money – Crisbie Coach

A Short Story of Solidarity. How Anna Won at the Lottery Thanks to Her Neighbor

A lady, who we will call Anna, widowed, had become very poor and even had three children to raise all alone.

At that time lotteries were already very common in tobacco shops and once the lady wanted to play because she had dreamed of the number 16. She told a neighbor who suggested she go to the tobacco shop and play everything she had on that number.

So, Anna went to the tobacco shop and played the number she dreamed of, 16. On the day of the draw, her neighbor told her happily that number 16 had come out. The win earned the lady a large sum of money that allowed her to change her life.

Since then Anna was convinced that she was a fortunate foresight.

The children grew up and left the town in search of work. When one of the three children returned to the house where he grew up, to visit his old mother, he also met old friends, including the former neighbor. The woman then told him how happened that his mother Anna won the lottery.

The idea was just that Anna’s neighbor asked around the whole neighborhood for a monetary contribution, each according to their own possibilities, to be donated to his mother because otherwise she would never have accepted money from anyone, because of her pride.

When they heard that Mrs. Anna had dreamed of the number 16, they gave the money to the owner of the tobacco shop, who then gave it to her mother, telling her that the winning number was precisely 16, that she had dreamed of.

What do you think of this short story of solidarity?

How You Can Reduce Your Energy Consumption and Save Money by Saving the Planet

Since the beginning of the war against Russia, in Europe we have been experiencing an unprecedent energy crisis. Our governments advised us to reduce our energy consumption and I am trying to cope with that, even though sometimes, I have to admit it, it’s difficult.

However, by taking small steps at home, not only you can save energy (and money) but also you will help to protect the environment by reducing your emissions.

Households generate roughly a quarter of all direct CO₂ emissions produced in the EU today.

And did you know that three-quarters of the energy used by homes across the EU is for heating and cooling?

So, let’s see how you can reduce your energy consumption and contribute to the reductions of the global emissions.

Heating & cooling

Don’t overheat your water. Set your boiler at a maximum temperature of 60°C to make it run efficiently and hygienically.
Use the thermostat wisely. Did you know that your house won’t get warm faster if you turn the thermostat up? This only influences the maximum temperature in your house.
Close your curtains or shutters on hot days to reduce the sunlight entering your home.
Keep cool with a fan. Fans use much less energy than air conditioners.

Insulation

Replace single-glazed windows with double-glazed ones. Double-glazed windows lose 50-70% less heat.
Can’t install double-glazing? Thick curtains or removable insulating window panels will reduce the flow of cold air into your home.
Draught can be a big source of heat loss. You can save energy by sealing gaps around windows or installing draught-proofing beneath doors. Even adding covers to keyholes can make a difference!
Insulate hot water tanks, central heating pipes and wall cavities. If you can’t install cavity wall insulation, fit insulating radiator reflectors on the wall behind your radiators.

In the kitchen

Buy energy efficient appliances. When buying an appliance to help you choose an energy efficient model there are ratings. The rating ranges from A+++ (most efficient) to G (least efficient). An A+++ dishwasher uses as little as half the energy used by a D-rated one, for example.

Check your oven is properly sealed. If you have to replace your oven, go for an A-rated model – this could save you around €200 over its lifetime compared to a D-rated one.
Avoid washing dishes by hand if you have a dishwasher. Modern dishwashers use less water and energy – and most have an ‘Eco’ mode – but only use it when it’s full!
Only boil as much water as you need. If you have left hot water in a kettle only for a few minutes, you don’t need to re-boil it.

Wash smart

Fill up your washing machine. Don’t do a wash if you only have a few items of clothing. Wait until you have a full load – but don’t exceed the maximum weight.
Choose the lowest suitable temperature. These days, detergents are so efficient that they get most clothes clean at low temperatures.
Select the option “reduce time” if available on your washing machine.
Skip the pre-wash cycle if your clothes are not very dirty.
Avoid using a tumble dryer if possible. One tumble dryer cycle can use twice as much energy as an average washing machine cycle.

Save electricity

Replace incandescent or halogen light bulbs with more energy efficient ones. One LED light bulb could save you over €100 in electricity costs over its lifetime of about 20 years.
Switch off your devices. Internet-connected devices like smart TVs, printers and games consoles from 2016 or earlier can use up to 80 watts of electricity when on standby mode. You could use a single multi-socket power strip to switch them all off easily.
Ask your energy supplier about installing a smart meter. Smart metering systems for gas and electricity could save you 3% of your energy use.
Go for green power. Most energy suppliers offer ‘green’ electricity, which support the expansion of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. If your home has its own roof, consider fitting solar panels to generate some of your electricity.

Are you ready to reduce your energy consumption by saving money and saving the planet?

Would More Money Make You Happier?

Markus Persson, a Swedish 36-year-old business man, spends his time on Twitter, where he talks about his life and that of his company. One day, he twitted something that will change his life.

Markus created in 2009 the video game called Minecraft, a kind of virtual Lego game that has become a social phenomenon. But, all of a sudden, he ends up getting tired of running his business, Mojang.

So, one evening in June 2014, he announced on Twitter that he would sell Mojang. In no time one IT giant contacted him and bought it for 2.5 billion dollars (2.2 billion euros).

On permanent vacation or lying in his luxury villa, he continues to tell about his life on Twitter: he complains that he no longer sees his friends, that parties in Ibiza have become boring…to make a long story short, he gets depressed.

Markus may be the victim of what is called the “Easterlin Paradox“, after the name of the economist who demonstrated it. Richard Easterlin has observed over several years that while the per capita income in the US increased, the proportion of people saying being “very happy” did not increase at the same time.

Later, other researchers found that the more money you made, the happier you felt but there was a limit: up to 75,000 dollars (about 68,000 euros) per year per household. Over this amount of money, the extra money would not make you happier!

Markus earned far more than 75,000 dollars but he has no friends, no plans for the future, and he is also depressed. He even ends up arguing with lots of people on Twitter, making comments deemed racist and misogynist.

As a result, in 2019 the big IT company who bought his business does not invite him to the 10 year anniversary of Minecraft, and deleted his name from the credits of the game. Markus gained a lot of money, but he also lost a lot.

Do you agree with the Easterlin Paradox? Would you be happier with more money? Would 75,000 dollars be enough to have a happy life? In my case, I would be definitely happy with 75,000 dollars a year!