Remember when America's dollar was the most powerful dollar?

[punk-a-doodle]

When you are my age you will see the world in a different light.

I am assuming you are meaning closer to how you see it based upon past comments.
I hear that one all the time from those who are convinced that their views are the only correct and logical views to have. It's practically on the yearly Christmas card from family. "We are having a lovely holiday and enjoying the snow. Did you know that Rudolph is my favorite reindeer? Oh, and your views will switch to mine as you age. Kisses."

I'm not sure when this view-changing clock is supposed to go off. Possibly at the same time my 'biological baby clock' starts ringing. I think I forgot to put the batteries in both, and for the former I am especially thankful.
I'm particularly perplexed as to why I meet elderly people who still hold views similar to mine. I believe they forgot to wind their clocks. Or maybe, like myself, they do not see people as necessary/unavoidable 'casualties'. What you are describing is a personality difference, not an age difference.​

 

[justbugged]

This has become off topic.

I do know that we have way fewer dollars to spend these days, and the number of dollars is still the same. They just don't go as far. We did take a 10% pay cut a couple of years ago. Except for my animals I have given up all of my luxuries.

I don't know if we should try to sell the house now, in order to adjust things even more. I would try to but the house may not be worth what we owe. We have lost over 100,000 dollars on this house in the past 4 years. That is a lost of value to just to disappear like smoke. I know that many others are in much more difficult situations. I know that I am blessed to still have what we do, but it still causes me to worry. I also thank the Creator, that I have very little debt. It doesn't help that the most of the debt is tied up with the heating system in the house.

 

[chickened]

Well... we are not so different afterall.

Me not wanting to lose and being persistent is a good trait in my business, other areas not always so good.
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And yet... still, you persist. Guess you don't have the age = wisdom thing going for ya either.

 

[chickened]

A lot of people are in the same boat as you. I had to look outside my normal business base several years ago to survive. My house is financed through my FIL and is pretty secure that way. I pay higher interest for the loan than what is available but I know he will not kick his daughter out on the street when I made the deal. Not sure about me though

you seem to put your trust in who matters.
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[justbugged]

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It's the way me folks put my hat on.

But thanks. It feels weird to be spiritual, and have such a hard time just talking to the Creator. I get lost less than half way through, those conversation. I think it must be the brain damage.

It does sound like you dad made a very good investment in you and the house though.

 

[chickened]

I much prefer paying interest to someone I like that is for sure. Don't feel bad about prayer I often wander during prayer myself and have been a believer since I was very young. I find that worry gets me no where (still do sometimes).

My wife and BIL get all the goodies when he passes so it was a win win situation.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

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I'd rather drink mine....

The idea to mix ethanol in gas was to cut our dependence on sand box oil. At the same time finding a local use for our subsidized corn so we could stop flooding the world market with below production price corn. All good things that also make money.

The issue was that you need to modify a standard engine to run ethanol without damage. But moonshiners have been doing it for years. The cheep fix the government came up with was the 10% mix. Thinking that should work in any engine. The problem is that though ethanol runs ok by its self an gas does to, that does not mean they mix well. Ethanol fuel is really low grade corn whiskey. Its part water an part ethanol. Gas is an oil mix. They don't refer to things mixing like oil an water for no reason. If you buy so called 10% ethanol gas you are "in theory" buying 90% gas, 7% Ethanol an 3% water or worse. If you jump in your car an hit the road it will run ok. But if you go home an let your car set for a few hours the fuel will settle an separate. Gas will float up on top of the ethanol & water. Sense your fuel is pumped from the bottom of the tank only, the next time you start your car it is running on ethanol only. Sure your tank has 10% in it but the engine is getting 100%. But your engine is set to inject 1 part fuel for every 14.7 parts air it uses. Perfect for gas. But to run right in ethanol it needs more. It needs 1 part fuel for every 9 parts air. So your car will run like poop till you burn threw that 10% or slosh the tank around enough to start picking up some gas again.

Remember though that you are only buying 10% in theory. The same settling happens in the tank at the station. Lets assume they fill there tank the night before you stop for gas. If they have 1000 gallons of 10% fuel, by morning they have 900 gallons a gas floating on 100 gallons of ethanol. If you are one of the first people there to buy gas when they open an buy 10 gallons. Your 10 comes off the bottom so all 10 is ethanol. If your tank was empty you are now running ethanol only. Which if you remember does not run good in a car set up for gas. But now you have a bigger issue. When you turn your car off the top end of your engine that is normally coated in gas that is a rust inhibitor is now coated in ethanol which is a oxidizer. The parts that should be stainless in a ethanol engine are regular steel in yours an start to break down.

What about people that only buy fuel a few time a month. Gas takes around a year to go "bad." Ethanol in a sealed container lasts for ever. Ethanol in a vented container like your fuel tank does not. As ethanol sits both the ethanol an the water molecules want to evaporate but at the same time the ethanol is attracting water from the air. So over time the percentage of water is going up while the percentage of ethanol is going down. An it does not have to go far to be to weak to burn.

 

[thekid]

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Yes it has the reason I made this was because my brother told me the price of something from another country and he said that their dollar was worth more than our dollar, i did the math and it was. sad

 

[cameron]

Why do we let it bother us what something else costs in other countries?

Last week in Cairns, Australia, I had a burrito and a beer that together was $25

Tonite, in Fort Smith, Arkansaw, I'm gonna get me a $5 pitcher of beer, and a $6 burger thats big enough to choke a mule.

Glad to be home!

 

[mstricer]

Wait a year, Our government is screwing it all up, they lost their triple AAA credit rating, due to all their spending. They can't make fast enough. At the rate they are going we will all be in a whirl of trouble, watch your money and spending. I would say buy gold its worth more then the dollar and won't lose it's value.