Recent comments

  • Your stimulus check is on its way!   17 years 51 weeks ago

    I am guessing the stimulus has already been leaking into the economy over the past several months as people are capable of visualizing money being in their pockets, even when it won't be there for months. A wealth effect based on expectations, not the facts on the ground.

  • DO NOT buy a digital camera online until you read this.   17 years 51 weeks ago

    I have purchased a camera from 'usacamera.com' but have not recieved it. I have made repeated attempts to contact the company by e-mail, but no reply.Also tried to phone them from outside the u.s. but gettin a 'number does not
    exist' message.

    Uncertain as to what to do next.
    Last resort i guess is to claim from my 'credit card'
    insurance on the grounds of internet fraud.

  • How to Erase Your Medical Debt   17 years 51 weeks ago

    In Alabama we have a general fund set up by the state to cover the costs of medical treatment to resident crime victims. You might want to call your local reps office to see if you have the same in your state.

    As far as insurance companies go, you should never buy a policy where your deductible is over $1000 unless you need yearly extensive care. Here's why : with a high deductible the insurance company is counting on 1. not having to pay much more than that thousand or 5000 in someone's case above which means they pocket your premium and say ha ha thanks. 2. If you have something come up that they have to pay they usually cover such a small percentage you STILL end up with enormous bills and they dust off their hands without a care.

    When buying insurance make them show you what they pay for, ask how many visits they pay for, ask what your cost would be and ask until you understand!! They don't want you to know they are scamming you.

    You are better off putting what you'd pay for a premium in a high yeild savings if you are healthy. And add more coverage to your car ins to cover injury and bodily damage in case of an accident, or you homeowners ins for falls etc... there are other ways the best thing you can do is educate yourself and if you don't understand something ask until you do!!!

  • How to Make Moonshine   17 years 51 weeks ago

    I haven't done the math, but unless you've got a free (or very cheap) source of sugar and free (or very cheap) energy for distilling, I don't think you're going to find that moonshine is cheap compared to gasoline.

    It is actually legal to distill ethanol for fuel, if you get a permit.  Details here:

    http://www.ttb.gov/industrial/distillation_of_ethanol.shtml

  • You must file a tax return to get economic stimulus tax rebate   17 years 51 weeks ago

    I'm no tax expert, but I don't think that's going to work.  According to this IRS page:

    You may not claim a dependency exemption for an individual, however, if you are a dependent of another taxpayer.

    http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc354.html

    So, I don't know about the rebate, but I suspect the return itself will get "corrected" by IRS.

  • Looking for Answers in Life? Here's your Key...   17 years 51 weeks ago

    Congratulation! very interesting story. Good stuff.

  • Why is Gasoline So Cheap? A Cost Comparison of 40 Common Household Liquids   17 years 51 weeks ago

    It's so funny reading these comments from people after seeing the facts of the comparison. You could hold something right in front of their face and they would say no, that's not there. It's the psychology of having something a certain way for so long that it gets ingrained and change can't be accepted. Or maybe we've been spoiled all these years. I would like to know why after a hundred years of the piston engine that there has been no change. That would be like still having propeller airliners. I can't believe that there couldn't be an additive or a way gasoline could be made to stretch further. Or the entire piston process improved. As we've seen, using food additives just shortens that supply. But also we can't change over to something "environmentally friendly" or even different and quit drilling and refining oil at the same time.

  • Budgeting in a time of inflation   17 years 51 weeks ago

    I am a realtor and I have seen some ups and downs I feel though that we are at the bottom. greg moser

  • Laid Off? What To Do Before Plunging Into The Job Search   17 years 51 weeks ago

    Great post Julie. By the way, http://www.workforceexplorer.com is a great resource for real-time, every-employer-participates, salary information in my state - Washington. Perhaps other states have similar sites run by state-gathered data. It's a terrific resource for figuring out what to do next also. Know you like analyzing things? There are 371 jobs with analyzing as a key component. Who knew?!

    Before you leave your job (assuming there's a transition period), do everything you can to connect with each person with whom you have a connection. It doesn't matter how random - maybe it's the guy you always parked next to, maybe your buddy who always ate Indian food with you, or the cute receptionist - but especially your co-workers, your subordinates and your boss. Let them know you'll miss them, be sure to get their phone number and email address, add them to connect on LinkedIn right away.

    Then, stay in touch! People that like and respect you want to have lunch or coffee with you. They want to know how your kids are and whether you've broken par yet. If you decide to go a different direction with your career, let them know. They might have a sister/cousin/neighbor/former co-worker in that industry. Get a new resume? Email it to everyone who likes you and/or whom you respect. Say something cute if it suits you, like, “Here’s my shiny new resume, in case you forgot how wonderful I am.” Whatever - just get it out there so people don’t have to remember all your skills and talents when they’re chatting up their Uncle Hal. They’ll remember you’re an analyst and if Hal is interested, they can forward your resume to him.

    Then, get out of the house! Go to industry meetings, attend training seminars, and go to job fairs. Let people who may know someone who needs you get to know you enough to where you become a three-dimensional human being, not just a piece of paper (resume) applying for a job. Work at really getting to know a couple people at each place you go to on a more than just professional basis. People remember people they care about, or those that inspire, amuse or teach them. In addition, attending these events cements the idea that you're really committed to the industry, even if it's a brand new one for you. You'll learn something, have a cookie and be able to put the industry membership or new skill on your resume.

    Remember that in every interaction, you're demonstrating how you'll be as a co-worker, boss or subordinate. Will you be natural, insightful and fun? That's whom I'd want to work with! I went to a recruiting industry meeting a couple of weeks ago and folks from Getty were there speaking. They shared a statistic that I've known to be true from my corporate recruiting days - 60% of the folks they hired last year for open positions were referred by someone at Getty or someone who knew someone at Getty. It's who you know. Does that sound bad? It shouldn't. Consider that I trust our mutual contact not to steer you my way if you're obnoxious, careless or otherwise unsuitable. Right there you're more "valuable" than the pieces of paper on my desk. They could be complete whack jobs, but you're golden if someone refers you.

    So dry your tears and get out there!

  • How to Make Moonshine   17 years 51 weeks ago

    Any thoughts of using moonsine for a gassoline substitute? With the price of fuel, this would seem like a good cheap alternitive to paying top dollar for a fill. And dose anyone know the leagal veiw on this? Homemade booze is illegal but what about home brew gassoline. Thanks, this info is great!

  • Volunteer to Travel: 11 Opportunities for Free or Very Cheap Travel   17 years 51 weeks ago

    Hello, I am volunteering program co-ordinator. We want to learn English language from you and design various volunteering program for international volunteers in Nepal, Our organization is very low cost volunteer opportunity in Nepal.

    We have welcome in our community(home) with its warm and friendly atmosphere for many international volunteers from different countries.
    For more www.futurenepal.org
    mail: futurenepal@yahoo.com

  • Make Your Own Moon Sand, Dirt Cheap   17 years 51 weeks ago

    I am going to try this tomorrow for a kids day at the park, I was thinking of adding powdered tempura paint to add color to it.

  • Dealing with Nasty Debt Collectors   17 years 51 weeks ago

    I ran into some terrible financial trouble about 7 months ago, and like many, fell into debt with my credit card. They increased my % rate to 30% and I could no longer even keep my head above water! I tried to work it out with them, but nothing seemed to help. So, eventually i went 3 months with no payments. The credit collectors began calling and my stress level went through the roof. I am working 2 full time jobs now and trying to get out of this terible mess. Anyay, the other day, they came to me with a setttlement agreement. The cut what I owed in half if I could pay like 7000 over 90 days. I gave ti some thought and I have sorted out how I will be able to do this. I have agreed and I am wondering if I have done the right thing? It is going to be ridiculus to get through the next 3 months but i will still be able to pay mortgage, I will just have to cut back on stuff. So, we will have a terrible quality of life for a little bit, but I am hoping it will pay off. The stress is too much and I really want my credit back.
    Has anyone done anything similar....did it work out alright?

  • Quick Vista Hack to Get You Browsing at High-Speed Again   17 years 51 weeks ago

    Matt, Can I ask you how exactly you turned off that feature under network settings? My vista's wireless connection to the internet is dead most of the time and I know its definitely some setting in Vista and I'm trying to figure it out. Like other people, the only option I've found people post in response to this problem is just to execute the commands to turning the autotuninglevel, chimney, and rss to disabled but this only works some of the time and usually I'm left just staring at my access to the Internet displaying "Limited Connectivity" and left using my old laptop with XP instead. I'd really appreciate it if you could please let me know what you did. Thank you in advance.

  • You must file a tax return to get economic stimulus tax rebate   17 years 51 weeks ago

    Hello,

    I have claimed my brother as my dependent as he just started working. My brother is married and he has claimed his wife as dependent. Is my brother going to get refund.

    Please let me know.

    Thanks
    Mayur

  • Free Food in Your Yard: Edible Weeds!   17 years 51 weeks ago

    Wow, I really enjoyed how everytime you mentioned there are lots of edible weeds you linked to a different page about edible weeds. Thanks a lot, now I have more browser windows open than weeds in my yard. Browser windows aren't very good for you either.

  • Could a Divorce Improve Your Finances?   17 years 51 weeks ago

    I went from living paycheck to paycheck with no savings and tons of debt to a 2008 Lincoln MKZ, 2007 Honda VTX1300R and money in my savings account and 401K in just two years...all by getting divorced. And this in spite of spending $15K on the legal process AND with my child living with me (I have residential custody). Did I flip houses? No. Buy Donald Trumps book? No. I just lost 150 pounds of dead weight...every time I earned a nickel, my wife spent a dime. Nothing improves your finances like patching a hole in the leaking bucket of money. If your "partner" doesn't produce any income, but loves to throw yours away...you have only one (legal) option.

  • Budgeting in a time of inflation   17 years 51 weeks ago

    Obviously it is impossible to avoid inflation. It exists all the time. It is one of things that we can never really get rid. That is the nature of economy. So how do you really prepare for inflation. Be prepared. If your financial house is in order it will already account for inflation, that includes all your budgeting, emergency funds, investment accounts and so in. Be smart and get your financial hose in Order and you should be able to avoid the common problems if you weren't.
    http://financialzip.com

  • Stop dissing Spam!   17 years 51 weeks ago

    Is spam really a good friend of the frugal chef? I love spam, don't get me wrong, but I just don't find it cheap, especially for what it is.

  • Bush's economic stimulus package; What will you get back?   17 years 51 weeks ago

    I know that a bunch of people have received letters in the mail letting them know that they will get a refund. I've lived at the same address for 4 years, and have filed taxes the last 4 years. I'm legally married, but separated, and we filed seperatly. And neither of us got letters. Why?

  • Do You Have Your TV Converter Box Yet?   17 years 51 weeks ago

    I bought the Zenith one from Circuit City and hooked it up and get more channels now but the one that came in the clearest before the box, we don't get anymore. Any suggestions.

  • 5 Great Choices for Free Online Data Storage   17 years 51 weeks ago

    Well, MediaMax is at it again. As if once wasn't enough, they are now restructuring over again. If you have a free account all your files will be trashed today, unless you upgrade to a pay account. From the official email:

    Current non-paying users: If you are not currently a paying subscriber to MediaMax, you need to upgrade your account before April 25 to be included in the move. Otherwise, your account will be deleted and all your files will be lost.

  • Quickly Remove Scratches From CDs and DVDs   17 years 51 weeks ago

    Seeing the "Warning: The next video contains a scary ending at the 1:09 mark", I thought - "he does something like drop and break the CD" so I watched to see what happened - fast forwarding to that time.

    I'd prefer the warning to read: "Warning: The next video ends at the 1:09 mark with a series of intentionally disturbing images that are unrelated to repairing CDs."

  • Laid Off? What To Do Before Plunging Into The Job Search   17 years 51 weeks ago

    thanks for the great resource.

  • Laid Off? What To Do Before Plunging Into The Job Search   17 years 51 weeks ago

    Thanks for comments and additional mentions. And, Ben, I didn't think about covering the emotional toll of layoffs -- at least not explicitly though you are kind to mention that. There are so many issues to handle that I think it is good to start defining exactly what the problems are before beginning to search. My hope was that a job-seeker may feel more focused, empowered, and confident if he/she has a better handle on the financial implications, which might translate into an easier and more fruitful job search.