ole joyful

Especially for folks that live alone ...

...it helps if one feels comfortable being with the person that one sees when one looks into the bathroom mirror in the morning (or any other time, for that matter).

ole joyful

Didn't understand how the part about living alone and the person in the mirror pertains to saving money and staying home.

Nice to enjoy one's own company.

Makes staying home less stressful.

Also helps if one can say, about a number of life's adventures/diversions/whatever ...

... BT-DT.

ole joyful

"Stop Eating"

Easier said than done for most folks, including myself, unfortunately.

But you know, I've really been thinking along the lines of ... since I already know I'd feel better and look better ... and probably live longer... if I were successful in shedding all these pounds I've accumulated over the years ... and yet I haven't, or at least I've taken them off and then put them right back on ...

Maybe it's time this old tightwad put a new spin on weight loss.

I know there are a lot of folks out there who will think, "Now you've lost your mind, Ilene, because it's expensive to eat right." And yes, it can be. But it's also expensive to eat WRONG. Have you priced a bag of chips lately? Ice cream? And face it, on a diet I'm probably going to eat less, in volume, than I would while indulging.

It can be expensive to join a health club, too. I joined the YMCA many years ago, and I went in for my workout every other day for almost a year. I kept waiting for it to become fun, or addictive, or ... SOMETHING ... and it never happened. I joined in March and I was still there the first of the following year, and I saw all those "newbies" coming in, in their brand-new workout clothes and shoes. After a month or two, they weren't there any more. All the money they'd invested in all the trappings was wasted.

Is anybody up for joining me in a Frugal Diet? --Ilene

But then again I see 3 pizza delivery vehicles go by in the matter of minutes and wonder about the savings.

Anyone else ever hung their head out the window of their vehicle and yelled why don't some of you %#@! people GO HOME!!!

Just so when they're there, you say "No ebay!"

o j

California Sales Tax

That's become enough to make a lot of us just "stay home." We are at 9.25% right now and going to 9.75% in July. Most people I know say that at almost 10%, the mental calculating of tax is obvious enough to make it a deterrent to shopping. I think CA's answer to the finance crisis is becoming a self fulfilling prophecy as they chase people away from spending with such taxes.

Okay, enough griping for now ;^)

Our Provincial Sales Tax has been at 7% for a long period.

Several years ago we had a hospital insurance project to which we needed to contribute, and on a geared-to-income basis ...

... then it was cancelled for several years (and there are no individual levies on idividuals in several provinces), but ...

... recently our Provincial Premier, who'd promised not to raise taxes if elected, was elected ... and found that the financial mess was greater than they'd expected ...

... so re-instituted the levy for medical services ... again, on a varying rate depending on income levels ... and free to people ith income under about $20,000., I think.

But it was not an increase in taxes, you understand.

ole joyful

Stay Home.
(And don't turn on the TV--all those shopping channels!
And don't go on the computer--all those shopping opportunities!
I wish I could block some of these websites for myself!)