It's Easy Being Green

Termination seems like such a dirty word.  The societal stigma attached to it is enough to make you feel vile; rolled in the dregs of society and tossed out into the street for all to see and smell.  You, left to feel like nothing more than an offense to the olfactory and beyond.  Why is it I feel like I should embody that feeling, sulking further into my own self wallow?

There is this great aversion to getting fired.  Nobody wants to hear it and most don’t want anybody to know it ever happened to them.  That’s why our corporate forefathers came up with terms like “let go”, RIF (reduction in force), laid off, “opting out” and canceled contract.  Like wrapping a blanket around a Billy club, is it merely to ease the blow to one’s ego?  Or is it like a golden ray shining down from above, making employers feel at ease, almost angelic in letting you down softly and tiptoeing around the word fire or terminate.

This week, I’m learning to embrace being fired.  I was ambushed.  Walking back to my desk at the end of my shift late Friday night, there sat my boss.  He magically reappeared, wearing the same damn clothes he left the office in four hours before.  It wouldn’t have won him any awards for his performance but he tried to act sorrowful.  He wasn’t soft about it at all.  He didn’t even try to let me down easily.  It’s the only time he’s ever really truly had the balls to act like a real manager and he managed me right out the front door.

The kick in the ass brought an end to two years of this Midwestern misery.  They moved me 1800 miles away from home promising a long-term commitment.  From day one though, it’s been anything but.  I was sold a bill of goods and unfortunately drank the Kool-Aid.  Each quaff left a taste in my mouth that grew more and more wretched.  Luckily I choked and regurgitated the rotgut and am now cleaning house.  One chapter is ending.  Another one is beginning.

It’s ironic this has hall happened because just about two weeks ago T and sat down and made lists.  Not for grocery shopping or things to do around this half-acre homestead.  These lists were our priorities in life; a test to see where we each stood at this very portion of our lives.  Little did we know that these lists would come into play just a few days later.  Here is how my priorities panned out:

1)                  Make sure my T, my wife, and my darling daughter are taking care of emotionally, physically and financially

2)                  Find a job that makes me happy

3)                  Live life as sustainable as possible

4)                  Buy a farm, ranch or other plot of land to build a life on

5)                  Financial freedom: ditch the debt, save more

T’s priorities were surprisingly similar.  Our thoughts and notions on what we wanted to achieve together weren’t as far off as we might have expected them to be.  We never expected to be in the position of changing career paths this quickly.  I had a contract that would leave us a year to think about our next moves but now that has shriveled and died right on the vine.

So another chapter begins.  We have two months, possibly three, of funds to get us through until the next opportunity beckons.  We’re looking at ways to stretch every possible dollar and every possible resource we use on a daily basis.  It can only help us make it through and last even longer than some would anticipate.  It will be the true test of our skills and desires to live life in a more sustainable, environmentally friendly and happiness inducing way.

Popularity: 5% [?]

A lot of people I know have horses but have found it to be a financial strain lately to keep them well fed and happy.  Everyone is cutting corners with their budgets and just like humans, treats and snacks should be one of the first things to go but have you ever thought about making your own horse treats?

Here’s a little recipe that will keep your four-hoofed friend happy but won’t break the bank.  Don’t forget to get creative based on your horse’s specific likes.  Add those ingredients into the recipe listed below and if you have a recipe you’d like to share, for any homemade animal treat, don’t hesitate to post it!

Ingredients:

- 2 to 4 cups commercial horse feed

- 2 eggs

- 3 Tbsp. molasses

- 1 to 1.5 cups hot water

Directions:

1)  Place the feed in a large bowl.

2)  In a separate bowl, beat eggs well, add them to the feed and mix well.

3)  Dissolve the molasses in hot water and add a little at a time to the feed mixture until it’s sticky and firm.

4)  Pour it in gradually as you may not need it all.  You should be able to mold and shape the mix to dry or to leave as a “pudding” for your horse to slurp out of a bowl.  Add more liquid or more feed to reach the desired consistency.

You can make some creative additions to this basic mix based on your horse’s likes.  Grain, carrots and peppermints are popular additives horses seem to love.

Popularity: 2% [?]

We all know times are tough and our money just doesn’t stretch quite as far as we want it to these days. For all those people who have stretched themselves as thin as they possibly could have, I think this economic contraction is something they need to go through.

We all know who these people are and more than likely you have one of them as a neighbor. I’m talking about the family who drives nothing but large trucks and SUV’s, has the brand new toy hauler trailer with living compartment that is stuffed to the gills with ATV’s (one for each family member), a boat, motorhome and just about any other largely expensive toy you can think of.

Back in Arizona, there were more of those types of people than I could count on my hands just living within a block or two of us. I know that none of it was actually purchased with cash. Most was probably bought with some whopping huge credit lines that they’ll be paying on for the rest of their life. I’m glad to see that some of them are struggling enough that they’re finally giving all that “stuff” up. Sure part of it is probably selfishness on my part but the rest is some sort of hope that people will quit over-extending themselves and buying unnecessary crap.

Indiana has been an eye-opener for the same sort of reasons, looking and listening to each neighbor up and down the block taking care of their yard. Each person has a lawn mower, leaf blower, weed whacker, edger and any other accessory to dominate their patch of land with. It makes me think what a waste it is for each person to go out and spend their money on their own lawn mower and accessories.

That’s why the idea of Neighborrow has perked my interest. It’s based on neighbors working together, sharing the resources they may have with another neighbor. It’s an I’ll share my lawn mower with you if you share your weed whacker with me principle. Why the idea hasn’t caught on more is beside me but I think it’s great. My Freecycled lawnmower isn’t working at the moment but my next-door neighbor has been letting me borrow his. He doesn’t have to look at an overgrown lawn next door and I even mow his section of yard bordering our shared pond every now and then.

Speaking of my non-working mower, I’ve been on the lookout for someone who repairs mowers for a living. I found one and dropped in to have a conversation with him about my mower. I’m not too keen on spending a lot of money to get it fixed. After all, it is a gas guzzling, air polluting mower and I’ve been eying some of the electric or push variety for a few months now. Instead of paying full price for a repair, I asked him if he would consider taking my old mower and selling me one of his repaired ones at a discounted rate. It would be like a trade-in credit at the car lot. Not a straight barter but I’d get something and so would he.

He said no. It left me to wonder how bad he was really hurting in this economic downturn. Shouldn’t we be thinking about more smart and creative ways to interact and help each other out other than just the straight transaction of cash from one person to the other? What do you think?

Popularity: 5% [?]

A new study out this week is showing that the post-Christmas rush to spend gift cards is apparently non-existent. It’s a sign that everyone is dealing with a continually weakening economy. Our nation’s biggest retailer, Wal-Mart, has been closely watching the way people have been spending their holiday gift cards this month. It turns out people are either holding on to them and saving them for harder times or they’re spending them on basic necessities.

Wal-Mart has indicated that most gift card purchases in their store are going toward food staples like pasta, cereal and canned goods. Even other major retailers are seeing similar trends. Upscale clothing retailers are seeing more people spending their gift cards on socks and underwear then on that new $100 pair of jeans. People are walking right past those plasma screen TV’s, video games, CD’s and other superficial items and picking up the necessities.

This sign doesn’t make me worried. I feel like we’re in a good position to weather a recession should our country really slump into one. We are always stocked up on the basic food items and are continuously looking ahead. What do we need and what do we really need to not spend the money on? One thing we could do better is save. It’s hard right now at this point in our life to really shunt money away into another account. Our retirement savings has been underway for the last 5 years now and we do have about $2,000 in a savings account that never moves. But, I still don’t think that’s enough and would like to have a bigger pad.

In the meantime, I think this latest economic trend shows consumers finally realizing what’s important and what isn’t. You need the basics to live. All the rest are just accessories of our lives that for some wild reason, we feel like we need to drag around with us. I’m glad we’re getting a bit of a reality check. I don’t think our nation has really had to scrimp or save for awhile. While I’d like to think it will get people into the habit of planning financially and making hard decision on what they need and what they don’t, I know it will just return to the same old consumer economy a few years down the road.

Popularity: 1% [?]

If you haven’t already read my post below on the Mortgage Meltdown and Credit Crisis you should.  This is an illustration of what amazes me about American’s current financial status and the desire for more.  We were watching TV this morning and an ad came on for “cashcall.com”.  They were advertising small consumer loans, presumably to pay your house payment or other items you’ve already fallen behind on like bills and stuff.  Then, the fine print pops up for less than one second at the end of the commercial.  I was able to freeze frame it thanks to my DVR and took a picture using the digital camera:

It’s a little hard to read but let me break it down for you.  The fine print says a typical loan of $2,600 has an APR of 99.25% with 42 months of payments at $216.55 per month with a $75 origination fee.  If you break that down, you’re paying $10,070.00 for the whole loan spread over three and a half years.  That means you paid $6,495.00 in interest alone on a $2,600 loan.  That also assumes you don’t make a late payment or get hit with other fees in the process.  What a bunch of crooks!  I hope consumers steer far away from companies like this!

Popularity: 2% [?]

You’d have to be like an ostrich with its head stuck in the sand if you haven’t heard one bit about the current state of our economy. Houses are foreclosing at record rates, new homes aren’t selling and there’s already an 8 month glut of unsold homes sitting on the market. Add to that the staggering amount of debt a lot of Americans are carrying around and the situation begins to take on some epic proportions.

I just finished watching an interesting documentary called “Maxxed Out“. While I was unsure about it during the first ten minutes, it actually turned into a pretty interesting piece looking at the real impacts of our love for credit. The impacts are extremely sad and disheartening and your left feeling like everyone is just preying on people, waiting to make a quick buck off of them. How did we ever get to that point where people became so engrossed with greed that they will absolutely crush the people underneath them to better themselves? Some would say it’s simply survival of the fittest. Luckily, I’ve never been too wrapped up in the rat race. I was for a time but quickly had a thought about two years ago that it just really wasn’t worth it. I’ve now paid off debts and am in the process of cleaning up my credit. We want to be able to bite while the housing market is down over the next year and get us into a home, so we can finally stop throwing money down the drain in rent every month.

Our government now wants to toss several hundred dollars at each of us so we can go out and “spur the economy”. While I’m honestly not going to sneeze at an $800 check headed my way from the federal government, I’m also not going to go spend it willy nilly like our President and representatives would like me too. Do we really need that new plasma screen TV? No! What you need is to spend more time with your family, get out and enjoy the fresh air or do something good for yourself and our environment. I’m hoping that most Americans will use the money to pay off a debt or throw into their savings account. I know how difficult it is to achieve that financial goal of 3 months worth of pay sitting in your savings account in case of emergency. This just makes it even easier to get there. If you can save 10% of your paycheck, in just a year you will be close to having one month’s worth of pay saved up. That’s not too hard, especially when you add in the “economic incentive” check that will show up in your mailbox.

I know people who just aren’t being smart right now, who still think they’re going to make a mint off someone else. That’s just not going to happen and people really need to buckle down, analyze their spending and be smart about what their paying for. The feds just cut another key interest rate by 0.75% so now would be the time to look at refinancing major purchases like homes and cars. Haggle with your credit card companies to see if you can get a lower APR and save yourself some money on all those interest payments. There’s a lot of websites out there that can help you shop for better deals in the banking system like Finance Genius. If you shop around, you could potentially save yourself hundreds if not thousands of dollars in finance charges and interest. Do something good for yourself in 2008 and become financially fit.

Popularity: 2% [?]