Monday, April 20, 2009
Not Much
Sorry for the lack of blog entries over the last few days. Ever have one of those weeks where there’s just so much to do and people to see and such that you get through it and then hibernate? That was pretty much my week and then Sunday I literally never got out of my PJs, I left my phone on vibrate, and took about 4 naps throughout the day. It was awesome! I did at least do about three loads of laundry but that’s the extent of my productivity. I guess I also worked some too, I have to go to San Antonio early Monday morning so I needed to followup on some emails, get my expense report and activity report done, and make final preparations for Monday. But that’s it. Uneventful Sunday overall.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Costco is Boss
Costco is the best way to save money on grocery items! Here’s why…
First off, unlike Sam’s, Costco isn’t owned by WalMart and thus actually has high quality stuff. (Yes that is a slight to WalMart, I hate them). Even Costco store brand stuff (coined Kirkland) is really great. For example- Kirkland paper towels are way thicker and more absorbent than any other store brand I’ve ever tried. Their Kirkland Organic Natural Peanut Butter is the best natural PB ever. Unlike most natural versions it doesn’t completely separate and make an icky mess. Kirkland frozen ravioli- extra plump and cheesy, Kirkland fresh muffins- HUGE and the best ever ($6.49 for a dozen), Kirkland Take n Bake pizzas- more toppings than any DiGiorno…
Second, Costco has everything from the freshest cuts of meat (we have family friends that own a little Italian restaurant and they get all their meats from Costco), great fresh produce, bakery items, packaged items, frozen foods, beer, wine, vitamins, beauty store procudts, and even things like office supplies, books, motor oil, and large and small appliances, movies, clothes (seriously: 7 For All Mankind jeans for men and women for $78, Ed Hardy t-shirts for $28, lounge wear, socks, undies, outerwear, seasonal swimsuits, etc)
Now, you do have to do your homework. It’s always a good idea to know about how much you pay at the grocery store for different items. This way you always know you’re getting a good deal.
But here’s the real kicker on the savings…
A regular Costco membership is $50. You can upgrade to Executive Membership and pay $100 instead. If you do this you get 2% cash back on all Costco purchases (excluding Liquor Store sales and Gasoline sales). Let’s say you get the Exec membership and you don’t end up shopping there quite as much as you’d expected so your 2% cash back check at the end of the year is only $30. You take the check to your Costco with your Exec membership and they’ll give you $50 instead. You are guaranteed to get the $50 extra you paid to upgrade to Exec!
But wait!! There’s more!! (*channels inner infomercial host*)
Costco offers an American Express card. There’s no annual fee with your paid Costco membership and the card also pays you cash back. You get:
- 3% back on Gasoline (just buy at any standalone gas station- so no grocery stores, except Costco)
- 2% back at restaurants, get paid to eat out!
- 2% back on travel (including hotels, car rentals, flights, travel agent services, etc)
- 1% back on everything else
You can combine this with your Exec membership and double dip. So when you go to Costco and use your Amex to pay you get 2% back for your Exec membership and 1% back on the credit card. Plus, the Amex has your picture and membership info on the back, so there’s only one card to keep track of.
When you signup you can add a household member at no extra charge to your Exec membership and add them as a secondary Amex card holder so you both work towards your cash back.
With interest bearing savings accounts at 1.5% or less, it’s nice to be able to get a little money back on what you’re spending. Especially when most credit cards are only offering 1% or have lots of crazy rules for eligibility.
Your first 3 months on the card are interest free and you do have the flexibility to pay over time, unlike a lot of other Amex offerings. Because of the current economy they aren’t giving large credit lines, but after 3 months you can request an increase. Account management is easy to do online too.
If you’re using the membership and Amex for things you were going to buy anyways and avoid going over what you have cash for then you’re making money. That’s the trick with any credit card… if you want a $1500 television but don’t have $1500 in the bank, you should wait until you have the money. This day and age credit cards should not be used to extend your wealth, they should be used to work the system and make money off the things you need anyways.
Any other cash back deals out there that you’d like to share?
First off, unlike Sam’s, Costco isn’t owned by WalMart and thus actually has high quality stuff. (Yes that is a slight to WalMart, I hate them). Even Costco store brand stuff (coined Kirkland) is really great. For example- Kirkland paper towels are way thicker and more absorbent than any other store brand I’ve ever tried. Their Kirkland Organic Natural Peanut Butter is the best natural PB ever. Unlike most natural versions it doesn’t completely separate and make an icky mess. Kirkland frozen ravioli- extra plump and cheesy, Kirkland fresh muffins- HUGE and the best ever ($6.49 for a dozen), Kirkland Take n Bake pizzas- more toppings than any DiGiorno…
Second, Costco has everything from the freshest cuts of meat (we have family friends that own a little Italian restaurant and they get all their meats from Costco), great fresh produce, bakery items, packaged items, frozen foods, beer, wine, vitamins, beauty store procudts, and even things like office supplies, books, motor oil, and large and small appliances, movies, clothes (seriously: 7 For All Mankind jeans for men and women for $78, Ed Hardy t-shirts for $28, lounge wear, socks, undies, outerwear, seasonal swimsuits, etc)
Now, you do have to do your homework. It’s always a good idea to know about how much you pay at the grocery store for different items. This way you always know you’re getting a good deal.
But here’s the real kicker on the savings…
A regular Costco membership is $50. You can upgrade to Executive Membership and pay $100 instead. If you do this you get 2% cash back on all Costco purchases (excluding Liquor Store sales and Gasoline sales). Let’s say you get the Exec membership and you don’t end up shopping there quite as much as you’d expected so your 2% cash back check at the end of the year is only $30. You take the check to your Costco with your Exec membership and they’ll give you $50 instead. You are guaranteed to get the $50 extra you paid to upgrade to Exec!
But wait!! There’s more!! (*channels inner infomercial host*)
Costco offers an American Express card. There’s no annual fee with your paid Costco membership and the card also pays you cash back. You get:
- 3% back on Gasoline (just buy at any standalone gas station- so no grocery stores, except Costco)
- 2% back at restaurants, get paid to eat out!
- 2% back on travel (including hotels, car rentals, flights, travel agent services, etc)
- 1% back on everything else
You can combine this with your Exec membership and double dip. So when you go to Costco and use your Amex to pay you get 2% back for your Exec membership and 1% back on the credit card. Plus, the Amex has your picture and membership info on the back, so there’s only one card to keep track of.
When you signup you can add a household member at no extra charge to your Exec membership and add them as a secondary Amex card holder so you both work towards your cash back.
With interest bearing savings accounts at 1.5% or less, it’s nice to be able to get a little money back on what you’re spending. Especially when most credit cards are only offering 1% or have lots of crazy rules for eligibility.
Your first 3 months on the card are interest free and you do have the flexibility to pay over time, unlike a lot of other Amex offerings. Because of the current economy they aren’t giving large credit lines, but after 3 months you can request an increase. Account management is easy to do online too.
If you’re using the membership and Amex for things you were going to buy anyways and avoid going over what you have cash for then you’re making money. That’s the trick with any credit card… if you want a $1500 television but don’t have $1500 in the bank, you should wait until you have the money. This day and age credit cards should not be used to extend your wealth, they should be used to work the system and make money off the things you need anyways.
Any other cash back deals out there that you’d like to share?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tax Day
It’s a necessary evil I suppose. I just really wish there was more accountability in how the money is spent.
Anyways, doing your taxes is always fun. In theory, when you select the correct withholding given your personal situation it should all come out even… though it never does.
In my opinion, a lot of money is spent on preparing taxes when people don’t realize how easy it is to do yourself, regardless of how complicated you think your taxes will be.
All your institutions send you the forms you need and then you just have to keep track of any deductions you may be able to take. If you’re questioning a deduction, just do a simple search on the IRS website to figure out if it really is a deduction and the form you need.
For instance, I thought it might be possible to deduct the items stolen during our break in that weren’t recovered or replaced. Indeed it was possible, with tax form 4684. Of course, upon reading the form I learned that it wasn’t going to help me any, but that’s beside the point.
My tax preparer of choice- Turbo Tax. And now you can even do it online so you don’t have to waste resources by buying a disk.
Anyways, it just interviews you. It asks simple questions about your situation and the tax forms you have and in the background it’s filling in the IRS forms.
When you’re done you can look at the actual forms to double check and it even goes through a double check for you and gives you an idea of your likelihood for auditing.
If you decide to enter charitable donations to Goodwill and you’re insecure about how much to claim for your items it uses a program called Its Deductible to give you fair market values so that’s one worry you can mark off the list.
I’ve used Turbo Tax every year since 1998, have gone from being a student with a part time job to married as a student with a part time job, to married with a full time job, to having 3 W2’s in a single year, to being divorced, to being married again. I’ve easily deducted charitable donations, tuition fees, mortgage interest, PMI, and stock market losses as well as claimed stock market gains and interest bearing accounts.
The H&R Block commercials make me laugh. You know you can be a Tax Professional there with absolutely no experience. If you’re going to have your taxes prepared by someone with no experience why not just do it yourself with a guide (Turbo Tax)? You’ll save money and after the 2nd or 3rd time you’ll have experience. And it’s valuable experience with your own situation.
Anyways, doing your taxes is always fun. In theory, when you select the correct withholding given your personal situation it should all come out even… though it never does.
In my opinion, a lot of money is spent on preparing taxes when people don’t realize how easy it is to do yourself, regardless of how complicated you think your taxes will be.
All your institutions send you the forms you need and then you just have to keep track of any deductions you may be able to take. If you’re questioning a deduction, just do a simple search on the IRS website to figure out if it really is a deduction and the form you need.
For instance, I thought it might be possible to deduct the items stolen during our break in that weren’t recovered or replaced. Indeed it was possible, with tax form 4684. Of course, upon reading the form I learned that it wasn’t going to help me any, but that’s beside the point.
My tax preparer of choice- Turbo Tax. And now you can even do it online so you don’t have to waste resources by buying a disk.
Anyways, it just interviews you. It asks simple questions about your situation and the tax forms you have and in the background it’s filling in the IRS forms.
When you’re done you can look at the actual forms to double check and it even goes through a double check for you and gives you an idea of your likelihood for auditing.
If you decide to enter charitable donations to Goodwill and you’re insecure about how much to claim for your items it uses a program called Its Deductible to give you fair market values so that’s one worry you can mark off the list.
I’ve used Turbo Tax every year since 1998, have gone from being a student with a part time job to married as a student with a part time job, to married with a full time job, to having 3 W2’s in a single year, to being divorced, to being married again. I’ve easily deducted charitable donations, tuition fees, mortgage interest, PMI, and stock market losses as well as claimed stock market gains and interest bearing accounts.
The H&R Block commercials make me laugh. You know you can be a Tax Professional there with absolutely no experience. If you’re going to have your taxes prepared by someone with no experience why not just do it yourself with a guide (Turbo Tax)? You’ll save money and after the 2nd or 3rd time you’ll have experience. And it’s valuable experience with your own situation.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Less Waste is More (Eco)
It baffles me that we are capable of producing so much trash. Our neighborhood does pickups twice a week and many neighbors have entirely full bins plus extra bags for EACH of these two pickups.
There are only two of us and two cats so I suppose the lack of children helps in the trash department but so much can be reused or recycled so surely we can all do something to help reduce what goes into landfills.
Tips:
- Most local recyclers will take codes 1 and 2 plastics. Always recycle these, there’s no excuse not to. Most will also take paperboard like your cereal boxes and snack boxes.
- Our recycler does not take glass (though we can take it ourselves to Ecology Action in downtown Austin). Either way, we try to avoid buying glass. (www.ecology-action.org)
- Buy larger containers. Don’t buy the individually packaged stuff. This will save you money too. (www.costco.com)
- Compost! It’s as simple as building a bin, digging a hole in the ground to use, or buying a compost bin. Then all you need is a good mix of green stuff and brown stuff to put in it and a package of earthworms. Green stuff is kitchen scraps like vegetables or living vegetation (like the weeds you’ve pulled). Brown stuff is dead leaves and grasses and things you’ve raked up. Then you can get the worms at any plant nursery. (www.howtocompost.org)
- Watch out for extra plastics. Try to use reusable shopping bags, and not just at the grocery store. Any retailer will let you use your own bags. Also, save the bags your newspaper comes in, these can be recycled with the plastic grocery bags at your grocer.
- Diapers: (infant and adult) Not only are these not biodegradable but it’s really not safe to put human waste in landfills. This is why we have sewage systems. If you have to use a disposable consider flushing the poo first. There are cloth and hybrid alternatives. “G Diapers” are a flushable hybrid where you basically have an outer pant, inner waterproof liner, and a flushable disposable. The flushable disposable is effectively a giant flushable maxi pad. You rip open the disposable part, dump the “dump” in the toilet, follow with the flushable itself, swirl with a stick (provided), and flush. The poo goes into the sewage and there’s nothing to add to the landfill. Did I mention they’re hella cute? (www.gdiapers.com)
- Save scratch paper. How many times do you go to print something out and an extra page prints with just a couple lines of irrelevant text? Save these for scratch paper or for your kids to doodle on. You can even draw simple pictures for the kiddos to color instead of buying wasteful coloring books.
- Speaking of books, buy used. Most used books from used book retailers are in great condition. And again, you’ll save money. Then you can sell them back too and complete the circle. (www.halfpricebooks.com)
- Reuse your plastic containers and ziplocks. Since you’re buying larger eco-packages of your favorite snacks, divvy them into single portions with containers or snack size ziplocks but then reuse those containers all week.
Of course, some of these things may be practical for you and others won’t. If it’s not practical then you’re not likely to stick with it and there’s no real fault in that. We’re all busy enough.
But, every little bit does help and if you only have a weekly trash pickup or a “pay as you throw” program then it can save you money too.
Post any additional tips or ideas you have.
There are only two of us and two cats so I suppose the lack of children helps in the trash department but so much can be reused or recycled so surely we can all do something to help reduce what goes into landfills.
Tips:
- Most local recyclers will take codes 1 and 2 plastics. Always recycle these, there’s no excuse not to. Most will also take paperboard like your cereal boxes and snack boxes.
- Our recycler does not take glass (though we can take it ourselves to Ecology Action in downtown Austin). Either way, we try to avoid buying glass. (www.ecology-action.org)
- Buy larger containers. Don’t buy the individually packaged stuff. This will save you money too. (www.costco.com)
- Compost! It’s as simple as building a bin, digging a hole in the ground to use, or buying a compost bin. Then all you need is a good mix of green stuff and brown stuff to put in it and a package of earthworms. Green stuff is kitchen scraps like vegetables or living vegetation (like the weeds you’ve pulled). Brown stuff is dead leaves and grasses and things you’ve raked up. Then you can get the worms at any plant nursery. (www.howtocompost.org)
- Watch out for extra plastics. Try to use reusable shopping bags, and not just at the grocery store. Any retailer will let you use your own bags. Also, save the bags your newspaper comes in, these can be recycled with the plastic grocery bags at your grocer.
- Diapers: (infant and adult) Not only are these not biodegradable but it’s really not safe to put human waste in landfills. This is why we have sewage systems. If you have to use a disposable consider flushing the poo first. There are cloth and hybrid alternatives. “G Diapers” are a flushable hybrid where you basically have an outer pant, inner waterproof liner, and a flushable disposable. The flushable disposable is effectively a giant flushable maxi pad. You rip open the disposable part, dump the “dump” in the toilet, follow with the flushable itself, swirl with a stick (provided), and flush. The poo goes into the sewage and there’s nothing to add to the landfill. Did I mention they’re hella cute? (www.gdiapers.com)
- Save scratch paper. How many times do you go to print something out and an extra page prints with just a couple lines of irrelevant text? Save these for scratch paper or for your kids to doodle on. You can even draw simple pictures for the kiddos to color instead of buying wasteful coloring books.
- Speaking of books, buy used. Most used books from used book retailers are in great condition. And again, you’ll save money. Then you can sell them back too and complete the circle. (www.halfpricebooks.com)
- Reuse your plastic containers and ziplocks. Since you’re buying larger eco-packages of your favorite snacks, divvy them into single portions with containers or snack size ziplocks but then reuse those containers all week.
Of course, some of these things may be practical for you and others won’t. If it’s not practical then you’re not likely to stick with it and there’s no real fault in that. We’re all busy enough.
But, every little bit does help and if you only have a weekly trash pickup or a “pay as you throw” program then it can save you money too.
Post any additional tips or ideas you have.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Do I have to?
Monday after a three-day weekend is the hardest day to get back into the groove! It’s beautiful outside, not too hot and not too cold… but there’s a huge list of things to catch up on and a busy week to “look forward too” (read: dread).
Yay Monday. (*holds up sarcasm sign*)
Yay Monday. (*holds up sarcasm sign*)
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Vodka Rustica
1 pkg penne pasta (I like wheat)
1 large jar pasta sauce (any will do, for this I prefer a smooth one)
8 slices procuitto (sliced extra thin from the deli)
1 tub Pecorrino Romano
2 cloves garlic
3 oz vodka (http://www.titos-vodka.com/)
splash of milk
red pepper flakes to taste
Preheat oven to 350.
Start boiling water for pasta according to package directions.
In a large pot (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00101155) saute garlic and red pepper flakes in a little olive oil. Take the procuitto out of the package and tear into smallish pieces.
Add the procuitto to the saucepan and cook until it turns a greyish color. I usually smash it around in the garlic with a rubber spatula.
Add the pasta sauce and mix well, reduce heat to a simmer.
Add the vodka, stir. Then add the milk, stir. You just need a little splash of milk, you don't want it to look creamy.
Drain the pasta. (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80112466)
Add the pasta into the saucepan and toss with the sauce. Dump in all but about an 1/8th of the romano cheese. Toss together.
Pour all of this into a shallow casserole dish and then sprinkle with remaining cheese.
(http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/c262/index.cfm?pkey=cbakeware%2Demile%2Dhenry&ckey=bakeware%2Demile%2Dhenry)
(This is the easiest casserole dish to clean, even with baked on cheese and sauce).
Bake at 350 until bubbly.
1 large jar pasta sauce (any will do, for this I prefer a smooth one)
8 slices procuitto (sliced extra thin from the deli)
1 tub Pecorrino Romano
2 cloves garlic
3 oz vodka (http://www.titos-vodka.com/)
splash of milk
red pepper flakes to taste
Preheat oven to 350.
Start boiling water for pasta according to package directions.
In a large pot (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00101155) saute garlic and red pepper flakes in a little olive oil. Take the procuitto out of the package and tear into smallish pieces.
Add the procuitto to the saucepan and cook until it turns a greyish color. I usually smash it around in the garlic with a rubber spatula.
Add the pasta sauce and mix well, reduce heat to a simmer.
Add the vodka, stir. Then add the milk, stir. You just need a little splash of milk, you don't want it to look creamy.
Drain the pasta. (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80112466)
Add the pasta into the saucepan and toss with the sauce. Dump in all but about an 1/8th of the romano cheese. Toss together.
Pour all of this into a shallow casserole dish and then sprinkle with remaining cheese.
(http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/c262/index.cfm?pkey=cbakeware%2Demile%2Dhenry&ckey=bakeware%2Demile%2Dhenry)
(This is the easiest casserole dish to clean, even with baked on cheese and sauce).
Bake at 350 until bubbly.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Job Security?
Is there such a thing anymore? I mean, other than maybe politicians, high powered CEO’s and Supreme Court justices, I really wonder if there’s anyone else that feels truly secure in their jobs. This is something that affects everyone from blue collar to white collar (though the newly coined green collar jobs might be more secure under the new Administration). How do people plan for the future in this unsure climate? How did our ancestors do it during the Great Depression? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
I think it’s interesting what some companies do to try to keep themselves afloat in this economic climate. Of course, we only see the things that directly affect the employees but I do wonder what cost saving measures are taken behind the scenes. Like, does upper management take pay cuts, do they reduce capital expenditure to save money, do they streamline wasteful processes, do they negotiate lease terms or consolidate monthly bills?
I wonder because the other things they do directly affect employee morale. For instance, companies that change insurance policies to save money ultimately costing individuals more in copays and deductibles.
Then there’s forced unpaid days off. This one I’m kind of okay with, especially if you can do one day here and there. For me it’s a great excuse to turn off the Blackberry but for many losing a day’s worth of pay per pay period might make or break their budget.
Here’s a new one I haven’t seen until now though, and I’m not sure what I think of it. A lot of companies have rules on the number of vacation days you can roll over. This is usually in place so that too many days aren’t on the books at year end. This shows up as money owed on a balance sheet. Some companies are changing the usual rules such that the amount of time you can roll over is greatly reduced, forcing employees to take a large majority of their time off before year end.
For anyone that had been saving up time for a vacation or special occasion in 2010 this kind of messes up those plans. But the scarier thought is that if this cost cutting measure doesn’t work and the US economy continues to tank and they have to take the next step of layoffs in 2010, no one will have any banked vacation time to live on while job hunting.
That said, it’s better to have a job (even if you don’t feel secure) than not have a job. And things have to start looking up at some point, I just don’t know how soon that will be. So I guess we all just have to suck it up and make the best of it.
On a side note, I did see a news clip talking about Detroit automobile employees and how there are training groups and support groups for those displaced employees to learn new skills and become nurses. Considering both require manual dexterity it’s a decent crossover, though not the most obvious. Plus, the healthcare field is like the one area that is hiring and has projected deficits in the number of qualified healthcare professionals. So maybe there is a little light at the end of the tunnel?
I think it’s interesting what some companies do to try to keep themselves afloat in this economic climate. Of course, we only see the things that directly affect the employees but I do wonder what cost saving measures are taken behind the scenes. Like, does upper management take pay cuts, do they reduce capital expenditure to save money, do they streamline wasteful processes, do they negotiate lease terms or consolidate monthly bills?
I wonder because the other things they do directly affect employee morale. For instance, companies that change insurance policies to save money ultimately costing individuals more in copays and deductibles.
Then there’s forced unpaid days off. This one I’m kind of okay with, especially if you can do one day here and there. For me it’s a great excuse to turn off the Blackberry but for many losing a day’s worth of pay per pay period might make or break their budget.
Here’s a new one I haven’t seen until now though, and I’m not sure what I think of it. A lot of companies have rules on the number of vacation days you can roll over. This is usually in place so that too many days aren’t on the books at year end. This shows up as money owed on a balance sheet. Some companies are changing the usual rules such that the amount of time you can roll over is greatly reduced, forcing employees to take a large majority of their time off before year end.
For anyone that had been saving up time for a vacation or special occasion in 2010 this kind of messes up those plans. But the scarier thought is that if this cost cutting measure doesn’t work and the US economy continues to tank and they have to take the next step of layoffs in 2010, no one will have any banked vacation time to live on while job hunting.
That said, it’s better to have a job (even if you don’t feel secure) than not have a job. And things have to start looking up at some point, I just don’t know how soon that will be. So I guess we all just have to suck it up and make the best of it.
On a side note, I did see a news clip talking about Detroit automobile employees and how there are training groups and support groups for those displaced employees to learn new skills and become nurses. Considering both require manual dexterity it’s a decent crossover, though not the most obvious. Plus, the healthcare field is like the one area that is hiring and has projected deficits in the number of qualified healthcare professionals. So maybe there is a little light at the end of the tunnel?
Friday, April 10, 2009
Weird Dream!
I had the absolute weirdest dream last night so I have to share. Never in my life have I had a dream FEEL so real! So, in the dream I’m standing on some sort of porch, outside, talking to someone (no idea who). I’m wearing a cotton skirt and t-shirt and all of a sudden I tell the person I’m talking to that there’s something crawling in my pants. It felt like something big and a little bit fuzzy and it was moving around, a lot. So, I RUN to the bathroom to try to get it out and that’s the moment I woke up.
Now I’m awake- I’m not in the bathroom in my dream, I’m half asleep in my bed. And I can still feel what ever it is that’s crawling on me. I looked around for the cats and then flopped around a bit. The cats were both asleep in their beds so it wasn’t them. I was thinking that maybe one of them had brushed by me with a tail and that’s what I perceived as creepy-crawly in my dream.
Then I just decided to lie really still on my back and wait for the feeling to go away. It finally did, I don’t think there was actually anything crawling on me. But you know how if something does crawl on you and you get rid of it and then you have like phantom creepy feelings afterwards? It was like that. It was like there really was something on me in the dream and I had the after effects in real life.
I know that sometimes dreams can be really real. Like when your husband does something to piss you off in the dream and then you wake up and act bitchy to him all day because of the grudge you’re holding against him for what he did in the dream. (Admit it, you’ve done that). But I’ve never had a dream that truly FELT real though. Nothing else about the dream seemed all that real, there really wasn’t much to it that I remember other than whatever was crawling on me.
Ick!!
Anyone else ever have an experience like this?
Now I’m awake- I’m not in the bathroom in my dream, I’m half asleep in my bed. And I can still feel what ever it is that’s crawling on me. I looked around for the cats and then flopped around a bit. The cats were both asleep in their beds so it wasn’t them. I was thinking that maybe one of them had brushed by me with a tail and that’s what I perceived as creepy-crawly in my dream.
Then I just decided to lie really still on my back and wait for the feeling to go away. It finally did, I don’t think there was actually anything crawling on me. But you know how if something does crawl on you and you get rid of it and then you have like phantom creepy feelings afterwards? It was like that. It was like there really was something on me in the dream and I had the after effects in real life.
I know that sometimes dreams can be really real. Like when your husband does something to piss you off in the dream and then you wake up and act bitchy to him all day because of the grudge you’re holding against him for what he did in the dream. (Admit it, you’ve done that). But I’ve never had a dream that truly FELT real though. Nothing else about the dream seemed all that real, there really wasn’t much to it that I remember other than whatever was crawling on me.
Ick!!
Anyone else ever have an experience like this?
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Immigration Laws
This was a head scratcher for me when I watched the news last night. The city of Farmers Branch near Dallas had an ordinance in place that required leasing agents and landlords to require proof of citizenship before being able to rent housing.
This city ordinance was declared UNCONSTITUTIONAL and the city of Farmers Branch is being required to pay a $470,000 settlement to apartment operators and advocacy organizations. This is on top of the million they’ve already paid and legal fees.
Now, of course, this is tax money that Farmers Branch is forking over… but that’s kind of beside the point for now.
The puzzling part to me is how this can be unconstitutional? It doesn’t seem unreasonable to me to require possible tenants to show a Social Security card or Green Card. If said tenant fails to pay the rent or vacates without notice or violates the terms of the lease in any way I would think that the apartment owners would want to have the appropriate info to report this activity to credit bureaus.
Apparently, the lawsuit wording is such that this ordinance falsely puts landlords in the position of federal law enforcement if they are required to ask for citizenship documentation. Since immigration is under federal jurisdiction, individual states, or in this case, cities, cannot make their own rules.
I decided to do a little research on Illegal Immigrant Rights and I had a hard time coming up with much except that it is indeed illegal to enter the country without going through the proper channels but once an immigrant is here, legally or illegally, they are covered by the rights granted to US citizens by the Constitution and Bill of Rights (guaranteed by the advocates of the ACLU).
I also learned that there are four states that do not require documentation of citizenship to obtain a driver’s license (Washington, Illinois, Maryland, and New Mexico). Utah has their own rule where they’ll issue illegal immigrants a driving certificate but it cannot be used as photo identification.
There are plenty of illegal immigrants here that have been here for many years, raise their children here, and work here. Some even pay taxes into the IRS using real names and real addresses. And although the IRS is federal… they do not share any citizenship information (or lack thereof) with the INS.
They’re only one letter apart in the acronym… you’d think they could share?
This is a cool website. It has pros and cons on both sides of the issue. And if you’ll note in 2006 Farmers Branch City Council posted regarding their proposed ordinance up to voters.
http://immigration.procon.org/viewanswers.asp?questionID=809
My feelings on this aren’t to discriminate against certain groups of people, but rather to promote going through legal means to get here. I definitely think that if you want to come here you should do it legally. I think that if you come illegally you shouldn’t be allowed any of the freedoms that legal citizens have. If you want to open credit, lease or buy a home, buy a car, or open a bank account you should have to prove citizenship. If illegal immigrants can just as easily do all the things their legal comrades do, then there’s no incentive to come over legally.
Now in Texas, there’s always the assumption that when you speak of illegal aliens you’re speaking of citizens of Mexico. That’s not necessarily what I mean. I’m talking about illegal immigrants from anywhere… like the ones from countries that hate us and breed suicide attackers.
This city ordinance was declared UNCONSTITUTIONAL and the city of Farmers Branch is being required to pay a $470,000 settlement to apartment operators and advocacy organizations. This is on top of the million they’ve already paid and legal fees.
Now, of course, this is tax money that Farmers Branch is forking over… but that’s kind of beside the point for now.
The puzzling part to me is how this can be unconstitutional? It doesn’t seem unreasonable to me to require possible tenants to show a Social Security card or Green Card. If said tenant fails to pay the rent or vacates without notice or violates the terms of the lease in any way I would think that the apartment owners would want to have the appropriate info to report this activity to credit bureaus.
Apparently, the lawsuit wording is such that this ordinance falsely puts landlords in the position of federal law enforcement if they are required to ask for citizenship documentation. Since immigration is under federal jurisdiction, individual states, or in this case, cities, cannot make their own rules.
I decided to do a little research on Illegal Immigrant Rights and I had a hard time coming up with much except that it is indeed illegal to enter the country without going through the proper channels but once an immigrant is here, legally or illegally, they are covered by the rights granted to US citizens by the Constitution and Bill of Rights (guaranteed by the advocates of the ACLU).
I also learned that there are four states that do not require documentation of citizenship to obtain a driver’s license (Washington, Illinois, Maryland, and New Mexico). Utah has their own rule where they’ll issue illegal immigrants a driving certificate but it cannot be used as photo identification.
There are plenty of illegal immigrants here that have been here for many years, raise their children here, and work here. Some even pay taxes into the IRS using real names and real addresses. And although the IRS is federal… they do not share any citizenship information (or lack thereof) with the INS.
They’re only one letter apart in the acronym… you’d think they could share?
This is a cool website. It has pros and cons on both sides of the issue. And if you’ll note in 2006 Farmers Branch City Council posted regarding their proposed ordinance up to voters.
http://immigration.procon.org/viewanswers.asp?questionID=809
My feelings on this aren’t to discriminate against certain groups of people, but rather to promote going through legal means to get here. I definitely think that if you want to come here you should do it legally. I think that if you come illegally you shouldn’t be allowed any of the freedoms that legal citizens have. If you want to open credit, lease or buy a home, buy a car, or open a bank account you should have to prove citizenship. If illegal immigrants can just as easily do all the things their legal comrades do, then there’s no incentive to come over legally.
Now in Texas, there’s always the assumption that when you speak of illegal aliens you’re speaking of citizens of Mexico. That’s not necessarily what I mean. I’m talking about illegal immigrants from anywhere… like the ones from countries that hate us and breed suicide attackers.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Antibacterial is EVIL!
There was one Holiday season that I worked part time at Bath and Body Works. I thought it would be a pretty simple and fun way to make a little extra money. Which was true... until they stopped scheduling me.
I've never been a bad employee- I think most everyone would agree that in general I'm an over-acheiver. So, why did I stop being scheduled at BBW?
Because I wouldn't push "anti-bac." This was in 1998 or so, around the time they were coming out with entire lines of antibacterial stuff- lotions, gels, soaps, etc.
And why wouldn't I push it? Because it's EVIL.
How many of us grew up being prescribed antibiotics for every little sniffle and cough? I know I did. And now... low doses of penicillin don't work. If I get sick it takes a Z-Pack (Zithromycin) to make me well. This is because your body builds up tolerances to the smaller doses over time.
Bacteria do the same damn thing. You douse yourself in antibacterial stuff enough and you do succeed in killing the weaker bugs. But once those weak ones are gone, the nastier ones no longer have any competition so they THRIVE.
Did you know that if you wash with regular soap and water for the appropriate length of time (sing the Happy Birthday song), you don't need anything antibacterial?
Do you think it's any coincidence that hospitals and clinics have antibacterial soaps and gels at every turn and now people get MRSA infections during their hospital stays?
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Not only is antibacterial slowly breeding superbugs with every squirt of hand sanitizer gel, but it's also really nasty stuff.
Check out this website. They rate beauty products based on the nasty chemicals within them and how they can affect you. You can search any brand, product, or ingredient. In the link below I've searched Bath and Body Works Antibacterial.
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/wordsearch.php?query=bath+and+body+works+antibacterial
If you don't have time to look... here's the gist:
BBW Antobacterial Hand Soap with Aloe has ingredients linked to CANCER, DEVELOPMENTAL/REPRODUCTIVE TOXICITY, ALLERGIES/IMMUNOTOXICITY, NEUROTOXICITY, ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION, BIOACCUMULATION, ORGAN TOXICITY... etc. It also rates a hazard rating of 7-10, out of 10!
My soap of choice, Tom's of Maine Natural Hand Soap in Lavender rates a 3 out of 10.
The best stuff you can get is unscented and not antibacterial. Items from Tom's of Maine, Mrs. Meyers Clean Day, and even the aroma therapy stuff from BBW is better for you than all their regular stuff.
And as far as cleaning your home with chemicals- can you imagine how nasty that stuff is? It even says on the bottles to avoid contact with skin and eyes... but you're still breathing it in. The answer instead? Vinegar. Plain white vinegar. When you use it to clean it actually leaves a clean scent (your house won't smell like Easter eggs), and there's absolutely nothing better for hard water stains and buildup either. Not to mention it's crazy cheap!
I've never been a bad employee- I think most everyone would agree that in general I'm an over-acheiver. So, why did I stop being scheduled at BBW?
Because I wouldn't push "anti-bac." This was in 1998 or so, around the time they were coming out with entire lines of antibacterial stuff- lotions, gels, soaps, etc.
And why wouldn't I push it? Because it's EVIL.
How many of us grew up being prescribed antibiotics for every little sniffle and cough? I know I did. And now... low doses of penicillin don't work. If I get sick it takes a Z-Pack (Zithromycin) to make me well. This is because your body builds up tolerances to the smaller doses over time.
Bacteria do the same damn thing. You douse yourself in antibacterial stuff enough and you do succeed in killing the weaker bugs. But once those weak ones are gone, the nastier ones no longer have any competition so they THRIVE.
Did you know that if you wash with regular soap and water for the appropriate length of time (sing the Happy Birthday song), you don't need anything antibacterial?
Do you think it's any coincidence that hospitals and clinics have antibacterial soaps and gels at every turn and now people get MRSA infections during their hospital stays?
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Not only is antibacterial slowly breeding superbugs with every squirt of hand sanitizer gel, but it's also really nasty stuff.
Check out this website. They rate beauty products based on the nasty chemicals within them and how they can affect you. You can search any brand, product, or ingredient. In the link below I've searched Bath and Body Works Antibacterial.
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/wordsearch.php?query=bath+and+body+works+antibacterial
If you don't have time to look... here's the gist:
BBW Antobacterial Hand Soap with Aloe has ingredients linked to CANCER, DEVELOPMENTAL/REPRODUCTIVE TOXICITY, ALLERGIES/IMMUNOTOXICITY, NEUROTOXICITY, ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION, BIOACCUMULATION, ORGAN TOXICITY... etc. It also rates a hazard rating of 7-10, out of 10!
My soap of choice, Tom's of Maine Natural Hand Soap in Lavender rates a 3 out of 10.
The best stuff you can get is unscented and not antibacterial. Items from Tom's of Maine, Mrs. Meyers Clean Day, and even the aroma therapy stuff from BBW is better for you than all their regular stuff.
And as far as cleaning your home with chemicals- can you imagine how nasty that stuff is? It even says on the bottles to avoid contact with skin and eyes... but you're still breathing it in. The answer instead? Vinegar. Plain white vinegar. When you use it to clean it actually leaves a clean scent (your house won't smell like Easter eggs), and there's absolutely nothing better for hard water stains and buildup either. Not to mention it's crazy cheap!
Perfect Example...
So, I'd planned to do a special tax day edition on the 15th (which I still will) but I need to share this perfect example of how the middle class is effed-over.
I'm actually working on our taxes right now via TurboTax (the best way, IMO but more on that on the 15th).
In April of 2008 our house was broken into. To add insult to injury, a local news station called this particular serial burgular "The Gentleman Burgular" because he was said to bring back items he thought were sentimental and leave them at the front door overnight.
Needless to say, this guy did not bring any of my stuff back and since he stole mostly jewelry and most of my jewelry was sentimental I don't see how he's a "Gentleman."
So, what does this have to do with taxes?
One can write off the items not recovered and not covered by insurance (note to self, add a separate jewelry policy to keep this from happening again).
According to the police report (which is incomplete, by the way) the total losses were $4635. The total value for the recovered items was $1260. Incidentally, the insurance company had replaced pretty much all the items that were recovered and of course the items recovered were not the massively sentimental items I'd hoped for.
So, in theory I have $3375 that I can write off.
Except that $3375 isn't more than 10% of our adjusted gross income. We'd have to have an AGI of $33,750 or less to qualify.
The lesson here... either become dirt poor before someone steals your stuff or have even more stuff stolen. This is a crappy IRS rule. Being violated in such a way that things are taken from you and from your home hurts emotionally and financially no matter your AGI.
Grrr.
I'm actually working on our taxes right now via TurboTax (the best way, IMO but more on that on the 15th).
In April of 2008 our house was broken into. To add insult to injury, a local news station called this particular serial burgular "The Gentleman Burgular" because he was said to bring back items he thought were sentimental and leave them at the front door overnight.
Needless to say, this guy did not bring any of my stuff back and since he stole mostly jewelry and most of my jewelry was sentimental I don't see how he's a "Gentleman."
So, what does this have to do with taxes?
One can write off the items not recovered and not covered by insurance (note to self, add a separate jewelry policy to keep this from happening again).
According to the police report (which is incomplete, by the way) the total losses were $4635. The total value for the recovered items was $1260. Incidentally, the insurance company had replaced pretty much all the items that were recovered and of course the items recovered were not the massively sentimental items I'd hoped for.
So, in theory I have $3375 that I can write off.
Except that $3375 isn't more than 10% of our adjusted gross income. We'd have to have an AGI of $33,750 or less to qualify.
The lesson here... either become dirt poor before someone steals your stuff or have even more stuff stolen. This is a crappy IRS rule. Being violated in such a way that things are taken from you and from your home hurts emotionally and financially no matter your AGI.
Grrr.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Personal Responsibility, People!
I definitely think the government needs to take some of the credit for breeding a nation of people with absolutely no sense of personal responsibility.
Examples: Oops, you made financial mistakes? That's okay, we'll let you file for bankruptcy and we'll protect you from the people you owe money to. Oops, you're an un-wed mother and you accidentally got knocked up? That's okay, you qualify for WIC and foodstamps. Oops, you had five more babies from five different baby-daddys? That's okay, you now qualify for more government money. Oops, you're the biggest insurance corporation in the nation and you let a small handful of people make some of the biggest mistakes the nation has ever seen? That's okay, we'll give you an unfathomable amount of money, no strings attached.
I can't help but think things would be different if we all had to be accountable for our actions. And what I find really interesting is that it seems to me that a majority of the people that aren't accountable for their own actions are the people at the lowest and highest ends of the economic scale. Why? Well, my thinking on that is that in order to survive middle class (make a decent amount of money but pay 20-30% of it to the government for taxes) you have to make smart decisions in order to survive. The middle class can't have more babies than they can afford, we don't qualify for WIC and foodstamps. If we made bad personal investment choices we'd screw ourselves. How do these big companies not realize that the investments they make with OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY isn't play money, it is the livlihood of John Q Public.
Speaking of OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY- the government seems to have forgotten that the money they have to spend on bailouts, handouts, and programs isn't free money. It's taxpayer money. It's money we work for. "We"- as in the taxpayers. The constitution intended for the taxpayers to have the say in how the money is spent, yet with lobbyists and crooked politicians that's no longer how things work. The people with the money (which just so happen to be politicians and friends of politicians) are the ones that make the decisions.
Examples: Oops, you made financial mistakes? That's okay, we'll let you file for bankruptcy and we'll protect you from the people you owe money to. Oops, you're an un-wed mother and you accidentally got knocked up? That's okay, you qualify for WIC and foodstamps. Oops, you had five more babies from five different baby-daddys? That's okay, you now qualify for more government money. Oops, you're the biggest insurance corporation in the nation and you let a small handful of people make some of the biggest mistakes the nation has ever seen? That's okay, we'll give you an unfathomable amount of money, no strings attached.
I can't help but think things would be different if we all had to be accountable for our actions. And what I find really interesting is that it seems to me that a majority of the people that aren't accountable for their own actions are the people at the lowest and highest ends of the economic scale. Why? Well, my thinking on that is that in order to survive middle class (make a decent amount of money but pay 20-30% of it to the government for taxes) you have to make smart decisions in order to survive. The middle class can't have more babies than they can afford, we don't qualify for WIC and foodstamps. If we made bad personal investment choices we'd screw ourselves. How do these big companies not realize that the investments they make with OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY isn't play money, it is the livlihood of John Q Public.
Speaking of OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY- the government seems to have forgotten that the money they have to spend on bailouts, handouts, and programs isn't free money. It's taxpayer money. It's money we work for. "We"- as in the taxpayers. The constitution intended for the taxpayers to have the say in how the money is spent, yet with lobbyists and crooked politicians that's no longer how things work. The people with the money (which just so happen to be politicians and friends of politicians) are the ones that make the decisions.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Surviving Middle Class
This is my new blog for those of us trying to survive in today's economy. I'm married, live in Texas with my husband and two adorable kitties in a 3bdrm, 2bth, 2car gar with a mortgage. I pay taxes. A lot in taxes. I have no credit card debt. I have no student loans. I contribute to a 401K, as does my husband. I owe money on one of our vehicles but the other is paid for. Both my parents are still alive. I'd like to have a family.
So, basically I'm your average Jane. Married to your average Joe in Anywhere, USA. However, I'm freaking worried about how I'll ever be able to retire when every cent I put into my retirement account dwindles and the money that the government takes from me for Social Security will likely not be available for me later.
I worry about what would happen if one of us lost our job. Neither of us can support the both of us. Really, unless you're really lucky and get the dream job with the dream salary straight out of college it's hard to make enough money to support a household when you've obnly worked for 5-10 years.
I realize there are people in the world that have harsher lives, living month to month with a dead end hourly job and food stamps. But really, the middle class aren't much better off. We're too "rich" to qualify for any breaks and we're too "poor" to make a difference. What do I mean by that? I mean that if I were wealthy I could hire lobbyists to get the laws changed in my favor so I don't have to pay my fair share of taxes , I can hire bankers at off shore banks, and I could basically make the politicians work for me. Because I'd be the one supporting their campaigns. Not that I'd use any riches to do this... because it's WRONG and it's the problem with our society.
So, basically I'm your average Jane. Married to your average Joe in Anywhere, USA. However, I'm freaking worried about how I'll ever be able to retire when every cent I put into my retirement account dwindles and the money that the government takes from me for Social Security will likely not be available for me later.
I worry about what would happen if one of us lost our job. Neither of us can support the both of us. Really, unless you're really lucky and get the dream job with the dream salary straight out of college it's hard to make enough money to support a household when you've obnly worked for 5-10 years.
I realize there are people in the world that have harsher lives, living month to month with a dead end hourly job and food stamps. But really, the middle class aren't much better off. We're too "rich" to qualify for any breaks and we're too "poor" to make a difference. What do I mean by that? I mean that if I were wealthy I could hire lobbyists to get the laws changed in my favor so I don't have to pay my fair share of taxes , I can hire bankers at off shore banks, and I could basically make the politicians work for me. Because I'd be the one supporting their campaigns. Not that I'd use any riches to do this... because it's WRONG and it's the problem with our society.
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