I got a chance to test this out yesterday. It seems my new strategy for handling stress it to bake. I probably am someone who used to spend money, but that's just not an option right now and my priorities are different than they used to be (having a child will do that to you). So baking it is.
As I've stated above, I think that the government needs to stay the heck out of our private choices.
Some of you are so ignorant as to say "people choose to be fat". Seriously? My best friend throughout high school was fat, her mom was fat, and her grandmother was fat. They did not eat hardly any junk food. I spent most of my time there and ate there because I was too poor to buy my own food, so I certainly knew their diet. It must have been, oh I don't know...a genetic condition?
Aside from that, who determines what is "good" or "bad"? EVERYTHING in MODERATION is the only way to live a healthy life. This means drinking in moderation and also eating junk food in moderation.
From the standpoint of a freelancer who lives in a city with one of the worst transit systems in the country, no car, and hardly any money I can honestly say that I am struggling ENOUGH without the stupid government coming in and holding their hand out for my money some more. I already give 30% of my income to them, what more do they want?!
We are already overtaxed, overworked, and stressed. We don't need this tax any more than we needed the cost of vehicle registration to reach $400 in my state or the $4 a gallon gas last year or the 30% increase on our already high electric bills come January or any of the other stupid choices that people in authority have been making.
Their job is supposed to be to protect us, not harm us! Things are expensive enough, I'm already bleeding dry. I don't need to be handing the government any more of my money. They CERTAINLY don't need it. Whoever thinks that they need money is an imbecile.
We are the ones who need money. And privacy. No more big brother. No more silly taxes. No more government stepping over the line. If they want to give me health care, then fine. If they want to start putting more effort into helping the poor, then fine. Make more silly taxes and make the economy worse? No thanks, Uncle Sam. I think I'll pass.
An elegant post and so very true. The "gentle trap" is devilishly hard to escape, and I think you are exactly right to identify the reason as fear, whether financial, social, or personal ("I'm a lazy worthless nothing if I don't have a steady job.")
Sugar wine is ok, but it is really nasty. If you plan on drinking it, just drop $5 more and add some fruit concentrate just before it stops bubbling. If you have sturdy yeast, you can use it from the beginning. The acid is a variable that takes more skill and equipment to read and control.
You can try this; Zorcy's Hard Lemonade is 5 lb of white sugar, 10 cans of frozen lemonade, just less than 5 gallons of water, and 1 can of thawed concentrate lime juice. Do the normal boiling water, add sugar as it cools. When it hits about 150, add the lemonade frozen juice. This will drop it down closer to the 100 F you need for yeast. With this much acid, you have to train the yeast. Bloom the yeast in a small bowl of warm water. Take about half a cup of the mash and mix with it. The acid will not be as strong this way. The surviving yeast has a better tolerance to acid now. When it blooms and starts to fall back down, add to the mash. When this ferments, you have lemon wine. In the ethnic section of the grocery store, there is a drink, Malta. No joke, it is in a can, non alcoholic malt drink and can be found from Mexico and the Caribbean. This would give it more of a Mike's flavour during fermentation. I personally like to add a can of thawed lime concentrate after the first 5 days or so, instead.
When it stops bubbling, give it a few more days. You want to pull this off the dead yeast as soon as you think it’s ready. Place it in the fridge. I made a special container for this. It’s a 5 gallon, plastic bucket. I put a tap in the bottom for a dispensing nozzle ($1-2 at supply store), an air trap in the lid ($1-2 at, yes, the supply store) and take out a shelf in my beer fridge. Depending on the yeast and sugar amount you added, you can get something that taste almost like you made lemon vodka or as gentle and lemonade with a slight kick.
The work is easy, the rewards are great. At the cost of making this, there is no reason to drink sugar wine. If you want something with a little less finesse, ask about Kool-Aid. For a little more work, and to help bolster your appreciation of history and origins of drinks, try real ginger ale.
Eating right can be such a pain. In addition to these, there seem to be so many "rules" about food optimization. I can't keep up with it all. I just end up eating fresh, often (small portions), and as whole as possible.
My biggest problem is late night snacking while watching television or using the internet. I've been doing it consistently for about four years now, knowing all along it's the worst thing not only for my waistline (which has, of course, grown many inches) but also for my heart, blood pressure and the acid reflux that seems to be common in my family.
Many of the suggestions offered here are things I have been doing for years as part of maintaining my weight, including using smaller plates, parking further away, dancing for exercise and drinking as much or more than the recommended amount of water but I know that so long as I keep up the late night eating, which my body has come to expect and therefore I find my stomach grumbling by 11:30 each night, I will most likely continue to gain weight.
As soon as I read this article, I drank a glass of Metamucil and fifteen minutes later, I don't feel hungry! Thanks so much for that bit of advice. I may find myself shedding some pounds because of it.
The relationship of stress and spending is called my therapist, for some reason the more stressed the higher the bill. I think it has something to do with the broken furniture I find myself replacing, and for her own therapy bill. Jeans and shoes are my xanax... I find the sound of plastic being dragged through a machine very soothing. ATM button beeps? Could lull me to sleep. I spend much more when I'm stressed. I always tip more too, people who don't even need it. When I'm stressed and I tip I always feel like I just made that persons day...which usually makes me feel better. And finally Starbucks! Starbucks is legal crack for those of us who go through 9-5s like zombies. I'm a junkie and when I'm stressed I stop eating, I replace real food with somewhat-dessertlike-extremelybadforyou-butalwaysmakesyoufeelsupperior-venti cinno. Why the hell not? So yes when I'm stressed I spend what most people spend on college tuition on things I don't need. Bad? Maybe. Connection? Def!
The relationship of stress and spending is called my therapist, for some reason the more stressed the higher the bill. I think it has something to do with the broken furniture I find myself replacing, and for her own therapy bill. Jeans and shoes are my xanax... I find the sound of plastic being dragged through a machine very soothing. ATM button beeps? Could lull me to sleep. I spend much more when I'm stressed. I always tip more too, people who don't even need it. When I'm stressed and I tip I always feel like I just made that persons day...which usually makes me feel better. And finally Starbucks! Starbucks is legal crack for those of us who go through 9-5s like zombies. I'm a junkie and when I'm stressed I stop eating, I replace real food with somewhat-dessertlike-extremelybadforyou-butalwaysmakesyoufeelsupperior-venti cinno. Why the hell not? So yes when I'm stressed I spend what most people spend on college tuition on things I don't need. Bad? Maybe. Connection? Def!
For a great deal on a used car, there are other options than going to the dealer. Everyone knows about going to private individuals (checking the cars in the want ads or online), but many forget about public auto auctions. They aren't everywhere, but if you want a great deal, they can really be the place to go.
Another tip: Don't buy between January and April -- that's "Tax Season" and prices go up because demand goes up. So many people getting "Tax Refunds" and looking to spend mean great profits for used car dealers.
This "no one should ever have to do anything unpleasant" attitude that everyone everyone seems to have is ridiculously infeasible.
People do unpleasant things because they've decided the compensation is worth it. It's how capitalism works, and our society's most basic functions are based upon it.
Sure, no one needs to be in debt, and people's lives would be a bit more flexible if they weren't, but they'd be working all the *exact same jobs*.
You know how I know that? Because they'd need the exact same products built. The demand for laptop computers and accountants and soybean oil and every other product in the world don't change at all because people want better jobs, so *someone* still has to go make all those things.
A mass exodus from the silicon refining industry would just drive up salaries there, and the cost of electronics, until enough people came back to the same jobs. And sure, the salaries are higher now, but electronics are correspondingly higher, subtracting that much money from everyone else in the world's salary, if they want a phone or computer.
The economics of Star Trek don't even work *in* Star Trek, I don't know why people keep proposing them for the real world: "We're no longer motivated by economic gain -- we work to better ourselves and our understanding of the universe."
Bringing your own drinks to restaurants is rude! We had "customers" who would come into the coffee house to study or read at one of our tables. They bought nothing and brought their own drinks. Did they think we were a public library?
Your account sounds a little like mine. I quit my job (my current replacement describes the problem boss as a "sociopath", couldn't find a decent job and decided to finish my degree. Now, after having been out of debt--what a glorious thing to be free of--I'm now back in the hole 10k in student loans.
Frustrating, certainly. Making it worse was a professor from Turkey who said that she didn't have to pay any tuition for her higher education.
For many reasons it's now obvious to me that the financial situation of the average person could be substantially easier if we had different national priorities. As an exercise, I urge anyone here to look into how much and where our military/intelligence/security money is going.
That's a well-written pointn from GT0163, who said:
@javajump - I disagree.
I think it's fine to order water to drink, as long as you are tipping appropriately on your bill. Some people drink water for health reasons, some for taste reasons, some for financial reasons and some for a combination. Saying that people who do not order a beverage other than water because they don't want to spend the extra shouldn't be eating out is like saying that people who order the chicken fingers rather than the prime rib because they don't want to be spending the extra shouldn't be eating out. As long as people are tipping appropriately, the restaurant staff should be happy to have people in their restaurant, buying the food, paying the bill and tipping something.
Why people order what they order should be a personal matter and, again, as long as the bill is paid including an appropriate tip, everyone should leave happy.
Excellent comment!! I wish I wrote that. Thanks for stopping by.
"It's fine to order water to drink when you go out to eat, of course, but I disagree strongly with the idea of bringing your own beverage. In some places, bringing outside food/drinks into a restaurant is considered a health code violation. Please don't put a restaurant in that position."
Let's be clear: I am a former waitress. I believe in leaving large tips. I cut back on my drink orders to reserve more money for the server and for desserts!
Cokes, smoothies and other soft drinks can cost $2.50 to $5 in Miami, New York and other major cities. I have a family of five and one round of drinks can equal $25, before we've even ordered food, salad or other treats.
It's a matter of priorities. Drink water, eat cake and leave big tips!! That's my motto!
Thanks for your comments and for the reminder about tipping servers.
I believe that putting an end to feudalistic wage slavery was the original American dream. It wasn't getting the house, the way it is now, but about owning LAND, owning the means of production. Owning land meant both housing and food security (though it didn't necessarily mean health security).
Your statement is on target: "I think it's so important that we figure out what we really want to spend money on, rather than frittering it away on things we don't care about."
"What I'm saying is that choosing that higher standard of living is choosing to put yourself into a trap."
It can be - but not always - only if you assume I also run up a large debt. If my standard of living is higher than yours but I save a greater percentage of my income than you do, I am still free later on to choose to do what you have done.
I do agree with you on that point.
To the fear part - sure, I could lose my job and then not find that 6 figure income again.
So what?
I can sell my house, take the money I make from that - live off of it for a couple of years while I set myself up just as you have.
I got a chance to test this out yesterday. It seems my new strategy for handling stress it to bake. I probably am someone who used to spend money, but that's just not an option right now and my priorities are different than they used to be (having a child will do that to you). So baking it is.
As I've stated above, I think that the government needs to stay the heck out of our private choices.
Some of you are so ignorant as to say "people choose to be fat". Seriously? My best friend throughout high school was fat, her mom was fat, and her grandmother was fat. They did not eat hardly any junk food. I spent most of my time there and ate there because I was too poor to buy my own food, so I certainly knew their diet. It must have been, oh I don't know...a genetic condition?
Aside from that, who determines what is "good" or "bad"? EVERYTHING in MODERATION is the only way to live a healthy life. This means drinking in moderation and also eating junk food in moderation.
From the standpoint of a freelancer who lives in a city with one of the worst transit systems in the country, no car, and hardly any money I can honestly say that I am struggling ENOUGH without the stupid government coming in and holding their hand out for my money some more. I already give 30% of my income to them, what more do they want?!
We are already overtaxed, overworked, and stressed. We don't need this tax any more than we needed the cost of vehicle registration to reach $400 in my state or the $4 a gallon gas last year or the 30% increase on our already high electric bills come January or any of the other stupid choices that people in authority have been making.
Their job is supposed to be to protect us, not harm us! Things are expensive enough, I'm already bleeding dry. I don't need to be handing the government any more of my money. They CERTAINLY don't need it. Whoever thinks that they need money is an imbecile.
We are the ones who need money. And privacy. No more big brother. No more silly taxes. No more government stepping over the line. If they want to give me health care, then fine. If they want to start putting more effort into helping the poor, then fine. Make more silly taxes and make the economy worse? No thanks, Uncle Sam. I think I'll pass.
An elegant post and so very true. The "gentle trap" is devilishly hard to escape, and I think you are exactly right to identify the reason as fear, whether financial, social, or personal ("I'm a lazy worthless nothing if I don't have a steady job.")
Sugar wine is ok, but it is really nasty. If you plan on drinking it, just drop $5 more and add some fruit concentrate just before it stops bubbling. If you have sturdy yeast, you can use it from the beginning. The acid is a variable that takes more skill and equipment to read and control.
You can try this; Zorcy's Hard Lemonade is 5 lb of white sugar, 10 cans of frozen lemonade, just less than 5 gallons of water, and 1 can of thawed concentrate lime juice. Do the normal boiling water, add sugar as it cools. When it hits about 150, add the lemonade frozen juice. This will drop it down closer to the 100 F you need for yeast. With this much acid, you have to train the yeast. Bloom the yeast in a small bowl of warm water. Take about half a cup of the mash and mix with it. The acid will not be as strong this way. The surviving yeast has a better tolerance to acid now. When it blooms and starts to fall back down, add to the mash. When this ferments, you have lemon wine. In the ethnic section of the grocery store, there is a drink, Malta. No joke, it is in a can, non alcoholic malt drink and can be found from Mexico and the Caribbean. This would give it more of a Mike's flavour during fermentation. I personally like to add a can of thawed lime concentrate after the first 5 days or so, instead.
When it stops bubbling, give it a few more days. You want to pull this off the dead yeast as soon as you think it’s ready. Place it in the fridge. I made a special container for this. It’s a 5 gallon, plastic bucket. I put a tap in the bottom for a dispensing nozzle ($1-2 at supply store), an air trap in the lid ($1-2 at, yes, the supply store) and take out a shelf in my beer fridge. Depending on the yeast and sugar amount you added, you can get something that taste almost like you made lemon vodka or as gentle and lemonade with a slight kick.
The work is easy, the rewards are great. At the cost of making this, there is no reason to drink sugar wine. If you want something with a little less finesse, ask about Kool-Aid. For a little more work, and to help bolster your appreciation of history and origins of drinks, try real ginger ale.
Eating right can be such a pain. In addition to these, there seem to be so many "rules" about food optimization. I can't keep up with it all. I just end up eating fresh, often (small portions), and as whole as possible.
But that being said, I did love the article.
this is a nice idea; encouraging the unemployed and whatnot. we all know that they need all the help and support they can get in this trying times
This man is a dangerous radical and a terrorist. Children, don't listen to him. Obey your principal.
As if it wasn't annoying enough that Hulu only has licensing agreements to show only the 5 most recent episodes for most TV shows...
My biggest problem is late night snacking while watching television or using the internet. I've been doing it consistently for about four years now, knowing all along it's the worst thing not only for my waistline (which has, of course, grown many inches) but also for my heart, blood pressure and the acid reflux that seems to be common in my family.
Many of the suggestions offered here are things I have been doing for years as part of maintaining my weight, including using smaller plates, parking further away, dancing for exercise and drinking as much or more than the recommended amount of water but I know that so long as I keep up the late night eating, which my body has come to expect and therefore I find my stomach grumbling by 11:30 each night, I will most likely continue to gain weight.
As soon as I read this article, I drank a glass of Metamucil and fifteen minutes later, I don't feel hungry! Thanks so much for that bit of advice. I may find myself shedding some pounds because of it.
Great simple tips. Thanks for sharing
The relationship of stress and spending is called my therapist, for some reason the more stressed the higher the bill. I think it has something to do with the broken furniture I find myself replacing, and for her own therapy bill. Jeans and shoes are my xanax... I find the sound of plastic being dragged through a machine very soothing. ATM button beeps? Could lull me to sleep. I spend much more when I'm stressed. I always tip more too, people who don't even need it. When I'm stressed and I tip I always feel like I just made that persons day...which usually makes me feel better. And finally Starbucks! Starbucks is legal crack for those of us who go through 9-5s like zombies. I'm a junkie and when I'm stressed I stop eating, I replace real food with somewhat-dessertlike-extremelybadforyou-butalwaysmakesyoufeelsupperior-venti cinno. Why the hell not? So yes when I'm stressed I spend what most people spend on college tuition on things I don't need. Bad? Maybe. Connection? Def!
The relationship of stress and spending is called my therapist, for some reason the more stressed the higher the bill. I think it has something to do with the broken furniture I find myself replacing, and for her own therapy bill. Jeans and shoes are my xanax... I find the sound of plastic being dragged through a machine very soothing. ATM button beeps? Could lull me to sleep. I spend much more when I'm stressed. I always tip more too, people who don't even need it. When I'm stressed and I tip I always feel like I just made that persons day...which usually makes me feel better. And finally Starbucks! Starbucks is legal crack for those of us who go through 9-5s like zombies. I'm a junkie and when I'm stressed I stop eating, I replace real food with somewhat-dessertlike-extremelybadforyou-butalwaysmakesyoufeelsupperior-venti cinno. Why the hell not? So yes when I'm stressed I spend what most people spend on college tuition on things I don't need. Bad? Maybe. Connection? Def!
Thank you so much for this excellent advice. I don't know what I would have done without it!
For a great deal on a used car, there are other options than going to the dealer. Everyone knows about going to private individuals (checking the cars in the want ads or online), but many forget about public auto auctions. They aren't everywhere, but if you want a great deal, they can really be the place to go.
Another tip: Don't buy between January and April -- that's "Tax Season" and prices go up because demand goes up. So many people getting "Tax Refunds" and looking to spend mean great profits for used car dealers.
This "no one should ever have to do anything unpleasant" attitude that everyone everyone seems to have is ridiculously infeasible.
People do unpleasant things because they've decided the compensation is worth it. It's how capitalism works, and our society's most basic functions are based upon it.
Sure, no one needs to be in debt, and people's lives would be a bit more flexible if they weren't, but they'd be working all the *exact same jobs*.
You know how I know that? Because they'd need the exact same products built. The demand for laptop computers and accountants and soybean oil and every other product in the world don't change at all because people want better jobs, so *someone* still has to go make all those things.
A mass exodus from the silicon refining industry would just drive up salaries there, and the cost of electronics, until enough people came back to the same jobs. And sure, the salaries are higher now, but electronics are correspondingly higher, subtracting that much money from everyone else in the world's salary, if they want a phone or computer.
The economics of Star Trek don't even work *in* Star Trek, I don't know why people keep proposing them for the real world: "We're no longer motivated by economic gain -- we work to better ourselves and our understanding of the universe."
It's very much a science fiction idea.
is it even possible to be truly self-sufficient anymore?
is there a place without property taxes?
Bringing your own drinks to restaurants is rude! We had "customers" who would come into the coffee house to study or read at one of our tables. They bought nothing and brought their own drinks. Did they think we were a public library?
Your account sounds a little like mine. I quit my job (my current replacement describes the problem boss as a "sociopath", couldn't find a decent job and decided to finish my degree. Now, after having been out of debt--what a glorious thing to be free of--I'm now back in the hole 10k in student loans.
Frustrating, certainly. Making it worse was a professor from Turkey who said that she didn't have to pay any tuition for her higher education.
For many reasons it's now obvious to me that the financial situation of the average person could be substantially easier if we had different national priorities. As an exercise, I urge anyone here to look into how much and where our military/intelligence/security money is going.
That's a well-written pointn from GT0163, who said:
Excellent comment!! I wish I wrote that. Thanks for stopping by.
Sharon is the author of The Frugal Duchess: How to Live Well and Save Money
good point:
"It's fine to order water to drink when you go out to eat, of course, but I disagree strongly with the idea of bringing your own beverage. In some places, bringing outside food/drinks into a restaurant is considered a health code violation. Please don't put a restaurant in that position."
Thanks Nantares! Well-said.
Sharon is the author of The Frugal Duchess: How to Live Well and Save Money
Let's be clear: I am a former waitress. I believe in leaving large tips. I cut back on my drink orders to reserve more money for the server and for desserts!
Cokes, smoothies and other soft drinks can cost $2.50 to $5 in Miami, New York and other major cities. I have a family of five and one round of drinks can equal $25, before we've even ordered food, salad or other treats.
It's a matter of priorities. Drink water, eat cake and leave big tips!! That's my motto!
Thanks for your comments and for the reminder about tipping servers.
Sharon is the author of The Frugal Duchess: How to Live Well and Save Money
I believe that putting an end to feudalistic wage slavery was the original American dream. It wasn't getting the house, the way it is now, but about owning LAND, owning the means of production. Owning land meant both housing and food security (though it didn't necessarily mean health security).
Good article, thanks.
Hi Stella,
You must be my frugal twin: DIY hair cuts, mostly pedestrian lifestyle (exercise, while saving money) and sale-priced clothing.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon is the author of The Frugal Duchess: How to Live Well and Save Money
Hi Jen,
Your statement is on target: "I think it's so important that we figure out what we really want to spend money on, rather than frittering it away on things we don't care about."
That says it all! Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon is the author of The Frugal Duchess: How to Live Well and Save Money
"What I'm saying is that choosing that higher standard of living is choosing to put yourself into a trap."
It can be - but not always - only if you assume I also run up a large debt. If my standard of living is higher than yours but I save a greater percentage of my income than you do, I am still free later on to choose to do what you have done.
I do agree with you on that point.
To the fear part - sure, I could lose my job and then not find that 6 figure income again.
So what?
I can sell my house, take the money I make from that - live off of it for a couple of years while I set myself up just as you have.
Fear is just a mindset.
(So I suppose I agree with you there as well.)