Last spring, I was speaking with one of my daughters about my latest off grid project. I told her the original milking parlor has now become the "Power House" and a new milking parlor was established.
A couple of weeks ago, a grid power line came down, so we found ourselves without power, but the wind was amazing! Now, there isn't enough battery storage, yet to maintain being fully off grid, but the wind was a definite bonus that night. As a matter of fact, even with a small battery bank, Adonai provided enough wind to keep the entire house functioning at full capacity, including the heat pump! All of this took me back to that conversation I'd had with my daughter, months earlier.
As we were awkwardly chatting as that is our established pattern, I was grasping for a topic and that's how the new Power House project came up. Now in looking back, our conversations are nearly always about what the kids are doing, what I'm doing, and who/what she is analyzing . . . This conversation was no exception. I told her about a bigger turbine, having the big boom truck set the pole, etc. then just casually included. "All we need now is a $1000.00 worth of batteries and we're set." She immediately interjected that a thousand dollars worth of batteries seemed expensive. I just dismissed it as her usual disparaging comments and went on with life, but now in taking note of my electric bill and knowing I was fully powered up when the line came down, I feel pretty blessed to have spent that $1000 dollars the way I did.
Now, comparing my expense to her lifestyle, I'm thinking this $1000.00 was an actual investment. Adonai willing, the batteries will last for years, whereas $1000.00 in her hand, I don't think covers the monthly rent. I realize things in this world are temporal, but as long as we are in this world, I don't think there's anything wrong with making some investments that will last, even if we are looking at temporary verses eternal. I'm thankful to have no mortgage and no rent, but my house and lifestyle would not be good enough for many. That's okay, it's more than good enough for me.
As I thought of being able to switch over to our off grid power and how truly blessed I am. I continued to see clients, do laundry, and as mentioned previously, enjoy a warm house. And the great thing about investing rather than rent is the differing perspective on temporal. Apparently, for my daughter, it's all temporary, so there is no need to consider long term purchases or investment, but from my perspective, rent removes the "temporal" option. If a person wants shelter and is choosing to rent, that option seems more like bondage, to me.
If I live another 25 years, as far as housing goes, all I have to concern myself with is maintenance and taxes. If I were paying rent, that concern would be quite pricey, not to mention potentially ever increasing. Now, as I can afford it, I like to add to the battery bank. It was nice to know, with offgrid power I could still offer care, comfort, refreshments, and if the power grid shutdown had been wide spread, several of us could have weathered it fairly comfortably together. Everything in this world is temporal, so why pay for it for a lifetime?
Showing posts with label value. Show all posts
Showing posts with label value. Show all posts
Monday, November 30, 2015
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Counting the Cost
We're going to talk money and food today. I know neither of these topics really have any value in the kingdom economy, but the way we spend one to obtain the other does have a bearing on what we have left for greater causes. Eating out, for those of us who keep kosher can be a challenge. We never have any idea what's cooked next to what.
A friend introduced me to the dining experience of a Mongolian Grill. It seemed to have real potential. Since they are constantly cleaning the grill, I could choose the least busy time to dine and avoid any potential treif next to my dinner. The buffet is comprised primarily of vegetables, and although I think there is crab in the evening, the main choices of meat are chicken and beef. It seemed simple enough to just take a bowl, place my choice of ingredients in the bowl, add some pepper sauce of sorts, and hand it to the grill chef.
While the chef mans the grill, we were to stand and watch the food prepared. Of course, the chef does provide skilled entertainment of sorts and scoops the finished product onto a plate. He smiles as he hands the plate over the counter very close to the "jar" and the gong. I can then add sunflower seeds, wasabi, and head to the table. In the meantime, the waitress has brought a beverage and rice to the table for my dining pleasure. In checking my facts, I have discovered the HuHot's Mongolian Grill refers to their chefs as "Grill Warriors."
As I casually ate my meal, and it was good; I glanced through the menu for the cost of this buffet as well as the appetizers and overpriced desserts. Being left handed, I think the right side of my brain is supposed to be dominant. At any rate, it kicked in as I looked at prices while dining. Maybe that's why I never got into reading cereal boxes. The right side of my brain wasn't needed as there was virtually no math on a cereal box, yet I digress . . . Back to my eating and "calculating."
The "cereal bowl" in which I had gathered my grill goodies held probably, at most $2.00 worth of finely sliced and diced chicken and veggies with pepper sauce; for $8.99. It is all you can eat, so I did have the option to fill another cereal bowl, if I so chose, but one plate really did seem adequate. Maybe a few more pea pods or bamboo shoots, but I was full and satisfied, except I found myself discontent with the cost of the meal. I didn't want to sit there and "eat my money's worth." I wanted the meal to be more economical. Now, here's the kicker that caused me to rethink this establishment.
Upon entering the establishment through lunch hours, $8.99 is a given. When Mr. B and I went together, that was two people to be "served," so there were two meals to grill and two glasses of water . . . For $17.98, there were two plates, lovely as they were, exceedingly overpriced for veggies and paper thin meat. That's not all, though, a 20% tip: 3.60, even 15% is 2.70, then the grill chef's tip. Even a dollar a plate is an additional $2.00 and I'm sure someone reading this just called me cheap . . . So, for two people to have lunch with minimal tips, the cost is $22.68 + tax. That's over $11.00 a piece for a couple of dollars worth of veggies AND I served myself and another person at the table.
The food was good. I have no complaints about the freshness or the quality of preparation. I will, however; probably not return to HuHot's Mongolian Grill. That is an outrageous cost for lunch and I could do something much more meaningful with that money.
A friend introduced me to the dining experience of a Mongolian Grill. It seemed to have real potential. Since they are constantly cleaning the grill, I could choose the least busy time to dine and avoid any potential treif next to my dinner. The buffet is comprised primarily of vegetables, and although I think there is crab in the evening, the main choices of meat are chicken and beef. It seemed simple enough to just take a bowl, place my choice of ingredients in the bowl, add some pepper sauce of sorts, and hand it to the grill chef.
While the chef mans the grill, we were to stand and watch the food prepared. Of course, the chef does provide skilled entertainment of sorts and scoops the finished product onto a plate. He smiles as he hands the plate over the counter very close to the "jar" and the gong. I can then add sunflower seeds, wasabi, and head to the table. In the meantime, the waitress has brought a beverage and rice to the table for my dining pleasure. In checking my facts, I have discovered the HuHot's Mongolian Grill refers to their chefs as "Grill Warriors."
As I casually ate my meal, and it was good; I glanced through the menu for the cost of this buffet as well as the appetizers and overpriced desserts. Being left handed, I think the right side of my brain is supposed to be dominant. At any rate, it kicked in as I looked at prices while dining. Maybe that's why I never got into reading cereal boxes. The right side of my brain wasn't needed as there was virtually no math on a cereal box, yet I digress . . . Back to my eating and "calculating."
The "cereal bowl" in which I had gathered my grill goodies held probably, at most $2.00 worth of finely sliced and diced chicken and veggies with pepper sauce; for $8.99. It is all you can eat, so I did have the option to fill another cereal bowl, if I so chose, but one plate really did seem adequate. Maybe a few more pea pods or bamboo shoots, but I was full and satisfied, except I found myself discontent with the cost of the meal. I didn't want to sit there and "eat my money's worth." I wanted the meal to be more economical. Now, here's the kicker that caused me to rethink this establishment.
Upon entering the establishment through lunch hours, $8.99 is a given. When Mr. B and I went together, that was two people to be "served," so there were two meals to grill and two glasses of water . . . For $17.98, there were two plates, lovely as they were, exceedingly overpriced for veggies and paper thin meat. That's not all, though, a 20% tip: 3.60, even 15% is 2.70, then the grill chef's tip. Even a dollar a plate is an additional $2.00 and I'm sure someone reading this just called me cheap . . . So, for two people to have lunch with minimal tips, the cost is $22.68 + tax. That's over $11.00 a piece for a couple of dollars worth of veggies AND I served myself and another person at the table.
The food was good. I have no complaints about the freshness or the quality of preparation. I will, however; probably not return to HuHot's Mongolian Grill. That is an outrageous cost for lunch and I could do something much more meaningful with that money.
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