Fish Eyed View

Looking at the World through a Different Lens

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Subjects for the real world out there!

May 30

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Modern Day Education, Philosophy

As a continuation of my previous post titled “Should real world subjects be taught more in schools?”…

So what are some “real world” subjects that could be taught in high school?  Maybe in some schools, somewhere, these courses are standard, but I can tell you that at mine, they certainly weren’t.

Personal finance. This could be broken down into sections that cover budgeting, saving money, how to develop good spending habits, money management, etc.  During high school, many teenagers may be getting their first job, and making money, so this could help guide them to better spending and saving habits, rather than blowing it all on fun stuff, and then continuing that habit into adulthood.

Banking. The multitude of banking options out there can be intimidating for those without any knowledge or experience about them.  Some questions that could be answered include:  “How do I find the bank that best suits me?”  “What is the best way to responsibly use a checking account, without bouncing checks or incurring overdraft fees?”  “Is overdraft protection a good idea?”  Additional areas that could be covered include information about high-yield savings accounts, banking at a credit union, online banking, etc.

save-money-on-credit

All about credit. I think this would be an incredibly useful course, and one that could help students approaching the age of eighteen know how to responsibly obtain credit and build a solid history.  This way, when they enter college and are bombarded by credit card companies advertising at their campuses, they will have a better idea of what to do and not to do.  This course could examine what a FICO score is and the components of it.  And ever so important for students applying for colleges, it could have a detailed section all about student loans, and how to find the best one.  There are so many intricacies about credit, so maybe a detailed course such as this would help send the students out into the real world with an arsenal of knowledge to help them avoid damaging their credit scores.

Real estate 101. So are high-schoolers too young to be learning about purchasing a home and finding the right mortgage?  No way!  Even though many won’t be purchasing a home until much later in life, this could be a helpful course overall to help them prepare at an early age for that big step, and set goals to save for it, if they so choose.  They could learn all about the different mortgage types, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.  Being informed about how the market works, and what influences the price of a home and learning about how to work with a real estate agent could be helpful as well.

How to purchase a car, and the basics of maintaining one. Need I say more!  This curriculum could talk about how to look for a good deal on a car, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing or leasing a new car, buying a used car, and the different types of financing available.  Additionally, it could cover the ever-so-important basics of the proper maintenance of a vehicle, and how it can save money over the long run.

Detailed strategies of managing finances and paying the bills. How do I organize a system to ensure all my bills are paid on time?  How do I track everything?  How do I handle setting up utility accounts?  What is a checkbook register, and why should it be used?  All good questions that could be answered in this course!

All about the different kinds of insurance. As they get older, young adults need to be prepared for shopping around for insurance, and to make sure that they are not under- or over-insured in the necessary areas.  Information about this could help them understand the different kinds of plans that exist and the coverage needed for auto, renters, health, dental, homeowners, life, and many other kinds of insurance.  We all know how confusing this can be!

Resume writing 101. As a manager, I know how important this is!  I have seen dozens upon dozens of resumes come across my desk at work, and unfortunately, many of them leave a lot to be desired!  It is readily apparent that this is not a well-honed skill in much of the general populace.  I can not begin to tell you about the multitudes of errors (grammatical, punctuation, spelling, etc.) that I have seen on resumes, let alone the lack of cover pages, and even the most basic components that all proper resumes should have.  If a course, or section of one, was devoted to this most necessary information, maybe more individuals who enter the work world could have this skill ingrained, so resume writing could be a breeze!

How to look for, apply, and successfully interview for a job. This one needs very little explanation, but could be tremendously helpful!

Overall, these are just some ideas of subjects that I think could be of an extraordinary amount of benefit to young adults going through high school.  I think they would very much appreciate some courses they could easily apply directly toward their life, and to help them prepare for a sound economic future.  I mean, that’s why they go to school in the first place – so they can get into college and prepare for a job that they can make money at for most of the rest of their lives.  What a disservice I think it is for schools to overlook these most important life skills.  Why can’t we give them a more well-rounded education that really prepares them for life out there?

Please feel free to leave any comments about any other ideas of courses you think would be beneficial to be taught in public schools.

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Should real world subjects be taught more in schools?

May 29

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Modern Day Education, Philosophy

Okay, I have a strong philosophy about this, and my answer is an emphatic “yes”.

Education is extremely important.  It is what helps many people excel professionally, and is usually quite necessary to get your foot in the door on the path up the career ladder.  Granted, there are exceptions to this, but it is generally the rule.

So why then, is it apparent in many instances, that some people come through school with exemplary grades and scholastic achievements, but land themselves into situations that propel them into debt, or other real-world tumult?

Of course personal accountability plays a big part in this, and my intention with this philosophy is not to blame others or society for a person’s pitfalls, but I do strongly feel that our younger generations could benefit immensely from a more formal education in adulthood’s many responsibilities.

Parents should shoulder a very large portion of the task of teaching their children about what it is like out there, when they leave the nest and start a life away from home, but unfortunately, in a busy life such as this, there are many factors where this may not always end up being the case.  Parents working in a dual-income household may feel they lack the time to spend with their children on these sorts of subjects, especially when the kids come home with so much homework of their own, or are heavily involved in sports or other productive activities.  On the other hand, parents may also be under the impression that the schools are teaching them about finances, buying a home, finding the best mortgage option, and other subjects, so they may think that is all taken care of.  But even in other cases, the kids may live in a broken home with parents who don’t really care, so they may just miss out on any sort of semblance of parental guidance altogether.

Personally, I think that the entire curriculum of most public schools could use a major overhaul.  There are, of course, many subjects that are absolutely essential.  English, the sciences, and many others are the cornerstone of any good education.

There are other subjects though that may be unnecessarily elaborated on with too much detail.  Although I am a big history buff myself, I think that it is a subject where too much time is spent on going way too far into detail.  A lot can be learned from history, but when you are having to memorize names and dates of something that happened over 500 years ago, then I think the point is being missed.

The same goes for certain elements and branches of mathematics.  Basic math that applies directly to the real world should be taught and ingrained.  But having high school requirements for advanced algebra, geometry, calculus, and such may be quite unnecessary for someone who plans to go to college for a marketing or business degree.  Really, at no time in my career can I even remember the need to perform such advanced calculations for anything.  Unless you are going into a branch of the sciences, engineering, architecture, or other related field, it is quite unlikely that these advanced branches of mathematics would ever be applied.

I’m sure you may be able to think of other subjects or things you learned in public school that you have never used once you graduated or closed the book, so I won’t elaborate further.

So with an absolutely rough calculation, I could guess that if some of these subjects were condensed or eliminated, then it might open up approximately one period per semester, for all four years of high school, which could be devoted to more productive, real-world subjects that the students could directly apply into their current or future daily lives.

But I’m not saying that the detailed variations of the aforementioned subjects should just vanish into thin air; rather, they could likely be condensed and integrated into the course requirements for the specific college degree or field of study that necessitates them, and could be taught in a more efficient college curriculum.

And what great things could be done with that one period per semester that could be opened up!

Check back in the near future for a discussion on what sorts of subjects could be taught.

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The Economy, Fear, The Mainstream Media, and You, Part 3

May 27

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Philosophy, Psychology, Society, The Economy, The Recession

And now for the third installment in the series, “The Economy, Fear, The Mainstream Media, and You.”  Check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Understand your situation. What this means is that it can help you to understand that this down economy (and however it may be affecting you) is just a temporary state in the evolution of your life and the world around you.  Things will get better.  Economies go in cycles.  Granted, this one is worse than it has been in a long time, but it will go up and improve.

This is also where the concept of acceptance can be very important.  When you accept that the current happenings are just a small blip in the grand scheme of things, and your life, you will start to have more hope and less stress.  You will be a success, no matter what your current situation.  When you accept and realize that what is happening around you is just part of the journey, then you will be able to orient your mind toward bigger and better aspirations.

Furthermore, if your life hasn’t been affected much by the recession, and things are pretty much the status quo, then it can be counterproductive to overly worry about the fearsome things that the mainstream media projects towards us incessantly.  Just because they highlight every detail of every disastrous bit of economic news ‘round-the-clock, doesn’t mean that there is impending doom for everyone.  Yes, the future may be uncertain, but you cannot know what it holds.  As a result, racking your brain with perpetual worries and a barrage of what-ifs will only lessen your quality of life.

But all this doesn’t mean that you should not be prepared if indeed misfortune does happen.

When you understand the nature of the situation, and are looking at the big picture, rather than short-term happenings, it makes it easier to not let your mind overly attach itself to worry, and trying to negate that worry. As we all know, the path of life does not always follow the exact direction we desire it to go.  There are many things that are completely outside of our control.  Unfortunately though, the mind is quite sensitive to looking for total control and certainty, in the respect that it feels we should be in control of everything.  It may project upon us thoughts similar to the following:  “If this happens, it was because of me.”  “If that happened, then it was my fault.”  “If I lose my job in the future, then I will be deemed a failure because I will not be able to provide for my children in the ways that I always have been.”

You see where I am going with this.  When the what-ifs and the uncertainty that fear creates overly manifest themselves in your mind, they can cause you to re-hash scenarios over and over, looking for a way out.  It’s like this, for example.  Say you see some more bad news on TV about how the economy is expected to get even worse.  Your mind may interpret that as an immediate threat that must be countered.  It activates a mechanism of fear, which may cause you to evaluate the scenarios with which you can prevent this fear from happening.

This is a very protective mechanism which evolved as a way to protect ourselves from imminent and tangible harm.

But when there is uncertainty present, and you do not know what can happen, the fear still exists.  The thing that makes its activation different from a situation with which there is indeed imminent and tangible harm (for example, if you are walking down the street and a car is bearing toward you at high speeds) is that when the tangible threat goes away, and you are unscathed, then the fear subsides, because you are certain the threat is gone.

On the other hand, when uncertainty is involved, which can breed a constant state of trepidation, then your innate fear mechanism stays in a low level of activation.  Since the threats are not immediately tangible, your mind may race and look for explanations to counter the foreboding thoughts.

This is where something may go from being a passing thought to a state of long-term stress.  But this is also where you can change this, just by implementing some conscious effort into your subconscious.

When you understand these thought processes, you may realize that what keeps you up at night may actually be an exaggerated threat caused by an overly-activated fear mechanism that is searching for ways to counter the fear.  But since there can be so many variables and uncertainty, your mind doesn’t stop looking for answers, thereby making it more difficult to set these thoughts aside and enter a more relaxed state.

Much of this can seem so real, but it is actually an automated thought process that may lie deep in your subconscious mind.

So what is the key?  One thing that can really help is to let the thoughts that trigger the fear mechanism (feelings of danger, uncertainty, etc.) just merely exist in your mind, but without incessantly trying to counter them, fight them, or explain them away.

how-to-deal-with-anxietyIt could kind of go like this:  Say you’re lying down to go to sleep for the night, and something reminds you of the thought of losing your job.  This causes you to feel a bit uneasy.  You feel fearful, so your natural reaction is to try to find ways to counter and eliminate the fear (danger).  You may then start to analyze the last couple of weeks at your job, looking for signs or evidence that may disprove this fear (in other words, looking for positive happenings that show your company is not thinking of laying people off).  You may indeed not find anything which helps quench the fear mechanism, so you start re-hashing other aspects of recent days at the office.  Did you read any reports that evidence the success of your company?  Has human resources disclosed any recent news that points toward job stability?  Did the last quarterly earnings report show your firm as being profitable?

So while thinking through everything, more and more thoughts of uncertainty may arise, leading you to think through other scenarios.  These subconscious triggers are infiltrating your conscious mind, and after a while, you look at the clock, and realize that you have been lying awake for a couple hours, and its getting late!

Let’s trace back to where this all started.  The first trigger was the subconscious thought that popped into your mind.  Something reminded you of the thought of losing your job.  This may have been entirely generated by your subconscious, but it activated your fear mechanism, which in turn caused you to direct your conscious thoughts to it, in an effort to quell the fear and danger that feels so real.  But since there is uncertainty involved, there is no one thing that can really explain it all away.  What this means is that, whether you spend 5 seconds thinking about it or 5 hours, you may usually find that the end result is the same – no real solution has been accomplished - and you are left feeling drained, stressed, and anxious.

The main point to remember is that you can help prevent yourself from going down this path toward prolonged stress, which leads to fatigue and other issues, just by consciously changing how you react to thoughts of uncertainty, and the accompanying fear that results.

As mentioned earlier, when your subconscious generates a worrisome thought, then purposely just try to let that thought exist and be there, without trying to counter it and without trying to quell the fear it creates by going through the motions.  Make room for it, all the while realizing two things:

1.  You have done the best you can, given the resources that you have, to minimize any negative effects that could be caused by the seemingly present danger at hand.  There is no reason to try to re-hash it all, because it is natural for a person to try to minimize danger and negativity when it comes to situations that impose them.

2.  The world is full of variables and things which you cannot control.  You accept this, and will make the most of whatever may happen.

As much as your mind may try to explain everything and seek absolute certainty, it is not possible.  As a result, it is of much benefit to allow space in your mind for things that are fearsome to you, but which cause your conscious mind to pursue a futile effort of certainty.

But you may ask:  “Don’t these thoughts cause anxiety in and of themselves, therefore warranting a reduction in that anxiety by trying to satisfy their need for a solution?”

Don’t be fooled by this.  Like I have mentioned, this can many times be a futile effort, therefore wasting mental energy searching for non-existent certainty.

“But these fearsome thoughts still cause anxiety?  What to do then?”

This is an important element of this process.  When you accept the low-level anxiety that a sudden worrisome thought produces, and allow room for it to be there, without trying to explain it away, then that thought (and the accompanying anxiety) will pass.  Your mind will naturally shift its attention and focus when you are not drawing attention to the worrisome thoughts by attempting to eliminate them and trying to explain them away.

Give it a try next time.  When a troublesome thought arises, you will likely be able to determine right away if it is a valid, tangible fear that requires immediate attention, or if it is something that does not have a definitive solution or answer.  When uncertainty and lack of immediacy is present, then purposefully try to shift your focus, without having to come to a conclusion and generate an answer to the fear the has reared its head.  Instead, you could go work on a hobby.  You could read a pleasant book.  You could go for a walk, play sports, listen to music, or hundreds of other things that can occupy your consciousness.  Also, if you happen to be trying to go to sleep, then focus on your breathing.  Take some deep breaths, and concentrate on the action of inhaling and exhaling.  Just this shift of focus itself may help you enter a more relaxed state, and keep your consciousness away from the ever-present fear that these times have generated.

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The Economy, Fear, The Mainstream Media, and You, Part 2

May 26

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Philosophy, Psychology, Society, The Economy, The Recession

A continuation of this post…

It’s baffling to think about really how much the world does revolve around money.  It really does make the world go ‘round.  This is ever so present by the current economic downturn the world is experiencing.

But the whole scope of it all is really confusing, unless you’re a fine-tuned economist.

It’s almost like organized chaos – everything seems so tumultuous when you turn on the TV and watch the news, when you hear about it at work, or how it is such a common denominator in casual conversation with others.

What’s also quite common is the fear that has resulted.  People are scared, so they are taking sometimes drastic actions to protect themselves.  This, of course, is a natural reaction.  When there seems to be danger looming, our instincts tell us to take action.

But is the danger over amplified?  Of course this is up for speculation, but of course there is danger; hence, there are fearful reactions.

The overall sense of abundance and security that many people are used to feeling is becoming threatened by this danger that we keep hearing about.  Our neighbors are losing their homes to foreclosure.  Our friends are losing their jobs.  The investment accounts are losing their value.  Prices are rising.  Education is becoming too expensive.  And on, and on, and on.  What a mind spin this can cause!  Turning on the news can just give us all a big headache and rush of anxiety.  All this bad news causes us to think “what if it happened to me?”

We don’t know what is around the corner, but we want answers, so our minds conjure up a variety of worrisome scenarios.  What if we lose our jobs and can no longer afford to put the kids through college?  What if we can’t pay the mortgage?  What if we lose our retirement?  What if the economy doesn’t recover soon?  What will we do?

What if we’re thinking about things all wrong?

Fear breeds uncertainty, and it is this uncertainty that is creating undue stress for many of us.

When we feel we must be certain of everything, and cannot tolerate any what ifs with regards to the current situation, our minds start to race.  We cannot get it out of our heads, because we cannot find the certainty we need.  Our minds are looking toward the future, and wanting to know when everything is going to get better.  We keep trying to find answers, but they are nowhere to be found.  We keep trying to overanalyze if we have made the right decisions, only to find a myriad of other questions.  We try to find blame for what is going on, but that just adds more resentment and negative feelings.  Everything seems more and more complicated, stressful, and frustrating.  How can we help ourselves?

If you can identify with these scenarios, you can stop this fearsome cycle while still taking steps to ensure that you have your bases covered financially.

Acceptance. Now it is natural to feel a sense of angst with regards to what is going on.  There has been incredible greed and mismanagement by the powers that be out there, so when I say “acceptance,” by no means am I saying that anyone should become complacent.  What I am saying is that, in your own personal life, accepting whatever situation you are in, while committing to weather it to its fullest extent, with a goal in mind of coming through as unscathed as possible, will only help you reduce stress.

Let me explain.  When you try to avoid, escape, or sugarcoat your situation, and look at it with a sense of denial or extreme negativity, then it just makes it harder to live with.  When you are always trying to escape whatever pain is at hand, the process that you may use to assuage it may end up causing you more complications in the long run.  In many ways, it may hinder progress toward a long-term solution, and this hindrance may only exacerbate the anxiety in general.

When you are accepting something for what it is, in many ways, it can help you let go of the negativity associated with it, allowing more room to make the adjustments necessary to live with your situation and make the most of it.  When you perceive something as something you must accept and deal with, while being determined to work toward better days, then your current reality will just become more bearable.

Now this may give you some things to ponder to start with, and as this will be an ongoing discussion that may cover a couple more posts, I will leave off here for now.  Check back soon for a continuation…

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The Economy, Fear, The Mainstream Media, and You

May 25

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Philosophy, Psychology, Society, The Economy, The Recession

Before all of this financial calamity, so seemingly present everywhere, did you really think much about “the economy?”  What is it really?  Is the economy something true and real, or rather just a concept?

Let’s look at it this way:  The word “economy” has a wide variety of different usages and variations of definition, but I can’t seem to find one that aligns with the way it is portrayed in almost any medium in recent times.

What I am talking about is the fear that has manifested itself into this concept and encompassing term of the worldwide financial system.

Yes, “the economy” is a real concept, and it is very important.  But just as important is the way it is perceived.

This current perception needs a major overhaul.

Simply defined on Dictionary.com in the most pertinent way, an economy in the broader sense of the word is “the management of the resources of a community, country, etc., esp. with a view to its productivity.”  With excessive fear-mongering, this “management” can get blown way off course.

Yes, there are some pretty depressing and grim financial scenarios happening all over, but the fear that these situations breed has been quite contagious, causing a ripple effect that just exacerbates the state of the current happenings.  When left uncontained, this fear can spread quickly, just like a nasty virus.

When everything is constantly perceived as doom and gloom everywhere you turn, it can subconsciously alter behavior, even if there is nothing imminent around the corner that may affect something personally.

Does this mean that you should not prepare yourself for the unexpected and not worry whatsoever about what is happening around you?  Certainly not.  You may have loved ones who have been seriously affected by layoffs, home foreclosures, excessive debt, etc.  Since these scenarios are so close to you, it may be hard to usher them away without thinking too deeply into them.

Again, there is danger and uncertainty with what is going on with regards to the recession.  But the major difference between being paralyzed with fear and just going with the flow and taking things as they come, without excessive worry, all lies in your perception.

With the 24-hour news cycle constantly chirping away in your ear minutely analyzing every single iota of every bad situation out there, the awareness of it all that subconsciously gets implanted in your mind may get a bit skewed.

fear-and-the-media

Seriously, when awash in bad news all the time, it can really change the way you think about it all.  For example, you may have been going about your day in your regular way, and then you flip on the TV, only to hear that 7,000 more people got laid off, the Dow tumbled by another 300 points, the unemployment rate has went to a higher percentage, and home values continue to plummet.  Naturally, this will bring about fearful sensations.

But what if you didn’t flip on the TV, and just went about your day in your usual manner?  Would “the economy” really be directly affecting you?

Now of course, if you have found yourself in a dire financial situation that was caused by economical factors beyond your control, resulting from the recession, then yes, it may be directly affecting you.

If not though, then you are probably carrying out your daily life in a way that is not much inherently different than before.  So if you subtract the constant barrage of bad news from it that may be skewing your approach to things, then is “the economy” really something that should be at the forefront of your mind?

And even if it has had a negative impact upon you, then the same thing applies.  Take away the things that trigger fear, and the situation is still there.  But it’s how you perceive it that can make the difference between being petrified about it, or for you to be in a calm mindset enough to accept and be at peace with it, and work toward the solution with more of a clear head, which will only increase your productivity.

It really is all about the perception.  Also, it is about how you manage your own “economy,” which is your personal financial world – your income, your expenses, your savings, etc.  When you can make the most of a seemingly bad situation by taking fear out of the equation, and really buckle down in a manner most appropriate for your situation, you may see that your own personal “economy” may really be strong enough to weather the storm, despite all that you hear every day.

Check back soon for a continuation of this, and a discussion of some ways to lessen the fear and anxiety that may be unnecessarily plaguing you during these “economic times.”

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Life is so Beautiful, So Why is a Lot of it In Danger?

May 25

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Conservation, Endangered Species, Philosophy, Photos

chameleonOkay, so I’m sitting here working on compiling some resources and pictures for an upcoming article about endangered species, and I had to take a bit of a break to write some thoughts that came to mind…

Life, and all of its millions of forms, is so beautiful, so why is it endangered?  Let me further explain this question…

When I speak of “life” in this context, I am referring to the millions of living organisms that inhabit the earth – the plants, animals, and every other living species.

Now, in our human-created society, it is easy to wander through it and be completely distracted from the natural world.  Our daily lives are so filled with responsibilities, that at times, we may forget that we are part of a much larger whole than what we directly experience everyday at home, work, school, etc.

Unfortunately, it is not as easy to truly appreciate the grandeur and wonderment that the natural world possesses when it is not directly experienced on a day-to-day basis.

But when we slow down a bit, stop, and really think about it, the natural world is an absolutely breathtaking place to be appreciated.

To just think that there a literally millions of different species in the world as a whole is just astounding.  There are species ranging from the microscopic to the mammoth in size.  All shapes, colors, abilities, demeanors, personalities, functions, and places in the world are included in the environment.

It is just as amazing too how everything is intended to function so flawlessly.  Just think about how every species plays its part and basically knows how to function and try to survive in its environment!  Through instinct, the quest for survival guides them all!

But to think about the complexity and diversity of the natural world can leave a person speechless.  The bald eagle soaring and imposing its prowess.  The migratory birds that travel thousands of miles every year.  The dolphins that can navigate throughout whole oceans, and can find their way to a specified location after many years.  Zebras whose appearance helps them ward off predators, just by their stripes.  Chameleons who can change their color to blend into their surroundings.  Plants that produce oxygen and food.  The cheetah that can give a fast sports car a run for its money.  The beauty of a native flower.  The fungi that makes a key ingredient to an important medicine.  And the list goes on and on!

But it even goes further.  Within each one of these organisms is a complex system of cells which makes it function.  Just consider the human body, for example.  Without any real consciousness, it processes food, oxygen, water, fights bacteria and viruses, maintains an energy store, replenishes that energy store, circulates nutrients to every organ in the body, heals wounds, and much, much, much more.  And it is all basically done automatically!  This is not-to-mention its senses and consciousness!

So there’s organs that make it able to see the visual world, interpret the auditory realm, feel the sensual, taste the flavorful, and smell the aromatic.  All of these senses help protect it by allowing it to navigate and avoid hazards.

But furthermore, it has the ability to think and be aware.  It can process hundreds of stimuli every second.   It can create, communicate, love, and appreciate.

And in one way or another, so can every other animal, in its own way!

The beauty that lies within this mystery is almost incomprehensible…

But it’s also incomprehensible that a large number of the natural species in the world are threatened or endangered.
So that’s where we, as stewards of the earth, have the opportunity to help conserve, restore, and work toward lessening the threats to these species.

Just stop and think for a second.  Isn’t something so astounding worth preserving?

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Random Thoughts of the Day: Considering “The Fun of Frugality”

May 20

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Philosophy, Society

During these current economic times, there has been a renewed interest by many people into the concept of frugality.  Many individuals have found that they can save a good deal of money by not conforming to mass consumerism, but instead, being mindful of only spending and consuming what they actually need to.  Some folks may say that this is not “fun,” so here are some thoughts about that…

Sometimes it’s easy to get the notion that being frugal gets labeled as being “cheap,” “boring,” or just plain “uncool.”  Other times, some may think that frugal people are not living life to the fullest, and are constricting themselves too much by pinching every possible penny they can.  I am here to squash those notions.

Of course there are extremes with regards to anything, but the general sense of being frugal and cost-conscious doesn’t define a person.  And I’m not a big fan of labels anyways.  Just because a person uses generic products, for example, certainly doesn’t mean that he or she doesn’t have good taste in food.  Sometimes, it may just be an example of them being open-minded.

To start, I would say that, myself included, many frugal people have different priorities about what to do with their money. It could be summed up as “save now to enjoy later.”  Now this has nothing to do with leading a boring life now to enjoy a more monetarily fruitful one later.  I would say that instead, it more has to do with the importance that material possessions play in one’s life.

For me, when I do splurge on something, it more often involves spending money on an experience, rather than something immediately tangible, like a new flat-screen TV or something.  I find the enjoyment of the memories that are created are more valuable to me than the latest gadget.  For example, my fiancé and I love to travel, and have taken some great trips to several international locations.  These experiences allowed for some great adventures, and we were able to experience new places, cultures, cuisine, and more.  And most of all, the sensible frugality that allowed us to afford such wonderful trips paid off, and permitted us to enjoy the fruits of our efforts.

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The frugal lifestyle is usually quite an active one. Think penny-pinchers spend all day at home tending to their garden and squeezing every last drop out of the ketchup bottle?  Think again!  At least in my case, I like to get out and explore.  I love really doing anything outdoors whenever I get the chance.  Exploring new places is always enjoyable.  I really enjoy the arts, going to a basketball game, going out to eat, comedy shows, concerts, etc.  Granted, these events are not an every-weekend thing, but they are enjoyed at regular intervals.  The cool thing is that I can use my sense of being cost-conscious, and enjoy these events on regular occurrences, because there are many ways to do so on the cheap!  I could care less if I sit in “nosebleed” seats at a basketball game or concert.  Again, it’s all about the experience!  I can still see and enjoy the game from the top, and it only costs $10!  Concert tickets can be as low as $25 for general admission seating, and a Diamondbacks baseball game can be seen for $5!  And with the regular amount of money going into savings from the frugal lifestyle, if my favorite band comes into town or the Phoenix Suns play one of my favorite match-ups, then there is room to splurge on better seats.

There is less stress. By living within my means, I don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck, and as a result, I don’t have to worry about how to pay the loan on the $2,000 TV or the lease on the BMW if something were to happen to my income.

Frugality means being content with what you have. In many ways, I think it means being more resistant to the consumer-oriented mindset.  There’s always something new that comes on the market that can make you feel less content with what you have, because something “better” has come out.  So some may sacrifice some dollars to stay in the game, and discard their old, but very functional items to “upgrade.”  I have a 36-inch conventional tube TV that I paid very little for when they were being phased out of stores.  It works great, and the picture is very nice.  Granted, it’s not in HD and isn’t LCD or plasma or whatever the new thing is, but I can watch DVDs with about as clear picture as necessary, so why would I want to get rid of that and unnecessarily spend $1,500 on something that serves the same general purpose, but may have a crisper picture?

The things I have fit my needs.  If I was living in poverty with very few possessions, and all of a sudden started making a great income that allowed me to purchase new items I’ve never had before, then I would be interested in some “upgrading!”  But I feel I have everything I need for now, and I make the most of them.  And there’s certainly no feeling of deprivation or being substandard because my 12” Pioneer stereo speakers were purchased in 1993!  They still sound as good as they did 16 years ago and shake the walls when I want them to!  Yeah, I could get “better” ones if I wanted to, but why?

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Most importantly, I think a frugal attitude is one that allows you to focus on what’s really important in life. Instead of succumbing to the modern-day, disposable, consumption-based society characteristic of most industrialized countries, you can free up your dollars to be put toward things that may allow you to enjoy a life that aligns more with your dreams, aspirations, and goals.  Furthermore, it can help ensure the sustainability of your quality of life, by allowing for a sound financial future.

One of my fiancé and my goals is to achieve financial independence, and live on our own terms as early as possible.  In other words, this would be creating a sustainable and successful business which allows for us to live wherever we want, and to not have our lives be dictated by an employer, corporation, and such.  Being frugal allows us to develop the tools needed to achieve these goals, and can help accelerate us toward the goal of retiring as early as possible, and to be able to live comfortably for the rest of our lives without having to worry about money.

Would I set those goals back in order to have the latest and greatest gadgets, wear the most expensive clothes to make a fashion statement, or be tied to a $650/month auto lease to drive only in “luxury?”  I think not.

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Low Gas Prices…A Relief?

May 16

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Philosophy

I never thought I would see the day again where gas prices dropped below $2.00 a gallon, especially after summer 2008.  And what a relief it is for the old wallet!

Today I gassed up my Honda, and it cost about $13 to fill the tank.  I hadn’t filled up for nine days.  Now that is some cheap driving!

So I suppose now that gas is so affordable, we all should feel comfortable knowing that even if it does go up a bit from here, it shouldn’t impact us too much, because we were so used to paying from $2.50 - $3.50 a gallon for a long time.  And, with OPEC having to cut back production, it must mean that there is a surplus in supply, so the alarms we heard coming from those warning us of an oil shock were probably just a bunch of empty words backed up with fallible statistics, right?

Let’s take a deep examination into why I feel that the scenario I present above is wrong!  But I’m going to leave research and statistics out of this one, and just use some casual observations mixed with some logic.

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So yes, we are saving money with lower gas prices, and saving in any sense is very important to our households right now and always.  And it is affirmative that demand for oil has went down recently, despite the tumbling cost of crude.  From all this, it is easy to feel a renewed sense of security – like cheap oil is here to stay.

These notions set in motion the illusion that we can once again rest on our laurels and put a push for renewable energy, and the monetary support that goes along with it, on the back burner.

As a collective society, if we continue to allow this to happen, then the money we save now by not doing anything will pave the way for us to spend an exponential amount later.

We are a society which is overwhelmingly reliant on oil-based resources, so as a result, it is easy to pull the wool over our eyes and not push down on the accelerator pedal toward a transition to alternative energies.  Maybe it is because it all seems too hard?

I have touched on my views about this before, but in a nutshell, when challenges are set by humanity, and they have the assembled foundation of people, money, resources, and will behind them, then they are usually achieved.  One only needs to look back at history to see examples of this.

Even in these economic straits characteristic of today, if we challenge ourselves, as a societal whole, to build for ourselves a sustainable future, and back it up with logic and a desire to leave the world a better place then we found it, for at the very least the sake of our children and generations to come, then it is most certainly possible.
Achieving success with regards to an ultimatum that is so enormous in task might seem unfathomable, but so too is the consequence that can and will likely result from doing nothing, or too little too late.

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The picture of society, hypothetically for instance, in the year 2100, has always conjured up disturbing images in my mind ever since I was about 12-years-old.  Just from a curious, and mostly uneducated observation of the world around me at such a young age, I couldn’t imagine how such a world could sustain itself for centuries in the future.  It just didn’t seem to make any sense to me how this all could continue, without making drastic changes.

And that was about twenty years ago!  Unfortunately, my outlook hasn’t changed much, even after two decades of learning much more about the world, and analyzing its intricacies ad nauseum.

Most of this comes from a perception of the industrial aspect of the world, and the resulting commercialization and industrialization of every resource it can get its hands on.  There is so much waste and misappropriation in every aspect of society, that the natural resources of our habitat are being unnecessarily squandered and disposed of.  It has become our modern way of life.

So just like species in the natural world that have been displaced, and are now forced to adapt to the new world around them, so must we.

If anything these economic times teaches us, the notion of conservation should take precedence over all others.  We must adapt to a new sense of place in the order of things, rather than expecting everything to adapt to us.

Conserving at home, conserving at work, conserving resources, and conserving our energies, through simplification of life in general should be the name of the game.  We are living in the perceived abundance of years past, in many cases expecting the state of the world to conform and adjust to us.  But that is not generally how things work.

Hence the challenge at hand.  We need to look at this economic situation as an opportunity, and seize it in any way we can.  As old ways and methods die off, new ones can and will take their place in a 21st century economy.  You can bet that there are many entrepreneurs who are gazing through this looking glass, and seeking out their niche with which they can thrive.

And what a better area than one with the most aggregate demand – energy.  Unfortunately though, old ingrained beliefs about it all are putting up a very strong barrier to full-scale breakthroughs.  Since oil is such a giant industry, it takes a major shift in policy, attitude, and consumer habit to catapult into the forefront those who are putting the aspiration and weight behind the need for an alternative.

So what can comprise a change in these areas and speed up the action?

The adaptation toward a temporary adjustment period and the understanding that if we act now, we can replace the ominous images of the world in century or so with a much more pleasant one that can outlast the age of oil.

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Many Cool Ways to Save Energy!

May 10

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Conservation, Philosophy, Saving Energy, Society, The Recession, There Are Alternatives To...

There are many ways to survive a recession.  One of these methods is to determine many ways to save money on your electric, gas, or water bill.  Here are some suggestions:

Sometimes we may think that the energy bill just comes in the mail with a random amount on it that we have to pay.  When it is higher than we expect, we may get upset and complain about high energy prices.  Yes, these prices have went up drastically in the recent past, but the most important factor in keeping energy bills low is you.

We have all grown up in a world characterized by cheap, plentiful energy.  We flip on the light switch, and the light turns on.  Most of the time, we may not think of it much past that.  It’s just an automatic part of life.

Or, we may be cognizant that keeping on the lights and heat does cost a good amount of money, but we may only know how to conserve to a certain extent.

There really are so many ways to conserve, many of which may not be commonplace, that you can save a surprising amount of energy!  Here are some ways in detail…

So let’s start with some of the basics.

Be consistently mindful of your AC or Heat settings. And you don’t need a programmable thermostat.  Many times, we may set the thermostat to the setting we find most comfortable to us, and just leave it at that, whether we are home, asleep, or away.  I can tell you that this will gobble up a tremendous amount of money!  First of all, experiment with some lower temperature settings (for the heat), or some higher temperature settings (for the AC).  At my home, I usually keep the AC on 83 degrees during the Arizona summer, and the heat at 69 degrees during the winter.  I would guess that by those settings, I save about $50 - $75 a month on the energy bills.  Yes, they may not be ideally comfortable, and those with sensitive health conditions may need to be careful about what settings they choose, but I can tell you that getting used to them was not all that difficult, and I barely even notice.

But if you like your AC at 72 degrees, you are likely not going to increase the temp setting by 11 degrees, so start off by doing whatever works for you.  I think a good rule of thumb would be starting with a 2 – 3 degree increase, trying it out, and then working from there.  I bet after a few days, you will not even notice, but you will when you get your electric bill!

So when I say “be mindful” of the settings, this also includes realizing the times where you may not need to cool or heat the house as much.  If no one is at home during the day, make it a habit to adjust the temperature to a more energy-efficient setting before you leave.  The same goes for when you sleep.  This will save a tremendous amount of money.

how-to-save-money-on-energyPay attention to the weather, and use it to your advantage. The months of March – May and October – November are great months in my part of Arizona for opening the windows and keeping the AC and heat off most of the time.  My point here is to remember that there is nothing better than some fresh air and a breeze to help cool or heat your home when it is mild enough outside.  You don’t always have to rely on your thermostat to keep your house at an acceptable temperature.

The same goes for sunshine.  If it is cold outside, but the sun is shining, then open up your window coverings and let in the light!  This will help naturally heat your home a bit, and keep those energy bills down.  Something similar goes for a hot day.  Keep the window coverings closed on a sweltering summer day.

Dress for the occasion!  You will feel warmer at home during the winter if you wears jeans and sweaters around the house, allowing you to keep the thermostat at a lower setting.  The same goes for the summer.  Dress light and comfortably, and feel maximum coolness!

One of the things I think many people easily overlook is their landscape irrigation.  These days in the age of automatic timers, it’s easy to just set them and forget them.  In the mostly rare occasion of rain here, it always makes for an interesting sight when I see lawn sprinklers running when it is pouring rain.  If that is not literally pouring money down the drain, then I don’t know what is.  So remember, when you know rain is coming in, turn off your irrigation timers, and leave a note on your refrigerator to turn them back on once you feel that the plants have soaked up all that rainwater, and are ready to be irrigated again.  If I get an inch of rain here, I usually leave the irrigation off for about 7 – 10 days, and everything is just fine.  But of course that varies depending on your vegetation.

So that brings me to my next point – if you are not overly familiar with your vegetation’s watering needs, do some accurate research.  Yeah, your neighbor or your home’s previous owner may recommend one thing, but I am always a person to check for myself.  When I bought my house, the previous owners had the irrigation times set for a total cumulative watering time of 3 hours per week for everything.  I thought that was way too much, so I did some research and experimentation.  I only water everything now for 1 hour per week, and have been doing so for over 2 years, and everything still looks great.  That saves me about 3 – 4 thousand gallons of water per month, and a good amount of money!

Use a heavy blanket in the winter, or sleep with virtually nothing in the summer. No need for much explanation here!

Use ceiling fans whenever possible. This will help you feel cooler during the summer by circulating air toward you, or warmer in the winter by helping circulate the air up and throughout the room.  Just be sure to use the adjustment switch on the fan for the appropriate season and to set your thermostat to an energy-efficient setting.

Consider using a small space heater or AC unit in your bedroom at night. The first rule of thumb here is safety.  Only use a unit that appears safe to you and that you know how to use properly by consulting the owners manual.  We use a small space heater in our bedroom at night during the winter.  It has a thermostat on it, so it will turn on and shut off just like the regular heat, and keep the room at a steady temperature.  This way we can feel warm and cozy there, but can set the thermostat at a lower setting, because the rest of the house can then be much cooler.

Let there be less light in the house! We are all accustomed to having everything well-illuminated, everywhere.  Our streets, parking lots, stores, and especially homes, are bright, bright, bright.  Granted, in some cases, this is for safety reasons.  But ask the question of yourself – is the amount of lighting in my home really necessary?  I bet that most of the time, the answer will be no.

Do you leave lights on in rooms that you are not using?  Do you have too many lights on in one room?  Could the wattage be lowered?  Do you have outdoor lights on, even though there is a bright streetlight shining on the front of your house, giving you free illumination by the city?  These are good questions to ask.

My fiancé and I have an ingrained habit of always shutting off lights in rooms or areas we are not using.  Seriously, it is an absolute habit that we do without even thinking about it.  We use CFLs (compact fluorescent bulbs) in as many areas as we can.  They use about ¼ of the energy, and last sometimes 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs.  Even though they are a bit more expensive to purchase up front, they save money over the long run, and are actually less expensive than you think – some now cost around $1.50 per bulb.

There have been some other ways we have been able to cut back on light usage as well.  In our master bathroom, we have a large window, but it is on a side of the house that doesn’t get ample light, so it is still necessary to turn on the lights inside.  The standard fixture in the bathroom has 8 vanity light bulbs.  Even using 40-watt bulbs, this gives off 320 watts of light, and gobbles up money.  And we are not fans of overly bright rooms, so we just put a small lamp on the bathroom counter, with a 40-watt equivalent CFL that uses 11 watts.  This gives us enough light to get ready in the morning, but uses 309 less watts of energy!

how-to-use-less-waterUse less water. This is an area where you can save a huge amount.  Just like energy, we have all become accustomed to having plentiful, cheap water at our disposal.  We turn on the tap and let it run, without thinking much about it.  I think the most important point here is to make it a habit to “be mindful” about how much water you use, and conserve it during every opportunity.  Here is a list of easy ways to do so:

Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving.  Really, all you have to do when shaving it to turn the tap on to rinse the razor when needed, and then shut it off until the next time.  Period.  I have been shaving this way for years, and it wouldn’t make sense to me any other way.

And while doing this, or using the sink in your bathroom for any other reason right before your shower, use the hot water tap.  This will help get the hot water to your bathroom while using it for other things that don’t require it to be hot, so that by the time your are ready to shower, you won’t have to wait as long for it to get hot!

Don’t turn on the shower, and go do other tasks that take time.  If you are turning on the shower for it to get hot, and then going to start breakfast for the kids, you may be letting the shower run for five minutes unnecessarily.  Turn it on and let it run while you get undressed or use the toilet, and by the time you are done, it will almost certainly be ready to go!

Try to reduce your showering time to 3 – 7 minutes.  You can do it!

If you live in an arid climate, think about getting rid of your lawn!  Plant vegetation that is native to your area, and uses less water (especially important here in the desert).

Don’t use a hose to wash your car.  A sponge, rag, and bucket will do the trick just fine!

When washing or rinsing anything in the sink, don’t run the faucet on full blast.  You will surprise yourself with how much you can do with less.

If your clothes washer was built within the last 10 - 15 years, it will almost certainly have a setting for how large of a load you are washing.  This controls the amount of water used.  Use it!

The same goes for your dishwasher.  It will likely have a setting for saving water.

Check for plumbing leaks anywhere in the house.  This is a sure way to save loads of money, if you find something leaking.

Closely examine your water bill when it comes.  If you think you are being billed for too much water usage, check your meter on the day of the month the bills show the meter as being read.  Then check it exactly one month later, and see if it matches the bill.  If not, contact your water company to get it corrected.  I have heard of many people who have found substantial errors on their bills!

Be mindful of how much hot water you use. Most of the time, clothes that are washed in the washer do not need to be washed in hot, or even warm water.  I have been washing everything in cold water for years, and my clothes look fine.  And don’t fall for the marketing gimmicks that may make you think you need their special “cold water” detergent.  Personally, I think that the fancy detergents that have all the “bells and whistles” listed on their package make no difference.  I have been using a basic, no frills detergent for a long time, and my clothes come out looking great.

Also, look at other ways you use hot water.  Do you use it to wash your hands, even during the summer?  Do you take steaming hot showers that almost scald you?  Do you use it to rinse off dishes before you put them in the dishwasher?  Think about these and any other areas, and ask yourself if you really need to do so.

Adjust the setting on your water heater.  Most of them only need to be set around 120 – 122 degrees to keep a good, hot supply.

Only run your dishashwer or clothes washer with full loads. This will save on the amount of energy and water used by running less loads.

Line dry your clothes if at all possible. The clothes dryer uses a large amount of energy and money.

Check your refrigerator and freezer settings. Do you have them set on the coldest settings?  It is likely you don’t need them that cold.  Although this may vary by the type of food stored, and you will want to decide on a temperature that will keep your food safe (that is up to you to research and decide), it is very likely that you can get by with having it set on the mid-point or just below.

Do you have a refrigerator in your garage just to store beverages or other items in bulk? Consider consolidating them in your main unit.  I bet with careful organization, you can get it all to fit.  Then, you can disconnect and sell your second fridge!  And as a side note, keeping a refrigerator/freezer in a garage that is not climate-controlled is a definite energy hog.

Turn off your computer, or other electronics that have a stand-by mode, when you are not using them. Your computer does not have to be on 24/7.  Leave it on “stand-by” if you think you will use it again in a couple hours or so, but when you know you’re done for the day, shut it off.  The same goes for your monitor, printer, or other electronics.

Connect your electronics (TV, DVD player, computer, etc.) to a surge-protecting power strip. When you are done using them, switch the power strip to off, and you will prevent them from sucking up electricity.  Many of them will continue to draw a small amount (and sometimes large) of electricity when off or in stand-by mode.

When you see your mp3 player, cell phone, or other rechargeable device is finished charging, unplug the charger cord. This will prevent the transformer in the charger from continuing to draw electricity.

These are some basic things that you can do to save money and energy at home, without really having to invest much on anything!  Make it a challenge for yourself to save a combined total of $100 per month on your energy and water bills.  I can almost guarantee that you can do it.

There are many more ways to really cut back on energy usage.  These typically include making investments in more energy-efficient appliances, or by making some changes around the house in terms of structure or insulation.  I may cover those more in depth at a later time, but this should give you a good start for now!

I welcome comments with any other suggestions you may have!

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Conservation is Automatic, Efficiency Abounds, Wastefulness is Non-Existent

May 4

Posted by Fish Eyed View in Archives, Conservation, Philosophy, Society, The Recession

And now for the final post in this series…

One of the easiest and most important things that can be learned from the way the natural world around us uses resources is that frugality is essentially the norm within ecosystems and their realm of species.

It could be said then that within the natural world, conservation is automatic, efficiency abounds, and wastefulness is essentially non-existent.  It is the way the natural world operates, and is what keeps it in a harmonious balance.  There is a use for everything, and nothing goes to waste.

Fast forward to the human-created industrial machine and the commercialistic society where we in the civilized world live.  These principles do not seem to be the norm, and as a result, things have become out of balance, which are having a ripple effect upon the natural world, which has contributed to putting it out of balance.  This has a negative effect upon all of us, much of which is rearing its ugly head during these times of economic and environmental crisis.

But can we extract these simple and effective principles with which the natural world operates and apply them to our daily lives and society to help save money and resources?

By all means yes.  If there is anything which can help direct the economy and environment toward a better balance, these principles can…

Conservation is automatic. Hyper-consumption, which is promoted and encouraged by many factors of our society, leads to large profits by some, but also leads to an extreme amount of waste by many.  Our society has become one that runs on a philosophy that things are disposable.  After all, the more things get thrown away and wasted, the more void there is to fill with new products.  It creates a market for them, which fills the coffers of companies with more and more profit in the short-term.  But what about the long-term?

There is a breaking point, and we seem to be in it right now.

Societies that operate on this principle cannot be perpetually sustainable, period.  There is only a limited number of resources within our world, so there is no room for waste.  That is why the natural world has evolved and adapted around this principle, and that is why it has sustained itself for millions of years.

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Like I mentioned in a previous post, money, in essence, is not natural.  Yes, indeed, it is an important and useful tool, but the inherent philosophy that it drives is not generally compatible with nature.  The economy will become much more sustainable over the long-term if it operates by a philosophy of ensured sustainability, rather than a nearsighted philosophy of obtaining maximum profitability in the short-term.  This nearsightedness allows for waste, because the convenience of taking the easiest route to the most money can cloud vision and block out the long-term effects of this easy wastefulness.

The world will benefit greatly if the general principle of conservation is adopted on a wide-scale.  But so too will your household…

Put in simple terms, the less products you consume in your home, the less money you are spending.  In the future, I will post about many ways you can conserve around the house and save money to help give some ideas, but take a simple examination of the things you use, and you may see many opportunities for where you can reduce the amount of something you consume or where you can reuse something that may otherwise be headed for the trash bin.

A good place to start would be anything related to food, but more on that later…

Efficiency abounds. The biological systems of nature are extraordinarily efficient.  Materials, nutrients, and resources are used in a way that makes them last the longest and in a way where the maximum benefit is achieved.  Applying this principle around the home can save a lot of money, and prevent you from buying more than you really need.  Look for ways where you find opportunities to apply this.  Can you use one paper towel instead of two when cleaning?  Would a 40-watt light bulb have the same end result as a 60-watt, therefore saving 20 watts of energy, but making no noticeable difference?  How about brown bags for lunch?  Do you find yourself using a new one every day, where instead you may be able to reuse an old plastic shopping bag?

You get the picture.  There may be dozens of ways with which materials you use could be used even more efficiently, thereby saving you money.

Wastefulness is non-existent. As a result of the principles above, virtually nothing in nature goes to waste.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?  It really is.  All it takes is keeping these principles at the forefront of your decision making.

When it is fully understood that the less resources used equals money saved across the board, then eventually, things can help get back toward more balance.

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