-term $200 oil.
I devour as much of this stuff as I can find, but I still don't see how any of this knowledge can help me prosper.
Oh yeah. Suuuuure. Riiiiiiiiight.
I can't even prosper in a booming economy, how am I supposed to prosper in ashattered economy?
Like some other posters, I have completely stopped using hot water for clotheswashing, and I don't even use a dryer but hang dry all my clothes inside, 12 months of the year. It's easy, it works, and it's free.
Now if I could just get around to hacking the dishwasher and disabling the heating element in it (putting it on a switch) I would be completely satisfied. It also needs to be put on a switch or power strip because it's one of those new ones that's "always on" even when it's off. That's another project for this winter.
Ok, if the water heater is off and you need to have your morning ablutions, put 2 cups of water in the microwave for 5 minutes. Pour it in the sink. Add some cold water so you don't burn yourself, then wash your face and shave (guys).
This costs exactly 2 cents at 24 cents per kw.hr.
If you need a bath, do the same with a quart of water and use it in a plastic tub inside your regular tub for a nice hot sponge bath. If you take a plastic cup in with you you can rinse your hair too.
total cost, 4 cents. Time till hot water: 10 minutes.
I have been doing just the face wash and shave on one day, followed by a shower the next, and I have found that it's just as refreshing in the morning as showering every day. And it saves about 50% on the water heating bill.
Using the stove to heat up water works but uses more energy compared to a microwave. And having hot water going all day seems a bit much to me, but I guess it depends on what you need to accomplish during the day. Since I can get hot water on demand in a few minutes using the microwave, that's how I do it.
don't forget to put all of your appliances and electronic devices on power strips to save the phantom energy. My computer alone sucks about 25W when turned off (including the monitor). So after it is in hibernation, I click off the power strip and now it's using *nothing* while off, which is how it should be in the first place.
My sister tends to leave lights on in all the rooms (her sons do too) and has two large screen TVs, a set-top box, and an Xbox, and Wii for the kids.
And she wonders why her electricity bill is $170!
Seriously, if you change all your bulbs to CFLs, turn them off when you aren't in the room (I use an led flashlight when I'm walking around the house at night, until I get to a place where I'll be staying, then turn the light on in that room only) and turn off your computer when you leave the room (I set mine to hibernate when it is untouched for 10 minutes, or when I press the power button--that way it only takes 20 seconds for it to come back on, plus all my apps are where I left them), you can probably drop that electricity bill to Grandma's $25.
I think the current economy makes clear that it is a really good idea to have 1-2 years worth of mortgage and house insurance payments banked at any given time. Yes, you can prepay that amount, but it doesn't stop the monthly mortgage bill coming and if you lose your income, well....
I don't have a mortgage at this time, but if I did I would be putting extra money aside to serve as a cushiion for that. At this point I think that any amount over 6 months' worth of payments I would have invested in the stock market, as I would be willing to take the risk on it descending further.
This is actually the approach I am taking on a credit card balance transfer loan I have. I am holding $5000 in cash reserves, and the money that I *used* to apply to pay extra payments on the debt is going into equities. That is a reasonable balance between absolute liquidity and potential gain (in equities) for me, and I am willing to lose money on the equities because the $5000 cash reserve is sufficient for me, in combination with the fact that if necessary I can sell equities to raise cash, even if at a loss.