Handling the elephants
September 16, 2008 By: almostgotit Category: Uncategorized, budgeting, economizing, finances, gas prices, saving money, unemployment, working
My 12 year old made this collage. It is captioned thus: “If we cut down the forests, where will we put the elephants?”
Today I’m trying to organize a lot of elephants myself. After a weekend with gas hitting $5 a gallon, followed by yesterday’s stock market crash, it occurs to me that I need to do a better job at saving money *and* retaining the few clients I currently have. Nor is feeling like a limp noodle for a week or so any excuse (though yes, thank you, I’m feeling much better.)
So: I started off the morning with several car-less errands to save gas*and* get my sloggy old elephant blood going. Trotted to the vet for some flea meds, then to the drug store, then to the housewares outlet store, and finally to the market for dinner makings. The chicken from the market went into the crockpot when I got home, and that’s to save some money.
Cutting up and pulling the skin off a dead chicken — eww. I’d forgotten about that part of cooking. Usually I just buy skinless chicken breasts, and *that’s* when I actually cook anymore. Why aren’t we all vegetarians, again?
And for this afternoon: phone calls, emails, and hunkering down with my word processor.
How about you? How are you responding to the economic news of late?
September 16th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
How am I responding…well, I don’t actually have my head in the oven yet but that’s only because I can’t afford the gas.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Let’s just say the Fred Astaire system did us a big favor by opening a studio 3.8 miles from our house so we don’t have to drive 40 miles anymore …
September 17th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Yes, well, how about this? I’ve spent the last two days in a bit of a funk because the money I saved while working is in VALIC, owned by somebody else, a subsidiary of AIG–who was tanking, and it appeared there would be no bailout (interesting, no? that the folks who are so opposed to government interference unless it is war, are so eager for a govt. handout). When consulting with someone Who Knew Something, I found that my money might be in danger because the “fixed” accts. (money that would accrue no matter what the stock mkt. was doing) were on the insurance side and that was what was in danger. It’s just money, I keep saying to myself, breathing deeply, and kissing my granddaughter again and reminding myself that richness in family is worth far more than any amount of money.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:55 am
@Jan: LOL, and thank God for such back-handed yet life-saving “favors.”
@Dennis: so who does the dancing at your house, the vizslas or the peeplas?
@Kathy, oh Kathy… I do hope with you that things rally soon. And also believe, with you, at least in my best moments, that “it’s only money” and family is far, far more important.
BTW: It only occurred to me later that the imagery of “elephants” might have any larger significance. I might have seen it sooner had my daughter made a pastiche of donkeys…
September 17th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I think they represent the elephant in the living room–”it’s the economy, stupid.”
September 17th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I syphoned the last gallon of gas out of my ‘79 Ford Granata, pushed it off a cliff, reported it stolen, and traded the gas for two chickens and a goat.
September 17th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Oh Dear. What am I going to do with you people…