I must confirm that yes, the price of our jar of peanut butter is up a dollar from the last time we bought it, as rumored by the sad news about the failure of peanut crops.
Happily, we can afford the extra dollar, so I'm going to keep chowing down on the glorious goo (chunky style, please). It'll cost us, though, and obviously if our budget were tighter, that would actually matter.
Even in the modern age when everything comes to the store shrink wrapped and in tidy containers, the ground and the weather and the various fortunes of the crops are still where it all starts.
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Uh-Oh
Peanut butter, which is roughly half my diet (I've eaten it no fewer than three times today, although that is slightly unusual), is going to be more expensive due to poor peanut crops. Noooooooo!!!!!
This was in Time near the beginning of the month, but I'm just now noticing it (courtesy of Why Evolution Is True). At this point it may be too late to stock up, since the piece says to expect higher prices "by the end of October"--which end, I notice, is now upon us.
Well, I guess I'll have to dedicate more money to the peanut butter fund. Not eating as much peanut butter? It doesn't bear thinking on.
This was in Time near the beginning of the month, but I'm just now noticing it (courtesy of Why Evolution Is True). At this point it may be too late to stock up, since the piece says to expect higher prices "by the end of October"--which end, I notice, is now upon us.
Well, I guess I'll have to dedicate more money to the peanut butter fund. Not eating as much peanut butter? It doesn't bear thinking on.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Uneasy Thoughts
The white-text-on-dark-background of this Tumblr is kind of hard to read, but We Are the 99 Percent is...OK, hard to read in pretty much every way. Some pretty grim stories about how tough things are right now.
My spouse and I both have stable jobs and earn decent salaries. We have health insurance, and savings accounts. We're doing fine by any objective measure. Great, even. No complaints.
I feel very fortunate, and also insecure, because realistically it would be pretty easy to lose what we have. Someone gets seriously ill, loses a job, can't find another job, family can only support you so long...it happens all the time.
I dunno, I'm not out occupying Wall Street right now, or even Boston, but it's hard to say there's not something to be upset about here.
I got to the Tumblr via Alas, A Blog.
My spouse and I both have stable jobs and earn decent salaries. We have health insurance, and savings accounts. We're doing fine by any objective measure. Great, even. No complaints.
I feel very fortunate, and also insecure, because realistically it would be pretty easy to lose what we have. Someone gets seriously ill, loses a job, can't find another job, family can only support you so long...it happens all the time.
I dunno, I'm not out occupying Wall Street right now, or even Boston, but it's hard to say there's not something to be upset about here.
I got to the Tumblr via Alas, A Blog.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Pick a Level
There's an interesting post on Sociological Images about how, as the middle class shrinks, your clever companies (Procter & Gamble is the main example cited) may start to focus their advertising on bargain brands and luxury brands, with not much in between.
They've got a clip from a financial show and everything.
It makes sense as a business strategy, I guess. If there's hardly any middle class, there's no point trying to sell it much.
Well, I know which side of the vast wealth chasm I'm ending up on.
On a librarian's cushy salary? Straight to the luxury market, baby! Gold-plated caviar every day! That's the only reason I got into this line of work.
They've got a clip from a financial show and everything.
It makes sense as a business strategy, I guess. If there's hardly any middle class, there's no point trying to sell it much.
Well, I know which side of the vast wealth chasm I'm ending up on.
On a librarian's cushy salary? Straight to the luxury market, baby! Gold-plated caviar every day! That's the only reason I got into this line of work.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Customs of Different Lands
I was just in Montana for a few hours, and ate at a couple of restaurants, and remembered that in Montana usually you just take your bill and pay it on the way out, whenever you're ready to leave.
In Massachusetts, on the other hand, you usually pay at the table: you give someone a credit card and they take it away and bring you back a receipt to sign. Sometimes it's kind of hard to even find a place to pay if you want to do it yourself, if they don't have a cash register set up at the front.
When I worked at a restaurant in New Mexico, we generally left people to pay on the way out, but if they asked we were happy to take their money or credit cards and bring them the receipt, so it was a sort of mixture.
Paying on the way out can be convenient, since you can just get up and go whenever you want, without waiting for someone to come take your payment. On the other hand, if you needed change to leave a tip, and then have to pick your way back to your former table, that can be a hassle.
Either way, it's not a big deal. Just what you're accustomed to.
In Massachusetts, on the other hand, you usually pay at the table: you give someone a credit card and they take it away and bring you back a receipt to sign. Sometimes it's kind of hard to even find a place to pay if you want to do it yourself, if they don't have a cash register set up at the front.
When I worked at a restaurant in New Mexico, we generally left people to pay on the way out, but if they asked we were happy to take their money or credit cards and bring them the receipt, so it was a sort of mixture.
Paying on the way out can be convenient, since you can just get up and go whenever you want, without waiting for someone to come take your payment. On the other hand, if you needed change to leave a tip, and then have to pick your way back to your former table, that can be a hassle.
Either way, it's not a big deal. Just what you're accustomed to.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
How Our Children Raise Us
Terri on the Geek Feminism Blog pointed out this interesting paper suggesting that male CEOs who have daughters are more likely to support gender-equitable wage policies in their companies. At least in Denmark, where the study was done.
Go forth and father girls, you manly captains of industry!
Not only because girls are awesome, which they are, and I should know because I was one and grew up with several more, but because I want to make more money.
So I can buy more chocolate.
It's all part of the plan.
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Go forth and father girls, you manly captains of industry!
Not only because girls are awesome, which they are, and I should know because I was one and grew up with several more, but because I want to make more money.
So I can buy more chocolate.
It's all part of the plan.
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Sunday, December 12, 2010
Spending Savings
I see it's just about time to use up the many, many Coke Rewards points I've accumulated for Napster songs over the past year. Those gift codes expire in January, after all.
I've been obsessively collecting Coke bottle caps...if only someone besides me wanted them, I could have my Christmas shopping done right now.
But no matter, I'm gonna stock up on mp3s.
This comes after my frantic stocking up on aspirin and OTC medical stuff, in anticipation of losing the ability to use flexible spending dollars for that come 2011.
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I've been obsessively collecting Coke bottle caps...if only someone besides me wanted them, I could have my Christmas shopping done right now.
But no matter, I'm gonna stock up on mp3s.
This comes after my frantic stocking up on aspirin and OTC medical stuff, in anticipation of losing the ability to use flexible spending dollars for that come 2011.
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Monday, November 29, 2010
What About UNDER the Counter Medication?
It is open enrollment time for benefits at my job, and I must decide how much to set aside for Health Care Reimbursement--that program where they take some money out of your paycheck pre-tax and give it back to you in reimbursement of authorized health-related expenses.
In past years such expenses have included things like prescriptions and office visit co-pays, but also over the counter medications like aspirin and so forth, so if you didn't use up everything you'd set aside over the course of the year, you could just go on a year-end shopping spree and stock up on painkillers and adhesive bandages. I owe almost the entire contents of my medicine cabinet to this fact.
But now, now they've changed the rules all of a sudden, and OTC expenses will no longer be eligible for reimbursement. I'm not totally happy about this.
It requires me to much more precisely calculate my expenses for the coming year, which is kind of tough to do, since you just never know when you're going to get hit by a car or develop a goiter or something that will involve medication and doctor visits. (And yeah, the car thing is covered by auto insurance, but what if it had been a hit-and-run?)
I think I'm just going to have to set aside much less money and assume that I'll wind up with expenses that I don't have anything set aside for, rather than set aside a larger amount and risk losing some of it at the end of the year.
Because I don't like losing money. No sir. I don't hold with it.
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In past years such expenses have included things like prescriptions and office visit co-pays, but also over the counter medications like aspirin and so forth, so if you didn't use up everything you'd set aside over the course of the year, you could just go on a year-end shopping spree and stock up on painkillers and adhesive bandages. I owe almost the entire contents of my medicine cabinet to this fact.
But now, now they've changed the rules all of a sudden, and OTC expenses will no longer be eligible for reimbursement. I'm not totally happy about this.
It requires me to much more precisely calculate my expenses for the coming year, which is kind of tough to do, since you just never know when you're going to get hit by a car or develop a goiter or something that will involve medication and doctor visits. (And yeah, the car thing is covered by auto insurance, but what if it had been a hit-and-run?)
I think I'm just going to have to set aside much less money and assume that I'll wind up with expenses that I don't have anything set aside for, rather than set aside a larger amount and risk losing some of it at the end of the year.
Because I don't like losing money. No sir. I don't hold with it.
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Thursday, July 29, 2010
Buh-Bye
I have terminated a long-standing relationship with MasterCard because they irritated me.
Let that be a lesson to the rest of you.
I don't say I don't share some responsibility for the falling out. I never used that card, so I admit I became careless about poring over every piece of mail concerning it, and probably failed to read some small print somewhere along the way that would have warned me that things were going sour.
However, I don't much care to find myself being charged for "credit protection" on a card I only keep as backup, so you can hit the bricks, MasterCard.
My Visa is on notice.
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Let that be a lesson to the rest of you.
I don't say I don't share some responsibility for the falling out. I never used that card, so I admit I became careless about poring over every piece of mail concerning it, and probably failed to read some small print somewhere along the way that would have warned me that things were going sour.
However, I don't much care to find myself being charged for "credit protection" on a card I only keep as backup, so you can hit the bricks, MasterCard.
My Visa is on notice.
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Sunday, July 18, 2010
Keeping Down Appearances
I was interested in this Sociological Images post about clotheslines.
These are often considered tacky or low-class, like something that only poor people use that should be avoided by anyone with money, so a lot of neighborhoods with zoning regulations designed to ensure a certain standard of appearance have rules against them. This remains true even though they're very practical because they can save a lot of energy (as well as making clothes smell all nice and fresh).
People with money, of course, are not concerned with saving energy, and can afford to buy dryer fabrics to make their clothes smell fresh, so it's hard to get an argument going there.
We always had clotheslines when I was a kid, although I suppose that's not much of an argument against their being tacky and low-class, and I am strongly pro-clothesline, myself. I'd be tacking them up all over the place, if I had a yard that didn't belong to my apartment complex.
I would also be growing herbs and flowers in said yard. Mint and poppies everywhere, it would be!
What wasn't clotheslines, mint and poppies would be cobbles, so that I wouldn't have to worry about mowing and tending grass, for I am not strongly pro-lawn.
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These are often considered tacky or low-class, like something that only poor people use that should be avoided by anyone with money, so a lot of neighborhoods with zoning regulations designed to ensure a certain standard of appearance have rules against them. This remains true even though they're very practical because they can save a lot of energy (as well as making clothes smell all nice and fresh).
People with money, of course, are not concerned with saving energy, and can afford to buy dryer fabrics to make their clothes smell fresh, so it's hard to get an argument going there.
We always had clotheslines when I was a kid, although I suppose that's not much of an argument against their being tacky and low-class, and I am strongly pro-clothesline, myself. I'd be tacking them up all over the place, if I had a yard that didn't belong to my apartment complex.
I would also be growing herbs and flowers in said yard. Mint and poppies everywhere, it would be!
What wasn't clotheslines, mint and poppies would be cobbles, so that I wouldn't have to worry about mowing and tending grass, for I am not strongly pro-lawn.
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Monday, April 19, 2010
Health Spending
If you have flexible spending benefits from work that allow you to set aside pre-tax dollars for out-of-pocket health care expenses, you may be interested to hear that recent health insurance reform measures will affect what you can buy with the money in your account next year.
The New York Times reports that,
The program at my current job never actually let me use it for sunscreen or vitamins (to my consternation, since I buy piles of those things), but I have been known to go on year-end shopping sprees to load up on cough drops and adhesive bandages in an attempt to spend down the account on health-related stuff that would keep. Presumably those will no longer be covered in future.
I'll have to double-check the list of eligible expenses before I decide how much to set aside for next year.
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The New York Times reports that,
Another attraction had been the extremely generous list of eligible expenses — including deductibles and co-pays, eyeglasses and dental work, over-the-counter cold medicine, sunscreen and vitamins. But under the new law, starting Jan. 1, flex-spend users will no longer be able to submit claims for over- the-counter medicines unless they have been specifically directed to use them by a doctor.
The program at my current job never actually let me use it for sunscreen or vitamins (to my consternation, since I buy piles of those things), but I have been known to go on year-end shopping sprees to load up on cough drops and adhesive bandages in an attempt to spend down the account on health-related stuff that would keep. Presumably those will no longer be covered in future.
I'll have to double-check the list of eligible expenses before I decide how much to set aside for next year.
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Saturday, April 17, 2010
News From Taxville
So we got a letter from the IRS, which is always something to be greeted with some trepidation. It turns out it was a nice letter, because they said they've determined we're eligible for some credits we hadn't claimed, and now we get a refund instead of owing money.
Except, I don't really follow the math here, because even if we do get those credits, it doesn't fully account for the difference between the taxable income I calculated and the taxable income they mention in the letter (their number is smaller, hence the refund). So I think I'd better call them.
"Look, are you sure you don't want this money? 'Cause I'll take it, but I really think you should have it. Honestly, buy yourself an inch of highway or something. You know I depend on you to maintain the nation's infrastructure."
Because I love me a fat tax refund, and I'm not saying my math is so awesome that I couldn't have made a mistake (and thanks, by the way, for thinking of credits for me!), but I'd rather double-check before I start making plans for this money.
'Cause you know if it turns out the mistake is on their end, they're gonna want it back.
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Except, I don't really follow the math here, because even if we do get those credits, it doesn't fully account for the difference between the taxable income I calculated and the taxable income they mention in the letter (their number is smaller, hence the refund). So I think I'd better call them.
"Look, are you sure you don't want this money? 'Cause I'll take it, but I really think you should have it. Honestly, buy yourself an inch of highway or something. You know I depend on you to maintain the nation's infrastructure."
Because I love me a fat tax refund, and I'm not saying my math is so awesome that I couldn't have made a mistake (and thanks, by the way, for thinking of credits for me!), but I'd rather double-check before I start making plans for this money.
'Cause you know if it turns out the mistake is on their end, they're gonna want it back.
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Friday, March 12, 2010
Note to Self (Ignored)
I keep telling myself I absolutely absolutely must finish my taxes!--and then I don't get around to it. I get distracted by quests for frozen yogurt and so on. (I need frozen yogurt. It has the calcium my growing bones need!)
It's harder to be motivated to get right on it when you owe money.
Don't worry, IRS, I'm good for it, I'm just biding my time.
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It's harder to be motivated to get right on it when you owe money.
Don't worry, IRS, I'm good for it, I'm just biding my time.
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Information: Expensive
Some fierce words from Nicholas Carr at Rough Type about the high price of information today.
He argues that while we think there's all this awesomely free info floating around in the air, just waiting to be seized with the merry little fingers of our wireless-internet-capable devices, in fact--
When you think of it like that, yes, I suppose it is a little pricey. I probably pay $120 a month for all those things together.
But...but...we need that stuff! We can't even function without it! (Not literally true. We could function, things would just be a lot different. And somewhat less fun, although it would leave more time for board games.)
I like the idea here that there's more to pay for between us and the content with this new model. In the old days, you go buy your newspaper, or your book, or what-have-you, and then you have your information right there. You don't need the device to read it on, or the maintenance subscription fees to ensure continued access, or the wired or wireless internet to deliver it.
Extra steps means extra costs. (Of course, in the old days you had to have transportation to somewhere you could buy your newspaper, or you paid someone to deliver it, and you always have some cost involved with making light if you want to read it after dark. Nothing is straightforward.)
This further point from the post also struck me:
Now I feel bad for not buying information and entertainment directly from more people.
And tying handily back into that idea is this post from Samhita on Feministing, asking Would You Pay for the New York Times?
It addresses the rumor that the NYT may be planning to charge for access to their site, and wonders whether it's better for a blogger, say, to continue linking to their stories (to support the Times' reporting), or try to find those stories covered elsewhere in recognition that not all of one's readers can afford (even among those who are willing) to pay for access.
Information not free after all. And another dream crumbles.
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He argues that while we think there's all this awesomely free info floating around in the air, just waiting to be seized with the merry little fingers of our wireless-internet-capable devices, in fact--
Sorry, sucker. The joke's on you.
Do the math. Sit down right now, and add up what you pay every month for:
-Internet service
-Cable TV service
-Cellular telephone service (voice, data, messaging)
-Landline telephone service
-Satellite radio
-Netflix
-Wi-Fi hotspots
-TiVO
-Other information services
When you think of it like that, yes, I suppose it is a little pricey. I probably pay $120 a month for all those things together.
But...but...we need that stuff! We can't even function without it! (Not literally true. We could function, things would just be a lot different. And somewhat less fun, although it would leave more time for board games.)
I like the idea here that there's more to pay for between us and the content with this new model. In the old days, you go buy your newspaper, or your book, or what-have-you, and then you have your information right there. You don't need the device to read it on, or the maintenance subscription fees to ensure continued access, or the wired or wireless internet to deliver it.
Extra steps means extra costs. (Of course, in the old days you had to have transportation to somewhere you could buy your newspaper, or you paid someone to deliver it, and you always have some cost involved with making light if you want to read it after dark. Nothing is straightforward.)
This further point from the post also struck me:
We begrudge the folks who actually create the stuff we enjoy reading, listening to, and watching a few pennies for their labor, and yet at the very same time we casually throw hundreds of hard-earned bucks at the saps who run the stupid networks through which the stuff is delivered.
Now I feel bad for not buying information and entertainment directly from more people.
And tying handily back into that idea is this post from Samhita on Feministing, asking Would You Pay for the New York Times?
It addresses the rumor that the NYT may be planning to charge for access to their site, and wonders whether it's better for a blogger, say, to continue linking to their stories (to support the Times' reporting), or try to find those stories covered elsewhere in recognition that not all of one's readers can afford (even among those who are willing) to pay for access.
Information not free after all. And another dream crumbles.
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Wednesday, December 23, 2009
EFT for the People
Have you ever paid a credit card bill online, or filled out your bank routing information on your tax return, and thought "I wish the power of electronic funds transfer could be mine to use in other ways, for my personal whims"?
In a development having nothing to do with libraries, but something to do with nifty technology, my online bank (ING) now offers 'Person2Person' EFT.
Cutesy name aside, it's pretty handy. All you have to do is convince someone to give you their bank routing number and their checking account number, and you can move money right from your account to theirs by filling in a few fields online!
Unfortunately it doesn't work the other way around, so you can't add to your fortune, just pass it on to others. I should say, it's unfortunate for the first person who wished they could do that and couldn't--fortunate for everyone who's never wanted to have their bank account emptied remotely by someone else.
And I don't like to generalize, but I think that actually speaks for a lot of us.
Anyway, if you ever happen to be in a position where you want to send someone some money, this saves writing a check or buying a money order and mailing it. I love online bill payment and such, so this sort of thing is just a big barrel of sunshine and kittens as far as I'm concerned.
I tried it, and it was fast and easy. And free, which is important. It irritates me to have to pay to do things with my money.
The other person does need to have a bank account, so this won't work for everyone, but it doesn't have to be an account with ING, so there's some flexibility.
One downside is that it would be harder to surprise someone with a present this way than if you sent a check, since you have to get their bank info somehow and the most obvious way to do that may be to ask them, in which case they may wonder why you want to know.
But hey, if you get it once you can surprise them next time.
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In a development having nothing to do with libraries, but something to do with nifty technology, my online bank (ING) now offers 'Person2Person' EFT.
Cutesy name aside, it's pretty handy. All you have to do is convince someone to give you their bank routing number and their checking account number, and you can move money right from your account to theirs by filling in a few fields online!
Unfortunately it doesn't work the other way around, so you can't add to your fortune, just pass it on to others. I should say, it's unfortunate for the first person who wished they could do that and couldn't--fortunate for everyone who's never wanted to have their bank account emptied remotely by someone else.
And I don't like to generalize, but I think that actually speaks for a lot of us.
Anyway, if you ever happen to be in a position where you want to send someone some money, this saves writing a check or buying a money order and mailing it. I love online bill payment and such, so this sort of thing is just a big barrel of sunshine and kittens as far as I'm concerned.
I tried it, and it was fast and easy. And free, which is important. It irritates me to have to pay to do things with my money.
The other person does need to have a bank account, so this won't work for everyone, but it doesn't have to be an account with ING, so there's some flexibility.
One downside is that it would be harder to surprise someone with a present this way than if you sent a check, since you have to get their bank info somehow and the most obvious way to do that may be to ask them, in which case they may wonder why you want to know.
But hey, if you get it once you can surprise them next time.
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Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Speaking of Money
Librarian in Black reviews the 2009 Library Journal Placements and Salaries survey. It doesn't look too good, she finds.
Average starting salary is down, part time jobs are up, job cuts abound.
Things could be worse, we don't see nationwide collapse of libraries, but we're all trying to cut every corner.
Good luck to all those hunting...I hear from many people that these are indeed tough times.
Edited to note that this year's survey, being based on information from 2008 graduates, is of special interest to me. My information is in there! I'm totally adding this to my Bibliography in My NCBI, since it's obviously all but dependent on me.
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Average starting salary is down, part time jobs are up, job cuts abound.
Things could be worse, we don't see nationwide collapse of libraries, but we're all trying to cut every corner.
Good luck to all those hunting...I hear from many people that these are indeed tough times.
Edited to note that this year's survey, being based on information from 2008 graduates, is of special interest to me. My information is in there! I'm totally adding this to my Bibliography in My NCBI, since it's obviously all but dependent on me.
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Monday, October 19, 2009
Money Here, Please
Were you aware that this is National Save for Retirement Week?
Me neither, but I have it on good authority that it is true. TIAA-CREF tells me so.
So please take this opportunity to deposit some money in my TIAA-CREF account. You may be assured I will take good care of it, using it for only the finest bon-bons as I relax with Hedonismbot in my glamorous retirement castle.
Aw, who am I kidding? Hedonism isn't relaxing--it'll be non-stop action!
But don't worry, I'll find time to enjoy bon-bons.
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Me neither, but I have it on good authority that it is true. TIAA-CREF tells me so.
So please take this opportunity to deposit some money in my TIAA-CREF account. You may be assured I will take good care of it, using it for only the finest bon-bons as I relax with Hedonismbot in my glamorous retirement castle.
Aw, who am I kidding? Hedonism isn't relaxing--it'll be non-stop action!
But don't worry, I'll find time to enjoy bon-bons.
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Thursday, June 25, 2009
Here's an Idea
Pay me to pay attention to my health!
Health Populi has news on research at Wharton suggesting that giving people money makes them more inclined to do things. Who knew?
Wait, was that sarcastic? Sorry--this is interesting, even if it does seem really obvious when you put it like that.
The interesting part from a health standpoint is that people are more likely to successfully do things that they probably sort of already wanted to do, like quit smoking or lose weight or take their medications on schedule, if they get money for it.
It's like paying students for good grades, I guess. I've heard it argued that this is poor motivation for kids (they should be studying for the pure rewards of knowledge, not for the money!), and you could definitely say the same thing here.
I really should be taking care of my health for the sake of the rewards of being healthy, not for the money. Right? I mean, it's just common sense.
And saying that always works really, really well as a behavior motivator.
But if, when you get right down to it, you see better results by giving people money than by telling them about how pleased they'll be years from now to be healthier than they would be if they don't adopt some good habit, maybe it's just practical and economical to give 'em a few bucks.
Whatever works, right? Would we rather have a few dollars, some healthy habits, and tainted motivation, or rest secure in the fact that our bad habits are free from the soiling touch of filthy lucre?
I may still be smoking, but by gum, every time I try to quit it's because I want to, not because I'm getting paid to!
I dunno. I'm all for practical, and if it actually worked (and it must be noted that this research is still ongoing), I'd be pretty fine with the filthy lucre approach.
Especially if I get some of it.
Mmm, lucre.
Health Populi has news on research at Wharton suggesting that giving people money makes them more inclined to do things. Who knew?
Wait, was that sarcastic? Sorry--this is interesting, even if it does seem really obvious when you put it like that.
The interesting part from a health standpoint is that people are more likely to successfully do things that they probably sort of already wanted to do, like quit smoking or lose weight or take their medications on schedule, if they get money for it.
It's like paying students for good grades, I guess. I've heard it argued that this is poor motivation for kids (they should be studying for the pure rewards of knowledge, not for the money!), and you could definitely say the same thing here.
I really should be taking care of my health for the sake of the rewards of being healthy, not for the money. Right? I mean, it's just common sense.
And saying that always works really, really well as a behavior motivator.
But if, when you get right down to it, you see better results by giving people money than by telling them about how pleased they'll be years from now to be healthier than they would be if they don't adopt some good habit, maybe it's just practical and economical to give 'em a few bucks.
Whatever works, right? Would we rather have a few dollars, some healthy habits, and tainted motivation, or rest secure in the fact that our bad habits are free from the soiling touch of filthy lucre?
I may still be smoking, but by gum, every time I try to quit it's because I want to, not because I'm getting paid to!
I dunno. I'm all for practical, and if it actually worked (and it must be noted that this research is still ongoing), I'd be pretty fine with the filthy lucre approach.
Especially if I get some of it.
Mmm, lucre.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Scuffling with Taxes
I'm using Free File Fillable Forms this year.
It requires some math, unlike the super easy software programs that do it all for you, but I couldn't find a version that will do our return for free (we have 'additional income'), so this is the best I could do.
At least it adds up a few things for you (basically, you have to enter all the main numbers from your tax forms, but it will add the various lines), and you can e-file.
That saves a precious, precious stamp, as well as some paper, but one of the main benefits is being able to type into the form instead of write it in by hand. I'm sure the IRS will appreciate the improved legibility.
I'll be sure to post an update if we wind up getting audited for bad math.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Cut Budgets Like Grass
Tiny budget cut at my work:
We used to have a service that would send someone to water the plants and replace the tall bristly ones on a regular basis before they started to look old. That service is gone.
Resulting challenge:
By the time we noticed the plant maintenance people hadn't come in a while, the plants in hanging pots were wilting and nearly dead. They were dropping yellow leaves all over the recycle bins and part of a study area. It was not a very attractive addition to the decor. (Message: "Come to the library and wither away while you study".)
Coping mechanism:
We were told we could just throw them out, but instead a colleague and I appointed ourselves Plant Caregivers and have been watering them once a week and trimming off the dead leaves.
Outcome:
After a few weeks, and a return of some healthy green color, I think they're gonna make it! Good old-fashioned plant-watering gumption saves the day.
For a while, at least. I don't know much about plants, so I have no idea of their natural lifespan. The tall bristly ones that used to be replaced every few months are the big question for me. Was there a reason to take them away every so often? Do they topple over dead at 6 months? Do they sprout odiferous blossoms? Grow flytrap maws and start snapping up the students?
Being as I'm a librarian, one would think I could do some research on the subject and attempt to locate answers to these questions, but that feels like work. Maybe I'd rather just twiddle my thumbs and wonder.
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