I am the kind of person who often over estimates costs and underestimates income and revenues. I tend to take a very conservative approach to life, I’m always worried about the worse case scenario maybe a bit too much. Catastrophizing.
Inflation is a bit of an annoyance now but my real concern is how much it is stealing from my future. Every dollar I spend now on more more expensive gas and food is a dollar that I don’t have for my future to grow and eventually buy the big things I want – land, equipment, animals. And the thing is I’m particularly hard hit by inflation because I drive a big jacked up truck and food because I have very basic tastes.
I see inflation every time go to the grocery store, gas up or wash my truck. Everything just seems like it’s getting more expensive. Even recycling at the transfer station is more these days. I make a lot more money than just a few years ago, but I don’t make that extra money to just blow it on today’s inflated prices. I want to save it for a better tomorrow.
Truth be told, my bimonthly savings and investments have been good over the past decade. Things have grown well, much faster than the rate of inflation. Some very well. But it’s getting harder to beat inflation and get good returns with prices going up so quickly. Years ago I bought some energy stocks but stopped adding to it after many years of lackluster growth and endless yearly taxable dividend payments. I probably also keep too much in ordinary “high–er” interest savings and CDs but I want to have something to fall back on should I lose my job, get seriously injured or need to junk my truck.
Lately I’ve cut out all but essential trips like visiting my elderly parents once a week and a one a week drive to the grocery store. In March I drove all of 116 miles, walking 178 miles and riding city buses 278 miles. I’ve had the heat off for several weeks, I avoid having the lights on at night and unplug everything when not in use.
I’ve done the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and even tried lentils. I’m not a big fan of lentils – they’re such a yuppie food and kind of stinky too boot. I mean their not bad, and pretty cheap but by the time you add spices they’re not a big savings. I’d rather just do ordinary pasta. I rarely eat meat and while I’m a big fan of dairy, it just gets harder and harder to cut food expenses especially when even bulk packages at Walmart are increasing in prices.
Ultimately, I do have faith that my variety of investments will grow faster than inflation. Even as I grumble at the grocery store, I’m living within my means even if at times the budget is tight. Lately it hasn’t been quite as crunched although when I start traveling more come summer, costs will escalate. I’m a lot better off than many and if I stay the course, live frugally, a better tomorrow will come even if inflation poses challenges today.
As soon as I heard about the Nashville School Shooting I had to think that the politicians were just salivating over all the political spin they could get out of it.
Liberals had to be delighted that the shooter used an AR-15 and was obviously mentally ill. Yet another example of why we need common sense gun safety reforms banning modern sporting rifles and red flag laws. The army of highly paid lobbyists and their gullable followers descended on TV studios and the Tennessee State house.
Conservatives at the same time got a story about how a transvestite murdered beautiful Christian children in a horrendous hate crime against Christian families everywhere. If there ever was a case to prevent the indoctrination of children from drag queens and the trans lifestyle this was it. Gender affirming care is literally leading to hatred and ultimately the murder of child.
Like normal, television stations across the country got hours and hours of highly valuable content for the advertisers, school security vendors and police departments knew they could now count on billions in extra government largess. Even individual police officers get to look forward to extra hours of overtime that can buy that new bass boat. District attorneys get to raise their profiles and use it as a spring board to higher office.
But that’s not new. What is new is how this latest shooting has become so good for both political parties. In some ways that’s actually a bit alarming as it means there is even less incentives for all those involved to stop these horrific crimes from occurring. It’s just become red meat for the party bases, something making the parties richer while making the public less safe while taking away our civil liberties and rights.
I had the same thought yesterday. Really it figures. That said I’m hopeful by afternoon it will be quite nice, the high sun angle and bright sun helps a lot.
Kind of looking forward to that warmer weather and sleeping with the windows open again. I’ll have to get the fan out and put away the electric blanket for the season though we could still have a few more cold nights in the second half of the month.
Today. Feels like …
March 8th.
Sunny.
North wind around 11 mph.
and
42 degrees
,
7:31
sunset.
Tonight. Feels like …
February 25th.
Mostly clear.
North wind around 7 mph.
and
20 degrees
,13 max wind chill,
6:24
sunrise.
Sunday. Feels like …
March 19th.
Sunny.
North wind 6 to 8 mph.
and
46 degrees
,
7:32
sunset.
Sunday Night. Feels like …
March 10th.
Clear.
Northwest wind around 7 mph becoming west after midnight.
Slower start to my Saturday then predicted due to the wind. If I had to choose I’d prefer the cold to the wind.
Sunny and a cold 28 degrees at the Rensselaerville State Forest. There is a north-northwest breeze at 11 mph. . The sun is great and making a lot of solar power but the wind sucks.
It’s just cold this morning, though certainly not as bad as mid afternoon last week, when the winds were whipping around at 20-30 mph and howling at times closer to 50 mph.
It’s werid, I hiked 11 1/2 miles today but it felt like a lazy day, hiding out from the wind. I got an early start which helped a lot, because yesterday morning wasn’t nearly as windy and cold as this morning.
I did see a bald eagle up close overhead and a massive buck. And the usual, red headed woodpecker, two mallard on one of the wet areas that wasn’t frozen, tufted titmouse, blue jay, boring old robin.
Still a lot of snow in places, at least six inches in protected north slopes, quite muddy but less so by evening with the strong winds and low humidity. Farm boots vare essential for walking a lot of trails. Campsite was one big soft mud and puddle on Thursday, but it’s dried up a lot today.
Made some really good meals with asparagus (one of my favorite vegetables), and other yummy things. After dark the wind died down and the ground was still quite wet so had a small fire, coals smothered before bed with snow and ice.
I’m glad I was lucky enough to get Good Friday off, as I probably wouldn’t have gotten the drive in campsite I wanted had I come Friday after work as somebody else is camping a mile up the road from me. Friday was cold, especially the blustery afternoon but a day in the wilderness beats a day in the city.
I was thinking about hiking over Kenyan Road to Fox Creek Road to the Mount Pisgah Overlook today but it seems rather cold and windy. I’ll see how much things warm up as the day progreses I guess. Maybe do some more protected hikes in the woods and hollows where it’s less windy.
with the windows open again. I’ll have to get the fan out and put away the electric blanket for the season though we could still have a few more cold nights in the second half of the month.
There is a north-northwest breeze at 11 mph. 
. The sun is great and making a lot of solar power but the wind sucks.
though certainly not as bad as mid afternoon last week, when the winds were whipping around at 20-30 mph and howling at times closer to 50 mph.
I got an early start which helped a lot, because yesterday morning wasn’t nearly as windy and cold as this morning.
up close overhead and a massive buck. And the usual, red headed woodpecker, two mallard on one of the wet areas that wasn’t frozen, tufted titmouse, blue jay, boring old robin.
at least six inches in protected north slopes, quite muddy but less so by evening with the strong winds and low humidity. Farm boots 
vare essential for walking a lot of trails. Campsite was one big soft mud and puddle on Thursday, but it’s dried up a lot today. 
After dark the wind died down and the ground was still quite wet so had a small fire, coals smothered before bed with snow and ice. 
enough to get Good Friday off, as I probably wouldn’t have gotten the drive in campsite I wanted had I come Friday after work as somebody else is camping 
I’ll see how much things warm up as the day progreses I guess. Maybe do some more protected hikes in the woods and hollows where it’s less windy.
