Happy Easter, Etc.

Not much new around here at the moment. Easter is tomorrow, and Hubby is talking about maybe dying even more eggs. I have never seen a family eat more eggs in my life. The gas is astounding! Help me!!!

I'm sad to see lent go. I really looked forward to the Friday Menu at work. Potato Encrusted Cod is quite yummy! And it is especially fun to yell out "Cod Nuggets!" in a moment of anger! Hubby and The Child joined me for lunch yesterday. Where else on earth can you feed a family of 3 for $5? We can't even do that at home!

Hubby is trying to quit smoking. It's more difficult for him. I don't think he's ever made it more than a day or 2. And he always smokes the cheap nasty smokes so there's more tar and nicotiene in them. So if he does this, I need everyone to make an extra big deal about it!

I had the opportunity to take the majority of next week off work because most of the docs are gone and it will be slow. Well, I am taking Tuesday and Friday off, but I don't think I'd be able to handle hanging around home all week with Hubby quitting smoking. I'd have to kill him. Granted, if I killed him he would be a former smoker, but it would be for all the wrong reasons.

But the cool thing about him quitting is that it is giving me a chance to get back in touch with all the reasons why I quit. And that helps a lot. Especially since I've been down this road before.
I know that after 1 month you really want to try a cigarette. After 2 months you really want to try a cigarette. After 4 months you really want to try a cigarette. and at 6 months you really want to try a cigarette. And each time you do, the odds of you starting up again increases. I like the money too much to ever go back to being the big smoker I was, but still... I'm finding out that most of the people I know who quit are on the fence at the moment. They are bargaining with themselves. The have at least one cigarette a day, telling themselves that it doesn't count because they aren't smoking like they used to. I don't want to be like that. Because I know me. One would lead to 5. Five would lead to 10. And I'd be right back where I started, only more broke than ever with the costs rising!

Another bonus is that my clothes won't smell like an old cigarette any more! W00t! (There is nothing more aggrivating that to have gone through the journey of quitting smoking only to live with a smoker who leaves all of your clothes smelling like he stood beside them all and blew smoke directly at them. I hate it!!!!).

On a completely unrelated subject, the remote I had ordered a month ago finally arrived in the mail. I loaded it with batteries, re-set the television set and....nothing. The damned thing still won't work! I just don't get it! And I spent $25 on that stupid remote! I don't want to buy a new television set! Right now they're charging far too much for television sets what with the digital programming change-over and all. It makes me want to take the T.V. upstairs and toss it out a window. Well, okay, so I'll admit, I always thought it would be cool to toss a Television out an upper story window. Now I actually have a real reason to do it! Hmmmmm.

What The Money Crisis Means To The Average Joe

I find it a bit frightening that out of all of my co-workers, I was the only one who actually took time on Monday to see how congress voted on the Bail-Out Bill.

Surely I can't be the only one who is concerned about this!

I have a 401K tied up in Wachovia. And it deeply concerns me that CitiBank is wanting to absorb Wachovia. Just when did CitiBank get big and strong enough to absorb a bank as large as Wachovia? What's going on in the financial world?

The part I found most interesting is a quote I read saying that the folks trading at the stock market exchange were holding off to see how the vote went because many had plans to quickly dump the bad stocks in their portfolios so that the Government would purchase them and keep them afloat.

The key words being Bad Stocks. Meaning poorly earning companies that are publicly owned.
The dogs that slow down a portfolio from producing top dollars.

I have to scratch my head at this. Shouldn't a company that is not living up to its earning prospectus be expected to fold? Why keep doing CPR to a dead dog? Let it die and move on!

Didn't that used to be the American Way? Isn't America supposed to be a place where anyone is allowed the opportunity to try to achieve their dreams? And isn't America also the place where people who aren't properly prepared for success are allowed to fail, lick their wounds and then come up with an even better idea due to the things they learn after they have failed?

And it just appals me that there were so many riders tacked on to a bill of such magnitude of importance. Even though I know it is just standard operation for those proposing bills to congress to try to tack on little stipulations that have nothing to do with the initial bill... but on one with so much at stake - for them to tack on such things... well, I'm just glad congress voted this one down.

I know this bill will be re-worked and re-submitted. And it will be interesting to see what happens next. Congress doesn't reconvene until Thursday. Meanwhile, the stock exchange is still open for business. The sky is still blue. I still have my birthday.

So what does this mean to the average person? Why should my co-workers be paying attention?
Well, first off, our aises will be smaller. Everyone is going to have to pay higher taxes and because our employers are paying those higher taxes, they will be less willing to reward the little guy. Please note that this is regardless of what sort of bill gets passed, or if no bill gets passed. Times will be tight for the next 8 years at least.

Here at my house, times are already tight. We don't have a mortgage or a car loan to pay on. But our rent will likely go up. Or our landlady may finally decide it is time to sell the place. Are we prepared to make an offer in such an unstable financial market? But then again, maybe the market value of this house will FINALLY go down to meet the TRUE value of this house. And THEN it would actually be WORTH buying. As it stands, the price is inflated $30,000 over what it is truely worth. I look at the valu of the houses on my block and try to hold back tears. I cannot believe my neighbours would sink so much money into a house in this neighbourhood.
This is NOT a prime spot in my fair city!

There will be more company layoffs. More hiring freezes. Our college students will have a tough time finding jobs in their area of study. In that respect, at my house, we are fortunate there as well. With Hubby working in the service industry, and me working in a health care environment, I think we're fairly safe at the moment. Of course, that could change. At this point, it's all in the air waiting to land.

I'm most curious to see what my 3rd quarter statement for my 401K is going to say. I've never made a killing with it. It's just been a steady growing little nest egg. If it is lost, I don't think I'll cry. But I know others who have portfolios in that 401K who have been putting the maximum allowed amount into their 401K for years. THOSE people will be crying if it is lost. And I do feel for them, especially knowing that they are close to retirement and are really counting on that money.

Another thing I wonder about is, will we be allowed to open a Christmas Savings Account again next year? This year it was more than worth it. Our return will be double our initial investment.
What will the interest rate be next year? Will it be worth it?

How can you not be curious about such things? Wake up, People! The entire world is watching this unfold, and here on our own soil there is just so much ignorance happening! I just don't get it!