Posted on 06/06/2011 2:02:38 PM PDT by Daffynition
For most Americans, the recession hasn't ended. There are plenty of people out of work. The stock market is still a bipolar mess. Uncle Sam is up to his goatee in debt. The nation is pinching pennies to squeak by, and maybe that's a good thing?
Because last decade was a drunken orgy of a spending spree. We bought giant, expensive McMansions on credit in the suburbs because everyone in the family needed two toilets. We would eat out all the time at fancy restaurants that served "tapas," which is Spanish for "very expensive tiny plates of very little food." Americans took up golf by the millions, and that's a sport where you pay out the nose to walk around a park with a bag full of pricey toys.
Then that ended, and here we are. Hungrier, but leaner. Not completely broke, but certainly more frugal. Most Americans don't waste money the way they use to. But there are still some who insist on throwing their moolah at crapola that isn't worth the price tag. Check out our list of dumbest wastes of money! Let us know how you're saving a buck here and there.
(Excerpt) Read more at trutv.com ...
Agreed. The variety of machines, aerobic and strength training, keeps the body guessing and training. There’s no way I can afford that variety at home, let alone find room for them all. Also, having physical conditions that limits you in one way makes a gym even more worth while because you can adapt some machine to something you can do.
***LOL! So true!***
Only in the self-absorbed U.S.
Go for some true tapa-hoppin' in the Iberian and you'll find it's way cheaper and WAY less pretentious in its original form.
Blue collar, working-class snacks in a grungy un-airconditioned side-street bar with a water glass 3/4 full of a sturdy house wine that doesn't travel, has a bite, and was tapped out of a cask into a pitcher that was set on the table by a Spanish senora with an easy laugh and a faded apron. THAT's tapas.
Knee replacements aren't
Cheers! That's the only one on the list I disagree with. Lay the back seats down and open the hatch and you can carry more stuff. Put a trailer hitch on the back and you're really haulin'. Can't put groceries or merchandise in the back of a pickup if there's rain or you're running more errands because it'll get stolen. Other than that, it's a good list. BTW, I did buy a mocha latte whatever once because it was on sale for $1.99 and I needed the caffine late one night.
The jogging comment also annoys me. It assumes we’re safe going outside to run and disregards weather (rain, heat) that can limit jogging or even walking.
Tearing my hair out here! ;(
There are bargains even in the major leagues. NHL games in Columbus always have 500 $10 tickets on game day.
Tapas are fun and easy to make at home.
I used to be annoyed with Kindergarten graduations, but parents can waste time as they see fit. Then came Pre-K graduations, which I understood since kids were starting school (a milestone), and other parents talked about how they could save for other things like kids’ college now that child care costs were dropping.
Then came Junior Pre-K graduation, because the kid will be going off to “pre-K” at the big kid school.
And my youngest has recently transitioned through these stages - and he was happier when I said we’d save the $30 they were asking for cap, gown and photos to go to McDonalds.
The minor leagues are great. The players will actually talk to the kids/fans...they’re not prima donas yet.
Start your own backyard garden for practically no cost and you can have your veggies as organic or chemically enhanced as you wish. I haven’t fertilized mine at all. Did have to hand pick some buggies off two plants but that’s it. But then I do water with well water instead of nasty city water.
There's another institution losing kerjillions.
Good idea!
TSA, NEA, Medicare, ...why don’t we eliminate ALL Federal Agencies that are NOT part of/or necessary to the Federal Government exercising the 18 Enumerated powers it was assigned? Should reduce the size by a minimum 45% across the board and the waste by over 60% TOTAL.
I don’t know what that commercial is but it’s good - all the trashed water bottles lined up would go around the world four times.
I don't know where you live, but for the price of a single year's membership at a gym you can equip yourself with a barbell, 300+ lbs. of weights, flat bench and a used power rack off of Craigslist. You don't need machines.
1. Any sports ticket.
2. Drinks at a bar
3. Land-line telephones.
4. Brand-name soft drinks.
5. Cigarettes.
6. A new car.
7. A cable or satellite TV package.
8. 4 dollar a gallon gasoline.
9. A tattoo.
10. A haircut.
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