Freecycle has been such an amazing blessing for us. It's amazing how just when you think no one would ever find a use for those 16 bricks under your porch, someone says that's the exact number they need to finish a project.
We scavenge dandelion greens in spring. When they are new before the first blooms come up they aren't as bitter as later in the year. But do be careful to harvest from areas that aren't sprayed with pesticides, and wash your greens well before eating. Dandelion blossoms when they first open and are bright yellow are also delicious dredged in batter and fried briefly. Nasturtiums can be added to a salad and eaten. Yum! Huge caveat: Know what you are harvesting (lesson learned in "Into the Wild")!
Do not be taken in by those internet promises that you can "shop for free and keep what you buy!" Mystery shopping can be an expensive proposition and not to be entered into lightly. A blog I love is: .
We have been known to get things we don't need at CVS to get the Extra Credit Bucks (it's a complicated formula, but it works sometimes). The extra stuff usually gets sold on eBay or given to local charities.
I had a similar experience where I was fed up and just wanted to lower my bill. I called and the first thing I said was "Hi, I'm paying too much and want to pay less." I honestly had no idea how it would work, but after a minute on hold the woman told me she could add free phone service, to which I replied I didn't want more service, I just wanted to pay less. Another minute or so and she came back to tell me she could drop my bill by about a third for a year, no change in service or anything. I told her thanks, and the whole thing took about 5 minutes to save me several hundred dollars!
The notion of getting things for free that you actually need is a wise one. If you simplify and then only look for free things you can actually use you will end up better off.
Learning how to maintain and fix things helps considerably when trying to get things for free or extremely cheap. I have repaired and restored my share of old free or cheap furniture that now looks very nice. I found a couple of pairs of Ferragamo shoes at a thrift store for $3 each. I looked them up after I got home and they would have been about $300 new. Since they were classic styles I can probably wear them forever. They did need a good polishing and a small repair to the leather with a bit of contact cement.
One of our kids works for one of those coffee chains. They throw out coffee beans on a certain date and also baked goods plus they get a weekly coffee allotment. So we have free coffee and baked goods almost all the time.
I have a major aversion to Kmart's clothing lines. Most of it is sub standard in construction and fabric, but I realize I may be more picky that most people.
What I do consistently find at Kmart is basic kitchen items that you can not get elsewhere and actually seem to be of very good quality. Most of the items are from the Martha Stewart lines. I have bought basic things like wine glasses, bottle pour spouts, shakers, glass containers etc. Many of these items are better quality than Target or Bed Bath & Beyond. I have also found some cosmetic and toiletries items that other stores quit carrying. Some of their garden items in the spring are still good quality.
We only have two Kmart stores left and both are in poor shape. They are both away from other stores so getting in and out is less of a headache.
Using the example above and addding $100 a month to your mortgage gives you a pay off of about 24 years. Using the Money Merge Account from United First Financial using the same identical example and presuming an equal amount of disposable income, say $200 a month. And let's add in another $38,700 in consumer debt. So a total of $238,700 in mortgage and conusmer debt using the Money Merge Account System you would pay off your house and ALL of your other debt in 15.3 years saving a total of $125,878 in interest. Sure the program costs $3500, but would you spend $3500 to save $125,878? No brainer in my book! I did buy it! In my case I'm going to pay off my $478,000 in mortgage and consumer debt in 10.2 years saving $302,000 in interest!
To everybody who thinks the best way to do this is DIY let me simply point out that it hasn't exactly worked out all that well historically. Otherwise a heck of a lot more than 4-5% of Americans would own their homes free and clear. The simple fact is that Americans need a system of coaching to help them get it done. The TV show Biggest Looser is a perfect example of how a carefully laid out coaching program can be a great sucess. The Money Merge Account is "the perfect looser" for all of your debts and tens, hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest. On top of all of that it's 100% guaranteed! For the 1st year there's a no hassel guarantee: You can request a refund for any reason. Beyond that it's guaranteed in writting to perform as promised or you get your money back. As the final bonus, now anyone can have the Money Merge Account Program for just $250 down and $75 per month. You can even use the "Express" version if you don't own a home. Do your homework, get the facts. U1st has been featured on the covers of 5 of the nations leading Mortgage, Real Estate, Investment, & Financial magazines. Given Personal Real Estate Investor Magazine's Editor's choice award. Awarded by Ernst & Young, and Endoresed by many others.
I don't mean to say that incentive plans don't work. They just never do what you want them to do.
If your jobs are absoutely trivial--stuffing envelopes, let's say--then you can get quantitative increases in performance without a meaningful drop in quality.
My claim, though, is this: Overall employee performance (in any job that requires even a tiny bit of thought, skill, or creativity) will always suffer if you have an incentive plan. I think the data supports that--see the Alfie Kohn book, for a survey of the research.
Employes may understand that "the more money that comes to the business the more money comes to them"--but I think they may understand it better than you think. More money to the business enriches primarily the business owners. To get more money themselves, they no doubt understand, requires meeting whatever the arbitrary terms of the incentive plan are. If the incentive plan is large, they will do so--regardless of whether it's the best use of their time.
Much better would be a combination of a profit-sharing scheme (which would mean that more money to the company really did mean more money to the employees) together with a scheme for workers to share best practices among themselves. (That latter will only work if the employees actually want to do a good job. In my experience, though, most employees do want to do a good job. If they don't, then I suggest you look to your hiring and management practices and solve that problem.)
Thanks for the ideas and link. For whatever reason (I think I have been stocked up for a bit), I haven't bought Martha Stewart Home but love the fashion meets discount idea.Though I haven't bought what I might consider real jewelry there, I have found some serviceable watches.I've have noticed this type of table (solid wood, the ad says) but I don't need one right now.
Too bad Joe Boxer wasn't at Kmart when Rainman came out. I'll admit an affinity for private label apparel (Joe Boxer, Basic Editions, Route 66) , if not for fashion for durability.
I, like everyone, also had a pair of jeans and was about to throw them away until the LIGHTBULB went on in my head.
I cut the the zipper, including the button, out of the jeans. Then set the lenght according to my wrist, then made a whole where the button meets the rest of the zipper. And now it works and a wrist band or so. I'll put some pikshures up in my page.
"As someone who most likely doesn't have to worry about losing their job during this recession.." sounds like famous last words to me.. I thought the same way and, well, I am currently unemployed today..
I agree with Dan. Assuming that incentives "never" work is the sight of a simple minded individual. No offense. Our company is small and the work available is cashiers and stockers positions. Our incentive plans work great. We have business in a rough neighborhood and our turn-over is high. Within the last six months however we've developed two incentive plans. They understand that the more money that comes to the business the more money comes to them. Which results in better management of inventory and sales. And for these employees that is the motivator. Money, Rewards and Vacation!
For the vast majority of people, hunting/fishing for sustenance is not a viable strategy.
1. Most of us live in relatively urban/suburban settings that dramatically limit our ability to hunt/fish near our homes. To get to hunting/fishing spots, you end up spending a lot of money on travel.
2. Very few of us have the skill to get game efficiently.
3. Limited Seasons: even in areas with good opporunties, the hunting season is limited. That means you must store your game year round increasing costs.
BUT - If you enjoy it, it might be a relatively inexpensive "hobby" with the upside of meat.
that KMart sucks. and most of their clothes seem pretty heinous. But when i went for the super double days a month or two ago, i got a $4 (actually free using a doubled $2 Catalina coupon) camisole top that i like very much.
I like looking at KMart's clearance. I got my dining room table & chairs there last year for $50. I couldnt find a decent used set for that price! I do like their double coupon days, but I generally stick with the free items or the things I can get for pretty cheap. I got a lot of things yesterday for $2 :)
#22 (steven brewer) makes a valid point. additionally, i believe as long as capitalism existed, it couldn't really be guided via a single government or institution, or anyone for that matter. It's kind of a "rich man's game", and you can rest assured they don't have YOUR wellbeing at priority #1.
Elected governments however, should. So a solution could be to let the state own a county's vital functions: housing, gas, electricity, health care, hospitals, trains, railways, roads, schools, perhaps even supermarkets and other things that lie at the basis of life and make a country a country. That way a crisis in the liberal world won't hurt so much. It also gives people a choice to work for their fellow man as a socialist or work for themselves/a company as a capitalist. Within the current system, i believe this is attainable and it should solve a problem or two. So i hope Obama will be the next "red man in the white house".
I'd like to note that in my country (netherlands) the state did own health care and railways and stuff about 20 years ago but now the negative effect of the more recent neo-liberal privatization is getting noticeable due to rising prices "cos of the crisis". And since i never felt any advantage of privatization, it seems to me a kind of de-evolution of inter human relations.
If you can get past the other qualms that Kmart can often present, there are some good buys and merchandise that keep it an option for every day items. I particularly like their Christmas decor this time of year, and if I find a good sale on their Martha Stewart Everyday line, I snag it.
I agree with above comment on so-called "free stuff"--my dear husband wrote a post on this very topic on our frugality blog.
frugalscholar.blogspot.com
Original post is, as expected, illuminating. Nothing gives you a sense of the overabundance that is ours in this country than going to a thrift store.
After Hurricane Katrina, a lot of people seeking work came from Mexico, Central America, etc. I would see them at Goodwill gaping at the riches on display. A real eye-opener.
It's easy to confuse the sport hunters with the food hunters.
The sport hunters spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on gear and often make expensive trips to distant places to hunt.
The food hunters spend a few hundred dollars one time for the necessary gear, and usually hunt close to home.
If I were hunting for food, I'd certainly ignore all the "sportsman" rules against baiting the animals in with apples, corn, or salt. I'll grant that it's not very sportsmanlike--but sport isn't the goal. Mocking food hunters for baiting their prey is like mocking gardeners for planting seeds. (Serious sport gardeners only harvest things that grow naturally in their garden.)
I'm also a homeschooling SAHM and find it inefficient use of my time to run around much. I have a Tracfone that works out nicely for my errand days...I just wish it was pink. :)
My husband, our oldest child, and I use the phones mostly to juggle the use of one car between three adults. DH and I spend no more than $20 per month to keep our two phones stocked with minutes. Oldest child is responsible for her own phone and may spend more to keep in touch with her friends.
We have not had any problems with coverage and connectivity.
...especially for the target audience you aimed this one at. However, there also seems to be a lot on frugal sites lately that highlights getting free stuff just because it is free, and not because it is actually needed. It is likely being able to feed the consumerism beast within us without having to pay for it.
A common example is all the piles of stuff people blog about getting from CVS for little or no money. I have never heard of much of this stuff. 'I got it because it was free' or 'I got it because I actually needed it'. Which philosophy will do the most towards helping people to live within their means and stop worrying about money and acquiring more and more stuff?
How come I never see free housing?
Freecycle has been such an amazing blessing for us. It's amazing how just when you think no one would ever find a use for those 16 bricks under your porch, someone says that's the exact number they need to finish a project.
We scavenge dandelion greens in spring. When they are new before the first blooms come up they aren't as bitter as later in the year. But do be careful to harvest from areas that aren't sprayed with pesticides, and wash your greens well before eating. Dandelion blossoms when they first open and are bright yellow are also delicious dredged in batter and fried briefly. Nasturtiums can be added to a salad and eaten. Yum! Huge caveat: Know what you are harvesting (lesson learned in "Into the Wild")!
Do not be taken in by those internet promises that you can "shop for free and keep what you buy!" Mystery shopping can be an expensive proposition and not to be entered into lightly. A blog I love is: .
We have been known to get things we don't need at CVS to get the Extra Credit Bucks (it's a complicated formula, but it works sometimes). The extra stuff usually gets sold on eBay or given to local charities.
Gardening is not free, as JD over at has discovered.
I had a similar experience where I was fed up and just wanted to lower my bill. I called and the first thing I said was "Hi, I'm paying too much and want to pay less." I honestly had no idea how it would work, but after a minute on hold the woman told me she could add free phone service, to which I replied I didn't want more service, I just wanted to pay less. Another minute or so and she came back to tell me she could drop my bill by about a third for a year, no change in service or anything. I told her thanks, and the whole thing took about 5 minutes to save me several hundred dollars!
The notion of getting things for free that you actually need is a wise one. If you simplify and then only look for free things you can actually use you will end up better off.
Learning how to maintain and fix things helps considerably when trying to get things for free or extremely cheap. I have repaired and restored my share of old free or cheap furniture that now looks very nice. I found a couple of pairs of Ferragamo shoes at a thrift store for $3 each. I looked them up after I got home and they would have been about $300 new. Since they were classic styles I can probably wear them forever. They did need a good polishing and a small repair to the leather with a bit of contact cement.
One of our kids works for one of those coffee chains. They throw out coffee beans on a certain date and also baked goods plus they get a weekly coffee allotment. So we have free coffee and baked goods almost all the time.
I have a major aversion to Kmart's clothing lines. Most of it is sub standard in construction and fabric, but I realize I may be more picky that most people.
What I do consistently find at Kmart is basic kitchen items that you can not get elsewhere and actually seem to be of very good quality. Most of the items are from the Martha Stewart lines. I have bought basic things like wine glasses, bottle pour spouts, shakers, glass containers etc. Many of these items are better quality than Target or Bed Bath & Beyond. I have also found some cosmetic and toiletries items that other stores quit carrying. Some of their garden items in the spring are still good quality.
We only have two Kmart stores left and both are in poor shape. They are both away from other stores so getting in and out is less of a headache.
Using the example above and addding $100 a month to your mortgage gives you a pay off of about 24 years. Using the Money Merge Account from United First Financial using the same identical example and presuming an equal amount of disposable income, say $200 a month. And let's add in another $38,700 in consumer debt. So a total of $238,700 in mortgage and conusmer debt using the Money Merge Account System you would pay off your house and ALL of your other debt in 15.3 years saving a total of $125,878 in interest. Sure the program costs $3500, but would you spend $3500 to save $125,878? No brainer in my book! I did buy it! In my case I'm going to pay off my $478,000 in mortgage and consumer debt in 10.2 years saving $302,000 in interest!
To everybody who thinks the best way to do this is DIY let me simply point out that it hasn't exactly worked out all that well historically. Otherwise a heck of a lot more than 4-5% of Americans would own their homes free and clear. The simple fact is that Americans need a system of coaching to help them get it done. The TV show Biggest Looser is a perfect example of how a carefully laid out coaching program can be a great sucess. The Money Merge Account is "the perfect looser" for all of your debts and tens, hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest. On top of all of that it's 100% guaranteed! For the 1st year there's a no hassel guarantee: You can request a refund for any reason. Beyond that it's guaranteed in writting to perform as promised or you get your money back. As the final bonus, now anyone can have the Money Merge Account Program for just $250 down and $75 per month. You can even use the "Express" version if you don't own a home. Do your homework, get the facts. U1st has been featured on the covers of 5 of the nations leading Mortgage, Real Estate, Investment, & Financial magazines. Given Personal Real Estate Investor Magazine's Editor's choice award. Awarded by Ernst & Young, and Endoresed by many others.
Check it out and ask for your free no obligation anaylsis at:
http://www.payoffyourhomenow.org
As I said right at the top:
If your jobs are absoutely trivial--stuffing envelopes, let's say--then you can get quantitative increases in performance without a meaningful drop in quality.
My claim, though, is this: Overall employee performance (in any job that requires even a tiny bit of thought, skill, or creativity) will always suffer if you have an incentive plan. I think the data supports that--see the Alfie Kohn book, for a survey of the research.
Employes may understand that "the more money that comes to the business the more money comes to them"--but I think they may understand it better than you think. More money to the business enriches primarily the business owners. To get more money themselves, they no doubt understand, requires meeting whatever the arbitrary terms of the incentive plan are. If the incentive plan is large, they will do so--regardless of whether it's the best use of their time.
Much better would be a combination of a profit-sharing scheme (which would mean that more money to the company really did mean more money to the employees) together with a scheme for workers to share best practices among themselves. (That latter will only work if the employees actually want to do a good job. In my experience, though, most employees do want to do a good job. If they don't, then I suggest you look to your hiring and management practices and solve that problem.)
Thanks for the ideas and link. For whatever reason (I think I have been stocked up for a bit), I haven't bought Martha Stewart Home but love the fashion meets discount idea.Though I haven't bought what I might consider real jewelry there, I have found some serviceable watches.I've have noticed this type of table (solid wood, the ad says) but I don't need one right now.
Too bad Joe Boxer wasn't at Kmart when Rainman came out. I'll admit an affinity for private label apparel (Joe Boxer, Basic Editions, Route 66) , if not for fashion for durability.
thats kind of confusing so could you lay out step by step how to do this thank you
I, like everyone, also had a pair of jeans and was about to throw them away until the LIGHTBULB went on in my head.
I cut the the zipper, including the button, out of the jeans. Then set the lenght according to my wrist, then made a whole where the button meets the rest of the zipper. And now it works and a wrist band or so. I'll put some pikshures up in my page.
Great set of links. I find articles like the Palin one quite amusing, especially in this environment.
"As someone who most likely doesn't have to worry about losing their job during this recession.." sounds like famous last words to me.. I thought the same way and, well, I am currently unemployed today..
I agree with Dan. Assuming that incentives "never" work is the sight of a simple minded individual. No offense. Our company is small and the work available is cashiers and stockers positions. Our incentive plans work great. We have business in a rough neighborhood and our turn-over is high. Within the last six months however we've developed two incentive plans. They understand that the more money that comes to the business the more money comes to them. Which results in better management of inventory and sales. And for these employees that is the motivator. Money, Rewards and Vacation!
For the vast majority of people, hunting/fishing for sustenance is not a viable strategy.
1. Most of us live in relatively urban/suburban settings that dramatically limit our ability to hunt/fish near our homes. To get to hunting/fishing spots, you end up spending a lot of money on travel.
2. Very few of us have the skill to get game efficiently.
3. Limited Seasons: even in areas with good opporunties, the hunting season is limited. That means you must store your game year round increasing costs.
BUT - If you enjoy it, it might be a relatively inexpensive "hobby" with the upside of meat.
that KMart sucks. and most of their clothes seem pretty heinous. But when i went for the super double days a month or two ago, i got a $4 (actually free using a doubled $2 Catalina coupon) camisole top that i like very much.
By the way, here's a link to a "friends and family" savings pass, good Sunday only: http://content.kmart.com/ue/home/1207FFEFAMFRNDS.pdf
One cup of mayo with about a tablespoon of Tumeric mixed in makes a tasty dip for potato chips or vegetables. It's a lovely color, too.
Kmart has great deals on jewelry!
Awesome! Self is one of my favorites - I buy it several times a year, depending on articles. This is such a cool surprise. Many thanks!
I like looking at KMart's clearance. I got my dining room table & chairs there last year for $50. I couldnt find a decent used set for that price! I do like their double coupon days, but I generally stick with the free items or the things I can get for pretty cheap. I got a lot of things yesterday for $2 :)
#22 (steven brewer) makes a valid point. additionally, i believe as long as capitalism existed, it couldn't really be guided via a single government or institution, or anyone for that matter. It's kind of a "rich man's game", and you can rest assured they don't have YOUR wellbeing at priority #1.
Elected governments however, should. So a solution could be to let the state own a county's vital functions: housing, gas, electricity, health care, hospitals, trains, railways, roads, schools, perhaps even supermarkets and other things that lie at the basis of life and make a country a country. That way a crisis in the liberal world won't hurt so much. It also gives people a choice to work for their fellow man as a socialist or work for themselves/a company as a capitalist. Within the current system, i believe this is attainable and it should solve a problem or two. So i hope Obama will be the next "red man in the white house".
I'd like to note that in my country (netherlands) the state did own health care and railways and stuff about 20 years ago but now the negative effect of the more recent neo-liberal privatization is getting noticeable due to rising prices "cos of the crisis". And since i never felt any advantage of privatization, it seems to me a kind of de-evolution of inter human relations.
A more extreme but very inspiring text can be found here: http://socialism.com/whatsocialism.html
If you can get past the other qualms that Kmart can often present, there are some good buys and merchandise that keep it an option for every day items. I particularly like their Christmas decor this time of year, and if I find a good sale on their Martha Stewart Everyday line, I snag it.
Linsey Knerl
I agree with above comment on so-called "free stuff"--my dear husband wrote a post on this very topic on our frugality blog.
frugalscholar.blogspot.com
Original post is, as expected, illuminating. Nothing gives you a sense of the overabundance that is ours in this country than going to a thrift store.
After Hurricane Katrina, a lot of people seeking work came from Mexico, Central America, etc. I would see them at Goodwill gaping at the riches on display. A real eye-opener.
It's easy to confuse the sport hunters with the food hunters.
The sport hunters spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on gear and often make expensive trips to distant places to hunt.
The food hunters spend a few hundred dollars one time for the necessary gear, and usually hunt close to home.
If I were hunting for food, I'd certainly ignore all the "sportsman" rules against baiting the animals in with apples, corn, or salt. I'll grant that it's not very sportsmanlike--but sport isn't the goal. Mocking food hunters for baiting their prey is like mocking gardeners for planting seeds. (Serious sport gardeners only harvest things that grow naturally in their garden.)
I'm also a homeschooling SAHM and find it inefficient use of my time to run around much. I have a Tracfone that works out nicely for my errand days...I just wish it was pink. :)
My husband, our oldest child, and I use the phones mostly to juggle the use of one car between three adults. DH and I spend no more than $20 per month to keep our two phones stocked with minutes. Oldest child is responsible for her own phone and may spend more to keep in touch with her friends.
We have not had any problems with coverage and connectivity.
...especially for the target audience you aimed this one at. However, there also seems to be a lot on frugal sites lately that highlights getting free stuff just because it is free, and not because it is actually needed. It is likely being able to feed the consumerism beast within us without having to pay for it.
A common example is all the piles of stuff people blog about getting from CVS for little or no money. I have never heard of much of this stuff. 'I got it because it was free' or 'I got it because I actually needed it'. Which philosophy will do the most towards helping people to live within their means and stop worrying about money and acquiring more and more stuff?