Great thoughts and ideas, everyone. You can never know too much when it comes to good eating habits.
Alli, great advice on portion control. I'm guilty of mindlessly dipping my hand into the bag of chips, and even pouring it into a bowl helps me to control my rate of consumption, as long as I leave the bag on the counter. And as far as the TV goes, you don't have to tell me twice to turn the thing off.
Steph, making food from the scratch is the way to go. Besides, it brings meals back to the realm of quality time eating with friends and family, something we've completely moved away from and, because of this, suffer from as a society. And I agree, working like a dog promotes a poor diet.
Emily, I think eating seasonally is a great thing, but hard to practice unless you grow your own stuff or have access to it. But, I do think, if possible, it's the way to go because it really promotes a healthy diet as well as, in many instances, supports local communities. And it's a fun way to be in tune with seasonal cycles. FYI, we eat tons of legumes.
For Guest, I would counter with Oscar Wilde, "The best way to deal with temptation is to succumb to it." I don't advocate eliminating junk food, which I think is not realistic, but to moderate while adding variety to your diet.
To Shanel, thanks for your thoughts. I can spot a Michael Pollan fan when I see one. We always read labels and avoid things we can't pronounce, or in the spirit of Pollan, have more than five ingredients.
Courtney, thanks for the tip. I'll check out the book.
Lizza, portion control is what it's all about. Interestingly, most people gain weight in college, usually in their first year, when they have all that (at least in the dorms) access to cheap and plentiful food.
And David, thanks for your feedback. I'll check out the book.
I've had Amazon Prime for almost a year now and it's been a tremendous savings...in both time and money.
Even though I live in a major city, it takes money (busses, subways, cabs) and lots of time to shop around for stuff, particularly when you can't even find out if something you want is in stock at a specific retailer for a price you want (and even if it is, they won't hold it for you so it could still be sold out when you finally get there.)
With amazon prime, I've been able to get gifts out more quickly; get stuff needed in an emergency (when we lost our gas, we had an electric duo burner the next day for less than it cost to take the bus to/from Zabar's; a huge insulated chest (when our refrigerator died and days before it could be delivered, which saved a lot of $$ for frozen food plus we can reuse the chest)and lots more office products, computer items, etc. for our home office.
In terms of price, you do have to be careful and know what the comparative prices are both online and off. But we've found tons of food and cleaning items, as well as toiletries that are cheaper and more convenient (delivered to our door) than schlepping around the city and trying to haul them home from all over. It's really been a huge convenience and with their subscription saver discounts, big $$ savers as well.
Again, if you don't buy much or don't order very often, it may not be a savings. That was our main concern, but at what comes out to about $1.52 a week, it's an investment that has really paid off.
Now, if only we could order from Costco and those big box stores that way. (We don't have a car so we don't have access to those places.)
On the other hand, let's talk about the time it takes for items that are shipped at regular shipping fees or free from other online vendors. Sometimes it takes over 10 days from some places. The prices may be "cheap" but waiting 10 days (we're not talking media mail, here, either) is really inconvenient for a lot of items that we're buying because we actually need them (versus nice to have).
So it's really all about what you buy, when you need it and how much you're willing to trade off.
And the article makes a great point about knowing when the cut-off order times are. That can make a huge difference.
My husband believes in karma and if you treat others respectfully, they can sense your sincerity and reciprocate. It's amazing to see how he interacts with others and enriches his life just knowing that he's always done the right thing.
Rich Dad Poor Dad was a financial eye-opener for me, this new book sounds interesting and I can't wait to read it.
... having an online order shipped to your home or to your local store (when possible)? I've had "online-only" items sent to the store for me to pick up because I needed other items that I wanted to investigate in person (namely from Best Buy and Kohl's). This post made me wonder ...
Are there some figures comparing direct and store shipping? We drive a 2006 Honda Civic, the gas mileage is great and we always run our errands together to save trips. Does the whole delivery process uses more gas and/or dirtier fuel? If companies consolidate the regular stocking and internet order shipments, I'd think that would be more efficient than a separate, special trip to an individual home.
This article rocks! I love how you broke everything down for us. I didn't even know about the $4-for-1-day guarantee on Amazon. This new info alone will save me so much time and money!
I read this tip on one of the liferemix sites, and now whenever I receive bill, I address it immediately, usually paying online. That way, I'm not caught up keeping track of all the odd dates that payments are due. If I need to wait a bit to get more funds, I staple the bill to my wall calendar and circle the day that it must be taken care of on the calender. This has worked for me. I also limit the credit cards to two and use my debit card whenever I can (on line is not a good idea).
Having a three-hole-punch folder in which I attach all bills for the month within a separate tab also has worked for me. I've done this for over a year. The main organizer is my bank statement. Utility and credit card and other bills are included as they arrive. I also write the payment status (paying off most as they arrive). I keep receipts and check them off for each monthly statement. After the year is over, I move the tabs out for the next year.
I wish that Cetaphil worked for me. I bought a huge bottle of it on the doctor's recommendation, but I might as well be washing with a bottle of hand lotion. It never removed any dirt or make-up, and my skin just felt greasy afterwards. I have heard from a number of people saying that it's a great find, though, so I'm glad it's so affordable.
Amazon Prime is a great deal. One thing to note -- Amazon Prime can be shared amongst members of the same household - so you and your significant other can both get use Prime delivery, or you can share an account with roomies. Credit card info is kept separate.
Thanks for the post. Lots of good points to keep in mind and put into practice as the recession starts to bite. I also recommend having a read of Melanie's Dietriffic blog.
I have actually read stories of credit card companies constantly moving the due or billing dates (or both) in order to create smaller than 30 day windows for payment.
I had a service provider who really can't get their act together change their billing address three times and our account numbers all in a short span of time. I noticed due dates also changed among this. Oh and they have been quietly cutting services out and now they are significantly raising everyone's rates yet again. This whole mess caused them to lose our payment and of course try to blame us. So I wasted a bunch of time proving my bank took it out of our account and sent the payment.
If your service company or other business you use is constantly creating this kind of chaos it is a good sign to dump them. If a company is wasting significant amounts of my time trying to keep the account figured out or simply paid they are not worth it. The one in question is being replaced.
I was looking at bills. The ones that get paid on time all the time bill the same every month and have a consistent billing cycle. Those were easy to set up a bill pay to coordinate with a recent pay day.
Hey, has anyone else noticed that your "bad" credit card companies have begun to allow less time to actually pay your bill? For example, I have a high-interest credit card bill from an emergency vet visit- each month they move up the due date a little bit- so I find myself behind almost before I've had a chance to arrange to pay it! I am channeling a lot of my energy into getting this paid off, but it seems like they're always one step ahead of me. Is it just me?
Of the three of us, my youngest sister chose to live in a trailer on rented property and start her family off soon after graduating from high school. She is now "momma" to two wonderful, charming, healthy children. I earned an associates in paramedicine, am now working on becoming a registered nurse, have a nice home on 23 acres, two cars and my husband and I think we may try for a family in a few more years. I'll be 35. She had her first at 22. Sometimes things are really tight for her, I'm more well off, however, I really think she's richer and perhaps even made the "right" decisions. Now I think wealth is legacy, and legacy is who, not what you leave behind. That said, the book sounds interesting and I'm sure I'd enjoy it. Have a great day!
Unless its a particularly wet day, or it's thick ice, I tend to find filling a 2 ltr plastic bottle with warm water out of the tap is sufficient to defrost the majority of the ice on my car windows.
After you've poured it on the window, put the wipers on immediately to wipe it off otherwise it'll start to freeze again (depending on the temperature of the glass).
The added advantage of using warm water is it helps de-mist the inside of the windows too.
I can put the water on the windows/de-mist the inside using the warm water method quicker than it takes my neighbour to scrape.
yea, dont understand the whole no money = eat junk food - it is so expensive! Maybe i eat less healthy items (like more pasta, canned instead of fresh, etc) but if the goal is to save $ you have to also control the portions - and that keeps me slim.
the only time i every got fat was right after college when i had my first "real world" salary and my loans werent due yet :)
I work at a Dollar Tree in the southernish area of VT, and our store has the small pans. Personally they are a little too weak for my tastes, but i guess my point is as far as merchandise goes, it all depends on what distribution center your store is receiving from. Different DC's get different merch usually. Also in response to others, Dollar Tree does follow state laws according to what is sellable as far as lead levels go on products. There are a lot of things not availble in CALI stores because of proposition...65? i think it is, and VT stores are not allowed to carry the jewelry or any metal attractive to children. DT had to stop selling these items because VT state said so. So yes while some of their products may be questionable, because most is manufactured over seas, the company does abide by state laws. And as someone else said, there are other discount retailers that carry products that are questionable as well. Anything sold at a discount is usually sold that way for a reason, HOWEVER not ALWAYS because of contamination or bad reasons, a lot of times some closeout products just don't sell elsewhere. I've heard a lot of rumors about contaminated products, but whenever there is a problem with something we are instructed to pull it from the shelves, and unless your fave DT operates poorly it is pulled immediately. Also, same goes for food. I know my store is good about pulling food when it is expired, it all depends on your store's operations and how well the team does, but the food DT sells is actually very decent. A lot of it actually, from snacks to drinks (Mr Pure orange juice is SOOO good and for a freakin buck!). The cookies are good, crackers are awesome as well (especially the entertaining crackers that come in the long boxes), the pickles and other condiments are good, spices are excellent, canned vegetables are excellent, same with fruit...i guess i could go on about what's good to try to help some people's decisions but that may be a bit redundant lol. In truth most of the food MY dollar tree carries is just as good as any other more expensive brand, honest truth. As long as you check your dates you'll be fine. And a tip, if you notice your fave dollar tree with a lot of out of date food on the shelf, talk to the store manager about your concerns about it, if that doesn't work, find out the store number and e-mail dollar tree's website the store number and the issue. Their district manager and regional director will receive it directly and will be more than happy to know that their store is slacking :) Happy shopping everyone and i really hope you all enjoy your experiences at Dollar Tree!
I was unsuccessful for years trying to get rid of the polk weed which can grow 6 to 7 feet tall in my northwest Ohio backyard. The deer won't eat it! Last September I was surfing the web and discovered that there were Polk Salad Festivals all over the southern states. I got a recipe off one of those web sites and man I can't keep my family out of that polk salad stuff when I cook it wih eggs, bacon and onions in less then 15 minutes. I liked it so much that I put it in an egg omelette. The stuff tastes like spinach soup. I understand that the purple berries are poisonous and not edible. Yet,I hear that folks can make some pretty good wine from those berries. Is that true? Thanks.
Just another chime-in to say that yes some places do require 10 minutes or so! Northern Indiana temps make it longer until the windshield can be de-iced/de-fogged properly, and we aren't even the coldest place in the country (or world, of course).
Thanks for the tips on homemade de-icer, sounds easy but I never gave it a thought. I use "Heet" when it's really bad, but mostly I just scrape. That's probably pretty much the formula for that stuff though.
- remove the staples or spiral binding, frame the pictures, and you have cheap wall art!
- Rather than worry about matching up the year, just print out new blocks from your computer (easy with Microsoft Office, or you can find them on the internet). Tape or glue them over the old calendar grid, and your calendar is instantly updated.
- Use the pictures for gift wrap or note cards - cut the pictures into a card-sized rectangle, fold in half, and glue a piece of white paper or cardstock inside.
- Decoupage, scrapbooking, or other kinds of crafts.
Thanks for being willing to share your thoughts with us. I think it's great that two people, in the same family, with different experiences can arrive with the same philosophies and ways of thinking.
with the credit crunch ive been most of the above but i have to say my boyfriend bought me a intelex soft bear for christmas which you microwave four 2 mins and its lovely, cant beat hugging a warm soft bear with a hot chocolate under a duvet, try it!
10 minutes is not excessive when the weather in the upper prairie states is really cold. We had all sorts of plastic parts on our car that was left out last winter shatter due to the cold. When the weather is that cold it takes 10 minutes just to get the engine and transmission warm enough to function properly. You also need to have it warm enough your windshield won't frost back over after you take off. Suddenly being blinded while driving on probably icy roads is not good.
Great thoughts and ideas, everyone. You can never know too much when it comes to good eating habits.
Alli, great advice on portion control. I'm guilty of mindlessly dipping my hand into the bag of chips, and even pouring it into a bowl helps me to control my rate of consumption, as long as I leave the bag on the counter. And as far as the TV goes, you don't have to tell me twice to turn the thing off.
Steph, making food from the scratch is the way to go. Besides, it brings meals back to the realm of quality time eating with friends and family, something we've completely moved away from and, because of this, suffer from as a society. And I agree, working like a dog promotes a poor diet.
Emily, I think eating seasonally is a great thing, but hard to practice unless you grow your own stuff or have access to it. But, I do think, if possible, it's the way to go because it really promotes a healthy diet as well as, in many instances, supports local communities. And it's a fun way to be in tune with seasonal cycles. FYI, we eat tons of legumes.
For Guest, I would counter with Oscar Wilde, "The best way to deal with temptation is to succumb to it." I don't advocate eliminating junk food, which I think is not realistic, but to moderate while adding variety to your diet.
To Shanel, thanks for your thoughts. I can spot a Michael Pollan fan when I see one. We always read labels and avoid things we can't pronounce, or in the spirit of Pollan, have more than five ingredients.
Courtney, thanks for the tip. I'll check out the book.
Lizza, portion control is what it's all about. Interestingly, most people gain weight in college, usually in their first year, when they have all that (at least in the dorms) access to cheap and plentiful food.
And David, thanks for your feedback. I'll check out the book.
The New England Cable News network does the same thing, once a week (on friday). Link below.
http://necn.projecthalfprice.com/
I've had Amazon Prime for almost a year now and it's been a tremendous savings...in both time and money.
Even though I live in a major city, it takes money (busses, subways, cabs) and lots of time to shop around for stuff, particularly when you can't even find out if something you want is in stock at a specific retailer for a price you want (and even if it is, they won't hold it for you so it could still be sold out when you finally get there.)
With amazon prime, I've been able to get gifts out more quickly; get stuff needed in an emergency (when we lost our gas, we had an electric duo burner the next day for less than it cost to take the bus to/from Zabar's; a huge insulated chest (when our refrigerator died and days before it could be delivered, which saved a lot of $$ for frozen food plus we can reuse the chest)and lots more office products, computer items, etc. for our home office.
In terms of price, you do have to be careful and know what the comparative prices are both online and off. But we've found tons of food and cleaning items, as well as toiletries that are cheaper and more convenient (delivered to our door) than schlepping around the city and trying to haul them home from all over. It's really been a huge convenience and with their subscription saver discounts, big $$ savers as well.
Again, if you don't buy much or don't order very often, it may not be a savings. That was our main concern, but at what comes out to about $1.52 a week, it's an investment that has really paid off.
Now, if only we could order from Costco and those big box stores that way. (We don't have a car so we don't have access to those places.)
On the other hand, let's talk about the time it takes for items that are shipped at regular shipping fees or free from other online vendors. Sometimes it takes over 10 days from some places. The prices may be "cheap" but waiting 10 days (we're not talking media mail, here, either) is really inconvenient for a lot of items that we're buying because we actually need them (versus nice to have).
So it's really all about what you buy, when you need it and how much you're willing to trade off.
And the article makes a great point about knowing when the cut-off order times are. That can make a huge difference.
My husband believes in karma and if you treat others respectfully, they can sense your sincerity and reciprocate. It's amazing to see how he interacts with others and enriches his life just knowing that he's always done the right thing.
Rich Dad Poor Dad was a financial eye-opener for me, this new book sounds interesting and I can't wait to read it.
... having an online order shipped to your home or to your local store (when possible)? I've had "online-only" items sent to the store for me to pick up because I needed other items that I wanted to investigate in person (namely from Best Buy and Kohl's). This post made me wonder ...
Are there some figures comparing direct and store shipping? We drive a 2006 Honda Civic, the gas mileage is great and we always run our errands together to save trips. Does the whole delivery process uses more gas and/or dirtier fuel? If companies consolidate the regular stocking and internet order shipments, I'd think that would be more efficient than a separate, special trip to an individual home.
Torley,
This article rocks! I love how you broke everything down for us. I didn't even know about the $4-for-1-day guarantee on Amazon. This new info alone will save me so much time and money!
Linsey Knerl
I read this tip on one of the liferemix sites, and now whenever I receive bill, I address it immediately, usually paying online. That way, I'm not caught up keeping track of all the odd dates that payments are due. If I need to wait a bit to get more funds, I staple the bill to my wall calendar and circle the day that it must be taken care of on the calender. This has worked for me. I also limit the credit cards to two and use my debit card whenever I can (on line is not a good idea).
Having a three-hole-punch folder in which I attach all bills for the month within a separate tab also has worked for me. I've done this for over a year. The main organizer is my bank statement. Utility and credit card and other bills are included as they arrive. I also write the payment status (paying off most as they arrive). I keep receipts and check them off for each monthly statement. After the year is over, I move the tabs out for the next year.
I wish that Cetaphil worked for me. I bought a huge bottle of it on the doctor's recommendation, but I might as well be washing with a bottle of hand lotion. It never removed any dirt or make-up, and my skin just felt greasy afterwards. I have heard from a number of people saying that it's a great find, though, so I'm glad it's so affordable.
Amazon Prime is a great deal. One thing to note -- Amazon Prime can be shared amongst members of the same household - so you and your significant other can both get use Prime delivery, or you can share an account with roomies. Credit card info is kept separate.
Thanks for the post. Lots of good points to keep in mind and put into practice as the recession starts to bite. I also recommend having a read of Melanie's Dietriffic blog.
I have actually read stories of credit card companies constantly moving the due or billing dates (or both) in order to create smaller than 30 day windows for payment.
I had a service provider who really can't get their act together change their billing address three times and our account numbers all in a short span of time. I noticed due dates also changed among this. Oh and they have been quietly cutting services out and now they are significantly raising everyone's rates yet again. This whole mess caused them to lose our payment and of course try to blame us. So I wasted a bunch of time proving my bank took it out of our account and sent the payment.
If your service company or other business you use is constantly creating this kind of chaos it is a good sign to dump them. If a company is wasting significant amounts of my time trying to keep the account figured out or simply paid they are not worth it. The one in question is being replaced.
I was looking at bills. The ones that get paid on time all the time bill the same every month and have a consistent billing cycle. Those were easy to set up a bill pay to coordinate with a recent pay day.
Maybe it's just a matter of getting a huge calendar and marking out the dates or general weeks that things are due
Fabulously Broke in the City
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver...
Please enter me in the drawing also.
Hey, has anyone else noticed that your "bad" credit card companies have begun to allow less time to actually pay your bill? For example, I have a high-interest credit card bill from an emergency vet visit- each month they move up the due date a little bit- so I find myself behind almost before I've had a chance to arrange to pay it! I am channeling a lot of my energy into getting this paid off, but it seems like they're always one step ahead of me. Is it just me?
Of the three of us, my youngest sister chose to live in a trailer on rented property and start her family off soon after graduating from high school. She is now "momma" to two wonderful, charming, healthy children. I earned an associates in paramedicine, am now working on becoming a registered nurse, have a nice home on 23 acres, two cars and my husband and I think we may try for a family in a few more years. I'll be 35. She had her first at 22. Sometimes things are really tight for her, I'm more well off, however, I really think she's richer and perhaps even made the "right" decisions. Now I think wealth is legacy, and legacy is who, not what you leave behind. That said, the book sounds interesting and I'm sure I'd enjoy it. Have a great day!
Unless its a particularly wet day, or it's thick ice, I tend to find filling a 2 ltr plastic bottle with warm water out of the tap is sufficient to defrost the majority of the ice on my car windows.
After you've poured it on the window, put the wipers on immediately to wipe it off otherwise it'll start to freeze again (depending on the temperature of the glass).
The added advantage of using warm water is it helps de-mist the inside of the windows too.
I can put the water on the windows/de-mist the inside using the warm water method quicker than it takes my neighbour to scrape.
yea, dont understand the whole no money = eat junk food - it is so expensive! Maybe i eat less healthy items (like more pasta, canned instead of fresh, etc) but if the goal is to save $ you have to also control the portions - and that keeps me slim.
the only time i every got fat was right after college when i had my first "real world" salary and my loans werent due yet :)
I work at a Dollar Tree in the southernish area of VT, and our store has the small pans. Personally they are a little too weak for my tastes, but i guess my point is as far as merchandise goes, it all depends on what distribution center your store is receiving from. Different DC's get different merch usually. Also in response to others, Dollar Tree does follow state laws according to what is sellable as far as lead levels go on products. There are a lot of things not availble in CALI stores because of proposition...65? i think it is, and VT stores are not allowed to carry the jewelry or any metal attractive to children. DT had to stop selling these items because VT state said so. So yes while some of their products may be questionable, because most is manufactured over seas, the company does abide by state laws. And as someone else said, there are other discount retailers that carry products that are questionable as well. Anything sold at a discount is usually sold that way for a reason, HOWEVER not ALWAYS because of contamination or bad reasons, a lot of times some closeout products just don't sell elsewhere. I've heard a lot of rumors about contaminated products, but whenever there is a problem with something we are instructed to pull it from the shelves, and unless your fave DT operates poorly it is pulled immediately. Also, same goes for food. I know my store is good about pulling food when it is expired, it all depends on your store's operations and how well the team does, but the food DT sells is actually very decent. A lot of it actually, from snacks to drinks (Mr Pure orange juice is SOOO good and for a freakin buck!). The cookies are good, crackers are awesome as well (especially the entertaining crackers that come in the long boxes), the pickles and other condiments are good, spices are excellent, canned vegetables are excellent, same with fruit...i guess i could go on about what's good to try to help some people's decisions but that may be a bit redundant lol. In truth most of the food MY dollar tree carries is just as good as any other more expensive brand, honest truth. As long as you check your dates you'll be fine. And a tip, if you notice your fave dollar tree with a lot of out of date food on the shelf, talk to the store manager about your concerns about it, if that doesn't work, find out the store number and e-mail dollar tree's website the store number and the issue. Their district manager and regional director will receive it directly and will be more than happy to know that their store is slacking :) Happy shopping everyone and i really hope you all enjoy your experiences at Dollar Tree!
I was unsuccessful for years trying to get rid of the polk weed which can grow 6 to 7 feet tall in my northwest Ohio backyard. The deer won't eat it! Last September I was surfing the web and discovered that there were Polk Salad Festivals all over the southern states. I got a recipe off one of those web sites and man I can't keep my family out of that polk salad stuff when I cook it wih eggs, bacon and onions in less then 15 minutes. I liked it so much that I put it in an egg omelette. The stuff tastes like spinach soup. I understand that the purple berries are poisonous and not edible. Yet,I hear that folks can make some pretty good wine from those berries. Is that true? Thanks.
life never runs on an a parallel path with any one else even a sibling, as one of 4 i can honestly say, that all of us where different
Just another chime-in to say that yes some places do require 10 minutes or so! Northern Indiana temps make it longer until the windshield can be de-iced/de-fogged properly, and we aren't even the coldest place in the country (or world, of course).
Thanks for the tips on homemade de-icer, sounds easy but I never gave it a thought. I use "Heet" when it's really bad, but mostly I just scrape. That's probably pretty much the formula for that stuff though.
- remove the staples or spiral binding, frame the pictures, and you have cheap wall art!
- Rather than worry about matching up the year, just print out new blocks from your computer (easy with Microsoft Office, or you can find them on the internet). Tape or glue them over the old calendar grid, and your calendar is instantly updated.
- Use the pictures for gift wrap or note cards - cut the pictures into a card-sized rectangle, fold in half, and glue a piece of white paper or cardstock inside.
- Decoupage, scrapbooking, or other kinds of crafts.
Thanks for being willing to share your thoughts with us. I think it's great that two people, in the same family, with different experiences can arrive with the same philosophies and ways of thinking.
with the credit crunch ive been most of the above but i have to say my boyfriend bought me a intelex soft bear for christmas which you microwave four 2 mins and its lovely, cant beat hugging a warm soft bear with a hot chocolate under a duvet, try it!
10 minutes is not excessive when the weather in the upper prairie states is really cold. We had all sorts of plastic parts on our car that was left out last winter shatter due to the cold. When the weather is that cold it takes 10 minutes just to get the engine and transmission warm enough to function properly. You also need to have it warm enough your windshield won't frost back over after you take off. Suddenly being blinded while driving on probably icy roads is not good.