These are especially popular now, as Japan is trying to encourage it’s females to have babies. You see, the once booming Japan is suffering dire economic consequences because their population is at an all time low, with a birthrate at 1.37%. Compare that to 2.12% in the US. Put simply, people are not having babies. This is causing severe economic problems for the country, which doesn’t allow immigrants.

They are especially feeling the pinch in the 15-65 age group.  These are the producers, the earners. They are losing the money-makers, while the more dependent elders seem to be on the rise.

According to a ministry of labour and welfare report, Japan expects over a quarter of its citizens expected to be aged over 65 by 2015.

So in an effort to encourage procreation, and ultimately, industry, the students of the Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences at The University of Tsukuba, created a robo-baby last year, called Yotara.

Yotara is very lifelike. He actually has facial features which are projected onto  his little warm silicon balloon face.

He has very lifelike baby reactions. He actually giggles and “wakes up” when a rattle is shaken. He sulks and dozes off like a real baby and smiles when his stomach is rubbed. He can also sneeze and have a runny nose, thanks to a heated water pump system.

Project leader Hiroki Kunimura, says,

“Through this experience, it would be great if some people started feeling that they wanted to have their own baby, if they started feeling that working is not everything.”

Japan’s population is expected to shrink by a third within 50 years if the birth rate does not increase. I guess if worse came to worse, they could always repopulate with the baby robots.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

One ancient practice of bartering of note is the Old Testament account of Jacob and Esau. For those not familiar, Jacob tricked Esau into selling his birthright for a bowl of soup. [Gen. 25].

While that one didn’t work out so well, there have been many successful, profitable ones since.

One way of bartering our ancestors used to practice was a method called dumb bartering. The name refers to the silence that is kept whilst trading, not the intelligence of the people participating in it. The two traders would meet at a designated location, and lay down their wares for inspection, which were either accepted, or turned down in hopes of a better offer.

Several thousand years later, we are still bartering.

We usually start fairly early in life. Bartering snacks or lunches. Twinkies for Doritos. Remember Sticker Books? Trading stickers was common amongst my elementary school friends.

As we’ve aged, our methods have become more sophisticated.

Today the internet makes trading much more convenient. Jessica Hardwick, bartering site, SwapThing’s founder and CEO said,

“I think a few years ago it was more for fun. But we’ve seen a real shift in the last year, and especially an increase in the last few months, where I think people are really doing it to get by.”

There is direct bartering and indirect bartering. The direct form is a non-monetary trade of goods and services. The indirect form is a credit system. Participants accumulate credits, or barter dollars by providing specific services such as teaching a yoga class to building a shed. Those barter dollars can be used to buy the services of anyone in that network. This eliminates the search for an agreeable barter.

Bartering for medical services has become an alternative to people without insurance.

Kaiser Health News tells us that

“With doctors, dentists, psychiatrists, chiropractors and even cosmetic surgeons offering their services, bartering is providing a temporary safety net of sorts for some workers who have lost their jobs and health coverage. And in some cases, people who have inadequate insurance are using barter to get critical services, such as dental and vision benefits.”

The Colorado Gazette tells us of Hillsborough, N.J.-resident Robert Josefs trading his Web site designing skills for nearly $1,000 in dental work last year when he had no insurance.

Psychotherapist, Dr Zur tells us of a painter who was strapped for cash and offered to barter a painting in exchange for therapy sessions. The painting was valued at $900. The doctor’s fee at the time was $90, and the client contracted him for ten sessions. Having the painting hanging in the counseling office deepened their connection and enhanced the therapy.

Bartering also works in your personal life. Let’s say, you are good at yard work and your neighbor is a hairstylist, you could come to an arrangement that would benefit both of you. One haircut would get a lawn mowed. A cut and color would get you two mows, or some such arrangement.

But if you enter into a bartering relationship thinking you might be exempt from taxes, well, you would be wrong.  Barter dollars are equal to real dollars, as far as the government is concerned. You must report it on your taxes as if it was paid for monetarily.

Twenty-first century bartering is becoming almost as popular as pre-historic bartering. Many people are finding it to be a viable choice of currency in our economic tumult. Many are finding it better just to swap.

Here are a few barter networks to check out:

BarterQuest

SwapTree

SwapThing

—–SPECIAL OFFERS—–

The Federal Reserve is creating tens of trillions of new dollars, debasing our currency, and silently taxing us all through inflation. With tens of trillions in federal budget deficits on the horizon there is nowhere for the US dollar to go, but down.

Refuse to be a victim of this flawed financial system, buy gold and silver NOW!

With hyperinflation and risk of economic disaster increasing with each dollar Congress recklessly spends, it pays to be prepared: Consider stocking up on Emergency Supplies:

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

http://www.thriftyfun.com

http://www.thrifty-living-tips.com/

http://thrifty.lifetips.com/

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/

You can find coupons online for a lot of your favorite grocery and drugstore purchases. From food to deodorant to razors http://print.coupons.com

Organize in a folder or envelope kept in your purse or car for easy access.

Of course we know that  buying in bulk saves money. Several grocery stores sell in bulk or you can shop at a warehouse club. But this is not a savings if it is going to just sit in your pantry. Since I am a single person, I don’t buy food in bulk, however I will buy toiletries like toothpaste and toilet paper  in bulk.

Bakery outlets are a seldom-tapped resource. You can find savings on bread and all sorts of baked goods.

“But,” you say, “eating thrifty isn’t always eating on the skinny. All the cheap foods are bad for you.” Well,  the 99 cent Chef reports some cheap choices that help keep your svelte figure. All sell for under a dollar.

http://www.tiphero.com/tips_325_&lpid=16

Entertainment

Make use of your local library or buy books at used bookstores. Amazon has a “used’ link. You can usually save a lot. Some sell for 99 cents. I never pay full price for books.

Hulu.com in place of cable. With 900 current prime time  hits that you can watch whenever you want, paying for cable seems rather pointless. Plus you can  stock up on used DVDs at your local Blockbuster which sell for 2 or 3 bucks.

Thrifty Vacations

•backpacking

•camping

•working vacations – popular in the UK during the 50s, when money was tight and people couldn’t afford holidays, they would often spend two weeks picking hops on the farms in the south of England.

These sorts of vacations are still available today in many different parts of the world. You can pick fruit or grapes for wine, or do some sort of environmental project. All are great ways to explore our world and meet new people. http://www.frugal-living-tips.com

How fun would it be to go grape picking in France? I guarantee that you would become the envy of your friends, not to mention your enemies,  if you took that trip.

If possible, travel off season when the rates are lower.  You can often avoid a price increase if you buy your airline tickets in advance. Be sure to arm yourself with a City or Entertainment Guide with a list of all the attractions as well as coupons for restaurants and amusements. http://www.entertainment.com

Health http://www.alwaysfrugal.com/frugal-living.html

One of the best ways to stay thrifty is to stay healthy. Being sick is very expensive. Exercise is extremely important and very easy to fit in to any schedule.

I don’t have the discipline to exercise at home. Some do. The most frugal thing to do would be to find some second-hand exercise equipment at yard sales, Goodwill, and sales at sports stores, so you can work out at home. However some need the discipline of a class to get (and keep)  an effective regimen going. Your local Y offers all sorts of classes and exercise equipment for a decent rate. Most will work with you on this.

If you are a self-motivator and can keep a consistent  exercise program at home, walking, biking, and hiking are ideal. In these cases, a good bike may be a valuable investment.

I cannot recommend yoga enough. I take at the Y, but they also hold classes at community centers and churches. It is a great stress reliever and really helps with your disposition in these tight times.

While we’re talking exercise, I found this recipe on http://www.tightwad.com/tips5.htm for deodorant. I am not yet thrifty enough to actually use this tip.  But for those who are, mix full strength household bleach (5.25% sodium hypochlorite) with water or a water and liquid soap solution. (Never mix bleach with any chemicals containing ammonia, it produces a deadly chlorine gas!) After washing underarms with soap and water,  soak a wash cloth and use a 1/32 ratio of bleach to water for cleaning, then  air dry.

Decorating

As a former artist, I know framing can be expensive. It doesn’t have to be though. A simple frame hanger can cost at least $3.99.  But the pop up top from soda cans can do the same thing, for much cheaper. Simply remove the top by turning slightly until it pops off.  Then attach to frame with small screws or tiny nails.

As long as  you don’t need a custom size frame, often you can find cheaply framed prints at stores like Family Dollar. You can toss the print and use the frame for your objet d’art.

Now that I’ve shared some of my thrifty secrets, I’d like to hear some of yours.

—–SPECIAL OFFER—–

The Federal Reserve is creating tens of trillions of new dollars, debasing our currency, and silently taxing us all through inflation. With tens of trillions in federal budget deficits on the horizon there is nowhere for the US dollar to go, but down.

Refuse to be a victim of this flawed financial system, buy gold and silver NOW!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Take my boyfriend, for instance. He started out with an enviable career as a lawyer in Chicago. He found it to be soul-crushing, draining work. So he made the transition to a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch,

When 911 happened, he and his co-workers were told not to come to work for about a week, for fear of a similar attack to their Chicago skyscraper. So after sitting on the couch, eating Doritos for a couple of days, he decided make use of his gym membership. It was there that he encountered yoga. Throughout a several-month-long process of business, career and life disappointments, yoga was just about the only thing that kept him sane. So after another move, he decided to try teaching yoga. He knows it’s far from perfect, but he finds it much more rewarding.

I was a graphic designer. I FINALLY finished school, got my first job, and realized I absolutely hated it. I felt like such a fake. I felt as though I was “playing” graphic designer,” only it wasn’t much fun. I figured it would get better though. When my contract wasn’t renewed, I panicked for sure, I did get that “WHAT NOW?” feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach, but only because I had spent so much time preparing for it, I felt sort of trapped. The thought of finding another job in that field nauseated me so much that I decided to quit design altogether. So more out of desperation than anything else, I started writing. I had been working in coffee shops to supplement my education, as well as my indecision. This gave me an incredible opportunity to observe human behavior, and inspired the idea for “that book I’ll write someday.” I recognized my opportunity to finally put my idea to paper, and got it published.

Many people, while they like their jobs, want to keep their options open, because they know that it’s not what they want to be doing forever. Unlike the generation before us who would find a trade and plan on working in one career for the rest of their lives, we live in a much more restless society today where people have many interests and don’t feel they should limit themselves to one career. It is not uncommon to find people working in two or more careers.

Po Bronson says in What Should I Do With My Life? a book outlining several people’s quest to fulfill their dream careers, “Most people’s purpose comes from experience; it’s not something you choose from a course catalog, but you only have a transformative experience if you’re open to being changed by it.” We’ve all heard a story or two of someone who has spent numerous years in a passion-less job and then finally, when they pursue their passion, ultimately succeed. When we hear of these folks who dare to dream, no doubt it thrills us to our very core. We, ourselves, may even let our mind entertain brief thoughts of following suite. Unfortunately, most people desert their dreams in favor of responsibility and security.

“But I have a college degree,” they protest, “why should I let all the time and money spent obtaining this go to waste?” Or conversely, “I don’t have a degree, how could I possibly be suited for my dream career?” Dan Miller responds in his article, Is Your Work Your Calling or Your Profession? “We have a myth in our society that the more education one has, the more opportunities or choices one has as well. True, more education may lead to more economic affluence and the ability to purchase more stuff. But I find that more education often narrows rather than broadens the choices about meaningful direction in our lives. When someone has spent ten years getting a medical, dental, or law degree, how can that person discover at 40 that he/she really wants to be an artist or a truck driver?”

Suzanne Falter-Burns further explains in her article, Find Your Niche, that sometimes we just need to tune out those well-meaning, security-bound voices around us. “When we begin to listen to our own voice, and throw off all those other helpful ones in our head, life really starts to make sense. Not only do the wheels of progress finally turn in the direction we want, but we begin to put more and more credence in that small, lesser known part of ourselves that is the seat of both our vulnerability and our power. This is the place where our creativity, our imagination, and our own unique ‘I-ness’ really lives…”

So, it is very possible to turn our current economic winter into “the glorious summer made possible by this sun,” if only we can recognize, and take hold of the right opportunities.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.