Modern Messaging: "what do you hear?" 2

I will teach you

["I will teach you how to fish"]

What do you hear?

Photos by GH

Statues, Grand Rapids, MI

Modern Messaging 1

Money Matters: Less stressful times for many

Financial analysts spot small problems while the majority of average Canadians face really big ones.

[From 'Alison on Money', Jan. 29, METRO]

Alison says "setting up an automatic contribution plan will help you deal with this stressful time (i.e., RRSP season)." Meanwhile the average Canadian family is up to their eyeballs in debt and has no money for an RRSP contribution plan.

Someone other than a financial analyst has to soon deliver a series of new messages to help average Canadians avoid financial stress.

Try these on for size while we wait for government and business officials to prepare their notes:

Downsize the North American Dream

Buy or build a much smaller house 

Buy a much small car

Buy 50% fewer furnishings for your house

["I'm still waiting for a store like this in Old South, London"]

Buy Canadian and keep more jobs at home

Learn to cook more of your own meals

Include nature walks on your entertainment schedule

What other messages does the average Canadian need to hear in order to avoid financial stress or ruin?

Photos by GH

***

Please click here for more Money Matters

$$ FAX 2

Canadians, you know your economy is in trouble when?

When the Governor of the Bank of Canada looks so stressed.

When he wants us to drive our own economy on the back of oilsands oil, some of the dirtiest oil in the known universe.

When he already knows our households, on average, are in greater debt than ever before in history.

My recommendations: Live small, reduce spending, pay down debt. And consider adopting - for the first time in decades - an affordable, sustainable economy and lifestyle. 

***

Please click here for $$ FAX 1

The Way We Live PT 1: Leftovers and one gourmet hot dog

[“Warren Buffett (one of the world’s three richest men) has touched a national nerve.” (He) “has taken to the pages of the New York Times to call for higher taxes - yes, higher taxes - for himself and his well-off peers.” Aug. 16, London Free Press]

If you are having leftovers for lunch and have an extra spot at the table then I’m your man. I like leftovers.

If I like something the first time, I like it even more the second time. On the third day my slow-cooker Irish stew tastes magnificent.

I relish eating food before it’s wasted and tossed, and believe me when I say a lot of stuff is wasted in North America.

Thomas M. Kostigen writes, “The average-sized house in a temperate climate can fully provide enough water to its inhabitants purely from the rainwater that falls on its roof. The sun provides in one second enough energy to power the entire US population for nine million years, yet we harness less than 1 percent of its energy. The third most common refuse at dumpsites is food.” (pg. 10, You Are Here)

You have no need now, however, to invite me for lunch. I just finished eating leftover macaroni and cheese and half a container of mashed sweet potato topped with butter and Parmesan cheese. (Just about everything I pull from the fridge tastes better with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, even Parmesan cheese. Sorry, I digress.) Sure, I would have liked the sweet potato more had it been mixed with diced carrot, parsnip and turnip because I like how the vegetables compliment one another, but I can’t be choosy.

What about meat?


[How about one gourmet dog on Tuesdays and Thursdays?]

I don’t feel I need as much meat as I do. One good gourmet hotdog every few days would do me fine and I prefer that I create the gourmet dog on my own. Whenever I eat a restaurant meal I feel I could do better myself. I could save a whack of money and if I planned the meal right, have leftovers the next day and save even more money at the same time. Why, I’m sure there are millions of people around the world like myself who feel they would even get a tremendous amount of pleasure out of stuffing the hotdog or sausage skins themselves and not rely on a factory of some sort to help with a small, easy task.

Maybe Warren Buffett felt some of the same feelings - about eating leftovers (with relish) and creating meals - when he said the following yesterday:

“My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress. It’s time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice.”

***

Leftovers. Stuffed sausages. Shared sacrifice. Oh, it all fits together alright.

More to follow.

Please click here to read more about taxes and attitudes about them.

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Freedom 75 PT 2: Oh, you can make big bucks on CPP

Hey, I’m back.

(And yes, that was the longest bathroom break on record).

Yesterday I mentioned that there is some good news related to retirements and pensions if you are Canadian.

For example:

“If you stay on the job until 70, payments could be $4,600 a year more (than if you retired at 65), based on maximum CPP benefits.” (Oct. 27, Brantford Expositor)

Goodness gracious. You could barely carry that much extra money around in a wheel barrow.


[“More money. I’ll stop making birdhouses”: photos GH]

I mean, that’s $383 MORE per month or about 13 bucks MORE per day.

I can hear you say, be still my beating heart.

But there’s more good news and you deserve it, especially if you’ve been staring at your computer screen while I’ve been ‘away.’ (That’s as nice as I can put it).

I also read the following in the same news article:

“By age 90, someone who retired at the age of 70 will have collected about $100,000 more from the CPP than someone who retired at 60.” (full article here)


[“I’ll finally be able to afford that boat trip!”]

Let me put that another way so you catch the full impact of the good news.

If you take a late retirement you will be graciously rewarded by the Canadian Government, to the tune of $4,600 MORE per year. That’s every year for the rest of your long and healthy life.

If you live until you’re 90 - and I know you want to - you’ll collect, free of charge (don’t even think about the work you would have to do between the ages of 66 - 70; it will be a cakewalk), another $100,000 to spend in any way that you wish.

Hopping down to the local coffee shop, that will be me!

Yes, I must admit, if you do the math it will be more like $92,000, but let’s not quibble right now. I can almost guarantee you won’t be quibbling if you reach 90.

So, after all the bad news I’ve been sharing recently (e.g., re THRIFT is dead), doesn’t the good news about our CPP make you smile?

It does me, that’s for darn sure.

The sense of optimism associated with the news carries on, I’m sure, when you read about the government’s reasons for suggesting such changes to our pension plan.

For example:

"The government has been tweaking the CPP to ease the burden on the state retirement system as the baby boom generation begins to leave the workforce. Concern is mounting over inadequate personal savings and the potential drag on the economy as new retirees find themselves facing a big drop in spending power.”

See?

The government doesn’t want the pension system to collapse and leave all us old-timers stranded.

The government knows our savings is kaput and wants to help us along. And an extra $100,000 (okay, okay, it’s more like $92,000) - talk about your Golden Handshake, eh, as long as they don’t squeeze your hand too tight.

Plus, the government doesn’t want us to be a drag on the all-important economy, and I know that’s what I’m going to be thinking about when I’m 90. Yes sir.

Nothing but good news here today.

***

More thoughts about Freedom 75 here

And here.

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Freedom 75 PT 1: Oh, you can make big bucks on CPP

Time for a bit of good news, for Pete’s sake.

While passing along the troubling news that retirement ages may be rising on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, i.e., to age 66 in England, to 67 in France and to 102 on the island of Sardinia (though that may just be an ugly rumour perpetuated by a Sardinian shuffle board player with a snarky attitude), I forgot to mention how lovely and different things are here in Canada, home of 100-proof Maple Syrup and kind-hearted shuffle board squads.


[Meet the Sardinian Shuffle Board Champeens: photo details]

Unlike in England and France (possibly Sardinia, an Italian island that is not only synonymous with taut, tanned bodies and good looks, but also has the world's highest percentage of people who have passed the 100-year-old threshold), where retirement and pension changes are rammed down throats with an iron fist (so it seems to some), in Canada a few nice little changes are being proposed - here and there, perhaps - and citizens are mildly encouraged to consider them when they have a spare moment.

Maybe you’ve heard, if you’ve had the time.

A recent newspaper article, entitled ‘Expert: Avoid CPP shock’ (see how nice we are in Canada; we don’t want anyone to receive a shock) I read the following:

“Upcoming changes to the Canada Pension Plan will have a major influence on what age people retire, with those opting to work longer standing to get significantly more cash.” (Oct. 27, Brantford Expositor)

Now, is “ significantly more cash” not good news?

Sure, there’s this little (bitty) downer:

“The changes will mean anyone who chooses to retire early and begin collecting benefits at 60 will have about $4,000 a year less than if they had retired at 65.”

But, you likely already knew about that mild downer.

However... (here’s where it get so good!)

“If you stay on the job until 70, payments could be $4,600 a year more, based on maximum CPP benefits.”

Good grief. Money will be spilling out of your baggy pants if you only work 5 years longer than you may have originally planned.

Do the math. $4,600 MORE per year is about $383 MORE per month or about 13 bucks MORE per day.

(When I typed 13 bucks I almost wet my pants. I’m not kidding).

Oh sure, you’ll be five years older but don’t think about that. Think about $13, or $12.78 actually, and what it can buy.

Now, I’m not here to tell you how to spend your money or ask you to make a list of all the things you can buy with $12.78.


["Buy batteries for your old radio. Live it up!": photo GH]

I’d rather tell you the best news yet from the same report.

First, I’d better go to the bathroom.

More to follow.

***

Excited yet?

You’re probably wondering why I sat on this news.

More news about THRIFT (not half as good) while you’re waiting.

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My New Economic Plan Pt 5: Get small before you get low

Let’s do a review. (Yes, I sure need one).

Here in London, Ontario, unemployment nudged up to 8.3% recently.

The unemployment rate was up in several provinces as well.

Canada’s jobless rate rose to 8.1% overall, higher than desired.

Ontario’s industrial heartland is being hit by the most recent slowdown in the American economy.

Ontario’s economic growth is 80.8% reliant on US growth.

The US is in for a long, hard struggle.

A double recession could easily occur south of the Canadian border.

Despite some signs of recovery this spring, the US - with 9.5% unemployment - has made up few of the 8 million jobs it lost in the last recession.

Despite massive government spending to stimulate the economy, home foreclosures in the US are also again reaching record highs, jobless claims are rising and core retail sales are falling - factors some believe are harbingers of another recession.

The economies of the G7 industrialized nations (i.e., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States) are slowing faster than previously forecast.

The biggest threat to G7 nations may be the slowdown in private consumption.

The American national debt is about to surpass $13.5 trillion for the first time in the history of the universe.

$13.5 trillion is 91% of the US Gross Domestic Product, i.e., debt almost equals earnings.

Canada has a terrible record for paying down debt, i.e., only in 20% of the years since 1960.

The US record for paying down debt is far worse, i.e., 0% since 1960.


["Sorry. This ain't great news"]

Finally, the US national debt has doubled since 2002 and not just because of the recession.

Should Americans be overly concerned? Yes.

Should Canadians be concerned? Double yes. Our own economy will likely be unable to generate necessary revenues for the future and we’re tied to America’s hip - and it’s faltering.

In a NY Times article entitled ‘America’s Sea of Red Ink Was Years in the Making,’ I read that Pres. Obama “does not have a realistic plan for eliminating the deficit, despite what his advisers have suggested.”

Trillion dollar deficits will become the norm, adding more debt to America’s shoulders for years to come.

The projected result:

“This debt will constrain the country’s choices for years and could end up doing serious economic damage if foreign lenders become unwilling to finance it.”

The repercussions of any serious economic damage will give London’s city council, Ontario’s provincial government, Canada’s federal government, US state and US national governments much to talk and worry about for years to come.

On both sides of the border, choices (e.g., economic, environmental, social, health care, educational, recreational...) will become more limited.

One day ‘getting small before we get low’ may not be a voluntary choice.

What do I mean by that?

Please click here to read My New Economic Plan Pt 6.

***

While you’re waiting, read a very exciting article found in yesterday’s newspaper.

It's entitled 'Debt ratio puts us right behind Greece' and that's not where we want to be.

Such news may kinda inspire you to hurry up plans to ‘reduce spending, pay down debt and save money for tough times ahead.’

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Do Canadians have clear goals for the good life?

I love small articles about survey results that relate to peoples’ goals.

A recent one started with the the headline ‘Canadians Dream’ and the subhead ‘Canadians have clear goals for the good life.’

I immediately thought, yes, Canadians do dream, but what do they dream about? I know what I dream about. Am I normal?

And do Canadians actually have clear goals for the good life - as far as I’m concerned? Because that’s what’s important around here.


["Are my ideas all wet?"]

And do we actually ever talk about what good healthy goals in life should look like?

(And, yes, I’ll get back to my series about my new economic plan and how deep the US is in debt and how associated problems could sink us all one day while we’re busy watching Coronation St. on TV or doing something else just as important but while we’re otherwise distracted from real life. Sorry, I digress).

The article began as follows:

“Home ownership, travel and early retirement are tops on Canadians' list of their dreams for the future, according to a new survey by HSBC Bank Canada.”

So, according to 1,001 adults aged 18 or older who were home when an employee of Research House called, most Canadians want to buy a home (61%), then leave it and go somewhere else for a few weeks (50%), then come back home and dream about leaving work (40%).

At the same time, “almost all respondents said they hope for financial stability one day.”

Now, I can understand all of the above. But knowing what I do (so do you) about growing personal, provincial, Canadian and American debt, we’re going about things all the wrong way, aren’t we?

Stay tuned.

***

Debt in just about every area (not all - my mayo jar savings program is working out) of our lives is going through the roof.

We may have goals for the good life but are they clear? Good? Reasonable?

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My New Economic Plan Pt 4: Get small before you get low

I’m trying to become more of a saver than a spender.

At the rate I’m going, I’ll be debt free in 10 years and have over $5,000 in my mayo jar savings account.

Recently I guaranteed the success of my mayo jar account - into which I drop at least 10 bucks per week - by quitting one of my weekly hockey games. I’ll run in Springbank Park in my old woolen Toronto Maple Leafs sweater instead - for fun and fitness, eh.

Sorry, I digress.

On the other hand, governments in Canada and the USA are more spenders than savers.

Though I’m tickled pink to be a Canadian citizen, I fret a bit about our growing debt. If I don’t, who will?

I’m beginning to fret more, however, about (read Pt 3 for context) the growing national debt in the US, the country to the south that can, when it sneezes, quite easily knock us off our collective chairs and onto our comfortable behinds.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or someone whose body is suffering from the stubborn pull of gravity or yesterday's hockey game to notice the US debt is climbing toward the sky and into record territory with each passing year.


[Click on the chart above to increase its size, as if by magic: GH]

In recent memory, only Pres. Bill Clinton came close to a balanced budget during his term, i.e., with a financial plan that added a mere $18 billion to the national debt in 2000. (Maybe a booming economy helped. Will we ever see those years again?)

Before him, Pres. Jimmy Carter (another Democrat, by the way) came in with a budget in 1979 that added only $56 billion to the debt.

Every other budget in the past 35 years has increased the nation’s debt significantly.


More information about the US debt for the last 10 years follows:

Debt for the year ending Dec. 1999 - $5.776 TRILLION

2000 - $5.662 (debt fluctuates daily; a week later - $5.722)

2001 - $5.943
2002 - $6.405
2003 - $6.997
2004 - $7.596
2005 - $8.170
2006 - $8.680
2007 - $9.229
2008 - $10.699
2009 - $12.311
2010 - $13.440 (as of Sept. 14; link to Debt to the Penny)

Is it growing fast enough for you? If those figures don’t motivate us to get small before we get low, I don’t know what will.

Whereas debt used to grow yearly by the billions of dollars, now it grows by the trillions.

Though the US population is 10 times greater than Canada’s, the US debt is 20 times greater.

In 10 years, the debt could stand well over $25 trillion.

This is not cheery news. If the US debt is in the process of weakening national stability, there will likely be hell to pay in the near future.

I recommend you find a mayo jar, reduce spending, pay down debt and save for the tough times ahead.

Please click here to read My New Economic Plan Pt 5.

***

Unmanageable debt can lead to problems.

I wonder what some of those problems might be?

.

Wind Turbines Pt 1 and the loud call for a pristine view

Love them or hate them, wind turbines are in the news and may soon be parked offshore at a beach near you.

I like standing right under them and taking photos of them as they fade toward the horizon.


["Turbine at Orchard Line, west of Port Burwell": photos GH]

Others like them so far away they can’t be seen.

A recent government proposal “is for the turbines to be five kilometers from shore, but at that distance they would still be visible and would ruin the beautiful views of the lake,” says R. Leduc (Dashwood), Aug. 21, London Free Press.


["Turbines fade away east of Pt. Burwell beach"]

Mr. Leduc wants people to tell the government to place them “far enough from shore so they will still provide the necessary power but not be visible. This would be a win-win solution.”

Wait just a minute.

It would be win-win until Mr. Leduc pays his hydro bill.

Then he’d notice it is inflated due to higher construction and maintenance costs.

First, more far-off turbines would be needed to insure sufficient outputs (hydro is lost from lines as it travels toward its destination; the farther it travels, the more is lost, and we pay for the lost hydro; check your last bill).

Second, crews would need to be dispatched by boat or chopper to distant turbines for any repair.

Do boat and chopper crews work for free? Mr. Leduc’s got money to burn? Not likely.

However, he has likely grown quite accustomed to many other things that long ago spoiled his view.

I bet he’s seen power lines suspended from poles and towers for so many years now he doesn’t even notice them as they wind along his city streets delivering electricity right to a pole attached to his house.

And the 60 - 80 ft. giant metal monsters carrying wires from county to county through fields and forests are likely invisible to him now.


["On a hazy day 30 turbines become invisible at Pt. Bruce"]

Case in point. I used to stop and take pictures of turbines every chance I got when I first noticed them 3 - 4 years ago as they stretched from Port Bruce to Port Burwell. I even used to tell others to take a day and drive down to see the shiny new monsters. I was impressed with their beauty.

Now, I don’t notice them as much. I’m used to seeing them. They’re part of the landscape.

They do, however, still add to the view, in my opinion, when I glance over my shoulder while riding my bike along the lakeshore roads.

More than needing a pristine view, we need to conserve electricity.

***

What are other examples of things that once were very noticeable - spoiled our view - but now just blend into the background?

Large trucks on highways?

Big hair?

Front yard driveways filled with two or three cars?

Apartments taller than 4 storeys?

People over 6 feet tall?

Please click here to read Wind Turbines Pt 2

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It Strikes Me Funny Pt 1: We may just be tired of spending our money

It’s bad enough that we sometimes disappoint our parents.

“Get a haircut. Get your feet off the couch. Get a real job.”

I know. I feel your pain.

It’s bad enough we sometimes disappoint our employers or customers.

“Get a hairnet. Get your feet off the grill. Make me a real cheeseburger.”

I know. Real cheese is hard to find.

And now, according to the following headline, we’re disappointing someone else:

“Shoppers disappoint retailers this summer”

Oh, boo hoo. Boo hoo. Boooo hoooo.

I shed crocodile tears for all concerned.

You’ll see no real tears from me, even after reading that ‘three of North America’s biggest retailers reported lacklustre sales in the spring/summer quarter, supporting growing evidence the economic recovery may be losing steam as consumers tighten their purse strings.’ (Aug. 18, London Free Press)


["Stay out of stores as much as possible. Find a cheap hobby": photo GH]

I’m sure you would expect no less from me.

In my most recent column, entitled ‘While temperatures grow hotter we remain cool to change’ (Aug. 19, The Londoner), I wrote the following:

“It is readily apparent that, though governments will likely make shallow commitments (re climate change) - ‘shallow’ may be a gross overstatement - individuals can change the rate of (global) warming by keeping their cold hard cash tucked safely inside their wallets, purses and savings accounts.”

Rather than rescue retailers I think we should be making a significant retreat from spending and consumption of many retail goods.

I call it “a meaningful recession.”

I’m disappointed with retailers who don’t agree.

***

Stay tuned.

Tired of spending?

A savings account spells r-e-l-i-e-f.

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Thing$ Going $$South Pt 3: The US economy? Oh, oh Canada

Our over-inflated dog of a lifestyle here on planet Earth may be coming back to bite us.

Not only are many expenses going north (collect the whole set!) but there are signs that the global economy is going south.

One result - those that are bitten turn a bit snarky. (And snarky is worse that starkers in may ways, isn’t it? Just asking).

One thing for certain that is going $$South is home ownership.

Another is Greece. Whoops! It’s so slippery.


["Get ready for a lot of company, Pee Wee"]

Could the North American economy be the next thing that goes south?

After all, according to recent news, the following bad economic signs are evident:

Home foreclosures are reaching record highs again

Jobless claims are rising

Core retail sales are falling

And, because the Canadian economy is strongly reliant on the US economy, if the US economy goes south so does Canada’s.

Isn’t that exciting news?

It gives a whole new meaning to “let’s go south for the winter, Edith.”

***

I should start listening to cheerful music every morning.

You hip? Any suggestions?

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Live Small and Prosper Pt 3: Roller coaster vs double recession

Why live small in North America?

Because another recession may be coming soon to an economy near you.

That’s right.

“Despite some signs of recovery this spring, the US - with 9.5% unemployment - has made up few of the 8 million jobs it lost in the last recession, despite massive government spending to stimulate the economy.” (Aug. 14, ‘Double Recession Double Trouble,’ London Free Press)

Why should (as I said yesterday) North Americans reduce spending, pay down debt and save money - including Canadians, who seem to be recovering well from the last recession?


["Roller coasters stay on tracks, our economy doesn't"]

For a few reasons.

In the US, the following bad signs are evident:

Home foreclosures are reaching record highs again

Jobless claims are rising

Core retail sales are falling

In Canada, the following is still true:

The Canadian economy is strongly reliant on the US economy

E.g., Ontario is 80% reliant, Quebec 75%, BC 58%, Alberta 57%

Also, some of the factors that powered growth in the Canadian economy recently are disappearing.

E.g., Government stimulus spending will dry up

Manufacturers will come to the end of inventory building

Housing markets will cool

If that isn’t enough to wither your wick, the only hope suggested by economists right now for Canadians is the US government. If it will provide more stimulus spending to suffering industries then Canada’s economy might do all right.

Let's all hold our breath.

I think a hard rain’s a-gonna fall. (Insert Bob Dylan CD here).

***

I’ll work hard to add another $10 to my mayo jar this week.

That will make $100 so far.

Are you putting away a little extra?

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Live Small and Prosper Pt 2: Roller coaster vs double recession

Of the two events that would help me lose my lunch and mess up what’s left of my hair I would pick the roller coaster because I’m retired and have all day to recover, make another lunch (I can eat 12 times per day if I want - I’ve got the time, and you know that) and grease back my golden locks for another go ‘round.

A double recession is much worse.

Jobs are lost, monthly budget books are crippled and many lives change drastically.


["A double dip recession is definitely not as much fun"]

Now, I don’t bring up this troubling information to make people fearful of the future. (I’m no fear-monger, though I would like to sell you some fish).

I bring up comments and stats from a recent news article because they provide me with yet another opportunity to say the following:

Live small, reduce spending, pay down debts and save money for tough times ahead.

As well, when D. Porter, deputy chief economist with BMO says, “We are innocent bystanders who have no say in the traffic accident that has unfolded south of the border - there is little we can do about it,” I feel the urge to say that we’re not so innocent.

Ontarians have had 65 years to grow a more diverse economy.

And we’re smart people.

Wasn’t it an Ontarian (someone from Deforest City perhaps?) who first asked, “When’s the best time to plant a tree?”

(Answer: 40 years ago).

So, if we knew we should be planting trees to assist with a sustainable economy and environment, surely we knew that diversity was the backbone of a sound economy and having 80 per cent of our eggs in one basket wasn’t a good thing.

More to follow.

***

A double recession will be big trouble.

Are you saving money for tough times?

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Live Small and Prosper Pt 1: Roller coaster vs double recession

Pick one.

A roller coaster: You go way up, then down really fast, up again and down really fast, and continue like that until your lunch has been turned into a milkshake and your hair looks like it was styled inside a blender.

A double recession: Your job security, financial stability and local economy go way up, then down really fast, up again and down really fast, until your monthly budget has been turned into a milkshake and your peace of mind looks like it was styled inside a blender.


Me? I’d pick the roller coaster because I can always make another lunch and I already style my hair inside a blender.

You? I bet you’d pick door number one as well.

Too bad for us though if we live in Canada or the US. The US economy is sputtering (it makes almost the same sound as an eight-cylinder engine working on three and with the wrong fuel) and many provinces in Canada are highly dependent upon US strength to be strong themselves.

Take Ontario and Quebec, for instance.

According to BMO Capital Markets stats, Ontario’s overall economy is 80.8% dependent upon the US economy. Quebec- 75.3%. (Aug. 14 issue of The London Free Press)

In other words, if the world’s largest economy tanks, and there are troubling signs that a double dip recession is in the works in the US, then trade-dependent Ontario falls harder than other places - even some US states. (Hard to believe but BMO has never been known to lie).

Why do I bring up these cheery thoughts on this lovely morning?

Oh, I have my reasons.

Stay tuned.

***

Are you saving money for tough times?

I can understand if someone says, this isn’t a good time for us.

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Rainy Day Money: We all need a peanut butter jar. Mayonnaise will do

Earlier I wrote that I’d find an empty peanut butter jar and start putting some of my hard-earned money away for tough times ahead.

I’m happy to report I’ve got the jar. (Sorry, it’s a mayo jar).

I even mentioned how I’d save $10 of rainy day money per week.


["A hard rain's a-gonna fall": photos GH]

To put my money where my mouth is, I’ve decided to give up on the Fri. 13th ride to Port Dover tomorrow.

The gas money saved (about $14 according to my calculations) will go into my mayonnaise jar.

I admit, I said a PB jar, but it got recycled right under my nose.

***

I’m going to sell nine rustic bluebird houses for $10 each too (Yes, I know. They’re worth much, much more!), to keep the ball rolling for a month or so.


Are you putting money aside for tough times?

$10 per week is a good way to start. The habit locks in after just a few weeks.

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Deforest City Blues: Is it the summer of your discontent?

Our local paper has printed a special report entitled ‘The summer of discontent.’ (July 31, London Free Press)

If the report turns into a series (and it easily could; there seems to be a lot for many people to moan and groan about these days, including my weekly column) I’ll follow it closely.

Not because I’m discontented. Quite the opposite. No guff.

For example, this morning, while I was reading the report, my wife said, “I’m ready (to go for coffee).”

I got up from my desk, grabbed my wallet (it was my turn to pay; that’s right, there was a blue moon last night), slipped into my sandals, headed toward the front sidewalk with my travel mug and my loving mate and hung a left.


["My turn to pay": photos GH]

Together we walked about three blocks toward the heart of Wortley Village and within minutes I was sipping dark roast very contentedly at a sidewalk table.


What contributed to my contentedness?

Please allow me to ramble:

We walked less than three blocks.

I had 20 bucks in my wallet so could order PB and J with my rye toast if I wanted.


["How much bread do we need?"]

There’s more where that came from because our monthly expenses are quite low.

Our expenses are low because we live in a small house (Yes, the roof needs repair $$$ but it’s a small roof).

The sky was a lovely shade of blue.

My mind turned to motorcycling.

I can afford motorcycling on a used bike because, not only are my monthly expenses quite low, but I can earn gas money by selling the odd birdhouse made from rescued lumber.


["A new Beemer in front of The Roaster. I can afford 'used'"]

Life is good. My lifestyle is affordable. Debt doesn't depress me. (Well, not my debt at any rate).

I chatted with a few friends and neighbours along the way.

I wake up with a grateful attitude every morning.

My wife and kids are sweethearts.

And, finally, tomorrow it’s my wife’s turn to pay.

So, what do I have to moan about?

I can’t think of anything off-hand.

But, man, I may be in the minority based on comments to our local paper!!

Link to Series: Please click here to read Discontent Pt. 2.

***

I have the feeling I missed a few things in my ramblings related to contentedness.

That may be due to my age. I’m getting older.

Wha...? I’m getting older?

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Money is Tight: More seniors are working longer Pt 2

It’s the kind of article that would make some people cover their eyes while reading the paper.

Headline: Seniors' employment rate on rise, data shows (July 22, QMI Agency)

First line: More seniors are staying in the work force for longer and working harder, according to government figures, triggering renewed calls from one of the country's biggest unions for pension reform.

I say, scary, very scary.

And I also say more than pension reform is needed. In an earlier post I said that we need to reform the North American lifestyle because “we seem to be chewing through our planet faster than necessary.”


["Money is tight and smokes ain't cheap!"]

On top of that, lifestyle reform needs to come - in part - in the form of a retreat. Since 1996, senior employment (for both men and women) has been on the rise, due in part to financial necessity, and pension reform cannot be accomplished without making contributions higher - unless we create more, new, sustainable jobs and develop and maintain a bigger workforce that will contribute to a healthier pension so that seniors can stop working and go home.

I’m dreaming, of course. More, new, sustainable jobs? When have they ever existed?

We must retreat to smaller dreams, homes, apartments, cars, trucks, meals, refrigerators, closets, demands upon the planet and our finances.

Canada is becoming such an expensive place to live, isn’t it?

***

I suppose if we don’t know we could ask our parents and grandparents after they come home from work.

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I wonder if it's about the money

Money matters.

Though it can't buy me love and is at the root of many evils, we have to deal with it many tines per day, maybe more than we'd like.

I thought about money when reading a recent article about the federal government's decision related to the census.

(Yes, the census. Where have you been? It's been big news for the last week in Canada. My gosh, we live in such an interesting country).

I read:

"While critics accuse the Harper government of pursuing a right-wing ideological agenda with its switch to a voluntary long-form census, many so-called progressive European countries (e.g., Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark) are eliminating the census altogether." (July 23, London Free Press)

Then I thought, is it an ideological issue or financial issue? Something else?

I don't know, but I do know many countries have over-spent for years. Annual deficits are the rule, not the exception. Canada's national debt is the largest it has ever been in human history. Greece is wobbly. England is feeling the pinch financially.

Perhaps many governments around the world are realizing that, fiscally speaking, much must change.

Maybe our Prime Minister realizes Canada is headed for the poor house. Maybe he is putting a lot of things under the microscope to try to save money, e.g., the Canadian Pension Plan, the production of pennies, how many haircuts we should be allowed per month. Maybe this is just the beginning of doing hundreds of things differently because money doesn't grow on trees anymore.

I read that Britain is considering 'cancelling its census outright after the next survey in 2011... the decision is partly driven by budgetary concerns.'

So... about our census.

I wonder if it's about the money.

***

What is the cheapest way to collect important information about Canadians?

This is not a quiz.

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A bank wants us to save money for tough times? What next? Pt 3

A recent news article said Scotiabank is starting a “Let the savings begin” initiative.

I’m for it. (Please read Part 1 and Part 2 for additional and brilliant information).

I want to see folks reduce spending, pay down debt and save money for tough times ahead.


["Wanna save $10 per week? Cut back on restaurant meals."]

And when a bank encourages the same thing I have to ask, what next?

900 sq. ft. houses? Enclosed scooters that get 100 mpg? City planning that encourages walking? (Oh, I hope so!)

TV personality Valerie Pringle will act as a “savings ambassador.”

“We are trying to encourage Canadians to make small changes,” said Pringle. “It’s something that’s really important and we have to take responsibility for it. It has to become a habit.”

Excellent.

Small changes, e.g., even saving $10 per week, may produce big results, especially if the habit grows to $20 per week, then $30, and so on.

Though 55 per cent of Canadians save on a regular basis, the amount may not be enough to ensure all their future expenses are covered in a reasonable manner.

The other 45 per cent can likely look forward to feeling the squeeze year after year. (If the rent is right, the basement at your parent’s house might start to look pretty good in 2025).

Banks and governments also know that our national debt is growing and we have a poor track record related to paying debt down. (Since 1960, we have grown debt in about 80 per cent of our annual federal budgets. Our provincial record is almost as bad).

Any efforts by the powers that be (though several years late) to get people to become more financially responsible is a good thing.

Let the savings begin.

***

Let me know when you see a developer design and promote a 900 sq. ft. house.

I’ll take a picture.

How can people save $20 per week?

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