Category: economy

Going cold turkey

You see, I have this little morning ritual. A morning check in, if you will. First I get on the scale. Then I check my investment account.

This had been going good for a while. One was going down, one was going up and that gave me a self-satisfied smirk to start the day.

Since, oh, about November, one is still going up and one is still going down, but not in that “isn’t it great to me be” kind of way. More in that lurch of the stomach at the twist in the roller coaster kind of way.

The ubiquitous “they” say you shouldn’t weigh yourself every day. “Too much fluctuation” they say.

I’m thinking that’s true of my investment account too.

Or maybe I should just stop checking it at all……..

And that scale. Ay yi yi!

Going cold turkey on both.

Want.

Yanno, I’m really ticked at the economy. Sure, I have a good job and a paycheck, but I’m finding that saving a few more of my shekels is a grand idea.

“Cash is King!” or so shouts all of the financial hacks who think they know better. Those same ones who told us all to invest in real estate.

Bah!

The problem with this financial austerity is that there are still lovely things in the retail world that entice me. Sing to me. Make me want to break out my paid off credit card and charge, baby, charge!

The latest little gem that’s got my eye is this:

(click photo for specs)

This is Polaroid’s latest entre into the world of photography.

It’s called a PoGo and is a digital camera. But it also has built in an inkless photo printer so you can instantly print photos of your choosing, when you want.

Now…this baby is only 5.0 megapixels, so it’s not wowing the photographic world.

But I love me a Polaroid camera. And by love, I mean LOVE. I had one as a kid. I own several now.

I was a *fool* for Polaroid’s I-zone that made these teeny sticky photos. I carried that thing everywhere.

I have tiny photos ALL over my journals from around the early 2000’s.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my high end camera and the gloriousness of the photos I can take. The depth of detail is amazing.

That said, I want the PoGo bad, because it’s FUN and *boop*, there’s a photo print.

Want!

Here’s the ouchie part.

It’s not available until March and I think will have a price point of $200.

I feel like two hundy is a little high for a Polaroid, but maybe if I’m very good and save my pennies, by this summer I can be shooting and printing and generally giggling over my new Polaroid cam.

My folks taught me that if you want a big ticket item, you gotta work a little for it.

So ok. Back to work. I get paid this week. After rent, end of month bills and credit card payments, there won’t be much left. But maybe I can put away a few.

Damn, I’m so fiscally conservative it makes my teeth hurt.

When really, I just want to be like Animal from The Muppet Show.

“CAM-ER-A!!! CAM-ER-A!!!! ME WANT!!!”

Sign of the times

Tonight, The Good Man and I couldn’t decide what movie to watch, so we flipped a coin.

TGM’s flip went offline, pinged off the cat and rolled across the floor.

The flip went bad since he’s accustomed to flipping a quarter for our deadlock decisions. Today all he had in his pocket was a penny.

Just not the same.

Wacked out economy.

Btw, the coin landed on tails, which means we watched The Great Debaters.

Strange days indeed

So. I made a stop this morning to get petrol for my hoopty so I could make it to work.

I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t even look at the price anymore. Because it gives me a pain. I just pull up, put the nozzle in the tank, swipe my card and fill ‘er up.

So I was idly hanging about, checking email while the tank filled when I noticed.

One dollar and ninety nine cents!?!?!??!

I need a neck brace for all the whiplash! It was, what, two, three months ago that I had to take out a loan promising my life and any future offspring to the Gods of Petrol just to get enough gas in the tank to get to work?

And now, it’s at a rate lower than I think I’ve ever seen it since I moved here eleven years ago.

Wow.

So then. As I drove in to work, I started to ponder.

All those freight carriers. They were adding a “fuel surcharge” to my orders to get them to me.

Have they lowered or eliminated those?

The airlines were bumping up rates for high fuel charges. Am I seeing a fare reduction?

And plastic materials. Their price was up because of the rising costs of petroleum. Have they lowered their prices?

Ha! Doubtful.

And then I was ticked off.

Not a good way to start my Friday.

One of my very sweet employees, noting my rough mood, offered me a slice of coffee cake. Which I accepted.

These economic times are weird.

And I know I can expect that fuel won’t stay at this gloriously low rate for long.

Strap in people. Bumpy road ahead.