Financial Addiction

SAW 20100102.

This is a post from my WordPress blog Stay A While, along with the comments. I decided to duplicate my WordPress blog posts (along with all comments) on Blogger for posterity. Also because I lost my WordPress password and haven't been able to recover my account. So I just copied everything over and changed the publish dates. Anyway, enjoy.

Subject: I'm a dead man.

I am unusual. I never had a credit card, until I was 43. I did not need one then, except there were things I could not do, even if I paid cash – like rent a car.

I paid cash for my home, my truck, all my purchases, and of course, I had no credit rating, or credit report history. That became a problem. So I got 3 credit cards and made minor purchases on all of them. Then I took out a $5,000.00 loan, with my truck as collateral, just to have and build a credit rating.

It worked. Soon I had an American Express card, with no limit. I was getting all sorts of solicitation to sign up for more cards, and to take out new loans from different banks. That was the first blast of never ending offers to extend my credit and my debt. I must have ended up on every mailing list in the country.

I pay my balances off in full every month. I do not pay interest, or fees. I have been aware for decades that the average American is in deep debt. I astounded friends and family when I disclosed my buying habits, and even more when I told them I had no debt.

Since I was a kid, I had cash in my pocket, and if I did not have enough cash for a purchase I would go get more cash, or not buy. I only had a savings account. I opened a checking account just to pay by mail, my bills. I know, this sounds way to simple, to the point of being, not so smart. The older I got, the more cash I carried. Spontaneous purchases were limited to cash in pocket, which grew to a few hundred dollars.

Now that I'm sick, I am putting everything on the cards and paying only the minimum payments. The death insurance will pay the balances, after I'm gone. Except now the credit card companies have put limits on my accounts. Depending on how long I stick around, I will have to go back to cash, debit card, or check only.

The people's addiction to buy now pay later, has the average family in credit card debt between 10-20 thousand dollars, that usually does not include a home mortgage, or car payment. We do the same with our federal spending habits. We charge everything, somehow expecting to pay later. Now, the debt is so big, we cannot pay it. We got used to just printing more money, but that won't work anymore either. hyper inflation will be a whole lot less fun, than the mess we are in now.

It's time to get back to cash. Balanced budgets only. Start paying off our debt, which means a percentage of income goes to the debt. Is this going to be hard? You bet it is! The pain is payback, for our greedy, lazy, dumb spending habits. To simple, or to hard?

3 Responses.

01. January 2, 2010 at 7:07 pm.

rockync: When I was younger, we ran up our debt and paid the price.Since then, we have lived in much the same way you have with very little debt. I keep several credit cards but pay them off each month. I live with less because I can not because I must. It is amazing all the things I DON'T miss. I also realized some time ago that people and our government was living way beyond their means and knew something would give eventually. I had no idea it would be this bad. Maybe we will learn from this.

02. January 3, 2010 at 10:50 am.

TAO: I live in the first home I bought in 1989 and it is good enough. I drive a car that I purchased new in 2000 and I love that car. I have friends who live in gated communities (which make no sense to me because the gate only covers the road and then its a bunch of trees) I almost stopped sending Christmas cards out because it was impossible keeping up with all the changes in addresses…I see people I know and I also have a good idea how much they make and I just want to shake my head in disbelief... since when has juggling become a form of financial management?Of course they think I am the weird one because I relish the old and comfortable over the new…

03. January 3, 2010 at 1:24 pm.

Tom 5704: Hi TAO, How are things? When I see someone pay for a fifty cent pack of gum with a charge card, I cringe. When I see the government pay for a war – off budget, I cringe. When I see capitalism lowered to the level of a "magic money" process, I know we have lost our way. When I see the leading political power in the country claim tax cuts are the only way to build economic growth (when we are already multi-trillion dollars in debt) I know we are in deep trouble. Since people seem to think it's ok to run their private finances in debt, I guess they accept that it's also ok for government to do the same thing.

Copyright 2011 by TOM The Omelet Man. All rights reserved. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. SAW-51.

Thanksgiving Eve Day

SAW 20091126.

This is a post from my WordPress blog Stay A While, along with the comments. I decided to duplicate my WordPress blog posts (along with all comments) on Blogger for posterity. Also because I lost my WordPress password and haven't been able to recover my account. So I just copied everything over and changed the publish dates. Anyway, enjoy.

Subject: Fictional personal story.

I had a lot on my list to do yesterday. I knew it was going to be a busy, hectic day. It has been raining all night. A cold rain. I heard the weather report before I went to bed last night. The rain is supposed to turn to snow in the afternoon. So I thought I would get an early start and be home before the snow came. The streets and the stores were busy.

First stop, the bank of course. On my way to the grocery store, my truck died in the middle of a busy street, in a heavy, cold rain. It was something electrical. A young guy in a beat up old junker stopped, came to my window, and told me to pop the hood. I got out and checked under the hood with him.

It was pouring out, and we both got drenched in minutes. My alternator was bad. There was an auto shop just two blocks away, but the truck would have to be pushed, or towed with no power steering, or brakes. The guy got a tow chain out of his trunk and hooked the vehicles together. We were both soaked by then, and the rain started to turn to snow.

Towing my truck two blocks was harder than I thought it would be. We got to the auto parts store, they had no service bays. The clerk at the store said since I did not live to far away, if I charged my battery maybe I could get back to my garage and get towed to a service garage from there.

So I went back out in the snow storm and disconnected my battery, carried it into the store and had it charged. Then I carried the battery back out in the storm and reconnected it. I turned off everything electrical including the heat and lights, and drove off. My house was five blocks away.

I made it back to my house. I had to get out and open the garage door, and just then the vehicle died again. I pushed the truck into the garage.

I called a service garage to set up a time to have a new alternator put in. I figured I would be without transportation for the Holiday weekend. It's been three hours since I first left on my mission of errands, and I was totally wet and cold.

The service garage guy said he could fix it today. It would take about an hour to put in a new alternator, and the towing would be free. I could not pass that up, as much as I wanted to just hit the shower and start a fire.

So I went back out in the storm, pushed my truck out of the garage and waited for the tow truck. The tow truck showed up five minutes later. We got to the service garage and they started on the job immediately. In 40 minutes my truck was fixed and running great. Minus 250 bucks, I headed home.

I gave up on finishing the errands and went straight home It has now been six hours since I left home to do my errands. The whole incident was a bummer, but I thought I was lucky to get the truck fixed the same day.

It was snowing very hard on my drive back to home. When I walked in the house, the first thing I did was to light a fire in the fireplace. I stripped in front of the fire and headed to the shower. That hot shower felt so good. I put on a bathrobe, started the tea kettle, and put two chicken breasts in the oven to roast.

5 Responses.

01. November 26, 2009 at 7:41 am.

Shaw Kenawe: Great story, Tom.Great example of why I often give thanks: I'm thankful for the essential goodness in people.How could we not feel this way when Anne Frank, herself, wrote in the diary she kept while she and her family hid from the Nazis in an attic in Amsterdam:"In spite of everything, I really believe people are really good at heart."Happy Thanksgiving to you, and to your good Samaritan, Jeff.

02. November 26, 2009 at 2:10 pm.

Pamela D. Hart: Wow, Tom, you were very lucky that "Jeff" stopped to help you. It's nice to know there are still good people in the world! We just had some "car" woes. Both of our vehicles had issues. My jeep needed a battery; our truck needed $1,000 worth of work! Thankfully we weren't stranded either time!Let's see, Thanksgiving Eve, I just blogged and waited for my Dad to come over. He stayed the night as he is having dinner with us today. My Mom is in San Diego with my sister. I'll miss seeing my Mom, but my sister is lonely as her husband is currenly on the USS Nemitz and will be on it for the next 6 months. She needs family with her, too, and my Mom decided to stay with her this year. Our Thanksgiving dinners are normally large because my Mom usually does most of the cooking. We are kinda scattered this year. But it all worked out and we'll get together for Christmas. After dinner tonight we're going to play some board games and I even got instant lottery tickets for prizes. My Dad, husband and youngest son are VERY competitive. So, it should be a lot of fun! And the lottery tickets will make it even more interesting! I hope your day is very happy, Tom. Enjoy.

03. November 26, 2009 at 3:16 pm.

Tom: I want to thank Jeff H. again for helping me out!Shaw,Happy Thanksgiving!Yes, Life is all about other people and their basic goodness. I have been the beneficiary of peoples help many times, and I have tried to help people where and when I can.I'm new to this blog World and sometimes I wonder if people are still nice to each other, but everyday I am shown that they are.I understand (reading some of your blog archives) that it has been a tough year for you and your family. I hope this day finds reflection of the good family times, for you and your family.Life is for the living and living should be a positive experience, even if you have to force yourself sometimes.Pamela,Happy Thanksgiving!I also come from a competitive family of brothers (no girls-poor Mom). In that sense, what are the rules for splitting the possible lottery winnings?I'm sure your Mom would rather have everyone together. I think she knew your sister needed her company at this time.My parents have both passed on and my brothers are scattered all over the country. We have not had the big family get together, for many years. I thought many times I would not miss those, but I do.So with Mom gone, are you cooking?I'm cooking and watching the dog show (love dogs) while I blog this. It's snowing hear again today. Just right for a Winter Holiday.While the boys are arguing over a game, call your Mom and sister. They will enjoy hearing the commotion in the background.We as Americans are creating quite a commotion amongst ourselves. Lets hope as we enter the Christmas season, that it will be a loving family type commotion, not an angry family splitting type of argument.For both of you, blogging seems to bring a lot of anger to your blogs. Minds are not easily changed, neither are personalities. The best you can do, is what you two already do, lead by example. Maybe, just maybe, it will rub off on some of the hard cases.

04. November 27, 2009 at 12:57 pm.

rockync: Great story and I hope you had a good Thanksgiving after all that!

05. November 27, 2009 at 4:39 pm.

Tom: Hi Rockny,Yes, it was a nice quiet day with good food.I hope your day was what you wanted.Today I slept in, and I do not go shopping on Black Friday. Another quiet day.The Sun is finally shining today. The snow should be gone by Sunset.Everyone, have a nice weekend.

Copyright 2011 by TOM The Omelet Man. All rights reserved. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. SAW-19.

Mustard Marinated Grilled Steak

SAW 20090812.

This is a post from my Wordpress blog Stay A While, along with the comments. I decided to duplicate my Wordpress blog comments (along with all comments) on Blogger for posterity. Also because I lost my Wordpress password and haven't been able to recover my account. So I just copied everything over and changed the publish dates. Anyway, enjoy.

Subject: Food.

The Steak

Choose a good steak for grilling. A cut with medium marbling is best. Trim off excess fat. Fat should be about 1/8th of an inch. Fat adds to the taste, but to much fat will just make fire flares while grilling. The steak should be 1 and 1/2 inch thick to 2 inches thick. This will allow for good outside blackening while the inside remains pink and juicy.

I prefer a New York Strip steak, but this recipe is great for any beef steak; T-bone, Porterhouse, Sirloin, etc. This marinade is especially good for tenderizing cheaper cuts.

The Recipe

I got this recipe from my father. He got it from a chef in New York. Mustard marinades for beef are nothing new. This is a simple recipe, that tenderizes beef while giving a great taste.

The mustard, salt, and wine vinegar work together to break down the marbling, making for a tender "butter knife" steak.

Mustard Marinade for Grilled Steak

4 ounces (1/2 cup) of plain salad mustard.

1-1/2 ounce of Red Wine Vinegar.

2-tablespoons of table salt.

Stir ingredients together.

Spread on steak and pierce with a fork.

Flip the steak over and repeat – marinate both sides.

Let steaks marinade at room temp for 5 hours.

This amount should cover one large (2-4lbs) steak, or two smaller steaks. Multiply recipe for more, or bigger steaks.

Another one of my favorites, is an Eye of the Round roast in this marinade, over night in the refrigerator. Grilled to medium rare, and sliced thin.

Grilling

You don't have to, but I use Hickory wood chips in the grill to add flavor. Soak the wood chips in water for about 2 hours before adding to the grill. Add them just before you put the steaks on the grill. Spread them around the out side of the hot coals.

Whatever grill you use, it is better to have a cover. A cover will help put out flare ups and smoke the steaks.

Try to use as little starter fluid as possible. Remove the grill grate before squirting the starter fluid, so not to have the fluid on the grate. Let the fluid soak into the coals for a few minutes, then lite the coals, and put the grate back on.

Then wash the Mustard marinade off the steaks.

The coals should take about 30 minutes until they are white ashed and fully afire. If needed, shake the grill lightly to evenly spread the hot coals. Add your water soaked Hickory chips to the hot coals, around the edges of the coals, not in the middle of the coals.

Put the steaks on the grill and allow the fat to start dripping on the coals and fire to start blackening the meat a little, about 3 minutes.

Put the cover on about 30 seconds to kill the flames and smoke the steaks.

Remove the cover, turn the steaks over and do another 3 minutes for the other side of the steak.

If the flames are to high, or to many, just put the cover on to put them out.

Turn the steaks back over again, this time reversing the grate position to get the cross look, for about 2 minutes.

Turn the steaks again to match the cross look, for another 2 minutes.

The cover use, is on and off. To kill flames and smoke the steaks.

By this time the steaks should be done to medium rare, have a nice outside blackening and a pink inside.

Adjust time to your preference of rare, medium, or well done. I do not advise a no pink juice, well done steak. You can cut into the steak on the grill to check the level of rareness, be careful of flames.

If you like a rare steak, let the flames hit the meat longer to get the blackening effect. Reverse for a well done steak. This will take experience to get it just the way you like it.

Let the steak sit a few minutes. It will retain its juice better if you don't cut into it immediately.

One of the signs of a good steak, is how it tastes cold the next day.

I have grilled, smoked, used the spit, on every kind of meat store bought, or wild. From whole turkeys, to pigs, lamb, kabobs, etc.

If you have questions, ask me.

Enjoy.

3 Responses.

01. August 12, 2009 at 4:35 pm.

Shaw Kenawe: Yum. Well one delicious recipe deserves another.I used to have a cooking blog and another blog name "Isabella di Pesto". Here's an easy recipe.

02. August 12, 2009 at 6:23 pm.

Tom 5704: Hi Shaw, I'm impressed.Many good recipes on that blog. Thanks. As typically male, I know about meats, grilling, smoking, etc., not so much about baking, deserts, etc. I have a great recipe for a chicken-wild rice hot dish. I'll post it some day.I noticed you must have stopped and just do political blogging now.I have my political opinions, but I'm not as astute at it as you, Pam, Jennifer, James, and the others. I'll speak my mind and probably get eaten alive by more informed bloggers, but I'm not shy.

03. August 12, 2009 at 6:39 pm.

Shaw Kenawe: What's great about your participation is that you keep it decent. That is missing from so much of our blogs and our blogging discussions. I'm glad you're a blogger. I gave up my recipe blog because I was so intimidated by other cooking blogs, and I felt they were doing a much, much better job.

Spelling Error: deserts (desserts). Compound Word Errors: over night (overnight), out side (outside).

Copyright 2009 by TOM The Omelet Man. All rights reserved. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. SAW-13.

TELEVISION

SAW 20090806.

This is a post from my WordPress blog Stay A While, along with the comments. I decided to duplicate my WordPress blog posts (along with all comments) on Blogger for posterity. Also because I lost my WordPress password and haven't been able to recover my account. So I just copied everything over and changed the publish dates. Anyway, enjoy.

Subject: Fictional personal story.

My Dad used to call it "The Boob Tube" or "The Idiot Box".

My Dad was in his mid thirties before television was even available to the average American. Most Americans did not own a television set. As shown in the above picture, Americans would gather around a shop window to get a look at this new, amazing, unbelievable technology.

Television had been around as a Scientific creation for years, but it was not until after WW II that Americans started buying TV sets. In a few short years TV ownership went from single digits to over 80%. Milton Berle was credited with getting Americans to go out and buy TV's just to see his show.

This is an old Philco TV. This is the TV I grew up watching. Only black and white, color TV's were not yet available. This TV was 2-1/2 feet high, 2 feet deep, it was all tubes and very heavy. It generated enough heat (see those big side vents) to warm yourself on a chilly night. Back then, we thought the picture quality was great. Today it would be considered horrible. It was truly a piece of furniture. A focal point in the living room.

When our family got a TV, we were only the third house on our block to have one. That increased guest traffic in our house by a factor of 15. In those days the set offered us 3 stations. CBS, NBC, and some local station that was mostly old movies and wrestling. Never heard of ABC.

I can't remember, must have been over a year, but my parents decided to get the new COLOR version of television. This one (left) was the first color TV affordable and available to the public. We were the first to have color TV on our block and that created another and bigger rush of neighbors to our living room. Newer, better, in color. We were the Smiths surpassing the Jones. The "old" black and white TV set, was put downstairs, for us kids.

In a truly American trait, the television just got better and bigger, and families kept buying the newer models. American society seems to approach many appliances of comfort (cars, dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers, you name it) in that manner. Buying the newer, better model, even if there was nothing wrong with the old model.

On the high end, TV's have always been a piece of furniture. The main piece in the room of the house, that entertained. Smaller TV's allowed us to have one in any and every room.

This beautiful flat plasma screen is set in a handsome box, but you could just hang it above a fireplace.

These days TV's can be a Dick Tracy wrist watch, or a 2-1/2 inch by 1-1/2 inch pocket size, which can also be a personal computer and telephone.

When I was a kid, I was outside all day. If I was not, my Mom asked if I felt sick. TV was an evening thing, with the family. I never sat and watched hours of TV by myself. When I moved out of my parents house, I did not own a TV for years. Then I got one of those 9″ B&W TV's, just to watch the news. I did not own a color TV until I was over 40, even though, by this time TV's were high quality and everyone had at least two.

Today I have a nice 36″ tube type (very heavy) color TV, it's about 13 years old, but still gives a great picture. I keep my TV on ALL the time. I don't watch it all the time, it's just on whenever I’m home. I will cook, do house chores, work on the computer, whatever, it is always on. I tell the family I'm just waiting for the prices of flat screens to go down. Truth is, I'm totally happy with my TV, but I never thought I would have to pay to receive broadcast stations – another blog post.

As I get older, I sleep less. I would say, I have trouble falling asleep sometimes. When I do, I lay in front of the TV, and I'm asleep in minutes. Now the TV is on day and night. If my TV dies, I will drop everything, leave work, whatever, to make sure I can buy a new one, and have it plugged in by dinner time. Am I addicted? Oh yes. Is America addicted? Even worse than I am.

With all this retrospective on television, you might think I'm old. I'm not. Really, I'm not. That's my delusion anyways. I choose to believe it that way.

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Spelling & Contraction Errors: TV's (TVs). Compound Word Errors: wrist watch (wristwatch).

Copyright 2009 by TOM The Omelet Man. All rights reserved. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. SAW-9.