OK, so every year at work my co-workers and I get the pleasant ordeal of appeasing customers who get slightly offended when we don't say "Merry Christmas" to them during the transaction. We get to hear how Christmas is a Christian holiday and that it should be acknowledged and that Happy Holidays is just a cop out. Well, whatever. Respectably, Christmas, by majority, is a Christian holiday. But arrogance gets in the way of reality in that everyone has to realize that in this country of all countries, cultures are so diverse that no one can really assume anymore that true Christians rule the land. If you really want to be honest, hypocrite Christians actual rule the land I think. Being critical and judgmental of other people's religious practices doesn't seem very Christian- like to me.
So during the Christmas/Hanukkah/ Kwanzaa season, we need to be true to the spirit of this time of year and respect all cultures and how they celebrate. I asked a friend of mine who happens to be Muslim how, or if, she celebrates this time of year. Religiously, she and her family do not practice the way most people do by going to church or singing Christmas carols about Jesus. I personally don't think it makes her wrong. That's the way she grew up, that's what she accustomed to. What makes it interesting is that for her having a very different religious background, she doesn't criticize how other cultures celebrate the holidays. She respects that. She understands that this is their custom and it doesn't make them wrong because they don't celebrate like she does and vice versa. So why is it that the this Muslim woman can respect that about others, but yet some "Christians" can't return that same respect? So with most of us realizing that, we want to say 'Happy Holidays' as a way of acknowledging everyone's holiday practices without offending non-Christians. But of course, we can't make everyone happy.
The term "Happy Holidays". Let's get to that. Happy obviously means a pleasant sense of emotion and joy. Holidays denotes a day of celebration of some sort and/or acknowledgment. So how can two positive words create such a negative stir? I remember talking to a customer one time and said 'Happy Holidays' to her and she corrected me and said, "No, it's Merry Christmas". I felt like telling her to shove it up her ass and that I don't believe in Jesus (which is not true btw) just so I can push her buttons. Of course, you know, I couldn't do that. But still, I was baffled how someone could be slightly offended from such a non-offensive comment which I didn't really need to say in the first place.
People need to get out of the dark ages and really embrace what this season is truly about, regardless what religious background everyone has. We need to remember this is the time of giving, sharing, a time of belonging, and family. A time of fellowship. A time to bring peace and everyone together. All that doesn't require religious labels. And if we can carry that throughout the year, maybe the world can be a better place. Who knows?
So with that, I want to say Happy Holidays. And yes, I'll also say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Lalapalooza, Ooompa Loompa doopadeedoo. There. If I left anyone out, my apologies.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Sometimes Practical Spending to Some is a Practical Joke to Everyone Else.
It was announced that Apple will begin production on the new iPhone 5 in July for distribution in September. That's fine and dandy for the business, manufacturing another product for retail sale. But I can't help but wonder how many people out there with iPhone 4's will go out and buy the latest model. Of course, with contractual restrictions, some may not be able to. But what about the one's who can? What's your reasoning for getting the latest model? Is it bragging rights to say, 'Hey, look at me, I have the new one!" Sure it would be encouraging to everyone to help the economy and buy whatever you can buy but I don't know too many people who have $300.00 extra spending pocket change to just go out and buy another phone when in all actuality don't need one. Yeah, I'll give leeway to the reason of someone having an older model or a broken phone. But what about those crazy people who want to get it just so they can get it? Yeah, I call them crazy and a I laugh and here's why.
Have you ever seen and heard someone give you every reason and excuse in the book to justify the actions they are doing? They're smoke screening you with every possible factor supporting their act, every reason but the plain, simple, honest truth. Sometimes admitting a mistake or showing their selfishness and vanity might be too much of a rude awakening to a person. I mean, who in their right mind would want to admit their flaws? Hello-- we're all not perfect so admitting your flaws is ok. So it's ok to admit the selfish honest truth when it comes to buying extravagant things for yourself. It's ok to say, "I bought it because I wanted it." There. It's simple. It's honest. And it will be end of discussion because if you're telling this to someone who doesn't articulate as much, they won't have a comment on such a direct and unexpected answer.
Too many times I laugh inside at the person telling me every reason why they are buying a new outfit, or a new piece of electronics or something. Cut the crap and just say you wanted it! It's a respectable, confident answer so don't worry about saying it. Don't go out shopping for a new dress and say, "Oh the pink one I have is strapless and I need short sleeves" or "the one out fit doesn't have sparkle on it." Geez, put a shrug on if you're cold or accessories with jewelry if you want some bling. Or just tell the truth and say you want a new dress and don't waste time with the bull shit excuses. Last year, I purchased a 40" LED/LCD television for myself. The tv I had prior was a 27" flat face box tv. By today's standards, yes, it's an old tv. It was made before HD ever existed and the screen quality, well, you remember. So the day came when I wanted to upgrade and get something that met my viewing expectations. Sure I had my obvious reasons to get the tv, comparing it to the model I had. But when it came down to it, when asked why I needed a new tv, I just said, "my tv is old and I want a new one." Done. No comment back because it was a direct, honest answer. I didn't do what most people do and start listing my reasons of why I HAD to buy the new tv when I had a perfectly operating one in my room.
Which brings me to back to the whole point of this blog-- why would you get something new when what you have is perfectly fine? With the money you have to splurge, wouldn't you want to get something you don't already have? A few weeks ago, my little brother received an iPad 2 from his wife. That's good for me and my other brother because now we don't have to worry too much about our iPad's getting "iPad-napped". But it's cool because he didn't have one and now he does. But how about this-- last night a friend of mine also got an iPad 2 as a gift. However, he was already an owner of a iPad 1 that had nothing wrong with it. Other than a SLIGHTLY faster processor, a thinner casing, and a webcam, there really isn't that much more difference between that and it's predecessor. Gift or no gift, I was just curious why he needed to have that. I can truly understand if he received an iPad 3 because by the time that model comes out, more improved advancements would have been made to the product. But that's 500.00. Wouldn't you want to get something else to enjoy? At least make some money out of it-- if you have the new model, sell the old one.
What people do with their money is their business. No one can tell you how to spend your money. They can suggest and guide you, but truly not tell you. But sure, people can question what you buy. I've always been the kind of person to get more bang for your buck. It does take some effort and time to become a practical shopper. But here's a direct question for you-- if you had $50.00, would you want to get as much as you can with that $50.00? Think about it. It's ok to have nice things. Everyone in the world deserves to have nice things. Let's just see how smart you are getting it. You may have to take time to shop online and find the better deal but when all is said and done, you'll be the winner. The challenge is to beat the system. You want the nice things, you want that new phone or new tv? Find a way to get a deal out of it. Don't feed into the company's frenzy and nourish them with your hard earned money. You're still giving them money, but you don't have to give them all of it. By doing it this way, if you want to do what some people may feel as senseless spending you can, just get some money out if it in the process.
Have you ever seen and heard someone give you every reason and excuse in the book to justify the actions they are doing? They're smoke screening you with every possible factor supporting their act, every reason but the plain, simple, honest truth. Sometimes admitting a mistake or showing their selfishness and vanity might be too much of a rude awakening to a person. I mean, who in their right mind would want to admit their flaws? Hello-- we're all not perfect so admitting your flaws is ok. So it's ok to admit the selfish honest truth when it comes to buying extravagant things for yourself. It's ok to say, "I bought it because I wanted it." There. It's simple. It's honest. And it will be end of discussion because if you're telling this to someone who doesn't articulate as much, they won't have a comment on such a direct and unexpected answer.
Too many times I laugh inside at the person telling me every reason why they are buying a new outfit, or a new piece of electronics or something. Cut the crap and just say you wanted it! It's a respectable, confident answer so don't worry about saying it. Don't go out shopping for a new dress and say, "Oh the pink one I have is strapless and I need short sleeves" or "the one out fit doesn't have sparkle on it." Geez, put a shrug on if you're cold or accessories with jewelry if you want some bling. Or just tell the truth and say you want a new dress and don't waste time with the bull shit excuses. Last year, I purchased a 40" LED/LCD television for myself. The tv I had prior was a 27" flat face box tv. By today's standards, yes, it's an old tv. It was made before HD ever existed and the screen quality, well, you remember. So the day came when I wanted to upgrade and get something that met my viewing expectations. Sure I had my obvious reasons to get the tv, comparing it to the model I had. But when it came down to it, when asked why I needed a new tv, I just said, "my tv is old and I want a new one." Done. No comment back because it was a direct, honest answer. I didn't do what most people do and start listing my reasons of why I HAD to buy the new tv when I had a perfectly operating one in my room.
Which brings me to back to the whole point of this blog-- why would you get something new when what you have is perfectly fine? With the money you have to splurge, wouldn't you want to get something you don't already have? A few weeks ago, my little brother received an iPad 2 from his wife. That's good for me and my other brother because now we don't have to worry too much about our iPad's getting "iPad-napped". But it's cool because he didn't have one and now he does. But how about this-- last night a friend of mine also got an iPad 2 as a gift. However, he was already an owner of a iPad 1 that had nothing wrong with it. Other than a SLIGHTLY faster processor, a thinner casing, and a webcam, there really isn't that much more difference between that and it's predecessor. Gift or no gift, I was just curious why he needed to have that. I can truly understand if he received an iPad 3 because by the time that model comes out, more improved advancements would have been made to the product. But that's 500.00. Wouldn't you want to get something else to enjoy? At least make some money out of it-- if you have the new model, sell the old one.
What people do with their money is their business. No one can tell you how to spend your money. They can suggest and guide you, but truly not tell you. But sure, people can question what you buy. I've always been the kind of person to get more bang for your buck. It does take some effort and time to become a practical shopper. But here's a direct question for you-- if you had $50.00, would you want to get as much as you can with that $50.00? Think about it. It's ok to have nice things. Everyone in the world deserves to have nice things. Let's just see how smart you are getting it. You may have to take time to shop online and find the better deal but when all is said and done, you'll be the winner. The challenge is to beat the system. You want the nice things, you want that new phone or new tv? Find a way to get a deal out of it. Don't feed into the company's frenzy and nourish them with your hard earned money. You're still giving them money, but you don't have to give them all of it. By doing it this way, if you want to do what some people may feel as senseless spending you can, just get some money out if it in the process.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Let's Talk Price
So one thing that really has gotten under my skin lately is the constant reference on how expensive things are. Sure that may not sound like anything any of us haven't heard before but let me take you to another layer that I'm sure most people never really paid attention to-- expensive as compared to 'what other price'?
How many people out there (maybe yourself included) actually say how expensive something is but don't really have a reference to compare that price to? I'm sure it's a lot. It's all about the proper use of verbiage, I guess. What the price tag says versus what actually is coming out of your wallet are two separate things. Obviously when you look at a price tag and see the how much something is, your immediate reaction if the number is high is "that's expensive". Question is, how do you know that price isn't the lowest price that item was ever offered at? In order to know how well of a bargain you're receiving, one has to already be familiar with the average price the item normally goes for.
Just the other day, I was at Costco with my mom and aunt, looking at the salmon filets. While price shopping at the local grocery stores, the average price per pound for wild caught salmon filets is about 9.99/lb. Costco was selling their wild caught salmon filets for 7.99/lbs so of course, I had a positive reaction to see a rate lower than the norm. My mom reacted differently, saying 7.99 per pound is expensive. I asked her how much the price of salmon is per pound nowadays. She said she didn't know. So I asked her, "then how do you know that this price is expensive?" She couldn't respond to that, mainly because, I guess, she wasn't expecting anyone to go there with that simple question.
That Costco incident is just one example of how people are generally when it comes to pricing. If you want to be a conscious spender, you have to pay attention to the pricing of items. Look at what you normally buy and pay attention to how much you are paying. That is the easiest, sure way to identify a good deal when you see one. Add a coupon (that'll be another discussion) you'll be on jumpin for joy with savings! Same thing when it comes to buying something that you don't normally get. Shop around and see what the going rate is and you'll know a deal when you see it. Don't want to use your gas, hop in the internet and peruse online.
So what can I do to lubricate the tightness people still have when it comes to spending? I'm not Suze Orman, I don't know how to effectively budget my money. But common sense guides me when it comes to getting a good deal, without a doubt. It doesn't help that my community is made of up people most want to call "cheap". But those are the ones who are stingy with their money anyway and bad economy or not, everything will still be expensive to them. It's just worse now because we do live in a bad economy. I guess I'll make it my crusade to open their eyes a bit and call them out on how much they know or don't know about product pricing. You can call it a bit ignorant on their part. I look at it as a way of educating them, therefore you can call it a community service. I would say "if the cheap shoe fits" but that shoe might still be expensive to them.
How many people out there (maybe yourself included) actually say how expensive something is but don't really have a reference to compare that price to? I'm sure it's a lot. It's all about the proper use of verbiage, I guess. What the price tag says versus what actually is coming out of your wallet are two separate things. Obviously when you look at a price tag and see the how much something is, your immediate reaction if the number is high is "that's expensive". Question is, how do you know that price isn't the lowest price that item was ever offered at? In order to know how well of a bargain you're receiving, one has to already be familiar with the average price the item normally goes for.
Just the other day, I was at Costco with my mom and aunt, looking at the salmon filets. While price shopping at the local grocery stores, the average price per pound for wild caught salmon filets is about 9.99/lb. Costco was selling their wild caught salmon filets for 7.99/lbs so of course, I had a positive reaction to see a rate lower than the norm. My mom reacted differently, saying 7.99 per pound is expensive. I asked her how much the price of salmon is per pound nowadays. She said she didn't know. So I asked her, "then how do you know that this price is expensive?" She couldn't respond to that, mainly because, I guess, she wasn't expecting anyone to go there with that simple question.
That Costco incident is just one example of how people are generally when it comes to pricing. If you want to be a conscious spender, you have to pay attention to the pricing of items. Look at what you normally buy and pay attention to how much you are paying. That is the easiest, sure way to identify a good deal when you see one. Add a coupon (that'll be another discussion) you'll be on jumpin for joy with savings! Same thing when it comes to buying something that you don't normally get. Shop around and see what the going rate is and you'll know a deal when you see it. Don't want to use your gas, hop in the internet and peruse online.
So what can I do to lubricate the tightness people still have when it comes to spending? I'm not Suze Orman, I don't know how to effectively budget my money. But common sense guides me when it comes to getting a good deal, without a doubt. It doesn't help that my community is made of up people most want to call "cheap". But those are the ones who are stingy with their money anyway and bad economy or not, everything will still be expensive to them. It's just worse now because we do live in a bad economy. I guess I'll make it my crusade to open their eyes a bit and call them out on how much they know or don't know about product pricing. You can call it a bit ignorant on their part. I look at it as a way of educating them, therefore you can call it a community service. I would say "if the cheap shoe fits" but that shoe might still be expensive to them.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Something Old That I'm Doing. Just Making it More Official
Ok, so as anyone who knows me knows that I'm on Facebook practically all day. Not continuously in front of my computer but active enough where anyone who sees my page can pretty much know what's going on with me that day and/or know what's on my mind. Well one night out I was talking to my brother and his partner about how active I am on Facebook, talking about what I'm doing, what I'm cooking, what I'm thinking. Even use it as a tool to critique foods, restaurants, movies, etc. They suggested I start blogging. Yeah sure, let me do what a lot of people are doing and have my words get lost in a sea of opinions that are out there. But as time went on, I thought about it and realized, you know, that's not a bad idea. I mean, I'm doing it anyway on Facebook, why not put it in a more appropriate forum.
This seems like a better idea only because this way anyone who wants to read what I really want to say can do so by their own choice and at their leisure. As much as I want everyone to know what's on my mind, I don't want to be one of those people who will force my opinion down someone's throat by making it public on the wall of a social network site. I love hearing and reading the criticism and opinions that people have regarding what I have to say. I just want to make sure that what they have to share actually has some thought put behind it and is not merely the result of some spontaneous reaction due to a red button that I may have pushed in them. I learned a long time ago that a decision or an opinion is not a bad one so long as you have reason behind it.
So I'm gonna see what blogging is going to do for me. I make keep at this for awhile, I may stop early. All I know is that I am going to keep it diverse and interesting. I love food; I love entertainment; and I love pushing buttons and asking the questions that most everyone is too chicken shit to put on the table. Most of all, I like to make people think without so much as expecting a response in return. So there's always gonna be something that will attract someone out there to read what I post. Let's just see where this goes.
This seems like a better idea only because this way anyone who wants to read what I really want to say can do so by their own choice and at their leisure. As much as I want everyone to know what's on my mind, I don't want to be one of those people who will force my opinion down someone's throat by making it public on the wall of a social network site. I love hearing and reading the criticism and opinions that people have regarding what I have to say. I just want to make sure that what they have to share actually has some thought put behind it and is not merely the result of some spontaneous reaction due to a red button that I may have pushed in them. I learned a long time ago that a decision or an opinion is not a bad one so long as you have reason behind it.
So I'm gonna see what blogging is going to do for me. I make keep at this for awhile, I may stop early. All I know is that I am going to keep it diverse and interesting. I love food; I love entertainment; and I love pushing buttons and asking the questions that most everyone is too chicken shit to put on the table. Most of all, I like to make people think without so much as expecting a response in return. So there's always gonna be something that will attract someone out there to read what I post. Let's just see where this goes.
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