Tag Archives: bills

Fashion For The “Have-Less” And The “Have-Nots”- Tips and Thoughts

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In these precarious times due to the depressing economy, only those in the upper echelons of society (“the haves” and the “have-mores”) are willing and able to spend thousands of green bucks for high fashion, avant-garde and haute couture dressing. A classic example was the recently concluded (4/29) royal wedding of England's Prince William and Kate Middleton where socialites made their respective fashion headlines from head to toe.

But, for average and middle-class fashion stalwarts and wannabes (who may still fall under the category of the “haves” ), they  would think twice on whether or not to spend their hard-earned dollar bills for designer clothes, shirt, jeans and other fashion accessories. They would probably spend it for more essential things.

Much more for the young “fashionistas”, who in their teens and tweens, are grappling to survive to pay for their college and university tuition fees. There's no question anymore that they would be able to take the plunge as far as fashion expenditure is concerned. Unless, they'll force themselves into enormous credit card debts and other unwanted activities. The same is true with small-time young urban professionals and minimum salaried dollar earners, who couldn't even afford to grab a big combo sandwich at a walk-in fast food, except for those in the dollar menu list. Oh, these people could fall under  the “have-nots or my new coined term, the “have-less”, which is the focus of this blog.

So, how could the “haves-nots” and the “have-less” fashionistas join the band wagon, so to speak, of the hard-core moneyed fashion strutters along the aisles, pathways and byways of fashion metropolis like Manhattan, Milan, London, Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo? Sorry guys, there's no way you can be like them, it's far-fetched unless you'll be lucky enough to win in  lotto or in any numbers game! Seriously, even if I win, I won't spend a dime for a 100,000 dollars worth of a couture made clothing. That's what you call absurdity! I would rather donate the money to a charitable institution for a more meaningful cause. That way, I will not only make myself accomplished but I will also be able to to accomplish the hungry stomach of the real, unlucky and very have-nots throughout the world, especially the destitute in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Come to think of it?

However, for fashion's sake, the “have-nots/have-less” struggling fashionistas can still demonstrate their own way of fashion sense taking into account their present resources and the latest vogue in town. Come on guys, you can show them the real us (that's me included, hahaha!), the real fashionistas minus the high-priced wear. People (both men and women) who are gifted and into fashionable things have this sort of innate flair in themselves and it truly exudes outside in their personality regardless of the tag price of the clothes they're wearing. As mentioned in myusefultips previous blog on the subject, it is actually how we make of us, how we fashion ourselves, and how we carry it and show off our own sense of style that is most important. Probably you'll argue with me, that what is being said in this blog is merely rhetorics of creativity. Absolutely not.

For have-nots,have-less “homo sapiens”, there should always be ways on how to be creative and resourceful .  There's nothing wrong in being bargain hunters especially these modern trying days.   Some of the ways and means which I recall have already been included in myusefultips blog last year, include the following:

1.For those who have at least extra money to spend, along the inner streets of Manhattan, between 8th Avenue to 6th ave./and Broadway, there are retailers offering at a bargain some designer clothes, and apparels. You can actually find a good piece for about 10 to 20  bucks made by a budding NYC designer. Occasionally, there are “sample sales” for all the 4 seasons of the year and you just need to be resourceful to check on ads and announcements because that's undertaken for a very limited time. A 20/20 vision is also required to inspect which of the sale items are a good catch.

2.There are charitable organizations offering at a big discount some branded items . Again, you just have to be patient in sorting out things because these items mostly have slightly scissored parts (not sure if it's a policy of the donor famous designers) but if you're fortunate enough, you can acquire ones which have none,  for a measly 5 bucks!  I'm not kidding, this is real thing. Come on now start checking with your non profit orgs in your respective communities if there is a schedule for spring or summer sales.

3.Check your closets and the pile of old and unused clothes and apparels in crates (for sure if you're a fashion addict, you have this at home) and take out the more relevant and “in” clothes for the year. Actually, a simple wear of a white shirt with any kind of coat or jacket (depending on the weather and the occasion) or a jeans/slacks would be good to look at. This is one form of recycling your “wearables” and that's cool!  

Hope you guys got the point!

How Money Pollutes People’s Minds – Tips and Thoughts

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Last year, I shared with you a meaningful Valedictory Address which pretty much jogs our understanding about the value of everything, however trivial it may seem. The said blog likewise encompasses the influence of money on people’s decisions, how it poisons people’s minds to do certain things, good or bad, and its profound significance to us, specifically how it would help us to achieve true success in life.

Business Economics (101) taught us, inter alia, that money refers to any good that is used as a medium of exchange for transfer of goods and services from one person to another. In its simplest terms, money is used by people, regardless of status in life, either for their daily consumption and other expenses or for savings. However, the definition of money takes a broader stance when other variables are taken into account such as its usage, the social and spiritual responsibility attached to it and other areas which could have impact on the person’s life.

The greater worth of money is on its real value. I’m not referring to the denomination used to identify a coin or a bill neither the time nor the financial value of money. Rather, what is being pointed out here is its deeper meaning, something beneath the value of money, how we make out of all the money that we have and how people are pushed to their limits because of love of money.

Money is absolutely good for all of us, no doubt about it. With money, we can have food on the table, go to school and earn a degree, buy a house and live comfortably with all other basic necessities in life. As a matter of fact, most of us feel successful if we have so much money in our possession, as we can spend more than whatever we need for our day to day expenditures.

On the other hand, when a person has tons of money, it’s no longer what he or she needs that is being desired, but the luxuries, power and prestige. These realizations actually drive some people to long for more no matter how evil the sources are. What is amazing is that these people are even gaining recognition in the society and full support from those under them, their peers and the weaker ones. It’s easy thing to do, they either intentionally or unintentionally bribe and manipulate others without these people knowing it, to their own advantage.  What is more amazing is that they feel proud and successful about what they're doing  without a tinge of guilt! In such cases, money acted as decoys to entice people to be on their side. As indicated in my previous blog, for some people, success is measured by money, the more money they have, the more successful they are. Sadly, majority of the poor and average people throughout the world view and regard affluent families and individuals as like their lords. Some of them act like puppets and servant robots of their masters, so to speak. I couldn’t blame these people as it’s the unfortunate situation and the environment they’re in which made them behave like one.

As I said, having adequate money in our pockets is good for all of us. But the love for it may be something questionable. In fact, the New Testament (Timothy 1, 6-10) cites that, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil…“. This means that if the love of money becomes no longer a means to love God but an end in itself, then that kind of love becomes the root of all evil in any given situation. There are various ways on how the biblical phrase can be interpreted in modern days but the phrase itself is self explanatory. 

Money does not only pollute the minds of the rich and wealthy people. This is also true in all classes of society, even in church settings and related organizations. A lay person was convicted of amassing the church' collections for his personal gain. Probably because of the need to satisfy his addiction to online gaming and lottery, the said man was able to squander the church’s hundreds of thousands of dollars of income for the past 3 years. He got imprisoned making his life more miserable. Similarly, money can also poison the minds of people who are jealous of other people’s minor achievements. This is happening even in smaller organizations. Money becomes an issue because of envy. Even without proof and valid reasons, some people will try to make money as an excuse and take things out of proportion so as to ruin the group or a person‘s reputation. This is a sad reality and definitely a bad example to young generations.

The foregoing observation should not be viewed as a sweeping generalization as there are some wealthy, fortunate and kind people who have wholeheartedly been generous to share what they have from day one, no ifs and buts,  and even how small it is. I recall one very intelligent, humble  and respectable person had said to me, it is all right to become rich and famous but true success is not jus about money nor fame. Success is about unearthing the values that we gain out of the things that we have. If money seems to be keeping us from getting off-track to be closer to God, it is about time for us to examine our conscience and learn to detach ourselves from worldly and material life.

I hope this helps. Feel free to comment.

Cool Useful Tips For A Nice Read – Nine Rooms of Happiness

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This new released book jointly authored by Lucy Danziger and Catherine Birndorf may be more or less interrelated with my earlier write up about tips for staying young, living longer and aging happily. The suggested tips which were spelled out in the said particular blog could very well echo the approaches mentioned in the book on how to make every woman’s life and dreams a reality – despite the blotches, weaknesses, trials and tribulations encountered in every room in the house. 

The said book is a short story, a metaphor which basically describes all about women’s dreams, complications, frustrations and successes in life represented by the different rooms in a typical house. The bottom line is, it suggested certain strategies for every room in your life, particularly on how to be happy , something that is not easy thing to do as it requires a lot of patience and perseverance – the core values crucial to getting there -to the road of joy and happiness.

The book describes each room in the house, as follows:

Basement – this part of the house is considered as the most spacious part and it serves as foundation of the house. Memorable  moments of the family since childhood happen in this room, that is why some of the family’s memorabilia are stored in this place.

Family Room – this is where members of the family gather around to discuss on family related matters and issues, whether happy or sad events in life.

Office Room – this is where the financial transactions (e.g. payment for bills, daily expenses, number of hours spent at home and work) are taken into account.

Kitchen – this is where food is prepared for nourishment and domestic chores are divided and assigned.

Living Room – this  is where social life is mostly spent with friends, with officemates, neighbors, and other social related activities are being held.

Bath Room – this is where major issues of women such as beauty, vanity, weight, fashion and the like are discovered.

Children’s Room – this is where the issues about the kids (their school needs, personal necessities, peer pressures, ) are discussed, including the decision on whether or not to have and nurture kids, among others.

Bed Room – this is where intimacy, romance, sex and personal relationships between husband and wife or between partners are explored and shared.

Attic- this is where the expectations of the family have for each other from childhood to adulthood.

My comments  on the book:

Comment No. 1

Of the 9 rooms described above, I noticed that the authors excluded a Prayer Room, so to speak. They may have their reasons why, probably it was overlooked or it was intentionally not considered at all as a major place of a house. Considering  however, that the subject being discussed is about happiness, it may be imperative that a space or a small room in a decent average home should have been allotted for the family’s spiritual growth. If one is spiritually mature, it could have been easy to lessen  the stresses and resolve the problems encountered in the other rooms.

The Prayer Room is like a war room where the key members of the family, especially the mother or even all the members could visit the room each day or at times to discuss with God and formulate strategies on how to battle the said stresses and problems.  We should be reminded that mortals as we all are, we should make God as the ce nter of our lives—-after all, our purpose here on earth is to know, to love and to serve God.

As the saying goes, the family that prays together, stays together. If I may quote Mother Teresa’s words…”Be sure to teach the families to pray all together , for the family that prays together stays together, and if they stay together, they  will love one another…”. I strongly believe with the said proverb because our parents (especially my Mom), taught us when we were still kids to be prayerful. We pray all together and I would say that it was this time that our spiritual journey began.

  I often tell the kids in my class that when we lift up our problems and open our hearts to God through prayers, we are in effect strengthening our relationship with and faith in Him. And when there is someone more powerful to help, there is that sense of comfort and the feeling of inner peace and security enveloping on one’s  self. As indicated in my other blog, talking to God through prayers or meditation, regardless of one’s religion, is the most peaceful and inexpensive way of releasing the daily burdens and stresses in life. When we have inner peace in ourselves, we become detach to self-centeredness, materialism, worldly desires, and greed (which are at times the roots of troubles in the house),  and in the end we become happier, healthier and loving creatures of God .

Comment No.2

Obviously, the book is applicable and is being addressed and compared to the life of an average to upper working class woman who has a house of her own (either thru sale or lease)  and could relate to what the authors would like to imply.

As such, this book is not meant for majority of the people in the world living under the poverty line (80% of humanity lives on less than $10/day), who can still afford to smile, especially the women, even in the midst of problems and difficulties. These poor women have no rooms to spare, they do not live in an impeccably clean houses – sometimes they live in a shack with no dividers and everything are done in a tiny square room- which is even way far from the situation of a problematic working woman living in a cramped, messy and  fully packed studio room in NYC. So, how on earth can these people do it? How are they able to survive? These are amazingly beautiful people! 

What I would like to impart here, is that regardless of one’s stature, a person can still be happy, can still smile, even with sadness and pain , if armed with the right attitude, their being able to adapt to thorny situations and how they perceived and dealt with it. If I may quote again what I said in my earlier article, a positive outlook in life is essential for a happy contented life. The less privilege people, the women in particular, do not fret and lament of what ever hardships they're experiencing in life. I can say these things in view of my actual dealings with people in the rural areas or even in metro slums or the so-called informal dwellers, specifically in developing economies. These are the women who are the true heroines, who have mastered the art of coping with sad realities of life, who have accepted that it is part of the system, that their happiness does not come in the form of material possessions or the things that can be bought in the consumer market place. Rather, their pleasures and wants are simple: they are happy that they are alive and intact, that they can eat together even with just one serving of fish and rice on the table, and that they can still afford to love one another. These are the people who are happy and grateful for all the things being provided to them, and that this kind of attitude has a trickle down effect to their neighbors, and ult imately to the community, so to speak!

Finally, I would like to say that LOVE is the key to all the doors and rooms in the house, to all things. This is the probably the joy that we would want to see in a house to make it a home. Peace and happiness are in our HEARTS and in our HEARTS is where LOVE is. Without LOVE, then everything will turn awry. LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL!

Comment No. 3

Nevertheless, I would still recommend this book especially to the young urban professionals or “yuppies” to consider this book as a guide or framework in deciphering their successes, failures and emotional issues, and eventually reaching happiness at the end of the day for as long as they seek Divine guidance..

About the Book and the Authors:

Launched/published early this March 2010, the book has a hard cover and with 288 pages. Danziger, L – is the Editor-in-chief of Self magazine. Birndorf, C. – is a psychiatrist, especially for women’s health and the founding director of Payne Whitney Women’s Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.