Getting Rid of Bills is just like Getting Rid of Calories

Getting Rid of Bills is just like Getting Rid of Calories 

-The GiRL

I honor of upcoming New Year’s resolutions and the consumerism of the holiday I’ve taken and twisted the Gold’s Gym “How to drop 500 Calories a Day” into a “Lose Weight and Change your Budget every Day.”

Change your Daily Grind

-Dance for two hours

            -Plan out your week adding activities to your routine that are cheap and fun. They’ll use up your time and keep you from spending on entertainment that isn’t in the budget.

-Get enough sleep

            -Caffeine to stimulate you in the morning? Starbucks not only packs on the pounds if you choose your comfort it also jumps on the budget. One Starbucks a week can be an extra $25 a month. Can’t get enough sleep? Starbucks makes hot coffee and iced coffee that you can buy at Safeway or Target for only $5-6 dollars. You’ll get 6 dinks out of what you would regularly spend for one.

-Don’t eat in front of the TV, trade the hour in front of the TV with an hour of walking.

            -Really hate commercials? Drop that cable or satellite bill and save up to $50 a month. Trade in for Hulu Plus or Netflix and spend only $10-20 a month. Or if you just love having those sports and history channels go over to a friend or family member’s house and enjoy the game there – you’ll see people and save money.

-Get in tune with your Tummy (pay attention to how full you are)

            -Overeating leads to extra weight just like over spending leads to high credit cards and extra bills. Pay attention to how much money you’re actually making. 

-Limit your Dinner guests (7 or more people make you eat 96% more food)

            -Um, this one is s stretch, but ever remember the saying “keeping up with the Joneses.” Unfortunately, your friends might make more money than you or worse, they might be more willing to max out their Credit Cards than you…so remember, friends can make you spend, stick within your own means and don’t be afraid to say no to the people that will steal the tip from the waiter.

Slim your Habits

-Simple tricks to fill up (with less!). Always tired on Tuesdays? Plan to eat in with an inexpensive routine.  You know you’re always tired on Tuesdays and not having to make dinner makes you feel better – so plan on eating that $5 Safeway pizza you bought on Friday and put in the freezer today.

-Limit salad toppings. Did you want insurance with that? Just get the extras that make sense otherwise you can take a great purchase and make it so bad for your budget by slowly adding and extra 1-10% monthly to a bill.

-Don’t clean your plate. Stop trying to live month to month. Build an emergency fund for those stupid accidents in life that always set you behind.

-Use smaller plates. Stop paying for items with cash lately? Make the switch back to cash, or if you’re using a debit card a lot trying signing up for aggregation services like mint.com (remember to check on security and all that stuff first – that’s like buying microwave and dishwasher safe dishes so you don’t have to clean up after a mess).

-Serve and sit. This one is about leaving serving dishes on an island and not on a dinner table. Essentially do what you can to not go back for more – make grocery lists, plan meals, and stick to it!

-Make a swap. Shop around for great prices.

-Make mine a mini. Considering buying a new car? Watch out for cars that will cost a lot in the long run. How expensive are the parts to replace if they break? Do you really need a truck if you use the bed once a year? You can always rent a truck for a day if you need it.

-Ditch that buttered movie popcorn. No comment. Buttered popcorn is always good – I’d make my cuts someplace else.

-Count your chips (and crackers). Track your spending to see where the money is really going. Are you paying the right percentages toward your living expenses or are you weighted a little heavy in the restaurant category?

-Step away from the nuts, especially if they’re in a big bowl. Go right to the clearance rack first to see if you like an item there before pursuing the fully priced items.

-Skip the whip — or at least size it down. Find ways to indulge without spending a lot. Maybe you need to set aside some ‘fun money’ each month.

-Skinny up cocktails. Um…alcohol is expensive. Make what you drink special with special people. You’ll cut calories and save a ton of money.

-Kick the soda habit. I’m not even going to try to comment on this one. Anyone that knows me knows I fail about every day. Don’t forget to recognize that you will fail with finances too, but you can always try to do better.

I could go on through the 50 tip list. Just remember that losing weight is a lot like sticking within your means. You can go overboard and even skimp too much. Find out what is healthy for your finances just like you do for your body. After all, you don’t want to do what this Dad did: 


So concerned about finances every morning a Dad would make his children cereal for breakfast. Whatever the children didn’t eat in the morning went into the fridge until after school. The kiddos couldn’t have any snacks or dinner until they finished whatever cereal (in milk) was leftover from the morning meal.

Don't be a soggy cereal man and don't be a over indulgent fudge-sickle either.

Lifetime.

The ‘best thing in my lifetime’ is often a saying we hear when people describe fantastic events they experience. How often do we consider our ‘lifetime?’

We may consider the last few years or dreams of the future but what about the entire lifetime. A quick definition search for lifetime yields two results:

1. The duration of a person’s life.

2. The duration of a thing’s existence or usefulness.

 

It is interesting in our day and age we have the ability to associate lifetime with quality of life.

On the most basic level, quality of life affects the first definition of lifetime. Due to the medical achievements and increase in lifespan most of us have an advantage over many in the world and have the opportunity to live a longer lifetime: the “duration” of the person’s life is extended.

It is then further interesting to me if we consider the use of the second definition and how even though the definition describes a ‘thing’ those in affluent societies have the ability to describe themselves “thing like.”

Since many of us are less concerned with duration, having the ability to aid our varying ailments before they occur and while they occur, we’ve fixated on this concept of “existence or usefulness.”

Often people associate lifetime with usefulness. It is easy to do in our society. We all do it. We culminate our existence to make a packaged product. We compare our life package with other life packages to see essentially how we are doing with the time that we have been given. We ask ourselves “how useful am I?”

What a scary question.

We all ask it though. We turn ourselves into a product on a shelf. We tell ourselves “in my next model I’m going to have <insert travel, food, wealth, weight, popularity, beauty etc etc here> in order to sell our lifetime to ourselves (and sometimes others).

So where am I going with this you may ask. I want to encourage all of us (including myself) to consider our lifetime as the first definition: the duration. Stop considering the “arrival” point. Quit trying to improve your usefulness and enjoy. Consider the timeline you have been given now (write it down if you need to) and know the timeline is still developing for the future. Move forward without being paralyzed by what you will “turn into.”

Life is a melody, not a product. Understand composition of your life by reflecting on all of it – not just the good points. Make a timeline of your life and enjoy it in its’ full duration.

Then like a melody move forward unknowing how your song will sound. Let the notes unfold.

What about the usefulness you might ask? There are things I just want in my life. Consider why you want those things. Then remember, the product must be purchased.  

 

When bought at a price by the king, it does not matter what model you are or improvements that need done, once you are in his hands he will love you like a child (never setting you down) and mold you into what He wants.

Addicted to Every Soda Variety.

Self reflection.  After reading that soda is the #1 factor in weight gain I decided to go home and have some self reflection. I pulled out the recycle bin and started counting. 

Now my husband does not drink soda so I know all these cans are mine. Furthermore, regrettably all the cans I found do not include soda consumed away from my home. I was unsure of the exact time frame of my soda consumption but I decided the cans I found in the recyclables reflect probably 45 days give or take 10 days. I also remember during this time period consuming 2 bottles of 2 liter pepsi (which was not factored into this).

Check out the two photos included -- first, the cans of consumption and second, the jar represents the overall grams of sugar I consumed and the cup represents that jar broken down into a daily intake.

So -- in 45 days check out the following.

39 cans of soda.

1 can of soda has 42 grams of sugar.

160 calories a can = 6720 calories = approx. 2 lbs (1 lb is 3500 calories)

Each can of soda is approximately 9 teaspoons of pure sugar.

39 cans is about 345 teaspoons of sugar (measured out in the jar).

Diabetes in a Can? 

A 2,000 calorie diet recommends only consuming 44 grams of sugar per day (2 grams away from a can and that’s not including everything else we eat daily).

Cup Runneth Over?

Food is fuel and every fuel has it’s own digestion rate based on fiber and fructose content. Carbohydrate sugar is converted to fat for storage when calories are consumed in excess.

Consuming soda releases energy very quickly. If you have excess sugar when the glucose is processed by your liver the liver cannot handle it all and converts it into fatty acids which goes into your body and is stored: stomach, hips, butt, breasts, arteries and eventually heart, liver, and kidneys reducing raising blood pressure, decreasing metabolism, and weakening the immune system. This also produces extra insulin which can eventually lead to insulin resistance which means you’ve essentially broken that part of your body -- it begins to work against you. 

Something Broke?

I decided to research different issues associated with too much sugar. The body is broken when we consume too much sugar. So below are 10 reasons to avoid soda.

Consuming one or more sugar sodas a day can increase a woman’s chances for diabetes by 80%

Oral bacteria in your teeth ferment the simple sugars dissolving tooth enamels.

High fructose and caffeine in soda can prevent you from sleeping when you need and make you fall asleep when you hit the low. Also, you will need to consume extra water.

Can prevent the ability of the body to digest and kill gonococcal bacteria for 7 hours.

One caffeinated drink a day can reduce a woman’s monthly ability to conceive by 50%.

Diet sodas actually stimulate your body to want to eat more food.

Sodium Benzoate can cause asthma, hives, and eczma.

Too much can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

Obesity.

Addiction.

Ability to fix it?

Admittedly soda is addicting. I know others who feel the same way I do. So what makes some people get out? How do others get out of loving this sugary drink. Below are some of the best tips I found online:

Make the commitment and pour it down the sink. Don’t buy it again.

Limit yourself.

Replace, replace, replace. Be ready with an ‘alternative’ for when you would have wanted it before.

Tell friends and family you’re trying to not drink as much.

Avoid snacks that have sugar in the first 3 or 4 ingredients.

Plan snacks that have protein and help avoid sugar cravings.

Keep it up for two weeks at first and then see how far you can go.

Drink luke warm water.

Think of all the money you can save.

Do your research about the issues with soda.

So what am I gonna do? Well -- my high fetched goal is to limit soda to 1 a week (we’ll see if I can do that). Each day I go without soda I am going to remove 1 can from the soda wall..so I can reduce my soda deficit.

Wish me luck? Too bad you all won’t want to send me a dollar for every day I don’t consume soda. Regardless, by lessening my soda intake I know if I can follow through I could potentially save thousands in health bills.

The Moral Gun.

--The GiRL

You know that song -- where have all the good people gone? It leads me to wonder, would I be one of the “good people” in some of the following situations? Are there ever situations in which you should abandon goodness for safety or does goodness always come first? How far should your “goodness” go?

Working at a news station sometimes there are stories that disturb and make you ponder the difficult questions of life. Below are two stories and their echoes. 

Story 1 (true story by the way): On a quaint street in in an averaged sized town it is around 10:00 pm and a domestic disturbance occurs. One man (we’ll call him Joe) hears his neighbors (husband and wife we’ll call Bob and Mary) violently arguing in the street. Out of concern for neighbor Mary, Joe goes out to calm the situation down fearing for her safety. 

Bob tells Joe he needs to leave and this has nothing to do with him, that it is between Mary and he. Joe refuses and says he wants to help. Bob tells Joe to leave once again. Joe stays to keep the situation in check. Bob storms off into the house. A few moments later Bob comes back out with a hand gun. He shoots Joe in the foot and then shoots Joe in the head. Bob goes to jail convicted of murder.

Should Joe have left? Should Joe have called authorities? Is there something good in Joe’s actions? If this story ended differently would we suggest the same action? What does this story tell you about the moral convictions of Bob, Mary, and Joe?

Story 2 (true story as well): In the Denver International Airport a woman was being raped in a concourse. Multiple people passed by afraid to intervene or get help. Two gentleman employees walked by and saw what was happening. They wrestled the rapist to the ground and the girl was saved from further pain.

Why did others keep walking? Did the two who intervened do the right thing? If this situation had ended differently, maybe like story 1, would we have advised the workers to act in another way? What does this demonstrate about community vs. individual morality? How would you have responded?

Story 3 (true story as well): Yesterday a man was hit by a car and left in a ditch when the unknown driver took off. The first person to do anything about it was a police officer. 

Of all the people in a town, how come a police officer (how many police are in a city?) was the first to respond -- where were all the other people who passed by? 

The new situational mantra: “This is not our business, let’s just leave it alone.”

The new situational mantra is becoming increasingly common. I think the phrase also represents a lot about our society. First, we doubt that strangers will respond appropriately to our moral convictions about situations. Second, if it’s not me then it doesn’t matter. Third, we’re ill prepared for the worst.

Regarding the first: we doubt strangers will respond appropriately to our moral convictions in situations.

There has become a dramatic difference between individuals and their beliefs about right and wrong. Right and wrong are determined by the individual and society has trained itself to avoid imposing personal convictions on another. The extremity of this cultural development is reflected in the situational mantra. Sadly, not only does this mantra reflect the depravity of community in our society, it also, combined with the stories detailed earlier, represents the real life dangers of leaving everyone to be their own person. When there is no common morality and no common justice, then we leave people to only do as they please. What then do you do when what they please is to eliminate you? You fall victim to society’s moral depravity. Without the ability to see right and wrong and step in when needed, we continue the cycle of violence. Our community morality has degraded and unfortunately if we continue to let it degrade there will be more victims.

Regarding the second: If it’s not me, then it doesn’t matter.

As mentioned in my first, we need to remember that it may not be you, but it could be you...or your bother, mother, father, sister, friend, cousin, and the list goes on. As more and more people ignore injustice we subject all those we love to fall prey to violence. 

Regarding the third: we’re ill prepared for the worst.

We’re trained what to do in a fire, a tornado, a hurricane or an earthquake but how often are we trained to handle dangerous situations involving others? I suggest thinking about how you would respond in not only an emergency but also when your moral convictions are challenged. What do you do when you see your boss doing something illegal? What do you do when you see one employee as the office scape goat? How would you respond if someone was screaming for help?

Think about what is important and how you can respond. Sometimes it is the preparation ahead of time that can mean a happy ending or a violent ending.

As a last note -- it has been the human failure to reflect on how one would respond when moral convictions are challenged. This failure has led to hurt individuals and as a result specifically in the United States possibly the degradation of our society. 

We are afraid to intervene when our moral convictions are subject to scrutiny because many of us have interacted with people who inappropriately handled their moral convictions. It is easy to blanket your moral convictions on other people, but if you lose reflection and preparedness with your convictions there can be victims you leave behind.

Think about how to respond appropriately when you are challenging someone else’s “failed” morality and when your own personal “failed” morality is challenged by someone else who believes contrary to you. 

Be open to discussion and change while maintaining the freedom to live united with your convictions.

 Avoid using that moral gun to get rid of another who does not think the same as you.  

Scary Words.

A sum of thoughts? A conglomeration of meaning and symbols?  A moment in time?

Writing a blog is kinda scary. It puts your mind in the world and allows the unspoken to become spoken. The ignorance to be laid bare. The personal made public. 

Are you thoughts valid simply because you write them? If no one comments, does that mean your reasoning is flawed? Is writing really rejuvenating? What is the difference between a rant and meaningful conversation? What if you offend someone who does not have the courage to speak or write in return? What if your thoughts are dull or unimaginative? Do words once spoken have redemptive quality? Can beauty be spoken as a with a flawed humanity? 

Words spoken provide the opportunity for a signature of time. My thoughts I cast into tepid or thrashing waters as my minimal droplet in the timeline of thought.

Oh words. 

Words woven by a spell.

A spell which hovers like magic from the mind. 

The essence of time. 

One word representing humanly vice or otherworldly wisdom.

Many words a reflection of this moment. 

May the river of words swell with the flood

of knowledge newly learned.

Cascading into the basin

Conventional knowledge accepted flows on

A canyon carved by the masses

One word drops far away evaporated by the heat

Free falling drops separate from the flow

A forgotten rainbow light reflected from the sun

Drops of knowledge or wisdom newly won

Color angles directed by the Son.

Word redemption as the flow of wisdom moves on.

The rainbow colors unique for the time

A redemptive word and hope is mine.

--The GiRL

Consumer.

-- The GiRL

Consumer.

Ever wonder why this new generation of employees cares nothing for the workplace? What about why we care nothing about others? Or maybe, you have wondered why so many people simply do not know how to do a hard day of work at all?

Dear people of the United States, your fruits have been brought in from the field. You have all become consumers with a capital ‘C.’

Consumers have been trained to think and act instinctively rather than rationally. We look to fulfill need no matter the cost.

Consumers want the biggest and the best all the time. They're ambitious but forget that success is not a given right but rather self made.

We have a generation of kids who cannot handle emotional pitfalls, who do not know how to make it through a tough day of work, and whose attention spans are shorter than an ant. As consumers they are not sure how to make due like depression era adults. They're not sure how to be resourceful.

So business owners I warn you. Invest in those employees that are givers rather than takers. Promote employees that are constantly thinking of new ways to make your business better. They may get annoying, and they may even make it harder for you to realize change is good – but they will be contributing in the long run rather than being a drain on your resources.

These employees will thrive when you support them. Know they still have consumer bones. They will leave you if they do not find the backing they need. Have conversations and get into their heads. If you disagree, try the idea and if you think it fails let them know why.

 Be wary of the paycheck takers. These people see their jobs as another object to consume. These employees only use what pieces of your company they want and throw the others away without knowing how to make what doesn’t work into something that does work. They are a never ending drain.

Throw away your bad management practices because the new workforce has little patience and the good ones will leave if you push them. You will have trained a strong team player for your competition. Ask for input and acknowledge input given. You can find worthwhile employees in this way and weed out the employees who give nothing back. 

The 'C' in consumer can be used to your advantage if you recognize the change in times. If you do not recognize you may find yourself with a deadbeat business and an attitude of "those young hooligans." 

Remember, we created the capital 'C' consumer and now we need to train them in how to build their current strengths and cut out their weaknesses. 

Oprah, it is time to move over and leave something for everybody else.

Considering the great American ideal of consumerism it does not surprise me that our society has become consumerist in our ‘dream’ pursuits. I am not referring to purchasing ‘things’ I am referring to the desire to consume any and every possible dream avenue.

When Oprah announced that she was looking at going on Broadway, whether she was joking or not, I found myself discouraged at her announcement. Seriously? Broadway?  

Discouraged, not because Oprah cannot pursue this dream, but because I’m angry for all the people in the world who pursue that dream daily and never make it. If they had mega millions and a nation of paparazzi and fans sure they’d be there too.  They’d have as many opportunities as Oprah does.

I see this often. The rich find ways to stay in the spotlight and take away opportunities for others. For example, when Donald Trump was thinking about running for office I was saddened that he felt like he needed to do more. There are lots of smart people in the world. If you are a star you have already offered the world something they bought into already. Leave open spaces and positions for other people to fill.

Don’t take every space…take your rightful place.

We don’t all need to be a movie star, a governor, a Broadway composer, a president, and a head of the school district. It is okay to be in a niche. People will love you for it.

If Starbucks opened a grocery store consumers would agree they’d be overstepping their bounds. Why then do we allow those who have substantial influence to have a monopoly in the spotlight? A monopoly is a monopoly…in the end it hurts the general population.

So I want to say to successful people – move over and let someone else succeed. You do not have to do everything. If something is already created, leave it to lesser folks who do not have all the funds in the world, and make another new adventure for yourself.

 Invest in other’s success and hide from the limelight. Avoid the press and let someone else have the spotlight.