Hi gtWise, Joseph de Jesus is my husband. So yes I have his permission. I have used his photos before and all he asked is that I link to his flickr account because they are my pictures, too. That picture is from our trip to Napa when we celebrated his birthday. So yes in this case you are way in the left field, but thanks for the comment!
It remains a fantasy that those of us in the suburbs or exurbs will be moving downtown.
It's just too expensive for the majority of us who have families (at least one another adult & 1 or more children) for a significant part of our lives (can't replace current living space for any comparable cost)
Households that commute in a SUV getting 10-15 mpg can switch to a high-mileage gasoline-electric hybrid or diesel for $20-$25K, cutting fuel costs by at least 1/2, if not 2/3.
That's much cheaper than selling & buying a new home, since the transaction costs of real estate approach 10%.
Employers are already accomodating workers by switching to 4 day work-weeks, moving out of downtown themselves (office space is cheaper in the suburbs), or adding satellite work spaces closer to where their people live (federal government)
In 5 years, we will see more econoboxes of all kinds, including the first pure EVs like the Volt, but no huge move back to the city (still the domain of high-income DINKS)
Even Vicki Robin, one of the authors of the book, came to agree with you, or so I've heard. The investment advice in the book was appropriate to a particular time and place.
Still, I rather like investing for income, and I even like government bonds (although I haven't been buying any in the current market).
The point is not to produce maximum return. The point is to create an income stream that matches an outgo stream. That's not a very modern idea--modern portfolio theory would hold that you simply need a total return that covers your expenses--but it's one that appeals to me. One big benefit it offers is simplicity--it's easy to explain, easy to understand, easy to implement, and easy to monitor. To my mind, it takes a considerable amount of extra return to justify giving up those advantages.
The tax advantages for dividends, of course are new since the book was published, and are currently set to expire next year.
Probably not great for kids, but you can save about $3.50 of the $4.00 a Frappuccino costs at the Coffee House by making it at home if you have a cheap espresso maker ($25-$50 at chain stores).
1/2 cup espresso
1 cup ice (I like a little more than a cup, like a cup plus 3 extra cubes)
1/2 cup milk (skim is fine)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
Blend all in a blender at the fastest speed for about 40 seconds. Serve immediately. Makes about 20 oz. If you like them sweeter, you can use 1/3 c milk and add a bit more sugar. I top mine with about a tablespoon of cool whip and it tastes exactly like the mocha frappuccino I get at Starbucks.
China will be the worlds new economic power. Its not a question of if, but when, and when is not as far away as we think. The US will still have substantial power in trade, there is no doubt about that. We are the leading importer/exporter in the world currently and have been for some time. Once China does over take us though we will feel the effects as we already have. For all of those who think the US will fall off the face of the earth though, that is ridiculous, we will simply take the co-pilots position and still maintain a standard of living well above the rest of the world. We need to maintain a free trade policy and pray that we elect the right person in this time of transition.
My wife & I have talked about taking a train ride for awhile; we are taking a cruise that leaves from Long Beach, CA. So we decided to give it a try.
We will be on the Sunset Limited from New Orleans to Los Angeles.
I sure hope we enjoy this ride because it was very pricey compared to just buying four airline tickets, at least $700 more!
I know that includes the beds and meals but I was a little shocked it was that big of a cost.
Most of the stories I have read on here were for short runs has anyone taken a long trip like this one?
Better yet has anyone ridden this particular train either way?
You remind me a lot of my father in law, a man I respect dearly. I am still fairly young, so I am not trying to pin you as old with the comparison. I really enjoy your posts and hope they will continue. Hopefully one day I will be able to leave this job I have, though sometimes fulfilling or satisfying, and find a life of freedom doing something I truly enjoy. For now I have to pay the bills and take miniature freedoms when I can, but you give us the inspiration to pursue a permanent freedom.
>NOT true...water is a constant throughout the world, and with >the polar ice caps melting the supply of water is just becoming >more adbundant.
All the polar ice is melting into a body of salt water making it difficult to extract again as fresh water. Desalination takes lotsa energy. The worldwide "distillation" system, the evaporation-clouds-rain system, is already working at a nominal pace so you won't necessarily see any more water that way. Mountain glaciers are also melting and unless someone uses the water before it flows all the way downhill and hits the sea, it is wasted. When glaciers are gone, they're gone. The ice was an excess benefit of rain/snow banking excess moisture deposits over a long period of time in out of the way places.
>whomever thinks that we have reached peak oil, must stop >reading literature from the 80's. why, there is 2 TRILLION >barrels of oil right in the foothills of the american rockies. >plus there are numerous new finds all over the world that are >making the myth of oil scarcity,
The words peak oil refer to peak "easy to pump" oil.
>sure, some of the finds are of difficult extraction quality, >but most of them are not
I doubt if it is most. Right now the price of oil is an auction price. What are you willing to pay vs how much work and profit someone else is willing to deliver. Lotsa players especially on the supply side. Even some Midwestern farmers now pumping oil from their farmlands from low pressure tapped out reservoirs. $100+ dollars a barrel makes it worthwhile. However if someone had a killer process for oil shale that worked at $100 a barrel we would see a flood of crude on the horizon. The fact that few are willing to step in and increase supply indicates the price has not reached a point to make it feasible, give or take the glacial pace of r&d, infrastructure and investment to make it all possible.
If we are looking for something that could go together quickly and take some of the heat off oil, Google methanol economy.
I disagree with the authors in this book when it comes to investments solely in bonds. What the authors have failed to mention is that stocks pay dividends, which are taxed more favorably than interest from fixed income. In addition to that, stocks protect investors from inflation. If you buy stocks for the dividends, you would be able to have an income stream that has the ability to grow over time as companies increase their dividends.
I would say that a 50/50 investment in fixed income and stocks would be a better alternative.
I also am not living the American Dream I thouht I was going to live when I was younger. But I will tell you about the life I do live. We live in a small house with several things wrong in our house from holes in the floor to droopy ceiling fans and electricity that goes out far to often from power surges. We have lived this way for many years. I have a wonderful husband who also works 80 to 105 hours in any given week. I think we are not that much alike in situations, but in attitude I think their are great differences. I also would like to see my husband slow down but thats probably not going to happen soon, so I make sure he has tea and me to greet him at the door when he comes home. Me and or the children rub his feet after work, the children wait on him hand and foot out of love and respect not fear or anger. They sit on our bed at night and we talk and pray together after his shower and home cooked meal.. He loves his family and they love and appreciate him and we would never publically say anything bad about him or let him in any way think he's not providing well enough for us. Our love for him goes much further than what he makes or provides. Skip ahead a few years now and ask my kids weather they remember the house we lived in or the cars we drove or do they remember the holidays he missed. No they remember Dad hiding their Christmas bikes in the well house a month befor Christmas and them not finding it. They remember Dad could not make it to the hospital when his first Grandchild was born but he openly cried the next morning when he held her for the first time and now he sees her everyday because I still don't have a job and I watch her everyday. This is his gift to me. I have seen both of my children say their first words and take their first steps and now the same for my grandchild and he hears about everything second hand. He may not be their everyday, but everyday would not happen without him and he knows it. Sometimes attitude can change the situation. This is not meant to hurt your feeling or offend, just to show a differenc.
My health sadly wasnt the greatest this year - and as i am recovering (so freakin slowly) i have such a great awareness of how little things that our body does for us is worth so much more than a new handbag, fancy shoes or anything else.
I could understand you being bothered, but when I've been there, it always WAS raining. Of course, this is ideal for me, because Nebraska seems dry much of the time, and I love a good rain!
Also, I think that the "rainy" reputation of Seattle is brought about by the type of precipitation. It drizzles much of the time, over an extended period, although the accumulation is less than other cities (New York). I bet if all the rain fell at one time, it wouldn't be as noticeable.
Glad to see all you guys are getting your boxes setup. Those of you with cable or satellite shouldn't need the boxes UNLESS you have TV's that are not hooked up to the service.
Guest: You should be able to take the boxes to the store where you purchased them and exchange them for new ones. You will only be able to get a refund for the $$$ you actually paid though os if you want to shop at another store you will be responsible for the full price. I know it sucks, but those are the rules. DTV coupon FAQ if you need more info.
seattle gets less annual rainfall than most major cities in the US. i don't live there, but it bothers me that the good people of the pacific northwest get a lot of crap for supposedly having so much rain
Mouse Print and GTwise pretty much confirmed my sentiment that this is not something you would gamble on if you weren't already traveling anyway. My point was to give you an option if you were faced with making the decision of which of the many online travel bookies to go with. My last travel purchase was basically the same price at Priceline, expedia, travelocity, etc. etc... this guarantee, however, would be enough to turn the tables on an already very level playing field. My job is simply to report the details and give vacationers another interesting option in the world of online price guarantees.
If you're just looking to get a free trip, consider visiting a timeshare pitch.
1. I understand some of Jen's frustration, although I think some of it is not accurate. In one of her rants she said that because her husband works 7 days a week, someone else higher on the corporate hierarcy doesn't work as hard. I support people in middle to higher mgt. that may only be in the office 4 days a week, but work for hours again once they got home and work during the weekends. They also experience a high amount of stress because now that they have company-issued blackberries, the firm believes they are accessible to their whims 24/7. Not only that, that person that writes/test code at Google doesn't have three jobs doesn't mean he/she isn't working their tail off and isn't under extreme amounts of stress. Sorry, but your view seems pretty limited to the pressures of what people can go through. Now, that said, I do believe, as others pointed out, that the divide between the have's and have-not's in this country is increasing. What to do about it on an individual level? Vote for policy that levels the field more. Support businesses and initiatives that benefit the community.
On an individual level, I can't for the life of me understand why Jen can't get a part-time job or the family just live without some stuff so the husband doesn't have to work as hard. Seriously, I really don't understand. She said she doesn't have skills, well it doesn't take much to sell something on eBay or work at McDonald's on the weekends while the hubby is home with the kids. Or maybe watch some other kids while taking care of your own during the days. Really. She can't be so useless that she can't do ANYTHING. If they hubby is near collapse, then they either need to ratchet down their lifestyle even more or she step up to the plate to ease his burden.
Again, I agree that the disparity between the classes is there, complaining about it while doing nothing is not going to help Jen's immediate situation.
I would have to second JD above in saying you're my favorite financial blogger around right now, for exactly the reason that you post not only about finance, but about why we do finance the way we do.
I have a younger sister who has just graduated high school with the world at her fingertips and not a clue what to do. I've been searching for the words to suggest to her to pursue passion and to live with purpose, and I think this is it exactly. I'll be pointing her this way. Thank you.
I salute your bravery in always saying it "like it is". At a time when many chase the unimportant, you are a refreshing voice of reason. Thanks, Philip, and keep posting your straight ahead wisdom.
I found your post while researching an article I wrote on charitable giving titled Charitable Giving: When Is It Wrong?. Much of what you and your commenters said here inspired me to look inward at my motives for giving, something I had not planned on doing at the outset of this writing project.
I took the liberty of linking to your post from my article, because I think anyone who is examining their reasons for giving will be inpired by what they read here.
I was just contemplating this exact topic the other day. I'm a young person who has significant amount of school loans + a car loan and although my pay is competitive I wouldn't say I make a lot of money. Yet somehow I managed to pay a VERY large amount off on my car since January (will have it paid off in a few weeks) and every year I plan a trip to Europe.
I pondered how it happened that can I accomplish this yet others only dream of doing the same, and I figured it all came down to making choices and prioritizing. I'm not the type who has or buys a lot of clothes or goes out to eat all the time. I live close to work and bike there frequently. I don't purchase pointless crap that's going to collect dust on my or someone else's shelf. I make my own bread and cleaning supplies, and I don't have cable. By making the choice to cut out these simple and instantly gratifying purchasing experiences, I get to have a much more fulfilling life experience.
Back in the 50's most families didn't have central air or garbage disposals or dish washers or second cars. Those were all considered luxuries. Yes, it is unfair that some cheat is getting those things for sucking off the govt, but you shouldn't compare the situations because you really only have the power to fix your own situation.
Now I don't know what part of the country you live in, but down here in Texas 1400 a week is pretty nice and would buy a lot of things. I lived with my crippled momma on 600 a month welfare, and us three got by. Sure there were hard times, but it teaches you that money and material things don't amount to a hill of beans because in the end, you can't take it with you.
You need to re-evaluate your spending. I have a spreadsheet that tracks every penny coming in and going out. You should see where your biggest expenses are and try to cut back enough to where your husband doesn't need that second job. If you are up in the northeast or west, you might consider relocating to a cheaper state or a smaller house.
I have a phone job working in a customer service call center, so I truly loathe talking on the phone for any reason that isn't work related.
I have two experiences wherein email still got me freebies.
Krispy Kreme had a donut I simply fell in love with -- the Caramel Kreme donut. I happened to buy one on the last day of the promotion, I discovered a day later, when they were no longer available. I asked when they'd return, and was told they were seasonal so they wouldn't be available for a year. Which was okay. Donuts are fattening. I would wait.
I waited the year, walked in, and did not find my long-awaited Caramel Kreme donut. I tried every Krispy Kreme within a half hour drive of my house, then emailed Krispy Kreme. I got an email back apologizing, advising me that the donut had been put into rotation as a regular specialty donut, and asking for my snailmail address. A week later I had a coupon for a dozen free donuts. Two weeks after that, I got an email telling me the Krispy Kreme in GA where I could actually get the Caramel Kreme. It was too far away for me to reasonably drive just for a donut or two [or even a dozen], but wow!
The second time email served me was at Steak and Shake. There was a chocolate fudge milkshake I enjoyed. If I bought it at the one near my home, it was perfect. If I bought it at the one near my job, the level of chocolate was much weaker. I sent an email, and got an immediate apology, plus a note from someone higher up in the company telling me to print the email and present it to the manager for a free replacement of my shake. I did so, and got it. Turned out the branch at which the shake is perfect is not following the recipe right, and all other branches are -- plus it's really a vanilla milkshake with chocolate syrup. So I don't really do Steak and Shake much anymore. But the email still got the results.
So some companies are capable of acknowledging we live in an electronic age. My suggestion would be email first, and then send the email along with your polite and respectful letter if you don't get a response.
The only time I've had trouble with them was a problem of my own making. I didn't realize miles expired, and when I asked about it, the person I emailed was terribly roundabout in explaining it to me. I had to ask her directly before she gave me a straight answer. Anytime I've flown, I had wonderful service, even on such a long trip as Atlanta to LA.
It was United I had the problem with; I've written them twice now, followed up with phone calls and more letters, and the most they ever give me is a $150 voucher as a "goodwill gesture". And then they make it super-difficult to actually cash in said voucher.
Hi gtWise, Joseph de Jesus is my husband. So yes I have his permission. I have used his photos before and all he asked is that I link to his flickr account because they are my pictures, too. That picture is from our trip to Napa when we celebrated his birthday. So yes in this case you are way in the left field, but thanks for the comment!
It remains a fantasy that those of us in the suburbs or exurbs will be moving downtown.
It's just too expensive for the majority of us who have families (at least one another adult & 1 or more children) for a significant part of our lives (can't replace current living space for any comparable cost)
Households that commute in a SUV getting 10-15 mpg can switch to a high-mileage gasoline-electric hybrid or diesel for $20-$25K, cutting fuel costs by at least 1/2, if not 2/3.
That's much cheaper than selling & buying a new home, since the transaction costs of real estate approach 10%.
Employers are already accomodating workers by switching to 4 day work-weeks, moving out of downtown themselves (office space is cheaper in the suburbs), or adding satellite work spaces closer to where their people live (federal government)
In 5 years, we will see more econoboxes of all kinds, including the first pure EVs like the Volt, but no huge move back to the city (still the domain of high-income DINKS)
Even Vicki Robin, one of the authors of the book, came to agree with you, or so I've heard. The investment advice in the book was appropriate to a particular time and place.
Still, I rather like investing for income, and I even like government bonds (although I haven't been buying any in the current market).
The point is not to produce maximum return. The point is to create an income stream that matches an outgo stream. That's not a very modern idea--modern portfolio theory would hold that you simply need a total return that covers your expenses--but it's one that appeals to me. One big benefit it offers is simplicity--it's easy to explain, easy to understand, easy to implement, and easy to monitor. To my mind, it takes a considerable amount of extra return to justify giving up those advantages.
The tax advantages for dividends, of course are new since the book was published, and are currently set to expire next year.
Probably not great for kids, but you can save about $3.50 of the $4.00 a Frappuccino costs at the Coffee House by making it at home if you have a cheap espresso maker ($25-$50 at chain stores).
1/2 cup espresso
1 cup ice (I like a little more than a cup, like a cup plus 3 extra cubes)
1/2 cup milk (skim is fine)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
Blend all in a blender at the fastest speed for about 40 seconds. Serve immediately. Makes about 20 oz. If you like them sweeter, you can use 1/3 c milk and add a bit more sugar. I top mine with about a tablespoon of cool whip and it tastes exactly like the mocha frappuccino I get at Starbucks.
China will be the worlds new economic power. Its not a question of if, but when, and when is not as far away as we think. The US will still have substantial power in trade, there is no doubt about that. We are the leading importer/exporter in the world currently and have been for some time. Once China does over take us though we will feel the effects as we already have. For all of those who think the US will fall off the face of the earth though, that is ridiculous, we will simply take the co-pilots position and still maintain a standard of living well above the rest of the world. We need to maintain a free trade policy and pray that we elect the right person in this time of transition.
My wife & I have talked about taking a train ride for awhile; we are taking a cruise that leaves from Long Beach, CA. So we decided to give it a try.
We will be on the Sunset Limited from New Orleans to Los Angeles.
I sure hope we enjoy this ride because it was very pricey compared to just buying four airline tickets, at least $700 more!
I know that includes the beds and meals but I was a little shocked it was that big of a cost.
Most of the stories I have read on here were for short runs has anyone taken a long trip like this one?
Better yet has anyone ridden this particular train either way?
Thanks
Hey! That kinda mena to critisize shoes. I have those, you know!!!
Philip,
You remind me a lot of my father in law, a man I respect dearly. I am still fairly young, so I am not trying to pin you as old with the comparison. I really enjoy your posts and hope they will continue. Hopefully one day I will be able to leave this job I have, though sometimes fulfilling or satisfying, and find a life of freedom doing something I truly enjoy. For now I have to pay the bills and take miniature freedoms when I can, but you give us the inspiration to pursue a permanent freedom.
Thank you!!
>NOT true...water is a constant throughout the world, and with >the polar ice caps melting the supply of water is just becoming >more adbundant.
All the polar ice is melting into a body of salt water making it difficult to extract again as fresh water. Desalination takes lotsa energy. The worldwide "distillation" system, the evaporation-clouds-rain system, is already working at a nominal pace so you won't necessarily see any more water that way. Mountain glaciers are also melting and unless someone uses the water before it flows all the way downhill and hits the sea, it is wasted. When glaciers are gone, they're gone. The ice was an excess benefit of rain/snow banking excess moisture deposits over a long period of time in out of the way places.
>whomever thinks that we have reached peak oil, must stop >reading literature from the 80's. why, there is 2 TRILLION >barrels of oil right in the foothills of the american rockies. >plus there are numerous new finds all over the world that are >making the myth of oil scarcity,
The words peak oil refer to peak "easy to pump" oil.
>sure, some of the finds are of difficult extraction quality, >but most of them are not
I doubt if it is most. Right now the price of oil is an auction price. What are you willing to pay vs how much work and profit someone else is willing to deliver. Lotsa players especially on the supply side. Even some Midwestern farmers now pumping oil from their farmlands from low pressure tapped out reservoirs. $100+ dollars a barrel makes it worthwhile. However if someone had a killer process for oil shale that worked at $100 a barrel we would see a flood of crude on the horizon. The fact that few are willing to step in and increase supply indicates the price has not reached a point to make it feasible, give or take the glacial pace of r&d, infrastructure and investment to make it all possible.
If we are looking for something that could go together quickly and take some of the heat off oil, Google methanol economy.
I disagree with the authors in this book when it comes to investments solely in bonds. What the authors have failed to mention is that stocks pay dividends, which are taxed more favorably than interest from fixed income. In addition to that, stocks protect investors from inflation. If you buy stocks for the dividends, you would be able to have an income stream that has the ability to grow over time as companies increase their dividends.
I would say that a 50/50 investment in fixed income and stocks would be a better alternative.
Dear Jen:
I also am not living the American Dream I thouht I was going to live when I was younger. But I will tell you about the life I do live. We live in a small house with several things wrong in our house from holes in the floor to droopy ceiling fans and electricity that goes out far to often from power surges. We have lived this way for many years. I have a wonderful husband who also works 80 to 105 hours in any given week. I think we are not that much alike in situations, but in attitude I think their are great differences. I also would like to see my husband slow down but thats probably not going to happen soon, so I make sure he has tea and me to greet him at the door when he comes home. Me and or the children rub his feet after work, the children wait on him hand and foot out of love and respect not fear or anger. They sit on our bed at night and we talk and pray together after his shower and home cooked meal.. He loves his family and they love and appreciate him and we would never publically say anything bad about him or let him in any way think he's not providing well enough for us. Our love for him goes much further than what he makes or provides. Skip ahead a few years now and ask my kids weather they remember the house we lived in or the cars we drove or do they remember the holidays he missed. No they remember Dad hiding their Christmas bikes in the well house a month befor Christmas and them not finding it. They remember Dad could not make it to the hospital when his first Grandchild was born but he openly cried the next morning when he held her for the first time and now he sees her everyday because I still don't have a job and I watch her everyday. This is his gift to me. I have seen both of my children say their first words and take their first steps and now the same for my grandchild and he hears about everything second hand. He may not be their everyday, but everyday would not happen without him and he knows it. Sometimes attitude can change the situation. This is not meant to hurt your feeling or offend, just to show a differenc.
hey everyone,
well you couldnt be more right.
My health sadly wasnt the greatest this year - and as i am recovering (so freakin slowly) i have such a great awareness of how little things that our body does for us is worth so much more than a new handbag, fancy shoes or anything else.
Thank you for writing this post ....
I could understand you being bothered, but when I've been there, it always WAS raining. Of course, this is ideal for me, because Nebraska seems dry much of the time, and I love a good rain!
Also, I think that the "rainy" reputation of Seattle is brought about by the type of precipitation. It drizzles much of the time, over an extended period, although the accumulation is less than other cities (New York). I bet if all the rain fell at one time, it wouldn't be as noticeable.
Thanks for the comments!
Glad to see all you guys are getting your boxes setup. Those of you with cable or satellite shouldn't need the boxes UNLESS you have TV's that are not hooked up to the service.
Guest: You should be able to take the boxes to the store where you purchased them and exchange them for new ones. You will only be able to get a refund for the $$$ you actually paid though os if you want to shop at another store you will be responsible for the full price. I know it sucks, but those are the rules.
DTV coupon FAQ if you need more info.
seattle gets less annual rainfall than most major cities in the US. i don't live there, but it bothers me that the good people of the pacific northwest get a lot of crap for supposedly having so much rain
Mouse Print and GTwise pretty much confirmed my sentiment that this is not something you would gamble on if you weren't already traveling anyway. My point was to give you an option if you were faced with making the decision of which of the many online travel bookies to go with. My last travel purchase was basically the same price at Priceline, expedia, travelocity, etc. etc... this guarantee, however, would be enough to turn the tables on an already very level playing field. My job is simply to report the details and give vacationers another interesting option in the world of online price guarantees.
If you're just looking to get a free trip, consider visiting a timeshare pitch.
:)
1. I understand some of Jen's frustration, although I think some of it is not accurate. In one of her rants she said that because her husband works 7 days a week, someone else higher on the corporate hierarcy doesn't work as hard. I support people in middle to higher mgt. that may only be in the office 4 days a week, but work for hours again once they got home and work during the weekends. They also experience a high amount of stress because now that they have company-issued blackberries, the firm believes they are accessible to their whims 24/7. Not only that, that person that writes/test code at Google doesn't have three jobs doesn't mean he/she isn't working their tail off and isn't under extreme amounts of stress. Sorry, but your view seems pretty limited to the pressures of what people can go through. Now, that said, I do believe, as others pointed out, that the divide between the have's and have-not's in this country is increasing. What to do about it on an individual level? Vote for policy that levels the field more. Support businesses and initiatives that benefit the community.
On an individual level, I can't for the life of me understand why Jen can't get a part-time job or the family just live without some stuff so the husband doesn't have to work as hard. Seriously, I really don't understand. She said she doesn't have skills, well it doesn't take much to sell something on eBay or work at McDonald's on the weekends while the hubby is home with the kids. Or maybe watch some other kids while taking care of your own during the days. Really. She can't be so useless that she can't do ANYTHING. If they hubby is near collapse, then they either need to ratchet down their lifestyle even more or she step up to the plate to ease his burden.
Again, I agree that the disparity between the classes is there, complaining about it while doing nothing is not going to help Jen's immediate situation.
Mouse Print already blogged about it last Monday: http://www.mouseprint.org/?p=457 Their conclusion: don’t count on a free trip.
I would have to second JD above in saying you're my favorite financial blogger around right now, for exactly the reason that you post not only about finance, but about why we do finance the way we do.
I have a younger sister who has just graduated high school with the world at her fingertips and not a clue what to do. I've been searching for the words to suggest to her to pursue passion and to live with purpose, and I think this is it exactly. I'll be pointing her this way. Thank you.
I salute your bravery in always saying it "like it is". At a time when many chase the unimportant, you are a refreshing voice of reason. Thanks, Philip, and keep posting your straight ahead wisdom.
Hi Nora,
I found your post while researching an article I wrote on charitable giving titled Charitable Giving: When Is It Wrong?. Much of what you and your commenters said here inspired me to look inward at my motives for giving, something I had not planned on doing at the outset of this writing project.
I took the liberty of linking to your post from my article, because I think anyone who is examining their reasons for giving will be inpired by what they read here.
Best wishes in your continuing travels, Sally
I was just contemplating this exact topic the other day. I'm a young person who has significant amount of school loans + a car loan and although my pay is competitive I wouldn't say I make a lot of money. Yet somehow I managed to pay a VERY large amount off on my car since January (will have it paid off in a few weeks) and every year I plan a trip to Europe.
I pondered how it happened that can I accomplish this yet others only dream of doing the same, and I figured it all came down to making choices and prioritizing. I'm not the type who has or buys a lot of clothes or goes out to eat all the time. I live close to work and bike there frequently. I don't purchase pointless crap that's going to collect dust on my or someone else's shelf. I make my own bread and cleaning supplies, and I don't have cable. By making the choice to cut out these simple and instantly gratifying purchasing experiences, I get to have a much more fulfilling life experience.
Jen,
Back in the 50's most families didn't have central air or garbage disposals or dish washers or second cars. Those were all considered luxuries. Yes, it is unfair that some cheat is getting those things for sucking off the govt, but you shouldn't compare the situations because you really only have the power to fix your own situation.
Now I don't know what part of the country you live in, but down here in Texas 1400 a week is pretty nice and would buy a lot of things. I lived with my crippled momma on 600 a month welfare, and us three got by. Sure there were hard times, but it teaches you that money and material things don't amount to a hill of beans because in the end, you can't take it with you.
You need to re-evaluate your spending. I have a spreadsheet that tracks every penny coming in and going out. You should see where your biggest expenses are and try to cut back enough to where your husband doesn't need that second job. If you are up in the northeast or west, you might consider relocating to a cheaper state or a smaller house.
I have a phone job working in a customer service call center, so I truly loathe talking on the phone for any reason that isn't work related.
I have two experiences wherein email still got me freebies.
Krispy Kreme had a donut I simply fell in love with -- the Caramel Kreme donut. I happened to buy one on the last day of the promotion, I discovered a day later, when they were no longer available. I asked when they'd return, and was told they were seasonal so they wouldn't be available for a year. Which was okay. Donuts are fattening. I would wait.
I waited the year, walked in, and did not find my long-awaited Caramel Kreme donut. I tried every Krispy Kreme within a half hour drive of my house, then emailed Krispy Kreme. I got an email back apologizing, advising me that the donut had been put into rotation as a regular specialty donut, and asking for my snailmail address. A week later I had a coupon for a dozen free donuts. Two weeks after that, I got an email telling me the Krispy Kreme in GA where I could actually get the Caramel Kreme. It was too far away for me to reasonably drive just for a donut or two [or even a dozen], but wow!
The second time email served me was at Steak and Shake. There was a chocolate fudge milkshake I enjoyed. If I bought it at the one near my home, it was perfect. If I bought it at the one near my job, the level of chocolate was much weaker. I sent an email, and got an immediate apology, plus a note from someone higher up in the company telling me to print the email and present it to the manager for a free replacement of my shake. I did so, and got it. Turned out the branch at which the shake is perfect is not following the recipe right, and all other branches are -- plus it's really a vanilla milkshake with chocolate syrup. So I don't really do Steak and Shake much anymore. But the email still got the results.
So some companies are capable of acknowledging we live in an electronic age. My suggestion would be email first, and then send the email along with your polite and respectful letter if you don't get a response.
The only time I've had trouble with them was a problem of my own making. I didn't realize miles expired, and when I asked about it, the person I emailed was terribly roundabout in explaining it to me. I had to ask her directly before she gave me a straight answer. Anytime I've flown, I had wonderful service, even on such a long trip as Atlanta to LA.
It was United I had the problem with; I've written them twice now, followed up with phone calls and more letters, and the most they ever give me is a $150 voucher as a "goodwill gesture". And then they make it super-difficult to actually cash in said voucher.