I sold my car two weeks ago. I haven't gone as far as only buying and shopping local, it's more an experiment about being car-free. However, only getting around on a bike inherently means things are more local.
Thanks for writing this review. I'd really like to read it.
@Learning the ropes: I've found at first, like just about any skill, it takes time to clip coupons and spot savings. But that accumulatively pays off (hee hee) over the long run, and you get better and quicker at it.
@Christina: I check SlickDeals compulsively sometimes, as even with alerts, there are deals that fall outside my scope that I'm surprised by.
@Pamela: So true. I often see "fake free shipping" which is infact an inflated price. A very good point to keep in mind.
That people WOULDN'T have grown up with bread at mealtimes. What's better than a soup or stew with a slice of bread or can you imagine a wonderful pasta without Italian bread alongside? I would think it would be weirder to NOT have bread to eat alongside.
Good points! At first my goal was simply to be out of debt, but one day I had to go to work when I was sick. I don't get sick days or vacation days, sadly.. I was sitting there thinking: "If I didn't have bills to pay, I could have called in and got some rest." So now my motivation is: If I didn't have consumer debt, I wouldn't have to work. I still WOULD, to save and help support my family, but I wouldn't HAVE to, so the worsening economy wouldn't be as heavy for me personally and I could take a sick day and not worry about credit card bills! So my goal is : to get to the point where I can call in and not worry about the loss of that day's income:)
Altho I have occasionally dipped into the internet world of bargains (great for books! and some facial care items, etc.) - I usually find that the SHIPPING cost destroys the bargain. My idea of a bargain is a great quality rayon jersey top for $2!!
So in that sense I am an obcessed bottom feeder! I have found that if I look between the cracks of consumerism some rock bottom values are out there - that's what I go for.
I kind of assumed everyone did it, too. But I still remember my first lunch out with co-workers. I used my bread to mop up some sauce. I was very eloquent about it, cutting the bread with a fork and knife, and never letting my hands touch the bread. They wondered why I was using my bread to "clean" my plate -- like I was a starving street urchin or something. They insisted that I just order some extra sauce and "dip" the bread in.
Maybe it's a cultural thing, but it's not always seen as appropriate. Leftover sauce seems to get a bad rap as something that's no longer fit for human consumption. Weird, if you ask me.
I kind of assumed that everyone did this all the time -- no sense wasting all that good sauce! We sop up soup and spaghetti sauce with garlic bread, lamb + hummus with pita bread, curry sauce with naan, etc..
This was common in our home growing up. Mom and Dad worked for not-for-profit religious schools in the 1970's and money was really tight.
Mom would always try to make something special, like chuck roast, for Sunday dinner. She made plenty of extra gravy, so that any of us not filled up with meat could have bread and gravy. I can remember having bread and gravy as the main dish for lunches occasionally, too.
We often had bean soup or bean-heavy chili, and Mom always served a big pan of cornbread with those meals. I learned to like eating beans because I had to get through a certain amount of them to be allowed to fill up on the cornbread. :)
Creative article, I like your ideas but you forgot the old book safe trick.
Take an old book, hard back if posible, clamp all the inside pages between two thin pieces of plywood cut out a square with a drill and jig saw. Apply rubber cement to the in side edges of the square void let dry and you hgave a book safe.
Within 2 years of landing into US, I now consider myself deal-hunting pro. I keep scouring the net for mail-in-rebates, cashbacks, discounts and other bargains. My skeptical husband has often found himself shaking head at the prices that I have managed to get on some of the things that we needed. He used to hate coupons once, now he asks me for coupons before we head out to buy something.
But I still wonder whether the savings are worth the time one has to spend to find the absolute best price, or is there really something like the absolute best price. I'm still not sure if its worth it. I'm addicted to it nonetheless.
Wow, have things changed with raising kids so much from when I was younger that, as the author, you have to pre-empt people from scolding you for giving your kids extra bread? I think it's a great idea versus more helpings. Growing up, my dad always insisted we have bread and butter on the table with dinner. I still eat that after dinner sometimes when I'm hungry.
I wouldn't use a laundry hamper or basket as thieves often times will use your own baskets and storage devices to carry off your stuff in. They don't usually walk into a house with their storage devices since it looks a little conspicuous.
When our house got broken into they dumped out all of our laundry and filled it full of valuables.
I just want to point something out to everyone here, including those who wrote the original article in regards to the saving of Dollar Bills. Over the past few months the federal government and the Federal Reserve have created Trillions of dollars to bail out businesses. The unintended, but unavoidable economic consequence of this is inflation. Simply put, the more of something there is, the less it's worth. And because Dollars do not have intrinsic value, nor are they tied to something that does, their purchasing power over time will fall.
My advice to those who are truly in the mood to protect their monetary investments would be not to stash away dollars, but to stash away gold or other precious medals. Gold has value of its own, and while its price does fluctuate, in times of inflation it becomes much more valuable, if for no other reason that the depreciation of currency.
Long story short, think of what would have happened had your grandparents stashed $300 in 1940, when that would have bought a car, and then took it out today. With that same money today they would have been able to buy gas for a couple months. But if that money had been in gold, today they would be able to sell the gold and buy a car.
Worth looking into if you're serious about protecting yourselves. Good luck.
how about putting it in the refrigerator under the butter dish . I have done that and have put a fake bottom between the dish and the cash...if the house burns down, the refrigerator usually will not . it's easily accessible to me but no one knows about it and it's right out in the "Open"...
Here is a source from Fair Isaac: http://www.myfico.com/myfico/creditcentral/LoanRates.asp; it shows how in general FICO scores impact interest rates.
I sold my car two weeks ago. I haven't gone as far as only buying and shopping local, it's more an experiment about being car-free. However, only getting around on a bike inherently means things are more local.
Thanks for writing this review. I'd really like to read it.
@Learning the ropes: I've found at first, like just about any skill, it takes time to clip coupons and spot savings. But that accumulatively pays off (hee hee) over the long run, and you get better and quicker at it.
@Christina: I check SlickDeals compulsively sometimes, as even with alerts, there are deals that fall outside my scope that I'm surprised by.
@Pamela: So true. I often see "fake free shipping" which is infact an inflated price. A very good point to keep in mind.
Never stop bargain-hunting!
That people WOULDN'T have grown up with bread at mealtimes. What's better than a soup or stew with a slice of bread or can you imagine a wonderful pasta without Italian bread alongside? I would think it would be weirder to NOT have bread to eat alongside.
Interesting! It might well be a cultural thing.
My coworkers laugh at me for bringing Tupperware to restaurants, too. :)
Good points! At first my goal was simply to be out of debt, but one day I had to go to work when I was sick. I don't get sick days or vacation days, sadly.. I was sitting there thinking: "If I didn't have bills to pay, I could have called in and got some rest." So now my motivation is: If I didn't have consumer debt, I wouldn't have to work. I still WOULD, to save and help support my family, but I wouldn't HAVE to, so the worsening economy wouldn't be as heavy for me personally and I could take a sick day and not worry about credit card bills! So my goal is : to get to the point where I can call in and not worry about the loss of that day's income:)
Great post, really appreciated it.
Fine didn't give up his. Rather, the book opens with the Subaru trying to escape from him! (It fails.)
Altho I have occasionally dipped into the internet world of bargains (great for books! and some facial care items, etc.) - I usually find that the SHIPPING cost destroys the bargain. My idea of a bargain is a great quality rayon jersey top for $2!!
So in that sense I am an obcessed bottom feeder! I have found that if I look between the cracks of consumerism some rock bottom values are out there - that's what I go for.
Please cite your source for the FICO sliding scale for interest rates.
I kind of assumed everyone did it, too. But I still remember my first lunch out with co-workers. I used my bread to mop up some sauce. I was very eloquent about it, cutting the bread with a fork and knife, and never letting my hands touch the bread. They wondered why I was using my bread to "clean" my plate -- like I was a starving street urchin or something. They insisted that I just order some extra sauce and "dip" the bread in.
Maybe it's a cultural thing, but it's not always seen as appropriate. Leftover sauce seems to get a bad rap as something that's no longer fit for human consumption. Weird, if you ask me.
Linsey Knerl
Dang it! Going local means giving up my Ruby Subbie?? No way! :)
I kind of assumed that everyone did this all the time -- no sense wasting all that good sauce! We sop up soup and spaghetti sauce with garlic bread, lamb + hummus with pita bread, curry sauce with naan, etc..
This was common in our home growing up. Mom and Dad worked for not-for-profit religious schools in the 1970's and money was really tight.
Mom would always try to make something special, like chuck roast, for Sunday dinner. She made plenty of extra gravy, so that any of us not filled up with meat could have bread and gravy. I can remember having bread and gravy as the main dish for lunches occasionally, too.
We often had bean soup or bean-heavy chili, and Mom always served a big pan of cornbread with those meals. I learned to like eating beans because I had to get through a certain amount of them to be allowed to fill up on the cornbread. :)
Creative article, I like your ideas but you forgot the old book safe trick.
Take an old book, hard back if posible, clamp all the inside pages between two thin pieces of plywood cut out a square with a drill and jig saw. Apply rubber cement to the in side edges of the square void let dry and you hgave a book safe.
-Dan Malone-
Check out other tips and tricks at: http://liveforimprovement.blogspot.com/
I LOVE bargain hunting. It is an addiction...I get a high from it. I always love something more if I know I got a good deal on it.
Oh and...I LOVE slickdeals. The best forum out there.
Couldn't agree more! Great Post
Nearly everyone I know has the kids home this week. This should provide some really great quality activity time for families.
I'm standing by!
Within 2 years of landing into US, I now consider myself deal-hunting pro. I keep scouring the net for mail-in-rebates, cashbacks, discounts and other bargains. My skeptical husband has often found himself shaking head at the prices that I have managed to get on some of the things that we needed. He used to hate coupons once, now he asks me for coupons before we head out to buy something.
But I still wonder whether the savings are worth the time one has to spend to find the absolute best price, or is there really something like the absolute best price. I'm still not sure if its worth it. I'm addicted to it nonetheless.
Wow, have things changed with raising kids so much from when I was younger that, as the author, you have to pre-empt people from scolding you for giving your kids extra bread? I think it's a great idea versus more helpings. Growing up, my dad always insisted we have bread and butter on the table with dinner. I still eat that after dinner sometimes when I'm hungry.
Boy, does this bring back memories. Growing up, we used slices of bread for nearly anything saucy and extra on the plate.
Tell me a story, Torley! I want to hear more.. :)
Linsey Knerl
Candy @ deal with it.
I wouldn't use a laundry hamper or basket as thieves often times will use your own baskets and storage devices to carry off your stuff in. They don't usually walk into a house with their storage devices since it looks a little conspicuous.
When our house got broken into they dumped out all of our laundry and filled it full of valuables.
I just want to point something out to everyone here, including those who wrote the original article in regards to the saving of Dollar Bills. Over the past few months the federal government and the Federal Reserve have created Trillions of dollars to bail out businesses. The unintended, but unavoidable economic consequence of this is inflation. Simply put, the more of something there is, the less it's worth. And because Dollars do not have intrinsic value, nor are they tied to something that does, their purchasing power over time will fall.
My advice to those who are truly in the mood to protect their monetary investments would be not to stash away dollars, but to stash away gold or other precious medals. Gold has value of its own, and while its price does fluctuate, in times of inflation it becomes much more valuable, if for no other reason that the depreciation of currency.
Long story short, think of what would have happened had your grandparents stashed $300 in 1940, when that would have bought a car, and then took it out today. With that same money today they would have been able to buy gas for a couple months. But if that money had been in gold, today they would be able to sell the gold and buy a car.
Worth looking into if you're serious about protecting yourselves. Good luck.
how about putting it in the refrigerator under the butter dish . I have done that and have put a fake bottom between the dish and the cash...if the house burns down, the refrigerator usually will not . it's easily accessible to me but no one knows about it and it's right out in the "Open"...