So float no longer exists.
Written checks are sometimes still recored as automatic debit.
Errors are recorded and fixed in record time by using debit and electronic banking.
And writting checks is a right you can abuse while holding up an obviously long line for a $0.59 beef jerky?!?
I don't even know where my check book is. I write about 3 checks a year anymore. Everything is automated.
This isn't exactly the same, but I have a friend that has a checking account with BOA. They told her if she continued to get paper statements from them, she would have to pay about $8 per month. She is just not very technical and does not trust the internet to do her online banking. I do not think it is fair for BOA to tell her that. MOST people are already on the electronic wagon, but those that aren't shouldn't HAVE to be. Oh well.
I'm used to doing more with less. I don't have a large budget for holiday shopping, but comparing prices, using promotional codes, and shopping during sales makes everything work out okay. It takes some work but it's worth it!
I do more with less by shopping wisely and using coupons coupons coupons.
I can easily save hundreds at the grocery store by using coupons.
I also enter giveaways to win stuff! =)
I think cheques are a bigger thing in the States than they are here in Canada. Here, people are much more likely to use debit cards because we only have the "Big 5" banks (which make up about 85% of the banking industry, as far as I know). I only got a chequebook when I moved into my apartment last year because my landlord (a corporation) is a luddite and doesn't accept direct payments like my utility companies do. I write one cheque a month -- for rent -- and that's pretty much it. If I could get away with doing direct rent payments, I probably wouldn't own a chequebook at all.
Interesting thoughts, and it's good to see people challenging the currently popular approach.
Some alternatives/comments:
1) Just don't buy crap. Ever.
2) Know the people you're buying gifts for. Spend time with them to get to know their passions and tastes. Double check with family/friends what they need vs. what they already have. If you don't care enough to do this for them, how close are you really? Maybe your gifting circle is too big.
3) Again, reconsider the size of your gift list. Smaller list + no crap means less junk in a landfill. Also make good decisions about your gifts' quality, materials, and origin.
4) What? Stuff can most definitely be personal. Original art, handmade crafts/food/furniture, any purchase with time, effort, and thought (real, caring thought; not just the kind "that counts") put into it. Maybe you're just using "stuff" and "junk" interchangeably, in which case comment withdrawn.
5) These are all good, but with minimal effort you can find out for yourself what they'd like. There's always someone that knows. Find out what plays they've seen in the past, check their music software/PMPs for play counts, learn their favourite restaurant. I recommend doing this long before December, lest any direct questioning be incredibly suspicious.
You can always do Less is More with small children. They aren't worldly yet. You don't need to throw huge birthday parties for a two-year old. My kids know that on their birthday it is a small family affair and it's more about individual attention and praise than "things/gifts". Start when they're young.
I love going to bookstores and libraries and browsing the stacks. I used to spend a lot of time doing this. Now, I tend to spend my browsing time on my library's website looking for downloadable books and audiobooks. I find that even though the selection is quite restricted compared to the brick and mortar store or library, I have plenty of worthwhile selections, new releases and classics. I am able to spend less time in browsing and more actually in a book. And, due to limited competition, I am able to check-out newer books much more quickly than the library's wait list for the paper versions.
"Do more with less" are words to live by in my book in any given situation! I am a well organized person, I like to know what I have..whether it be in my drawers, cupboards, or closet. Sometimes when someone has to much of any one thing or things, they tend to not use up what they already have and that just leads to nothing but waste!
Build menus around dishes you know how to make. If you're feeling daring, add one or two new recipes. Plan as many make-ahead dishes as you can. This means knowing what you can and cannot freeze and how long things keep. Here's a great site to hopefully answer some of your questions: National Center for Home Food Preservation.
I still write some paper checks. The thing I like about ACH is being able to time payments precisely -- partially eliminating the need for float.
Oddly, the reason I didn't adopt "online" banking early was because the promise of banks fell short of my expectations. Basically, in the early days all you could do is initiate a payment rather than manage the entire account (like you can do now).
Much of my comfort level though is derived from the institutions I bank with -- small, locally owned chains rather than a big bank.
Mr. Miller - I am so with you on this that I started a business that redefines gift giving! It's called triplethegift.com. Your first four reasons are so true. And the fifth reason, "you don't have to give up giving and receiving' is our business. Triplethegift is geared towards children [the ones who usually have way too much stuff] and combines three gifts: a gift card for what you want, a contribution to a college savings account, and a donation to the charity of your choice. Its easy and doesn't fill landfills! Happy Holidays!
Having six children, I try to make every penny count. We buy clothes either on sale or at thrift stores, and then pass it down to younger siblings. We shop store ads, use coupons, stock up when items are on sale, or buy generic. With a large family, you definitely learn to do more with less.
There has to be an app for finding your car in a parking lot.. Doesn't there? How much time would that save me over the course of a year? Think of what I could do with that time!!
I actually had my hours cut at work and wondered how my grocery budget would survive. But really all it took was learning to cut back on prepared foods and doing more of my own cooking, which of course I now have the time for.
I do more with less by shopping at discount clothing stores such as Ross and Marshalls. They carry name brand clothing at a cheaper price. I get so excited over the deals I find there and can honestly say those stores are my favorite to shop.
I really like spices and herbs. If you buy them in the ethnic food section, especially the hispanic themed aisle they can be only 99 cents a bag! They add flavor to everything including cheap cuts of meat and inexpensive dishes
when the interest rates start to rise the feeble recovery will fall harder than an ice hockey players head!!
The banks are giving money to themselves at minus zero interest and they still don't want to share the wealth, when the rates start to rise the double dip will gain momentum...
Most of the time lending money is a huge mistake but lending money more than once to the same person is an even bigger one. You become an ATM to them and it becomes a problem. I'm a 20 year old guy who's taking time off from college for financial reasons. I work as a dog walker and I get paid rather well. My parents are disgustingly irresponsible with their finances and depend on me lending them money way too much. It was my fault for being so nice and tolerant at first. But each week they spend their money without any worries because they know that I can't bring myself to reject a loan from my own parents. I help out with many expenses around the house such as grocery. This whole situation upsets me greatly because it causes a butterfly effect in my finances where I can't keep track of my money and I can't plan with it. I'm a bit irresponsible also but I am trying not to follow in my parents path. My Dad always chops the payments up into small amounts. He never pays it in full, always a fraction of the full balance.
I'm beginning to think that the only way I can ween them off borrowing money from me is to move out, forcing them to straighten themselves out financially. They're like teenagers and what's worse is that they leave bills unpaid. I am losing my religion!
My water and sewer bill (it's combined) is about $12.58 a month. Best case, I can only save $150.96 a year. (Actually, $12.58 is the bare minimum for services, so I technically can't save any money regardless of what I do.)
I've been looking at revenue sharing sites while trying to convert my already tailored blog into a money making hobby. I'm very proud of my work and have invested a fair bit of time, money and effort into it already. The prospect of making that money back (or possibly more) is really hard to resist but I don't want to "sell out" my hobby to someone like suite101 or Xamba. I just don't want to see my Internet identity and outlet for expression be shaped to suit someone else's format.
This article helped me re-consider revenue sharing sites. Perhaps I can use them as a tool instead of a host.
We simplify our financial lives by automating everything. It is so handy.
So float no longer exists.
Written checks are sometimes still recored as automatic debit.
Errors are recorded and fixed in record time by using debit and electronic banking.
And writting checks is a right you can abuse while holding up an obviously long line for a $0.59 beef jerky?!?
Why do you still write checks again?
I don't even know where my check book is. I write about 3 checks a year anymore. Everything is automated.
This isn't exactly the same, but I have a friend that has a checking account with BOA. They told her if she continued to get paper statements from them, she would have to pay about $8 per month. She is just not very technical and does not trust the internet to do her online banking. I do not think it is fair for BOA to tell her that. MOST people are already on the electronic wagon, but those that aren't shouldn't HAVE to be. Oh well.
I'm used to doing more with less. I don't have a large budget for holiday shopping, but comparing prices, using promotional codes, and shopping during sales makes everything work out okay. It takes some work but it's worth it!
I do more with less by shopping wisely and using coupons coupons coupons.
I can easily save hundreds at the grocery store by using coupons.
I also enter giveaways to win stuff! =)
I think cheques are a bigger thing in the States than they are here in Canada. Here, people are much more likely to use debit cards because we only have the "Big 5" banks (which make up about 85% of the banking industry, as far as I know). I only got a chequebook when I moved into my apartment last year because my landlord (a corporation) is a luddite and doesn't accept direct payments like my utility companies do. I write one cheque a month -- for rent -- and that's pretty much it. If I could get away with doing direct rent payments, I probably wouldn't own a chequebook at all.
Interesting thoughts, and it's good to see people challenging the currently popular approach.
Some alternatives/comments:
1) Just don't buy crap. Ever.
2) Know the people you're buying gifts for. Spend time with them to get to know their passions and tastes. Double check with family/friends what they need vs. what they already have. If you don't care enough to do this for them, how close are you really? Maybe your gifting circle is too big.
3) Again, reconsider the size of your gift list. Smaller list + no crap means less junk in a landfill. Also make good decisions about your gifts' quality, materials, and origin.
4) What? Stuff can most definitely be personal. Original art, handmade crafts/food/furniture, any purchase with time, effort, and thought (real, caring thought; not just the kind "that counts") put into it. Maybe you're just using "stuff" and "junk" interchangeably, in which case comment withdrawn.
5) These are all good, but with minimal effort you can find out for yourself what they'd like. There's always someone that knows. Find out what plays they've seen in the past, check their music software/PMPs for play counts, learn their favourite restaurant. I recommend doing this long before December, lest any direct questioning be incredibly suspicious.
You can always do Less is More with small children. They aren't worldly yet. You don't need to throw huge birthday parties for a two-year old. My kids know that on their birthday it is a small family affair and it's more about individual attention and praise than "things/gifts". Start when they're young.
I love going to bookstores and libraries and browsing the stacks. I used to spend a lot of time doing this. Now, I tend to spend my browsing time on my library's website looking for downloadable books and audiobooks. I find that even though the selection is quite restricted compared to the brick and mortar store or library, I have plenty of worthwhile selections, new releases and classics. I am able to spend less time in browsing and more actually in a book. And, due to limited competition, I am able to check-out newer books much more quickly than the library's wait list for the paper versions.
"Do more with less" are words to live by in my book in any given situation! I am a well organized person, I like to know what I have..whether it be in my drawers, cupboards, or closet. Sometimes when someone has to much of any one thing or things, they tend to not use up what they already have and that just leads to nothing but waste!
Build menus around dishes you know how to make. If you're feeling daring, add one or two new recipes. Plan as many make-ahead dishes as you can. This means knowing what you can and cannot freeze and how long things keep. Here's a great site to hopefully answer some of your questions: National Center for Home Food Preservation.
I still write some paper checks. The thing I like about ACH is being able to time payments precisely -- partially eliminating the need for float.
Oddly, the reason I didn't adopt "online" banking early was because the promise of banks fell short of my expectations. Basically, in the early days all you could do is initiate a payment rather than manage the entire account (like you can do now).
Much of my comfort level though is derived from the institutions I bank with -- small, locally owned chains rather than a big bank.
Mr. Miller - I am so with you on this that I started a business that redefines gift giving! It's called triplethegift.com. Your first four reasons are so true. And the fifth reason, "you don't have to give up giving and receiving' is our business. Triplethegift is geared towards children [the ones who usually have way too much stuff] and combines three gifts: a gift card for what you want, a contribution to a college savings account, and a donation to the charity of your choice. Its easy and doesn't fill landfills! Happy Holidays!
Having six children, I try to make every penny count. We buy clothes either on sale or at thrift stores, and then pass it down to younger siblings. We shop store ads, use coupons, stock up when items are on sale, or buy generic. With a large family, you definitely learn to do more with less.
There has to be an app for finding your car in a parking lot.. Doesn't there? How much time would that save me over the course of a year? Think of what I could do with that time!!
I actually had my hours cut at work and wondered how my grocery budget would survive. But really all it took was learning to cut back on prepared foods and doing more of my own cooking, which of course I now have the time for.
I do more with less by shopping at discount clothing stores such as Ross and Marshalls. They carry name brand clothing at a cheaper price. I get so excited over the deals I find there and can honestly say those stores are my favorite to shop.
I really like spices and herbs. If you buy them in the ethnic food section, especially the hispanic themed aisle they can be only 99 cents a bag! They add flavor to everything including cheap cuts of meat and inexpensive dishes
I donate my time to the local food bank and when they need extra help around the holidays
Like, like, like!
Busy little bee ain't we ;)
when the interest rates start to rise the feeble recovery will fall harder than an ice hockey players head!!
The banks are giving money to themselves at minus zero interest and they still don't want to share the wealth, when the rates start to rise the double dip will gain momentum...
Most of the time lending money is a huge mistake but lending money more than once to the same person is an even bigger one. You become an ATM to them and it becomes a problem. I'm a 20 year old guy who's taking time off from college for financial reasons. I work as a dog walker and I get paid rather well. My parents are disgustingly irresponsible with their finances and depend on me lending them money way too much. It was my fault for being so nice and tolerant at first. But each week they spend their money without any worries because they know that I can't bring myself to reject a loan from my own parents. I help out with many expenses around the house such as grocery. This whole situation upsets me greatly because it causes a butterfly effect in my finances where I can't keep track of my money and I can't plan with it. I'm a bit irresponsible also but I am trying not to follow in my parents path. My Dad always chops the payments up into small amounts. He never pays it in full, always a fraction of the full balance.
I'm beginning to think that the only way I can ween them off borrowing money from me is to move out, forcing them to straighten themselves out financially. They're like teenagers and what's worse is that they leave bills unpaid. I am losing my religion!
I don't go shopping for entertainment (just necessity), so that saves us a lot of money! :)
I love tips like these... EXCEPT...
My water and sewer bill (it's combined) is about $12.58 a month. Best case, I can only save $150.96 a year. (Actually, $12.58 is the bare minimum for services, so I technically can't save any money regardless of what I do.)
I've been looking at revenue sharing sites while trying to convert my already tailored blog into a money making hobby. I'm very proud of my work and have invested a fair bit of time, money and effort into it already. The prospect of making that money back (or possibly more) is really hard to resist but I don't want to "sell out" my hobby to someone like suite101 or Xamba. I just don't want to see my Internet identity and outlet for expression be shaped to suit someone else's format.
This article helped me re-consider revenue sharing sites. Perhaps I can use them as a tool instead of a host.