Everyone who has ever kept a blog goes through dry spells, and they always apologise when they come back... so I won't bore you with another one. Consider it given.
There's really not a lot going on around here to warrant blogging, or at least not a lot that's shareable. Monkeypants had her awards ceremony for graduating fifth grade, and she was the last person to receive her awards because she got *every award it was possible to receive*. Well, except perfect attendance due to that very nasty flu we all got in November. But everything else from Bluebonnet awards for reading, to "Fact Frenzy Master" test awards (they never explain what these accomplishments mean, which frustrates me to no end). But her teacher made a point of mentioning that she got them all, which is very gratifying and not just a little bit scary. The word "brilliant" was used. I can't help feeling that we're making her into a big fish in a small pond by keeping her in public school. Are we doing her a disservice because we can't afford private school? Or is she better off being the most brilliant where she is, than the average somewhere else?
Other than the end of the academic year, there's not a lot to tell. We're trying to save up for a trip to Minnesota in July, but we're continually running out of money before the end of the pay period. Expenses haven't seemed to go up much, and pay hasn't gone down, we're just not making it as well as we used to, and we can't seem to figure out the cause. I've taken to making homemade pizza a lot again, and if you've been following my blog you know that's how I make the food budget stretch in times of crisis. We just can't understand how it's happening, unless some sneaky expense has been increasing so gradually we haven't noticed. For the first time ever we're cutting the cable TV for the summer... I know many people who do this, but for us it's always been a negligible expense. Now it seems a needless one. Between Hulu, Amazon Video on Demand, Netflix's "Watch it now" and DVD box sets, broadcast television seems like a luxury... and an unused one at that. Since my ReplayTV DVRs have been acting up, I may be less choked up about it than one might think.
Hubby has again attempted to quit smoking, and I think he might actually be serious this time. The true test (as always) will be to see if he goes back to it once we have money again.
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Not stirring that up...
While it would be very tempting to say things like "Just because I drink tea and live in Texas doesn't mean I attended a tea party." I'm not going to go political in this blog post... much. That's as close as I'll get. However it does remind me of Tim Curry's character in Clue: "My wife and I had friends who were... socialists! Well, we all make mistakes."
If you ask me, if the industry in this country is going to continue to urge the American public to spend beyond its means via commercials and its attitudes, then we're going to need socialized medicine and other programs to help them out when the crapola hits the fan.
See what I did there? Went political anyway. Done now.
I'm in the midst of an experiment. I know I said I was ordering a rigid-heddle weaving loom for my birthday gift tomorrow, but I keep looking at the shopping cart total and thinking that it's an awful lot of money. It's not like last year with my purchase of my spinning wheel... which I have not regretted for a single instant. No, I know I will LOVE weaving. My problem is with the fact that while the loom itself is a specialized piece of equipment that is not easily duplicated, I am balking at the expense of making it fully functional. An extra heddle is $45! The *stand* to make it freestanding (basically seven sticks held together by bolts) is $110 fricken dollars! For sticks! So if I want any extras, my $250 loom becomes a $700 purchase. That's an extra heddle in the other two available sizes, the stand, extra shuttle (another stick), and two cheap cones of yarn. And two cheap instruction books from Amazon. I can't spend that.
So the experiment is fashioning my own backstrap loom. Pictures and how-to may follow. It depends on how it turns out later today.
If you ask me, if the industry in this country is going to continue to urge the American public to spend beyond its means via commercials and its attitudes, then we're going to need socialized medicine and other programs to help them out when the crapola hits the fan.
See what I did there? Went political anyway. Done now.
I'm in the midst of an experiment. I know I said I was ordering a rigid-heddle weaving loom for my birthday gift tomorrow, but I keep looking at the shopping cart total and thinking that it's an awful lot of money. It's not like last year with my purchase of my spinning wheel... which I have not regretted for a single instant. No, I know I will LOVE weaving. My problem is with the fact that while the loom itself is a specialized piece of equipment that is not easily duplicated, I am balking at the expense of making it fully functional. An extra heddle is $45! The *stand* to make it freestanding (basically seven sticks held together by bolts) is $110 fricken dollars! For sticks! So if I want any extras, my $250 loom becomes a $700 purchase. That's an extra heddle in the other two available sizes, the stand, extra shuttle (another stick), and two cheap cones of yarn. And two cheap instruction books from Amazon. I can't spend that.
So the experiment is fashioning my own backstrap loom. Pictures and how-to may follow. It depends on how it turns out later today.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Limited Edition? KMA!
I have officially decided that the economy has made everyone crazy. Stable, reliable companies have started flaking on customer service, making irrational statements, or making insane business decisions.
Ignoring some of the crazy things computer gaming companies have said and done in the past couple months (Sony? Wise up!) let's focus on the world of fiber, yarn, and other homey type items for a moment, because that's what this blog is (supposedly) focused on.
In the past month, I have seen a huge rise in companies offering "limited edition" yarns and patterns. This past week, Knit Picks announced that their Palette sock yarn samplers (which have been so hugely popular they are almost never in stock) are going to be discontinued. Wha?! Doing the math for a moment, if you wanted to buy all three sets with enough to make a pair of socks in every color, you'd have to spend $210. I don't know many people that have that money laying around. My goal was to do just this, though, but one color set at a time. That's $70, which is a huge chunk of change all on its own. Knit Picks is also the company who created one of those adorable Sock Monkey patterns, also wildly popular, as a limited edition. I think it was avalable for all of a week before it sold out. And don't GET me started on the whole Wollemeise situation... that's a blog unto itself.
Now yesterday I get an email from DVO, an electronic cookbook company. I only use their organizing software, but they offer 100's of titles with pre-formatted recipes. Famous names like Betty Crocker, Taste of Home, etc. They're discontinuing their "Buy all our titles now!" package, because supposedly they lose too much money every time they sell it. BUT WAIT! We'll sell it to you for the next two days, then it's GONE! Hurry! Drop $400 in our wallet! Please!
I find that their cries of "Oh, it hurts us" less credible when they urge you to buy it... and then send you reminders every day.
Look, people... and by people, I mean companies... if customers want to give you money for something, and you make a profit with it, LET THEM. This "Limited Edition" nonsense may give you a short monetary boost, but it will hurt you in the long run. My husband's pay schedule has changed to less frequent but larger payments. Since I rely on sales for my own income, I'm pretty much at the whim of the market. I may not HAVE the money by the time your super-duper item's deadline occurs. I will probably have bought all these items eventually (well, not the cookbook package... I have too many titles already) but I am NOT going to make myself crazy trying to SCRAPE UP $210 for yarn on YOUR schedule!
All it looks like is that companies are afraid the money is going to run out, and they want to grab as much of it as they can before it dries up. Stop acting desperate.
I realize these are last-ditch efforts companies are taking before they have to start firing people or cutting pay, but honestly this kind of economy is where the cream is going to rise to the top. And if you're left standing at the end of all this, but you've put a bad taste in my mouth with your behavior during a crisis, I'm going to stop shopping with you. I've already dropped one supplier for flaking on customer service, care to make it two?
Ignoring some of the crazy things computer gaming companies have said and done in the past couple months (Sony? Wise up!) let's focus on the world of fiber, yarn, and other homey type items for a moment, because that's what this blog is (supposedly) focused on.
In the past month, I have seen a huge rise in companies offering "limited edition" yarns and patterns. This past week, Knit Picks announced that their Palette sock yarn samplers (which have been so hugely popular they are almost never in stock) are going to be discontinued. Wha?! Doing the math for a moment, if you wanted to buy all three sets with enough to make a pair of socks in every color, you'd have to spend $210. I don't know many people that have that money laying around. My goal was to do just this, though, but one color set at a time. That's $70, which is a huge chunk of change all on its own. Knit Picks is also the company who created one of those adorable Sock Monkey patterns, also wildly popular, as a limited edition. I think it was avalable for all of a week before it sold out. And don't GET me started on the whole Wollemeise situation... that's a blog unto itself.
Now yesterday I get an email from DVO, an electronic cookbook company. I only use their organizing software, but they offer 100's of titles with pre-formatted recipes. Famous names like Betty Crocker, Taste of Home, etc. They're discontinuing their "Buy all our titles now!" package, because supposedly they lose too much money every time they sell it. BUT WAIT! We'll sell it to you for the next two days, then it's GONE! Hurry! Drop $400 in our wallet! Please!
I find that their cries of "Oh, it hurts us" less credible when they urge you to buy it... and then send you reminders every day.
Look, people... and by people, I mean companies... if customers want to give you money for something, and you make a profit with it, LET THEM. This "Limited Edition" nonsense may give you a short monetary boost, but it will hurt you in the long run. My husband's pay schedule has changed to less frequent but larger payments. Since I rely on sales for my own income, I'm pretty much at the whim of the market. I may not HAVE the money by the time your super-duper item's deadline occurs. I will probably have bought all these items eventually (well, not the cookbook package... I have too many titles already) but I am NOT going to make myself crazy trying to SCRAPE UP $210 for yarn on YOUR schedule!
All it looks like is that companies are afraid the money is going to run out, and they want to grab as much of it as they can before it dries up. Stop acting desperate.
I realize these are last-ditch efforts companies are taking before they have to start firing people or cutting pay, but honestly this kind of economy is where the cream is going to rise to the top. And if you're left standing at the end of all this, but you've put a bad taste in my mouth with your behavior during a crisis, I'm going to stop shopping with you. I've already dropped one supplier for flaking on customer service, care to make it two?
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Economic woes
I talk a big game when it comes to what I want to do with my business, what my plans are, and what I spend its money on... the real trick comes with the execution. Despite good press, and very nice feedback, sales are dwindling right at the time when we could use them the most. All plans will have to be put on hold.
It sucks that what I'm really good at is providing, essentially, what are considered luxury items to hobbyists. Hey, if I could produce a really good fuel-efficient economy car, I would. I don't think that's an item I could sell on Etsy, though, even if I could produce it.
I was hit with wave after wave of depression yesterday. I received two fiction novels (my *only* purchase for myself this payday) at noon, and had finished them *both* by the time midnight rolled around last night. Yeah. That sucks... mostly because I will probably have to wait weeks to get another book. All our old books are in storage, and all I have here are non-fiction books I've pretty much read through several times and have absorbed all the knowledge I'm going to get from them.
So I'm stuck here in this really sucky reality where we have to put items back when we get to the checkout line at the grocery store (possibly the most embarrasing thing you would ever have to do) because the total is *way* higher than what we were expecting, and in all the commotion you accidentally leave the three boxes of Valentine's cookies for your daughter's school party at the store, and your husband is too proud to go back with the receipt to get them. And we knew we weren't going to be able to afford the cards in the first place, so now I have two days to make three dozen cookies AND three dozen valentines and have I mentioned how much I HATE deadlines? For ANYTHING?
I would dye or make jewelry, but I'm stuck in a color rut and the experts I asked said that it's best to take a break from the dyeing when that happens. So that's out. Jewelry I'm stuck because four different suppliers I order from are out of brass. Just completely out in any gauges or shape that's useful. And there is no WAY I'm going to try to push sterling silver out in this economy. Silver prices are just way too high. So that leaves copper... and there's only so many color stones that look good with copper, and only so many people who can *wear* copper. It's really not a viable option either.
So how's *your* week going?
It sucks that what I'm really good at is providing, essentially, what are considered luxury items to hobbyists. Hey, if I could produce a really good fuel-efficient economy car, I would. I don't think that's an item I could sell on Etsy, though, even if I could produce it.
I was hit with wave after wave of depression yesterday. I received two fiction novels (my *only* purchase for myself this payday) at noon, and had finished them *both* by the time midnight rolled around last night. Yeah. That sucks... mostly because I will probably have to wait weeks to get another book. All our old books are in storage, and all I have here are non-fiction books I've pretty much read through several times and have absorbed all the knowledge I'm going to get from them.
So I'm stuck here in this really sucky reality where we have to put items back when we get to the checkout line at the grocery store (possibly the most embarrasing thing you would ever have to do) because the total is *way* higher than what we were expecting, and in all the commotion you accidentally leave the three boxes of Valentine's cookies for your daughter's school party at the store, and your husband is too proud to go back with the receipt to get them. And we knew we weren't going to be able to afford the cards in the first place, so now I have two days to make three dozen cookies AND three dozen valentines and have I mentioned how much I HATE deadlines? For ANYTHING?
I would dye or make jewelry, but I'm stuck in a color rut and the experts I asked said that it's best to take a break from the dyeing when that happens. So that's out. Jewelry I'm stuck because four different suppliers I order from are out of brass. Just completely out in any gauges or shape that's useful. And there is no WAY I'm going to try to push sterling silver out in this economy. Silver prices are just way too high. So that leaves copper... and there's only so many color stones that look good with copper, and only so many people who can *wear* copper. It's really not a viable option either.
So how's *your* week going?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)