the root of all evil

8:51 a.m.

i make a decent salary, especially for the work i do. i live pretty darn well and don't want for anything in my day-to-day. i'm 25 (and a half), and i feel like i'm starting to understand how to manage my money a little bit. i don't know how to make it grow yet, but i can get through everything i need to get through in a year without stressing (too much, at least... i AM quite a worrier and to not stress at all would be close to miraculous) including things like day camp payments for jake (which total at least $2,000 yearly) and whatever else might pop up. on top of that, i have actually started a savings account for SAVING money. i've really and truly never had one of those before. i'm thinking big and saving for land and a house. it may be a while before i have enough for even a down payment on anything. haha. but it's started, and i'm not touching that money.

in keeping with the 10-5-10-5 model of fair share international, i'm considering keeping $25 in singles in my wallet to give to street folks (musicians and performers as well as beggars), and putting $25 per paycheck toward a charitable cause.

i'm thinking also about the holidays and gifts for people i know. mostly it's going to be consumables (food!) or handmade useful items. i'm also starting a list of things i would appreciate as gifts. is august too early to start thinking about that? probably.

the conversation at lunch yesterday turned to the subconscious effects of television, which brought me around to talking about advertising and the emotionally manipulative way that companies convince you that you need what they're selling. we started to teach jake about how the purpose of advertising is to get you to buy things you don't need and weren't even thinking about until you saw the ad for them. all of a sudden he wanted mouthwash. the kid doesn't use mouthwash. i have never EVER experienced him wanting to use mouthwash... until he saw a commercial on tv for it. now that's "effective marketing".