Recent comments

  • How to Go Entirely Paperless at Home   16 years 15 weeks ago

    You need 2 email addresses, then. One for bills ONLY. Never give this email address out to any company other than bills and make sure you click the "do not notify me" of promotions, etc. That solved my problem, anyway.

  • What Can Retailers Do With Their Unwanted Merchandise?   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Rather than damage the goods, why not donate them to the salvation army or other stores that sell used clothing, or charities that distribute clothing to the needy and write it off as a charitable contribution. To render items useless is beyond belief when there are so many places to put them to good use.

  • How to Go Entirely Paperless at Home   16 years 15 weeks ago

    The only thing keeping me from being 100% paperless is what's in it for me? While I'd love to, there's no incentive for me to take the time to do so. Exception: Directv offered a one-time $5 credit to go paperless, bam, I was on that. It really only benefits the company - if you think they're going to pass any savings onto you, welcome to the real world. Ethics, forests, yadda yadda - you want me to go green, show me the green.

  • Sex Up Your Sandwich: Ideas for Budget Conscious Brown Baggers   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I've added flavour (and avoided boredom) to my sandwich by using various chutneys. I prefer fruit chutneys that include peach and mango with liberal amount of pepper (the kind people is warmer climates use).

  • Are Private Schools Worth the Money They Demand?   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I realize I'm a johnny-come-two-years-late to this discussion, but I think the points raised are even more relevant today than they were two years ago. Interestingly enough, our current economic downturn has made private schools an attractive option for a lot of families. State budget-tightening means that public schools are cutting back even more on what they offer. Too often this results in an increase in class size and reduction of classes, subjects and services. Many parents - who previously may have never even considered private education - are investigating whether private schools could work for their families because they are not willing to compromise their child's education and future.

    Of course, the economic downturn has also meant that affording a private school education is not as easy as it once was for many families. Some are looking for increased financial aid (which many schools have beefed up in response to the economy), tuition assistance from grandparents, and/or cutting back on other areas of their household budget to be able to keep their children in private schools.

    So my question is - What do you think? Does the economic downturn and the crisis in our public schools make private schools a more attractive option for families?

  • How to Go Entirely Paperless at Home   16 years 15 weeks ago

    There is a downside to paperless statements that I have personally experienced. I have missed at least one or payments in the last few years because the email notification for the statement ended up in the junk mail folder. My email address gets over 200 pieces of junk email a day, most of which ends up in the junk mail folder. However, to find that email from my bank in the junk folder became difficult considering the amount of junk mail pretending to be from my bank. I gave up and went back to paper.

  • Sex Up Your Sandwich: Ideas for Budget Conscious Brown Baggers   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Hi Guys,

    Thanks for the ideas and for keeping the conversation going. Zatyr is one of the many ways to spell it, but it's a Middle East spice blend often served on those yummy and sometimes cheesy flatbreads you can get at the street stalls in that part of the world. They use it for other things too, but here in the United States I just mix it with olive oil and keep it in an air-tight jar in the fridge. Other ways to spell it at zatar, za'atar and zhatar. Since the alphabets are so different, it's one of those words that you see spelled differently depending on where you're reading about it.

    Andrea, I'm sure Amir will know what it is.

     

    You can also follow me on Twitter and Trek Hound.

  • What Can Retailers Do With Their Unwanted Merchandise?   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Although I'd totally be down for a free rack at H&M or other dept. stores, I'm betting that that's not a legal option, nor a economically viable one due to some stores' price adjustment policies.

  • How to Go Entirely Paperless at Home   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I have asked BOA repeatedly to go electronic on their invoices, but they don't have this as an option. I would love it because the Post Office is so bad where I live. I constantly get the wrong mail and so do my neighbors. I always complain to the Post Office, but they can't seem to fix their problems.

    Bank of America should be embarrassed in this day and age.

  • 12 Cool Things to Do with Used Dryer Sheets   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I use spent dryer sheets for nail polish removal. It works better than any cotton swab or papertowel!

  • Sex Up Your Sandwich: Ideas for Budget Conscious Brown Baggers   16 years 15 weeks ago

    This is perfect for me, I always have the same lunch every day and love brown bagging because it helps me save money.

  • Is hunting/fishing a good way to feed your family?   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Thanks for giving such a detailed break down! That was kind of my dilemma when thinking about the issue: it seemed like you could easily spend more on hunting than meat in a grocery store. Mind you, there are probably great benefits (and perhaps some drawbacks) to eating wild game instead of grocery store-bought meats and fish, but I was certainly having a hard time doing the math myself.

  • 14 Gift Ideas for the Truly Broke   16 years 15 weeks ago

    That's a great idea, and a really cheap way to take care of someone else's dreaded burden. Thanks for sharing, Robin!

  • Sex Up Your Sandwich: Ideas for Budget Conscious Brown Baggers   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Putting a little mayo, pepper, and sprouts on any turkey or chicken sandwich makes it for me.

    There are a bunch of cheap breads you can get besides your standard white or wheat for cheap. I usually go between the three: kaiser roll, french baguette, or marble rye(baguette mostly) to sex up my sandwiches. The croissants at Costco are also pretty good for making sandwiches, but they can get to buttery for my tastes.

  • Sex Up Your Sandwich: Ideas for Budget Conscious Brown Baggers   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I LOVE a sexy sandwich! Spreads like hummus and other bean-based spreads are a great way to make the sandwich moist without adding as many calories as mayo.

    My boyfriend is an amazing cook, and he does great things with roasts in the slow cooker. One of my favorite sandwiches is leftovers from the night before: meat, veggies, a little sauce, all atop a baguette with some melted cheese. Truly, truly delicious.

    I don't know what zatyr is either - Google suggested "satyr", which apparently is an entirely different matter altogether.

  • Sex Up Your Sandwich: Ideas for Budget Conscious Brown Baggers   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Nice article. But what is 'zatyr'? Even a Google search found little on this.

  • Sex Up Your Sandwich: Ideas for Budget Conscious Brown Baggers   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Glad you found it helpful.

    You can also follow me on Twitter and Trek Hound.

  • Sex Up Your Sandwich: Ideas for Budget Conscious Brown Baggers   16 years 15 weeks ago

    I love it! I'm bookmarking this. :)

  • Social Media and Identity Theft in 2010   16 years 15 weeks ago

    i work in the fraud dept for a major financial institution. i see identity theft on a daily basis. it is very scary. i have to speak with customers who have no idea that their personal info has been compromised. they usually do not know who it is that has gotten a hold of their information and they want to know how their info was compromised.

    i've been working in this area for around 4 years. it is scary how smart perps can be. spoofing, phising, etc. as i have often said to customers if someone really wants to get your information they are going to find a way to get it. if you look at it this way - say you are at a restaurant and you pay with a credit card. you give your card to the waiter. they take it away and you have no idea where they take it or what happens to it while they have it in hand.

    one tip that was passed around work a while ago is this: whenever you pull out your card to pay something make sure that you keep a finger over part of your account number because now that phones have cameras some people have been taking pictures of cards and creating counterfeit cards.

  • Contributing to a Roth Versus Paying Down Debt   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Being debt-free makes it easier to handle an emergency. That would tilt my decision towards debt repayment rather than locking my money into a retirement fund I can't get to for years.

    Also, life is easier and less stressful if we have fewer bills to pay attention to. That argument would favor paying off small debts ASAP.

  • 8 Swanky Sauces to Glamorize Dinner   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Slammin' post, Marla. These all sound amazing and right up my alley. Thanks for glamming it up. These will really help to jazz up meals for those of us trying to pull off style on a budget.

    You can also follow me on Twitter and Trek Hound.

  • Gifts for the Person Who Has Everything   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Some interesting ideas you got there Julie.
    I have been confronted with the problem of unusual gift ideas for many years now, while buying gifts for my spouse.
    By now, he practically has everything!

    So I had to do a lot of research, to find new and unusual things.
    I have compiled a list of what I have so far:
    http://talk.2sane.com/fun-stuff/unusual-gift-ideas-for-unusual-people/

    Enjoy & Happy New Year!

  • Are You Saving For Your Child's College Education?   16 years 15 weeks ago

    My parents barely paid anything for my education (it was really like when they remembered and could kick something down). I don't want my kids struggling the way I did to go through school but there's not a whole lot I feel I can do. But these are my plans: They each have a 529 and I ask those family members that want to send them big gifts to consider contributing to these. I have $100 taken out of my earnings every month each for them. I know in the long run it won't be a lot but it will help.

    I also am going to have them start on their community college classes in high school which our local community college has a program for. And like an earlier commenter, I work for a few colleges that they will have access to as well.

    And as my maternal grandfather says, "we don't retire; we just die."

    Margaret Garcia-Couoh

  • 8 Swanky Sauces to Glamorize Dinner   16 years 15 weeks ago

    Thank you for the GREAT ideas! I'm always trying something different with the chicken and pork that I buy on sale and I will definitely be trying these.

  • School Bookstores Can't Afford Cheap Textbooks   16 years 15 weeks ago

    This site gives discounts (rebates) to many on the online sites (www.bn.com -- who almost always undercuts their college bookstore arm -- , textbooks.com, textboox.com, chegg etc)

    The site is:

    www.TexasEdEbates.com

    (Also works if you don't go to a Texas school!)