Recycleing saves the planet

I never recycled. I was to lazy to be bothered. I didn’t particularly care. However, the recent concerns and results of global warming have caught my attention. I find myself appalled at what we have done to the planet. I am dissapointed that we have ruined it for our children and their children. So, now that my head is up and paying attention, I decided to join in the fight to save the planet. I am now a recycler. I researched the topic, and was amazed at all the items that can be recycled! Here is what I have learned.I knew that aluminum cans were recyclable. I didn’t know that the steel cans our food comes in are also recyclable. I go through 60 cans of dog food a month! I was throwing that into the landfill!!! How appaling. I also learned that cardboard packaging is recyclable. So, all the cereal boxes, side dish boxes, soda can boxes and so on can be recycled. Then I found out that all clear glass jars and clear plastic bottles and containers are all recyclable. That would cover the spaghetti jars, the applesauce jars, the pickle and relish jars and so on. All my milk jugs, juice bottles, water bottles, jelly and peanut butter containers are all recyclable. The list just goes on and on! Paper is also recyclable. The newspapers, the phone books, the junk mail, and printer paper are all being recycled.When it all finally sunk in, I realized that very little trash should be going to the curb! I am sorry that I have been filling the landfills with all this junk. Except for paper and cardboard, everything else doesn’t bio-degrade. It just sits there, taking up room. Then the world has to create MORE. That process is destroying the environment. I don’t want to be a part of that anymore. So, I am pledging to do my best and recycle all that I can.

The Economy is falling apart

I read another article, in today’s paper, regarding the future of the economy.  Another wave of foreclosures are coming, and that will further crash the real estate market and finish off the loan sector.  Then these losses will lower consumerism, which will hurt retailers resulting in job losses.   It is a huge dominoe effect.  

 The unemployment rate here is 5.3%    Thank God my husband is yet to be in that boat.  He does Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, and some plumbing and he works for an old and very well known company.  Hopefully that will insulate us from unemployment.  People in Florida MUST have A/C, and the restaurants MUST have working refridgeration, and everyone MUST have working plumbing.  I will tell you that business has slowed down and his checks are smaller than normal, but we can still make it… IF we cut back and cut down. 

We need to refinance our mortage down a little and cash in on some equity.  We need to pay off or lower the car payment.  We MUST put savings in the bank, and really reconsider all the additions and changes we were going to make on the house.  They are all so important and desperately needed, but if we don’t get enough money out of the appraisal…. then it all can’t get done.    It would be more important to have more money put away anyway.

Then other monthly bills need to change.  That storage unit has got to be downsized.  It will cut the bill in half.  I truely can’t bring it all home, so the unit stays.  The electric bill is still too damn high.  That is going to take some serious creativity.  The grocery bill is definetly out to lunch and I am learning the ways of couponing!  SO, hopefully that will be undercontrol soon.   I am back at curbside shopping, garage saleing and thrift store shopping.  I love that and it does save money on everything.   GOAL is to not pay full price for anything and get it used if at all possible.   Obviously that isnt always possible, but it is a fine goal to be sure.  I am mastering the CVS deals and that is definetly working to save money on RX and other non-food items. 

The economy is scarey and we all must find a way to cut back, cut down, be more frugal and just learn to live with less.   We won’t go through another Depression, but it will still be damaging to the people of the United States.