This time, I remembered the link.
From MSN Money. This is a D-I-Y project, much like the "credit restoration" letter I made one of my early post to this blog.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Update #2 on Lipodiesel (Human Fat Diesel)
From Fox News. "California law apparently forbids the use of human medical waste to power vehicles."
Go figure! The Land of Liberal La is actually STOPPING a recycling of waste material into something useful and beneficial--no WONDER they're nearly bankrupt! Ahhhnold should be running his Hummer on it instead of natural gas or whatever--he'd have an endless supply from Nancy Pelosi's and Hillary's thighs.
Prior posting info: From Forbes.com--a good way to put liposuction waste to good use...now, if they'd only come up with a home liposuction machine!
UPDATE #1: Animal or vegetable fat contains triglycerides that can be extracted and turned into diesel. Some poultry companies are looking into powering their trucks on chicken schmaltz, and biofuel start-ups are mixing beef tallow and pig lard with other sources like soybean oil to brew biodiesel, Forbes reported.
For the record, a gallon of grease can be converted into about a gallon of fuel. Drivers get about the same amount of mileage from fat fuel as they do from regular diesel, Jenna Higgins, of the National Biodiesel Board, told Forbes.
Go figure! The Land of Liberal La is actually STOPPING a recycling of waste material into something useful and beneficial--no WONDER they're nearly bankrupt! Ahhhnold should be running his Hummer on it instead of natural gas or whatever--he'd have an endless supply from Nancy Pelosi's and Hillary's thighs.
Prior posting info: From Forbes.com--a good way to put liposuction waste to good use...now, if they'd only come up with a home liposuction machine!
UPDATE #1: Animal or vegetable fat contains triglycerides that can be extracted and turned into diesel. Some poultry companies are looking into powering their trucks on chicken schmaltz, and biofuel start-ups are mixing beef tallow and pig lard with other sources like soybean oil to brew biodiesel, Forbes reported.
For the record, a gallon of grease can be converted into about a gallon of fuel. Drivers get about the same amount of mileage from fat fuel as they do from regular diesel, Jenna Higgins, of the National Biodiesel Board, told Forbes.
Friday, December 26, 2008
2008 Post-Holiday Commentary
For once, I could actually make it to the dumpsters and see INSIDE!
Usually, both dumpsters are overflowing with the usual Christmas trash (wrapping, discarded boxes from gifts, and the handful of trees--last year, someone actually threw out an ARTIFICIAL tree), but this year was definitely different.
Either they bought less, or wrapped it differently.
I expect to see trees next week or so.
As for decking the halls and cluttering up the yard, I saw more inflatables than anything else--this is not good when you have bored teens wandering the neighborhood in packs looking for mischief. Many of them found it, and consequently were victorious in the knife-wielding teen-vs.-inflatable wars, judging by the number of downed Frosty Snowmen, Santa Clauses, and whatever else was made inflatable for Christmas. Other than that, mostly elderly people blinged up the yards with wooden deer cutouts, pre-formed wire trees, and the occasional manger scene or two.
Again, as with Thanksgiving, no holiday dinners to be found going on in the neighborhood churches. No Christmas pageant in the nearby school, and the only Las Vegas-style light show was at the Botanical Garden this year (an annual tradition here).
The economy has a funny way of toning down Christmas to a dull roar, doesn't it? I guess this is what they mean by Silent Night.
Today is a different story, though, I'm sure, with malls and stores up to their necks in returns, or people JUST NOW heading out holiday shopping.
Here's commentary comparing 2005, 2006, and 2007. Looking back, I'd say we effectively pulled the plug on the Christmas machine!
Usually, both dumpsters are overflowing with the usual Christmas trash (wrapping, discarded boxes from gifts, and the handful of trees--last year, someone actually threw out an ARTIFICIAL tree), but this year was definitely different.
Either they bought less, or wrapped it differently.
I expect to see trees next week or so.
As for decking the halls and cluttering up the yard, I saw more inflatables than anything else--this is not good when you have bored teens wandering the neighborhood in packs looking for mischief. Many of them found it, and consequently were victorious in the knife-wielding teen-vs.-inflatable wars, judging by the number of downed Frosty Snowmen, Santa Clauses, and whatever else was made inflatable for Christmas. Other than that, mostly elderly people blinged up the yards with wooden deer cutouts, pre-formed wire trees, and the occasional manger scene or two.
Again, as with Thanksgiving, no holiday dinners to be found going on in the neighborhood churches. No Christmas pageant in the nearby school, and the only Las Vegas-style light show was at the Botanical Garden this year (an annual tradition here).
The economy has a funny way of toning down Christmas to a dull roar, doesn't it? I guess this is what they mean by Silent Night.
Today is a different story, though, I'm sure, with malls and stores up to their necks in returns, or people JUST NOW heading out holiday shopping.
Here's commentary comparing 2005, 2006, and 2007. Looking back, I'd say we effectively pulled the plug on the Christmas machine!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Santa, All I Want for Christmas is a Decent-Sized, Decent-Priced House--The Saga
As you might have guessed, I got coal in my stocking...or would have if I bothered to put one up.
All this talk of a sinking housing market, prices falling, and now's the time to jump in--but jump into WHAT? The houses are crap, and should be tear-downs. The ones that aren't crap are about $50k overpriced.
The ones that are decent and realistically priced are about 30 miles out of town, so I end up either driving more or paying more to stay in town--some savings. Some sinking housing market! Now I know what New Yorkers feel like--if THEY want affordable housing, they have to go into New Jersey, and then they have to get a car to make up for it. Again, where's the savings?
Meanwhile, I'm driving our real estate agent mad with my pickiness, but this may end up being our LAST house, so I want it to be a good one.
What I've discovered in my quest to get out of this apartment:
1. You either pay more or drive more to get decent housing in this area.
2. Real estate investors seem to snap up all the good, cheap housing at foreclosure auctions, which take "line of credit" financing (usually from a HELOC) to fulfill the requirement of a 15-day settlement with the auctioning lender. I don't have a line of credit to tap, and mortgages take 30 days to close.
3. The crap I'm left to sort through (and everybody else shopping for a home here) is stuff that the investors didn't want, because of quality or price.
4. Home sellers insist on either doing absolutely nothing to their homes (in some cases, since about 1921), or they do the HGTV-overboard things (bling it up), causing it to go to market overpriced. I'd like to get my own appliances and paint my own walls, thank you, but no--the choices have already been made and convey, whether I like them or not. Vinyl siding? Please! It melts in fires.
There's no middle ground here--it's all or nothing...LITERALLY.
5. There's always something wrong with the houses with the right price in the right zip codes--too close to busy streets/railroad tracks (I hate squished kitties)/bodies of water, in a flood zone, butted up to a school or industrial area, the yard is microscopic, there's no garage or driveway, the main source of A/C is window units, the neighborhood's ill-kept, or there's a wandering herd of teenagers in the area up to no good--usually going around stabbing other people's inflatable decorations.
6. In order to get a house with a kitchen and bathroom I can turn around in without killing myself, I have to go for more bedrooms than I really need--most of the 2-bedroom houses have a smaller kitchen than I have right now, with little to no counter space. In order to get a workable kitchen, I'd have to go up to a 3- or 4-bedroom--what a horrible waste of space!
After the holiday, I'm going to the rental office and making an offer on my apartment--it's better than many of the houses we've seen in the last two weeks. After looking for houses off and on for the last 4 years, I think I may already be living in the one I want. I guess it's either stay here forever or build, providing I can find land, which leads me to another dilemma.
Part 2 of the house saga:
Upon further analysis, I discovered that I am priced about 30 miles outside my intended market--in order to find a decent house in a decent price range (with a workable kitchen) that doesn't require extensive demolition and reconstruction, I'd have to go roughly 30 miles outside of town. Any more than that, and I'd be in a different state.
I'd have to find a house cheap enough to factor in a different car--we'd have to buy Hubby a diesel car with a TDI engine that gets about 50 MPG for the commute and anticipated future gas prices.
I have a choice: I can either wait until something...SOMEthing livable comes open in my intended market, or I can beam out of civilization, buy a different car, and worry about how I'm going to get out of the house if Hubby's job transfer request comes through (one of these years). We've been trying to move to a cheaper cost-of-living state, but his requests seem to fall into a black hole, and now there's nothing available in our intended market states.
Look for the next poll to ask my readers the question: should I stay and wait, or bug out now, buy a car, and damn the consequences?
Part 3 and epilogue:
I've finally figured out how this real estate racket works around here--after having a heart-to-heart with a buyer's agent, I learned people around here (and probably elsewhere) are putting their homes on the market starting at APPRAISED or ASSESSED value (appraisals and property tax assessment value usually run higher than market value by about $20k) and discounting to something closer to MARKET value (usually about $10k over neighborhood comps). This assures two things:
1. The real estate agent is sure to get a good commission.
2. The homeowner is sure to get full market value for the home.
This is how my particular neck of the woods GETS and STAYS over-priced. Apparently, the homeowners around here aren't interested in quick sales, but rather holding out for that last dollar of equity. In this current market environment, that isn't a good thing--especially when you're at risk for default, but apparently the homeowners aren't being wisely counseled by their agents. A price that's 10% below market value will sell the house in a week or less, but it also cuts into equity and commissions.
I guess having two losers is worse than having one winner. I just thank some deity or other that there seems to be a never-ending supply of foreclosures around here, and time is on my side. I can always take my marbles and go elsewhere.
One more thing: my agent also told me that the houses getting all the media attention are the $300k-and-up houses in overbuilt markets like Las Vegas, California, Phoenix, Miami--you know the ones. In my state, the nearest market that can be considered "overbuilt" is in D.C. You don't want me anywhere NEAR D.C.!
All this talk of a sinking housing market, prices falling, and now's the time to jump in--but jump into WHAT? The houses are crap, and should be tear-downs. The ones that aren't crap are about $50k overpriced.
The ones that are decent and realistically priced are about 30 miles out of town, so I end up either driving more or paying more to stay in town--some savings. Some sinking housing market! Now I know what New Yorkers feel like--if THEY want affordable housing, they have to go into New Jersey, and then they have to get a car to make up for it. Again, where's the savings?
Meanwhile, I'm driving our real estate agent mad with my pickiness, but this may end up being our LAST house, so I want it to be a good one.
What I've discovered in my quest to get out of this apartment:
1. You either pay more or drive more to get decent housing in this area.
2. Real estate investors seem to snap up all the good, cheap housing at foreclosure auctions, which take "line of credit" financing (usually from a HELOC) to fulfill the requirement of a 15-day settlement with the auctioning lender. I don't have a line of credit to tap, and mortgages take 30 days to close.
3. The crap I'm left to sort through (and everybody else shopping for a home here) is stuff that the investors didn't want, because of quality or price.
4. Home sellers insist on either doing absolutely nothing to their homes (in some cases, since about 1921), or they do the HGTV-overboard things (bling it up), causing it to go to market overpriced. I'd like to get my own appliances and paint my own walls, thank you, but no--the choices have already been made and convey, whether I like them or not. Vinyl siding? Please! It melts in fires.
There's no middle ground here--it's all or nothing...LITERALLY.
5. There's always something wrong with the houses with the right price in the right zip codes--too close to busy streets/railroad tracks (I hate squished kitties)/bodies of water, in a flood zone, butted up to a school or industrial area, the yard is microscopic, there's no garage or driveway, the main source of A/C is window units, the neighborhood's ill-kept, or there's a wandering herd of teenagers in the area up to no good--usually going around stabbing other people's inflatable decorations.
6. In order to get a house with a kitchen and bathroom I can turn around in without killing myself, I have to go for more bedrooms than I really need--most of the 2-bedroom houses have a smaller kitchen than I have right now, with little to no counter space. In order to get a workable kitchen, I'd have to go up to a 3- or 4-bedroom--what a horrible waste of space!
After the holiday, I'm going to the rental office and making an offer on my apartment--it's better than many of the houses we've seen in the last two weeks. After looking for houses off and on for the last 4 years, I think I may already be living in the one I want. I guess it's either stay here forever or build, providing I can find land, which leads me to another dilemma.
Part 2 of the house saga:
Upon further analysis, I discovered that I am priced about 30 miles outside my intended market--in order to find a decent house in a decent price range (with a workable kitchen) that doesn't require extensive demolition and reconstruction, I'd have to go roughly 30 miles outside of town. Any more than that, and I'd be in a different state.
I'd have to find a house cheap enough to factor in a different car--we'd have to buy Hubby a diesel car with a TDI engine that gets about 50 MPG for the commute and anticipated future gas prices.
I have a choice: I can either wait until something...SOMEthing livable comes open in my intended market, or I can beam out of civilization, buy a different car, and worry about how I'm going to get out of the house if Hubby's job transfer request comes through (one of these years). We've been trying to move to a cheaper cost-of-living state, but his requests seem to fall into a black hole, and now there's nothing available in our intended market states.
Look for the next poll to ask my readers the question: should I stay and wait, or bug out now, buy a car, and damn the consequences?
Part 3 and epilogue:
I've finally figured out how this real estate racket works around here--after having a heart-to-heart with a buyer's agent, I learned people around here (and probably elsewhere) are putting their homes on the market starting at APPRAISED or ASSESSED value (appraisals and property tax assessment value usually run higher than market value by about $20k) and discounting to something closer to MARKET value (usually about $10k over neighborhood comps). This assures two things:
1. The real estate agent is sure to get a good commission.
2. The homeowner is sure to get full market value for the home.
This is how my particular neck of the woods GETS and STAYS over-priced. Apparently, the homeowners around here aren't interested in quick sales, but rather holding out for that last dollar of equity. In this current market environment, that isn't a good thing--especially when you're at risk for default, but apparently the homeowners aren't being wisely counseled by their agents. A price that's 10% below market value will sell the house in a week or less, but it also cuts into equity and commissions.
I guess having two losers is worse than having one winner. I just thank some deity or other that there seems to be a never-ending supply of foreclosures around here, and time is on my side. I can always take my marbles and go elsewhere.
One more thing: my agent also told me that the houses getting all the media attention are the $300k-and-up houses in overbuilt markets like Las Vegas, California, Phoenix, Miami--you know the ones. In my state, the nearest market that can be considered "overbuilt" is in D.C. You don't want me anywhere NEAR D.C.!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
*Book Recommendation*
I was watching C-SPAN 2 this evening, and the G. Gordon Liddy radio show was airing (I never used to like this man, because he always reminded me of Richard Nixon). Tonight, G. Gordon was interviewing Reb Bradley, author of his latest book Born Liberal, Raised Right.
I did some Googling on this man, and apparently he is a pastor. Not once did he mention god or faith in his entire interview--surprising to say the least!
He can point to one solid nexus as to why society is as whiny, mushy, and Peggy the Moocher-like: blame Dr. Benjamin Spock, father of the touchy-feely school of parenting. Character training has gone out he window, right along with consequence, responsibility, and self-control because of this parenting.
Kids, he says, are essentially born liberal--they want what they want when they want it. At about 10 months of age, it's a parent's job to curb this behavior through character training and consequences (even punishment) to teach self-control, and this training throughout childhood and teen years will lead to a mature, respectful, and responsible adult. Dr. Spock has enabled generations to simply roll over and quell demands much like the French--in conflict, turn the other cheek and walk away, for they believe they are the more clever of the two.
If this liberal behavior isn't curbed, then it leads to what we see today: promiscuity, moral and social breakdown, "something-for-nothing" zombification, excessive passivity, and piss-poor choice- and decision-making (think bailouts here).
What did being clever ever solve? Everything takes work--being clever should come BEFORE the work, making work more efficient.
Furthermore, other things can be blamed on "bad parenting", such as:
1. Our current border dilemma and the way we handle illegal aliens--Mexico can't keep their kids out of our yard, and there are few consequences for the "kids" OR their errant parents (Mexican officials).
2. PC language and the fact that people can't admit they're weak and words--MERE WORDS--hurt them.
There's more, but this is the jist of what went on in the interview.
I wrote to the author's ministry website, telling him how much my neck hurt from nodding in agreement, even though I'm an Atheist. I also told him it was much appreciated that he didn't bring god or faith into this discussion, which made his book even more appealing to me.
Reb Bradley has written other books, and his tome Child Training Tips (he says) would be more effective in helping parents raise responsible, respectable children. Born Liberal is mainly a commentary on culture and social values.
I did some Googling on this man, and apparently he is a pastor. Not once did he mention god or faith in his entire interview--surprising to say the least!
He can point to one solid nexus as to why society is as whiny, mushy, and Peggy the Moocher-like: blame Dr. Benjamin Spock, father of the touchy-feely school of parenting. Character training has gone out he window, right along with consequence, responsibility, and self-control because of this parenting.
Kids, he says, are essentially born liberal--they want what they want when they want it. At about 10 months of age, it's a parent's job to curb this behavior through character training and consequences (even punishment) to teach self-control, and this training throughout childhood and teen years will lead to a mature, respectful, and responsible adult. Dr. Spock has enabled generations to simply roll over and quell demands much like the French--in conflict, turn the other cheek and walk away, for they believe they are the more clever of the two.
If this liberal behavior isn't curbed, then it leads to what we see today: promiscuity, moral and social breakdown, "something-for-nothing" zombification, excessive passivity, and piss-poor choice- and decision-making (think bailouts here).
What did being clever ever solve? Everything takes work--being clever should come BEFORE the work, making work more efficient.
Furthermore, other things can be blamed on "bad parenting", such as:
1. Our current border dilemma and the way we handle illegal aliens--Mexico can't keep their kids out of our yard, and there are few consequences for the "kids" OR their errant parents (Mexican officials).
2. PC language and the fact that people can't admit they're weak and words--MERE WORDS--hurt them.
There's more, but this is the jist of what went on in the interview.
I wrote to the author's ministry website, telling him how much my neck hurt from nodding in agreement, even though I'm an Atheist. I also told him it was much appreciated that he didn't bring god or faith into this discussion, which made his book even more appealing to me.
Reb Bradley has written other books, and his tome Child Training Tips (he says) would be more effective in helping parents raise responsible, respectable children. Born Liberal is mainly a commentary on culture and social values.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
An All-Day Sunday Peeve-a-Thon
Over the last three days, I've lost three neighbors to various reasons--one was military, and had orders to Florida, one lost his job, and I don't know why the third one left--probably a rent increase.
Their leaving doesn't piss me off so much as how they went: all three households saw perfectly fit to sweep nearly everything they owned into the dumpsters here, filling them to the brim with things that other families would've been grateful for in these times. Of course, they threw the "best" things on the dumpster FIRST, then piled mattresses, box springs, broken down cribs, and other assorted large, heavy, and/or unwieldy things on top of it all.
I took my car down there and grabbed what I could get. Thank god someone left a double stroller and a tricycle out beside the dumpsters, and some pieces of clothing within my reach just inside. After poking around the oversized piles, I could see a computer monitor at the very bottom of this heap. I bet if I dug around long enough, I'd find a hard drive terminal to go with it.
I'm too old to try to get IN the dumpsters, and not as strong as I used to be, so rooting through the mattresses and other bed parts to get to the other stuff was right out (a maintenance man would've helped me, but they all had the day off). I stuffed my trunk and back seat with what was accessible to me and went home.
I'm just PISSED OFF that this hideous waste of perfectly usable stuff from THREE FAMILIES went straight to the trash without a minute's concern for anyone else this holiday season!
Oh well--SOMEBODY'S going to get a like-new double stroller, a tricycle, some clothes, and a livingroom rug tomorrow from the thrift store. I only wish I had an SUV or truck so I could also get the colonial-style triple dresser with mirror that was alongside the dumpster, along with the two ironing boards, the bookcase, the flat part of a sectional (someone else was carrying off the hide-a-bed part), and countless other things too bulky and too heavy for me to deal with alone and with one car. As it was, the double stroller filled my trunk!
I haven't decided yet whether this avalanche of waste is pure decadence or sheer stupidity.
Their leaving doesn't piss me off so much as how they went: all three households saw perfectly fit to sweep nearly everything they owned into the dumpsters here, filling them to the brim with things that other families would've been grateful for in these times. Of course, they threw the "best" things on the dumpster FIRST, then piled mattresses, box springs, broken down cribs, and other assorted large, heavy, and/or unwieldy things on top of it all.
I took my car down there and grabbed what I could get. Thank god someone left a double stroller and a tricycle out beside the dumpsters, and some pieces of clothing within my reach just inside. After poking around the oversized piles, I could see a computer monitor at the very bottom of this heap. I bet if I dug around long enough, I'd find a hard drive terminal to go with it.
I'm too old to try to get IN the dumpsters, and not as strong as I used to be, so rooting through the mattresses and other bed parts to get to the other stuff was right out (a maintenance man would've helped me, but they all had the day off). I stuffed my trunk and back seat with what was accessible to me and went home.
I'm just PISSED OFF that this hideous waste of perfectly usable stuff from THREE FAMILIES went straight to the trash without a minute's concern for anyone else this holiday season!
Oh well--SOMEBODY'S going to get a like-new double stroller, a tricycle, some clothes, and a livingroom rug tomorrow from the thrift store. I only wish I had an SUV or truck so I could also get the colonial-style triple dresser with mirror that was alongside the dumpster, along with the two ironing boards, the bookcase, the flat part of a sectional (someone else was carrying off the hide-a-bed part), and countless other things too bulky and too heavy for me to deal with alone and with one car. As it was, the double stroller filled my trunk!
I haven't decided yet whether this avalanche of waste is pure decadence or sheer stupidity.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Update: From TV (or Christmas Tree) to Yard Sale in Six Months
Perhaps you’ve seen them--the Turbo Cooker (popular back in 2005), the Flipping Omelet Pan (also of 2005--and it's current cousin, the GT Express pan), the Special Spatula/Fork Combo (another 2005 goodie), the Pasta Pot, and the granddaddy of them all—the Rotisserie-- that's being hawked on late-night infomercial TV, and the very thought of these items actually drawing interest has me irked.
The marketing industry, and the Ronco-type boys specifically, are in the business of want creation, and it seems to be a very filthy-lucre-ative one, judging by the number of hapless idiots recommending this thing. Let's not leave out the perennial Billy Mays, Anthony Sullivan, or Cathy Mitchell (the current graduating class of want creation) by ANY means!
They develop a thing or service you really don't need, nor will in a thousand years, then devise an ad scheme that makes you think you'll die without this machine, because here's what it'll do for you and yours—supposedly save time or money for you.
The Turbo Cooker, for example, is a device originally born in Asia (the stacked bamboo steamer), and then re-invented here in the 40's or 50's in metal, called a bun warmer. Basically, it's a pot (squared off or rounded) that you can cook your meat in (or boil water), while the stacked layers of your meal above it cook through the use of steam that rises from the bottom layer--not a new concept by any means. The Dutch have a version of it called a Dutch oven; the Italians simply use their tall pasta-cooking pots for it. The Boy Scouts even use a version of it in tinfoil over hot coals or a BBQer.
Now, it's been Ronco-ized into a device the modern housewife cannot live without—as has the Omelet Pan, the Pasta Pot, the Spatula/Fork Combo, and the Rotisserie. These are the “singing bass” of kitchen devices
2008: Nowadays, we have the New Wave oven all over TV every weekend morning, not to mention anything George Foreman can come up with for his array of grills, and let's not leave out the floor steamer and super chamois! These people must specialize in renaming and re-marketing old stuff they found in some warehouse somewhere...like Mighty Putty (automotive Bondo), Mighty Mend-It (the fabric glue currently found in every sewing shop in America), or the Mighty Auger (a drill bit found in every Home Depot for mixing concrete in a wheelbarrow, but currently marketed for weed removal). What a way to clear out storage space and cargo containers--just put Billy Mays on the payroll and stand back!
With a little pre-planning, you can make just about any meal in 15 minutes or less (glamour not included)...meat can thaw overnight in the refrigerator, frozen veggies don't have to stay that way--they, too, can thaw overnight in the fridge. In their thawed state, they cook in very little time, and without tying up precious minutes of your time with constant supervision requirements.
Back to the Turbo Cooker: How much time are you able to buy for $49.99 or whatever the cost is? The ads say a meal can be prepared in 15 minutes. How often is this thing going to get used before you grow tired of it, and relegate it to your next yard sale? How long will it take you to actually pay off that $49.99 (now including interest) on the credit card bill? And how much did your last set of pots and pans cost...you know, the ones you STILL have and use regularly?
Meanwhile, these pots have been mass-produced in some sweat-shop labor country for about $1.00/apiece, and you are paying all the overhead for the marketing scheme, the shipping, the storage for QVC/HSN, the on-air hawking time, and countless other costs involved for a thing YOU didn't even want until it was paraded in front of you!
Now that you have your very own Turbo Cooker, guess what? It likely can't go in the dishwasher. It probably has to be cleaned by hand with a certain non-abrasive cleaner and non-stick-cookware scouring pad (additional costs you weren't aware of). And the all-important question: Where do I put it? My pot-and-pan cupboard or under-stove storage area is already FULL! Your time saved from cooking has just been transferred to the grocery store searching for that special cleaner and scouring pad, not to mention additional time at the sink.
Three months later, while shopping through your local Target or Wal-Mart store, you spot the very same device for about half what you dutifully sent in to the late-night highway robbers...and then, it hits you.
Six months later, while browsing yard sales, you notice lots of these devices on tables, along with other unwanted or broken-down appliances...priced at a mere .50 to $1.00. You think to yourself, "If they didn't want it, why did they buy it? Why is it out HERE? Boy, this didn’t take long--there must be something wrong with it." The yard sale hosts are then off to the NEXT big thing in late-night highway robbery, and you're standing there holding the wreckage of wants gone awry.
See something on TV and think you might want it? Wait six months and pick it up at a yard sale or thrift store.
The marketing industry, and the Ronco-type boys specifically, are in the business of want creation, and it seems to be a very filthy-lucre-ative one, judging by the number of hapless idiots recommending this thing. Let's not leave out the perennial Billy Mays, Anthony Sullivan, or Cathy Mitchell (the current graduating class of want creation) by ANY means!
They develop a thing or service you really don't need, nor will in a thousand years, then devise an ad scheme that makes you think you'll die without this machine, because here's what it'll do for you and yours—supposedly save time or money for you.
The Turbo Cooker, for example, is a device originally born in Asia (the stacked bamboo steamer), and then re-invented here in the 40's or 50's in metal, called a bun warmer. Basically, it's a pot (squared off or rounded) that you can cook your meat in (or boil water), while the stacked layers of your meal above it cook through the use of steam that rises from the bottom layer--not a new concept by any means. The Dutch have a version of it called a Dutch oven; the Italians simply use their tall pasta-cooking pots for it. The Boy Scouts even use a version of it in tinfoil over hot coals or a BBQer.
Now, it's been Ronco-ized into a device the modern housewife cannot live without—as has the Omelet Pan, the Pasta Pot, the Spatula/Fork Combo, and the Rotisserie. These are the “singing bass” of kitchen devices
2008: Nowadays, we have the New Wave oven all over TV every weekend morning, not to mention anything George Foreman can come up with for his array of grills, and let's not leave out the floor steamer and super chamois! These people must specialize in renaming and re-marketing old stuff they found in some warehouse somewhere...like Mighty Putty (automotive Bondo), Mighty Mend-It (the fabric glue currently found in every sewing shop in America), or the Mighty Auger (a drill bit found in every Home Depot for mixing concrete in a wheelbarrow, but currently marketed for weed removal). What a way to clear out storage space and cargo containers--just put Billy Mays on the payroll and stand back!
With a little pre-planning, you can make just about any meal in 15 minutes or less (glamour not included)...meat can thaw overnight in the refrigerator, frozen veggies don't have to stay that way--they, too, can thaw overnight in the fridge. In their thawed state, they cook in very little time, and without tying up precious minutes of your time with constant supervision requirements.
Back to the Turbo Cooker: How much time are you able to buy for $49.99 or whatever the cost is? The ads say a meal can be prepared in 15 minutes. How often is this thing going to get used before you grow tired of it, and relegate it to your next yard sale? How long will it take you to actually pay off that $49.99 (now including interest) on the credit card bill? And how much did your last set of pots and pans cost...you know, the ones you STILL have and use regularly?
Meanwhile, these pots have been mass-produced in some sweat-shop labor country for about $1.00/apiece, and you are paying all the overhead for the marketing scheme, the shipping, the storage for QVC/HSN, the on-air hawking time, and countless other costs involved for a thing YOU didn't even want until it was paraded in front of you!
Now that you have your very own Turbo Cooker, guess what? It likely can't go in the dishwasher. It probably has to be cleaned by hand with a certain non-abrasive cleaner and non-stick-cookware scouring pad (additional costs you weren't aware of). And the all-important question: Where do I put it? My pot-and-pan cupboard or under-stove storage area is already FULL! Your time saved from cooking has just been transferred to the grocery store searching for that special cleaner and scouring pad, not to mention additional time at the sink.
Three months later, while shopping through your local Target or Wal-Mart store, you spot the very same device for about half what you dutifully sent in to the late-night highway robbers...and then, it hits you.
Six months later, while browsing yard sales, you notice lots of these devices on tables, along with other unwanted or broken-down appliances...priced at a mere .50 to $1.00. You think to yourself, "If they didn't want it, why did they buy it? Why is it out HERE? Boy, this didn’t take long--there must be something wrong with it." The yard sale hosts are then off to the NEXT big thing in late-night highway robbery, and you're standing there holding the wreckage of wants gone awry.
See something on TV and think you might want it? Wait six months and pick it up at a yard sale or thrift store.
Friday, December 12, 2008
IMPORTANT: Fixing the 401(k)--Our Second Warning!
From CNN Money. This is an update to what Congress is bandying about with our retirement money. PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE LAST PARAGRAPH--THIS IS THE PLAN WHERE THEY WANT TO KILL OFF THE TAX-FREE STATUS OF IRAS AND 401(K) PLANS, MAKING A GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED BOND PROGRAM THE NEW "RETIREMENT SAVINGS" PROGRAM.
The reality of their "new" plan, as I've said before, is to get as much money as they can under their control so they can use it as collateral to borrow more in the future. I don't want my money working for anyone but ME!
And by the way, why should I settle for a lousy 3% return, supposedly guaranteed? Who gets THE REST of it? I know damned well bonds are paying more than 3% right now!
The reality of their "new" plan, as I've said before, is to get as much money as they can under their control so they can use it as collateral to borrow more in the future. I don't want my money working for anyone but ME!
And by the way, why should I settle for a lousy 3% return, supposedly guaranteed? Who gets THE REST of it? I know damned well bonds are paying more than 3% right now!
Update: Ways Around Obama's Possible Tax Plans
In case you need a reminder why I'm doing this--a plan being bandied about in Congress aims to remove the tax-free status of our retirement savings accounts. I. as well as my readers, wanted to know how to get around this without having to go offshore (like I could afford it anyway).
When I last wrote about this, I came up with triple tax-free muni bonds as a way out for us--now I have a second: zero coupon muni bonds.
They operate like regular zero coupon bonds, but are not taxable, depending on the particular issue--you must look for MUNI zeros in your state, and you must make sure they're indeed TRIPLE tax-free.
Here's an online book about zero coupon bonds. You can also refer to the Vicki Robin tome Your Money or Your Life, only she dealt with regular zeros and not triple tax-free ones.
You also might want to read up on bond ladders just so you don't wind up throwing all your retirement eggs in one (possibly low-yielding) basket.
When I last wrote about this, I came up with triple tax-free muni bonds as a way out for us--now I have a second: zero coupon muni bonds.
They operate like regular zero coupon bonds, but are not taxable, depending on the particular issue--you must look for MUNI zeros in your state, and you must make sure they're indeed TRIPLE tax-free.
Here's an online book about zero coupon bonds. You can also refer to the Vicki Robin tome Your Money or Your Life, only she dealt with regular zeros and not triple tax-free ones.
You also might want to read up on bond ladders just so you don't wind up throwing all your retirement eggs in one (possibly low-yielding) basket.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Timely Rerun: The Importance of Research and the Art of Negotiation
Original article.
Overheard from a payphone conversation: "It is much easier to save a dollar on 50 things than 50 dollars on one thing". As I continued to walk, I asked myself, “Oh yeah?”
The first part is right: it is easy to save a dollar on fifty things--downright effortless. The second part is not so right, however.
Saving fifty dollars on one thing is quite easy when research and negotiation are involved. How many of us don’t hesitate to dicker at yard sales, auto dealerships, and even at home purchases?
How can you save this much on one item? By doing a little research to determine the item’s true worth in it’s current condition (in the case of homes, an inspector, an appraiser, and prior tax records are valuable tools). The internet has proven itself an invaluable tool for the research of cars and other items.
Knowing what the item’s true current worth is provides you with a baseline for negotiations (haggling, dickering, whatever you want to call it). You and the seller can maneuver up or down from there to arrive at your final price point, often saving much more than fifty bucks for higher-valued items.
If you’re still not sure about haggling, dickering, and negotiation, do some research on it to become more familiar. Learn how to gather facts about the item(s) to assess its value in the current condition. Start small—say yard sales, estate sales, and bargain stores. As you get more comfortable gauging value and making offers, start moving into bigger arenas—car lots and pawnshops. When you feel proficient, go ahead and try making an offer on a house.
After learning how to do the proper background research and comparisons, and sharpening the art of dickering, you’ll find out just how easy it is to save fifty dollars or a great deal more on just one item.
My own examples: on one car, I saved $8,000, and another, I saved $6,000 off the sticker prices just by going to NADA blue book and looking up the values of the cars in current condition, with current mileage, and current options. I then used this info to start forming a "no higher than" price I'd pay, then took 20% off that--this was to allow for haggling room with the dealer.
I'm on the verge of doing it for a house as well--after checking on available financing, I'm going to Realtor.com and Zillow for rough value estimates, averaging them, factoring in repair costs if needed, and taking an additional 20% off for negotiating room. The list price means nothing to me, and it should mean nothing to you--it only serves to weed out less-than-serious buyers, and also serves to trap buyers who didn't bother to do any homework, and who rely on emotion to make purchase decisions for them. This happens regularly in stores, particularly grocery stores--if you see something you use regularly but don't like the current price, ask the manager about a discount for buying a case or two. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Discounts are everywhere--you just have to know how and have guts enough to pursue them. The worst that could happen is the word "NO." So you may not be getting THAT car, THAT house, or THOSE groceries in THAT particular store, but there's cars, houses, and groceries in tons of other places, and other sellers who may be more receptive to your pitch.
Whoever said living wasn't a business id dead wrong!
Overheard from a payphone conversation: "It is much easier to save a dollar on 50 things than 50 dollars on one thing". As I continued to walk, I asked myself, “Oh yeah?”
The first part is right: it is easy to save a dollar on fifty things--downright effortless. The second part is not so right, however.
Saving fifty dollars on one thing is quite easy when research and negotiation are involved. How many of us don’t hesitate to dicker at yard sales, auto dealerships, and even at home purchases?
How can you save this much on one item? By doing a little research to determine the item’s true worth in it’s current condition (in the case of homes, an inspector, an appraiser, and prior tax records are valuable tools). The internet has proven itself an invaluable tool for the research of cars and other items.
Knowing what the item’s true current worth is provides you with a baseline for negotiations (haggling, dickering, whatever you want to call it). You and the seller can maneuver up or down from there to arrive at your final price point, often saving much more than fifty bucks for higher-valued items.
If you’re still not sure about haggling, dickering, and negotiation, do some research on it to become more familiar. Learn how to gather facts about the item(s) to assess its value in the current condition. Start small—say yard sales, estate sales, and bargain stores. As you get more comfortable gauging value and making offers, start moving into bigger arenas—car lots and pawnshops. When you feel proficient, go ahead and try making an offer on a house.
After learning how to do the proper background research and comparisons, and sharpening the art of dickering, you’ll find out just how easy it is to save fifty dollars or a great deal more on just one item.
My own examples: on one car, I saved $8,000, and another, I saved $6,000 off the sticker prices just by going to NADA blue book and looking up the values of the cars in current condition, with current mileage, and current options. I then used this info to start forming a "no higher than" price I'd pay, then took 20% off that--this was to allow for haggling room with the dealer.
I'm on the verge of doing it for a house as well--after checking on available financing, I'm going to Realtor.com and Zillow for rough value estimates, averaging them, factoring in repair costs if needed, and taking an additional 20% off for negotiating room. The list price means nothing to me, and it should mean nothing to you--it only serves to weed out less-than-serious buyers, and also serves to trap buyers who didn't bother to do any homework, and who rely on emotion to make purchase decisions for them. This happens regularly in stores, particularly grocery stores--if you see something you use regularly but don't like the current price, ask the manager about a discount for buying a case or two. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Discounts are everywhere--you just have to know how and have guts enough to pursue them. The worst that could happen is the word "NO." So you may not be getting THAT car, THAT house, or THOSE groceries in THAT particular store, but there's cars, houses, and groceries in tons of other places, and other sellers who may be more receptive to your pitch.
Whoever said living wasn't a business id dead wrong!
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
The Truth About the Economy and Job Creation (L-O-N-G)
Just yesterday on CNBC there was a panel discussion of state governors and Obama, and one of the governors was saying (more like speechifying) about how the general public perception is that they’ve come to beg for money. Then he said that what they needed more than that was jobs—particularly jobs in the “green” industry.
This got me off the couch and in front of the computer.
First of all, there is no “economy” as an individual entity—rather, it’s a collective term to denote the billions of individual transactions that occur each and every day, of people being individually expedient in many different ways, and in their own best interests to satisfy wants, needs, or both.
When the number and frequency of these individual transactions goes down, the “economy” is down. The same is true in the reverse, and this is why it behooves us to do whatever’s necessary to keep the flow of these individual transactions fast and furious—by making credit loose and freely available, by marking down prices, by inventing scarcity, and by inventing exclusivity, among others.
In order to maintain frequent transactions, there must be some way to maintain the ABILITY to perform these transactions, through cash or credit maintenance. Ultimately, both rely on an income of some sort.
Now for the jobs: the horrible truth here is that a politician, no matter how high the rank, cannot create jobs. The magic just doesn’t exist. What he or she CAN do, however, is create the atmosphere in which job creation by employers is favorable, usually by one or more of the following:
• Making a favorable tax environment to help offset the risks involved
• Inventing a new clientele for the existing goods or services through trade policies
• Making subsidies available to encourage more investment in innovation and production
We had all three with Republican rule, but that’s about to come to an end, I fear, with Democrat rule and the incessant need to make supposedly better decisions for us than we can for ourselves—for that, they need our money. This means that the tax benefits would likely end, along with beneficial trade policies that kept many of us working up until this point. The theory is that the re-captured money from the first two would go to fund the third, but not just any old production—they want to target it to “green” production, regardless of demand for any of these products.
Normally, this would be the niche that venture capitalists would fill—putting private money to work toward innovation and production, and assuming the risks that went along with it. Not every venture pans out, and many end up as losing propositions, but now the government wants to be the venture capitalist, and guess who will bear the brunt of any failures? That’s right…Joe Taxpayer.
Any businessman can tell you the road to success is paved with other people’s failures.
Aren’t we bearing enough brunt from haphazard bailouts as it is? This would be a “bailout” of industries not asking for one, not needing one, and a wholesale financing of industries not ready for prime time (as it were). The demand simply isn’t there because of high price or lack of necessity, and to artificially encourage more of the same, mostly useless, industry to crop up because of mere idealism (and the hope of a magic bullet) is truly an immense waste of taxpayer dollars that would make the bailouts seem paltry by comparison. The want creation machine has been running for years on “green” to the point of burnout—with little to no demand, what good would it do to create FALSE demand with subsidies? You see how well it worked out with the farmers—in the end, we had to invent ways to get rid of excess crops (through ethanol, high fructose corn syrup in just about everything, global exports, etc.), and the same will happen to “green” things as well.
I can see it now: canopies out on the African plain made from excess solar panels and windmill blades the way slum shacks in Mexico and India are now made of cardboard, plywood, and tin sheets for roofs. Eventually, the excess will line our dumps just like everything else has. Once-expensive solar panels will become the next chic room divider or backyard fencing material on one of these TV decorator shows!
Side note about solar panels: Once upon a time, Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the White House to heat water for the kitchens. At the time, they only possessed enough power to offset half the hot water bill, but it was a start. Then Reagan came into office, and the price of oil and natural gas dropped very low, making the panels a novelty and reminder of times gone badly. After a re-roofing became necessary, Reagan had the panels taken down and put in storage. Eventually, the panels were unearthed, restored, and put back to use at Unity College. They didn’t end up in a dump, but they ended up in storage for a long time at taxpayer expense. The same type pf thing thing will happen again (to all houses, not just the White House) as Obama tries to fulfill this campaign promise.
Private investment is required to create a job, and it may take as much as $500k just to create ONE—first, there has to be a reason to hire additional people (through demand of some sort), then there has to be a place for them to work, which may require a larger facility, more machinery, furniture, stock, and let’s not forget training—seldom do people come off the street fully ready to work by Minute 1 after an interview. Training takes time and money as well, and that’s time and money that probably could’ve been put to better use with existing people, facilities, equipment, and stock.
What is really required to create a good-paying job is on the back of the individual worker, by making him or herself more productive and valuable to the employer…you know—INDISPENSIBLE. An employer can’t make us more productive or more indispensable, but he CAN provide an environment which the employees can make the most of their talents and skills to create value for the company and him or herself. The measure of the individual employee’s worth to the company is reflected in the paycheck. No politician can legislate one’s true worth, but politicians have managed to put a floor under the scale of worth, just like they put a floor under our education with the No Child Left Behind act. In other words, they catered to the lowest common denominator.
Individuals create their own jobs, and when they become NEARLY indispensable but not completely so, then employers are likely to do more to help them find comparable work elsewhere, through top recommendations and referrals. Unions and politicians aren’t needed for job security, only the worker and his/her skills and talents.
There’s nothing Obama or anyone else can do for you but you, contrary to what the Democrat credo is. I think Obama, and possibly everyone of his persuasion, is finally starting to come out of an idealistic coma and smell the coffee of reality. The soft-and-fuzzy is starting to give way to harsh, ugly, and crystal clear. I can see it on his face nowadays—can’t you?
Your self-created job security is what will allow you to function in the “economy”—if everyone got that message, we’d all make better strides toward secure employment, and being able to continue our individual transactions that make up our economy. Otherwise, we risk ending up as just another statistic.
Only you have the power to improve the economy. Obama can’t help you, and he never could, in spite of his campaign promises—I just wish he’d accept it, admit it publicly, and resolve to quit throwing money at the problem. This is what happens when you try to run the country armed with nothing more than a Utopian set of ideals, a constitutional law degree, and monetary connections.
This got me off the couch and in front of the computer.
First of all, there is no “economy” as an individual entity—rather, it’s a collective term to denote the billions of individual transactions that occur each and every day, of people being individually expedient in many different ways, and in their own best interests to satisfy wants, needs, or both.
When the number and frequency of these individual transactions goes down, the “economy” is down. The same is true in the reverse, and this is why it behooves us to do whatever’s necessary to keep the flow of these individual transactions fast and furious—by making credit loose and freely available, by marking down prices, by inventing scarcity, and by inventing exclusivity, among others.
In order to maintain frequent transactions, there must be some way to maintain the ABILITY to perform these transactions, through cash or credit maintenance. Ultimately, both rely on an income of some sort.
Now for the jobs: the horrible truth here is that a politician, no matter how high the rank, cannot create jobs. The magic just doesn’t exist. What he or she CAN do, however, is create the atmosphere in which job creation by employers is favorable, usually by one or more of the following:
• Making a favorable tax environment to help offset the risks involved
• Inventing a new clientele for the existing goods or services through trade policies
• Making subsidies available to encourage more investment in innovation and production
We had all three with Republican rule, but that’s about to come to an end, I fear, with Democrat rule and the incessant need to make supposedly better decisions for us than we can for ourselves—for that, they need our money. This means that the tax benefits would likely end, along with beneficial trade policies that kept many of us working up until this point. The theory is that the re-captured money from the first two would go to fund the third, but not just any old production—they want to target it to “green” production, regardless of demand for any of these products.
Normally, this would be the niche that venture capitalists would fill—putting private money to work toward innovation and production, and assuming the risks that went along with it. Not every venture pans out, and many end up as losing propositions, but now the government wants to be the venture capitalist, and guess who will bear the brunt of any failures? That’s right…Joe Taxpayer.
Any businessman can tell you the road to success is paved with other people’s failures.
Aren’t we bearing enough brunt from haphazard bailouts as it is? This would be a “bailout” of industries not asking for one, not needing one, and a wholesale financing of industries not ready for prime time (as it were). The demand simply isn’t there because of high price or lack of necessity, and to artificially encourage more of the same, mostly useless, industry to crop up because of mere idealism (and the hope of a magic bullet) is truly an immense waste of taxpayer dollars that would make the bailouts seem paltry by comparison. The want creation machine has been running for years on “green” to the point of burnout—with little to no demand, what good would it do to create FALSE demand with subsidies? You see how well it worked out with the farmers—in the end, we had to invent ways to get rid of excess crops (through ethanol, high fructose corn syrup in just about everything, global exports, etc.), and the same will happen to “green” things as well.
I can see it now: canopies out on the African plain made from excess solar panels and windmill blades the way slum shacks in Mexico and India are now made of cardboard, plywood, and tin sheets for roofs. Eventually, the excess will line our dumps just like everything else has. Once-expensive solar panels will become the next chic room divider or backyard fencing material on one of these TV decorator shows!
Side note about solar panels: Once upon a time, Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the White House to heat water for the kitchens. At the time, they only possessed enough power to offset half the hot water bill, but it was a start. Then Reagan came into office, and the price of oil and natural gas dropped very low, making the panels a novelty and reminder of times gone badly. After a re-roofing became necessary, Reagan had the panels taken down and put in storage. Eventually, the panels were unearthed, restored, and put back to use at Unity College. They didn’t end up in a dump, but they ended up in storage for a long time at taxpayer expense. The same type pf thing thing will happen again (to all houses, not just the White House) as Obama tries to fulfill this campaign promise.
Private investment is required to create a job, and it may take as much as $500k just to create ONE—first, there has to be a reason to hire additional people (through demand of some sort), then there has to be a place for them to work, which may require a larger facility, more machinery, furniture, stock, and let’s not forget training—seldom do people come off the street fully ready to work by Minute 1 after an interview. Training takes time and money as well, and that’s time and money that probably could’ve been put to better use with existing people, facilities, equipment, and stock.
What is really required to create a good-paying job is on the back of the individual worker, by making him or herself more productive and valuable to the employer…you know—INDISPENSIBLE. An employer can’t make us more productive or more indispensable, but he CAN provide an environment which the employees can make the most of their talents and skills to create value for the company and him or herself. The measure of the individual employee’s worth to the company is reflected in the paycheck. No politician can legislate one’s true worth, but politicians have managed to put a floor under the scale of worth, just like they put a floor under our education with the No Child Left Behind act. In other words, they catered to the lowest common denominator.
Individuals create their own jobs, and when they become NEARLY indispensable but not completely so, then employers are likely to do more to help them find comparable work elsewhere, through top recommendations and referrals. Unions and politicians aren’t needed for job security, only the worker and his/her skills and talents.
There’s nothing Obama or anyone else can do for you but you, contrary to what the Democrat credo is. I think Obama, and possibly everyone of his persuasion, is finally starting to come out of an idealistic coma and smell the coffee of reality. The soft-and-fuzzy is starting to give way to harsh, ugly, and crystal clear. I can see it on his face nowadays—can’t you?
Your self-created job security is what will allow you to function in the “economy”—if everyone got that message, we’d all make better strides toward secure employment, and being able to continue our individual transactions that make up our economy. Otherwise, we risk ending up as just another statistic.
Only you have the power to improve the economy. Obama can’t help you, and he never could, in spite of his campaign promises—I just wish he’d accept it, admit it publicly, and resolve to quit throwing money at the problem. This is what happens when you try to run the country armed with nothing more than a Utopian set of ideals, a constitutional law degree, and monetary connections.
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