catching up on the blogging - jokes, money, living green, countdown, memories, worthy causes

Apr 20, 2008

catching up on the blogging - jokes, money, living green, countdown, memories, worthy causes



Saving Money

I added some pictures to my online yardsale last night and posted some ads on Craig's list. No bites yet.



From Everyday Cheapskate

How to Prepare for a Recession With all the talk of a recession these days, I'm not surprised that most people believe the U.S. is experiencing a catastrophic economic crisis. But that is not true. The U.S. economy is not in a recession.

A recession by definition occurs when the U.S. gross national product (GNP) declines for two calendar quarters in a row. We have not yet experienced even a one quarter decline for nearly seven years running. So let me repeat ... we are not in a recession.The economy does appear to be slowing, however, so the possibility of a declining quarter is likely, and sooner rather than later. Still it would take two quarters in a row to qualify as a recession. Since the 1940s (about 60 years) the U.S. has gone through only 10 recessions, averaging ten months in length.

A recession is the way that a free market economy corrects its mistakes. Think back to the mid-1980s when the stock market lost more than 30 percent of its value. The Dow Jones dropped 500 points in one day and went from about 2,600 to 1,600 before it stopped its freefall. I remember that day. You would have thought the world had come to an end.

But guess what? The economy corrected itself. It fixed its mistakes. And 26 years later the Dow Jones hit 14,000. Just imagine if you'd started building your retirement accounts on that day in October when the U.S. stock market crashed … uh, I mean corrected itself. Imagine if you would have had $10,000 to invest when the Dow Jones hit 1,600 and then added another $1,000 each year. Today you would be wealthy.

Without a doubt the U.S. will go through a recession in the future, but that doesn't have to mean doom and gloom.

Both the U.S. economy and your personal economy are wise when they anticipate an economic slowdown. And that is where the U.S. is right now. It's time to get ready ...

How to prepare for a financial downturn:

1. Live below your means. There, I said it again, and believe me it won't be the last time. Do not buy stuff you cannot afford.

2. Control your spending. Stay away from malls, online shopping sites or other places that allow you to overspend with ease.

3. Reduce your expenses. Everything from the water you use to the gasoline you burn. Start tracking your expenses, then employ every possible tactic imaginable to cut some from every area.

4. Pay off your credit cards every month. If you are carrying balances, get those cards out of your possession so you are not tempted to use them. Once paid in full, carry only one card with you and clear it every month as if your life depended on it.

5. Save. Save. Save. You need a good, healthy cushion of cash set aside to carry you through the unknown that lies ahead.

6. Pay off your home mortgage as quickly as possible. Once your unsecured debts are paid, tackle the home mortgage with a vengeance. This is the only assurance you will ever have for a rent-free retirement.

If you do all six of these things, you will recession-proof your life. That means you will be so well prepared, so financially fortified, that you will be able to not only survive, but also thrive, during any coming recession.



So much easier said than done. Especially 2! I keep reminding myself (and Dan) that it's the bigger goal (of retiring early) that I'm working towards instead of today's impulse items.





Living Green

Crap – I got the following e-mail from Idealbite today.



Got a stink that won't let you unplug your nose?The Bite

No need to "plug-it-in, plug-it-in." Instead, hit that stink with a stick: reed aromatherapy diffusers, which work like lightly-scented candles or air fresheners, but last longer and let you stick it to energy waste.

The Benefits· Not "plugging it in." At about 2.1 watts, those plug-in deodorizers don't use tons of energy, but none is even better.

· Sticking to what's essential. Some of those air fresheners are kinda dirty, containing chems such as carcinogenic phthalates; most reed diffusers use only essential oils.

· The scents stick around. Diffusers last hundreds of hours - way longer than your average scented candle.

· Hitting rooms with the pretty stick. Plug-in fresheners don't always go with your décor, whereas natural reeds in a beautiful glass look good anywhere.

Personally Speaking

One of us on the team (who prefers to go unnamed) asks guests to shake the Botura bamboo reeds in her bathroom after they go.

Wanna Try?· Botura - great earthy floral scent with geranium and patchouli ($43).

· Dani Eco Diffuser - comes in six nature-inspired scents, such as clover and fresh fir, and its packaging is biodegradable ($30).

· Ilio Modern Air - made using sustainably grown rattan reeds; also in six fragrance choices, including clean- and sweet-smelling D'anjou Pear ($29).

· Method Aroma Sticks - choose from cut-grass or sweet-water scents; has darker reeds and a ceramic vase ($15).

· VI Reed & Cane Reeds - just reeds if you wanna create your own scent-and-bottle combo ($10-$16/100).

· DIY Bite: Mix 15-20 drops of your fave essential oil with 3 cups of H2O in a spray bottle to use as a room spritzer.



If 10,000 Biters unplug their PlugIns for a month, we'll save enough energy to power a typical American house for about 17 months.



So, something simple that I can do – remove the plug-ins and I figure I can start using candles – I have a ton of them anyway!



From the Treehugger e-mail:

Eat Your Greens(wash)

by Bonnie Alter, London on 04.16.08

Subway riders have had this bizarre ad staring them in the face all week. A big bowl of frozen french fries with the tag line "Eat Your greens." But McCain's doesn't mean that a serving of Rustic Oven Chips is as good as fresh vegetables. According to a spokesman "That's not the idea at all." Apparently it is all about the 4 green "traffic lights" on the right hand side of the ad. They are part of the Food Standards Agency's new food labelling scheme which indicates how healthy different foods are according to their rating system. The chips have scored "green" on four different categories. So the green means the traffic lights, not that they are vegetables. Get it?

Not everyone does. So far there have been three complaints about the Rustic Oven Chips ad claiming that it is misleading because potatoes do not count towards the required five portions of fruit and vegetables and do not count as "greens". McCain's is launching this upmarket premium brand to try and resurrect the failing french fry industry now that people have started to understand more about healthy diets. They say that their new Rustic Oven Chips are the only ones to score "green" on all four counts: low in fat, saturates, sugar and salt. Treehuggers are familiar with the concept of greenwashing but this one takes the cake, oops, vegetable.

Sorry Greenies – this is all good for me! I consider fries a vegetable!



Gasoline tip from Treehugger:

Today's Tip from Planet Green: Don't top off your tank



While you may be tempted to add a little more gas to your car to round off your dollar sale- even at the risk of overfilling the tank-this is one instance when you shouldn't go with the flow.



Topping off the gas tank isn't just bad for the environment, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it's also detrimental for your wallet. Because the gas nozzle automatically clicks off when your tank is full, topping off can result in your paying for gasoline that is fed back into the station's tanks via the pump's vapor-recovery system, which prevents gas vapors from escaping into the air and contributing to air pollution. In fact, topping off might even foul up the mechanism and cause not only a gas-pump failure, but also a potential air-pollution problem.



Cool – I stopped topping off awhile ago. Didn't know I was doing something good for the environment!



Recycling/saving water tip from Ideal Bite

Need help getting the lime wedge out of your beer bottle?

The Bite

Don't bother - you can recycle it with the lime still inside. In fact, none of your recyclables need to be spotless, since most "contaminants" get cleaned out or burned away during remanufacturing. We'll drink to that.

The Benefits· Recycling's even easier. What will the waste management people think up next?

· Cheers for less water waste. It takes about two glasses of water to clean out a glass jar; you'll save a lotta water by not rinsing your recyclables until they're spick-and-span.

Personally Speaking

Bite team member Hilary used to suck the limes out of her Corona bottles before recycling them until we researched this tip and set her straight.

Wanna Try?· Don't chuck a container full of moldy cream cheese into the bin - but you don't have to scrape and rinse it 'til it's totally clean either.



If 10,000 Biters rinse out one fewer glass bottle before recycling it, we'll save enough water to run a dishwasher 139 times.



Thank goodness – I hate rinsing out recycling items!



Saving Energy tip from Ideal Bite

Do you wipe your hands on your pants after using a public sink?The Bite

We know you just wanna save resources (ahem), but c'mon. Air hand-dryers aren't that energy-intensive, and if you gotta choose between them and paper towels, they're definitely the eco-friendliest (and nonembarassing) way to go.

The Benefits· Earth-friendly etiquette. De-wetting your hands with an electric hand-dryer uses about 1/3 of the electricity needed to produce paper towels (and obviously, no trees get the axe).

· Not soiling the earth. Those paper towels you used to dry your hands aren't recycled after you throw them away, people.

· Less clean-up for biz-owners after you do your business. Hand-dryers require less maintenance than paper towels, which need constant refilling and don't always make it into the trash can.

Personally Speaking

Toshio, a former germophobe/litterbug, used to use an extra paper towel to shield his hand from public-restroom doorknobs, then leave it on the floor.

Wanna Try?· Forego the paper, and dry your mitts with a hand-dryer.

· Hand Dryer Calculator business owners: Find out how much you can save by installing an electric hand-dryer.



At home, your best bet is a cloth towel, but if 10,000 Biters use a hand-dryer instead of paper towels next time they're in a public restroom, we'll keep the weight of 83 (dry) pants in paper waste outta landfills.

Been using and towel at home and the majority of the time, I use a hand dryer in the bathroom! Woohoo! Saving the environment and money!



The countdown

So last night I was flipping channels and what do I see on the guide – a show named "The Big 4-0". Who knew there was a show? Like I mentioned before, I don't feel the anxiousness of the number (yet). Here's the website – http://www.tvland.com/originals/thebig40/ - I'm going to have to check it out. Maybe apply for the show. LOL!



Memories of the past

Funny how certain things remind you of your past. The following was a Washington Postpoints "parents & kids" tip for today.



Footwear BasicsCheck your children's shoe fit frequently to avoid foot problems. Children's feet often grow faster than parents expect, and tight shoes can lead to lasting foot problems. Make a point of checking shoe fit every few weeks, experts recommend. Check shoe fit while a child is standing.

Philip Wilson, an orthopedic surgeon at UT Southwestern Medical Center, tells parents to allow for half the length of an adult thumbnail between the tips of the toes and the front of the shoes. If there's less space, buy new shoes. Infants generally don't need shoes except in cold weather.

--Health section



So the memory – which has nothing to do with my childhood, except I remember getting measured all of the time, standing on the metal foot measurement thingy – is of a comment that someone (family member) said during a rough patch in our family (after my parents deaths). The comment was my dad would not let my mom purchase shoes that fit my brother's (maybe both brothers) feet therefore that is the reason why his (or their) pinky toe is on top of the next toe. All of this is hearsay since it wasn't said directly to me, but it's something I remember and obviously it bugged me for me to remember it all of these years. Maybe because I never remember going without as a kid – even though my dad didn't make much. Maybe my brothers' memories are different though.



For Fun

On the first day, God created the dog and said: 'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.'



The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?'



So God agreed.



On the second day, God created the monkey and said: 'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.'



The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?'



And God agreed.



On the third day, God created the cow and said: 'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.'



The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?'



And again God agreed.



On the fourth day, God created man and said: 'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years.'



But man said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?'



'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'



So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.



Life has now been explained to you.





Another for fun

YOUR AGE BY BAR AND SALOON MATH

DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!

It takes less than a minute. Work this out as you read .

Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out!

This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.



1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to

go out to eat. (more than once but less than 10)



2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)



3. Add 5



4. Multiply it by 50



5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1758...If you haven't, add 1757.



6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.



You should have a three digit number



The first digit of this was your original number. (I.e., How many times

you want to go out to restaurants in a week.)



The next two numbers are



YOUR AGE ! ------ (Oh YES, it is!)



THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2008) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS

For a cause

The band, Five for Fighting, is generously donating $0.40 to Autism Speaks for *each time* the video is viewed. When you have a moment, please visit the link below to watch the video and pass it along to your friends and family. They are aiming for 10,000 hits, but hopefully we can help them to surpass this goal. Please help!http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/408214

money and Esa’s mom???

Apr 16, 2008


money and Esa’s mom???



Going, going, gone (aka saving money for retirement)



So I kind of signed myself up for organizing the community yard sale. We do not have an activities committee and I want to spend as little as possible on advertising plus the more people, the better the turnout. Now, I need to get on it – set a date, start going through stuff and pricing.



I was thinking I should get rid of my Disney VCR tapes that I have – When I worked at Sam Goody, I used to get them at a good price – I also think my sister-in-law (friend only at the time) got me into collecting them too. I've watched them a couple of times, but they just sit there. I also offered my niece all of the Degrassi shows that I taped. I just need to get rid of stuff that's just collecting dust.



Spending, spending, spending (aka not saving money for early retirement)

So last night, Dan decided that we should skip the cruise for our anniversary and do something closer to home/less expensive. He feels we have been spending a lot of money lately (patio (planned), backsplash (planned), A/C (not planned– which I think is what pushed him over the edge on the spending)). The A/C is going to cost $600 to fix. Something we definitely need. Car gas has been killing us – it bothers me every time (which is basically every two weeks) sending in that $200 check - and that is with Dan using the bureau car for half the month.



Esa's mom?



Gwen (picture in Esa's family album)

Breed: Shepherd mix

Sex: Female

Age: Approx. 8 years

Color: Black and tan

Size: Approx. 60 lbs.

Status: Available with foster

Good With Kids: Yes

Good With Cats: Not Yet Determined

Good With Dogs: Yes

Gwen isn't a mind-reader: She just seems like one. This gorgeous German shepherd mix watches you with loving and eager eyes. She wants to figure out what you expect of her and try to please you. Gwen is a very sweet and friendly girl, and she easily gives her love and devotion. She's responsive on a leash, too. Gwen is ready to be your best friend forever. For more information about Gwen, please contact her foster at 703-368-2211.

To meet Gwen at an adoption event, please e-mail dogs@lostdogrescue.org or call (703)295-DOGS.

Support CFF!

Apr 14, 2008


Support CFF!



This is one cause that is close to Dan, me and Esa. My co-worker's daughter has CFF and every year we support them by walking in Great Strides. The Ehrie's (along with doggie, Cash) are a great family and we so want to support them in anyway possible.



If possible, please donate to Great Strides. Last year, Team Grace's Aces raised over $20,000. We are hoping to at least match that goal again.



Please donate at: http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/RonalynWentz4854



Learn more about Grace on my main page here on MySpace. Her mom put together the video.

Esa is part what???? and TV obsession

Apr 9, 2008

Esa is part what???? and TV obsession



So we got Esa's DNA test results last week. Dan called me and I said of course, open it. When he saw the results, he was so mad – no primary, no secondary – in the mix: Shih Tzu and Greyhound – what the hell! I just started laughing. What else could I do, but laugh! Anyway, last night I called and did not mention anything of what breed we know she is, and just said this is wrong and said that we selected this test because we know she is in the list of 38 breeds. The customer service guy opened up the file on Esa (along with the picture) and all he said was "oh wow". He said that the genetic markings in Husky, Chow, Akita, and Shih Tzu are very similar and "it" (must mean the computer) selected the wrong marking. So, they will be sending us a retest that does testing on 115 breeds and breaks the DNA down more.



Of course, I'm thinking, this guy is full of crap about the genetic markings. So off to the internet and I found a website that does state that the genetic markings are similar. http://www.workingdogweb.com/AncientBreeds.htm



So we will see!



Lately, I've been obsessed with watching Jon & Kate plus 8 (http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/jon-and-kate/jon-and-kate.html) on TLC. It's just amazing how they keep their "army" together and that they keep sane.