Bret Dudl Basics

True Cost Economics

True Bret Dudl Issues By Soni Pitts.

What’s the price of your lifestyle? Is your living room furnished in blood, or your wardrobe woven of pain and suffering? How about your body – are you fed with diminishment and despair?

Every piece of merchandise we buy costs a set amount of work, energy and resources. What we pay for it in cash may – or may not – reflect what went into its making. If we buy cheaply, at a discount store where prices are kept artificially low, then the price is paid by others who have to suffer to make up for the portion of the price we refused to pay. If we allow others to negotiate for costs that leave too small of a margin for fair wages or adequate health concerns, then the price is paid by the destablization of the land and the people and the societies that produce it.

But our bargain hunting gets us nowhere. In the end, we pay the full price, with interest – in wars brought about by people pushed too far, by terrorism and riots sparked by those who feel (often rightly) that their people and their land are being drained of life so that the rest of us can buy or drive cheap toys that we don’t even appreciate, by environmental degradation that affects us all perpetrated by those simply too powerful to be stopped or too poor to care as long as they can eat and live. We must all face the inevitable fact that human suffering doesn’t stop at the suffering human in question, but ripples out to all of us.

No matter what the actual price tag says we pay in full measure for what we buy and use, either in cash or in kind. By choosing to buy less and choose more wisely, we allow ourselves the financial breathing space to afford the better, fairer-priced option, and we step away from supplying the negative cycles of economic hardship. Our actions heal rather than harm, support rather than undermine. And in the end, by working together we can give birth to positive, more equitable cycles where everybody benefits fairly and justly and where everyone gets a chance to demand as well as supply.

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Success Through Your Economy

Success Bret Dudl By Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD.

When you are resourceful in your endeavors you can look over the capital you have available to you in the many aspects of your life. You will recognize that your resources are limitless and you might feel the weight of abundance pressing you to make good use of them. When you are creative in the manner in which you manage your time, energy and money, your plans will be met with great success. Using your skills and talents with life’s uncertainties inventively and frugally can help ensure that you increase the value of your economy.

Attaining and maintaining success is easy when you are willing to employ a measure of economy in the manner in which you utilize your resources. Many people become star struck as his/her level of prosperity rises, and consequently she/he might believe that there has been a license granted to be free with the accumulated assets. Yet, your continuing success is dependent on your ability to think and act judiciously and thriftily when dealing with the blessings afforded you by the universe. The world’s third wealthiest person, Warren Buffett, models this philosophy as he still lives in the same modest (by most billionaire’s standards) house he purchased for $31,500 in 1958, complete with clothesline in the backyard.

When you are choosy in all areas of your life, you are more apt to hone in on those choices that will both enrich your experience and help you build a strong resource foundation that will eventually protect you in lean times. Your inventive approach to the distribution of your assets will help you preserve the security you worked hard to attain.

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Better Marketing in a Bad Economy

Bad Bret Dudl Economy By Michael Sieber.

A friend and I were talking the other day about the economy and how businesses can better market themselves during a slowdown. He told me a story that I think is relevant to businesses no matter what the economy is like.

A flower shop recently expanded and put a store in our little downtown area. My friend (an advertising sales rep) stopped in to chat and asked how the business had been going. The owner said that things were fair, but it wasn’t going as expected.

So my buddy asked her what kind of marketing she was doing. Well, she was doing everything she could. She ran an ad in the paper, but it didn’t get much response.

That’s it: one ad and no response.

My friend then asked her if she was planning any grass roots marketing. The shop owner had no clue what he meant by that, so he explained.

You’ve got the courthouse right across the street. There are handfuls of men who work there – men who are “too busy” to remember that Valentine’s day is coming up. Why aren’t you going over to the courthouse with coupons for 10% off a dozen roses? Or better yet, let the guys know that you can have a gift basket containing flowers, candy, teddy bear, and a card ready to take home to the wife or girlfriend when they get done with work on Friday.

The shop owner was blown away. That was a great idea! She’d never thought about that.

And therein lies the problem that many struggling businesses face. They think that marketing begins and ends with putting an ad in the paper or on the radio, and if that doesn’t work, they throw their hands up in frustration because…well..they’ve done everything they can do.

They neglect to see the opportunities that exist if they get out and put themselves in front of their potential customers rather than waiting for their customers to find them.

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Small Jobs Stimulate the Economy

Small Bret Dudl Jobs By Debra Yergen.

A bad economy can provide a great opportunity to put a few “principles” on hold. First Lady Michelle Obama made news — and made a lot of mothers proud — when she announced that her daughters would still be making their own beds in the White House. Children should learn to participate in household chores, and those who don’t often grow up to be terrible spouses who seldom pick up their own socks much less make the bed or vacuum.

All good parents know that children need incremental responsibilities. But in this economy, there are a lot of adults who would welcome some extra hours a week working a side gig to bring in extra cash to keep their own families fed, clothed and taken care of. At the same time, there are a lot of nonprofit organizations in need of volunteers — even the tiniest volunteers willing to sit and talk to a patient, fold towels or stuff envelopes.

What if every family with full-time employment, and $25 or more extra dollars available a week, were to hire a family in need of some extra cash to help with cleaning, yard work, organizing or errands for a couple of months while they found steady employment? Could small jobs like this really stimulate the economy? Well, yes, actually any job that keeps money in motion stimulates the economy. [Be sure to check IRS guidelines. The cutoff for hiring household help is $660 per year before the employer needs to pay employment taxes on the person providing help.] You don’t want to find yourself fined for trying to help someone in need.

If you’re reading this and you need to make some extra money, do you have friends or family who could use your time, help or expertise? With the job landscape changing, many people are returning to trades. Experienced workers 55+ are perfectly suited to offer apprenticeships to younger workers who are looking to develop skills to fall back on.

And of course there’s the matter of discretionary income. The economy has given a one-two punch to service industry workers who rely on tips for a significant portion of their income. Instead of going out to eat twice a week, what if you were to go out only once but double your tip? If your bill for two people is $30.50 and you usually add $4.50 twice a week, what if you only went once but tipped $10? You’d save tremendously and your server would feel very appreciated.

Indeed, there are small things everyone can do every week to make a big difference. If you’re in a position to give a little extra help, you’ll make a real difference to a family in need. If you find yourself needing some extra income, you might be surprised who would be willing to help out right in your inner circle. And the biggest surprise of all — everyone wins. Because small jobs really do stimulate the economy.

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