h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

.....i noticed years ago, working a shift-and-a-half, is that my income went DOWN after 10 hours on the job----the government gladly deducted more than it was worth me working.
SOME employers are willing to go to a four-day workweek, ten-hour shifts AND THEN up to ten hours of 'overtime pay' spread over a three-day weekend doesn't hurt too much, you personally, your family, or your net earnings.

also, check your thermostat....do you really have to be 75 degrees ?
that is my money-waster du jour, after examinining the receipts.

Yes, I have to be 75 degrees. My idea of a perfect climate is the Australian outback. In summer. I'd rather put my money toward being semi-comfortable in winter and cut costs elsewhere. And of course in summer my energy bills are quite a bit lower than the norm because I set the thermostat at 80 or 82.

You're right about the overtime leading to a smaller paycheck. Something is really wrong there. I've always thought we should replace our income tax with a consumption tax. It's wrong-headed to penalise people for being productive and contributing to the common good; you ought to penalise those who use up too many resources. The trouble is getting that idea to fly in an economy that's supported by consumerism...

once one gets a handle on what 'normal living expenses' ARE, then one can make decisions that are at least semi-informed. my friend was having issues with the natural gas company, so i dialed her thermostat down a degree and she never noticed. plus, since i've lived here on and off for decades, the company has me on a 'budget' plan where the annual cost is averaged over 12 months.
another saver is recycling plastic, aluminum, tin, glass and newspapers. one must have some space to do this, but it's cut my garbage-removal fees considerably.
that would be a wonderful idea to have some sort of 'resource tax/ rebate' for those who walk or bicycle, car-pool or use public transport, put less garbage in landfills, and use the recycling progams. too good an idea----it'll never happen.

In July and August in Cincinnati, the Metro (bus company) reduces their fares to encourage people to leave their cars at home and help improve air quality. A small thing, but a step in the right direction. I note with satisfaction that the stock of both GM and Ford are getting pounded these days; seems that customers aren't interested in their gas-hog SUVs now that gas prices up. Like anyone who lived through the oil shortages of the late 70s (and that includes most CEOs) couldn't have seen this one coming...

Also some states on the coasts have programs that help defray the cost of alternative energy like solar and wind. Home Depot has started carrying solar panels and such in those states and is looking to expand that product line into other states at some point.

(And I would have noticed that 1 degree drop in temperature.)

for instance, should i want to go to an indians' game----or even lake county captains' class A game---i could drive six miles, park my car, and get a ride 40-50 miles east and back to my car. five dollars.

i've been looking at windmills (as i live ON lake erie)but the overall output isn't quite keeping up with the initial investment....but it's getting closer.

but what you're writing about is fiscal responsibility, and realizing where one's money goes. the initial investement on a latte/ cappucino machine seems to be worth it, IF one is not buying the vastly expensive java beans from some remote location in turkey or paraguay.

knowing where one's money is spent is step A, and what i'm talking about is step B---deciding where and how to spend whatever's left.

me, i buy foodstuffa........but occasionally.......several and random bring me elseways. and it's all my fault.

Funny you should mention Step B: that's the topic for next week.

yeeeeeah, that's what i kinda figgered. once you get some grip on what you DO spend, it's time to make choices.
but at least they're semi-informed choices, and that's where i think you're going.
when one basically lives in one decent-sized room and the little room across the hall, one doesn't really need to over-heat the rest of one's abode......which reminds me, i gotta go recycle here momentarily.