Debts and Headaches

For a while I was trying to figure out how in just 5 years living in the US I have managed to acrue a debt close to 40 grand. I should be responsible and say "I screwed up and I was irresponsible". Though I can blame myself I would not want to beat myself about how I screwed up. The only solace I have with this is "Most of the people I know are in the same boat". It is indeed difficult to lead a good life without credit these days, but doing it beyond reason is what brings us to un-bearable amounts like my 40 grand.

With careful planning and sacrificing enjoyment I was able to bring my 40 geez down to 2 geez. In about 2 more months I should be debt free for a while (provided I stay the right course and slow down my spending).

How did I do it? It has come down to basics.

What do I need vs What do I want? "Need" & "Want" are such relative words. For a while I could not differentiate between these 2 words. Example: I thought I needed a "Playstation 2" when I had a regular playstation, when in-truth I wanted one. Similarly with a laptop when I had a good desktop and the list goes on and on.

When I realized I have spent money I did not have via credit cards or other loans I only came to realize with time that I spent more on something than its real cost because I was paying interest on the credit I used to buy it. After some stress-ful calculations on how much money I am loosing in interest I decided to cut off all extra costs.

I also found an interesting thing about the cost of anything. (a) If you could wait atleast 5-6 months prices will fall down below half the original price. (b) If you pay with cash you will save a lot on interest

Since then I have devised a plan to buy stuff. Plan in advance and start stashing money in containers or put them in a savings account to save up to buy. I bought an IPOD, a Digital Camera, a new Laptop, and I took an India trip that cost me more than $7000 all with cash so I pretty much saved $2000 to $3000 on interest if I used credit to buy all the above.

It's better to be patient and wait to buy something you want later than buy something right now and pay more in interest.

Why are you mad at foreigners who work?

In recents years everytime I sit with a few american friends there is always a debate about how foreigners are taking over all the available jobs. I could not argue much about this hot topic but I could surely point out why it is so.

1. Work Ethic: Every job I worked my superiors tend to have more confidence in foreigners with their work ethic and hark work. They claim we tend to go overboard in finishing our job or provide with a better finished product. Though it is not true in every sense it is closest to the truth.

2. Upbringing: Growing up we were grilled to succeed, to pursue goals that are both achievable and yet high. Likes and dislikes were put on the back-burner assuming we succeed our desires will be fulfilled as a by-product.

3. Opportunites and appreciation: Coming from a third world country we tend to appreciate the opportunity that is presented as opposed to assuming that we deserve it. No one deserves or not deserve an opportunity. Making the most of the presented one is the key to survival.

4. Respect: Giving respect where it is due is not the only way. Respecting anything or anyone irrespective of the surroundings is a key factor too. We tend to respect everyone no matter what, most of all we respect ourselves.

5. Drawbacks: Language in itself is a barrier so we cannot present ourselves with even more. So we strive to surpass this barrier or make it minimal with our work ethics and hard work.

Hope in due time everyone will realize we are just surviving not pursuing the american dream.

Price you pay for a healthy life

Back in 2000 I haven't heard anything about the carb-counting, fat-watch or things of that sort. "Bam" 2002 I could not go to a place or meet a person who would not talk about the food the eat and their calorie count. Are we obsessed or is this genuine concern towards health?

The question I posed above has answers ranging from shallow to genuine. How can you define health? What does it mean to lead a healthy fulfilling life? Are the paths we tread to lead a healthy life the right ones or are we just following a trend?

If the younger generations are constantly under pressure because of this so called "cool" trend are they really going to enjoy their childhood like we once did. I cannot remember the last time I could walk into a restaurant and order a good meal because everywhere you turn you see pointers that make you either self-concious about what you want to eat or worse scare the "bleep" out of you.

Following the hollywood stars and setting them as your role-models would only lead to disaster. The price you pay to have a healthy life is not the same as the price you pay to impress people surrounding you.

The best thing to do is decide for yourself what is and what is not good for you.

The better thing to do is eat to your liking but remember to be active if not excercise.

The only thing to do is treat yourself right.

The worst thing to do is trying to impress others.