In my previous blog post I reviewed the book, Building a Better World in your Backyard Instead of Being Angry at Bad Guys, by Paul Wheaton and Shawn Klassen-Koop. As part of that review I noted that I thought this would be an excellent selection for book discussion groups. It is relatively short, easy, and entertaining to read. The authors prime intended audience are those with little to no experience with ecological/environmental matters though I feel it would of useful interest to those more versed in the subject too. This should help make it appropriate for all that might be a part of such book groups. The material covers a wide range of subject matter offering many ways for everyone to connect to it. I would anticipate lively conversations sparked by the book.
Continue reading “Book Group Discussion Questions for Building a Better World in your Backyard Instead of Being Angry at Bad Guys”Category: Money
posts related to money and finances.
Building a Better World in Your Backyard Instead of Being Angry at Bad Guys – Book Review
Sometime in my childhood I seem to have taken on an environmentalist bent. I’m not sure quite when or why. It just seemed like the right thing to do and support, and still does. Thus, in my time I’ve read a lot of books, and watched hours upon hours of movies relating to this general genre. Despite all this information that has been out in the public sphere these past decades I’ve also watched things continue to decline. Who remembers the days when any sort of serious car trip involved stopping occasionally to scrape bug guts off the windshield so you could see out? When was the last time you REALLY needed to do that, and what does that say about the health of insect populations? If you’ve got enough years under your belt I imagine you can think of plenty of other similar examples yourself. So it would seem that all these past books and materials promoting environmental ideas haven’t been effective enough to overcome the increasing tides of destruction. Now here I am looking to review another book. Is yet one more going to be any different?
Continue reading “Building a Better World in Your Backyard Instead of Being Angry at Bad Guys – Book Review”Perceived Value of Money – AC9 Financial Management Article
Here is the next in the series of republished old Art Calendar Magazine articles with updated commentary. This time around I don’t feel like I have much to add in terms of updating. It’s basically talking about an approach I used to help stay fully conscious of my spending so I wouldn’t waste it on things that didn’t give me enough fulfillment. I believe it’s an approach that can work for many other people too, though perhaps not everyone. It feels as valid to me today as it did when I first wrote about it.
Continue reading “Perceived Value of Money – AC9 Financial Management Article”The Art Studio – AC8 Financial Management Article
Once again its been too long since I’ve posted a new blog entry and I’ve also been failing to get all the old Art Calendar financial management articles up with their updated commentary. So today I’m going to tackle the next one in the series where I took a look at some issues involved with setting up my art studio. As I just reread it for the first time in years I was intrigued to realize I wrote it prior to building my earth sheltered studio. This was done when I had my initial metals studio here on my homestead in what has now become the wood shed! Still I think there is some good info here that might help others, esp. if you are looking to establish your first art studio beyond college. So without further ado here is the article with my updated thoughts sprinkled in.
Continue reading “The Art Studio – AC8 Financial Management Article”AC7 – Transportation
It’s been far too long since I’ve made a new blog post here. Partially my excuse is that I’ve been doing a lot of work rebuilding my davidhuang.org site. In particular I’m quite happy with the new page documenting the making of a complex vessel from start to finish. If you haven’t seen that you might want to check it out. I think I’ve also been a bit out of sorts, trying to adjust to changes in my career brought about by the COVID-19 crisis. I was realizing the other day though that I really should get the rest of these old Art Calendar articles republished if for no other reason than they could be all the more relevant to people now as our economy is being thrown into turmoil, making personal financial management even more critical.
Continue reading “AC7 – Transportation”AC6 – Debt: How to Avoid Its Trap
Again, I’ve been way too lax in getting a new blog post written lately. In my defense I was plenty busy getting final preparations made for a couple workshops, and then teaching the workshops. Both went fantastically, with great groups of students. Thanks to all of you who were there!
Continue reading “AC6 – Debt: How to Avoid Its Trap”AC5 – Wall Charts, Savings Buffers, and Knowing When to Quit the Day Job
Continuing the series of republishing the old Art Calendar articles with updated commentary here is the 5th one looking at the power of a wall chart and some things that flow from this. Though I didn’t specifically note it in the original article, leaving it as implied from previous articles, I feel like I should give credit again to the book “Your Money or Your Life” that introduced me to some of these concepts and which goes into further details about them.
Continue reading “AC5 – Wall Charts, Savings Buffers, and Knowing When to Quit the Day Job”AC4 – Where Does All the Money Go
Here is the next of my old Art Calendar articles with lots of updated notes tacked on. This 4th one is about the way I go about tracking my money in order to have a clear sense of where it is coming from and where it’s going to. Now with a couple decades of hindsight I can say this is one of the most powerful tools I have for understanding myself and keeping the finances in good order. It’s a practice I can strongly recommend!
Continue reading “AC4 – Where Does All the Money Go”AC3 – Housing You Can Afford
Continuing to transfer from my davidhuang.org website, with updated notes, my old financial management articles written for the art business magazine, Art Calendar, here is the third one looking at housing. Getting housing costs under control is probably one of the biggest things I’ve ever done to better not just my finances, but my life in general. My homestead has become a place providing me a deep sense of security with money, food, and energy. So without further ado, here is the old article with my updating comments sprinkled within.
Continue reading “AC3 – Housing You Can Afford”AC2 – Your Real Hourly Wage
Continuing to transfer from my davidhuang.org website, with updated notes, my old financial management articles written for the art business magazine, Art Calendar, here is the second one focusing on your real hourly wage. I feel like this is a very powerful conceptual tool for getting a handle on ones finances while also gaining a deeper understanding of yourself and what you value.
Continue reading “AC2 – Your Real Hourly Wage”