I work in retail and am still wearing my Dansko clogs that I bought in fall of 2004 (it's now spring 2011). Function over style, definitely, but when you're on your feet for 10 or 12 hours, quality matters!
I think it's also used to gargle with, by singers and public speakers? I have seen it in stores related to voice training - they have the sheet music etc, and a shelf of Witch hazel stuff :P
I don't know if anyone has mentioned that - if so, I'm sorry for repeating! I read through the comments but maybe I missed it :-)
If anyone knows more about this though, I'd love to know more!
No, I'm afraid our budgeting consists of our somewhat haphazard response to bills and the like. I've suggested to my husband that we go on the budget payment plan for gas/electricity, and he says he doesn't want to...and we've had a considerable number of unexpected expenses throw our best efforts for a loop.
Doesn't mean we don't try, but we always seem to fall short in following a budget. Wish that weren't the case...
Rest assured, Big Brother was not involved! We're in the process of updating our older articles to the new format, so they may look a little different, but don't worry -- aside from the pictures, nothing in Philip's article has changed. =)
I've given up only buying groceries "on sale." Once I realized that the sale AND a coupon still didn't put most items under their store-brand cousins, I decided it wasn't for me - I find grocery couponing tedious. Now I just shop store brand only, and buy in bulk.
Anything else retail, service, or otherwise, I detest paying full price. I'll use coupons at restaurants, shop sales for clothes and gadgets, barter for services, and haggle on big ticket items. So, yes, I do only buy things (with a unit cost more than about five dollars) on sale.
Why oh why did the pictures change? I did not have a hard copy of the original to know if there was a change to the verbiage. Did Big Brother put pressure on you?
Thank you so much for all of your posts. I'm getting ready for my call to fight for unemployment and all of your posts have really helped me focus what I need to say.
One thing that I remember from when I lived in Germany was everyone had a centrifugal dryer that they used before line drying (or machine drying for that matter). Two minutes of spinning cut 30 minutes of machine drying time or more. And as long as there was no rain, everything I hung out in the morning was done by the evening.
Not a bad article, but there's so many different types of shoes that I feel there should be a few caveats given that what people consider cheap at Footlocker is a big difference from what is considered cheap at Payless. In the case of runners and athletes I'd say price is no substitute for careful fit and experimentation since the gap between a $40 and a $60 shoe is often small and the differences above $80 are then in turn often even smaller still. That's why many runners like myself often purchase several pairs of the same shoe if they find a model that for whatever reason happens to fit our needs best rather than dicker about trying to compensate for yearly changes. Frankly, I have yet to find a pair of $80+ running shoes that last long enough or feel good enough to really justify taking them over a well-fitting pair of $40-$60 shoes, particularly given that there frankly isn't much science to support the idea that an off-the-shelf pair of Nikes will really help prevent injury anyway.
Please be aware that a significant proportion of people in this country use ELECTRIC mowers, the maintenance of which is completely unaddressed in this article about lawn mower maintenance.
Thanks Guest! To know it worked for you is great. To know you retired your regular fertilizer in favor of it, well that's the highest praise for the formula.
I agree with a lot of the things in this post, but you partially contradict yourself.
You say there isn't a need for cable and suggest getting rid of it. However, you then go on to say watch the game at home. Well you can't get rid of cable and then watch a game at home. Actually, getting rid of cable would force me to go to the bar far more often to watch games. That would result in a large bar tab and me spending more than I would have on cable.
I have also lived in Erie all my life and have always appreciated that we do not have so many of the things that plague the rest of the world. For one thing, we do not have any dangerous, maneating creatures here, either on land or in the water. The meanest we got are black bears and you have to go to the mtns to find those and they're mostly elusive and of course, the lovely brown recluse spider--again, a rather elusive critter unless you're working in or around woodpiles.
Secondly, we do not ever have hurricanes--ever. We have had the occasional tornado with only one very serious touchdown several years ago in Albion, an area about what...30-40 minutes from Erie? We also have had earthquakes-2 minor little temblors that I myself felt and the one most recently that occurred in Canada but was felt here. The biggest was a 5.2 and that was back in 1998. Big deal. Could there be a tsunami on Lake Erie? I'd hate to think of what would have to happen in order for that to occur. We are not that close to nuclear reactors--Perry is in Ohio, about 40 miles NE of Cleveland. It is a type 6 boiling water reactor and is stronger than the ones in Japan--thicker walls and containment system and the backup cooling system and generators are underground, unlike those in Japan which got washed away by the tsunami, forcing them to use seawater to cool the reactors. The Shippingport reactor near Pittsburgh (3hrs from Erie) has been decommissioned.
Ok, so no deadly critters (really), weather is fairly safe, save for the blinding snowstorms and accumulation of snow each winter-but hey, Buffalo always gets it worse, small to miniscule nuclear plant threat, no volcanoes nearby, not earthquake-prone, let's talk crime rate statistics. Our crime rate has been steadily increasing-but there are very few areas of the city itself that I feel unsafe in--even at night. We just aren't a huge crime capital here. We get our fair share of thugs, I'm sure there is some organized crime-but ok, the Gottis don't live here, aight?
Some great things about Erie besides the above-mentioned:
we live right on Lake Erie, which provides for many activities year-round. People love to go ice fishing here in the winter, we have world-class steelhead fishing that ppl come from all over the world for, the lake effect doesn't just give us 100 inches of snow a year (or more) it also gives us excellent fruit growing and that includes GRAPES! In my little town of North East (15 miles East of Erie) we have what, about 20 wineries? It's amazing. The Cherry Festival, Wine Festival--and all the ethnic festivals we have from our Greek, Polish, Italian and German folks who immigrated here a few generations ago. We have the international institute which has helped settle thousands of refugees from all over including Sudan, Nepal, Iraq, Serbia, Croatia, Armenia, Lebanon, etc. We have quite a wonderful international flavour here with great markets reflecting that. We have farmers-tons of farmers selling fresh produce at roadside stands and in the park in downtown Erie. We have a thriving downtown nightlife, a huge shopping corridor along Peach Street, many hospitals with 2 of them being highly ranked in various specialties. We have the benefits of a big city without the crowding and long commutes-it takes me roughly 20 minutes to drive the 15 miles to my job. The cost of living is relatively low compared to the rest of the country. We do have Presque Isle which has wonderful trails and activities year-round. You can waterski, bike, skate, jog, rent pedal buggies and paddle boats in the summer-enjoying the soft sand beaches and world-class sunsets (we are spoiled by the spectacular sunsets here night after night) and in the winter you can rent snowshoes, cross country skiis--there is birdwatching year-round and deer and other wildlife to be seen. We have a gorgeous bayfront with a new convention center, great family-owned, non-chain restaurants, our own microbrewerie and excellent local beers, Smith's hot dogs, green grass, rolling hills, beautiful trees and many forests abound. In fall, our foliage is aflame and probably unrivalled save for the views in New England states. Matter of fact, our spring, summer and fall are incredible. It's just the winters everyone laments and the reason so many leave--and then come back! Because I can't tell you how many ppl come back--it's alot, trust me. Thank you for letting me go on and on--I'm just tickled and proud that Erie made this list! We've been called Dreary Erie and the Mistake on the Lake--well, I beg to differ!
This is timely information. Just this month I have spent almost $200 on seed and fertilizer to groom the lawn.
I purchased our mower 2 years ago and was miffed to read in the manual that the expected working life of this macine is only 7 years. My parents are about to get their 35 year out of their trusty 2 stoke grass cutter. Has manufacturing really gone backwards? This built in obsolescence drives me nuts. Corporate culture understands that they need to keep selling you stuff so they can stay in business. We all lose as a result of this mad consumer culture. Let's keep'm honest by maintaining our mowers, for starters, like you suggest.
Of course I will continue signing up for credit cards! I make a lot of tax free money this way!
I have gotten the United Chase card 5 times, Marriot Chase 3 times, Citibank American Airlines 2 times and various Citibank "Thank You Network" cards - everytime getting substantial bonues (ussually about 30,000 points) and NEVER paying a card fee. All these cards waived the fee for the first year and after the year I cancelled and then a few months later - signed up again and got a bonus all over again.
I have flown to Asia twice in First Class and once in Busuness Class and most of those miles were from Chase - much from the sign up boneses. I also got many miles when the government allowed you to charge the purchase of US Savings bonds - transfer cash to cash and get FFM - what could be better than that. Well getting interest when I purchased at the end of the month and not paying the credit card for 60 days or so!
I followed the directions for this recipe and applied it to the lawn last fall and again this spring, and have used the recipe a total of four times so far. I mixed as the recipe directed but added the beer and cola last in the 10gal. end sprayer. I used an Ortho dial a spray and set it at the four ounce setting dial on the top. The hose end sprayer holds 32 oz. and I just add a little less beer and apply on a 1000sq ft area at a time. I have a 100ft hose so marking off the yard was easy and I placed a small stake at each area of yard I marked off. I had to make the mix three times to cover my yard, and I bought all the supplies at the DollarStore and whenever I saw an item I used on sale I would buy it when I was already out shopping. I bought a 12pk of beer that was on sale as well as soda and I have to say that I still had plenty left of my supplies and I had only spent 16.00 when I started applying again this Spring. My yard looks great and everyone asks what I use and they wished their yards looked like mine. I don't mow when the weather is very hot, and I try to mow before a rainshower or thunderstorm to conserve water and save myself work. I was very skeptical about this at first, but I can say this, it works, I have a fertilizer applicator( you know the kind with the wheels and you fill with the grainy white junk) and I have retired it. I have been using the same mix on my azaleas but every two weeks instead of three and this year they bloomed themselves out. If you measure and use it, it will work for you too. I marked a calendar and kept in the garage next to the mower so I wouldnt forget.
depends on where you live in China, I live in Beihai during the summers and have bought a new apartment there with my Chinese wife. Life there is great to me, all the people there are nice and i have learned, let the wife go shopping and I go wait drinking a few cheap beers at a side walk table.People are always very kind to me, chat all the time for I know enough Chinese to get around on my own. Food is cheap and very good, just know where to eat by my local friends, side walk food is great if you know the vender well. All and all after this year I will retire there for life with no regrets.
I wish that I had a LED headlamp in February when my tire poped at 11 PM in the middle of Iowa. Changing a tire is tough enough at 0 degrees F, but try doing it with a flashlight in your mouth for 15 minutes.
Some things I only buy on sale. Thanks to my upbringing, I have a hard time paying full price for clothing, books, games, pretty much all non-essentials. Comparison shopping online is one strategy that I use to always get the lowest price. For groceries, I shop mostly the sales, choosing the least expensive brand to buy when multiple options are present. However, I will always buy carrots and grapes, regardless of the price.
I agree. Imagine if everyone's faucet *only* leaked 2 gallons a day. What if the sewage treatment facility for the town was already near capacity? Those measly 2 gallons per household could mean tens of thousands of gallons of untreated wastewater spilling into creeks, lakes, etc. If a nearby town takes water from that same body of water, then the water plant that produces potable water must spend more to reduce fecal bacteria loads to safe levels. Remember, no one lives in a bubble and the collective impact would be huge.
If you only want to buy a specific brand of a grocery item, go directly to the manufacturer's website and see if the site offer a coupon for it. If there is no coupon contact the company and ask if they have it. You never know until you ask - nicely.
I work in retail and am still wearing my Dansko clogs that I bought in fall of 2004 (it's now spring 2011). Function over style, definitely, but when you're on your feet for 10 or 12 hours, quality matters!
I think it's also used to gargle with, by singers and public speakers? I have seen it in stores related to voice training - they have the sheet music etc, and a shelf of Witch hazel stuff :P
I don't know if anyone has mentioned that - if so, I'm sorry for repeating! I read through the comments but maybe I missed it :-)
If anyone knows more about this though, I'd love to know more!
agree with lots of the tips! my friends and i always pre-drink at home. $12- $15 drinks at bars sure add up.
No, I'm afraid our budgeting consists of our somewhat haphazard response to bills and the like. I've suggested to my husband that we go on the budget payment plan for gas/electricity, and he says he doesn't want to...and we've had a considerable number of unexpected expenses throw our best efforts for a loop.
Doesn't mean we don't try, but we always seem to fall short in following a budget. Wish that weren't the case...
Hi Zorcy,
Rest assured, Big Brother was not involved! We're in the process of updating our older articles to the new format, so they may look a little different, but don't worry -- aside from the pictures, nothing in Philip's article has changed. =)
I've given up only buying groceries "on sale." Once I realized that the sale AND a coupon still didn't put most items under their store-brand cousins, I decided it wasn't for me - I find grocery couponing tedious. Now I just shop store brand only, and buy in bulk.
Anything else retail, service, or otherwise, I detest paying full price. I'll use coupons at restaurants, shop sales for clothes and gadgets, barter for services, and haggle on big ticket items. So, yes, I do only buy things (with a unit cost more than about five dollars) on sale.
Philip
Why oh why did the pictures change? I did not have a hard copy of the original to know if there was a change to the verbiage. Did Big Brother put pressure on you?
Thank you so much for all of your posts. I'm getting ready for my call to fight for unemployment and all of your posts have really helped me focus what I need to say.
One thing that I remember from when I lived in Germany was everyone had a centrifugal dryer that they used before line drying (or machine drying for that matter). Two minutes of spinning cut 30 minutes of machine drying time or more. And as long as there was no rain, everything I hung out in the morning was done by the evening.
Not a bad article, but there's so many different types of shoes that I feel there should be a few caveats given that what people consider cheap at Footlocker is a big difference from what is considered cheap at Payless. In the case of runners and athletes I'd say price is no substitute for careful fit and experimentation since the gap between a $40 and a $60 shoe is often small and the differences above $80 are then in turn often even smaller still. That's why many runners like myself often purchase several pairs of the same shoe if they find a model that for whatever reason happens to fit our needs best rather than dicker about trying to compensate for yearly changes. Frankly, I have yet to find a pair of $80+ running shoes that last long enough or feel good enough to really justify taking them over a well-fitting pair of $40-$60 shoes, particularly given that there frankly isn't much science to support the idea that an off-the-shelf pair of Nikes will really help prevent injury anyway.
Please be aware that a significant proportion of people in this country use ELECTRIC mowers, the maintenance of which is completely unaddressed in this article about lawn mower maintenance.
Thanks Guest! To know it worked for you is great. To know you retired your regular fertilizer in favor of it, well that's the highest praise for the formula.
I agree with a lot of the things in this post, but you partially contradict yourself.
You say there isn't a need for cable and suggest getting rid of it. However, you then go on to say watch the game at home. Well you can't get rid of cable and then watch a game at home. Actually, getting rid of cable would force me to go to the bar far more often to watch games. That would result in a large bar tab and me spending more than I would have on cable.
I have also lived in Erie all my life and have always appreciated that we do not have so many of the things that plague the rest of the world. For one thing, we do not have any dangerous, maneating creatures here, either on land or in the water. The meanest we got are black bears and you have to go to the mtns to find those and they're mostly elusive and of course, the lovely brown recluse spider--again, a rather elusive critter unless you're working in or around woodpiles.
Secondly, we do not ever have hurricanes--ever. We have had the occasional tornado with only one very serious touchdown several years ago in Albion, an area about what...30-40 minutes from Erie? We also have had earthquakes-2 minor little temblors that I myself felt and the one most recently that occurred in Canada but was felt here. The biggest was a 5.2 and that was back in 1998. Big deal. Could there be a tsunami on Lake Erie? I'd hate to think of what would have to happen in order for that to occur. We are not that close to nuclear reactors--Perry is in Ohio, about 40 miles NE of Cleveland. It is a type 6 boiling water reactor and is stronger than the ones in Japan--thicker walls and containment system and the backup cooling system and generators are underground, unlike those in Japan which got washed away by the tsunami, forcing them to use seawater to cool the reactors. The Shippingport reactor near Pittsburgh (3hrs from Erie) has been decommissioned.
Ok, so no deadly critters (really), weather is fairly safe, save for the blinding snowstorms and accumulation of snow each winter-but hey, Buffalo always gets it worse, small to miniscule nuclear plant threat, no volcanoes nearby, not earthquake-prone, let's talk crime rate statistics. Our crime rate has been steadily increasing-but there are very few areas of the city itself that I feel unsafe in--even at night. We just aren't a huge crime capital here. We get our fair share of thugs, I'm sure there is some organized crime-but ok, the Gottis don't live here, aight?
Some great things about Erie besides the above-mentioned:
we live right on Lake Erie, which provides for many activities year-round. People love to go ice fishing here in the winter, we have world-class steelhead fishing that ppl come from all over the world for, the lake effect doesn't just give us 100 inches of snow a year (or more) it also gives us excellent fruit growing and that includes GRAPES! In my little town of North East (15 miles East of Erie) we have what, about 20 wineries? It's amazing. The Cherry Festival, Wine Festival--and all the ethnic festivals we have from our Greek, Polish, Italian and German folks who immigrated here a few generations ago. We have the international institute which has helped settle thousands of refugees from all over including Sudan, Nepal, Iraq, Serbia, Croatia, Armenia, Lebanon, etc. We have quite a wonderful international flavour here with great markets reflecting that. We have farmers-tons of farmers selling fresh produce at roadside stands and in the park in downtown Erie. We have a thriving downtown nightlife, a huge shopping corridor along Peach Street, many hospitals with 2 of them being highly ranked in various specialties. We have the benefits of a big city without the crowding and long commutes-it takes me roughly 20 minutes to drive the 15 miles to my job. The cost of living is relatively low compared to the rest of the country. We do have Presque Isle which has wonderful trails and activities year-round. You can waterski, bike, skate, jog, rent pedal buggies and paddle boats in the summer-enjoying the soft sand beaches and world-class sunsets (we are spoiled by the spectacular sunsets here night after night) and in the winter you can rent snowshoes, cross country skiis--there is birdwatching year-round and deer and other wildlife to be seen. We have a gorgeous bayfront with a new convention center, great family-owned, non-chain restaurants, our own microbrewerie and excellent local beers, Smith's hot dogs, green grass, rolling hills, beautiful trees and many forests abound. In fall, our foliage is aflame and probably unrivalled save for the views in New England states. Matter of fact, our spring, summer and fall are incredible. It's just the winters everyone laments and the reason so many leave--and then come back! Because I can't tell you how many ppl come back--it's alot, trust me. Thank you for letting me go on and on--I'm just tickled and proud that Erie made this list! We've been called Dreary Erie and the Mistake on the Lake--well, I beg to differ!
This is timely information. Just this month I have spent almost $200 on seed and fertilizer to groom the lawn.
I purchased our mower 2 years ago and was miffed to read in the manual that the expected working life of this macine is only 7 years. My parents are about to get their 35 year out of their trusty 2 stoke grass cutter. Has manufacturing really gone backwards? This built in obsolescence drives me nuts. Corporate culture understands that they need to keep selling you stuff so they can stay in business. We all lose as a result of this mad consumer culture. Let's keep'm honest by maintaining our mowers, for starters, like you suggest.
Of course I will continue signing up for credit cards! I make a lot of tax free money this way!
I have gotten the United Chase card 5 times, Marriot Chase 3 times, Citibank American Airlines 2 times and various Citibank "Thank You Network" cards - everytime getting substantial bonues (ussually about 30,000 points) and NEVER paying a card fee. All these cards waived the fee for the first year and after the year I cancelled and then a few months later - signed up again and got a bonus all over again.
I have flown to Asia twice in First Class and once in Busuness Class and most of those miles were from Chase - much from the sign up boneses. I also got many miles when the government allowed you to charge the purchase of US Savings bonds - transfer cash to cash and get FFM - what could be better than that. Well getting interest when I purchased at the end of the month and not paying the credit card for 60 days or so!
Use old shower curtains under the litterbox to make cleanup of that litter kitty kicked out fast and easy. Protects the floor too!
I buy on sale when possible but, if I really need something in the short term or it's a brand I greatly prefer, I will buy at full price.
I followed the directions for this recipe and applied it to the lawn last fall and again this spring, and have used the recipe a total of four times so far. I mixed as the recipe directed but added the beer and cola last in the 10gal. end sprayer. I used an Ortho dial a spray and set it at the four ounce setting dial on the top. The hose end sprayer holds 32 oz. and I just add a little less beer and apply on a 1000sq ft area at a time. I have a 100ft hose so marking off the yard was easy and I placed a small stake at each area of yard I marked off. I had to make the mix three times to cover my yard, and I bought all the supplies at the DollarStore and whenever I saw an item I used on sale I would buy it when I was already out shopping. I bought a 12pk of beer that was on sale as well as soda and I have to say that I still had plenty left of my supplies and I had only spent 16.00 when I started applying again this Spring. My yard looks great and everyone asks what I use and they wished their yards looked like mine. I don't mow when the weather is very hot, and I try to mow before a rainshower or thunderstorm to conserve water and save myself work. I was very skeptical about this at first, but I can say this, it works, I have a fertilizer applicator( you know the kind with the wheels and you fill with the grainy white junk) and I have retired it. I have been using the same mix on my azaleas but every two weeks instead of three and this year they bloomed themselves out. If you measure and use it, it will work for you too. I marked a calendar and kept in the garage next to the mower so I wouldnt forget.
depends on where you live in China, I live in Beihai during the summers and have bought a new apartment there with my Chinese wife. Life there is great to me, all the people there are nice and i have learned, let the wife go shopping and I go wait drinking a few cheap beers at a side walk table.People are always very kind to me, chat all the time for I know enough Chinese to get around on my own. Food is cheap and very good, just know where to eat by my local friends, side walk food is great if you know the vender well. All and all after this year I will retire there for life with no regrets.
I wish that I had a LED headlamp in February when my tire poped at 11 PM in the middle of Iowa. Changing a tire is tough enough at 0 degrees F, but try doing it with a flashlight in your mouth for 15 minutes.
Honey buy me one!!!
The only thing that matters at the end of the day is who you love, and who loves you.
Some things I only buy on sale. Thanks to my upbringing, I have a hard time paying full price for clothing, books, games, pretty much all non-essentials. Comparison shopping online is one strategy that I use to always get the lowest price. For groceries, I shop mostly the sales, choosing the least expensive brand to buy when multiple options are present. However, I will always buy carrots and grapes, regardless of the price.
I agree. Imagine if everyone's faucet *only* leaked 2 gallons a day. What if the sewage treatment facility for the town was already near capacity? Those measly 2 gallons per household could mean tens of thousands of gallons of untreated wastewater spilling into creeks, lakes, etc. If a nearby town takes water from that same body of water, then the water plant that produces potable water must spend more to reduce fecal bacteria loads to safe levels. Remember, no one lives in a bubble and the collective impact would be huge.
If you only want to buy a specific brand of a grocery item, go directly to the manufacturer's website and see if the site offer a coupon for it. If there is no coupon contact the company and ask if they have it. You never know until you ask - nicely.