Think Outside The Piggy Bank

the power of a penny

How much is a penny worth these days? Not much, but how much would it be worth if you doubled it every day for a month? I'll show you the calculations in a second, but take a minute to guess and then see how close you are. I've seen this chart before by the way, but found it just as amazing the second time around. Okay, here it is:

Day 1: $0.01    Day 2: $0.02    Day 3: $0.04    Day 4: $0.08    

Day 5: $0.16    Day 6: $0.32    Day 7: $0.64    Day 8: $1.28    

Day 9: $2.56    Day 10: $5.12    Day 11: $10.24    Day 12: $20.48

Day 13: $40.96    Day 14: $81.92    Day 15: $163.84    

Day 16: $327.68    Day 17: $655.36    Day 18: $1,310.72

Day 19: $2,621.44    Day 20: $5,242.88    Day 21: $10,485.76

Day 22: $20,971.52    Day 23: $41,943.04    Day 24: $83,866.08

Day 25: $167,772.16    Day 26: $335,544.32    Day 27: $671,088.64

Day 28: $1,342,177.28    Day 29: $2,684,354.56    and finally

Day 30: $5,368,709.12

Wow. Did you come close at all? Be honest! Going from a mere penny to over five million dollars is quite the feat if you ask me, and it kind of makes you think a bit differently about that humble coin you see lying on the street, doesn't it? Like the journey of a thousand miles that begins with one step, fortune can literally begin with a penny.

And on that note, this will be my last post until I am moved and settled, so hope to see you all back here sometime in July! :)

a cheater post

Well, I was going to write about how you should always check your grocery receipts in case the clerk has made a mistake and how that can be to your advantage, when I had a sneaking suspicion that maybe I've written about that before. And sure enough, I have! Still, it's worth rereading if you like getting things free. But, to not make this post a total waste, here's a money quote for you:

Prosperity is living easily and happily in the real world, whether you have money or not. --JERRY GILLIES

Also, this will be my last weekend of work (woohoo!), so I'll report back before I get in the throes of packing and moving to the white house. No, not THAT White House, snort, THIS white house:

 

thinking outside the boob tube

As mentioned in an earlier post, the apartment I'm moving into in June is much smaller than the one I have now. So I'm thinking that one of the items I'll likely definitely leave behind is my clunky old TV. It really is old (30+ years), takes up too much room, and needs at least ten minutes to warm up before the sound and picture kick in. I've decided that since I only have four channels anyway, and most of the shows have had their season finales, the summer would be a perfect time to see if I can go without TV altogether. Mind you, it's amazing what you can now watch on your computer, so it's not as if I have to be completely cut off. Plus, if I get desperate, I could always get a new (and much slimmer) one.

But what's funny is how the idea of being without an actual TV is making me a bit anxious. And if I'm honest with myself, I have to admit that TV has become a bad habit. Like junk food, I reach for it when I'm bored, stressed, or want to put off what I don't really feel like doing, even though I wouldn't otherwise watch those shows. And once the TV has been turned on, it's easier to leave on. So can I go cold turkey? I plan to listen to the radio more (CBC Radio One to be exact), read all the unread books on my bookshelves, and hopefully blog more. Much more. Think I can do it?

Monday's money question 5

What's the most ridiculous time-saving feature you've run across?

For a while, pre-cut cheese topped my list, as I couldn't figure out why anyone would pay Kraft an extra dollar for this questionable service. "We cut the cheese, so you don't have to." Um, hello? For a few seconds worth of time I'll cut my own cheese thank you very much. Well, not since I turned vegan, but you know what I mean.

Now there's something else topping the list that really made me shake my head. I swear I'm not making this up, but Canadian Tire sells slippers that dust while you walk. Yes, dust! Touted as a comfortable way to dust, these slippers have special bottoms that attract and hold debris. Can you imagine? First--no, never mind, there are just so many things wrong with this scenario that I'm not even going to start, snort. Now excuse me while I go shake my head some more.

tax time

  

I tried paying my taxes with a smile. They wanted money. --MAXINE

Snort. So, done yours yet? I always do mine early (as soon as the slips come in), and received my refund back in March already. Now they say you should be sensible and reinvest what you get back instead of spending it, but I put mine towards paying last month's rent on my new apartment. Which in a way is a good investment itself!

earth day

Happy Earth Day! Did you see the cool new badge? Click on it and find out how you too can contribute to one million acts of green.

My local grocery store finally got in the act today and from now on will charge five cents for every plastic bag given out. A good idea for those who don't already use their own cloth bags and maybe it will inspire less use of plastic overall. A ban on certain pesticide products is in effect here in Ontario as of today as well, and that's another step forward. Hey, have you heard about the new Disney film called earth? I really want to go see it, but I don't think it's showing at a theatre I can get to. Pity.

So I decided to post this entry on each of my blogs, as it's relevant to all three. Being environmentally friendly can be cost effective in many ways; not only can it help your wallet in the short run, in the end, the less damage we do to this planet the less we'll have to spend to clean and fix it up. Making sure our habitat becomes safer is good for all the species our earth has to support, and veganism's emphasis on compassion for all ties in neatly with environmental concern. Again, Happy Earth Day however you decide to celebrate, and think green all the way!

update: school

I mentioned in a December post that I was thinking of going back to school come September, and my plan had been to see if I could gradually finish my fourth year of an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. Now that particular plan is going to be put on hold seeing that I'll be moving because I think transportation would be too much of an issue given that I don't drive. But another option has recently occurred to me that I'm seriously considering. My local community college offers a multidisciplinary certificate in Gerontology, which I can very conveniently take on-line. Ah the beauty of the Internet! Again I would be doing it one course at a time, and the courses themselves look quite interesting (e.g. Mental Health Aspects of Aging, Legal and Ethical Issues Related to Aging, Assessment and Planning). It would fit in quite nicely with both my previous education and work experience, and I figure that any schooling dealing with seniors won't be wasted given our aging population. Besides, this way yours truly can make sure the old noggin doesn't get too rusty. Snort.

update: apartment

Yes, I got an apartment! Admittedly, I didn't look at any others, but I couldn't resist the location of this one. It is, drum roll please, right across the street from where my parents live! Can't get any closer than that, eh? In fact, two of my windows look right out on their retirement unit. It'll be perfect if I want (or need) to pop by every day. Those windows I mentioned were another selling point for me because even though the apartment is much smaller than what I have now, it still has five windows on three sides. So, lots of natural light, lots of sun puddles for KJ, and some not-too-bad views as I'm on the second floor. The limited space I'll have to adjust to, but by being creative and organized (lots of shelving for example) I'm hoping I can maximize space enough to be able to bring my favourite pieces of furniture and art. As for clothes, did you know that most people wear 20% of their clothing 80% of the time? It's true! So time for weeding out what I wear least (or not at all) in order to save on closet and dresser space. And time to sell off whatever I don't want to bring on eBay. Look for pics soon on Flickr of both my stuff AND new place. :)

update: work

Remember how I said a couple of posts ago that I would be leaving my job at the end of April? Well, I lied, snort. Okay, not really, but as it turns out the apartment I found is not available until the middle of June, and even though I'm so ready to give up the 12-hour shifts NOW already, I decided to be pragmatic and see if I could extend my stay. Luckily my employer was able to accommodate me, thus I'll be working until the end of May instead. So, seven more weekends to go, woohoo! And to be honest work hasn't been so bad since I announced that I was leaving. Maybe it relieved the pressure, or perhaps having the end in sight makes the difference as well. Last weekend some of the residents even said they were really glad I was staying a bit longer after all, so that made me feel good too. I will definitely miss some of them, but at least I can always call them on the resident line to see how they're doing. I learned more than I thought I would in this job, but it's time to move on!

earth hour

Don't forget that this Saturday, March 28, cities around the world will turn off their non-essential lights during Earth Hour (8:30 - 9:30pm) to raise awareness about climate change, and to show that it is possible to take action against global warming. I think it's a great idea because it demonstrates that every individual can make a difference, and that a whole group of individuals (say, a billion) acting together can have a huge impact. It gives me hope that we can use the same momentum for other issues as well.

I think we all need to start realizing the cost of our mass behaviour in terms of the sustainability of this planet, and of the creatures living on it. There's lots of other stuff you can do besides turning off the lights during this hour, hopefully on a regular basis as well, such as:

• install energy-saving light bulbs
• only run the dishwasher when it's full
• better yet, do them by hand!  
• unplug devices you're not using in addition to turning them off
• get a more energy-efficient fridge or freezer

So, this Saturday do your part and be in the dark! Snort. Because unfortunately there are enough people out there who still think that global warming is a bunch of hooey (which frankly, boggles my mind), and we need to counteract those naysayers.