Factors that Go into Making up a Given Household Budget Research Paper

Factors that Go into Making up a Given Household Budget - Research Paper Example Households in variety of living situations and geographical areas were considered in order to properly represent different types of consumers and budgets. The data for household expenses as measured by housing tenure and area type was focused upon. This data reflected the annual expenses of consumers who owned and rented in a variety of contexts, as well as those who dwelled in urban, suburban, and rural community settings. The number of relevant variables which go into determining total household expenditures was defined down to the lowest number possible while still affording strong predictive accuracy. Because healthcare expenses are a primary focus of recent public debate, it was decided that healthcare dollars spent would constitute at least one of the primary independent variables. Two others were chosen, the amount of money expended on gasoline and the amount of money expended on alcohol. The general feeling was that gas expenses impact other costs such as food in a roughly correlative fashion, and that alcohol served as a proxy for expendable income that was believed to be a stronger measure than other alternative factors such as entertainment. This is because it is more pervasive in the various community types considered. (There may be few entertainment options, for example, available in some rural communities, but alcohol will be available everywhere.) Given these three independent variables, it was expected that one could quickly predict the amount of household money available for expenses. One important note: it may be asked why housing expenses were not taken into account. It was felt that with the current difficulties in the housing market, the turbulence in using such a measure may not yield fully predictive results. The expenses in gas, alcohol, and healthcare were believed to be more stable measures of household expenses at present; therefore, they were the variables chosen to predict overall household budgets. Ultimately upon determining a useful estimate of overall family budgets, the researchers will offer conclusions regarding the basic importance of each variable to family budgeting and suggest directions for pricing considerations. Descriptive statistics Table 1 presents the descriptive findings. As can be seen from a review of the table, there were a variety of family budget levels in the survey, ranging from a low of less than $34,000 for renters to a high of almost $65,000 for owners with mortgages, and a low of just over $41,000 for rural consumers to a high of over $52,000 for urban/suburban. The range of expenses concerning the independent variables varied considerably depending on housing situation and the community type. Interestingly, it appeared that rural and inner city communities sometimes varied with urban/suburban communities and sometimes went in the opposite direction For example, the inner city correlated roughly with urban/suburban consumners regarding alcohol consumption while it varied on healthcare, and the rural

Sand mandala by tibetan buddhist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sand mandala by tibetan buddhist - Essay Example tive energy in the environment, the sand gathered from a mandala ceremony can be used in person or animals that are dying or stick a portion of the sand on the crown – top of the head (You Tube b). Ceremonies using different musical instruments to make a monotone sound and chanting are necessary as it enables the participants to experience peace of mind and deep concentration before and after the creation of sand mandala. The monotone sound also enables the monks and other participants to meditate in silence together (You Tube b). On the other hand, the process of pouring the sand into a creek is being done in order to allow the sand to flow with the water. This process symbolizes the spreading blessings, love and compassion to all human beings. Having read and observed how sand mandala is being performed is a very good experienced. Based on my personal observation and experiences about sand mandala, I have learned that the eight different parts of the center of the mandala symbolizes the eight noble paths of Tibetan Buddhism which includes: (1) right understanding; (2) right thought; (3) right speech; (4) right action; (5) right livelihood; (6) right effort; (7) right mindfulness; and (8) right concentration regardless of the art design of the mandala (Rahula, p. 45). These eight highlighted characteristics are actually the key factors that can bring us inner happiness, contentment in life, and freedom from anger. With the use of right speech, right action, and right livelihood, we can easily avoid actions that can cause harm to other people. For example: Being careful with the words we use when we speak to other people combined with choosing a morally acceptable occupation can lessen the chance that we can cause emotional pain to another person (Bodhi, p. 41). Therefore, there is a higher chance that we will receive good karma in our next life. Likewise, having the opportunity to personally experience how sand mandala is being conducted also made me able to