Andy Knows How To Save

The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney.

---

Everyone's talking about how bad our economy is. It's in the headlines every day, so I guess it is true. I don't know though. CBS is paying me the same as they paid me last year and I don't really understand anything as big and vague as what they call "the economy".

I do know I have to be careful though, so I'm trying to save in little ways.

For instance, I make my own coffee in the office every morning. I do it because downstairs, in the CBS cafeteria, one cup of coffee costs $1.50.

This morning on my way to work I bought gas. I got eight gallons of regular 87 octane and eight gallons of premium 91 octane and it cost me a total of $36.80. If I'd bought 16 gallons of 89 octane it would have cost me $38.40, so by mixing the regular with the premium, I saved $1.60 and got 89 octane gas. My car doesn't seem to know the difference.

I go to every New York Giants home game, which are, ironically, played in New Jersey. I take the bus from New York because if I drive it costs me $8 to go through the Lincoln Tunnel and $20 to park my car at the stadium.

The bus tickets cost $2.20 each way. The game ticket costs $80 including tax. Don't ask me why I don't just watch the game home on television. At home I don't even have to pay $4 for a Coke.

I take my shirts to the laundry. I used to wear them once, then I started wearing my shirts for two days. Now sometimes I wear them three times before I have them washed. You may have noticed.

There's a shoeshine parlor downstairs at CBS but I don't have my shoes shined there because it costs $3.00. I bought a brush and some polish and I do my own. And it's very satisfying.

When I go to a good restaurant here in New York for dinner I often slip a roll in my pocket for breakfast the next morning. Taking a roll at a restaurant, that's not stealing, is it?

There's no doubt about it though. We're using up all the good things on Earth and if we don't start saving more, we're going to run out of everything.




Written by Andy Rooney

[HeWhoE]

Thanks, Andy. I need to learn to save more.

[meowcat2]

To Skysoldier 75:
Perhaps using the board to post your personal opinion about Mr. Rooney''s news stories ONLY would be best. Where we get lost, is when people begin to jab one another because they don''t agree with EACH OTHER.

I love Andy Rooney. I just found his most recent "rant" a little hard to digest.

So....speaking of sophistication, in the future perhaps name calling should best be left to school children.

[skysoldier75]

Some of the people that I see regularly bashing Andy Rooney''s articles here obviously have absolutely no sense of humor at all, nor any appreciation for that absolutely essential commodity: the ability to have a little chuckle at ourselves and our own personal foibles once in a while.

Andy Rooney''s subtle ironic humor apparently just sails right over their pointy little heads. They''re just not sophisticated enough to "get it", I guess. That''s really too bad; it''s truly their loss.

[meowcat2]

Cry me a river, Andy. I tuned my tiny violin while I listened to how YOU save a nickel here and there. A rich man giving penny-pinching advice isn''t much different than a man with legs showing off his new Italian loafers to an amputee. Do you really expect us to feel good for you? By the way....can you spare a buck?

[cricketmk3]

ma4545, you''re right...buying breakfast would help out the economy more but I''m sure Andy meant he took an extra roll out of the basket they bring you in good restaurants that would hopefully be thrown out anyway.

[lewisclark4]

Did this senile old bag just wonder if we were in a tough economic time? "CBS seems to still be paying my salary." That statement is a slap in the face to those of us who have been laid-off and struggle to make ends meet. Here''s another thing you can save Andy; your stupid, out-of-touch comments.

[brucesmall]

There are only two tanks at the gas station. The middle grade automatically takes half from each tank, which is why the price of the middle grade is the average of the low and high grade.

[harp1974]

Andy,

I''m disappointed in your segment from last night. I think you''re old and out of touch my friend. That''s why America put youth back in the White House.

Your ridiculus examples to save money in tough times overlook a simple but most important fact. You see, people have already been doing most of the things you reccommend for some time now. In the current crisis we''re in, the most important thing to realize is that most people can''t afford to spend thousands of dollars for season tickets to a football game !
This is a massive flaw into your insight.

Yes, like most Americans, your pay hasn''t been reduced but the fact is, a lot of people have been on wage freezes for over 5 years and things have gotten more expensive over that time. People have to stretch their money to make ends meet and the first cut that has to be made is always on entertainment expenses.

I think you need to open those old eyes of yours and really take a look at what''s happening in this country
because it''s a lot more serious than cutting out $1.50 coffee purchases and mixing fuel.

I feel as though you owe me an apology for insulting my intelligence but more importantly, I hope you read this and re-analyze your opinion.

James White
Buffalo, NY

Go Bills !

[Hartru]

Dear Andy,
Good on you! It''s nice to hear a voice of sense and sanity in this profligate and wasteful culture we have become. Keep it up!
Without being too presumptious, could I suggest a couple of topics for the future.
1. I have noticed in recent years that any promotion in the media for government savings bonds has completely dissapeared. Why is that? Could it be that our government and their business overlords don''t want us saving money? Perhaps it''s more profitable for them if we are profligate and wasteful.
2. I''ve also noticed that the government is wasting taxpayer money on TV advertising in it''s futile attempt to shove that one dollar coin down our throats. Nobody wants it. They''ve tried several incarnations of the dadgum thing - nothing''s worked, don''t they get the message?
I won''t bother ranting about that accursed penney.

Thank You...

[brascat-2009]

Dear Andy,

We just watched you segment re. saving money with the little things. It was good, but I was little dissapointed that you didn''t mention electricity in the home.

My wife thinks I am a control freak because I follow her around turning off lights in rooms she leaves for more than 5 minutes.


I estimate that we save about $100 per month with my "controlling " behavior. Like most people, I am just trying to save a little money in hard economic times.

Please use my full name, Darryl Brasken, and if you can, let me know when you may air a segment on this. I want her to see it. We watch 60 Minutes almost every week.

I don''t want my wife to think I am crazy, and I think if she sees this from a relibale source, she may take me more seriously on this issue.

I really hope you do this for me. I think it actually may help more Americans from wasting money on unnessay electrical use.

Plaese let me know if you read this and will consider my request.

Sincerely,

Darryl