Good-by to Credit Cards

I am trying to use cash and not credit cards. My credit card information was stolen last week. The crooks used the numbers to buy $700 worth of stuff from Aveda. They will probably resell the stolen stuff on ebay. I think the credit information was taken from a charge at a somewhat seedy eating establishment. Since the economy is weaking, and times are tough, folks are resorting to crime to get by. Beware.

Confirmation of a Good Idea

I recently blogged on my cancelling of the Rocky Mountain News. Well, we have a few more issues to be delivered to the house. I glanced at the Business section. Todays Sunday section devotes about one third of its front page to a story about an 81 year old man who counts toilet paper sheets on rolls in his house, to see if he was short changed from the representations made on the packaging. There are pictures too: See http://www.denverpost.com/ci_8083336

L.L. Bean and Brooks Brothers

I've decided that I need to shop only at L.L. Bean for the majority of my clothes. This would be casual and business causal, as well as outdoor activity wear, such as flyfishing, if I ever take up that sport. I like the winter sales available online for the majority of my purchases. I am considering an L.L. Bean charge card to get the free shipping and handling feature.

For work, I get suits from the nearby Brooks Brothers outlet as well as dress shirts. This retail combination (L.L. Bean and Brooks Brothers) works well from a dress standpoint, as well as the normal human need to wear functional, well designed clothes, that do not go out of style, that are appropriate for your daily activities, as well as your pocketbook.

With instability in the world financial market place, political unrest worldwide, and a malise brought upon by a plateau of petrocarbon production, its nice to go to bed every night knowing where I will shop for a new pair of chinos.

Cancel EBay Sniper Service

I decided to cancel my bidnapper.com subscription. While sniper services allow you to win online auctions, in my opinion, there is a temptation created by such services on ebay which compells you to bid on items you don't need just to win them. Life is better lived with less clutter, and yesterdays best buy is often todays clutter.

Opportunity Costs

A dollar not spent on cable tv, local newspapers, financial newsletters, nonessential services associated with the internet, leaves not only extra money, but time that can be spent on essential human inquiries, such as the search for truth. These nonconsumer activities give full meaning to the human experience, as opposed to merely being another consumer zombie.

While consumer spending powers 3/4 of the American economy, does that mean that consumer activities should take up 3/4 of the typical american's time?

Buying Music is a better value than buying DVDs

Its been my observation that money I spend on CDs iTunes, etc.. is better spent than in purchasing movies on DVDs. I listen to music constantly, while a movie or tv show is watched once or twice and then left to storage.

IPod Transmitter - Return to Best Buy

I've decided to return a FM transmitter gismo to Best Buy. It doesn't work well. Plus I think that it is best to listen to meditation CDs in the car. Otherwise you might get distracted. Then you could cause an accident. Why risk that?

Cancel Local Newspaper Subscription

As a family decision, we are canceling our subscription to the Rocky Mountain News। This is based on several factors: Because we rarely have time to read it, we get most of our news from the internet, and it has a lot of ads which just increases the sense of comsumerism in the household, and distracts from real issues that always need to addressed. If we need a copy, we can always go across the street to the Loaf and Jug

We have had a subscription for about 10 years. I will miss the ads I guess. Anyone else remove this from their lives?

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