Not much time...

as per usual. As Neal Boortz would say, here are some intemperate thoughts:

Have you ever thought about the cost of sodas? Our family went to McDonalds' (take out and eat at home, because for some reason people like to stare at us when we eat in public...as if somehow families as large as ours shouldn't be eating in restaurants or something like that...good grief....anyway, rather than weather the stupid gawking, we take to eating in the peace and privacy of our own home) today after church.

Well, I have observed that our orders are generally too confusing for the English as a Second Language worker to handle so I usually go in so I can make sure that the order is handled correctly (this one almost was...required only one correction). Anyway, we drink canned sodas or water or juice at home to save on money (buying our sodas at loss leader pricing, anyways, so a can of soda cost only 25 cents or so). Anyway, I see the average idiot (forgive me for sounding so harsh, but in the end the term is probably accurate) ordering a soda for, let's say, $1.39 or so. Well, let's multiply that spending by 300 days a year...that would give us $417 for sodas for just 1 person per year. Odds are, that average idiot has next to no money in savings. Well, no kidding, you've spent that $417 (or $4170 plus interest over 10 years) on soda. What a waste.

If you're a family of 4, multiply that by 4.....in 10 years you have spend nearly $17,000 in sodas. Water is a great alternative. It is my empirical observation generally, that people who complain about lack of funds generally order sodas (and/or smoke, have cable, have manicures, drink gourmet coffees and in general show an utter lack of knowledge of basic budgeting techniques.)

Then to add insult to injury, when someone saves money and is able to afford something that they have delayed purchasing, the above class of people (consumers) mutter about how *lucky* the savers are....