Surprised to read that your passport also has your "cheeky grin." In Canada, we're not allowed to even have the slightest smile on our passport photos. It's hard to look friendly without smiling.
I buy winter clothes all year round - at Goodwill and estate/garage sales. Never full price or even half price for me.
Also, wear layers - that way lighter clothing can be worn together and keep you warmer.
I'm still going to advocate for 30 hours. Or less, 20 hours even, eventually with technological advances over time.
40 hours does not give people enough time to care for their health, homes, communities and nuture others such as children, disabled, the elderly. 40 hours and all adults in a household having to perform those duties 40 hours per week means household needs such as time to prepare healthy meals, grow some of your own food, care for the household in general (chores), exercise in fun ways (not just pounding a 30 minute cardio on the elliptical trainer), contribute to a community event or project, get a good night's sleep even - the time to do this is not there.
Either go 30 hours of work for all or you need to count "domestic care and duties" as legitimate work and every household gets a domestic care and duties employee or more depending on the care needs of the home/size of the household re: elderly, disabled, children members.
I think the reason people especially in developed countries are overweight, stressed out, undernourished despite abundant food, and generally unhappy is because most households have no one in them any more who cares for these needs. People work 40 hours a week but also have 5-10 hours of additional time spent commuting, then all get home and share the chores. This takes away from exercise time, rest time, prepare healthy food time, spend time with others time etc. overall and is an imbalance. This doesn't even account for the fact that in the U.S. the average worker puts in about 3 hours of overtime per week (paid or unpaid as in the case of salaried workers exceeding 40 hours).
Furthermore, and humans are in denial that this is the case, the current global unemployement problem is a direct result of 1. the benefits of technology not "trickling down" to the majority of people and 2. increase in size of the workforce from population growth and women's acceptance in the workforce in many nations, at a time when fewer and fewer workers are needed because many work duties have been eliminated by technology.
No I am NOT saying that women should not be in the workforce. What I am saying is that we have lost the value of having an adult perform the work and care duties essential to a relaxing and healthy home and this trend is spreading globally. Who does what in a household does not have to be gender specific.
As a simple case in point look at the U.S. - even without the elimination of currency the U.S. could end its unemployment problem now and for the forseeable future if it created a mandatory reduction of full time labor hours and placed sharp restrictions on admissable overtime but with a mandatory upkeep of current wages and benefits - meaning you have to adjust pay and benefits so net income remains the same per worker despite fewer hours worked.
Example: go to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website and review the October 2011 workforce size, employment, & unemployment statistics http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm
Subtract the 18.3 million part time by choice workers from the total employed to get 122 mil. employed full time. Add the number of unemployed full time plus the number of "under employed" (those working part time only and not by choice) and you have about 23.1 mil unemployed/underemployed.
Multiply the number of FT employed by 40 hours per week and you have 4,880,080,000 hours worked per week.
To reach 100% employment the U.S. needs an additional 926,680,000 labor hours to become available or be created per week if all unemployed who want 40 hours would get them.
Now multiply 122 mil. by 32 hours and subtract this from the total labor hours currently filled (4,880,080,000). You have a deficit of 976,000,000 hours approximately.
Take the 23.1 million unemployed and give them all 32 hours out of this deficit (741,344,000 hours used).
The U.S. would still have 234,672,000 labor hours UNFILLED weekly - that's about 7.3 million full time jobs if full time is re-defined as 32 hours per week.
Note the data only include those currently receiving unemployment as unemployed. The real number is probably higher that that, but not likely to be more than 7.3 million.
Put the numbers into your own spreadsheet and you will see that it works.
What holds the U.S. back from doing this?
Purely the fact that the PRIMARY way companies improved efficiency over the past 40 years and showed "growth" (meaning profits, preferably in the double digits as that is what is now defined as a strong balance sheet) is by cutting labor and benefits. In a money economy these simple changes on a national level would cause a massive redistribution of monetary wealth from the stockpiles it is currently sitting in. And yes, the cash is sitting in stockpiles, concentrated, creating a giant drainclog in the U.S. economic pipeline and a phony and unecessary government deficit. Nevermind that this monetary wealth should have been going to people all along. That is why such a change right now would be massive and painful - what has gone on for 40 years has to be undone and those few that benefitted are going to be in a state of shock.
But getting back to the moneyless economy, the above numbers in the example also demonstrate that we just don't need to work as much as we do, especially if we keep creating more people AND have technological advances that eliminate the need for many types of labor.
40 hours is a made up number that is no longer necessary or healthy, just like money is a made up exchange medium.
Awesome ideas for those traveling with kids. I knew that it was a pain in the butt for my parents when we were growing up to always find stuff for us to do to keep busy. Now days there is so many things that are kid friendly vs back when I was young. Disneyland is always a good vacation if you can afford it. Thanks for the tips.
For starters, I take care of the ones I have. Clothes last a long time with proper care. Also, for work, I can wear a sleeveless or short sleeved blouse with a jacket. My snow boots are about 25 years old and still look new.
So I already liked you on fb, and commented on WB's status, but I can't figure out what I need to do for the tweeting. I already tweeted my answer to you with the hashtag, so do I still need to comment here that I've tweeted you? It's my first time entering this contest, so I'm a bit confused.
The best idea for when not to be frugal is when you have the money saved up to splurge! We love to go on vacation, but only when we have saved up the money necessary to have a great time without worrying about pinching pennies while we are away. Our favorite trip? A week at Disney World. We saved for 3 years, went and had a blast (other than the weather being FREEZING cold for 4 days! But the unlimited hot chocolate at our hotel was a blessing.) without worrying if we could afford this when we got home. We had so much fun we're saving up again right now!! :)
An Indian or Mexican Flavor... you choose:
Either goes well with rice and perhaps a cabbage slaw.
Skinless chicken breast, cubed. Brown in skillet in a little olive oil before adding the veggies.
Medium dice carrots, onion and celery and add to a can of diced tomatoes in skillet (medium heat). If too dry add some liquid (water, or a can of vegetable/chicken stock for more flavor) Season with some freshly ground black pepper, a little salt, and some celery seeds. Also, squeeze in the juice of half a small/medium lime. Choose whether you want to add the curry paste (a tablespoon, or to taste | or salsa, the whole small can) to the veggies. Add brown sugar (dark or light, or even granulated) to taste. *Brown sugar is flavored & colored with molasses.
I don't get the extreme coupon "movement," but I also feel guilty from time to time when I don't think I'm using enough of those little buggers - until I remember that most are for foods that aren't real healthy (as you point out). The thought of trying to save every last penny I can is, well, stressful.
It saves my family time, gas, (and yes, money), for us to pick up groceries when we're out, or for my husband to pick them up on his way home from work - even if the coupons and ads are on the desk back at the house.
Where I live, I can wear both winter and summer clothes year-round. I wear a lot of layers so I don't need to buy so many season-specific clothes. When I do need a new jacket, I shop the clearance racks at stores that carry quality brands, so I can get classic-style clothes that will last for years. I also clean my clothes gently so they'll last longer. Even the "fancy" consignment stores in my town have great deals on nice sweaters and coats. And I knit, so I can make high-quality accessories if I don't find anything I like in the stores. As a bonus, I recently lived in a large house with lots of roommates, and we swapped clothes and sports gear through a "free" box in the living room. People who have some sort of community center, apartment clubhouse, or just lots of friends and neighbors might be able to set up a similar clothing library or swaps.
tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/oshkoshbgosh123/status/141693467507163137
i shop on sale or on off season. i am also not afraid to keep clothes from the previous years!
Surprised to read that your passport also has your "cheeky grin." In Canada, we're not allowed to even have the slightest smile on our passport photos. It's hard to look friendly without smiling.
Tweeted
http://twitter.com/#!/goonyburd/status/141684541558497280
I like you on facebook.
I use my christmas giftcards and wait for sales or free shipping.
I buy winter clothes all year round - at Goodwill and estate/garage sales. Never full price or even half price for me.
Also, wear layers - that way lighter clothing can be worn together and keep you warmer.
Hmm, I mostly buy as soon as clearance sales on winter clothes start up in the spring.
I did read your page.
I'm still going to advocate for 30 hours. Or less, 20 hours even, eventually with technological advances over time.
40 hours does not give people enough time to care for their health, homes, communities and nuture others such as children, disabled, the elderly. 40 hours and all adults in a household having to perform those duties 40 hours per week means household needs such as time to prepare healthy meals, grow some of your own food, care for the household in general (chores), exercise in fun ways (not just pounding a 30 minute cardio on the elliptical trainer), contribute to a community event or project, get a good night's sleep even - the time to do this is not there.
Either go 30 hours of work for all or you need to count "domestic care and duties" as legitimate work and every household gets a domestic care and duties employee or more depending on the care needs of the home/size of the household re: elderly, disabled, children members.
I think the reason people especially in developed countries are overweight, stressed out, undernourished despite abundant food, and generally unhappy is because most households have no one in them any more who cares for these needs. People work 40 hours a week but also have 5-10 hours of additional time spent commuting, then all get home and share the chores. This takes away from exercise time, rest time, prepare healthy food time, spend time with others time etc. overall and is an imbalance. This doesn't even account for the fact that in the U.S. the average worker puts in about 3 hours of overtime per week (paid or unpaid as in the case of salaried workers exceeding 40 hours).
Furthermore, and humans are in denial that this is the case, the current global unemployement problem is a direct result of 1. the benefits of technology not "trickling down" to the majority of people and 2. increase in size of the workforce from population growth and women's acceptance in the workforce in many nations, at a time when fewer and fewer workers are needed because many work duties have been eliminated by technology.
No I am NOT saying that women should not be in the workforce. What I am saying is that we have lost the value of having an adult perform the work and care duties essential to a relaxing and healthy home and this trend is spreading globally. Who does what in a household does not have to be gender specific.
As a simple case in point look at the U.S. - even without the elimination of currency the U.S. could end its unemployment problem now and for the forseeable future if it created a mandatory reduction of full time labor hours and placed sharp restrictions on admissable overtime but with a mandatory upkeep of current wages and benefits - meaning you have to adjust pay and benefits so net income remains the same per worker despite fewer hours worked.
Example: go to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website and review the October 2011 workforce size, employment, & unemployment statistics http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm
Subtract the 18.3 million part time by choice workers from the total employed to get 122 mil. employed full time. Add the number of unemployed full time plus the number of "under employed" (those working part time only and not by choice) and you have about 23.1 mil unemployed/underemployed.
Multiply the number of FT employed by 40 hours per week and you have 4,880,080,000 hours worked per week.
To reach 100% employment the U.S. needs an additional 926,680,000 labor hours to become available or be created per week if all unemployed who want 40 hours would get them.
Now multiply 122 mil. by 32 hours and subtract this from the total labor hours currently filled (4,880,080,000). You have a deficit of 976,000,000 hours approximately.
Take the 23.1 million unemployed and give them all 32 hours out of this deficit (741,344,000 hours used).
The U.S. would still have 234,672,000 labor hours UNFILLED weekly - that's about 7.3 million full time jobs if full time is re-defined as 32 hours per week.
Note the data only include those currently receiving unemployment as unemployed. The real number is probably higher that that, but not likely to be more than 7.3 million.
Put the numbers into your own spreadsheet and you will see that it works.
What holds the U.S. back from doing this?
Purely the fact that the PRIMARY way companies improved efficiency over the past 40 years and showed "growth" (meaning profits, preferably in the double digits as that is what is now defined as a strong balance sheet) is by cutting labor and benefits. In a money economy these simple changes on a national level would cause a massive redistribution of monetary wealth from the stockpiles it is currently sitting in. And yes, the cash is sitting in stockpiles, concentrated, creating a giant drainclog in the U.S. economic pipeline and a phony and unecessary government deficit. Nevermind that this monetary wealth should have been going to people all along. That is why such a change right now would be massive and painful - what has gone on for 40 years has to be undone and those few that benefitted are going to be in a state of shock.
But getting back to the moneyless economy, the above numbers in the example also demonstrate that we just don't need to work as much as we do, especially if we keep creating more people AND have technological advances that eliminate the need for many types of labor.
40 hours is a made up number that is no longer necessary or healthy, just like money is a made up exchange medium.
Saving up for a truck!
Awesome ideas for those traveling with kids. I knew that it was a pain in the butt for my parents when we were growing up to always find stuff for us to do to keep busy. Now days there is so many things that are kid friendly vs back when I was young. Disneyland is always a good vacation if you can afford it. Thanks for the tips.
Thrift shop
Liked you and your post on Facebook.
Responded on Twitter. https://twitter.com/#!/1bets1/status/141641611162558464
For starters, I take care of the ones I have. Clothes last a long time with proper care. Also, for work, I can wear a sleeveless or short sleeved blouse with a jacket. My snow boots are about 25 years old and still look new.
So I already liked you on fb, and commented on WB's status, but I can't figure out what I need to do for the tweeting. I already tweeted my answer to you with the hashtag, so do I still need to comment here that I've tweeted you? It's my first time entering this contest, so I'm a bit confused.
Thanks!
I wait for the rich women to update their wardrobes and clean out their closets.....then I buy their cast-offs at Goodwill!
stay inside in he nude until spring
I collect cool looking jackets, coats, scarves, and mostly sweaters from thrift stores, so I am already frugally prepared for the Boston winter!
We've got a great consignment shop in town. I get a lot of clothes there for the whole family.
The best idea for when not to be frugal is when you have the money saved up to splurge! We love to go on vacation, but only when we have saved up the money necessary to have a great time without worrying about pinching pennies while we are away. Our favorite trip? A week at Disney World. We saved for 3 years, went and had a blast (other than the weather being FREEZING cold for 4 days! But the unlimited hot chocolate at our hotel was a blessing.) without worrying if we could afford this when we got home. We had so much fun we're saving up again right now!! :)
An Indian or Mexican Flavor... you choose:
Either goes well with rice and perhaps a cabbage slaw.
Skinless chicken breast, cubed. Brown in skillet in a little olive oil before adding the veggies.
Medium dice carrots, onion and celery and add to a can of diced tomatoes in skillet (medium heat). If too dry add some liquid (water, or a can of vegetable/chicken stock for more flavor) Season with some freshly ground black pepper, a little salt, and some celery seeds. Also, squeeze in the juice of half a small/medium lime. Choose whether you want to add the curry paste (a tablespoon, or to taste | or salsa, the whole small can) to the veggies. Add brown sugar (dark or light, or even granulated) to taste. *Brown sugar is flavored & colored with molasses.
Patak's Curry Paste (Hot/Mild)
http://www.pataksusa.com/product-detail?id=9
Herdez Salsa Ranchera
http://www.herdeztraditions.com/herdez/salsa_ranchera.aspx
Lots of layers!
Only the top layer shows, so economize on the ones underneath.
Scarves add a lot of warmth too.
What a great article.
I don't get the extreme coupon "movement," but I also feel guilty from time to time when I don't think I'm using enough of those little buggers - until I remember that most are for foods that aren't real healthy (as you point out). The thought of trying to save every last penny I can is, well, stressful.
It saves my family time, gas, (and yes, money), for us to pick up groceries when we're out, or for my husband to pick them up on his way home from work - even if the coupons and ads are on the desk back at the house.
Where I live, I can wear both winter and summer clothes year-round. I wear a lot of layers so I don't need to buy so many season-specific clothes. When I do need a new jacket, I shop the clearance racks at stores that carry quality brands, so I can get classic-style clothes that will last for years. I also clean my clothes gently so they'll last longer. Even the "fancy" consignment stores in my town have great deals on nice sweaters and coats. And I knit, so I can make high-quality accessories if I don't find anything I like in the stores. As a bonus, I recently lived in a large house with lots of roommates, and we swapped clothes and sports gear through a "free" box in the living room. People who have some sort of community center, apartment clubhouse, or just lots of friends and neighbors might be able to set up a similar clothing library or swaps.