People thought I was crazy for considering a move to Central Pennsylvania but houses there are only $25K! Real estate transaction formalities aside, I could write a check for one of those.
If you have broadband internet, getting what you need while living in a rural area is not a big problem. Amazon sells almost everything these days and super saver shipping is free even to out-of-the-way places.
I hadn't been thinking about a flat tax when I was writing this but I can see the value based on tax law complexity and changes. Given the assumption that our tax structure should reflect public policy (encouraging savings for college, retirement savings, home buying), I actually feel a bit of empathy with Congress, having to change tax laws to keep up with society (high college costs, need to replace pensions with personal savings).
But it would be interesting to know whether people even know about all these rules (I have Coverdell accounts for my kids but didn't realize that withdrawals were tax-free, under provisions) and see how people's habits actually change based on tax-law changes.
I might get overwhelmed, pfodyssey, thinking about possible changes, though imminent ones might be interesting to follow. A recommendation from The Quiet Millionaire author was to use tax-advantaged and taxable accounts (401(k)s, Roths, regular investments) b/c you never know how things will change and you can hedge your bets. Thanks for reading!
I've tried tofu blended with fruit in shakes and it works great! I'm not a fan of tofu flavoring so berries and honey will squash that flavor (which I guess is the same reasoning with spinach, but i picture a green shake!!)
Los Angeles native here, moved to Humboldt County for college in 2002 and never left. Property value is somewhat higher, but hey, ocean! My folks back in LA have half the house I have for twice the price.
You are absolutely correct in that it pays to be aware of the tax changes around you. Both those that have actually happened as well as those you think may be LIKELY to happen! Thanks for the post.
I just wanted to post my experience with this method because it may have saved me some money.
The other day, I backed out of my garage and almost missed, but side swiped my in-laws car at a very slow speed causing a dent in the front right quarter-panel about the size of a desert plate. The initial part of the dent did have a slight crinkle effect in it, but the remainder of the dent was just that without any indication of metal damage. I tried to take the headlight out to get behind the dent, but couldn't remove it all the way and didn't want to do more damage to my in-laws car. I couldn't access the dent from inside the wheel wall because of all the plastic covering attached with non-reusable rivets. Basically, I figured I was in for a $100-$150 bill for someone to fix it.
I viewed the video, read the articles (many of whom argued about physics, elements, gases, liquids, solids, etc.), went to Office Depot and purchased the smallest can of liquid air or whatever you want to call it. Came home, got the hairdryer and started warming up the dent. As I was warming it up, I thought this will never work...I sprayed the liquid on it, and waited for the ice to melt away, and sure enough it DID NOT come out. So I had some liquid air left and figured I might as well try it again. This time I sprayed all around the area of the dent, and the next thing I did was, once I had the area sprayed, I massaged the area with my fingers around the dent, and pop, it came out. The finished product was 95% fixed, but that crinkle I talked about earlier did not come out, and as the gentleman said earlier, when metal is truly bent, not bowed, you have to use tools to make that perfectly smooth again.
My advise would be to try this if you have a dent that is shallow and looks like it could be removed with the tap of your fist from the back side, but don't expect miracles in metal repair using a hairdryer and a can of compressed air. My father in-law hasn't seen any of my repair work yet as it was my mother-in-law visiting, and I may still have to pay someone to remove that little BB sized dent, but at least it looks better than before. If it were my car, I would be very pleased.
Here is what I used on what. I used one 3.5 ounce can of Office Depot brand cleaning duster ($6.99) & my wife's hairdryer on a 2006 Buick LaSabre. Hope this helps out anyone who is considering using this method of dent removal.
I live in Syracuse NY- and our public transportation requires a bit of planning ahead.
For instance- I need to schedule my morning around when I can get the bus versus thinking I can grab one whenever the mood strikes. Getting home at night means leaving exactly on time- or planning when the next bus is coming. Its worth the effort to me to not have the second car payment, upkeep costs, etc.
The only hardship per se is when I might have the random sick day and need to leave. This is when my savings from not having a car payment gets spent on a quick cabride home. Regardless- its way cheaper to pay for a random cab once in a blue moon than for all the other costs a second car would mean.
Then there's the wonderful downtime I get between work and home. I use it to do some hand sewing and embroidery-- some of which I have sold at craft fairs.
Great article Julie! I am very surprised by how many changes a tax payer has to keep up with. Do you think this level of complexity is the reason why some people prefer a simple flat tax?
I'm beginning to believe that there's probably an inverse relationship between the health claims on a food and the actual healthiness of said food. And fresh produce needs a new PR agent.
@rstine: Oh, a month's soup is only the beginning. See Myscha's excellent Bulk buying 101 for a few more ideas.
@Kevin: Yeah, that's my main point--analyzing these things as investments isn't the usual way to look at it, but I find it useful to think about it that way.
@Hilary: Right. The decision to change to cheaper products is completely independent of the decision to stockpile them, and the fact that some products are much cheaper in bulk than others makes it easy to confuse these issues.
@Debbie M: Yes, all the time and money that you invest in taking care of yourself and your stuff can be treated as an investment as well, and it's interesting to crank the numbers and see where these things make for superior investments. On the other hand, you can take it too far. For example, you could probably make a financial case against brushing your teeth--an hour a week spent on oral hygine that could be spent earning money--but having healthy teeth has huge non-financial payoffs that swamp the financial ones.
Doesn't the government of the USA pay the interest on the withheld taxes?
I am in Switzerland and I usually send in my tax prepay as fat and as early as possible because i even get a better rate than a normal savings account in the bank.
Maybe it is time to ask for it to your government because if they don't pay it, then it is just a rip off.
Hi David, very nice article you wrote. Lately I found an other article with a very similar topic. It stresses the fact that travelling has more to do with the way you look at the place you are in than where you are. I agree with this view.
In addition to the ways to do so mentioned earlier, you could also help writing a travel guidebook about you hometown. There are several options to do so, but I like to mention WritingTravellers, an open guidebooks project I started last August.
I actually do dream of having money in the bank...not to spend, just to have. To me, that's what being rich is. It doesn't matter how much you make if it simply gets handed off to someone else at the end of the week or the end of the month or the end of the year. Being rich means having a large lump of cash squirreled away because you simply don't need it. I try my darnedest not to increase my spending when raises and such come around because I want that money in the bank. The good things in life really are free...it's the bad stuff that requires cash.
...or rather, are in the process. We are also Bay Area folks that just bought 5 acres for $11,000 in Yreka (Siskiyou County). We love it! All we need to do at this point is have our home built (at a FRACTION of the cost of our rent in the Bay Area) and we are on our way to early retirement. We too appreciate the concept of not doing in mid to late life what we once did on our young life (clubbing, roaming about town partying, and needing excitement on every block). Three cheers to you for this great blog!
I read the 2000 census when I moved up here but the demographics really changed in the last five years--primarily with so many Bay Area people moving in from all backgrounds. I'll be anxious to see the differences in the 2010 one.
This post reminds me. Google Answers had an interesting research project on the numbers of Series 6 and Series 7 professional stock brokers registered around the country, and their qualifications and licenses.
You may or may not have caught from my name that we too are minorities. There is an increasing African-American presence in and around Quincy and Feather River College, a very large Native American population, and a growing Latino presence. The only 'grouping' of people not well represented are Asians though there are a few Chinese Americans
This sounds lovely, but for minorities, those out-of-the way places are not always so welcoming. Also, I have to consider having my children grow up in an environment where no one else looks anything like them. This can be very alienating.
People thought I was crazy for considering a move to Central Pennsylvania but houses there are only $25K! Real estate transaction formalities aside, I could write a check for one of those.
If you have broadband internet, getting what you need while living in a rural area is not a big problem. Amazon sells almost everything these days and super saver shipping is free even to out-of-the-way places.
I hadn't been thinking about a flat tax when I was writing this but I can see the value based on tax law complexity and changes. Given the assumption that our tax structure should reflect public policy (encouraging savings for college, retirement savings, home buying), I actually feel a bit of empathy with Congress, having to change tax laws to keep up with society (high college costs, need to replace pensions with personal savings).
But it would be interesting to know whether people even know about all these rules (I have Coverdell accounts for my kids but didn't realize that withdrawals were tax-free, under provisions) and see how people's habits actually change based on tax-law changes.
I might get overwhelmed, pfodyssey, thinking about possible changes, though imminent ones might be interesting to follow. A recommendation from The Quiet Millionaire author was to use tax-advantaged and taxable accounts (401(k)s, Roths, regular investments) b/c you never know how things will change and you can hedge your bets. Thanks for reading!
I've tried tofu blended with fruit in shakes and it works great! I'm not a fan of tofu flavoring so berries and honey will squash that flavor (which I guess is the same reasoning with spinach, but i picture a green shake!!)
ahem, "freecreditreport.com"? i should HOPE you mean annualcreditreport.com
Los Angeles native here, moved to Humboldt County for college in 2002 and never left. Property value is somewhat higher, but hey, ocean! My folks back in LA have half the house I have for twice the price.
You are absolutely correct in that it pays to be aware of the tax changes around you. Both those that have actually happened as well as those you think may be LIKELY to happen! Thanks for the post.
Maybe you would like to note that the starting community is now close to ruined, so to get any use out of the game you might need some patience.
Also many teens will miss the point of the game completly, but that shouldn't put adults off playing.
I just wanted to post my experience with this method because it may have saved me some money.
The other day, I backed out of my garage and almost missed, but side swiped my in-laws car at a very slow speed causing a dent in the front right quarter-panel about the size of a desert plate. The initial part of the dent did have a slight crinkle effect in it, but the remainder of the dent was just that without any indication of metal damage. I tried to take the headlight out to get behind the dent, but couldn't remove it all the way and didn't want to do more damage to my in-laws car. I couldn't access the dent from inside the wheel wall because of all the plastic covering attached with non-reusable rivets. Basically, I figured I was in for a $100-$150 bill for someone to fix it.
I viewed the video, read the articles (many of whom argued about physics, elements, gases, liquids, solids, etc.), went to Office Depot and purchased the smallest can of liquid air or whatever you want to call it. Came home, got the hairdryer and started warming up the dent. As I was warming it up, I thought this will never work...I sprayed the liquid on it, and waited for the ice to melt away, and sure enough it DID NOT come out. So I had some liquid air left and figured I might as well try it again. This time I sprayed all around the area of the dent, and the next thing I did was, once I had the area sprayed, I massaged the area with my fingers around the dent, and pop, it came out. The finished product was 95% fixed, but that crinkle I talked about earlier did not come out, and as the gentleman said earlier, when metal is truly bent, not bowed, you have to use tools to make that perfectly smooth again.
My advise would be to try this if you have a dent that is shallow and looks like it could be removed with the tap of your fist from the back side, but don't expect miracles in metal repair using a hairdryer and a can of compressed air. My father in-law hasn't seen any of my repair work yet as it was my mother-in-law visiting, and I may still have to pay someone to remove that little BB sized dent, but at least it looks better than before. If it were my car, I would be very pleased.
Here is what I used on what. I used one 3.5 ounce can of Office Depot brand cleaning duster ($6.99) & my wife's hairdryer on a 2006 Buick LaSabre. Hope this helps out anyone who is considering using this method of dent removal.
I live in Syracuse NY- and our public transportation requires a bit of planning ahead.
For instance- I need to schedule my morning around when I can get the bus versus thinking I can grab one whenever the mood strikes. Getting home at night means leaving exactly on time- or planning when the next bus is coming. Its worth the effort to me to not have the second car payment, upkeep costs, etc.
The only hardship per se is when I might have the random sick day and need to leave. This is when my savings from not having a car payment gets spent on a quick cabride home. Regardless- its way cheaper to pay for a random cab once in a blue moon than for all the other costs a second car would mean.
Then there's the wonderful downtime I get between work and home. I use it to do some hand sewing and embroidery-- some of which I have sold at craft fairs.
Great article Julie! I am very surprised by how many changes a tax payer has to keep up with. Do you think this level of complexity is the reason why some people prefer a simple flat tax?
And where does the three-ring binder come in, or did I just not comprehend something I read?
I'm beginning to believe that there's probably an inverse relationship between the health claims on a food and the actual healthiness of said food. And fresh produce needs a new PR agent.
Thanks, everyone, for all the good comments.
@rstine: Oh, a month's soup is only the beginning. See Myscha's excellent Bulk buying 101 for a few more ideas.
@Kevin: Yeah, that's my main point--analyzing these things as investments isn't the usual way to look at it, but I find it useful to think about it that way.
@Hilary: Right. The decision to change to cheaper products is completely independent of the decision to stockpile them, and the fact that some products are much cheaper in bulk than others makes it easy to confuse these issues.
@Debbie M: Yes, all the time and money that you invest in taking care of yourself and your stuff can be treated as an investment as well, and it's interesting to crank the numbers and see where these things make for superior investments. On the other hand, you can take it too far. For example, you could probably make a financial case against brushing your teeth--an hour a week spent on oral hygine that could be spent earning money--but having healthy teeth has huge non-financial payoffs that swamp the financial ones.
Doesn't the government of the USA pay the interest on the withheld taxes?
I am in Switzerland and I usually send in my tax prepay as fat and as early as possible because i even get a better rate than a normal savings account in the bank.
Maybe it is time to ask for it to your government because if they don't pay it, then it is just a rip off.
Hi David, very nice article you wrote. Lately I found an other article with a very similar topic. It stresses the fact that travelling has more to do with the way you look at the place you are in than where you are. I agree with this view.
In addition to the ways to do so mentioned earlier, you could also help writing a travel guidebook about you hometown. There are several options to do so, but I like to mention WritingTravellers, an open guidebooks project I started last August.
I actually do dream of having money in the bank...not to spend, just to have. To me, that's what being rich is. It doesn't matter how much you make if it simply gets handed off to someone else at the end of the week or the end of the month or the end of the year. Being rich means having a large lump of cash squirreled away because you simply don't need it. I try my darnedest not to increase my spending when raises and such come around because I want that money in the bank. The good things in life really are free...it's the bad stuff that requires cash.
...or rather, are in the process. We are also Bay Area folks that just bought 5 acres for $11,000 in Yreka (Siskiyou County). We love it! All we need to do at this point is have our home built (at a FRACTION of the cost of our rent in the Bay Area) and we are on our way to early retirement. We too appreciate the concept of not doing in mid to late life what we once did on our young life (clubbing, roaming about town partying, and needing excitement on every block). Three cheers to you for this great blog!
It's a toilet bowl, not a salad bowl - is it really necessary for it to be surgically germ-free? The germophobia in the U.S. is getting out of hand.
ice + hammer = credit card
I read the 2000 census when I moved up here but the demographics really changed in the last five years--primarily with so many Bay Area people moving in from all backgrounds. I'll be anxious to see the differences in the 2010 one.
Margaret Garcia-Couoh
Based on the 2000 Census data, there were 14 Asians in Quincy, CA.
This post reminds me. Google Answers had an interesting research project on the numbers of Series 6 and Series 7 professional stock brokers registered around the country, and their qualifications and licenses.
You can see the research results here:
Stock Broker Licenses
Worth a look!
You may or may not have caught from my name that we too are minorities. There is an increasing African-American presence in and around Quincy and Feather River College, a very large Native American population, and a growing Latino presence. The only 'grouping' of people not well represented are Asians though there are a few Chinese Americans
Margaret Garcia-Couoh
Yea, try telling that to teenagers or 20-somethings. They just won't understand.
This sounds lovely, but for minorities, those out-of-the way places are not always so welcoming. Also, I have to consider having my children grow up in an environment where no one else looks anything like them. This can be very alienating.