Jack Miner Sanctuary

I am still mining my visit to Canada in January for Weekly Webnesses. This time it is for Jack Miner Sanctuary. (LINK) I grew up very close to here and this place has always had a soft spot in my heart. Like I am so prone to say, check out their website and check out the place.

Frugality from the closet

One place I have been finding a bunch of frugality is in the closet. This is not rocket science but you still might over look it. I have been finding old books I forgot that I had. I have movies and games that I have not enjoyed in years. Nice If to get some more mileage from things long since paid for and really not costing me money to enjoy again. If I truly do not want it or plan to use it anymore, I can always try to sell at a yard sale. Even if I donate it, I still get it out of the house. Regardless, I get something out of it. Either I get cheap or free entertainment, or some money or a cleaner house. Sounds like a win in all situations. There are other closets in the community you can check for free or cheap stuff. The community has a nice little building they store books and movies and other stuff called a library that will lend you for free if you are in that community. It is not a perfect source for entertainment but cheap and a good one. You can also buy stuff from other people's closets at a thrift store. Not the latest and greatest stuff but some reallly nice stuff if you are willing to look.


So try to look at what you have and see what you can stretch a bit further. I might be wrong but I think we all have some stuff we have been looking over to make these hard times a bit better. It is really easy to over look how blessed we truly are.

Pelee Island Winery

One other place I went last month when I went to Canada was the Pelee Island Winery. (LINK) I am not a huge wine drinker and not at all a wine snob but I know what I like. Feel free to disagree with my recommendation of this winery but they make some really good stuff in my never to be humble opinion. So check out their website and better yet, check out their wine. It is worth a try.

An Open Letter to Lenders

Dear Money Lenders,

I am disgusted. I am disgusted by the government bailing you guys out after you made piss poor loans that were not good for the lender and even worse for the person borrowing the money. I am disgusted with how easy credit was and how much it was marketed. I am disgusted on how much debt my wife and I I took on and were sleepily accepting as the way it is. I am also disgusted to see how our interest rates were raised even though we were always timely with our payments. I am also angry at seeing the value of my house decline by no fault of my own but due to market pressures due to the sub prime lending. I have had enough.

It is time to change how things are done. I can no longer afford your product of borrowing money. I can't get rid of that product right away but I can put a stop loss on getting any more of it. I am drawing the line in the sand and saying no more to debt. Good job guys, you have woke me out the slumber I was in and I am mad. I do not think I am the only one who is waking up. A certain bank who will remain nameless sent an offer of doing a rebate to my mortgage by using my credit card more. It is 1% rebate for all the money I put on my credit card. I don't think so. I am not going to put more on my credit card which is running at at double digit interest rate to help pay down my mortgage which is nicely under the double digit rate. The math does not make sense.

Money lenders-start taking better care of your customers. We are taking a good hard look at how much we really need you. I am doing some serious thought and effort to not needing the money you lend.

Signed,

a less than satisfied customer

Ps
Here is a good Henry Ford quote on debt

A business which can bring itself to the point where it attracts the attention of money should be able to continue on its own feet without being financed.

Another rock on which business breaks is debt. Debt is nowadays an industry. Luring people into debt is an industry. The advantages of debt have become almost a philosophy. Possibly it is true that many people, if not most, would bestir themselves very little were it not for the pressure of debt obligations. If so, they are not free men and will not work from free motives. The debt motive is, basically, a slave motive.

When business goes into debt it owes a divided allegiance. The scavengers of finance, when they wish to put a business out of the running or secure it for themselves, always begin with the debt method. Once on that road, the business has two masters to serve, the public and the speculative financier. It will scrimp the one to serve the other, and the public will be hurt, for debt leaves no choice of allegiance.


This quote was taken from this LINK.

Objiway Park Pictures

During our trip to Canada In January, we were able to do an earthcache at Objiway Park. The earthcache listing is in this LINK. The website for the park, I have highlighted in the weekly webness. I really enjoyed the park and the earthcache. Earthcaches tend to be in places that got me and kept me in caching in the first place- showing me neat places i would not have stopped and seen otherwise because I did not hear about them before. I have gotten pickier about the caches I am doing and I am greatly grateful for the good ones I find along the way.

Whisky Tango Foxtrot!!!!!

For the love of all that is holy or unholy, would someone verify the truthfulness of this article (LINK). I can not for the life of me think of anyone so stupid as to take this credit card or anyone so scummy to offer this usury. If this is true, our the economy is headed for further disaster.

Red Cross Racing

I have mentioned Red Cross Racing before. (Link) My wife and I ordered the die cast car and duffel bag as the latest promos from them. These were some nice promos for something I would be doing anyway. The die cast car is a nice collectible and the duffel bag is a nice sized and nicely made bag for the gym or weekend trip or book bag. I would like to give kudos and thanks to NASCAR for supporting the Red Cross and the blood donors with these promos. It is a nice thanks to keep me donating. I would donate anyway but this is a great encouragement. Hopefully, it will encourage others to start and those giving to continue. The need for blood goes on in good times and bad. Blood donation is one way I can give in these hard economic times and NASCAR has given some nice things to keep me going.

Ojibway Park, Windsor Ontario

I went on a trip to Ontario in January. One of the side trips was to do an earthcache in Objiway Park in Windsor, Ontario. They have a website at this LINK. Like I have said about many other locations, I would have known it was ther if it was not for caching. So check out their website and better yet, check out their park.

Snow Hawk

As part of the clean up after the snow earlier this week, I cleaned the snow off the car. At least I cleaned off the snow I could reach. As a result of my short stature, I could not reach all the snow on the roof of the car and looks like I left a mohawk of snow on the roof. I decided to post the picture for what it is worth. I think winter has gone on too long and I am getting a bit of cabin fever. Come on spring, I am cheering for you.

Study in Futility

The Midwest is getting dumped on pretty good right now. It seams like a study in futility trying to keep the driveway clear. It just fills right back in with all the snow and blow. Two nice things though. First, it is the first time I have needed the snow blower. I have thrown down salt and shoveled a few times but nothing worth getting the snow blower out for. Secondly, it is nothing but powdery snow which is easier to snow blow (except for the snow that blows into my face). One out of the ordinary thing I did to get ready for the storm was make sure the linux box at home was up to go so Kim could work from home. I started playing and experimenting with Ubuntu just for the heck of it and now it turhns out it is really darn handy. Who knew?


I should hop offline so I can get myuself ready to do the rest of the driveway and make sure it keeps clear. Spring is starting to really look good from here. I have had my share of cold and snow.

DaveRamsey.com

This week's weekly webness is where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid off mortgage is the status symbol of choice and replacing the BMW. (LINK) With economy the way it is, it has made a lot of us or most to all of us relook at our fiances. I overlooked Dave Ramsey when a relative spoke about it. Mainly it was a credibility thing from the pojnt of view of lack of credibility from the relative and the fact that at first look, Dave Ramsey just looked like another snake oil salesman in the guise of a self help guru. After looking a bit closer, what he says makes sense. His plan is worth a try and we will see how the next couple of months go on his plan. the one thing I like about his plan is that he says it is not a quick fix or easy. Most things worth doing are not quick or easy. Check out the link. Check out Mr Ramsey's ideas. If they don't work then move on.