In the summer, especially, my hens are really great, frugal, live entertainment. Okay, they would be good entertainment in the winter, too, except I don't sit in my swing much. One day, all four hens were lined up, side by side, executing their search dance in unison. If only I had a video camera at that moment! A viral video of that would have paid off handsomely on YouTube.
In tap terms, this is how hens dance/search:
New chicken dance?
Done slowly and leisurely or quickly and with energy. No tap shoes necessary. At times this can seem like a soft shoe dance.
L brush back, (scritch sound)
L step in place
R brush back (scritch sound)
R step in place
L back step
R back step
Peck, peck, peck
repeat ad infinitum
Variations can include two R brush backs (spanks) before the step back, two L brush backs (spanks), anything that seems expeditious to get to the bugs. Occasionally look around to see who else seems to be having luck, especially when you hear a slight sound emitted that sounds like a signal for bugs or success.
Run over to the new good-bug-spot and start the dance over.
Your hen's turn
Have you ever noticed that your hens dance this way, completely choreographed? All of you who don't have hens, see what you are missing?
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
Resolutions and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you
I don't think so
I don't make resolutions. It seems that is just an invitation to failure. My goals do not have to result in continuous guilt or be completed to perfection. I cannot fail. I refuse to feel guilty.
Goals
However, I do have goals. Mostly, they are the same each year. If not the same, I will add a goal and drop another, so that over time the goals seems consistent.
Health
The older I become, the more important it is that health matters are at the forefront. Even without health insurance, I have managed to keep a check on certain health issues. In some areas, all is excellent. I have managed to avoid high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and thyroid problems. On the other hand, I need to continue monitoring all these. Now, I have insurance.
*MRI on 1-3-11 for knee
*visit to dermatologist (skin cancer runs in father's family)
*further thyroid checks (half of thyroid taken out few years ago)
*lose weight
*tests for other issues
You might wonder why I did not list losing weight as a resolution or goal. I didn't because excess weight is a health issue. Even with all my excess weight, I have managed to avoid through my own efforts and extraordinarily good genes many of the health issues associated with being overweight. This could all change with the next test I have.
Finances
Even as I make little progress on income, I still try to make the most of my financial resources. My goal is to increase my monthly income by $300 each month this coming year. Another financial goal is to further decrease spending.
*get paid for my writing elsewhere
*craft more resumes for people
*ramp up my use of coupons to maximize savings
*sell more of my possessions that need to go
*drive even less
It never seems right to just try to make more money or just to spend less. Both efforts will more likely assure success in the financial area of my life.
House repairs
This is long overdue and beyond the scope of my wallet or hammer skills...lol.
Clutter control
My clutter is not my slovenliness or hoarding. Things were salvaged from one huge wet area of my house to just three rooms, making living not fun. Right now, just organizing is the goal. Throwing out or selling what I find is secondary and must move higher on the list of to-dos.
Hen House
My pretty hens need a secure house outside. They do not like it when I sleep until 9:30 like today and they must be confined to a small crate in the house with me. Besides, they pull chest feathers, don't get enough sunlight to lay eggs, and are just frustrated all around. I have been very ill for the last week, so getting up and taking them out is not high on my list of priorities right now.
Grow more food
This should be an easy goal since my health last year coupled with my procrastination precluded my growing much. Plus, I needed to guard my plants. Chickens will destroy them if not protected. I can do better!
*organize pots, seeds, and supplies early
*germinate early
*garden in the shrubs
*use chicken wire
2011
My goals all need to be broken down into naturally occurring sequences. But, that is what's on the agenda for the next year. Some of the goals do reoccur each year, not because I do not attain the goal, but because I strive to do better or continue with success. For example, I will never take "health" from my list of goals because I either need to improve my health or make sure it continues as is and does not deteriorate.
Since I am ill, tonight will be a night in with a bag of chips and dip and Diet Coke. That is not a good use of my resources or a way to improve my health, but it works for me right now.
I don't make resolutions. It seems that is just an invitation to failure. My goals do not have to result in continuous guilt or be completed to perfection. I cannot fail. I refuse to feel guilty.
Goals
However, I do have goals. Mostly, they are the same each year. If not the same, I will add a goal and drop another, so that over time the goals seems consistent.
Health
The older I become, the more important it is that health matters are at the forefront. Even without health insurance, I have managed to keep a check on certain health issues. In some areas, all is excellent. I have managed to avoid high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and thyroid problems. On the other hand, I need to continue monitoring all these. Now, I have insurance.
*MRI on 1-3-11 for knee
*visit to dermatologist (skin cancer runs in father's family)
*further thyroid checks (half of thyroid taken out few years ago)
*lose weight
*tests for other issues
You might wonder why I did not list losing weight as a resolution or goal. I didn't because excess weight is a health issue. Even with all my excess weight, I have managed to avoid through my own efforts and extraordinarily good genes many of the health issues associated with being overweight. This could all change with the next test I have.
Finances
Even as I make little progress on income, I still try to make the most of my financial resources. My goal is to increase my monthly income by $300 each month this coming year. Another financial goal is to further decrease spending.
*get paid for my writing elsewhere
*craft more resumes for people
*ramp up my use of coupons to maximize savings
*sell more of my possessions that need to go
*drive even less
It never seems right to just try to make more money or just to spend less. Both efforts will more likely assure success in the financial area of my life.
House repairs
This is long overdue and beyond the scope of my wallet or hammer skills...lol.
Clutter control
My clutter is not my slovenliness or hoarding. Things were salvaged from one huge wet area of my house to just three rooms, making living not fun. Right now, just organizing is the goal. Throwing out or selling what I find is secondary and must move higher on the list of to-dos.
Hen House
My pretty hens need a secure house outside. They do not like it when I sleep until 9:30 like today and they must be confined to a small crate in the house with me. Besides, they pull chest feathers, don't get enough sunlight to lay eggs, and are just frustrated all around. I have been very ill for the last week, so getting up and taking them out is not high on my list of priorities right now.
Grow more food
This should be an easy goal since my health last year coupled with my procrastination precluded my growing much. Plus, I needed to guard my plants. Chickens will destroy them if not protected. I can do better!
*organize pots, seeds, and supplies early
*germinate early
*garden in the shrubs
*use chicken wire
2011
My goals all need to be broken down into naturally occurring sequences. But, that is what's on the agenda for the next year. Some of the goals do reoccur each year, not because I do not attain the goal, but because I strive to do better or continue with success. For example, I will never take "health" from my list of goals because I either need to improve my health or make sure it continues as is and does not deteriorate.
Since I am ill, tonight will be a night in with a bag of chips and dip and Diet Coke. That is not a good use of my resources or a way to improve my health, but it works for me right now.
Happy New Year!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Free book: In The Trenches--Financial Survival During Times of Hardship
Go to In the Trenches--Budgeting for Financial Survival and Recovery to obtain a free ebook copy of In The Trenches--Financial Survival During Times Of Hardship.
Carol Schultz has graciously offered this book as a gift for the New Year. I have the book, started reading it and misplaced it. Her story of financial recovery during times of hardship has hardships I could never imagine. You will be mesmerized. Her writing is very accessible. You won't have to figure out what financial terms she is using.
Carol Schultz has graciously offered this book as a gift for the New Year. I have the book, started reading it and misplaced it. Her story of financial recovery during times of hardship has hardships I could never imagine. You will be mesmerized. Her writing is very accessible. You won't have to figure out what financial terms she is using.
Between the Holidays--A Man on a Bike
As you may have read, I was in bed with a fever on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. But, by Monday I was on the mend. Then, on Tuesday night I took a turn for the worse. Now, I can tough it out for two more weeks or I can succumb to the desire to be well much sooner....like by NYE! So, I went to the doctor. I. Have. Meds. Yay! I will not have to spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in bed with a fever!
I was sitting in my car outside the doctor's office, reading the report given to me by the nurse at my request. A guy was sitting on his bike at the bread store across the small side street. He ate some goody he had purchased from the bread store, carefully folded the paper, and stuffed it into something he had--backpack or something. Then, he rode his bike across the street near me and started smoking. Surreptitiously, I watched to see what he did with the butt. He had parked his bike right in front of the building entrance, and I wondered why. Soon, I saw. He parked within arm's length of a receptacle for butts and he used the receptacle. Good guy! Twice he did not litter.
Mrs. Green at My Zero Waste wrote a blog post about littering today. Her little girl, Little Miss Green, is adorable and oh so conscious of green matters, waste, and loves buying used.
Picking up litter can be rewarding on many levels. Finding completely usable or reusable items is my favorite perk. Getting paid for recycling cans is a favorite with many people who actually depend on recycling cans to live. Leaving a place free of debris is like decluttering and cleaning your house. Okay, since I have not done either, I just used my imagination of that one. Just knowing you have done a good deed for the earth is another reward.
When a friend and I took a shortcut through a country area I had never visited, we went for one purpose--I wanted to find discarded old wooden broom and mops in order to get the sticks for a craft project and to get any water hoses we found. Okay, that is two. But, the one purpose was scrounging things from a place another friend said had turned into a dump for people unwilling to pay the landfill/dump fee.
Although we found useful things to fill the bed of his pickup, we both found the scenery lovely and horrid.
The isolated road was winding but paved. At the edge of the pavement, literally, the bank went almost straight down for fifty or sixty feet, maybe more. Below was a lovely stream, meandering along over big rocks, rocks that ranged from basketball size to microwave size on up to rocks half the size of a Volkswagen. The sound of the creek, the flitting and singing of birds, the rustle of the green leaves, the fresh, earthy smell all added to the charm of the site.
People took sofas and recliners, refrigerators and microwaves, toys and cleaning supplies, took them and shoved them over the edge of the road. Some were stopped by the saplings that lined the bank. So, the litter of furniture was completely covering the bank. Other household items managed to make it to the creek bed. I wanted to cry. It was hard to really look at the creek with the trash distractions we found. Whole households of furniture were dumped.
As I gingerly looked through some of the boxes on the side of the roadway, I noted that contents of a whole kitchen was in a stack of boxes. Other boxes in the stack were the contents of bathroom cabinets, linen closets, and toy boxes. No, I don't think this was a mother decluttering.
I will not litter the roads and byways. However, I do throw trash in the floor of my car--my answer to littering. I really freak out if someone throws anything from my car. As a matter of fact, I get upset if I am with someone who starts throwing even one item from his or her own car window. There are stiff penalties for littering in most places in the US.
In my neighborhood, homeowners pick up litter in the streets and curbs. Of course, I live on a corner and am treated to many cans thrown up over my retaining wall and into my yard. Lovely............
Downtown, the city just installed attractive trash cans on every corner. Oh, they ripped up sidewalk to landscape. The idea is not only to beautify, but to deter any litter being thrown on the streets. We will avert any problems with serious crime. This is a small, Southern town, but someone planted a pipe bomb about two weeks ago, in a car wash of all places. I digress.
People in Alabama have an Adopt-A-mile program. A person, family, church, civic group, Boy Scouts, a business or whatever commits to keeping one mile of country roadways free of litter. They even put up signs noting who was doing the litter picking. I have not noticed any signs lately. Maybe I have seen them so long that I not longer see them.
Mrs. Green said people don’t litter in an area free of litter. Also, research has shown that littered streets have more crimes committed in those areas. I searched with swagbucks and typed in “litter and crime” and got this research report. There are other articles available in the same search.
http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2008/12/signs-of-petty-crime-such-as-litter-and.html
Since it is dark now, I won't be putting a picture of litter on tonight. Maybe tomorrow?
Your turn
Do you pick up litter like Little Miss Green? Does your area accumulate lots of litter.
I was sitting in my car outside the doctor's office, reading the report given to me by the nurse at my request. A guy was sitting on his bike at the bread store across the small side street. He ate some goody he had purchased from the bread store, carefully folded the paper, and stuffed it into something he had--backpack or something. Then, he rode his bike across the street near me and started smoking. Surreptitiously, I watched to see what he did with the butt. He had parked his bike right in front of the building entrance, and I wondered why. Soon, I saw. He parked within arm's length of a receptacle for butts and he used the receptacle. Good guy! Twice he did not litter.
Mrs. Green at My Zero Waste wrote a blog post about littering today. Her little girl, Little Miss Green, is adorable and oh so conscious of green matters, waste, and loves buying used.
Picking up litter can be rewarding on many levels. Finding completely usable or reusable items is my favorite perk. Getting paid for recycling cans is a favorite with many people who actually depend on recycling cans to live. Leaving a place free of debris is like decluttering and cleaning your house. Okay, since I have not done either, I just used my imagination of that one. Just knowing you have done a good deed for the earth is another reward.
When a friend and I took a shortcut through a country area I had never visited, we went for one purpose--I wanted to find discarded old wooden broom and mops in order to get the sticks for a craft project and to get any water hoses we found. Okay, that is two. But, the one purpose was scrounging things from a place another friend said had turned into a dump for people unwilling to pay the landfill/dump fee.
Although we found useful things to fill the bed of his pickup, we both found the scenery lovely and horrid.
The isolated road was winding but paved. At the edge of the pavement, literally, the bank went almost straight down for fifty or sixty feet, maybe more. Below was a lovely stream, meandering along over big rocks, rocks that ranged from basketball size to microwave size on up to rocks half the size of a Volkswagen. The sound of the creek, the flitting and singing of birds, the rustle of the green leaves, the fresh, earthy smell all added to the charm of the site.
People took sofas and recliners, refrigerators and microwaves, toys and cleaning supplies, took them and shoved them over the edge of the road. Some were stopped by the saplings that lined the bank. So, the litter of furniture was completely covering the bank. Other household items managed to make it to the creek bed. I wanted to cry. It was hard to really look at the creek with the trash distractions we found. Whole households of furniture were dumped.
As I gingerly looked through some of the boxes on the side of the roadway, I noted that contents of a whole kitchen was in a stack of boxes. Other boxes in the stack were the contents of bathroom cabinets, linen closets, and toy boxes. No, I don't think this was a mother decluttering.
I will not litter the roads and byways. However, I do throw trash in the floor of my car--my answer to littering. I really freak out if someone throws anything from my car. As a matter of fact, I get upset if I am with someone who starts throwing even one item from his or her own car window. There are stiff penalties for littering in most places in the US.
In my neighborhood, homeowners pick up litter in the streets and curbs. Of course, I live on a corner and am treated to many cans thrown up over my retaining wall and into my yard. Lovely............
Downtown, the city just installed attractive trash cans on every corner. Oh, they ripped up sidewalk to landscape. The idea is not only to beautify, but to deter any litter being thrown on the streets. We will avert any problems with serious crime. This is a small, Southern town, but someone planted a pipe bomb about two weeks ago, in a car wash of all places. I digress.
People in Alabama have an Adopt-A-mile program. A person, family, church, civic group, Boy Scouts, a business or whatever commits to keeping one mile of country roadways free of litter. They even put up signs noting who was doing the litter picking. I have not noticed any signs lately. Maybe I have seen them so long that I not longer see them.
Mrs. Green said people don’t litter in an area free of litter. Also, research has shown that littered streets have more crimes committed in those areas. I searched with swagbucks and typed in “litter and crime” and got this research report. There are other articles available in the same search.
http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2008/12/signs-of-petty-crime-such-as-litter-and.html
Since it is dark now, I won't be putting a picture of litter on tonight. Maybe tomorrow?
Your turn
Do you pick up litter like Little Miss Green? Does your area accumulate lots of litter.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Did you notice anything funny about this picture?
This is not a repost.
There is a mystery I discovered in the picture. I need help.
What do you see in this picture that is out of place? What do you see? Snow. Bare limbs. Wait a minute, do you see the leaves at the top of the picture? Green leaves on my dogwood tree? Does anyone have an explanation? Usually leaves remain on a tree because the tree is dying or that limb is dying. Hmmph!
This was originally a pink dogwood, but turned white. THEN, the only flowers were on these limbs next to the window. Seeing flowers while I washed dishes, from across the room, or just standing in the kitchen made me think the tree had bloomed. Oh, no...just the branches next to the window, just like this branch with leaves still.
Your turn
Does anyone have a clue as to why these leaves remain green?
There is a mystery I discovered in the picture. I need help.
What do you see in this picture that is out of place? What do you see? Snow. Bare limbs. Wait a minute, do you see the leaves at the top of the picture? Green leaves on my dogwood tree? Does anyone have an explanation? Usually leaves remain on a tree because the tree is dying or that limb is dying. Hmmph!
This was originally a pink dogwood, but turned white. THEN, the only flowers were on these limbs next to the window. Seeing flowers while I washed dishes, from across the room, or just standing in the kitchen made me think the tree had bloomed. Oh, no...just the branches next to the window, just like this branch with leaves still.
Your turn
Does anyone have a clue as to why these leaves remain green?
Monday, December 27, 2010
Easy eggnog ice cream...so simple
My method
Aha! And, you thought I was going to give you a frugal recipe, a simple, homemade delight? Uh, no, no, no, no!
No picture?
I ate it before I finished the post! Maybe I will insert one later.
Eggnog ice cream
Buy your favorite quart or pint of eggnog. Pour into a coffee cup enough eggnog to fill the cup 3/4 full. Take the cup and put it into the freezer part of your refrigerator. Easey peasey! Make sure it won't fall over or get spilled when frozen food slides down and bumps the open cup of eggnog. Ask me how I know this could happen.
Scrape
I am not sure how long I wait, but let's make up something. How about 15 minutes? Okay, it's settled. About every fifteen minutes take the cup out and stir the frozen part around the edges of the cup. Make sure you stir the bottom of the cup. You will need to scrape more often after the first two times of scraping. Don't take a sip of this every time you stir. Otherwise, you will have maybe a spoonful of eggnog ice cream at the end. Okay, ask me how I know this.
Test
Really, just go stir the cup of eggnog often until it is a stiff mush. Have you ever heard the phrase "stiff mush" in any recipe? I thought not. I just made it up. If you let it get too hard, little glass shards form (water crystals). That is not my preferred consistency. Of course, if you taste it every time you stir, you will know when it is perfect for you.
Solid state
The other day, I allowed the cup of eggnog to freeze to solid ice-cube state. Not fun. Not good to eat. So, I just kept jabbing it with the spoon until I realized it was not turning back to mush anytime soon. Well, I knew that from the first jab, but I just had to torture myself by poking and wishing! Eventually, it sat beside me while I typed and was at least partially mush/partially hard ice. You just have to eat it as it thaws.
No frozen fingers
Using a cup is perfect because it has a handle so that you can use a potholder to grip it so you won't freeze your hands. Ask me how I know how bad cold cup handles hurt? Corelle cups are best because they help the eggnog freeze faster. Nope, I have no scientific proof about Corelle and cold. It is an observation.
Virgin
My eggnog, frozen or just chilled, has nothing alcoholic in it. I am not sure how that would work if you froze it with alcohol in the eggnog.
Seriously
Do not taste it every time! You really want that surprising taste when it is mush. Tasting it often takes away from the final finished product if you are tasting it for an hour or so.
Your turn
Have you ever frozen eggnog? Have you ever had real eggnog ice cream? (I have not.) When you try this, tell me what you think, please.
Aha! And, you thought I was going to give you a frugal recipe, a simple, homemade delight? Uh, no, no, no, no!
No picture?
I ate it before I finished the post! Maybe I will insert one later.
Eggnog ice cream
Buy your favorite quart or pint of eggnog. Pour into a coffee cup enough eggnog to fill the cup 3/4 full. Take the cup and put it into the freezer part of your refrigerator. Easey peasey! Make sure it won't fall over or get spilled when frozen food slides down and bumps the open cup of eggnog. Ask me how I know this could happen.
Scrape
I am not sure how long I wait, but let's make up something. How about 15 minutes? Okay, it's settled. About every fifteen minutes take the cup out and stir the frozen part around the edges of the cup. Make sure you stir the bottom of the cup. You will need to scrape more often after the first two times of scraping. Don't take a sip of this every time you stir. Otherwise, you will have maybe a spoonful of eggnog ice cream at the end. Okay, ask me how I know this.
Test
Really, just go stir the cup of eggnog often until it is a stiff mush. Have you ever heard the phrase "stiff mush" in any recipe? I thought not. I just made it up. If you let it get too hard, little glass shards form (water crystals). That is not my preferred consistency. Of course, if you taste it every time you stir, you will know when it is perfect for you.
Solid state
The other day, I allowed the cup of eggnog to freeze to solid ice-cube state. Not fun. Not good to eat. So, I just kept jabbing it with the spoon until I realized it was not turning back to mush anytime soon. Well, I knew that from the first jab, but I just had to torture myself by poking and wishing! Eventually, it sat beside me while I typed and was at least partially mush/partially hard ice. You just have to eat it as it thaws.
No frozen fingers
Using a cup is perfect because it has a handle so that you can use a potholder to grip it so you won't freeze your hands. Ask me how I know how bad cold cup handles hurt? Corelle cups are best because they help the eggnog freeze faster. Nope, I have no scientific proof about Corelle and cold. It is an observation.
Virgin
My eggnog, frozen or just chilled, has nothing alcoholic in it. I am not sure how that would work if you froze it with alcohol in the eggnog.
Seriously
Do not taste it every time! You really want that surprising taste when it is mush. Tasting it often takes away from the final finished product if you are tasting it for an hour or so.
Your turn
Have you ever frozen eggnog? Have you ever had real eggnog ice cream? (I have not.) When you try this, tell me what you think, please.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
"Austerity" is Word of the Year
We had a Word of the Year?
Merriam-Webster Announces "Austerity" as 2010 Word of the Year. Economic conditions have pushed this word to the top of the Top Ten Words of 2010.
"Enforced or extreme economy" is the definition Merriam-Webster gives for austerity. In economics, spending on social programs, benefits, and social spending are cut in order for the government to to cut deficit spending.
Personal Austerity
In our lives and personal economies we should reduce spending when it outpaces our income and ability to pay our debts. In 2010 Greece, Italy, Ireland, and Japan, amongst others turned to austerity programs. Should we not do the same? I think so. Actually, we should cut our spending even when we can afford the spending we are doing. Since nothing is assured about most our jobs, cutting back and saving for a rainy day if possible should be a priority. Cutting back on spending should not be a knee-jerk reaction to a hard situation--for governments or persons.
Austerity or Parsimony?
My own austerity measures aka spending less seem extreme to some folk. I talked about cutting up a used Christmas for reuse and how to save on all the little Christmas supplies--tags, cards, wrapping paper, and ribbons. Today, I went out late for an errand. At the stores I browsed the leftover Christmas trappings marked at 60% off. Where are the 90% off items like other years? Never mind. I looked at the gift tags, 24 for $2.99! That is ridiculous. These were actually folded, a miniature card.
Am I that old?
Okay, so I am showing my age, but I can remember when the little oblong tags with strings were ten cents for several dozen. Yes, I would cut up a Christmas card to save a dime. You wouldn't? Shame on you! Would you cut up a Christmas card to save $2.99? Well, if you would not, today you could have those 24 gift cards for $1.19 on sale. Let's see: $1.19/24=$0.05...that's 5 cents, folks.
Yes, my parsimonious self will stoop so low to save 5 cents. That would be two cards cut up to make 24 new things, saving $1.19. The card gets used once more before going to the landfill. Okay, so disregarding the good effects on the earth, it's still money that we work for that we are not spending.
Food austerity measures--dumpster diving, foraging, getting market scraps, gleaning, and food banks. Yes, I am money-challenged. No, I never get in the dumpster. And, please, let's call it safari from now on.
Christmas present austerity--giving old but new looking items to grandchildren and friends; using Coke rewards for magazines subscriptions for gifts; using Office Max recycling for getting an almost free 12 mega pixel camera for 9 yr old granddaughter; taking used Matchbox cars offered for grandchild; crocheting doll blanket; giving 25-year-old Cabbage Patch Doll; giving yard sale infant seat for doll; making doll clothes; fringing free fleece baby blanket for doll blankets. I cut the baby blanket into quarters, so I can make blankets for other grandchildren. I did have to purchase some pesky farm animals that I asked for on Freecyle before buying them.
Clothing austerity--took a used fleece coat to wear (yard coat) when it was offered; wearing another coat I made; wear two, cute, nylon coats/jackets that are 20-years-old; resisted buying a really warm coat that I need; bought 8 sweatshirts for $1 each on sale last year (all purple--ick!); wear only leather shoes but for a long time and take them in for repairs. Up until recently I made all my clothing including bras and panties. Nope, they do NOT look homemade.
Paper austerity--all greeting cards and envelopes are bought at yard sales. (450 business envelopes for $.50) I moved the printer away from me so that I must unplug my laptop and go to the printer, uncover the printer, plug in the printer, plug laptop into printer, balance the printer while I print. Consequently, I find very little need to print.
Fashion austerity--not about clothing exclusively--the latest gadget, latest car, newer model washer or dryer, and going where everyone else is going just to keep up. Hey, we have a term for that, "keeping up with the Joneses."
I just don't buy many things, preferring to fore go what it seems others have. For my silliness, I am able to afford things that a person in my income bracket should not be able to buy. I wear lots of sweatshirts in the winter, often two at a time. I hate purple, but these were a bargain. Who will see me in the house, in the yard, or in the bed. Yes, some nights I wear a sweatshirt to bed.
Buying quality does not mean being cheap. Austerity does not rule out quality purchases. I have just learned how to be soooo parsimonious that my money goes farther. Okay, sometimes it cannot be stretched a bit more, even if I need something.
Some of my friends chide me for not using paper towels, paper plates, and plastic utensils when I entertain. They call it foolishness and silliness, and say I should not have to wash all the permanent items, substitutes for disposable in their minds.
Governmental irresponsibility
Do you think governments would have deficit spending if they handled money like Katy, Donna, or Carol do now?
Life plan austerity
My austerity plan is a life plan, not just cutting back as the means to getting by right now or until I have more disposable income. I wonder if governments will be as careful with money after the crisis facing many governments around the world. I doubt it since most governments are cutting salaries or not giving raises.
Your turn
Did you turn to money-saving measures when you discovered that more money was going out than coming in? Even if we ignore the fact that many money-saving measures are green and good for the planet, do you think people would be so willing to take on the same projects just to save money. Oh me, oh my. Isn't it sort of crass to be doing silly things like gleaning just to save money. Gleaning is hard, sweaty work. We must have a nobler cause, helping the environment, before some of us will turn to methods that do save money. Right? Yard sale Christmas cards? For such a glorious celebration? Shouldn't they be new like the Child some adore? Okay, this seems like a rambling post now that I have read it over. What say you? Let's not talk about the government problems. What is your take on personal austerity?
Merriam-Webster Announces "Austerity" as 2010 Word of the Year. Economic conditions have pushed this word to the top of the Top Ten Words of 2010.
"Enforced or extreme economy" is the definition Merriam-Webster gives for austerity. In economics, spending on social programs, benefits, and social spending are cut in order for the government to to cut deficit spending.
Personal Austerity
In our lives and personal economies we should reduce spending when it outpaces our income and ability to pay our debts. In 2010 Greece, Italy, Ireland, and Japan, amongst others turned to austerity programs. Should we not do the same? I think so. Actually, we should cut our spending even when we can afford the spending we are doing. Since nothing is assured about most our jobs, cutting back and saving for a rainy day if possible should be a priority. Cutting back on spending should not be a knee-jerk reaction to a hard situation--for governments or persons.
Austerity or Parsimony?
My own austerity measures aka spending less seem extreme to some folk. I talked about cutting up a used Christmas for reuse and how to save on all the little Christmas supplies--tags, cards, wrapping paper, and ribbons. Today, I went out late for an errand. At the stores I browsed the leftover Christmas trappings marked at 60% off. Where are the 90% off items like other years? Never mind. I looked at the gift tags, 24 for $2.99! That is ridiculous. These were actually folded, a miniature card.
Am I that old?
Okay, so I am showing my age, but I can remember when the little oblong tags with strings were ten cents for several dozen. Yes, I would cut up a Christmas card to save a dime. You wouldn't? Shame on you! Would you cut up a Christmas card to save $2.99? Well, if you would not, today you could have those 24 gift cards for $1.19 on sale. Let's see: $1.19/24=$0.05...that's 5 cents, folks.
Yes, my parsimonious self will stoop so low to save 5 cents. That would be two cards cut up to make 24 new things, saving $1.19. The card gets used once more before going to the landfill. Okay, so disregarding the good effects on the earth, it's still money that we work for that we are not spending.
Food austerity measures--dumpster diving, foraging, getting market scraps, gleaning, and food banks. Yes, I am money-challenged. No, I never get in the dumpster. And, please, let's call it safari from now on.
Christmas present austerity--giving old but new looking items to grandchildren and friends; using Coke rewards for magazines subscriptions for gifts; using Office Max recycling for getting an almost free 12 mega pixel camera for 9 yr old granddaughter; taking used Matchbox cars offered for grandchild; crocheting doll blanket; giving 25-year-old Cabbage Patch Doll; giving yard sale infant seat for doll; making doll clothes; fringing free fleece baby blanket for doll blankets. I cut the baby blanket into quarters, so I can make blankets for other grandchildren. I did have to purchase some pesky farm animals that I asked for on Freecyle before buying them.
Clothing austerity--took a used fleece coat to wear (yard coat) when it was offered; wearing another coat I made; wear two, cute, nylon coats/jackets that are 20-years-old; resisted buying a really warm coat that I need; bought 8 sweatshirts for $1 each on sale last year (all purple--ick!); wear only leather shoes but for a long time and take them in for repairs. Up until recently I made all my clothing including bras and panties. Nope, they do NOT look homemade.
Paper austerity--all greeting cards and envelopes are bought at yard sales. (450 business envelopes for $.50) I moved the printer away from me so that I must unplug my laptop and go to the printer, uncover the printer, plug in the printer, plug laptop into printer, balance the printer while I print. Consequently, I find very little need to print.
Fashion austerity--not about clothing exclusively--the latest gadget, latest car, newer model washer or dryer, and going where everyone else is going just to keep up. Hey, we have a term for that, "keeping up with the Joneses."
I just don't buy many things, preferring to fore go what it seems others have. For my silliness, I am able to afford things that a person in my income bracket should not be able to buy. I wear lots of sweatshirts in the winter, often two at a time. I hate purple, but these were a bargain. Who will see me in the house, in the yard, or in the bed. Yes, some nights I wear a sweatshirt to bed.
Buying quality does not mean being cheap. Austerity does not rule out quality purchases. I have just learned how to be soooo parsimonious that my money goes farther. Okay, sometimes it cannot be stretched a bit more, even if I need something.
Some of my friends chide me for not using paper towels, paper plates, and plastic utensils when I entertain. They call it foolishness and silliness, and say I should not have to wash all the permanent items, substitutes for disposable in their minds.
Governmental irresponsibility
Do you think governments would have deficit spending if they handled money like Katy, Donna, or Carol do now?
Life plan austerity
My austerity plan is a life plan, not just cutting back as the means to getting by right now or until I have more disposable income. I wonder if governments will be as careful with money after the crisis facing many governments around the world. I doubt it since most governments are cutting salaries or not giving raises.
Your turn
Did you turn to money-saving measures when you discovered that more money was going out than coming in? Even if we ignore the fact that many money-saving measures are green and good for the planet, do you think people would be so willing to take on the same projects just to save money. Oh me, oh my. Isn't it sort of crass to be doing silly things like gleaning just to save money. Gleaning is hard, sweaty work. We must have a nobler cause, helping the environment, before some of us will turn to methods that do save money. Right? Yard sale Christmas cards? For such a glorious celebration? Shouldn't they be new like the Child some adore? Okay, this seems like a rambling post now that I have read it over. What say you? Let's not talk about the government problems. What is your take on personal austerity?
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