On the radio I’ve been hearing lots of news and general commentary about the “recession” we’re in (according to Tom S. this is not the case officially). Some things I’ve heard recently:
1) Bob (of the Bob and Tom Morning Show) asked: “How is it that if we’re in a recession a movie [Dark Knight] can make more money than any in history?”
2) Spam and other “low cost meats” are making a comeback. There will never be a time that I stoop so low as to eat Spam on purpose.
3) People are apparently going out to eat less frequently to save money. I agree with the experts who suggest that while this is a good idea, cutting portion size on all meals to save money will not only reduce overall cost but would be good for your waistline as well as wallet.
So what is my family doing to save money? Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.
We are already avid coupon and sale shoppers- this weekend we spent $102 on groceries/general items at Meijer and between coupons and sales we saved $58.60; I also bought Nicole several $.97 clothing items in sizes 2-4T for the next several years of growth. We watch gas prices and try to buy when prices are more reasonable (this weekend I filled up $56 worth of $3.68/gallon). We do not go to first run movies hardly ever (~2/year) but opt for Tuesdays at the dollar theatre ($2 special).
Sure, I’ll admit that we earn more than most of the people in the country but that’s because we BOTH work full-time at good jobs and we are smart with how we spend. It’s not hard to have money when you [have it in the first place and] make an effort to keep it. I have little sympathy for people who could but don't intentionally have full-time jobs but complain that they can't afford things.
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As a side note, during the conversation on #3 it was stated that the average American eats 3800 calories a day (highest in the world). Why don’t they change the labels on food sold in America to accommodate this average? Everything I eat has a label that gives percentages based on a 2000 calorie diet which is apparently FAR from the norm.
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13 comments:
I insist that the media blows things out of proportion.
I hate paying full price for things, I avoid if at all possible!
When I was seeing the personal trainer in Chicago, he wanted me to eat between 1250-1400 calories a day, it is VERY different from the average person!
Even the 2000 calorie diet is too much for most people honestly. I do a lot of dietary work through kung fu, we talk about it a lot. The 2000 number has been around for a long time and hasn't been revised to take into account new information.
For someone who works out a ton, like me, 1300 to 1800 is plenty. But it's not even so much about the caloric content, it's the type of foods you eat. A healthy diet of 2500 calories is better than a fat, sugar, synthetic diet of 1500 calories. The big culprit right now for Americans is high fructose corn syrup, which is in more things than you might think. It changes how the body metabolizes fat. High fructose corn syrup forces the body to convert more food to fat than useful energy, good article about it last week in the NYTimes I think. People that had a drink with HFC in the morning generated more fat from food at lunch time than those that had natural fruit juice (glucose instead of NFC).
I completely agree on food things, especially when it comes to eating out and high fructose corn syrup. I will, however, argue that people on fixed incomes are having a VERY hard time getting by, and may tend to choose products with HFCS because they're cheaper.
Also, there was an article yesterday (NYT maybe?) about how a lot of seniors are having to go without food because meals on wheels can't get to them (the volunteers can't afford to pay for as much gas as they need to make their rounds). Fortunately it's summer, so they don't have to worry about the cost of their heat quadrupeling (sp?) either.
I think that if we're not in a recession yet, we're on the right track to be there soon. I got gas this weekend for 3.99 - I honestly don't remember the last time I saw it for less than $4 a gallon around here - probably 3 or 4 months ago. Thank goodness for public transportation, even though that doesn't help when it comes to higher prices for everything else.
Anyway, enough about me on my soapbox...
OH yea..and the average on the labels are what they SHOULD be eating, and not what they actually ARE eating.
Wow, some people are high up there. Then again, I bet Alvin easily eats upward of 4000 calories many days. When you burn 2000 calories by running for just 2 hours, you have to ingest that much more.
Damnit, my first comment didn't go through, did it?
The abbreviated version of my "lost" first comment:
I 100% agree with Jen. The media brainwashes the people with their drama. Unbiased reporting my ass.
The 2000 calories recommended is based on a BLANKED ROUNDED number that is average. For all Americans. This includes children (over 4), teens, adults, elderly, male, female, varying metabolisms, varying stages of phsyical activity, different heights, different weights, etc (they all affect what you need. Think about all the variables and you see why grouping it as generic is not so accurate).
Do people actually look at the %? I just eye the actual amounts. The % means nothing to me.
Eating excess fats makes you fat. Eating excess carbohydrates makes you fat. Eating excess proteins makes you fat. Intaking more kCalories than you expend makes you fat.
I'm totally with you on the money thing. We live very comfortably. I never worry about spending money when I go somewhere unless I'm trying to aggressively save for something. However, when I do spend the money, I usually get a lot of bang for my buck.
Perfect example: Maternity clothes. I am CHEAP. I refuse to pay full price for pretty much any piece of that type of clothing. I waited until all of the pants I wanted from the Internet went on sale. I got 5 pairs of paints at 15 dollars a piece. I am now SET (hopefully) for the end of my pregnancy. Why should I pay 50 for them when I know they'll eventually go on sale?
The only thing I'm willing to pay full price for? NOTHING! Everything eventually goes on sale. :)
I also agree that you have no right to complain if you could be working a full time job and you aren't. I have a friend that job shares and she complains that money is tight. It's her choice to work part time. She gets free day care from parents and just wants to be home with her boys. While I can respect that she wants to do that and it is probably good for them, she doesn't get the right to complain that they're "poor". 1. They're not. 2. She chose to cut her pay in half.
On the money thing.
Keep in mind that any singleton has, essentially, 1/2 "your" income. But there are many "fixed" costs that don't matter whether there are 4 people in a house or 1. We have the same errands to run, house cleaners to buy, electricity bills (refrigerator running doesn't matter if it's feeding 4 people or 1 person, neither does the stove/oven), garbage blls, water bills. Many of these bills have a set, fairly high base costs and then SMALL additional usage increases. You have 2 incomes living in that room paying for the TV or lighting or dishwasher to run or washer and dry to run (even if set for half a load, it doesn't use half the water). It's just 1 income paying for me to watch the same TV show you 2 are watching. Only 1 income is paying my mortgage. It's not a big house with a big yard. But there's room for 2 people there (very few homes wouldn't be!), yet only 1 income paying all those bills. My health insurance has a deductible of $1500. A family of TWO to infinity (4 kids? 10 kids? 20 kids?) has a dedectible of $3000. The same is true for our "annual" max out of pocket - for just me, it's an additional 2K. For a family of 2 to infinity, it's 4K.
SO yea, obviously I can empathize with people trying to do anything they can to cut costs.
Me? I walk anywhere I can, typically within 2 miles. I don't have internet, cable TV, AC on in summer (stays pretty cold - 60 - in winter). At the end of the summer I'm stopping riding horses-to save money. The ONLY reason I can afford the gym? It was a birthday gift so I'm not paying for it.
Martha,
Your points are very valid on many things like the refrigerator, oven, TV, etc. I’d argue about the water and electricity consumption, but that’s relatively menial in the big picture.
There’s an economist who wrote a whole premise on how 1 person can not survive on $1000/month but four people each earning $1000/month can live quite comfortably (1 mortgage, shared meals, etc.).
Perhaps Alvin should move in with you?
Martha, you are a better woman than I. I am going to pay for the cable and internet (at some point) and AC now. :) Good for you for being so economical!
Military and Hawaiians typically enjoy spam (that may be related, though...). I would go vegetarian before eating spam as my meat source. Beans, per serving, are cheaper than spam, and more nutrient-dense, and more filling per weight. Then again, you could USE spam, instead of bacon, when preparing beans. ;)
Karen: Wouldn't want us living in sin.
Both of my sisters are living just fine - and every now and again enjoying a luxury (one more than the other. Wait. It depends on how you define luxury). One is living on roughly $1500 a month. The other is a family of 7 living on ???? I'd guess $2500 - $3000 a month. And each have been doing it for YEARS. So kudos to THEM!
Martha you are being very generous. I'm pretty sure D's income isn't that much higher than mine. But I agree with a lot of your statements.
Interesting arguments. I'm seeing all sides here. For someone like Ryan and I, we already live on a budget to allow me to stay home with Ella. I could go to work, tutor or something if I need to make a little money here or there. But we are still making small changes (like Ryan rides his bike to work, etc) to stay ahead of the rising costs. My Mom, on the other hand, is looking for a job right now, probably going to make minimum wage. With her $7 hr job, working full time, she is going to have to pay for an apartment, utilities, gas, insurance, food, etc. She is going to be struggling! Karen's right, if you already have some extra money built up, then maintaining it isn't too hard. But if you are already living paycheck to paycheck, then the economy is making it very difficult to save and get ahead.
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