Category Archives: Environment

Is It Easier To Be Financially Successful In California?

by

While reading a post called “East Coast Living – Is It Really That Bad?” at the ever popular pf (personal finance) blog site: Financial Samurai, Sam pretends to try and justify the reasons that people would choose to live on the East Coast instead of the West Coast (and in particular San Fran), all the while really identifying why the West Coast is a superior place to live.

Like most articles Sam writes, it was a cleverly controversial piece and is designed to make you think hard about the reasons you do live anywhere else other than California (or the West Coast).  While reading it, my mind wandered like it sometimes does… and I started thinking perhaps the Sunshine state really does have a financial advantage over the other states on the East Coast (and the midwestern states too for that matter).

Advantages of the perfect weather in California (in particular San Francisco):

  • More sunlight during winter months which may induce a more pleasant state of being.  There has been studies that promote the idea that winter blahs are caused by the reduced sunlight, which leads to a form of temporary depression.
  • They have less rainy days, so the residents can be more active and get more done.
  • Reduced heating and cooling utility bills, since they have perfect weather.
  • A consistent temperature!  Since San Francisco has the optimal weather, logic would dictate that the people living there would also be operating optimally.

Or maybe I’m wrong, perhaps this environment is so pleasant that the perfect state of being is a distraction with all of the great things to be done in such a perfect, consistent climate?  Perhaps it’s easy to forgo doing work and instead go out and enjoy the endless supply of perfect days?

Since California has the most millionaires of all the states, I’d would say that the theory that the perfect weather aids in your financial success might be plausible!  Or is it a spurious correlation?

Without the seasons, I wonder if time seems to slip by more quickly for those living in a perfect climate?  I hope it’s not like you move to Cali when you are in your 20s, and then the next day your are in your 60s and retired?  Maybe life isn’t as fulfilling without a bit of hardships (or nasty weather) to overcome?  Or perhaps people work harder to create their own challenges?

Does this make sense or am I way out in left field?

-MR

Lemons to Lemonade – Lessons Learned From A Broken Lawnmower

by

Well, I pulled the cord on my lawnmower and broke it yet again.  I’ve mentioned  problems with my lawnmower in the past.  I’ve always been able to fix it at a fair price, but now it’s breaking down more frequently. 

The engine is smoking slightly, the deck is rusting, the seals are leaking, the wheels are shot (bearings lost a long time ago).  I’m really thinging about buying a new lawnmower… but next year!

Why next year?

Because it’s a challenge, but with a twist!  If a repair cost more than $20.00 then from this point on, I’m scrapping this lawnmower and going to buy a new one!

Why I’m not scrapping it now is because I’ve learned too much from the lawnmower to do that!  I’ve fixed (or had it fixed) numerous times, I’ve taken the mower apart and thought through my problems.  I’ve see all of my neighbors experience problems with theirs, with the end result having them buying new ones.  I get a strange sense of pride just because mine is still being used, while theirs is in a landfill somewhere (probably leaking oil).  I’m also proud because it’s the green thing to do!

So I’ll tinker with my lawnmower one more year…  It’s hard to get rid of “Mean Green“, since I’ve leaned a lot about fixing things through him.  While he has been a source of frustration, he’s also been a confidence builder.  In our “buy and throw it away” world, rarely do we get opportunities to get your hands dirty and learn about things we don’t know.

I could choose to break down and buy a new one, but I think “Mean Green” has one more year left! 

I wonder if anyone else have a tool or vehicle that they are having a hard time parting with?

-MR

Lemons to Lemonade – Junk Mail Revenge!

by

Mail, mail everywhere

I use to hate getting junk and snail mail every day. 

It’s very rare that a day goes by without us getting some form of mail in our mailbox.  It’s possible to contact each mailer of junk mail and request that they stop sending you the junk mail and they have to, but that won’t totally stop it…  And besides, there are other type of mail that you get in your mailbox that isn’t junk mail, like various types of bills and banking/checking/investing account statements, etc… 

So I decided at the beginning of this year to see if I could put a spin on this mail waste in some way that it might benefit me!  Surprisingly, I was able to, especially for the back of the envelopes!  

Here are a few of my uses and suggestions: 

  • Use them to jot down ideas for blog topics (my favorite use).  They are the perfect scratchpad for brainstorming .
  • If you use a knife to open them, you can use them for holding coupons (I don’t do this yet, but I would if I did).
  • During research for investments, jot down the company and ticker, current price, dividend, and date of the stock.  Put then in a pile to be reviewed when making investment decisions.
  • Use the envelopes to keep score when we play games like yahtzee, greed and certain card games!
  • For the similarly sized envelopes, I keep a few in a small stack in the drawer by the phone and use them to take messages on.
  • After doing the suggestions above, use the envelopes as part of your garden compost pile, if you do gardening.  While it won’t add up to much, it will complete the cycle (as in recycling) and is very green!  Make sure you don’t include any envelopes that has a plastic see through window!

The main idea is that the back of the envelopes has a plain white surface, perfect for jotting something down on! 

While reusing envelopes may seem small and trite and not worth it, I say “Why not“? 

You are doing the environment good by not sending the envelopes directly to the junkyard, and squeezing an extra use out of something that is effectively trash! 

Can you think of additional uses for your junk mail (or junk mail envelopes)?  If so, please respond!  I’m always looking for better ways to use them!  Humorous responses are welcome too! 🙂

-D

Going With Paperless Statements, My Struggles Letting Go

by

I currently get 5 separate monthly statements for 5 different accounts (my standard acct, 2 roths, 2 kids accounts) with my broker (and that number may increase to 6 soon). Each statement is at least 4 separate pages each. So I get 20 pages, plus the paper for the envelope, and any additional add pamphlets that might be included inside the envelope.

I’ve been getting mailed statements ever since I was in high school.  I have a complete history of my primary brokerage account statements printed out. I know if I were to get them in electronic format, most likely, I’d print them out at home and put them in their respective notebooks.

So, if I were to go the paperless route as my broker would like me to do, that would mean that I would have to incur the printing costs. I’m just not ready to go that route yet, I don’t see any direct benefit in it for me.

 

This makes me feel slightly guilty on 2 levels.

  • I shouldn’t be receiving the printout of the documents, but I feel nice and secure knowing that I have a hard copy…  I don’ t know why I feel I need this, but I do.
  • I’m contributing (in a very small way) to the destruction of trees needlessly.  I don’t like knowing this…

 

So I came up with this compromising solution:

  • Change all of my brokerage account setup so that I only receive electronic statements.
  • Have the e-statements setup go a new email account that I’ll setup to receive just brokerage statements
  • Within the email accounts setup a special folder called Acct_Statements, just to prevent accidental deletions from occurring in the my inbox.
  • Only print the summarization page of my estatment and put it in my account notebook.

Doing the steps outlined above will still cost me some money, but not much.  Plus, I get the privilege of feeling like I make a difference since I’m not using as much paper, thus lessening the need to cut down more trees (in a very very very small way of course…)

So my question is, do you still get statement printouts mailed to you?  Or do you have a better solution?

I think I will finish this year still receiving my account statements this way, but in 2011, I may go with the method I described above.  Unless someone can provide a better solution…

-D