it's that time of the year again, when most people spend too much buying too much crap for people .... it's also a good time to take advantage of the few days off to look at your finances and make sure you're not being "gouged" by the big companies that, well, like to extract as much money from people as possible.. for us, one of the biggest culprits was telecoms.. think about it: years ago you just had to buy a tv and probably paid to have a phone line.
nowadays you have cell phones for everyone in the family and a million and one tv channels (all showing crap or repeats of crap) and extra for movies and pay-per-view.
you can easily be paying hundreds of dollars per month.. it can all add up, quickly.
Netflix now lets you download things to watch rather than having to stream them. If you have a lower speed or quality internet service it might makes it a viable option and more watchable.
I saw that. But what does it download to? The shield has the option of a SD card, so would do it? Or add an external HD? What do I attach it to?
Inquiring minds want to know...
I agree...need to annualize costs and know what the long term usage is actually costing you and the options.
it's that time of the year again, when most people spend too much buying too much crap for people .... it's also a good time to take advantage of the few days off to look at your finances and make sure you're not being "gouged" by the big companies that, well, like to extract as much money from people as possible.. for us, one of the biggest culprits was telecoms.. think about it: years ago you just had to buy a tv and probably paid to have a phone line.
nowadays you have cell phones for everyone in the family and a million and one tv channels (all showing crap or repeats of crap) and extra for movies and pay-per-view.
you can easily be paying hundreds of dollars per month.. it can all add up, quickly.
Good suggestions Simon and good topic.
I cut my cable to basic and went with a streaming device (Nvidia Shield) for programming. It's a different way of watching TV, because you can choose what you want to watch instead of surfing to find what you want to watch. My internet is dodgy, so programs load slow, but I'm used to it now...and saving $70 a month.
I went to an internet phoneline for a year, and finally cut that as well about 6 months ago and now only use cell. I'm not much of a phone talker...so that is another savings of $25 per month. The cell bill...well that's still a challenge. I'm in an odd pocket were other services just do not give good reception, but my pricey AT&T still does. So still working on that one.
there was an interview with a 107 year old lady who had been a jw since the age of 10 or so.
remembers seeing the "photodrama of creation" when it was still a thing, etc.. so she's explaining about herself & her husband witnessing thru the years, 1930's thru now.. she says at one point, her husband called on a guy who said something like "the last time i got a call from a jw, it was 50 years ago in xyz village by a guy on a bike who said armageddon was coming soon.".
the lady was just so tickled, because the guy on the bike was her husband, who happened to run into the same guy (who remembered him) 50 years later.. and i'm thinking "wait a minute....her husband said 'armageddon was coming soon' 50 years earlier...obviously he was completely wrong.
My mother would have responded the same. Sadly preaching the end since 1938. No convincing otherwise. Le sigh.
that's a comment i heard from an elder i haven't seen in over a decade, yesterday.
i mentioned it all on my other thread.
i responded that i knew of no one that was crawling back to the meetings and gave him an incredulous hearty chuckle.
I run into an elder from my old hall from time to time. He says the weirdest things to me, always sort of personal dig. I just saw him at a funeral a few weeks ago and I forget how strange they think until you run into one.
I said "Hi Bob...how are you?" Bob: "not as good as you Dag. Nobody is doing as good as you." Catches me off guard, thinking "ermm...ok...what do I say..." Bob continues: "you running companies and making all this money..." (I'm just working a job I've had for 25 years, nothing special...just a lot of work...not making money like he does, he is rich.) Me changing the subject because I don't know how to answer his creepy statements: " So Bob....you still doing music?" Bob: "Yeah, have to keep my toe in the business."
JW's just can't relax and communicate like normal people. They have to always dig and judge...
i bet most witnesses could not explain their blood policy, their understanding of the slave, and even simple biblical doctrines....they are an embarrassment to any old timer..
^^^ Ehrm no. You need to look those verses up in the original language. The Watchtower added "Jehovah" to the NWT. It is not in the original manuscripts.
there are many on this site that do not believe that jehovah truly exists; that he is not a real being.
but, he is as real as next breath you draw into your nostrils.. some of you say that there is no evidence that he exists.
yet, none of you can prove that he does not exits.. cofty, (you come to mind), i appreciate that you have stated, without reservation, that you do not believe that god exists.. yet, you cannot prove it.. hope in jehovah..
You create your own god and you create the qualities you want your god to have. No two person's explanation of god is the same. Each one is based on faith, not evidence, in what they want the story to be. It's your own creation and story.
so recently, my jw wife asks me if i ever considered taking up a cause.it was a question out of the blue, coming off of a discussion about politics.
so while it was unsaid, she was really getting at whether i was considering being politically active in some way.. i already have a standard answer that i have used before with other people, so i said it.
"no, i will be content to work and get by then retire and sit in the sun with a good book and a cold water.
I guess maybe the joy of being out is now being free to do or not do whatever the hell you want. Something jws do not get to do, and they can sometimes be critical of others because of their own "sacrifices" they've made in their "voluntary life saving" work.
1. three jw ladies, standing on the avenue along the beach here in sunny, warm fortaleza, ceará (brazil)2. two jw guys sitting on a bench doing the same as the ladies in pic 13. let's see how productive they are being doing this urgent, life-saving work.
I mentioned on another thread a similar situation. I was in Baja Mexico last weekend and by the side of the road, absolutely NO foot traffic, stood a bright blue jw.org canopy with a lone lady sitting behind the table. Side of the road...no foot traffic.
They got quite a scam going I tell you. Others have stated on here they trust the WTBS reported numbers. I don't know if they ever took counts, but the attendants and brothers absolutely round up or fabricate numbers. Let alone the publishers who made up their reported numbers. There are no checks and balances...but mark my words...it will catch up to them sometime. And when it is advantageous for them to report lower counts maybe for taxation purposes or whatever...watch those numbers fall. Smoke and mirrors folks.
i don't know whether anyone else has posted a thread on this development:.
http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/case-study/10908a67-70c5-4103-94cc-dac096fdb585/case-study-54,-march-2017,-sydney.
Wow! Bloody fantastic!
been lurking since early this year.
there are many of us out there (at least in this area, central u.s.) who are waking up and crossing the line to talk to each other about it.
in our area, several elders, ministerial servants and pioneers are actively and openly sharing info with each other daily.
Welcome d-o-l!!!!
It's fantastic to hear more and more are thinking things through and leaving. The religion is really only for people that need to be told how and what to think. The more they dig their heels in on that, the more cognitive dissonance will occur with many...not all...but many.
Strength for the journey...it's worth it!
