Beach in Costa Rica

“What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?”
- Henry David Thoreau

The last couple of weeks have been super busy for me. Stray Cat Alliance, the cat advocacy organization I work for, had its annual Stray Cat Club fundraiser this past Saturday night. I and many others put in countless hours and worked our butts off but our labor paid off. The event was a huge success and I’m so happy for the cats!

Needless to say I have not had much free time to do anything that has not been “cat” related in the last month. I did however manage to fit in a night with my husband and another couple we are friends with when we attended the world premier of Water is Rising at UCLA Royce Hall. Although very moving the content of this beautiful song and dance production did more than just entertain. It put a human face on the damage the more developed countries of the world are doing to our more vulnerable brothers and sisters. And it’s not pretty.

Water is Rising is performed by 36 artists from the tiny Pacific islands of Kiribati, Tokelau and Tuvalu. These islands are located where the equator meets the date line and they are remote, isolated and vulnerable to changes in the environment. These islands are elevated only 2-3 meters above sea level and climate change is wreaking havoc on them and there is the potential that the entire population may one day have to be relocated. Imagine having to leave your home where your ancestry goes back thousands of years because the rest of the world can’t get its act together and are consuming non-stop without any regard for anything except immediate gratification.

Water is Rising is an impassioned pleas for global awareness and social change. Despite all they are up against, the people of these nations deliver their message in a positive light and still manage to have a hopeful outlook on life. Thank God they are taking the high road and are delivering a plea for awareness instead of venting their anger (which I think would be wholeheartedly justified) at those countries who have disproportionately contributed the most to destroying our environment.

We all know excessive consumerism is taking its toll and that we can’t continue to live the way we are living without some serious consequences. Check out the website about this amazing project that is spreading awareness and asking us to all re-think and change our ways before it’s too late. We are all in this together and the earth belongs to us all. Mother Earth will survive and replenish herself eventually but we are a different story. The time has come to start showing her a little respect because we need her more than she needs us.

(If you’d like to read more about living simply and changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book which is available in paperback or Kindle: REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.

There is much about our financial system that is way too complicated for me. I’ve put a lot of effort into making my life simple and peaceful so the last thing I want to do is spend my precious free time trying to maneuver my way though mountains of banking statements, stock reports, credit card bills, and insurance papers. No thank-you! Life is complicated enough. I don’t need any further aggravations competing for my attention.

I watched a friend go through the process of buying a house several years ago and to be quite honest the whole ordeal made me nauseous. I remember thinking there has got to be a better way to make this kind of transaction that doesn’t require the talents of a three ring circus. In 2003, I bought a car. You have never seen such a fiasco with negotiating the price not to mention the stack of papers that were put in front of me. To this day I’m still not completely sure what I signed. I hope no one ever comes forward to claim my first born child because I have no one to offer!

Our monetary system and financial markets really get off on making things complicated. Derivatives anyone? But could it also be that humans have a tendency to make things difficult when they don’t have to be that way? We may complain about the complexities of our finances but for the most part we go right along with all the insanity and rarely demand for anything to change. Maybe our financial lives mirror our personal lives. We are so used to clutter and difficulties that we accept the ridiculousness of our personal finances without question. Something to think about, huh?

We may not be able to 100% completely get away from all the complexities of modern finances but we can take some steps to make our own finances as simple as possible.

I’m a big fan of automatic payments. Just make sure you have the money in your account when the bill comes due or your life will be anything but simple. It takes a little time in the beginning to set up but once it’s in place, you no longer have to remember to write out the check, buy stamps, go to the post office, and all the other hassles that come with paying bills.

Simplify any other bill paying that you can’t automatically deduct from your checking account. Depending on your needs, set aside one day each month or each week to take care of any other bills that need to be paid. Set up a folder with your bills and any other materials you need such as stamps, checkbook, envelopes, calculator, pen, etc.. This way everything is in one place and you don’t waste time looking for your checkbook or trying to find a stamp.

Get out of debt. I can’t tell you how liberating it feels to be out of consumer debt. If spending is a problem for you, focus on how great you will feel when you no longer owe anyone any money. Think how wonderful it will feel when you are not wasting energy trying to figure out how you will pay your debts. Don’t be afraid to get the support of a counselor or group. There are others who struggle with overspending so why not take advantage of the resources that are out there to help you achieve financial freedom.

Downsize to one or two credit cards. Why anyone needs multiple credit cards is beyond me. I’m sure there is the rare individual who needs 13 cards but most of us can get by with just one or two. One credit card statement and one bill to pay each month are so much easier. You have to keep a really close eye on the credit card companies to make sure your statements are accurate and you haven’t been overcharged. It’s easier to do this with one or two instead of having to police multiple statements each month.

Start working on your taxes in January. Don’t wait until the night before you visit your accountant on April 13 to start getting your receipts and payroll statements together. Start early. You will feel so much better and you won’t feel rushed.

Put your tax receipts in a special place each month. I’m currently a 1099 employee so I have to keep up with a lot of receipts and mileage. I have a special notebook set up with pockets for each month. At the end of each day, if I have a receipt I file it away in the notebook. If I’ve done any work related driving, I immediately log it onto my spread sheet. It becomes part of my daily routine and I’m not  panicking when I do my taxes the following year because I can’t remember how much I drove or where I put a certain receipt.

Consolidate as many of your accounts as possible. I’m a big fan of credit unions as most of them are more personable and less bureaucratic than the big banks. I have my checking, savings, and money market at the same credit union. There’s one statement (I get it via email) and I can easily transfer money from account to account on-line if I ever need to do so. I also have consolidated my investment accounts with the same company. Again, this makes it easier to monitor and know what I have.

Eliminate paper clutter by getting as many of your statements and bills as possible via email. I don’t like having a bunch of paper cluttering up my file drawers so I save my electronic statements to my computer. Make sure you organize them by month and year for easy finding if you ever need to look something up.

Rethink your need for certain kinds of insurance or any other protections that promise security but actually end up complicating your life. There are a lot of companies out there that will sell you insurance for just about anything. I’m not going to tell you what insurance you need and what you don’t need because that is up to you. I can however say that we don’t need to insure every single thing in our lives.

Purge whatever financial statements you can. Unless I will ever need it for tax purposes, I don’t save every financial statement that I’ve ever received. Every year, I go through any loose papers I have and throw them away. Check with your accountant about what you need to save and what you can throw away.

Have as few financial obligations as possible. I have reduced my need for multiple goods and services over the years. One of the many positive things about this is I have one less bill to pay for each good or service I choose to eliminate. No bills for magazines or the newspaper. I don’t have to write out a check to the maid or the gardener. There’s no cable company to pay and no water delivery service either. I don’t have to budget money for pedicures, manicures, or someone to wash my car because I do it all myself.

Ask yourself is it going to simplify or complicate your life? Ask this question before committing to any purchase, major or small. Will you have to insure it? Will you have to go in debt for it and if so for how long? How much will it cost to maintain it? Do you have to pay taxes on it each year? Do you have room for it? Know what you are getting into with each and every purchase you make. This way there are no surprises and you can choose if it’s worth the investment of your time and money.

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)

Rorschach The Tiny Titan of Terror does not own a car. Thank Goodness!

The LA Times published an article this past Sunday on our nation’s growing unemployment rate.  Several people were interviewed about the hardships of long term unemployment. Most of these people talked about how they had depleted their savings and were worried about paying their bills and having access to affordable healthcare. Age worries were also of great concern since so many younger and older workers are having an especially difficult time in the current job market.

On the other end of the spectrum, a 33-year old man who had lost his $140,000 a year job in a Manhattan investment bank was profiled. He talked about how despite his MBA and law degree he was still unemployed. His situation had forced him to move back in with his parents in Malibu and trade commodities online from his home computer. Hey, if you’ve got to move back in with your parents, Malibu is not a bad place to be in my opinion. He stated this was not where he thought he would be at this time in his life. As I’m reading I’m thinking, yeah, I can relate because I’m not exactly where I envisioned myself being either. He then went on to say “I live with my parents and I drive a Saturn.” My first reaction after reading this was: “Are you kidding me? What’s wrong with driving a Saturn? And shouldn’t you have more pressing worries than the kind of car you are driving, like maybe getting a job?

After coming down from my high horse I began to put my judgment of him aside. He was only being honest about how he felt. However I still thought it sad that so many of us think our cars define us. Why is that? Well for starters, the car industry has done a big-time number on Americans. In addition to successfully making a large majority of our population dependent on cars for getting around, they have also talked us into the idea that our cars send out a signal to the world about what kind of people we are. If you buy (or in most cases go into major debt) for such and such vehicle, the car advertisers promise us we will be seen as successful or cool or sophisticated.

We have all at one time or another fallen prey to the “our car defines us” mentality. I admit that I have.  I’ve never been one to get overly enthused over cars and have been known to confuse a BMW with a Honda Accord.  However, in 2003, I purchased a used 2001 Toyota Hybrid Prius and boy was I excited! Not because I thought my car made me look cool or wealthy but because I thought it sent out a signal that I cared about the environment. Yes, I wanted to support this new green technology but I also wanted people to know I was a forward progressive thinker and doing my part to burn fewer fossil fuels. Ego is ego! I was still communicating some type of message about who I was and what I believed. So I really can’t fault Mr. Saturn Car Driver for wanting to send a message as well. His message may be different than mine but it’s all ego and if we’re really honest with ourselves-very silly!

I believe we are moving into an era where we are all going to be forced to lessen our consumption drastically. From the top down, downsizing and conserving will be the new norm.  We may not own as much and our possessions will be more of the practical kind and not for showing off.  When I lived in Manhattan in my younger years I did not own a car.  There were definitely times when I missed having one but looking back those years were pure freedom.  In many ways material possessions weigh us down and we miss out on life.

We are not our cars nor are we any of our other material possessions. Who we are has nothing to do with what we own but everything to do with what’s inside us. Are we compassionate people? Do we have love for our fellow human beings even when they are different from us? What we do defines us and I’m not talking about our jobs and careers either. Do we treat others with compassion? Do we help out others when they need us? What is our value system?

The next time you get into your car and start to feel either a bit cocky or “less than” because of what you drive remember your car has nothing to do with who you are as a person. Maybe you can let someone in front of you who is having a hard time merging into traffic. If someone does something really stupid that ticks you off give them a break. We all do stupid things from time to time when we are behind the wheel. Say a silent prayer that all those driving around you get to their destination safe and sound. Remind yourself that these kinds of acts of kindness define you a whole lot more than the big metal frame that surrounds you.

Zeitgeist

(from German Zeit-time and Geist-spirit)

The Spirit of the Time

Saturday, March 13, 2010, was the second annual celebration of the Zeitgeist Movement or ZDay for short.  The purpose of ZDay was to educate others about the movement and its concepts. There were 337 events in over 70 countries worldwide with the main event being held in New York City. I recently became a member of the Los Angeles Zeitgeist Chapter and I volunteered at the event.  It was great!  The movement is relatively new and already has over 350,000 official members worldwide. It’s growing every day. There’s also no telling how many people are with this movement in spirit but have not yet officially joined.

The Zeitgeist Movement speaks deeply to me and I’m passionate about this organization and its mission. Instead of just ranting and raving about how awful everything is, The Zeitgeist Movement presents ideas.  The ambitions are bold but the world is in dire need of a bold new direction. We are using up our resources at an alarming rate and our present model of society cannot sustain itself.

Below is a short Q&A about this movement and some links that I highly recommend you check out.  I know the concepts at first glance may seem a bit complicated to grasp. They may even seem a bit utopian and way out there. You may think they would never work.

Keep in mind, anything is possible. There were people who used to think the world was flat and people who never thought a man would walk on the moon. There was a time when the Divine Right of Kings was accepted as truth.  Slavery was once legal in this country and women were considered property. Think things can’t change? Think again! Also, the technology around us today would have been unthinkable even a few decades ago. One way or the other things will change. Change is constant and the one thing we can always depend on. Why not work for a vision of change that is empowering and leaves no one out?

What exactly is the Zeitgeist Movement? The Zeitgeist Movement (TZM) is a worldwide grassroots movement advocating social change, most significantly that of society transitioning from a monetary-based economy to a resource-based economy.  Filmmaker Peter Joseph founded the movement after creating the movie Zeitgeist Addendum. TZM is the activist arm of the Venus Project.  It is not a political movement and it sees all people as equal.

To View Zeitgeist the Addendum movie for free, click on the link below:

The Zeitgeist Movie

To find out more about the Zeitgeist Movement, click on the link below:

The Zeitgeist Movement

What is the Venus Project? The Venus Project presents a bold new direction for humanity that entails nothing less than the total redesign of our culture. There are many people today who are concerned with the serious problems that face our modern society: unemployment, violent crime, replacement of humans by technology, over-population and a decline in the Earth’s ecosystems. The Venus Project offers a comprehensive plan for social reclamation in which human beings, technology and nature will be able to coexist in a long-term, sustainable state of dynamic equilibrium.

To find out more about the Venus project, click on the link below:

The Venus Project

What is a Resource-Based Economy? A Resource Based Economy is a society without money, barter or exchange, with the awareness that Humanity is ONE family and where technology, science and spirituality is used to its fullest to develop and manage the planet’s resources to provide abundance for everyone in the most sustainable way.

What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal. ~ Albert Pine

Our trusty Toyota Prius

Several years ago, my husband’s 86’ Volvo started having major problems. We didn’t feel the expense to maintain the car was worth it, so we donated her to an animal charity-Animal Farm. Thus this event marked the beginning of our one car household experiment.

As we set out on this adventure we were curious to see if we could do it. And more importantly, could we do it in Los Angeles- a city where one car per person is seen by many as a necessity. Since I love to challenge the “status-quo” I was gun-ho to make a one car household a reality, even if only for a few short years.

It’s been over four years now, and I’m happy to report our attempt to get by with one car has been successful. When I mention to people we only have one car, many are shocked but curious to know how we do it.  I tell them that coordinating work schedules is the most difficult aspect, but it can be done. Once we got into the swing of things, it became second nature.

I would drop my husband off at work every morning and then head on over to my workplace. We decided I would keep the car during the day since my employer did not charge us to park and my husband’s employer did. In the evenings, I would swing by and get David. Sometimes, he had to wait ½ hour or so, but we still figured the savings were worth it. If he ever wanted to go on without me, he would hop on the Big Blue Bus and make it home in less than an hour.

The rest is easy because we do most errands and socializing together anyway. If one person needs the car for something the other is not involved in, then we adjust and accommodate each other. In other words, we have learned to share. So far there have been no fights!

When we began the transition to a one car household, we told ourselves (and still do) that if at any time our quality of life begins to drastically suffer, then we would make a trade-off somewhere else in our budget and buy a new car. So far so good! We’ve been successful because we have been willing to be inconvenienced a little bit in order to save money. However, the interesting thing is since we have settled into this lifestyle we haven’t felt inconvenienced at all.

Our main reason for not getting another car was the expense. It didn’t make financial sense to us to buy another car that would just sit in a parking garage all day while we were at work.  We also like the environmental impact as well, although I’ll admit it was not our main motivation. However it was our motivation to buy our 2001 Toyota Prius when those came out on the market.

Our one car household decision has proved to be a Godsend for us now that I’m not working. I still take David to work and pick him up at the end of the day. Since our income is much less than it was when I was working, not having additional expenses for an extra car is a great factor in helping us get through this chapter in our lives.

Living with one car between two people has made our lives much richer. We keep more of our hard earned money and we have quality visiting time on our commutes. More importantly, we are learning that you don’t have to follow the crowd and do certain things just because everyone else is doing them. And of course we are learning to share-just like they taught us in kindergarten!

Our money media culture does make me wonder though why we give economic indicators such power. This morning I saw an article about how thankfully housing values were beginning to inch back up. Now the purpose of this post is not to argue whether this is true or not, but to explore why we feel the need to measure our assets in money only. Money does have its place but what if we all began to have a shift in focus and begin to equally, if not more, measure our wealth in other ways as well.

Wealth is really just agreement. Society agrees something has value and most of us fall in lock step behind and agree to it as well. Did you ever stop and wonder why people pay such outrageous sums for diamonds? Who says diamonds are valuable? We do! Who says that a certain actor or athlete warrants a seven figure income? Again, we do! It’s all agreement. What if we could all start adding other items to our wealth lists? There’s health, family, friends, nature, etc…and of course anything else that you personally value. We don’t have to be slaves to everything our culture has decided is worth something. I have two of the most excellent feline companions and a very wise turtle. I would not trade a single one of them for a house, car, jewel, etc…I challenge you to come up with a list of what you value and what brings real wealth to your life. I bet you will find your real wealth is quite different from what you’ve been conditioned to think is valuable.