Tuesday, February 10, 2009

10 More Tips!!


My dear friend Wilmaryad Ben O'scallas writes a blog, www.bmblf.blogspot.com I like to read as my morning newspaper. He is quintessentially the gifted author of many, many well though-out posts and prose. His latest entry concerns the global recession. It was such a good piece I had to give readers 10 more tips on how to survive this recession.

Like Wilmaryad pointed out, it is not like we haven't experienced many recessions and hard times before this. Although this is felt around the world, I believe that many of the problems are created by the grossly demanding, whining Americans. I could NEVER have enough time in my life to write about the entitlement attitude in this country. Anyway....I digress.

Here are the tips I promised:

1. Cook at home. Not only does it save you some major cash but also gets you out of the "I need to eat first" rat race. For those of you who are single: cook like you would for a family of four and freeze the rest. One other benefit of you cooking is that you control what you eat. It's better than trying to add/delete things on the menu to fit your diet at an expensive restaurant.

2. Simplicity! I can not stress this enough. Simplicity in your thinking and way of living is the key you need to unlock the success in your life. If you have an overabundance of "things", that is just more to worry about. Which in turn gives you a higher stress level. Always strive to simplify, simplify, simplify.

3. Learn a new language. This will not only prepare you for a trip abroad but will keep you occupied; avoiding the urge to go shopping, going out to eat, or going to the bar for a drink. These things all cost money.

4. Surround yourself with people who think they need to do their share. I realize this can be a little selective. Do you really want to be friends with someone who might think only of himself?

5. Walk more....drive less.....carpool. Not only does this benefit the enviroment and your wallet, it will give you the daily exercise your body needs to keep fit. It's a win, win!

6. Think to yourself, is this a need or a want? You will be surprised to realize how much actually falls into the "want" category.

7. Instead of buying everything new, try purchasing items from a different venue, such as estate sales, auctions for furniture and thrift stores for clothing and household items. It takes patience, time and creativity for these forms of shopping but it pays off in the long run and it is recycling materials instead of relying on manufacturers to make more products. If more people shopped this way there would be quite an impact on those HUGE box stores.

8. Instead of renting a movie, check one out from your local library. You would be surprised at the selection. The point is....it's free. Those movie rental fees add up.

9. While at the library check out some books and enjoy the pastime of reading. Fewer people actually read a good book these days. Before you know it books will become extinct because everyone is too busy using energy for the computer......isn't that what I am doing now?

10. Get back to nature. If possible turn part of your yard into a vegetable garden. Not only will you get a sense of satisfaction but you will eat better and save a lot of money. Trust me!

ANGELO

5 comments:

Bruno Laliberté said...

1-cooking for "4" means eating 4 days the same thing...
2-"overabundance"? define what is "overabundance"...
;)~
3-a new language? i know 2 & can fake 2 more, but where do i practice this?
4-selective? i'm quite selective already!! anymore than that & i'll truly be alone!!!
:D~
5-i don't have a car, never had one, so i'm already one step ahead here. yippie!!
6-so all i have to do is substitute "want" with "need" & i don't need to feel guilty then... (as if!!!)
:D~
7-some things i don't like the idea of secondhand...like clothes.
but furniture & such, great idea. i got a friend who is doing just that, giving a second life to old pieces with her magic touch.
:)~
8- or you can download them for free from the web...
(did i say that out loud?!?!)
:D~
9-yes, this is EXACTLY what you're doing right now!!! join the club!!
10-i live on the 8th floor of a massive concrete structure. not much growing here & anyway, it would fry in the sun. it's a convection oven here, downtown... but you'd love my plants in front of my patio-door. nothing to eat but pretty to look at.
:D~
alright, i bugged you today because samy, wilmaryad, whatever (the man with the thousand names...) said to leave a comment...
you can't say i'm not obedient...for a change!!
have a good day!!!
:)~
HUGZ

Angelo di Gioia said...

Thanks for the comment Ticklebear! Yes, the man with the thousand names is quite persuasive :) Let me see if I can reply to some of this list.

1. cooking for 4 means eating for 1 and putting the other 3 portions in a frozen state for future consumption.

2"Overabundance" is my definition of hoarding. It is good to have some food stored in reserve but does one really need 20 pairs of socks or 15 polo shirts in all different colors..on top of all the other clothes one owns? There is a lot of waste in this country.

3. there are plenty of language courses online...even sites that help you carry on a conversation.

4. ok....this one may be a little irrational :)

5. good for you...I wish cities here in the states were designed more like cities in Europe. Those cities are designed to facilitate walking and riding a bike.

6. Sorry Ticklebear, this is not about substitution :) This is part of the simplicity program. We all have wants....those are luxury items for comfort not a necessity for living life.

7. clothes can be a great way to save as well but it involves careful selection and yes, it is a personal issue for a lot of people.

8. You can download free movies from the web and burn them???????? Where have I been?

9. sadly, yes :) I must admit to my indulgence of a computer...but like anything...one has a choice of using something for good or bad.

10. Maybe you can replace the "pretty" plant with a beautiful tomato plant that LOVES that kind of heat :):P

Again.....hail to Wilmaryad!!!...and...I had fun replying to your comments Ticklebear :) Have a stellar day!!!

Bruno Laliberté said...

1-freezer? i tend to froget what i've got there...
2-ok, so, i'm definitely NOT a hoarder!!
phew!!
3-i'll have to see about that...
4-:)~
5-i'm not european, i'm canadian. a montrealer more exactly...almost european, you'd say...
;)~
6-alright, burst my bubble here...
7-i'm less fashionable than before. my needs are quite simple, except perhaps, for hats...
:D~
8-teaser!!! (?) write the name of the movie + bittorrent, click search. if you find an upload from aXXO, they're the best quality.
:)~
9-where would you categorise "naughty", good or bad???
;)~
10-sorry honey, but it's too cold up HERE!! tomatoes will have to wait until june...
:D~
& i'm NOT joking here!!
HUGZ
(OK!! i'm going away now...)
for now...

Angelo di Gioia said...

Hey Ticklebear:

I can understand about the freezer thing but I tend to be a little more domesticated than most...blame it on my little italian grandmother...:)

Thank you for the movie info. I can't wait to try it out!!

I don't categorize "naughty" in good or bad :) I would label it under the word FUN!!!

Yes...lol...I know where you live TB. If you have plenty of light in your space you can start them indoors until it is warm enough and then put them outside. Sorry, I am a nature/gardening nut :)

Take care :)

ANGELO

Bruno Laliberté said...

alright!
typical italian!!
but my friends last night bragged how i must have the italian gene...
been surrounded by them my own life...
can even fake italian even though, i don't speak it. but i do understand some of it. a friend once lent me a book about architecute, in italian, & i understood what it said...
just goes to show. being a quebecker, latin blood runs in my veins!!!
one of my italian guests even commented on my "green thumb"!!
:)~