I have a very close friend, who graduated from Harvard. Worked for ML for over 8 years, recently he’s been "right sized" too, despite of outstanding performance. OMG, now the banking industry is badly hurt, how long it would take for those financial background guys like him get back to the job market. Banking jobs are not there as much as before as easily seen on http://www.joboutlets.com and other job sites in the region
@RF $1 Coupon = $1 saved in the piggy bank. I do the same and never use a coupon on things I don't use. Hair color is a good example. Normal price ~$10, with coupons $5. Piggy bank gets $5!
@theFrugalUser: Indeed. I should also note that Amazon specifies such an arrangement is for *families*, and the hilarity/controversy that erupts on various forums/blogs when strangers start coming up with "virtual families" to partake in a deal like this... and make it even "sweeter". Officially it's not allowed.
@Linsey: You're most welcome! Thanx again for such warm continuing support, I appreciate your roundups & contributions.
@ecochic: In an era where boffins are figuring out how much energy one search query takes, I would think more data on this would be readily available. But maybe not too many of them are deals mavens, because I haven't come across a study yet — but would like to.
There's so much variance, too: if you live in a distant rural area vs. a suburb, for instance. So while specific calculations for individual circumstances could be useful, to broaden that too much would be abstract.
One helpful thing I've heard an increasing amount of recently: if you have a smartphone/Internet tablet/laptop/etc. that can browse the Internet when you're *in* a store, compare online prices with store prices, and see if you can have something ordered with in-store pickup to save. E.g., http://lifehacker.com/5130053/use-best-buys-in+store-pickup-to-save-seri...
@Guest: Great story. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I've looked at Costco online as they offer some items the warehouses don't carry, but shipping prices can be prohibitive.
@Fred Lee: I find that if you're an adept planner, then you can order stuff well ahead before you might want/need it. Impulse buys, as I tend to allude to, are in the midst of poor decisions.
@lucille: What you mention makes me think of online grocery delivery businesses which haven't panned out to be all that successful.
With Amazon resellers, have you checked the onsite ratings? They do have them, so you can get some idea (like eBay) of a place's reputation.
@Jim: That's helpful context. I didn't know that re: listing fee discount. Time to time I notice grouped behavior on eBay and wonder "What happened here?" For example, the other day, a whole bunch of SeaGate FreeAgent Go 250 GB drives went up — turns out there was a hot Office Depot deal days before, so, lots of resellers.
@Liza: Good thinking. When I've spent enough time, then I'm not going to quibble over savings, and "CLOSE" is enough for me too. Hope you enjoy your Kindle; I've held off until the next generation but I'm hoping that longer-term, investing in a capable eBook reader will save me shelf space.
@Richard: Yes! Definitely.
@Zen City Chick & Craig: Sounds like you're living life at a non-rushed pace, then? Like the old saying: "Good (or some say, "all") things come to those who wait." :)
In 1925 my (recently dearly departed) father was born into a family of 11 who had homesteaded in northwest Oklahoma. He grew up through the years of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. He always quipped that his family was so poor they never even knew there was a depression. During WWII, halfway through his senior year of high school, he joined the armed forces, which 2 brothers and 1 sister were already serving.
I wish he had felt comfortable retelling experiences of his childhood and the war years; but he never cared to speak of anything that could bring up unpleasant memories for him.
He was never a tightwad (as my mother claims) but he knew the important things in life were not things. He purchased high quality items taking care to make them last. If it broke he would fix it. If he couldn't fix it, could it serve another purpose?
In the summer of 1969, needing to attend a series of meetings for his job, he decided to buy a new station wagon and take the whole family along. It was the first (and last) new car he ever purchased. During that trip the car was in every Pontiac service center up the entire eastern seaboard. As soon as the warranty expired he had to rebuild the engine himself and sold it before anything else could go wrong. He went back to his old habit of buying a low mileage 2-year-old car once every 10 years, driving it until the wheels fell off.
He didn't trust banks. Every payday he bought US savings bonds, keeping them in briefcases in the back of a closet. In 1977, during the worst part of that recession, our family needed to move. Using the bonds, he paid cash for the new home, the old home rented out waiting to sell the house for its full value. Much to my mother's relief, he decided to conservatively invest the proceeds from the sale of that house.
I have so much to thank him for. Lessons of frugality and of the truly important things in life are but two of them.
You wrote: Would also be nice to have your own retirement in the event your spouse dies before you (and perhaps there isn't enough money in life insurance and such...)
No, the widow inherits (rolls over) her spouse's IRA etc.
(And no way is life insurance enough to retire on...)
Would be nice to mention Social Security for homemakers and self-employed folks...
I have one account that literally sends the statement a day before it's due, so that it arrives after it's due date. It's not a credit card, it's a loan and when I call the company they say it's my responsibility to make payment arrangements since it's due the same time every month.... even if I don't have a statement. Luckily I have it set to automatically pay from my checking account, but I know i would forget about it if I didn't do that !
Thank you. Thank you.
I am a teacher and a situation was really bothering me. I had done everything right, but was maybe not quite assertive enough. I gave someone the benefit of the doubt, but I think that I shouldn't have. I know that I must let it go, but have had trouble. I "google'd" how to let things go, but nothing I read helped. Until this.
It make me feel a little better. It gives me some peace. Thank you.
Children leave the nest before you retire (hopefully, although we've all heard horror stories of the kids that keep going home!) but if you are a lifetime stay-at-home spouse (homemaker, as they were once called!) even after the kids leave the nest - shouldn't you have a retirement, too? Your spouse isn't going to work forever and it becomes harder to support 2 people when you're looking at most people's retirement funds. I suppose it's just another way to plan for retirement for 2 people and have the ability to increase your contributions each year.
Would also be nice to have your own retirement in the event your spouse dies before you (and perhaps there isn't enough money in life insurance and such...)
Divorce, as mentioned. No one wants to plan for divorce, but the reality is you could spend 18 years at a stay at home parent only to find your marriage doesn't last for all time and then what? You've lost 18 years that you could have been saving toward your retirement because you were depending on someone else to provide for you...
Plus - you can only save so much in an IRA each year. Definitely better to have two and increase the amount you're able to save - particularly with the tax benefits.
I don't want to file "Married filing separate" because that would be a low refund for me. My husband owe IRS for back child support. What or how will I file MFJ without IRS taking the share of my refund?
There is a lot of research in new extraction technology and new technologies for alternative fuel production ...
No matter which side you sit on these theories (I'm on the fence.)
DON'T FORGET the HUGE auto production increases in the two most populace countries of the world (China and India.)
Even if new extraction and alternative fuel technologies were already online today - it's not possible to meet the increased fuel supply demand from the numbers of cars being produced for the peoples of China and India, as they begin their mad rush to embrace our western consumer ideals.
No matter which side of the fence you are on concerning global climate change/warming ...
It is clear (no pun intended) - the earth can't sustain the current levels of carbon release.
Katie bar the door when you look at increased carbon contribution from easterners newly discovered love affair with the automobile.
I'm in the middle and I see a difference and similarities with both my older and younger brother. After reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad I got heavily into reading more about investing/money handling. I even changed my major from engineering to business. My older brother and I went looking at Real Estate and I realised that I could not go into a deal with him until he understood where I was coming from. Inevitably the deal would never have worked.
As for the religious side of things, my family doesn't really go to church and still in College I am exploring many different parts of who I am. I come across many religious references in investing books written by other investors and my aunt and uncle who are RE investors whom push there religious views on me.
I think this book would allow me to see how siblings with such different views communicate and also an insight to a religious lifestyle that I am still unsure of my view on for my own life.
With paying for college and such, it would be nice to win this book so I don't have to go buy it and spend money so please enter me.
Sorry this was so long for those of you who have read it.
I know it's such an expensive and hard habit to break! I've tried everything (patch, gum, pills, etc) and I finally stumbled upon a solution that allows me to keep smoking. Electronic cigarettes, yes, electronic cigarettes. I know it sounds strange, but they really do work! They supply nicotine in vapor form like a little nebulizer - no tar, no carcinogens, but all the nicotine. Completely healthy! Check out these sites for more information:
I know it's such a hard habit to break! I've tried everything (patch, gum, pills, etc) and I finally stumbled upon a great aid. Electronic cigarettes, yes, electronic cigarettes. I know it sounds strange, but they really do work! They supply nicotine in vapor form like a little nebulizer - no tar, no carcinogens, but all the nicotine. Plus they come in different nicotine levels, so you can reduce your nicotine intake over time. For me, fighting the urge to smoke socially was my breaking point. But electronic cigarettes allowed me to keep smoking while I quit smoking. Check out these sites for some more info:
I know most of us realize that our cigarette addiction is expensive and unhealthy, but it's such a hard habit to break! I've tried everything and I finally found a solution. Electronic cigarettes, yes, electronic cigarettes. I know it sounds odd, but they work! They supply nicotine in vapor form like a little nebulizer - no tar, no carcinogens, and so much cheaper! All I buy are inexpensive refills which last way longer than tobacco cigs. Check out these sites:
I've read alot of his books and enjoyed them, so I would love to read this one too. My sister and I chose different paths but are discovering that despite this we are alot alike and have alot of the same longterm goals.
Here the farmer's market is usually more expensive, but given that this is nyc that is to be predicted. Just the cost of getting into the city from upstate (where most of the farms in my market are) is enough to raise the prices.
Great article, but I have to be another to disagree on the scrimping on breakfast thing - breakfast is the most important meal of the day for me as a traveller, it fills me up enough to give me energy to keep me going throughout the day, meaning I don't normally need to eat lunch, and can even cut back often on dinner. And I'm sure I've read research that shows people who eat a big breakfast tend to eat less overall.
Mom: what do you mean by "getting cash value" for the coupon? The cash value is 1/100th of a penny. Just how many coupons are you using?
I always roll my eyes when I see coupons that paste "Save $.35" in big letters then, in smaller print "on 4 cans of soup". Four cans? That seems rather switch and bait to me. I only use coupons for products that I planned to purchase and for amounts that are reasonable. In my 2 person household buying 4 boxes of cereal just to save $1.00 is not reasonable.
In addition to the point that Amy makes, opening a spousal IRA will allow you, as a couple, to save twice as much in your IRAs. That will allow the working spouse to plan for income for 2 people during retirement.
I don't think this is a strange article. I think it is an important article.
I think the idea is that you want some protection in the case of divorce. Ideally this wouldn't ever happen, but in case it does, the stay-at-home parent will need some security.
this morning (I work night shift) I ran to my car in the parking lot of the hospital. Since it was -16 (without the windchill) and there were only a few scattered flakes on the wind shield, I took off. Before I was even out of the parking lot the blowing snow had made my windshield impossible to see out of. So I had to sit and wait for the car to heat up as usual. Probably not 10 minutes, but I would certainly wait 10 before I brought my kid out to the car!!! Also I heard a tip that if you turn your key (about a half a turn, just until the radio comes on) for about 5 seconds before you start the car in sub sub freezing temps, it is easier on the car somehow.
I have a very close friend, who graduated from Harvard. Worked for ML for over 8 years, recently he’s been "right sized" too, despite of outstanding performance. OMG, now the banking industry is badly hurt, how long it would take for those financial background guys like him get back to the job market. Banking jobs are not there as much as before as easily seen on http://www.joboutlets.com and other job sites in the region
@RF $1 Coupon = $1 saved in the piggy bank. I do the same and never use a coupon on things I don't use. Hair color is a good example. Normal price ~$10, with coupons $5. Piggy bank gets $5!
@theFrugalUser: Indeed. I should also note that Amazon specifies such an arrangement is for *families*, and the hilarity/controversy that erupts on various forums/blogs when strangers start coming up with "virtual families" to partake in a deal like this... and make it even "sweeter". Officially it's not allowed.
@Linsey: You're most welcome! Thanx again for such warm continuing support, I appreciate your roundups & contributions.
@ecochic: In an era where boffins are figuring out how much energy one search query takes, I would think more data on this would be readily available. But maybe not too many of them are deals mavens, because I haven't come across a study yet — but would like to.
There's so much variance, too: if you live in a distant rural area vs. a suburb, for instance. So while specific calculations for individual circumstances could be useful, to broaden that too much would be abstract.
One helpful thing I've heard an increasing amount of recently: if you have a smartphone/Internet tablet/laptop/etc. that can browse the Internet when you're *in* a store, compare online prices with store prices, and see if you can have something ordered with in-store pickup to save. E.g., http://lifehacker.com/5130053/use-best-buys-in+store-pickup-to-save-seri...
@Guest: Great story. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I've looked at Costco online as they offer some items the warehouses don't carry, but shipping prices can be prohibitive.
@Fred Lee: I find that if you're an adept planner, then you can order stuff well ahead before you might want/need it. Impulse buys, as I tend to allude to, are in the midst of poor decisions.
@lucille: What you mention makes me think of online grocery delivery businesses which haven't panned out to be all that successful.
With Amazon resellers, have you checked the onsite ratings? They do have them, so you can get some idea (like eBay) of a place's reputation.
@Jim: That's helpful context. I didn't know that re: listing fee discount. Time to time I notice grouped behavior on eBay and wonder "What happened here?" For example, the other day, a whole bunch of SeaGate FreeAgent Go 250 GB drives went up — turns out there was a hot Office Depot deal days before, so, lots of resellers.
@Liza: Good thinking. When I've spent enough time, then I'm not going to quibble over savings, and "CLOSE" is enough for me too. Hope you enjoy your Kindle; I've held off until the next generation but I'm hoping that longer-term, investing in a capable eBook reader will save me shelf space.
@Richard: Yes! Definitely.
@Zen City Chick & Craig: Sounds like you're living life at a non-rushed pace, then? Like the old saying: "Good (or some say, "all") things come to those who wait." :)
@Amy: Thanx for chiming in!
This is exactly what I needed to read today, thanks.
In 1925 my (recently dearly departed) father was born into a family of 11 who had homesteaded in northwest Oklahoma. He grew up through the years of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. He always quipped that his family was so poor they never even knew there was a depression. During WWII, halfway through his senior year of high school, he joined the armed forces, which 2 brothers and 1 sister were already serving.
I wish he had felt comfortable retelling experiences of his childhood and the war years; but he never cared to speak of anything that could bring up unpleasant memories for him.
He was never a tightwad (as my mother claims) but he knew the important things in life were not things. He purchased high quality items taking care to make them last. If it broke he would fix it. If he couldn't fix it, could it serve another purpose?
In the summer of 1969, needing to attend a series of meetings for his job, he decided to buy a new station wagon and take the whole family along. It was the first (and last) new car he ever purchased. During that trip the car was in every Pontiac service center up the entire eastern seaboard. As soon as the warranty expired he had to rebuild the engine himself and sold it before anything else could go wrong. He went back to his old habit of buying a low mileage 2-year-old car once every 10 years, driving it until the wheels fell off.
He didn't trust banks. Every payday he bought US savings bonds, keeping them in briefcases in the back of a closet. In 1977, during the worst part of that recession, our family needed to move. Using the bonds, he paid cash for the new home, the old home rented out waiting to sell the house for its full value. Much to my mother's relief, he decided to conservatively invest the proceeds from the sale of that house.
I have so much to thank him for. Lessons of frugality and of the truly important things in life are but two of them.
You wrote:
Would also be nice to have your own retirement in the event your spouse dies before you (and perhaps there isn't enough money in life insurance and such...)
No, the widow inherits (rolls over) her spouse's IRA etc.
(And no way is life insurance enough to retire on...)
Would be nice to mention Social Security for homemakers and self-employed folks...
I have one account that literally sends the statement a day before it's due, so that it arrives after it's due date. It's not a credit card, it's a loan and when I call the company they say it's my responsibility to make payment arrangements since it's due the same time every month.... even if I don't have a statement. Luckily I have it set to automatically pay from my checking account, but I know i would forget about it if I didn't do that !
Thank you. Thank you.
I am a teacher and a situation was really bothering me. I had done everything right, but was maybe not quite assertive enough. I gave someone the benefit of the doubt, but I think that I shouldn't have. I know that I must let it go, but have had trouble. I "google'd" how to let things go, but nothing I read helped. Until this.
It make me feel a little better. It gives me some peace. Thank you.
Children leave the nest before you retire (hopefully, although we've all heard horror stories of the kids that keep going home!) but if you are a lifetime stay-at-home spouse (homemaker, as they were once called!) even after the kids leave the nest - shouldn't you have a retirement, too? Your spouse isn't going to work forever and it becomes harder to support 2 people when you're looking at most people's retirement funds. I suppose it's just another way to plan for retirement for 2 people and have the ability to increase your contributions each year.
Would also be nice to have your own retirement in the event your spouse dies before you (and perhaps there isn't enough money in life insurance and such...)
Divorce, as mentioned. No one wants to plan for divorce, but the reality is you could spend 18 years at a stay at home parent only to find your marriage doesn't last for all time and then what? You've lost 18 years that you could have been saving toward your retirement because you were depending on someone else to provide for you...
Plus - you can only save so much in an IRA each year. Definitely better to have two and increase the amount you're able to save - particularly with the tax benefits.
I don't want to file "Married filing separate" because that would be a low refund for me. My husband owe IRS for back child support. What or how will I file MFJ without IRS taking the share of my refund?
Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks!
There is a lot of argument for peak oil ...
And ...
There is a lot of research in new extraction technology and new technologies for alternative fuel production ...
No matter which side you sit on these theories (I'm on the fence.)
DON'T FORGET the HUGE auto production increases in the two most populace countries of the world (China and India.)
Even if new extraction and alternative fuel technologies were already online today - it's not possible to meet the increased fuel supply demand from the numbers of cars being produced for the peoples of China and India, as they begin their mad rush to embrace our western consumer ideals.
No matter which side of the fence you are on concerning global climate change/warming ...
It is clear (no pun intended) - the earth can't sustain the current levels of carbon release.
Katie bar the door when you look at increased carbon contribution from easterners newly discovered love affair with the automobile.
lol, those emails have nothing to do with money laundering, and are simply a scam, the nigerian 419 scam
the only money stuff going on there is them taking your money and putting it into their bank account lol
The same exact thing would be available and happening for other digital gift cards.
This is unique to itunes the author said, so it must have something to do with them.
Perhaps Apple has very weak or slow fraud detection (so codes can remain active longer.
But I really doubt it is money laundering or we would see $300 amazon gift cards for buy it now at $200 all over the place.
Oh, question for the author, how long ago did you get the code and is it still active?
great article
I'm in the middle and I see a difference and similarities with both my older and younger brother. After reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad I got heavily into reading more about investing/money handling. I even changed my major from engineering to business. My older brother and I went looking at Real Estate and I realised that I could not go into a deal with him until he understood where I was coming from. Inevitably the deal would never have worked.
As for the religious side of things, my family doesn't really go to church and still in College I am exploring many different parts of who I am. I come across many religious references in investing books written by other investors and my aunt and uncle who are RE investors whom push there religious views on me.
I think this book would allow me to see how siblings with such different views communicate and also an insight to a religious lifestyle that I am still unsure of my view on for my own life.
With paying for college and such, it would be nice to win this book so I don't have to go buy it and spend money so please enter me.
Sorry this was so long for those of you who have read it.
I know it's such an expensive and hard habit to break! I've tried everything (patch, gum, pills, etc) and I finally stumbled upon a solution that allows me to keep smoking. Electronic cigarettes, yes, electronic cigarettes. I know it sounds strange, but they really do work! They supply nicotine in vapor form like a little nebulizer - no tar, no carcinogens, but all the nicotine. Completely healthy! Check out these sites for more information:
http://www.greencigarette.com/
http://www.keepsmokinginside.com/
I know it's such a hard habit to break! I've tried everything (patch, gum, pills, etc) and I finally stumbled upon a great aid. Electronic cigarettes, yes, electronic cigarettes. I know it sounds strange, but they really do work! They supply nicotine in vapor form like a little nebulizer - no tar, no carcinogens, but all the nicotine. Plus they come in different nicotine levels, so you can reduce your nicotine intake over time. For me, fighting the urge to smoke socially was my breaking point. But electronic cigarettes allowed me to keep smoking while I quit smoking. Check out these sites for some more info:
http://www.greencigarette.com/
http://www.keepsmokinginside.com/
I know most of us realize that our cigarette addiction is expensive and unhealthy, but it's such a hard habit to break! I've tried everything and I finally found a solution. Electronic cigarettes, yes, electronic cigarettes. I know it sounds odd, but they work! They supply nicotine in vapor form like a little nebulizer - no tar, no carcinogens, and so much cheaper! All I buy are inexpensive refills which last way longer than tobacco cigs. Check out these sites:
http://www.greencigarette.com/
http://www.keepsmokinginside.com/
I've read alot of his books and enjoyed them, so I would love to read this one too. My sister and I chose different paths but are discovering that despite this we are alot alike and have alot of the same longterm goals.
Here the farmer's market is usually more expensive, but given that this is nyc that is to be predicted. Just the cost of getting into the city from upstate (where most of the farms in my market are) is enough to raise the prices.
I'm planning to look into CSAs for next summer.
Great article, but I have to be another to disagree on the scrimping on breakfast thing - breakfast is the most important meal of the day for me as a traveller, it fills me up enough to give me energy to keep me going throughout the day, meaning I don't normally need to eat lunch, and can even cut back often on dinner. And I'm sure I've read research that shows people who eat a big breakfast tend to eat less overall.
No, that's the simple answer. Definitely not worth paying for faster shipping. Nothing you buy can't wait to come in the mail.
Mom: what do you mean by "getting cash value" for the coupon? The cash value is 1/100th of a penny. Just how many coupons are you using?
I always roll my eyes when I see coupons that paste "Save $.35" in big letters then, in smaller print "on 4 cans of soup". Four cans? That seems rather switch and bait to me. I only use coupons for products that I planned to purchase and for amounts that are reasonable. In my 2 person household buying 4 boxes of cereal just to save $1.00 is not reasonable.
In addition to the point that Amy makes, opening a spousal IRA will allow you, as a couple, to save twice as much in your IRAs. That will allow the working spouse to plan for income for 2 people during retirement.
I don't think this is a strange article. I think it is an important article.
I think the idea is that you want some protection in the case of divorce. Ideally this wouldn't ever happen, but in case it does, the stay-at-home parent will need some security.
this morning (I work night shift) I ran to my car in the parking lot of the hospital. Since it was -16 (without the windchill) and there were only a few scattered flakes on the wind shield, I took off. Before I was even out of the parking lot the blowing snow had made my windshield impossible to see out of. So I had to sit and wait for the car to heat up as usual. Probably not 10 minutes, but I would certainly wait 10 before I brought my kid out to the car!!! Also I heard a tip that if you turn your key (about a half a turn, just until the radio comes on) for about 5 seconds before you start the car in sub sub freezing temps, it is easier on the car somehow.
Anyway, thanks for the article!!!