Nella Vita di Free Money Deux

What is better than free money? More free money. Since entering the big giveaway mentioned in my previous post I have found that one great blog begets another, and that they are just as generous as the first, if not more! So along those lines, Dream Routine is the top sponsor with a $600 cash prize for Money Crasher’s 2010 Giveaway which ends Sunday, January 31, 2010. Get 15 entries towards Money Crasher’s 2010 Giveaway by signing up for the Dream Routine Insider’s Newsletter ( http://www.dreamroutine.com/beta/ to sign up). Get 5 entries towards Money Crasher’s 2010 Giveaway by following @DreamRoutine (Note: You must include a link to Dream Routine’s Twitter page http://www.twitter.com/DreamRoutine/). Additionally, you can get a bonus $1000 (which I am definitely hoping for)(go here for more details http://bit.ly/7Wonsy)

I hope you all consider doing this. I can think of quite a few things I would use $1600 dollars on :) That's like 1/10 of our wedding!

Nella Vita di Free Money

So I love personal finance and wealth...this is a really sophisticated way of saying that I love money! Specifically the security and freedom (and nice things) that it brings. My beloved and I would love to one day have a swimming pool a la Scrooge McDuck, except for the fact that we would rather have that money invested and toiling in the hot financial fields day in and day out while we reap the benefits (more money!). I like to think that we are both hard workers and in addition to our full time jobs we are always looking for extra opportunities to earn more to pay off our debts quicker and gain financial freedom faster. Wealth takes work and there is rarely such a thing as free money...rarely, but not never. I just found this great opportunity to win some cold hard cash, cold hard plastic, and cold hard goodies. Money Crashers, a great finance blog, is bringing in the new year with their 2010 New Year Giveaway, a massive blowout of giveaways. Thought I would share this with the great wide world, because if I can't win any prizes, who better than my beloved readers? :)

Nella Vita di Resolutions #1: More Cowbell, Less Cow

I’ve long been an animal lover and friend of the furry. There are many out there who also consider themselves animal lovers, when said animal is tempting their palate on the famous migration route from mouth to tummy. Now, you may be thinking that this resolution is going to be about becoming a vegetarian. Well not quite. It is really a resolution to lower your carbon footprint. It’s just that it will be lowered by lowering your meat consumption. One of the simplest (and freest) ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to stop eating meat, particularly red meat, which includes Porky. However, cows are by far the biggest culprit. Underneath their cute swishy tails lurk about 5 car exhausts, and they are set to full power, eeking out a gas that has been shown to be 25% more potent that what pours out cars…I’m talking about methane (Source: IPPCC’s Third Assessment Report). A 2006 report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization concluded that worldwide livestock farming generates 18% of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions while all the world's cars, trains, planes and boats account for a combined 13% of greenhouse gas emissions. Today there are an estimated 1.3 billion cattle in the world (that’s about the population of China or about the population of North America and Europe…combined!). Just one (uno, un, een, eins, jeden) cow produces 65 pounds of methane gas-filled excrement per day (24 hours; 1,440 minutes; 86,400 seconds). For those averse to math, 1.3 billion cows produce 84.5 billion pounds of feces in a single day, which is over 30 trillion pounds of bullshit in one year (yummy). That’s a hell of a lot of organic compost reeking havoc on our environment.

Not to mention how totally inefficient cow meat is. Think of how many acres are grazed by cattle. Imagine those same acres are planted with grains and vegetables. The amount of food that would be generated through plants vs. cows is astronomical (I couldn’t find an exact figure like in the example about methane above, but astronomical sounds pretty scientific, huh?)

So this year, I challenge you to reduce your red meat consumption by at least 50%. For me this will mean only 1 meatball when I visit my Nonina and about a half a Philly Cheesesteak (I rarely eat meat if you couldn’t tell). Then take your gas guzzling car on a nice, long, guilt free drive through the countryside (and maybe run over a couple cows for good measure).

Nella Vita di Resolutions #1: Mom and Pop

No, I’m not suggesting that your resolution should be to become a mom or pop this year, but that you should support one (the great news is that it doesn’t have to be your own). Buy shopping locally at Mom and Pop Shops you are able to get the products you need with a side of warm fuzzies. Here are 7 reasons to shop local.

1. It keeps dollars in our economy. Money is good.
2. It creates local jobs. Jobs are good and pretty important in maintaining a good quality of life. Plus, if more people have jobs, they will require less services which means less taxes.
3. It helps fund local government. Working for the local government this pleases me…please shop local, I need a raise!
4. It supports area non-profits. Who wouldn’t want this?
5. It helps the environment. See above.
6. It invests in entrepreneurship. I like the idea of rewarding creative, hard working people with my money.
7. It makes your town/city/village a destination, so that others will flock from afar to spend their non-local money J

I’m a big believer in small steps for big changes. So I’m not proposing that everyone must vow to buy everything they ever need/want from local retailers. Instead I suggest that each person choose one item and make a commitment (it’s like a resolution but with teeth) to only buy that item locally or choose one local store to support. For me, I’m going to buy all my yarn (and I buy a lot of yarn) from local Charlottesville yarn stores this year. Who will you support?

Nella Vita di Resolutions

Ah the New Year. In the perpetual kickball game that is life, New Years is like coming up to kick all over again. Perhaps it is a chance to redeem yourself from previous shortcomings or a chance to once again shine and punt the ball over the fence. Either way, most people step up to the plate with some sort of resolve (I will not suck) just as most people step into the new year with a mantra of determination (I will not suck). But not sucking is easier said than done; how do we not suck at life? It is a question many of us strive to answer. Over the next few posts, I will share five New Year resolutions that will put you on the path to not sucking. Not being perfect myself (surprising I know), I will even include what I plan to do to reach each resolution.

Nella Vita di Fat Asses and No Asses

Just in time for the holiday gorge fest is this 'fat map' from Huffington Post. It shows calorie consumption per capita or in other words, where people are over eating and where people aren't even eating at all. No surprise really that third world and developing countries are those whose citizens are most likely to starve. Of course if forgoing a second helping of mashed potatoes will not magically allow an African child to eat them, but I think it is worth a reminder about our own consumption habits and how they may affect the world. If this Thanksgiving we served one less dish at dinner and took the money we saved to invest in a feed the world program imagine the impact we could have.

Nella Vita di Tree Dwellers

Every year I always want to put up a Christmas tree, but something always comes up and the fact that I'm not at my house on Christmas morning makes the whole thing seem moot. This year Shane and I will be spending Christmas in Florida (nothing like Santa and sandals) with my Nanny and Poppy. That added with the fact that we just moved and really don't think throwing garland on stacks of boxes will be that festive. Next year though, will be our first Christmas as a married couple and damn right we will have a tree!

These cute little ornaments from anthropologie are enough to tempt me to at least get a Charlie Brown reject this year, but at $12 a pop, I think I'll just wait til they go on sale and January and stash them away for next year.