Ra Ra Ra

"I've got to be careful I don't over cheerlead on this economy."

-George W. Bush

I am not sure when President Bush said what he did, but one thing is for sure, "over cheerlead" is exactly what he did. At every turn he insisted the economy was sound. Did anyone really believe him? Last spring a reporter asked him about the possibility of gas prices hitting the $4 mark, and he responded with what appeared to be genuine surprise. "I hadn't heard that" he replied. (Insert dumb grin here). Not only did it actually hit $5 a gallon, at one time San Francisco lead the entire nation in high gas prices, by reaching a little over $5! Ok, it wasn't for long, but it was long enough that it put a lot of folks in a bad way financially. No one I knew was even willing to discuss plans for Christmas, the brakes had been firmly applied even though the holiday was 6 months away. Now, here we are, just a couple weeks away from both Hanukkah and Christmas, and there is plenty of parking places at the malls, even on special promotion days.

I got an email from Old Navy Friday, they had a fantastic promotion Saturday. Buy $20 worth of items, get 4 free movie tickets. WOW! That is a pretty good bargain! I had planned to pick up a couple more sweaters for Alan, and some scarves for some friends of ours, so I decided to get up really early, grab some breakfast, and get there extra early. A deal like that would surely bring out the crowds... right? So, with my clock set, and all my warm toasties laid out, I climbed into bed, and thought about how much fun it would be to surprise Alan with some movie tickets. Wasn't I the clever puss?

My alarm went off at 6:00 AM, I grabbed some caffeine and off I went. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of rain that had been promised for the day. It wasn't too cold, and there was a nice bit of sunshine. Clear. I could see San Francisco just fine from here in the hills. It was a pretty day. That meant that there would be a ton of folks already gathered in front of the store. Nice weather, usually means lots of people. Some stores got 50 sets of tickets, some stores got 200 sets of tickets. I wondered what my favorite Old Navy store got? Would there be any left? I had left the house at well after 7 AM, and the store opens at 8 AM. Would I end up being #51 in line?

When I pulled into the parking lot, there were three other cars with consumers apparently waiting for Old Navy to open. I couldn't believe it. It was 7:30 AM. The store opens at 8:AM. I sat in my car for about 15 minutes, until a lady who walked to the store went up to the door, and stopped. I decided to get out of my car and get into the line that had now formed. I was #2 in line. In the next 10 minutes, about 13 people came up behind me. At about 7:55 AM a young man emerged from the store with these special little bracelets to hand out to the first 50 people. He only handed out about 20 bracelets. That's it. The young man had a look on his face somewhere between sad and surprised. :( His boss looked at the line, and was clearly disappointed.

I spent about 25 minutes in the store. I had a list, it was just a matter of deciding on the color of the items I was purchasing. I went up to the counter to pay for my stuff, and as I did, the young man told the manager there were about 20 sets of tickets left. They were both wearing frowny faces. I am sure that as the day wore on, they were able to give away the tickets, or who knows, maybe not. It was such a good promotion! Where was everyone?! Sigh. I had never seen anything like it. It was the strangest thing.

On the other hand, it wasn't completely unexpected. People see writing on the wall. The senate shot down the bailout of the automakers last week, which came as devastating news to some 6 million people who depend on that industry in one way or another. On the other hand, by not allowing the bailout to go through, it will mean one less forced fed tax consequence. I still don't know what to make of the whole situation. I feel for those people who depend on the auto industry, but a bailout at what cost? I can't believe the bailout of the banks came about with absolutely no accountability, and that more than half of it is already gone. But then again, Bush hasn't had to answer for any of his lies, missteps or blunders, so why should accountability, of anyone, be expected now?

My heart goes out to American retailers as well as the automakers. :( Can Obama be our president now? Please. If I promise to behave. :)

So tell me, have you passed up any good bargains, in an effort to save money this holiday season? Would you get up early, and stand in line for a good bargain? What would be your idea of a good bargain? Are you making any holiday gifts this year? Tell me everything.

-Carly
"Shopping In The City"
Dublin, California
December 13th, 2008
Late Morning

Weekend Assignment #237: Spending Spree

"Inflation hasn't ruined everything. A dime can still be used as a screwdriver.

-Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by J. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Weekend Assignment #237: A long-lost relative dies and leaves you $10,000. But there's a catch: the will states that it cannot be saved, invested, given to charity or used to pay bills. You've got a week (sorry, lets make it two weeks) to spend it all. (Anything left over will be used to buy tiny wheelchairs for injured pigeons.) What will you do with the dough?

Extra Credit: Excluding food and necessities, what is the most recent thing you've bought for yourself?

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin


Extra Money? What's that?! Tee Hee. This has been a difficult year for us, financially speaking, but we are slowly making our way back to having a little saved. We are not complaining mind you, we spent it wisely taking care of Mr. Elvis, but there hasn't been much room for extras, thanks not as much to his medical bills, as to the sagging economy and gas prices! Still, as difficult as it has been, I know as sure as I am sitting here, we haven't had it as difficult as those folks trying to raise a family. Over all, I am ok with how we spent our money this year, Alan and I have made some smart choices, such as not eating out all the time. That is probably the number one drain on bank accounts, and the easiest expense to eliminate.

But the point here is to blow the pennies from heaven, so, lets do a little daydreaming, shall we? I can't do much about changing my priorities at this point, so I think I will find some things that will aid me in my life. Not necessities, but practical all the same. For example; I love to cook, so I would love to purchase a new set of cookware, and some new food processors. Also, I have never owned a really nice set of China, so I would buy me some dishes and flatware in a pretty pattern for all those gourmet meals I like to make! With what's left over, I will pick up some new clothes, like the ones I found this past week at my favorite store, Old Navy. I got two new outfits for under $15.00! Can you believe it? Two skirts and two tops, both interchangeable. Excellent! And of course, I would love to get down to Southern California to do some photography there!

That's it. That's what I would do. :) I would just like to spend it wisely, and be able to stretch it as far as possible. Luxury and Necessity can live together if planned for properly. :) Although spending the money just on myself wouldn't be very satisfying, so, I would purchase a few catnip mousies for any new friend I might have at the time. :) And Alan could use some new things too.

Extra Credit: The most recent thing I bought was my $6 outfits from Old Navy. I could have gotten by without them, but it was nice to have them all the same.

-Carly
"Old Navy Mini Skirt and Top"
Berkeley, California
October 16th, 2008
Afternoon

Fall Back

"The ancient Romans had a tradition: whenever one of their engineers constructed an arch, as the capstone was hoisted into place, the engineer assumed accountability for his work in the most profound way possible... he stood under the arch.

-Michael Armstrong

Lately, I have had an old saying on my mind. "Spring Forward... Fall back." As a small child, I thought it was nifty, just nifty. What a cool way to remember that the earth, at least here in the northern hemisphere, will soon be sinking into shorter, darker days. I guess I have had that quip on my mind lately, because of all the turmoil in the Stock Market. It is a perfect metaphor for the current situation. Think about it. The Bush administration has insisted for years that the very foundations of our economy were sound. We were a resourceful people, and therefore we would come out on top. We would survive. Well, I suppose everything does look much more alive in the spring... doesn't it? I suppose when we all closed our eyes, and tried to believe it, we were smack dab in the middle of our springtime mentality, but now the leaves are falling, and so is the economy.

The fact that the Bush administration has been given a free ride, in terms of accountability, has disturbed me for years. I am sure you have read my rantings over the years I have been blogging, but at every turn, Bush and company, have been written a blank check, and therefore we have found ourselves in yet another mess, and it will be you and I who clean it up. Bush will leave office, without taking responsibility for whatever damage is caused by the latest blunder... namely... the failed economy and his plan to save it. Not only is there no concrete guarantee that it will work, but if it indeed fails, we will be in roughly the same boat we are in now, and no one will have to answer for it.

When Nancy Pelosi sits down with the Bush administration to iron out the details of the current ""Bailout" proposal, she will ask for perhaps a second stimulus package, and food stamps, and caps on the retirement packages for the executives of the major banking institutions that allowed this situation to build into the catastrophe that is taking place before our eyes, but if she stops there, she will have let us all down once again. She needs to demand that the question of accountability for what happens next, not be a question at all. The Bush administration needs to finally have the buck stop with them. They need to be held responsible for what they have done, and will do in the coming weeks and months. I think it's about time the free ride stops. Demanding that accountability be written into the proposal must not be negotiable. It must become a fact of life. When all is said and done, I wonder who will actually take responsibility for this mess?

Winter 2008...

"I hope you're confident about our economy. I am. We've got some short-term issues to deal with. Fourth quarter growth slowed to .6 percent. In other words, there are signs that our economy are slowing."

-George W. Bush, January 30th, 2008, speaking at the Robinson Helicopter Co. in Torrance, California.

Spring 2008...

"In the long run, we can be confident that our economy will continue to grow, but in the short run, it is clear that growth has slowed."

-George W. Bush, March 15th. 2008 weekly radio address.

"One thing is for certain... we are in challenging times. But another thing is for certain... that we've taken strong and decisive action."

-George W. Bush, March 17th, 2008, after meeting with economic advisers.


So tell me, what do you think will happen? Will we avoid a full on financial depression, or will we fall completely? How much faith do you have in the Bush administration plan to bail out Wall Street? What is the biggest struggle your family is facing right now? How closely are you watching developments in the Stock Market? Will you be shopping more, or less, this upcoming holiday season?What was your "Back To School" shopping like?


Share your thoughts with me.

-OndineMonet
"Falling Leaves"
Oakland, California
September 21, 2008
Afternoon