This is just a fun side thing to try if you want to save money. This is on the Hiroko Channel at YT. If you like cooking and want to cook and affordable snack, then try "Super Puppy Chow". The languages of the video are in English and Japanese so it should be understandable. Japanese is used a little more than English but both of the languages are in its simple form, nothing too complex. Students that study Japanese should also find this video interesting as a learning resource.
Note: it is not really "Puppy Chow" so do not feed it to your dog for the recipe calls for a lot of sugar and butter. The dessert is called "Puppy Chow". Also if you like Hiroko's recipe, feel free to subscribe to her at YT. She also helps people learn Japanese at the Japanesepod 101 channel. If anyone makes this, let me have some!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
City of Reno is Short Paying for Aces Baseball Contract
This just a response to a Sparks Tribune post. Sparks is a neighboring city that is near Reno. I used to work for the City and let me tell you, the people elected to manage their budgeting cannot hold one for the life of them. When I was in the recreation department, they would hold all of these meetings and trainings. Some of which we would not even need. Who really needs Greeter Training? Sorry, but I do not think I need to know how to say "Hello Ms. Smith, your kid was good today". The only thing that matters is the necessities in training. Just to give you an idea of the stuff talked about that did not relate to kids and recreation there were seminars on sensitivity training and how to sale to people at the ice rink. No seriously.
Going back to point, I need to say that Reno has the right idea in investing back into the city, but they need to do so on a lower level. First, Reno needs to focus on building a source of income that is not based around gambling and tourism. Tourism is going to come to a stand still soon enough. Reno will have to find a new market. One they need to focus on the small businesses, not fly by night tourists. Tourism is a seasonal thing. Reno needs steady income. Industry has to be focused in the local market. Not on events were people spend money in town one day then leave.
Now the Aces is entertainment differs from Street Vibrations and Hot August Nights which brings the city a week of revenue. The Reno Aces bring at least 7 months of revenue. Okay, that is different than a come and go event. We need to focus on what we have already replicate success. We have a strong group of warehouses and factories along with a engineering firms so why not start there? We need innovators in Reno and other people need imports.
Another area we need to focus on is bringing more businesses to Reno and creating businesses. Small businesses drive Reno's economy and small businesses are need it for it to thrive in the next decade. A sports team like the Aces provides small vendors and contractors, not just baseball players. Now I am no fan of baseball, but I can see why we need the Aces in Reno. They indirectly foster those businesses. Last year the management bought $70,000 dollars of vending food from Sam's Club. For something that actually brings Reno, money the board members need to pony up. The team is an asset that brings a crowd, brings revenue, brings money. For Reno to short the team is a huge disservice to the community.
Going back to point, I need to say that Reno has the right idea in investing back into the city, but they need to do so on a lower level. First, Reno needs to focus on building a source of income that is not based around gambling and tourism. Tourism is going to come to a stand still soon enough. Reno will have to find a new market. One they need to focus on the small businesses, not fly by night tourists. Tourism is a seasonal thing. Reno needs steady income. Industry has to be focused in the local market. Not on events were people spend money in town one day then leave.
Now the Aces is entertainment differs from Street Vibrations and Hot August Nights which brings the city a week of revenue. The Reno Aces bring at least 7 months of revenue. Okay, that is different than a come and go event. We need to focus on what we have already replicate success. We have a strong group of warehouses and factories along with a engineering firms so why not start there? We need innovators in Reno and other people need imports.
Another area we need to focus on is bringing more businesses to Reno and creating businesses. Small businesses drive Reno's economy and small businesses are need it for it to thrive in the next decade. A sports team like the Aces provides small vendors and contractors, not just baseball players. Now I am no fan of baseball, but I can see why we need the Aces in Reno. They indirectly foster those businesses. Last year the management bought $70,000 dollars of vending food from Sam's Club. For something that actually brings Reno, money the board members need to pony up. The team is an asset that brings a crowd, brings revenue, brings money. For Reno to short the team is a huge disservice to the community.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Wal-Mart lays off 11,200 Sam's Club Employees
I only talk about Wal-mart's layoff for two reasons: 1) there is a lot of people complaining about how "unjust" they are and 2) there is this inherent "entitlement mentality".
First off, the Walton family do not owe anyone anything (unless of course they get sued for someone getting injured on their property). Second off, there are plenty of businesses going out of business. Wal-mart is doing what it can to stay in business. 2009 has been a rough year for those in other retail stores, and do not think for a second Wal-mart is omnipotent from going out of business. For all these people trying to nanny a crowd into believing that Wal-mart should show some compassion, stop it. These people do not actually know what the store figures usually are. We are losing money on some days while gaining on others. The Sam's Club I work at is doing good because we really put forth an effort to stay in business. So instead of pointing the finger at Wal-Mart and its shareholders, why not create a business that gives people jobs? Wal-mart is one of the highest suppliers of labor next to McDonald's.
Third, for those that say this would not happen if one was part of a union, I would say get off your high horse. Unions only drive up prices. When I went to Safeway to buy food, I couldn't get any there because the prices were too high for my budget. Unions drive up wages and prices. End the end the first jobs to be cut are actually union jobs. Look at the motor and culinary worker's union in Nevada. Las Vegas is a dead zone right now and most of those union workers have lost their job.
I would like to conclude here with a lesson from Aesop about the cricket and the ants.
The Cricket liked to play all day and not store food for the winter and the ants seeing that winter was around the corner wanted to prepare for the blizzard for they knew that hunting for food during winter would prove fatal to them.
One day the Cricket made a lewd comment towards the ants that went something like this: "Hey the sun is great out here. You should not bother with collecting breadcrumbs."
The ants reply was "When the sun is gone there will be snow in its place we must collect food so let us make haste".
The arrogant cricket blew them off and continued to sunbathe. One day, the sun was replaced by a cold wind and some snow. That is when the cricket started to look for food. But, there was none to be found. For it was too late. There were just blankets of snow in its place.
Starving and out in the cold, the cricket asked the ants for food and shelter. The ants replay was "we have prepared until Winter's end, you have done the same, for you'll never make it to spring again."
The moral of the story is people should not wait for bad things to happen to start to prepare for a loss. They should anticipate it ahead of time. Notice that the ants are like the frugal minded person. This person will whether any storm necessary, because they do not want to deal with the harshness of cold. So they do it ahead of time.
The cricket was frivolous with his food gathering. Nair-do-well attitudes towards the economy is one of the main reasons why there are so many people living in tent cities. For those that continue to blow off problems throughout life will be met with many unnecessary hardships.
There is still time to adjust to the economy but it is running out. So what are you going to be? A cricket or a ant?
First off, the Walton family do not owe anyone anything (unless of course they get sued for someone getting injured on their property). Second off, there are plenty of businesses going out of business. Wal-mart is doing what it can to stay in business. 2009 has been a rough year for those in other retail stores, and do not think for a second Wal-mart is omnipotent from going out of business. For all these people trying to nanny a crowd into believing that Wal-mart should show some compassion, stop it. These people do not actually know what the store figures usually are. We are losing money on some days while gaining on others. The Sam's Club I work at is doing good because we really put forth an effort to stay in business. So instead of pointing the finger at Wal-Mart and its shareholders, why not create a business that gives people jobs? Wal-mart is one of the highest suppliers of labor next to McDonald's.
Third, for those that say this would not happen if one was part of a union, I would say get off your high horse. Unions only drive up prices. When I went to Safeway to buy food, I couldn't get any there because the prices were too high for my budget. Unions drive up wages and prices. End the end the first jobs to be cut are actually union jobs. Look at the motor and culinary worker's union in Nevada. Las Vegas is a dead zone right now and most of those union workers have lost their job.
I would like to conclude here with a lesson from Aesop about the cricket and the ants.
The Cricket liked to play all day and not store food for the winter and the ants seeing that winter was around the corner wanted to prepare for the blizzard for they knew that hunting for food during winter would prove fatal to them.
One day the Cricket made a lewd comment towards the ants that went something like this: "Hey the sun is great out here. You should not bother with collecting breadcrumbs."
The ants reply was "When the sun is gone there will be snow in its place we must collect food so let us make haste".
The arrogant cricket blew them off and continued to sunbathe. One day, the sun was replaced by a cold wind and some snow. That is when the cricket started to look for food. But, there was none to be found. For it was too late. There were just blankets of snow in its place.
Starving and out in the cold, the cricket asked the ants for food and shelter. The ants replay was "we have prepared until Winter's end, you have done the same, for you'll never make it to spring again."
The moral of the story is people should not wait for bad things to happen to start to prepare for a loss. They should anticipate it ahead of time. Notice that the ants are like the frugal minded person. This person will whether any storm necessary, because they do not want to deal with the harshness of cold. So they do it ahead of time.
The cricket was frivolous with his food gathering. Nair-do-well attitudes towards the economy is one of the main reasons why there are so many people living in tent cities. For those that continue to blow off problems throughout life will be met with many unnecessary hardships.
There is still time to adjust to the economy but it is running out. So what are you going to be? A cricket or a ant?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Chuckie's Blurbs Vlog Ep.1
You know how I promised videos for CB last year? I am following up on that promise. There will be more. There will be more. This video is focusing on frugality. I go a little bit into languages, but I want to raise an awareness that used book stores tend to have a variety of knowledge on a shoe string budget. You can find books that are almost new and save 60-80% on its retail price. Enjoy!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Response: Overcoming Fear
There are many things that happen in life that we have a variance of control over and then there are these situations in which we have little to no control over. I know it is a tough cruel world out there and there many people becoming homeless due to this ailing economy.
But people who want a better life in the recession will ultimately have to make sacrifices to achieve it. This is a personal response to a guy that just got done asking me to help him get hired at Sam's Club. I have a few things I have to get off my chest.
1. This guy got a job offer in Japan in the engineering sector and was given a severance check of $10,000 when he left the site. His job supposedly paid 40K annually. I know that is low on engineering standards, but he was originally meant to do some other position. He did not save his cash. Right now, I have more disposable cash than he does.
2. This individual is closed minded towards working in other fields and only tries to take on any job only when it is necessary. Such as when his account hits zero.
3. He had the nerve to tell my room mate that "I was going to fail", when I got over there (meaning Japan) and "hit a glass ceiling".
4. He also said that "I was going to blow through my cash" after I just saved 12K last year.
5. Also he told me I should not invest in the stock market because it is risky even though I made a few grand out of doing so and continue to make money.
I just want to say a few things here. First off, this is the same guy that graduated with a engineering degree in honors. To him he values is success on degrees and accomplishments. I have gotten a vocation degree, an Associates Degree, and a double major B.A. I know it is not the same as a Bachelor's of Science and I do not care. I have more realistic things to worry about like growing my money more by next year. When you go to college for a prolonged period of time and you come from rock bottom like me, you will amass huge amounts of debt as you go on to the M.A. , M.S., PhD. etc. Unless you have a full ride with a healthy stipend that allows you to put away at least half of that per month, (I am serious when I say half because stipends tend to only be partial and full rides tend to only cover living expenses) I would not suggest going beyond a 4 year degree if you so choose to do college unless you have saved up to cover the later years in full. (Meaning you would have to go to school and work which your earnings go towards being a better employee.) That is the stark reality of it.
I do not want to hear financial advise from people that cannot live a frugal lifestyle. They are just living their perceived image of what it means to be "rich". My definition of rich is someone who has a) amassed a healthy amount of savings, and b) someone who is Stanley and Danko's classic definition of what a PAW is. PAW means Prodigious Accumulators of Wealth. This acronym can be further defined here.
Also it is considered rude to criticize someone who has already lived in that culture. I have lived in Okinawa prior to trying to apply for English teaching position jobs. I have received job offers while I was there and turned them down for educational reasons. I also have multiple phone conference interviews I have to make to the schools that are interested in me and I have only started getting my name out there.
Another assumption is that I will suddenly forget how hard it was to earn that money after a year of sacrifice and living below my means is to me insulting. I am in no way a UAW. I live within my means. For sake of debate over the Danko and Stanley terminology, I am a AAW for now because I am off to a late start due to college. I now have enough money to totally exclude myself from the workforce and just focus on job hunting, but I would not be earning continual income from multiple sources; just one secondary source which is my private online vendor IDs. But even if I did quit my job to become an English teacher, my money does not stop. And I will certainly not be eating out everyday like this critic.
If one thinks the laws of frugality cannot be applied in another culture then that is being financially closed minded. This is a dangerous trait to have overall. Being financially closed mined could leave to many problems in life such as rejecting different jobs and closing yourself off from avenues of success from the wage slave system.
Whenever you reject something out of fear, it is a lose-lose situation. There are no winners in fear. Fear has to be overcome in order to achieve real success with anything. I am being blunt here when I address this person. He is afraid of living with his dad even though he can get him jobs and help him get on his feet. If you have a way to get money that does not involve totally leaching off of someone, then use it. Do not be a victim of economic outpatient care. You will not become frugal easily. It will instead cripple you, instill fear in you. To get the things you want out of life we have to conquer our fears. If you need a moral crutch such as religion, other people, a book or an advisor, then so be it. Do whatever it takes to overcome it. Fear is detrimental to success. Be fearless.
There are prepaid phones in Japan, there are studio apartments in Japan, there are even those magical places called second hand stores and grocery stores in Japan. In fact, you can haggle for fruits and vegetables there! For electronics however, all the real "deals" are here in America. I will not and refuse to "blow through" my cash like it is toilet paper. I will only become richer in 2010. Believe that. I know people and I have my networks and will only continue to network more. I will start off with one English paid job and turn it into multiple. I will be able to make a well-timed exit from the rat race and will be able to set my own hours. (Meaning 50+/week since I am a workaholic) I will not be living above my means there, rest assured.I know that there is a high level of discrimination there. I went through my fair share of it, but if I have problems getting a good rental agreement, I will just find someone who will accommodate me. I lived there for one year. Japan is not perfect and America has its own fair share of problems. Overcoming fear goes hand and hand with adapting to various situations. Businesses go out every day because of the inherent ability to adapt to danger. Ever heard of adapt or die? It was a saying that decribed adjusting to obstacles thrown at you. It mainly applies to businesses, but I think the philosophy should also be adopted on a personal level.
On that note, for the "what-ifers" out there that would say that I could fail, yes I "could fail" at my job, but my life does not revolve around a single job. I would just get another or teach privately at that point and if I could not make ends meet that way, Taiwan which has a super low cost of living is just next door. In other words, I am financially getting to the point where I am becoming unstoppable as far as achieving goals is concerned. I do not fear failing. I do not fear momentary setbacks. I will find work in Japan and I will make it work.
But people who want a better life in the recession will ultimately have to make sacrifices to achieve it. This is a personal response to a guy that just got done asking me to help him get hired at Sam's Club. I have a few things I have to get off my chest.
1. This guy got a job offer in Japan in the engineering sector and was given a severance check of $10,000 when he left the site. His job supposedly paid 40K annually. I know that is low on engineering standards, but he was originally meant to do some other position. He did not save his cash. Right now, I have more disposable cash than he does.
2. This individual is closed minded towards working in other fields and only tries to take on any job only when it is necessary. Such as when his account hits zero.
3. He had the nerve to tell my room mate that "I was going to fail", when I got over there (meaning Japan) and "hit a glass ceiling".
4. He also said that "I was going to blow through my cash" after I just saved 12K last year.
5. Also he told me I should not invest in the stock market because it is risky even though I made a few grand out of doing so and continue to make money.
I just want to say a few things here. First off, this is the same guy that graduated with a engineering degree in honors. To him he values is success on degrees and accomplishments. I have gotten a vocation degree, an Associates Degree, and a double major B.A. I know it is not the same as a Bachelor's of Science and I do not care. I have more realistic things to worry about like growing my money more by next year. When you go to college for a prolonged period of time and you come from rock bottom like me, you will amass huge amounts of debt as you go on to the M.A. , M.S., PhD. etc. Unless you have a full ride with a healthy stipend that allows you to put away at least half of that per month, (I am serious when I say half because stipends tend to only be partial and full rides tend to only cover living expenses) I would not suggest going beyond a 4 year degree if you so choose to do college unless you have saved up to cover the later years in full. (Meaning you would have to go to school and work which your earnings go towards being a better employee.) That is the stark reality of it.
I do not want to hear financial advise from people that cannot live a frugal lifestyle. They are just living their perceived image of what it means to be "rich". My definition of rich is someone who has a) amassed a healthy amount of savings, and b) someone who is Stanley and Danko's classic definition of what a PAW is. PAW means Prodigious Accumulators of Wealth. This acronym can be further defined here.
Also it is considered rude to criticize someone who has already lived in that culture. I have lived in Okinawa prior to trying to apply for English teaching position jobs. I have received job offers while I was there and turned them down for educational reasons. I also have multiple phone conference interviews I have to make to the schools that are interested in me and I have only started getting my name out there.
Another assumption is that I will suddenly forget how hard it was to earn that money after a year of sacrifice and living below my means is to me insulting. I am in no way a UAW. I live within my means. For sake of debate over the Danko and Stanley terminology, I am a AAW for now because I am off to a late start due to college. I now have enough money to totally exclude myself from the workforce and just focus on job hunting, but I would not be earning continual income from multiple sources; just one secondary source which is my private online vendor IDs. But even if I did quit my job to become an English teacher, my money does not stop. And I will certainly not be eating out everyday like this critic.
If one thinks the laws of frugality cannot be applied in another culture then that is being financially closed minded. This is a dangerous trait to have overall. Being financially closed mined could leave to many problems in life such as rejecting different jobs and closing yourself off from avenues of success from the wage slave system.
Whenever you reject something out of fear, it is a lose-lose situation. There are no winners in fear. Fear has to be overcome in order to achieve real success with anything. I am being blunt here when I address this person. He is afraid of living with his dad even though he can get him jobs and help him get on his feet. If you have a way to get money that does not involve totally leaching off of someone, then use it. Do not be a victim of economic outpatient care. You will not become frugal easily. It will instead cripple you, instill fear in you. To get the things you want out of life we have to conquer our fears. If you need a moral crutch such as religion, other people, a book or an advisor, then so be it. Do whatever it takes to overcome it. Fear is detrimental to success. Be fearless.
There are prepaid phones in Japan, there are studio apartments in Japan, there are even those magical places called second hand stores and grocery stores in Japan. In fact, you can haggle for fruits and vegetables there! For electronics however, all the real "deals" are here in America. I will not and refuse to "blow through" my cash like it is toilet paper. I will only become richer in 2010. Believe that. I know people and I have my networks and will only continue to network more. I will start off with one English paid job and turn it into multiple. I will be able to make a well-timed exit from the rat race and will be able to set my own hours. (Meaning 50+/week since I am a workaholic) I will not be living above my means there, rest assured.I know that there is a high level of discrimination there. I went through my fair share of it, but if I have problems getting a good rental agreement, I will just find someone who will accommodate me. I lived there for one year. Japan is not perfect and America has its own fair share of problems. Overcoming fear goes hand and hand with adapting to various situations. Businesses go out every day because of the inherent ability to adapt to danger. Ever heard of adapt or die? It was a saying that decribed adjusting to obstacles thrown at you. It mainly applies to businesses, but I think the philosophy should also be adopted on a personal level.
On that note, for the "what-ifers" out there that would say that I could fail, yes I "could fail" at my job, but my life does not revolve around a single job. I would just get another or teach privately at that point and if I could not make ends meet that way, Taiwan which has a super low cost of living is just next door. In other words, I am financially getting to the point where I am becoming unstoppable as far as achieving goals is concerned. I do not fear failing. I do not fear momentary setbacks. I will find work in Japan and I will make it work.
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