E coli can be killed by cooking meats thoroughly but personally I don't enjoy well done burgers and steaks. Also there is still a risk of cross contamination in the kitchen. E. coli can be greatly reduced in the cow by eating a natural diet of grass. One report said that CAFO cows have 314% more E. coli in their body than CAFO animals. Studies have even shown that CAFO cows finished on some short duration of grass have a significantly lower amount of E. coli in their body. That means that the meat coming into the kitchen is a much lower risk that the factory cow. The last option is of course going vegetarian. That too has risks. How did the tomato and spinach outbreaks happen? It doesn't protect a vegetarian. The infected cow waste is being used as fertilizers on vegetables because it is cheap. Why are people so unwilling to look at our food system especially meats and see how unhealthy it is for the animals, human consumption, the environment. Watch Food Inc. and see what you think.
I know this is off topic, but I LOVE Pomellos, and they are so expensive here! I would trade you our cheap apples for your cheap pomellos any day of the week :) Grass is always greener, right?
while i have never had to make a move so big that it is worth talking about and making a blog post, i must agree with everything you say. particularly the tip in the image about making many friends before you move. A helping hand and a few teary hugs will make what is normally perceived as a hard thing a little easier
We moved from Oregon to Santa Fe. We knew up front that the "cost of living" was higher. However, it was our hearts' desire so we were determined to make it work. We have done all the above and I have become a frugality maven. We have an incredible life and for not a lot of money. One of the aspects that is important to us is the quality and healthiness (is that a word?) of our food. And yes, there were some expensive grocery stores in the area. But with a price book, I have learned how to pick my sales. I also discovered a CSA in which I can get my organically grown, local produce for half what I would spend for produce anywhere else, organically grown or not. We do spend our time around here - great state that it is. However, with careful planning, we just came back from Australia. It can be done.
Buying less stuff does not reduce the cost of living. That remains the same.
No matter how much you try to glamorize downsizing, it is still downsizing. In a city with a higher cost of living you will get less per dollar spent in a less expensive city.
My favourite recommendation is your last one: keep going. Sometimes, we spend so much time spinning our wheels trying to figure out how to get out of a funk that we just dig ourselves in deeper. Letting go and moving on can sometimes bring the answers and clarity that eluded us when we were knee-deep in the soup.
I remember the weekly stew or boiled dinner. We lived out of the best invention ever made ... the Crock Pot. Left overs were never thrown or even given a chance to be thrown out. They would go into the soups, stews and chli.
Nothing can make you more mad than spending your hard eaned dollar on a product just to have it crap the bed on you in no time flat. I started going to the library an checking out the back issues of Consumer Reports magazines before making any major purchases.
I'd agree most with the keep learning piece. The internet is a tool that can be used to improve your skill set in a variety of ways.
I try to limit my "time-wasting" stuff on the internet and focus more on learning. There are endless tutorials you can take on software applications, and you can also just pick stuff up by surfing.
Use it to your advantage, in on your own timeframe and in the privacy of your own home. It couldn't be easier.
I have a separate account for this type of saving. For instance if I start to make my own bread instead of buying it. I may save 5 - 10 $ a month, I put up and automatic transfer of 10 $ to the account. I use this money to buy more stuff that saves me money, for instance a safety razor. Rinse and repeat.
Of course, many of the best jobs are never advertised on the job boards so networking is all the more important. Besides, internet job boards have very low success rates in landing an offer.
My bank, Compass, tried to use smoke and mirrors to explain to me why two items cause my account to go into the negative and they charge me 5 o/d fees. They first started with that it wasn't really two items it was 3 and then they take their fees out before the ietms actually post. which causes smaller items to o/d which they then hit you again, after all that then they post my deposit which they take all that small check from a part time job in fees. No matter how many times they tried to explain this no time was there a clear answer why they send through the larger items and take their fees which cause more o/d fees instead of posting the smaller items allowing the deposit to go through. These practices are shady at best. I'm closing my account after spending a lot of time with so called "customer service". My humble opinion this not a bank you want to do business with.
If you see a for sale sign and call the number and receive a return call realtor to schedule an appointment with you to show you the property, the odds are that the realtor showing you the property is representing the sellers. Make sure that you ask them to clarify this important detail. If they are not the realtor for the seller, then they are probably someone from the sellers realtors office that they referred to work the other side of "the deal." The point is that you lose either way. If the seller has a realtor, they signed a sellers contract before the realtor listed the house. In that contract, they had to agree to both sides of the commission. For example 5% with 2% going to the selling agent and 3% going to the agent that brings the buyers. If you end up buying the house through the realtor that is listing the house, you may think that you are getting a better deal without have to pay "commission," but the fact is that is not the case and if you buy that way, that realtor just earned that entire 5% and did not have your best interest or the best interest of their seller at heart. This is called dual agency and is highly debated as being unethical, though still practiced in many places. I would recommend that you find a trustworthy realtor and allow them to assist you with finding a home. You will still guide them but even with the internet, there is no substitute for old fashion real world experience.
I forgot to mention surprise eggs. They'd take out the center of the slice of bread (which we then balled up so we could eat our bread marbles). Butter or mayonnaise would be melted in the pan, then the bread went down and an egg was cracked into the hole of the egg. Fry both sides, serve. Yum. We ate these all the time when we were kids.
I keep my bacon grease in the fridge (in Tupperware). That way it doesn't go rancid. I also save tallow (beef fat), shmaltz (chicken fat) and any other fat that comes out of an animal. I cook with them all the time, using them as additives in the foods I'm making (though usually I combine them w/ vegetable oil, using the animal fats for flavouring).
I never had a butter or mayo sandwich, but I do still eat peanut butter and butter sandwiches from time to time.
Plus, I save all the trimmings from veggies in the freezer from which I make stock.
And I never turn on my heater, even when it's below freezing.
I would not only remain on Indeed. There are also so many industry specific sites that indeed does not pull from. But in general, indeed.com is a great source.
That was a very useful article, I wish both of my sons had done all those things a few years ago, they would have gotten better job offers, and been more qualified.
E coli can be killed by cooking meats thoroughly but personally I don't enjoy well done burgers and steaks. Also there is still a risk of cross contamination in the kitchen. E. coli can be greatly reduced in the cow by eating a natural diet of grass. One report said that CAFO cows have 314% more E. coli in their body than CAFO animals. Studies have even shown that CAFO cows finished on some short duration of grass have a significantly lower amount of E. coli in their body. That means that the meat coming into the kitchen is a much lower risk that the factory cow. The last option is of course going vegetarian. That too has risks. How did the tomato and spinach outbreaks happen? It doesn't protect a vegetarian. The infected cow waste is being used as fertilizers on vegetables because it is cheap. Why are people so unwilling to look at our food system especially meats and see how unhealthy it is for the animals, human consumption, the environment. Watch Food Inc. and see what you think.
I know this is off topic, but I LOVE Pomellos, and they are so expensive here! I would trade you our cheap apples for your cheap pomellos any day of the week :) Grass is always greener, right?
while i have never had to make a move so big that it is worth talking about and making a blog post, i must agree with everything you say. particularly the tip in the image about making many friends before you move. A helping hand and a few teary hugs will make what is normally perceived as a hard thing a little easier
This is a good one:
When buying an old car, make sure you know where's the nearest car repair garage!
And imagine me going to a car repair garage for that every time! Damn!
Well that's a great way to cry to car repair garages once your food messes up the engine ;) JK!
We moved from Oregon to Santa Fe. We knew up front that the "cost of living" was higher. However, it was our hearts' desire so we were determined to make it work. We have done all the above and I have become a frugality maven. We have an incredible life and for not a lot of money. One of the aspects that is important to us is the quality and healthiness (is that a word?) of our food. And yes, there were some expensive grocery stores in the area. But with a price book, I have learned how to pick my sales. I also discovered a CSA in which I can get my organically grown, local produce for half what I would spend for produce anywhere else, organically grown or not. We do spend our time around here - great state that it is. However, with careful planning, we just came back from Australia. It can be done.
Your post just confirmed the cost of living myth.
Buying less stuff does not reduce the cost of living. That remains the same.
No matter how much you try to glamorize downsizing, it is still downsizing. In a city with a higher cost of living you will get less per dollar spent in a less expensive city.
Craig, nice post.
Just the first point alone is very much worth thinking about.
When I think about it, I rarely see regular purchases in terms of the total spend, rather than the quantity.
Very interesting.
My favourite recommendation is your last one: keep going. Sometimes, we spend so much time spinning our wheels trying to figure out how to get out of a funk that we just dig ourselves in deeper. Letting go and moving on can sometimes bring the answers and clarity that eluded us when we were knee-deep in the soup.
I almost forgot about "bread marbles".
LOL
I remember the weekly stew or boiled dinner. We lived out of the best invention ever made ... the Crock Pot. Left overs were never thrown or even given a chance to be thrown out. They would go into the soups, stews and chli.
Ahh ... ketchup sandwiches
Thanks for the article, made me laugh.
Nothing can make you more mad than spending your hard eaned dollar on a product just to have it crap the bed on you in no time flat. I started going to the library an checking out the back issues of Consumer Reports magazines before making any major purchases.
Reduces the chances of buying a lemon.
Great article, Thanks
Nice "think of the children" jab at the end with the school bus' brakes.
Here's a takeaway for the author: cook your meats properly.
I'd agree most with the keep learning piece. The internet is a tool that can be used to improve your skill set in a variety of ways.
I try to limit my "time-wasting" stuff on the internet and focus more on learning. There are endless tutorials you can take on software applications, and you can also just pick stuff up by surfing.
Use it to your advantage, in on your own timeframe and in the privacy of your own home. It couldn't be easier.
I have a separate account for this type of saving. For instance if I start to make my own bread instead of buying it. I may save 5 - 10 $ a month, I put up and automatic transfer of 10 $ to the account. I use this money to buy more stuff that saves me money, for instance a safety razor. Rinse and repeat.
Of course, many of the best jobs are never advertised on the job boards so networking is all the more important. Besides, internet job boards have very low success rates in landing an offer.
My bank, Compass, tried to use smoke and mirrors to explain to me why two items cause my account to go into the negative and they charge me 5 o/d fees. They first started with that it wasn't really two items it was 3 and then they take their fees out before the ietms actually post. which causes smaller items to o/d which they then hit you again, after all that then they post my deposit which they take all that small check from a part time job in fees. No matter how many times they tried to explain this no time was there a clear answer why they send through the larger items and take their fees which cause more o/d fees instead of posting the smaller items allowing the deposit to go through. These practices are shady at best. I'm closing my account after spending a lot of time with so called "customer service". My humble opinion this not a bank you want to do business with.
If you see a for sale sign and call the number and receive a return call realtor to schedule an appointment with you to show you the property, the odds are that the realtor showing you the property is representing the sellers. Make sure that you ask them to clarify this important detail. If they are not the realtor for the seller, then they are probably someone from the sellers realtors office that they referred to work the other side of "the deal." The point is that you lose either way. If the seller has a realtor, they signed a sellers contract before the realtor listed the house. In that contract, they had to agree to both sides of the commission. For example 5% with 2% going to the selling agent and 3% going to the agent that brings the buyers. If you end up buying the house through the realtor that is listing the house, you may think that you are getting a better deal without have to pay "commission," but the fact is that is not the case and if you buy that way, that realtor just earned that entire 5% and did not have your best interest or the best interest of their seller at heart. This is called dual agency and is highly debated as being unethical, though still practiced in many places. I would recommend that you find a trustworthy realtor and allow them to assist you with finding a home. You will still guide them but even with the internet, there is no substitute for old fashion real world experience.
how much sugar is in one baby carrot????
I forgot to mention surprise eggs. They'd take out the center of the slice of bread (which we then balled up so we could eat our bread marbles). Butter or mayonnaise would be melted in the pan, then the bread went down and an egg was cracked into the hole of the egg. Fry both sides, serve. Yum. We ate these all the time when we were kids.
I keep my bacon grease in the fridge (in Tupperware). That way it doesn't go rancid. I also save tallow (beef fat), shmaltz (chicken fat) and any other fat that comes out of an animal. I cook with them all the time, using them as additives in the foods I'm making (though usually I combine them w/ vegetable oil, using the animal fats for flavouring).
I never had a butter or mayo sandwich, but I do still eat peanut butter and butter sandwiches from time to time.
Plus, I save all the trimmings from veggies in the freezer from which I make stock.
And I never turn on my heater, even when it's below freezing.
I would not only remain on Indeed. There are also so many industry specific sites that indeed does not pull from. But in general, indeed.com is a great source.
It's interesting that you can tell which generation posters above grew up in by their frugal food choices.
I was the child of hippies, growing up in the 70s, so I identify with the "brown rice" school of frugality.
For my grandparents, the ultimate was getting convenience foods on sale with double coupon. The "Helper" meal is one that would have appealed to them.
That was a very useful article, I wish both of my sons had done all those things a few years ago, they would have gotten better job offers, and been more qualified.
John DeFlumeri Jr