18 posts tagged “money”
I don't always compost. I usually do a bag when I do a massive cook-up of something, but sometimes I don't. Otherwise, food waste goes in the regular garbage. I recycle just about everything else, even the foil caps from the tops of the milk bottles. So, my kitchen garbage can is essentially plastic (that is not the appropriate PET number for recycling) and styrofoam food wrappings, carrot peelings, ends of zucchinis and old cat food that Comfort refuses to eat. In an effort to reduce the amount of plastic in my garbage, I have been trying to use re-useable containers, and aluminum foil. It sort of happened on accident. My household is pretty well stocked. I don't run out of stuff before it's replaced. I always have toilet paper and if anyone needs packets of pre-moisturized Kleenex, I'm pretty sure I'm cornered the market. Not quite sure how I ended up with so many, but I swear they've multiplied.
I was a touch surprised, then, when it seemed that I had run out of ziplock bags. I still have some of the 3 liter size, but the 1 liter that I used for lots and lots of stuff, I just didn't seem to have anymore. I didn't remember running out, but they weren't in the cabinet anymore. I decided to use this (it must have been a Saturday or something) as an opportunity to find alternatives to baggies. I have had to be more mindful, but it really hasn't been a hardship. I did, however, find the 1 liter ziplock bags last weekend. I hadn't put them away. Ooops. There they were, on the shelf by the stove top. Now I'm not sure what to do with them. I have them, but I'm not using them anymore. Any ideas?
Following on with my determination to reduce the amount of plastic in my life, I read with interest about Project Kaisei. According to them, there is a mass of plastic twice the size of Texas floating between the West Coast of the U.S. and Japan. I'm sure it's there, but they have no photos of it. They also say that they have a children's book, but they don't offer it for sale anywhere or even give its title. I am a little skeptical about this organization. I will look some more, but they're not getting my money, yet. (One of their stated goals is to remove/recycle all the plastic in this vortex which I think is an excellent, excellent aspiration)
Here are some links to the Plastic Vortex or North Pacific Gyre (as ever, please take all links with a grain of salt, I do not ever attest to their legitmacy, I try to choose good ones, but even I can be out-snoped):
Cryptic Moth's blog post from 2006
No photos, why?
Almost a month ago, I took a weekend salsa course, three hours Saturday, three hours Sunday. I thought for sure stepping out of my comfort zone would result in some after the fact hilarious stories, but no, the class was well-organized, the instructor was excellent, I learned a lot, met some lovely new people and was sore for a couple days after. Really, it turned out to be one of the more benign experiences I've had here. (Now ask me about speed dating...)
The upshot of the class is that I've been reminded that I really love to dance, I'm not that bad at it and so now on Tuesday nights, I go to a local bar and take another salsa class. It's CHF10, most of it's warm up, there are never enough guys, but it keeps me moving and I have a good time. I could sign up for regular dance classes and all that, but it's not where my money is going at the moment. I don't have a partner (which in some ways is a good thing because I wouldn't want to learn how to dance with only one person) and I really want ballroom dance lessons. Quickstep is my goal. SO, after the credit card is paid off, the 3eme pilier is fully funded and my next grad course is paid for (if I pass this first one), I am signing up for private lessons. The body is meant to move and I love to dance. If anyone ever wants to go practice, let me know!
unless you know more than enough.” - William Blake
I read this quote in an essay in the Washington Post by Judith Levine. She and her husband decided to have a year where they bought nothing except the necessities which is an idea that has really been done to death. A lot of people have done it and written about, though none probably as amusingly as June. The comments on the WaPo article are more interesting than the piece itself. A local business owner pointed out that not spending at all, except on necessities can hurt locally owned small businesses. I think that, as with everything, there is a balance. I tried, somewhat successfully (please ignore the really pretty Christmas ornaments on my tree that were made in China) to do a 90 day no spend. And at the same time, over the past few years I have moved more towards the "buy local". I've gotten fussy about tomatoes and other veggies, I buy terre avenir at the grocery store because I know it comes from somewhere in the canton. I don't buy out of season fruit (though the plums look really lovely right now). I don't buy French champagne anymore, I buy a really lovely Swiss made version for about the same price. So, technically, it's more expensive because it isn't transported as far, but I would rather buy something that supports workers and agriculture in my country of residence. (except for during the 90 day no spend because alcohol was verboten, champagne is a staple in my house. Like toilet paper.) I think that I have a good balance in supporting local enterprises and being careful with my spending.
I've done my share of excess. Gluttony is probably my most commonly occurring deadly with sloth coming in pretty close behind. I don't consider gluttony or excess in terms of only food. I think we can be excessive in terms of any material good as well as emotionally. A few years ago, I declared moratoriums on such things as stationery and fabric. Of course, I found other hobbies that I *had* to accessorize, but not recently. I've very much been in a use up and don't replace cycle for the past year or so and am much happier for it.
I have also spent the past few years decluttering. I'm not done, I think it's a never ending process, but it has helped me be a lot more thoughtful in my purchases. I did a lot better in Australia than I did in Tanzania in terms of shopping. I do consider it a touristic obligation to boost local economies that I visit, but I don't think I went overboard as I have done in the past. I also try not to clutter up other people's abodes with stuff. I sent a lot of postcards back, but gift-wise, if I bought stuff it was thank yous or Christmas. Except for my nieces, Christmas has gotten a lot smaller, too. I like Heifer International and memberships to our National Parks system sort of stuff as gifts. Utility over clutter is the name of the game. I don't like a cluttered house and buying something because I can't find the one I already have (I don't think I have actually ever done this, except with tupperware. Why do boxes multiply, but never lids?) would drive me nuts. Dust bunnies, on the other hand, are just a natural occurrence that should be accepted for what they are.
yeah, so I totally edited this post. sue me. it reads a lot better now. it still isn't great, but it's better than it was.
Now, I have always taken my responsibilities as a consumer seriously. I consider it an obligation as a tourist to infuse local economies with funds. It does work better in places like Iringa, TZ where a little bit of money goes a long way, but that doesn't mean I don't try where-ever I find myself. Even here in Geneva. So, I'm wondering, is this global economic slowdown my fault? Did I not spend enough money in Australia, 'cause I'll go back and spend more. Or is it this 90 day no spend here in Geneva? I am still doing my best to keep amazon (us, uk and de) afloat, but should I just say forget fiscal conservatism and go for broke? I've got a list.
Seriously, though, did you know that funds in Swiss banks are only guaranteed up to 30,000 francs? Talk about no incentive to maintain savings!
The 90 day no spend is going pretty well, though my mother might argue otherwise. I did pick up a sweater at H&M yesterday. I have to fix the button hole, but otherwise it's fine and I got a discount. My mother has also gone back and forth to Michaels Crafts a couple of times for me, so that she can bring stuff when she comes over.
I don't spend a lot of money in Geneva. I just don't. This sweater is the first clothing item that I have bought in this town since last winter when I bought a wool coat from H&M. I buy groceries. And right now, I'm not buying alcohol, so even the grocery bill has been mostly reasonable.
It's my visa card that I need to stop using. I'm trying. I really am. I have a feeling my eyeglasses will be going on the visa card, though. I finally made an eye appointment. I thought it had been four years, but actually it has only been three. They have a promotion going on of two frames with lenses starting at 2something hundred francs. I like the promotion from three years ago. One pair of frames at regular price and then every pair thereafter was something like forty francs including lenses. The selection wasn't great for the cheaper ones, but as someone who likes glasses, it meant that I could buy three pairs of frames and not feel guilty. One pair is long gone in New Mexico, the other has been sat on and bent too many times to be re-straightened (I don't think I can even donate them!) and the third is the one designer thing I own and I still love them three years on and will just get the lenses replaced. Maybe some sunglasses, though.
Um, so, my understanding is that the U.S. economy runs on a mostly capitalist system where the market determines the value of a product and thereby a firm or company. People can buy and sell pieces of this company if they think the price is right. The market will correct itself if it gets out of hand, though this may come at a personal cost to the employees of the company.
The Republicans favor this free market and prefer a small government with little power to regulate the market.
But, the companies that have benefited from minimal government intrusion are now lining up for a government handout because something isn't working anymore.
Am I way off base? Or am I not too far wrong? I'm sure this an overly simplistic view of the situation, but I'm slow when it comes to this stuff. How much are their CEOs paid?
All right, the New York Times article made my head hurt, so let's look at a beautiful picture from the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia instead.
I bank at the Post Office. They offer everything I need with lower fees than the regular banks (who offer services of which I could never take advantage, and I can't maintain the insane minimum balance) and for the past five years it has worked. I have an account with an actual bank, too, but it's a supermarket bank, so it's about a step above the post office (I am so lower middle-class in Switzerland). I use it to save up for stuff. I'm allowed to make twelve withdrawals a year, so I plan. I use it to save up for my bus pass (no car in this household!), swimming pool pass and grad school. Well, the time has finally come to send a huge wad of money to the university. I've been saving up for it and I'm really proud of myself for having put the money aside. It was a little difficult emotionally to go withdraw all but a little bit of the money in this account, but that was why I had been putting the money away. So, I went to withdraw the money and oh my gosh, I got to touch a one thousand franc bill! I had never even seen one before (do we even have a one thousand dollar bill?) and now I actually possessed it for a whopping ten minutes which was the amount of time between withdrawing it and re-depositing it at the post office. Depositing it made me relieved to have it out of my hands. I have friends who routinely carry around hundreds of francs in cash (Switzerland is still very cash-based), but I really just like using my little yellow card and calling it done. I'm not great with keeping track of my money, so the more I can see details of where money was spent (like by checking my on-line account) the better off I am. And I am just nervous in general about carrying cash, so pretty much if you hold me up, you might get about twelve francs mostly in ten and twenty centime pieces.
I thought that I was done, once I had deposited it, but no, it turns out that there is one more step. I'd been home for a little over an hour and I got a call. My French isn't great; it's not bad, I get by, but the telephone is hard. My friend, Lynn, has been out with food poisoning and we're supposed to go to a wine and tapas tonight. Phone rings, it's a 022 number, so I picked up. Someone says (in French) "hello, wanh wanh wanh is this madame concannon" and I swear to goodness, I thought it was Lynn. So, I started talking and there was this pause. And she tried again, "wanh wanh wanh, Madame Concannon" So, it wasn't my friend, Lynn. It was the supermarket bank calling to verify that I had indeed withdrawn the bulk of my savings and did I still have the money. After apologizing and explaining that I mistaken her for a friend, I explained that no, I had already re-deposited it. Did I remember the denominations of the bills? I told her what the configuration was and she said thank you and that was pretty much it. I dig the security, but it was a trifle bizarre. What if I had hung up, or not spoken French? Oh well, what if, what if, what if.
Roehampton will soon have lots of my money. (They wouldn't rather a first-born?)
Gold is over $1000.- an ounce, oil is over $110.- a barrel. And the franc, well, it only takes 1.008 Swiss Francs to buy a dollar today. A friend of mine said, "it's a sign of the apocalypse" I don't know if I would go that far, but it is definitely time to call a spade a spade. In simple terms, people, the U.S. economy is f*%&ed which in turn means that so is everybody else.
the dollar is now worth only 1.03974 francs. When I first moved here, it was around 1.4 francs to the dollar. The franc is now headed for parity with the dollar making sending money home a great bargain, living here okay and shopping in the eurozone not as great a deal as it once was.
With the dollar continuing to tank, I have put away my visa card. I absolutely cannot use it for European purchases. The card is from a U.S. bank and my word, I had to use it at the conference this weekend, I do not even want to see that bill!
But, it is great for paying off my Visa card as I get a bit more bang for the buck. I have a lot of sympathy for all the U.S. tourists and especially the students studying abroad. Less beer, more ramen.
umm, so that whole getting out of debt thing? Well, it's going to take a little longer than I thought. But! On the upside, I got a lot of plane tickets for not so much money in the grand scheme of things. And I'll get to see family and friends, and friends get married and family and friends and friends and football and friends and that's really the whole point of it, isn't it?
So, yeah, really need to get that Feng Shui Prosperity corner worked out. Plan A never seemed to work for my dad, but maybe a lottery ticket is in order. ;)
Yesterday, it turned out was a good day to commit to plane tickets. I've talked about eBates before and on Tuesdays they double the percentage back on a store and yesterday it was Travelocity. If you want five bucks just for signing up, stick in my @mac.com address (gold star if you figure out the very imaginative first part; look at my blog address) and we each get a fiver. Anyways, so it was 2% back on flights yesterday. Wish I had committed to the Australia ticket yesterday, too, but since I got a really good price on it, I'm okay with 1% back.
I go home in March. And then I go to Liverpool at the end of April. Then I go home again in July. And while I'm home, I go to my friend's wedding in Pasadena. And then when I come back to Geneva in July, I go to work and then I go to Australia! I am just so very, very excited! I'm going to see that Big Red Rock!
Now where did that budget worksheet go?
