Same story re: Dyson for us. Except Dyson Customer Service told me "the never loses suction is on the hose only." This was after the noise problem was repaired out of our pocket and then it would not pick up anything off the carpet. Does anyone use the hose only on a vacuum? So we can now pay for yet another repair or the vacuum store offered us $50 for a trade-in for a vacuum that actually works (not a Dyson). I feel you.
..these are excellent suggestions. Anything that gets me out of the house to participate in a worthwhile event, that comes with food, is an easy YES.
Sometimes to break up a commute home I drop by the best hotel enroute and if there's a convention of some sort with a tea station I might pick up a cup and listen to the speaker...
With lower interest rate, more people would be willing to borrow money and spend, which means higher demand. This might actually drive up pricing.
Just look at the housing market. As mortgage rate is going up, I wouldn't be surprised that we'll see a further drop in housing price. The saving one might gain from the lowering of price might be higher than the additional interests one has to pay due to higher interest rate.
I spent the $1000 on stuff I wanted--I scarcely remember now what it was, but I expect it was books other than textbooks, meals out, stuff for the dorm room (I remember buying a couple of posters, plus a carpet sample that was just the right size to be a bed-side rug), clothes, bus tickets to go home during midterm, and so on. All the ordinary stuff college students spend money on.
First I have to answer the original question: Whichever one you can find for free. I've gotten half a dozen pianos for free and passed them all on again for the same price. One was nearly new because the kid it was purchased for didn't stick with it. In my experience music teachers and church pianist/organists often know where to find these deals.
Then I have to say that there's absolutely nothing wrong with going electric or synth for a kid learning to play for all the reasons that have been discussed here. After that, it really depends on where your kid is going with music. Most kids that are taught piano either go a route where the electric/synth works just as well or better than a "real piano" or they never outgrow what the electric can do.
And yes, I do think you can outgrow what an electric can do. I learned on an electric, played seriously on acoustics, and now can no longer stand to play on the same electric I loved as a kid.
Acoustics just have more subtlety. Most pedals on electrics are either off or on, no in between. Not so on acoustic. Many electrics also don't have a middle pedal, which yes, I actually do use. Likewise there is a larger range of volume than you can produce on an electric...at least without adjusting the volume knob. That's why they have volume knobs, isn't it? That sometimes makes it difficult to balance the upper and lower registers, or emphasize a melody or phrase. It's very difficult to not bury a delicate treble melody with a busy bass line.
I also agree that electrics have not quite captured the feel of an acoustic. The weighted keys are better, but still have a ways to go. As you say, there are many different feels to a piano. And yet, I've never played any electric that played like any acoustic. There's a smoothness to the way the keys go down in an acoustic that always seems to be missing on an electric.
Don't get me wrong, I'd also love a synth or electric to play around with for all the reasons you listed. They're great for creating and playing around with and composing, but for sitting down and really, truly playing with everything I've got, I'll take the real deal any day.
I agree that getting involved is good for everyone! And if you can enjoy some fellowship with friends or colleagues over some free food, more power to you. Thanks for the tips!
Some people actually enjoy volunteering with civic groups, PTA, scouts, church, and local agencies that promote causes they believe in.; may want to promote their businesses or their causes -- enjoying a free meal is not a desperate move but a way to save money by doing what you want and giving back to the community at the same time.
I'm a bit confused. I think you might have left out a part but where did the $1000 go that you saved? You said you spent some of it over the first year of college but was that for necessary expenses (like the books) or the fun stuff?
My boyfriend and I have really gotten into joining restaurant email lists and online newsletters. Many restaurants will have promotional BOGO coupons that they mail out once a month or more. That's one free meal --assuming you are willing to pay for the second. Unfortunately most of the suggestions don't seem very realistic unless you are insanely hard on your luck right now. Good thought tho. :)
They all sound like a big deal to go through just to get a free meal.
I mean, unless I'm homeless, is anyone really gonna bother JUST for that? Probably not.
I'll stick to my $.88 Banquet microwave meals from Walmart if I'm that down on my luck, thanks!
It really can't hurt to ask for a discount. Even in good economic times. If you're a good renter and pay your rent all the time and don't cause problems then as a landlord I'd be open to a cut in the rent.
Don't expect all markets to see decreasing rents. I think in my market rents are only down maybe 1%. Some markets will see rent go up. It really depends on the local markets.
Anything that keeps this American industry going is a good thing. To all the negative people out there I have a question for you. Why is it ok to bailout all those crooks on wall street that got us into this mess but when it comes to manufacturing its not ok?? I tell you why because you people are all brain washed by the anti-union B.S. Tradesman and unions built this country not the suits on wall street. This country was built by men and women that went to work with a lunchbox in their hand not a breifcase. Too many people forget that. If we loose this industry we will all be working for places like Wal-Mart making 8 bucks an hour is that what you want??
Great post, and I agree with the comment made by atexasgirl. I've found that I make much better financial decisions when I'm not broke-the feelings of desperation over a looming bill or upcoming expense can push you into a mentality that is counter productive.
I always have a bit that is accessible and secure. It helps keep me sane :)
When talking about money, the mental and emotional rates of return are rarely mentioned, much less measured. With ever-increasing news stories about greed, bribes, scams, frauds, and creative accounting practices--by our own government as well as publicly traded companies--knowing that my cash is safe in a bank account or CD earning little, but guaranteed interest, makes me feel a whole lot better than trusting my money to people who have proven to be untrustworthy.
I've always felt like a sitting duck while invested in the stock market, but cash makes me feel empowered.
Where I come from hot water is necessary for showering. Period. Nobody I know washes clothes, or dishes, or cleans floors with hot water.
Where it's cold in winter, people might install an electric faucet on the kitchen, but that is it. For comfort, not sanitation, mind you.
When you have babies on diapers, you might need to boil them every few uses. If you have someone at home that is bed bound, you might need to boil clothes and sheets every time they are changed to prevent lesions on the skin.
Other than that, I wash all my clothes on cold water, wash all my dishes on cold running water, and clean my house with cold water, all the time. The only use I found for washing clothes in hot water is to shrink stuff made from wool and silk, not a very good proposition on itself. Machines to dry clothes are not a common thing to see around here either. We use clotheslines, or other contraptions for this. In the sun if you have the luxury of space, but inside works great also.
Scientists are researching if the excess cleaning that Americans do might be related to allergies: you keep your immunologic system idle, so it finds "work" where it shouldn't. I like to keep a few harmless bacteria around - my soap is not anti-bacterial, my dish soap isn't either and you can bet I wont boil clothes unless I have a kitchen rag that smells really bad. I have two anti-bacterial cleaners, one for the kitchen surfaces and another for floors and bathroom, that I use once every two weeks. That is it.
I often wonder if all USA is like that, addicted to hot water, because what might make sense where the weather is below freezing for quite a few months in the year might not make sense down by the border with Mexico, where I expect the weather is very different.
By the way, now I have to go hang a load of laundry. All the best.
Here's another simple way to speed up the process of getting out of debt: Fix your payments. Here's what I mean. If you have a balance on a credit card and you make the minimum required payments each month, then the amount required each month will decrease a little each month (assuming you don't charge any more on the card). Paying this declining minimum keeps you in debt for a long time. For example, say you have a balance of $2,000 on a card charging 14% interest and requiring a payment of 2% of the balance each month. If you make the declining minimum payment each month, it'll take you over 20 years to get out of debt. But if you fix your payments on this month's minimum of $40 (2% of $2,000) and keep paying that amount each month, you'll be out of debt in just over 6 years.
I've never been drawn in by names or hype so when hubby was wanting a Dyson I nixed it as being too heavy. I'm glad I did. We use Dysons at work and I'd say they blow more than suck. A waste of time and energy they are.
At home we have a nice, light and easy to push Bissell. When my last one died I got the newer, updated, pet version, although my earlier one worked just fine on our pet challenges. I've been so pleased with what you get for the price that when we needed a steam cleaner we chose the Bissell as well.
You don't need to be perfect. In fact, you don't even need to get better. I tried to make it clear that, if you're happy with your current level of performance, there's no need to practice at all--just do.
And, even if you don't practice, you're going to gradually get better at whatever you do--because doing includes elements of practice within it.
Taking a class, though, is not practicing. A class may include some practice. (A typing class, for example, is mostly practice.) But practice is practice: do something, monitor your performance, evaluate your success, figure out how to do it better, and repeat. There's generally some aspect of that whenever you do anything--do your job, play a game, etc. But if your goal is to get better, you'll do better through practice than through any of the other things (such as taking a class or doing your job) that simply include some aspects of practice within them.
To go back to typing, I took a class in typing--which included a lot of practice at typing--until I got to the point where I could type 30 words a minute (the minimum to pass the typing class I was taking). After that I quit practicing--but I continued to type, virtually every day. About 10 years later, unpacking some old boxes, I happened to run across an old typing textbook. On a whim, I took one of the timed typing tests, and discovered that I could type 60 words a minute: ten years of just using typing (not practicing) had doubled my typing speed. If, on the other hand, I had practiced typing (did exercises, identified weaknesses, corrected them, and then done more exercises--trying to go a bit faster each day), I don't doubt that I could have doubled my typing speed in just a few weeks.
I didn't do it, because I didn't need to type faster. (Since I'm a writer, the limiting factor on my typing speed is usually knowing what I want to type. Typing faster doesn't help me think faster.)
A lot of people, though, do want to get better, so they "practice" at whatever it is they want to do. I put "practice" in quotes, though, because what a lot of people do isn't really practice--it's something else. Maybe it's giving a performance, maybe it's playing around, maybe it's taking a class or reading a book or watching an expert performing. All those things are worth doing, but none of them is practice.
I had bought a digital camera at Best Buy just 2 months shy of them releasing a newer warranty that actually covered more than a lens cleaning (their words!) but of course it doesn't matter. I suggested that they were obligated to let current crappy warranty customers know about the new service available because, like you, it would've definitely mattered.
I know this is a bit different as I had consciously purchased my 2 year warranty service (camera broke in the 9th month) while yours was included with the product already, but I still think they can make an effort to contact current customers. I mean they do that for a recall of bad parts. AND it would help keep them in business with people upgrading a warranty! After all if they make a good product worthy of buying, what do they have to lose? 2 to 5 years shouldnt matter. A vacuum should last more than 18 months.
Suffice it to say, I wish Circuit City hadn't been the one to fold...
With respect to the "you're not fun to be around", I've had it both ways. I've been out with individuals and couples who had no problem dropping hundreds of dollars when they went out for the evening, to them it was typical. On the other hand my spouse's group of friends included someone who often short changed the bill by throwing too little money at the person collecting for the check (as if people wouldn't notice over time, and it wasn't as if the person couldn't afford it). I didn't continue to go out with the former and I'm sure they thought I was no fun to be around, and the latter was eventually excluded from the group and we thought they were no fun to be around.
I think most of us think *we* are fair, but the reality is we have to find folks who think similar to us. If the differences are minor, it's often not a big deal to suggest alternatives or go along and not order as much. If the differences are major, or the person is flat out taking advantage of the group, there's no real way to resolve it IMHO and you end up having to look for a new group of folks to hang out with.
It's always fascinating to read about business philosophies of successful companies especially ways to motivate its employees and managers. Should definately be inspiring and easily translated to improving and better managing our daily lives.
Same story re: Dyson for us. Except Dyson Customer Service told me "the never loses suction is on the hose only." This was after the noise problem was repaired out of our pocket and then it would not pick up anything off the carpet. Does anyone use the hose only on a vacuum? So we can now pay for yet another repair or the vacuum store offered us $50 for a trade-in for a vacuum that actually works (not a Dyson). I feel you.
..these are excellent suggestions. Anything that gets me out of the house to participate in a worthwhile event, that comes with food, is an easy YES.
Sometimes to break up a commute home I drop by the best hotel enroute and if there's a convention of some sort with a tea station I might pick up a cup and listen to the speaker...
RICKLEE
Had an automatic. Got a manual. Never going back.
Notes on other comments:
Even without engine braking, I still use my brakes less. A lot of times clutching is all you need.
Manuals are less likely to need transmission repair as well as being cheaper to replace/repair.
I'm seconding that it's a benfit that other people can't drive my car.
Great post.
With lower interest rate, more people would be willing to borrow money and spend, which means higher demand. This might actually drive up pricing.
Just look at the housing market. As mortgage rate is going up, I wouldn't be surprised that we'll see a further drop in housing price. The saving one might gain from the lowering of price might be higher than the additional interests one has to pay due to higher interest rate.
@ Matt:
I spent the $1000 on stuff I wanted--I scarcely remember now what it was, but I expect it was books other than textbooks, meals out, stuff for the dorm room (I remember buying a couple of posters, plus a carpet sample that was just the right size to be a bed-side rug), clothes, bus tickets to go home during midterm, and so on. All the ordinary stuff college students spend money on.
I would like to read this book.
First I have to answer the original question: Whichever one you can find for free. I've gotten half a dozen pianos for free and passed them all on again for the same price. One was nearly new because the kid it was purchased for didn't stick with it. In my experience music teachers and church pianist/organists often know where to find these deals.
Then I have to say that there's absolutely nothing wrong with going electric or synth for a kid learning to play for all the reasons that have been discussed here. After that, it really depends on where your kid is going with music. Most kids that are taught piano either go a route where the electric/synth works just as well or better than a "real piano" or they never outgrow what the electric can do.
And yes, I do think you can outgrow what an electric can do. I learned on an electric, played seriously on acoustics, and now can no longer stand to play on the same electric I loved as a kid.
Acoustics just have more subtlety. Most pedals on electrics are either off or on, no in between. Not so on acoustic. Many electrics also don't have a middle pedal, which yes, I actually do use. Likewise there is a larger range of volume than you can produce on an electric...at least without adjusting the volume knob. That's why they have volume knobs, isn't it? That sometimes makes it difficult to balance the upper and lower registers, or emphasize a melody or phrase. It's very difficult to not bury a delicate treble melody with a busy bass line.
I also agree that electrics have not quite captured the feel of an acoustic. The weighted keys are better, but still have a ways to go. As you say, there are many different feels to a piano. And yet, I've never played any electric that played like any acoustic. There's a smoothness to the way the keys go down in an acoustic that always seems to be missing on an electric.
Don't get me wrong, I'd also love a synth or electric to play around with for all the reasons you listed. They're great for creating and playing around with and composing, but for sitting down and really, truly playing with everything I've got, I'll take the real deal any day.
I agree that getting involved is good for everyone! And if you can enjoy some fellowship with friends or colleagues over some free food, more power to you. Thanks for the tips!
Linsey Knerl
Some people actually enjoy volunteering with civic groups, PTA, scouts, church, and local agencies that promote causes they believe in.; may want to promote their businesses or their causes -- enjoying a free meal is not a desperate move but a way to save money by doing what you want and giving back to the community at the same time.
I'm a bit confused. I think you might have left out a part but where did the $1000 go that you saved? You said you spent some of it over the first year of college but was that for necessary expenses (like the books) or the fun stuff?
My boyfriend and I have really gotten into joining restaurant email lists and online newsletters. Many restaurants will have promotional BOGO coupons that they mail out once a month or more. That's one free meal --assuming you are willing to pay for the second. Unfortunately most of the suggestions don't seem very realistic unless you are insanely hard on your luck right now. Good thought tho. :)
. . . especially, if you are volunteering. It's a form of barter, right? I think these are good suggestions.
They all sound like a big deal to go through just to get a free meal.
I mean, unless I'm homeless, is anyone really gonna bother JUST for that? Probably not.
I'll stick to my $.88 Banquet microwave meals from Walmart if I'm that down on my luck, thanks!
It really can't hurt to ask for a discount. Even in good economic times. If you're a good renter and pay your rent all the time and don't cause problems then as a landlord I'd be open to a cut in the rent.
Don't expect all markets to see decreasing rents. I think in my market rents are only down maybe 1%. Some markets will see rent go up. It really depends on the local markets.
whoever made that video thx. this method reallly works it works on Xbox games and stuff lik dat thx kid.
Anything that keeps this American industry going is a good thing. To all the negative people out there I have a question for you. Why is it ok to bailout all those crooks on wall street that got us into this mess but when it comes to manufacturing its not ok?? I tell you why because you people are all brain washed by the anti-union B.S. Tradesman and unions built this country not the suits on wall street. This country was built by men and women that went to work with a lunchbox in their hand not a breifcase. Too many people forget that. If we loose this industry we will all be working for places like Wal-Mart making 8 bucks an hour is that what you want??
Great post, and I agree with the comment made by atexasgirl. I've found that I make much better financial decisions when I'm not broke-the feelings of desperation over a looming bill or upcoming expense can push you into a mentality that is counter productive.
I always have a bit that is accessible and secure. It helps keep me sane :)
When talking about money, the mental and emotional rates of return are rarely mentioned, much less measured. With ever-increasing news stories about greed, bribes, scams, frauds, and creative accounting practices--by our own government as well as publicly traded companies--knowing that my cash is safe in a bank account or CD earning little, but guaranteed interest, makes me feel a whole lot better than trusting my money to people who have proven to be untrustworthy.
I've always felt like a sitting duck while invested in the stock market, but cash makes me feel empowered.
Where I come from hot water is necessary for showering. Period. Nobody I know washes clothes, or dishes, or cleans floors with hot water.
Where it's cold in winter, people might install an electric faucet on the kitchen, but that is it. For comfort, not sanitation, mind you.
When you have babies on diapers, you might need to boil them every few uses. If you have someone at home that is bed bound, you might need to boil clothes and sheets every time they are changed to prevent lesions on the skin.
Other than that, I wash all my clothes on cold water, wash all my dishes on cold running water, and clean my house with cold water, all the time. The only use I found for washing clothes in hot water is to shrink stuff made from wool and silk, not a very good proposition on itself. Machines to dry clothes are not a common thing to see around here either. We use clotheslines, or other contraptions for this. In the sun if you have the luxury of space, but inside works great also.
Scientists are researching if the excess cleaning that Americans do might be related to allergies: you keep your immunologic system idle, so it finds "work" where it shouldn't. I like to keep a few harmless bacteria around - my soap is not anti-bacterial, my dish soap isn't either and you can bet I wont boil clothes unless I have a kitchen rag that smells really bad. I have two anti-bacterial cleaners, one for the kitchen surfaces and another for floors and bathroom, that I use once every two weeks. That is it.
I often wonder if all USA is like that, addicted to hot water, because what might make sense where the weather is below freezing for quite a few months in the year might not make sense down by the border with Mexico, where I expect the weather is very different.
By the way, now I have to go hang a load of laundry. All the best.
Here's another simple way to speed up the process of getting out of debt: Fix your payments. Here's what I mean. If you have a balance on a credit card and you make the minimum required payments each month, then the amount required each month will decrease a little each month (assuming you don't charge any more on the card). Paying this declining minimum keeps you in debt for a long time. For example, say you have a balance of $2,000 on a card charging 14% interest and requiring a payment of 2% of the balance each month. If you make the declining minimum payment each month, it'll take you over 20 years to get out of debt. But if you fix your payments on this month's minimum of $40 (2% of $2,000) and keep paying that amount each month, you'll be out of debt in just over 6 years.
I've never been drawn in by names or hype so when hubby was wanting a Dyson I nixed it as being too heavy. I'm glad I did. We use Dysons at work and I'd say they blow more than suck. A waste of time and energy they are.
At home we have a nice, light and easy to push Bissell. When my last one died I got the newer, updated, pet version, although my earlier one worked just fine on our pet challenges. I've been so pleased with what you get for the price that when we needed a steam cleaner we chose the Bissell as well.
@ Connie:
You don't need to be perfect. In fact, you don't even need to get better. I tried to make it clear that, if you're happy with your current level of performance, there's no need to practice at all--just do.
And, even if you don't practice, you're going to gradually get better at whatever you do--because doing includes elements of practice within it.
Taking a class, though, is not practicing. A class may include some practice. (A typing class, for example, is mostly practice.) But practice is practice: do something, monitor your performance, evaluate your success, figure out how to do it better, and repeat. There's generally some aspect of that whenever you do anything--do your job, play a game, etc. But if your goal is to get better, you'll do better through practice than through any of the other things (such as taking a class or doing your job) that simply include some aspects of practice within them.
To go back to typing, I took a class in typing--which included a lot of practice at typing--until I got to the point where I could type 30 words a minute (the minimum to pass the typing class I was taking). After that I quit practicing--but I continued to type, virtually every day. About 10 years later, unpacking some old boxes, I happened to run across an old typing textbook. On a whim, I took one of the timed typing tests, and discovered that I could type 60 words a minute: ten years of just using typing (not practicing) had doubled my typing speed. If, on the other hand, I had practiced typing (did exercises, identified weaknesses, corrected them, and then done more exercises--trying to go a bit faster each day), I don't doubt that I could have doubled my typing speed in just a few weeks.
I didn't do it, because I didn't need to type faster. (Since I'm a writer, the limiting factor on my typing speed is usually knowing what I want to type. Typing faster doesn't help me think faster.)
A lot of people, though, do want to get better, so they "practice" at whatever it is they want to do. I put "practice" in quotes, though, because what a lot of people do isn't really practice--it's something else. Maybe it's giving a performance, maybe it's playing around, maybe it's taking a class or reading a book or watching an expert performing. All those things are worth doing, but none of them is practice.
I had bought a digital camera at Best Buy just 2 months shy of them releasing a newer warranty that actually covered more than a lens cleaning (their words!) but of course it doesn't matter. I suggested that they were obligated to let current crappy warranty customers know about the new service available because, like you, it would've definitely mattered.
I know this is a bit different as I had consciously purchased my 2 year warranty service (camera broke in the 9th month) while yours was included with the product already, but I still think they can make an effort to contact current customers. I mean they do that for a recall of bad parts. AND it would help keep them in business with people upgrading a warranty! After all if they make a good product worthy of buying, what do they have to lose? 2 to 5 years shouldnt matter. A vacuum should last more than 18 months.
Suffice it to say, I wish Circuit City hadn't been the one to fold...
With respect to the "you're not fun to be around", I've had it both ways. I've been out with individuals and couples who had no problem dropping hundreds of dollars when they went out for the evening, to them it was typical. On the other hand my spouse's group of friends included someone who often short changed the bill by throwing too little money at the person collecting for the check (as if people wouldn't notice over time, and it wasn't as if the person couldn't afford it). I didn't continue to go out with the former and I'm sure they thought I was no fun to be around, and the latter was eventually excluded from the group and we thought they were no fun to be around.
I think most of us think *we* are fair, but the reality is we have to find folks who think similar to us. If the differences are minor, it's often not a big deal to suggest alternatives or go along and not order as much. If the differences are major, or the person is flat out taking advantage of the group, there's no real way to resolve it IMHO and you end up having to look for a new group of folks to hang out with.
It's always fascinating to read about business philosophies of successful companies especially ways to motivate its employees and managers. Should definately be inspiring and easily translated to improving and better managing our daily lives.