Maybe this iz wut we need?
POSTED BY: JO753
UPDATED: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 17:52
VIEWED: 19328
PAGE 10 of 16
Quote:
6 - I did make a point to specify those living in "Western Town".
Quote:
k - IIRC that was in your reply, not your original post, after I said I was thinking more globally and inclusively.
Quote:Well, I clarified my thoughts by explaining I was thinking more globally and inclusively, to discuss the topic. So ... where's the problem? We're discussing things ...
6 - It didn't need to be in my original post. I don't expect people to to read minds or foretell where a conversation will end up going, and I expect the same courtesy from them as well.
Quote:
6 - Roll your own. Brown bag the lunch. Bring a pot of coffee with you in a travel thermos. You've just saved $4,000 to $6,000 per year.
Quote:
k - That kind of makes me think of Geezer ... or was it CC, I get the 2 confused in my memory a times ... who said the problem of eating fast food could be solved by going to the grocery store (on a bus, in a 'food desert'), buying rice and beans in bulk and cooking every day (when you're working 2 or more jobs), and shopping the sales to put in your freezer (that you bought with your non-existent extra cash). Not everyone lives by themselves, for themselves. Not everyone has the time, energy, tools, or skills, to implement handy 'fixes'. Not everyone lives in virtually zero-cost housing. I'm not arguing that people don't make poor choices. They absolutely do. Even ** I **, miserly as I am, know I could probably trim my budget at least 30% if I tried. I'm just saying your example doesn't fit the vast majority of people even here, in the good ol' USA, who're struggling economically.
Quote:
6 - Rolling your own cigarettes if you smoke is the easiest and cheapest thing to do. I know you don't smoke, personally, but work a night shift at a retail store and you'd quickly learn that you're in the vast minority.
A can of coffee at Aldi is 5 bucks. A good thermos is around $30.
Where I live, a pack of Newports is $8.00 (cheap around here compared to many other places nationally). A cup of coffee at McDonalds is $1.50. If you smoked one pack per day, Rolling your own cigarettes for the day and making your own coffee would save $3,000, and you'd have an entire pot of coffee compared to only a single cup for the day.
If you smoked 2 packs in a day, you've just saved $5,475.
This is all after tax/ss/medicare is taken out. It's the biggest raise you're ever going to see in a life of thankless retail work.
That almost immediately takes care of your "non-existant cash" problem, and can get the ball rolling to buy food in bulk.
If you don't smoke, you're spending money on other bullshit like Cable TV. Cut the cord. Don't buy a new iPhone every two years because of peer pressure. Paying $100 a month for a phone plan? Get US Mobile and reduce it to $25 a month for the same thing (They use Verizon towers and will even mail you 2 sim cards and let you test it out for 2 weeks before they start billing you, contract free). Pay less than $3 a month for a Magic Jack phone. Figure it out.
My example used the poorest of the poor, Kiki. People you probably don't ever associate with. People who by all rights shouldn't even be smoking premium cigarettes and buying restaurant coffee with how little they make. (A lot of those people at KMart, I walked through the steps to get on food stamps because they didn't even know they'd qualify for them).
I'm the one guy there who could afford to do it if he wanted to, but I don't, and that's why I'm the one guy there who could afford to if he wanted to.
I'm not the model for how everybody else should live. NOT because I've already set myself up right, but because I wouldn't expect anybody else to go without so many things for so long and be miserly to the point of borderline-insanity just to get there. But almost everybody here living in the US has aNOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by 1KIKI:Quote:
6 - I did make a point to specify those living in "Western Town".Quote:
k - IIRC that was in your reply, not your original post, after I said I was thinking more globally and inclusively.Quote:Well, I clarified my thoughts by explaining I was thinking more globally and inclusively, to discuss the topic. So ... where's the problem? We're discussing things ...
6 - It didn't need to be in my original post. I don't expect people to to read minds or foretell where a conversation will end up going, and I expect the same courtesy from them as well.
The problem comes in the flow of the conversation. Or YDRC.
You brought it up first in reply to my "original post" (which wasn't really original in the flow either, but the first time you wrote back about it when I was talking to Sigs).
Quote:
Originally posted by 1KIKI:Quote:
What we have instead is people being forced into the ever increasing competition of the Roman arena of war of all against all. Where you have highly skilled people competing for low paying jobs, for example. And people being shunted into non-productive "non-essential" make-work, to scramble as best they can to keep afloat.Quote:Capitalism for the masses. "A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."
This right here is about half of the reason I've decided to opt out of the rat race. If I'm going to bust my ass and lend my perfectionist skills to make somebody else look good (and make money for them), then I'm going to do it as little as possible.
Sadly, almost all people by birth or circumstance have no other choice but to play the losing end. The western-dominated world is a company town. It determines the jobs, pays the wages, and fixes the prices you pay.
So I hope there's enough mental charity going around everywhere to understand we have this common problem, that can only ultimately be solved in common.
Since I wasn't originally talking about everyone in the country, let alone the world (I was only talking about myself when you quoted that and replied), my reply went as follows:
Quote:
This is true, but you can limit the amount you need to play by being a lot wiser with how you spend your after tax dollars. I don't mean you, specifically... I mean people in general and particularly those in the Western Town.
So far, so good...
But then you brought it up again:
Quote:
I was thinking more globally and inclusively. The women and children who live on the dumps in the Philippines have no choice but to work HARD every single day just to have a chance to survive another day. They don't get to sit back and decide how much they'll participate today...
So being independent, or close enough to it - for the moment anyway - isn't an option for most, looking globally at the western-dominated world.
Dude. I know. I got your drift. I already addressed it.
For brevity, I'm going to remove the rest of our post history on this now and just focus on your reply.
Quote:
Ok - doing the math -
one cup of coffee @ 1.50/ day is 547.50 a year
half a pack of cigarettes @ 4.00/ day is 1460.00 a year
obviously a pack a day @ 8.00/ day is 2920.00 a year
Yup. My numbers are smaller than that though because rolling your own still isn't free, and neither is cheap coffee made at home. You're also going to need a $50 rolling machine and a $25 coffee pot if you're one of the few people in America that don't already have one in their house.
Don't forget that you're nearly breaching $5,500 a year if you smoke two packs a day. Also don't forget that I live in one of the cheapest areas to buy them too. I honestly wouldn't even want to know what a pack of cigarettes cost in L.A. or San Fransisco. Last time I heard they're $15 in the city of Chicago.
Quote:
Cable TV wherNOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I would like to add that I'm not taking the position that everything is fair and if life sucks we're the only ones to blame about it.
All I'm saying is that if people are REALLY honest with themselves about how they spend their money, a good majority of Americans could do a whole lot better than they are right now and sleep a little easier at night once they've freed up enough cash to start buying food in bulk to further free a bit up and at least build up a little safety net instead of living completely paycheck to paycheck.
The amount of people in this country who are legitimately, completely powerless over their personal situation is not very large. It exists, sure... but to say that everyone making under X amount of dollars IS, well to me that's not just downright insulting to people on an individual level, but it also enables people to just keep making wrong decisions and blame everybody but themselves for never trying to improve their life even if just one small goal at a time.
--------------------------------------------------
A government is a body of people usually, notably, governed by Mark Zuckerborg and Slack Dorsey. 
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
And also, I always get the feeling that you seem to think that I somehow just magically fell into this situation I've put myself into now.
That wasn't the case. This didn't just happen overnight because of "white male".
I cut the cell phone early, and along with that cut out a lot of the bad influences in my life who couldn't save a dime if they won the PowerBall. I cut the cord on the Cable TV 7 years earlier than that. I cut coupons. I hunted for sales. I've bought all my clothes at the thrift shop for the last 15 years. I drive a car that was born when I started my very first job, and only last summer got it working to the point that I feel safe driving it more than 10 miles in any direction.
There was a lot of sacrifice involved to get here, and stay here. And really, once you get used to your new normal, like Elton John said "it's no sacrifice at all".
And I'm hardly out of the woods to this day... exclusively because of my own bad behavior. I'm still trying to dig myself out of the pit I threw myself in.
That would be my one caveat of setting yourself up like I am. Unless you've got an iron will, and a real plan and focus or even just any idea at all about what you want to do going forward, you're probably going to get to a point where you make a whole lot of bad choices for yourself when you realize that you're left with a life of almost zero obligations.
I'm actually lucky I'm still alive, really.
--------------------------------------------------
A government is a body of people usually, notably, governed by Mark Zuckerborg and Slack Dorsey.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I made a very general comment about the system
Quote:which you directed towards yourself
k - What we have instead is people being forced into the ever increasing competition of the Roman arena of war of all against all.
Quote:which I redirected toward the general(global) case
J - This right here is about half of the reason I've decided to opt out of the rat race. If I'm going to bust my ass and lend my perfectionist skills to make somebody else look good (and make money for them), then I'm going to do it as little as possible.
Quote:which you redirected back to yourself again, as an example of how individuals could improve their situation
k - Capitalism for the masses. "A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."
Sadly, almost all people by birth or circumstance have no other choice but to play the losing end. The western-dominated world is a company town. It determines the jobs, pays the wages, and fixes the prices you pay.
Quote:That may be the first disconnect. in the convo. I mentioned the "western-dominated world is a company town", but it doesn't just mean the US. Because western-style economies all around the globe from Argentina to the Philippines and Angola to Lithuania are dominated by the more powerful western economies and militaries, that interfere in everything from individual business deals (NordStream 2), to governments, to entire economies. And if you try to run your own country and economy independently - why, just look at Libya.
J - Simply refuse to be a consumer (in the Western Town).
Which is why I brought up the global AGAIN.
Quote:
k - I was thinking more globally and inclusively. The women and children who live on the dumps in the Philippines have no choice but to work HARD every single day just to have a chance to survive another day. They don't get to sit back and decide how much they'll participate today.
We seem to be in 2 different conversations: me constantly addressing the general and global, and you talking about yourself as an example.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
We seem to be in 2 different conversations: me constantly addressing the general and global, and you talking about yourself as an example.
Methinks she does dance around the word "Narcissist" too much.
That didn't take as long as I thought.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by 1KIKI:
which you directed towards yourself
I was already talking about myself and you quoted me, talking about myself..
If you care to pick up the conversation further, feel free. Otherwise, I couldn't care less.
--------------------------------------------------
A government is a body of people usually, notably, governed by Mark Zuckerborg and Slack Dorsey.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
What this is
Quote:is me responding TO SIGNY, you dork! Which you responded to with repeated posts about you. Your generation. People you work with.
What we have instead is people being forced into the ever increasing competition of the Roman arena of war of all against all. Where you have highly skilled people competing for low paying jobs, for example. And people being shunted into non-productive "non-essential" make-work, to scramble as best they can to keep afloat.
Just sayin'.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I posted my two cents at the end of my post quoting that, most of that post was to Sigs.
You seem to think that I've worked magic and/or I'm lording over my white male privilege and don't' deserve what I have and/or everybody else in the damn country has no choice but to live as a slave for the rest of their lives.
For most, there is another way. But you can't just wave a magic wand and make it happen overnight, and it's anything but easy.
If you're just going to keep telling me that I'm wrong, or I'm somehow just a special case, I see no reason to converse any further with you on this issue.
--------------------------------------------------
A government is a body of people usually, notably, governed by Mark Zuckerborg and Slack Dorsey.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
You posted more than once that you 'lucked' into your good job, that you didn't deserve it. Maybe you disavow that now, but that's what you posted then. That's OK. Memories tend to re-write histories. And in any case, you wouldn't be where you are now without that one good job, however you got it.
So, to again try to discuss the topic I was on, which is not about you, let me quote my reply to you
Quote:
Sadly, almost all people by birth or circumstance have no other choice but to play the losing end. The western-dominated world (ie the many countries around the world dominated by western capitalism) is a company town. It determines the jobs, pays the wages, and fixes the prices you pay.
So I hope there's enough mental charity going around everywhere (ie around the globe) to understand we have this common problem, that can only ultimately be solved in common.
Capice?
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME