tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61263782052046246012024-02-07T01:53:25.524-08:00Alternatively FrugalAn alternative approach to all things frugal.Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476587327990869562noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-56383768800493155032012-06-18T15:18:00.000-07:002012-06-19T11:05:32.133-07:00Parks.....and Recreation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDezE9BLM2fJlYFipxjIQEvF8hgmiPdcm9OwLmkVKq-xsDzEIL3qixj7Fmha7ZYGxZkg7gJ0UdyMVReSTNF3rM1goTSjAISzar_hQbsEFSgoSeeTZMQVmIZojVaxfc-j-2CqRycrtXNUc/s1600/arnot-hill-walk-in-the-park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDezE9BLM2fJlYFipxjIQEvF8hgmiPdcm9OwLmkVKq-xsDzEIL3qixj7Fmha7ZYGxZkg7gJ0UdyMVReSTNF3rM1goTSjAISzar_hQbsEFSgoSeeTZMQVmIZojVaxfc-j-2CqRycrtXNUc/s320/arnot-hill-walk-in-the-park.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Parks.....and Recreation</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd been thinking about parks for a while now. I live in Toronto and I'm fortunate to live between two terrific trail systems that are popular with cyclists, walkers, picnickers and a whole bunch of other people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To start with - in the warmer months its cheap fitness. You can walk or run, cycle or play Frisbee in a very comfortable environment. There will be plenty of benches and picnic tables along the way if you want to do some push-ups with elevated legs or triceps dips or lunges. You'll probably find that your workout lasts a lot longer because you're enjoying being outside. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But there is something so special about a woodland trail - especially when you're in the big city. It feels luxurious. You've got a babbling stream with bridges that cross back and forth over it every couple of hundred feet. There are ducks to watch and squirrels to feed. Its almost like visiting the cottage - but its free!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The crowd changes depending on the day of the week. Go on a Sunday afternoon and you'll find huge extended families with ten coolers grilling under the shade of an expansive willow tree. Go during the week and you'll find seniors doing an aggressive powerwalk. You'll also see the dogwalkers with their deluxe red leashes trying to keep all five dogs from jumping in the stream at once.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, go and visit a park, and enjoy a little natural serenity.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtpXjj5z5ZMUl4Gb_DwCyn6PBpqgTOhyphenhyphenx-BoJA18ZKcTf97DU6dmLzsxOaswhVTMIHvhgqOEAptHPWVgcgvLezvSJlXXr9tRMx9X5yDvDFsoSn6BwRb0qOr5WABT7dJzF6ft3MGrMLyY/s1600/taylor-creek-park-toronto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtpXjj5z5ZMUl4Gb_DwCyn6PBpqgTOhyphenhyphenx-BoJA18ZKcTf97DU6dmLzsxOaswhVTMIHvhgqOEAptHPWVgcgvLezvSJlXXr9tRMx9X5yDvDFsoSn6BwRb0qOr5WABT7dJzF6ft3MGrMLyY/s400/taylor-creek-park-toronto.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505789764040653813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-11085170989425864622012-03-04T16:55:00.003-08:002012-06-19T11:06:05.754-07:00Do Fashion and Frugal Belong in the Same Sentence?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49CC-Wt6HaFBcTGLb6RoVhm-nSLD9bttw_h3Xypjdr-vBoXUHBrUIDf3Yyy9qrBwDQr6TsMnYv4k7Kb5mOSq8yLh3GQwEq8NlYZgnOvVA4KrzyyH3Mk53yJy_CUy2oGoO2mKMRMnu6lA/s1600/d1bfd21ef3493cc9a700503f6e873ff07a63df13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49CC-Wt6HaFBcTGLb6RoVhm-nSLD9bttw_h3Xypjdr-vBoXUHBrUIDf3Yyy9qrBwDQr6TsMnYv4k7Kb5mOSq8yLh3GQwEq8NlYZgnOvVA4KrzyyH3Mk53yJy_CUy2oGoO2mKMRMnu6lA/s320/d1bfd21ef3493cc9a700503f6e873ff07a63df13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do Fashion
and Frugal Belong in the Same Sentence?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of
all, I think that all of the frugal fashion divas out there have my undying
admiration. They offer outstanding tips
on looking good, without spending a lot of money – and they have your best
interests at heart.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That being
said, the extent to which a person embraces fashion, is sort of at expense of
their frugality. Being frugal means that
you don’t buy a lot of stuff, so you don’t need too much space . There is
always an aspect of minimalism that is wrapped up in frugality. A closet full of clothes is at odds with
that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is
also an environmental and sustainability question involved with fashion. The more land we turn over to the farming of
textile crops – the less land is available for food production. There is actually a virtue to having fewer
clothes in your closet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeH0bypFLFs6Usmv5NVYsi23ltVt-WkIwVbuIUE8PGxQkcewwQdDedbJAeW1ZoxVVTv0yA3VolMsxdvpZ7CFZr2ZZKMuwYXVLJr4OsJeM7VXmqBTRlTFVuGasfWwoBV-4s0FS-YCv1G4Y/s1600/360px-Samata_Fashion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeH0bypFLFs6Usmv5NVYsi23ltVt-WkIwVbuIUE8PGxQkcewwQdDedbJAeW1ZoxVVTv0yA3VolMsxdvpZ7CFZr2ZZKMuwYXVLJr4OsJeM7VXmqBTRlTFVuGasfWwoBV-4s0FS-YCv1G4Y/s200/360px-Samata_Fashion.jpg" width="120" /></a><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have
always spent around $200 a year on clothes.
These are usually bought at department stores, and in styles that are
pretty bland and timeless. Golf shirts,
polos, chinos, jeans, hoodies and oxford
shirts just don’t go out of style. I
have never bought a pair of acid washed jeans or rugby pants or a velour shirt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, you should pay attention to fashion – it should
be enduring – and so should the quality of the clothes themselves</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505789764040653813noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-82728912396846875842012-03-01T15:33:00.000-08:002012-06-19T11:06:44.100-07:00The Cost of Travel<br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Cost of
Travel</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5usFXxVln0sS8nCx_0bO5kn9fDfqo50VNE2w7GP0ZvMLHCVbK-UTSPYwy5-TswMcAs6kFykfklHX8hRyxftHxNz7hvVvjnk1EhpZub-_8D4iC8DMSslzmshmN81JTnlBgR39ZwFgElfQ/s1600/Plane.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5usFXxVln0sS8nCx_0bO5kn9fDfqo50VNE2w7GP0ZvMLHCVbK-UTSPYwy5-TswMcAs6kFykfklHX8hRyxftHxNz7hvVvjnk1EhpZub-_8D4iC8DMSslzmshmN81JTnlBgR39ZwFgElfQ/s320/Plane.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hate
travelling, so I don’t. As it turns out
a great deal of the savings I’ve accrued over the years are due to my lack of
wanderlust. I am continually stunned by
the amount of travelling that people do and the thousands of dollars that they
spend every year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The term
staycation has crept into everyone’s consciousness lately. If you Google it, you’ll find people offering
staycation ideas. I find that quite
funny. Perhaps I can retain someone who
can offer me tips on how to not travel. For
me, the vacation was that I didn’t have to go to work. I could sleep in, have a leisurely cup of
coffee, go for a walk, stay up late. Now
that I’ve left the world of work behind, I do that every day now. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKPi7qbb-1z_IRZMh7OTZfwxPCqYhHtPrMgVQZ1UB9h8yF3Ooew1y97s2owV6ScgZJlZHfZciyPhJJMJSSi-MiKoL18JSIF6hv2TwY9rEk2CtIbUzC8GOdI1vss3UgAZOza7sw0I_aQw/s1600/travel-agency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKPi7qbb-1z_IRZMh7OTZfwxPCqYhHtPrMgVQZ1UB9h8yF3Ooew1y97s2owV6ScgZJlZHfZciyPhJJMJSSi-MiKoL18JSIF6hv2TwY9rEk2CtIbUzC8GOdI1vss3UgAZOza7sw0I_aQw/s320/travel-agency.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However,
while I was working – and I had some vacation time coming, rather than spend
$1,000 or more on a trip, I would stay home and purchase something that would
provide me some enjoyment during my time off and beyond. I would aim for something in the $3-500
range. It was usually something related
to technology. So, think games consoles
and games, computers – stuff like that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I said,
I don’t work anymore – and I financed it, in part, by not going on
vacation. I look around me and I’m
surrounded by all of the things I purchased instead of taking those trips. So, I guess being born without wanderlust has
its benefits. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505789764040653813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-55152873676133395262012-02-29T18:33:00.001-08:002012-06-19T11:07:16.718-07:00Make Your Major Purchases Count<br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make Your
Major Purchases Count<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A major
part of the frugal lifestyle is consuming less.
Sometimes though, you really have to buy something – like a dryer or a
rug shampooer. People who are naturally
frugal recognize the importance of delaying a major purchase until they can
thoroughly research the marketplace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surprisingly,
the Web is a bit of a wasteland when it comes to free, authoritative consumer
information. I know it doesn’t seem
that way because of all the consumer opinion based posts that exist. And some of those consumer opinions are good
and valuable – like at Amazon or Epinions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But let’s
face it, for major purchases, you need something more authoritative. Now, the tech and electronics end has always been
well covered by sites like <a href="http://www.cnet.com/">CNet</a> and <a href="http://www.crutchfield.com/">Crutchfield</a>, but what about
appliances? Because <i>Consumer Reports</i> is a paid subscription based service, the only
real viable option is <a href="http://www.consumersearch.com/">ConsumerSearch</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pbHhyn0U4oK-2KTXVC-8hCOGiJcQqIGrYqp3r4eRVdMkY9W8A9wAEAUreXD60_rFT9Y02yVM2E9BuPdWkBmoT3kJxnuosa7If5I5bTgbLGHicsnkj_7LQv1bS12LcAAzhMQTe1NXp0w/s1600/01-18-miele-toy-machine-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pbHhyn0U4oK-2KTXVC-8hCOGiJcQqIGrYqp3r4eRVdMkY9W8A9wAEAUreXD60_rFT9Y02yVM2E9BuPdWkBmoT3kJxnuosa7If5I5bTgbLGHicsnkj_7LQv1bS12LcAAzhMQTe1NXp0w/s1600/01-18-miele-toy-machine-.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.consumersearch.com/">ConsumerSearch</a> is a broad, sweeping
meta-site that draws consumer reviews from a variety of sources – including <i>Consumer Reports</i>. From chest freezers to snow tires, furnace
filters to washing machines, this is easily the best consumer site on the
Web. I’m not even sure there’s a close
second.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">PNFSBHE36K3N </span>
</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505789764040653813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-32973847313061563752012-02-27T15:10:00.004-08:002012-06-19T11:07:50.540-07:00You and Your Freezer Should Spend Some More Time Together<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>You and Your Freezer Should Spend Some More Time Together</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In an earlier post I talked about the importance of having a
chest freezer around and how you should cook things in advance and save them in
meal sized containers. Well as it turns
out there are people out there on the Web who’ve written quite extensively
about how this should best be accomplished.
So, I thought I’d provide a few helpful links to people who might be
interested in getting the most out of their freezer.</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><a href="http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-meal-recipes-master-list" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Freezer
Meal Recipes Master List</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> - This is absolutely incredible! The recipes are broken down by category
(chicken, pork, fish etc). There is
information on techniques, and as a bonus, there is even a section on which
foods don’t freeze well.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><a href="http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/frugalfreezermeals.htm" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Freezer Tips
from the Hillbilly Housewife</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> – Some nice ideas for a whole range of frugal
make-ahead meals.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><a href="http://www.frugalfreezermom.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">The Frugal Freezer Mom</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> –
Yep, an entire blog devoted to make-ahead meals and using your freezer to
improve your lifestyle.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><a href="http://frugal.families.com/blog/freezer-cooking-for-your-family" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Frugal
Families</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> has a very nice collection of tips and recipes for make-ahead deep
freeze meals.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><a href="http://www.lowcostliving.co.uk/frugal-cooking/recipe-freezer-recipes.php" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Low
Cost Living</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> – is a site from the UK with some great recipes that go a bit
beyond the usual lasagna and chili dishes.
Here you’ll find recipes for onion bhajis and butternut squash
soup. It’s great to see a little
culinary adventure out there!</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, it’s not just me.
The deep freeze is a fabulous tool for saving your household time and
money.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505789764040653813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-83587750627773729842012-02-21T15:06:00.000-08:002012-06-19T11:08:29.003-07:00I’m All for Exploiting the Developing World – As Long as I get a Cut!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><b>I</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>’m All for
Exploiting the Developing World – As Long as I get a Cut!</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLlafI-DHir5GFYQPlatfbUcB5UKr09Pl_-hBqjZc3FuqBKpAdcm6FJG8yxHaCGJHHC3kr-0qyqhJFNMZXSZjytbsCkmQPD7xjLLrT6wxC3K66CqhchCUk4OgZ7r_3exJr7CQ4413Bx8/s1600/Walmart_exteriorcropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLlafI-DHir5GFYQPlatfbUcB5UKr09Pl_-hBqjZc3FuqBKpAdcm6FJG8yxHaCGJHHC3kr-0qyqhJFNMZXSZjytbsCkmQPD7xjLLrT6wxC3K66CqhchCUk4OgZ7r_3exJr7CQ4413Bx8/s320/Walmart_exteriorcropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-CA">So, I’ve
read a lot about Wal-Mart, and seen the documentaries. I have to say that they are easily my favorite company. Look at their mission
statement: </span><i><span style="background-color: white;">We save people money so they
can live better.</span></i><span style="background-color: white;"> That’s a pretty admirable mission
statement. In the PBS documentary <i>Is Wal-Mart Good for America</i>, we learned
how Wal-Mart squeezes manufacturers to the brink of bankruptcy in order to keep
their prices low. Good. That’s how capitalism is supposed to
work. I want all retailers to squeeze manufacturers
to the brink of bankruptcy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
other main criticism is that so much manufacturing happens off shore. Well it happened before and it’s going to
continue to happen in the future. The difference
is, with Wal-Mart the savings incurred from that off-shore exploitation are
passed on to me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now,
for those of you who think this is short-sighted and heartless, here’s a sad
economic fact: our western lifestyle is
achieved at the expense of the rest of the world. Raising the living standard of other nations
can only come at the expense of our own.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I
think it’s OK to buy an inexpensive loaf of bread from Wal-Mart. Those who don’t can buy it somewhere
else. But please provide people with the
option, and allow the markets to deliver inexpensive food to those who can’t afford
anything else. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></i></span><span lang="EN-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505789764040653813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-85272922780804977042012-02-21T12:59:00.000-08:002012-06-19T11:08:55.666-07:00The Frugal Lifestyle and Swapping<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Frugal
Lifestyle and Swapping</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bJbCeywikC9pH747XihG9yqsWnDfYChZ0VK3Z_Etx2CbZncQWChxMugY8oGxXYwKk1gp6eGw1PNWDjtMEpbftincH05bimj-HwDICnVGtm8PjFIEseXuqPti_EfE5KB0Q6WgGAIldCg/s1600/16681b3662594089cdb6fa7112a6c147aa210b0a+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bJbCeywikC9pH747XihG9yqsWnDfYChZ0VK3Z_Etx2CbZncQWChxMugY8oGxXYwKk1gp6eGw1PNWDjtMEpbftincH05bimj-HwDICnVGtm8PjFIEseXuqPti_EfE5KB0Q6WgGAIldCg/s320/16681b3662594089cdb6fa7112a6c147aa210b0a+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to
confess, I don’t understand swapping.
Maybe it’s because all of the swappers I’ve ever met are really just
hoarders. Living frugally isn’t
necessarily a sparse existence, but it’s pretty free of extraneous clutter. So, I don’t have anything to swap, and I’m
certainly not going to have things on hand so that I can swap them for
something I want.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That’s what
thrift stores are for. They have small appliances and clock radios that usually
work, for pretty low prices. That
arrangement doesn’t seem to sit well with some swappers – a lot of them want to
have the entire thrift store in their home – just in case. To me, frugal living should mean that there
are limits that you place on how much stuff you accumulate – regardless of how
much it cost you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am
continually faced with swapping advocates who suggest that swapping is an
antidote to consumerism. In my eyes it’s
the same thing. I am also faced with
swappers who say that they are saving he environment by diverting consumer goods
from landfills. It seems though that
they are just turning their residences into very expensive landfills.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, perhaps
I’m being too hard on swappers.
Hopefully I’ll hear some constructive arguments in the comments section.</span><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505789764040653813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-46458393218477995092012-02-20T15:48:00.000-08:002012-06-19T11:04:57.103-07:00Making Your Favorite Take-out Food At Home: Eggplant in Hot Garlic Sauce<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Making Your
Favorite Take-out Food At Home: Eggplant
in Hot Garlic Sauce</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vZV-fGxvktgG1s5jgEu1i865eCHzgBbbqew1Tu1QTFBeQQnuo5fE9emuDIs-WGlpkuRe0sW1BUqOuDrvtrvjAHjRzaGWCWTdq7Ulad3VrhwyLD1loUHninm4N-W0KVAA6S9_N_J5Gvs/s1600/0078895610017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vZV-fGxvktgG1s5jgEu1i865eCHzgBbbqew1Tu1QTFBeQQnuo5fE9emuDIs-WGlpkuRe0sW1BUqOuDrvtrvjAHjRzaGWCWTdq7Ulad3VrhwyLD1loUHninm4N-W0KVAA6S9_N_J5Gvs/s320/0078895610017.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a Chinese
take-out dish that I have loved for years, and I was very surprised to find
that it’s a pretty easy meal to make at home.
The secret is in the little jar of Lee Kum Kee Spicy Garlic Sauce. Lee
Kum Kee is sort of the Chef Boyardee of Chinese food – in the same way that
Patak’s is the Chef Boyardee of Indian food.
In actual fact both brands are far better than the Chef.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway the
recipe is pretty easy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8 ounce
jar of Kum Kee Spicy Garlic Sauce<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">½ pound
of ground chicken/pork/beef/turkey/soyburger<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 Chinese
eggplants (the long purple ones)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 small
onion<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup
chopped white mushrooms<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a large
saucepan fry up half a pound of ground pork/beef/turkey/chicken. The original recipe calls for pork, but any
ground meat will do. Vegans may want to substitute
soyburger. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throw in
one small chopped onion and a cup of chopped mushrooms <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chop up
five Chinese eggplants and put them in a large covered Corningware container. Nuke for 5 minutes on high or until soft. Transfer to the large saucepan with the
ground meat, mushrooms and onions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mix in half
the jar (4 ozs) of Lee Kum Kim Spicy Garlic Sauce and let simmer for a couple
of minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then serve
with rice. This is 2-4 servings depending
on whether it’s the main course or a side dish.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505789764040653813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-25841702608341468442012-02-20T13:13:00.000-08:002012-06-19T11:10:03.869-07:00Net Worth Nonsense: What to Include in your Net Worth Calculations<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Net Worth
Nonsense: What to Include in your Net
Worth Calculations</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89RYUWcfCtlg1KeUK8DK1MqiWK2GLOJm7oAOHM-kFLqrc7Ag4ES0Is97GUEMATeeAUbJQCON8NyX9B2zYVewg5bRdpSUA7kSczIRytyhiJ2eBrGgvl3mDiNOhAUotOg40mGkGUFB0ZLU/s1600/500px-X-office-spreadsheet.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89RYUWcfCtlg1KeUK8DK1MqiWK2GLOJm7oAOHM-kFLqrc7Ag4ES0Is97GUEMATeeAUbJQCON8NyX9B2zYVewg5bRdpSUA7kSczIRytyhiJ2eBrGgvl3mDiNOhAUotOg40mGkGUFB0ZLU/s320/500px-X-office-spreadsheet.svg.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used to
sell life insurance. That meant that I
sat at a lot of people’s dining room table helping them figure out their net
worth. I used some tools that were
provided to me by the insurance company.
Today, there are plenty of net worth calculators on the web for you to
use in your own home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They all
include boxes for your assets that include: real estate; retirement accounts;
mutual funds; stocks; bonds; savings accounts and a few other asset
classes. Those are all fine and you
should certainly include them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s the
categories for clothes, collectibles, appliances and automobiles that I have a
concern with. It’s entirely possible
that if you add up all of the items on this list, they could easily come to
$50-100K. That’s a fair size chunk of a
lot of people’s net work. I’m not sure
that including them creates an accurate picture of your net worth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s start
with appliances. If you’re including the
fridge, stove and washer/dryer, you’re most likely going to sell them with your
home, so they’re already included in the valuation of your house/condo. Many people choose not to include their cars
in calculating their net worth because they are a depreciating asset. I choose not to because none of my cars have
ever been worth very much.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clothes
should never be included. After you buy
them and take them home they are pretty much worthless to anyone except
you. You won’t get very much if you try
and sell them – which is why they wind up at the thrift store. Collectibles and
jewellery never get the prices we paid for them, and what’s worse they make us
think that we have more money than we really do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tend to
think of the asset side of the net worth statement as being full of assets that
either appreciate or generate income.
Right now I’m living off of my investments, the calculations of my net
worth are only useful to me if they either make money now or make money in the
future.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505789764040653813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-76113807087103234872012-02-19T17:43:00.000-08:002012-06-19T11:10:54.456-07:00Lessons From the Previous Generation<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Lessons
From the Previous Generation</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieb_2YH9e7Akuv8zZXPLIW3aiscALOtd8WhxwQkS3NaOUtR0XGMMod9eIi2lZPfzjshgbaMoWQoXmvClEMTOwH6nLF_7Go_UVWVHTKv4Hph0KZ30TL2eqAh3vhGbmuJ-0czn4oawuIFOo/s1600/593px-Family-House-1969+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieb_2YH9e7Akuv8zZXPLIW3aiscALOtd8WhxwQkS3NaOUtR0XGMMod9eIi2lZPfzjshgbaMoWQoXmvClEMTOwH6nLF_7Go_UVWVHTKv4Hph0KZ30TL2eqAh3vhGbmuJ-0czn4oawuIFOo/s320/593px-Family-House-1969+(1).jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My parents
grew up in Britain during the Second World War.
North Americans may not realize it but wartime rationing continued for several
years after that. So, when they arrived
over here, they had lived with deprivation for most of their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They
continued with this lifestyle for all of their working lives - and into
retirement. They found that it was a
great way to save money – a lot of money.
There were not a lot of new clothes or eating out. Vacations were taken
around my father’s business trips. The
thermostat hovered around 53 degrees during the winter months. The cars were always bought used and driven
into the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were
times though that frugality crossed over into just plain cheap. The Christmas turkey was cooked at Dad’s
workplace so that it wouldn’t use our electricity. As soon as the kids got part-time jobs we had
to pay rent. We didn’t buy sugar or jam
or anything else that was available in small containers at restaurants.
Every time my father went out for coffee he would fill his pockets with
jam and sugar packets, and bring them home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, the
frugal living tips I offer come from a lifetime of experience. Some of them are ones that I learned from my
parents and some that I’ve come up with on my own. A lot of what my parents did to save money, I
chose not to practice. I know it worked
for them, but it just seemed impractical in my life. However, if any of us had grown up in their
circumstances, we would probably behave the same way. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505789764040653813noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-67764913240829150262012-02-18T14:38:00.000-08:002012-06-19T10:51:42.798-07:00Making Your Favorite Takeout Food at Home: Mango Salad<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b>Making Your Favorite Takeout Food at Home: Mango Salad</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-GEPTD1YljczfyFIvrPLO3oFG2cvI4qQZ4iHj1MunUs92swntHvkz7xv_M-DNhyphenhyphenEsh1QNbnhViO4S-dIXvQiPPSjZUkDWeJDw0HcnIf1VGwCu6nev_VNail_ssg8kRD-aHuzxKRHWEs/s1600/800px-AGF_Mango.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-GEPTD1YljczfyFIvrPLO3oFG2cvI4qQZ4iHj1MunUs92swntHvkz7xv_M-DNhyphenhyphenEsh1QNbnhViO4S-dIXvQiPPSjZUkDWeJDw0HcnIf1VGwCu6nev_VNail_ssg8kRD-aHuzxKRHWEs/s320/800px-AGF_Mango.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There are
plenty of recipes out there already, but I thought it might be nice to
contribute a few for those dishes that we normally either go out for, or order
in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When I
really started to make an effort to economize it was cutting out the take-out
Thai and Chinese food that really hurt the most. So I decided to learn how to make some of my
favorite take-out food, and it really wasn’t that hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So, I just
finished making a batch of mango salad. Whenever I ordered in Thai food it
would always include mango salad. If the
response is good, I might be persuaded to provide you with my recipe for
coconut tom yum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Mango
salad:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">take two red mangoes, peel and cut them into spears<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">add one
small thinly sliced red onion <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">add a cup
of cilantro leaves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">and half a
cup of chopped peanuts (or a cup if you like)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Mix
together in a good sized bowl, I usually use a corningware container with a
lid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
dressing for the salad is made from:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2
tablespoons of lime juice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2
teaspoons of brown sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1 teaspoon
of vegetable oil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">a dash of
fish sauce (or soy sauce or worcestershire sauce, depending on what you've got
hanging around).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Pour on
the dressing and give it a stir. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">This will make 4-6
servings and it will keep for a day or 2 in the fridge</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16505789764040653813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-91928892774475301442012-02-18T12:53:00.000-08:002012-06-19T10:54:07.296-07:00Alternatives to Thrift Store Furniture<br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Alternatives
to Thrift Store Furniture</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeY4Q3T7hd5M5sdHIBy2xsNkbDV8HY6MhPNaj0Oz1dlsNodExYuapf0eWsBCNOkWFAKSt25YPGA28y737E1Pyoa_x1RMFDW2ruNWVIWHScVzueZ96RZKnxtI8gEe9X-7pdpsjUN9CZmU/s1600/298px-ART_DECO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeY4Q3T7hd5M5sdHIBy2xsNkbDV8HY6MhPNaj0Oz1dlsNodExYuapf0eWsBCNOkWFAKSt25YPGA28y737E1Pyoa_x1RMFDW2ruNWVIWHScVzueZ96RZKnxtI8gEe9X-7pdpsjUN9CZmU/s1600/298px-ART_DECO.jpg" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frugal
furniture can be a real challenge. Even
if you decide to build it yourself, that can take time, expertise and
frequently the cost of materials can make it less than viable. Thrift store furniture is an obvious option,
but you have to watch those stores like a hawk because the good stuff gets
snapped up immediately. When you arrive
there’s typically only a couple of couches and chairs left – and they’re not
worth writing home about.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
selection at the for-profit used stores is always better and so is the quality,
but the prices are going to be considerably more than you’ll find at a thrift
store.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two
wonderful alternatives to these choices address all of the above issues:
selection; quality and price. The first
is the used office furniture market.
These are typically huge stores, frequently in industrial parks. There isn’t much of a showroom, instead it’s
like hunting through a hoarder’s garage.
But the quality of the tables, wall-units, waiting room chairs and
couches make this a marvelous alternative to thrift stores. You’ll find the prices only slightly higher
and the selection is dizzying.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second
alternative is the used hotel furniture market.
It’s wing chair heaven. There
aren’t a lot of dining tables, but there’s no shortage of dining chairs, floor
lamps, table lamps, armoires, coffee tables and off course – beds and
bedframes. Just like the with office
furniture market, the selection is vast, the quality is great and the prices
are only slightly higher than what you’d find at the thrift store.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, if you’re
needing to freshen up the look of your place, but you want to do it the frugal
way – consider these two alternatives.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476587327990869562noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-64425314570925900142012-02-17T14:14:00.000-08:002012-06-19T10:58:15.828-07:00The Myth of the Household Budget<br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Myth of
the Household Budget</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJZ2nRYHgfNd7aTpmyHCJ_9LjsOSLJdqBqj2dxbvmMhFIPxHzdKfXTdjPKn9qHAScw_3Nd8bn9GPKJkau6fW8PzqI0cv-HeuWkhLtxegu9z2cHBZM_ULSsTdxyto05iMIek1FTpVKU4mh/s1600/A-ScottishPower-electrici-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJZ2nRYHgfNd7aTpmyHCJ_9LjsOSLJdqBqj2dxbvmMhFIPxHzdKfXTdjPKn9qHAScw_3Nd8bn9GPKJkau6fW8PzqI0cv-HeuWkhLtxegu9z2cHBZM_ULSsTdxyto05iMIek1FTpVKU4mh/s320/A-ScottishPower-electrici-001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Household
financial advice starts with the budget.
Given the stunning amount of household debt that’s around today, we may
want to rethink that one. It’s like
using a diet to address the obesity issue.
Not only does it not work, but it suggests that the inability to follow
either the budget or the diet is the fault of the client and not the counselor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a
few reasons that budgets don’t work:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They give the
householder permission to spend up to the budget limit each month, even if they
don’t need to<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They can’t prepare you
for the catastrophes that sink most budgets – like the $3,000 transmission
repair<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a lot of cases you
simply can’t live within the limits the budget sets out<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The savings portion
may be too small<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In summary,
concept of a household budget is just too rigid to accommodate the average
family’s complicated life. Instead you
should worry about being further ahead at the end of every month (to adequately
prepare for that impending $3000 transmission repair). And that means every purchasing decision
should be reviewed with the monthly goal in mind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frugal
people think about every purchase, and because they do, they wind up purchasing
less. So at the store, they think about:
1) if they really need something and; 2) how little they can get away with
paying for it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frugal
people save, and they like to watch their savings grow. They sleep better at night knowing that when
the transmission fails that they can pay for it. More importantly, they know that each moth
their net worth increases. And that
increase in net worth is the goal, not staying within the budget.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>alternativelyfrugalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992296972884902111noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-27032284571063601822012-02-16T23:00:00.000-08:002012-06-19T11:13:59.821-07:00Checking Out the Savings @ Your Library<br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Checking
Out the Savings @ Your Library</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNdRUVR45J9lizxc2RBTeVvBU8X6au1nkPBvyZYIzkPNn67eXKAcbQ-2H_Euw6uJmEBxW1-CYRZtzjPLFLCxY07CTANswGBpx1Xh3KFfzcpfKsFc7KHPvnKI6Ytn9RHvAGf9Abpeu8V6J/s1600/800px-SanDiegoCityCollegeLearingRecourceCity-bookshelf+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNdRUVR45J9lizxc2RBTeVvBU8X6au1nkPBvyZYIzkPNn67eXKAcbQ-2H_Euw6uJmEBxW1-CYRZtzjPLFLCxY07CTANswGBpx1Xh3KFfzcpfKsFc7KHPvnKI6Ytn9RHvAGf9Abpeu8V6J/s320/800px-SanDiegoCityCollegeLearingRecourceCity-bookshelf+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s say
that there’s a branch of government that keeps retail hours and gives away lots
of cool stuff for free. Is that
something that you’d be interested in?
Your public library has been helping frugal households achieve their
financial goals for decades. Walk in and
look around. In addition to the gangs of
teenage thugs monopolizing the Internet terminals and the rummies sleeping it
off in the magazine area, you’ll see lots and lots of young families.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Especially
early on a Friday evening. That’s when
you’ll see the line-up at the circulation desk packed with young, struggling
families picking up some entertainment for the weekend. Libraries have always been there for this
group, and they always will be. Those
people in line will have armloads of bluerays and DVDs, some picturebooks for
the kids, maybe some videogames and a few a novels for the parents. A whole week’s worth of entertainment – all for
free.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, it’s
free if you can get them back on time.
That’s always been a challenge when using the public library. Those fines can add up in no time at
all. There really is only one way to
address this, and that’s to have one night a week as library night. That way everything gets brought back. Keep a bookbag at the door and make sure that
everything that’s due gets put in it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you can
manage to keep this up, you’ll save money on movie rentals, console games,
books and magazines. What’s more, you’ll
be able to say to your friends, “Oh, no sorry I can’t that night. Thursday is the night my family and I go to
the Library.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And deep
down, haven’t you always wanted to be the kind of person who could say that? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>alternativelyfrugalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992296972884902111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-46471544851012537542012-02-16T17:35:00.000-08:002012-06-19T10:50:36.743-07:00Your Money or your Life....Insurance<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Your Money or your Life....Insurance</span><o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrH0-xK7EWAarL5QbfpocM02kGMvUrz6ze0qZj2sNZyBQHd-vMf9WOexxUNDczcyUKci_Ih9p7jgVhQndTkxu21UA0NhrSnA7I63ImI5BvBk9R4vaHn-sssIE35TM7Xh6HB-mkWei9QsN/s1600/samthom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrH0-xK7EWAarL5QbfpocM02kGMvUrz6ze0qZj2sNZyBQHd-vMf9WOexxUNDczcyUKci_Ih9p7jgVhQndTkxu21UA0NhrSnA7I63ImI5BvBk9R4vaHn-sssIE35TM7Xh6HB-mkWei9QsN/s320/samthom.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You either
need to have life insurance or money and you should never have both. Life insurance should always be a short-term
measure that protects the people that you care about in the event that
something happens to you. While you’re
protected by a non-participating, term life policy you need to be saving, so
that eventually you will no longer need that insurance.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Term life
is dirt cheap when you’re young, and gets more expensive as you get older. With that in mind, as your net worth grows,
you should gradually begin to scale back on the face amount of your term life
policies. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The real
savings here are from where you get your term insurance. The answer is, <i>From anyone except your insurance agent.</i> Now don’t get me wrong, I love insurance
agents. I <i>was</i> an insurance agent for a while.
A life insurance agent has access to a dizzying array of financial
instruments that might be useful to you at different times in your life. Unfortunately, the life insurance that comes
from an agent – even term insurance - is always the most expensive.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, where
should get your term life insurance? You
can get it from any groups that you belong to.
That includes extra coverage from your employer; any professional or
trade association that you belong to; any educational alumni association; a
service club or fraternal order; automobile associations – the list is
endless. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes,
everyone should have life insurance, just don’t buy it from an insurance agent.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>alternativelyfrugalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992296972884902111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-58400468426628882962012-02-16T16:14:00.000-08:002012-06-19T11:12:54.478-07:00In Praise of the Lowly Chest Freezer<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Praise of the Lowly Chest Freezer<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBv91cWzalYgORVf5qYn1-ejPcxvwm33yAeqoWv995T46zHOrj1JNcSWHh-sw-7lQ2SKrBulKJ6q_XMrr3nRZjYal5gqxTrv1GFY8jKYaDFcSidmMivDs7yCS8BpwDCx-XsRBHeVsAgL7/s1600/BimgTCL+TCF-150X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBv91cWzalYgORVf5qYn1-ejPcxvwm33yAeqoWv995T46zHOrj1JNcSWHh-sw-7lQ2SKrBulKJ6q_XMrr3nRZjYal5gqxTrv1GFY8jKYaDFcSidmMivDs7yCS8BpwDCx-XsRBHeVsAgL7/s1600/BimgTCL+TCF-150X.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s hard
to imagine an appliance that has the same economic benefits of a chest freezer. I like chest freezers because they can come
in some very small sizes – sometimes under 2 cubic feet. At that size they can fit on the counter of
your kitchen. That means that you don’t
have to own a traditional house with a basement or laundry room to enjoy the
savings that this unassuming white box can provide you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And we’re
not going to fill it up with frozen pizzas or any kind of microwaveable meals,
no sir. We’re going to fill it with meat,
bread, bagels and frozen vegetables that we purchased on sale. We’re going to buy several yards of sausage
at sale prices, take them home, cook them all, then put 3 or 4 each in baggies
to freeze. And we’ll do the same with those
chicken thighs that we found on sale. We’re
going to make a football field sized lasagne then cut it into individual
servings and put them in generic plastic food storage containers. Then we’ll make a rain barrel full of chilli
and do the same thing. So, there’s no
need to call for delivery or pick-up drive-through, you already have a chest
full of fast-food.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you live
alone, a chest freezer can help you save money and eat healthier. When I lived alone I found that eating vegetables
was difficult because they were always going bad in my fridge. Access to a good sized deep freeze means that
you‘ll never have to worry about your vegetables going bad ever again. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can get
a medium sized chest freezer for around $150.
At that price you’ll probably find that it’ll pay for itself in grocery
savings in 3-6 months. You’ll also enjoy the benefits of lower
grocery bills and fewer grocery excursions.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, while
you might not be cool, at least you can always be chillin’.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>alternativelyfrugalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15992296972884902111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-68074019560422689822012-02-16T14:04:00.000-08:002012-06-19T10:59:14.524-07:00The Wonders of Cable TV<br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Wonders
of Cable TV</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, this is
going to be more than a little contrarian, but that’s the whole point of this
blog. Cable TV shouldn’t be something
high on your list to cut, when you’re trying to economize. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, when I
say cable, I’m including satellite services and anybody else that provides
content to your TV. The reason is quite
simple, cable TV can provide a quite luxurious level of entertainment at a very
low cost. That is, provided that you follow
2 basic rules:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPqw6_hf1-Lw_8wqr_iPLRvgIY8EWACnAiDBZoczIRE4vMlBLVUtFxWwsrF7rKXr7-Q9LGFsOVEN4onS3ULlJj1lkfaKd7z_9J8E9ozNQ2L5LKgn69iTg2Jd9t6EigeVTGvvF6JZF8cs/s1600/ba62827c17bc66c6718cef364b182762d99204b2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPqw6_hf1-Lw_8wqr_iPLRvgIY8EWACnAiDBZoczIRE4vMlBLVUtFxWwsrF7rKXr7-Q9LGFsOVEN4onS3ULlJj1lkfaKd7z_9J8E9ozNQ2L5LKgn69iTg2Jd9t6EigeVTGvvF6JZF8cs/s200/ba62827c17bc66c6718cef364b182762d99204b2.jpg" width="184" /></a><i><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Continually review your channel line-up and get rid of anything you don’t
watch on a regular basis;<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No pay-per-view – ever.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pay-per-view thing is pretty
obvious. By all means get a movie
channel or two and then just wait a few weeks until the new movies arrive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That luxurious level of
entertainment I was talking about – let’s dig into that one a bit further. Say your cable bill is pretty high -$150 per
month. That means that for $3 per day,
your entire family can enjoy an at home an entertainment experience that could
cost $50.00 if you were to go out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it’s the going out that gets us
in the end. Visit friends and have
friends visit you (and your first rate cable package), but as soon as you step
into the multiplex or the sports bar the costs come in multiples of that $3 per
day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, enjoy the flat screen and your
cable package, just like you did before.
Except now you can be a little smug about how incredibly thrifty you are.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476587327990869562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126378205204624601.post-56832682577399683162012-02-15T18:00:00.001-08:002012-06-19T11:12:13.803-07:00Your Own Personal Economic Infrastructure<br />
<b><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Your Own Personal Economic Infrastructure</span></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGRIcX1PcA36cgkrqfOQ8YguB-kmFAk6PASYVlLfAnK55mBkxDeGO1CM2JHgoqvVLCnATsylnytp4QDu6kJ_3-E0JdYWSrHh5bKnXiWflYi0Dn9qCP4qYsqFbAifALqgNIUvbB4uEgGE/s1600/77be8d8864353942dad92a63fc319dca07e7d7df.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGRIcX1PcA36cgkrqfOQ8YguB-kmFAk6PASYVlLfAnK55mBkxDeGO1CM2JHgoqvVLCnATsylnytp4QDu6kJ_3-E0JdYWSrHh5bKnXiWflYi0Dn9qCP4qYsqFbAifALqgNIUvbB4uEgGE/s320/77be8d8864353942dad92a63fc319dca07e7d7df.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead of
the mountain of books out there that attempt to assist people in improving
their net worth and getting out of debt, I think we should concentrate on books
that have a slightly different focus.
Improving your personal finances is a complex process that deserves a
whole lot more thought than simplistic maxims like <i>Pay yourself first</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One book
that captures the challenges faced by people living with greatly reduced
incomes is Pat </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: large; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Capponi</span>’s</span> <i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dispatches From
the Poverty Line</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Capponi gives us
some insight into a life that has been robbed of any infrastructure that can
help lift a person out of poverty. It’s
full of rented rooms with no access to refrigeration, so meals have to be purchased
ready to eat. There’s no TV or cable, so
entertainment becomes something you go out for.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s that
infrastructure that’s so very important when someone is trying to economize:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><i>The
vegetable garden where the sun and some water can provide you with the means to supplement your groceries with healthy produce</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><i>The
workshop where you can repair broken appliances, furniture and fixtures</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><i>The
chest freezer that allows you to buy large quantities of items on sale and have
them available whenever you need them</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><i>The
car that takes you to the big box store to take advantage of bulk discount</i></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">The ensuite washer and dryer that saves you countless time consuming trips
to the l</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">aundromat</span></span></i></div>
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<em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">The
big screen TV that provides a wealth of inexpensive entertainment at home</span></em></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And sadly,
these are things that so many people take for granted, but when they’re gone we
notice the impact on our pocketbook immediately. Many of the items in the above list are
associated with home ownership, and yet we don’t often hear about them as concrete
economic benefits. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know that
people generally associate frugality with fewer possessions, and I tend to
agree with that – except when those possessions allow you to save money. Then they become part of your own personal
economic infrastructure. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476587327990869562noreply@blogger.com0