Kristimama wrote: > Is an all-plant compost (OMRI certified or not) sufficient OM for a productive veggie garden? I'm a complete beginner, but I don't think an all-plant compost is inferior in the least. Not sure but you seem to want to give all-plant composts an inferiority complex :-) Here's a quote from Ann Whitman's and Suzanne DeJohn's book called "Organic Gardening for Dummies" (for dummies like me): "Before buying the compost, ask about the primary organic-matter sources that were used to make the compost. Compost made from yard waste (leaves and grass clippings) is considered to be the safest and best. Other compost may contain ingredients that had contaminants, such as herbicides from agricultural crop residues and heavy metals from municipal wastes, which may affect the growth of your plants or accumulate toxins in your soil. Ask if the finished product is tested for contaminants." When I read above that "Compost made from yard waste (leaves and grass clippings) is considered to be the safest and best," I was spurred on to make my own compost. I don't think there's anything inferior about plain old leaves and grass. To the contrary, they seem to be really good stuff. So good in fact, that tomorrow I'm going to transfer the 3 cubic feet of chopped leaves, grass, and fruit peels from my small trash can to a much bigger round plastic barrel and add even more leaves and grass, doubling the size of the organic matter from 3 cubic feet to 6 cubic feet. "Let It Rot!" seems to be a popular book on Amazon.com about composting. Ordered it a couple days ago.

--It is the mortgage scenarios with no future prospect, goal or even intent of ownership that I have trouble getting my head around. Like credit card debt becoming so "normal". Basically, one can have pretty much anything without really ever owning it.-- I definitely see your point. I have a friend who thinks Donald Trump is the bomb. I once pointed out that he's had a bankruptcy or two... her response was something along the lines of that being not such a bad thing in a business situation, actually sort of a kind of business plan. Mind you, this is someone who's very responsible with her own finances and wouldn't dream of cheating someone she owes money to. Somehow she didn't make the connection that when businesses go bankrupt, there are people who are not getting paid. Mr Trump uses other people's money to finance his deals, then doesn't pay them back. ugh. Ok, maybe he didn't plan it, but how can he be a good business man if his investors lose money (and why do people keep investing with him)? On the other hand, I think there's a big difference between that kind of thing and on the personal scale credit card or other unsecured debt, vs. mortgage or other secured debt. I did have a couple thousand in credit card debt at one point in my life (ironically because I was trying to avoid debt; I underestimated what I would need to survive my last year in college and didn't take out enough on my student loan. ha.) but at this point in my life, it would take a very dire emergency to take that on again. I suppose it was a fairly dire emergency at the time (I needed to eat), but if it hadn't been temporary, I would have found other solutions (cheaper living situation, fewer classes to pay for, etc). Meanwhile, I do have a mortgage and I do pay the minimum while investing about $1000/month in mutual funds. I have about half my outstanding principle saved (not counting retirement accounts). Will I pay it off when I have the full amount? I actually don't know. Partly that will depend on mortgage rates at the time (right now I have an ARM that makes its first adjustment in a couple years). Partly, it will depend on what I'm doing in my life. It would be wonderful to have a paid-off house, on the other hand, it would also be wonderful to have enough money in savings that I could quit my job, go to grad school, travel for a year, etc, if I got the urge. However, regardless of whether or not I keep the mortgage, having debt against an asset, you at least still have a positive (or neutral at worst) net worth. Using a credit card to buy consumables, you end up with just the debt. I don't know. Maybe the average person doesn't make the distinction and the idea that debt (including mortgage) is normal feeds the inclination to run up credit cards, etc.

The idea of front loaded interest on mortgages is a bit of a misconception, while you pay more interest in the early years that is only because you owe more money (If you have a 3.9% mortgage then you pay 3.9%/12 on the outstanding balance you owe each month). While that may sound pertinent, the discussion is really about effective interest versus compounding interest. As you pay on your principle you pay less interest, so over time the interest charges are smaller because your principle is smaller. While on an investment you start with a principle and if left alone for some period of time the interest continues adding to the principle and therefore pays more interest. This discussion is largely around the idea of people who have some income coming in and some ability to make payments. While, I could note that guaranteed payment annuities are about equal to house payments, they are no more liquid than houses so not really an investment that is better than a house. In the end, we are discussing people who want to be done with the headache of a mortgage and not people who simply don't have the income to continue paying a mortgage. Edit: It is also important to remember that a 15 year mortgage doesn't mean you have to make 15 years of payments. Making even a few years of payments before liquidating the investments to pay off the balance will typically result in gains. I think a lot of people focus too much on the stress of coming up with the money for monthly payments and forget that any time you get tired of stressing over payments, you can simply liquidate your investment and pay off the loan. While I have said the same thing jn3344 has many times, I have a completely different conclusion. When you have a paid off house and little money in the bank you have no options for dealing with uncertainty. Cash gives you options, the farther you get from cash the less options you have, and nothing is farther from cash than a house. Think of it this way. My father was just this week presented with a treatment option for a medical condition that was not covered by Medicare, the time sensitive treatment was going to cost $35,000, but it would greatly improve his quality of life. What allowed my father to make that decision was having access to $35,000, if he paid for his house outright and didn't have any money then he couldn't make that decision. Now suppose spending this $35,000 means my father will not be able to continue paying his mortgage and will have to move out of his house into a smaller apartment. I feel confident he will tell you walking around his smaller apartment beats not being able to walk around his bigger house. Edit: Many people have a false sense of security from a home. The only real security a paid off home provides is the equity (the access to cash). Homes are fairly inefficient domiciles, the taxes, maintenance and less efficient utilities minimize any real savings over renting. The path to homeless has nothing to do with a paid off house and a lot to do with not enough cash.

I've taken a lot of risks with my life and career. I also work in a field that is "risky" in that it isn't that "safe"--the pay is low, and a lot of jobs dry up and there is big turnover as folks burn out. I've seen a lot of folks come and go professionally, so I would advise you to think carefully about what the risks really are in a job offer. Some places will sell you a song and dance about how exciting and "cutting edge" your job will be, and in reality, they are hanging by a thread financially and when the time comes, first hired, first cut. Does the job you are being offered have a history of constant turn over? If so, why? Do you have the stomach for what it might take to stick with it? For example, I once got a job offer at a place that had just gone through an awful, awful financial crisis and staff turnover. But the new guy they had hired to be in charge inspired in me a strong feeling of real confidence. So I made the decision based on that, and I have no regrets. To me, that one really wasn't that risky, but others on the outside might have seen it as such. Turned out to be the toughest yet best job I ever had. Creative, risk-taking folks will often hire someone out of the blue, maybe someone low on experience but high on naive enthusiasm. They will let you go just as impetuously, so watch out for that. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. I wouldn't recommend moving across country for a risky job if I had a home and a lot of belongings. A friend and I both took "jobs of a lifetime" to move back home from out East at about the same time, and in both cases it didn't pan out. Luckily, we both rented out our houses instead of selling them so we were able to push the "reset" button much more easily than if we had put all our eggs in the risky basket. So think about that aspect and come up with a plan for how you could handle that risk. When analyzing risk, IMHO, the biggest risks are with the team of folks you will be working with. Are they committed to you? If not, can you deal with that? Folks in stable work environments often are much more committed to each other than the high turnover professions. Always have a plan B, but dedicate yourself to plan A. Twice now I have quit jobs without having one to go to, which is a risky situation. But I evaluated the "cost" of staying, and I realized that the opportunities, reputation and time lost staying with those unprofessional organizations was too high a price to pay for the steady pay check. No matter what, I realized that in the long run I would be better cutting my losses. Both times everyone around me said it was "too risky" to quit a job without having one to go to. But having followed the course of the jobs I quit, I know for sure it was the right decision. Don't turn down a "risky" job because it is unconventional, but do turn down a great job offer if you don't feel a strong sense that you want to be part of the team offering you the job. Check out references for other folks who have worked for and with the team offering you the risky job. Or if you don't care about the team and want to go "lone wolf" then make sure you are up for the journey! In today's day and age, professional growth is always a good thing! I would say anything that promotes professional growth is a good risk, but that's not the same as evaluating a job offer. Be realistic about what you and the organization you would be working for can accomplish. Just make sure to look beyond the hype before you leap. Better IMHO to think about where you are in terms of professional growth instead of risks in jobs. I always try to keep my eye on where I am professionally--am I being creative, learning new things, feeling positive about going to work every day? If not, then whatever I can do to change that situation, I am going to give it a try! In that case, whatever the outcome, I have practically nothing to lose and much to gain. If the risky job doesn't pan out, you can still pursue the growth you desire along another channel that will open up.