Life and living – Page 10 – knuetter dot com

April 6, 2009

of cynics and skeptics

I was reading through some blog posts the other day, and I came across a post in which the author classified himself as a skeptic and not a cynic. And something about that resonated with me.

I have often been tagged as cynical – and I can see why – but it’s not the way I see myself. I’ve never really put a lot of thought into it though.

My English being what it is (let’s just say my verbal SAT score trailed my math score..) I’m always fascinated when I stumble across a word that has such a great definition – one that’s more precise than others that I’ve used in the past.

And this is just one of those cases. I really like skeptical as a way to define the way I view situations. Cynicism implies, or should imply, a much more negative outlook whereas skepticism is more about doubt. I tend to be doubtful until I fully understand a situation – which is not to say that I have a negative outlook. It’s just that I approach things with what I think of as a healthy doubt. And I like to think that I take the time to understand the situation – gather enough information – that I can then form a more informed outlook. And sometimes that outlook just might be rosy.

April 3, 2009

Saving in a down economy

I’ve been pretty fortunate over the years, generally having jobs that have paid me well.

But I’d like to think that that’s only half the story. After all, I was making half what I’m making now and still enjoyed a pretty good life in San Francisco – and I was making one-third of that when I was living in Chicago and I was having a blast then. (Of course the $300 a-month rent made that possible!)

There are times that I’m amazed that I’m able to travel to Africa, with a nice camera, all while not having a job.

But then again, I like to think that some of that fortune comes from the decisions that I make.

I’ve been pretty good about saving money over the years, and not living above my means. I haven’t carried a credit card balance for many years now, I’ve paid off my car and motorcycle loans early, and I’ve maximized my 401k contributions for a long time. This is all because, as I’ve indicated above, I make a pretty decent salary – but it’s also because of the choices I’m making. I prioritize what’s important to me (traveling, friends) and I skip over the things that aren’t (new furniture, new cars). One of the mantras I try to live by is: experiences, not stuff. I try to prioritize experiences that will live with me forever over stuff that just accumulates.

This isn’t always easy, of course. I’m not above temptation of the latest gadget any more than anyone else. But I do try to avoid the temptation when I can. I remove myself from emails from retailers; I try to get rid of the catalogs that get sent in the mail; I avoid Best Buy when possible.. And probably most effectively, I keep myself busy. It’s when I’m bored and find myself window shopping that I’ll end up with some purchase that somehow happened.

This has all been on my mind lately as I look at the economy around the world. For the longest time I’ve been wary of unbridled capitalism – and I’ve been concerned about where growth for growth’s sake would take us. And I’ve been amazed and jealous at the way people have lived their lives. But now I’d like to think that some of that has come crashing down. Unfortunately it’s impacted so many in such detrimental ways but hopefully we’ll be able to find a way to come out of this on the other side with more people conscious of their finances and what they need to keep them in a more healthy state.

Having said all of this, I don’t think I’m impervious to the bad economy. I haven’t been that golden in my activities (did I mention I went to freakin Africa without a job!). And as such, I’ve ramped up my savings over the past 6 months to build up a cushion in case things do go sour.

Hopefully though the more optimistic projections will take hold and we’ll see things start to turn around in the next few months. I hope so. That 401k savings is just not what it used to be!

March 21, 2009

How much water could you save?

Here’s a pretty cool illustration that shows how much water it takes to get through the average day. Their implication is that everyone is in the left categories and we could benefit from everyone shifting to the right. Of course the reality is that most of us are somewhere inbetween, and there are some aspects over which many of us have little control (like where our power is generated).

Still, I like the graphic (from GOOD magazine) and I like how it makes clear just how much water some items require (coke compared to water, beef compared to chicken (or better yet, the salad)).

With the water levels the way they are in California this could become more and more relevant as the years progress.

March 7, 2009

65,000 and counting

My car rolled over 65,000 miles today. That’s not a particularly significant number (I tend to like the palindromic numbers myself) but it did make me think to take stock about where I am with this car.

: Image via Wikipedia

In 2001, fresh out of a job, my 1993 Isuzu Trooper was in need of repair- and after a few years of questionable reliability, I decided it was time for a replacement. I bought the Nissan Pathfinder for a decent price (I thought) of about $35,000 (including tax, title, and all that other bullshit). After getting more than 5k for the Trooper, I was driving home in my first ever brand new vehicle.

In that first year of ownership, I drove the car 14,000 miles: On one trip alone I drove from San Francisco to Joshua Tree to Seattle and back. Did I mention that I wasn’t working?

In the years since, my driving scaled way back. For starters, I have a job now – I’ve had a few in the past years. In those years I haven’t worked further than 15 miles from home and in the last 4 I’ve worked downtown – no driving to work!

I was fortunate (and disciplined) enough to pay off the 5 year loan in about 3, so I haven’t had any car payments for the last 5 years. That has been awesome. I hate making payments.

And, being fairly meticulous with paperwork, I’ve got a full record of all of the work that I’ve had done to the car: normal routine maintenance; replaced windshield, new tires, smog checks, etc., Including the initial purchase price of the car (but not including interest charges as I don’t have that recorded, or insurance as that’s all wrapped up with the condo and motorcycle..) my cost of ownership to date has been $39,750. Ahh. one more thing – that doesn’t include gas. I reliably get a lousy 17 miles to the gallon. let’s see…. 65000… 17 .. let’s assume $3 average (that’s high for sure) 3823 gallons of gas .. $11, 470. Wow. 25% of my ownership costs have been fuel.

That’s definitely higher than I would have expected, but part of that I have to chalk up to the fact that (knock on wood) I haven’t had any major issues with the car so far and I’ve also elected to keep driving this car, rather than replacing it every 3-5 years like so many others would be tempted to do.

Today the Kelley blue book value is listed at $9,500. Who knows if anyone is even buying these cars these days, but that’s not really important as I’m not selling. I intend to drive this car hopefully for another 8 years which will hopefully only double (or less) my current mileage. If it can last even longer I’d like it even better.

As an environmentalist I’d love to have a car that gets better gas mileage – but at this point am I a better steward keeping an older car and not creating more demand for more manufacturing or would I be better off doubling my fuel efficiency. I’m not sure.

Despite rising gas prices, despite the economy, I like having an SUV – it matches the driving I typically do (when I’m not driving to Sacramento…). I take it to the mountains loaded with people and gear. For me, the ideal scenario is to supplement this car with a smaller “city” car. And of course, by city, I don’t actually mean a car to drive around the city as I HATE driving in the city – I prefer walking/public transport. A city car is one to take on those big grocery shopping days, or to visit friends on the peninsula, or to haul the mountain bike on a sunny Saturday.

But for now, the Pathfinder does just fine.

March 1, 2009

critical mass

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I’m a big fan of the critical mass organized bike rides in San Francisco. I’ve followed their story for years. I’m a believer that cities (and societies) need to be better designed around not just cars but pedestrians, bicycles and mass transit. As such, I support the cyclists right to bring attention to their cause.

That having been said, I’ve also felt the effect of their virtually shutting down streets in the heart of the city. I can remember one instance in particular where, after having ridden the train all the way to my job and back, I was stuck in traffic because of the bikers blocking off streets. Here I was, being the good citizen taking mass transit, subject to their traffic disruptin on the last mile to my house. I was frustrated for sure.

But I still support the cause and their method of bringing it to the forefront. I’m equally impressed with the way San Francisco has handled the situation, bringing just enough order to the chaos top allow it to go on in its own unique way. Now, instead of bicyclists out there on their own, endangering themselves and others around them, there is an official police escort to make sure that things don’t get out of control (no fights with motorists, no riding onto the Bay Bridge) but also to make sure that the cyclists themselves are respected by the motorists. Yet it’s only a police escort – the bicyclists themselves still define the route and the cops just follow along – they haven’t dictated a route which would spoil the atmosphere of the ride (and probably route them away from downtown congestion).

Working downtown now for the past several years I get to see a lot more of the Critical Mass rides, though to my own astonishment I still haven’t partaken. Each time I see the ride (usually I forget that it’s the last Friday of the month until I see the riders) I think I should be out there and perhaps the next time I will. And each time it doesn’t happen.

This past Friday the weather was fine in SF and the cyclists were out en masse. I walked along Market enjoying the vibe thinking.. next time.

February 20, 2009

Amplify your car remote with your head

: Image by InfoCog via Flickr

This one’s for Meghan..

I found this snippet today in my random browsing.. it deals with whether you can boost your car’s remote key fob’s signal by holding it against your body (like up to your jaw, head, etc.,).

I first saw this demonstrated by Jim O. I’ve since tried it on several occasions over the years with mixed-but-slightly-positive success.

Overall, I’d say I’m a believer.

Meghan doesn’t believe it – she thinks it only makes one look a little foolish. And I can’t say she’s wrong on that point.

But I think even the car guys have discussed this on their program, and I believe they’re fans of the method..

I’ll probably keep doing it. Who knows? At the very least it’s like pressing the elevator button over and over – at least you feel like you’re playing a role in making the elevator decide to come to your floor quicker..