I always like to go get a cup of coffee, put in sugar and creamer half way up, then put in ice to make iced coffee during the summer. I got the idea from the cafe in Buen Retiro in Madrid.
Ah, the good old café con hielo! In case anyone wants to try it, you have to put in the sugar while the espresso is hot because otherwise it will not dissolve. Also, you usually pour the coffee into a glass with ice instead of dropping the ice into the coffee. It's cleaner that way. Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
Mine is always to be on a merchant ship in the 1700's circling the world. Or a cargo pilot in the 1930's. Or to be Duncan McCleod, there can be only one....
I've decided that the less you want, the less you need. And if you work hard, save, and have modest expectations, you can come to the point where you have enough to be able to do what you want in life without someone else deciding for you. And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg
Financial independence Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
Of course where I'm from, it's possible to purchase a 80 sq mtr house on a decent lot for €11,000. Now you'd probably have to through in half that again to make it livable, but still.
Some days I think about going home, and hopefully with a master's degree being able to snag a decent job with my alma mater, and living cheap (I already do, I live on about €700 month) and sacking back savings into a retirment account. And I think that I could be "independent" in about 10 years. Which means that I'd have the rest of my life to look forward to at the ripe old age of 38.
I'de really like to travel though. Maybe go back to Spain. My father has told me that if I get my PhD we're going to go to Europe together as my graduation gift. He really wants a Dr. in the family.... And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg
Well, the €1M figure was to retire with Irish prices. Like I said in that thread, you could get away with 1/3 of that in the Czech Republic. Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
Better weather than the Czech Republic, I imagine. And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg
But what about something like this Quinta Fonte da Pinta [speaking of beautiful].
It's got water and terrain galore. Although the grape vines and olive trees aren't likely to provide much income, there's opportunity to plant and irrigate gardens en vois tu en voilà. And Lisbon is close by.
My Portuguese is little rusty, though ;), and I'm reluctant to contribute to the foreign hordes that are invading southern Europe.
But the idea sure is attractive!
And if you work hard, save, and have modest expectations, you can come to the point where you have enough to be able to do what you want in life without someone else deciding for you.
Theoretically. It's an idea that looks correct on paper. Unfortunately, individual circumstances vary widely, life throws curveballs, society does not treat people as equals, not everyone is afforded the same opportunities for education and employment, no one lives in a fishbowl (we are members of families, communities, etc.). It's also an idea that is used to avoid responsibility to those who despite working hard, saving, and having modest expectations, are still unable to "do what [they] want in life without someone else deciding for [them]."
I have not figured it out yet, but I think this protestant worldview is either very effective for ensuring a secure future or very effective at keeping people in line. "Modest expectations" is the key. "Modest" is a very subjective word. For some the expectation of college and health and a few weeks vacation is acceptably modest, for some, the very same expectation is considered decadent. Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
I have very modest expectations. My brother could never understand why I would work so hard, and not go piss away my money like it was water. For me modest is a roof over my head, food, tv, and an internet connection.
I always ask myself whether I really need something before I add more clutter to my life. And most of the time I say no. I've been known to mend my own clothes if it's soemthing small like a seam that came out, rather than toss it out. And I am a master of "jerry-rigging", coming from a long line of jerry-riggers, who can make thing work, if not look pretty.
When I worked, I saved over half of what I made, and I made decent money ($40K) but nothing spectacular. Of course, I worked my way though school, so I never had to take loans. Part of that was that I was able to get financial aid, part of that was that I lived with my mother, and worked 20-30 hours a week when I went to school. I was able to make what I took in match what I put out. That necesarily limited the schools I could go to.
I think that it's a shame that more college students who have the opportunity to live at home and go to school, don't do so, instead of insisting on going to a school far away, and spending lots of money on things that have nothing to do with education. And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg
Debt is slavery. Living within your means is freedom. Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
I have family members who don't seem to get this, and expected me to bail them out when they do so. Sometimes you have to let people experience the consequences of their actions. And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg
That seems to be the mechanism of paradoxical undressing (the wiki link upthread). Basically, the limbs' muscles contract to push warm blood into the torso and head and reduce the area of skin available to lose heat through, but when the muscles tire as they eventually must, and relax, there is a rush of blood to the limbs and people feel so hot that they undress semi-consciously. Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
