Last week we saw the most promise in the economy since the recession began. Wall Street totals began to spike over the last two months and everything seems to be in place for a rise. Unfortunately, traders were so cautious that the spike was misleading that they under sold and the Dow Jones industrial average dropped 156 points. The four banks the government said were strong enough to survive a worse economy just turned to Wall Street to sell extra stocks in order to pay the government off, and they are going to trade well, strengthening the financial institutions.

Some analysts believe this is a small retreat after a big run, a good sign in a recovering economy. In fact, a healthy economy jerks up and down the scale a little bit as investors and traders get comfortable again. Despite the mistakes the government has made and the large, failing companies, the economy does seem to getting better. One key point is that as currency loses value and becomes less safe, gold becomes the alternate investment, and prices skyrocket. It is no secret the price of gold hit record highs during this recession. Gold prices are now going down.

If gold can stabilize where it was when the economy was better, life will be beautiful. Watch the gold prices. If gold goes down any further, especially in a constant downward motion, it is time to sell and invest in stocks, because the stock market is rising up the opposite direction. If anyone has invested in gold, now is the time to sell it, because gold is still technically at a record high, whereas the stock market is at record lows. Sell your gold and/or begin investing in the market again. A multitude of buyers and eager activity strengthens the economy, and if you get in on the ground floor, you can ride it up, like the wise investors you are. Bonds are also getting stronger. Keep an eye on both stocks and bonds, especially if you have gold to sell. That’s the way to ride the market back up.

At the same time, economies have always seen high points and gone right back where they were. No recession is finished until the afflicted economy has shown a habit of much higher numbers and job recreation. Right now, we still have an average unemployment of around eight or nine percent. The high point here is that we have been holding a steady unemployment rate and the economy has essentially bottomed out. When the only way to go is up, that is likely what you will do, If the economy does revive soon, it will be in spite of the efforts of Wall Street, corporate America, and even the government.

Director of derivatives investment strategy for WJB Capital Group in New York, Scott Fullman, noted that the Dow has risen about 30 percent since March, about twice as much as the market might do in a full year of strong gains. “To take a break here is healthy,” he said. Enter disagreement from Christian Bendixen, director of technical research at Bay Crest Partners LLC in New York, who said the economy remains troubled beyond what many analysts concede and that he expects the market will tumble again and perhaps breach the lowest levels of early March.

In trying times such as these, America deserves fiscal responsibility and a united society bent on resurrecting the market. America has yet to see either. The government is giving away tax money like it is indispensible, and that is hurting the market. It is likely that the economy would be much more promising without the ‘bailouts’ last year and early this year. Every time a financial bill was passed, the economy was sink lower in anticipation. The greed of the corporations has not helped either. In the words of country music artist John Rich, in his new song, “They’re selling make believe and we don’t buy that here.” When America doesn’t buy rhetoric from the lawmakers and economic “powers-that-be,” the economy suffers. That’s why the economy is still so bad and America is latching onto any glimmer of a reviving stock market, whether it is a sound movement toward prosperity or a candle in the wind.

]]> http://www.thelucrativeinvestor.com/beating-your-head-against-wall/feed/ 0 http://www.thelucrativeinvestor.com/full-text-of-president-obamas-inaugural-speech/ http://www.thelucrativeinvestor.com/full-text-of-president-obamas-inaugural-speech/#comments Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:46:29 +0000 Jeremy http://www.thelucrativeinvestor.com/?p=641 Just after noon eastern time, Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States. He gave an inaugural speech that told Americans to be hopeful but hard times are still ahead.

Here is the text of the speech:

“My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers … our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world … that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it).”

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.”

Source

“I want to thank all the speakers and performers for reminding us, through song and through words, just what it is that we love about America. And I want to thank all of you for braving the cold and the crowds and traveling in some cases thousands of miles to join us here today. Welcome to Washington, and welcome to this celebration of American renewal.

In the course of our history, only a handful of generations have been asked to confront challenges as serious as the ones we face right now. Our nation is at war. Our economy is in crisis. Millions of Americans are losing their jobs and their homes; they’re worried about how they’ll afford college for their kids or pay the stack of bills on their kitchen table. And most of all, they are anxious and uncertain about the future — about whether this generation of Americans will be able to pass on what’s best about this country to our children and their children.

I won’t pretend that meeting any one of these challenges will be easy. It will take more than a month or a year, and it will likely take many. Along the way there will be setbacks and false starts and days that test our resolve as a nation.

But despite all of this — despite the enormity of the task that lies ahead — I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure — that the dream of our founders will live on in our time.
What gives me that hope is what I see when I look out across this mall. For in these monuments are chiseled those unlikely stories that affirm our unyielding faith — a faith that anything is possible in America. Rising before us stands a memorial to a man who led a small band of farmers and shopkeepers in revolution against the army of an Empire, all for the sake of an idea. On the ground below is a tribute to a generation that withstood war and depression — men and women like my grandparents who toiled on bomber assembly lines and marched across Europe to free the world from tyranny’s grasp. Directly in front of us is a pool that still reflects the dream of a King, and the glory of a people who marched and bled so that their children might be judged by their character’s content. And behind me, watching over the union he saved, sits the man who in so many ways made this day possible.

And yet, as I stand here today, what gives me the greatest hope of all is not the stone and marble that surrounds us today, but what fills the spaces in between. It is you — Americans of every race and region and station who came here because you believe in what this country can be and because you want to help us get there.

It is the same thing that gave me hope from the day we began this campaign for the presidency nearly two years ago; a belief that if we could just recognize ourselves in one another and bring everybody together — Democrats, Republicans and Independents; Latino, Asian and Native American; black and white, gay and straight, disabled and not — then not only would we restore hope and opportunity in places that yearned for both, but maybe, just maybe, we might perfect our union in the process.

This is what I believed, but you made this belief real. You proved once more that people who love this country can change it. And as I prepare to assume the presidency, yours are the voices I will take with me every day I walk into that Oval Office — the voices of men and women who have different stories but hold common hopes; who ask only for what was promised us as Americans — that we might make of our lives what we will and see our children climb higher than we did.

It is this thread that binds us together in common effort; that runs through every memorial on this mall; that connects us to all those who struggled and sacrificed and stood here before.

It is how this nation has overcome the greatest differences and the longest odds — because there is no obstacle that can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change.

That is the belief with which we began this campaign, and that is how we will overcome what ails us now.

There is no doubt that our road will be long. That our climb will be steep. But never forget that the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfort and ease, but by the right we do when the moment is hard. I ask you to help reveal that character once more, and together, we can carry forward as one nation, and one people, the legacy of our forefathers that we celebrate today.

Thank you, America. God bless you.

Source

So, why have gas prices steadily risen for the last few weeks. When oil was at $35 a barrel right before Christmas I was paying $1.49 a gallon, now I’m paying $1.79…with prices just updating in the last day or two.

Even the average gas price is rising, so it’s not just local. However, my area is typically (being in Mississippi) lower than the average by about $0.10, but now is only lower by $0.01.

Jane Wellman authored a report from the Delta Cost Project to find out why and here’s what the report had to offer:

–The main reason tuition has been rising faster than college costs is that colleges had to make up for reductions in the per-student subsidy state taxpayers sent colleges. In 2006, the last year for which Wellman had data, state taxpayers sent $7,078 per student to the big public research universities. That’s $1,270 less (after accounting for inflation) than they sent in 2002.

–Public universities have been reining in overall spending per student in recent years. Flagship public universities’ spending per student has risen from about $12,400 in 1995 to $13,800 in 2006 after accounting for inflation. But since 2002, spending at public colleges has generally not exceeded inflation.

–Increases in spending were driven mostly by higher administration, maintenance, and student services costs. Public universities spent almost $4,000 per student per year on administration, support, and maintenance in 2006, up more than 13 percent, in real terms over 1995. And they spent another $1,200 a year on services such as counseling, which was up 23 percent. Meanwhile, they spent about $8,700 a year on classroom instruction for each student, up about 9 percent.

–Big private universities, powered by tuition and endowment increases, have increased spending dramatically while public schools have languished. Total educational spending per student at private research universities has jumped by almost 10 percent since 2002 to more than $33,000. During that same period, public university total spending was comparatively flat and totaled less than $14,000 a year.

Perhaps at other colleges this is the norm, but I just can’t find out where my college spends $4,000 a year on me for administration, support and maintenance, unless they are talking about keeping the lights on at the giant football stadium all night, when there is no football game going on…I get emailed from my student advisers and the administration at my college processes my financial aid every year…And some of my teachers aren’t worth the paper that their pay stub is printed on. To cut costs perhaps a university should start re-evaluating their tenured professors according to the student evaluations that are published every semester.

Source

One mistake for example, was hanging a Mission Accomplished sign while the war in Iraq was ongoing.

However, he drew plenty of criticism when he said that after Katrina, help was there very quickly. From the AP:

He vigorously took issue with critics of the federal response to Katrina, the hurricane that devastated New Orleans. Gesturing and speaking with feeling, he said, “Don’t tell me the federal response was slow when there were 30,000 people pulled off roofs right after the storm passed,” he said. “Has the reconstruction been perfect? No. Have things happened fairly quickly? Absolutely.”

This was not his final television appearance before inauguration day next Tuesday, though. Thursday he will be giving a “farewell address” during prime time.

Source

Today’s reports were, not surprisingly, dismal, and accompanied by at least a dozen profit warnings, including Macy’s and Target.

Overall same-store sales dropped 1.7 percent in December and 2.2 percent for the whole November-December season, the International Council of Shopping Centers reported, marking the worst holiday since at least 1969, when the ICSC started keeping track. – CNBC.com

It goes on to say:

The biggest surprise came from Wal-Mart, which reported its same-store sales rose 1.7 percent last month, well shy of the expected 2.8-percent increase, and slashed its forecast. – CNBC.com

So, you’d think because of these problems, prices would fall, but I’m seeing the opposite at my local Wal-Mart. About a month ago, prices were falling, but now they’re on their way back up…

Source

Surprisingly enough, the decision was made by the seven executives themselves because they feel like it was the right thing to do.

This is the most responsible thing I’ve heard from the financial sector in the last three months, AT LEAST. This will also help Goldman Sachs not have a backlash like other financial companies and banks whose executives continue to accept millions of dollars of bonuses.

Frugality means spending smarter and becoming creative with the ways you shop. When utilizing all resources available, dollars can be stretched further and wallets have a bit more cushion.

The first step to frugal (and green) living can be summed up in an old and simple clich?: ?Waste not, want not.? Recycling not only can benefit your bottom line, it benefits the planet. Several different brands of lunch meat are packaged in reusable plastic containers. In my household, we now reuse these containers for leftovers. This way we don?t have to buy Rubbermaid or Ziploc containers. The other great part about these containers is they feature a plastic recycling number on the bottom so when the container has served its purpose, it can be recycled at a proper facility.

Recycling aluminum cans may not offer a large amount of money per pound (around $0.77) but something is better than nothing. Over three months, I can accumulate enough for around $20. That is $20 I would not have otherwise had. Some states offer cash back from deposits on glass bottles.

On the side of greener living, saving energy can save you money. Change the light bulbs to CFL?s. They use a quarter of the energy a regular light bulb does. Also, in the warm summer months, try to use a microwave or toaster oven in place of the regular oven, especially during the heat of the day. The heat from the oven can raise the temperature of the house by 2-5 degrees, making your air conditioner work harder.

Rising food costs add to the strain on our wallets. Every nightly news cast seems to mention that inflation is up and food costs are through the roof. The easiest way to stretch a dollar at the grocery store is coupons. The Sunday news paper is a great place to get plenty of coupons, but it is not the only place to find the discounts. There are now ample online resources for coupons (ex. http://couponmom.com/ ). After all that coupon clipping, to get the most out of the coupons, try to find a grocery store that doubles coupons (and find out up to how much they double them). Some grocery stores even triple coupons on certain days, which can lead to serious savings on items you may have purchased anyway.

Another tip that has personally helped me save hundreds of dollars: Purchasing second hand items does not mean that it has to look like second hand items. EBay is a great resource for used items (many in excellent, very good used condition, or even new but without tags). I recently purchased a pair of $70 jeans on eBay for $10 (shipping included). They were never worn, but were missing tags. As far as clothes shopping goes, make sure you know your measurements so you get clothes that fit. Getting such a great deal on clothes online isn?t a rare occurrence. I purchased a second pair less than a week later for $8 shipped. I understand that eBay isn?t for everyone. If that is the case, then local thrift stores also offer second hand clothes for significant discounts. Most weekends, no matter where you live, yard and garage sales can be found and deals are everywhere. Regardless of which option is for you, remember, you will have to dig around a bit for a great deal.

I believe the key to living frugally is cutting costs. Over time, the pennies and dollars you save add up and can help with things you are saving for. With a little practice anyone can become affluent in frugality.

In a KFC commercial a family goes around a grocery store to see if they can make a meal for $10…the same meal they can purchase at KFC for $10. The answer is a short no.

An Applebee’s commercial promotes a new special where 2 can eat for $20. The meal includes an appetizer to share.

Even Outback is getting in on the fun. They are promoting a $9.99 meal with a sirloin steak.

Even with rising food prices, restaurants may be seeing that smaller profits are easier to deal with than no profits.

USA Today is America’s highest circulated newspaper and is raising its prices behind The Wall Street Journal and New York Times, which charge $2 and $1.50 and issue, respectively. Price increases are set to take place December 8th.

I have to admit, it’s nice to hear of any newspaper still in business. Every time I read something about newspapers it is that they’re going out of business because people don’t read them anymore. I can say I don’t help much, I only buy the Sunday edition of the Commercial Appeal for the coupons. I get all my news online or from local television news, but it is nice to hear that newspapers are still being circulated and read by a few.

Each year the parent company of both Red Lobster and Olive Garden said they raise prices 2 – 3 % to keep up with market prices. In 2009, they will begin raising prices by 3% or more to compensate for rising food costs.

These restaurants have definitely seen better days with their profits declining all year…really no one can afford to take a family of four out for $17/a plate pasta right now. I just made a huge pot of spaghetti for dinner that cost $7 total. It not only fed my husband and I, but there are plenty of left overs. This is just more economical and it doesn’t take that long to prepare.

Instead of raising prices, perhaps these restaurants should offer lower cost meals with smaller portions. Have you SEEN the calories in the Olive Garden’s dishes?

Anyway, I am thinking, where does this leave the dollar store? I have always gone into the dollar store and found gems as well as junk. Sometimes I can’t believe what you can actually get at the dollar store for..well…a dollar, but if you were to buy the same item in Wal-Mart it could be over $3.

At the end of August, the Dollar Tree (DLTR) posted 2nd quarter profits were 15 percent higher than the same quarter 2007. As far as profits, they’re doing well only because everything else is getting more expensive, everyone is looking for a way to cut back.

As for now, the Dollar Tree is going to remain with the Everything’s $1.00 theme. We’ll just have to wait a while and see what happens in the future.

One example is the “DiGiornonomics” ad being put out by Kraft for their DiGorno brand frozen pizza. They have a ticker type thing that says a Digorno costs $6.69 while a take out pizza costs $16…They’re just trying to get into the consumer’s fears about rising food costs. It’s understandable, but what my husband and I have realized is that if we’re going to go out for dinner (say at Chili’s or something comparable) we’re going to spend at least $30 for both of us…if we stop at Domino’s or another pizza place we can get a pizza and have left overs for days. mmm… pizza

I try to be a cost conscious consumer, but when Kroger slow churned ice cream is sitting right next to Edy’s for half the price…I can’t turn down the Kroger brand.

Good try though Kraft.

On April 14, 2008 Delta announced the stock-swap deal to take over Northwest airlines. This would make them the world’s largest airline in terms of traffic.

Delta has also told some Northwest hubs that they would not be losing any jobs. However, with rising fuel costs, job cuts seem inevitable.

I know there’s not too much to say about oil other than it’s good when it goes down, it’s bad when it goes up. Perhaps one day the US dollar will also rise and cause oil to fall further. I don’t see the value of the dollar to go up until we get out of the war and start paying off some national debt.

Over the last 2 months not only have I seen many items losing their volume in the grocery store, but I have read about it on other blogs and news sources.

If the downsizing of products hasn’t affected you, then I’m sure that the rising price has. It seems like every time I go to the grocery store, the cereal has gotten smaller. A family size box of Honey bunches of Oats is no longer the size it was a year ago. Ice cream has done the same thing…going from 1.75 Quarts to 1.50. It’s gotten so bad that some brands are putting on their labels that they HAVEN’T changed the volume of the product. Blue Bell ice cream and Kraft dressings have done it. Kraft has, however, downsized its deli cheese packages. It has put them in a new container, and downsized from 8 oz to 7 oz. That may not sound like a big difference, but it is one slice of cheese…that is one less sandwich out of a package.

It’s even affected beer. Where a pint has been 16 oz in the United States, the Wall Street Journal has said that many bars have started pouring only 14 oz.

My dogs are even affected. Dog food has gone from 20 lbs to 18 lbs. (Think Purina One). My dogs eat 32 oz. of food a day. hmm…

However, I have to say, it is about time for VW to make a more efficient car…or alternate energy car at least. When looking for a car last year, the best they could do is a diesel car. However, the better mileage with the diesel fuel was offset by the extremely high cost of diesel. boo.

Sometimes I still wonder if we’ll ever see hydrogen fuel cell cars. I know that right now the technology isn’t in place, but maybe one day.