I just received a text from MY own phone number --"Your NETSPEND CARD has been placed on HOLD. Please call us at 877-875-8770. Thankfully I read this before I called and got suckered into this scam. Its so scary as I am young and there is so much I still do not know about finances. Where did they get my information. Why is it okay for them to TEXT me? I did not apply for anything. I never even heard of NETSPEND until this text. Creepy tactic that makes me MORE than wary. There should be some sort of regulation for this abuse as that is clearly what it is. Taking advantage of people by telling them a card that they never even applied is on HOLD -- What is worse is that it was 10:30 at night. UGH
Just thought I'd add that I do this, too -- it's very simple, as vaccines are sub-Q shots and a cinch to give to a quiet animal. You can also order them online from places like Drs. Foster and Smith; much cheaper than a vet visit that way too, but better to buy from a farm supply store if you can as the shipping costs (vaccines have to be overnighted and kept cold) add to the price.
If you do this, I'd recommend making sure your vet is OK with it. Mine is willing to take my word that my animals are vaccinated (for everything but rabies; a vet or rabies clinic has to do those in our state), but not all are, and if you need your pet to be seen due to an injury or illness you don't want to be turned away due to questions about the vaccine history.
I also use liquid cow wormer (Ivermectin, same active ingredient as HeartGuard), which can be bought without a prescription at a farm supply store, to manage heartworm control -- same thing, with my vet's OK. I just give them the same dosage as they'd get from Heartguard but squirted from a syringe into a fish oil capsule (from which I've drained the fish oil) rather than in pill form. It's a bit more hassle, but so much cheaper -- $30/year for 2 70# dogs rather than ~$300 for HeartGuard. This is not recommended for collies or collie crosses as apparently they sometimes have reactions (ask your vet).
I'm told PetShed is a good place to buy pet meds online but have never used it.
Make a budget sheet; let one category be "reward"; if I follow my budget for that month; I can reward myself to the money in that reward category. I find myself saving and watching my money not being spent beyond whats on my budget sheet. (Usually end up saving that money in my reward category).
In response to your comment that it takes too long to become a Doctor in the USA, that is intentional behavior. The strategy of our Doctors and the USA medical profession in general is to keep the market of available Doctors small - thereby allowing the chosen few to get paid higher saleries. Simple supply and demand economics 101. Additionally, the extra time in college is part of our Doctor's "rationalization" for getting paid so handsomely. In India, as in most parts of Europe, Doctors make roughly one fourth of what Doctors here make. We need Doctors and medical professionals who are more concerned about helping patients and doing good than improving their own bottom line.
I am a fairly recent convert to Netflix: I love having a deep selection available at my leisure. The choices at my library are slim. I sometimes enjoy going to the movies but it's rare b/c of the prices and inconvenience (having to wait in lines, adjusting to the theater's schedule, etc.)
Automatic monthly contribution to my 401(k), including maximization of employer match
Budgeting (don't stick to every category every month, but nearly so)
Minimize impulse spending
Include a Roth IRA contribution in my budget
Turn off lights, open windows, programmable thermostat
Generic grocery brands
Lower cost domestic vacations and/or frequent flier miles
I have automatic withdrawals set at my bank. Over half of my take home pay is earmarked for retirement, emergency savings, and vehicle savings (want to buy my next car cash). Once my emergency savings is built up to 4 months take home pay, I'm going to start investing that money into non-retirement taxable accounts for a future home.
This is past tense, since I'm now retired and in (frugally!) spending mode rather than accumulating.
1. Max out your 401k - the match is free money
2. Use the dividend reinvestment option on a nice stable utility. The $1000 worth of AT&T I bought around 1980 is now paying me nearly $1000 a month!
3. Learn to cook. Fresh food is better for you and much cheaper than the processed crap.
4. Pay off your credit card every month, and get one with rebates. 1% seems like chump change, but it adds up to a good bottle of bubbly for new years.
All coin change in my pocket goes into a jar on my dresser every night when I get home and then roll it for the bank 2-3 times a year. Usually adds up to a few hundred dollars a year. I also take all the ones out of my wallet and put them in an envelope every day as well. I budget spending money for lunches but singles and coins don't carry over to the next day. Works for me.
We transfer a chunk of our income into savings, and a bit into super-safe investments such as 1-year CDs which we can quickly take out in case of dire emergency.
I've just started using the library also for movies. My library has a surprising amount of new releases. I also use redbox now because our local video store closed down. Those free codes are great. I also suggest checking out local universities and community organizations which may offer free or reduced priced film showings and you are still "going out."
I started to work again when my youngest child went to preschool. From the beginning we continued to live on my husbands income. After 10 years my salary still goes to 4 different bankaccounts: 1. to pay off our mortgage, 2. collegefund for our children 3. replacement and repairs car 4. retirement. By saving the money as soon as I get my salary, we don't miss it.
-Coupons and sales.
-Also ask yourself: do I really need this? How many times do we buy things we don't need, they end up in the storage and we don't even know we have them. Keep it simple, only buy things you need.
-Take advantage of credit card cash backs since but make sure you can pay it off every month
I take all of my found money (literally, the change I pick up off the ground) and "weird windfall" (any rebates, refunds, money from paying surveys, bonuses, birthday money, etc.) and deposit that into a savings account. It adds up pretty quickly! I also try to budget wisely and live as frugally as possible, use a lot of coupons, and pay attention to the ads in the Sunday paper as to where I should grocery shop that week.
I save all of my spare change, roll and deposit that a couple of times a year. When I deposit checks (rebates, reimbursments, etc), I evaluate the amount of cash I have in my wallet and usually end up depositing some. Most of that cash usually comes from selling books and magazines to the used book store. It's not a lot, but every bit helps.
Yes, yes, movie theaters have gotten incredibly expensive, especially now that 3d and imax movies mean even more surcharges. But many of us still are willing to pay a premium to go out to see a movie on a big screen, with big sound, and the sense of community that comes with watching movies together (also the lower-value but still exhilirating idea of seeing a movie soon after it comes out, keeping you free of spoilers).
Discounts on saving on movie tickets are great ideas (I keep my eye out for groupons that sometimes have movie ticket deals), but to say that a cheaper alternative to going to movies is renting a video is like saying a cheaper alternative to driving to visit your grandmother is to chat with her on facebook.
I've got two strategies: 1) automation and 2) pennies, nickels and dimes.
I automate my emergency fund savings, as well as my savings for set recurring yearly expenses (RRSP contributions; once-yearly medical bills, like eye exams, contact lenses, and teeth cleaning; membership fees; the cost of shoe replacements).
In addition, at the end of every day, I clean all the dimes, nickels and pennies out of my wallet. They go into a jar, along with found money, booze bottle return funds and windfalls. Whenever that hits $10, or above, it goes into my emergency fund, too. Technically, I don't _have_ to contribute that money to my savings, but it's getting me towards my goals faster.
Most of the Coinstar machines in grocery stores waived the fee if you used money in that particular store. I haven't used one in a while so I am not sure if they still do though.
Also, keep box sizes manageable. When I moved from a first floor to a third, didn't take into account how much more work it would be lugging those big boxes up. Moving out was fairly easy, moving in was exhausting and awful.
Coupons!
I just received a text from MY own phone number --"Your NETSPEND CARD has been placed on HOLD. Please call us at 877-875-8770. Thankfully I read this before I called and got suckered into this scam. Its so scary as I am young and there is so much I still do not know about finances. Where did they get my information. Why is it okay for them to TEXT me? I did not apply for anything. I never even heard of NETSPEND until this text. Creepy tactic that makes me MORE than wary. There should be some sort of regulation for this abuse as that is clearly what it is. Taking advantage of people by telling them a card that they never even applied is on HOLD -- What is worse is that it was 10:30 at night. UGH
I try to cook most of my meals at home, and I cook in batches and freeze meals for later.
Just thought I'd add that I do this, too -- it's very simple, as vaccines are sub-Q shots and a cinch to give to a quiet animal. You can also order them online from places like Drs. Foster and Smith; much cheaper than a vet visit that way too, but better to buy from a farm supply store if you can as the shipping costs (vaccines have to be overnighted and kept cold) add to the price.
If you do this, I'd recommend making sure your vet is OK with it. Mine is willing to take my word that my animals are vaccinated (for everything but rabies; a vet or rabies clinic has to do those in our state), but not all are, and if you need your pet to be seen due to an injury or illness you don't want to be turned away due to questions about the vaccine history.
I also use liquid cow wormer (Ivermectin, same active ingredient as HeartGuard), which can be bought without a prescription at a farm supply store, to manage heartworm control -- same thing, with my vet's OK. I just give them the same dosage as they'd get from Heartguard but squirted from a syringe into a fish oil capsule (from which I've drained the fish oil) rather than in pill form. It's a bit more hassle, but so much cheaper -- $30/year for 2 70# dogs rather than ~$300 for HeartGuard. This is not recommended for collies or collie crosses as apparently they sometimes have reactions (ask your vet).
I'm told PetShed is a good place to buy pet meds online but have never used it.
Make a budget sheet; let one category be "reward"; if I follow my budget for that month; I can reward myself to the money in that reward category. I find myself saving and watching my money not being spent beyond whats on my budget sheet. (Usually end up saving that money in my reward category).
In response to your comment that it takes too long to become a Doctor in the USA, that is intentional behavior. The strategy of our Doctors and the USA medical profession in general is to keep the market of available Doctors small - thereby allowing the chosen few to get paid higher saleries. Simple supply and demand economics 101. Additionally, the extra time in college is part of our Doctor's "rationalization" for getting paid so handsomely. In India, as in most parts of Europe, Doctors make roughly one fourth of what Doctors here make. We need Doctors and medical professionals who are more concerned about helping patients and doing good than improving their own bottom line.
I save all my change in a jar, use coupons, look for freebies, and I stay out of the mall. That's how I save!
I am a fairly recent convert to Netflix: I love having a deep selection available at my leisure. The choices at my library are slim. I sometimes enjoy going to the movies but it's rare b/c of the prices and inconvenience (having to wait in lines, adjusting to the theater's schedule, etc.)
Automatic monthly contribution to my 401(k), including maximization of employer match
Budgeting (don't stick to every category every month, but nearly so)
Minimize impulse spending
Include a Roth IRA contribution in my budget
Turn off lights, open windows, programmable thermostat
Generic grocery brands
Lower cost domestic vacations and/or frequent flier miles
I have automatic withdrawals set at my bank. Over half of my take home pay is earmarked for retirement, emergency savings, and vehicle savings (want to buy my next car cash). Once my emergency savings is built up to 4 months take home pay, I'm going to start investing that money into non-retirement taxable accounts for a future home.
This is past tense, since I'm now retired and in (frugally!) spending mode rather than accumulating.
1. Max out your 401k - the match is free money
2. Use the dividend reinvestment option on a nice stable utility. The $1000 worth of AT&T I bought around 1980 is now paying me nearly $1000 a month!
3. Learn to cook. Fresh food is better for you and much cheaper than the processed crap.
4. Pay off your credit card every month, and get one with rebates. 1% seems like chump change, but it adds up to a good bottle of bubbly for new years.
All coin change in my pocket goes into a jar on my dresser every night when I get home and then roll it for the bank 2-3 times a year. Usually adds up to a few hundred dollars a year. I also take all the ones out of my wallet and put them in an envelope every day as well. I budget spending money for lunches but singles and coins don't carry over to the next day. Works for me.
We transfer a chunk of our income into savings, and a bit into super-safe investments such as 1-year CDs which we can quickly take out in case of dire emergency.
We automatically transfer money from DH's paycheck to our savings account online--we never even see it!
I've just started using the library also for movies. My library has a surprising amount of new releases. I also use redbox now because our local video store closed down. Those free codes are great. I also suggest checking out local universities and community organizations which may offer free or reduced priced film showings and you are still "going out."
I started to work again when my youngest child went to preschool. From the beginning we continued to live on my husbands income. After 10 years my salary still goes to 4 different bankaccounts: 1. to pay off our mortgage, 2. collegefund for our children 3. replacement and repairs car 4. retirement. By saving the money as soon as I get my salary, we don't miss it.
-Coupons and sales.
-Also ask yourself: do I really need this? How many times do we buy things we don't need, they end up in the storage and we don't even know we have them. Keep it simple, only buy things you need.
-Take advantage of credit card cash backs since but make sure you can pay it off every month
I take all of my found money (literally, the change I pick up off the ground) and "weird windfall" (any rebates, refunds, money from paying surveys, bonuses, birthday money, etc.) and deposit that into a savings account. It adds up pretty quickly! I also try to budget wisely and live as frugally as possible, use a lot of coupons, and pay attention to the ads in the Sunday paper as to where I should grocery shop that week.
We've had a tough time saving, but I'm starting small. Just $5 a week tucked into an envelope (if it goes into our accounts, it'll get spent).
I save all of my spare change, roll and deposit that a couple of times a year. When I deposit checks (rebates, reimbursments, etc), I evaluate the amount of cash I have in my wallet and usually end up depositing some. Most of that cash usually comes from selling books and magazines to the used book store. It's not a lot, but every bit helps.
Yes, yes, movie theaters have gotten incredibly expensive, especially now that 3d and imax movies mean even more surcharges. But many of us still are willing to pay a premium to go out to see a movie on a big screen, with big sound, and the sense of community that comes with watching movies together (also the lower-value but still exhilirating idea of seeing a movie soon after it comes out, keeping you free of spoilers).
Discounts on saving on movie tickets are great ideas (I keep my eye out for groupons that sometimes have movie ticket deals), but to say that a cheaper alternative to going to movies is renting a video is like saying a cheaper alternative to driving to visit your grandmother is to chat with her on facebook.
I've got two strategies: 1) automation and 2) pennies, nickels and dimes.
I automate my emergency fund savings, as well as my savings for set recurring yearly expenses (RRSP contributions; once-yearly medical bills, like eye exams, contact lenses, and teeth cleaning; membership fees; the cost of shoe replacements).
In addition, at the end of every day, I clean all the dimes, nickels and pennies out of my wallet. They go into a jar, along with found money, booze bottle return funds and windfalls. Whenever that hits $10, or above, it goes into my emergency fund, too. Technically, I don't _have_ to contribute that money to my savings, but it's getting me towards my goals faster.
Excellent article. I like how your break down all of the different possibilities and the pros and cons of each policy, well done.
Most of the Coinstar machines in grocery stores waived the fee if you used money in that particular store. I haven't used one in a while so I am not sure if they still do though.
Also, keep box sizes manageable. When I moved from a first floor to a third, didn't take into account how much more work it would be lugging those big boxes up. Moving out was fairly easy, moving in was exhausting and awful.