“Our most persistent and spectacular efforts are concerned not with the preservation of what we are but with the building up of an imaginary conception of ourselves in the opinion of others. The desire for praise is more imperative than the desire for food and shelter.”
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Lessons Learned from the Great Depression
Quit using credit. No cash to make a purchase? Don't buy it. If you have credit cards, make sure to pay the balance off every month. If you can't pay off the balance, then cut up the credit card(s) and work on paying down what you owe. Never borrow money unless you have a clear plan for how you're going to pay it back.And when layoffs are a reality, expecting to pay for it with your Christmas bonus or your next paycheck is not a sound plan. If you don't have the money to pay for it right now, don't buy it.
* Use Affirmations Effectively - Repeat: Debt is not an option.
* Prioritize Your Debts - Prioritizing your debts can help you pay them off as quickly as possible, and it can provide the security you need to get back on your feet even in lean times.
Nurture positive relationships with family and friends. They will see you through difficult times. Be honest with your family and friends that you are facing difficult times financially. Discover ways to barter and help each other. During hard times, many people bond through the simple pleasures in life, many of which are almost free. During the Depression, people still had fun, just not lavish fun. Children had soapbox derbies, teenagers had dance contests, people played Monopoly, did puzzles, read, and listened to the radio. It took some imagination and ingenuity, but they had a lot of fun without hanging out at the mall, and you can too. Get together to discuss philosophy or pray; play poker or make crazy quilt pillows; play instruments and dance.
* Talk to Your Children About a Financial Crisis
* Have a Depression Dinner. Research what people ate during the Depression. It wasn't all pinto beans and corn bread.
Do it yourself. When money is short, you don't really have a choice - either you do it yourself, or it doesn't get done. Learn how to fix and maintain everything in your home, in addition to your clothes and accessories.
* Sew. Learn how to mend torn seams, hem, sew buttons, and sew zippers. This will make your clothes last much longer. When you need new clothes shop at second-hand stores and tailor the clothes so they fit. You can also apply your sewing skills to recycle old clothes into handy new things, like turning an old pair of jeans into a tote bag.
* Get in touch with your inner handyman (or handywoman). Do you know how to fix a running toilet? Pack a water shutoff valve? Change a clothes drier belt? Replace an interior doorknob?
* Change the oil in your car. While you're at it, you might want to check and change the fluids, battery and cabin air filter yourself. Alternatively, if you want to develop a good relationship with your auto mechanic, see if you can barter - perhaps an oil change in exchange for a professional haircut?
See frugality as a virtue. There's a difference between being frugal and being cheap or stingy. A frugal person makes the most of what they have; a cheap person is just focused on not spending money. During the Great Depression, frugality was seen as a positive trait. During hard times, it'll help you get by, but when things get better, maintaining those habits will help you build wealth. Plus, frugality requires planning, creativity, and critical thinking - all of which are important life skills, regardless of the state of the economy.
Treat food with respect. When times get tough - really tough - you appreciate having food on the table. You might never know what it's like to have to eat wet bread for dinner, but you don't have to get to that point to make the resolution to never waste food. Cook food from scratch and, if you can, go straight to the source (such as dealing directly with farmers) or become your own source: grow your own food, keep livestock, gather wild edibles, and/or hunt wild game if possible and legal. Whatever it is that you procure for food, never let it make it to the garbage can without a very good reason.
* Learn to cook. There is probably no skill that will get you through hard times with equanimity than being able to rustle up a good meal for yourself out of whatever's around. You can save a lot of money by cooking from scratch rather than ordering take-out or take-away. A good thrifty cook can make a tasty, nutritious meal from inexpensive ingredients and "stretch a meal". Also, leftovers are much cheaper to bring to work or school than buying lunch.
Reuse, reuse, reuse. The amount of stuff you have should already be reduced by your limited spending, and you'll always want to think twice before throwing anything away, whether it's into the trash or the recycling bin.
Be thankful. Make a list of the top five things you couldn't live without, and chances are, all of those things are not possessions. Most of all, be optimistic.
For the complete article, visit WikiHow.
* Use Affirmations Effectively - Repeat: Debt is not an option.
* Prioritize Your Debts - Prioritizing your debts can help you pay them off as quickly as possible, and it can provide the security you need to get back on your feet even in lean times.
Nurture positive relationships with family and friends. They will see you through difficult times. Be honest with your family and friends that you are facing difficult times financially. Discover ways to barter and help each other. During hard times, many people bond through the simple pleasures in life, many of which are almost free. During the Depression, people still had fun, just not lavish fun. Children had soapbox derbies, teenagers had dance contests, people played Monopoly, did puzzles, read, and listened to the radio. It took some imagination and ingenuity, but they had a lot of fun without hanging out at the mall, and you can too. Get together to discuss philosophy or pray; play poker or make crazy quilt pillows; play instruments and dance.
* Talk to Your Children About a Financial Crisis
* Have a Depression Dinner. Research what people ate during the Depression. It wasn't all pinto beans and corn bread.
Do it yourself. When money is short, you don't really have a choice - either you do it yourself, or it doesn't get done. Learn how to fix and maintain everything in your home, in addition to your clothes and accessories.
* Sew. Learn how to mend torn seams, hem, sew buttons, and sew zippers. This will make your clothes last much longer. When you need new clothes shop at second-hand stores and tailor the clothes so they fit. You can also apply your sewing skills to recycle old clothes into handy new things, like turning an old pair of jeans into a tote bag.
* Get in touch with your inner handyman (or handywoman). Do you know how to fix a running toilet? Pack a water shutoff valve? Change a clothes drier belt? Replace an interior doorknob?
* Change the oil in your car. While you're at it, you might want to check and change the fluids, battery and cabin air filter yourself. Alternatively, if you want to develop a good relationship with your auto mechanic, see if you can barter - perhaps an oil change in exchange for a professional haircut?
See frugality as a virtue. There's a difference between being frugal and being cheap or stingy. A frugal person makes the most of what they have; a cheap person is just focused on not spending money. During the Great Depression, frugality was seen as a positive trait. During hard times, it'll help you get by, but when things get better, maintaining those habits will help you build wealth. Plus, frugality requires planning, creativity, and critical thinking - all of which are important life skills, regardless of the state of the economy.
Treat food with respect. When times get tough - really tough - you appreciate having food on the table. You might never know what it's like to have to eat wet bread for dinner, but you don't have to get to that point to make the resolution to never waste food. Cook food from scratch and, if you can, go straight to the source (such as dealing directly with farmers) or become your own source: grow your own food, keep livestock, gather wild edibles, and/or hunt wild game if possible and legal. Whatever it is that you procure for food, never let it make it to the garbage can without a very good reason.
* Learn to cook. There is probably no skill that will get you through hard times with equanimity than being able to rustle up a good meal for yourself out of whatever's around. You can save a lot of money by cooking from scratch rather than ordering take-out or take-away. A good thrifty cook can make a tasty, nutritious meal from inexpensive ingredients and "stretch a meal". Also, leftovers are much cheaper to bring to work or school than buying lunch.
Reuse, reuse, reuse. The amount of stuff you have should already be reduced by your limited spending, and you'll always want to think twice before throwing anything away, whether it's into the trash or the recycling bin.
Be thankful. Make a list of the top five things you couldn't live without, and chances are, all of those things are not possessions. Most of all, be optimistic.
For the complete article, visit WikiHow.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Animals! An Album Defined
Recession, recession recession.
Someone recently asked me what I blog about. I told them I try to write about my observances regarding the economy and the markets. I made sure to point out that I am no expert, and most of my 'observances' are along the lines of simple things I can hopefully find useful in the future when I look back- simple things like what stocks do well in a recession.
In a previous post, I mentioned that pet related companies are seemingly doing well during these turbulent times. People find comfort in their pets, turning to them for unconditional love, acceptance, recreation, and often times even for humor. My family and I are no different.
My babies give me bragging rights, even if they are from another gene pool.
I have created a photo album on my TraderPlanet profile. You can see my photos by clicking: Animals!
Last week we added to our small, fast growing family with the adoption of a Doberman Pinscher pup named we named Reba (no, she's not named after the country singer). I have added photos of Reba to the Animals! album. She was a tub compared to her brothers and sisters, from a litter of 12! The vet said she was so cramped in there she had no room to develop a tail bone, so all she has is a tiny flap of skin (hehehe, she's a fat gimp). (A photo of her non-tail is coming soon.)
Hayzel the Weimaraner loves Reba very much and plays well with her. We couldn't be more pleased with Hayz's behavior over the past week! We happened to catch a similar photo of Reba to that of Hayzel winking... it will be posted soon as it's too cute not to!
Robbie, the black fluff, sniffed Reba once but then climbed his cat tree to stay away. Reba took the sniff well, and with time Rob will be as accepting of Reba as he is of Hayzel. I'm sure of it. While in his photos he looks like a wild cat with sometimes purple wiskers, he is really a big softie. Update on Robbie's excrement patterns- he is no longer pooping in the toilet as I trained him to. He decided he likes the litterbox better, brat. Although it was nice while it lasted.
And finally, a bit of sad news, Monroe, the white and gray kitty has passed and is no longer with us. He caught pnemonia and developed too much fluid in his lungs before we caught it. RIP Rowie. Please be sure to keep your animals warm and safe until these -0 degree temeperatures pass, because as Row can show us, they can get sick too.
Stay tuned for yet another Album Defined... next up- the Big Island of Hawai'i album.
MINT: TraderPlanet is an awesome website because it lets you post photos which aid in trader-image development.
Someone recently asked me what I blog about. I told them I try to write about my observances regarding the economy and the markets. I made sure to point out that I am no expert, and most of my 'observances' are along the lines of simple things I can hopefully find useful in the future when I look back- simple things like what stocks do well in a recession.
In a previous post, I mentioned that pet related companies are seemingly doing well during these turbulent times. People find comfort in their pets, turning to them for unconditional love, acceptance, recreation, and often times even for humor. My family and I are no different.
My babies give me bragging rights, even if they are from another gene pool.
I have created a photo album on my TraderPlanet profile. You can see my photos by clicking: Animals!
Last week we added to our small, fast growing family with the adoption of a Doberman Pinscher pup named we named Reba (no, she's not named after the country singer). I have added photos of Reba to the Animals! album. She was a tub compared to her brothers and sisters, from a litter of 12! The vet said she was so cramped in there she had no room to develop a tail bone, so all she has is a tiny flap of skin (hehehe, she's a fat gimp). (A photo of her non-tail is coming soon.)
Hayzel the Weimaraner loves Reba very much and plays well with her. We couldn't be more pleased with Hayz's behavior over the past week! We happened to catch a similar photo of Reba to that of Hayzel winking... it will be posted soon as it's too cute not to!
Robbie, the black fluff, sniffed Reba once but then climbed his cat tree to stay away. Reba took the sniff well, and with time Rob will be as accepting of Reba as he is of Hayzel. I'm sure of it. While in his photos he looks like a wild cat with sometimes purple wiskers, he is really a big softie. Update on Robbie's excrement patterns- he is no longer pooping in the toilet as I trained him to. He decided he likes the litterbox better, brat. Although it was nice while it lasted.
And finally, a bit of sad news, Monroe, the white and gray kitty has passed and is no longer with us. He caught pnemonia and developed too much fluid in his lungs before we caught it. RIP Rowie. Please be sure to keep your animals warm and safe until these -0 degree temeperatures pass, because as Row can show us, they can get sick too.
Stay tuned for yet another Album Defined... next up- the Big Island of Hawai'i album.
MINT: TraderPlanet is an awesome website because it lets you post photos which aid in trader-image development.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Rob Booker... where are you??
Does anyone know what happened to Trader Radio? I have heard nothing from them since September and miss the online radio show very much.
I know he's busy, as I have gotten an email regarding a seminar he was hosting in Dubai. Too bad I was not in Dubai with an extra couple grand lying around to attend, otherwise I would've been all over that.
If you've never heard of TraderRadio, I highly recommend it.
MINT: http://robbooker.typepad.com/traderradio/
I hope you enjoy the show as much as I do! And if you know Rob, bug him to make more!!
I know he's busy, as I have gotten an email regarding a seminar he was hosting in Dubai. Too bad I was not in Dubai with an extra couple grand lying around to attend, otherwise I would've been all over that.
If you've never heard of TraderRadio, I highly recommend it.
MINT: http://robbooker.typepad.com/traderradio/
I hope you enjoy the show as much as I do! And if you know Rob, bug him to make more!!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The American Auto Industry
Should they get a government bailout or not? It's a question tons of people are wondering. Thousands of Americans have jobs in that industry. Stocks have fallen, low. So what's a president elect to do? I think Michael Moore said it best in an interview with Larry King:
Moore: We can't let all these people lose their jobs because of the bad decisions, the stupid decisions made by the management of these auto companies. I think what has to happen here is that Congress needs to pass some legislation, and our president-elect needs to do what Roosevelt did.
When Roosevelt came in and when World War II faced the country, Roosevelt said to General Motors and Ford, you're not going to build cars anymore. You're going to build airplanes and tanks and guns and the things that we need for this war because we have a national crisis. General Motors had to do what Roosevelt told them they had to do.
King: What do you want them to do now?
Moore: President-Elect Obama has to say to them, yes, we're going to use this money to save these jobs, but we're not going to build these gas-guzzling, unsafe vehicles any longer.
We're going to put the companies into some sort of receivership and we, the government, are going to hold the reigns on these companies. They're to build mass transit. They're to build hybrid cars. They're to build cars that use little or no gasoline.
We're facing a national crisis, not just an economic crisis, but a crisis of the polar ice caps are melting. There's only so much oil left under the Earth. We're going to run out of that, if not in our children's time, our grandchildren's time.
There's got to be a plan set out to find other ways to transport ourselves in other ways than using fossil fuels.
(To read the entire interview, visit CNN.)
MINT: All hope is not lost. Not for jobs, not for the auto-industry, not for the stock market. Well thought out plans are being made, we can all rest easy.
PS: I know what those of you who know me well may be thinking- "ohhhh, Kristel drive a Japanese made car- a Subaru!" But AHHA! Subaru's are made in West Lafayette, an Indiana town about 1.5 hours South of me... so although the company is Japanese, I bought locally (hopefully saveing on the emissions it would have taken to ship my car from Japan) and supported local jobs. LOVE SUBARU <3>
Moore: We can't let all these people lose their jobs because of the bad decisions, the stupid decisions made by the management of these auto companies. I think what has to happen here is that Congress needs to pass some legislation, and our president-elect needs to do what Roosevelt did.
When Roosevelt came in and when World War II faced the country, Roosevelt said to General Motors and Ford, you're not going to build cars anymore. You're going to build airplanes and tanks and guns and the things that we need for this war because we have a national crisis. General Motors had to do what Roosevelt told them they had to do.
King: What do you want them to do now?
Moore: President-Elect Obama has to say to them, yes, we're going to use this money to save these jobs, but we're not going to build these gas-guzzling, unsafe vehicles any longer.
We're going to put the companies into some sort of receivership and we, the government, are going to hold the reigns on these companies. They're to build mass transit. They're to build hybrid cars. They're to build cars that use little or no gasoline.
We're facing a national crisis, not just an economic crisis, but a crisis of the polar ice caps are melting. There's only so much oil left under the Earth. We're going to run out of that, if not in our children's time, our grandchildren's time.
There's got to be a plan set out to find other ways to transport ourselves in other ways than using fossil fuels.
(To read the entire interview, visit CNN.)
MINT: All hope is not lost. Not for jobs, not for the auto-industry, not for the stock market. Well thought out plans are being made, we can all rest easy.
PS: I know what those of you who know me well may be thinking- "ohhhh, Kristel drive a Japanese made car- a Subaru!" But AHHA! Subaru's are made in West Lafayette, an Indiana town about 1.5 hours South of me... so although the company is Japanese, I bought locally (hopefully saveing on the emissions it would have taken to ship my car from Japan) and supported local jobs. LOVE SUBARU <3>
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
FIA Conference- Chicago.
What an amazingly awesome event FIA was! I met tons of professionals in the financial industry, and was greatly inspired in one way or another by all of them. I was able to hear stories about how events like this used to be vs. how they are now. I'm excited to see how these events will continue to evolve in the future: incorporating more Asian/world exchanges, more technological advancements, more women.
Don't get me wrong, I love entering into a huge hall full of well dressed men! However, I also loved talking to the women I did have the pleasure of meeting. Seems to me it takes a special woman to break into the financial industry and stay there. Opinionated, energetic, cutting edge- great qualities I hope to sharpen.
Strange to me though, how so many individuals there looked so familiar. Or who's names sounded so familiar.
MINT: Trade shows rock.
PS- so does Chicago.
Don't get me wrong, I love entering into a huge hall full of well dressed men! However, I also loved talking to the women I did have the pleasure of meeting. Seems to me it takes a special woman to break into the financial industry and stay there. Opinionated, energetic, cutting edge- great qualities I hope to sharpen.
Strange to me though, how so many individuals there looked so familiar. Or who's names sounded so familiar.
MINT: Trade shows rock.
PS- so does Chicago.
Friday, November 7, 2008
MINT (ie: refreshing aspect supporting my realization)
So what do people buy during recession anyway? MINT mental note for future:
___________
One of my favorite family members is a communist. However, he lives on a commune ( it makes sense to him). And he loves it- hell, I love it (the farm that is). I just also love happen to love Crest toothpaste *trying to imagine a world with only one brand of toothpaste that's not Crest* Scary.
MINT: Communists can be some awesome people.
___________
I apologize for my last post. It was indeed a realization, however the refreshment aspect (the MINT) was highly lacking. The MINT I was trying to get across is that if the only difference in market performance between the presidential candidates is one quarter, I would much rather have a president who is respected by the world rather than one no one trusts. I like his words, his spirit and his enthusiasm. I like this (never before felt by me) pride in our president elect. I'm excited for the future of our country! There was honestly a point in my life, during the Clinton admin believe it or not, that I could not invision myself staying, living, in the United States past the age of 18- none the less being proud of the US! Sad but true.
Then I found out that Barak was raised in Hawai'i! Now there's a refreshing realization!! Everything is gonna be jus fine.
- Soup
- Pets & Pet Products
- Guns
___________
One of my favorite family members is a communist. However, he lives on a commune ( it makes sense to him). And he loves it- hell, I love it (the farm that is). I just also love happen to love Crest toothpaste *trying to imagine a world with only one brand of toothpaste that's not Crest* Scary.
MINT: Communists can be some awesome people.
___________
I apologize for my last post. It was indeed a realization, however the refreshment aspect (the MINT) was highly lacking. The MINT I was trying to get across is that if the only difference in market performance between the presidential candidates is one quarter, I would much rather have a president who is respected by the world rather than one no one trusts. I like his words, his spirit and his enthusiasm. I like this (never before felt by me) pride in our president elect. I'm excited for the future of our country! There was honestly a point in my life, during the Clinton admin believe it or not, that I could not invision myself staying, living, in the United States past the age of 18- none the less being proud of the US! Sad but true.
Then I found out that Barak was raised in Hawai'i! Now there's a refreshing realization!! Everything is gonna be jus fine.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
3-4 More Quarters?!
This morning I heard a market expert on CNBC. He believes that the recession and economic crisis is going to last "3 or 4 more quarters". This makes me wonder how much of an effect the election really has on the markets. Wouldn't the length of the crisis depend on who's elected? Or does that mean that in his eyes, the only real difference in the length of the recession between McCain's win and Obama's win would be one quarter?
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