Figured I would put this up because it is kind of funny and I know a lot of you hate banks and those evil people who work in them. My opinions on a lot of that are already on the record but I still sort of like it when the little guy (or gal) gives a good shot to "the man".
Anyway the hippie chick in question is well a hippie. She does not like banks or large corporations or any of thing else that isn't free trade and organically certified and vegetarian. She decided to make a premeditated attack on a major financial institution called WAMU.
This attack was perpetrated with the hippie approved version of a tank, the 1970's Volvo. The attack was perpetrated by driving that Volvo through the front window into the lobby! She managed to get away with her calculated attack consequence free by saying that "her brakes failed", what a masterful play.
This round goes to the hippies.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Do The Best You Can With Your Situation
I got to thinking about this one today. Simply put we all have parts of our overall life situation we are not willing to change. Maybe it is the house in the burbs or the pretty good job in a slightly too large for comfort city or the region you are staying in because of family ties, I don't know we've all got something.
My point is not that these situations are ideal but that there are often some parts of our life we are not willing to change. Lots of folks will talk about the wisdom and benefits of changing these things. Sometimes we just aren't willing to make the sacrifices necessary for a certain thing to change.
Instead of giving up I encourage you to think out of the box and do the absolute best you can to prepare. Instead of living full time at an isolated farm in a rural area you can probably have a fully stocked camper ready to go and a couple acres 50 miles away from home in the middle of nowhere. Maybe you can build a shed at your uncles farm and keep some stuff there.
This is just one possible situation but the point is to do the best you can regardless of the situation you choose to be in.
My point is not that these situations are ideal but that there are often some parts of our life we are not willing to change. Lots of folks will talk about the wisdom and benefits of changing these things. Sometimes we just aren't willing to make the sacrifices necessary for a certain thing to change.
Instead of giving up I encourage you to think out of the box and do the absolute best you can to prepare. Instead of living full time at an isolated farm in a rural area you can probably have a fully stocked camper ready to go and a couple acres 50 miles away from home in the middle of nowhere. Maybe you can build a shed at your uncles farm and keep some stuff there.
This is just one possible situation but the point is to do the best you can regardless of the situation you choose to be in.
Wednesday Evening
Got a lot of comments on both of yesterdays posts! I do believe 30 comments has got to be a rantfest daily record. I didn't even get to really looking at the posts on the wheat grinder. Certainly got some research and thinking to do. Just can't justify the real expensive one, at least not at this time. Too much cash for something in an area I haven't explored at all and am not sure if I will get serious about. I will probably buy good now and best later.
Re: Heating Canned Goods in their Original Package
I asked Bush Brother's, the popular purveyor of baked beans, if they
recommended heating their product directly in the can over a campfire
and got this mostly corporate, but somewhat insightful response:
Dear Mr. Xxxx:
Thank you for contacting us.
We do not recommend heating our product in the can over a campfire.
We were able to find in literature several articles that stated that
the temperatures in a campfire are in the range of 500 - 650 degrees C
(932 F - 1202 F). We do not use can liner materials or end sealing
compounds that can stand-up to these temperatures. In fact, I am not
aware of any commercial lining materials and end sealant compounds
that can stand-up to these temperatures. Although our current liner
and end sealant materials are approved for their intended use in a can
that is cooked at high temperatures they are not approved nor have
they even been studied at the typical temperatures that can exist in a
campfire. The concern with the materials is what happens to them at
these elevated temperatures and what the by-products of combustion
might be at these elevated temperatures.
Again, we thank you for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate
your interest in our products.
Sincerely,
Yyyy Yyyy
Consumer Relations Coordinator
It seems that she is implying that their linings will hold up to
canning temperatures of 100 C (212 F) and that this would be an
acceptable way to heat up canned food. So I asked her that question
directly and got this very corporate response:
Dear Mr. Xxxx:
We suggest following the heating instructions on the can.
We appreciate your interest in our products.
Sincerely,
Yyyy Yyyy
Consumer Relations Coordinator
I've eaten plenty of canned beans cooked over a campfire, but now I
will be more conscious of the temperature at which I cook them. The
safest way would obviously be to remove the beans from the can and use
a pot or pan, but the second best way is probably to try to indirectly
heat canned goods through boiling water or steam.
-Michael P
TOR here: Michael, thanks for sending this my way. It is certainly interesting. I think we have all heated some sort of canned stuff up in its original container at some point. Think setting chili on the stove was my way. Odds are it will not kill you if you do it once (though I am not an expert so who knows, consider yourself disclaimed) in a blue moon but it is probably not good to have some sort of can liner break down into food you eat on a regular basis. I don't think I will do this again, it is just too easy to have a small pot or a metal canteen cup.
recommended heating their product directly in the can over a campfire
and got this mostly corporate, but somewhat insightful response:
Dear Mr. Xxxx:
Thank you for contacting us.
We do not recommend heating our product in the can over a campfire.
We were able to find in literature several articles that stated that
the temperatures in a campfire are in the range of 500 - 650 degrees C
(932 F - 1202 F). We do not use can liner materials or end sealing
compounds that can stand-up to these temperatures. In fact, I am not
aware of any commercial lining materials and end sealant compounds
that can stand-up to these temperatures. Although our current liner
and end sealant materials are approved for their intended use in a can
that is cooked at high temperatures they are not approved nor have
they even been studied at the typical temperatures that can exist in a
campfire. The concern with the materials is what happens to them at
these elevated temperatures and what the by-products of combustion
might be at these elevated temperatures.
Again, we thank you for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate
your interest in our products.
Sincerely,
Yyyy Yyyy
Consumer Relations Coordinator
It seems that she is implying that their linings will hold up to
canning temperatures of 100 C (212 F) and that this would be an
acceptable way to heat up canned food. So I asked her that question
directly and got this very corporate response:
Dear Mr. Xxxx:
We suggest following the heating instructions on the can.
We appreciate your interest in our products.
Sincerely,
Yyyy Yyyy
Consumer Relations Coordinator
I've eaten plenty of canned beans cooked over a campfire, but now I
will be more conscious of the temperature at which I cook them. The
safest way would obviously be to remove the beans from the can and use
a pot or pan, but the second best way is probably to try to indirectly
heat canned goods through boiling water or steam.
-Michael P
TOR here: Michael, thanks for sending this my way. It is certainly interesting. I think we have all heated some sort of canned stuff up in its original container at some point. Think setting chili on the stove was my way. Odds are it will not kill you if you do it once (though I am not an expert so who knows, consider yourself disclaimed) in a blue moon but it is probably not good to have some sort of can liner break down into food you eat on a regular basis. I don't think I will do this again, it is just too easy to have a small pot or a metal canteen cup.
quote of the day
"The first rule of survival is to avoid survival situations."
-Double Tapper who I will refer to as The American Double Tapper to differentiate him from our Israeli friend Double Tapper.
-Double Tapper who I will refer to as The American Double Tapper to differentiate him from our Israeli friend Double Tapper.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Wheat Grinders?
I have a check from Google Adsense on the way for roughly $150.00. I told myself I was going to use at least some of the cash from this new albeit modest revenue stream to get stuff I know we can really use but just haven't gotten around to purchasing yet. The first thing that comes to mind is a grinder. I have looked at them some online and they seem to vary widely.
My two initial thoughts are that 1) I obviously want one that is human powered and 2) I want a reliable and long term useful one made of metal. Odds are this will be the only grinder I have for awhile and I don't want a cheap 'starter' one but something that is really useful. As for cost I have some flexibility but would have a hard time justifying going much above $200ish.
What are your experiences and suggestions in this area?
My two initial thoughts are that 1) I obviously want one that is human powered and 2) I want a reliable and long term useful one made of metal. Odds are this will be the only grinder I have for awhile and I don't want a cheap 'starter' one but something that is really useful. As for cost I have some flexibility but would have a hard time justifying going much above $200ish.
What are your experiences and suggestions in this area?
The Single Income Household
This one has been kicking around in my head for awhile but it really has been picking up steam over today.
I am going to discuss two fundamental questions:
1. Is a single income household the right thing for you?
2. Is it a realistic way of life for people these days?
To the questions at hand:
1. Is a single income household the right thing for you? Well that depends a whole lot about you, your spouse, your family and what you really want out of life. You and the spouse being on the same page fully is probably the most important thing, far more important than what I or anyone else thinks.
As to the broader question I think the answer is often yes. One person being at home to take care of the kiddo's and even potentially home school them can often have positive effects on their development and such at least unless you are crappy parents then they are screwed anyway. In terms of raising children to school age a single income household is probably a desirable thing.
Unless the second wage earner makes pretty decent dough it is often a wash between having them working and earning a wage but paying child care, car payment and or assorted costs of needing a second car, eating more convenience foods and such.
2. Is a single income household a realistic way of life for people these days? I have heard people say it just isn't realistic to have one wage earner and I certainly disagree.
For instance my in laws are a single income household with a fine standard of living, because FIL makes a lot of money. This is however not to say that unless you make a whole bunch of money a single income household will not work. To a certain degree saying 'just go out and make more money' would be a bogus excuse because it will not work for everyone. Most folks could figure out a way to earn a bit more if they really tried by getting a little bump in pay, picking up a few more hours or trying for that promotion but often this is not enough to radically change your lifestyle.
To all those who say you have to make a bunch of money to be a single income household I have two words, the Dakins.
Simply put if it is really important to you to have a parent at home with the kids then make the choices necessary for it to work in your financial situation. This is almost invariably going to mean some sort of sacrifice even if it is relatively modest. If you say you want to have a parent at home but are not willing to give up the ski boat, the two new vehicles with loans, assorted other keeping up with the Jones's crap and quite possibly that house you can't really afford anyway then you don't really want it! The degree of sacrifice will depend on your income but in almost every case you will have to accept a different lifestyle than has become the norm.
You can do it if you want to bad enough.
Thoughts?
I am going to discuss two fundamental questions:
1. Is a single income household the right thing for you?
2. Is it a realistic way of life for people these days?
To the questions at hand:
1. Is a single income household the right thing for you? Well that depends a whole lot about you, your spouse, your family and what you really want out of life. You and the spouse being on the same page fully is probably the most important thing, far more important than what I or anyone else thinks.
As to the broader question I think the answer is often yes. One person being at home to take care of the kiddo's and even potentially home school them can often have positive effects on their development and such at least unless you are crappy parents then they are screwed anyway. In terms of raising children to school age a single income household is probably a desirable thing.
Unless the second wage earner makes pretty decent dough it is often a wash between having them working and earning a wage but paying child care, car payment and or assorted costs of needing a second car, eating more convenience foods and such.
2. Is a single income household a realistic way of life for people these days? I have heard people say it just isn't realistic to have one wage earner and I certainly disagree.
For instance my in laws are a single income household with a fine standard of living, because FIL makes a lot of money. This is however not to say that unless you make a whole bunch of money a single income household will not work. To a certain degree saying 'just go out and make more money' would be a bogus excuse because it will not work for everyone. Most folks could figure out a way to earn a bit more if they really tried by getting a little bump in pay, picking up a few more hours or trying for that promotion but often this is not enough to radically change your lifestyle.
To all those who say you have to make a bunch of money to be a single income household I have two words, the Dakins.
Simply put if it is really important to you to have a parent at home with the kids then make the choices necessary for it to work in your financial situation. This is almost invariably going to mean some sort of sacrifice even if it is relatively modest. If you say you want to have a parent at home but are not willing to give up the ski boat, the two new vehicles with loans, assorted other keeping up with the Jones's crap and quite possibly that house you can't really afford anyway then you don't really want it! The degree of sacrifice will depend on your income but in almost every case you will have to accept a different lifestyle than has become the norm.
You can do it if you want to bad enough.
Thoughts?
Monday, September 28, 2009
Comments
I like it when readers have strong quantifiable and reasoned points against my thoughts. Not saying I am wrong or they are (occasionally one or the other is true but it is often more like judging art than like math where there is a distinct right or wrong) or that there is a high probability either will change the others mind. It isn't about convincing people, at the end of the day it is your money, your life and your choice.
What I get out of these discussions is that it makes me question the foundations and beliefs behind their points and much more importantly those foundations and beliefs behind my own points. It is too easy to take something as fact because somebody said it and if you can't come up with a convincing case for why your way of doing things is a good one maybe it isn't.
Not that any of you do but please by all means feel free to question what I say or think in a vigorous manner.
What I get out of these discussions is that it makes me question the foundations and beliefs behind their points and much more importantly those foundations and beliefs behind my own points. It is too easy to take something as fact because somebody said it and if you can't come up with a convincing case for why your way of doing things is a good one maybe it isn't.
Not that any of you do but please by all means feel free to question what I say or think in a vigorous manner.
Just Thought You Should Know
First of all I want to say that I value my readers. Almost everyone who regularly participates brings something interesting to the party. I imagine most of the quiet people (probably 90%) tend to be good folk also who for whatever reason like to be wall flowers (seriously that is just fine guys and gals). However there are a few folks who show up from time to time who just don't belong here. Not saying they are bad folks necessarily just that this isn't their type of party. Assuming you showed up very recently here are a couple things which make this place somewhat unique (for good or bad) and are NOT GOING TO CHANGE. If you can't deal with these little eccentricities then you might be best finding another place to hang out. There are lots of great sites out there and if you try the "Blogs We Read" section on the right I am sure you will find something, no harm no foul it just is that everyone doesn't quite click.
1. I curse. I do not curse in every post and for the most part do a good job of not having every other world be one you can't say on TV. Some posts are R rated for language. I could for the most part get my point across without cursing just the same way I could writing in Sonnets or as Country Western lyrics but I am not going to. I talk and write the way I do and plan to continue in more or less the same fashion for the foreseeable future.
2. Not everything I write is "on topic". Heck a decent fraction of stuff doesn't even really fall under rantfest. Most of the reason I started this blog was to chronicle my adventures and misadventures in preparedness and thoughts thereon but a part of why it keeps going is that it chronicles my adventures and misadventures in life, cooking and eating, marriage, work, travels and just about everything else. Some folks are interested and others aren't but I sort of like to be able to look back 2,3, 6 or 12 months and sort of remember what was going on in my life then. The longer this thing goes (no plans to stop but not sure it will go on forever) the more interesting that will get.
I also talk about beer because well I like it and from time to time I post pictures of beautiful women and sometimes even [the picture is not neeked. However if you fiddle with the link it is on you] shameless boob shots. I am aware that if a significant fraction of the total posts fell into this category it would be a very different blog and I make conscious decisions against that path.
As the Russians say quantity has a quality of its own. I look at blogging like digital photography (remember when your picture taking was restricted by the 12 shots in the roll of film instead of the 2.5 million on your SD card? Man that sucked). Do a bunch of it and some will just suck, most will be fair and a few will be downright great.
Of the most recent 25 posts here a grand total of 2 were pretty far off topic which is a whopping 12.5%. On most of the blogs I read regularly and like a lot I don't find about 20-25% of the posts interesting and there are probably another 10% where I read a line or two and skip down to the next one. This is not at all to say these blogs are bad, quite the opposite because they are great. My point is that no matter how focused or whatever a writer is they will not possibly please even every regular reader with all of their posts, heck if they please most readers with around half of their posts they are doing great.
I think even if you factor out the off topic posts there is still enough stuff here to keep most readers checking back fairly regular like.
Anyway I just want folks to know what they are getting into. Maybe it is nit picky but I am sort of tired of the "oh your evil cruel cursing offended my innocent precious little heart" and "what does this have to do with preparedness?" type of comments. From now on I am going to reserve the right to mock without mercy people who post either of these types of comments.
1. I curse. I do not curse in every post and for the most part do a good job of not having every other world be one you can't say on TV. Some posts are R rated for language. I could for the most part get my point across without cursing just the same way I could writing in Sonnets or as Country Western lyrics but I am not going to. I talk and write the way I do and plan to continue in more or less the same fashion for the foreseeable future.
2. Not everything I write is "on topic". Heck a decent fraction of stuff doesn't even really fall under rantfest. Most of the reason I started this blog was to chronicle my adventures and misadventures in preparedness and thoughts thereon but a part of why it keeps going is that it chronicles my adventures and misadventures in life, cooking and eating, marriage, work, travels and just about everything else. Some folks are interested and others aren't but I sort of like to be able to look back 2,3, 6 or 12 months and sort of remember what was going on in my life then. The longer this thing goes (no plans to stop but not sure it will go on forever) the more interesting that will get.
I also talk about beer because well I like it and from time to time I post pictures of beautiful women and sometimes even [the picture is not neeked. However if you fiddle with the link it is on you] shameless boob shots. I am aware that if a significant fraction of the total posts fell into this category it would be a very different blog and I make conscious decisions against that path.
As the Russians say quantity has a quality of its own. I look at blogging like digital photography (remember when your picture taking was restricted by the 12 shots in the roll of film instead of the 2.5 million on your SD card? Man that sucked). Do a bunch of it and some will just suck, most will be fair and a few will be downright great.
Of the most recent 25 posts here a grand total of 2 were pretty far off topic which is a whopping 12.5%. On most of the blogs I read regularly and like a lot I don't find about 20-25% of the posts interesting and there are probably another 10% where I read a line or two and skip down to the next one. This is not at all to say these blogs are bad, quite the opposite because they are great. My point is that no matter how focused or whatever a writer is they will not possibly please even every regular reader with all of their posts, heck if they please most readers with around half of their posts they are doing great.
I think even if you factor out the off topic posts there is still enough stuff here to keep most readers checking back fairly regular like.
Anyway I just want folks to know what they are getting into. Maybe it is nit picky but I am sort of tired of the "oh your evil cruel cursing offended my innocent precious little heart" and "what does this have to do with preparedness?" type of comments. From now on I am going to reserve the right to mock without mercy people who post either of these types of comments.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
What I Did To Prepare This Week?
It was a pretty productive week though admittedly efforts were split over several fronts:
Really got fitness cranking by doing good PT every weekday morning and hitting the weight pile 4 times after work. Nutrition wasn't perfect and admittedly I ate a little bit too much, nothing drastic but will try and do better next week.
We put about 40 Euro into the emergency fund toward the long term goal of a few hundred Euro's in cash.
I also added some cash to the fund allocated for Glock 9mm mags and spare parts. Waiting for the ATM card for the local bank to show up so I can put cash in and order stuff already. It will be nice to have my mag to gun ratio up to par and have enough spare parts to fix the likely failures in my core collection of guns.
Got some more food: wheat flour, corn meal and some other stuff. Wifey is doing the buy two of everything we would have gotten anyway plan so we will get stuff we will really use.
What did you do to prepare this week?
Really got fitness cranking by doing good PT every weekday morning and hitting the weight pile 4 times after work. Nutrition wasn't perfect and admittedly I ate a little bit too much, nothing drastic but will try and do better next week.
We put about 40 Euro into the emergency fund toward the long term goal of a few hundred Euro's in cash.
I also added some cash to the fund allocated for Glock 9mm mags and spare parts. Waiting for the ATM card for the local bank to show up so I can put cash in and order stuff already. It will be nice to have my mag to gun ratio up to par and have enough spare parts to fix the likely failures in my core collection of guns.
Got some more food: wheat flour, corn meal and some other stuff. Wifey is doing the buy two of everything we would have gotten anyway plan so we will get stuff we will really use.
What did you do to prepare this week?
Book Bomb Day Coming Up
I have reviewed Jim Rawls's excellent new book HTSTEOTWAWKI and I thoughtfully enjoyed it. The previously designated Book Bomb Day of September 30th is coming up rapidly. As I mentioned before I think almost everybody will get something out of this book, certainly their $11.47 worth. This book would make a great gift for a friend who is getting started in preparadness or might be halfway interested in it.
I have previously forgotten to mention one thing in this book which really stuck with me. Simply put it is a call to action. Jim Rawles more or less observed that too many people get stuck into studying and thinking about preparadness instead of getting out and actually doing it. If your waist line isn't getting slimmer and your pantry isn't filling up then you really aren't making any progress. The goal is to get more prepared than you are now, not to know more about preparadness or study it more thoughrully.
Get out there and become more prepared!
I have previously forgotten to mention one thing in this book which really stuck with me. Simply put it is a call to action. Jim Rawles more or less observed that too many people get stuck into studying and thinking about preparadness instead of getting out and actually doing it. If your waist line isn't getting slimmer and your pantry isn't filling up then you really aren't making any progress. The goal is to get more prepared than you are now, not to know more about preparadness or study it more thoughrully.
Get out there and become more prepared!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Glock or Gold?
I saw this post over at Suburban Prepper. Thought about it while we went and grabbed a bite to eat then rented a couple of movies. My initial thought is to get a half dozen or so of each.
The real thing is that our money is limited while desires are infinite and buying one thing often means that at least right away you can not buy another thing. So which thing to buy? Are you better taking that wad of $100 bills and buying some gold or getting a glock?
Well that sort of depends. Do you want a gold coin or a Glock or a tv or a set of snow tires or a weekend in Phoenix Arizona? I threw in the last three just because it shows there are many options for your hard earned money and that weighing unlike items is difficult. A Glock 9mm will be great for defending yourself but will not keep your car from spinning out in the snow this winter. It is nice to watch TV but seeing Uncle Joe in Phoenix would be fun and they have that place with the great margaritas.
I guess the simple question is if you want a Glock or a piece of Gold. Obviously a Glock is good for defending yourself or target shooting or barter in case the end of the world happens [though to high in value for day to day transactions a quality handgun would be great to trade for a large animal or passage the heck out of somewhere or some sort of other big thing]. The same dollar denomination in gold [we are talking about what is best for your hard earned dollars] will not defend you but then again that isn't what we are making a purchase for. One advantage I can think of with gold is that presently there are no regulations about who you can buy or sell small quantities [I think over certain weights there is some regulation but us normal folks won't be troubled by that.] of gold or to whom they can sell it to. If you are from Idaho and want to sell an ounce of gold to a felon from California while in a restaurant in Nevada nobody gives a darn at least to the best of my knowledge. Also if you sell or swap gold to someone they will not be able to use that gold to cause physical harm to you. Lets say the sketchy bikers from that compound out in the hills show up to the Ye Old Barter Faire with a couple of solar panels you can totally use. A piece of gold in their hands will get you the goods you want but they can not use it to do physical harm to you. The same is obviously not true with a handgun. [Trading a pistol to kind old Farmer Joe who has something you need would probably be just fine but suffice to say care should be given in who you would want to arm.]
That gold is a very compact store of value also has some advantages. [Yes it also has disadvantages but that is why God was kind enough to invent silver and .22 ammo:] The stuff currently costs a bit more than a grand an once depending on what size or type of coins you want. Lets say it looks like something really bad is going to happen so you take a bunch of cash out of the bank or whatever and turn it into gold. All of a sudden you need to leave home with little warning and not a lot of stuff, gold is perfect. With a tiny bit of creativity and or halfway decent sewing skills you could leave home with a backpack and a dozen ounces of gold discretely stored on your person or in your possessions. Plenty enough to get a place to stay for awhile or even heaven forbid have a leg up in making a fresh start. It would be a lot harder to toss a couple dozen Glocks into your backpack.
I personally buy guns for my own use and to have the option of loaning or giving to others in a time of need. If the need arose I could easily part with a few guns. Suppose I could buy arms as 'an investment' or for barter, maybe someday I will. More likely I will just buy guns I like and will use. I have a decent collection of guns now and will probably double it over the course of my lifetime. Offloading some off caliber or non standard platform weapons is something I could do if need be.
I buy gold because it is a non denominated store of wealth which is widely accepted and has been for a very long time. Within my means I will continue to buy gold over the long term.
The real thing is that our money is limited while desires are infinite and buying one thing often means that at least right away you can not buy another thing. So which thing to buy? Are you better taking that wad of $100 bills and buying some gold or getting a glock?
Well that sort of depends. Do you want a gold coin or a Glock or a tv or a set of snow tires or a weekend in Phoenix Arizona? I threw in the last three just because it shows there are many options for your hard earned money and that weighing unlike items is difficult. A Glock 9mm will be great for defending yourself but will not keep your car from spinning out in the snow this winter. It is nice to watch TV but seeing Uncle Joe in Phoenix would be fun and they have that place with the great margaritas.
I guess the simple question is if you want a Glock or a piece of Gold. Obviously a Glock is good for defending yourself or target shooting or barter in case the end of the world happens [though to high in value for day to day transactions a quality handgun would be great to trade for a large animal or passage the heck out of somewhere or some sort of other big thing]. The same dollar denomination in gold [we are talking about what is best for your hard earned dollars] will not defend you but then again that isn't what we are making a purchase for. One advantage I can think of with gold is that presently there are no regulations about who you can buy or sell small quantities [I think over certain weights there is some regulation but us normal folks won't be troubled by that.] of gold or to whom they can sell it to. If you are from Idaho and want to sell an ounce of gold to a felon from California while in a restaurant in Nevada nobody gives a darn at least to the best of my knowledge. Also if you sell or swap gold to someone they will not be able to use that gold to cause physical harm to you. Lets say the sketchy bikers from that compound out in the hills show up to the Ye Old Barter Faire with a couple of solar panels you can totally use. A piece of gold in their hands will get you the goods you want but they can not use it to do physical harm to you. The same is obviously not true with a handgun. [Trading a pistol to kind old Farmer Joe who has something you need would probably be just fine but suffice to say care should be given in who you would want to arm.]
That gold is a very compact store of value also has some advantages. [Yes it also has disadvantages but that is why God was kind enough to invent silver and .22 ammo:] The stuff currently costs a bit more than a grand an once depending on what size or type of coins you want. Lets say it looks like something really bad is going to happen so you take a bunch of cash out of the bank or whatever and turn it into gold. All of a sudden you need to leave home with little warning and not a lot of stuff, gold is perfect. With a tiny bit of creativity and or halfway decent sewing skills you could leave home with a backpack and a dozen ounces of gold discretely stored on your person or in your possessions. Plenty enough to get a place to stay for awhile or even heaven forbid have a leg up in making a fresh start. It would be a lot harder to toss a couple dozen Glocks into your backpack.
I personally buy guns for my own use and to have the option of loaning or giving to others in a time of need. If the need arose I could easily part with a few guns. Suppose I could buy arms as 'an investment' or for barter, maybe someday I will. More likely I will just buy guns I like and will use. I have a decent collection of guns now and will probably double it over the course of my lifetime. Offloading some off caliber or non standard platform weapons is something I could do if need be.
I buy gold because it is a non denominated store of wealth which is widely accepted and has been for a very long time. Within my means I will continue to buy gold over the long term.
Friday, September 25, 2009
quote of the day
"One of the great things about the US is that you can speak your mind and protest."
-President Barrack Obama
-President Barrack Obama
Ode To The Ka-Bar
I like knives. Not quite sure how many non kitchen knives we have lying around but me thinks it probably counts a lot. One knife I think everyone could really benefit from owning is the good old fashioned Ka-Bar. I got mine for around $40 from cheaper than dirt but that was awhile ago and they now cost $54 or so.
Anyway there are a lot of general purpose/ fighting knives around but few if any beat the Ka-Bar. First of all they are just awesomely classic which is cool. Second of all they are a big old piece of steel with a leather handle. Third of all short of killing someone with a can of budweiser or dropping a model T on their face in terms of hand to hand killing it doesn't get much more American than stabbing some asshat in the face with a gone Ka-Bar.
There are all sorts of super cool fancy urban combat special operations commando fighting knives these days. One could play a game where they made up a tough sounding name for a knife then threw in a bio of some special operations guy and sold it for $200-600. Mine will be called "The Boar" and it was invented by an Raul Enrique Gonzalez an elite Paraguaan Navy Seal, it can be had for the very reasonable price of $382.49. That is a low price for a deadly fighting instrument invented by the most elite Special Operations SEAL forces of South America. If you buy this knife suddenly you will be strong, brave and capable of doing amazing things but only for the power of good.
Anyway I am not going to say that all of these new knives are crap. I know a guy who always had the newest coolest knife. He spent money on knives that made what I spent on guns seem reasonable. Some of those knives where pretty awesome and I bet would take a real beating.
However lets look at it this way. Would you rather have "The Boar" for $382.49 or a pair of Ka-Bar's, a used Remington pump shotgun and 50 rounds of buckshot? I personally would stash another boom clack and have a knife to have on me and one to throw in the trunk of my car just in case.
While a Ka-Bar will not get you mall ninja chic points it will certainly do what it is made to do and cut stuff or heaven forbid cut and stab people. I firmly believe in my heart of hearts that if you can hold up your end of the proverbial bargain a Ka-Bar will never let you down.
You should get one of these and maybe a spare. I am thinking about a couple of spares........ Prolly think about this shortly after the ATM card for the new bank account (where there is a bank here into which I can put several hundred dollar bills) finally shows up and I order the bunch of AR/870/Glock 19 stuff I've been meaning to get. A bit more than a hundred bucks will get me two more of them which would probably be sufficient. Then again me thinks maybe another Ka-Bar and a Buck 119 Special would be a better way to go.
Thoughts?
Anyway there are a lot of general purpose/ fighting knives around but few if any beat the Ka-Bar. First of all they are just awesomely classic which is cool. Second of all they are a big old piece of steel with a leather handle. Third of all short of killing someone with a can of budweiser or dropping a model T on their face in terms of hand to hand killing it doesn't get much more American than stabbing some asshat in the face with a gone Ka-Bar.
There are all sorts of super cool fancy urban combat special operations commando fighting knives these days. One could play a game where they made up a tough sounding name for a knife then threw in a bio of some special operations guy and sold it for $200-600. Mine will be called "The Boar" and it was invented by an Raul Enrique Gonzalez an elite Paraguaan Navy Seal, it can be had for the very reasonable price of $382.49. That is a low price for a deadly fighting instrument invented by the most elite Special Operations SEAL forces of South America. If you buy this knife suddenly you will be strong, brave and capable of doing amazing things but only for the power of good.
Anyway I am not going to say that all of these new knives are crap. I know a guy who always had the newest coolest knife. He spent money on knives that made what I spent on guns seem reasonable. Some of those knives where pretty awesome and I bet would take a real beating.
However lets look at it this way. Would you rather have "The Boar" for $382.49 or a pair of Ka-Bar's, a used Remington pump shotgun and 50 rounds of buckshot? I personally would stash another boom clack and have a knife to have on me and one to throw in the trunk of my car just in case.
While a Ka-Bar will not get you mall ninja chic points it will certainly do what it is made to do and cut stuff or heaven forbid cut and stab people. I firmly believe in my heart of hearts that if you can hold up your end of the proverbial bargain a Ka-Bar will never let you down.
You should get one of these and maybe a spare. I am thinking about a couple of spares........ Prolly think about this shortly after the ATM card for the new bank account (where there is a bank here into which I can put several hundred dollar bills) finally shows up and I order the bunch of AR/870/Glock 19 stuff I've been meaning to get. A bit more than a hundred bucks will get me two more of them which would probably be sufficient. Then again me thinks maybe another Ka-Bar and a Buck 119 Special would be a better way to go.
Thoughts?
My Wife is Awesome
While I was gone at work she made french bread. She is now making that french bread into garlic bread. Maybe it says something about my culinary abilities that this amazes me. Then again maybe it isn't amazement so much as love of garlic bread. This could turn out to be a pretty darn good Friday.
Edited to include: She decided to serve that garlic bread with dipping sauce and roasted potatoes (the yummy seasoned cut up ones cooked in the oven) with steak for the main course.
It was amazing.
Edited to include: She decided to serve that garlic bread with dipping sauce and roasted potatoes (the yummy seasoned cut up ones cooked in the oven) with steak for the main course.
It was amazing.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Guts, Free But Not Easy
Today we went on a ruck march. Fairly easy 6 miles at a 15 minute mile pace especially with just 35lbs on your back. Lots of folks fell out. Some of them where just in crappy shape, others lacked guts.
I got to thinking whilst walking. Once you factor out luck very arguably the biggest single determining factor is guts.
Some people have them and others do not. There might be some correlation with upbringing but I think it probably escapes simple explanations. Some folks who have lived soft easy lives dig deep and pull through some amazing stuff while others who should probably have great fortitude completely fail and just lay down to die.
There are probably some things you can do to at least improve your 'guts' if not make weak ones become strong. Testing yourself and pushing the limits of endurance and comfort are probably the only ways to do this. Digging deep and finding that the gap between comfort and true human limits are much further apart than one initially thinks is not an easy thing to do.
It is easy to just think you will be able to function outside of your comfort zone but having the first time you actually try and do it be during a life and death situation is not the way I would suggest.
Have you got guts? How do you know?
I got to thinking whilst walking. Once you factor out luck very arguably the biggest single determining factor is guts.
Some people have them and others do not. There might be some correlation with upbringing but I think it probably escapes simple explanations. Some folks who have lived soft easy lives dig deep and pull through some amazing stuff while others who should probably have great fortitude completely fail and just lay down to die.
There are probably some things you can do to at least improve your 'guts' if not make weak ones become strong. Testing yourself and pushing the limits of endurance and comfort are probably the only ways to do this. Digging deep and finding that the gap between comfort and true human limits are much further apart than one initially thinks is not an easy thing to do.
It is easy to just think you will be able to function outside of your comfort zone but having the first time you actually try and do it be during a life and death situation is not the way I would suggest.
Have you got guts? How do you know?
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Integrating With Rural Folk
This topic was floating around awhile back and I got thinking on it. Been meaning to write this for awhile but well I just didn't. I can't say that I have bought an isolated rural home and moved to it then quickly built a great relationship with the neighbors but I have on several occasions quite intentionally integrated myself into rural groups. While not inclusive or all encompassing by any means here are my thoughts and experiences on the matter.
First of all take a deep breath and relax. Rural people are at the end of the day just people. They like other people who are enjoyable to be around and they have things in common with.
Lets start with some observations on rural and small town living in general, trust me it will come full circle. These are not statistics or anything so please don't find some study online that says I am wrong and gripe about it. These are my experiences and observations so are admittedly more qualitative than quantitative.
One of the weirdest things about rural living is that areas are not economically homogeneous. In most cities or even mid sized towns there are poor neighborhoods, working class neighborhoods, middle class neighborhoods and upper class or downright rich areas. While there are places where the new cool trendy neighborhood butts up to the hood and there are certainly start transitions (good block, bad block game;) in general things are distinctly homogeneous.
Rural areas (except if they have VERY low zoning like say 1/100 or are in one of those areas that get trendy with the rich) are completely not that way. Having someone who has a huge family working farm next to a doctors 40 acre gentleman's farm next to some guy with a bit of land and a cabin immediately by a shack on two acres and a double wide on 5 acres is fairly common if not normal.
This means that instead of rich people being in their rich neighborhood and us working folks in another and the 'poor' in a third they are all jumbled together.
Between this and the lack of options for basic services (food, groceries, etc) means you will interact regularly with people of all backgrounds.
Also rural and small town folks generally tend to make less money than their city counterparts. Yeah cities can be evened out by huge ghettos or whatever but in general rural folks tend to earn less on average (at least I think, bet the stats back me up) than those in cities. Part of that is counter balanced by a generally lower cost of living but do not be fooled, rural poverty is a significant problem. Just because you don't see them whining and begging on the street doesn't mean things are fine.
Because of this lower income rural folks tend to make do with less, do more things themselves and collaborate with neighbors and friends to get things done. Some of it is a sense of do it yourselfer ness and some is that if they need to pay X dollars an hour to get it done it isn't getting done. Because of this desire to pool labor for large projects and or harvests (haying is a big one) IMO rural folks are more willing to help or ask for help without any mention of direct compensation.
Rural folks tend to move around less (I litterally did a double take when I found out a friend moved 25 miles to the nearest bigger town) and generally their lives are smaller in terms of the people they deal with. Since people move less and interact more locally they know eachother very well. In part because of this there is a certain level of trust which is immediately given because someone has a last name another person recognizes. This is partially because everybody knows everybodies business and while you may not know the 5th thompson kid you would have heard if he is a dirt bag. This is also because if they screwed you over your dad would call their uncle who would darn sure straiten things out.
The other side of this is that rural folks are slower to open up to new people than city folk who regularly move and often meet new people. You might make friends instantly (even small towns have a few of those folks) but do not be supprised if you go to the local watering hole (or whatever) a few times before anyone says much beyond basic generic greetings.
In my observation the way to break through this is by just waiting it out. If you are consistently around and seem nice sooner or later folks will open up to you. When they eventually do they will open up more sincerely and quickly than city folk.
Volunteering to help is a great way to get to know folks well and form deep friendships. Even if you do not have a lot of skills I have found that healthy hard workers are always in short supply. You can now ask them to help when you build a shed or a fence or something else. Also this is a great way to learn some skills. I learned to pour cement over the course of several Saturday mornings at a friends house. Also I integrated myself with that (large and very well prepared) family enough so that if circumstances lead me to show up there if S hit F I would be welcomed.
I do not suggest radically changing your lifestyle to integrate with rural people. Like anybody else they know BS when they see it and are far more willing to accept some differences that it. An accountant from the big city talking about combines or whatever (even if he studies up on the topic) is just stupid, ditto for dressing like a dude or getting some rednecked out truck just to fit in. I do however think it is prudent to tailor your conversation and such in a way that it maximises similarities and does not emphasize differences. Topics like camping, hiking, guns and hunting are good. If nothing else guys can almost universally find common ground by talking about beer, red meat and women.
In my opinion people who are generally easy to get along with, hard working, helpful, honest and sincere are not going to have problems making friends and such.
I probably have some more stuff to say but am tired of writing. Still getting used to my long work days.
Thoughts?
First of all take a deep breath and relax. Rural people are at the end of the day just people. They like other people who are enjoyable to be around and they have things in common with.
Lets start with some observations on rural and small town living in general, trust me it will come full circle. These are not statistics or anything so please don't find some study online that says I am wrong and gripe about it. These are my experiences and observations so are admittedly more qualitative than quantitative.
One of the weirdest things about rural living is that areas are not economically homogeneous. In most cities or even mid sized towns there are poor neighborhoods, working class neighborhoods, middle class neighborhoods and upper class or downright rich areas. While there are places where the new cool trendy neighborhood butts up to the hood and there are certainly start transitions (good block, bad block game;) in general things are distinctly homogeneous.
Rural areas (except if they have VERY low zoning like say 1/100 or are in one of those areas that get trendy with the rich) are completely not that way. Having someone who has a huge family working farm next to a doctors 40 acre gentleman's farm next to some guy with a bit of land and a cabin immediately by a shack on two acres and a double wide on 5 acres is fairly common if not normal.
This means that instead of rich people being in their rich neighborhood and us working folks in another and the 'poor' in a third they are all jumbled together.
Between this and the lack of options for basic services (food, groceries, etc) means you will interact regularly with people of all backgrounds.
Also rural and small town folks generally tend to make less money than their city counterparts. Yeah cities can be evened out by huge ghettos or whatever but in general rural folks tend to earn less on average (at least I think, bet the stats back me up) than those in cities. Part of that is counter balanced by a generally lower cost of living but do not be fooled, rural poverty is a significant problem. Just because you don't see them whining and begging on the street doesn't mean things are fine.
Because of this lower income rural folks tend to make do with less, do more things themselves and collaborate with neighbors and friends to get things done. Some of it is a sense of do it yourselfer ness and some is that if they need to pay X dollars an hour to get it done it isn't getting done. Because of this desire to pool labor for large projects and or harvests (haying is a big one) IMO rural folks are more willing to help or ask for help without any mention of direct compensation.
Rural folks tend to move around less (I litterally did a double take when I found out a friend moved 25 miles to the nearest bigger town) and generally their lives are smaller in terms of the people they deal with. Since people move less and interact more locally they know eachother very well. In part because of this there is a certain level of trust which is immediately given because someone has a last name another person recognizes. This is partially because everybody knows everybodies business and while you may not know the 5th thompson kid you would have heard if he is a dirt bag. This is also because if they screwed you over your dad would call their uncle who would darn sure straiten things out.
The other side of this is that rural folks are slower to open up to new people than city folk who regularly move and often meet new people. You might make friends instantly (even small towns have a few of those folks) but do not be supprised if you go to the local watering hole (or whatever) a few times before anyone says much beyond basic generic greetings.
In my observation the way to break through this is by just waiting it out. If you are consistently around and seem nice sooner or later folks will open up to you. When they eventually do they will open up more sincerely and quickly than city folk.
Volunteering to help is a great way to get to know folks well and form deep friendships. Even if you do not have a lot of skills I have found that healthy hard workers are always in short supply. You can now ask them to help when you build a shed or a fence or something else. Also this is a great way to learn some skills. I learned to pour cement over the course of several Saturday mornings at a friends house. Also I integrated myself with that (large and very well prepared) family enough so that if circumstances lead me to show up there if S hit F I would be welcomed.
I do not suggest radically changing your lifestyle to integrate with rural people. Like anybody else they know BS when they see it and are far more willing to accept some differences that it. An accountant from the big city talking about combines or whatever (even if he studies up on the topic) is just stupid, ditto for dressing like a dude or getting some rednecked out truck just to fit in. I do however think it is prudent to tailor your conversation and such in a way that it maximises similarities and does not emphasize differences. Topics like camping, hiking, guns and hunting are good. If nothing else guys can almost universally find common ground by talking about beer, red meat and women.
In my opinion people who are generally easy to get along with, hard working, helpful, honest and sincere are not going to have problems making friends and such.
I probably have some more stuff to say but am tired of writing. Still getting used to my long work days.
Thoughts?
Batman in the Boondocks, Again
Recently I linked to a very informative article on Survivalblog. Among other interesting points it heavily rebuked the whole "batman in the boondocks" plan. My post got an interesting comment which I want to reply to in a larger venue.
Burrow Owl said...
I personally think that unless you are sure staying in your current residence will lead to imminent death is to stay home. Sitting in a dark house cooking your food with a camp stove and spending your time playing cards with a shotgun on your knees is not sexy or cool but it is prudent and practical. Now if you city is on fire or a large armed crowd is kicking in doors and executing people of your color then by all means grab that ruck and your rifle and head for the boondocks. Otherwise I would stay the fuck home with a bunch of food, water and fuel stored.
Burrow Owl said...
-
Anonymoose:
"it is virtually impossible to walk into the wilderness with a .22 and a back pack and expect to live off of the land. This (true) movie completely proves his point."
Just a heads up:
Krakauer's book (and the subsequent movie) proves nothing.
The subject in Krakauer's story (sorry... don't recall his name) was a clueless yuppie fuctard with grossly unrealistic expectations about what it actually takes to survive in the boonies.
I know from personal experience that it can be done. It ain't easy, but it is doable- at least for now.
Be that as it may...
Given a TEOTWAWKI situation where the population of the whole freakin' continent is foraging to survive and all bets are off.
(Do a little research into what happened to the stocks of wild game during the last depression.)
Just something to think about.....
-- An Alaskan in (temporary) exile. - Here are my thoughts on this comment and the whole batman in the boondocks thing in general. As for John Krackauers book I would not say it proves much except the great lengths some people (who are probably mentally ill) will go to select themselves for removal from the gene pool. Batman in the boondocks could work for the right person with at least fair luck in the right conditions for awhile. For a person with the right skill set and decent appropriate gear surviving for a few months or even a year would be reasonably likely if they were in a place with a somewhat mild climate, ample game and enough isolation (beware the lower 48 is a lot more occupied and accessible than you would think) to not get eaten by cannibals or whatever.
I personally think that unless you are sure staying in your current residence will lead to imminent death is to stay home. Sitting in a dark house cooking your food with a camp stove and spending your time playing cards with a shotgun on your knees is not sexy or cool but it is prudent and practical. Now if you city is on fire or a large armed crowd is kicking in doors and executing people of your color then by all means grab that ruck and your rifle and head for the boondocks. Otherwise I would stay the fuck home with a bunch of food, water and fuel stored.
quote of the day
"Have you got a better idea?"-Wifey
"I rarely have a better idea than you and certainly not when it involves cooking."-Me
"I rarely have a better idea than you and certainly not when it involves cooking."-Me
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
This Is Worth Reading
If you are a survival blog regular you probably carefully read and spent the day thinking about this post by a fellow who spent a couple winters as a remote trapper in Alaska. If you for whatever reason do not go through survival blog on a daily basis or even object to some of its content or whatever I think this post is solidly worth checking out on its own merit.
Political Labels
One of the things which drive me crazy is political labels. When I talk to people about politics, I am considered a conservative. Fair enough, in a general sense. However, people automatically then assume that I heart Bush, listen to Sean Hannity, love FoxNews, obey Rush Limbaugh, and support the war in Iraq by saying "9/11" over and over. For those who don't know me, I don't heart Bush (let alone any other president in the last 100 years or so), don't listen to Hannity or Limbaugh, only listen to Glenn Beck on FoxNews, and am not sure what supporting the Iraq war means. Glenn Beck is a perfect example. Time has ran an article entitled "Is Glenn Beck Bad for America?" for around a week. I remember Beck on CNN, and no one was saying he was crazy... But now that he is a conservative (he has stopped fighting against Bush, and started fighting against Obama), he is the Anti-Christ.
Time, to its credit, actually ran an article that discussed this issue. It noted that FoxNews has "Neil Cavuto's Wall Street, big-business conservatism, Mike Huckabee's religious conservatism, Sean Hannity's party-line Republicanism, Bill O'Reilly's grouchy reactionariness—and now, touching a hot-button in the year of budget stimuli, Glenn Beck's conservative (and paranoid) libertarianism." It also noted that there is more than left and right, saying "But there are a lot of axes: authoritarian vs. libertarian, internationalist vs. nationalist, activist vs. laissez-faire, individualist vs. communitarian, moralist vs. nonjudgmental, social libertarian vs. economic libertarian, and so on."
Its about time someone noted that the political labels we use are utterly worthless. The problem with a two party system is that it doesn't actually reflect the will of the people. Once we start to realize that there is more than left and right, we might be able to break free of the two party system, and actually have a democracy.
Time, to its credit, actually ran an article that discussed this issue. It noted that FoxNews has "Neil Cavuto's Wall Street, big-business conservatism, Mike Huckabee's religious conservatism, Sean Hannity's party-line Republicanism, Bill O'Reilly's grouchy reactionariness—and now, touching a hot-button in the year of budget stimuli, Glenn Beck's conservative (and paranoid) libertarianism." It also noted that there is more than left and right, saying "But there are a lot of axes: authoritarian vs. libertarian, internationalist vs. nationalist, activist vs. laissez-faire, individualist vs. communitarian, moralist vs. nonjudgmental, social libertarian vs. economic libertarian, and so on."
Its about time someone noted that the political labels we use are utterly worthless. The problem with a two party system is that it doesn't actually reflect the will of the people. Once we start to realize that there is more than left and right, we might be able to break free of the two party system, and actually have a democracy.
Finances and Fitness, General Trends
Lately I have been thinking more in broad trends than about specific topics. I got to thinking about how savings and fitness are alike. I know you don't like these topics. You would prefer if I said "spend every single dollar you have on preps, the world is going to end" and that worrying about credit card debt or a lack of a significant savings account is not a concern. I hate to be the one to tell you but the odds of you loosing your job or having some sort of a personal financial emergency are a lot higher than those of there being even a regional SHTF. I could say that you have a rifle, food and water so can survive anything no matter if you owe AMEX 20k and have 12 bucks in savings but I am not going to. Also I know you are not concerned about fitness, in fact you are downright tired of me talking about it. You have plenty of stored food, some cool tactical clothes and gear plus some super fancy guns, you will be fine no matter if you get tired walking from the car to your favorite chair to read blogs and eat pizza.
First I think these two are similar because there are distinctly measurable. While it may be painful it is easy to see if you have gained or lost weight or increased or decreased your net worth over a given period of time. While short term measurements may be skewed by a big meal or a surprise bill the long term picture is very accurate.
Secondly these are pretty darn simple, certainly not easy but still simple. To be fit consume as many or fewer calories than you burn and exercise regularly. To be fiscally fit spend less than you make and save the difference.
Both are really all about small decisions compounded over a long period of time. The difference between having your weight stay the same, increase or decrease by 15 pounds or so over the course of a year is in the neighborhood of 200 calories a day. [I WAG'ed that one beacause I am not going to take the time to figure it out. The point however stands.] Money is the same way. That $2.50 mocha or $5 foot long at subway really adds up if you do it every day. The difference of doing or not doing those small things over a long period of time are significant.
The bottom line is that if you consistently do the right thing in either of these you will be well off.
The biggest thing which seperates the two is that in fitness it is impossible to make huge sudden (certainly day or week, arguably up to 1 month) changes for good or bad. Our bodies heal and change too slowly for increadibly dramatic overnight effects. Lets say tomorrow you wake up super motivated and go for a 5 mile run. In the afternoon you lift weights for 3 hours followed by swimming a mile and some intervals on an exercise bike. Maybe you will loose 2 pounds and your muscles will heal stronger than they were but in the grand scheme of things that day is not going to make your month of fitness. Conversely lets say you are just not feeling it and really want to have the mother of all cheat days. You get a bunch of donalds for brunch. After work you decide to get a pepperoni pizza, a bag of chips and a 12 pack of beer. That might mess up your fitness goals for the week but if you have an otherwise good month (or probably even 2-3 week period) it is not going to affect the overall outcome.
With money while the slow trends and small decisions are important you can make significant changes for good or bad in an afternoon. You can buy something you can't really afford and have that cancel out having drip coffee from home and a granola bar instead of a fancy mocha and pastry every day or brown bagging instead of eating out. On the other side of that your money situation can dramatically change for the good overnight by ditching debt, decreasing spending or best of all increasing your earnings. While it isn't talked about often because most people tend to make as much as they are capable of (given their current skill set and motivation) earning your way out of money problems is a heck of an answer, particulalry for those who have a long term financial problem [often middle classish folks who reached a little bit too far to buy a home or had inflation eat away at their earnings] which can not be solved by bucking down into a budget and paying off consumer debt.
Unless you make a big carrear move or do something dumb big money changes happen fairly rarely so they should not be counted on any more than they are vigilantly watched against.
First I think these two are similar because there are distinctly measurable. While it may be painful it is easy to see if you have gained or lost weight or increased or decreased your net worth over a given period of time. While short term measurements may be skewed by a big meal or a surprise bill the long term picture is very accurate.
Secondly these are pretty darn simple, certainly not easy but still simple. To be fit consume as many or fewer calories than you burn and exercise regularly. To be fiscally fit spend less than you make and save the difference.
Both are really all about small decisions compounded over a long period of time. The difference between having your weight stay the same, increase or decrease by 15 pounds or so over the course of a year is in the neighborhood of 200 calories a day. [I WAG'ed that one beacause I am not going to take the time to figure it out. The point however stands.] Money is the same way. That $2.50 mocha or $5 foot long at subway really adds up if you do it every day. The difference of doing or not doing those small things over a long period of time are significant.
The bottom line is that if you consistently do the right thing in either of these you will be well off.
The biggest thing which seperates the two is that in fitness it is impossible to make huge sudden (certainly day or week, arguably up to 1 month) changes for good or bad. Our bodies heal and change too slowly for increadibly dramatic overnight effects. Lets say tomorrow you wake up super motivated and go for a 5 mile run. In the afternoon you lift weights for 3 hours followed by swimming a mile and some intervals on an exercise bike. Maybe you will loose 2 pounds and your muscles will heal stronger than they were but in the grand scheme of things that day is not going to make your month of fitness. Conversely lets say you are just not feeling it and really want to have the mother of all cheat days. You get a bunch of donalds for brunch. After work you decide to get a pepperoni pizza, a bag of chips and a 12 pack of beer. That might mess up your fitness goals for the week but if you have an otherwise good month (or probably even 2-3 week period) it is not going to affect the overall outcome.
With money while the slow trends and small decisions are important you can make significant changes for good or bad in an afternoon. You can buy something you can't really afford and have that cancel out having drip coffee from home and a granola bar instead of a fancy mocha and pastry every day or brown bagging instead of eating out. On the other side of that your money situation can dramatically change for the good overnight by ditching debt, decreasing spending or best of all increasing your earnings. While it isn't talked about often because most people tend to make as much as they are capable of (given their current skill set and motivation) earning your way out of money problems is a heck of an answer, particulalry for those who have a long term financial problem [often middle classish folks who reached a little bit too far to buy a home or had inflation eat away at their earnings] which can not be solved by bucking down into a budget and paying off consumer debt.
Unless you make a big carrear move or do something dumb big money changes happen fairly rarely so they should not be counted on any more than they are vigilantly watched against.
A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned
We have recently found yet another way to cut down the grocery bills. Made the switch to generic cereal. It isn't quite the same but is pretty darn close. The buck or so cheaper is enough to make up the difference (which might or might not appear in a blind taste test) worthwhile. Considering we (mainly I) eat a lot of cereal it certainly adds up.
I imagine with the move our grocery bill is going to go up because our only option for paying in dollars and avoiding the 6% VAT tax is the Commissary. It isn't expensive or anything but doesn't have the bulk deals or Sams Club or the great bargains or Wally World.
I imagine with the move our grocery bill is going to go up because our only option for paying in dollars and avoiding the 6% VAT tax is the Commissary. It isn't expensive or anything but doesn't have the bulk deals or Sams Club or the great bargains or Wally World.
quote of the day
“the market can stay irrational a lot longer than you can stay solvent.”
-John Templeton
-John Templeton
Monday, September 21, 2009
quote of the day
"If there is such a thing as "rifle racism" I think the poor Kalashnikov is a victim."
-Gabe Suarez
While it does have limitations and weaknesses like any other rifle platform I think the AK takes a lot of criticism which is mostly unjustified. It is cool to think AK's suck just the same way that it is cool to bash Glocks.
-Gabe Suarez
While it does have limitations and weaknesses like any other rifle platform I think the AK takes a lot of criticism which is mostly unjustified. It is cool to think AK's suck just the same way that it is cool to bash Glocks.
A Year Ago This Season,
Last night I could not sleep for shit. Spent a lot of time thinking about life and blog junk and all sorts of stuff. I have been hearing all this stuff about recovery and lame duck recovery and jobless recovery. I got to thinking about a year ago. I am going to look at a lot of indicators and have some discussion. Doubt any huge conclusions will come from this but since it interested me you get to read about it.
First lets see what I was writing about roughly a year ago: I lived in an RV, This amused me,I was thinking about finances a lot with significant worry about institutional failures. I was also just beginning to really purchase precious metals. Too much more to list.
Second lets look at precious metals prices. Last year at about this time gold was in the $750-800 range and these days it is right around $1,000. Silver went from about $12 to about $16 but methinks that is going to drop a bit soon at least for awhile.
Thirdly the stock market has gone from around eleven thousand to a bit over nine thousand.
My last indicator is going to be unemployment. For this I will have to go with August numbers because Sep ain't over yet. Unemployment has increased by roughly 30% from the low 6 range to within spitting distance of that dreaded 10% mark.
For the unquantifiable I will go with what I remember which is fear. Banks folding left and right and the stock market dropping hundreds of points was a normal day. One day in particular I remember vividly. It seemed that the stock market dropped hundreds of points for the third or fourth day in a row. I slipped out for a few minutes to get as much cash as the ATM would allow me to because it seemed like a perfect storm for a banking holiday. Honestly I probably would have handicapped it at 1/4 one was going to happen.
Lets touch real quick on what has happened between then and now:
Barrack Obama won the presidential election. Who the heck saw that one coming!
For awhile it was darn near impossible to find Glocks, AR's, AK's, mags at any sane price or a bullet to go into anything. Eventually that situation got better though ammo prices still remain high.
Bail outs after bail outs after bail outs. Maybe we threw good money after bad and then used that good money to light our stack of really good money on fire. Maybe we will look back in 20 years and see the decisions made in those dark times as saving our financial system. I do not know and for a conclusive answer we will have to look to the history books in years to come.
Lots of people lost their jobs.
My memory isn't perfect but depending on the exact timeline I picked up a few guns or several over this period of time. Socked away a few hundred rounds of 30.06, about the same in shotgun ammo, a case of 9mm and a case of .38 with a few boxes of .357 mag for variety. Also we saved a good chunk of cash and got some precious metals.
Where are we going?
If I could predict this with significant accuracy I would be writing this from my 200 acre retreat in Idaho where I made a gazillion dollars a year playing the money game a few hours a day. That I don't have a 200 acre retreat in Idaho and today I worked a 12 hour day during which nobody asked (even once) what they should do with their money even once is a testiment to the fact that at best my great talents have not yet fully surfaced.
This seems like a good time to circle the wagons, munch on some leftover corn bread, sip a bit of water and watch vigilantly for rustlers, indians or desperadoes. While of course you will have to have a watch rotation so people can cook hot food, do chores, drink a little whisky by the campfire and get some sleep it is definitely NOT the time to have your cattle spread over the prairie, the Mrs at the creek washing clothes and your youngest off playing somewhere while you doze in the shade.
In slightly more practical terms this is a good time to suck up to your boss a bit more than usual, work extra hard and live very conservatively. Unless there is a very compelling reason otherwise every dollar you can get your greedy little hands on that doesn't go to basic living eexpenses should go under the mattress.
If your car is running reasonably well I would keep it and put off getting a new one. This is also not the time to go on that two week trip to Europe or buy a ski boat or do that big remodel on the kitchen. I would stick with whatever job you have now even if it is pretty lame unless something that is a serious step up comes along. You do not want to quit the job you hate to start a new dream carrear in X right now. Also since we don't have a clue what is going to happen to the stock market or the value of the dollar if I was seriously considering retirement hard thought would be put into potentially working for a couple more years to delay starting to draw from my savings and allow what I have in the market to bounce back.
I would also run full speed away from any debt that has a variable interest rate be it a home mortgage, a HELIC or just a maxed out AMEX card. Between the value of the dollar dropping and the increased defaults on all debt it is going to get ugly and painful for those holding variable interest debt.
Thoughts or observations on anything I said?
First lets see what I was writing about roughly a year ago: I lived in an RV, This amused me,I was thinking about finances a lot with significant worry about institutional failures. I was also just beginning to really purchase precious metals. Too much more to list.
Second lets look at precious metals prices. Last year at about this time gold was in the $750-800 range and these days it is right around $1,000. Silver went from about $12 to about $16 but methinks that is going to drop a bit soon at least for awhile.
Thirdly the stock market has gone from around eleven thousand to a bit over nine thousand.
My last indicator is going to be unemployment. For this I will have to go with August numbers because Sep ain't over yet. Unemployment has increased by roughly 30% from the low 6 range to within spitting distance of that dreaded 10% mark.
For the unquantifiable I will go with what I remember which is fear. Banks folding left and right and the stock market dropping hundreds of points was a normal day. One day in particular I remember vividly. It seemed that the stock market dropped hundreds of points for the third or fourth day in a row. I slipped out for a few minutes to get as much cash as the ATM would allow me to because it seemed like a perfect storm for a banking holiday. Honestly I probably would have handicapped it at 1/4 one was going to happen.
Lets touch real quick on what has happened between then and now:
Barrack Obama won the presidential election. Who the heck saw that one coming!
For awhile it was darn near impossible to find Glocks, AR's, AK's, mags at any sane price or a bullet to go into anything. Eventually that situation got better though ammo prices still remain high.
Bail outs after bail outs after bail outs. Maybe we threw good money after bad and then used that good money to light our stack of really good money on fire. Maybe we will look back in 20 years and see the decisions made in those dark times as saving our financial system. I do not know and for a conclusive answer we will have to look to the history books in years to come.
Lots of people lost their jobs.
My memory isn't perfect but depending on the exact timeline I picked up a few guns or several over this period of time. Socked away a few hundred rounds of 30.06, about the same in shotgun ammo, a case of 9mm and a case of .38 with a few boxes of .357 mag for variety. Also we saved a good chunk of cash and got some precious metals.
Where are we going?
If I could predict this with significant accuracy I would be writing this from my 200 acre retreat in Idaho where I made a gazillion dollars a year playing the money game a few hours a day. That I don't have a 200 acre retreat in Idaho and today I worked a 12 hour day during which nobody asked (even once) what they should do with their money even once is a testiment to the fact that at best my great talents have not yet fully surfaced.
This seems like a good time to circle the wagons, munch on some leftover corn bread, sip a bit of water and watch vigilantly for rustlers, indians or desperadoes. While of course you will have to have a watch rotation so people can cook hot food, do chores, drink a little whisky by the campfire and get some sleep it is definitely NOT the time to have your cattle spread over the prairie, the Mrs at the creek washing clothes and your youngest off playing somewhere while you doze in the shade.
In slightly more practical terms this is a good time to suck up to your boss a bit more than usual, work extra hard and live very conservatively. Unless there is a very compelling reason otherwise every dollar you can get your greedy little hands on that doesn't go to basic living eexpenses should go under the mattress.
If your car is running reasonably well I would keep it and put off getting a new one. This is also not the time to go on that two week trip to Europe or buy a ski boat or do that big remodel on the kitchen. I would stick with whatever job you have now even if it is pretty lame unless something that is a serious step up comes along. You do not want to quit the job you hate to start a new dream carrear in X right now. Also since we don't have a clue what is going to happen to the stock market or the value of the dollar if I was seriously considering retirement hard thought would be put into potentially working for a couple more years to delay starting to draw from my savings and allow what I have in the market to bounce back.
I would also run full speed away from any debt that has a variable interest rate be it a home mortgage, a HELIC or just a maxed out AMEX card. Between the value of the dollar dropping and the increased defaults on all debt it is going to get ugly and painful for those holding variable interest debt.
Thoughts or observations on anything I said?
Should You Call 911? THis Flow Chart Can Help
For the record I think if you are a minority who accidentally killed someone or put them in danger of dying you should call 911. If you call 911 immediately maybe their life can be saved or at least you can try to get things cleared up. If you run or try to hide things odds are it will get found out and there will be a presumption of guilt.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The Twelve and a Half Essentials
I was reading through a book and saw something about the Boy Scout 10 essentials. I was in scouts for a very long time and hadn't thought of these for years though I do pack them when going into the wild. I have seen multiple lists online which slightly differ in insignificant ways. In case you are not familiar with these we will review.
1. Knife
2. First- Aid Kit
3. Extra Clothing
4. Flashlight with extra batteries
5. Rain Gear
6. Water
7. Map and Compass
8. Matches and fire starter
9. Sun protection (sun screen, hat, sunglasses)
10. Extra Food
One thing we did (and I suggest you do also) was to take all of these items except #3 (clothing) and #6 (water) and put them in a one gallon plastic bag. [the water bottle was excluded mainly because of bulk and clothing needs vary so widely from season to season and trip to trip] This was tossed into the bottom of our backpack and aside from occasionally rotating the granola bars left alone. There was another knife in our pocket or on our belt and we had another flash light or two to use. This stuff was put in there strictly for emergencies and left alone so we would know it was there and ready to go.
Of course no gear or equipment can guarantee you will be safe and healthy in the woods, danger can certainly happen to anyone no matter how well prepared. I can however note that people who have the above mentioned items and know how to use them properly are far less likely to end up in real trouble.
Your kit will certainly vary widely from trip to trip and season to season but keep the 10 essentials with you. The whole point of the 10 essentials is that they are universal. Carrying that couple pounds in a one gallon zip lock bag is a great way to stave off disaster.
So you are asking what the other two and a half essentials are. I will list them and then discuss my position on their importance. I did not discuss the original 10 essentials because well if you can not see their use it would be of no help for me to try and explain it.
#11. Wallet with cash and debit/ credit card. You will often find where a trail or campsite ends up near some sort of a little store or something. Maybe you need to get a ride and it is out of the guys way but a couple $20's will probably convince him. The debit card is because you just never know. Maybe you get hurt and need to get cash for a cab or things go completely to shit and you need to get a bus ticket or a motel for the night or something. Money gives you all sorts of options.
#12. A gun. I am not going to get into what sort of gun because there are so many variables. Suffice to say that it is smart to have a gun (with ammo and necessary accessories) to protect against predators both two legged or four.
#12 1/2. A cell phone with a charged battery. I put this as a half because in some places they do not work at all and in others they are entirely unreliable. To me the point of the essentials is that they are universal and while the cell phone does not pass that test if it works it can be utterly priceless. Include it unless you are positive it will not work where you are going.
1. Knife
2. First- Aid Kit
3. Extra Clothing
4. Flashlight with extra batteries
5. Rain Gear
6. Water
7. Map and Compass
8. Matches and fire starter
9. Sun protection (sun screen, hat, sunglasses)
10. Extra Food
One thing we did (and I suggest you do also) was to take all of these items except #3 (clothing) and #6 (water) and put them in a one gallon plastic bag. [the water bottle was excluded mainly because of bulk and clothing needs vary so widely from season to season and trip to trip] This was tossed into the bottom of our backpack and aside from occasionally rotating the granola bars left alone. There was another knife in our pocket or on our belt and we had another flash light or two to use. This stuff was put in there strictly for emergencies and left alone so we would know it was there and ready to go.
Of course no gear or equipment can guarantee you will be safe and healthy in the woods, danger can certainly happen to anyone no matter how well prepared. I can however note that people who have the above mentioned items and know how to use them properly are far less likely to end up in real trouble.
Your kit will certainly vary widely from trip to trip and season to season but keep the 10 essentials with you. The whole point of the 10 essentials is that they are universal. Carrying that couple pounds in a one gallon zip lock bag is a great way to stave off disaster.
So you are asking what the other two and a half essentials are. I will list them and then discuss my position on their importance. I did not discuss the original 10 essentials because well if you can not see their use it would be of no help for me to try and explain it.
#11. Wallet with cash and debit/ credit card. You will often find where a trail or campsite ends up near some sort of a little store or something. Maybe you need to get a ride and it is out of the guys way but a couple $20's will probably convince him. The debit card is because you just never know. Maybe you get hurt and need to get cash for a cab or things go completely to shit and you need to get a bus ticket or a motel for the night or something. Money gives you all sorts of options.
#12. A gun. I am not going to get into what sort of gun because there are so many variables. Suffice to say that it is smart to have a gun (with ammo and necessary accessories) to protect against predators both two legged or four.
#12 1/2. A cell phone with a charged battery. I put this as a half because in some places they do not work at all and in others they are entirely unreliable. To me the point of the essentials is that they are universal and while the cell phone does not pass that test if it works it can be utterly priceless. Include it unless you are positive it will not work where you are going.
Deflationary Collapse Dead Ahead
This is worth reading and thinking about.
I posted this not because I am positive this is how things are going to go but because I thought it was interesting.
I posted this not because I am positive this is how things are going to go but because I thought it was interesting.
Motivation and Greed, Classism and Perks- Rant #2
Lets start with some definitions thanks to the might and utility of Wikipedia.
"Motivation is the activation or energization of goal-oriented behavior. Motivation may be internal or external."
"Greed in psychology is an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth."
Lets talk about motivation first. We do almost everything we do because of some sort of motivation. I am currently drinking coffee with a bit of sugar and milk in it (pause while I refill my cup), my motivation for drinking it is that it tastes good to me and gets me going in the morning.
Most of us have motivation to work (using work as a generic term for whatever you do for money) from a couple sources. Hopefully we at least sort of enjoy our jobs. Maybe we enjoy some prestige or respect or various fringe benefits of our job. Lastly we get to monetary compensation a la pay. We work because we get money which we use to pay for basic necessities like food, shelter, transportation, coffee and beer. Very few people would still be going to their jobs if they stopped getting paychecks. The ones who would probably have long term secure jobs and think there is a reasonable chance this is just a short term FUBAR time.
Motivation is why we do what we do. It all boils down to motivation.
Now onto that evil thing called greed. Lets read its definition again.
"Greed in psychology is an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth."
That reads like some commie assed shit to me. Excessive desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves. Who gets to decide what someone else needs or deserves? Maybe a panel of intellectuals and other wise and good individuals should decide. That sounds like socialism to me and I want no part of it.
Example: My Grandmother owns an amazing vacation home which is probably worth around 3/4's of a million dollars in today's market. She and Grandpa both had pretty good jobs and they saved and invested wisely, particularly in real estate. They sold a couple small apartment complexes and ended up buying this place for a bit under 200k twenty years ago.
Does she need this place? No she does not. Does she possess more than she needs? Probably. Could the money gained from selling that place buy several families a nice modest residence and get them our of the rental trap or off the streets? Yes.
Fuck that. She worked hard and got a nice place and now she is enjoying it. She spends 2-3 months a year there and rents it out for most of the rest. We went there while I was home and had a wonderful time. There have been almost two decades of great family vacations and times and it is worth it to her to keep the place so those continue.
Greed does exist and on an individual level it causes some personal grief because they can't be happy with what they have.
On a big picture level greed is a good thing. Would Bill Gates have invented Microsoft and revolutionized our world if he would not make any money? No he would not have. Would he currently be employing thousands and thousands of people at very good wages if he wasn't motivated by making money? No he would not have.
That is just one example, there are too many more to possibly list.
I think almost all complaints of "greed" are just classicist pseudo socialist gripes. Just like the whole "yuppy survivalist" thing. You are just fine but the people two, three or four levels above you are bad.
It is "motivation" when you seek a promotion or a bonus or try to grow your business but it is greed if someone else does the same? These arguments stink. I am not a shill for big business and often I am a serious critic of them (bail outs, buddy buddy legislation, etc) but I fundamentally think that as long as they don't break the law they should try to make as much money as possible.
In my last rant's comment section someone spoke of the difference between legal and "right and wrong". Methinks the argument is mainly theoretical. While we do not live in a zero sum world every time you get a job someone else doesn't get it. Every time your business expands into a new area it probably means that either someone else can not start a business there, is failing or has failed. At the end of the day we all owe it to ourselves to do the best for us that we legally are allowed to. This is called freedom and it is why America is the greatest nation on earth.
Is it "wrong" for a bank to foreclose on a nice elderly lady who just can't pay the last couple years of payments on her modest home? It certainly isn't nice but life is tough. Freedom is free, it is not pretty and it often is not nice.
On a slight tangent I can not help but note some blatant classism in people who gripe about big business or bankers or whatever. These are the same folks who (you could argue rightly) rant and rave about programs, subsidies or preferential treatment for those in poverty. Why should they get a handout, they didn't earn it!
Oh Really. My observation has shown that if it comes from your pocket or helps someone else it is a handout or welfare or whatever other stigmatized phrase you choose. However if it benefits you at the detriment of those who make more money it is fair and much needed, after all it is just letting you keep more of YOUR MONEY.
The concept that you should be able to keep 100% of your income is a fine one. It would not work because at the end of the day we need some level of government (how much can be debated hotly) and that costs money. Saying that you should be able to keep every dollar you make and those below you can be damned also is fine. A legitimate argument can be made that your premace is correct. However I just do not understand how people who want to keep their own money and pet legislation (mortgage interest deduction, etc) without giving any special treatment to those below them (welfare, earned income credit, etc) can be so ademant about cracking down on the earnings and "greed" of those who do better than them via the characterization of these folks as "big business".
It is a loophole when it benefits someone who makes more than you. It is fair and right if it benefits you. It is a handout or welfare if it helps someone who makes less than you.To me this view is at best a bit hypocritical.
I think some laws concerning big business and certain financial institutions are completely wrong and obviously the direct result of cozy relationships with elected officials. I think those elected individuals should be voted out of office (or at least put on notice) and the laws should be changed. However I do not look down on business taking advantage of "loopholes" which exist as any more evil than someone who deducts their home mortgage interest from their income on their taxes or someone who claims earned income credit or whatever else.
This covered a lot of ground and I am interested in your thoughts?
"Motivation is the activation or energization of goal-oriented behavior. Motivation may be internal or external."
"Greed in psychology is an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth."
Lets talk about motivation first. We do almost everything we do because of some sort of motivation. I am currently drinking coffee with a bit of sugar and milk in it (pause while I refill my cup), my motivation for drinking it is that it tastes good to me and gets me going in the morning.
Most of us have motivation to work (using work as a generic term for whatever you do for money) from a couple sources. Hopefully we at least sort of enjoy our jobs. Maybe we enjoy some prestige or respect or various fringe benefits of our job. Lastly we get to monetary compensation a la pay. We work because we get money which we use to pay for basic necessities like food, shelter, transportation, coffee and beer. Very few people would still be going to their jobs if they stopped getting paychecks. The ones who would probably have long term secure jobs and think there is a reasonable chance this is just a short term FUBAR time.
Motivation is why we do what we do. It all boils down to motivation.
Now onto that evil thing called greed. Lets read its definition again.
"Greed in psychology is an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth."
That reads like some commie assed shit to me. Excessive desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves. Who gets to decide what someone else needs or deserves? Maybe a panel of intellectuals and other wise and good individuals should decide. That sounds like socialism to me and I want no part of it.
Example: My Grandmother owns an amazing vacation home which is probably worth around 3/4's of a million dollars in today's market. She and Grandpa both had pretty good jobs and they saved and invested wisely, particularly in real estate. They sold a couple small apartment complexes and ended up buying this place for a bit under 200k twenty years ago.
Does she need this place? No she does not. Does she possess more than she needs? Probably. Could the money gained from selling that place buy several families a nice modest residence and get them our of the rental trap or off the streets? Yes.
Fuck that. She worked hard and got a nice place and now she is enjoying it. She spends 2-3 months a year there and rents it out for most of the rest. We went there while I was home and had a wonderful time. There have been almost two decades of great family vacations and times and it is worth it to her to keep the place so those continue.
Greed does exist and on an individual level it causes some personal grief because they can't be happy with what they have.
On a big picture level greed is a good thing. Would Bill Gates have invented Microsoft and revolutionized our world if he would not make any money? No he would not have. Would he currently be employing thousands and thousands of people at very good wages if he wasn't motivated by making money? No he would not have.
That is just one example, there are too many more to possibly list.
I think almost all complaints of "greed" are just classicist pseudo socialist gripes. Just like the whole "yuppy survivalist" thing. You are just fine but the people two, three or four levels above you are bad.
It is "motivation" when you seek a promotion or a bonus or try to grow your business but it is greed if someone else does the same? These arguments stink. I am not a shill for big business and often I am a serious critic of them (bail outs, buddy buddy legislation, etc) but I fundamentally think that as long as they don't break the law they should try to make as much money as possible.
In my last rant's comment section someone spoke of the difference between legal and "right and wrong". Methinks the argument is mainly theoretical. While we do not live in a zero sum world every time you get a job someone else doesn't get it. Every time your business expands into a new area it probably means that either someone else can not start a business there, is failing or has failed. At the end of the day we all owe it to ourselves to do the best for us that we legally are allowed to. This is called freedom and it is why America is the greatest nation on earth.
Is it "wrong" for a bank to foreclose on a nice elderly lady who just can't pay the last couple years of payments on her modest home? It certainly isn't nice but life is tough. Freedom is free, it is not pretty and it often is not nice.
On a slight tangent I can not help but note some blatant classism in people who gripe about big business or bankers or whatever. These are the same folks who (you could argue rightly) rant and rave about programs, subsidies or preferential treatment for those in poverty. Why should they get a handout, they didn't earn it!
Oh Really. My observation has shown that if it comes from your pocket or helps someone else it is a handout or welfare or whatever other stigmatized phrase you choose. However if it benefits you at the detriment of those who make more money it is fair and much needed, after all it is just letting you keep more of YOUR MONEY.
The concept that you should be able to keep 100% of your income is a fine one. It would not work because at the end of the day we need some level of government (how much can be debated hotly) and that costs money. Saying that you should be able to keep every dollar you make and those below you can be damned also is fine. A legitimate argument can be made that your premace is correct. However I just do not understand how people who want to keep their own money and pet legislation (mortgage interest deduction, etc) without giving any special treatment to those below them (welfare, earned income credit, etc) can be so ademant about cracking down on the earnings and "greed" of those who do better than them via the characterization of these folks as "big business".
It is a loophole when it benefits someone who makes more than you. It is fair and right if it benefits you. It is a handout or welfare if it helps someone who makes less than you.To me this view is at best a bit hypocritical.
I think some laws concerning big business and certain financial institutions are completely wrong and obviously the direct result of cozy relationships with elected officials. I think those elected individuals should be voted out of office (or at least put on notice) and the laws should be changed. However I do not look down on business taking advantage of "loopholes" which exist as any more evil than someone who deducts their home mortgage interest from their income on their taxes or someone who claims earned income credit or whatever else.
This covered a lot of ground and I am interested in your thoughts?
Replying to Comments on My Last Post.
So I wrote my first rant in awhile and it got a lot of comments. Some folks agreed with me and others spoke about ancillary issues. I do want to talk about a couple comments on here though.
To Occdude: As for bankers getting money at 0% and loaning that money out at 20%. I do not think that is entirely true. TOM wrote a great post on banks these days back on Oct 12, 2008. Banks are loaning money to credit worthy businesses and individuals with reasonable debts and they are doing it at reasonable interest rates. Also on the specific topic of loans home mortgages have not been so cheap in years. People getting quoted or given ridiculous interest rates are probably not very credit worthy. In short I think that argument is pretty flawed. I do think the bailout was pretty crappy and if this humble guy would have done anything it would have been handled differently.
to 1:20: I do not have a ton of experience with credit cards (some would argue that is a good thing:) but I am under the impression that when you get a credit card you sign a bunch of stuff which basically means they can change whatever they want whenever they want to. Going back to my original post "If you don't like the terms a bank will offer you then don't borrow their money." I can see why some people choose to have credit cards and the Mrs. and I each have one. Once during the time I have had mine they informed me the interest rate was going up. Instead of being financial doomsday for me it was just another thing to throw away because I do not carry a balance and when I charge something I pay it off in full when the bill comes due. These rate adjustments should be a reminder to everyone not to carry credit card balances.
So I completely reject your argument that people who took unsecured adjustable rate loans (essentially what credit cards are) are victims when the interest rates adjust.
Medical care in general and private vs "public" plans is a whole other topic. I can not help but observe that sick people are not flocking from our evil greed based private for profit medical system to good fair public systems when they get very sick; in fact quite the opposite happens all the time.
To Occdude: As for bankers getting money at 0% and loaning that money out at 20%. I do not think that is entirely true. TOM wrote a great post on banks these days back on Oct 12, 2008. Banks are loaning money to credit worthy businesses and individuals with reasonable debts and they are doing it at reasonable interest rates. Also on the specific topic of loans home mortgages have not been so cheap in years. People getting quoted or given ridiculous interest rates are probably not very credit worthy. In short I think that argument is pretty flawed. I do think the bailout was pretty crappy and if this humble guy would have done anything it would have been handled differently.
to 1:20: I do not have a ton of experience with credit cards (some would argue that is a good thing:) but I am under the impression that when you get a credit card you sign a bunch of stuff which basically means they can change whatever they want whenever they want to. Going back to my original post "If you don't like the terms a bank will offer you then don't borrow their money." I can see why some people choose to have credit cards and the Mrs. and I each have one. Once during the time I have had mine they informed me the interest rate was going up. Instead of being financial doomsday for me it was just another thing to throw away because I do not carry a balance and when I charge something I pay it off in full when the bill comes due. These rate adjustments should be a reminder to everyone not to carry credit card balances.
So I completely reject your argument that people who took unsecured adjustable rate loans (essentially what credit cards are) are victims when the interest rates adjust.
Medical care in general and private vs "public" plans is a whole other topic. I can not help but observe that sick people are not flocking from our evil greed based private for profit medical system to good fair public systems when they get very sick; in fact quite the opposite happens all the time.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
quote of the day
"You do the best you can and you deal with the consequences. It's all there is."
-Spencer in A Catskill Eagle
-Spencer in A Catskill Eagle
Quit Bitching- First Rant in Awhile
I am tired of people bitching and griping about bankers and 'the elite' plus of course the trilateral commission or some other such junk. [Now if you are complaining about how the derivative collapse and or government bailouts affected you fair enough. That isn't what I am talking about.] People who claim to be pro freedom but bitch about how someone else (legally) makes a lot of money are fucking posers at best. These folks want to have their cake and eat it too but do not have the guts to live in a truly free world where people are allowed to borrow and loan money at whatever terms both parties agree to. If you want to be a communist that is fine and good but at least be honest.
First of all class warfare has nothing to do with libertarianism or freedom. Don't begrudge anyone else the ability to (legally) earn a lot of money. I am sorry their skills are more valued than yours and their business sense is better but tough shit. If you want to make more money get better skills and make better decisions, nobody is holding you back but yourself.
If you don't like the terms a bank will offer you then don't borrow their money. As for bitching about how they just jacked up the rate on your credit cards I ask why are you carrying a credit card balance. If you don't want them to be able to change the interest rate on a loan then do not take a loan with an adjustable interest rate. This ain't fucking rocket science.
The bankers are not ruining your life, nobody forced you to take their money. I am honestly sorry if you got a [reasonably priced fixed rate] mortgage and now you can't pay it because of a job loss or whatever. That is a sad situation but it is not 'bankers' fault that you lost your job or whatever.
Running up a bunch of debt you can't service and then blaming bankers for your shitty financial situation is like eating 3 big mac's for lunch every day and complaining that 'donalds made you fat. YOU ARE AN ADULT WHO MADE CHOICES so fucking own up to your responsibility for those choices.
If you don't want bankers to be involved in your life then don't have any debt. Fuck don't even have a bank account, keep your earnings in a coffee can. Do like Dakin and Creekmore and get yourself a couple acres and a travel trailer (purchased with cash) and live off grid but stop fucking bitching.
First of all class warfare has nothing to do with libertarianism or freedom. Don't begrudge anyone else the ability to (legally) earn a lot of money. I am sorry their skills are more valued than yours and their business sense is better but tough shit. If you want to make more money get better skills and make better decisions, nobody is holding you back but yourself.
If you don't like the terms a bank will offer you then don't borrow their money. As for bitching about how they just jacked up the rate on your credit cards I ask why are you carrying a credit card balance. If you don't want them to be able to change the interest rate on a loan then do not take a loan with an adjustable interest rate. This ain't fucking rocket science.
The bankers are not ruining your life, nobody forced you to take their money. I am honestly sorry if you got a [reasonably priced fixed rate] mortgage and now you can't pay it because of a job loss or whatever. That is a sad situation but it is not 'bankers' fault that you lost your job or whatever.
Running up a bunch of debt you can't service and then blaming bankers for your shitty financial situation is like eating 3 big mac's for lunch every day and complaining that 'donalds made you fat. YOU ARE AN ADULT WHO MADE CHOICES so fucking own up to your responsibility for those choices.
If you don't want bankers to be involved in your life then don't have any debt. Fuck don't even have a bank account, keep your earnings in a coffee can. Do like Dakin and Creekmore and get yourself a couple acres and a travel trailer (purchased with cash) and live off grid but stop fucking bitching.
Friday, September 18, 2009
quote of the day
Joe #1- "Should you be buying beer? Aren't you on extra duty?"
Joe #2- "Your Mom is on extra duty."
Got to love what you hear in like at the store on post.
Edited to include: I intended to schedule this for tomorrow but seem to have forgotten. Oh well it was really funny in the store anyway.
Joe #2- "Your Mom is on extra duty."
Got to love what you hear in like at the store on post.
Edited to include: I intended to schedule this for tomorrow but seem to have forgotten. Oh well it was really funny in the store anyway.
quote of the day
"If you bench press 225 pounds and want to get 275, you have to bench 230 first."
-Jim Wendler
The more I read of his book the more I like the philosophy.
-Jim Wendler
The more I read of his book the more I like the philosophy.
Living in Germany 2: Getting Settled
We have been here for a little while and are starting to get settled. I have some more thoughts and stuff. Using the same format as always.
The good: Everything is very clean and pretty. The national dish is meat which is pounded/ breaded and almost universally served with a nice house salad and french fries, what not to love. Met more people and they seem to be quite nice almost without exception. Also I have learned a bit of German and now have a decent idea how to navigate the public transport which is essential to travel. Got to see a really old church and a castle which was sweet, picked up a gift for Wifey on the trip which she liked.
Also we started getting our stuff and are at least sort of getting settled here and it is feeling more like home.
The bad: It looks like traveling plans are going to start a bit later than I ideally would like. We need to get a better idea of exactly what I will make here and have that settled so we can know what the traveling budget will be and make decisions from there. It doesn't look like we will get to Oktoberfest this year. That makes me a bit bummed but it is the smart move.
A dozen trips up and down the several flights of stairs to the ground floor kicked my ass while putting stuff in storage and throwing boxes n such away.
The ugly: Our stuff didn't fair so well in the move. The TV has a crack and the screen has a couple of decent scratches. A couple pieces of furniture are just fucked, they weren't expensive but it is still our stuff. I think they destroyed a nice coffee table I built by ripping off the legs. We will go through the claims process and probably get some money for this stuff but it is just crappy.
The good: Everything is very clean and pretty. The national dish is meat which is pounded/ breaded and almost universally served with a nice house salad and french fries, what not to love. Met more people and they seem to be quite nice almost without exception. Also I have learned a bit of German and now have a decent idea how to navigate the public transport which is essential to travel. Got to see a really old church and a castle which was sweet, picked up a gift for Wifey on the trip which she liked.
Also we started getting our stuff and are at least sort of getting settled here and it is feeling more like home.
The bad: It looks like traveling plans are going to start a bit later than I ideally would like. We need to get a better idea of exactly what I will make here and have that settled so we can know what the traveling budget will be and make decisions from there. It doesn't look like we will get to Oktoberfest this year. That makes me a bit bummed but it is the smart move.
A dozen trips up and down the several flights of stairs to the ground floor kicked my ass while putting stuff in storage and throwing boxes n such away.
The ugly: Our stuff didn't fair so well in the move. The TV has a crack and the screen has a couple of decent scratches. A couple pieces of furniture are just fucked, they weren't expensive but it is still our stuff. I think they destroyed a nice coffee table I built by ripping off the legs. We will go through the claims process and probably get some money for this stuff but it is just crappy.
About Time
House follows Senate lead and votes to strip ACORN of funding. I do have some concern that a "community organization" named Aflour or Cornl might just open up with 90% of the same personal who then get convenient funding. Don't get me wrong this is a great thing but we need a shift away from these sort of progressive organizations which are able to give and take influence and money in the shadows not just ACORN.
Where To Buy Precious Metals
Q: A reader named Joel asked about good companies to buy precious metals from.
A: Joel I would suggest first looking to your local brick and mortar stores. Most mid sized cities have one. The advantage these stores have is that you can go their every week to pick up an ounce of silver if you are so inclined. There are also no shipping charges (we will get back to that later) which especially if you make fairly frequent small purchases do add up. However do not just assume they are cheaper, often they are not. They have the costs of having a brick and mortar store and their potential customer base is geographically limited while an online store has far lower costs and a much wider customer base.
The bottom line is that you need to be educated and aware of gold and silver spot prices are and also of what competitive costs for the items you are interested in are. [Some products have notably high premiums (say Gold American Eagles or Silver Dollars) but that is a whole nother post.] Here is where things get complicated........
You need to be able to reasonably calculate what products will cost all said and done at your door not the price per item on a site or ebay. I think particularly with Ebay where you can pick up small amounts of 90% silver or whatever shipping and handling can really get you. The bottom line is that you need to figure out the cost of X lot of precious metals if you purchase it at a local store (if applicable) or from an online dealer in order to be able to make a sound decision.
For online vendors I can personally say that I have dealt with Kitco and Apmex and had positive experiences. I think Apmex tends to have lower shipping costs which is a big deal especially for frequent smaller purchases but sometimes you can get a better deal at Kitco. The key is to run the numbers and see where you can get the best deals be it the brick and mortar store, online store a or online store b.
A: Joel I would suggest first looking to your local brick and mortar stores. Most mid sized cities have one. The advantage these stores have is that you can go their every week to pick up an ounce of silver if you are so inclined. There are also no shipping charges (we will get back to that later) which especially if you make fairly frequent small purchases do add up. However do not just assume they are cheaper, often they are not. They have the costs of having a brick and mortar store and their potential customer base is geographically limited while an online store has far lower costs and a much wider customer base.
The bottom line is that you need to be educated and aware of gold and silver spot prices are and also of what competitive costs for the items you are interested in are. [Some products have notably high premiums (say Gold American Eagles or Silver Dollars) but that is a whole nother post.] Here is where things get complicated........
You need to be able to reasonably calculate what products will cost all said and done at your door not the price per item on a site or ebay. I think particularly with Ebay where you can pick up small amounts of 90% silver or whatever shipping and handling can really get you. The bottom line is that you need to figure out the cost of X lot of precious metals if you purchase it at a local store (if applicable) or from an online dealer in order to be able to make a sound decision.
For online vendors I can personally say that I have dealt with Kitco and Apmex and had positive experiences. I think Apmex tends to have lower shipping costs which is a big deal especially for frequent smaller purchases but sometimes you can get a better deal at Kitco. The key is to run the numbers and see where you can get the best deals be it the brick and mortar store, online store a or online store b.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
An Interesting Conversation
I was talking with a nice older lady today. I figured she was German but it turns out she was actually Rhodesian. A couple minutes later I asked her how she ended up here. Turns out her husband is German and as she said "Everything was comrade this and comrade that and our oldest son was about to start school so we decided to start him here". I said all things considered it is probably for the best they got out before it really went downhill. She said it is a shame what has happened and that her country used to be the bread basket of Afrika. I said Zimbabwe was a testimonial to the effectiveness of communism. We all had a good laugh at that one.
One of the most interesting observations from Neil Strauss's book is that a significant amount of American survivalists have a plan for if swine flu happens during an EMP and there is a flood while Norway is invading but have not considered the possibility of needing to get the fuck out of the US.
This nice old lady was a good testiment to the fact that one country can go completely to shit while the rest of the world goes on more or less business as usual.
A variety of peoples throughout history can also testify that sometimes a certain people (or everybody) would be well advised to leave their homeland because something very bad is about to happen.
One of the most interesting observations from Neil Strauss's book is that a significant amount of American survivalists have a plan for if swine flu happens during an EMP and there is a flood while Norway is invading but have not considered the possibility of needing to get the fuck out of the US.
This nice old lady was a good testiment to the fact that one country can go completely to shit while the rest of the world goes on more or less business as usual.
A variety of peoples throughout history can also testify that sometimes a certain people (or everybody) would be well advised to leave their homeland because something very bad is about to happen.
Crazy Day
Today I ate lunch in a restaurant that has been in operation since before Columbus sailed the ocean blue to fail to discover China (or even America) but managed to rape and pillage some Indians. To put it into perspective the oldest homestead near my childhood home was built in the 1850's. It was amazing, wondrous and really humbling to think of all the stuff that has happened since some nice folks built a pretty building and started selling food there.
I had planned on writing some other stuff but today sort of got away from me. I got home from work late and we got our household goods this afternoon. I am sitting on MY couch watching the BBC News on MY TV which is pretty nice. I have sort of missed being able to watch the news and particularly enjoy that part of my daily routine. This place is big and we definitely need more furniture. At least a chair and maybe a love seat or another couch.
Good stuff happened though it is all sort of a big jumble right now.
I had planned on writing some other stuff but today sort of got away from me. I got home from work late and we got our household goods this afternoon. I am sitting on MY couch watching the BBC News on MY TV which is pretty nice. I have sort of missed being able to watch the news and particularly enjoy that part of my daily routine. This place is big and we definitely need more furniture. At least a chair and maybe a love seat or another couch.
Good stuff happened though it is all sort of a big jumble right now.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
To Wait Or IF Not What To Buy
I want to do sort of an informal poll.
Because of the move we have been sitting on (and accumulating) precious metals money for a couple months. I had planned to buy this pay period since we are settled and such. However in the past couple weeks or so prices have shot through the roof. Usually I am not huge on trying to buy when gold is down $5 or silver is down .20 cents because I just buy a bit every month and it all sort of averages out. However if I were to buy right now I would get the same amount of gold I got not that long ago for $20 less or get a couple fewer ounces of silver than I would have not to long ago.
I am leaning towards waiting till prices drop a bit and then getting silver because right now I think it is at less of an inflated value.
Do you think I should buy now or hold off for awhile? If so at what point (in $ drop or time) do you think it would be prudent to buy?
When I buy should it be silver or gold. Please base this decision not on personal opinions of what precious metals you should have or whatever but on perceptions of the market values of the two metals.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts?
Because of the move we have been sitting on (and accumulating) precious metals money for a couple months. I had planned to buy this pay period since we are settled and such. However in the past couple weeks or so prices have shot through the roof. Usually I am not huge on trying to buy when gold is down $5 or silver is down .20 cents because I just buy a bit every month and it all sort of averages out. However if I were to buy right now I would get the same amount of gold I got not that long ago for $20 less or get a couple fewer ounces of silver than I would have not to long ago.
I am leaning towards waiting till prices drop a bit and then getting silver because right now I think it is at less of an inflated value.
Do you think I should buy now or hold off for awhile? If so at what point (in $ drop or time) do you think it would be prudent to buy?
When I buy should it be silver or gold. Please base this decision not on personal opinions of what precious metals you should have or whatever but on perceptions of the market values of the two metals.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts?
My Favorite Pistol
Figure it is only fair that I should answer my own question.
I love the simplicity and perfect ergonomics of my 6" .357 magnum. I love the combination of beauty, history and functionality that is the 1911. However when it is all measured up there is no doubt the Glock 19 is my favorite pistol.
It is small enough for me to carry with no modifications to my wardrobe. TOM, For me the G19 may print a tiny bit more than the .38 snubby (the Taurus is slightly smaller than the Charter Arms) because the grip is bigger and thicker but it carries better because its pressure is evenly distributed instead of just being along the cylinder (revolvers aren't great for IWB).
It is the gun I carry.
It is the gun I take to the range.
Without knowing what I was going to do or where I was going to do it if I needed to grab one pistol to go with me it would without a doubt the the Glock 19.
In my opinion it is the perfect combination of compact enough to carry, adequate stopping power (with JHP ammo), plenty of bullets, great shootability and total reliability.
While I do still have a few mon group standard pistols to buy the only one I am going to get in quanity is the Glock 19.
I love the simplicity and perfect ergonomics of my 6" .357 magnum. I love the combination of beauty, history and functionality that is the 1911. However when it is all measured up there is no doubt the Glock 19 is my favorite pistol.
It is small enough for me to carry with no modifications to my wardrobe. TOM, For me the G19 may print a tiny bit more than the .38 snubby (the Taurus is slightly smaller than the Charter Arms) because the grip is bigger and thicker but it carries better because its pressure is evenly distributed instead of just being along the cylinder (revolvers aren't great for IWB).
It is the gun I carry.
It is the gun I take to the range.
Without knowing what I was going to do or where I was going to do it if I needed to grab one pistol to go with me it would without a doubt the the Glock 19.
In my opinion it is the perfect combination of compact enough to carry, adequate stopping power (with JHP ammo), plenty of bullets, great shootability and total reliability.
While I do still have a few mon group standard pistols to buy the only one I am going to get in quanity is the Glock 19.
A Presidential Move I Can Get Behind
I don't personally agree with a lot of things our current administration does. I am however going to give them their due praise when they make good moves the same way I have and will continue to lambast our "conservatives" and other somewhat like minded figures when they fuck up.
I don't know if you pay attention (or even care) but a rapper by the name of Kanye West pretty much stole the thunder of Taylor Swift at the VMA's. While one musician being a jackass to another isn't anything new Taylor Swift seems like a pretty classy gal and fucking with someones acceptance speech is messed up. Back to my point...
Our President Barrack Hussein Obama is of the opinion that Kanye West is a "jackass" for his treatment of Taylor Swift. I have my concerns about the way my nation is moving but having a President a) follows current events and b) speaks his mind are both very refreshing. The world of politics can really use more people who call it as they see it. This is a trend which could get interesting very fast.
Oh yeah and just in case you forgot I really like Joe Biden.
Just to be clear I tagged this post with the label "asshats" entirely for Kanye West because well he is a colossal asshat.
I don't know if you pay attention (or even care) but a rapper by the name of Kanye West pretty much stole the thunder of Taylor Swift at the VMA's. While one musician being a jackass to another isn't anything new Taylor Swift seems like a pretty classy gal and fucking with someones acceptance speech is messed up. Back to my point...
Our President Barrack Hussein Obama is of the opinion that Kanye West is a "jackass" for his treatment of Taylor Swift. I have my concerns about the way my nation is moving but having a President a) follows current events and b) speaks his mind are both very refreshing. The world of politics can really use more people who call it as they see it. This is a trend which could get interesting very fast.
Oh yeah and just in case you forgot I really like Joe Biden.
Just to be clear I tagged this post with the label "asshats" entirely for Kanye West because well he is a colossal asshat.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Random Question
What is your favorite pistol (using it as a generic term for short guns to include revolvers)?
Is it the one you carry regularly?
Is it the one you choose to practice the most with?
If either the second and third answers are no then why is it your favorite pistol?
Is it the one you carry regularly?
Is it the one you choose to practice the most with?
If either the second and third answers are no then why is it your favorite pistol?
Setting Goals
I got to thinking about goals last night. Not so much any particular goal but the process of setting them. We need goals to get anything done. Stuff as simple as the list of crap you have to do this weekend is a good example. Another longer term example is a ten year plan to get you where you want to go.
Especially in preparedness we probably have a lot of goals. I would be willing to wager that the most prepared people out there still have some sort of goals they are working towards.
I am going to use exercise metaphors because they have worked well in the past. Setting goals to low makes them meaningless. Having your goal for the next 6 months of exercise be to weigh 3 pounds less would be pretty darn unambitious. You could eat normally for 5 and a half months, have salads for lunch for two weeks and do that. While this goal is easy to achieve it is essential not to loose sight of the real goal which is improvement.
Conversely having goals which are too high doesn't make any sense either. Wanting to add 5 inches to your arms and go from a semi truck sized spare tire to abs of steel in that same 6 months just isn't at all realistic. Once it becomes apparent that ridiculous goal can not be met one could easily loose heart and give up on fitness entirely which certainly isn't a good thing.
It is important to consider not just what a goal is but where you are NOW. For example lets say two people have the exact same goal, to run at the end of next summer almost exactly a year from now.
The first person is named Jill. She is in her early thirties and has not ran consistently in years and to be honest was never much of a runner anyway. Jill has not been on a consistent workout plan or anything like that but has maintained a pretty healthy weight and is essentially a healthy person. With proper motivation and a bit of guidance there is no reason Jill should not be able to run 26.2 miles next year at this time. The second person is Bob. He is in his early thirties also. Bob weighs 340 pounds and is obese, he also just recently had major knee surgery as a result of complications from his weight.
While Jill and Bob have the same goal it is realistic for her because while it will take a lot of work and dedication it is entirely attainable. It is absolutely not realistic for Bob. Based on his height and body frame he needs to loose almost a hundred pounds to be at a healthy weight and still has a lot of work to do to get his knee ready to do anything. Bob needs to do a lot of dieting, physical therapy for his knee and exercise in general. It might be more realistic for Bob to have this years goal be a 10k and shoot for the marathon the year after.
The point of this analogy is that it isn't just where you are now or where you want to be but the difference between the two and your ability to maneuver through that difference.
So we have discussed the pitfalls of goals that are way too easy and goals that are just not realistic. Where is the right place to set your goals then?
I think to a large degree the answer is personal. Does the possibility of not being able to meet a goal leave you very angry and upset with yourself? Does having a goal that is just at the absolute maximum of your potential drive you to shatter previous records and redefine that potential?
I personally like to set goals that are ambitious. I like goals that are attainable if I do my part and things go well. I also like goals that are high enough so if I get pretty close it is a reasonable win in and of itself.
Have you ever seen the need to set the bar a bit high so even if you miss it things are still going well? For example: Lets say you plan to work out 3 times a week, got a plan and everything like that. Something happens and you can't cram 3 workouts into 2 so some stuff gets missed. This seems to happen almost every other week. If you work out just twice a week not a lot is going to change in terms of your fitness. Conversely if you plan to work out 4 or 5 times a week and miss one it isn't that huge of a deal.
One important thing about goals is that you need to be realistic about them after they get set. Lets say Jill from earlier in our talk is doing just fine on her running plan. It is January and she is up to 15 miles or so a week with her long run in the 6-8 mile range. Jill is well on the way to success when she slips and falls at work spraining her ankle badly. After a month off of running she has lost some ground but things were going so well she might still be able to make her goal. Now it is June and her ankle is feeling fine and she is up to long runs of 15 miles. On an easy trail run she lands wrong and re injures her ankle. It is probably time for Jill to reevaluate her goal of running the full marathon this year. She might be better advised to give the half a try since she can recover and train back up to that distance with plenty of time to spare. Jill can take some solace in the fact that it was just bad luck which kept her from the goal.
Radical changes in our income, health or personal lives can derail almost any goal without failure to follow through on our goal being a factor.
Sometimes however it isn't bad luck. For all sorts of reasons we just don't complete every goal we set out to. Sometimes we get distracted and sometimes we don't make something a priority. Early morning runs often don't happen. The prettiest budget on paper isn't any good if you spend on things which aren't in that budget.
This is where it gets a bit tricky. Kicking yourself too hard for what has already been done doesn't make sense because you can't change it. I do however firmly believe that if we do not take direct personal responsibility for our failures and just blow it off with excuses (those bankers are keeping me down, everyone in my family is fat, or whatever other crap you sell yourself) we will never do better because we fool ourselves into thinking we are doing our best now.
My advice is to think hard about why you did not meet your goals but not get down on yourself about it. The goal isn't to feel like a sack of shit and get all down on yourself but to really see why you didn't meet your own goals. Be brutally honest without being brutal about it. Here are some good questions to think about:
Was the goal realistic?
Did I have a reasonable plan to execute my goal?
Did I try to change things to meet my goal when it was apparent the original plan was not working or did I just plod along with it?
Is this goal really important to me? Important enough to put forth the effort required to meet it?
Anyway I am bored of writing so that is all for today. Got something interesting and completely out of my normal area of writing for tomorrow.
Especially in preparedness we probably have a lot of goals. I would be willing to wager that the most prepared people out there still have some sort of goals they are working towards.
I am going to use exercise metaphors because they have worked well in the past. Setting goals to low makes them meaningless. Having your goal for the next 6 months of exercise be to weigh 3 pounds less would be pretty darn unambitious. You could eat normally for 5 and a half months, have salads for lunch for two weeks and do that. While this goal is easy to achieve it is essential not to loose sight of the real goal which is improvement.
Conversely having goals which are too high doesn't make any sense either. Wanting to add 5 inches to your arms and go from a semi truck sized spare tire to abs of steel in that same 6 months just isn't at all realistic. Once it becomes apparent that ridiculous goal can not be met one could easily loose heart and give up on fitness entirely which certainly isn't a good thing.
It is important to consider not just what a goal is but where you are NOW. For example lets say two people have the exact same goal, to run at the end of next summer almost exactly a year from now.
The first person is named Jill. She is in her early thirties and has not ran consistently in years and to be honest was never much of a runner anyway. Jill has not been on a consistent workout plan or anything like that but has maintained a pretty healthy weight and is essentially a healthy person. With proper motivation and a bit of guidance there is no reason Jill should not be able to run 26.2 miles next year at this time. The second person is Bob. He is in his early thirties also. Bob weighs 340 pounds and is obese, he also just recently had major knee surgery as a result of complications from his weight.
While Jill and Bob have the same goal it is realistic for her because while it will take a lot of work and dedication it is entirely attainable. It is absolutely not realistic for Bob. Based on his height and body frame he needs to loose almost a hundred pounds to be at a healthy weight and still has a lot of work to do to get his knee ready to do anything. Bob needs to do a lot of dieting, physical therapy for his knee and exercise in general. It might be more realistic for Bob to have this years goal be a 10k and shoot for the marathon the year after.
The point of this analogy is that it isn't just where you are now or where you want to be but the difference between the two and your ability to maneuver through that difference.
So we have discussed the pitfalls of goals that are way too easy and goals that are just not realistic. Where is the right place to set your goals then?
I think to a large degree the answer is personal. Does the possibility of not being able to meet a goal leave you very angry and upset with yourself? Does having a goal that is just at the absolute maximum of your potential drive you to shatter previous records and redefine that potential?
I personally like to set goals that are ambitious. I like goals that are attainable if I do my part and things go well. I also like goals that are high enough so if I get pretty close it is a reasonable win in and of itself.
Have you ever seen the need to set the bar a bit high so even if you miss it things are still going well? For example: Lets say you plan to work out 3 times a week, got a plan and everything like that. Something happens and you can't cram 3 workouts into 2 so some stuff gets missed. This seems to happen almost every other week. If you work out just twice a week not a lot is going to change in terms of your fitness. Conversely if you plan to work out 4 or 5 times a week and miss one it isn't that huge of a deal.
One important thing about goals is that you need to be realistic about them after they get set. Lets say Jill from earlier in our talk is doing just fine on her running plan. It is January and she is up to 15 miles or so a week with her long run in the 6-8 mile range. Jill is well on the way to success when she slips and falls at work spraining her ankle badly. After a month off of running she has lost some ground but things were going so well she might still be able to make her goal. Now it is June and her ankle is feeling fine and she is up to long runs of 15 miles. On an easy trail run she lands wrong and re injures her ankle. It is probably time for Jill to reevaluate her goal of running the full marathon this year. She might be better advised to give the half a try since she can recover and train back up to that distance with plenty of time to spare. Jill can take some solace in the fact that it was just bad luck which kept her from the goal.
Radical changes in our income, health or personal lives can derail almost any goal without failure to follow through on our goal being a factor.
Sometimes however it isn't bad luck. For all sorts of reasons we just don't complete every goal we set out to. Sometimes we get distracted and sometimes we don't make something a priority. Early morning runs often don't happen. The prettiest budget on paper isn't any good if you spend on things which aren't in that budget.
This is where it gets a bit tricky. Kicking yourself too hard for what has already been done doesn't make sense because you can't change it. I do however firmly believe that if we do not take direct personal responsibility for our failures and just blow it off with excuses (those bankers are keeping me down, everyone in my family is fat, or whatever other crap you sell yourself) we will never do better because we fool ourselves into thinking we are doing our best now.
My advice is to think hard about why you did not meet your goals but not get down on yourself about it. The goal isn't to feel like a sack of shit and get all down on yourself but to really see why you didn't meet your own goals. Be brutally honest without being brutal about it. Here are some good questions to think about:
Was the goal realistic?
Did I have a reasonable plan to execute my goal?
Did I try to change things to meet my goal when it was apparent the original plan was not working or did I just plod along with it?
Is this goal really important to me? Important enough to put forth the effort required to meet it?
Anyway I am bored of writing so that is all for today. Got something interesting and completely out of my normal area of writing for tomorrow.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Stocking the Pantry: What I did to Prepare this Week
Now that we are settled in a new residence it is time to get some food to fill all these cupboards we have. Over the last few days we have been making trips to the grocery store and building up on staples and just good normal stuff. The first day or two all we had in the fridge was sandwich makings, and milk but things have been steadily improving.
Being my paranoid self I wanted to get some staples. Remembering back to a previous post we got a big thing of rice, a couple bags of beans, a big thing of just add water pancake mix, flour and syrup. In addition to being a big start to filling out a normal kitchen this is also a lot of food with a good calorie to dollar ratio.
Our kitchen is definitely not fully stocked yet. Still almost every dinner we need to pick up something else. Going from a completely stocked kitchen and pantry to empty shelves sucks but that sort of thing is what DLA is for. We still have a long way to go and aren't really even going to look at halfway serious food storage levels until we just get the normal stuff stocked in decent quantities.
We are saving 2 liter soda bottles to fill up with water. I shipped the 7 gallon jugs but even though it doesn't cost me anything shipping used soda bottles across the Atlantic just seems ridiculous.
Other than that not a lot happened other than me forgetting to do this yesterday. I did some work on fitness but not much. Finally got to go back to eating more normally which I think was good. Did about a C- job of exercising getting a good run and a couple sessions on the weight pile in.
What did you do to prepare this week?
Being my paranoid self I wanted to get some staples. Remembering back to a previous post we got a big thing of rice, a couple bags of beans, a big thing of just add water pancake mix, flour and syrup. In addition to being a big start to filling out a normal kitchen this is also a lot of food with a good calorie to dollar ratio.
Our kitchen is definitely not fully stocked yet. Still almost every dinner we need to pick up something else. Going from a completely stocked kitchen and pantry to empty shelves sucks but that sort of thing is what DLA is for. We still have a long way to go and aren't really even going to look at halfway serious food storage levels until we just get the normal stuff stocked in decent quantities.
We are saving 2 liter soda bottles to fill up with water. I shipped the 7 gallon jugs but even though it doesn't cost me anything shipping used soda bottles across the Atlantic just seems ridiculous.
Other than that not a lot happened other than me forgetting to do this yesterday. I did some work on fitness but not much. Finally got to go back to eating more normally which I think was good. Did about a C- job of exercising getting a good run and a couple sessions on the weight pile in.
What did you do to prepare this week?
Taxes
Right now I am taking a class on Federal Income Tax. If you want to see how out of control our tax system is, here is a clear example: the largest book I have for class this term is a collection of selected tax statutes. That's right, not even the entire tax code! It is bigger than by book for Trust & Estate Planning, over twice the size of the Contracts book from my first year, and roughly the size of annotated Federal Civil Procedure, and Federal Criminal Procedure books combined! WTF?
Sunday, September 13, 2009
My Thoughts on Dave Ramseys 7 Baby Steps
First and foremost I am not a financial planner or a financial adviser or an econ major or really anything at all that is close to an authority on things financial. What I am going to say is a combination of what I personally do and what I think. If you choose to follow my lead odds are it will work fine for you because it is a pretty generic and conservative way of doing things BUT all decisions you choose to make and their consequences (good or bad) are yours and yours alone. Use your head, study up and make decisions but OWN THEM because the consequences are yours alone. Consider yourselves disclaimed.
On a semi random note while writing this I found an interesting blog post about some guys thoughts on the Dave Ramsey 7 Baby Steps plan. I will go step by step and then give some more general thoughts at the end.
Anyway to my thoughts. The steps will be bold and my thoughts on each will follow.
Step 1: $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund. The first step is good. $1,000 for most people and $500 for those with pretty low incomes. Some folks might say this is not enough and that it will not 'cover' a lot of emergencies. I duno entirely about that but the big thing to keep in mind is that this is just the first step and you will save more later. As he says "$1,000 will not cover every emergency but it will cover a lot of them". I am inclined to agree with that statement and especially for someone who had absolutely no savings this is a big improvement. If you think that amount of money is a bit low because you have a big family and such then go with one months cash expenses.
I personally thing this is great because it more or less meshes perfectly with my concept of a cash emergency fund if you just have it in cash. See my old post for thoughts on what denominations this should be in.
Step 2: Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball. In this phase you pay off every debt except a home mortgage if applicable. I do not think this is a bad idea and it is designed to give some quick wins which can be rewarding. It is worth mentioning that higher interest rates should probably have some priority. Also if you have a debt that has significant emotions attached to it such as a loan from a friend or family member it might be good to pay that off first regardless of interest. In any case paying off all your debts is a good thing to do. There is of course the implied task to avoid getting back into debt or at least use it in a better manner in the future.
Step 3: 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings. This is a very important piece also. As Dave Ramsey pointed out in his book "Money Magazine says 78% of Americans will have a major unexpected event in the next 10 years". Things happen, jobs are lost or you are cut to part time, income fluctuates, cars blow up, medical problems bring unexpected expenses, homes are damaged and all sorts of other crappy stuff happens. This will cover you in a lot of situations or at least give you time to figure something else out.
The biggest thing I learned here from the book is that most of these events are non job related so even those with a secure income need an emergency fund because stuff happens and from time to time you need more cash than can be massaged out of the monthly budget. Leaning more toward 3 months living expenses will probably work for those with secure jobs is probably reasonable and for those with fluctuating incomes (real estate or any sort of contract or comission work) and those in job fields where layoffs are frequent (construction, consulting, etc) 6 months or maybe even longer would be prudent. The point that single folks or one income families need to have a bigger emergency fund was pointed out because if the wage earner looses their job for whatever reason 100% of their income is gone instead of just part of it for a dual income family.
My biggest disagreement with this program is that (at least in the beginning which can take years) it over emphasizes getting out of debt at the expense of setting up a real emergency fund by waiting until you have absolutely no debt (except a home mortgage) to save more than the original $1,000 from step one. While having cash in the bank earning 3% and debt at a higher interest rate doesn't make absolutely perfect financial sense I believe holding more cash is probably wise. The reason I believe in saving even if you have some debt is that if things get completely fucked you can live off of savings for awhile. While lower bills will help some they will not keep a roof over your head or the power on or food in your stomach or gas in the car.
Lets say you owe $10,000 in miscilanouse debt and instead of putting every available dollar towards paying off that debt you save some. You have squirreled away about $4,000 in savings (which is about three months living expenses for you)and the $1,000 from step 1. All of a sudden out of the blue you loose your job. Having only $6,000 in debt would be helpful because you would have somewhat lower expenses but what you need is cash to survive until you replace the lost income from your job. Absolute worst case you can prioritize essentials (shelter, food, transportation, etc) and use cash to survive for awhile which makes holding some cash even if you have debt better than less debt and no cash.
While it is true that the place between steps 2 and 3 is temporary it averages almost two years which is a long time, I believe 18-24 months is what the book says. I would personally rather have debt for 2.5-3 years and have money in the bank to cover us should it be needed.
Step 4: Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement. I find nothing to argue with in this one though getting back to my last point I do think it is dangerous to postpone saving for retirement. If you stick perfectly with this plan it will work but it is always easier to save for something (especially as abstract for us youngsters as retirement) next month. Maybe you aren't able to save 15% but at least save something NOW AND EVERY PAYCHECK. We need to up the amount we put away for retirement. Got to think some and talk to Wifey about this matter at a later date.
Step 5: College funding for children. I think if parents have their financial house in order making preparations for childrens higher education is absolutely the right thing to do. How much, when and under what conditions Mom and Dad will help Timmy go to school is a stand alone book. However isn't it best to let your opinion and the circumstances decide these matters with enough cash saved to back it up whatever seems best? There was some fairly specific advice on this matter in the book. It seems like the key to this is planning early and sticking with it. Unless you are fabulously wealthy and know 100% that when the time comes you can just write a check you need to plan.
Step 6: Pay off home early. Can't argue with this step in any way. The great point was made that while most people say this just isn't realistic it is IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY OTHER DEBTS!
Step 7: Build wealth and give! Invest in mutual funds and real estate. Got nothing to argue with about this one.
Now for some more general thoughts. I think all do the steps are good but don't really think that working on one means another can not be addressed. In particular I think that following the steps exactly is a great thing to do to get out of being in a real crappy financial situation. However I am not convinced that someone who is already working on their debts (if applicable), saving for emergencies and retirement needs to radically change their plan.
Also I sort of disagree with Dave Ramsey on one thing. He is absolutely against car loans and often the first suggestion is to get rid of a car with a loan and buy a couple thousand dollar junker for cash untill you can pay for better. Of course having a brand new truck that cost 30k and a car which cost 20k and payments for both with a combined income of 50k a year is insane. Selling these expensive cars which the people can not afford is an easy decision to make.
I think saying that all car loans are equally horrible is overly simplistic. Having a huge loan on an expensive car is stupid but a smaller loan on a reasonable car is not the same thing.
I personally disagree with that plan simply because junker cars break all the time. Of course any used car (heck any car really) are a bit of a craps shoot but those in the $2,500 and below price range seem to cause the most problems. Realistically for a lot of folks $2500 or so is about the amount of cash they can readily scrape together in cash.
Maybe I feel this way because we took this advice and got burned. The last car we bought fell into this range and we bought it for cash. It cost us several hundred dollars in miscilaneous repairs over the course of a few months and then died. We later sold it for $400. I know lots of people who have had similar experiences. Sometimes you might get Grandma Johnsons used Honda civic and drive it for 100k but at least as often you will get a car that either $500's the crap out of you or just dies, or both. [Yes I am aware that some good reliable vehicles can be found in this range and I am super happy you had great luck with the one you bought. That you need to mention it goes a long way towards the exception proving the rule. Also for the super mechanical these cars may turn out OK for you. ]
What we should have done is taken a couple thousand bucks of our money and then got a loan for enough to get something relatively new and low mileage say 7,000 dollars for a good few year old Toyota with reasonable mileage. Yeah having debt sucks and so does paying interest. Then again at least in that situation you know what you will be paying every month and the odds are high you will have a car that is trouble free for awhile.
I certainly do not think having a car/ truck payment is ideal. However you can probably make a lot worse decisions then getting a loan (at a reasonable rate) to purchase a reasonably priced reliable used car which you will drive until the wheels fall off.
Guess those are my thoughts. Would you like to share yours?
On a semi random note while writing this I found an interesting blog post about some guys thoughts on the Dave Ramsey 7 Baby Steps plan. I will go step by step and then give some more general thoughts at the end.
Anyway to my thoughts. The steps will be bold and my thoughts on each will follow.
Step 1: $1,000 to start an Emergency Fund. The first step is good. $1,000 for most people and $500 for those with pretty low incomes. Some folks might say this is not enough and that it will not 'cover' a lot of emergencies. I duno entirely about that but the big thing to keep in mind is that this is just the first step and you will save more later. As he says "$1,000 will not cover every emergency but it will cover a lot of them". I am inclined to agree with that statement and especially for someone who had absolutely no savings this is a big improvement. If you think that amount of money is a bit low because you have a big family and such then go with one months cash expenses.
I personally thing this is great because it more or less meshes perfectly with my concept of a cash emergency fund if you just have it in cash. See my old post for thoughts on what denominations this should be in.
Step 2: Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball. In this phase you pay off every debt except a home mortgage if applicable. I do not think this is a bad idea and it is designed to give some quick wins which can be rewarding. It is worth mentioning that higher interest rates should probably have some priority. Also if you have a debt that has significant emotions attached to it such as a loan from a friend or family member it might be good to pay that off first regardless of interest. In any case paying off all your debts is a good thing to do. There is of course the implied task to avoid getting back into debt or at least use it in a better manner in the future.
Step 3: 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings. This is a very important piece also. As Dave Ramsey pointed out in his book "Money Magazine says 78% of Americans will have a major unexpected event in the next 10 years". Things happen, jobs are lost or you are cut to part time, income fluctuates, cars blow up, medical problems bring unexpected expenses, homes are damaged and all sorts of other crappy stuff happens. This will cover you in a lot of situations or at least give you time to figure something else out.
The biggest thing I learned here from the book is that most of these events are non job related so even those with a secure income need an emergency fund because stuff happens and from time to time you need more cash than can be massaged out of the monthly budget. Leaning more toward 3 months living expenses will probably work for those with secure jobs is probably reasonable and for those with fluctuating incomes (real estate or any sort of contract or comission work) and those in job fields where layoffs are frequent (construction, consulting, etc) 6 months or maybe even longer would be prudent. The point that single folks or one income families need to have a bigger emergency fund was pointed out because if the wage earner looses their job for whatever reason 100% of their income is gone instead of just part of it for a dual income family.
My biggest disagreement with this program is that (at least in the beginning which can take years) it over emphasizes getting out of debt at the expense of setting up a real emergency fund by waiting until you have absolutely no debt (except a home mortgage) to save more than the original $1,000 from step one. While having cash in the bank earning 3% and debt at a higher interest rate doesn't make absolutely perfect financial sense I believe holding more cash is probably wise. The reason I believe in saving even if you have some debt is that if things get completely fucked you can live off of savings for awhile. While lower bills will help some they will not keep a roof over your head or the power on or food in your stomach or gas in the car.
Lets say you owe $10,000 in miscilanouse debt and instead of putting every available dollar towards paying off that debt you save some. You have squirreled away about $4,000 in savings (which is about three months living expenses for you)and the $1,000 from step 1. All of a sudden out of the blue you loose your job. Having only $6,000 in debt would be helpful because you would have somewhat lower expenses but what you need is cash to survive until you replace the lost income from your job. Absolute worst case you can prioritize essentials (shelter, food, transportation, etc) and use cash to survive for awhile which makes holding some cash even if you have debt better than less debt and no cash.
While it is true that the place between steps 2 and 3 is temporary it averages almost two years which is a long time, I believe 18-24 months is what the book says. I would personally rather have debt for 2.5-3 years and have money in the bank to cover us should it be needed.
Step 4: Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement. I find nothing to argue with in this one though getting back to my last point I do think it is dangerous to postpone saving for retirement. If you stick perfectly with this plan it will work but it is always easier to save for something (especially as abstract for us youngsters as retirement) next month. Maybe you aren't able to save 15% but at least save something NOW AND EVERY PAYCHECK. We need to up the amount we put away for retirement. Got to think some and talk to Wifey about this matter at a later date.
Step 5: College funding for children. I think if parents have their financial house in order making preparations for childrens higher education is absolutely the right thing to do. How much, when and under what conditions Mom and Dad will help Timmy go to school is a stand alone book. However isn't it best to let your opinion and the circumstances decide these matters with enough cash saved to back it up whatever seems best? There was some fairly specific advice on this matter in the book. It seems like the key to this is planning early and sticking with it. Unless you are fabulously wealthy and know 100% that when the time comes you can just write a check you need to plan.
Step 6: Pay off home early. Can't argue with this step in any way. The great point was made that while most people say this just isn't realistic it is IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY OTHER DEBTS!
Step 7: Build wealth and give! Invest in mutual funds and real estate. Got nothing to argue with about this one.
Now for some more general thoughts. I think all do the steps are good but don't really think that working on one means another can not be addressed. In particular I think that following the steps exactly is a great thing to do to get out of being in a real crappy financial situation. However I am not convinced that someone who is already working on their debts (if applicable), saving for emergencies and retirement needs to radically change their plan.
Also I sort of disagree with Dave Ramsey on one thing. He is absolutely against car loans and often the first suggestion is to get rid of a car with a loan and buy a couple thousand dollar junker for cash untill you can pay for better. Of course having a brand new truck that cost 30k and a car which cost 20k and payments for both with a combined income of 50k a year is insane. Selling these expensive cars which the people can not afford is an easy decision to make.
I think saying that all car loans are equally horrible is overly simplistic. Having a huge loan on an expensive car is stupid but a smaller loan on a reasonable car is not the same thing.
I personally disagree with that plan simply because junker cars break all the time. Of course any used car (heck any car really) are a bit of a craps shoot but those in the $2,500 and below price range seem to cause the most problems. Realistically for a lot of folks $2500 or so is about the amount of cash they can readily scrape together in cash.
Maybe I feel this way because we took this advice and got burned. The last car we bought fell into this range and we bought it for cash. It cost us several hundred dollars in miscilaneous repairs over the course of a few months and then died. We later sold it for $400. I know lots of people who have had similar experiences. Sometimes you might get Grandma Johnsons used Honda civic and drive it for 100k but at least as often you will get a car that either $500's the crap out of you or just dies, or both. [Yes I am aware that some good reliable vehicles can be found in this range and I am super happy you had great luck with the one you bought. That you need to mention it goes a long way towards the exception proving the rule. Also for the super mechanical these cars may turn out OK for you. ]
What we should have done is taken a couple thousand bucks of our money and then got a loan for enough to get something relatively new and low mileage say 7,000 dollars for a good few year old Toyota with reasonable mileage. Yeah having debt sucks and so does paying interest. Then again at least in that situation you know what you will be paying every month and the odds are high you will have a car that is trouble free for awhile.
I certainly do not think having a car/ truck payment is ideal. However you can probably make a lot worse decisions then getting a loan (at a reasonable rate) to purchase a reasonably priced reliable used car which you will drive until the wheels fall off.
Guess those are my thoughts. Would you like to share yours?
Survival Sunday- Food, Part I
There is a bunch of info out there about edible plants. Most of it is just lists of plants, or basic identification of plant types to figure out what is most likely toxic. This site is one of the best ones I could find. One of the things I like about it is that it has a manner to test unknown plants, which is time consuming, but something I have not seen in other places. Its worth checking out.
Book Review: Dave Ramseys Total Money Makeover
I got a copy of The Total Money Makeover from the library yesterday. Just finished it up a few minutes ago. I definitely have some thoughts both on the book.
The book was a very pleasant and quick read. It also is a great reminder that truly smart people can explain complicated subjects to normal folks in a way they can understand it. Dave Ramsey does mention Christianity now and then in the book with biblical references and some quotes. For those who do not share his faith it is easy enough to just skip a sentence here and there without loosing any of the lessons of the book.
I have previously watched his TV show a few times and had a pretty good idea what he was all about with the 7 baby steps and such. I will talk about my thoughts on those later but want to keep the review separate. Sort of picked up the book because I have been reading a lot lately and wanted to have a better idea what his philosophy was all about.
I learned a lot in this book. Dave Ramsey systematically busts a lot of financial myths in half and exposes better ways to do things.
Right in the first few pages the book says that doing the right thing financially is 80% behavior and 20% knowledge. While some people get taken advantage of with high interest loans, car leases and other stuff they do not fully understand most people know intuitively at least at a very basic level what they should be doing. Far more often the reason people do well or poorly money wise is not knowledge but behavior. To me this was particularly powerful as were his comparisons of finances and fitness.
Some of the statistics given in the book are disturbingly shocking.
I honestly thing just about everyone can gain something useful from this book. I suggest you get your hands on a copy and read it.
The book was a very pleasant and quick read. It also is a great reminder that truly smart people can explain complicated subjects to normal folks in a way they can understand it. Dave Ramsey does mention Christianity now and then in the book with biblical references and some quotes. For those who do not share his faith it is easy enough to just skip a sentence here and there without loosing any of the lessons of the book.
I have previously watched his TV show a few times and had a pretty good idea what he was all about with the 7 baby steps and such. I will talk about my thoughts on those later but want to keep the review separate. Sort of picked up the book because I have been reading a lot lately and wanted to have a better idea what his philosophy was all about.
I learned a lot in this book. Dave Ramsey systematically busts a lot of financial myths in half and exposes better ways to do things.
Right in the first few pages the book says that doing the right thing financially is 80% behavior and 20% knowledge. While some people get taken advantage of with high interest loans, car leases and other stuff they do not fully understand most people know intuitively at least at a very basic level what they should be doing. Far more often the reason people do well or poorly money wise is not knowledge but behavior. To me this was particularly powerful as were his comparisons of finances and fitness.
Some of the statistics given in the book are disturbingly shocking.
I honestly thing just about everyone can gain something useful from this book. I suggest you get your hands on a copy and read it.
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