The biggest "line items" in most peoples' budgets are food, shelter, energy, and transportation. Saving even a small percentage here can translate into real money ...

Food: A few weeks ago, I stopped buying "junk" while doing the groceries. No more bags of cookies, no "snack foods", no Doritos. Strawberry-rhubarb pie and ice cream are still on the menu, in moderation :-) No more taking a break at work to go across the street and buy something to drink or "munch on."

The impact on my food budget was immediate - and positive.

I still get "the munchies" - I'm only human after all - but now I try to wait it out. Or, at the office, I eat an apple, or have a cup of tea. Even taking into account the higher cost of greenhouse tomatoes and lettuce, salads are still healthier and cheaper, by at least $25 a week. Annual savings: $1,300 per year.

Electricity

I recently bought an energy-efficient fridge. I'll only be saving $3 to $4 a month on electricity. However, that's not where the big saving is - the new fridge keeps food fresher longer. For example, lettuce now seems to last forever, instead of turning soggy after a week, so we should add cutbacks in food spoilage, say another $10/month - but we'll be conservative and ignore the food savings. Annual energy savings: $42.00

Heating

Temperatures here are now below 0C. If it is sunny outside, I open the blinds. When it's not, I close them. This way, I can leave the heating system turned completely off most of the day, while I'm at work, and on weekends. I've set the timer so that it's warm when I get home, and off at night. In the morning, it's still around 65F. Reduction in the natural gas bill - about 20% so far. Annual savings at current prices: $240.00

Transportation

Declining gasoline prices have made a difference, but what's made an even bigger difference is moving closer to work. Not only do I save 10 hours a week - a tank of gasoline now lasts more than twice as long - 3 weeks, instead of 10 days. Annual savings at current prices: $720.00 per year. (my actual bill has gone down by almost 3/4, because of the price drop, but we won't take that saving into account here).

Housing

I recently moved to a larger, nicer place. By shopping around after the peak spring season, I was able to save several hundred dollars a month. Annual savings: $3,840.00 per year.

Total annual savings: $6,142, or almost $120 a week - tax free - with a commensurate improvement in quality of life and time saved.

I guess some people have no sense of humour. How two people thought this was "flamebait" is beyond me ...

Maybe they own a restaurant or something?

Well, I thought it was funny at the time, but as another poster pointed out, under the new rules someone could actually patent cooking, even with the existence of "prior art". And that's definitely NOT funny.

Oh, well, just goes to show just how dumb these patent wars really are.

This entry was prompted by someone who doesn't understand why women need 50 pairs of shoes.

Men always make fun of how we can look in a closet full of clothes and say "I have nothing to wear." Sure, its easy for you. You guys can wear the same style shirt, pants, and shoes 7 days a week and nobody will notice. But for us, clothes are like remote controls or gadgets for men - there will never be enough.

Do you really want us to wear the same outfit every day? Of course not. But everything has to match. That means matching shoes, matching purse, matching coat, jacket or sweater. You might have a favorite sweater that you wear until its falling apart - on you, its "cute" (at least that's what we tell you ... :-) For me, my sweater has to match my top, which means a matching skirt or slacks, which means matching shoes. That's just the way it works for women. And there's no way I'm wearing a black bra with a white top, much as you might like the idea.

Then there's the whole "shoes thing." Its not just different colors. Evening shoes are completely different from work shoes, and they have to match the rest of my outfit, as well as the occasion. Now add in the change of seasons - boots. Winter boots, spring and fall boots, as well as boots for clubbing in summer when a girl wants to "make a statement!" Now throw in a few pairs of sandals, a few pairs of shoes for casual wear, and a few pairs or runners. 50 pairs is reasonable in such a situation - that works out to only 5 or 6 pairs of each type.

And lets not even consider jewelry - or maybe we should. Look at something as simple as earrings. Men get along with either none or a stud in one ear. My earrings are a reflection of what I am doing, and my mood. Thats why we have jewelry boxes. One pair is unthinkable.

Even watches (yes, sir, that's watches - plural) for different occasions. And rings, necklaces, bracelets, and anklets.

You have a wallet. How nice. I have a purse. Well, actually, several purses. Day purses. Evening purses. Don't forget that they have to match, or at least not clash with, my outfit, so a woman can no more get along with one purse than a man can get along with ... gee, I don't know. A dozen purses is reasonable, don't you thing, all things considered?

And then there's our makeup. Day. Evening. Night on the town. Visiting friends - casual. Visiting friends - not so casual. Formal occasions. You might have a toolbox full of all sorts of wonderful toys - we have cosmetics.

... and I haven't even begun to talk about hair, nighties, or coats for different occasions and weather, or any of the other details. You might think we mean it when we say "I'll just throw something on", but that almost never happens.

Just like you can't believe we have nothing to wear when we have a closet and dresser full of clothes. But think about it like your gadgets and tools - do you use the same tool all the time? Of course not - you're always saying how you need "the right tool for the job." So do we, just that our tools are more fashionable :-)

no big deal.

Just a placeholder