Monday was declared a National Service Day. We were all asked to go out and volunteer or host an event in our home. I am ALL FOR community service, and donating to worthy causes . Everything I read regarding living frugally and saving money emphasizes strongly the need to give to others. But, interestingly enough, giving is something I had not done on a regular basis until I decided to leave my job, and consequently had less to give.
I think this anomaly occurred largely due to lack of time. I would make notes to myself to write a check for one cause or another, or I would see something on the news and mean to check out the website later for details, but I never followed through. But now that I have the time, I do follow through, and have been spending part of our tight budget on others.
So when this Community Service Day opportunity came up, I was all over it. I signed up to host a food drive. I listed my event on the Service.Org website. I printed 50 flyers and went door to door in my neighborhood. I took Amelia with me and introduced myself to everyone who answered the door. As embarrassing as it is to admit, up until last week I had only known three of my neighbors. When the Service Day arrived, we baked muffins and had a pot of coffee and a pan of hot chocolate on all day. My step-daughter Alex and one of her friends helped unload cars . It was a smashing success. We collected approximately 110 bags of groceries. I met tons of my neighbors and it all went off without a hitch. The day was full of positive energy, camaraderie and a common sense of purpose. We were a community, and Martin Luther King Jr. would have been proud.
The next day, however, was full of irony. I have always subscribed to the belief that "you have to give to receive". In "You're Broke Because You Want to Be" Winget says, "When you willingly share part of what you have earned with others, then it magically comes back to you. I don't know why it works, but I know it works."and then he goes on to tell a story about writing a check for a charity and in turn receiving reprieve in that same amount for a bill.
So the day after the food drive, while packing the food in the car, I closed the trunk with the keys nestled safely inside. Al the doors were locked too. So, the first thing I received after giving was a bill for a locksmith ($45). Secondly, the insurance company came to check out our roof after a windstorm and they informed me that the damage was $430. The deductible is $500, so the second thing I received after giving was a bill for $430. Yesterday, we received a bill from the tax man for $1001. So I am trying to figure out why Karma is throwing me this curve ball.
So I am thinking about what this law really means. If you give you will receive..... It does not say what you will receive. Now my first thought was...I did actually receive, it was just bills that I received. But the more I ponder this, the more I realize that what I received this week was worth more than the $1476 deficit we are running this week.
I met many of my neighbors. Since they turned out for a food drive, after simply receiving a flyer in their door, or after having briefly met me, I have to assume that they are somewhat similar in my beliefs. I have to assume that they share my yearning for a sense of community, that they care for others and want to make sure that others are not hungry. I have to believe that Amelia and Alex will be that much safer in my neighborhood, because my neighbors will know they are mine and may keep an eye out for them. I also have to believe that if my girls are up to no good my neighbors will be confident in knowing my values and will be sure to put my girls in their place. I have to know that if there is smoke coming from my house, my neighbors will make sure that we are safe. So what did I receive? I received a community, one I am happy to be a part of. A community that I am sure is worth more than a measly $1476.00. That being said, Publisher's Clearing House should be announcing their winner in mid February, and I not 100 percent sure that van won't be parked in front of my house. Oh Karma..you tricky little minx.
On another note - my cashier's name is Jan Eric.
Next Week..I Heart Craig
Friday, January 23, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Cellular Cleansing
The last couple of months in the work place made me truly reassess the lifestyle of Corporate America. Knowing my days were numbered, I was suddenly endowed with an objectivity that I had never before possessed. My first week on the job, my manager sent me off to buy a Palm Pilot and a cell phone. I needed to be "wired in" to be a Sales Executive.....and that is the manner in which I spent the next several years. I had restaurants on speed dial in case I had to work late. I called my husband every time something occurred to me that I wanted to share (or nag about). Poor Dave. I called my mom, my customers, my friends, all from that phone. I remember taking it with me to the gym and setting it on the treadmill where the water is supposed to be held. But, as I was wrapping up my last couple of months at work, my relationship with my cell started to fall apart. I would leave her in the car overnight. She would lose her charge and I would forget to charge her. Soon, we were not so inseparable. And, as amazing as it sounds, my customers were still very well taken care of.
One day, while using the office restroom, I came to a lucid understanding of how out of control and crazy we have gotten with our technology. The woman in the stall next to me was, well, she was planning to be there for a while. The whole time I was in the restroom, she was deep in conversation with a client, friend or someone who hopefully did not know what she was doing. And then, when I thought it was as bad as it could get, she parked one call while she took another. What in the heck are we thinking? Is this why at my OB/GYN office it says "No Cell Phones"? Are we now trying to chat on the cell while getting their annual exams?
One of the changes I have made to our budget is switching our home phone package to offer only local calling and keeping one cell phone with the smallest package available for long distance calls to family and friends. This is saving $80 per month ($960 per year). Now my cell phone that was always at the ready has to be holstered and minutes are being rationed.
I was in the car the other day reaching for the phone in order to call my husband regarding some mundane detail that seemed so important at the time, when I stopped myself. I remembered the minute limitation and came to some interesting revelations. I was in a traffic jam on the highway and looked to my left and my right, in front of me and behind me. Three out of four people were on their phones talking or texting. I went to the store and realized that it's not just schizophrenics that appear to be talking to themselves anymore. Bluetoothes galore, I Phones, Blackberries, Cell phones...talking, texting, e-mailing. We are becoming so disconnected and have stopped being present simply becasue we are overconnected.
What are we getting from all of this? I see the benefits (because I watch commercials). We can go to the beach with our kids in the middle of the work day, we can go to the store, take a long lunch etc. But, we are no longer present at any one activity, or in any one situation. Many of us have stopped having conversations with the teller, the cashier and the butcher. Many of us take calls while dining with friends and while spending time with our kids.
I have always known that this journey into financial savings would lead me to ecologically friendly choices, but I had no idea that it would also lead to community minded choices as well. My goal this week is to be present in every situation. When I call my mother this weekend, I will be in a chair undistracted with coffee in one hand, the phone in the other and my full attention on the line. When I shop this week I will greet those around me, say hi to the butcher and learn the name of the cashier. And when I am in the restroom....I will be IN THE RESTROOM!
Next Week.......Building our New Community
One day, while using the office restroom, I came to a lucid understanding of how out of control and crazy we have gotten with our technology. The woman in the stall next to me was, well, she was planning to be there for a while. The whole time I was in the restroom, she was deep in conversation with a client, friend or someone who hopefully did not know what she was doing. And then, when I thought it was as bad as it could get, she parked one call while she took another. What in the heck are we thinking? Is this why at my OB/GYN office it says "No Cell Phones"? Are we now trying to chat on the cell while getting their annual exams?
One of the changes I have made to our budget is switching our home phone package to offer only local calling and keeping one cell phone with the smallest package available for long distance calls to family and friends. This is saving $80 per month ($960 per year). Now my cell phone that was always at the ready has to be holstered and minutes are being rationed.
I was in the car the other day reaching for the phone in order to call my husband regarding some mundane detail that seemed so important at the time, when I stopped myself. I remembered the minute limitation and came to some interesting revelations. I was in a traffic jam on the highway and looked to my left and my right, in front of me and behind me. Three out of four people were on their phones talking or texting. I went to the store and realized that it's not just schizophrenics that appear to be talking to themselves anymore. Bluetoothes galore, I Phones, Blackberries, Cell phones...talking, texting, e-mailing. We are becoming so disconnected and have stopped being present simply becasue we are overconnected.
What are we getting from all of this? I see the benefits (because I watch commercials). We can go to the beach with our kids in the middle of the work day, we can go to the store, take a long lunch etc. But, we are no longer present at any one activity, or in any one situation. Many of us have stopped having conversations with the teller, the cashier and the butcher. Many of us take calls while dining with friends and while spending time with our kids.
I have always known that this journey into financial savings would lead me to ecologically friendly choices, but I had no idea that it would also lead to community minded choices as well. My goal this week is to be present in every situation. When I call my mother this weekend, I will be in a chair undistracted with coffee in one hand, the phone in the other and my full attention on the line. When I shop this week I will greet those around me, say hi to the butcher and learn the name of the cashier. And when I am in the restroom....I will be IN THE RESTROOM!
Next Week.......Building our New Community
Friday, January 9, 2009
The Pantyhose Equation
Pantyhose cost $3.50 per pair and they usually run in the first use. If I wear 2 pair a week, that is $7.00 a week X 52 = $364. New shoes cost $40 (on sale). As a sales person I do a lot of walking and blow through a pair every 3 months. 4 x $40 = $16o. That's another $160 a year. I drink a latte 2 times a week because I work so hard that I deserve it. $7.00 x 52 weeks = $364. So far that is $888 per year.
These are the thoughts that have been preoccupying my days and nights ever since our new baby girl appeared in our lives. Now, I am not talking about when I was pregnant. When I was seven months along I told my sister-in-law to conk me in the head with something heavy if I even considered staying home after the baby was born. See, I felt defined by power lunches, sales meetings and weekly forecasts.
But definitions change and priorities shift and after three months of maternity leave, after instinctively putting my daughter's needs in front of my own, I was redefined. My original intention was to be back to work part- time after two weeks, but in that second week, with my child sleeping peacefully in my arms (after she cried for two hours), I called my boss and told him I would be requesting full maternity leave. I could hear the frustration in his voice, but for the first time in my career, I did not care. Suddenly there was something in my life that meant more to me than my career. After my maternity leave was exhausted, including the unpaid FMLA, I went back to work and put in notice. I was allowed to work from home until a replacement was found, and here I am this week, two months later, no longer on the career path to more money. The interesting thing is, I can't say it was that difficult a decision. I did not agonize over what I wanted. I agonized over how to get here.
So here I stand, redefined. And am I crazy? I am allowing myself to be redefined in one of the most economically trying times our generation has ever faced. Healthcare costs are soaring, my 401K tanked, and a gallon of milk is $4.00...speaking of milk, if I can breastfeed for a full year, I think I can save $1200 on formula ( sorry - I can't stop). And as all of this economic peril continues, am I afraid? Yes, but I am capable.
I am capable of trading a monthly manicure ($300 per year) for Wednesday picnics at the park. I am capable of stripping our budget to the bones and consequently making dinner instead of buying it. I am capable of finding creative new ways to save, ways I have never looked for, because after all, necessity is the mother of invention, and necessities change. My necessity last year was a pat on the back from my sales manager for selling a new deal. My necessity now is seeing my baby's first step, or watching her discover how cool her toes are. My blog will explore and divulge money saving hints and savvy idealogies regarding the "less is more" mentality. Join me on this journey!
These are the thoughts that have been preoccupying my days and nights ever since our new baby girl appeared in our lives. Now, I am not talking about when I was pregnant. When I was seven months along I told my sister-in-law to conk me in the head with something heavy if I even considered staying home after the baby was born. See, I felt defined by power lunches, sales meetings and weekly forecasts.
But definitions change and priorities shift and after three months of maternity leave, after instinctively putting my daughter's needs in front of my own, I was redefined. My original intention was to be back to work part- time after two weeks, but in that second week, with my child sleeping peacefully in my arms (after she cried for two hours), I called my boss and told him I would be requesting full maternity leave. I could hear the frustration in his voice, but for the first time in my career, I did not care. Suddenly there was something in my life that meant more to me than my career. After my maternity leave was exhausted, including the unpaid FMLA, I went back to work and put in notice. I was allowed to work from home until a replacement was found, and here I am this week, two months later, no longer on the career path to more money. The interesting thing is, I can't say it was that difficult a decision. I did not agonize over what I wanted. I agonized over how to get here.
So here I stand, redefined. And am I crazy? I am allowing myself to be redefined in one of the most economically trying times our generation has ever faced. Healthcare costs are soaring, my 401K tanked, and a gallon of milk is $4.00...speaking of milk, if I can breastfeed for a full year, I think I can save $1200 on formula ( sorry - I can't stop). And as all of this economic peril continues, am I afraid? Yes, but I am capable.
I am capable of trading a monthly manicure ($300 per year) for Wednesday picnics at the park. I am capable of stripping our budget to the bones and consequently making dinner instead of buying it. I am capable of finding creative new ways to save, ways I have never looked for, because after all, necessity is the mother of invention, and necessities change. My necessity last year was a pat on the back from my sales manager for selling a new deal. My necessity now is seeing my baby's first step, or watching her discover how cool her toes are. My blog will explore and divulge money saving hints and savvy idealogies regarding the "less is more" mentality. Join me on this journey!
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